Love After War

by TheAlderTrees

Carol lives a lonely life with her daughter Sophia and is in a loveless abusive marriage with her 'high school sweetheart' Ed and doesn't know how to escape. On the night of one of the worst storms in 5 years her life changes after she meets Daryl Dixon, and begins a developing love affair with him. But their affair quickly becomes dangerous when suspicions are raised. Caryl AU

4. Chapter 4

"If Daryl falls in love with you, he's going to love you for the rest of his life".

— Norman Reedus

(Warning Contains Mature Scenes)

Carol silently took a third sip of her tea before resting her head on the kitchen table again. Ed had, had her slaving in the kitchen all morning forcing her to "Cook his damn breakfast" or "make him some coffee he's freezing his ass off" She sighed tiredly, Ed was making her life hell again. It was beginning to feel unnatural how empty Carol felt those cold winter mornings without Daryl. She hadn't seen Daryl for at least 4 months, since their risky trip to Savannah Ed had been keeping a closer eye on Carol holding her as a prisoner in their home. Every day while Ed took his morning or afternoon nap Daryl would call to speak to her.

He'd usually go on about how much he misses her or how he hates been stuck with his 'Dumbass of a brother' all day and every day. They only spent about five minutes every day speaking on the phone but it was always worth it, despite the risk of Ed waking up and hearing her. She sighed again this time taking a giant gulp of her tea, she narrowed her eyes over to Ed snoozing in his chair and glared. All she wanted to do was make him suffer the way he was making her suffer, he was a fucking idiot and all Carol wanted was for him to pay. She shook her head carefully as she took one final sip of her tea and moved to drop it into the sink. Her robe flowed as she walked up the darkened stairs to flop onto her soft bed.

Her eyes shut lightly as her body spread out like an eagle on her bed, God she would give anything to have Daryl back with her. She was going out of her mind thinking about how much she missed his warmth and comfort after a bad day with Ed, which seemed to almost be a daily thing now. Her arms rested on her stomach carefully, the pains were beginning to get worse again. What if she never saw him again?

Suddenly the sound of the phone echoed through the house, Carol immediately sat up and raced down the stairs straight to the phone. Ed groaned sluggishly in his chair as the loud ringing continued. Carol quickly snatched up the phone and pressed it to her cold ear,

"Hello?" she whispered quietly

"Good mornin' beautiful" said Daryl roughly

Carol quickly felt her cheeks go crimson, she slowly picked up the phone and made her way into the backyard with the phone pressed against her cheek,

"Hey, how are you?" she whispered now sliding to the ground, her back pressed against the door.

"I'm workin' the mornin' shift today and I'm freezin' my ass off" growled Daryl.

Carol giggled quietly, "It's cold here too, Ed's being strict on the heating bills the heat only goes on when he's cold" she sighed.

Daryl let out a small annoyed breath, "Keep yourself warm with somethin' like a sweater I don't want you gettin' sick" he muttered

"I'll try to" breathed Carol, turning her head to keep an eye on Ed.

Daryl chuckled gently, "You know I'm missing you like crazy" he breathed, she could hear him suddenly moving the phone, "Kind of wish I had you to keep me warm" he said now in a more hushed tone.

"I know you tell me all the time Daryl" she giggled, "I miss you though…please come back to me soon" she hissed her legs curling in with her arms.

"I'll try to see you when I can…I could try and get Merle to arrange a poker game or somethin'" he said quietly.

Carol sniffed, "Okay" she muttered although she didn't believe him.

"Hey, I will be with you soon trust me" he said hopefully.

Carol nodded, "Okay, I trust you" she sighed forcing the negativity out of her voice.

She could hear Daryl's smile against the phone, "Good, when I see ya I aint gonna let you go" he whispered happily.

Carol chuckled softly, "What if we're in the snow?" she asked playfully.

"Then I'll stand in the snow with you and you'd still keep me warm" he whispered grinning at her playfulness.

Carol's smile widened slowly, "I love you" she sighed.

Daryl chuckled, "I know you do, and I love you so damn much-" Daryl's words were quickly cut off, "Deal with it yourself then!" snapped Daryl angrily. She suddenly heard him let out another annoyed sigh, "I've got to go, Merle's being a pain in the ass" he muttered.

"Are we gonna talk again soon?" asked Carol clutching the phone.

"Course, stay safe" he breathed roughly before putting the phone down.

Carol's eyes narrowed over to Ed as she slowly slid open the backdoor, he was still asleep his snores rumbling through the living room. She sighed disgustedly as she moved to drop the phone back on the table. Her slippers hissed across the smooth floor as she walked back over to the kitchen and rested her head on the table again. Her eyes shut lightly, she missed the rumble of Daryl's motorcycle greeting her every night and the warm touch of his hands exploring her body. She just wished she could escape this damn life with Ed.

As Carol was thinking about heading back upstairs Ed's loud voice boomed across the room, making her jump. She lifted her head sharply to see Ed now sitting up in his chair lazily, his eyes piercing right through her.

"Yes, Ed?" she asked automatically.

He licked his dry lips slowly, "Turn up the damn heat, I'm freezing my balls off" he mumbled groggily.

Carol immediately ran towards the radiator and turned it up slowly, "An' make me some coffee too" he growled scratching his thigh. Carol didn't hesitate, she raced towards the kitchen and began grabbing the coffee from the top shelf. As she stirred the cup quickly she suddenly felt Ed's heavy weight balance on her from behind, his warm breath tickled her neck making her shudder.

"So, who was that you were talkin' to on the phone huh?" he asked moving his hands to wrap around her stomach.

Carol froze for a moment not daring to turn around to look Ed in the eyes, she had no idea he had been awake, she was fucked. She cleared her throat subtly, keeping her eyes concentrated on Ed's cup.

"Nobody important" she said in almost a whisper

Ed smirked for a moment letting out a small pitiful chuckle, his hands sharply moved Carol's hips around so that she was now staring directly into his eyes. He leaned forward carefully not once breaking his stare,

"You and I know for a fact, that that's bullshit" he began, "Tell me who the hell that was or I'll force it out of ya" he said his grip tightening on her waist.

Carol swallowed nervously her cheeks beginning to go red from the force of Ed's hands burning her waist,

"It was Andrea" she lied cautiously.

Ed smirked again, "Andrea huh? You never have to leave the room when you talk to her, what's suddenly so private?" he asked pushing her against the counter.

"Nothing…" Carol whispered.

Ed's hand suddenly slammed the cup off of the counter, making Carol squeal.

"You keepin' secrets now?" he snapped

Carol's hands were now trying to move to hide her terrified face, "I'm not keeping secrets Ed I promise" she squeaked

His hands moved to grab her wrists tightly, he squeezed as he stared at the tears beginning to fall down her face "You're gonna tell me who you were really talkin' to or I'm gonna make this worse" he growled his nose now pressing against her face.

"It was Andrea, Ed I swear" she cried shutting her eyes.

"Tell me" he yelled, his hands were so tight around Carol's wrists she felt like they were about to break.

"Ed please stop, Sophia's asleep upstairs" she cried

"I don't give a shit, you talkin' to other guys now huh? Is that it Carol?" he asked sharply.

Carol shook her head vigorously, "Of Course not Ed I would never do that" she breathed through her tears.

Ed cocked his head slightly to the left, the corners of his mouth rising slowly

"You sure? Cause I know what kind of a bitch you are" he breathed

Carol nodded slowly, "I'm sure Ed, please" she cried

Suddenly Carol's weight dropped as Ed sharply released her letting her hit the ground with a strong force, his hand dug into his pockets as he brought out a cigarette. He lit it silently and stood there for a moment inhaling the smoke, he glanced down at Carol sitting on the floor weakly as she rubbed her scarlet wrists.

"Get this shit cleared up" he muttered before strolling out of the kitchen and into the backyard.

As soon as the door shut Carol cried out, clutching her head ,her body slid down the counter next to the broken cup her body shook while the tears began rushing down her face not being able to stop, her wrists burned when they rubbed against the top of her hair.

"God" she whispered

She had no idea why the hell she was crying, she remembered other mornings where Ed would rant at her and end up breaking something. But this time was different. When she closed her eyes when she cried she expected to be comforted and warmed by Daryl hours later or even minutes later, this time she had nobody to run to when she was broken.

She began to sob all over again.

This was never going to end until she got out and the dream she shared with Daryl of leaving this hell hole was beginning to fade away more and more the longer he was away from her. She felt sore and sick all over again so she slowly got to her knees and began to pick up the pieces of the broken cup from the ground. It wasn't worth having Ed angry at her again to make her feel like shit. She forced her body up shaking and moved towards the bin which now felt like it was miles away.

She tossed the broken pieces of the cup into the bin, not bothed if it made a lot of noise. Sophia had probably heard enough to wake her up by now. She swallowed suddenly remembering to breathe again and slowly dragged herself up the stairs and into her bedroom. All she wanted now was just to sleep again and forget the life she lived. If she could sleep for a thousand years just to get away from Ed she would.

The softness of the bed was a sudden relief; it didn't make her forget everything though. She knew as soon as the backyard door slid open she'd have to go through the same routine again. Her eyes shut softly as she breathed slowly, she was beginning to forget how to with everything that had gone on that morning, although after the past few months she didn't really care if she took another breath or not.

