Morning came too soon.

From the moment she opened her eyes, there was no confusion about the events of the night before, no doubt in her mind whose chest her head was resting on or whose legs were entwined with her own.

It had been a long time since she'd woken up next to a man and she realized now that she'd never woken up next to one quite like Daryl Dixon.

He breathed in, his chest expanding under her cheek, and she looked up to find him watching her through hooded eyes.

"Mornin'," he mumbled, absently rubbing his hand up and down her back.

She looked away from his face before she fell in farther. "Good morning."

His hand stilled. "You alright?"

"Uh, yeah," she told him, finally sitting up and rubbing at her bleary eyes. "You?"

"Mmhm."

He stretched and she couldn't help but watch the muscles in his chest and arms as they pulled tight beneath his skin. He cradled his hands behind his head and let her stare, his eyes on her face.

"I feel like I should apologize," she started but he cut her off.

"You ain't got nothing to apologize for."

She didn't know what else to say. She wanted to tell him that she had wanted to kiss him, that she didn't regret that, just that it had to happen now, like this. But nothing came out.

He looked at her a while as if he was waiting for her to say something more.

When she didn't, he finally sat up and climbed out of the bed, leaving her sitting there alone staring at where he'd been.

The sun was setting on another long day when they finally arrived in Martinsville.

They were all quieter today, more subdued. Even Merle kept his thoughts to himself, humming under his breath instead of singing at the top of his lungs. He'd teased them at first, about their night together under Mrs. May's roof, but he let it go once he picked up on the change in the mood.

Carol was grateful. She spent most of the trip staring out the window, watching the world pass by. Eventually it all blurred together.

Tammy's house was easier to find than May's had been. There wasn't much in Martinsville.

The house they stopped in front of was neat enough; the yard needed mowing and a shutter was coming loose on the big front window but Carol could see cheerful yellow flowers in a pot by the front steps.

Before they reached the porch, a woman opened the door and peered out at them with big dark eyes. "Carol?"

"Yes, are you Brenda?"

The woman shook her head fiercely. "Hell no. I'm Tammy."

She stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind herself and shooting them a quick smile. "Don't want the cats to get out."

Carol nearly told her it was nice to meet her but decided this wasn't the time to bother with formalities. "Is Brenda here?"

"Nope," Tammy huffed out an exasperated breath. "She left about an hour ago. Don't know where she was going but she told me not to wait up. Not that I was gonna."

"You think she's coming back?" Daryl asked, watching the woman with narrowed eyes.

Tammy shrugged. "She left all of her shit here. You tell me."

Merle climbed the steps, forcing the woman to take a step back. "How do we know you ain't just hiding the whole damn bunch in there?"

"I guess you don't," she snapped. "But I ain't got nothing to hide."

"In that case, you won't mind us taking a look around," Daryl said, following his brother up the stairs.

Tammy's dark eyes flashed and she looked at Carol, as if hoping she might intervene. But Carol just stared back at her, unmoved.

"Fine," the woman sighed, stepping out of their way. "Just watch the cats, alright?"

Merle and Daryl filed inside, closing the door firmly behind them and leaving Carol alone with Tammy.

Carol watched her wringing her hands and fidgeting, feeling strangely detached from it all.

"Listen, I'm sorry about what happened," Tammy finally said. "I didn't know. Ed told us all that you were an unfit mother and he took that baby to keep her safe."

Carol's face went hot. "He said what?"

"He said you were a stripper and all you did was party and bring home strange men," the woman said, looking away. "But when I talked to Mama this morning, she said you were a real nice girl and she didn't believe a word of that. Guess I shouldn't have believe Ed the dickhead in the first place but Brenda eats up every little thing he says."

The heat flowed from Carol's face, down her neck, and across her chest. She gritted her teeth against the anger that was flaring up inside her.

Tammy seemed to notice and changed the subject quickly, her voice light.

"So which one of them boys is yours?" she asked, jerking her head towards the door. "The one with the shaved head seems like an ass but he's damn fine."

Carol raised a brow, softening a bit as she looked at Tammy's hopeful expression.

"That's Merle," she told her, "and he's more trouble than he's worth. He's definitely not mine."

"Well, you know what they say about tires and testicles," Tammy chuckled. "So it's the younger one then? He ain't bad to look at either."

Carol didn't bother to correct her as Daryl opened the door, nudging a fat grey cat aside with the toe of his boot.

