AN: Well I'm zipping through this one fairly quickly. Thank you all so much for reading and the kind comments and messages. Means so much to me. On the crappy days I read your words and they make me smile. XOXO

Chapter 7

Daryl hesitated, but only for a second before he kissed her back. Carol licked at his lips and dipped her tongue into his mouth when they parted. She was expecting him to taste like beer, but it wasn't beer he'd been drinking. Whiskey. He said he'd drink whiskey the next time, but Carol thought it would be with her not because of her. Well it least he's paying attention to me now, she thought, continuing to kiss him.

It wasn't until they parted that she realized Daryl was drunk. There was too much going on before that. The relief of finally seeing him, the arguing, the hurt… She hadn't noticed just how unsteady he was on his feet. Or the look in his eyes. "I'll make you a deal," she said tentatively. "I won't go in there. I'll leave here right now - go home. But only… if you come with me."

Daryl looked unsure. Confused. And the alcohol sure wasn't helping. "Uh…" he stammered.

"Not that," she said. "You're drunk. You can't drive yourself home. Come with me. I'll get you coffee… and then… you can listen to what I have to say."

"Or I could just go back in there, spend the rest of the cash in my pocket getting wasted and try to forget I ever met you," Daryl replied. He wanted to be angry, she could tell. He wanted to be mad, but he couldn't.

Carol gave him her best smile. "Yes. You could. But if you go back in there I'm following you. Your call." Daryl grumbled something she couldn't understand, but she knew he'd given in. She won. It was bittersweet because there was still that tiny part of her that wanted to go into the bar and shoot pool. But there were more important things that needed to be taken care of first. She pointed the remote at the car and clicked the unlock button. "Jump in, let's go."

The first place she stopped was a 24 hour Dunkin' Donuts drive thru. She handed Daryl an extra large cup and put another in the cup holder for her. "That's a big fuckin' coffee," he commented.

"I could easily drink two," Carol replied. Daryl held his out towards her. "Uh uh, you need it more than me." She pushed it back in his direction and Daryl took a sip. By the time she pulled into her parking spot they both had empty cups. She led him upstairs. "You want more?" she asked as they settled in the kitchen.

"Nah, be up all night," Daryl declined. Coffee, caffeine didn't bother her like that so Carol made herself another before joining him at the table. "Shouldn't be here," Daryl muttered, looking around the room to avoid looking at her.

"Why not?" Carol asked, staring at him. Eventually he would meet her eyes and wouldn't be able to look away.

"You're just bein' nice. Making sure I don't do something stupid like drive home drunk," his gaze swung past hers.

"Maybe. Or maybe it's something else…" She let her words hang in the air and finally he looked at her. "Daryl, when you look at me… what do you see?"

"I dunno… You're beautiful…" he replied, followed by a fierce blush.

Carol was flattered, truly, but it wasn't what she was looking for. "I mean, if you didn't know me. If we never met and you passed me on the street or seen me in a restaurant. What would your impression be. What would you think of me?"

"Probably think you're some rich bitch that's way outta my league," he said with a bit of a snarl. "White collar, other side of the tracks, happy little family, raised by loving parents… the usual."

"Got some of it right," Carol eyed him. Maybe one day she would tell him all the parts he got wrong. Let him know they weren't always so different. "What do you see when you look at yourself?"

"Hmm," Daryl snorted. "Not much. Trailer trash I've heard. Redneck with a chip on my shoulder. Bad attitude. Never gonna make nothin of myself."

"That's what you think others see," Carol interrupted him. "What do you see? The good stuff."

Daryl shrugged. "I can hunt. Track…" He started to look around the room. Apparently that was about all he had.

"Wanna know what I see?" She asked.

"Got a feeling you're gonna tell me," Daryl snapped.

"Well you got it right about the chip on your shoulder," Carol started, catching his attention right off the bat. He was expecting her to tell him all the good stuff, but she was fully prepared to be honest. "Yeah, I can see that chip and the bad attitude. But that's what you want people to see so they don't look deeper." She knew she was right because of the way he was looking at her captivated almost. "I see past that though," she continued. "I see potential Daryl. A lot of potential. I've only known you for a few days but I know you have a kind heart. You enjoy helping people. You might even have a hero complex," she added with a smile. "You didn't have to stop and help me on the side of the road. You didn't have to drive me home or offer to have your brother fix my car."

Daryl spoke in a low voice that was strangely sexy, "Maybe I just wanted to get in your pants."

"Maybe," Carol admitted. "But you were stopping before you had any idea what I looked like, if I was alone, had kids or family in the car… That didn't matter to you. Someone needed help and you gave it. Then you went out of your way after that. Says a lot about your character."

"Maybe I just wanted to see you again," he spoke once more.

"I didn't have to agree. Don't you think I could have found my own tow company? I've got AAA. They would have taken my car where ever I needed them to." Carol knew she was in dangerous territory, but there was something so sweet and innocent about the man staring back at her that she couldn't help but admit things she shouldn't. "Maybe I just wanted to see you again too."

