Aftermath

by FullOnMess

AH & AU / Meeting as children, Daryl & Carol do all they can to create a safe haven for each other away from their abusive parents. As time goes on it becomes clear to both of them that all they have is each other. Spanning over 20 years, this story goes through the entirety of a seemingly doomed relationship, from its harsh & violent beginnings, through to the Aftermath

5. Age 14

Age 14 – Part 1

The two boys were crowding her, and she looked more than a little uncomfortable.

They kept a small amount of space away from her, but when she made a move to get away from them, they blocked her exit. So, she kept her head down and stayed quiet, with lips parted to aid her in sucking back harsh breaths.

He walked briskly in her direction, wishing he had of left class quicker instead of fucking around.

As he got closer he felt his blood boil and fists clench, preparing himself for what was coming.

He had always wondered why the boys snickered when Carol walked past them, but it didn't take him long to figure it out. He had fought back the urge to beat the shit out of them, because drawing attention to it would only serve to make Carol feel even worse than she already did. And if he could keep that from happening, he was willing to put up with them, even though he was sure he was going to grind his teeth down to nothing eventually.

Only one of the boys was talking, the butcher's boy, the nickname given because his father was the towns butcher, it wasn't too original but it had stuck.

He had seen the boy glaring at Carol before and he knew why the boy was pissed. But they didn't need to be talking to Carol about it.

That's what pissed him off, most the sick jokes and long stares Carol got had nothing to do with her or anything she had done.

"Think it's ok for her to be doing that shit to my family?" the boy accused, pointing his finger in Carol's face.

"Ya right girl?" he asked stopping the boy before he could say anything else.

Carol nodded and took the opportunity to finally move away from the boy who now had his sights fixed on Daryl.

"Let's just go" Carol whispered as she made her way behind him, her face was burning with embarrassment, but it only worked to make him more pissed off.

"Stay outta this Dixon. Got Fuck all to do with you" the boy snapped as his brow creased tightly.

"It's got fuck all to do with Carol too. Yet here we are" he announced extending his arms to the situation taking place.

The boy laughed and took a step in his direction, and Daryl locked his eyes on him, ignoring Carol who was pleading with him to walk away.

She was gonna kill him for this and he knew it.

"Ya know. Everyone wants to know if Carol is as easy as-"

Daryl's fist swung hard into the boy's face before he could continue, knocking him onto the ground.

He could hear the sounds of the other kids who were excited to see the fight taking place as he threw himself forward.

He didn't give the boy a chance to get up before he landed on him and started slamming his fist into the boy face once more.

It wasn't until he was pulled away by multiple hands that he heard the hushed voices of everyone that was circled around him. Everyone kept the circle tight, telling him to stop and shoving him away from the crowd.

He grabbed Carol's hand and led her through the group, seeing the Teachers that were slowly making their way over to see what the commotion was all about.

It wasn't until they left the school grounds that he slowed his pace, but Carol continued to pull him along. Her own anger fuelling her feet to move at speed that was almost comical for her tiny form.

"Feel better" she snapped dragging him down the pathway.

He titled his head with sarcastic consideration, before nodding.

"Yeah. I feel pretty good" he said rather confidently with a smirk, making her shake her head furiously.

"You wanna get suspended again, is that it?" she said, trying to keep her voice low, but he could tell it was a struggle.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"He ain't gonna say shit ta' no teachers. He ain't gonna say shit to you again either."

"You punched his jaw so many times I doubt he will be talking to anyone" she said with concern that made his feet stop moving, as he yanked her back to face him.

"You worried about that asshole?" he snapped, pointing back in the direction they had come from.

" He was just upset Daryl. You should have just walked away." She groaned, clearly frustrated with having the same conversation with him once again. It felt like they had this exact talk every other week.

"So he can talk to you like shit, about something that's got nothin to do with ya? How the fuck is that fair?" He growled.

Carol shook her head. "It's not about being fair. Its about understanding" she pressed clearly with a forceful tone.

" Then understand that I don't give a fuck about those pricks' feelings." He snapped, pointing back towards the school again.

Carol let out a heavy sigh and ran her fingers through her unruly auburn curls, shaking her head again. This was the sign that the conversation was done. He had seen this many times before. She did it right before the cold shoulder shit started. But right now, he didn't give a shit if she was mad. He didn't feel bad, and he knew that he wasn't going to be feeling remorseful any time soon.

"I'll see you tonight." she said looking over her shoulder towards her house before looking back to him. He nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets, avoiding her eyes as he walked closer to her and planted a kiss on her cheek.

After the gesture was done both of them turned and stormed off in the direction of their homes.

He was sure she heard him mumble bitch under his breath as he walked away,

just as sure as he heard her mumble asshole under hers.

---

"Blood on ya hands boy" his father announced from the bench, eyeing Daryl walking through the living room.

"Yep" he answered with a smug grin as he looked down at his hands. They were a lot worse off than he expected. He paused briefly and looked down and saw that he was covered in dirt and smeared blood over his shirt.

"Yours?" his father questioned as Daryl continued to walk towards his bedroom.

" Not a drop" he said shaking his head as he made his way up the stairs.

He tossed his bag through his door and walked across the hall to the bathroom to clean himself up. He had times to get ready, he wasn't in no hurry. He took a shower and got some clothes that weren't covered in blood and went through his messy room trying to find the book that he needed to return to the library soon. But he couldn't see it anywhere. He had already searched the tent and now he was going to have to search Carol and Paul's room for it. Or they would be exiled from the only place in town that offered free entertainment.

He ran down the stairs and began hopping into his shoes when he reached the hallway, ready to head out.

"Not gonna have the law showing up here tonight am I. Got shit to do without dealing with your crap on top of it." his father called out before chocking out some noise that was brought on by what ever drug he was snorting up of the bench.

This was about as nice as his father ever was. The combination of whatever he was on at the moment and the blood on Daryl's hands brought forward a side of the prick that he could actually tolerate for a few minutes.

He was pretty sure his father might actually like it if he just went out and killed someone.

"No one's comin. No one saw shit and the little piss ant ain't gonna say a thing" He yelled back, as he done his laces and made his way towards the kitchen where Hank was.

Handling Hank was easy when the old prick was in this mood, though it was a rare occurrence. A part of him wanted to bask in it and enjoy it before it faded. The smarter part of him was telling him to get the fuck out of dodge before his mood shifted.

He walked back into the living room as Jessie's car pulled into the driveway, both him and his father glancing at his car pulling up.

"I'll get outta ya hair then" he said receiving a nod from his father in response as he opened the door to the house and made his way out.

"Just saw ya shit head brother in town" Jessie announced with a smile.

"Not sure if the boy is up ta no good or was just born with that look plastered on his face"

"Probably both" he said with a smirk as he passed his uncle.

Jessie patted him on the shoulder as he passed and then turned his attention to Hank, starting a conservation that Daryl had no interest in listening to as he made his way down the driveway.

---

He sat at the kitchen table trying to listen to Dwight and Merle rattling on, though the loud music made it near impossible, it was even harder to pay attention when he saw Carol make her way through the crowded living room. She walked straight over to Sherry, Aaron and Paul, jumping straight into conversation with them.

She looked good he thought, scanning his eyes over the tight jeans and even tighter shirt, unable to stop himself from biting his lower lip.

He had seen the outfit before, but it didn't mean his breath didn't hitch every time she wore it, always sending the blood from his head into the opposite direction.

He was still pissed at her for being pissed at him and he sure as shit knew that she was not going to let this one go any time soon, but it didn't change anything.

He told Dwight and Merle that he would be right back before heading over to the fridge and grabbing a soda.

He made his way through the crowd until he reached her side, reaching out and lightly grazing his fingers down her arm to get her attention. She turned and looked at him with a warm smile that he returned, before leaning in and giving her a quick kiss that she accepted as always. He told her he would be in the kitchen if she needed him and handed her the drink before he left her to talk.

There was nothing too awkward about it. It was just how things were, it was how they had made things to be.

There was no bitterness or cold-hearted shit when they fought. If they were gonna argue, they did that shit in private and even then, they choose their words very fucking carefully. And when they parted ways, he kissed her and when he greeted her, he kissed her, she would smile, and he smiled back.

In the end all they had was each other, so they made sure that no matter what, they assured neither of them felt alone. They fought like cat and dog most days, but nothing they had ever fought over was worth making the other feel as though they didn't have someone if they really needed them.

He knew right now, if something was really upsetting him, he could walk right over there and tell her, and she would put all her anger aside and be there for him.

That was the most comforting shit on this earth.

When it got late the crowd started to thin until the regular faces were the only ones left. Aaron said he would take Sherry home, knowing both their parents would be waiting on their arrival.

He didn't know to much about it, but it seemed that Sherry and Aaron were in some kind of fake relationship. Sherry's parents would flip if they knew she was with Dwight and Aaron's parents would flip if they knew he was with….well any guy.

So, this was their way around it.

But he could tell the whole thing was getting to Paul more than anyone else.

Merle had said to him, that one day Paul and Aaron would just piss off and he hated to think that maybe they would both be better off if they did. This was no way to live. They didn't do anything to anyone, they were good people. But they lived with a dark cloud hanging over their heads every second of the day.