He met her eyes for the first time since that morning and shook his head. It wasn't as hard this time, she hadn't been expecting Sophia to be here anyway.

"Nothing but cats," Merle grumbled, slamming the door behind him. "Too many goddamn cats."

"Now, you just watch your mouth," Tammy teased, cocking her hip out to the side. "We don't take the Lord's name in vain in this house."

Merle gave her a long look up and down.

"Well, praise Jesus I ain't in this house no more," he muttered, stomping off down the front steps.

Tammy watched him go, shaking her head, and then looked back at Carol. "How about y'all come back first thing in the morning while Brenda's lazy ass is still piled up in bed and I'll make damn sure she talks to you."

Carol glanced at Daryl and saw him nod.

"We'll be here."

If there was a hotel in Martinsville, it was well hidden. They drove around until 9 before giving up and pulling into the truck stop just outside of town.

The cook was already gone for the night so they settled for a supper of potato chips and cold sandwiches from the store, eaten in a plastic booth under buzzing fluorescent lights.

Daryl stopped to buy a pack of cigarettes as Carol and Merle headed for the Cherokee. She was still trying to come to grips with the fact that they'd be sleeping in the car together, in very tight quarters, in a truck stop parking lot.

She was trying to figure out the most comfortable position when Merle twisted around in his seat to look at her. "So what the hell happened last night?"

She didn't look at him. "Nothing happened."

He snorted. "Don't tell me y'all fucked."

She shot him a cold look. "We didn't."

"Then what the hell happened that was so fuckin' bad it turned y'all both into mutes?"

"Why do you care?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why do you think? 'Cause that's my baby brother."

"Well, nothing bad happened," she sighed. "I guess we're both just…confused."

Daryl opened the door then and Merle dropped the subject. The silence in the car was suddenly deafening. Carol could almost hear her heart beating.

Up in the front seat, Merle fidgeted until he couldn't take it anymore.

"I gotta take a leak," he muttered, throwing the door open and climbing out.

And then she was alone again, with Daryl.

He lit a cigarette and passed it back to her without asking before lighting his own.

She took it, grateful for the distraction, and it was half burned down before she got up the courage to speak.

"I guess we should talk about what happened," she said, stumbling over her words a bit.

He turned his head ever so slightly and she could see the silhouette of his profile in the darkness as he exhaled a stream of smoke. "Yeah?"

She took a deep breath, gathering her words before she started.

"I don't want things to be weird between us," she told him before admitting, "because I like you. A lot."

He didn't move and, uncertain, she continued, "And this morning when I said I wanted to apologize, it wasn't for the kiss. It was for putting you in that situation after all you've done for me."

To her relief, he turned his head to look at her and the corner of his mouth hitched upwards. "Didn't see me complaining, did you? Hell, I felt bad for taking advantage of you."

Her cheeks warmed and she looked down, grateful for the cover of darkness. "You didn't. Not at all. And I just wanted you to know that it's not that I regret it or don't want to do it again. I just feel so guilty for even thinking about something like that when my daughter is still out there."

"I get it," he told her. "It don't mean you care about her any less though. It don't make you a bad person."

She wasn't sure if he was right about that but she thought about it anyway, for a good long time. In any case, the tension had ebbed away by the time Merle returned. He picked up on it immediately; he caught her eye and winked.

Then they settled in for the night; doors locked, windows cracked, Carol stretched across the backseat, and the Dixon's reclining in the front.

The faint hum of semis passing on the highway was strangely comforting. She couldn't say that she was actually comfortable but she felt more secure than she would have expected. Of course, that probably had something to do with the brothers in the front seat.

"Merle?"

"What?" he sounded particularly grumpy and she wondered if she'd woken him up.

"What makes you so good at finding people?" she asked.

"Ain't found her yet."

"I know, but at least we have a lead," she insisted. "I wouldn't have even known where to start."

He stayed quiet.

"I know you were a bouncer once but before that, were you a…repo man?" she guessed.

He snorted.

"Bail bondsman?"

"Fuck no."

She heard Daryl chuckle.

"So what is it then?" she pressed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Observant," he told her and she saw him tapping his finger on the side of his head. "Means I don't miss shit."

"She knows what it means," Daryl muttered. "She ain't stupid."

She smiled to herself, just a little, and finally closed her eyes.