'I get it,' Daryl took her hand walking into the big house, they were following the real estate women up the path onto the wrap around porch into the house, 'You want to start fresh, with happy memories,'

'I've got happy memories just about all my memories are happy, I just need to ... I think we both need to start again, get to know each other again,' Carol squeezed his hand back, he actually spent a long time lying awake thinking about what had been said, what she had said. He understood, he did something and she wanted to forget it. She wanted him that was clear, she was trying to work it all out so they could start fresh. She had a smile ten foot wide looking at the big wrap around porch with the porch swing. 'I'm just not the same person I was 5 years ago, and you are not the same guy you were, we can't just hold hands and jump off a cliff and hope for the best, we need to find a path to go down to get to the bottom, holding hands together, its not a bad thing, please don't think its a bad thing... its not a bad thing that I want to fall head over heels again,'

'But can we just pretend we got a divorce?' Daryl pulled her hand back to him, 'Please, just I don't want to, it kept me up all night worrying about it,' he started chewing on his lip a little, she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss, she nodded.

'Ok, its ok, we don't need to... I just want to ... Daryl we need to...' she leaned in to kiss his lips again, 'I just need time to ... I just don't want to... make any mistakes, and I think we both need to take some time to address any feelings before we live together full time because I don't want to fight, I don't want to fight at all, I want to get back what we had, and I know you... we both need to spend one on one time together... not in bed but talking and playing together,'

'You know me?' he wrapped his arms around her, she snuggled in, she did know him. She worked it out way before he did that they needed to take a huge step back and date. Get to know each other again. Daryl looked across the yard at Ollie swinging in the tyre swing that was there, it was a huge old oak tree that offered plenty of shade, an outside BBQ area was nearby. 'That rope needs replacing,' Daryl muttered and he called Ollie off the swing, the little boy come running full blast towards them. They had been beginning to establish a bond, Ollie loved the fact he had a Daddy, Daryl was still coming to grips with the fact he was a father again.

'Its not just about what I want though, what do you want too,' she took his hand again, they stepped into the house looking around. 'I want laughter and love, you and my family,' he squeezed her hand that he wanted those things too, he did want everything, everything she wanted. She'd been thinking about it for a long time. He never even thought he would ever get her back again. Only in his dreams did they ever get back together.

They were both in shocked to why this place was empty, it was amazing. They both looked up to the huge stair case, Ollie was running upstairs two steps at a time, they both turned towards the real estate agent trying to not seem keen on the whole house, it felt warm and inviting. It seemed really happy, also it was about 100yards from Merle and Andrea's, Daryl wasn't really sure but he was pretty sure they might even back onto each other.

They stole sneaky glances at each other as they were shown the top floor, Carol was almost giddy with how much she liked the place, Daryl was trying to keep a poker face because of the fact that they didn't want to give too much away. 6 massive bedrooms upstairs each with an amazing view out, they couldn't help but want to move in right now. She took them down stairs to show them around. The only thing the place didn't have going for it was the one small bathroom. It was tiny, but they both looked at each other when they saw it knowing that they could always fix that and make another bathroom.

'So you said there was 2 rooms down stairs?' Daryl asked the lady.

'Well its kinda like that, its actually... I guess you could call it a self contained apartment out the back, it used to be a vet's place, he used it as his rooms,' She showed him the way through the kitchen, they looked around the massive farm style kitchen, with its huge opening doors to a little outside eating garden that was also inclusive of the BBQ area, she walked a different way to what Carol had assumed was the laundry. 'It has its own entrance but they connect through the laundry,'

She opened the door to revel a large laundry with another door opening to the small apartment, 'Their daughter lived here for a while, its got a new bathroom, bedroom, the other room which was the consult room could be a office or something, and its own lounge, they share the laundry,'

'Why are they selling?' Carol asked, she'd seen enough, she wanted to get a builder here to check it all out.

'They are in a retirement home now, they are in their 80's the stairs got to to much, they raised 7 children here, by all accounts they were the only owners,' she told Carol.

'Can we look around on our own for a bit?' Daryl asked her, she nodded and told them she would be out by her car making some calls.

'Sooooooooo I love it,' Carol whispered to him, he loved it too, he couldn't think of a better place to start again. He also kind of thought he could move into the small apartment rather than above the garage. He liked it too, he didn't like Ollie trying to slide down the railings of the stairs and called him back. Carol opened the huge double doors out to the courtyard. It was amazing. They had seen the price, they just needed to sell where they were.

'I do like it,' he looked a little overwhelmed he didn't think he would ever like anywhere else but the house they had, all his memories there, his memories were not the same as hers though, 'Do you think we could ... do you think I could move into the apartment rather than above the garage?'

'I think so, I'd like that,'

'Me too, also, I think if you go up to the master bedroom and look you will be able to see Merle and Maggies place,'

'Is that a good thing or bad thing?'

'Depends, it means that you will have Maggie there if you need her,' They were walking the stairs together, he had his arm around her. The whole place just felt like home, it felt like coming home. It was a little nerve racking for him she could tell, he was nervous about it, making changes leaving the old place to start again. 'I think we should put a offer in, sell our place,'

'Are you really sure?'

'I'm ... I was dead against it all, shocked about it, now I'm here looking around, I think it... I think it would be good for me to move on, for us to to move on, with Ollie together,' he looked at her and took her hand taking her over to the big bedroom window, 'But we need curtains, cos I think we going to see Merle's naked arse from here,'

'Its not to big?'