There were four seats at the small square table, Merle, Dwight himself had been occupying three of them all night. As Paul approached Merle's foot reached over to slide remaining seat out for him. Paul smiled and sat himself down, reaching over and taking a smoke from Merle's pack.

He looked up when Carol patted his shoulder, and he responded by sliding his chair back and snaking his arms around her waist as she dropped onto his lap.

She rested her head into his as everyone else continued their conversation, only interrupted when Paul's eyes landed on him and Carol.

"You two having a spat" Paul asked as he took a swig of his beer. Daryl shrugged in response, though it was quite obvious that meant yes.

"Now how in the hell can you tell! Pixie is curled up on his lap like a goddamn cat, how do you know they're quarrelling." Merle spat, more interested in Paul's apparent magical powers then the argument he and Carol were involved in.

Paul shook his head laughing at Merle, "I just pay attention. They're acting weird. Look at em" he said gesturing his hand in their direction.

"Must be a Gay thing. Cause I don't see shit" Merle barked, making everyone laugh again.

"Probably right. I could help you get the power of observation if you want Merle" Paul said with a smirk, winking at Merle.

"Ya ain't my type" Merle said with a chuckle, taking a long drink of his beer as everyone's laughter filled the small kitchen.

"You two can take my room if you want. I'm not planning on sleeping much. Won't be sleeping at all if I can put the moves on Merle"

"You'll be sleepin Paul" Merle said as he got up to get another beer from the fridge.

He looked up at Carol who was laughing but quite obviously tired and ready to pass out.

"Come on" he said giving her a tight squeeze before lifting her up to her feet. She walked over and leaned down planting a kiss on Paul's cheek before turning and taking his hand, pulling him with her towards Paul's room.

"Where's my kiss?" Merle called out as they walked down the messy hallway.

"Fuck you Merle" Carol yelled out as she pulled him into the small room, listening to the continued laughter that was muffled out when she closed the door behind her.

He pulled his shirt over his head and dropped down on the mattress to start pulling his shoes off. Watching her while she stripped down to her underwear, his heart rate picking up when he saw the new black bra she was wearing.

The sight had him fighting the urge to give into her, just in the hopes he might be able to cop a quick feel before they went to sleep.

"You wanna talk" she questioned as she pealed her jeans off.

"Not gonna say sorry for lookin out for ya. Guess there's not much to say" he mumbled as he stood up and took his pants off.

He was still wearing a singlet and his boxer shorts and she still had on her underwear, but he always felt like they were both really fucking naked when they got ready for bed.

He often wondered if this shit was normal, they weren't having sex, should he be sleeping with her like this? Fact was he hated sleeping in clothes and so did she. So here they were.

"I asked you to walk away. You don't need to take everything so personally".

"You were trying to walk away when I got there. I saw ya try to leave. He wouldn't let ya" he muttered, his anger resurfacing when he remembered the sight he had seen.

"I was fine. He just wanted to get it off his chest. He would have let it go once he said what he needed to say" she almost growled making his eyes snap off the black lace that was quietly driving him crazy.

"Oh ok" he said with a sarcastic nod. "So, if someone started harassing me because of shit I didn't do, tries to make me stand there and be their punching bag, just because their having trouble dealing. You would be ok with that?"

"No I wouldn't be ok with that. I also wouldn't punch someone six times because of it"

"Bullshit" he spat as she traipsed across the room half naked, picking up his discarded clothes and folding each item before placing them all in a neat pile on Paul's desk.

He raised his brow. "What about that Wendy girl? You knocked her head in for less"

" Her name was Sandy, and I did not knock her head in, I slapped her. And that bitch had it coming" she said, suddenly losing the composure she clung to so often.

" She called me trash Carol. Hell, she wasn't wrong. But you took that shit personally".

"You're not trash, Sandy Hemming is trash and she-…. This isn't what were talking about"

"Carol. Ya not winning this argument, I ain't sorry. Hell, I'd do that shit again tomorrow if I had to. So we can circle it all fucking night if ya want, but were gonna end up at the same damn place."

She huffed and walked back over to stand in front of him and he tried really hard to keep his eyes on hers, rather then skimming her over like he desperately wanted to.

"You're right I guess. Let's just go to sleep and forget about this" she said climbing onto the mattress.

He nodded and walked over to the light, getting one last look at her before she covered herself over with the blanket and he flicked the switch.

He climbed into bed and laid there in silence with her for a few minutes, grinning when he thought about how convenient this shit had been.

"You thought the tight jeans were gonna get me to cave didn't you" he questioned with a smirk that he knew she would hear in his words.

"I definitely thought new bra would do it if the jeans didn't work"

He let out a laugh, rolling onto his side to wrap his arm around her and draw her into his chest.

"Night Bitch" squeezing her tightly against him.

She hummed in approval, smiling into him.

"Sweet dreams Asshole"

---

He wasn't surprised when he woke up and heard Merle and Carol arguing. They often argued and when they did they said some seriously messed up shit to each other. He had pulled Merle up for it more then once but what was even more surprising was that Carol had told him to stay out of it. And once he heard some of the shit she said to him he decided to do just that.

What had him bothered with this particular fight was that he heard his name being mentioned more then once. He slowly got out of bed, avoiding the floorboards that he knew would creek under his weight and slowly opened the door so that he could hear what they were saying.

"He's a Dixon. He ain't been raised to take shit" Merle spat out in his defense but Carol quickly scoffed loudly in response.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now? If that was true, your father would be buried in a shallow grave that I helped Daryl dig".

"What the fuck would you have him do? Stand around while some asshole messes with you?" Merle argued.

Carol sighed heavily.

"I would like him to learn to pick his battles. He could have walked away. That's not much to ask for"

"It is. If I had of seen that crap I would have broken the little shits jaw too" Merle growled.

Daryl smiled at his defence, but he knew she wasn't done yet.

"You want him locked up? Is that it? Would that make you as proud as fuckin punch Merle? She pressed, lowering her voice but keeping it firm.

Merle didn't answer but he could hear him let out a growl in defeat.

"You know I don't want that shit. But I understand why he did what he did and so should you"

"That's it, right there" she spat loudly cutting Merle off and making him jump a little.

"I understand it. I'm not brain dead. I understand why he did what he did, I understand why the butchers boy was giving me crap, I even understand why your standing here defending him right now. It's not about that. I want more for him then this shit. I want more for him then this fucking town has to offer him. He's could end up on the honour roll if he could just out of trouble for a minute, did you know that Merle?"

"Really?" Merle asked, sounding so surprised that he found he was actually a bit offended, was it so damn unbelievable.

"Yep. He's smart Merle, real damn smart. That's why I don't want him doing this dumb shit"

He closed the door when their voices died down and he heard them change the subject, so they could argue about something else.

He didn't give a shit about the honour roll, he didn't understand why Carol made such a big deal about it either. He wasn't going to college. He was gonna get some shitty job cleaning toilets or some equally degrading shit. And he would do it with a damn smile on his face. Anything to get them the fuck out of here.

That's all he wanted.

He wanted her to go to college, she was the smart one here. He simply had a good memory. That didn't make him smart, he was nothing more than a parrot that repeated everything he learned.

He got dressed and chucked his shoes on, making his way into the kitchen where Carol was standing over the stove, cooking with Merle alongside her.

His brother eyed him, a slight curve appearing on his mouth as he walked over to him. He was about to ask what was for breakfast when Merle suddenly smacked him in the back of the head.

" What the fuck Merle" rubbing at the back of his head.

"You got a problem; you come and tell me. No more dumb shit" Merle barked as he walked out of the kitchen and headed for the front door without so much as a goodbye, or sorry for whacking you across the head.

"Thanks" he mumbled as he sat down at the table.

She shook her head and grabbed a plate of scrambled eggs to place down in front of him.

"I never told him to hit you"

"You don't look to torn up by it though" he muttered as he started eating his eggs.

"He's proud of you" Carol said in a tired daze.

" Feels like it" he grumbled.

She sat down and watched him eat, obviously lost in thought while she starred at his plat absently. She leaned her elbow into the table and rested her cheek into her palm, while he eyed her and wondered why this shit mattered to her.

He could almost hear her daydreaming, but they weren't dreams for her, they were for him and it was frustrating. She could dream if she wanted, she could think about her own future and the things she wanted for herself.

But him, he wasn't going to have anything bright and shiny. He was fine with that too, he just wanted to make sure she had everything she needed, nothing else mattered.

He wasn't going to college. This wasn't their out. And he didn't want her thinking it was. He would get them out of here. He would do that. But it wouldn't be on the back of some golden chariot. It would be on foot in the rain, dragging his feet through the mud. He didn't want her thinking any different and he didn't want Merle thinking it either.

"Why'd you have to tell him that shit Carol?" he asked with a groan.

"Cause you didn't! You never tell anyone. You have to be at least proud of yourself, why else do you put in so much effort."

"Cause there ain't fuck all else to do in this town"

"Daryl, your grades are-"

He dropped his fork to his plate roughly, the clanking sound cut her off and the growl he released assured she didn't try to continue.

"Their grades Carol, that's it. Letters on paper. That's all they are. They don't mean shit and they sure as shit aren't gonna save either one of us."

