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

5. Chapter 5

(Warning contains Mature themes)

Prologue

Daryl silently shoved the last bit of Carol's clothing into the suitcase, the darkness of her bedroom making it hard to see. He was sure this was enough; it had to be enough for her to leave with. She didn't have many things so maybe it was enough. He sighed miserably; he couldn't even get packing her suitcase right. He had checked over 3 times, she had everything although something was missing, but he couldn't understand what it was until it hit him.

Money

He quickly shoved his hand into his pocket to take out the remaining cash he had, but something made him freeze as his hand hit something hard. He lifted it out of his pocket delicately and suddenly felt a tight pain in his chest as he lifted the small sapphire ring out of his pocket. He shut his eyes tightly while his body bent forwards on top of the suitcase; he thrust his arms out quickly to avoid falling flat on his face. He shook while his hands squeezed the ring tightly almost to the point of the sapphire nearly cutting him. He didn't care about the pain, he deserved every little bit of it. All he cared about was Carol and he had fucked things over for her like he had everything else. He breathed deeply his heart racing beneath his shirt.

I fucked Things up….

…

It was around 3am when Daryl woke up entangled in Carol's sheets in a sweat; the room was completely darkened as Carol laid beside him her fingers beginning to tangle with his as he sat up yawning sleepily. He didn't turn around he could feel Carol already creeping up his back, her head resting gently on his shoulder as he sat there drowsily trying to wake himself up.

"Do you have to leave so soon?" she muttered fuzzily, "It's still early"

Daryl chuckled weakly, his hand pulled Carol's forward gently as he kissed it.

"I don't wanna be here when Ed gets back, I'll probably kill him" he breathed, he could feel Carol's smile curve in his back. Her fingers continued to play carefully against his shoulders.

"It's only 3am he might be out all night with your brother"

Daryl chuckled lightly, his hand moving to squeeze Carol's.

"This is new" he grinned proudly

"What is?"

He turned to her, his hands twisting her arms around to wrap around the front of him.

"You not caring if Ed catches us foolin' around, usually you want my ass out before he steps through the door" He muttered gruffly, he watched Carol's head bow gently as another smile grew on her face.

"I'm still terrified of Ed catching us" she paused for a moment. "I don't want to hurt you, not like before" she whispered her eyes gently looking up at him sadly.

Daryl grinned again while shaking his head, what the hell was wrong with her? She could never hurt him ever. If anything he was always terrified he was going to hurt her, maybe screw things up for her and lose her. The thoughts scared him every day. He moved his arms out carefully and pulled Carol into a deep hug, he could feel Carol's hair tickle his chest gently.

"You could never hurt me" he hissed huskily.

Carol shook her head again, another small smile creeping up on her.

"I could…" she began. "Right now I just feel safer knowing that the three of us will be leaving soon" she smiled reassuringly, her hands wrapped around the back of his neck gently as she pulled him back down on the bed next to her. The bed shifted with a jolt as they fell.

"You know I'm gonna take care of you right?" he muttered, his voice was low and calm. But he could feel his excitement rushing through him.

"I know you will Daryl, and I'll take care of myself for once" she smiled to herself brightly, "It'll be nice to have some freedom" she grinned wearily.

Daryl nodded; his attention had already focused on something else, the small sapphire ring on Carol's finger. It was such a small thing, but it meant so much it reflected how much Daryl felt for her, how much he wanted to be with her forever. And It scared him, he was so afraid he was going to screw things up for her, that he'd turn out just like his father or like Ed. Or maybe he wouldn't be able to provide for her properly. The thoughts circled in his head making his stomach begin to twist, his grip suddenly got tighter on the ring as he played with it.

"It's a beautiful ring you know" began Carol stroking his finger gently; he could tell she could see him worrying. He warmed up to her, letting his grip on the ring relax.

"It was my mom's" he breathed, not making eye contact. His mother had given him the ring to protect for her, it was in the middle of the summer when he was only just starting to learn to look after himself when his father began beating him.

"Don't you touch my fucking Son!"

Daryl's mother had intervened after the 5th hit, he still remembered the harshness and the roughness of Merle's hands as he gripped him tightly and pulled him from the room. Everything was still kind of a blur for him, all he remembered was Merle stitching him up after refusing to take him to the hospital despite his mother's pleas and His father storming out after giving his mother a black eye, again.

His mother had nearly left that night. She was a person not a prisoner. Something had stopped her that night from leaving. She had turned around to see him standing in the doorway watching her pack, her face had suddenly crumpled and she had wrapped her arms around Daryl crying into him.

"I'm not going to leave you baby, it's alright"

He could still hear her words echoing through his head, making him feel worse about her death not long after. The silk of her blonde hair rested on his shoulder, that night she had made it very clear the only person she cared about was Daryl. She had given him her wedding ring subtly by slipping it into his pocket.

"You keep this safe for me, okay baby?"

Her words had stuck in his head all the way through his childhood, especially after the fire. He remembered getting beatings from his father after he had refused to give it to him to sell off. He wasn't ever going to let the ring go, until now.

Carol's gentle hands moved over his smooth chest cautiously,

"Are you alright Daryl? You haven't said a word since you mentioned the ring…" she began worriedly.

Daryl blinked gently; he rolled over onto one side to face Carol.

"I'm fine, I've jus' been thinkin' my mom told me to keep this damn thing safe for her, an' I have been for years tryin' to keep it away from my bastard father tryin' to sell it off" he grimaced. Carol stroked his hair delicately; he could tell she still seemed worried about hm.

"But now, you can take care of it for me I don't need to worry" he grinned, suddenly feeling a flush of relief go over him.

Carol nodded silently as she pulled Daryl's arm over her lightly.

"Just think one day it's just going to be the three of us, we'll be married and happy" she paused for a moment, her hands brushing through Daryl's hair. "I've never had that before"

"I'll make sure you have that forever" he muttered, turning to lie on his back again, his fingers stroked her chest softly. She giggled quietly.

"We could have a small wedding with just us"

Daryl glanced over at Carol he moved again leaning forward, pressing his lips to Carol's forehead. He shifted onto his side, moving an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer against his chest. He let out another small sigh of relief.

"Good, getting married in front of a lot of people makes me kind of nervous" he admitted his cheeks beginning to go slightly red. Carol smiled softly before kissing his hand as it rested over her.

"You should get some sleep it's late" he breathed running his fingers through her hair.

Carol shook her head slowly,

"I'm not tired yet" she yawned.

"Don't seem that way" he grinned turning over again, his arms now wrapping around Carol as her back pressed against him. She slapped his hand playfully as she shut her eyes.

"Tell me about our home" she yawned sleepily.

"Alright" whispered Daryl, he had no idea where to begin, "It's got a lil yard out front an' a fence surrounding it…uh….it's by the beach you know the one went down to in Savannah-" his words were quickly cut off by the sound of Carol's snores filling the room, her head dangled off the side of the bed. He gently pulled her back moving her head to rest on the pillow, he moved forward his lips pressing against her ear.

He smiled before tucking himself in with Carol.

"It's okay I'll be here in the mornin'… I promise"

….

There was something strange moving through the house when Daryl woke up the next morning, a strong smell of Coffee and grease bubbled in his nose. His face was completely pressed down into his pillow but it still managed to find his nose, he sat up sleepily licking his lips smoothly. His hand wondered across the covers, the mattress was cold beneath his hand. Daryl groggily rubbed his eyes, forcing himself up from the bed and running his palm over his face. He stretched tenderly as his muscles aching as he moved with each step he took down the hallway. As he moved down the darkened staircase the strong smell began to get stronger and stronger in his nose. He wandered out into the living room where Carol was wrapped up tightly in her white dressing gown, her hands setting out a small mug and plate on a tray carefully.

He leaned against the door sleepily, his arm supporting him against the frame.

"Mornin'" he breathed sleepily, he was surprised he managed to get any words out. He was tired as hell.

Carol jumped slightly at the sound of his voice; she stopped setting up the tray.

"I was going to let you sleep" she began a weak smile forming on her face, "I was going to leave your breakfast on the dresser for you" she said pointing at the tray on the table.

Daryl carefully made his way towards her, his feet dragging against the floor. He hovered over to her; he wrapped his arms around Carol's waist and rested his head on Carol's shoulder lightly kissing it.

"You didn't need to do that" he muttered groggily.

Carol smiled, simply giving him a quick peck on the nose and sat down twisting her body around to grab her own breakfast from the counter behind her. Daryl sat on the other end of the table, stuffing greased up bacon into his mouth. God it felt good in his mouth, he hadn't had a decent breakfast in months. He smiled up at Carol, the bacon making his cheeks puff up slightly.

"I love your cookin'" he mumbled his mouth full of food, "Better than the crap at my place"

Carol gave him a small fond smile before attending to her own breakfast, Daryl's foot nudged Carol's leg slightly.

"So, what ya doin' today?"

Carol sighed taking a sip from her mug.

"Picking up Sophia from Lori's, and probably tearing down all this 'Christmas crap'" She smiled at herself for a second before shaking her head again and moving her mug back to her lips.

"Ed making you do that?"

Carol nodded silently; Daryl nodded quickly his temper beginning to rise again. All he wanted to do was kill Ed or at least make him pay. Carol didn't deserve this, hell nobody did and what give Ed the right to make her suffer this?

"He's a bastard" began Daryl huskily, "If I see him again I'mma break his fingers" he growled angrily, He was fucking sick of Ed's shit.

Carol's hand gently rested on Daryl's, she squeezed it carefully as she shook her head at him.

"It's too early for you to be this angry already" she sighed. Daryl nodded silently returning the small squeeze. "So what are you doing today?" Carol asked letting go of his hand.

"Workin' in the shop" he sighed.

Carol's eyes widened slightly,

"On Boxing day? Really?"

Daryl shrugged grabbing his last piece of bacon from his plate, he didn't care about Christmas time anyway. For him it was just an occasion to get drunk and eat crap. Carol's eyes softened as she stared at him, he could tell she was concerned for him.

"Do you have to go straight to the shop?"

"Nah, Don't have to be in until 11:45" he sighed pushing his plate across the table.

She smiled, her fingers reached out to tangle with his again.

"Maybe you could come with me to pick up Sophia then, maybe stop in and say hi to Rick and Lori?" she suggested, looking up at him sweetly.

Daryl's mouth suddenly lost control as he heard her; he began choking quietly on his own saliva. Why the hell did Carol suddenly want to prance around with Daryl on her arm?

"Aint you worried people will see us?" he asked dryly trying to get his words back.

Carol shook her head slowly, the corners of her mouth curving. She stroked Daryl's hand reassuringly.

"I'm not afraid anymore" she smiled, she looked like she was going to cry. Hell he thought he might start choking up on how far his girl is coming. He leaned over the table gently, his lips pressed against hers softly.

