I'm going away for the weekend, so my next update won't be for a few days.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Carol and Daryl walked to Daryl's truck in silence. Since they had left Merle gaping at the metal table, Carol seemed to be far away. She didn't even look Daryl's way when he asked what was wrong. She just mumbled that she was fine, and they continued to walk. When they made outside, Daryl took her hand and they made their way back to his truck. The men in orange jumpsuits had catcalled and whistled, but Daryl ignored them completely, this time.

Daryl didn't start the truck right away. Instead, he turned in his seat so that he could fully face Carol and grabbed her hand. She looked up at him with shimmering eyes and her lips were trembled. She was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Oh, fuck." Daryl gathered her in his arms and Carol let loose with racking sobs that shook her whole body.

"I'm s-sorry, Daryl. S-So sorry!" She clutched at him as if she was afraid he would flee and the collar of his shirt grew damp with her tears, but he didn't care.

He pulled away slightly so he could look her in the face. "Why are you sorry? You didn't do anythin' wrong?"

Carol swiped at her wet cheeks, but more tears quickly replaced the ones she had wiped away. "Your brother hates me, and now, he's mad at you for marryin' me."

"That ain't your fault," he said, firmly. "He's just mad because he isn't the only person in my life, anymore. He's mad because I have you, now and he can't influence me, anymore. None of that is your fault, sweetheart."

"I shouldn't have come with you today. You should just have told him and let him think it over while he was here." Carol sniffled and looked down at her hands, picking at her fingers. "I just hate that you haven't seen him in awhile and you guys got in a fight because of me. He's your only family."

"Last time I visited we got into a fight, and I hadn't even met you, yet. Things will be okay. I promise." Daryl shrugged. "I mean, he was goin' to find out sooner or later he had a sister-in-law and we chose to let him know sooner." He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Now, let's stop talkin' about my jackass brother. How about I take you out for some dinner? Then, we can go home, shower and go to bed."

A small hint of smile played on Carol's lips. "It won't even be close to bed time when we get home."

Daryl buried his head into her neck and kissed her there. His heart soared when she giggled at his kisses, and he knew she was feeling a little better. "Our honeymoon weekend is almost over and I haven't had you nearly enough, yet."

She slipped a hand into his hair and he trailed a row of kissed up her neck, to her jaw, and finally to her lips. All thoughts of Merle left their minds as they drove out of the prison parking lot.

The rest of their evening seemed to fly by. Daryl took Carol to a small diner a few miles from the prison. He told her that he would stop here after visiting Merle, and claimed that they had the best strawberry milkshakes. Carol couldn't help but giggle as she imagined Daryl sucking on a pink, strawberry milkshake.

"Well, you won't be laughin' when you taste it," he said with a smile over his menu.

"I'm sure I won't." Carol hid behind her menu and scored over the different choices. She didn't know how hungry she was until they stepped inside and smelled the cooking food.

Their waitress came by a few minutes later, and they told her what they had wanted to order. Carol ended up ordering a strawberry milkshake, just like Daryl.

"So," Carol said and folded her hands on the table. "Tell me a little bit about when you were younger." It felt odd to say that since they were married and should have already known all they could about one another, but their circumstances were different...and she didn't regret it. But now, they had to make up for lost time. Carol wanted to know everything about Daryl, and she was sure it was the same for him. But there was still some things she couldn't say. Like how Ed was still out there and how he knew she was in the area. That was a problem she had to deal with on her own. Somehow she had to think of a way to get rid of Ed, forever. But she didn't know what.

Daryl looked slightly uncomfortable and he shifted a bit in his seat, one hand absently going to his chest where Carol knew he had a long jagged scar. She had seen it, and a few others, the day she had stitched him up. The other night, she had felt them on his back as they made love. They spoke of an unhappy childhood.

"You don't have to tell me anything," she said, quickly. "I would understand." Things had been terrible for him, and she understood why he wouldn't want to relive them.

"No." He covered her hands with his. "You're my wife, you should know." He gave her a weak smile.

"I don't want to make you upset," Carol voice grew small. Those first few months with Ed, she hadn't learned to keep her mouth shut and it had gotten her in trouble with him. After the first few times he slapped her in the face, it didn't take long for Carol to keep her mouth shut. Things got bad whenever she made Ed upset.

"I...think I would feel better if I told you, Carol. For so many years, it was just me and Merle, and he already knew what I had to deal with growin' up. He had to deal with it, too." His eyes closed for a moment, and he took a deep breath before continuing. "My daddy was a cruel man. He used to beat on me and Merle when we were kids, and when my mom died in a house fire, things got worse."

Carol knew about how his mother had died. He had told her the first day they had meant. It still saddened her that he had to go through that so young. She had lost both of her parents, but she had been a teenager. Daryl had been a little kid and he had come back in time to see the aftermath of what had happened to his mom. No child should have to deal with that.

No child should have to deal with a cruel father, either.

"Merle got out, though, the first chance he could. Juvie. Military. Anyplace that wasn't home. I was too young to take with, so I was left behind."

"Oh, Daryl..."

"Most of the time, I stayed out of my daddy's way...and when I didn't, well you felt them on my back." He didn't look at her. He looked ashamed. For what he was ashamed about, Carol didn't know. It wasn't Daryl's fault that his daddy was cruel. It wasn't his fault he had scars on his back.

"I wish we could invent a time machine," she said. Daryl looked up, confused.

"That way, I could go back in time and get you away from your dad and you could have gone back in time to stop me from meeting Ed."

He smiled and squeezed her hand. "If only that could happen. But the past defines us, you know? Maybe we were meant to go through those trials, so that we could meet and be happy together."

Just then, there food was set in front of them, but before they dug in, Carol made sure to let Daryl know she had understood what he had said.

