The Spare Room

Summary: The bills keep piling up and if Daryl Dixon has any hope of improving his life, he and his brother are going to have to find someone to fill their spare room. The problem is that while he can't stand his new roommate, he finds himself falling for his roommate's girlfriend. Caryl. AU.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters that you recognize from the Walking Dead.

Chapter 19

Daryl stayed out in the woods for most of the night. When he returned, the house was dark and everyone was in bed. As he walked through the kitchen and the living room, he noticed little additions here and there that obviously came from Carol. There was a box by the front door that held most of her things. So it was official. She was moving in.

Daryl sighed and made his way to his room, his mind conjuring up an image of Carol sleeping in his room instead of Ed's. Even though he knew better, he was still disappointed when he opened his door and there was no one in his bed. No, the only thing that was on his bed were the folded clothes that Carol had worn the night before. He picked up the shirt, an old shirt he had picked up from a second-hand store. It felt cold in his hands, no longer warmed by the heat of her body. Still, it smelled of her and that was enough for him.

For now.

Daryl looked at the wall that separated his room from Ed's. Carol was there. For a moment, he was able to forget that Ed was there with her. He imagined that she was alone…that Ed was gone or dead and that she was there, waiting for Daryl to come to her. And he would go to her. He would lean over her and kiss her. Her arms would wrap around his neck as she turned a chaste kiss into something passionate, something intense. Daryl's body would cover hers and he would feel her warmth and her soft curves beneath him. He would kiss her neck and breathe in her scent…the same one that he was smelling right now.

Breathing hard, Daryl reached down to undo his pants, shoving them down to his knees as he gripped his hard cock in his hand. He through his head back as he stroked himself to the images that were playing in his mind…images of Carol beneath him, naked and sweating and writhing in ecstasy as he slid into her warm, wet heat over and over. He imagined her hands running through his hair, tugging him down for a desperate kiss as her orgasm took hold.

"Carol!" Daryl gasped as his cum hit that wall between the two rooms. He slumped back, falling into his bed where he was engulfed by her scent in his bed. He groaned.

0-TSR-0

Ed heard the gasp on the other side of the wall. He heard the name that his roommate had uttered and he knew exactly what that pathetic bastard was doing when Carol's name was said.

And Ed couldn't help but to smile. Ed had been right. Dixon was jealous of him. He was jealous of what Ed had.

Ed glanced down at the sleeping woman next to him. She had said that she wasn't feeling well so they hadn't had sex earlier. Now…well…it wouldn't be nice to wake her, but in the morning, Ed would wake her up to check on her. He'd play the concerned fiancé and then, about fifteen minutes before the redneck left for work, Ed would remind him of who Carol belonged to.

The bastard could fantasize all he wanted, but at the end of the day, Carol was Ed's.

0-TSR-0

Daryl awoke at four-thirty, as usual, and started his routine, showering and then returning to his room to dress. It was at this point that Daryl heard sounds coming from the next room. He froze, his shirt half-buttoned, and stared at that stupid wall. There was the rhythmic sound of the headboard. Then there was Ed.

"Whose are you?"

Daryl clenched his eyes shut and willed himself not to hear the reply. It didn't work.

"Y-yours," Carol said softly and quietly.

Daryl winced as the headboard hit the wall harder than before.

"Louder," Ed demanded.

"Yours," Carol said a little louder.

"Louder!" Ed grunted, "Say my name!"

"Yours, Ed," Carol replied.

The headboard hit the wall over and over until it hit with a final thud and Ed grunted, "You're mine, Carol Ann!"

Daryl stared at the wall.

It was over, just as quickly as it started, but Daryl had felt like he had been standing there for hours. He didn't know why, but suddenly, everything hurt. His heartbeat was erratic and pounding in his chest. His vision blurred.

He felt betrayed.

Carol had kissed him back and he had thought that that was enough. He had thought that she would see that Ed Peletier was not the man for her. Daryl hadn't been all that concerned when Ed slipped that cheap-ass ring on her finger because he could see that she didn't really want it. He could see that she was trapped and she just needed to find a way out.

It was different now. He heard them, not for the first time, but it had been the first time since she knew that he had feelings for her. Apparently, that didn't matter to her. Apparently, he had read her, and everything else, wrong.

She chose Ed over Daryl and that stung.

Daryl shook it off and fled the house, taking possession of his vehicle for a change and driving to work, his mind reeling and spinning. He felt sick. Cold. Hurt. Angry.