'Not really I don''t think it makes much sense just to have one bathroom though, maybe we can take a bedroom and turn it into another bathroom or something, the lounge is huge and so is the dinning room, do we need to use a dinning room, we can just turn the kitchen into one, with a fire and a couch it would be really cosy.'

He was right, the down stairs was large, upstairs was large and the apartment was almost a completely separate add on at the back of the house. So the down stairs on the left was a massive lounge and small dinning room off it, on the right almost half the house was a kitchen with a garden. They called Ollie and went downstairs to walk about. It had some land, not much but some. They walked about, looking at the few out houses and barn. They had kept some animals here they didn't know if they would but they had their kittens and they could get a dog if they wanted too.

Daryl wrapped his arm's around Carol, and she leaned back into him. They watched Ollie running around the field out behind the house. They both felt it, Carol was sure it wasn't just her, they found the perfect home for them. Perfect because it did suit their needs, it would also give them both space from each other but a chance to slowly become the family they both wanted to be. Also it meant they both would be seeing Ollie every day. Something that Daryl really wanted to do and see.

Carol turned in his arms, 'Are you ok? I mean you have all your things, are you ready to pack up all your stuff, Sophia's bassinet?' Carol asked him. 'If we have another baby do you want to use it or ...'

'I don't know,' he told her, he didn't he'd kept it like it was the day he pulled her out of it and tried to do C.P.R on her on their bedroom floor. 'I don't, I guess I'm just kinda thinking I'm just gonna put it in the back of the truck like it is,'

'Have you talked about it with anyone?'

'Yeah I went to a group a couple of times, but it wasn't ... I don't know,'

'You can talk to me... I was there,'

He just nodded and swallowed a little, Ollie come running back towards them, he just nodded again and kissed her on the head, 'I want too, I want to talk about her. You did,'

'I don't know, I been talking about her to Ollie since he was a baby, I guess he's a little used to it now,' she looked at him for a moment, 'What would you do if Ollie went into the bedroom and messed it all up playing with her things?'

'I don't know, he wouldn't be doing it to hurt me or wreck it on purpose,' he whispered, she was worried, her room was like a shine to her for Daryl.

'I used her baby blanket to wrap Ollie in as a baby, it helped me... maybe you could give something to Ollie? Some thing to Merle's kids? Some thing to Merle and Maggie to have? I was thinking we could get those little pink booties put into a frame, what do you think?'

'About giving her stuff away?'

'No by giving some trinkets to those who loved her?'

'I don't know, I need to think about it, I guess... if we have another baby we could use the bassinet... I'd like that,' Daryl whispered, 'I like that,'

'Daryl... I love you... I just want you to know that... I'm a little crazy right now, unsure... but I love you,' Carol hugged him again, Ollie wanted in on the hug, Carol bent down to pick him up to cuddle him too. Ollie had one arm around each of their neck's, he had no idea why they were exploring the new house but he was having a good time.

They walked together back to their car they were still borrowing Merles, they really needed to get one that they could put a seat in. The truck was hopeless, Daryl went to talk with the real estate about a price and putting their house on the market. Carol watched him from the car. She shut her eyes for a moment, trying to relax her brain, she just wanted everything to be ok, everyone to be ok. She hoped they were making a step in the right direction. Daryl certainly had a bit of spring in his step rather than dread when he come back.

They arrived back at the home, Daryl disappeared into Sophia's room. She didn't want to push him for anything but when he come out he invited Ollie to follow him in and look around. He told him that he could come in a play in there. Sophia would like him to play with her things. Carol stuck her head around the door looking at Daryl showing him her stuff. He'd even opened the window a bit, it was sunny and they could smell the fresh air. The smell of flowers coming from somewhere. He pointed to the high cupboard in the room, 'everything I want to keep is up there, everything else, I think we can share with Ollie?'

She looked around she wondered what was actually in the cupboard, she opened it. Pulled down the plastic bin of memories and took it through to their bedroom and sat with it on the bed, he'd done it again, everything that had meaning to both of them. The outfit they brought her home in, the pink booties, the baby photos, Carol had said at the time they had gone over board on photos, they had hundreds and hundreds. Pregnancy books and everything that had special meaning to them. The rest was just things that they had for her. He'd done a great job, he'd put together the scrapbook and kept all her notes, added to them. She had regret for not staying and running from him, she couldn't change it now.

He come into the room to look to see what she thought, 'You did well, you're a great Dad, Ollie and Sophia are lucky,'

He just stood there and blinked a little, he walked over to the bed, he'd left Ollie in Sophia's room which was a big step to let anyone else in. Carol went over to her bag and pulled something out she handed it to him. He looked down at the ring box in his hand. He'd known she didn't wear her rings anymore.

'Just in case... you know if you ever wanna ask a girl to marry you again, you should have them,' She told him, he nodded and put the box in his pocket, she was putting the ball into his court of when they could exchange rings again, he still had his he went to the drawer he kept it in, brought it over for her to keep for the time being, they had time. They had time.

'Look, my teddy likes sleeping in the little baby bed,' Ollie come into the room, he was pushing the bassinet and he'd pulled the bed apart to tuck his teddy in, 'shush he's sleeping he likes it in there,' Carol looked at Daryl's face and Daryl just reached over to show Ollie how to tuck the baby teddy in better, Ollie was happy pushing the bassinet back out of the room back into his own room.

'How do you feel?'

'I don't feel that bad really, Ollie is playing with her things, I feel ok about that,' Daryl put the lid on the baby box and put it in their wardrobe, he lay down on the bed beside her and cuddled her, 'I think its going to be ok,'