I hate this, but if everything goes as planned, there will only be a few more chapters left! I never thought it would be this long and now, I'm sad that its almost over! :(

I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-One

"How the fuck did they not get stabbed?" Daryl held out a hand to the TV, where the two main characters were currently belted to a pipe as they were sucked into the middle of a tornado. They had sought refuge in a shed with numerous sharp objects and despite said objects being flung around by the wind, not one had touched the two actors.

Carol shrugged as she smiled and kept her eyes glued to the screen. "I don't know. It's a movie?"

Daryl crossed his arms and huffed. "I suppose."

For the rest of the movie, he remained silent. Carol kept glancing at him and smiling. He enjoyed the movie, she knew but it was funny to see him get so into it that he had to question what was happening on the screen. When she had first seen the movie, years before, she had wondered the same but had been grateful her favorite characters had gotten out unharmed...and together.

"So," Carol began once the credits started to roll and Daryl got up to retrieve the DVD. "What did you think?"

He was silent for a second as he concentrated on opening the player and placing the movie back in its case. "I liked it. Not too girly, like The Princess Bride," he winked. "But it wasn't as funny as Robin Hood, but I don't see how tornadoes could be that funny."

Carol nodded and joined him at the TV. "Thank you," she said, grabbing one of his hands. "It really means a lot that you would pick out these movies for me, knowing I would enjoy them."

Daryl didn't look at her, but she saw the flush on his cheeks. "It's no big deal. I'm actually surprised you didn't cry when your Cary died."

Carol shrugged. "I knew it was going to happen, and like I said earlier, he was kind of an asshole in this movie."

"He was," he agreed and placed the movie case on the TV before turning to Carol. They stood staring at one another; Carol bit her lip, not knowing what she should do. Could she go up on her toes and kiss him or were they not ready for that, yet? They still had to have that talk. Maybe she could give him a hug or something to let him know she still felt the same. However, before she could do either of those things, Daryl cupped her cheeks, leaned down and claimed her mouth with his.

They hadn't kissed since the picnic where they had made love outside. Just thinking about, Carol felt her face heat up, but she would do it, again, in a heartbeat.

"God, I missed this," Daryl mumbled against her skin as he trailed kisses down her cheek to her neck. "I missed you."

"It was only for a day."

"It felt like forever."

He was right. It had felt like forever, because it easily could have been forever. Daryl had packed his stuff and left. Carol thought she would never see him, again. As much as she wanted his kisses to continue, she knew what they had to do now.

She pulled out of his grasp and tried hard to ignore his pout. "We should have that talk, now, before things go even further." Not that she would have minded if they had, but they needed to talk out the events of the last few days. Especially now, when Carol was ready to talk.

"You're right. Sorry, I got a little carried away." He smiled, bashfully and Carol couldn't stop herself from going up on her toes and kissing him quickly on the lips.

"Don't be sorry, Daryl. I liked it. A lot. We just need to talk and then, afterwards, we can do more kissing...and other things. If you want." Carol couldn't look at him and her face felt hot. So, she turned and headed towards the kitchen. She heard Daryl's footsteps as he followed.

Daryl went right to the cupboard and retrieved two wine glasses while Carol went to the refrigerator to get the wine. It made her smile at how in sync they were. When she turned, he was standing by the table but was looking out the window.

"You know what we need?" He turned to her.

"What?" She asked, curious.

"A swing. That way we can sit outside and enjoy the sunset...or some shit like that," he mumbled the last part.

Carol had always wanted a swing, but had never gone out to look for one. Instead, she would sit in her window with a book and pretend that was outside enjoying the fresh air. "I would love to get one."

"One of these days, we'll go looking." He set the glasses down and took a seat. Carol came over with the wine and poured it into their glasses before setting the bottle in the middle, within both of their reaches, and took her own seat.

Daryl took a sip of his drink and Carol felt nervous, not knowing how she should start this. That morning, she had blurted out everything, but she knew that she needed to tell him more and in a more calm voice, as well.

"I'm sorry," she said. "For everything. For not telling you about Ed and about keeping it all from you. I can give you excuses why, but I won't. You're-you're my husband. I should tell you everything...no matter what." The words were coming out all in a rush, but at least they were coming out after being shut inside for so long.

Daryl reached across the table and squeezed her fingers. "It's all right. Like I said earlier, we both weren't actin' very smart. I should have let you know why I was so upset and why I thought it was a good idea to leave." He took a large gulp of his wine.

"I went to visit Merle last night. That's why I came home late and not because I was asked to work. So, I lied, too." He didn't look at her. "I told him what was goin' on and he said I should leave. He said that the only reason why you were actin' the way you were was because you were cheatin' on me."