The look on his face said he needed more convincing. "Listen," she sighed. "I'm gonna be honest with you. I've thought about what it could be like… you and me. I've thought about what my friends and family might think. But that's not what stopped me last night." Carol felt dizzy being this vulnerable and honest with someone. "I stopped because I didn't think the timing was right." The more she talked, the more she really started to sort out her feelings as she went. "I considered taking you to bed the first night you were here." He looked absolutely stunned. "But Daryl you're too sweet. You don't deserve a one night stand, from me… or anyone." She bit her lip. "At first I thought that's what was going to happen last night and I just… I just couldn't. I have so much going on, I didn't want to make a big mess right now. I want to focus on this new job…" Daryl looked hurt, maybe a little embarrassed. "But when I saw the way you reacted, the way I hurt you… I couldn't… I just couldn't let it go." Carol tilted her head. "I would have followed you last night if I could have. I would have dealt with it all right then. But… no car… no address… no phone number…"

"So what?" Daryl asked bitterly. "Nothing's changed. You still have the job. Still don't need a mess."

She shrugged. "Maybe it doesn't have to be messy." She took a breath and gave him yet another honest admission. "The only thing I know right now… is that if you walk out and I never see you again, I'll always wonder, what if?" She blinked her eyes. "And I don't do that kind of thing. I don't. But in this case I would. That must mean something, right?"

Daryl shook his head, "I still ain't gonna fit in with your friends. Your family, they won't get it."

"How about we just start with you and me? Worry about the rest later," she suggested. He didn't need to know right then that she really didn't have much family. None that she saw often, anyway.

"You and me," Daryl repeated. He still had a look of disbelief or shock. He clearly wasn't expecting any of what she was saying. And the whiskey was likely making things fuzzy.

"Daryl, I want you in my life, in some form," Carol stated. "We can figure out what that is. Maybe we stand on the shore, just be friends… or maybe we jump in."

His response wasn't what she expected, yet perhaps she should have. "I don't feel well."

Carol couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't funny. But there was just something humorous about going from such an emotional moment to the fact that Daryl could very well be ready to barf at any moment. "I'm sorry," she said. "Are you gonna be sick? Do you need help to the bathroom?"

"No, I ain't normally much of a puker unless I drink Jager," Daryl replied. "But maybe I should go home now. Lay down or something…" He did look pretty tired. "Didn't sleep much last night and I was up before dawn, out in the woods."

"I have a couch - it's really comfortable," Carol offered. Well actually it was more of a demand. For some reason she needed him to be there in the morning. This wasn't like her at all. She wasn't normally this impulsive. Truth be told, Daryl was a stranger. But he was a stranger she needed to know. She just didn't know why it was so important to her. She gave him a stubborn look and he either wanted to stay or was too tired to argue with her because he nodded. He stood and she could see he was still wobbly, so Carol steadied him and helped Daryl into the living room and onto the couch.

"Be right back," she said, leaving to get a pillow and blanket. When she returned Daryl was sitting up, but he was leaned back against the cushion and appeared to be sleeping. She stopped and looked at him for a minute. He looked so innocent, almost childlike. Carol didn't realize what she was doing until her lips were already on his forehead. Daryl woke instantly and gazed at her curiously. "Uh, here you go," she said, putting the pillow down on one end of the couch.

"Thanks," he said sleepily. He seemed pretty out of it, like too much booze and not enough sleep would do to a person. Guess the caffeine from the coffee isn't going to affect his sleeping Carol thought.

"I'll let you sleep," she said, turning off the light. There was something she had to know. It didn't matter much, but she'd been curious about it since they met. "Uh Daryl, how old are you?"

"Gonna be 39 next month," he mumbled, laying down and stretching out.

"Hmm," Carol said, surprised. He was older than she thought. She was sure she had close to 10 years on him. "Night." Carol turned to go.

"Carol," came a tired voice. She stopped. "You have really pretty eyes." It was followed by a

yawn. She smiled and kept walking. Her smile widened when she heard him mumble something else. "And a really nice ass."

She changed and climbed into bed, but her brain was working overtime and Carol knew she wasn't going to fall asleep for a while. She gave it her best effort for at least 30 minutes, but all she could think about were the events that had transpired and the man sleeping in her living room.

Her behaviour was so out of character. Not that she wasn't an honest, insightful person, but she usually reserved such honestly for those she was closest to - people she'd know for years, not days. He past had made her extremely guarded and cautious. Why was it about him that made her feel so comfortable? That made her open up like she'd known him for so much longer?

It all went back to what she told him about the potential she saw. Carol wanted to help him see himself the way she saw him. But was that why she felt such an attraction? Or was it something more? She'd never been able to turn her back on someone in need. She tended to take things personally to a fault. If there was a way she could help someone through a tough time she would always do her best. And the times when she just couldn't do it, or even worse, when she tried and failed… they affected her greatly. There were people who had helped her, so many years ago when she was sure she was trapped with Ed forever. And now she was happy and successful. It felt right to pay it forward. But was Daryl more than just a way to pass on good karma? He had to be.

Eventually she fell asleep, but woke around 4am. Carol had to pee, badly. She got up, wandered sleepily down the hall and opened the bathroom door. She was already inside before she realized the light was on and the bathroom was occupied. Years of living alone meant she never knocked to walk into her own bathroom. Daryl hadn't noticed her yet but she noticed him. He was in a towel again, his back to her. He must have taken a shower, she realized. But it wasn't the towel that was distracting her, it was his back.

Carol felt tears sting her eyes at the sight before her. Across his back there were several scars. They could have been from anything, but Carol knew - she knew instantly someone had abused him. She knew because she'd been there too. She took a step forward and reached out her hand. He still hadn't seen her. Just as her shaky fingers were about to contact his skin Daryl caught a glimpse of her, looking back over his shoulder. She didn't stop. She touched his back and looked into his eyes. "God Daryl, I am so sorry," she said, as a tear slipped down her cheek.