"You're growing" he smiled against her lips.

Carol giggled against his lips before pushing him away,

"Go get ready"

"What about you?" he asked tucking his chair behind the table.

"I still need to eat" she giggled pushing him away, "Now go get ready" she smiled.

Daryl threw his hands up defensively,

"Fine" he grinned before bending over to kiss Carol again, his hands playing with the back of her hair.

"I'm serious" whined Carol as he pulled away; "Go" Daryl sighed moving away from Carol,

"Yes Ma'am" he muttered before making his way back up the stairs, the hairs on his legs beginning to stand up from the cold air blowing through the house. "Hey you mind If I turn up the heatin'?" called Daryl opening the bathroom door.

No response

"Carol" he called, "You mind if I turn up the heat?" he repeated loudly.

"Sure" she called loudly, Daryl nodded before turning the thermostat and shutting the bathroom door quietly.

Daryl stood silently in the middle of the bathroom completely unsure what to do, he had been in Carol's bathroom hundreds of times but he had never used anything of hers or Ed's. He stood for a second, waiting for his brain to come up with something for him to use. Suddenly his caught sight of his reflection, he groaned as he stared at it. He looked rough; it had been a really long time since he had bothered to shave. Daryl touched his stubble gently, letting it prick his fingers.

"Losing the war" he chuckled to himself as he stared at the mini grey hairs on his chin. His hand searched through the cabinet trying to find at least one razor blade. Ed had to shave every now and then didn't he? Finally after a few moments of searching Daryl pulled out a small green shaving razor. After a few minutes of awkward shaving, him cursing under his breath each time he cut himself a little bit and washing his face, his face was finally smooth. He stroked it gently; it had been a long time since he had bothered to shave.

He was 15 the first time he had attempted to shave after watching Merle for years, Merle had sat him down and gone through all the steps to shaving for him, he ended up cutting his face a lot and vowed to never shave ever again. He touched his face again, but he wanted to clean himself up for Carol after all they were leaving this shit town soon.

"You done yet?" called Carol from downstairs.

Daryl whipped his head around quickly, his hands scrambling for the bottle of lynx sitting on the shelf.

"Yeah I'll be right down" he responded quickly spraying himself and walking out of the door.

Carol's hands cupped Daryl's face almost immediately when he reached the bottom of the stairs, she pressed her face against his taking in his fresh scent. She smiled against him.

"I'm gonna miss the Dixon stubble you know"

Daryl swallowed lightly, his hands moved up her back carefully.

"Well you know, thought I'd clean myself up for you…us" he grinned, Carol's finger tickled Daryl's bare chin delicately as she continued to stare at him.

"I think it looks good" she beamed releasing him slowly," I'll only be a few minutes okay"

Daryl nodded, watching Carol walk back up the stairs towards the bathroom. He relaxed as soon as he heard the bathroom door shut, and he moved across the living room and flopped in Ed's large dirty chair. It was much like his dad's, but maybe that was a common thing between assholes. The chair stank of whiskey and old cigarettes. His eyes narrowed down carefully to see a few burn marks lining up the arm of the chair and he quickly jumped out of it, remembering the line of burns trailing up one of Carol's legs.

"Son of a bitch bastard" he muttered letting himself flop on the couch.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he reached for the television remote, he was still so tired of everything. He couldn't wait to leave this damn town with Carol and Sophia, to protect them and to forget useless memories.

"A mother and daughter have both tragically been seriously injured in a car accident. The driver-"

Daryl muted the television as something caught his eye, a small white book in-between the cushions in the couch. He slipped his hand in-between it and pulled it out carefully.

'Carol Anne Peletier 1994'

Daryl opened the book delicately, his eyes suddenly widened at the thousands of beautiful sketches on each page.

"Damn" he muttered impressed, he had no fucking idea Carol was an artist. Suddenly something made him pause, he flipped back one page gently. He squinted his eyes confusedly. On the small white page was a detailed sketch of Daryl.

'Daryl Dixon, my Cherokee Rose'

Why the hell is she drawin' pictures of me? Thought Daryl completely taken back. His fingers pinched his lips gently as he studied the picture, it looked fresh. He was so lost in studying the sketch of himself he didn't hear Carol come back down the stairs, Already dressed.

"You can take some leftovers from yesterday if you want, I've got plenty" she laughed walking towards the coat rack.

"Okay" called Daryl only half listening, he turned around in the chair. "Hey Carol, what's this?" he asked still focusing on the book.

Carol turned to look at him, her smile suddenly fading.

"Where did you find that?" she asked now pacing towards him.

"Between the chair's cushions" he paused for a moment shutting the book, "How long you been drawing?" he asked now staring up at her.

Carol placed herself gently on Daryl's lap, her hands stroking the back of his head as they flipped through the book together.

"Since High school, all I wanted to do was draw beautiful things" she smiled leaning into him slightly.

Beautiful things? Then why the hell was he in the book?

Daryl chuckled lightly shutting the book,

"I aint nothin' beautiful" he grinned nervously.

Carol shook her head; a small sad smile appeared on her face. She moved her hands delicately to cup Daryl's face pulling it towards hers.

"Oh Daryl" she began sadly, "You're the most beautiful man I've ever met" she sighed her voice flowed sweetly like honey. Daryl was taken back,

"W-we should leave now, Sophia's probably waiting for us" he muttered trying to get up.

Carol nodded hopping off of his lap; she threw the book underneath the bookshelf before she moved through the door. Before shutting the door for the last time Daryl glanced back at the small white book lying on the floor.

He scoffed.

He wasn't beautiful.

As far as he was concerned he was poison.

…

He drove for twenty minutes down the block and had finally reached Rick and Lori's house, his head was turned away from Carol. He was trying to think of things not to make him nervous. He had never been very fond of Cops, not from the experiences he had had with them. Bursting through his doors and taking his father away, although this did bring pleasure for Daryl he would usually be alone in the house for a week starving without his father bringing home food or hunting it. If his father was not being arrested it would usually be Merle, and it would usually be for drugs. Whatever the reason cops were crashing into his life, all he knew was he despised them.

He glanced over at the passenger seat as Carol began to fix herself up in the mirror, carefully stroking her hair neatly before untangling herself from her seatbelt and pushing the door open. He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it silently. After both feet were on the ground Carol turned around, her eyes squinting slightly when she saw Daryl not moving out of the truck.

"Aren't you coming in?" she asked leaning back into the truck.

Daryl shook his head taking in some of the smoke from his cigarette; he removed it slowly from his mouth before turning his head to look at her.

"Nah, you told me a while back that Rick's a cop. I don't do Cops" he rasped balancing his cigarette in the corner of his mouth. Carol blinked confusedly; she climbed back into the truck cautiously. Her hand rested on Daryl's arm gently as if she was suddenly afraid of him. He moved his hand to touch her softly to try to reassure her slightly.

"Why's that?"

Daryl sighed letting his cigarette fall from his lip and out the window, "Aint had no good experiences with Cops, they keep fuckin' things over for me and my family and treat me like I'm some redneck trash" he rasped.

Carol's hand softened beneath Daryl's, she raised another hand to place on top of Daryl's carefully adding a small reassuring smile.

"You can trust Rick you know, he's a good man"

Daryl shrugged again; he removed his hand from Carol's gently while his other arm moved to open the door. Carol didn't say a word; she simply smiled before opening the passenger side door and hopping out of the truck gracefully. She placed herself right at Daryl's side as they paced towards the door, where Daryl mumbled miserably;

"I know a ton of cops who said they were 'good'…bunch of god damn liars"

Lori whipped the door open almost immediately after Carol had knocked on the door, she had a bright smile on her face which quickly changed into a suspicious glare when she caught sight of Daryl hovering next to Carol shyly. He glared back quickly. He felt judged.

"Who's your friend, Carol?" she asked folding her arms seriously. Daryl's eyes squinted, who the fuck was she to judge him so quickly?

"Daryl" he began waving his hand slightly, "I'm jus' a friend givin' her a ride"

Lori raised her eyebrows unimpressed,

"Does Ed know about this?" she asked eyeing Daryl sideways. He was beginning to get pissed off with her bitchy attitude. What the fuck was her problem? All he had done was show up at the god damn door and try to be polite. Before Daryl knew it he could feel himself opening his mouth to snap at her.

"Why the hell does he need to know huh? It's jus' a damn ride he don't control her" he growled not once breaking his glare.

Carol slid her hand into his carefully and squeezed it, as if this was a way of telling him to 'Calm down' or 'stop making me look bad in front of my friends' Whatever she meant Daryl knew he had to be good for her. He wondered how many times she had attempted doing that to Ed when he got angry or if it ever worked on a bastard like him.

Lori nodded forcing a fake smile, when the three of them walked through the door Lori quickly shifted Carol away from Daryl's side leading her towards the living room. Daryl glared at her sharply, he opened his mouth to protest but she quickly interrupted him;

"Rick's in the kitchen, you can go grab a beer with him" she called shutting the door.

Daryl exhaled annoyed, what the fuck is her problem? He thought miserably as he turned to face the kitchen. Once he entered the kitchen the smell of onions and meat tickled in his nose, he stared quietly watching Rick cook not knowing if he should bothering going in and speaking to him or going back to the truck and smoking while listening to whatever crap was on the radio.

He cleared his throat hesitantly, immediately causing Rick to turn away from his cooking.

"Who are you?" he asked wiping the sweat away from his brow, Daryl swallowed shoving both of his hands into his jacket pockets.

"Daryl, I'm Carol's…friend" he began cautiously, "Jus' helping her pick up Sophia"

Rick nodded satisfied, his hesitant expression quickly changed into a smile as he made his way towards the fridge. He pulled out two beers and held one out to Daryl;

"You want one?"

"Thanks" Daryl muttered pulling out one of the chairs from the table Rick nodded as he shut the fridge and sat down across the table from Daryl. He dropped the two beers on the table while nodding approvingly to Daryl.

"So you a friend of Ed's?" he asked taking a sip from his bottle

Daryl shook his head at him, taking a giant gulp of his beer.

"Nah, Ed's a bastard" he rasped

Rick nodded his head again, his facial expression changing like he suddenly understood him.

"You know about Carol and him then?" he continued his finger beginning to play with the bottle. Daryl let out a small sigh and nodded again, and then suddenly something hit him which quickly filled him with rage.

"How the fuck do you know?" he snarled furiously pushing his bottle aside, Rick swallowed nodding his head in remorse. He could already see the guilt planting on Rick's face.