She pressed her face against the softness of one of her pillows and let herself cry into it. Sleepy, she let herself fall into a deep sleep spread out on the bed just praying she could escape this hell for a little bit longer.

…

Carol hadn't realised how long she had slept until she was awoken by the loudness and sharpness of Ed's voice booming from downstairs, her eyes widened when she caught sight of the time on the clock and she quickly scrambled to sprint out of her bedroom, her rope still flowing behind her. Her heart skipped a beat as she watched in horror, Ed's fist tightened around the phone when he yelled into it. His face turning a new shade of crimson, she was completely fucked. That just had to be Daryl on the other line of the end.

She rubbed her wrists, wincing as they still burned at her touch. Her body flinched when Ed slammed the phone on the table, grumbling to himself quietly.

Carol hesitated when she began to approach the table slowly,

"Is everything a…alright?" she asked her voice coming out quieter than she planned.

"Damn electric company want to cut us off, not even my damn fault it's you blowing all my money on the heatin' and the radio" he growled grabbing a piece of paper and scribbling on it.

She stood silently watching, not knowing what to say. That's what she hated most about this life with Ed; you had to be careful about what you said innocent or not he'd still blow steam.

His eyes narrowed over to her, "Useless" he muttered "What the hell you doin' jus' standin' there huh? Bring me some whiskey from the shelf" he demanded sticking his pen in his mouth.

Carol nodded sleepily not bothering this time to rush into the kitchen to scramble for Ed's pleasures he was already too wrapped up in his work to even notice her slow pace around the kitchen. She poured the drink silently and dropped it on the table in front of him; she was so tempted to break it over his hard head. He didn't thank her, even though Carol didn't expect him to anyway. His large hands just pushed the glass to his dry lips as his eyes focused on the pile of papers on the table.

Her hands continued to rub her wrists, which were beginning to show crimson lines going around them. She didn't know what to do with herself, if she walked away there was a high risk Ed would start screaming at her for something she didn't do right. She just stood there, blinking slowly.

"You know Carol, Christmas is only 2 days away" muttered Ed gulping down his drink.

Carol nodded quickly; she had been trained to respond immediately.

"I know"

Ed's finger traced the edges of the glass slowly.

"Then what you doin' jus' standin' there? Get your lazy ass out of the house an' into the store" growled Ed, "Dixon's comin' over this year"

"Which one?" asked Carol a little bit too quickly, her voice sounded shaky and afraid. Ed's eyes narrowed over to her.

"Merle and his lil' brother…Daryl?" said Ed huskily,

Carol nodded carefully trying not to give herself away again; she forced a strong smile which made the corners of her mouth feel like they were going to tear. She already knew this was going to be a horrible disaster and she needed to wake up this had to be just a horrible dream. She must still be asleep upstairs, she hadn't woken up yet.

"Okay, I just needed to know how many I'm cooking for" replied Carol, her voice beginning to sound shapeless.

Ed didn't respond, he made a small grunting noise before standing up to grab another pile of papers to dump on the table, she was glad he was occupied for the moment she didn't know how she would handle another violent outburst from Ed. She was still recovering from the first one.

"I'll just get Sophia ready so we can leave"

Ed didn't respond, he just continued to sit there silently scribbling on the papers furiously. Carol didn't wait for anymore words, she rushed up the stairs to grab her clothes. This might've been the only opportunity Carol had to leave and she wasn't going to waste one minute of it.

…..

Carol's eyes glanced tiredly at the white powder falling from the sky through the window; her fingers traced the handle of the basket as she watched. It had taken a full hour to shop for all of Ed's ridiculous crap. Anger flowed through her veins every time she had even the smallest thought about him, he hadn't let her take the Jeep through the snow towards the store he had forced her and Sophia out of the house into the cold, when Carol opened her mouth to protest he just snapped back at her insisting she could "lose a few pounds" She shook her head tiredly she wasn't in the mood to think about him anymore.

Her tired eyes narrowed down at Sophia who was clutching at her sleeve quietly, she was also staring out at the snow probably sharing the same thought, how the hell were they going to get through all that damn snow?

Her hands squeezed Sophia's softly, a smile planting on her face softly.

"When we get back I'll make hot chocolate for the two of us" grinned Carol taking a few steps further in the queue, "We could try to decorate too, if you want"

Sophia smiled softly quickly glancing at Carol and turning away. Sophia was probably just being polite both of them knew Carol's plans couldn't become a reality or at least a good one. Not with him there to ruin everything for them with hateful words and violence.

"We will Sophia, I promise" said Carol trying to convince herself as well as Sophia.

Sophia nodded again not bothering to smile this time. Carol slipped her arm around Sophia's shoulder gently, squeezing her against her body. Sophia always got quiet around this time of the year, the happiest she had ever seen Sophia on Christmas was when she was four. That was the one Christmas Sophia had spent without Ed around to ruin things.

"You gonna act like a bitch huh? Hope the bitch like spendin' Christmas alone with that damn kid!"

She still had the scar from where Ed had beaten her before he had stormed off after a drunken argument in the early morning. Carol had spent most of the morning stitching herself up with disinfectant, a needle and a lot of painkillers. By the time Sophia had been born she was an expert in patching herself up when Ed had refused to let her get help. Carol still remembered the pain when she first began cleaning it, the blood had gotten all over the sink and she was nearly at the point of screaming after the first few stitches.

Sophia had walked in on her by the time the last stitch was done, she had crept up on her without warning and Carol had to immediately endure the pain as Sophia cradled against the doorframe, she remembered stammering trying to think of an explanation to give Sophia but she couldn't think of any, all she did was force a painful smile and lead her downstairs. They had spent the rest of the day unwrapping presents, playing in the snow and watching old Christmas movies.

Her heart began to swell at the memory. She had never seen Sophia happier, and sadly she never did again.

"Next please"

Carol's regretful frown quickly turned into a smile when she finally reached the front of the line to see the grinning face of 'Jacqui' the woman she had spoken to the night she found Daryl.

"Hello" she grinned moving to the corner of the counter to collect her bags,

"You're looking good, you look like a different woman"

Carol blushed shyly at the compliment; "I've…developed since the last time I saw you" she smiled pulling her money out from her purse.

"Did you hit him with a frying pan like I said?" chuckled Jacqui taking in Carol's money.

"I never got the chance" sighed Carol half laughing.

Carol's hands scrambled for the tons of plastic bags, Jacqui's eyes narrowed down at Carol as her legs shook while she struggled.

"Looks like he's got you busy then…"

Carol bent her head embarrassed although Jacqui joked with her and praised her for looking so different and strong. She knew she could still see how weak and powerless she was against Ed, he still twisted her around his fat finger.

"We've got company this year" breathed Carol balancing the bags against her body, she let out a small nervous laugh trying to brush off tension from their conversation.

Jacqui raised an eyebrow; her hands were already busy with another customer's shopping while she watched Carol leave the store.

"Merry Christmas" called Jacqui before turning away.

The snow hit Carol like a bulldozer as soon as she attempted to open the store door she was immediately pushed back making her gasp for air.

God dammit Ed She thought to herself angrily, Why the hell couldn't you have just let us take the Jeep? Tired of just standing in the cold, Carol pushed herself through the blurry blizzard trying to find a way home without them dying.

Suddenly she felt something solid bump into her body, she fell to the ground with a loud thump as the shopping spread out across the icy road. She groaned weakly moving her hands around trying to find what had knocked her down. A cold hand moved through the frosty snow, the hand gripped onto hers tightly and pulled her up quickly before she could even blink.

"Thank-"

The grinning face of Merle Dixon moved through the snow, Carol's heart stopped for a few seconds. She wondered if it would ever start up again. She was frozen in her spot unable to move her lips, she loathed Merle but at the same time she was so afraid of him.

"Well, Well lil' Darlin' what do we have here?" he chuckled, his other hand was resting on Sophia's shoulder gently.

"We were just leaving" muttered Carol her hands scrambling to pick up the loose bags on the ground.

"Hold on a minute, there's a much bigger storm comin' you know. You should probably get in with me I've got a ride" Grinned Merle pointing at his old red truck.

Carol grimaced at his smile, there was no way she was going to trust him. After all the hell he put her through why should she? She shook her head again ignoring Merle's welcoming hand when he thrust it towards her.

"What 'bout your lil' girl huh? You want her walkin' in this storm?" he asked moving his hands to his hips.

Carol narrowed her eyes over to Sophia, who was shivering silently in the cold watching their whole conversation. She disappointedly gave in.

"Well hop in then" chuckled Merle opening the doors to his truck, Carol was about to climb in the back of the truck with Sophia when Merle's large hand slammed the door in front of her, his smile was bright but his eyes were dark.

"Why don't ya ride in the front with me? Huh?" he asked grinning.

Carol didn't respond she just nodded silently and slid into the seat next to Merle, her fingers began to nervously tap on her thigh as soon as he took off down the icy road. What the hell was she doing in his truck? What was he playing at? This was totally out of the ordinary for Merle Dixon to be acting this kind. Maybe he had hit his head at the bar near the store and had, had an epiphany or maybe his heart just grew three sizes just in time for the holidays. However, no matter what had caused Merle to have a sudden change of heart she knew she wasn't going to trust him for one second.