---

It had been a week since he beat the crap outta that little asshole and Carol had been slowly getting over it. Day by day she brought it up less and less and he was happy that they were starting to get back to normal again.

It was ten at night as he briskly made his way down the street, gnawing on his thumbnail and occasionally looking over his shoulder to assure no one was following him.

He shook his head to himself, wishing that she didn't live in this nightmare, the thought only just intensified when he heard yelling coming from a distance followed by a loud smashing noise.

He reached her house and quietly walked through the front yard and around the side of her house. He could hear them arguing as usual, he wondered if they would even notice if he walked straight through the front door.

He had been sneaking into her room for years now and he never once got caught, but as time passed he wondered if they would care. She might as well have been invisible, they never paid any attention to her or anything she was doing unless they wanted to push their weight around to make themselves feel better.

He had only seen her father talk to her a few times in the four years that he had known her. Her mother only spoke to her when she wanted her to do something or treat her like shit. He wasn't sure which one of them he hated more. Her father was a self-obsessed asshole and mother was a complete bitch that only cared about her asshole husband.

"Daryl?" she questioned as he got outside her room.

"Who else?" he laughed pushing her curtain aside and gripping the windowsill to start pulling himself up.

" You think you're the only boy I have climbing through my bedroom window" she teased from her bed as she closed the book she was reading.

"Ya real funny ya know that" he grunted as he planted his feet on the floor.

"I know. I'm thinking about a career in stand-up comedy" she announced with a smile as he dropped on her bed and kicked his shoes off.

"Paul said that they were all going hunting tomorrow. Are you going with them?" she asked casually as he crawled up the bed and collapsed alongside her.

"Nope. Gotta do that English paper" he droned as he picked up the book she had been reading to see what it was.

"This any good?" He asked skimming the synopsis.

"It's alright. Just reading it until you catch up"

"Fair enough. Where is it?"

She smiled and reached over her bed and picked the book up form the bottom shelf of her nightstand, handing it over to him and taking her new book from him.

They moved closer together and she draped her legs his, then rested her head into his shoulder.

"This where you got up to?" he asked noticing that her book mark was only a chapter away from his.

"Yep. And I am not reading that alone anymore"

"You scare to easily" he snickered before turning his head slightly to plant a kiss on her cheek.

"Yeah, that's the problem. It's me." she said sarcastically, flicking over to the next page of the book she was reading.

He read through the pages of their third Stephen King book. They had flown through Carrie and Misery without any trouble but as he read IT he realised they had made a horrible mistake.

He let out a humourless laugh and shook his head when he reached her bookmark.

"Okay. I'm picking the next one. You keep choosin' shit that fucks my head up"

"Let's not finish it. I get it, he's a blood thirsty clown that kills children" she decided firmly, her eyes never leaving the page she was reading.

"Yeah. This is messed up." he said through a yawn before putting the book down and rolling onto his side to face her.

He wrapped his arm around her and rested his chin on her shoulder, watching her read while his eyelids grew heavy.

"Any reason you were late tonight?" she asked, trying to pretend she was only half interested in the answer.

"Not really, just got held up." he mumbled quietly, on the edge of passing out.

He watched as a doleful expression fell over her face, making his eyes widen again.

"Didn't mean to worry ya" he whispered, rubbing his thumb over her hip.

"You didn't" she said quickly trying to compose her features and act as though she was fixated on the book she was reading.

"Obviously I did and I'm sorry" he added leaning up on his elbow. She sucked at lying to him, in general she was a good liar but for some reason she couldn't pull it off around him. Not anymore.

"Can ya put the book down" he asked when he saw that concern was still etched in her eyes and noticing she was using the book to hide it.

"I had to walk to Dwight's, took ages to get there. Then I got stuck talking to him and Merle. That's all" he assured her, watching as she dropped the book down and looked up at him.

"That's all?" she repeated, eyeing him cautiously.

"Yeah. Like you said, they are all goin hunting. Merle wanted the crossbow, so I dropped it off. That's it" He watched her smile as she reached up to place her hands on the side of his neck bringing his face towards her so she could kiss him, holding her lips to his a bit longer then she usually did.

"You don't need to worry about me. I can take care of myself" he said with his face inches from hers, reaching up to lightly graze his fingers over her jawline.

"I know you can. But I can't stop myself from worrying about you. It's my job" she declared with a grin.

He shook his head, correcting her. "No it ain't Carol-."

"Yes it is. Your mine" she protested confidently, fixing her serious gaze on his eyes.

He didn't know why her declaration of ownership over him made his heart melt, why it made him feel safer. He smiled down at her, wishing she'd say it again. He wished she'd say it to him every morning and every night.

"So does that mean your mine" he questioned, quirking a grin and leaning in closer.

"Always" she promised as she smoothed her hand over his brow, holding the hair out of his eyes, her lip curving in a way that made him release a shaky breath.

He belonged to someone. No, not just someone. He belonged to her. With her. A part of him had always felt that, always known that was true, but hearing it out aloud made his chest tighten.

Less then an hour later he was under the covers with his arms around her and his body curled into hers. He had been tired, his day was exhausting. But once he had lied through his teeth to her again, he found that the guilt had snapped him awake.

Most of what he had said was true, he was at Dwight's with Merle, but it had only taken him so long to get there because he was still struggling to move quickly, especially when he was lugging the crossbow around. It had been over a week since his father had beaten the shit out of him again and he had done a good job at hiding it from her.

He was sick of her worrying about him, sick of putting all of this on her when she had her own shit to deal with. It wasn't fair. The more she knew, the worse it made things for her when they weren't together.

He didn't want her sitting around wondering what was happening to him anymore then she already had to. He knew he couldn't erase that concern completely; he knew because he worried about her too, but adding to that was just fucking cruel. It would feel so much worse than lying to her.

He just had to get used to the idea of feeling like a deceitful asshole.

---

Part 2

The worst thing about staying at Carol house was listening to her mother in the mornings.

They were always woken by her parents arguing, that part didn't bother him, he was used to that shit. The part he hated came after Joesph would leave for work and without skipping a beat her mother would start in on Carol, screaming though the house like a dying cat. It was always the same crap. She wanted the house cleaned before her father got home and she wanted Carol to do a good fucking job or so help her god.

He wanted to tell the bitch to shut her god damn trap, tell her to clean her own fucking mess up, cause he was sure as shit knew that Carol hadn't left the house in this state.

Carol always agreed with a tremor in her words that made his blood boil even more, and today was no different.

When her mothers voice was done screeching through the walls he listened for the usual slam of the front door. He released a heavy sigh that he hoped would aid him in calming down.

"Good fucking riddance" he mumbled rolling back onto his side and wrapping a tight arm around her.

"You wanna work here or go to the library" she asked while lightly grazing her fingers over his arm.

"Library" he groaned. He wanted to get the fuck out of this house and take her with him.

"I'll get this done then and we can leave." she said moving his arm from around her to get up and start her daily ritual.

He followed behind her to go into the kitchen and get a drink before jumping in the shower. As they walked into the living room he glanced down and reacted quickly, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her of the ground. She made a surprised sound that was half way between a hiccup and a laugh before she asked him what he was doing.

"Fuckin glass everywhere" he snapped swinging her back around to hallway.

"Chuck some shoes on or something" he grumbled, placing her back on the floor out side her bedroom.

She didn't seem to worried about almost cutting her feet open, but he was pissed off.

What the fuck was with these two morons and smashing bottles he thought, before realising its probably easy to do a lot of crap when ya not the one who's gotta clean the shit.

He grabbed the dustpan and started sweeping it up quickly.

"Daryl leave it" she snapped moving him aside and taking the dustpan from him. He groaned and shook his head, getting out of her way.

They'd already had their own screaming match in this house before about this. He had wanted to help her, and she wouldn't have it. She asked him how comfortable he would be if the roles were reversed and as much of a good point it was, it didn't make this shit any easier. But he wasn't looking to start the day of with an argument, so he decided to just grit and bear it.

"Just be careful, shits everywhere" he grumbled, turning back around, opting to just skip the drink and get in the shower, anything to avoid watching this depressing shit unfold.

Nancy didn't have a job, Nancy was a housewife, and he used the term really fucking loosely. She didn't cook, clean or look after her kid. What she did do was take care of half the men in town.

Him and Carol never talked about the fact her mother got more action than the whores that worked the corner outside of Gareth's bar. She knew that he knew…, he knew - she knew - that he knew…, but they didn't talk about that shit.

He was also pretty sure Nancy was unhinged, the kind of unhinged that required professional help, but they didn't talk about that shit either.

The women ran around after her husband like she was a starving puppy and he was leaving a trail of food behind him, but when he was at work she couldn't wait nine hours for him to get home.

Nancy spent her days with who ever had her interest at the time and returned home minutes before her husband.

Thanks to Carol it appeared as though the women had spent her days cleaning rather then jumping ship. He wondered if Joesph knew, but just didn't give two shits. He found it hard to believe that the asshole didn't know. Everyone in town knew.

He found this whole thing to be nothing more then a charade that Carol, Nancy and Joesph all played at. All three of them knew what was going on, but as long as everyone played their parts then no one had to address it.

