(Warning Contains Mature Scenes)
Carol shivered as she carefully rubbed foundation over her bruises which almost covered her entire arm. She sniffed carefully as she rubbed gently trying not to cause herself anymore pain, she had to hide all of these from Daryl she didn't want him to get angry all she wanted was to spend an evening with him trying to forget her bastard husband. She stared painfully at the black eye he had given her, she hated him he was cruel and a fucking idiot. She shut her eyes gently as the tears suddenly began to fall again.
This was one of the stupidest things she could have done in their entire marriage, she had decided to stand up to Ed and had paid for it with a black eye, 6 bruises and 2 fresh belt marks on her back which hurt like hell. She turned around carefully and removed her vest, she winced as she stared at the 2 crimson lines on her back, her hand reached up to rub it with foundation softly but she immediately squealed in pain, it was useless she could never hide these they were too painful to touch and were too hard to reach to cover with foundation. She slowly slid her vest back on squinting her eyes tightly as it brushed against her back.
She sighed staring at herself in the mirror, her eyes checked every inch of her making sure nothing was visible.
Everything was hidden.
Carol threw the empty tube of foundation into the trash and switched off the bathroom light, she moved lightly across the passage leading to her bedroom and immediately walked towards her wardrobe flinging it open sharply. Her hands dug through the box desperately until she hit something cardboard, she dragged it out quickly and pulled out a long ruby evening dress, she had bought it earlier in the day while on one of the many shopping trips Ed had sent her on. Along with a pair of ruby heels to match. She smiled softly as she lay them on her bed.
She delicately threw off her clothes and began sliding the long scarlet dress up her body, she winced sharply as it brushed against her back, she shook her head tenderly and continued to slide it up her slender body she wasn't going to let Ed's marks ruin her. She turned her eyes gingerly towards the mirror and stared at herself for a few seconds, her mouth curved into a small smile as she stared. She actually felt beautiful for once. Suddenly her eyes caught sight of a small faded scar on her arm.
'Whore'
'Worthless'
Merle and Ed's words hit her like a speeding car, her self-esteem crashed and so did her body as it fell to the bed warily.
She shut her eyes as the memories of the evening flooded back her heart began to ache.
"You're a little whore you know that?" Merle whispered to her limp body.
She lifted her head up slowly to look at Merle, "Go to hell" she breathed before falling to the ground again.
She could still feel Merle's breath on her neck as she lay on the bed remembering, his cold breath making her spine shiver. Before he left with Ed to go on their 'Man's weekend' he uttered 3 words which Carol was beginning to feel were true.
"You deserved it"
She had been told that thousands of time from countless men in her life, mostly from Ed and it hurt each time. Because she believed it was true, she knew everything she was doing was wrong and she was being punished over and over for it.
But she couldn't stop.
Daryl was almost like a drug to her, she couldn't stop loving him even if she tried. She sat up slowly shaking her head, she wasn't going to let Merle and Ed's cruel words ruin her. She had an entire weekend of Daryl and she was ecstatic. One weekend with no Merle, No Ed, no pain and hurt, as long as she had Daryl by her side everything was going to be okay.
Carol slowly lifted herself off of her soft bed and paced over to the mirror picking up every bit of make-up she could spot, she licked her lips carefully after stroking the ruby lipstick over her them. She stared at herself for a few seconds in the mirror her mouth curving into a small smile, she felt beautiful.
The front door suddenly groaned and she froze holding her breath, what if it was Ed downstairs? How would see explain looking like this? Her heart raced quickly as her hands gripped her dress tightly.
"You know it's nice coming through the front door for once!" called Daryl his sweet voice echoed through the house and Carol let out a small breath of relief. "So you comin' down or what?" he called loudly, she could hear him dropping his bag on the wooden floor.
She smiled softly, "Yeah, I'll be…I'll be down in a minute!" she called back turning to look at herself in the mirror one last time.
Her eyes narrowed down to the patches on her arms which were now covered up with make-up. What if he finds them? She thought nervously, losing her confidence quickly. She stared at herself in the mirror her eyes beginning to squint with displeasure. I look ridiculous she thought disapprovingly. Carol shook her head vigorously, He's seen you naked Carol, grow up she thought stupidly as she sauntered out of her bedroom gently.
Carol stood behind him watching as he lay on the couch silently, his eyes shut softly and his hands resting on his chest. She strode towards him silently hoping to surprise him; her hands moved softly to his long chocolate hair, she stroked him gently.
"Nice of ya to join me-"Daryl's sentence dropped off quickly, his eyes began blinking quickly, he sat up immediately gazing at her blankly in the long scarlet dress. He bit his lip softly as his eyes looked her up and down from her ruby heels to her sapphire eyes. He was completely mesmerized.
"Carol-"he began swallowing slowly.
He couldn't get his words out properly he was too amazed by her, "You look…beautiful" he said breathily.
Carol suddenly felt her cheeks go red, her head immediately bowed with embarrassment. Daryl chucked softly, moving his warm hands to cup her face. His lips pressed delicately against hers she could feel his smile against her lips as he kissed her.
"You should've given me a heads up you were gonna dress up might of cleaned myself up after work" he chuckled releasing her.
"I…I could go change if you want" she said nervously her cheeks now flushing a new shade of red.
Daryl chuckled reaching into his bag, "It's fine Carol I'm jokin'" his hand slowly pulled out a small bouquet of roses, "I got these on the way here" he smirked handing them to her.
"Thank you" she smiled warmly.
Daryl moved off of the couch and headed straight over to the kitchen like he usually did on their nights together. His hand smacked against the radio and suddenly music began flooding through the house, she giggled softly she loved how excited he got when he was allowed to cook for her.
"So how about I start cookin'?" he asked stretching to grab the pans from the cabinet, his trousers fell lightly resting on his hips, exposing his underwear. "Like the view?" he chuckled resting the pan on the cooker.
Carol blinked clearing her throat softly, she didn't realise she had been staring "W…Why don't you let me cook for you for once?" she asked trying to change the subject.
"Nah" he began lighting a cigarette for himself, "You cook too damn much for Ed and my asshole brother, you deserve a fuckin' break" he grunted switching on the hobs.
"You sure you're not just trying to avoid my awful cooking?" she teased resting herself on the couch.
Daryl's cigarette dropped from his mouth into the sink, he moved towards her slowly and pressed his lips against hers carefully, "When we live together you can cook sometimes, right now it's all on me" he murmured pulling away from her.
Carol nodded grinning warmly as she watched Daryl pace back towards the kitchen, "So what do ya want me to cook?" he called out opening the fridge.
"I don't mind"
"I'll go out and hunt some squirrel then" he smirked moving his head to eye her.
Carol's eyebrow raised slowly and Daryl's laughter suddenly filled the room, "I'm jus' jokin'" he chuckled staring at her unimpressed face.
Carol giggled quietly, "I might have some beef in the fridge with a little bit of sauce or something"
Daryl nodded as he pushed his hand to the back of the fridge, grabbing the two items and resting them on the counter. Carol stared down at her feet uncomfortably, her heels felt like they were murdering her feet.
"I'm gonna go upstairs and change my shoes okay?" she called picking herself up from the couch slowly.
"Okay!" he called as he planted the beef in the centre of the pan carefully.
Carol silently crept up the dark staircase, her feet aching more with each step she couldn't wait to get these off.
She let out a small breath of relief as she slid them off and threw them across the room far away from her, never again she thought to herself painfully.
"Son of a bitch!" Daryl's voice echoed through the house.