"For a few years, I've seen Carol with fresh bruises when she's picking up Sophia" he sighed. Daryl's fist banged on the table sharply,

"Then why the hell don't you fuckin' do something?" he growled. He had remembered having a similar conversation with another bastard cop who put it simply that the abuse against his mother was, 'Not his problem'

Rick swallowed pushing his own bottle aside, his eyes locked on Daryl's seriously as he opened his mouth to speak;

"If she hasn't gone to the police about the abuse I can't do anything" he breathed, his expression suddenly looking plain and emotionless. Daryl leaned back in his chair, his nose scrunched up in anger.

"Yeah, well that's bullshit, too many damn people sufferin' in silence" he snapped

Rick nodded mimicking Daryl slightly as he leaned back in his chair; he rubbed his eyes tiredly agreeing with him.

"It is bullshit" he began, "I take it you're close to her then?"

"You could say that"

"You two together?" he asked blinking tiredly.

Daryl shrugged again, why the hell was this cop all up in his business? Why did he give a damn about what Daryl was doing?

"You don't need to know" he growled

Rick shrugged; he glanced out behind Daryl eyeing the door carefully to make sure nobody else was listening,

"Whatever you're doing with Carol, just make sure you're taking care of her. I care about that woman and her daughter" he sighed turning his attention back to Daryl. Daryl scoffed loud enough for Rick to hear, he shifted in his seat uncomfortably before leaning into the table to glare at Rick.

"If you really cared you would've done somethin' by now" he growled not once breaking his stare from Rick. Rick smiled apologetically before leaning into the table,

"It's just one call and Ed's ass is mine" his voice was hushed and calm as he spoke. Daryl nodded, a small approving smile formed on his face when he moved his hand to grab his beer.

"His ass was already mine" muttered Daryl grinning slightly. Rick returned the smile and moved his hand to grab his drink,

"Oh yeah?"

Daryl was suddenly felt pleasure at the sudden positive reception he was getting from Rick, maybe he wasn't such a bad cop after all. "Yeah, yesterday he laid his hand on his wife so I stomped his ass" he grinned proudly. Rick glanced down at Daryl's bruised knuckles his grin beginning to grow.

"Looks like you did a number on him" he chuckled pressing his beer to his lips, "Good man" Rick held his beer up for a second while his other hand scrambled in his pockets for a second. After a few moments Rick pulled out a small crumpled up piece of paper and began scribbling on it quickly. He slid it across the table to Daryl carefully.

"You're gonna stay with her aren't you?" asked Rick, he watched Daryl carefully unfold the paper. Daryl glanced down at the piece of crumpled paper, it had a number on it.

"Course" he said slipping it into his pocket. Rick nodded; he pointed his finger in the direction of Daryl's pocket.

"If there's ever a disturbance of any kind, he hits her? He looks like he's gonna hit her I don't care. You call that number, I wanna be the first one to deal with that bastard" he growled looking angry for the first time during their entire conversation. Daryl nodded, his finger played with number carefully trying to keep it safe. He glanced up at Rick giving him a small approving nod and smile, Carol was right. Rick wasn't the bad cop.

"You know, you're an alright guy for a cop"

Rick's head tilted back and he laughed amused at Daryl's sudden change of heart,

"I'll take that as a compliment" he nudged Daryl's arm resting on the table slightly, "You're an alright guy too Daryl" Something quickly caught Rick's attention; he smiled brightly as he glanced over Daryl's shoulder at the door. Daryl turned around slowly to see Sophia shyly standing in the doorway. His eyes immediately lit up.

"Hey"

Sophia shyly waved, she opened her mouth but no words came out. Daryl smiled sympathetically at her, "You lookin' for your mom?" he asked now facing her.

Sophia nodded, she had her doll clutched in-between her arm and was now squeezing it tightly.

"She's in the living room with Lori" Rick called gently. Sophia nodded shyly and quickly paced out of the kitchen.

"See ya" Daryl called before turning around to look at Rick again, Rick gave him a small satisfied smirk before nudging him again.

"You close with that girl?" he asked shaking his empty bottle of beer disappointedly, Daryl shrugged he eyed his empty bottle and pushed it to the centre of the table.

"I take care of her with Carol, helped decorate her room for her"

Rick chuckled, "I heard about that, Sophia wouldn't stop talking about that all through Christmas day" Daryl smiled, he felt slightly proud of himself for giving her something to be happy about at Christmas. Someone had to didn't they? "You ever had kids of your own?"

Daryl scoffed, "Aint got time to have my own" he sighed glancing up at Rick sadly. He'd always thought about having his own kids but he was always afraid he'd fuck things up for the girl and the kid or he'd turn out just like his father or Merle. The kid would probably end up as messed up as me he often thought when the idea of kids ever popped into his head.

Daryl's attention quickly turned away from Rick when he suddenly heard the living room door creak open, he turned his head around to see Carol walking out of the living room with Sophia by her side. Her eyes were red.

"Daryl we're leaving" she sniffed calmly

Daryl nodded and stood up abruptly from his seat, he turned to Rick giving him a small approving nod. "Thanks for the beer, man" Before he could leave the kitchen Rick's hand was quickly on his, he looked concerned.

"Take care of them, alright" he said walking around the table to stand by him.

Daryl nodded, "I will" he gave Rick a quick smile before turning his back and walking out the door with Sophia as Carol stood in the doorway one last time. She hugged Lori tearfully the two of them muttering to each other that 'they'll stay in touch' and 'good luck'.

Daryl waited outside of the truck, his hand played with his keys as he waited for Carol to finally let go of Lori. When the door finally shut and Carol approached the truck, Daryl wrapped his arm around her waist gently. Afraid he was going to make her more upset than she already was.

"You told her then?" he asked turning the keys in the door. Carol nodded silently; her face was now scarlet from all the crying she had been doing. He turned his head to look at Sophia who was still clutching her doll as she sat in the back seat of the truck. "You say goodbye to…." He couldn't think of the kid's name.

"Carl" she muttered, "I didn't need to, I'll see him again" she smiled turning her head to look out of the window. Daryl nodded and turned his attention back to Carol as he drove away from the house, his hand rested on hers softly.

"You okay?" he asked driving up the street slowly. Carol nodded silently, there were still tears falling from her eyes gently. She sighed.

"I'm just going to miss Lori and Rick a lot" she breathed wiping a tear away. Daryl moved his hand away from the wheel and wiped another falling tear quickly with his finger, his hand softened around Carol's again.

"You should listen to your daughter you know, you'll see 'em again" Carol smiled weakly, she flipped her hand upside down so that she was now holding Daryl's hand.

"Thank you" she whispered linking her pinkie with his.

Daryl gave her a quick smile before moving his hand back to the wheel;

"I'm gonna drop you two off and head to work" he said miserably, he hated working at the damn mechanics. Carol turned to him slowly, her eyes immediately made her look afraid.

"H-How long are you gonna be gone?" she asked nervously. Daryl moved his hand to squeeze her thigh gently, she didn't need to worry the way she was he was going to be back.

"A few days, I still got a few things to sort out with the place…papers and shit" he sighed stopping at a stop light. Carol nodded and began to remove the sapphire ring from her finger delicately, she placed it in Daryl's palm and closed his fingers over it.

"It was your mother's" she began calmly, "Keep it safe for me, I don't want Ed seeing it and wrecking it" Daryl nodded understandingly and slipped the ring into his pocket carefully, Carol cupped the sides of his face gently and kissed his cheek whispering the words;

"Thank you" quietly.

Daryl drove down the block for another ten minutes, taking hesitant glances at both Sophia and Carol to make sure they were okay. He didn't want to leave them for a few days, hell he didn't want to leave them alone with that asshole for one day. If Carol or Sophia got hurt while he wasn't around he'd probably never forgive himself. He began to slow the truck down by the time they pulled up in front of Carol's house.

Still no sign of Ed's jeep.

He let out a sigh of relief before he opened the door and hopped out with Carol and Sophia. They stood in the cold holding each other for a few moments, their fingers tangled neither of them wanting to let each other go. He'd only just got her back he didn't want to disappear again. She pulled away forming a reassuring smile on her face;

"I'll see you in a few days" she whispered pulling him into a soft kiss. Daryl nodded his cold nose rubbed against Carol's softly as he moved his head,

"Stay safe for me?" he rasped as he pulled away from Carol.

"Always" She whispered detangling her fingers from Daryl's.

Daryl nodded and climbed back into his truck, flashing one more small smile towards Carol before driving away in the snow.

…..

Daryl groaned loudly at the emptiness of the mechanics, his brother and father hadn't turned which he knew meant he would be working alone for the next few hours. Fucking assholes thought Daryl miserably as he shoved the keys into the shop's lock. It was freezing when he walked inside, his eyes searched around the room for a moment and his teeth gritted together as he spotted one of the windows had been left open overnight. He stomped over to it while balancing on a box muttering under his breath;

"Lazy bastards, leaving me to do all the damn work"

He glanced over at the trucks in garage; all of them were pieces of junk. He sighed irritated and switched on the radio letting AC/DC blast through the radio, he lit himself a cigarette as he popped open the hood of one of the trucks and began working. He couldn't wait until he left this damn hick town, might even get a real job for himself and earn a lot of money to take care of Carol.

Carol

He really didn't fucking want to leave her, not after what had happened the night before. Who knows what lie Ed would make up in his head to convince himself why Carol was 'punished' He sighed rubbing his forehead gently, Carol was gonna be okay. Or at least he hoped she would be. The sudden sound of Daryl's father's truck filled the store, he groaned tiredly. Couldn't he have one damn minute without his family pissing him off?

He glanced over his shoulder and a louder groan came out of his mouth when Merle jumped out of the truck instead of his father. Fucking Great Daryl thought to himself frustrated. He turned his back on Merle trying to concentrate on getting the damn truck fixed; he'd be there all day if he didn't get it done. Merle burst into the garage quickly, knocking over one of the tool boxes.

"Does Dad know you took the truck?" muttered Daryl wiping the oil from his forehead.

He waited for an answer but instead Merle slapped him hard across the back of his head making him jump and hit his head on the hood of the car and spit his cigarette out, he whipped his head around sharply while holding his hand against his now throbbing head.

"What the fuck was that for?" he snapped painfully.

Merle didn't answer him; he slammed the hood of the car down sharply and smacked something on top of it. Daryl stared at him confused for a moment and suddenly his heart thudded at the sight of the pictures he had kept hidden under his bed now exposed. Carol and Daryl's faces grinned at him from the hood of the car. Daryl walked away still holding his head.

"What the hell are those?" he muttered trying to ignore them, like they meant nothing.

"I think you already know"

Daryl turned his back to Merle, avoiding looking down at the pictures. He wasn't going to let himself get caught out. "I don't know what the hell you're talkin' about"

"Oh really?" Merle began; Daryl narrowed his eyes back at Merle who was now scrambling through his pockets silently. He brought something small and shiny from his pocket, "You won't mind if I do this" he smirked. The flame stood up on the silver object, he moved it beneath one of the photos and Daryl immediately grabbed the pictures away from the hood of the truck.

