AN: A little something for you today. It's been a busy day but I wanted to get something out to keep moving us forward in our tale.

I know I don't get around to them all individually all the time, but as always I thank you for your reviews and your comments. They make my day and I love hearing that you're invested in the story and the characters. It makes it that much more rewarding to write for you all! I'll try to get a little something out for you tomorrow!

I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think!

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If Daryl was ever sure before that he was in over his head with this whole women and relationship thing, he was pretty positive now. He had no idea what to do for Carol to make her feel better.

At this moment he was doing the only thing that he could even begin to think of. He'd settled on the bed with his back against the headboard. Carol was sitting, facing him, draped across him and he was holding her much like someone might hold a small child. Since he didn't know how to fix it, he figured the best he could do was just offer to hold her while she worried and cried it out. The trash can rested on the floor beside the bed so he could reach it if she cried herself into another gagging fit.

Daryl's hope was that he could hold her and rub her back until she finally just fell asleep. Then he could maneuver her around and get her to bed, letting her at least rest. It might be the only relief she could get until the shock wore off, or whatever it was that was consuming her in this moment.

After a bit, though, her sobbing finally subsided and Daryl leaned forward a little with the intent to tip her enough that he could see if she was asleep or not. The tightening of her arms around him as he leaned up let him know that she wasn't asleep.

"Ya can't be comfortable like that, an' I know I don't smell so great," Daryl said. "Been workin' on that damn bike damn near all day."

"I'm fine," Carol protested. She drug her face across his chest and he added snot and tears to the list of things that were probably on his shirt.

"I know this ain't what'cha wanted ta hear," Daryl said, "but one damn way or another this shit's gonna be fine. Even if his sorry ass gets outta jail he ain't messin' with ya."

"You can't say that, Daryl…" Carol said.

Daryl leaned forward the rest of the way then until he was sitting up. He reached his hand between them and pushed her off of him enough to tip her face toward him. Her eyes were red and swollen and his heart ached just to know that Ed, no matter where the fuck he was, still had enough damn power to do this to her. Daryl frowned.

"I promise ya," Daryl said. "If I got any control at all in the situation, I ain't gon' let him so much as come near ya."

Carol turned her head sharply, freeing her chin from his finger and returning her head to his chest, holding tight to him.

"You can't always be there, Daryl," Carol said. "And he thinks he owns me or something…he'll be there when you're not. And what about the baby?"

Daryl leaned back again letting her sink against him once more. He resumed rubbing her back. He was trying to remember what Hershel said about worrying the rock into the big damn patch of kudzu, but he couldn't stop worrying right now any more than he could make Carol stop worrying.

The fact of the matter was that he couldn't always be there…it just wasn't possible. It made his stomach clench tight every time he thought about the night that Ed had attacked Carol and Andrea. He remembered how damn helpless he felt in that fucking car headed toward the hospital and not knowing what the hell he would find.

Now he had Carol to worry about and there was the baby too. Even though he couldn't even verify the damn thing's presence aside from Carol's obvious distaste for food most of the time, he didn't want anything to happen to it. Even if it wouldn't destroy him entirely, what it would do to Carol would.

"He ain't gon' hurt you an' he ain't gon' hurt the baby," Daryl said. "Ya gotta calm down, though…Michonne said we don't even know what to expect. Ya might be gettin' all worked up over nothin'."

"I might…" Carol said, "or I might just be preparing for what's going to happen. It's hard to say."

She scrubbed her face into his chest again. Daryl was glad that at least she'd quit crying. He had some chance of getting her to calm down when she wasn't sobbing, but when she was choking and gasping like she'd been doing earlier it was hard for him to even breathe, less likely figure out what to say to calm her down.

"Don't think like that," Daryl said. "Michonne said ya gotta just be positive. Ain't nothin' that worryin' can do 'bout it no way."

Carol sat up then and Daryl grimaced. As much as he didn't mind holding her on his lap he wished she would realize that certain ways she moved around damn near killed his manhood. She must have figured it out, though, because she whispered a sorry and threw her leg over, climbing off of him to sit on the bed.

Outside the bedroom door Daryl could hear Lincoln whining every now and again and could hear the huffing of his breathing as he sniffed at the crack. Andrea was apparently in the living room…not really having much else of a place to go, and from time to time she hissed at Lincoln, trying to distract the dog without reminding Daryl and Carol of her presence.

"Can we let the damn dog in?" Daryl asked, realizing that Carol was at least ready to talk about this in somewhat of an organized fashion. Carol rubbed her hands across her damp cheeks and nodded at him.