Carol slowly moved out of her bedroom in her slippers, was he okay?
"Daryl are you okay-" she began moving down the staircase.
She heard the hiss of the frying pan and then the loud noise of it being dropped suddenly.
"Fuck" he growled painfully.
Care immediately moved her hand across her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
He was burning himself on the frying pan.
Carol carefully moved into the living room trying to contain her laughter, she could hear he was really struggling with this, "You need a hand?" she asked standing behind him, her arms crossed over her chest.
"I can handle it" he grunted, suddenly he lifted his hand up sharply, "Fuck" he breathed holding his burned finger.
Carol laughed softly as he wrapped her slender arms around his abdomen, "You can ask for my help if you really need it" she murmured.
Daryl turned around slowly pulling her into a kiss, "I'm fine" he chuckled; The sound of The Beatles suddenly filled the kitchen, changing the entire mood.
'Something in the way she moves'
Carol buried her head into Daryl's chest carefully, "I like this song" she muttered
"Really?" Daryl murmured back, now placing his hands on her hips.
"Really"
Daryl gently guided her away from the oven towards the middle of the kitchen, one hand resting against her hip the other holding her hand tenderly in the air.
'I don't want to leave her now, you know I believe and how'
The voices echoed soothingly through the house, "You don't have to dance with me you know" she murmured beaming softly.
"I want to, quit complaining" he chuckled burying his head in the crook of her neck, his lips pressed against her soft skin taking in her sweet scent.
Carol's hand wrapped around Daryl's neck softly, her hands brushed through his silky hair smoothly.
"Dinner's gonna burn" she hissed quietly
Daryl smiled against her skin, "It's already ruined" he muttered
She shut her eyes gently as she swayed with him to the music, "I love you" she whispered lightly.
Daryl lifted his head up slowly and pressed his lips softly against her forehead, "I know you do" he chuckled.
Suddenly the music was blocked out as the sound of the smoke alarm rang through the house, causing both Carol and Daryl to detach from each other to cover their ears.
"So damn loud" Daryl said huskily moving to cover it with a cloth.
Carol grinned, "I told you, you should've let me help with dinner" she giggled resting against the counter.
The noise slowly died out as Daryl moved away from the smoke alarm, he chuckled lightly "Lets jus' order out"
"I think that'd be a good idea" she smiled pacing towards the couch.
Daryl grinned as he picked up the phone on the counter, "Turn on the TV for me will ya?" he asked turning to the wall.
Carol nodded reaching for the remote, as soon as the television switched on the bright face of the weather girl filled the screen. Carol sniffed softly as she stared at the woman's long blonde curly hair, her bright smile and hopeful eyes. Carol had lost all of that a long time ago or at least after she married Ed. Her hands reached up slowly to touch her short hair, she missed her curls more than anything. She remembered summers when she used be alone with Sophia when she was still a toddler, Ed was on trips, Sophia would use to play with her hair hours on end, never getting bored or tired she just loved playing with Carol's hair, it kept her happy and focused on one thing while all the other problems were going on around her.
Carol sighed staring at the woman that was the kind of woman she imagined Daryl with. What the hell was he doing with her? He probably could have any woman in their town with a few short pick-up lines and yet he stayed with her. She was confused.
She suddenly felt the couch bounce as Daryl jumped over the back of it, next to her his arm wrapped around her gently, "Food will be here in no time" he smirked, "I called the place down the street from us, should be 5 minutes tops" he purred kissing her head.
Carol nodded silently; she wasn't really in the mood for talking anymore.
"…Also there is a slight chance of rain this weekend so grab your umbrellas" smiled the weather girl.
"Damn" Daryl mumbled disappointedly
"W…What's wrong?" Carol squeaked quietly
"Damn rain is gonna mess up the weekend" he said dryly, he turned to her carefully "I was thinkin' of drivin' up to Savannah this weekend, I could borrow a truck and we could go together" he said huskily.
Carol turned her head sharply, "To stay?" she asked shocked
Daryl chuckled lightly, "I aint got the money yet"
"Oh"
"Would ya want to go?"
Carol sat up slowly, she stared at him for a few seconds trying to think her mouth tilting slightly to the side, "It's a four hour drive"
Daryl shrugged, "I'll drive faster"
Carol smiled softly as she cuddled into him again, "it'd be nice to get away for a little bit, and we'd be away from Ed's friends…" she hesitated for a second, "I'll go with you" she breathed leaning into him.
Daryl grinned as he pulled Carol closer to him, "I'll go up to my place tomorrow and grab my dad's camera I wanna remember this when I'm…I don't know in the hospital about to kick the bucket"
Carol stiffened beneath him, "Don't say that"
Daryl kissed her head softly, "Sorry…Jus' sayin' I want you to be my last memory or whatever…" he said going slightly red.
Carol sighed, "Let's change the subject"
Daryl nodded turning his head slowly, something suddenly caught his eye as he moved his attention elsewhere, on one of the shelves there was a small photograph of Carol, Ed and Sophia. In the picture all them actually looked happy, young and fresh. He smirked softly,
"You look great in that picture ya know" he smiled glancing up at it again, he paused for a moment, "Why do ya still have that up there?" he asked gruffly.
Carol laughed weakly, "It's a small reminder of when things between them used to be slightly better" She smiled softly, "And well I haven't really noticed it enough to take it down it doesn't mean anything to me or Ed, not anymore at least" she said sighing.
Daryl nodded slowly and then paused for a second again as he glanced back up at the picture,
"Why'd ya cut your hair?" he asked huskily.
Carol's stomach suddenly twisted, why the hell did he have to ask that question? What Ed did to her became a painful memory and all she wanted to do was forget it and move on. She sat there silently not daring to move or look him in the eyes.
"Carol?"
Carol opened her mouth carefully to respond but her words were quickly cut off as the sound of the door knocking caused Daryl to leap up from the couch and rush to it.
"Told ya they're fast" he smirked grabbing the cash from his pocket.
Carol nodded slowly and sadly trying to force a small smile for Daryl's benefit,
"I'll…grab some trays…" she muttered pacing towards the kitchen, her dress now dragging on the floor.
…..
Carol's foot kicked the empty pizza boxes as she cuddled closer to Daryl on the couch, they were both full and now lazily laying on the couch together. Carol smiled as she watched the television her favourite movie was on and she had somehow gotten Daryl to agree to watch it with her.
"This is my favourite scene" she whispered
She stared happily as she watched Patrick Dempsey and Amanda Peterson ride away on the lawn mower, she remembered the first time she had watched 'Can't buy me love' It was around the time her and Ed had been in the early stages of their relationship. Ed had sat with her and agreed to watch the movie just like Daryl was, which worried her slightly. What if what happened to their relationship would happen with her and Daryl? Things were almost perfect with her and Ed and then suddenly everything changed. The thought scared her.
She tightened around Daryl softly, he grinned smoothly and moved to wrap his strong arm around her, "Maybe that's how I could take you away" he smirked.
"I wish" she giggled kissing his hand.
She glanced up at the clock carefully,
12:45am
"It's late we should go upstairs" she yawned
Daryl nodded silently as he turned off the television, Carol smiled softly as she cupped his face and kissed him, "Maybe we could stay awake for a few minutes when we get up there" she whispered sensually.
"Sounds like a plan" he chuckled moving his hands to her waist.
…
Carol and Daryl fell to the bed nakedly, both of their bodies hot against each other already Daryl carefully moved the bed sheet over the two of them as he climbed on top of her. As soon as his hands moved to stroke her back Carol let out a loud wail of pain which caused Daryl to immediately back off.