"Asshole" he muttered wiping off the ash on the corner of the photograph. Merle sighed loudly as he shoved the lighter back into his pocket.

"What the hell are you doin' man?" he asked agonisingly.

Daryl shrugged as he flipped through the pictures carefully, the corner of his mouth curved slightly as he stared down at them. He'd never seen Carol smile that brightly before.

"Where'd you get these?" he muttered glancing up at Merle who was watching him flip through the pictures.

"Under your bed in a box, thought I could borrow a dirty magazine or something an' I found them" he said moving his hands to his pockets. Daryl nodded calmly and quickly shoved the pictures into his back pocket, simply muttering;

"They're from months ago, we ended it"

Daryl could immediately tell from Merle's expression he didn't believe a word of what he was saying, "That right?"

Daryl glared up at Merle; he wished he would just shut the fuck up about the damn pictures already.

"Yeah, that's fucking right" he growled.

"Then why are you shoving those pictures into your damn pocket huh? You still care about her or something?" he asked. He leaned on the hood of the truck his nails beginning to peel of the silver.

Daryl shook his head; he grabbed the wrench from the counter and pushed Merle aside as he popped the hood open again. Merle poked him sharply with his large fingers making Daryl flinch slightly, "I asked you a question, boy" snarled Merle.

"Nah man, I aint got time for women" he muttered turning the wrench carefully. Merle's hand leaned on the side of the car as he stood. With the sudden silence Daryl knew Merle was thinking of more reasons to yell at him about Carol. He was fucking sick of it.

"Seems like you cared enough to get your ass beat over that bitch and her brat" Merle rasped turning away from the truck. Daryl threw his head from beneath the hood sharply and shoved the wrench into Merle's chest angrily; he twisted it as he snapped;

"Don't fucking talk about them like that" he growled furiously, he was about five seconds away from beating the shit out of Merle to finally make him shut his damn mouth.

Merle pushed the wrench away from his chest and shoved it back into Daryl's making him shift backwards slightly, he smirked at Daryl.

"Why? That's what they're jus' like any other screwed up family here" he smirked underestimating Daryl. He seemed utterly amused by Daryl's sudden anger towards him.

"Shut your mouth"

"They're just as screwed up as you and I. maybe even more" he smiled, Daryl turned his back on Merle furiously taking small deep breaths like Carol had taught him to when he was pissed off. But it never worked; his anger always got the best of him. Especially when assholes like his brother were getting on his nerves.

"I'm fucking warning you" he muttered under his breath. Merle's laughter suddenly filled the room sending a cold chill down Daryl's back.

"You think you actually mean something to that bitch? You don't mean shit to her" he spat, Daryl shut his eyes tightly trying to keep Merle's words out of his head, he was so close to murdering him right there. "You're just redneck trash nobody has ever given a shit about you except me and nobody ever will" he said coldly.

Daryl turned around abruptly, the wrench in his fist shook as he glared at Merle his cheeks flashed red as he opened his mouth widely;

"You wanna keep your teeth!?" he roared stomping over to Merle, his wrench was raised over his head ready to strike Merle down. He watched for a sign of fear but Merle just laughed in his face not flinching once.

"Go ahead take a swing at me, it aint gonna change nothing" he spat seriously; his arms were folded while he stared Daryl down. "She's gonna leave you just like everybody else, she's just like our mom she was weak just like her and she's gonna die just like her cause she aint tough enough to face this world just like her" yelled Merle.

Daryl's fist slammed straight into Merle's face causing him to stumble against the wall, he breathed heavily not caring about his throbbing fist. All he wanted was for Merle to shut the fuck up. Merle stared up at him, his nose dripped with blood which he let fall onto his shirt.

"You don't talk about our mom" rasped Daryl furiously, "Shut your god damn mouth right now or I'll do worse than fuck up your nose"

Merle chuckled; he let his blood drip to the ground while he gazed up Daryl his smile widened across his face with pleasure as if he had suddenly gotten Daryl where he wanted him. Daryl stared down at him pityingly and grabbed the old burgundy rag from his back pocket and flung it down to Merle's lap. Merle's smile didn't disappear, even as he cleaned up the big blots of blood from his nose.

"I'm jus' tellin' you the truth baby brother and you can't handle it" he smirked satisfied with himself. He tossed the bloody rag back over to Daryl who quickly caught it with one hand and shoved it back into his back pocket, he muttered quietly to himself.

"God damn liar". And he went back to fixing the truck.

Merle rested his hand on Daryl's shoulder, making him flinch violently trying to warn Merle off. If Merle thought he was about to try and break Daryl again, he had another thing coming. He was ready to give him a black eye. "So, how long you been bumpin' uglies with her?" he smiled moving both muscly arms to rest on his back.

"A while"

"How long?" he asked, he dug his elbows into Daryl's back roughly. This was a way Merle had always tried to get Daryl to tell the truth whether it was if he stole his dirty magazines or who took the last beer in the refrigerator he would always wrestle him to the floor and stick his elbows into Daryl's back until he gave up the truth. And this time he was beginning to win.

Daryl shifted his back slightly trying to get Merle to back off, He stood up slowly from the truck and turned to look at Merle.

"Almost a year, In January" he muttered. His eyes focused away from Merle's as he watched the sudden disappointment in his face appear, he swallowed nervously. Even though he hated Merle he hated disappointing his big brother.

Merle's hands rested on his hips, he shook his head as if he was suddenly ashamed of Daryl. This made Daryl's stomach suddenly tighten even more than it already had been. The corners of Merle's mouth curved slightly as he moved his head to glance up at Daryl again.

"So, you been puttin' the wood to this whore for almost a year" the smile grew wider on his face, "An' I'm only jus' findin' out about it?" He took a small step forward making Daryl flinch slightly, if Merle was about to punch him he was about to be ready. Merle rested his hand on Daryl's shoulder again and gripped it. "You gotta stop this shit now, Derlena" he said. His smile faded from his face.

Daryl shook his head finally raising his eyes to properly look at Merle again,

"I aint leaving her with that bastard, not now"

Merle slammed the hood of the truck down and hopped on top of it, Daryl didn't stop him. Neither of them liked the bastard who owned the truck anyway.

"Why baby brother? I've seen ya with other girls and that shit only lasts a month tops" he paused for a moment, his eyes studied Daryl carefully and suddenly he looked grey. "Derlena, you in love with her or somethin'?"

"None of ya business" he shrugged. He leaned against the truck and the two of them exchanged silent stares. Merle's eyes tightened and his head shook as if he couldn't process any of the information Daryl was giving him, he opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a loud scoff. He slammed his hand on the truck and suddenly he was yelling.

"You tryin' to cuddle up with her or something? Try and get Ed out of the fucking picture" he shook with rage. "Love gets ya killed baby brother fucking remember that" he spat.

"I aint stayin' away from her" snarled Daryl. Merle stared at him bewildered at Daryl's lack of discipline. His nose crinkled as he began to shout again, his body made the truck wobble with his rant.

"You gonna marry her? Is that it? Jus' run away and live some perfect life? Well I got news for you baby brother that aint gonna happen. You're a Dixon you got bad luck in your blood you're jus' gonna end up alone and she's gonna end up dead" A single vein stood out in the middle of his forehead. Daryl opened his mouth to shout back but Merle sharply waved his hand to shush him and continued to yell, "You can't even afford your own place how the hell are ya gonna afford a ring or things to take care of them?" he snapped viciously.

Daryl didn't respond, his mind had already shut down the minute Merle's rant had started. He was done listening to his bullshit. He played silently with his Mother's ring which was still tucked into his pocket, no matter what points Merle made it wasn't going to change his mind. He was going to save Carol Peletier whether he liked it or not. Merle paused for a moment as he caught his breath back; he stared at Daryl's head bowed to the ground while his hands moved around his pockets.

"Daryl" he began, his sudden calmness taking Daryl off guard. "You aint giving her Mom's ring are ya?" Daryl's head shot up quickly he blinked surprised at Merle's mention of their mother, after her death and after all the arguments over her ring, He refused to speak about her. He wouldn't even acknowledge the fact they'd ever had a woman living in the house for several years.

Daryl shook his head, his fingers locked over the ring protectively.

"Course not"

Merle nodded and slid his hands back to his sides, he sighed and stared at Daryl for a few moments unhappily. "I don't want to lose a brother" he breathed deeply, "I'm gonna help you and put an end to this shit"

"What the hell are you gonna do?" asked Daryl suddenly defensive again.

Merle breathed again, he slid off of the hood of the truck.

"If ya don't stop seein' her, I'm gonna tell Ed and I mean it" his eyes were locked on Daryl's. "Merle might even be able to handle her properly if I tell him" as he said this the corners of his mouth perked up. Daryl just couldn't place it, what the fuck was wrong with his brother? Did proving a damn point mean that much to him that he had to risk his own fucking brother? He jumped away from the car sharply, his eyes were wide and his fists were ready again.

"That's your big fucking plan?" he cried, "He'll kill her and he'll still touch me no matter how innocent you try to make me" he snarled. Merle shook his head disbelievingly, his hand grabbed Daryl's shirt sharply.

"If you don't listen to me, you're paying the consequences boy "he growled. Daryl shook himself away from Merle, angrily shoving him against the wall before turning his back on him.

"Fuck you" He opened the door and began walking.

Merle quickly followed behind him still trying to grab him every now and then but Daryl kept shaking him off furiously.

"I'm jus' trying to help you!" he yelled

Daryl flashed his middle finger and jumped into his truck, he turned the key to start the engine and rolled down his window to look at Merle.

"Fuck you, keep your damn help to yourself"

Merle's eyes were suddenly cold and stone like.

"If you walk away now brother, you're gonna pay for it!" he cried, the vein in his neck stood out as he glared at Daryl pulling away.

He shook his head.

"I aint walkin' away I'm doin' the right thing" he called before speeding off down the street and flashing his middle finger one last time.

….

Daryl pulled up in front of 'The Drunken Deer' after thirty minutes of muttering to himself angrily and going through packs of cigarettes like they were candy. He sat in the car for a few moments with his head tilted back painfully he felt sick and raw, So he pushed the door open and immediately stormed into the bar expecting there to be a lot of people, he was shocked to find the entire place abandoned. But that didn't stop him; he hopped on one of the stools quickly and banged on the bar eagerly. He needed a good, strong beer from Phillip. When he glanced up he was taken by surprise again, Phillip wasn't standing in front of him. Instead it was Martinez, one of the bartenders who also worked at the bar but he rarely ever saw. Something wasn't right.

"Give me a strong beer" he muttered. Martinez didn't speak; he grabbed a glass from the side of the bar and began pouring it. Daryl glanced over the bar slightly to look at him, "Say, what happened to Phillip?"

