When I read MMB and NR have been filming together I grew too anxious, and I decided to write this to calm myself down. lol.

I don't know how frequently I am going to update this but it's going to be a series of one shots about Carol and Daryl spending time together. I like to think of it as some scenes we didn't get to see on the show, just because it isn't exclusively about them.

This one is set a few days after Daryl found Bob in the woods, when everything is calm in the prison.

I hope you like them, let me know what you think!

1.

The night was quiet, the growls of the walkers just barely hearable since they too seemed to slow down in the cold days, probably becoming weaker since their preys, both human and animals, tended to remain hidden.

Daryl took a cigarrete out one of the many boxes Bob had given to him. The man had been on his own for who knew how long, with nothing more than a litte bag, but he sure as hell had made sure he always carried a bottle of something and too many cigarette boxes for him to smoke. Well, who was he to judge. He guessed those could become essential for him too if he lost his whole group twice. He let the smoke out and watched it vanish and mix with the cold air, walking around the perimeter of the tower one more time. It was going to be a long, peaceful night, and he knew it would, but when Rick had suggested he went to sleep, he'd instantly tuned the offer down. Odds were nothing would happen but they couldn't go reckless, not with the Governor out there.

So when he heard the footsteps, even more distinguishable now that she wore those boots he'd gotten her in one of their trips with Michonne, part of him felt glad, and the other cursed. It was literally freezing and he'd heard her cough earlier. Last thing she needed was to catch a cold, especially since she spent a long time with the kids. He shook his head disapprovingly, but then he figured he had no right to tell her anything. After all, it'd been him who'd started that routine of keeping her company while she was on watch when he had nothing to do, and soon enough they'd both started to join the other to the point that whenever they weren't busy they were pretty much hanging together. He'd taken her to a few runs because she'd become a terrific shot, even better than most men in the prison. She'd also become fast and very accurate when it came to stab walkers down, because she'd simply changed. She was brave now, confident, a valuable member of the group. She'd always been, he'd always known that, the difference now was she believed it. And she kept telling him he'd changed too. He wasn't so sure about it, he didn't even care. All he knew was sometimes it got annoying when he walked through the prison yard and everyone kept greeting him, thanking him for the food and the supplies and what not. Who would have thought.

"fuckin' freezin' out 'ere woman, get yer ass inside", he told her without turning back.

She chuckled and walked to him, resting her forearms on the wall and glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Couldn't sleep, and it's freezing inside too. Central heating isn't working", she joked.

He snorted. "No shit", he mumbled, "hope ya at least bought me a couple 'f chocolates in tha store". He turned his head to look at her, and saw her mouth curled in a pout.

"Aw, that's mean, Daryl. What I wouldn't give for some hot chocolate and croissants", she said absently,, rubbing her hands on her arms.

He chuckled once more. Carol had a good sense of humor and she was always making him laugh, sometimes against his will.

"Croissants? Fuck, that what ya used ta eat? I could never even manage ta spell tha damn word", he told her, amused, his eyes flicking on her face as he noticed how that grey wool hat made her bright blue eyes stand out even more.

"Oh, sometimes", she told him, waving her hand in the air. "You know, sometimes, when Ed was at work, we sneaked out with Sofia and headed straight to Starbucks… we ordered an extra-large hot chocolate and croissants". She lost her gaze in the distance and Daryl swallowed hard, the mention of Sophia always making him feel guilty, sad, even when it seemed she'd come to terms with it, accepted it. Even when she'd moved on and it showed in how she talked about her more than she ever did before.

"An' he never found out?" he asked her. He didn't like talking about Ed, but he sure as hell liked it when she talked about Sofia. He hadn't really gotten to know the girl much… he'd been too much of an hermit back then as to interact with the kids, even when he'd always been fond of them, for some reason.

"he did, once", she said, looking at the sky. "You can imagine the rest… it was still worth it though". She turned around and slid down the wall until she hit the floor.

"Now yer freezin' yer ass.. literally", he told her warningly, but he joined her anyway.

"How come you aren't wearing your hat?" she asked, her fingers pushing the dark locks of hair off his forehead.

"Ya kiddin' me? I ain't wearin' tha' damn thing.. Makes ma head itch an' it fuckin' hooks in tha branches wheneva I'm huntin'", he complained, shaking his head.

Carol laughed out. "That's mean, Daryl, it was really sweet of her to knit them".

"Yea, cause we all got jobs ta do.. hers is fuckin' knittin a couple 'f hats", he said with a snort.

"Daryl!" she spatted, elbowing him softly in the ribs. "She knitted some cute little outfits for Judith too", she told him, raising her brow.

"Yea, fer when they go ta the park on Sundays afternoons", he joked, which got her playfully elbowing him again.

Carol sighed. "They keep her warm.. god, you're impossible", she said in a serious voice, but she giggled right afterwards.

"Naw, I jus' like ta get ya mad", he told her, tapping her knee. Her eyes fixed on his hand and he quickly dropped it to the side.

"Yeah, you keep getting me mad, I'm going to call you Pookie in front of everyone", she told him as she yawned.

"An' I'll stick an arrow in yer ass", he replied, and he couldn't help but blush at the unintended double meaning of his statement. He looked down, hoping she hadn't noticed, and then back at her out of the corner of his eye.

Her eyes were narrowed in amusement and she had her hand over her mouth. She let out a giggle and then she bursted out laughing, which got him blushing even more.

"Oh my god! you better keep that promise!", she said in between laughs.

"Jesus, you're a freak", he told her, nudging her. "stop".

"Hmhmh", she hissed. "That was exhausting, laughing like that". She surprisingly leaned her head on his shoulder, yawning one more time. He stiffened at first, but he soon relaxed. This was Carol after all, and it wasn't the first time they ended like this. If he had to be honest, not only did he get used to it, to the physical contact every now and then, but he also kind of looked forward to it.

"If ya gonna sleep, ya better go inside Carol, ya gonna be warmer", he murmured on her hair.

"No, I think you're warmer than my sleeping bag", she said sleepily, pressing herself further into his side. He sighed, a little smile spreading on his lips, and slowly wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Alrite, ya get yerself a cold an' I ain't lettin' ya join me fer a week", he warned her, his head leaning over hers as sleep started to win him over.

"Don't be mean, Pookie", she murmured on his shoulder. Never in a million years would he admit he actually liked that weird nickname she called him.

"I live ta get ya mad, dontcha ever forget", he whispered, his eyes shutting close against his will.

"You know, in my neighborhood, they call it flirting", she said groggily.

He opened his eyes and looked up the sky, the sudden temperature drop telling him it would begin to get light soon. She was breathing heavily, fast asleep in one second, and he ran his hand up and down her arm and looked down at her.

"Maybe".

Daryl brought his hands to his eyes and rubbed them frantically; hoping by doing it the memory would just fade away somehow. He couldn't count how many times he'd thought of her… it was like a constant thing that was always in the back of his mind, whether he was fighting with walkers, yelling at Beth, searching for food. She was always there, and he didn't believe in miracles, sure as hell didn't believe in good luck by now, but he sensed, he just felt she was alive somewhere. A deep sadness hit him whenever he recalled a conversation, a situation like the one he'd just been thinking of, and in his mind he could even hear her, her sweet voice, her contagious laughter. It hurt like hell, like nothing had ever hurt him before, but it helped him go through the day sometimes, it helped him bear a whole night inside the trunk of a car. Just the remote possibility of her being alive, of them finding each other was worth surviving.

"Looks like it's clear now, c'mon", he told a scared and tired Beth, turning his head to look at her before opening the trunk and stepping outside.