"You okay? What happened?" he asked sitting on the corner of the bed.
Carol held the sheets to her protectively, "Nothing I'm fine" she sniffed she didn't want Daryl to see her pain.
"Don't sound like nothin'" he muttered turning on the lamp on the night table.
Carol's eyes shut tightly as the light exposed everything, she could hear Daryl's sudden change in voice as he spoke to her.
"When did you get these?" he asked moving to touch her arm carefully.
Carol swallowed delicately she suddenly felt like she had a large lump in her throat, "A…about an hour before you arrived" she said shakily now letting all the tears flow.
Daryl's arms grabbed her into a hug, "Son of a bitch, swear I'm gonna gank him if I see him" he spat furiously.
Carol's head buried into Daryl's chest sharply, she was beginning to break down again and lose control "Stop Daryl please…Just s…stop talking about Ed and these damn scars…just stop" she sobbed wrapping her arms around his abdomen.
Daryl shushed her quietly as he pressed himself against her softly, "It's okay I've got you", his hands stroked through her hair evenly, "I won't let him hurt you like this again, you hear me? He's a fuckin' dead man" he hissed pressing his head into her neck carefully.
Carol continued to sob ignoring his soothing words, she knew it was all a lie she didn't want Daryl to protect her because if he did she knew it would result in his death by Ed's hands. She couldn't let that happen to him because of her, she wasn't worth the fight.
"Did he hurt ya anywhere else?" he asked moving his finger beneath her chin.
Carol nodded silently, she used her tears to clean under her eye. As soon as Daryl caught sight of Carol's black eye he grabbed her closer pressing his head on top of hers, his lips pressing against them roughly.
"He's a fuckin' dead….fuckin' dead" he repeated angrily.
"Stop it please I just want to focus on you" she whispered shakily the tears still dripping from her eyes.
The tears just continued falling and they wouldn't stop.
She stared up at Daryl his expression was hard and painful she could see the anger and hurt in his eyes, she didn't want this for him.
"I'll be right back" he muttered strolling out of the room, the sheet wrapped around his waist.
Carol nodded silently now laying against the wall with the sheets held against her tightly, she buried her head in her knees. I've pissed him off she thought to herself miserably.
"Come here" he hissed softly,
Carol glanced up to see Daryl sitting on the edge of the bed with a small box of bandages in one hand and a bottle of disinfectant in the other,
"You fixed me, now I'm gonna fix you" he said holding her hand gently.
Carol bowed her head slowly, Daryl treated her too nicely she didn't deserve it. Daryl glanced up her sadly and shook his head, as he began wrapping bandages around her small cuts and bruises, he kissed each one softly trying to let her know everything was going to be okay but she didn't budge. She continued to avoid looking him in the eyes, it felt too painful.
"Turn around" he muttered dousing one of the bandages in disinfectant.
She obeyed wearily still not speaking once, she winced as Daryl began wiping her back gently with the disinfectant it burned her skin. Carol let out a small cry of pain as he wiped them, he kissed her shoulder gently as he stroked her arm.
"It's okay I'm sorry…" he began, "I'm gonna stay with you all weekend" he said taking in her sweet scent.
Carol didn't respond, she didn't feel like speaking anymore. Daryl sniffed quietly as he removed the bandages from her back, "I think I'm done…we should get some shut eye" he said dryly as he kicked the box and bottle to the ground.
"Night…" he hesitated as he switched off the light.
He slid next to her gently as he wrapped his arms around her body pulling her slightly closer to him, Carol tensed up suddenly and he let go.
"Sorry" he mumbled turning away from her.
Carol sighed quietly and turned to wrap her arms around his body, "Thank you" she whispered nuzzling into his neck.
Daryl kissed her soft hands carefully, "It's nothin'" he muttered shutting his eyes.
Carol smiled evenly against his skin, "Goodnight"
"Night"
She fell asleep almost immediately, her hands over Daryl's chest remembering that everything was going to be okay as long as she had him.
Or at least
She hoped it would be okay.
….
When Carol woke up the next morning there was something missing from her bed, the warmth was missing leaving half of the bed cold. Carol's hands smoothened across the bed lightly as her eyes flickered open.
"Daryl?" she mumbled sleepily
No response
She sat up slowly to find herself alone in the bed, "Daryl?" she called out worriedly, where could he have gone? Maybe she really did piss him off the night before and he had just left in the middle of the night. Carol hurriedly snatched her robe from the floor to cover her naked body, she quickly rushed out of her bedroom hoping Daryl hadn't left angrily.
Just as she was about to rush down the stairs she suddenly heard whistling coming from the bathroom and the sound of the water in the shower running, she carefully pressed her ear against the door.
"Daryl?" she whispered hesitantly
No response again.
"Somethin' in the way she moves…"
Carol's immediately covered her mouth to avoid laughing out loud; Daryl was singing in the shower she didn't think Daryl was the type to sing in the shower. She smiled softly about to raise her hand to knock on the door but she quickly pulled it away realising her opportunity. This was probably only time in their relationship Carol would be able to make him feel as good as he's made her feel. She grinned and quickly sprinted down the stairs towards the kitchen.
The smell of bacon filled the entire kitchen as she hummed while setting the bouquet of flowers Daryl had given her on the table, the plates clanged as she set them on either sides of the table carefully.
The sound of footsteps could suddenly be heard as Carol scooped the bacon onto each of the plates, before Daryl could speak Carol's lips were already pressed roughly against his, her fingers tangling with his damp hair.
"Morning" she smiled pulling away from him
Daryl grinned happily, "Someone's in a good mood"
Carol shrugged as she began pouring two glasses of orange juice, Daryl eyed the food on the table smirking "I was gonna make breakfast for you"
Carol grinned pulling out her seat, "Well I guess I beat you to it"
Daryl grinned back setting himself down on the other side of the table, his knife and fork immediately attacked the food on his plate, Carol giggled behind her glass as she watched him stuff his mouth.
"You know I heard you singing in the shower this morning, do you always do that?" she asked taking a bite out of her food.
"Only when I'm in a good mood" he said his words muffled by his food, he quickly swallowed lightly and moved his hand to rest on hers, "You okay from last night?" he asked curiously
"I'm fine" she smiled sipping from her glass.
"You sure? I could jus' blow it off if ya not feelin' up for it"
"I feel better today it's fine…you fixed me" she grinned giving Daryl's hand a quick peck
Daryl nodded staring at her lovingly, his hand reached into the pot of flowers resting on the table carefully, he grabbed one of the flowers and tucked it into Carol's pastel robe.
"Could wear that tonight" he smirked continuing to stare into her sapphire eyes.
"Tonight?"
"Savannah's got beaches, thought maybe we could go down there when things quieten down at night"
"That'd be nice" Carol smiled
Daryl gave her a warming grin back and pushed his plate to the middle of the table before he quickly made his way in the direction of the staircase,
"Hey, where are you going?" she called picking up her drink.
"Gotta clean myself up a bit and need to grab my stuff so we can ride out to my place later" he called back marching up the steps
"Okay" Carol called in almost a whisper, as soon as she heard the bathroom door slam shut she buried her head in her arms on the table, her cheeks were flushed.
She was beginning to fall for him even harder
….