He'd asked Carol why she thought her parents stayed together, especially since they fought so much. Carol told him that Nancy could not be alone. Not ever. That was the closet that he had ever gotten for an explanation her mothers habits.

But no matter how confused he was about Nancy he would never put that shit on Carol and he wouldn't let anyone else do it either.

There were the boys at school who cracked jokes, wondering if Carol was as willing to sleep around just as much as her mother was. Then there were people who were going to blame Carol because Nancy was knocking around with their father, just like the butchers boy had.

He and Carol had talked about the fight, but never the reason why the boy was harassing her in the first place.

He didn't see the point in bringing it up when it embarrassed her so damn much and in the end it didn't matter to him that the boy was upset over his parents failing marriage or Nancy's part in it. Fact was, that prick was upsetting Carol and he had no right to keep her there and blame her for shit she didn't do.

He understood that the kid was pissed off. There's nothing like finding out your dads an asshole to put you in a bad mood, but what he didn't understand was taking that shit out on Carol.

He didn't have to try and put himself in boys shoes to grasp the situation that the boy found himself in.

Fact was he's been in the boys shoes.

Years ago he had woken up in the tent and Carol had mumbled about them going on a hike and he had agreed. There was a chill in the autumn air and he told her he wanted to run up to the house and grab them something warm to wear.

She was still half asleep when he left the tent and made his way back to the quiet house.

He snuck in, stepping over the passed-out bodies, trying not to disturb anyone.

He had seen his mother asleep on the couch when he passed through the living room, so after he grabbed the extra jackets from his room and heard the noises coming from his parent's room, he was more then a little curious about what the fuck was going on.

The door was open and he only had to steal a glance to see that his father and Nancy were going at it.

The sight didn't make him run back down to the tent and ask Carol why her mother was such a whore or accuse her of being one herself. If anything, it made him be extra nice to her because he felt like shit knowing that Carol would die of shame if she knew what he had seen.

He never told her about it and he didn't tell her about it when it happened again. Or the six times that followed that.

In the end it didn't have a damn thing to do with them.

---

Part 3

"We should do something for your birthday, something special" she told him as she moved through the room.

He frowned in confusion. "Your birthdays is before mine, should be worried about that first".

He noticed a slight crease for on her brow and her gaze drop down to her hands that were messing with things on the vanity needlessly. She recovered her features quickly with a slight shake of her head and a chew to the corner of her lip. It happened so quickly that he would have missed it if he didn't have his eyes glued to her reflection in the mirror.

"You alright?" Leaning up on the bed to get a better look at her.

"I'm fine. I just want to get out of here, hopefully they aren't late picking us up like usual." she pulled the oversized t-shirt over her head and strolled passed him without even looking his direction.

She's far too comfortable with this, he thought.

He remembered when they were younger, and they used to go swimming in the lake in their underwear. He's pretty sure that's when it started, though he could be wrong.

He didn't care back then; he didn't feel his stomach flip like he does now. he didn't wonder if she was trying to drive him crazy, like he is wondering now.

"I don't like this shit. Seems like a dumb idea" he said as she wondered into the small walk-in-wardrobe.

"Daryl it's a party" she said walking back passed him in the direction of her mirror, holding up a dress in front of her for inspection. He let out a heavy sigh at the sight and dragged a hand over his face.

"We go to parties every damn Friday night" he muttered trying to stay focused on the conversation and not how good her ass looked right now in the silky looking material.

"No. We go to Paul and Dwight's every Friday night." she said stepping into the dress and slipping dress and pulling it up.

"Same thing." he muttered as he stood up behind her, doing the zipper up without her even needing to ask anymore.

"It's really not." she said sternly, adjusting her main of curls in the mirror with her fingers.

"It really fucking is. All of them are gonna be there. Don't see why we gotta jump the tracks to some uppity bitches house just to hang out with the same damn people. It's. Fucking. Stupid."

Carol let out a sigh and turned away from the mirror to face him.

"How do I look" she asked with a sweet smile that me him visibly swallow hard.

He looked at the short blue dress she was wearing that appeared to have been painted to her skin and shook his head to himself.

"You look hot. It's a nice dress." he mumbled, looking down at his hands fidgeting with his fingers.

She let out a humourless laugh. "Why do you sound upset about that?"

"I ain't. I just wanna stay here. Read or somethin." He grumbled as he dropped back onto the bed.

She frowned at him and opened her mouth to say something when the sound of the car horn beeping made him jump and stopped her from replying.

"Come on. Merle will be pissed if we drag ass"

He nodded and followed her out, trying to decipher why this whole thing was making him feel sick.

---

The party was in a house that was bigger than anything he had seen before. He was sure he could fit the houses of everyone he knew into the first floor of this house.

He didn't understand why she wanted to go and hang out in some rich bitch's house, but it took him seconds to realise why this shit had him so anxious.

The place was full of kids who were snobby little shits who all eyed him like he was in the wrong place. He hated to agree with them but that was exactly how he felt too. But they hadn't looked at Carol that way when she walked in.

The private school boys who had a shit load more to offer her then he did eyed her like a prize they wanted to win. They didn't know shit about who she was, who her family was, all they saw was her, looking pretty damn hot.

He'd never tell her. But these were the kind of guys he thought she should be with, these were the kind of people she should be hanging around with.

Hell, they probably had shoes that were worth more then everything he owned combined.

These thoughts messed his head up.

He wanted her to have everything she deserved. But he also didn't want to lose her.

But he knew she deserved more then he had to offer. But he'd loose his mind without her.

All this party did was make him feel like a selfish asshole.

Carol had wondered off with Sherry shortly after they walked in, so Sherry could introduce her to some of her friends. He decided to stick by Merle and Dwight and hope that eventually they would get bored enough so that they could leave.

They had been hanging around in the same spot for hours, Dwight had introduced him and Merle to a few people who also looked pretty out of place in the setting. He listened to the fresh face telling him stories about the school he went to, that was a few towns over. He was surprised to hear that the place the guy was from sounded like a bigger shit hole then the one he was stuck in.

He waited for Merle to chime in with a sarcastic comment when the boy talked about the recent robberies in the area but his brother remained silent.

He looked up at him wondering if he was even paying attention, but found that Merle's eyes were narrowed, looking passed everyone. When he followed his brothers' sights over his shoulder, he could see why Merle looked so pissed.

Carol was leaned into the wall with flushed cheeks and a hard expression. Daryl knew that expression she was wearing, she was either listening intently or she was very fucking pissed off.

Sherry was no where to be seen, but what he did see was some blonde douche bag drooling all over her.

There was a moment where he thought about running out of the party and leaving her to pick up some boy who could give her shit he couldn't even pronounce. He could feel the jealously making his stomach twist until it hurt and he was sure in that moment that it was best for him to tuck tail and leave.

That was until he saw the pricks hand reach out and graze her thigh and he felt everything inside of him burn, an anger rose to the surface, begging to be released and that was brought on by how wide Carol's eyes had grown.

He watched as Carol shoved the boy's hand away then pushed him back, her face revealing not only disgust but quite obviously a flash of fear.

"Well fuck, this ain't gonna end well" Daryl heard Merle mutter as he walked away from him, weaving around the strangers trying to reach Carol as quickly as he could.

Again he watched as the boy reach out to her, one hand holding her arm to keep her in place, the other hand at her thigh again, running his fingers over Carol's bare leg, attempting to lift the very short dress, only this time she didn't shove his hand away. She swung hard and fast, her open palm hitting the boys face so hard that he could hear the contact from across the room.

The boy seemed to find the whole thing hilarious, and Daryl wondered how long that would last as he approached.

Carol's eyes grew wider as she took Daryl's expression in, watching cautiously as he tapped the boy on the shoulder.

The boy turned flashing his perfect teeth through his arrogant smile, that made Daryl's skin crawl and his fists tighten.

"Daryl. Lets just go" Carol requested but made no effort to try to drag him off or make a move herself, even when the prissy prick let her go and took a step back from her.

"Oh yeah. Were goin. Hell, we're gonna have leave" he said with far to much cheer in his voice.

"Jesus" Carol muttered, dropping her gaze to the floor.

There were two options for the rich boy right now. One was going to lead to him getting hit a few times and maybe, just maybe, being able to pick himself up and walk his ass back to his palace.

The second option would assure he needed a dentist and a skilled plastic surgeon to recover his pretty face so that he could walk out in public without people pointing and children crying.

So he was going to lay this shit out for the asshole very calmly.

"Apologise" he said clearly, assuring the boy could hear him over the crowd and the blaring music.

"Excuse me" the boy laughed out, giving him a light shove to the chest as though this was all some big joke.

"I asked you to apologise. To her. Now." He demanded in rough voice, nodding his head towards Carol while keeping his eyes locked on the little prick in front of him.

"Fuck off dickhead" The boy laughed out again, giving him a another playful shove.

Daryl let out a light chuckle and nodded his head. "That a no? Ya not gonna say sorry for groping my girl?" he said keeping his tone light.

"Back the fuck off. I was just talking to her"

"Just say sorry dumb ass" Carol snapped, frustrated that the boy obviously didn't see in Daryl's face what she obviously could.

"Listen to the lady" Daryl urged with a smile.

The boy looked at Carol and then back to Daryl laughing smugly, as if Daryl was asking him if he'd mind handing over a kidney rather then a simple apology.