Martinez shook his head while pouring himself a glass, "Some heavy shit man" he took a sip from his glass quickly, "His wife and daughter crashed last night when they were coming back from her mom's" he said sadly. "It was all over the news today, had to turn the TV off" he sighed wiping a small puddle of beer on the end of the bar.

"Shit man, how'd they crash?"

"Some drunk asshole drove into them, he's fine though" he leaned against the bar rubbing his head softly.

"What about them? They okay?"

"Maybe his daughter his wife though…" he paused for a second looking disturbed "…His wife's dead, she went right through the windscreen got the call early this morning"

Daryl shook his head and took a giant gulp of his drink, "God damn…" he muttered tiredly, he had no idea what he'd do if he lost Sophia and Carol like that. "You think Phillip will be alright?"

Martinez shrugged as he poured himself another glass below the bar, Daryl tapped lightly for another refill. "I don't know…Phillip is the kind of guy who seems like he can jump back from this. Might take him a while but he'll come back. He's strong" grinned Martinez fondly, his smile faded and he began to take shots from the glasses. Daryl sat at the stood with his palm pressed into his face, his finger whirled around the top of the glass gently.

When his Mom had died his Dad never really jumped back, the abuse would get worse and more frequent. His Dad and Merle would fight all the time to the point of him throwing him out a lot. He drank more heavily and constantly blamed Daryl saying;

'You let her die'

Or

'You could've stopped it'

And he grew up believing him, he didn't know how it was his fault but from the way his Dad screamed at him he must've had something to do with it.

He never understood his Dad when he yelled these things at him; his dad didn't give a crap about her when she was alive. Why should he when she's dead? His Dad was a tough guy but he let his anger take over him and make him more of an asshole than he already was and it rubbed off a lot on him and Merle, Mainly Merle.

Ugh Merle, Daryl grabbed his glass swiftly and gulped his drink down. He didn't want to think about that asshole. He turned his attention to over to Martinez and tapped on the table quickly catching his attention.

"Hey, where is everybody? Usually the place is packed by 11am"

Martinez sighed and threw his rag over his shoulder lightly,

"Phillip threw everyone out when he got the call, he kept yelling saying 'I could've been with them' and 'you kept me here'. He wouldn't stop screaming at them to get out"

"Damn, why're you still here then?" he rasped taking another sip.

"Phillip wanted to keep me here to keep things running later I guess, I don't know" he shrugged.

"What about your family?"

Daryl watched as Martinez lent forward on the bar, he looked like he was about to go into a long story. "Things aint been great with me and my wife, my wife and kids are at my parent's this year while we work things out. Doesn't look good though" he sighed pouring a third drink in a shot glass.

"Aint you worried?"

Martinez narrowed his eyes up slowly and shook his head,

"Doesn't matter does it?"

Daryl shrugged and quickly went back to gulping down his drink, it was really turning out to be a shitty morning for him after all. Martinez silently lit himself a cigarette, the smoke burned sweetly in Daryl's nose. God, he could use a smoke. Martinez narrowed his eyes over to Daryl noticing him eyeing the cigarette in his mouth. He walked over and threw the pack on the table, they both exchanged silent looks before Daryl grabbed one out and inhaled.

"So, where's Merle today?" he asked leaning against the bar.

"Fuck Merle" he groaned, he took another giant gulp of his beer and laid his head down on the table sharply. Martinez squinted his eyes slightly and bent down to look Daryl in the eye, he stared at Daryl's fourth empty glass concerned.

"You alright man?" he asked moving the glasses aside.

"Everythin' is fine as hell" he muttered sloppily.

Martinez rolled his eyes.

"C'mon man, what's going on with you and your brother?"

Daryl sat up sloppily; the beers were beginning to go to his head.

"He's jus' being a jackass, it don't matter" he eyed the beer taps and grabbed his glass, banging it on the bar. "Another beer"

He inhaled his cigarette as he watched Martinez pouring the fifth glass, Martinez chuckled nervously.

"Man you should probably go easy on these, this shit will kill you" he laughed.

Daryl shrugged and put his cigarette out. His head tilted back as he gulped down his drink in one go. Martinez stared at him, his arms were crossed over his chest.

"I'm gonna go in the back to stock up some more drinks, okay?"

Daryl nodded before resting his head on the table again, he shut his eyes lightly as he let the smell of whisky burn in his nose.

Fuck this day had gotten depressing quickly.

…..

He woke up a few hours later with his face pressed against the wood of the bar and Martinez poking him sharply with his finger. His neck was stiff and sore from staying in one position for several hours. He muttered something quietly as Martinez continued to poke him;

"You poke me one more time and I'll break your fingers"

Martinez didn't stop he continued to the point of Daryl sharply lifting his head up and punching him hard in the chest muttering again for him to "Knock that shit off"

"C'mon man you gotta go, I'm closing up" he sighed stretching to turn off the television above the bar. Daryl's eyes flickered open sleepily, his head hurt like hell.

"What time is it?" he rubbed his eyes gently.

"Six thirty, no one's been in all day" he breathed setting down the bar rag.

Daryl's ears pricked up quickly, he stumbled as he slid himself off of the bar stool and grabbed the money from his pocket.

"Why the hell didn't you wake me?" he growled setting the money down on the bar, he didn't have very much on him.

"You looked like you'd had a rough morning" he slid the money over the bar, "And keep it; the beers were on the house".

Daryl nodded and slipped the money back into his pocket, "Thanks man" he rasped before heading towards the exit. Martinez walked away from the bar and switched off the lights.

Once they were outside and Martinez had locked the door he turned to Daryl as he walked back towards his truck,

"I hope you sort things out with your brother"

Daryl nodded not saying a word and climbed into his truck quickly, the snow was beginning to get heavier. He turned on the radio as he drove, letting the Beatles blast out. For once he didn't mind listening to it, because it reminded him so much about Carol. He suddenly felt himself grinning as he thought of her and then he thought of the house. Their house by the beach. It was the first thing he had done without fucking it up and he was proud. He finally had something which was really his and he could share it. He smiled to himself proudly.

When he reached the house it was in complete darkness, his father snored loudly in his chair. When he switched the light on he saw the bottle of whiskey in his hand and sighed groggily, every fucking person in his family was an asshole. He couldn't wait until he was over and done with this shit so he could leave. He stumbled towards the fridge tiredly and swung it open; all that was left was a rotting chicken leg. He sniffed disgusted and shut the fridge again. Suddenly his heart skipped a beat and he quickly dropped his bag to shuffle through it. He grinned as he pulled out the cold turkey leg from the container Carol had given him and quickly began chewing it. He wondered around the house and eyed the phone a few times wondering if he should call her or not. There was still a chance Ed would pick up instead of her. He stood in front of the phone and stared at it for a few seconds before deciding to drop the food on the windowsill and pick up the phone.

It rang,

Once

Twice

And then stopped ringing all together.

He could hear Carol's calm gentle voice saying "Leave a message" and then the sudden beep. He stared at the phone and put it down again. Maybe Ed was asleep and ignored the phone to avoid waking him. He paused for a few moments wondering when suddenly he was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and Merle whistling as he walked through.

He glanced over his shoulder at him and picked up his plate to continue chewing on the turkey leg,

"You with Ed?" he mumbled, his words muffled.

"Mhmm and I've cut you loose lil brother" he grinned proudly as he walked up to Daryl and took the plate from his hands.

"What?"

Merle leaned against the counter and licked his fingers as he dug into the already half eaten turkey, "You gonna be jus' fine. It's gonna be the two of us jus' like before" he smiled suddenly triumphant.

Daryl stepped away from the phone and stomped over to Merle quickly, his fist hit the table making Merle lean back slightly the smile fading from his face.

"What the fuck did you do!?" he shouted, his voice suddenly sounded slightly frantic.

Merle slapped him around the head sharply and pointed to their father sleeping,

"Shut the fuck up, do you want to wake him up?"

Daryl didn't give a fuck, he shoved him harshly. He fell, his back hitting the fridge sharply and his hand knocking down a glass. He stared at Daryl bewildered, his furious eyes pierced through him.

"What the fuck did you do? Carol aint answering the phone!" he screamed not turning his head once when he heard his father groan quietly.

Merle smiled proudly and straightened his back against the wall as he stared Daryl straight in the eyes. His heart slammed against his chest making it hurt, he could feel his fists shaking not sure if with anger or fear. He could hear the blood beginning to rush within him as Merle's smile grew wider.

"He must be disciplining her"

Daryl's hands shoved Merle against the wall again, making his head thud.

"What the fuck are you talkin' about!?" he barked

"I told Ed about you and Carol, you're scot free lil brother" his smile bad Daryl's stomach burn as well as make his heart ache. His grip tightened on Merle's shirt as his head directed to the ground, his breaths grew heavier and heavier until Merle's hand rested on his. He looked up sharply and his nails dug into Merle's skin making him wince slightly.

"What the fuck did you tell him?" he snarled

He shook his head, his smirk growing.

"I told him about her seducing the shit out of you, making you confused" he pushed Daryl's hand away gently as he continued, "He didn't take it well, damn well rushed out of the bar muttering that he was gonna teach her a good old fashioned lesson that she'll never forget" Merle's smile was poisoning, Daryl couldn't do anything in that moment but scream angrily as he began to punch Merle repeatedly.

"I'll kill you!" he roared. Merle opened his mouth to speak but Daryl was already on him, punching him, kicking him and slamming him against the wall. His teeth were bared as he glared at Merle slumped against the wall, blood pouring out of his nose and mouth.

"You son of a bitch, if that asshole hurts Carol in any way I'll make sure you pay, you and Ed." He growled still clutching onto Merle. He opened his mouth to speak again but Daryl slapped him around the head sharply to shut him up.

"If he lays one hand on that little girl because of you, I will kill you and I mean it" he said breathily. Merle struggled to speak; Daryl stared down at him pityingly and let him drop to the floor weakly. He spat at him before turning his back on his brother.

"I'm tryin' to save you, I don't wanna lose a brother" he wheezed weakly.

Daryl leaned over and grabbed him by the shirt again, he pressed his face into Merle's sharply making their noses touch.

"You listen to me; I don't give a fuck about what Ed does to me. All I care about is that little girl and her mom. If anything anything happens to them I'll put a bolt in you and him" he hissed slamming Merle against the wall.

Merle spat a blob of blood on the floor.

"Fuck you then" he breathed, "You're tainted you're both tainted-"

He was quickly interrupted by the sudden loud shrill of the phone, Daryl didn't hesitate he quickly sprinted over to the phone quickly and picked it up sharply.

"Carol?" Daryl's voice came out quieter than he expected. He could hear the phone tremble slightly and a few muffled cries. "Carol?" he repeated worriedly.