"You set to go?" asked Daryl beginning to start up the engines
Carol nodded, then stupidly realising Daryl couldn't see her, "Yeah I think I have everything for the weekend" she spoke over the now roaring engines of Daryl's motorcycle
"Great, Jus' gonna head up to my place to pick up a few thing" he said dryly putting his helmet over his head, "You sure you don't wanna wear this?" he asked tenderly
"I'm fine, I'd feel better if you were wearing it" she said nervously her arms clutching his waist tightly, "Are we still going to Savannah by truck or are we riding your motorcycle?" asked Carol her stomach beginning to turn.
Daryl chuckled lightly, "I don't know the cycle might be faster" he smirked knowing how Carol felt.
Carol frowned, "I'm a little bit nervous…"
"You're on my motorcycle all the time"
"Not for four hours!" Carol whined hitting him softly.
Daryl chuckled again this time the sound of his laughter overtook the loud roar of the motorcycle, Carol frowned again "It's not funny"
Daryl smiled moving his hand to stroke hers gently, "Okay, we'll go back to my place, get my shit and then we can swing by the mechanics and grab a truck"
"That's a little better" grinned Carol squeezing his hand delicately.
"Hold on then" he said before taking off down the street quickly.
…..
Daryl's house was small, old and cold. The smell of cigarettes and alcohol burned in her nose as she stepped into the house, there were old magazines covering the floor along with a small television sitting in the corner with one big chair facing it possibly meant for the alpha of the family. Everything about the house seemed cold and lonely, maybe even lonelier than her home. She turned to look at Daryl carefully, his eyes were narrowed away from hers the look on his face showed embarrassment and shame. She moved her hand gently to grip his flashing him a small, warm smile.
Daryl returned the small smile but continued to look away from her not bothering to make eye contact, "Sorry about the mess….house is kind of a piece of shit" he mumbled shutting the front door.
"It's fine Daryl" she smiled softly
"Not really here a lot to clean it up…" he continued nervously
Carol gripped his hand gently, "It's fine Daryl relax" she said reassuringly
Daryl nodded slowly and released her hand carefully, "2 seconds" he breathed before sprinting up the stairs.
Carol hesitantly moved her feet across his cold wooden floor and flung herself gently onto the couch, she exhaled as her eyes searched around the room. Her head tilted slightly as she suddenly caught sight of a small picture hanging on the wall. Daryl and Merle both grinned brightly in the picture, they stood behind a dead deer with two cross-bows held high in their hands, their other hands were around each other's necks. She frowned at first but then began to smile, she hated Merle more than anything but she liked seeing Daryl happy, it made her feel happy.
They must be close Carol thought blinking lightly at the photo.
Suddenly Carol's eyes caught sight of another picture sitting on the shelf, but this picture was different from any of the others in the house, the frame was shiny, cleaner and more expensive than the others. It must've meant something to everyone in his family, in the picture there was a very beautiful blonde woman smiling, her hair was long, curly and chestnut coloured, it rested on her shoulders lightly. Her face was completely flawless, young and fresh. She tilted her head again wondering who it could be? A sister maybe?
The sound of Daryl's footsteps suddenly filled the room as he rushed back down the stairs with a camera hanging on his neck, "Ready to go?" he asked grabbing his bag from the floor.
Carol nodded slowly still staring at the photo, "Who is that?" she asked walking towards him.
Daryl's head bowed gently, "My mom"
Carol's heart suddenly thudded, he never spoke about his mother and there must've been a reason for that. Why the hell was she so stupid?
"W…What happened to her?" she asked sliding her hand into his carefully.
Daryl chuckled quietly and painfully, she could feel his grip on her hand grow tighter "When I was a kid I went out playin' with some other kids in the neighbourhood, while I was gone my mom must've left the gas on or somethin' cause the house burned down with her inside of it…there was nothin' left of her when they put it out, she was jus' gone…" said Daryl dryly, he glanced up at the picture giving a small quick smile.
Carol turned to him and pulled him into a strong hug, she rested his head on her shoulder as she brushed her fingers through his hair, "God Daryl I'm so sorry" she whispered holding him close.
Daryl chuckled lightly, "My asshole father was out playing poker with some friends and Merle was in prison so it was just me, she was the only decent person in my damn family and was the first to go" he said the tension in his voice raising, "My dad didn't appreciate her, jus' bashed her about all the time ordering her to cook, clean or whatever he didn't love her she was like a…trophy to him that's it" the anger in Daryl's voice rose.
Carol shushed him quietly, "It's okay Daryl-"Carol began but her words were cut off by Daryl's rant.
"Merle didn't care about her either, used to treat her like shit…." Daryl said hugging Carol closer.
Carol could feel Daryl's pain, she was so sorry she had ever brought this up she could see it still caused him pain even after all these years. Her hands patted Daryl's back carefully she could feel his body tense against hers.
"I'm not gonna let anythin' happen to you" he breathed holding her close
Carol smiled resting her head on his shoulder, "I know Daryl, I know"
Daryl slowly released her his head shaking, he had a small smirk on his face as he sniffed she could see he was feeling ridiculous, "Anyway" he breathed, "We should leave now…" he said showing her the camera hanging on his neck.
He opened the front door silently not making eye contact with her once, he pointed towards the bike sharply, "Sit on my motorcycle" he said calmly
"Why?" she asked tilting her head slightly to the left.
Daryl grinned weakly, "You'll see"
Carol nodded slowly and moved to rest on the motorcycle carefully, he grinned moving the camera to his eyes, "Give me a lil' smile"
Carol obeyed immediately flashing a large smile for Daryl, she wanted to keep him happy especially after the incident which had just occurred inside his home. The flash quickly went off and the picture immediately fell from his camera, he shook it lightly waiting for the photo to fade into sight.
"It's my dad's old camera…" he began as he shook the photo
"It's fine Daryl I like it" she smiled still resting herself on the back of the motorcycle
Suddenly the corners of Daryl's mouth curved into a large smile, "Kind of photogenic don't ya think?" he beamed showing her the photo.
Carol smiled warmly but paused for a few seconds as she stared at the photo, "Should you be keeping pictures of me around the place? It's kind of risky…" she hesitated
He walked towards her steadily, his hands tucking the picture into his pocket carefully
"I'll keep em' somewhere private" he smirked stroking her cheek softly
Carol's cheeks slowly began going scarlet, her hands carefully moved to take the camera from around his neck, "Sit on the bike" she demanded walking backwards.
Daryl chuckled sitting down roughly on the motorcycle, he flashed a small, shy smile as he leaned his elbows onto the front of the motorcycle, the flash quickly went off and Carol began making her way back over to Daryl, shaking the photo vigorously. She climbed onto the back of the motorcycle with the camera still hanging by her neck, her hands wrapped around his waist tightly as she rested her head against his back.
"You ready to go?" he muttered starting up the engines.
"Mhmm" Carol murmured gripping him tightly.
"Alright' let's go then" he said roughly over the sounds of the engines roaring.
….
It was taking forever to leave as they were stuck in traffic which went on for hours down the highway, Carol's hand tightened around Daryl's as they sat silently in the truck. She didn't want to make Daryl lose his focus on the road. Her eyes slowly glanced up at him, his face was completely concentrated on the road he didn't even move once when Carol's hand relaxed around his. She squeezed it gently trying to get his attention,
"Daryl?"
Daryl glanced down at her, a small smile forming on his face
"Yeah?"
Carol swallowed nervously, "How long do you think this will last?"
"What will last?" he asked moving his hand to switch on the radio.
"You know" Carol frowned bending her head back to rest on the seat.