"You know Carol, I haven't seen ya for a while you've been like a ghost" said Merle gruffly as he took a sharp turn down the street.

"I've just been keeping quiet the last few months" breathed Carol keeping her eyes down at her fingers.

"Really? Why's that?" he asked, his hand reached forward into the glove compartment and he pulled out a small bottle of whiskey. The same brand Ed usually drank. Carol swallowed nervously as she watched him press the bottle to his dry lips.

"Sophia's been back at school, I've just been helping her and doing stuff around the house" her voice beginning to feel weak, she was beginning to feel sick with all the questions coming at her from Merle. None of this was a good sign.

"Is that right?" he smiled taking another gulp from the bottle, Carol shifted nervously in her seat. Merle wasn't paying any attention to the road, all of his attention was focused on her and she didn't like it at all. She was so close to opening the door and taking her chances in the snow with Sophia instead.

"You sure it aint any other reason?" he asked stopping at the traffic lights. Carol nodded her head, mouthing the words I'm sure to him.

"Is it because you stopped fucking my brother?" he asked now putting the bottle down. Carol's head turned sharply to the back of the truck.

"Sophia, cover your ears" she hissed quickly. Sophia's hands covered her ears swiftly as Carol snapped her head around to glare at Merle again.

"It ended months ago Merle, you know that" she muttered narrowing her eyes back down at her hands.

"No, I don't know that" the gruffness was beginning to get heavier in his voice, "I think you're bullshitting me" he turned his head to glare at her a small smile appearing on his face. "Cause you know sometimes I still think I can smell the stench of your perfume on his clothes"

Carol suddenly felt a sharp pain in her thigh, she hadn't realised her nails had been digging into her thigh the past few moments. She swallowed nervously.

"I want to get out Merle, let me out" she growled.

"Why? Unless you got somethin' to hide?"

"No!" the anger rose in Carol's voice, "You're making me uncomfortable and I want to leave, now" snapped Carol.

Merle smiled pityingly.

"Whatever calm your tits, we're near your place anyway" he shrugged driving down the street at now a slower speed.

Carol nodded remaining silent for the rest of the drive, Merle was a cruel man but he wasn't stupid. They both knew exactly what was going on between her and Daryl. Her hand rested on her forehead gently, God she shouldn't have snapped like that? What if Merle decided to spill everything about what went on or what was still going on between her and Daryl?

Her eyes narrowed over to Merle slowly, she shook her head. He wouldn't do that to Daryl he told her exactly himself that he wants Daryl to still be breathing next year. Would he really risk his brother just to prove what a whore she was? Maybe he would just lie through his teeth to Ed, and convince him that she seduced him.

Merle pulled up in front of Carol's house sharply, making her smack her head on the window. She let out a small groan before turning to Sophia and signalling her to get out of the truck. Just as she opened the door Merle's cold hand gripped her sharply making her let out a small yelp.

Merle's cold eyes pierced into her as he dug his nail into her wrist.

"You stay away from Daryl, you understand me? Don't talk to him and don't even look at him when we come over yours" he spat furiously, "I know you won't be able to keep your damn panties on when he's around"

"Let go of me" she muttered pulling at her wrist.

Merle obeyed letting her slip away from his grip, she quickly gathered her bags from the seat and slammed the door. Walking away from Merle as quickly as she could.

"See ya in too days" he called before speeding off down the street.

Sophia stood in the snow silently, her head was down as she shivered in the snow.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that" Carol whispered turning the key in the keyhole.

Sophia shrugged.

"I like Daryl better anyway, he took us to the park. Daddy never takes us to the park" she muttered walking through the door.

Carol nodded pushing the door open, her breath of relief quickly turned to a sigh of disgust. Ed was sprawled out in his chair snoozing with everything exposed. How the hell could he be wearing a vest in this weather? Then again it was only him experiencing heat while the two of them were left to freeze.

"Put your clothes upstairs I'll make us some hot chocolate" smiled Carol.

Sophia nodded and quickly disappeared upstairs leaving Carol to stand silently in the living room, she tossed her boots and coat over into the corner not bothered whether or not Ed heard her. He usually pretended to be asleep anyway to avoid having to talk to her.

Carol began to unpack the bags slowly as the kettle boiled behind her, she felt sick. Her head was still filling with worries about Merle. She probably had pissed him off with the way she acted. She rested her head on the counter for a few moments, the coldness of the counter made her feel good but it didn't make her feel good enough to not want to run away. Maybe everything that was suddenly happening was the world's way of punishing her. Maybe she deserved it.

The shrill sound of the kettle was too loud for her to ignore, Carol forced her head up and moved to pour the boiling water into the two cups of coca. Sophia sprinted down the stairs enthusiastically at the sound of the two cups being set at the table. Carol laughed quietly at Sophia's eagerness for the drink. Even though Sophia hardly showed it, she could tell small Christmas traditions like this made her happy.

Carol stirred her drink silently as her eyes inspected the dull room.

"It's nice to be able to brighten up this room a little bit" smiled Carol taking a strong sip.

"Do you think daddy will like it?" Sophia asked cautiously.

"It doesn't matter" muttered Carol kissing the top of Sophia's head.

"Could we decorate before…he wakes up?" asked Sophia narrowing her eyes over to Ed sleeping.

Carol opened her mouth to protest but quickly closed it again, turning it into a forced smile. Both of them knew if they wanted to decorate they'd have to wait until Ed was asleep. They knew he'd complain about that 'crap being put up in his house'. Carol grabbed the tinsel from the box and slowly began twirling the gold decoration around the tree.

Sophia danced happily around the tree for half an hour, her hair flowing each time she twirled. Sophia made sure every little detail around the living room was perfect. After an hour had passed almost the entire living room was covered in Christmas decorations. Carol's arm rested around Sophia's shoulder as she ran her fingers through her hair, they both smiled proudly at the room. Sophia's took a small sip of her hot chocolate as she stared.

"It's going to be a good Christmas, I promise you" uttered Carol staring at the twinkling lights around the TV, "The tree looks beautiful"

Sophia shifted slightly beneath her arm.

"Are you sure Daddy won't mind it?" asked Sophia gently.

"It doesn't matter, what's done is done" breathed Carol shaking her head. She couldn't give two shits if Ed didn't like it, that had been the first time in a long time since Carol had seen Sophia happy and she wasn't going to let her bastard of a husband ruin that for her.

Suddenly Ed's loud yawn filled the room, his breath of tiredness echoing through the room.

"That so?" Ed was now sitting up in his old chair, his tired eyes glaring in the direction of Carol and Sophia.

"Sophia, get upstairs right now" hissed Carol, she pushed her hurriedly in the direction of the door.

Ed's large body slid itself off of the chair, he stood up sharply his eyes inspecting the lit room. His hands reached toward a small dangling Angel Sophia had made, he crushed it letting it fall to the floor and crumple.

"What the hell is this crap?" he spat

Carol's feet were as twisted as her stomach, she was struggling for words.

"S-Sophia wanted to decorate this year…" she stammered

"It looks like shit!" he roared

Ed's hands moved sharply to suddenly attack the tinsel on the wall. Then suddenly,

Crash

Down went the tree.

Carol stared in horror as she watched Ed tear down every single last piece of the decorations surrounding the living room. By the time Carol had remembered to breathe, everything was in ruins on the floor. Ed panted his body shaking, and his face almost red.

"Who are you to speak for me huh? "He yelled digging on finger into her chest.

"I J-just wanted to keep Sophia happy, I'm sorry" she whispered narrowing her eyes down at the ground

Ed's bright eyes glared at her.

"I've got people comin' over what the hell d'you think they'll think if they see this prissy shit?" he growled. He swallowed a few times before removing his finger from Carol's chest.

"Get this shit cleaned up now, I'm goin' to Merle's" muttered Ed before stomping out of the house.

For the first few minutes after Ed had left, Carol sat on the floor motionless. Her body had sunken to the ground almost as soon as the door slammed shut and she had been on her knees just staring at the wreck in front of her. Her mouth trembled along with her fingers, tears fell from her eyes but she never bothered to wipe them away. What was the point? They were never going to stop. Sophia had come down the stairs to inspect the wreck not saying a word before making her way back up the stairs. It was supposed to be a good Christmas, she had tried hadn't she? This year she had bothered to make an effort and Ed had fucked it all up again. Maybe he didn't do these things because he thought he was right, maybe he just did them because he was evil.

Carol narrowed her eyes over to the window.

The snow was beginning to come down a lot faster and heavier. She shut her eyes gently, her mouth still half open.

"God, Ed deserves to be punished…it's a sin to ask for you to punish him but…" he words trembled slightly, "Just kill him….kill him" whispered Carol the tears flooded down her face. Her stomach squeezed tightly, she was a terrible person.

Suddenly in the same moment, the shrill sound of the phone rang echoed through the house. Carol moved her head to lay it on the ground, her hands dug into her hair trying to ignore the phone but it was too loud to ignore. Carol forced herself up from the ground, her hand struggling to grab the phone and press it to her ear.

