100 words prompts

Fandom: The Walking Dead

Character: Carol, Carl, Sophia, Daryl

Words: The Talk

Warnings: this is a bit of a chat between Carl and Carol. Now, the only two kids she'll do anything for are these two. Plus, when it comes to motherly advice on sex and romance, she is the only one I could see Carl asking for advice. I always picture Rick to avoid this such thing. Please note, this is written on the fly and I haven't edited or even reviewed it. So, enjoy and it's a caryl scene.

"You are doing the right thing, following her…"

Carl snaps his head up from his comic book and pushes the earphones down to see Carol standing in the doorway with a basket full of freshly washed linen and clothing resting on her hip, waiting for him to answer her back.

He clicks the music off.

"Edin." He shrugs with a nod.

She steps inside sliding the basket towards his bed, as he watches her with a sideways glance.

"Will you tell my dad?"

She waves it off as she empties his things, shoving them neatly into his dressers. Once they're tucked away she turns to face him looking squarely in his eyes.

"I actually think it's smart – may I?" she indicates to sit on the bed next to him.

He shrugs. "Carol there's a blind spot, not really visible from anywhere else, but behind our house."

He feels the bed dip a little as she sits next to him. Carol had on her old cargo pants, and a plain white shirt, with her weapons visible for him to see.

She tosses him a crudely drawn map of the two houses, their street, and the fence with treeline behind them. He does study it for a second rather impressed how accurately drawn it was from memory.

"They are weak."

Carl tosses the map back. "But we're not."

"Do you have your weapons?" She noted that he had it, but wants to hear it.

"Yep!"

"Good."

"I'm sorry for before…at the prison…"

But she waves it off. "Not to worry, new chapter, new start."

They both let out a shaky breath just enjoying the silence for a few minutes before he spoke again.

"I think Sophia would have enjoyed it here."

"I think so too."

She looks away feeling the sting of tears.

"Oy, I totally forgot."

That's when he bounces off the bed and her head snaps to where he went across the room. With his rucksack open she could see contents inside: fresh pair of socks, clean underwear, shirt, and pants washed and ready – just in case. He upturns it, allowing the contents to fall out searching for something specific mumbling under his breath until he pulls up holding something small inside his hands.

He came back standing now directly in front of Carol, "Hey, hold out your hand."

She does as asked her eyes focused on his as he places the two small black things inside of hers holding it tightly before he releases her fingers.

"When the shit storm hit – C Block was empty, and I searched for dad, then Judith – figured she may be in your cell, but when I entered I saw nothing but a few upturned things and those hair elastics."

She smiles. "Thank you."

Carol slips one of them on her wrist, "Here, she was your friend too."

He hesitates for a second but Carol slips the black elastic around his wrist.

He sits back down next to her feeling her arm around his waist squeezing him.

"I miss her every day."

Carol nods. "Me too."

He pulls out of her embrace once they felt it was enough of a hug as he does, he jumps off his bed back to his mess on the ground and to stuff things back into his rucksack. As he does, she notices, that he has several canned goods, a can opener, two bottles of water, a zippo lighter, with pad of paper a pen and a few other little trinkets that he kept in a zip lock baggy with a full roll of toilet paper and a full change of clothing all crammed neatly back into place as he zips it back up and heaving the heavy rucksack back under his bed.

Carol sat up now, still not really sure if they were done with their chat. Lots was said and not said after they were at the prison.

"I noticed Daryl always keeps his pack at the ready – like just in case."

Her smile softens when she hears his name. "True, good point, I haven't unpacked mine either."

Carl stares at her noticing her ears pink around the tips. "Can I ask you something?"

She nods.

"Are you and Daryl like Glenn and Maggie?"

She sat there kind of shocked but realizes that it's probably visible to some and knew this line of questioning could happen just not from an eleven year old boy.

She pierces her lips first then spoke carefully, "Yes! Yes we are."

"I'm glad." His voice was just above a whisper now.

"Me too – what do you want to know?"

Nervous laughter was heard from him. "Dad told me to keep my nose out of it."

"Well, he's right, has he talked to you about us?" Carol now pets Carl's hair out of his eyes.

"No, you know my dad well enough he wouldn't."

She nodded. "Not even with Michonne?"

Carl blinks at the idea. "No, not her either, she's got her own issues to work out."

Carol understood how he felt in this very position. "I would have had this talk with Sophia." She holds out her hand and he takes it. "I will do my best giving you motherly advice."

He nods now looking down at his shoes.

"Go on and ask me, I will answer what I can."

He glances up at her to see her blue eyes shining with honesty, he knew then he could ask her some of his burning questions.

"When did it happen, before or after Terminus?"

"Before we lost a lot of people, after we lost Merle."

She squeezed his hand in hers and smiles softly, her eyes saying all she needed for him to understand.

"You had sex."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Carl, I love Daryl. I know what it feels like to see a person you love turn. He was alone when he lost his brother. Nothing could ever measure to that kind of pain."

"I'll never forget the way he rushed to hug you that day after Terminus."

Her eyes crinkled at the memory and she wrinkles her nose with a smile. "Well, I had just saved the lot of you."

"Nah, it was in his face, the whole time you walked alongside him."

She ruffles his hair. "You are observant."

She then adds after a few short seconds, "You look at Edin that way."

"I don't." he pinks around the cheeks.

"Ok, so you don't." Carol eyes him with a smirk. "Come on, not even a tiny bit?" she nudges him with her arm.

"My dad would think it's just a crush."

"And what do you think it is?" Carol knew this would be difficult to get through to him. "Do you feel any different around her?"

"I dunno." And truthfully he doesn't giving a shoulder shrug.

"Like your pulse races, your heart flutters, how you feel it in the pit of your stomach. Love kind of trips you up."

"I like her."

He eyes her now seeing her nod running her hands through her hair.

"Of course you do. And it's ok to like someone you just met."

"Yeah, she's aware that others can harm you including the Walkers."

Now, she stood, stretching her limbs and offering him a hand up. "Do you need more clarification between me and Daryl?" she nods towards the door indicating she could hear voices from the floor below.

"We're good." He smiles. "I think, if I have more questions, I can ask later?"

He walks out with her as they climb the stairwell down together. "Of course, I expect more talks like these. But for now, I have a hungry crowd to feed. Are you up for cooking lessons?"

"I know Daryl loves you, kind of like the day when he left that Cherokee Rose on the kitchen counter a week ago."

She pauses him holding on to his arm. "I think you're right." She continues to the main hallway only her face falls on Daryl's as Carl rounds up behind her. She nods to the boy and he got the hint and takes off the other way.

Daryl nods back waiting until they had some privacy and they reach together for a kiss.

"Carl knows, eh." His rough voice spoke quietly into her ear.

"You were once his age." She nudges him with a shoulder bump.

"Yeah I was."

Fin.