His hand tighten around hers delicately, "A long time" he smiled reassuringly
Carol moved her head back down to stare at him, "You can't be sure…" Carol mumbled
Daryl's finger slowly it's way up to her chin he stroked calmly,
"I'm not gonna leave you" he grinned kissing her forehead lightly, "Don't worry about that now, jus' remember one day we can leave jus' the two of us and your little girl in this truck and we won't come back" he smiled wrapping his arm around her.
Carol nodded gradually, resting her head on Daryl's strong chest. She wished she could trust him, like she said before he can't be sure. What they were doing this weekend was a giant, stupid risk which she could pay for. Maybe with her life or with losing Daryl. She shut her eyes tightly trying not to think about it, she couldn't lose him.
"Man, this traffic looks like it goes on for miles" Daryl sighed annoyed, his eyes narrowed down carefully and he suddenly began chuckling quietly to himself.
Carol's eyes flickered open as she heard Daryl's laughter above her,
"What's so funny?" she asked sitting up.
"Nothin'"
"Tell me" she whined
"Okay, Okay" Daryl grumbled now relaxing in his seat, "I was wonderin' why you decided to give me a chance?"
Carol breathed lightly she was surprised he was the one to ask this question first, she always thought of herself as the one who was curious about these type of things worrying about them constantly.
"You're a good man, a better man than Ed" she smiled cuddling closer to him, "And you weren't bad looking either…" she added on quietly.
Daryl smirked proud of himself, his arm rested over Carol's shoulder pulling her closer into him.
"Why did you choose me?" asked Carol smoothly
Daryl's eyes narrowed down, "What d'ya mean?"
Carol sighed, "There are so many women in this town, some a lot more attractive than me why did you stay with me instead of going to them?" she asked relieved she could finally get this irritating question off her chest.
"Honestly?"
"Honestly"
"I thought you were gorgeous, but in a really classy way, and well you seemed like great lady" he breathed his cheeks slightly changing colour, "I'm so glad I met you"
Carol smiled beneath him, "I'm glad I decided to save your ass that day" she giggled quietly
She yawned gently as Daryl kissed the top of her head, "You want to sleep?" he asked shifting his weight slightly
Carol fought to keep her eyes open, "no it's-" Carol yawned loudly, "…fine" she said sleepily.
"It's gonna be a long trip and it's pretty early in the mornin' you can if ya want"
"You sure?"
Daryl nodded moving his arm back to the wheel, Carol nodded resting her head against the window of the truck. She felt like death.
"I got a poncho in the back if you want it"
Carol slowly narrowed her eyes to look at him to see if he was joking, his face was dead serious.
"You have a poncho?" she giggled teasingly, "Didn't think you were the type to wear one"
Daryl shrugged, turning down the volume on the truck. "Jus' for the winter" he muttered.
They both turned their heads in sync to look at each other and suddenly burst into a roar of laughter, Daryl's face went pink as he rested it on the wheel laughing into it. She was happy Daryl was in a much better mood, she was beginning to get worried about him after her visit in his home.
"I'm fine" she breathed trying to gain her control back.
"Relax then" he muttered letting her rest her head on his chest.
She obeyed and after only a few minutes she was unconscious on his chest.
Daryl stared down at her taking in her beauty. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her; he didn't deserve her at all. His lips pressed down on her head delicately.
He was beginning to fall in love with her more and more.
….
Carol woke up hours later with her face pressed against something warm and soft, her neck stiff and her mouth dry. She licked her lips gently as she lifted her head up from the soft object she turned her head painfully to see she had been lying on Daryl's poncho. She groaned as she rubbed her face with the back of her hand. Once her eyes had fully opened she began to panic, the truck was completely empty with AC/DC blasting out of the radio. She pushed buttons of the radio gently and began looking around, all that was in sight as a small store and a large empty road.
She groaned again as she pushed the truck door open and stretched her legs out, wincing as her joints refused to cooperate. Her back ached as she stretched herself out when she stepped onto the hot ground. Her eyes searched around the empty lot carefully, checking to see if Daryl had just gone into the forest to pee.
No sign of him anywhere
She paced towards the store, opening the door with a lazy pull. She rubbed her eyes gently as she searched around the store with her eyes. Finally she spotted a tall man with Daryl's build and backpack; she smiled wearily as she made her way towards him. Her arms wrapped around his abdomen. He quickly jumped spinning around to see who had hugged him from behind, he grinned as he spotted Carol smiling against him. He slid the money across the counter, as he waited for cigarettes and two bottles of Dr Pepper.
"I didn't want to wake you" Daryl muttered moving one arm to wrap around her waist.
Carol smiled sleepily still resting her head against him, "Where are we?"
"In Savannah, but we're still a few miles away from the motel I wanna take you to"
Carol nodded glancing up at the cashier handing Daryl his cigarettes and bottles of Dr Pepper, his arm stuck out gently signalling Carol to take it. The two of them strolled out of the store quickly, Carol stumbling along the way. She was still tired as hell.
Carol sleepily slid herself back into the truck, flinging herself into her seat sharply her head bobbing back. Daryl's hand gently brushed against hers as he handed her the bottle silently, Carol warmed him with a small smile as she rested it on her lap, delicately shutting her eyes.
"Have you been driving four hours straight?" Carol murmured sleepily
"Five, and yeah" he said turning up the radio, causing Carol to open her eyes sharply. He balanced his cigarette carefully in his mouth as he began driving away from the lot.
"How?" asked Carol in shock, she could never drive five hours straight without going insane or falling asleep at the wheel.
Daryl chuckled rolling up the window, "A few cigarettes and music"
Carol smiled softly resting her hand on his leg, "Maybe you should lay off the cigarettes, you know considering it's been five hours"
Daryl shrugged dropping the cigarette out of the window, "Consider it done" he smirked
Carol nodded tiredly as she turned her head to stare out the window at the many passing cars, she sighed sleepily.
"What time is it?"
"Clock store said 1pm" he said taking a sip from his bottle
Carol nodded again trying to keep herself from falling asleep again, "What are we gonna do in Savannah?"
Daryl smiled moving one hand to stroke hers, "Whatever you want, it's my turn to treat ya" he chuckled
"You always treat me" she giggled
"Well ya deserve to be treated" he smirked removing his hand from hers.
Carol grinned sleepily and suddenly felt herself yawning again, this time the yawn was loud enough to attract Daryl's attention.
"You wanna sleep again? It's a long trip"
Carol shook her head wearily "You might start sneaking cigarettes again" she giggled resting her head against the window.
"Okay" he smiled stomping his foot on the pedal beginning to speed down the road.
Carol was definitely awake now.
….
Carol's legs flew into the air while Daryl fell on top of her, the two of them laughing as they fell onto the rough motel bed. She rolled on top of him kissing him softly on the nose which crinkled at her soft touch.
"It's great to get away from that shitty town for once" he said huskily returning the kiss
Carol playfully ran her hands down Daryl's body making him shiver slightly, "Should we leave the bag here and walk down to the town?" she purred against his skin.
Daryl's lips pressed against hers softly, his stubble tickling her chin.
"I don't know, maybe I could spend the whole afternoon jus' laying here with you" he grinned against her lips.
"It's already 1:30 we should start moving" she said kissing him
Daryl nodded and slid himself away from Carol, his hands scrambling through his bag to grab his camera and money. Carol sat up staring at him, she admired his energy.
"Ready to go?" he asked his smile wide and eager
….