"I-I found your number in mommy's jacket" Daryl clutched the phone tighter at the sound of Sophia's voice.

"What's wrong? Are you okay sweetheart?"

"Daddy's hurt mommy she's not waking up" her breaths started to get quicker as she began to sob, "I'm scared"

Daryl hushed her quietly, "It's alright breathe okay?" he was beginning to have trouble with his own breathing but he had to stay strong for her, he breathed deeply brushing his fingers through his hair lightly. "Where are ya?"

She sniffed.

"In the living room"

"Where's your dad?" he asked holding the phone even tighter.

"He left" her voice shook. "He-He tried to take me with him" she whispered beginning to cry all over again. Daryl shushed her calmly and stroked the phone softly forgetting Sophia wasn't with him.

"Hold on tight, I'll be there as soon as I can" he promised, "If your dad comes back hide alright? I'll deal with him"

"Okay" she whispered.

The line went dead and Daryl set the phone down gently. The house was in complete silence as he stood there; his hands were tangled in his hair while he remembered to breathe. The silence was quickly interrupted by the sound of Merle's obnoxious voice;

"Who the fuck was that? Was it the whore?" he sniggered

Daryl turned around sharply and grabbed his keys from his pocket, he walked over to Merle quickly and kicked him abruptly in the shin,

"Nah it's her little girl, probably scared out her mind cause her mom aint breathin'!" he growled turning away from Merle and heading towards the door.

"Shit is she okay?"

Daryl shrugged and grabbed his bag off of the floor, Merle stood up shakily from the wall and limped over to Daryl slowly, he rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry lil-"

Daryl shook him off and opened the door.

"Save your shit" he muttered before slamming the door.

After a few frustrated moments of trying to start the engine he finally sped off down the street swerving by cars and almost hitting them. He didn't care if he hit anything he was determined to get there in time before Ed did worse.

Was she dead?

Daryl shook his head angry at himself for thinking that, she couldn't be dead. She just couldn't be. Fuck, he'd never ever forgive himself if she was dead. God he could only imagine what Sophia saw when she found her like that. He smacked his head angrily; He was going to fucking murder Ed if he ever saw his face again.

After a few minutes of driving dangerously down the street, he finally reached Carol's house and jumped out of his truck without any hesitation. His fists beat against the door sharply while he yelled.

"Sophia! Carol!" he yelled frantically.

No response.

His stomach tightened and he breathed deeply before stepping back slightly,

"Sophia if you're near the door step back. I'm breaking it" he called before bashing the door repeatedly with his foot, with the fourth blow to the door it finally swung open and he sprinted into the house. It was darkened and freezing with no sign of Carol or Sophia. He could feel a chill rise up his back.

"Sophia? You in here, it's Daryl!" he called searching around the room.

Still no response.

He sighed and quickly began searching for Carol around the house. Please don't be dead; please don't be fucking dead he thought to himself weakly. He was dreading seeing her body. Suddenly he felt two, small, warm hands wrap around his waist. He glanced down to see Sophia sobbing into him quietly. She clutched him tightly. He could hear her wheezing.

He kneeled down in front of her and held her close to him, letting her cry.

"Breathe lil' darlin' I'm here" he muttered. She pulled away, her tears still streamed down her face.

"He-He tried to take me after he hurt her, b-but I hid in mommy's closet. That's when I found your number" she stuttered shakily. "I was so scared"

Daryl shushed her again softly.

"Where is she? Your mom"

Sophia didn't speak, her hand slid into Daryl's softly and she led him through the dark house to behind the couch. As soon as they both caught sight of her Sophia broke down in tears again and buried her head into Daryl sobbing quietly.

His heart skipped a beat when he laid his eyes on her, his chest suddenly felt tight and he thought he was going to either break down or break something. Her eye was swollen and black, the top of her head still bled scarlet blood and her face was almost covered with bruises and so was her neck. He breathed deeply it didn't look like Carol at all. It couldn't have been Carol.

He knelt down slowly releasing Sophia and pressed his ear against her chest waiting for a heartbeat he waited a few seconds and suddenly felt a thud against his ear. He let out a small sigh of relief and turned around to look at Sophia.

"She's alright…I'm gonna get some help okay?" he breathed. Sophia nodded and moved to sit on the floor next to Carol, her hand slipped into Carol's gently and she squeezed it.

Daryl shook his head and quickly shoved his hand into his pocket scrambling for the number Rick had given him earlier; he walked over to the phone and dialled the number desperately.

"Hello?"

Daryl's mouth suddenly felt like it wasn't working; he swallowed lightly and pressed the phone closer to his ear.

"I need help man, now ambulances more cop anythin'" he rasped weakly.

"What's wrong?" his voice sounded both soft and concerned. Daryl breathed resting his hand on his forehead.

"I fucked up" he breathed dryly He could hear Rick moving around with the phone.

"Okay, I'll be there soon" he swallowed and quickly hanged up the phone.

Daryl stood there in silence for minute not knowing what to do, he couldn't breathe and he could blink he just stood there motionless with the phone hanging from his fingertips. Sophia lightly slipped her hand into his and squeezed it gently, he glanced down at their two hands tangled together and he swallowed forcing a quick, weak smile.

"C'mon I'll move her so she's comfortable" he muttered dryly. He bent down slowly and carefully scooped Carol's delicate body into his arms gently and set her down on the couch trying not to drop her. Once Carol was on the couch and he had sat down on the coffee table, Sophia quickly climbed onto the coffee table next to him, her hand once again linked with his. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him,

"Everything's gonna be alright you know, you're mom is gonna pull through this" he promised "She's strong like you and me" he smiled weakly. Sophia didn't smile back she simply just buried her head into Daryl again and began sobbing, he rocked her gently as her body shook. He shushed her soothingly "It's okay aint gonna let anybody hurt you or your mom again" Sophia nodded silently, she pulled away from him and whispered quietly,

"Please don't go." Daryl shook his head and pulled her close again,

"I aint gonna leave you not with him" he pulled her away gently, "Help's gonna be here soon, go get ya stuff" he urged. Sophia nodded silently and ran up the stairs, she began to sob again.

He sat in silence just watching Carol, she looked weaker a lot weaker than he'd ever seen her. There had been so much done to her by Ed, he never thought he could do something as bad as this to her the bruising was too awful. Fuck he had been telling Sophia over and over that she'd be okay but would she? He was just lying to himself and her. He suddenly felt tears begin to fall down his face and he wiped them away quickly and angrily. God dammit he thought to himself furiously and he moved to crouch down next to her, his hand clasped hers desperately and he sniffed lightly not knowing what to say.

"Fuck" he muttered, and then he looked at her again this time the tears just wouldn't stop. "I had one damn job and I fucked it up" his voice cracked, "And I'm sorry, I'm so fuck-" he couldn't finish his sentence. He just bowed his head swallowing delicately, "If you pull through this…I'll make it up to you I promise-"

Daryl's sentence was quickly cut off at the sound of sirens blasting outside, the red and blue lights flashed; he sprinted straight to the door and flung it open. He began waving his arms in the air signalling Rick to look at him as he stepped out of the cop car.

"She's in here!" he yelled

Rick turned his head and began pointing in Daryl's direction his hands also waving desperately. The paramedics rushed through the door pushing Daryl aside; he stood in the doorway as he watched them crowding her. Rick moved next to him slowly he shook his head sadly.

"What happened?"

Daryl swallowed dryly.

"I fucked up…I didn't get here in time…" Rick nodded and patted his shoulder gently,

"It's okay man" he turned his head towards the paramedics, "How is she?" he yelled. One of the smaller paramedics stood up,

"She's alive but there's been a lot of damage done to her" he called.

Damage

Daryl covered his head with his hands sharply, he breathed deeply. Fuck, this was all his fucking fault. Rick patted him carefully and guided him out of the house as they put her on the stretcher and put her into the ambulance. Out of Nowhere Daryl felt a force shove him against the wall, he looked up sharply to one of the cops holding him up.

"Did you do this shit?" he growled, Rick moved behind him trying to pull him off of Daryl. He shook him off quickly.

"Shane stop" Rick urged

"I didn't do shit" he spat angrily, suddenly forgetting his sadness. Shane leaned his face in close with Daryl's, he held onto Daryl's shirt tightly.

"You sure I know you people are known for this kind of crap"

Daryl's eyes squinted, his fist raised quickly and Rick speedily intervened holding his fist. His other hand pulled Shane backwards sharply.

"Get back to the car now" he growled. Shane gave Daryl one last dirty look before letting him go and stomping off to the car moodily. Rick rested his hand on Daryl's shoulder and they both exchanged silent nods. "You know he could've put you away if I hadn't stepped in"

Daryl shrugged, "Thanks" he muttered with his hands tucked into his pockets as he stared at the ground. Rick's grip on Daryl's shoulder tightened,

"Where's Sophia?" he sighed

"Upstairs. The son of a bitch tried to take her after hurting Carol" he breathed angrily. Rick nodded understandingly and squeezed his shoulder again as if to tell him to calm down.

"I'm gonna take her in for questioning"

"She's just a lil girl" he sighed turning to look at Rick, what the hell was he expecting to get from her after seeing her mother hurt like that?

"I know, I know we just need information on what happened" his eyes locked with Daryl's abruptly "We're gonna track Ed down and bring his ass in" he said sternly, the furiousness in his eyes matched Daryl's.

Daryl crossed his arms and glanced up the dark stairway, he thought of Sophia and what he was going to do with her once they were finished questioning the two of them. He directed his eyes back to Rick quickly who was staring at him sideways.

"You want me to come with y'all?" he asked narrowing his eyes between Rick and the staircase. Rick shook his head slowly.

"I don't need you to come, I'm gonna take her in for questioning and bring her back to mine" he sighed leaning against the door quietly. Daryl nodded muttering,

"That's a good plan" it again came out quieter than he expected it to. Everything going on just reminded him of the day his mother died, the neighbours popping their heads out to watch the 'show', the ambulances, the cops and the missing father. He moved his eyes to look at the staircase, he watched as Sophia silently trod through the house, her body still shook as she sniffed. As soon as she reached outside her hand immediately linked with Daryl's again.

Rick knelt in front of her and took her other free hand in his.

"You're gonna come with me and then I'm gonna take you to my house" he said forcing a weak smile. Daryl slowly slipped his hand out of hers, turning around to his truck.

"I'm gonna go see Carol" he muttered quietly. Before he could even take a step Sophia's hand was quickly locked with his again. The two men both looked down at Sophia's tight grip and exchanged silent looks.

"I want to stay with Daryl" she whispered quietly. Daryl and Rick looked at each other for a few seconds, he glanced back over at the flashing ambulance lights and down at Sophia's hand. He could see the fear in her bright eyes and it immediately reminded him of himself, there wasn't anyone to hold onto Daryl while he sobbed for his mother. But there was for Sophia.

