She had flowers.

Lots and lots of flowers. So much so that her trunk and backseat had been fully covered in them. They were everywhere, some still slightly damp from the long drink of water they had been given. Daryl had offered to cover the backseat with a plastic sheet, but Carol denied the offer. It had been too long since her car had been dirty and she hadn't realized how much she had missed it.

Oh, and there was something else too.

She smiled.

For the duration of her drive home, she smiled. Maybe it was the scent of the flowers or maybe it was that she finally felt like she had purpose again. For whatever the reason she felt content in that moment.

It took her half an hour to get her car unloaded and then a full hour to position the flowers where she thought might suit best. The day was mildly humid, but not too warm and the sun felt good shining down on her skin. It didn't take her long to dive in and tackle the weeds that had taken up residence by her porch. Needless to say she was fully consumed in her project which explained why she never heard anyone approach until they cleared their throat.

Startled by the sudden noise, Carol released a sharp cry of surprise. She turned around so fast that for a moment the earth began to spin before quickly settling on the man in front of her.

"Can I help you?"

"Hello. I was wondering if you've seen my cat?"

Carol shielded her eyes against the sun. The man - whom she didn't recognize, simply stared at her so intently that Carol almost felt nervous.
Where had he come from? He stood stiffly, as if he were afraid to move. To Carol he looked as though he had stepped straight out of the eighties and hadn't figured out what decade it was yet.

"Your cat?" Carol repeated.

"Yes. That is what I said. He has four legs and a tail. He can be quite ornery at times, but he's mine. Have you seen him?"

"Um, no, I haven't. I'm sorry. I can let you know if I do though. Do you live nearby?" She knew she had been a bit of a recluse lately, but she was sure she would have remembered this man.

"I just moved in a few doors down. It's a nice house, probably the best I've stayed in, but it could use some work. Well, let me know if you see Sir Reginald the third."

Carol wasn't sure if she was entertained or simply weirded out by her new neighbor. He didn't seem to have much of a personality, his tone never fluctuating the whole conversation.

"Sir Reginald the third?"

"My cat."

"Oh, right. Of course, Mr.-?

"Eugene. It's just Eugene." Eugene's eyes darted around as if he were checking her place out.

Carol stood and brushed her dirty hands against her jeans. It wasn't really effective so she decided against a friendly handshake and simply smiled at him instead.

"Carol Peletier. Nice to meet you, Eugene."

"The same. I'll be on my way now. Much obliged."

Carol shook her head as she watched Eugene leave her yard. It had been a strange, but good day so far. She was meeting people again and it felt good to mingle with the real world. She glanced at her work in progress.

She also had flowers and a purpose. Maybe after planting these she would work on the backyard. Who knew what would happen next?

For the first time in a long while she couldn't wait to find out.

Instead of heading back inside after Carol left, Daryl decided to take a short walk. He couldn't pinpoint the reason, but he felt like he needed to breathe without distraction. He wouldn't go very far so that he could still be available if Tara needed anything.

As he walked he stared off into the distance, but his eyes weren't seeing the landscape in front of him. Instead they were seeing the memories...

"Don't be a little shit, brother. You got something to say, you say it."

Daryl let out a sigh and used the toe of his boot to kick the dirt at his feet. He didn't really want to have this conversation, especially with Merle, but he didn't have any other alternatives at the moment either. No way was he asking his dad these things and most definitely not Tara. He had even debated on asking Merle at all, but his brother had been in a good mood today and Daryl figured it was now or never.

"Don't fuckin' stare at me like that, Merle. Makes me nervous. Jesus," Daryl muttered.

Merle rolled his eyes and looked away as they stopped walking. He crossed his arms and waited silently, a move that told Daryl he better go ahead and spit it out while he had the chance. Chances like this were rare with Merle.

"There's this girl...I don't - I mean, I kind of like her. What do I say to her?" Daryl was sweating and it wasn't even hot out. He tensed as he waited for Merle to say something stupid or tease him. He swore if he did then he was never speaking to his brother ever again.

