Let All Aquaintance Be Forgot

by sjb8706

(Original working title was "In the Bleak Midwinter") Caryl find each other on the road during wintertime. ZA AU where Carol leaves the kingdom and strikes out on her own. She heads north. Implied that after losing everything Daryl tracks her down. They begin their life together and celebrate Christmas. It's pretty fluffy at the end.

12. Chapter 12

FWD: Inspired by the song "Amazing Grace" By Sufjan Stevens. +++++++++++++++++++

Chapter 12: Amazing Grace

Carol looked out the horizon and enjoyed her view of the sunset. She could see for miles with the clear sky and the field behind the house was covered in a glistening sheen of ice. She looked at the house and saw Daryl peeking looking out from the kitchen window at her. She waved and he reciprocated with a smile. She wiped at her forehead with her gloved hand and finished tying the fishing wire around the last tree of the perimeter. She had spent much of her afternoon figuring out how to rig something to the back porch. With the help of a bell and some random scraps of metal from the barn she was pleased with the final outcome. She pulled gently on the wire and the bell rang loud and clear near the back door.

Feeling pleased with her work she removed her gloves and hood and made her way inside to check on Daryl. He was standing in front of her looking much brighter and less flushed when she entered the kitchen. "Alarm sounds good. Can hear it all the way upstairs," he assured her.

"Good! Do you need something to eat?"

He shook his head and sat at the kitchen table, picked up a cup of coffee and held it out to her. "Warm up," he encouraged.

She looked from the cup in his hand to his face and melted at the look she saw in his eyes. "Thank you." she whispered. She sat across from him and sipped at the warm beverage while she eyed him nervously.

"Sorry I scared you." he mumbled.

She reached out and pressed the back of her hand gently to his forehead. She sighed in relief, "It's gone." She pulled her hand back and wiped at her suddenly wet eyes.

He stood from the table and pulled her into a hug. "C'mon now," he soothed. She continued to sob into his shoulder. For this moment she let the unspoken worry seep out through her tears. She wiped at her eyes again and lifted her head from his chest. She pushed back gently to look at his healthier pallor. He smiled softly and pulled her back into the embrace.

"I don't want to do this by myself anymore," she admitted to him.

"You don't gotta." At his words, the unspoken disagreement from a few days ago lifted from her shoulders. He had forgiven her.