He nodded.

"I'll stay with you" he began and the three of them walked to the car quickly, just before he got in the back of the car he knelt down in front of Sophia, "After I've come with ya, you gotta go with Rick so I can check up on your mom" he said dryly. Sophia nodded silently and the two of them climbed into the backseat. As the police sirens screamed, Sophia pressed her head into Daryl's chest sleepily her tears began to dampen his shirt. He shushed her quietly and wrapped his arm around her shoulder repeating,

"It's gonna be okay"

But hell, what did he know?

…

It had been an entire hour and Sophia was still in questioning which pissed Daryl the fuck off, each time he saw one of the silver doors open he sat up expecting it to be Sophia and Rick but it would usually be another cop or a receptionist and each time he would throw himself back into his seat and groan miserably. She was just a little girl, what was she supposed to tell them? She's been through a lot and the last thing she needed was to be reminded of the entire damn thing. He leaned backwards in his chair and tilted his head backwards slightly with his hands covering his face.

I fucked things up for that little girl and her mom he thought to himself painfully. Should'a left them alone Daryl's hands slapped his head sharply. If I left them alone maybe she'd be… Daryl flopped back into his original position trying to ignore this thought nothing was gonna happen to them. Suddenly one of the doors opened and Sophia walked out quickly and wrapped her arms around Daryl, he looked down at her nervously and patted her back. Rick stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, he had a small satisfied smirk on his face as he watched Sophia latch onto him.

"I'm gonna have Lori pick her up" he turned to Shane who was also standing next to him and glaring at Daryl, "Take her to the front for me, Lori's on her way" Shane nodded obediently and moved next to Daryl signalling him to let her go. "I'm gonna take Daryl in for questioning" said Rick quietly. Daryl nodded and pulled Sophia away gently.

"I'll see ya soon" he rasped ruffling her hair before she walked away with Shane, who gave him one last dirty look before pushing through the doors.

Daryl sat in the cold room for thirty minutes answering all of Rick's questions, such as

What time did you leave her?

Or

Where were you at this time?

He was sick of it, every question just made him feel guiltier and guiltier to the point of him shouting at Rick that he didn't want to do this anymore. Rick had nodded understandingly and said he had enough answers anyway and proceeded to escort Daryl out of the room. Once they were outside he turned to Rick apologetically. He opened his mouth to apologise but Rick stopped his quickly muttering that he understood. Daryl nodded.

"What did Sophia say?" he asked shutting the door behind him.

Rick shook his head.

"I can't tell you that, it's police work" he sighed. Daryl tilted his head to the side slightly and let his hands flop to his sides.

"C'mon man, please"

Rick looked up and down the empty corridor and sighed,

"As a cop I can't tell you anything" he began Daryl lowered his head, Rick rested his hand on Daryl's shoulder gently and lowered his voice, "But, as a friend I can tell you Ed came home from the bar and started hurting Carol to the point of Carol yelling at Sophia to leave" he whispered quietly. Daryl's stomach twisted and suddenly he felt himself lose balance, he leaned against the door frame exhaling deeply.

"Fuck…" he muttered

Rick patted Daryl's back gently,

"It's okay man, you want a ride back to the hospital?"

Daryl shook his head and moved to sit back on one of the chairs,

"I don't want to distract you from finding that bastard Ed. I'll be okay" he breathed.

"Alright, but after you seen Carol get some sleep. You're gonna need it" he sighed turning around, Daryl nodded one more time and covered his face again once Rick was gone.

The ache in his stomach grew again.

….

He continuously shifted in his seat as he waited for the nurse to guide him to Carol's room, his stomach turned each time he watched the doors open and close and time seemed to fly by every time he shut his eyes. Minutes kept passing by,

5 minutes turned to10 then turned to 15

They seemed to be going quicker and quicker the longer he sat there and he was so god damn worried about her, he wanted to see her so badly but at the same time he was afraid to see her where all her bruises would be easier to see in the hospital's light. He groaned and doubled over letting his nails dig into his head painfully. What the fuck was he going to do? After all this mess they weren't going to be able to go back to normal and pretend everything was okay with her husband still out there and his brother.

Fuck

Fuck

Fuck

And then it hit him, the one option which had never occurred to him before and then the pain in his stomach grew even more. He had to let them go. Send them out to Savannah, hell anywhere safer than being stuck in this town. The house was already bought and half decorated and he had enough cash to give them to survive. He breathed in deeply still clutching his stomach as he sat there. Was it the right decision?

Even if they caught Ed, he'd still get out one day and make sure Carol pays. He'd hurt her even worse maybe even kill her. Or if he gets off scot free he'll never let her go. He felt like vomiting he felt so vile inside.

It was the only choice he could come up with.

If he stayed he could keep an eye on Ed, make sure he isn't gonna go looking for her. Him and Merle. The pain in his stomach quickly became unbearable and he rushed straight into the bathrooms, he keeled over in one of the stalls and vomited messily into one of the toilets. Groaning loudly when he hit his head against the wall of the stall. He grabbed a piece of toilet paper and wiped his mouth before shakily standing up and stumbling towards the sink.

He glared when he caught sight of himself in the mirror; he was poison getting rid of everybody around him. His mom, his dad, Merle and now Carol. Everybody left him and it was all his fault, Merle was right he was tainted. He leaned over the sink and ran the taps, his fingers brushed through the cold water and he splashed his face quickly. He lifted his dripping face up slowly to the mirror and elbowed it sharply trying to get rid of his reflection. He didn't need to see it.

The sound of a women's voice echoed through the bathroom, he glanced over at the door to see a woman standing hesitantly, her eyes were bright and green and her hair was short and brown. She had a worried smile on her face, which looked like it could light up a room.

"Mr Dixon, are you okay?" she asked, she had a light southern accent.

Daryl nodded wiping his damp face, how long had she been standing there?

"I'm jus' tired, that's all. Jus' so damn tired" he breathed walking out of the room with the woman next to him.

"Carol's been cleaned up and she's sleeping at the moment" she smiled softly, Daryl glanced over at her not returning the smile.

"She okay?"

"She's stable now" she smiled, Daryl nodded. The corridor felt like it was going on forever. "I'm Maggie by the way, My dad's doctor Greene he's taking care of her for you, we both are" she smiled, Daryl glanced over at her and this time returned the smile, muttering the words

"Thank you" quietly.

Daryl suddenly realised why Maggie had stopped, they were in front of Carol's room. He swallowed nervously; his guilt and discomfort began to build up again. He stood back shaking his head. Maggie turned to him, a small smile planted on her face and she slipped her hand onto Daryl's shoulder and stroked it gently.

"It's okay" she whispered opening the door.

They took a step into the room and his eyes searched over it, he caught the bed and his heart dropped at the sight of Carol's pale, weak, bruised face. There were tubes running over her ending at her arm and in her nose. Everything was silent apart from the sound of her machine. He blinked a few times but the tears, this time wouldn't stop falling. Maggie shut the door silently leaving the two of them in peace.

He covered his mouth with his hand trying not to make a sound, he pulled the chair out from next to the bed and sat on it, his hand quickly linked with her hand. It was still warm. His heart raced.

If had come sooner or if he hadn't tried to fight his problems with beer, she would've been okay. He let go of Carol's hand slowly and rubbed his face, what was he supposed to say? Don't be a pussy he thought tiredly and held onto Carol's hand again.

"Hey Carol" he began and stupidly waited for a response. He sighed and gripped onto Carol's hand gently. "you know, I feel guilty as hell for not being there I shouldn't have left and I'm sorry, I'm god damn sorry" he breathed. Another tear rolled down his face, "Most of my life I've been a useless son of a bitch and worth nothing to anyone" he paused, "But now I'm gonna make it right for ya"

He breathed in slowly, "When you pull through this, I'm gonna send you away you and Sophia you don't have to see me again" he choked on one of his tears, "until then I aint gonna leave ya, I promise. Just open your damn eyes please" he uttered quietly.

He waited for a response and got nothing.

"It's okay" he sighed letting his hand rest with hers.

After a few moments of silence he suddenly his hand tighten as he felt a small squeeze back, he looked up sharply to see Carol's weak smile.

"Hey" she croaked attempting to sit up. Daryl grinned back through his tears and Carol calmly wiped them away lining his face with her finger, "Don't cry I'm still with you, I don't want to see you cry" she hissed weakly.

"You scared the shit out of me" he rasped swallowing dryly. She continued to smile,

"You don't need to be scared" her eyes wondered around the room slowly, "Where's Sophia?" she asked sleepily. Daryl stroked her hand gently, he nervously shifted in his seat.

"With Rick and Lori, they're taking care of her" She nodded pleased and stroked Daryl's hand back,

"That's good" she mumbled, Daryl smiled painfully and bowed his head as he felt himself beginning to break. He stood up sharply letting Carol's hand go, she stared up at him worriedly.

"You should rest up" he breathed, her eyes suddenly looked sad and she gripped onto Daryl's hand tightly. Daryl smiled to himself, just like her daughter he thought amused.

"You just got here" she whined, he leaned over and kissed her hand gently before letting it go completely.

"I know but I got some things to sort out" he sighed sadly. She nodded understandingly and lay herself down gently.

"Hurry back to me soon?"

"Yeah" he muttered and then he walked out of the room. Maggie was still stood outside waiting, her smile brightened as soon as she watched him lean against the door. Her hand latched onto his,

"Are you okay?" she asked, Daryl slipped his hand away and nodded.

"Yeah" he lied.

But he wasn't at all okay.

…..

He had driven home through the darkness, by the time he had reached Carol's house all the neighbours were back in their homes and all the madness of the night had cleared up. He sloppily parked the truck in front of her house and made his way in. He walked up the stairs and entered Carol's bedroom, when he walked in the first thing he did was search for a suitcase which he found moments later under her bed along with her white lingerie. He set the suitcase on Carol's bed and began shoving her belongings into it.

After a few long minutes Daryl silently shoved the last bit of Carol's clothing into the suitcase, the darkness of her bedroom making it hard to see. He was sure this was enough; it had to be enough for her to leave with. She didn't have many things so maybe it was enough. He sighed miserably; he couldn't even get packing her suitcase right. He had checked over 3 times, she had everything although something was missing, but he couldn't understand what it was until it hit him.

Money

He quickly shoved his hand into his pocket to take out the remaining cash he had, but something made him freeze as his hand hit something hard. He lifted it out of his pocket delicately and suddenly felt a tight pain in his chest as he lifted the small sapphire ring out of his pocket. He shut his eyes tightly while his body bent forwards on top of the suitcase; he thrust his arms out quickly to avoid falling flat on his face. He shook while his hands squeezed the ring tightly almost to the point of the sapphire nearly cutting him. He didn't care about the pain, he deserved every little bit of it. All he cared about was Carol and he had fucked things over for her like he had everything else. He breathed deeply his heart racing beneath his shirt.