Christ, why couldn't he stop sweating?

Merle's brows lifted and a flicker of surprise reflected in his eyes as he turned to look at Daryl. Daryl squared his shoulders and stared his brother back head-on, ready to defend himself. Only he was surprised to find not an ounce of laughter lingering in the eldest Dixon's blue eyes.

"She anybody I know?"

"No. I doubt you'd know her. She kind of keeps to herself."

Merle nodded. "Good. She talk to you at all? You ever say anything to her?"

Daryl rocked back on his heels as he shoved his hands into the pocket of his jeans. "I asked her to borrow a pencil once."

Merle let out a snort of amusement and Daryl twitched. "And what did she say?"

"She gave me two so I'd have a spare." Daryl remembered how she had shyly looked at him through her long brown curls that always seemed to fall in her face. He never had many friends in school because most people seemed intimidated by him although it had never bothered him too much. He wasn't real big on being social. The girls that did talk to him were ones he didn't want anything to do with. They only wanted him as a way to get closer to his brother and Daryl was never stupid enough to fall for their charms. "This is so stupid. Just forget it."

As Daryl turned to walk away, Merle grabbed his arm, yanking him back into place. He always hated when Merle did shit like that because there wasn't anything Daryl could do to stop it. Merle was bigger than he was and stronger. Daryl still had some catching up to do.

"I'd say there's a good chance you got yourself on to something there, brother. Not many kind people left in this world these days and to find someone willin' to go that extra mile means you got yourself someone worth fightin' for. The ones that require the most effort are usually the ones that make the end result worth your while. You ever find yourself someone like that then you know you've found somebody."

"But what do I do? Do I talk to her? What do I say? That doesn't help me much, Merle." Daryl could feel his voice rise in exasperation. Since when did his brother get so sappy? And what the hell was he talking about? None of that helped Daryl's current situation.

Merle simply smiled and slid his arm across Daryl's shoulders. "This is one of those you have to do on your own, little brother. Just be yourself. You've already won half the battle."

"For the love of Christ. You're no help," Daryl muttered.

Merle chuckled and tightened his arm around Daryl's shoulder. "My brother's growin' up. Sweet sixteen and tryin' to get himself a girl. A tad bit late I might add, but hey, we can't all be as smooth as our older brothers, now can we?"

Daryl shrugged Merle's arm from his shoulder and flipped him off. Merle cackled with laughter and Daryl fought the urge to smile. "Damn you, Merle."

He could still hear his brother's laughter echoing in his head and a smile teased his mouth as he rounded the corner to head back to work. He breathed the fresh air deep into his lungs, the action calming for him.

"Daryl, wait! Hey!"

Daryl turned at the sound of Tara's shouts, frowning with concern as she ran up to him, waving her hand in the air breathless. She shoved something at him. "What's this?" He asked as he grabbed it although he had a feeling he already knew.

"Carol Peletier. She left her credit card behind by accident and you are gonna take it to her."

Daryl was shaking his head even though his pulse kicked a little at the thought of seeing her again. "No. I don't even know where she lives. Just call her." He attempted to give the card back to Tara, but she lingered just out of reach. What was wrong with his family?

"Lucky for you she's listed in the phone book. I taped her address to the back of the card for you."

Daryl flipped the card over and sure enough, a yellow sticky note was taped to the back, Carol's address written neatly in Tara's handwriting.

"I've got shit to do. No time to be runnin' errands," he protested.

"That's bullshit and you know it. Take her the damn card, Daryl. And while you're there, do yourself a favor and ask her if she needs help. You might be surprised by her answer."

And to think that Daryl had always considered Merle his biggest pain in the ass. Apparently, his sister was making up for lost time or something. Before he could come up with a proper response, Tara was already halfway back to the nursery, a noticeable spring in her step.

He shook his head in wonder.