He quickly regained his holier than thou complex and scanned his eyes over Carol once more.

"Lady? Really?" he cracked out, raising an eyebrow before he looked back over to Daryl.

"Alright, that's it"

Daryl reached out and grabbed the boys collar throwing his own head back before launching it forward. He heard the sickening crunch erupt beneath his brow, assuring him that his aim had been accurate.

He tightened his hold on the boy, not allowing him to drop to his knees.

When Daryl raised his head and saw the blood pooling out of, what was surely, a broken nose and he smiled widely.

"What about now?" He questioned as the people surrounding him grew silent.

"Daryl, we should go" Paul said trying to gain his attention. He continued to hold the boy up and shook his head while Paul talked.

"He got all handy with Carol. Don't think an apology is to much to ask for. Got all this damn money, can't they buy them selves some fucking manners" he questioned, still keeping his eyes on the boy and the injury he had already caused with one simple blow.

Paul seemed to consider the statement before he shrugged and agreed with a casual nod.

"Last chance asshole. Say sorry to her, right fucking now" he growled through his clenched jaw.

He only vaguely remembered hearing the boy telling him to go and fuck himself before his fists started swinging.

Once he got him on the floor he had one very clear thought go through his head, that he only had to consider for a second before following through with it. Once he was done with the quick manoeuvre, he started in on his reconstruction of the pretty boy's face.

He kept his fists flying long after he was being pulled off him, even when he was being dragged back he swung his feet, able to get in a few kicks to the kids ribs before he was taken away from the scene.

Once they got into the driveway the faint sound of the music was easily replaced by Merle's roaring laughter. He looked over to see his brother keeled over, leaning his palms into his knees to hold himself upright.

Dwight and Paul kept a firm hold on Daryl, while Carol stood facing them all with her arms crossed.

"When he headbutted that pretty boy, I swear I saw that smarmy little shits eyes roll back into-" Merle laughed out, seemingly unable to form anymore words.

They all starred at Merle while he let out a bunch of unintelligible sounds, trying to continue.

No one moved, watching as his older brother straightened himself up and began wiping the tears from his eyes. He seemed to be desperately trying to regain his senses, but every time Merle looked back at him he started cackling again.

"Apologise" Merle repeated, breaking into hysterics again.

"Are you fucking done yet?" Carol snapped at Merle before storming passed them all, heading back over to Paul's car.

Finally Dwight and Paul let him go when they noticed Sherry and Arron make their way outside looking around for them.

"Come on asshole get in the car." he mumbled grabbing a hold of his brother and dragging his crazy ass back to the car.

The three of them squeezed into the back seat, with Carol squished in between them.

They both sat in silence while Merle continued to chuckle to himself, but he was sure that Carol didn't find everything nearly as amusing as Merle did.

No one said anything when Paul and Dwight got back into the car, the only sound was the rippling laughter that was still emerging from Merle.

They began the long drive home and he finally began to calm himself down, the adrenalin had slowed and his hands had finally stopped shaking.

He was about to ask how pissed she was when he looked over and saw her looking down to her lap with tear welling in her eyes.

"You alright?" he asked with obvious desperation in his tone.

Had he hit her by accident during the fight?

Did that asshole freak her out when he cornered her and put his sleazy hands on her?

Had the prick said something to her that conjured this defeated look on her face right now?

"It's a stupid dress" she muttered, making him stomach sink.

He noticed Paul look into the rear vision mirror and shake his head, Dwight's glanced over his shoulder slightly revealing his furrowed brow and his brothers laughter finally died down to a deafening silence.

"What?" Daryl spat, feeling an equal does of anger and confusion build in his chest.

"I shouldn't have worn it. It's to short" she said fidgeting with the fabric.

"The dress is nice Pixie. You look damn good" Merle said sternly, focusing his eyes on Carol's sad expression.

Carol shook her head as Merle spoke, obviously willing the tears not to fall from her eyes, though he knew that she had only second before they overflowed.

"You think you deserve to have some asshole grab at ya because ya dress is short" he spat trying to calm the adrenaline still pumping in his veins.

"The dress is nice. It has nothing to do with it" Paul said throwing her a reassuring smile in the rear vision mirror.

Carol shook her head to herself again, dragging the fabric down over her thighs.

"You can wear what ever the fuck you want Carol. Go running around in ya underwear if ya want, still doesn't give some prick the right to put his hands on ya."

"But-"

"No fucking but!. Hell, ya my fuckin girl and even I don't think I have the right to go grabbing at ya just be cause of what ya wearing. I watched ya ass put the dress on for fuck sake, saw ya walking around half naked and still I didn't go grabbing at ya. That guy was a fucking asshole"

"Didn't even buy ya dinner and thinks he has the right to start mauling ya, even I don't pull that shit. And I am an asshole."

"He is gonna buy her dinner though" Daryl corrected, flashing Carol a grin, that she couldn't return because she had no damn idea what he was talking about.

Everyone in the car looked at him with similar confusion while he laughed to himself.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the brown leather wallet, waving it in the air with a smile.

"Anyone hungry?"

"You took his fucking wallet?" Dwight laughed out, turning his body to face him as much as he could from his position in the front seat.

Once again Merle's hysterical laughter filled the car and it continued on long after they had stuffed their faces with fast food.

---

There was nothing wrong with the damn dress. Yeah, it was short, really short. But all that did was show off her fucking amazing legs.

"Be mad at me if ya want. I know ya hate me fighting. But don't you fucking dare be made at ya self over this shit. You didn't do anything wrong"

"Look at me" she almost cried waving her arms over her body.

He bit down for a moment, clenching his jaw and try to extinguish the anger boiling in him. "I fucking am looking at yah Carol"

He fucking hated it when she cried, and he could tell she was minutes away. If he had a way finding that asshole, he'd go right now.

"He didn't put his hand on ya because of the fucking dress. He did that sleazy shit cause ya gorgeous and he's an asshole who thinks he can do what he wants cause he has a full wallet…..had a full wallet"

"Yeah right…gorgeous."

The whisper was low and muffled and not meant for his ears but he had heard them and they made his fucking heart sink to the pit of his gut.

He hadn't realize it until now, but he had never said anything like that to her before and he felt like a fucking ass hole.

He told her she looked good in those jeans, nice in that top, hot in that dress. He never said straight out said that she was fucking stunning. And that was fucking horrible because he thought that shit a hundred times a day and, in those thoughts, he never amounted a damn thing down to what she was wearing.

"Can you just unzip me so I can get this thing off and never wear it again" she said turning her back to him.

The things that made her beautiful weren't stripped off at the end of the day but she didn't seem to realise that.

He got up from the edge of the mattress and approached her slowly.

He gently brushed her hair aside and moved himself closer until her back was pressed into his chest.

He took the zipper between his fingers and moved his mouth to her ear.

"I guess I can do that" he whispered before planting a light kisses on her neck and slowly gliding the zipper down.

He moved both his hands to her back and slid the thin straps of her shoulder, moving his mouth to the newly exposed skin on her shoulder as the dress fell from her.

As the fabric hit the floor he heard her breathing accelerate and felt goosebumps rise on her skin as his fingers slowly grazed over her until his arms her wrapped around her.

He rested his chin on her shoulder, knowing now he had had undivided attention.

"Your beautiful Carol. Doesn't matter what ya wear, your just beautiful. I really fuckin hope you know that."

He had more he wanted to say to her, he wanted to enforce that shit in her head, but before he could continue, she turned around quickly and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into the crook of it.

He knew there was more to this then just that stupid dress, more than that asshole grabbing at her leg. He could feel her tears falling into his skin, feel her squeezing him tighter.

But he knew her well enough to know that what ever was really going on here, was not information that she was going to give up easily.

---

Part 4

She sat beside him watching the flames dance while he messed around with a bolt he'd been making, finishing it off before he he'd toss it into the pile with the rest.

"Did you see that note that Tiffany got today" she asked casually, making conversation.

"Tiffany?" he said holding the arrow up to the flames to get a better look at it.

"Yeah Tiffany"

"Who the hell is Tiffany?" he muttered, only half paying attention to her.

"She sits like two seat down from you in class" She added, waiting to see if it clicked in.

His brow knitted together and she knew he still had no idea who she was talking about.

"She has been in the same class as you for two years. you've been going to school with her since we were seven"

He shrugged, making her get instantly annoyed with him.

"Are you really this oblivious?" she questioned with a frustrated tone.

"Are you really this observant?" he said with smug smile, causing her to let out a huff as she shook her head.

"Blonde girl. Brown eyes. Wears red a lot" she added as her jaw began to tighten.

"Nah" he responded quickly while throwing another log onto the fire, ignoring her exaggerated eye roll.

The story she had wanted to tell him really wasn't that important. But now she was just frustrated and really goddamn curious how he had no idea who this girl was.

"Lives on Emerson"

"Nope" he said with a shrug as he inspected the arrow head one last time, before tossing it into the small pile at his feet.

"You fixed her bike chain for her once"

His eyes rolled to up to his lids for a moment and his lips scrunched to the side.

"Not ringing a bell"

"Her older sister went out with Merle for like two minutes, before she slapped him and called him an obnoxious pig" she snapped, wondering how long it would take him to remember a girl he had been going to school with for years.