Carol's blouse stuck to her as she strolled out of the motel door with Daryl on her arm, she wiped the sweat from her head with the back of her hand. She glanced up at Daryl, he still had a bright grin on his face she could easily tell he was excited. Hell, if you saw him from a distance you'd probably be able to see his excitement with a grin that big.
"So what d'ya want to do?" he asked wrapping his arm around her waist.
Carol paused thinking for a second, then the idea finally hit her. She moved in front of him smirking proudly, "I want to get a tattoo" she grinned
Daryl's eyes widened immediately, his mouth curving into a small impressed smile "A tattoo?"
"Yes" she grinned, proud that she was shocking Daryl for once
"Won't Ed see it…?"
"There are….certain places I don't let Ed see anymore" she said raising an eyebrow.
Daryl nodded hesitantly, "You sure you want one? It hurts like hell"
Carol nodded sweetly, "I don't care I want a small reminder of you" she grinned wrapping his arm around her again.
"Okay" Daryl mumbled pulling her closer, "Let's go then, I know a good one up the street from here"
Carol smiled as she walked with him slowly.
Carol's interest in tattoos first arose a few weeks ago after her and Daryl had, had rough sex. It was the first time she was able to properly explore his tattoos and she loved each and everyone one of them mainly because they each came with a memory and that's what she wanted. She didn't give a damn if it hurt or not she wanted to be reckless for once.
"After you" Daryl grunted pulling the door open carefully.
She strolled in her heart suddenly pumping a lot harder than it had before.
….
Carol winced as the needle dug into her lower back, she was already ready to back out but it was too late. Daryl's hand clasped hers tightly as she let out a few small groans of pain, burying her face into the chair. She had decided to get a small cross tattoo with wings (Which matched Daryl's jacket) on her lower back. Ed hardly ever saw the bare skin hidden under her clothes, so it was a safe choice.
"How does it feel?" Daryl chuckled enduring another sharp squeeze as Carol winced again.
"How the hell do you think it feels?" she muttered her voice muffled by the chair.
He chuckled loudly as she continued to squeeze his hand.
"Man lady, you got a lot of battle scars on your back what the hell you been doin'? gladiator fightin'?" chuckled the tattooist as he lined down her back.
Carol stayed silent, despite the pain making her want to scream and punch the tattooist,
"Not a talker huh" he laughed
"Hey, mind ya own damn business" snapped Daryl defensively.
The tattooist seemed to back off immediately, "Alright man sorry….Jus' a lil bit longer lady" he said quietly.
After enduring a few more minutes of pain the tattoo was finally done, she stared as she moved her back to check it out in the mirror, she smiled at how beautiful it looked despite her crimson skin. Daryl stared at her a small smile forming, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched.
"Got some backbone" he joked
The tattooist's sigh filled the room, "C'mon I have to bandage it up" he sighed annoyed.
Carol nodded slowly and made her way over to him carefully, her skin shivered as he began binding around her, "Only got to keep this on for an hour, oh and don't shower with it for a few hours don't want an infection do ya?" he chuckled.
Daryl glared at him unimpressed, as soon as he was done binding Carol he stomped over to him slamming the money into his lap sharply not bothering to utter another word to him.
"Bastard" he muttered leaving the store.
Just as Carol opened her mouth to respond, she noticed a large crowd of people and immediately gripped Daryl's arm pulling him with her towards it. Her eyes lit up as she stared at the many people dancing and marching in the streets in multi-coloured costumes.
"It must be a parade" she grinned happily.
She got on her tiptoes trying to gain some height but quickly gave up miserably, Daryl glanced down at her and bent down slowly moving his arms backwards to support her.
"Want some height?"
"Height? What do you?-"
Before Carol could ask anything else Daryl was already pulling her onto his back, her arms wrapped around his neck along with her legs wrapping around his waist.
"Better?" he chuckled
"Better" Carol giggled kissing his head softly.
Her eyes widened as she watched all the beautiful floats going past, she felt so happy and free, she had a tattoo something she never would've thought about getting months ago and she had Daryl she one man who managed to make her feel good and had finally brought more light into her life, she leaned her head onto Daryl's carefully.
"Look at that bitch over there" yelled a voice
Her head immediately spun around stupidly, she was so used to being called that. She glanced over to a small group of men sitting in a corner drinking beers, Were they talking about her? She shook her head, they couldn't have been she was just paranoid.
"Too old to be around here, you know what I'm saying?" roared one of the men.
Carol's confidence immediately went down, she began squirming away from Daryl she wanted to get out of their sight quickly.
"Daryl could you let me down…I'm gonna get some drinks for us" she said hesitating, her eyes turning to look at the men again, her throat suddenly felt dry.
Daryl carefully bent down again letting Carol slid off of his back slowly,
"Okay, want me to come with ya?" he asked standing up straight again.
"No" Carol responded a little bit too quickly, "No I'm fine on my own" she breathed shaking her head.
Before Daryl could get another word in Carol was already rushing through the sea of people nearly tripping over her own feet. As soon as she reached the drinks stall, she stuffed her hand right into her pocket and slid it across the table, her eyes shifting from left to right making sure the men were nowhere to be seen.
"2 cokes" she said now leaning herself against the table, her heart immediately began pounding as she caught sight of the four men staring at her, each of them making small comments to each other.
Carol turned her back on them desperately wishing the man would hurry up with the drinks, all she wanted was to get far away from them and back to Daryl where it was safe. The man slowly handed Carol her two drinks, she didn't hesitate she quickly grabbed them and turned to rush back to Daryl as she pushed through the crowd she suddenly felt a strong hand grip her shoulder, pulling her out of the crowd sharply.
She fell backwards against the wall, her drinks spilling on to her.
"look at this old broad dressin' like she's got somethin' worth while" roared one of the men stroking her shoulder softly.
Carol shivered disgustedly, she felt like she was surrounded by a group of Merles and Eds. One of the men stared at her, a small smirk building up on his face. He moved his arm to stroke her face carefully. She winced slapping his hand away sharply and suddenly the men began roaring with laughter.
"She don't want ya Randall, probably don't even swing for the same team look at that haircut" one of the larger men chuckled, "Useless"
Carol swallowed dryly as she tried to fight back from crying, she wasn't going to let them see her cry not like this. She folded her arms tightly bowing her head trying to avoid eye contact with any of these disgusting men.
'Randall' wrapped his arm around her waist tightly, his breath stinking of beer "I don't know she might not be useless, how about you come back to my place for a lil' fun darlin'" he smiled pressing his lips into her cheek.
Carol's eyes suddenly spotted a small gap in-between the group of men she pushed past the men without any hesitation wanting to get away from them quickly. Randall's hands quickly cupped her ass, Carol turned around sharply slapping him hard across the face. Damn it she thought painfully as her hand burned from the slap. Randall glared at her shoving her hard against the wall, Carol let out a small cry of pain as her head knocked backwards, his hands gripped her wrists tightly as she squeezed her eyes shut.
"You know other girls might be flattered but you, you aint like them" he spat leaning in close to her face, "You're nothin', you're useless" he growled squeezing tighter. Tears began escaping her eyes, sliding down her face like a river moving down stream.
"Who the hell would want ya!?" he snarled.
"Me sunshine"
The sudden familiarity of the voice caused Carol to open her eyes immediately, her heart raced as she watched Daryl standing behind Randall his fists tight and his face almost going crimson. Randall laughed cruelly as he let go of Carol, making her fall to the ground sharply.