"Hello?" her voice was sore and groggy, she wiped her tears away gently with her hand.

"Carol!" Daryl's voice sounded frantic, "You okay?" he asked she could hear the worry in his voice.

"W-what's the matter?" asked Carol ignoring his question.

"Your bastard husband's here, he was jus' talkin' about teaching you a lesson" Daryl's hands played with the phone desperately, "Are you okay?" he asked repeating his question.

"Oh you know, Ed just tore down all the decorations me and Sophia put up…everything's in ruins..." sniffed Carol sliding herself down the wall, the phone still pressed against her ear.

"God Damn…was it in front of Sophia?" he asked huskily.

"No. I made sure she went upstairs…but she saw the aftermath…"

"I ought to sock him in his mouth right now" snapped Daryl the anger rose in his voice.

"Don't do that…"

Daryl's disappointed sigh filled the other side of the line.

"Do you want me to come over?" he asked lowering his voice.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Merle might get suspicious…" breathed Carol, it pained her to say no to Daryl keeping her company, but she had to keep both of them safe.

"Fuck him, I couldn't give a damn if he could hear us talking right now" The anger rose in Daryl's voice again.

"Daryl…" began Carol lightly playing with her blouse.

"Nah Carol, I'm comin' to see you…I'm goin' insane without you and I need to know you're okay"

"I'm fine Daryl, I promise" she reassured him.

"I'll only stay a few minutes"

Carol hesitated for a moment, the phone still pressed against her ear as she decided whether or not she wanted to risk both of their safety. She let out a small sigh.

"Okay, but only a few minutes…" she breathed.

"Alright", there was a sudden smile in Daryl's voice. "I'll come up in the truck, seems like Ed's gonna be here a while"

Carol smiled gently against the phone; she could feel herself beginning to blush

"I love you" she uttered

Daryl chuckled lightly, she could hear the crack of the phone as he moved it.

"I know you do, I love you too" he muttered, "I'll see you in a bit"

The line went dead.

Carol's body suddenly relaxed, she let out a few breaths before forcing herself up from the ground. Her body swayed as she threw herself into Ed's large, old chair. She suddenly had a rush of feelings that everything was going to be okay, she had Daryl again and he was going to protect her. One day they'd be away from this place and all the worries would be over. Carol shut her eyes slowly letting herself drift into a calm sleep.

Carol's hands tangled with Daryl's, both of their bodies being dragged away from each other. There was nothing she could do he had him and he wasn't letting him go.

"You think you can screw with my woman and get away with it?" Ed's voice boomed right through her.

She let out a few cries when Daryl let out loud groans of pain with each blow Ed had given him. When she finally was able to touch him, he didn't move. She expected to feel his pulse but instead felt blood.

Carol woke up with a cry, her heart racing and her eyes wet. She swallowed deeply when she heard the sudden roar of Daryl's truck. She buried her head in her knees rocking backwards and forwards slowly.

"It was just a dream" she kept repeating frantically.

There was a loud bang when the engine stopped, she raced quickly out of the living room not hesitating once. The first thing Carol saw when she opened the door was the wide bright smile of Daryl, his eyes gleaming with happiness. She ran and didn't stop even when her bare feet hit the cold snow. Her arms wrapped around his neck pulling his face against hers, his stubble ticked her face but she didn't care. Daryl's strong arms wrapped around her waist, he swung her around gently his face nuzzling into her neck, he breathed in her warm scent. He could feel her crying against him.

He smiled.

"I'm here now I aint goin' nowehere" he breathed clutching her to his body.

"Don't you dare leave me ever again…" she cried shakily against his neck.

Daryl chuckled huskily.

"I won't I'm here…"

"Promise me you'll stay safe" she sniffed pulling away from him.

"I'll stay safe…for you" he breathed his hands slowly made their way up and down her body, he was trying to warm her up. She was freezing, "C'mon let's get inside or you'll catch something" he laughed. He removed his winged jacket from himself and covered her gently with it.

Carol warmed up to the jacket immediately, it smelled like him.

"Son of a bitch" Daryl rasped, he glared at the mess his hands suddenly were clenched into fists. "Why the hell did he tear it down?" he asked angrily.

Carol narrowed her eyes while raising one eyebrow, was he being serious asking that question? Daryl caught her look and quickly scratched the back of his head while shaking it.

"That was a stupid question" he chuckled, his face still going red.

Carol smiled gently while resting on hand on his shoulder.

"It wasn't…he just tore it down because he thought it looked like shit "she hesitated for a moment And because you and Merle were coming over on Christmas"

Daryl nodded his finger circled the tiny dimple in her back, his eyes narrowed around the room slowly before he turned his head to look up at the stairs. She did wonder what went through his head, almost everything he did surprised her.

"Say, does Ed ever go up to Sophia's room?" he asked glancing back down at her.

"No, I don't let him" she whispered beginning to remove Daryl's jacket from her shoulders.

Daryl nodded silently and detached himself from Carol's side, he quickly began gathering the lights and tinsel into his strong arms, he slowly made his way up the stairs. Carol stared confused, what the hell was he doing? Carol followed him up the stairs quickly to see him standing in the doorway and speaking to Sophia, after a few moments of mumbles Sophia ran out of her room and down the stairs confusing Carol even more.

She watched quietly as Daryl removed his shoes and stood on Sophia's bed, his boxers exposing while he stretched to tape some tinsel to her wall.

"What are you doing?"

Daryl turned around, half of the tape was in his mouth.

"Doing her a favour" he murmured his words muffled.

Carol rested her body against the door frame, she squinted her eyes slightly as she continued to watch him.

"Why?"

"I figured her room could use a lil' brightening, I aint gonna let Ed ruin your little girl's Christmas" he said moving his hand to grab another piece of tinsel.

Carol moved away from the doorframe and stood directly behind Daryl, her hand traced his leg gently.

"Thank you" she whispered

Daryl shrugged; he bent down carefully and began walking sideways on her bed as he rested the Christmas lights across her shelf. She wished she had met him before Ed, God knows she would've been much happier. Sophia wouldn't be so shut out and all those years of pain and depression would've never happened. If she had met Daryl first they could be living in the countryside living a small simple normal life. No secrets and No fear.

"You know, when we live together you and Sophia can decorate the bathroom if you want I won't care" he muttered plugging in the lights.

Carol got on her tiptoes gradually and wrapped her arms around his waist sensually, her lips pressed against his back.

"That's sweet, thank you" she murmured.

"The least I can do, I care about you and Sophia" he breathed sticking a few more stringy pieces of tinsel on her shelf.

"Daryl, get off Sophia's bed for a second" Carol hummed removing her arms from around his waist.

When Daryl got off of the bed he was quickly taken back by the roughness and passion of Carol's kiss, but quickly got into it making a few small approving sounds when he wrapped his hands around her waist.

"I missed you so damn much" breathed Carol through the kiss; she could feel Daryl's hands soothing her gently.

"Girl, I missed you too" he chuckled breathily against her lips.

"We're gonna have to be careful on Christmas day, Merle or Ed might catch a look" she giggled, she ran her hands through his hair gently.

"Then we can hop in the truck, drive and never come back" he muttered his hands making their way down to her rear.

Carol pulled away gently; she stared into his eyes her face began to warm up. It had been a really long time since she had properly looked at him and he was still beautiful.

"What about the money?" she smiled, her finger stroked his cheek softly.

Before he could answer Sophia's gasp filled the room as she stared at the lights covering the wall.

"This is all for you little girl, you like it?" he asked taking a small step towards Sophia.

Sophia jumped onto her bed, spreading her arms out widely. She sat up grinning at him brightly.

"I love it, thank you"

"Not a big deal, thought I'd just help you and ya mom out" he grinned turning to look at Carol.

Carol lingered watching the two of them interacting, she liked it. Sophia got on more with Daryl than she did with Ed, she was afraid of Ed. He was cruel and evil but Daryl was kind and loved him for that.

"Hey, we'll leave you to enjoy it" grinned Carol, her hand slipped into Daryl's carefully before walking out with him down to the living room.

Once they wandered into the living room they both stared silently at the mess on the floor, Carol rested her head slightly on Daryl's shoulder not saying a word.

"You want to make an attempt on the tree?" he asked cautiously

Carol sighed as Daryl's arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"Ed might tear it down again…" she muttered, why was he even asking? They both knew it was a terrible idea to try to bring a little bit of happiness into the house.

"C'mon I'll do…minor decorating with you so it's not too shitty for him" he rasped.

Carol nodded silently and Daryl was quickly gone from her side almost making Carol fall sideways. He grabbed the tree and hurled it up letting out a few groans as it scratched his hand but he didn't seem to mind too much. As soon as the tree was up Daryl was already moving around the tree picking up broken decorations and hanging them on the tree. He had a bright smile on his face as he stuck them, this must've been his first year decorating.

"So, how have you been doing?" asked Carol while she got on her tiptoes to stick a wise man near the top.

Daryl made small mocking noise while he bent down to grab another decoration from the ground.

"Badly" he muttered

"Why?"

