This was meant to be a lot longer, but I found a good place to end it. I hope you all enjoy and I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to read this little thing. It really means a lot and it makes me want to keep writing for it! :)

Chapter Six

Daryl's lip still tingled from when he had kissed Carol, or from when he half kissed her. He still could not believe that he had chickened out of kissing her fully on the mouth. They were going to get married. That meant they would be doing more than just kissing. Heat flooded his cheeks at the thought. Their wedding would not be for awhile and Daryl knew that by then, he and Carol would be so comfortable around one another that he could swoop in and kiss her whenever he wanted. Or at least, he hoped.

Marriage was serious business, he knew, and most couples thought long and hard about that step in their relationship. But he had had just sprung the question on Carol and the woman had said yes. They must be both crazy. He definitely was. Daryl was in love with Carol, plain and simple. He wanted to know everything about the woman and he hoped that she would eventually come to love him, too.

Daryl knew she wasn't in love with him. Not yet, anyway. But it didn't matter to him. Carol wouldn't have agreed to his proposal if she thought she'd never be able to love him. She would never play with his heart like that. That was not the kind of woman she was and Daryl could tell that from the short amount of time they had known one another. Carol was kind, compassionate and hadn't looked at him with disdain the moment he opened his mouth.

"What are you thinking about?" Carol's voice filled the car, then, and startled him out of his thoughts. He had almost forgotten that they were in her car and on their way to his house.

"You." He answered automatically. Then, winced. "Fuck, that sounded creepy. Sorry." He ducked his head in embarrassment. Carol may have agreed to marry him, but that didn't mean she wouldn't get freaked out with how much attention and thought he gave to her.

"No, that's not creepy, at all." Her smile was bright and understanding when she looked away from the road for a second. "I was actually thinking about you, too."

"Really?" Daryl didn't bother to hide the surprise in his tone. "Good thoughts, I hope."

"I don't know much about you, Daryl and from what I've seen you are a good man. But I've been fooled before." Daryl opened his mouth to respond, but Carol cut him off. "Tell me about your family."

This was the third time Carol had deflected telling him anything about her life and he wondered what she had to hide. This time, he let it slide, again, but he slightly vowed that he would find out why Carol randomly cried or looked sad and tell him it was nothing. Something or someone had harmed this woman, his woman, and he was going to find out what.

However, talking about his family was something Daryl wanted to keep hidden. Nothing about the way he grew up and who his blood was, screamed 'good man' and he didn't want Carol's view of him to change. Especially since he had finally found her again.

But how was to get Carol to open up, if he wasn't willing, too?

"I'll tell you about them," he said and looked towards her. "If you tell me about yours." There was no tightness in the way she gripped the wheel and nothing conflicting flashed across her face.

"Deal."

Daryl fidgeted in his seat and ignored the searing pain in his side that it caused. "Well, there ain't much to say about my family, so you'll probably be disappointed."

"I could never get disappointed in learning more about you, Daryl." She flashed him a brief smile before turning back to the road. Meanwhile, Daryl couldn't tear his gaze from Carol as he basked in the sincerity of her words. No one had really wanted to get to know him before. Not even the guys at work. He had been working at the garage for three years and they probably only knew his name. But that was how he liked it. With Carol, it was different. She wanted to know more about him and that pleased Daryl to no end.

"Um, well, when I was nine my mom died in a house fire. I hadn't been home and when I did get back, it was just in time to see the firefighters put the fire out."

"I'm sorry, Daryl. That must have been hard since you were so young."

He shrugged. "I got over it real quick. She wasn't around much growing up. Always in her bedroom drinking and smoking. My dad died several years later and then, it was just Merle and me."

"Is Merle your brother?"

"Yeah, he's in jail now." Daryl smirked. "Drug possession and he won't be out for a few more years, so it's just me."

Carol reached over and grasped his hand. "I'm sorry, Daryl."

"It's okay. Really. And now, I have you, too." He squeezed her hand and looked at her, shyly. "Now, it's your turn."

"My story isn't much better than yours." She retracted her hand and placed it back on the steering wheel. "My parents are dead. They died in a car accident my sophomore year of high school. I lived with an aunt until I graduated and went off to college."

"No brothers or sisters?"

She shook her head. "My mom couldn't have any more after me. I always wanted a little brother or sister, though. It got kind of lonely when I had to play by myself."

"When I was younger, Merle was always out with his buddies getting into trouble and when I started high school, he decided to join up with the army. It was just me for awhile, but I liked it." He looked at her.

"Can he be difficult?"