Suddenly his eyes grew wide and he nodded.

"oh yeah, smart girls little sister, I know the one"

"Jesus Daryl!"

"What?"

"When we go to school each day, where exactly do you go?" she asked receiving a smirk from him instantly.

"Is there a point to this story?" he questioned, raising his brow.

"There was,…. like ten minutes ago. Now I'm just concerned that you have the memory of a goldfish"

"Goldfish have a memory of like five months. You'd know that if you were paying attention in class instead of looking at people passing notes around"

She let out a heavy groan that made him laugh loudly, only adding to her frustration.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry what did the note say?"

She took a deep breathe trying to forget the conversation ever happened.

"Mike passed it to her. To ask her if she liked him, if she wanted to go out with him. Then it had a yes and no box at the bottom for her to tick." She said with far to much aggression in her voice, while she struggled to stop herself from glaring at him.

"Jeez, where's my note. I wanna tick my way outta this" he said with an irritatingly smug smile, nudging her with his elbow.

"Oh yeah?" she laughed turning to face him with a sly grin and her brow raised.

"Least they got a choice. No one asked me if I wanted to be stuck with your annoying ass" He joked trying to keep a straight face, but there was curve on the corner of his lips that made her smile widely.

"Oh I'm the annoying one am I" she chewed the bottom of her lip attempting to kill her smile, not wanting him to see how amused she was.

"You have been annoying the shit outta me for years Carol. Never once gave me an out" he announced trying hard to fain anger, but failing miserably .

"I'll give you an out right now Dixon" she argued as her hands went to his stomach, she started tickling, evoking instant laughter to erupt between them.

His hands reached out to her, to return the action when suddenly she noticed his eyes shut and his mouth clamp. Her hands froze and she took in their position. One hand had drifted behind his waist and she knew that's when his laughter had ceased.

"It's fine" he said quickly when he saw her eyes fixed on the area.

She ignored him and started to lift his shirt up until one of his hands was lightly on her wrist, the other tugging at the fabric to keep himself hidden.

She didn't let go of his shirt and her eyes met his, showing him that she had no intention of letting this go.

He let out a heavy sigh and released her hand and his hold on the hem of his shirt. She watched as he averted his gaze to the fire and lifted his arm to give her better access.

Along side the scar, the one she had bandaged up herself when it was still an open cut, was a mass of bruises on his lower back, spreading up towards his ribs. The bruises were yellowing in parts, fading in others and she knew that they were at least a week old.

"When did this happen?" she asked ghosting her fingers over his back.

"Dunno, Two weeks ago maybe" he admitted, trying to keep a casual tone, avoiding her gaze when she looked up at him with her mouth agape.

"Two weeks ago?" she repeated, trying to keep her voice levelled, knowing this wasn't his fault.

"Didn't wanna worry ya. Nothin serious" he added, softening his features in a way that only made her blood boil. He was to sweet for this life, she knew it was making a mess in his head that he may never be able to repair and all she could do was be spectator to the destruction.

"He could have broken your ribs".

He shook his head and leaned away from her, pulling his shirt down.

"But he didn't. I'm fine" he said speaking slowly in an attempt to calm her down and enforce his words.

He always said he was fine. She was fairly certain he didn't know the meaning of the word.

"You wanna talk about it?" she asked quietly as he leaned forward to throw a stick onto the fire, trying to do what ever he could to shift the focus from him.

He instantly shook his head in response. Just as he did any time she asked. But she refused to let any incident go by with out voicing the question, on the off chance that he did. To assure him that she was always there to listen to him.

He looked back to the fire, refusing to face her, embarrassed of what someone else had done to him. Like he had any chance of fighting his father. The man was huge, tall and broad, the only comfort she had was knowing that one day he would be too. In a few years his fathers violent outbursts would not be taken out on a boy to small to defend himself. Quietly, she hoped she was there when that day came.

She turned towards him and reached up to cup his cheek, forcing him to look at her. Reluctantly he followed the request that was made by her light grip on him. He still wouldn't look up but she knew that wouldn't last long. She moved towards him, watching as his eye quickly found hers. She smiled at him as she leaned in and softly pressed her lips to his. His hand found her waist during the brief kiss, their brows pressing into each other's when their lips parted ways.

"Sorry. Wasn't tryin to lie to ya" he whispered in a grated and husky tone that sent a shiver down her spine. She nodded into his brow, keeping her hand on his cheek to hold him in place.

"I'm not mad. Just scared" she confessed, seeing a wave of understanding in his eyes as his face softened and he nodded.

He knew the bruises would upset her, that was why he hadn't wanted to tell her in the first place. He didn't understand why he should do that to her, not when he had already been forced to do it so many times before.

She had played doctor for him more times then he liked to remember, he had put her in fucked up positions to damn often for comfort. So if he could avoid that look, the one she has on her face right now, he was gonna do it.

She didn't say another word just reached down and took the hand that he had rested on her waist, curling her fingers into his before she stood up.

He didn't question where they were going, it was late and they were both tired, so he let her lead him to the tent.

She slipped her shoes off and crawled into bed, he followed soon after closing the tent up and taking his boots off.

She held the blanket up for him as he carefully crawled in and laid himself down on his uninjured side. He didn't care right now if it still hurt or that he was uncomfortable. Nothing could wipe the smile from his face as he laid down beside her.

He had never told her, but sleeping next to her was his favourite thing.

He missed her on the nights when she was gone, he felt like he was missing a limb or something.

All they did was lay there. He would put his arm around her, and she would hold onto it.

It was perfectly innocent, but it was by far the most intimate part of their relationship, at least in his opinion.

They kissed a lot, he had his hands on her a lot, but he wasn't exactly mauling her twenty four seven. The kisses were short and sweet and he was more then fine with that. He had only ever deepened the kiss once, dragged it out a bit longer then usual, before they were interrupted by Merle.

They were at his house watching TV when it just kind of happened. He couldn't even remember how it started. He had his arm around her, she was leaning into to him and he planted a quick kiss on her cheek after she made some funny comment about the movie, but the rest of it was a blur. All he knew was that when his brother walked in he had his hand on her ass, his tongue down her throat and he had pulled her body on top of his. All of which was brought up by Merle later that night when he had insisted on talking about the 'make-out session', as his brother put it.

It hadn't been planned and he had no intention of repeating the act any times soon. And definitely had not intentions on doing the shit that Merle assumed they were already doing. Things that apparently a lot of people already assumed they were doing.

She had enough problems without him making things complicated between them.

Fact was that most of the time they were alone and he needed to be sure that she was comfortable with that. He was here to keep her safe and look out for her, that couldn't happen if she thought he wanted something from her in return. He wouldn't do that to her. She was his girl and he loved the shit outta her. That was more then enough.

He just needed to get through the next couple of years, then he could get a job and get her out of this hell hole. They'd have their own place, they'd be safe and they could finally have a real relationship instead of fighting for survival.

The fantasy was always lingering in his head. Giving him something to fight towards and assuring he didn't give up when things got hard. Creating sweet and simple visions in his head of the two of them, that's what helped him fall asleep at night.

He rested his chin on her shoulder and pulled her closer until his mouth was by her ear.

"You know I didn't mean it right?" he whispered softly into her neck.

"What?" she questioned in a sleepy mumble as her thumb ran back and forth over his arm.

" What I said. I didn't mean it. I would have ticked yes" he admitted confidently, planting a kiss into the soft skin of her neck.

"I know." She told him as she nestled her body further into his.

---

When he woke she had her back to him, his arm was still draped over her and his face was pressed into the main of curls.

It was to early to be awake but the sound of approaching footsteps had disturbed his sleep. The heavy beating of the shoes hitting the dirt let him know exactly who was here to interrupt their quiet setting. He groaned into her neck as the tent's entry was being yanked open.

"Get up and give me a hand" his brothers rough voice commanded, making Carol release a string of four lettered words under her breath.

"Go into the woods and give yourself a hand Merle" she grumbled, making him laugh into her hair.

"Good one" he muttered as they both remained unmoving.

"I need the crossbow" he asked with a low chuckle, finding her comment just as amusing as Daryl did.

"It's under the tarp" Daryl moaned, pulling his arm from around her so he could fall onto his back and rub at his face with his palm.

"Where?" His brother asked getting frustrated.

"Behind the tent Merle!" Carol snapped, getting just as frustrated as Merle was. She hated being woken up. Hell, even he was scared of her in the mornings and he was, as she put it, a cranky bastard.

"You two should be up enjoying the morning, instead of laying around like lazy little shits" Merle added as he retrieved the crossbow. They ignored him and started stretching out.

"What time is it?" Carol called out. Merle told her it was almost seven, making her sit herself up lazily.

"You hunting around here?" she questioned through her deep yawn.

"Nah. Me and some of the boys are going for a ride outta town tomorrow morning."

"Good. You can take me home then" Carol said as she started slipping her shoes on, causing Merle to release a loud groan.

"Fine. Hurry up Pixie I'm leaving now"

Carol turned to look down at him and smile, before reaching down and roughly wiping his hair back.

"I'll see you tonight." she said using the tone of voice that was reserved only for him, holding his hair in place above his brow. He nodded and returned the smile, still trying to fully wake up.