"What's a pussy like you gon' do?" he challenged
Daryl took a large step forward, his face almost pressing into Randall's "I'm gonna stomp your ass" he barked furiously
Carol picked herself off of the ground shakily, her hand moved gently to Daryl's chest pushing him back carefully "Daryl don't…let's just leave…" she whispered quietly
She didn't want to lose Daryl like this, he was completely outnumbered and it bothered Carol greatly that he couldn't see that.
He was too reckless.
Carol gently slid her hand into his beginning to pull him away, his breath was still heavy as he stared back at the men furiously.
"Daryl just walk away please" she whispered
Daryl exhaled lightly finally letting his body give in to walk along with her, he wrapped his arm around her waist protectively. Just as they were about to return to the parade, Randall's voice could be heard yelling again.
"Yeah, walk away with ya whore!"
That was the final straw.
Daryl's hand harshly moved away from Carol's his body moving briskly away from hers,
"Son of a bitch" he snarled punching Randall square in the face.
Carol's hands immediately flew to her mouth as she watched the other 3 men jump on Daryl pulling him down to the ground, they began punching him knocking him to the ground and picking him up again to hurt him even more. Carol began screaming at them to stop but none of them listened they just continued hitting him over and over, what if they killed him? It was just like the night she met him all over again. She could see him getting weaker his words getting slurred and his eyes forcing themselves open. She had to do something or she was going to lose him, suddenly she looked to the ground spotting a few empty glass bottles.
She grabbed them tossing them all at the men causing them to fall down clutching the back of their heads. She raced over to Daryl pulling him away from the fight, his legs shaking as he walked with her.
"Daryl?" she cupped his face , "Daryl are you okay?" she whispered desperately.
Daryl coughed dryly, "I'm gonna stomp their asses" he muttered weakly.
Carol smiled softly hugging him close to her, "I think you've done enough" she whispered leading him away before the men began ganging around them again.
Daryl nodded weakly finally letting Carol lead him away from the men,
"Come on I'm gonna fix you" Carol hesitated for a moment, "Again…"
…..
Carol carefully wrapped Daryl's bleeding hand as sat silently on the bed, it had taken half an hour to walk back to the motel and another half of an hour to clean all of Daryl's wounds. She was glad to be back at the motel though everything was beginning to get crazier and crazier. She stared at him as he sat there silently, his mouth curved into a small smile when he caught her looking. She didn't return the smile she was too concentrated on all the injuries hiding his body.
"You okay?" she mumbled cleaning his other hand
"Yeah, are you okay?" he asked curiously
Carol nodded slowly, "I'm just a little bit shaken"
Daryl moved his arms to wrap around her carefully, she quickly moved her hand to push him back gently "keep still I need to fix your hand up" she smiled, Daryl chuckled lightly moving his arms back to their original positions. "Doesn't this remind you of something?" she smiled wrapping another bandage over his arm.
Daryl chuckled again moving his hand to stroke Carol's arm gently, she bent her head calmly
"You know you really didn't have to do that"
"Those assholes had it coming to them…" he said huskily.
"You could've got yourself killed!" Carol cried angrily
"But I didn't" he said quietly.
Carol stared at him bewildered how the hell could he be so calm about this? He was too reckless and she fucking hated it.
"You were outnumbered! Anything could've happened!" she snapped furiously. She buried her head in her hands letting Daryl's hand droop down to his side, she couldn't bear the thought of losing him. Not after she'd gotten so close to him,
"I can't lose you" she whispered
Daryl's arms wrapped around her smoothly, she rested her head against his chest taking in his scent,
"I aint goin' anywhere, nothin' is gonna happen while I'm here" he said gruffly stroking her back gently.
Carol nodded pulling away from Daryl, she sat on the end of the bed turning her back away from him "I uh I don't feel like doing anything right now…I've kind of had enough for one day" she sighed moodily as she lay herself on the bed tiredly.
"You gonna stay up here?"
Carol nodded silently rolling onto her side.
"Okay" Daryl mumbled, kissing her softly on the cheek, "I'll be back in a few hours, jus'…stay safe" he said dryly as he shut the door quietly.
Carol curled up into a ball holding her knees close to her body, she knew she had probably pissed Daryl off, again. But all she was trying to do was protect to him, she couldn't lose him she just wanted him to stay breathing for another year. He couldn't die because of her.
She'd never forgive herself
…
Carol's eyes flickered open as the automated lights shined through the curtains, she yawned sitting up groggily her neck ached from sleeping in such an awkward position, she stretched letting out a small yelp of pain as one of her bones clicked sharply. She paused for a second searching the room with her eyes,
Daryl wasn't back yet.
Oh God Carol thought worriedly, what if she really had pissed him off this time? What if he was out with someone else because of how tired he was of her? She shook her head realising how stupid she sounded. Daryl had made so many promises to stay with her and one small fight wasn't going to break those promises. Maybe he'd gone out again and gotten drunk for a few hours, whatever the reason she needed to find him quickly to make sure he was safe. She quickly ran over to the drawers to grab her jacket when she noticed something.
A small crumpled note sitting on top of her drawers, she picked it up carefully raising it into the light to get a better view of what it said,
'You still up for the beach?' Was written very quickly and messily on the piece of paper, she shut her eyes softly realising where he was and quickly put the note down to rush out of the door.
….
Carol felt herself smile as she paced down to the empty shore, she threw her head back lightly as she inhaled the fresh sea air. The navy water crashed against the rocks as she sat herself down in the soft sand, she lifted her hands up gently letting the sand pour back down silently. She sighed staring up at the sky, it was a beautiful night the light from the moon shone on the sea making it seem even more perfect. She looked around expecting Daryl to jump out but there was no sign of him, what the hell was he doing?
"Daryl?" she called out nervously
No response.
She sighed again this time laying herself down in the sand, she glanced up at the sky smiling evenly as she watched the few stars gleam in the sky. She wasn't used to seeing stars, there were usually clouds hiding them but tonight unusually was a perfect night. Suddenly the sound of whistling could be heard coming behind her, she smiled softly as she recognized the tune. She turned around slowly to see Daryl standing behind her looking sharp for once, in his hand was a small bunch of Cherokee roses bundled up in a pastel blue paper, in the other was a small bottle of wine. He grinned lightly as he stared at her, taking in her beauty in the moonlight.
"You're whistling 'Something' now?" she giggled
"Mhmm" Daryl hummed sitting down next to her.
"And you actually cleaned yourself up for once" she laughed sliding her hands into his
Daryl squeezed her hand gently, "Sure did…" he hesitated for a second, "I feel like a jackass though" he muttered.
Carol giggled softly kissing him on the cheek, "It's so perfect down here" she smiled
"I knew it would be empty and private jus' for the two of us" he grinned popping open the bottle of wine.
"Well what's gonna happen?" she smiled glancing up at him, her eyes shining in the light.
Daryl's lips pressed against hers softly, "I don't know" he chuckled, his hand moving to stroke her hair.
Carol tensed up slightly pulling away from him, her hand moved to stroke her own hair softly. All the memories of what the group of men had said to her flooded back to her, she shut her eyes softly trying to stop herself from crying again.
"Those guys were assholes" Daryl said noticing her sudden silence
Carol sniffed, "Like I said earlier you didn't need to do what you did" she breathed
"Yeah I did, they had that shit comin' were lucky all I did was punch one of them" he growled
Carol shook her head sadly, "I'm so used to Ed speaking to me like that it doesn't even matter, most of the things he says are true anyway…" she sighed bending her head.