Daryl got off the bed, realizing immediately the number she'd done on him wiggling around and smashing parts of him he'd rather not have had smashed, and walked to the door. He opened it far enough for Lincoln to dart through and run directly up his stairs before Daryl could get the door closed again.

The dog bounded around on the bed licking at Carol's face and damn near wiggling himself to death, obviously suffering greatly from the lack of petting during the time that they'd been in there. At least, though, his antics brought something of a smile to Carol's face that was a welcomed change from what Daryl had been seeing.

Daryl made his way back to the bed and sat down.

He looked around, but the bedroom offered him nothing in the way of rocks, so he finally picked up one of Carol's hair ties that was on the nightstand and put it on the bed.

"Hershel told me this an' it's a good damn thing for ya ta hear right now," Daryl said. He pointed to the hair tie and pushed Lincoln back so he couldn't take it and try to run with it like he did with most everything else he could get his damn teeth on. "Want'cha ta move that hair bow there but'cha can't use ya hands."

Carol blinked at him, looking a little confused.

"You mean like with my feet?" She asked.

Daryl chuckled.

"No, I want'cha ta worry that damn thing back onto the nightstand," Daryl said.

Carol frowned.

"You're trying to tell me that worry doesn't do much, right?" Carol said.

Daryl chuckled again. He picked the hair tie up and tossed it back at the night stand.

"Damn, ya faster than I was on that shit," Daryl said. "That's my damn point, though. Ya ain't allowed ta worry no damn more over Ed's sorry ass."

"Daryl, it's a lot easier to say that I'm not going to worry about it than not to worry about it," Carol protested.

Daryl shook his head at her.

"Don't even start talkin' like that. Just say ya gon' quit worryin'. I know ya got ta have other fuckin' shit ta think about…so let's think about that. Hell we can talk about any fuckin' thing ya wanna talk about," Daryl said. "Go ahead…any damn thing that trips ya trigger."

Carol frowned at him again and tugged Lincoln up to her, kissing the knot on the top of his head.

"I don't have anything to talk about, Daryl," Carol said softly.

"What'd ya buy today?" Daryl asked.

Carol shrugged.

"We found a bedroom set for Andrea," Carol said.

At first Daryl had thought he wouldn't like having Andrea around, but now that she was here he didn't mind it all that much. It didn't really change things like he thought it would and he knew that Carol liked having her around. They got into all that girly shit that Daryl couldn't even understand. In fact, he figured the only downside so far to having Andrea in their house meant that some damn where his sorry brother was attempting to drown his liver and was pining away over a woman that he didn't have the balls to admit that he wanted back.

"What's it look like?" Daryl asked.

The truth was he didn't give a damn about furniture. The entire house could be furnished with things made out of two by fours and plywood for all he cared. Carol liked that shit, though, and she often talked about the things she eventually wanted to buy for the house when they could afford to finish furnishing it. Most of it was just talk, of course, because it would take them a long time to save up to her dreams, but Daryl didn't mind the talk and it made her happy to sit around and imagine what the house would eventually look like.

Right now he'd let her talk about furniture until her head exploded from excitement if it would get her mind off Ed and the possibility that the asshole might be able to return to Sweet Junction.

Carol shrugged again.

"It's just a bedroom set…really it's part of a bedroom set. It's a wood bed," she started. Daryl thought she already looked a little calmer just from trying to focus on something else. "The headboard's got some pretty carvings. We went by another store…Andrea bought some mattresses. It's really nothing fancy…it's a queen sized bed, though. It has a nightstand and Michonne said she thinks that one of her parents' old dressers she's got in her attic would go with it. She wants us to go and look at it."

Daryl tried his best to paint on the most interested face that he could.

"I can help ya move the damn thing if ya need me too," he offered.

Carol absentmindedly heaved Lincoln up, hugging him against her, her chin resting on his head. She always reminded Daryl of Lennie, the cartoon bear or whatever the hell he was, that would pet the hell out of the damn squirrel until it died. He always thought Lincoln should be sitting there gasping at the way she hugged him and petted him…but the damn dog seemed to think it was the greatest thing in the world, and the more she loved on him, the more he liked it.

"Tyreese is bringing the bedroom set and the mattresses tomorrow. He's taking a worker and going to get it. I don't know what we'll do about the dresser…or even if I'm going to look at it," Carol said. She frowned again, the frown starting to deepen and Daryl almost panicked trying to come up with something to distract her.