"Yeah, maybe we were."

The rest of their meal was filled with happy subjects. Safe subjects. Daryl didn't talk about his father and childhood, and Carol didn't bring up Ed. They had suffered enough from these people, and right now, they deserved to be happy.

When they finally returned to Carol's, no their house, Daryl was kissing her before she could even unlock the front door. His hands went under her shirt and soon, it was being lifted over her head and thrown in the direction of the living room. Carol didn't care.

"I think we should shower together," Daryl said in between kisses on her lips and jaw. "Conserve water and all."

"Oh, what a tree hugger you are, Daryl," Carol teased before turning and running to the bathroom. Daryl stood there stunned, but when he saw her bra fluttering to the floor in the kitchen, he was off like a shot.

Together, they satisfied their want for one another under the hot spray of the shower. Carol had never been with a man in the shower. Not even in the early days of her marriage to Ed. It had been different and wonderful. She didn't know how she was ever going to shower by herself, again.

They made their way to the bedroom in nothing more than a towel. They hadn't brought any clothes to change in when they had made their way mad dash to the bathroom. Carol went to the dresser where Daryl's clothes were, pulled out one of his shirts to slip over her head and then pulled out a pair of plain, cotton panties. Daryl beamed and then, grabbed a pair of boxers to slip on. When Daryl turned his back to her to make his way to the bed, Carol got an idea.

"Daryl?"

"Yeah?" He looked at her over his shoulder.

"I want you to lie on your stomach. Okay?"

He froze, realizing what would be on display if he did that. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me."

"I do." And he did as she asked. Lying on his stomach, he placed his head on his hands and looked to the side. Carol bit her lip, unsure for a moment and then, kneeled on the bed. Slowly she crawled up the bed until she was by hips. Lifting a leg, she straddled his lower back.

Daryl stiffened when she lowered herself on him.

"It's all right," she soothed. "But if you feel uncomfortable, just tell me and I'll get off."

"'kay."

Daryl's back was a whole canvas of abuse. Jagged lines zigzagged all over his skin. Some were think, others thin. But she knew they had all been painful to receive and tears welled in her eyes, just imagining what a young Daryl had to go through during his early years.

Her eyes traced the biggest scar, which went from his shoulder down to the middle of his back. What had caused it? She leaned forward and kissed her way down it. Daryl muscles began to slowly untense under the feel of her lips.

"I love you," she whispered before moving on to another scar. This one a much smaller and lighter one by his spine.

"I love you," she said, again.

With every scar, she repeated her actions. Kissing it and telling Daryl that she loved him. She just wished she could make every scar disappear with her kisses and her love, but she knew they were permanently a part of him and all she could do was help him not feel ashamed of them, anymore.

After she kissed the last scar, she rose up on her knees and Daryl flipped to his back. His eyes shone in the dark and he reached for her. She went to him, willingly.

"I love you, Daryl," she said, settling her head into the space between his neck and shoulder. "I'm so sorry it took me so long to realize it and tell you."

"I'm just glad you do," he sounded choked up and on the verge of tears. "God, I love you so much, Carol. It almost scares me how much, sometimes."

"Me too," she whispered into his skin. "Me too."

That morning, Daryl was reluctant to leave a still sleeping Carol, but he had work. Unfortunately, he had only asked for the weekend off, knowing that he couldn't ask for a whole week on such short notice. However, one of these days, he was going to ask Charlie for a vacation...a long one. He hadn't asked for one since he had started working there, so he knew his boss would let him have one.

He dressed as quickly as he could and leaned down to kiss Carol on the cheek before making his way to the door.

"Daryl, wait." A sleepy voice stopped him in the doorway and he turned to see Carol slip from bed to make her way toward him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Have a good day at work, okay? I love you."

He kissed her one more time. "Love you, too. Now, go back to sleep. I know how much you love it."

"Not as much as you and Cary." She winked and made her way back to bed.

Daryl smiled at her one last time before making his way to the kitchen, where he made a quick lunch. Maybe if he worked through his lunch break, he would be able to get off sooner.

As he drove to work, Daryl couldn't help but think about the night before. What Carol had done had been the most intimate experience of his life and it hadn't even been sex. She had kissed every single one of his scars and reassured him over and over that she loved him. She accepted for who he was and showed him that she wasn't disgusted with the marks on his back. It had only cemented the fact that he had made the best choice of his life when he married Carol.

She's hidin' somethin', baby brother. I know it. Merle's voice echoed in his head and no matter how hard he tried, his older brother wouldn't be shaken away.

She's hidin' somethin'...

Ten minutes later, Daryl walked through the back door of the garage just as his shift was about to start. Jim was by his workstation.

"The owner of the Charger is here to talk with you," he said.

"Really?" Daryl grabbed his red rang and put it in his back pocket.

"Yeah, he's in front. Been here for awhile, so I'm wondering if it's something important." Without another word, Jim walked to his own station.

Daryl groaned. The guy was probably going to tell him he did a shit job on his car or that there was something else that needed fixing. He just knew it. He really wasn't in the mood to hear someone complaining about his job.

When he walked to the front of the shop, a man around his age stood there looking out the windows. He was on the heavy side, with close-cropped hair.

"Uh, hey." Daryl called to the man, who turned to him with a smile. "Is there somethin' wrong with your car?"

"Oh no, actually, it's running perfectly. Probably even better than when I first bought it." The man walked up to the counter. "I just wanted to meet the guy who fixed it up so well. The name's Edward Peletier," he held out a hand.

Daryl never had a customer come back just to tell him that they really liked how he fixed their vehicle, so he couldn't help but smile proudly and take the other man's hand. "Daryl Dixon."

Uh oh.

Thanks for reading!