Carol gasped. "I would ne-"

"I know," he quickly said. "I know you would never, but I was just so mad. So, I believed him and I decided that the next day I would pack up my stuff and leave."

She remained silent, not knowing what to say. She knew that Merle didn't like her, but she didn't know he would actually tell his brother to leave her. Of course, he didn't know the whole story and could very well think that Carol was cheating on Daryl. It still stung, though, that Merle had such a low opinion of her after having only met once and very briefly.

"All my life, I did whatever Merle told me to do. I followed him around everywhere. Some of things he did...and I would do, weren't legal." This time he braved a look at Carol and made sure she didn't look like she was judging him, because she wasn't. It didn't matter what Daryl did in his past, he was a good man. He treated her right, loved her and that was all that mattered to Carol.

She didn't much like the woman she had been before with Ed, but she was different, now. She was someone who deserved to be loved and treated equally, just like Daryl. There should be no one in their lives telling them how to live theirs, anymore. Neither one would let it happen, again.

"I shouldn't have listened to him, yesterday. Since he's been in prison, I promised myself I'd become my own man."

"You are your own man, Daryl."

The corner of his lips tilted up. "I'm tryin'. For you. I never thought I would be this happy, though. I thought when Merle was in jail, I could do whatever I wanted and when he got out, it would go back to how it was. But now, I know that's not goin' to happen and I'm fuckin' glad."

"I'm glad, too." Carol smiled. "Besides, you can't do what Merle says anymore, anyways, because you'll always be doing what I say." She winked and he chuckled.

"Yes, dear."

"Good," she said. "You're off to a very good start."

There was a slight pause in the conversation as they smiled to themselves and sipped at their wine. It was late, but neither one felt tired.

"So, Carol, are we good...now?" Daryl asked.

"Yes," she answered. "I promise I won't keep things from you ever again. Especially when they concern my bastard of an ex-husband."

"And I promise to talk to you when things get rough and not just run away...or listen to my dumbass brother." They shared another laugh at Merle's expense.

"So, we're good." Carol smiled.

"Yeah."

They drained the last of the wine in their cups. Daryl picked up their empty wine glasses and Carol placed the remaining wine back in the fridge. When she turned, she saw Daryl sitting in the window seat. The lights had been dimmed a little.

"Come here," he beckoned.

When she got close enough, he opened his arms and she crawled into his lap. Her back pressed against his chest and he leaned his chin on her shoulder. Together, they looked out at the night sky. The moon gave her backyard a silver tint and Carol didn't think she had ever seen anything so pretty.

"I love you," Daryl whispered in her ear. "And I'm never goin' to leave you."

Carol turned and kissed him. "I love you, too."

That night, they watched the stars and moon from the window until Carol felt herself dozing against Daryl's chest. The next thing she knew, she was being carried to their room and being placed gently in her bed. She had been in her pajamas all day and didn't have to change. Instead, she watched Daryl slip out of his work clothes and open one of the drawers before cursing and closing it.

He looked at her sheepishly. "I left my bag in the truck. It has all my clothes in it. Well, the ones I sleep in, anyway."

"Just sleep in what you have on, now." Carol grinned.

Daryl was only wearing a pair of boxers and his cheeks flushed. "Um..."

"Daryl, I've seen you completely naked and if I wasn't so tired, I would get you naked, now." Carol felt her own cheeks start to heat up.

"Confident, huh?" Daryl teased. Finally, he seemed to make his decision about sleeping in his boxers and made his way back to the bed.

"Oh, I just know you can't resist me, Dixon," she purred, surprising herself even more.

Daryl didn't slid under the blankets when he got to the bed. Instead, he crawled across them until he was hovering over Carol, eyes dark. "You're right." He claimed her mouth in a fierce kiss. "I can't resist you, sweetheart." He continued to kiss her and despite being tired, Carol wound her arms around his neck and returned the kisses just as passionately.

Just as quickly as the kisses started, they stopped and Daryl rolled off her to slide under the covers.

"Daryl!" She cried, missing the weight of him on top of her and his mouth on hers.

"Hmm, you said I couldn't resist you," he said and turned off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. "Let's see if you can resist me."

The next morning, Carol woke up earlier than normal. Much earlier. She looked at the clock and saw that it was almost time for Daryl to leave for work. She sat up to fling the covers from her legs and saw that Daryl was still in bed. Asleep.

"Daryl!" She cried and shook him, almost laughing when he shot up with his hair in complete disarray. He turned blurry eyes to her.

"You need to get ready for work or you'll be late."

He looked at the clock behind her, but didn't move to get out of the bed. "I'm not going."

"Why?"

"Because I need to be here with you," he said, looking more awake.