"Merle's been givin' me hell" he breathed, knocking down one of the angels. "Dammit" he mumbled under his breath.

"Why's that?" she asked nervously, could he have been giving Daryl hell over her?

"He keeps sayin' I aint workin' hard enough and jus' calls me useless…I know I am but still…" he said gruffly.

Carol put down her decorations and quickly moved to wrap her arms around Daryl gently, why did he think so little of himself? God she loved him he wasn't useless at all he was so wonderful and she wished desperately that he could realise that.

"That's stupid" she hummed against his ear

Daryl shrugged ignoring her reassurance, his hands continued to play with a broken angel decoration trying desperately to fix it.

"So, uh, how've you been?" he asked beginning to get frustrated as the angel wouldn't piece back together.

Carol sighed deeply.

"Ed's just been…Ed."

"He been hurtin' you?" he muttered

"He hasn't hurt me too badly…in the last few months just a few bruises"

Daryl's anger quickly built up, he through the angel to the ground furiously.

"Damn thing won't fix" he snapped making Carol jump.

"Daryl…" Carol began

"Let me see em'" demanded Daryl his hand smoothed against her body carefully.

Carol nodded silently and lifted up her sleeve carefully. Daryl's eyes grew bigger and his breath became shaky while he stared at the fading black marks on her skin. His fingers traced against them softly as if he was afraid he was going to hurt her more than Ed. He shut his eyes, his head moved downwards trying to avoid looking at them, it was like he was in pain.

"L-let me put something on it" he stammered trying to help her up, towards the kitchen.

Carol rested her other hand on Daryl's soft grip on her arm, he looked up sadly as she squeezed it gently. She flashed a small reassuring smile.

"They're months old Daryl and they're fading it's okay…it's okay" she whispered

Daryl shook his head, his arms quickly pulled her into a hug. He squeezed her gently as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"It's never fuckin' okay It'll be over soon.." he muttered against her.

"I know it will be Daryl, I trust you" she purred against his neck, "Let's just put the angel on the tree"

Daryl nodded unsure but quickly released her and moved back to the tree, but this time not as eager before. Daryl balanced the small Angel dressed in red and gold on the palm of his hand, he moved it in front of Carol's face letting her get a good look at it.

"You wanna put it on top?" he asked

"Sure, I'll get a ladder-"

Carol's words were quickly cut off as Daryl picked her up swiftly with one arm, making her let out a small yelp of surprise. She delicately took the angel from Daryl's palm and balanced it on top of the tree making it officially complete. Daryl slowly let her down but didn't let her go too quickly, his arms wrapped around her waist gently while his lips pressed against hers. His stubble rubbed against her skin.

"You're my angel, you know that?" he growled quietly. "Had nothin' but good luck since I've been with you"

"Well that makes you my knight" she giggled returning a quick peck against his mouth.

He chuckled lightly while his fingers brushed through her hair gently.

"I should probably go" he muttered pulling away from her.

Carol's hand quickly grabbed Daryl's arm, the sharpness and speed of how she had done it surprised her, maybe one side of her knew if he left now it might be a while until she can spend time with him without the watchful eye of Merle or Ed.

"Don't go" she whispered

Daryl's hands carefully cupped the bottom of her jaw, his fingers traced up and down her cheeks slowly.

"I'll be back in 2 days and I'll call you tomorrow to make sure you're okay" he grinned reassuringly, he pressed his lips gently against her forehead and let his hands drop back down to his sides.

Carol smiled weakly before picking up his winged jacket from the chair,

"I'll walk you out" she whispered trying not to let her voice crack.

Daryl wrapped his arm around her while he walked her out, they both moved to the door not saying one word. Carol was nervous, she was so nervous everything was going to go badly. Even though Daryl had reassured her everything was going to be okay, she could see in his eyes he didn't even believe it.

"Stay safe" he said roughly, his hands cupped her waist one last time as he kissed her. Before Carol knew it, Daryl was already climbing into his truck ready to drive away. She waved quietly trying to force a smile. When the truck was finally out of the drive way Carol's smile dropped quickly, she was finally able to breathe normally.

Her face ached when she slid herself onto the ground.

She had no idea how she'd be able to force another smile like that for an entire dinner.

…

Two days had passed and they had been like hell on Earth for Carol. On Christmas Eve she spent half of the day getting the last of the food for the dinner and the other half of the day slaving away in the kitchen, not getting one break. If she had attempted to take a break, Ed would through her a threatening look warning her to get back inside the kitchen. She never even got a chance to say goodnight to Sophia or wrap her presents but she didn't think she cared very much. She had been quiet. On Christmas morning Carol hadn't even gotten a chance to wake up properly before Ed was shoving her out of her warm bed and into the living room, she cooked, she cleaned and went shopping again if she didn't have anything to match Ed's stupid tastes.

She felt weak and guilty. Sophia had spent the entire day alone in her room with her presents. By the time the sun was beginning to go down and the time got nearer for Daryl and Merle to arrive Carol made a choice. She was grateful, Lori had agreed to take care of Sophia in case anything went wrong. Which Carol knew it would.

Carol sighed gently as she slid her cardigan on, she stared at herself in the mirror while she applied a tiny bit of red lipstick across her lips. She smiled warmly, the only highlight of Christmas was at least she could look nice for once. She turned her eyes towards the clock.

7:32

Daryl and Merle should've been arriving soon.

"You look like you're trying to impress someone" smirked Ed standing in the doorway.

Carol jumped quickly, clutching her heart. How long had he been standing there watching her?

"I'm just trying to look nice this year" she smiled forcefully, she hated smiling for him. He didn't deserve any form of kindness.

"Why, only difference is there's other men in this house" said Ed, his smile beginning to grow wider as he made his way towards her.

"No reason-"

Before Carol could finish her sentence, Ed's lips were already pushed against hers roughly. His hands worked their way up and down her body, making her extremely uncomfortable. His fingers played with her bra roughly as he tried to pull it off.

"Ed, Stop it. Not now" she hissed trying to push him away but he wouldn't give.

Her arms pushed out in front of her gently as she wriggled away from his grip. As soon as she was free from his heavy body, his hand quickly grabbed her cardigan making it rip slightly.

"You tryin' to whore off to one of the Dixons?" he snapped furiously.

"I-I don't I just want to look nice. That's all" she squeaked terrified.

"That's bullshit" he spat, his hands gripped her cardigan tighter, "Take all this shit off and wear somethin' I bought ya and take off that damn lipstick. Looks ridiculous" he snapped

Carol nodded silently trying not to look Ed in the eyes.

"You aint worth nothin'" he muttered finally letting go of her. "Be down in 5 minutes" he growled before exiting the room.

Carol sat on the bed gently, her head still nodding even though there was nobody there to see her agreeing stupidly. After sitting there blankly for a few moments, Carol slowly got up and began stripping down for the second time; she had a damp tissue in one hand and began wiping her mouth roughly trying to get rid of the red. She slipped on the plain clothes Ed had left and marched down the stairs not saying a word. She didn't think she could say anything else.

Almost immediately after she had begun setting up the table, she heard the loud roar of Daryl's truck and her heart skipped a beat. She glanced through the window and watched as Daryl and Merle jumped out of the truck and into the snow. A large grin planted on her face, she couldn't help it. The sound of Daryl's truck just made her happy, because it was a reminder that he was there.

Carol was immediately disgusted to see Merle when he banged on the door. His arm was hanging off the doorframe and he smiled coldly at her, his breath already stank of alcohol.

"Hey there mouse" he breathed ruffling her head roughly.

"Uh, Hello Merle" she gritted through her teeth.

Daryl followed behind him silently flashing a quick smile to Carol before shutting the door behind him he was wearing his winged jacket and had a large bag on his shoulder, why the hell did he bring that? She thought curiously. The living room was suddenly full of noise as Merle and Ed greeted each other loudly, this arms hitting each other on the back.

"Ah, you brought the good stuff" grinned Ed snatching it from Merle's fist.

"Yeah, but the dumbass drank some of it on the way here" grimaced Daryl

Carol stood in the corner of the room silently, her hands played nervously with her shirt. She didn't know where to fit herself into this conversation. Ed's eyes narrowed over to her sharply as she just stood there.

"Well, what you doin' just standin' there? Keep setting up" growled Ed snappishly.

Carol didn't hesitate she quickly ran into the kitchen not saying one word in defence. Everything had to go okay tonight.

"You know, the place looks good Ed" said Daryl looking around, he felt slightly proud.

Ed scoffed loudly enough for Carol to hear him.

"Good? It looks like Shit, Carol thought it'd be a good idea to decorate. Dumb bitch" he snarled.

Daryl shrugged silently; he was ready to kick his ass already.

"You mind if I get some glasses from the kitchen? I'm dying for a damn drink" he chuckled

Ed threw his hands up slowly, signalling Daryl to stay where he is.

"Jus' let Carol do it, it's her job" he breathed, letting out a small belch.

Daryl's teeth gritted slightly as his fists began to tighten.

"She's bringin' in the food right? I want somethin' to drink now so I'll bring in the glasses to make it faster" he said gruffly.

"Whatever man" sighed Ed not bothered.