Daryl chuckled. "Hell yeah." The driveway to his home appeared and he pointed to it. His house was nestled between a large number of trees, just like Carol's. It allowed him his privacy and he never had to go far to hunt. However, the house was small and worn down. It really wasn't a place he wanted to bring Carol.

"So, this is it?" Carol parked the car and shifted until she faced him.

"Yeah. Ain't much, but it's all I need."

"It looks cozy."

Daryl couldn't help but snort. "Stop lyin'."

"No, I'm serious!" She leaned forward on the steering wheel and gazed at his house. "It looks lived in and there's nothing wrong with that."

"Just wait until you see the inside," he mumbled and opened the door. "You'll probably change your mind about it bein' cozy."

Carol followed suit and climbed out of the car. Daryl was nervous, now, to have her inside his home. It was small on the inside. His living room only had a well-worn couch, a rickety table and an old television. The kitchen was outdated and his room down the hall only held a bed and a dresser. He didn't own many things, but that had never bothered him before. Until now. What was Carol going to think when he saw all of his meager belongings? Would she see, finally, what she was getting into and decide that it wasn't for her.

Daryl held open the door for Carol, and chewed on his thumbnail as he watched her take a look around his living room. He was glad that he was a fairly tidy person. If Merle had been living there, there would have been empty beer cans, dirty dishes and clothes sprawled everywhere.

"I know it ain't much." He shoved his hands in his pockets and continued to watch Carol, to see her reaction.

"You live by yourself. This is all you need." She turned to him. "My house is the same. Why have more than you need?"

"R-right." Daryl didn't know how she did, but Carol seemed to always say the right things. She could have said a number of things that would have made him feel like shit, but she hadn't. She understood him.

They stood in silence for a bit. Carol continued to look around the room and Daryl continued to look at her. Then, he remembered why he had wanted to come home. "Well, uh, do you want to have a seat? I'll be right back."

"Okay." Carol stepped back and settled herself on the couch. Daryl took one last look at her before scurrying off to his room. What he had come here for was hidden away in the top drawer of his dresser.

With shaky hands, he moved aside his underwear and reached until he hit the back of the drawer. When his hand knocked into a little box, he grasped it and pulled it out. Nestled inside was a ring. It was his mother's. Not her wedding ring, though, that had been buried with her, but a ring that had been passed down from her grandmother. He hoped that it would fit Carol's finger and that she would accept it.

Daryl clutched the box hard and walked to his doorway. This was it. He knew he had already proposed to Carol and she had said yes, but this was where the real test laid. Would she accept the ring, which was something that would physically show that she was his, or would she reject it and him?

"Daryl?" Her soft voice startled him and she was right there, in front of him.

"Yeah?"

"Is there something wrong? You were in here for awhile. I just wanted to come check on you and make sure you're all right." Her blue eyes fell on his side, where he was bandaged and stitched. "Is your side bothering you?"

"No." Truthfully, he had forgotten all about the wound in his side.

"What's that in your hands?"

Daryl smirked. "Curious one, ain't we?"

Carol blushed and looked down. "Sorry," she mumbled.

He instantly felt bad. Carol had actually looked upset at his teasing words. "Hey," he gently tilted her head up so they could lock eyes. "I was just kiddin'." He held out the box to her. "It's for you."

"For me?" She took the box, tentatively.

"Yeah. Open it." Daryl hid his shaking hands behind his backs. He didn't want Carol to know how nervous he was. When she opened the box, she gasped.

"It's beautiful." She held up the ring. It held a single diamond, surrounded by two sapphires on a silver band.

"It used to be my mom's." Daryl jumped when she shoved the box into his chest.

"Oh no, Daryl, I can't take it, then. Especially if it's your mothers."

He enclosed her hands within his and pushed the box towards her. "She would have wanted you to have it." His large hands engulfed hers and her soft skin felt good on his rough, calloused palms. "I may not have known my mama very well, but I think she would have liked you."

Tears glistened in Carol's eyes and clutched the box lovingly to her chest. "Oh, Daryl."

Reaching for it, Daryl carefully removed the ring and held it out to her. "See if it fits." Carol's hands shook as she took it from him and slid it onto her left hand. It fit perfectly.

"Jesus," Daryl breathed and when Carol turned wide eyes up at him, he smiled. "Does that mean this is fate? That we're supposed to be together?" His face reddened. "Uh, I mean-"

"Maybe it is." Carol interrupted, while her eyes never left the ring. She seemed faraway. "Maybe it is."

So, Carol is getting there. She isn't anywhere near to the level Daryl is at, yet, but she'll get there eventually. Ed's still a constant presence in her mind. The bastard. The next chapter will be in her POV, so you will all see that. :)

Thank you for reading!