"I'm cutting that hair, it's driving me crazy" she added as she got to her feet and made her way out of the tent. He let out a grunt and rolled back onto his good side, listening to her and Merle argue about god only knows what as they wandered off.

He laid back down running his hands through his hair. She was right, it was far to long. She usually cut it for him every few months, just enough so that he could see where he was going and so she could see his eyes when they were talking.

He listened to the sound of Merle's bike in the distance as it roared to life, until the sound grew fainter and disappeared all together.

He was still tired, but he had to get up, he had things to do. He still had to scrape together another ten dollars before he finally had enough money to get her that necklace, he saw her eyeing.

She always got annoyed with him when she thought he was oblivious to everything going on around him. And she was right, he did daze out a lot, he always got caught in his own head. But not when it came to her, he noticed everything when it came to her. This necklace would be proof of that.

Weeks ago they had wound up on the good side of town, looking for Paul. He spotted him on the main street talking to Aaron, while keeping a good amount of distance between them.

He had wanted their help with something, though he couldn't remember what it was anymore. But he did remember looking over at her, seeing her look in the window of the small jewellery store.

It was nothing special really, just a turquoise gemstone hanging on a silver chain. There were a load of other more expensive pieces in sight, but that was the thing that had caught her eye. He continued to talk to Aaron and Paul, while watching her hand reach up to her neck, like she wished it was hanging there.

He went back the next day to get a better look at it and check the price. It was only forty dollars, but it might as well have been a thousand. He glared at the necklace. Pissed off knowing that it would make her happy, that it was just sitting there behind glass and he was incapable of giving it to her.

She had never called him her boyfriend and he had never called her his girlfriend, not outside of his own head anyway. But they both knew that's what this was. The term had never sounded like enough to him. He'd seen the kids at school assigning each other with these labels and it had cheapened it for him. She wasn't some girl he took to the movies on weekends, staged out overly dramatic fights with, then moved onto someone else. She was his his family, his whole world and he was getting that damn necklace even if he had to rob an old lady in the street to get the money.

Wasn't like she asked for much, in fact she didn't ask for anything and he had never seen her look at anything the way she had the simple piece of jewellery.

He had spent three weeks scrounging and scraping but still only manage to have thirty dollars, now he had one day left to find ten more dollars and he had no idea how he was going to pull it off.

He looked around the state of his fathers house and rolled his eyes. He had his own room but only ever slept in it during the colder months. Only if he had no other options. He found that as long as he put himself in his father's presence for a few hours a day, the old prick never asked to many questions about where he was or what he was doing.

He accepted that his father needed him there as a punching bag, something to knock around when he was in a bad mood or looking to feel as though he still had some control in his life. Now he was the only one left for that task. His mother was gone, Jessie was high as a kite most of the time and Merle avoided Hank at all costs.

Merle was under the misconception that his father didn't get overly violent with him. His big brother assumed it never went any further then a few smack in the back of the head or a few clips with the belt.

The only one who ever knew how bad things had gotten was Carol and he had made her promise not to tell anyone, especially Merle. He knew what Merle would do, he knew how it would end. He had seen the damage that his father had done to his big brother and he had no intention of putting him back in the line of fire. Last thing he needed was that on his conscience. Merle had done his time and Merle had finally gotten out. He was basically homeless, but he got by.

He lifted up the cushions of the sofa, crawled around on his hands and knees looking under every piece of furniture. He kept going until he had ransacked the whole house, but he didn't find a single cent.

What he did find was a small bag with white powder in it, lying under the kitchen table in amongst the mess.

He didn't know what it was. He knew it was drugs obviously. But he had no idea what type.

He walked into town, the part of town you only go to if you wanna get high or mugged. It wasn't very far away from where Carol lived but still it was an area they never went to. Didn't matter who you were or who you knew, no one was safe around here.

He wandered down the street looking for someone, anyone who he might be able to off load the substance onto. No matter what it was, he knew it was worth more then ten dollars, but he didn't care about the street value. He just wanted ten dollars.

As he stood looking at a group of obvious junkies standing near an ally while he tried to figure out two things.

The first was how he was going to do this with out them just knocking him out and stealing the bag from him. The second was how he was going to live with himself after doing the one thing he hated more then anything. He hated drug dealers. His family was full of them and it never did anyone of them any good. All it did was drag them down and take other people with them.

But he'd do it if he had to.

"What the fuck are you doing here" His brothers voice barked before yanking his arm and spinning him around to face him. He instantly winced and his hand went to his side, feeling the pressure from the movement over his ribs.

"You alright?" Merle questioned, only a hint of the anger in his voice remaining.

"I'm fine" He said dropping his hand and composing his features quickly.

"You sure?" he said tilting his head as if he would be able to see through his shirt to the problem.

"Ain't fuckin repeating myself" he snapped, making Merle roll his eyes.

"But I need to obviously. How many times I tell you to stay the fuck away from here?"

He shrugged and looked back over his shoulder to see only one of the men remained, giving him a much better chance of getting this done.

"Can you just fuck off so I can take care of something"

"You thick? What the hell you got to take care of ha? Ya twelve. Go to ya girlfriends or go home"

"I'm fourteen. And I need to to get ten dollars"

"Take the crossbow back if ya hungry, or go fishing."

"It ain't that" he said looking up at Merle, he really didn't want to tell him what the money was for. But he also wondered if Merle could help him since he did this kind of stuff all the time.

"Well what then, Just wanna get the crap beaten out of ya?" Merle barked, raising his brow, waiting on an answer.

"I need money for Carol's birthday present."He muttered quietly, dropping his gaze down while he spoke. He looked back up when Merle didn't reply with a smart ass remark, only to find his brothers expression had softened slightly.

"You know she doesn't care about shit like that" Merle told him, softening his tone.

"She don't. I do" Daryl argued, flattening his hand over his chest as he spoke.

"Doesn't explain why ya here" Merle pointed out, looking around as though he was worried that trouble could find them at any moment.

"Found some stuff at the house. Thought maybe I could sell it"

Merle nodded, his expression mixed with sarcasm and anger.

"So you are looking to get ya head kicked in. Old man's gonna kill ya if he finds out you took of with his shit. Unless the junkies beat ya skull in first"

"It was on the ground. He wont notice. Besides, I don't care. I'm getting this done" he growled, attempting to walk past Merle, but barely making it two steps before his brother grabbed him and began dragging him back the way he'd come.

"What? No, I'm getting the money" he snapped pulling his arm back.

"I'll help ya. Just come on" Merle said, tightening his hold.

He didn't say anything when he jumped on the back of Merle's bike, but he had a lot to say when he realized they were heading back home. He swore at him. Told him to pull over. Told him he was an asshole. But his brother didn't react once.

When he pulled the bike over near their fathers house he jumped off fuming and ready to argue.

"Good job dickhead. I can just walk back."

"No you ain't. Now you listen to me Daryl"

He stayed quiet while Merle reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. His brother moved quickly, but not to fast for him to see that his bother pulled out the only money he had.

"You take this, get the present. But you put that shit back where you found it. You fucking hear me"

He stood confused for a long moment looking his brother up and down.

"I only need ten" he muttered, looking at the twenty his brother was holding out.

"Use it to buy ya self some fuckin common sense."

He reached out and took the money, shoving it into his pocket nodding, mumbling a thanks that his big brother ignored.

Merle started the bike back up and he stepped back out of his way.

"I mean it Daryl. Put that shit back exactly where you found it" his brother said before taking off down the street.

---

"I was just coming to look for you?" He told her as he made his way through Paul's crowded house.

"huh" Carol mumbled out, as she turned to face him with glazed eyes.

"God damn it" he growled as he looked her over.

He felt his night growing longer before him. What he thought would be a relaxing night, he knew now was going to be anything but that.

"Hey. It's you. Look everyone it's him" she yelled out as her brain finally caught up with her eyes.

He couldn't help himself but frown at her. He couldn't really understand what was going on before him. If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought her drink had been spiked. But he could see the bottle of vodka in her hand, dangerously dangling from her fingers.

"Yeah it's me. Were gonna go for a walk now ok" he told her as he took the almost empty bottle from her hand.

As she watched him take the bottle from a scowl quickly appeared before she snatched it back.

"No. It's my birthday and I want to stay."

He couldn't help but laugh, there wasn't a single thing funny about it, but still the sound erupted.

"It's ya birthday tomorrow, so ya know what that means" he told her taking the bottle again and setting it down on the table behind him.

"I'm not leaving" she said so loudly that the people that surround them all turned to see what the commotion was all about.

He felt their eyes on him and it only added to his annoyance. He glared at everyone staring at them which was quickly followed by everyone going back to their conversations.

"You and me, are gonna go for a nice walk and your gonna sober up" he told her, wrapping his arm around her waist and all but started dragging her out.

"I wanna stay here" she told him looking back over her shoulder.

"We will come back here after you've gotten some fresh air ok"

She was going to puke. She was going to hurl her ass up in a matter of seconds. He could see that shit a mile away. But she didn't.

"I've gotta tell you a secret, but I can't tell you in here…It's a…it's an outside secret" He said as he tightened his arm around her waist and began pulling her out the door.