Daryl quickly walked into the kitchen and crouched down next to Carol in the cupboard, she was gathering plates shakily and silently. He smoothed in his hand over hers gently trying to give her comfort.

"How you doin'?" he asked balancing the four glasses in his hand.

"You know…" Carol sighed resting the plates on top of her thighs.

"If this asshole does anything to piss me off I'm knocking him out, jus' so you know" growled Daryl quietly.

Carol rested her arm gently on Daryl's, she didn't want any violence tonight. All she wanted was a nice Christmas dinner with the man she loves and that was it.

"Don't cause a scene please, I don't want you hurt" she whispered

"What the hell is takin' so long Derlena? We want a drink!" boomed Merle loudly.

Daryl sighed before standing up quickly,

"Fine" he muttered as he exited the kitchen with the glasses.

After a few moments of mixed discussions in the living room, Carol entered steadily with the food presented neatly on each of the plates. She laid them on the table gently carefully trying not to knock anything over. Daryl slapped his hands together joyfully as he stared at the dishes.

"Smells good" he chuckled moving to sit at the table quickly.

"Good thing she can cook, she aint much to look at" laughed Ed cruelly as he stomped into his seat.

Daryl clenched his fists tightly, narrowing his eyes over to Carol. She gave a small disproving shake and sat down next to Ed at the table.

"So how's business at the mechanics?" asked Ed, his mouth full of turkey already.

"Alright, except Derlena is a lazy son of a bitch" breathed Merle glaring at him.

"I know what that's like" chuckled Ed nudging Carol a few times.

Daryl jabbed his knife into his turkey sharply and took a large bite not bothering to break his glare from Ed. Carol was beginning to get worried he was going to explode.

"She aint lazy, she cooked all this damn shit. What the hell did you do?" snapped Daryl angrily.

Carol held her breath trying to edge herself away from Ed subtly.

"I wasn't talkin' to you boy" snarled Ed quietly.

Merle moved his arm over to Daryl's side quickly and slapped him on the back.

"Yeah baby brother, shut ya mouth" he hissed

Daryl shrugged aggressively taking a giant sip of wine, he poured himself another glass quickly as he watched Ed open his mouth to speak again. Carol's hands were beginning to dig into her thigh she wasn't going to survive this night at all.

"You been seein' any girls lately?"

"Yeah, one every night" Merle chuckled

"What type?" asked Ed beginning to lean into him.

"Young, redhead, big tits" smirked Merle proudly. Carol turned her head disgusted she was so glad she had sent Sophia to Lori's for the night.

Ed slapped Merle's leg joyfully letting out a few chuckles and approving looks.

"Lucky man, I'm just stuck here with this broad" he laughed

Carol lowered her head slowly; she was embarrassed she wished Ed didn't treat her like this. She had the worst sense of self-worth and he didn't make it any better.

"So, Daryl you seein' anyone?" he asked

"Nah"

Ed chuckled loudly while taking a large sip of wine, making Carol feel slightly cautious. She knew if he drank she'd get the worse of his intoxication.

"Shame I can picture you with a beautiful woman, probably do anything you say" he smirked beginning to stare at his empty glass, "Carol go get some more wine from the kitchen gonna be a long night"

"Yes Ed" Carol whispered as she slid out of her seat and towards the kitchen. Her hands scrambled through the cabinet until she had found the bottle. She pulled it out gently and suddenly felt a small smile form on her face, it was one of the bottles her and Daryl had drunk from. She felt happy from finding this but at the same time her stomach twisted, she didn't want Merle and Ed drinking from the same bottle. It was theirs.

"Carol! What's takin' you so damn long?" shouted Ed.

Carol shook her head sadly and returned to the living room holding the bottle delicately. She turned her head to see Daryl grinning at her subtly, she could tell he could remember the bottle as well and that he was fighting not to smile wider. She returned the smile quickly as she began trying to open it.

"What the hell you smilin' at?" asked Ed snappishly, "Pour the glasses"

Carol nodded silently, her smile fading quickly. She moved over to Merle first to begin pouring the red liquid into his glass.

"Thanks mouse" smirked Ed snatching his glass away. Carol had such an urge to break the bottle over his head, but she couldn't. The bottle was too special to her and she didn't want to cause problems.

"You should come over here more, play some poker or somethin' maybe I'd beat your ass better" chuckled Ed tapping on his glass as Carol made her way over to Daryl's glass.

Daryl stroked her finger gently as she poured it into his glass, mouthing 'thank you' before she finally got to Ed's glass. She kept her eyes focused on Daryl the whole time she poured, she didn't even notice when the glass started to overflow. Ed suddenly grabbed her wrist sharply trying make her stop pouring. She jumped immediately and dropped the glass on the ground letting it smash to pieces.

Her heart stopped.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" he yelled angrily.

Carol was already on the floor trying to wipe the ground with some cloth that had been in her back pocket.

"I'm sorry Ed, I'll clean it" she whispered her words coming out in a squeak.

Daryl stood up quickly ready to help her clean it but Ed threw him a sharp look.

"Sit down, it's her job" he grumbled.

Daryl continued to stand refusing to sit down, Ed turned back to look at Carol who was desperately trying to clean the red puddle.

"You break every damn thing you touch, you know that? useless" he snapped.

Carol kept her head down trying to avoid looking Ed in the eyes, she didn't want to see Daryl watching her like this. Weak and powerless, God she felt sick.

Ed's hands suddenly grabbed the bottom of her chin, he pulled it sharply to make her look at him.

"Look at me when I'm talkin' to you. I get no respect" he growled squeezing her face slightly.

Daryl's fist slammed on the table sharply, making all of them jump.

"She's been showin' you nothin' but respect, even though you don't deserve it" he yelled angrily.

Merle slapped his hand quickly trying to pull him down to sit.

"Stay the hell out of it Derlena, that's their marriage" he gritted through his teeth.

Carol let out a small frightened breath and looked up at Ed, her eyes locked with his as she opened her mouth shakily.

"I'm sorry Ed I know I'm useless" she swallowed sadly, "W-why don't you just relax on the couch or something I-I'll bring you a drink, yeah?" she suggested forcing a toothy smile.

Ed's eyes narrowed down, he gritted his teeth and looked as if Carol had just said something extremely offensive to him.

"You don't tell me what to do" he growled.

Carol suddenly knew what was coming, he raised his hand up high and sharply struck her across her face. As soon as the blow had hit her, she could hear Daryl yelling furiously in the background along with the sound of his footsteps banging across the floor quickly.

"What the hell are you doin'?" screamed Daryl furiously.

"What do you think? I'm disciplining her" growled Ed standing up to look at Daryl who was only a few centimetres away from him.

Daryl moved up close to Ed, his face almost pressing up against his.

"You don't raise your hand to your damn wife!" he snarled

"Yeah, what you gonna do about it?" smiled Ed cruelly.

Before Carol knew it, Daryl pounced on Ed his fists repeatedly began pounding him in the face until it began to show bruising. Carol watched on the floor in horror as Daryl's fists began to bleed as well as Ed's.

"You think It's okay to hit women huh asshole? You ever raise your hand to her or your little girl and I will kill you" growled Daryl with his hands around Ed's neck.

Suddenly Ed overpowered him and knocked Daryl against the wall. His fists beat Daryl's stomach a few times making him groan. Carol let out a small whimper as she watched Daryl's face bleed while Ed hit him.

"You think you can disrespect me in my house?" snapped Ed. He threw Daryl to the ground, stepping on his hand as Daryl tried to get up again to punch him.

"That's enough Ed man, leave my dumbass brother he's learned his lesson" said Merle cautiously. His eyes narrowed down at Carol, she could tell he was already to blame her. Ed removed his foot from Daryl's hand and grabbed his coat from the hook on the wall,

"C'mon Merle we're goin' out tonight I know a few bars" he looked over at Daryl who was glaring at him, he looked like he was ready to pounce again, "An' you Dixon better get the fuck out of my house before I beat your ass some more"

Daryl slowly got to his feet, he had blood drooling from his mouth but he didn't seem to care his eyes were still locked on Ed's.

"I mean what I said" breathed Daryl, "Touch her or your kid and you're a dead man" he wheezed opening the door.

Soon after Daryl exited the house, Merle and Ed followed leaving Carol to cry on the floor. Everything hurt not the red mark on her face or her split lip but the fact that Daryl almost died because of her, she didn't care about herself all she cared about was keeping him safe and she couldn't even do that right she fucked everything up.

As she cried she suddenly felt warmth around her shoulders, she turned around sharply to see Daryl sitting on the ground next to her with his arms wrapped around her.

"It's okay" he whispered holding her against his shirt.

"How did you get in?" she muttered into his shirt.

"Through the back, how else would I get in?" he chuckled, Carol stared up at him outraged how the hell could he be laughing after everything that had just happened. He was bleeding nearly everywhere and he was laughing.

"Why the hell did you do that?" she snapped angrily, "I told you not to do anything…and now you're hurt" said Carol her voice beginning to shake, she was beginning to cry all over again.

Daryl continued to hold her closer to him, he shushed her a few times as he stroked her hair gently.