He parked outside of the county shop and went about the usual routine of getting everything ready, packing extra spray-suits and chemical out to the truck. Everything was good to go when Kevin walked in, whistling in that usual way of his.

"Mornin', Bud," Kevin greeted him with a grin. Daryl grunted in response and got into the passenger side of the vehicle. He didn't want to talk. He didn't want to be happy. He just wanted to do something to get his mind off of everything. He stared straight ahead, but out of his periphery, he watched as Kevin got into the driver's side. Daryl could feel Kevin's gaze on him, but he ignored it in favour of glaring out the windshield.

They had been driving for a couple of miles when Kevin asked, "You okay?"

Daryl growled under his breath and nodded his head in response.

"You don't look like it," Kevin commented.

Daryl twitched like he was shaking off some irksome fly, but he didn't respond. Kevin fell silent once again and drove them to the section of the county that they were currently spraying. Kevin hadn't even put the truck in park yet and Daryl was already out the door, slamming it hard. He went about the usual motions, filling the tank with chemical and then agitating it by turning on the pump. Then he pulled the hose out and began walking in the ditch, not caring that the morning dew was clinging to his spray-suit and making the pants he wore underneath wet. He doused the trees with the chemical, imagining that each one had Ed Peletier's face growing on it. He trudged on angrily for miles, hoping that he would exercise the demons from his mind. He tugged on the hose, trying to pull it out more, but it was stuck on the reel.

"Dammit," he muttered under his breath as he pulled harder at it. He yanked it harder still and that was when all hell broke loose. The spray gun came off of the hose and chemical spurted out like a blood from a severed artery, hitting Daryl in the face.

"Fuck!" he howled, running to the pump to turn it off. Kevin slammed on the brakes and then he was out of the truck, trying to help Daryl control the chaos.

"God-fuckin'-dammit!" Daryl swore as the milky-white water dripped down his face, "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

It was the straw that broke the camel's back. Daryl took the useless spray gun and began to beat it against the tailgate of the truck until it was just a mangled mess of metal, screws, and plastic. The broken pieces fell from his hands just as the red haze in his mind receded. He looked at the pieces in the dirt. That would probably come out of his paycheck, he realized. He sank down to his knees and began to pick up what was salvageable. He could feel Kevin's gaze on him and he was waiting for the questions to start.

Instead, there was a red rag being dangled in front of his face.

He looked up at Kevin, who explained, "You ought to wipe that chemical off. Ain't good for you."

Daryl nodded his head and took the cloth, wiping away at his face and neck. He could smell the chemical on him, a putrid sort of smell that was a mixture of lye soap and death. He wasn't too worried about it being on him. He got chemical on him almost every day. It was more toxic to trees than it was to humans…or so the label said anyways.

"We ought to head back to the shop…see if they have an extra spray gun lying around somewhere," Kevin said. Daryl recognized that Kevin was stalling and trying to find a delicate way to broach the subject.

"Guess so," Daryl croaked out. He didn't move from his position on the ground. Kevin was the one who moved, dropping to his knees to help Daryl find the remnants of the battered spray nozzle. After a few moments, Kevin spoke.

"What happened, Daryl?" he asked. Daryl knew that he wasn't talking about destroying the spray gun.

"It ain't-"

"If you say 'it ain't nothin'', I'm gonna smack you," Kevin interrupted, his face completely serious, "Use your words. Tell me what the hell happened to make you lose your cool."

Daryl had never seen Kevin look so serious before. Kevin, the perpetual joker, was staring at Daryl with such intensity that for a moment, Daryl felt like he was back in high school and having an audience with the principal.

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Daryl said, "I kissed her. I kissed Carol."

The serious look on Kevin's face morphed into an expression of shock, "You kissed Carol? Carol Ann?"

"Yeah."

"Holy shit! How'd that happen? Is she still with Ed? Are you and her together now-" he broke off when he saw Daryl's agonized expression, "Oh."

"It's been a shit weekend all around," Daryl admitted morosely.

"What happened?" Kevin asked, settling down so that he was sitting more comfortable on the gravel road. For a moment, Daryl was thrown for a loop. It was like Kevin genuinely cared about what was causing Daryl so much anguish and for the first time in ages, Daryl actually wanted to talk about what was bothering him.

"It started out alright. Carol invited me to her sister's play after Ed scarpered off to Atlanta with Merle. Went fine until she asked me if I liked Ed and I told her that I thought he was an asshole. She didn't like that and when I left, shit was awkward," Daryl explained, "Then, an hour or so later, I get a call. Ed was drunk off his ass and rolled his car. He walked away with nothin' more'n a few bruises and Merle had his arm fucked up. Had to get surgery and everythin'."