"Of course ya goin' ta look at the damn dresser. Andrea ain't got shit, but she at least deserves a drawer to put her shit in 'stead a' them damn cardboard boxes she's been haulin' 'round. Them fuckin' boxes prob'ly damn near old as she is," Daryl said. "That's what the fuck she moved into the apartment with."

Andrea had gone not long after her initial arrival to their house and brought the rest of her things while Merle was at work. She'd brought everything she owned, which wasn't enough to impress anyone, and she'd piled the cardboard boxes up in the empty room that they'd now be moving her bedroom furniture into.

Daryl could see that Carol still wasn't feeling chatty.

"Did'ja get baby shit?" He asked. He knew they were going to look at stuff for the baby. The middle room had been designated the nursery but there wasn't a damn thing in there right now except for some random boxes and shit. Daryl didn't really know what a baby needed. He figured it needed a crib…something to put clothes and diapers in…that had to be about it.

Carol shook her head.

"We didn't go," she said. "I don't think it's a good idea to go ahead and get it…we should wait."

Daryl frowned at her.

"Now listen here," he said sharply, reaching toward her to bring her face to look at him where she was staring now at the bed covers. As he reached out, though, Lincoln nipped at him, barely catching his hand with his teeth and immediately ducking his head like he was sorry at the action.

Daryl looked at the dog a moment. The nip hadn't actually hurt, but he was surprised. The dog playfully "chewed" on all of them, but never with any real effort to close his jaws and he certainly hadn't snapped at anyone, not even at Michonne's oldest rug rat and she pulled on his ears sometimes before they could stop her.

"Ya gon' bite me ya lil' asshole?" Daryl said to the dog. Carol hugged him against her.

"Don't! He didn't mean to!" She said.

Daryl frowned at her. She was worked up and that was obvious. The look in her eyes told him that she thought he was going to do something to the dog.

"Hey…I ain't gon' hurt'cha dog," Daryl said, careful to lower the tone of his voice. "I just can't believe the little fucker tried ta bite me."

Carol stroked the dog, running his ears through her fingers. She looked like she might start crying again and Daryl wished that the tears came with some kind of battery department that he could disconnect.

"He didn't mean to," Carol repeated.

Daryl thought he did mean to, though. He reached out slowly and petted the dog.

"Oh he meant to," Daryl said. "He's doin' what the fuck a good damn dog is s'posed ta do. He ain't liked my tone a' voice an' he let me fuckin' know it."

Carol didn't say anything to him. She just continued to run the dog's ears through her fingers, staring at the bed.

Daryl reached out slowly this time and tipped her face up to look at him.

"I was gonna say that my kid needs a fuckin' bed," Daryl said. "Can't put him on the couch like we done Andrea."

Carol's frown deepened again, but she was holding back the tears. Daryl had a good damn idea that he knew what she was thinking and he wanted to beat Ed Peletier literally to damn death for it too.

"Carol," Daryl said, "ya gotta stop…I'm tellin' ya that the fucker ain't gettin' to ya an' he ain't doin' shit ta my kid. I reckon he's fucked with ya enough. It's time ta stop lettin' him fuck with ya. Now ya can go with Andrea and Michonne…or hell I'll go with ya…but'cha gotta get the kid a bed an' ya gotta quit worryin' 'bout Ed's sorry ass."

Carol nodded a little.

"Put'cha damn dog down," Daryl said.

Carol looked at him, question in her eyes again. Daryl chuckled a little.

"Put him down so he don't bite my ass," Daryl explained. Carol put the dog on the bed and pushed him away a little. Lincoln was used to being pushed toward the foot of the bed and knew that was his cue to either get down or get out of the way. He apparently chose get out of the way because he went to the corner of the bed and curled up, looking in their direction.

Daryl moved around and took Carol by the shoulders, pushing her gently back onto the bed. She protested and moved stiffly at first but finally let herself go down. Daryl kissed her and she responded to the kiss, sighing into his mouth.

Daryl shifted around her, straddling her. He pushed up the bottom of the shirt she was wearing until he could just find the bottom of her bra and kissed the skin right up under it. He moved down, his tongue drawing a line from where he kissed down to her navel. She flinched and he knew that it must have tickled, but she wasn't protesting his actions in any way so he didn't stop. He kissed a small circle around her navel, enjoying the soft skin of her stomach against his lips.

"Where is it?" He asked, raising his head.

Carol was laid back on the bed, her eyes closed. When he spoke she turned her head just a little, looking down over her body to make eye contact with him.

"Where is what?" She asked.