"I don't give a fuck what Ed does to me, all I care about is keeping you safe" he whispered his fingers tracing the side of her face. "Let me have a look at you" he said softly.

Carol turned her head hesitantly; Daryl chewed the inside of his cheek nervously as he stared at her face. The crimson mark on her face was bright and her lip was bleeding badly. He shook his head angrily and stood up with her in his arms.

"Follow me upstairs, I'll clean you up" he said cradling her gently.

"I think he did more damage on you than me, don't you think?" she whispered walking up the steps with him.

Daryl shrugged continuing to hold her close as if he was afraid as soon as he let her go, she'd get hurt again. As soon as they reached the bathroom Daryl quickly moved her to sit on the bath and began scrambling through the medicine cabinet ignoring his own blood dripping down his face.

"You're such a reckless idiot" Carol whispered angrily as Daryl kneeled in front of her.

"Only for you" Daryl laughed pressing the disinfected tissue against her lip.

Carol smiled softly, she moved her hands gently to cup his face.

"Please promise me you'll never try to save me like that again"

"I can't promise you that" he muttered removing the tissue from her lip.

Carol's hands gripped his shirt tightly.

"Then we're going to have a problem"

"I suppose we are then" smiled Daryl.

Carol smiled brightly and quickly brought him into a kiss that took Daryl by surprise.

"C'mon Carol let me fix you first" he laughed pulling away.

Carol stood up from the bath and pulled Daryl up; she forced him onto the bath sharply.

"Give me the disinfectant I need to fix you instead" she smiled kneeling in front of him. She carefully pressed the tissue against his face trying to clean it. She hated the damage Ed had done to him, it almost seemed unfixable.

"I never got to give you my present" he said gruffly

Carol looked up at him gently as she poured some more disinfectant on the tissue.

"Present?"

"Yeah, in my bag. Go through it" he smiled wearily.

"I can't I need to finish-" Daryl's hands were already on hers, he delicately took the tissue from her hand.

"I can take care of myself I'll see you downstairs in a minute, I left my bag behind your couch" he smiled pushing her towards the door.

Carol hesitantly walked down the stairs and walked over to the large black bag, she opened it silently and suddenly her heart skipped a beat as she pulled out a long ruby dress. It was beautiful, even more beautiful than anything she had ever borrowed from Lori. It must've cost a fortune how the hell was he able to afford it? Daryl's laughter filled the room as he stood behind her watching her reaction.

"You shouldn't have" whispered Carol turning to him.

"I thought you'd be sick of borrowing shit from Lori so I got you one you can keep" he smiled

Carol didn't have any words she quickly jumped up from the floor and wrapped her arms around him, the dress still in her grip.

"Merry Christmas Carol" he muttered into her shoulder.

"I didn't get anything for you" she whispered sadly.

"Doesn't matter, you're my present and you will be for a lifetime" he grinned against her cheek.

"But Daryl-"

Daryl quickly shushed her and pulled her into a kiss, he didn't want any words right now he just wanted her happy. She pulled away slowly, her face still looked concerned.

"How can you afford this?"

"It doesn't matter, it's all on me" he chuckled, "Why don't you put it on?"

Carol looked at him sideways, what was he playing at?

"Now? But I have to clean up before Ed and Merle get back" she said nervously.

"Fuck them" said Daryl sharply, "I'll handle the damn cleanin' it's Christmas. Go get changed I'll start cleaning" he smiled guiding her towards the staircase.

When Carol first slipped on the dress she almost cried from how much she loved it, and it was actually hers. She didn't have to give it away she was allowed to keep it. She danced silently around the room watching the ruffles at the bottom of the dress flow. Ed had never ever bothered to get her a present, maybe once or twice when they started dating but after that nothing. All she got was things to please him. She shuddered trying not to think of it. She turned her head to look at the tag and smiled again.

He managed to get her size right.

Suddenly she jumped as she felt Daryl's hands wriggle through the gaps in her arms, he smoothed his hands over her stomach gently bringing her back against his chest.

"I thought you were cleaning" she giggled kissing the top of his hand.

Daryl's lips pressed against the top of her head gently.

"I wanted to see you, I like first reactions when I actually get shit right" he paused for a second. "Maybe not with Ed but you know…" Daryl chuckled pulling her close to him. She smiled up at him as he took in her beauty; he slipped his hands through her hair slowly. "I'm gonna take you out tonight"

"Where? Everywhere must be closed tonight"

"You heard Ed there are always a few bars open" he smiled

Carol frowned unimpressed, "You're taking me to a bar for Christmas?"

Daryl smiled and rested his arm on her shoulder, "Don't sound like that they usually make it special around this time of year"

Carol crossed her arms still not convinced, "How?"

Daryl slipped his arms around her again, "Trust me you'll see" he grinned

Carol slowly gave in she didn't have a lot of choice she knew Daryl would continue to go on if she didn't.

"Okay but what about the mess downstairs?" she asked nervously.

Daryl shrugged, "The mess aint too bad, I could clean it up when we get back"

Carol nodded still hesitant, "I don't know Daryl…"

Daryl's finger stroked her arm tenderly.

"I'll make the night worthwhile"

Carol smiled sweetly, her finger played with his shirt carefully.

"Okay, let me just get my cardigan" she grinned.

Daryl's hand moved to the closet, he brought out a small white cardigan and slipped it onto her lightly.

"Thank you" she smiled.

The two of them walked down the stairs completely ignoring the mess and walked outside into the snow, she hadn't realised how much heavier the snow had gotten time felt like it had hardly passed since everything else was going so fast. She shivered as the snow began to fall on her bare legs.

"So how do you feel about riding the motorcycle through the snow?" he asked already knowing her response.

"There's no way in hell I'm getting on that death trap! Are you insane?" she stated in shock.

Daryl chuckled wrapping his arm over her.

"I'm just messin' with you I know you'd murder me if I tried to get you on that thing"

"Damn right I will" she muttered

Daryl laughed lightly as he took her cold hand, he lead her towards the truck door and opened it slowly. His hand still held onto hers as she climbed in.

"Your limo awaits" he joked.

"Thank you Mr Dixon" she smiled as she shut the door.

….

Carol's eyes squinted slightly as she read the name of the bar,

The Drunken Deer

"The Drunken Deer?" asked Carol raising an eyebrow.

Daryl chuckled as she stopped the truck.

"It's not as bad as it sounds I promise you" he grinned, "It's really alive this time of year"

"How do you know that?"

"I come here nearly every year to get away from my Dad and Merle's drunk fights. I usually wake up on the floor of this place on boxing day" he chuckled.

Carol smiled and tapped his hand gently.

"Stay classy"

"Hey this place is like family at Christmas" protested Daryl

"I'm just playing with you" grinned Carol kissing him on the cheek before exiting the truck.

Carol's mouth dropped open as soon as she walked through the door, Daryl wasn't joking when he said the place was alive. The room was filled with people dancing, talking and drinking. Everything was decorated, even better than her home. Daryl nudged her gently.

"I can see you're impressed" he smiled

Carol quickly shut her mouth not realising Daryl had seen her surprise.

"I didn't picture it to be like this" she giggled holding onto his arm.

"Dixon!" yelled a voice excitedly

Daryl and carol both turned around quickly to see the smiling face of the bartender; both of his hands were in the air greeting them. Carol was surprised he had seen them through the crowd of people.

"Hey Phillip" grinned Daryl walking over to the bar, Carol nervously walked behind him.

"It's good to see ya, I thought you weren't comin' this year" Phillip Smiled

"Nah, I have to visit the family every year don't I?" he chuckled, "Place looks great and everyone's in order" he smiled

Phillip threw his hands out grinning brightly.

"What can I say? I'm the Governor of this place"

"How's ya wife and daughter…Penny?" he asked leaning in.

"Visiting relatives out of town I couldn't join them" he grinned, suddenly something else caught his eye. Carol turned around to see what it was and quickly realised he was looking at her hiding behind Daryl. He smiled gently.

"Who's your friend?" he asked

Daryl wrapped his arm around Carol brining her closer to the bar.

"Carol, my lady of the night" he smiled kissing her forehead

"You got good taste" he beamed as began to make drinks. He slid them across the bar for the two of them. "On the house"

Daryl gave him a small approving nod and led Carol through the many crowds of people in the bar, she tensed up beneath him. She had never been around so many people it was beginning to make her uneasy. She held her drink close against her chest as they navigated through crowd.

"Hey relax you're with me" Daryl smiled noticing her intensity.

"Sorry I'm just not used to this kind of thing I'm a little bit nervous about Ed still…" sighed carol sadly.

"I could help take ya mind off of it"

"How?"

Daryl moved his arm and pointed over at the front of the bar, there were people dancing. Carol immediately felt her cheeks go pink.

"I really couldn't here" she said shyly.

"I'd be up there with ya" he smiled moving his finger beneath her chin.

"I don't know Daryl…" she said glancing over at the couples. Why was Daryl trying to dance with her in front of everyone. He hated dancing as much as she did.

"I want to make it a night you remember"

"By embarrassing me?" she frowned

Daryl chuckled resting their drinks on one of the tables,

"C'mon I'll take the lead" he whispered kissing her cheek.