"You're a buzz kill ya know that" she slurred, heavily leaning into him as she stumbled out the down the steps.

He nodded in agreement and took her out onto the lawn and tried to steady her in front of him.

"I'm guessing that's why I wasn't invited to this party of yours huh?" he questioned with a smirk, trying to hide his concern. Now was not the time to deal with the 'why did you do this?' and 'what the hell were you thinking?'

"Why are we even out here. This is stupid. Your being stupid" she snapped before pushing him away and stepping back towards the driveway so she could follow it back to the front door.

"And you're a liar. There is no secret!" she ranted as she stormed off.

"I just wanted to talk to ya" He pleaded making a move to go after her, ready to argue with her about going back inside, until she stopped where she was and projectile vomited all over the concrete.

He got behind her and worked to keep her from falling forward, but she wasn't making it easy.

He held one arm around her waist and the other attempted to move her her hair back, but he couldn't stop the vomit from splashing up of the drive way onto her shoes and jeans. And it definitely didn't help when she leaned back, thinking she was done and choked out a good amount on her shirt.

Fuck sake

"Alright birthday girl it's time for bed." He announced rubbing her back once more, thinking she had to be finished. She straightened herself up and turned to face him, meeting his eyes for no more then a second before she fell into him.

"Whoa"

He caught her in his arms, thinking she had just stumbled forward, when in fact she was blacking out on him.

He stood there holding her limp body and looking up to the sky, silently cursing the universe.

"Great. This is great." He told her, even though he knew there was no way she could hear him.

He wrapped one hand under her knee and the other around her back quickly, lifting her up before she collapsed on the ground.

He couldn't understand how this happened, why she had made plans to meet him at the tent and now he was carrying her drunk ass across the lawn.

He took her back through the busy living room, feeling pretty damn grateful when the crowd parted like the Red Sea , for him to get her into Paul's room. Though if he were in their shoes, he would do the same thing. Not because it was decent. But because the chances of her puking again were pretty damn good.

He didn't know what the hell was going on with her. Didn't know why she would do this shit to begin with. This was the kind of shit he would have gotten his ass kicked for and he most likely would have earned it, but her reasons for doing this and his reasons, would be very different.

This wasn't her, she just didn't do shit like this.

He dropped her onto the mattress and went across the hall to get a damp washcloth before coming back in and going through Paul's drawers, getting her a shirt and boxer shorts to sleep in. He didn't know why exactly. They didn't sleep with clothes on unless they were freezing cold. And it wasn't cold at all. It was actually a really warm night, but he really didn't feel comfortable with taking her clothes off to begin with, let alone tossing her half naked ass in bed and then crawling in after her.

"Come on girl wake up" he asked pulling her forward to sit up.

"Hey, I'm gonna get ya clothes off ok, ya got puke all over ya" he told her clearly, really wanting some kind of permission to proceed. Though the hum of agreement she gave him, made him pretty damn sure there was nothing she could say that would make him feel like he was being given clear consent.

He shook his head and lifted her shirt up, relieved she was hanging onto consciousness enough to raise her arms up. Though as soon as the shirt was off she plopped back onto the mattress and started muttering incoherently.

He held his breath as the smell of the vomit grew stronger in the small space, dropping down on his knees and started unlacing her boots.

"Ya ruined ya shoes. Ya gonna be pissed about that tomorrow" he said as he pulled them off and leaned up to undo her jeans.

"If ya plan was to make me really fucking uncomfortable, then ya done a damn good job" he spat as he started dragging her jeans off.

"Ya fucking tanked. You might know most of the people here, but there a hell of a lot of people ya don't. I'm gonna chew ya ass over that shit.

. Shit ain't just stupid, it's fucking dangerous".

He got up and grabbed the damp rag and wiped off her face and stomach where he could see the vomit had soaked through her shirt.

He grabbed the boxer shorts and started pulling them on her even though she started to protest mumbling curses and telling him she didn't want to wear them. He growled in frustration and swatter her hands away when they tried to stop him.

"Don't get mad at me. I'm probably the first boy in history to be dressing a drunk girl rather then strippin'a ass down"

She was pretty much out of out, but she still managed to laugh at him.

"Come on girl, one more thing then ya can pass out" he promised as he pulled her up again.

She fell forward, her head landing on his stomach, which was about as good as he was going to get from her right now.

He sighed heavily out of frustration as he manoeuvred the t-shirt on and got onto the mattress to pull her onto the bed.

"Need a hand" Paul asked when he stepped into the bedroom pulling the door closed behind him quickly.

"Grab her legs" he asked waiting on Paul to get a hold of her before the hauled her into her usual spot.

When he got her in place, he let out a heavy sigh through a clenched his jaw.

"What the hell happened?" he grumbled as they pulled the blanket out from under her and threw it over her, finally finishing the task of getting her drunk ass in bed.

"She showed up here like she always does" he reasoned with a shrug and sat on the bed.

"Not like she always does, I wasn't with her" he said as he dropped back against the headboard along side her.

"She said you had something to do, and you'd be here soon".

" She lied. I was waiting on her ass. We weren't even supposed to be coming out tonight" He snapped, immediately wishing he hadn't. This wasn't Paul's fault, and he knew it.

Paul's face softened and his lip curved slightly into a concerned smile. "Daryl, maybe she just wanted to get dr-"

"I ain't stopping her from doin' shit. If she wanted to drink, I wouldn't have gotten in her way" he argued, cutting Paul's reasoning off firmly.

"Would you let her get messed up?" Paul argued calmly with a quirked brow, making him pause and chew his lip as he considered that question.

He looked at her sleeping with her main of curls tangled in a mess around her and realised he didn't know how to answer that without sounding like an asshole.

She was her own person, and she could do what she wanted, but at the same time…Fuck no. Hell, he'd already started lecturing her before Paul walked in and she was so messed up that he knew she wasn't going to remember a damn word.

He would never be able to stand by and let her do this to herself. She could have gotten hurt, she could have ended up in hospital and he would never be able to just stand around and watch that happen.

"I gotta tell you Daryl, that girl worked fast. One minute she was fine the next she'd downed half a bottle of vodka. She knew you'd come looking for her eventually. She's only been here an hour and a half tops. Somethin is up with her"

Paul smiled at him before he stood up and grabbed Carol's clothes of the ground.

"I'll get these washed and hang them out"

---

It was three in the morning when he felt her shifting around beside him.

He had her pulled into her chest as he always did, with his face pressed into the back of her neck.

His lips were still pressed into the soft skin on her neck , just as they were when he drifted off, after planting a long, stilled kiss below her ear.

He wasn't sure how long they had been asleep. He only knew that now her hand was was holding the arm that he had around her, gripping it tightly and she moved back into him as if she were trying to sink into his chest. He woke when she released tiny sobbing sound that sent him into an instant panic.

"Carol? You ok?" he questioned as he followed her silent command and held onto her as tight as he could.

"They don't want me" she told him hopelessly.

The whisper that she choked out, showed she was still drunk, but the pain in her voice was very real.

He wished he could giver her a solution to the problem, tell her a way to fix it. But he couldn't, there was nothing he could do, but tell her the truth. In the end it would be the only thing that would help her.

Carol hadn't grown up with her parents, she didn't fully understand them yet. The way they were, wasn't that'd been forced on her since birth.

Until her grandfather died, Carol had people who loved her. Though he was only a distant memory to her, he had instilled something inside of her that didn't fade away. She remembered what it was like to be cared for, and he knew was under the misconception, that if she worked hard enough, that one day her parents would care about her too.

But that sadly wasn't true.

"No. They don't." He told her regretfully "But that's not your fault" he whispered into her neck before planting a long kiss there again.

He couldn't lie to her about this, if he let her think this shit was ok then she would accept it from other people and he couldn't bare the thought of anyone being able to hurt her like this again.

"They didn't even remember." She whispered in the dark, trying to keep her voice levelled.

"Their addicts. They only care about one thing" he told her firmly.

"Drugs" she said with a nod.

"Themselves" he said into her ear softly. He didn't want to be harsh, but there was no sugarcoat it.

"Why cant they care about me?" She asked wiping the tears from her face.

He shook his head. "It's not your fault, they-"

"What did I do? What's so wrong with me?" She interrupted, giving into the pain that she was obviously fighting against.

He slid out from behind her and rolled her onto her back so that he was hovering over her, so that he could see her face.

"You didn't do anything. It's them, this is their problem, not yours. Ya perfect" he promised her, wiping the hair from her face.

"They don't care about me at all" she said gulping back air to stop herself before she completely broke down.

"I do. I care about ya. More then anything" he told her as he gently used his thumb to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

He continued to smooth her hair back in an attempt to smooth her and thankfully it seemed to work.

He chewed his lip and nodded to himself before moving away from her, to reach over and switch the lamp on.

She looked up at him confused as he sat himself up and reached into his pocket retrieving the small red box.

She looked down at it in his hand and rolled herself over. Her face was blazing, and her eyes were red. He had no idea how long she had been awake crying, but it looked like it had been a long awhile before he woke up.

"What's this?" She asked, sitting up beside him as he placed the box on her lap.

As she opened the box, he got to watch as her eyes lit up for a moment and a smile crossed her tear-stained face.

"Happy birthday Carol."