"The baby," Daryl asked. "Where the fuck ya hidin' it at any way?"

Carol smiled at him. She unbuttoned the jeans and lifted her hips, pushing against him a little as she moved them down. Daryl tried to ignore, for the moment, that she was wearing lavender panties. He wondered if he was going to see more than the tops of them.

"I don't know…" Carol said. "Not exactly, somewhere in here."

Daryl watched where she rubbed her hand and then brought his lips there, trailing kisses across the area that made her jump a little. It was strange to him to think that somewhere…behind the skin that he knew was Carol's…there was, in theory, a little piece of both of them. Granted, it was a little piece that right now looked like it belonged to the insect family or maybe was something that you'd see in National Geographic, but it would one day be a baby.

The thought made Daryl's stomach clench a little, but he wasn't sure it was entirely in a bad way. It wasn't so much a negative thought that he'd had…as much as it was something he just felt like was entirely too big for him to swallow, even though he might like to.

He ran the gauntlet of kisses over the area again.

"It's a good place for it," Daryl said. "Safe in there an' probably pretty damn warm…ya like a fuckin' heater…'specially when ya sleep."

Carol chuckled a little and ran her fingers through his hair, still gazing at him from her position. Daryl lifted himself up to hover over her again and brought his lips back to hers. When they pulled apart he stayed there, looking at her eyes. She had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen in his life. He felt like he could swim around in them if it were possible.

"Jesus…I love ya woman," Daryl said.

Carol smiled softly at him.

"And I love you," she said.

"I want'cha ta be happy," Daryl said. "I don't want'cha cryin' an' worryin'…"

Carol ran her fingers through his hair again. This time she brought his head down to meet hers and he sunk into the kiss, letting himself sink down over her. When they broke away Daryl could feel his whole body responding and wanting more of her, but he didn't know if she felt the same. She pushed up against him, though, wrestling with her shirt. He helped her pull it off and yanked his off as well, tossing it to the side while she freed her breasts from her bra.

"I promise," Carol said. "I'll try not to worry…I can't promise I won't worry…but I'll try not to."

Daryl sucked at her nipple, pinching it gently between his tongue and roof of his mouth, just behind his teeth. She gasped and he rolled his tongue. She bucked into him and he let go, suppressing a laugh.

"Still got our pants on," he said, softly.

Carol rolled her head to the side.

"Lincoln looks disgusted," she said.

"He'll learn not ta look," Daryl responded.

He knew that she hadn't worried the last she was going to worry about Ed. Neither had he for that matter. This was something that was going to hang over them, like some kind of cloud, until something resolved the problem in one way or another.

At least for the moment, though, he'd gotten her to realize that they had to just keep going…just like Michonne had told him out by the bike. They had to just keep living their lives. They couldn't give the fat bastard the satisfaction of knowing that he'd fucked up even one more day of Carol's life than he'd already fucked up.

Daryl was going to do everything he could to keep Ed from ever hurting Carol again…physically…mentally…emotionally. He didn't want Ed Peletier to ever have any control whatsoever over the woman he loved.

Carol shimmied out of her pants and Daryl abandoned his position long enough to shed his own. He sunk down on top of her again, his lips and teeth dancing around her neck and throat. She shivered and he smiled, coming up to crush his lips against hers again.

When she wrapped her legs around him he let her take the initiative and he reached down, guiding himself into her. She sighed and moved her arms back, above her head. He repeated his earlier action on her nipple as he began to move slowly and she started to match him, her breathing picking up already and her eyes closed.

They took their time…it was probably the longest that Daryl could ever remember them being connected, rocking gently together, but all things come to an end and he felt himself reaching that end. Carol had been quiet except for pants and moans, but he could feel her muscles tightening around him, warning him that she too was reaching the edge.

He brought his hand between them to help her the rest of the way and kissed her chin gently as she tipped her head back.

"Look at me," he said, working her.

Carol moaned at him but turned her head, her expression almost pained and her eyes dark as she locked her eyes on his and toppled over the side, her orgasm washing over her and sending her jerking beneath him, driving him to join her.

Daryl rolled off her as soon as he could, not wanting to push her down into the mattress with the force of his weight and he drug the tip of his tongue across her jaw bone before kissing the side of her face.

"We in this shit together, ain't we?" He asked when his breathing started to slow. Carol was still working to get control of hers and he watched her throat as she swallowed. She turned her face toward him and nodded, smiling a little. Daryl smiled at her. "I hope ya know it…" he said. "I really do love ya."

Carol smiled.

"I really do love you too," she said.