Carol let out a small sigh and nodded, Daryl grinned brightly and quickly dragged her out to the front of the bar. She began to shake as soon as she turned around. They were so exposed.

'The Heavy' blasted out and Daryl was already on his feet, his hands wrapped around her waist gently. It wasn't long until he had become lost in the music encouraging Carol to dance with him to the beat of the music. She swayed in front of him, her arms resting on his shoulders. He smiled at Carol as she bit her lip shyly, she could tell Daryl could see her nervousness.

"Nice moves Dixon!" yelled a voice causing Carol to lose sync with the music completely. She blushed hiding her head in his chest.

"Jus' ignore them"

"I really hate this Daryl, please" she whined

"I aint too fond of it too but I want to make this memorable" he muttered

"Why's that?" she asked suddenly forgetting to move

"I haven't seen ya in months and I wanna make everythin' worth it in case I don't see ya again" he said quietly.

Carol smiled shaking her head, her hands cupped his face gently.

"You don't need to do that Daryl"

Daryl stayed silent, he hadn't bothered to move again even though his hands still rested on her hips.

"Are you really uncomfortable?" he asked quietly

Carol nodded quickly hoping Daryl would let them go back to their drinks.

"Okay we'll stop" he muttered pushing through the crowd again, as soon as they reached their table Carol pulled Daryl into a strong kiss, her hands brushed through his hair tenderly.

"Thank you for tonight" she smiled

Daryl grinned suddenly proud with himself,

"You're welcome"

"Hey Dixon!" yelled Phillip.

Both Carol and Daryl turned their heads to look at him and to their horror saw him greeting Merle and Ed. Daryl quickly grabbed Carol's hand and dragged her straight into the men's bathroom. She winced at the smell, it burned horribly in her nose.

"What the hell are they doin' here?" muttered Daryl angrily.

"Maybe they had the same idea" sighed Carol calmly even though inside all she wanted to do was shout.

Daryl leaned against the wall for a second and moved his hands over his mouth, he leaned against it thinking for a moment.

"Maybe…Maybe we could sneak through the backdoor or somethin'" he sighed.

Carol nodded slowly and let Daryl take her hand as he slipped through the bathroom door, they pushed through the crowds of people hurriedly, desperate that the two men wouldn't see him. Carol was mainly concerned about Ed hurting Daryl again but Daryl was more concerned if he saw Ed again and he hurt Carol he'd murder him.

Daryl quickly started up the engine and sped down the icy road.

"Sorry it was such a shitty night" mumbled Daryl regretfully.

Carol rested her warm hand on his gently trying to reassure him but he didn't pay any attention, his eyes were fixed on the road.

"I had a good night Daryl, I promise" she smiled gently.

Daryl shook his head not believing her, he seemed generally upset. She wondered if he had something else planned. Her hand rested on his thigh slowly, she stroked it up and down as she bit her lip.

"Maybe you don't need to leave so quickly when we get back" she whispered sensually

Daryl narrowed his eyes down at her hand and swallowed slowly.

"Sounds like a plan"

…

Carol quickly kicked her shoes off as her and Daryl rushed through the door kissing passionately.

"Pour some wine and put some music on, I'll only be a second" she gasped through the kiss.

"Okay" breathed Daryl walking towards the kitchen.

Carol stripped off her dress and laid it on the bed, her hands scrambled quickly underneath the bed and she pulled out a small white box. She unwrapped the peach coloured ribbons slowly and stared shakily as she pulled out the silky, white lingerie. It was still clean and fresh, Carol ran her hand over it slowly. Would it even still fit? Ed had bought her this when they were newlyweds she had remembered Ed forcing her to wear it. She had hidden it, she never wanted to wear it for him again. But she wanted to wear it for Daryl. First she slipped on the garter and then the stockings. She clipped the hold ups and then the panties. She threw her pants across the floor. She was ready for him. She grabbed the scarlet lipstick from her drawer and ran it over her lips quickly and sprayed herself with a spicy smelling perfume.

Once she had walked down the stairs she grinned as she watched Daryl sitting on the couch, his wine glass was in one hand and "Sex on Fire" was blasting out of the radio in the kitchen.

"That's a funny song" she breathed, her stomach suddenly felt tight. Was she acting like an idiot trying to surprise him in this crap? She shook her head slowly and walked up behind him, her hand rested on his shoulder gently.

"It was the only good song on the station-" Daryl's words quickly cut off as he caught site of Carol. She watched as his mouth dropped open, his hand looked like it was suddenly going to lose grip of the wine glass. She tiptoed in front of his carefully, her cheeks already beginning to go red.

"Do you like it?" she asked in almost a whisper.

"Jesus" he growled staring at her blankly

"I look stupid don't I?" she whispered suddenly feeling not as brave as she did before.

"Nah" he smiled, "You look sexy…so so sexy" he breathed staring at her.

"No I don't-"

Carol's words were quickly cut off as Daryl dragged Carol into his arms, his lips pressed roughly against her jaw. He moaned quietly, as his hands ran through her hair.

"I want you so badly" he exhaled against her lips.

Carol's nails dug into the back of his neck, making him thrust slightly.

"Then take me" she hissed pushing him onto the couch.

"Oh God" Daryl moaned softly as Carol ripped his belt away, she undid his pants quickly and sat on his lap. She didn't waste any time, she rocked backwards and forwards quickly as she rode him. She shifted her hips slightly causing Daryl to gasp loudly.

"Carol…." He moaned but Carol didn't let him speak, she pressed her lips against his roughly and slid down his body right to her knees.

Carol closed her eyes as she slid his penis into her mouth softly, trying to take as much as she could in. She bobbed her head up and down slowly, trying to tease him as much as she could. His hands rested her on her head softly, stroking her as he groaned loudly. His groans suddenly became louder as he came, Carol swallowed and moved her head back up to meet Daryl. His hands dug underneath her armpits and he pushed her onto the chair, his hips joined with hers as he attempted to slide in with her.

"Aren't you done?" she breathed

Daryl shook his head, leaning over her. Carol's legs wrapped around Daryl's waist tightly as he fucked her softly. Carol let out a few small moans as he rocked over her. His hand stroked her thigh gently as she began to pant beneath his large body. The thrusts quickly began get more aggressive and the next thing Carol knew she was letting the loudest moan she had ever made,

"Fuck" she panted against his hot skin.

"You like that?" gasped Daryl getting faster and faster.

Carol nodded stupidly; bring Daryl closer to her body.

"Don't stop" she whispered.

"I won't I'll keep going for you" he panted his hands digging into the back of her head.

She could feel each other their heartbeats racing over each other, but she couldn't stop it felt too good. She moaned louder and louder until Daryl let out a final gasp.

"Fuck!" he gasped as he came.

Carol breathed heavily as Daryl fell next to her; he moved his body to lie behind hers, he stroked her body gently as they both lay there trying to catch their breath back.

"Merry Christmas" Carol breathed finally

Daryl let out a small laugh as he kissed her ear,

"Merry Christmas" he wheezed, "Don't fall asleep on me too quickly, got another surprise for ya" he huffed

"Another one? What is it?" she asked now facing him.

"Once everything's been sorted and we've left this shit town…I want you to marry me" he breathed kissing her.

Carol giggled lightly, she wrapped her arms around his neck softly pressing their bodies together.

"You sure you haven't just been seduced by the amazing sex I just gave you" she laughed kissing his nose.

"Nah" Daryl smiled; he bent over Carol gently as he reached into his pants pockets and pulled out a small sapphire ring, he slipped it carefully onto Carol's finger.

"I haven't said yes yet" she grinned playing with the ring delicately.

Daryl pressed his lips against hers lightly.

"I might be able to convince you" he rasped.

"What if I say no?" she asked sitting up, she felt like playing games with Daryl.

"Then I'll leave right now, completely naked and I won't come back" he chuckled cupping the back of her neck, his finger traced down her back carefully making her shiver.

"Don't do that"

"Then marry me" Daryl said softly moving his hand to her hip.

Carol moved his hand back up to meet her lips, she kissed it softly.

"I will marry you then" she grinned

Daryl grinned brightly pulling her into another soft kiss, this time he really didn't want to let her go everything was perfect.

"Good thing you said yes, cause I got one more surprise" he smiled

"What is it?"

He leaned in slowly, moving his mouth to meet her ear.

"I've got the money"

Carol's eyes immediately widened even though she was fighting to keep them awake, she shook her head as she felt the corners of her mouth curve. This couldn't be real.

"Are you joking?"

"No"

"Daryl please don't mess with me" she smiled covering her mouth, she didn't know what else to do with her hands.

"I promise you I'm not messing" he grinned.

Carol pounced on him wrapping her arms around his neck roughly, her head dug into his chest as she hugged him never wanting to let him go. The two of them lay there as they embraced in a hug.

"God I love you so damn much" she sighed sleepily.

"I love you too" Daryl muttered, "Should probably get some sleep it's late" he yawned

Carol nodded not saying a word; Daryl could already tell she was drifting off to sleep.

"I'll be here in the morning" Daryl grinned

Carol nodded again beginning to let her eyes close, she fell asleep smiling that night.

She was finally free.