"Holy shit! Is he okay?" Kevin wondered.

"Says he is," Daryl said, "but I dunno. Doc said he'd be able to tell if there was nerve damage or somethin' in a couple weeks. Right now, he's off work."

"Wow. Ed gonna pay for the medical bills?" Kevin asked.

"He should," Daryl maintained, "but Merle's tryin' to play it off like it's nothin'. He says he wants Ed to stick around to keep on payin' rent. He even had me lend my truck to that fucker. Ed took Carol out on a date, but he got drunk off his ass again and when she brought him back, she looked like she was scared of her own fuckin' shadow. Don't know what the bastard did, but if he hurt her…" he trailed off as he felt his blood pressure spike. He composed himself and continued, "I had to go run an errand for Merle. Pick up some money, so I said I'd take Carol home, only when we got to the place, we found her sister there. She was all kinds of fucked up so we took her back to my place so their parents wouldn't find out. Then Carol and I were talkin' and she was sayin' how she weren't happy with Ed so...so…"

"You kissed her," Kevin finished for him, grinning like a fool, "Showed her what she was missing?"

Daryl nodded, "Somethin' like that. She kissed me back and then she went to bed. Thought things'd be different after that. Thought she'd change her mind. Next mornin', she and I are makin' breakfast and then Ed's comin' in. She was so damn flinchy when he was around…almost like me, but not as bad. I know he done somethin' to her, but she didn't say what. He's actin' like nothin' happened and announcin' that Carol's gonna be movin' in and then givin' her a damn engagement ring, tryin' to rub my nose in it."

"What'd Carol say?" Kevin asked, his face serious again.

"She didn't say anthin'," Daryl said, "She just kinda stood there in shock. She looked like she didn't want none of it, but that she couldn't figure a way out of it. When they left to go drop Catherine off, Merle's givin' me shit for wantin' her and sayin' that she ain't ever gonna be mine. I didn't believe him. I thought that once she opened up her eyes and saw what an asshole she's marryin', she'd maybe come to me, but she didn't," he sighed brokenly, "I heard 'em this mornin' before I left. Heard 'em fuckin'."

"Ah, shit!" Kevin ejected, looking just as upset as Daryl felt, "That's why you were so pissed off this morning."

"I don't know why," Daryl shrugged, "She weren't mine to begin with-"

"But she should be!" Kevin protested, "Ed Peletier's an asshole and everyone who knows him and you would agree that you are by far the better choice!"

"Carol don't," Daryl said quietly, "Merle don't."

"No offence, Daryl, but Merle's an asshole," Kevin said, "and Carol Ann has never spoken up to anyone in her life. She's always thinking about what everyone else wants and doesn't think twice about sacrificing her happiness for the happiness of others."

"I know that," Daryl sighed. Of course he knew that. It was one of the things he liked most about her.

"So, she's not going to break up with Ed because that would mean going against what he wants…it would disappoint him and her parents," Kevin explained, "She's a people pleaser. Always has been."

"And why's that matter? She's made her choice," Daryl said dejectedly.

"No she hasn't!" Kevin chided him, "Ed made her choice for her. She hasn't made a choice at all and until she says 'I do', she's still hasn't made it! You need to go after her! You need to show her, once and for all, that you are the right choice!"

"Kev, I ain't the type of guy to steal another man's girl!" Daryl protested, "I ain't gonna be the other man. I ain't gonna hang around, put everything I got into somethin' when she's just gonna wind up with that bastard anyways!"

"And how do you know she's gonna pick him?" Kevin countered, "She could pick you!"

"She ain't pickin' me!" Daryl argued, getting to his feet to pace around. Kevin got to his feet as well.

"And why not? Because she's stuck with Ed right now? She isn't crazy glued to him! You can still separate them!" Kevin protested.

"It ain't that!"

"Then what?"

"I ain't for her!" Daryl revealed, breathing hard as he admitted the thought that kept holding him back, "Girls like that…they don't belong with guys like me. I'm a Dixon and-"

"That's stupid," Kevin shot at him, "Your last name doesn't dictate who you are! If it did, you'd be a boozin', drug-dealin', womanizer just like Merle! And you're not! You're a good guy, Daryl! You have your principles and I respect the hell out of that! You work hard every day to try and make your life better! And you're my friend! Believe it or not, I've never had that many friends. Most guys wouldn't be caught dead around someone who bats for the other team, but you never cared! That tells me that you are a damn good person and that anybody would be lucky to have you in their life and Carol would be a damn fool if she chose that dumb bastard over you!"