Daryl stroked her face softly his finger tickling her skin slightly, "What Ed said about ya and what those assholes and my brother said about ya, none of that shit is true. You're an great lady and I am so glad I found ya" he said roughly
Carol smiled a small tear falling from her cheek, "I'm glad I found you too" she said her voice cracking slightly.
"I couldn't stop fallin' in love with you when I met ya" he grinned pulling her into a kiss.
Carol wrapped her arms around his neck and the two fell slowly onto the sand, still kissing. They laid there staring at the sea,
"You're family…the only real one I've had in a while" he said huskily, wrapping his arm over her.
"What about Merle?" she tried not wincing at the mention of his name
Daryl scoffed loudly, "Merle treats me like a joke, wasn't there when my dad started beatin' me he abandoned me and pretended he didn't know it happened he-"
Carol began shushing Daryl quietly as she felt his body tense up, "It's okay Daryl just breathe" she whispered. Daryl exhaled resting his head on her chest.
"I love you so much" she whispered her voice like silk
Daryl chuckled, "I know you do" he slid himself up carefully, pressing his lips against her forehead.
"I could lie with ya forever" Daryl grinned staring at the sea.
"Forever is a long time" she giggled
"I know" he grinned moving his hand to reach for his bag, he pulled out the camera silently,
"One last picture before we get back" he smirked putting his camera to his eyes,
Carol smiled brightly focusing on the camera, her head resting on her knuckle sweetly.
The flash immediately went off and Daryl stared proudly as the photo fell from the camera, she quickly tackled him pulling the camera away from him, holding it to her eyes she yelled "Smile" loudly. Daryl gave her a small smirk as he sat in the sand his legs crossed over each other. As soon as the flash went off, Daryl grabbed her pulling her down to rest on his chest. He pulled the camera from around her neck and raised it above the two of them, the flash went off quickly and the photo flopped down gently to his stomach. He grinned brightly as he stared at the photos.
"I got somethin' else in my bag" he smirked reaching into it.
"What is it?"
Daryl slowly pulled out his long poncho, Carol giggled again at the sight of it,
"Why did you bring that? It's not cold" she smiled stroking the material carefully.
Daryl chuckled quietly, "Not why I brought it down" he smirked raising an eyebrow.
Carol stared at him for a few seconds, confused and then suddenly it hit her, her mouth opened wide in embarrassment and her cheeks began going scarlet.
"You know it's kind of open here…" she giggled hiding her face.
"Kind of romantic, no?" he smiled
Carol smiled softly laughing quietly to herself, she moved her hand out gently to pull Daryl into a strong kiss, the two of them falling to the sand.
It wasn't too long before Carol and Daryl were completely nude and underneath the poncho kissing sensually. Daryl's soft lips pressed against her stomach as he made his way down her body making Carol's head jerk back quickly. She let out a few moans as he licked up and down slowly his tongue tingling, her hands brushed through his hair carefully as her moans begun to get louder and more intense, she pulled his body up slowly staring directly into his eyes. He smiled gently as he moved his lips to attack her neck softly, his hips lining up with hers.
As soon as he entered her Carol's fingers tangled with his, he tickled her fingers gently with each thrust, her other hand tangled with his hair as he stroked her back softly. She opened her mouth with a small gasp as the thrusts began getting faster and faster,
"Oh Daryl" she moaned,
Daryl sat up with Carol still in his arms, she began rocking backwards and forwards as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her face dug into the crook of his neck as she rocked even faster causing Daryl to groan louder, she smiled against his skin as she took in his clean scent. He panted against her skin, bending his head to kiss her breasts lightly.
A few seconds later Daryl was coming, he let out one last moan before falling forward with Carol on top of him, the two of them falling back into the sand panting. They both exchanged small looks, grinning at each other. Daryl pulled the poncho over the two of them falling next to her, he moved his arm to wrap around her as they stared at the light beginning to peak over the sea.
Carol cuddled into him nuzzling herself into his chest, "It's so peaceful down here" she said breathily.
"Why I chose it, fits your personality" he smiled stroking her hair.
She shook her head grinning brightly, "I love you so damn much" she chuckled
"I know" he said kissing her head.
Carol sat up slowly clutching the poncho to her bare body, "We should probably leave before we give someone a surprise" she smiled shyly.
Daryl sat up with her, "Could stay for the night, no one comes down here til about 9am" he smiled
"Okay" Carol yawned laying on her back again.
"An' if someone does come down here…at least they get a good show" he smirked resting with her.
Carol giggled rolling on her side to face him, "Goodnight" she whispered kissing him on the nose
"Night" he grinned
After a few moments of just lying there listening to the crash of the sea, they were both asleep bundled up in each other's arms sleeping peacefully.
…..
Carol woke up the next morning to Daryl's soft lips pressing against her cheek lightly, Daryl was already fully dressed when her eyes flickered open,
"You sleep well?" he asked setting down the bag.
Carol grinned wearily, "Yes…what time is it?" she asked staring at the sea, she could see the sun beginning to rise over it.
"6am, we gotta leave soon if we want to beat Merle and….Ed home" Daryl's fists squeezed as he mentioned his name, the thought of her having to go back to him made him tense.
"Did you already pay?" asked Carol sliding her shirt and underwear on.
"Mhmm" Daryl hummed lighting himself a cigarette,
"Isn't it kind of early for that?" Carol grinned now sliding her shoes on.
Daryl shrugged pulling his camera up from his neck, "Go stand by the sea" he said his words slightly muffled by his cigarette
"Why?" asked Carol folding up the poncho
"End of the weekend, Kind of want one last picture of you" he smirked holding up the camera.
Carol nodded moving towards the sea, her shoes getting slightly wet. She smiled warmly moving her hands to tangle with her hair. Daryl smiled proudly as the flash went off, the picture immediately came out falling into Daryl's hand. Just as he turned to walk away, Carol ran to grab and pull him back to the shore, she grabbed the camera tilting it upwards to face the two of them. Just as she clicked the button on the camera, Daryl pressed his lips against her cheek just in time for the flash causing Carol to blush quickly.
"Love ya" he whispered grinning against her cheek.
Carol pulled him into a strong kiss murmuring, "I know" against his lips.
…
Carol smiled weakly as she took one last look at the glistening sea, she sighed sadly remembering what she was now going home to. Arguments, beatings and a lot of hatred.
Daryl wrapped his arm around her noticing her silence, she nuzzled against his hand softly
"Do you think we'll get the chance to come back here some day?" asked Carol hesitantly
"Yeah, Merle and Ed will probably have a thousand more hunting trips after this and we can leave maybe even bring your lil' girl" he smiled driving away from the view.
"I'd like that" Carol yawned sleepily.
"You still tired?"
Carol nodded wearily, Daryl nodded pulling her closer to him "You can rest on me again for the drive back" he said huskily.
Carol nodded sleepily, "Wake me up a few minutes before we get there" she murmured already beginning to fall asleep again.
Daryl nodded again, "sleep"
After a few moments Carol was asleep resting her head on his chest, he smiled down at her stroking her shoulder lightly, even after weeks and weeks of being with her he still couldn't believe his luck. How he managed to end up with a woman like that was a mystery to him, he grinned moving his hand to brush through her silver hair. When he looked at her it was like he had a second chance to start over from all the bull shit he'd experienced. He was watching her and she was so beautiful, she haunted his thoughts when he was away from her reminding him every second how much he loved her.
She was his future, just looking at her he could tell. And he wasn't going to let anyone take her from him. Because he knew in the end,
He'd always be fighting for her.