I fucked Things up

He shoved the ring back into his pocket and slammed the suitcase shut, he hid it in the back of her closet hiding it beneath a few old, worn out coats. As soon as the closet was shut and most of Carol's belongings were away he stumbled down the stairs and headed straight for Ed's alcohol cabinet. He quickly lost control; he began throwing them to the ground breaking almost every single one of them except for one. The Bottle, Their Bottle.

He pulled it out gently and stared at it. There was only half of it left but it was enough for him. He staggered over to the couch and popped the bottle open, pressing it to his mouth. After twenty minutes of drinking Daryl let himself drunkenly drift off to sleep.

….

It took Carol and entire painful week to recover for her and Daryl. He had been in pain every single step of the way the more he thought about the suitcase in the closet and what was coming soon. He hadn't been home once, he didn't bother to call or find out how Merle was. He didn't give two shits throughout that entire week he only called Rick to find out about Ed, they still hadn't caught him which infuriated Daryl. He wasn't going to let that bastard get away with what he did to her.

On Saturday evening the drive was long and silent, Carol and Sophia both slept in the back as Daryl drove down the icy roads from the hospital going through cigarettes quickly like they were candy. When he finally reached the empty house all he could see was the little suitcase tucked into the back of the closet.

Today was the day

Carol twirled out of the truck playfully and gripped both his and Sophia's hands; he was surprised at how happy she was to be home considering everything that went down. He stood in the doorway just watching the two of them walk through the house. He was completely emotionless. Carol turned to him, her smile shone brightly. She tangled her fingers with his and closed the door with her foot gently; he forced a small smile for her sake.

Without warning; Carol pressed her lips against Daryl's roughly. She clung to him tightly. He brushed his fingers over her body calmly.

"I love you so much" he exhaled his voice wobbled slightly.

"I love you too Daryl" she whispered against his jaw.

Today was the fucking day

She pulled away, smiling gently.

"When Sophia's in bed, maybe we could fool around a little bit" she grinned running her fingers up and down his chest. Daryl didn't know what to say, so he just nodded silently. She made her way towards the kitchen steadily and began to search through the fridge.

"Do you want me to cook?" she asked gently

"Nah, you should relax I'll just order out" he told her, chewing his lip slightly.

Carol's laugh filled the room.

"I'm not letting you eat that crap, I've still got a good meal left over from Christmas" she looked through the fridge for a few more moments and then lifted her head up again,

"I hope you're not tired of turkey" She grinned

It wasn't long before they were all around the table eating, Daryl picked at his food silently hardly putting anything into his mouth. His eyes were gentle and emotionless as he circled the food around on his fork silently. Carol stared at him for a few moments before slipping her hand on top of his, he didn't look up.

"Is there something wrong?"

He shook his head.

"Nah, I'm just tired that's all" he sighed

Carol smiled softly; her hand squeezed his causing him to look up this time. Her eyes were bright and hopeful unlike his.

"Maybe I could make you feel better"

Daryl pushed his plate forward while silently shaking his head; he wasn't in the mood for anything anymore.

"I don't feel like eating" he muttered quietly before creeping up the stairs and flopping on Carol's soft bed, it smelled like her. He wriggled uncomfortably out of his shirt and threw it across the room, his head dropped straight into the pillow and he was asleep within seconds.

He woke up a few hours later to Carol's gentle touch; her hands smoothened over his hair softly making him shiver. He didn't move he just lay there letting her get lost in his body.

"I just put Sophia to bed, maybe I could cheer you up" she muttered. Her arms wrapped around him tightly as she pressed her lips roughly to Daryl's. He moved his hands softly to her waist and pulled her away from him. She looked up at him helplessly but he just shook his head and laid himself back down on the bed quietly.

"I don't want sex" he began weakly, "I just…I wanna lie here with you" he said breathily reaching out to her.

"Daryl are you?-"

"Please"

Carol nodded and carefully set herself down next to him, without warning Daryl's arms were over her. He held onto her tightly with his head pressed into her back, he didn't want to let her go. After a few moments of just lying there, Carol felt Daryl shaking against her. Her hand stroked over Daryl's face, it came back damp.

"Daryl you're crying, are you alright?" she asked worriedly trying to turn over.

"I'm fine" he murmured, "Just quit askin' okay?" he breathed against her. Carol nodded understandingly and just stayed on one side letting Daryl hold her.

…

The bed squeaked as Daryl leaned over Carol, his fingers ran over her skin gently.

"Carol wake up" he whispered.

Her eyes flickered open slowly; she groaned quietly pulling the blankets over herself.

"What are you doing?" she asked sleepily, Daryl switched the lamp on and sat on the edge of the bed. He didn't answer her he just muttered simply,

"Get a jacket and Sophia and meet me in the truck"

Carol sat up slowly, her fingers wrapped around the nape of Daryl's neck softly.

"Daryl-"

He stood up from the bed making her stumble slightly, "Just move it…please"

Carol nodded silently and Daryl quickly scavenged through her closet grabbing the small suitcase, it shook as he held it. He paused just staring at it, he could just set it down and tell Carol to go back to sleep. But it was too late. He pulled the suitcase from the closet and stomped down the staircase without any hesitation.

He opened the glove compartment of the truck and pulled out two small train tickets

Savannah, Georgia

5:45am

He breathed in deeply, he had to stay strong and let them go. They were no good staying with him. After a few moments of waiting Carol and Sophia both sleepily climbed into the truck and he quickly sped off down the street not waiting for Carol to do her seatbelt. Her hand tightened around his arm sharply, her soft eyes had turned sour.

"What the hell are you doing?" she hissed angrily.

"You're leaving me" he sighed not taking his eyes off the road, he swerved slightly making Carol shift nervously. She stared at him, her eyes squinting.

"No I'm not"

"Yes you are" he began blankly; "You're going to Savannah without me. It's over between us" he told her flatly.

Carol shook her head, she gasped for air as she began to tear up.

"Don't do this to me Daryl, please" Carol croaked weakly, her hand tightened around Daryl's arm softly. He shook her off and sighed.

"I'm doing this so I can save you, to make sure Ed don't come after you and…" he paused for a moment, "So I don't fuck up your lives anymore" he breathed.

Carol bowed her head, she moved her hands trying to cup his face but he shrugged her off coldly and began to cry even more.

"You didn't fuck up our lives Daryl, you can turn around right now" she said weakly an awkward laugh came out of her, "We can live as a family together".

"I'm sorry"

"You said you weren't ever going to leave me" her voice cracked through the tears. He swallowed dryly, he hated acting so damn cold to her.

"That was before shit went down" he muttered stopping at a light. She opened her mouth and all that came out was a tiny croak, she tried to kiss him but Daryl shook his head shifting away from her.

"I love you" she breathed frantically.

He didn't respond.

"Tell me you love me, please" she cried trying to link her hand with his.

Daryl stayed in silence.

"Please"

He glanced over at her,

"You should go sleep in the back with Sophia, it's gonna be a long ride" he murmured Carol sat there with her mouth half open not knowing what to say, after a few moments of silence she crawled into the back seat clutching Sophia to her gently.

Once she was in the back he was finally able to breathe again.

Carol's steps stumbled when they finally reached the train station, she kept looking back at Daryl as if he was going to suddenly change his mind and take them home. But he didn't. He hauled their bags onto the platform after showing their tickets and waited in silence on the bench. Carol's fingers crept over to his and squeezed them gently. He glanced down at their entangled fingers and gave in slowly, he returned the squeeze and they both immediately exchanged sad looks. He swallowed dryly.

"I do love you, you know" he muttered. Carol smiled and sniffed softly, she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and kissed his softly.

"I know" Daryl smiled suddenly fighting back tears which were trying to escape. She turned to him blinking tightly before opening her mouth,

"Am I ever going to see you again?"

Daryl shook his head.

"You can't. Not with Merle and Ed there" he breathed deeply, "Live your life without me, I'm poison"

Carol shook her head; her fingers clasped his desperately as she stared at him.

"I don't want to, I want you!" she cried pulling him into a rough kiss. At first Daryl shut his eyes trying to fight it but soon he let himself give in, his eyes tightened while his fingers tangled messily in her hair. They kissed each other hard, kissing each other's lips, chin, jaw anywhere they could. Their tears met each other in the middle of their faces as they did.

Suddenly the sound of the train rumbled through the train station, they both let go of each other and stared neither of them knowing what to say. His stomach began to tighten and he felt sick. Carol turned to Sophia and took her hand leading her towards the train. He followed behind steadily.

"I'll meet you on the train" she whispered.

Before Sophia walked up the train's steps she moved to wrap her arms around Daryl tightly, pressing her head into his shoulder. He moved his arms around her holding her close.

"Goodbye lil girl" he muttered

Sophia pulled away; she smiled while shaking her head and simply said,

"I'm going to see you again"

Daryl nodded and grinned as he watched her climb onto the train leaving the two of them in silence on the platform. They both reminded silent until he remembered. He quickly slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out the small Sapphire ring. Carol shook her head,

"Daryl no" she cried, Daryl ignored her and carefully slipped the ring into her jacket pocket.

"You keep it safe for me okay? It can be a lil somethin' if you get afraid" he smiled weakly. Before Carol could speak Daryl roughly pressed his lips against hers one last time, his hands cupped her waist gently.

"We're boarding in two minutes!"

They both looked up exchanging sad looks; he smiled nervously letting her go.

"You should probably get ya ride" he muttered taking a step back from her. She nodded shyly,

"Yeah"

His finger stroked her chin gently.

"Stay safe for me?"

"Always" She smiled and then she climbed back on the train tearfully. The doors shut and the sudden roar of the train filled the station, he watched as they sat by the window cuddled up together. They both waved ferociously at each other and then,

They were gone.

He stood there silently suddenly unable to function.

A few hours later he pushed the door to his house open silently, it was in darkness just how he left it. He suddenly felt the force of Merle's hand slap him sharply,

"Where the hell you been? Boy?" he growled angrily.

Daryl shook him off and stomped to his bedroom ignoring Merle's angry yells, he slammed the door but the door quickly swung open again and Merle stood in the doorway with his hands on his hips.

"You with that bitch and her brat?"

Daryl leapt off his bed immediately and slammed Merle against the wall angrily,

"They're gone! They're fucking gone!" he hadn't realised he'd been screaming until he noticed his reflection in the mirror, "They're gone…They're gone" his words died down as he suddenly realised them. Merle's hand patted against him as his fists sunk down Merle's shirt along with his body,

"It's okay lil D" he breathed sinking down with Daryl.

"They're gone" he repeated

They were gone and they weren't coming back