Daryl really didn't know what to say to that. He opened his mouth a couple of times, but no sound came out.

"I'm serious," Kevin said to quell Daryl's silent protests, "I mean, sure, you can be like a caveman in some ways, grunting and groaning all of the time, but underneath that tough exterior, there's a good and decent man. Most men wouldn't think twice about stealing Carol Ann out from under Ed, but here you are, trying to follow your code even though by doing so, you're causing yourself a world of hurt. In a lot of ways, you're just like her, Daryl. You don't think much about your own happiness and that's crap because everyone, including you and her…especially you and her…deserve to be happy because you're both good people!" Kevin told him, "Don't sit on the sidelines. Don't be miserable because you won't let yourself be happy. Go after her."

Daryl was silent for a moment, still at a loss, and when he tried to speak, it came out garbled, "I…I dunno…I…"

"Then you need to figure it out," Kevin said seriously, "You've got to take this chance, Daryl. You might get hurt, but then you might get the best thing that will ever happen to you."

Daryl nodded his head to show that he had heard Kevin, but he didn't know what to say to that. It was a scary thing to put yourself out there when you knew that you were likely to be the one getting hurt. It was also hard to step away from all of those morals and principles that you've held close all these years. He didn't know if he could really do it.

Kevin sighed, "Come on. Let's go back to the shop and get a new spray gun. If anyone asks, this one fell off the truck and we ran it over by accident."

0-TSR-0

"This is just like we've always wanted," Ed murmured into Carol's ear as she cooked up some dinner, "It's almost just like we're married."

Carol said nothing, choosing instead to focus on the meal she was making. She tried not to think of how terrified she was by the fact that someday, sooner rather than later, she would be Ed's wife. All of this just felt wrong to her. It was like her body was on autopilot, going through the motions while her mind was silently screaming at her. This…this playing house with Ed…it didn't feel right. She wanted out. She didn't want to do this anymore. She was just pretending to be happy. It was all a façade…a mask.

She felt Ed pull away from her and then she heard him happily greet, "Hello, Daryl."

Carol's head snapped to the archway separating the kitchen from the living room. Daryl was indeed standing there and he looked almost like he was in pain. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Daryl nodded his head and then moved past Ed into the kitchen, looking for a beer in the fridge.

"Call me what supper's done, Darlin'," Ed said with a wide smile as he went to go watch the news with Merle. For the first time since Saturday night, Daryl and Carol were alone together and Carol felt nervous. So much had happened since then. She watched as he popped the tab on the beer can and then as he took a sip. He threw his head back, the muscles in his neck taut as he drank. She frowned.

"Are you okay?" she asked, "Why's your neck red?"

Daryl lowered the beer from his mouth and sighed, "Had a chemical spill. No big deal."

Carol's eyebrows shot to her hairline and she abandoned the food on the stove to approach him, "Are you okay? Does it hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?" she fired questions at him as she reached up on instinct to touch his skin. He took a quick step back, avoiding her touch. Both of them seemed to freeze.

Then he shook his head, "Just a rash. I'm fine."

He abandoned his beer on the counter and fled the room. Carol's heart fell. She couldn't remember a time where Daryl shied away from her touch. She could, however, remember the time he had spent avoiding her in the weeks after they first met. She remembered how he fled the room whenever she walked into it.

That was what he was doing now. He was avoiding her again.

This time, she knew why. She had hurt him. She could see it in his face when he left. She saw through the cracks in his mask.

It had to have taken a lot of courage for him to put himself out there and kiss her the way that he did. He was probably confused and hurt by her actions since then, first her kissing him back and then her agreeing to marry Ed. Carol felt awful. She felt her heart ache for him. He didn't deserve to hurt and she hated that she had made him hurt. She wanted nothing more than to heal his pain and make him feel better.

She just didn't know how. He was avoiding her again and she had bound herself to Ed. Everything just seemed so complicated and she really, really wished that it wasn't. She wanted him to be happy and she wanted to be happy too, but with the way that everything had gone lately, she just couldn't see that happening for either of them.

TBC

AN: A couple of notes here:

-This is the last time Daryl will hear Ed and Carol on the other side of the wall.

-This is the first of three updates. Considering the complaints I have gotten about me 'drawing this out', I've decided to update in bulk so that I can get those impatient readers through the 'annoying' parts of my story as quickly as possible. As such, updates for this will be more spread out than is usual for me.