It sounded a bit romantic, but Carol knew there was more to it than he said. Daryl must have caught on to what the look on her face had meant and opened his mouth to speak.

"Ed's out there," he said. "He knows you're around here somewhere and he said he would do anything to get you back. I'm not leaving you here alone while he's still out there. I promised I wouldn't let him hurt you anymore and I meant it."

"Ed's not going to stop until he finds me, and that could never happen. You can't just stay here with me all day, even though I wouldn't mind. You have a job and soon, I'll be getting one, too. We can't stay cooped up in this house. It's not as fun as it sounds. Trust me."

"I can't leave you here," he sad, pleading. "What if he does find you when I'm not here and he hurts you? I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

Carol climbed out of bed and went to the dresser, where she opened the first drawer and took out the gun. Daryl's eyes were wide when she turned to face him. She surpassed a giggle because the way he scooted back a little in the bed one would have thought he was thinking that she was about to shoot him.

"I have this, Daryl, and if Ed shows his ugly face around me, then I won't hesitate." She put the gun back, seeing it was making Daryl a little nervous. "You saw that I had it when I opened to the door for you yesterday. You know I'm serious."

Daryl finally nodded and climbed from the bed. "All right. I believe you, but I'm still goin' to worry."

"I'm more worried about you. He knows where you work. I'm afraid that he'll do something to hurt you, just to get to me." Carol crossed the room and wrapped her arms around his waist, all of her nightmares with Ed coming to her mind and she shuddered slightly.

"Don't worry, Carol." He pulled back slightly and looked down at her. "I won't allow anythin' to happen to me and I have my crossbow, so I'll shoot him in the ass if he tried."

"Just try not to shoot yourself this time." She winked and kissed him on the nose, quickly. "Now, get dressed and I'll make you breakfast."

"Uh...my bag is still in my truck."

Carol rolled her eyes. "I'll get it for you. But this is the last time I'm getting your bag from your truck." She poked his chest.

"I promise it'll be the last time my bag is in my truck...well full of all my clothes, anyway."

A few minutes later, Carol was in the kitchen whipping up a quick breakfast of eggs and bacon. Daryl deserved a better breakfast than just a bowl of cereal. The bacon greased popped and she jumped out of the way, squealing.

"The hell are you doin'?"

Daryl stood in the doorway, dressed, and looking at her oddly.

"The grease almost got me," she said, answering him.

He walked closer. "You're afraid of grease?"

"No." She held up a finger. "I'm afraid of hot grease. It hurts like hell. Here." She thrust the fork she was using to cook the bacon with at him. "You cook them and see how it feels."

Daryl took the fork and Carol stepped back to watch, arms crossed. It took only a few seconds, but Daryl hissed when grease splattered on his exposed arms and handed her the fork back.

"Fuck grease," he grumbled. Then, he went to the cupboard to grab two plates and two glasses.

Carol laughed, but squealed again when the grease popped and landed on her wrist. "Fuck grease!"

Carol watched Daryl leave and for once, didn't feel afraid of being alone. She had her gun and she wouldn't hesitate to use it. Ed may know where Daryl worked and knew that they were married, but it didn't mean a thing. He wasn't going to get her back. Never. She would rather die than have that happen.

An uneasy feeling crept up Carol's spine. Ed would never stop looking for her. It had almost been a year since she had left and he was still after her. He wouldn't stop, especially since he was so close, but Carol knew that the longer it took to find her, the angrier he would get. The angrier he got, the more unpredictable his actions would be. What if he just went up to Daryl's job and shot him? What if he found her and killed her?

They couldn't keep living like this. Daryl and Carol were married, now, and Ed became both of their problems. But how would they fix this problem? Carol knew she couldn't just look around for Ed and shoot him. She would wind up in jail. It wouldn't matter that he had abused her before.

Carol went and sat in her favorite spot by the window, hoping that it would help her think.

Ed knows where Daryl works...

She knew this already. How did that factor into anything?

She leaned her head back on the wall, closed her eyes and began to think.

Ed knows where Daryl works... Ed knows that you and Daryl are married... He knows that you must live together...

Carol's eyes shot open and she knew exactly what she had to do.

Glancing at the clock on the stove, she saw that she had a few hours before Daryl would take his lunch break and he had been running later, so he hadn't had time to pack one. That would be Carol's excuse for visiting him. She would bring her gun, of course, though she had no intention of using it. Yet.

Together, they would eat lunch and then, Carol would tell Daryl her plan. He wouldn't be happy, but there wouldn't be anything he could do about. She would already be there, and if was right, Ed would be around there, too. Watching and waiting for the day Carol would visit her husband.

He would think he was being sneaky and smart, but Carol would be ready for him.

Thanks for reading!