Carol was still skeptical. She wasn't alone, pretty much the entire group was weary of their newfound safe haven. It seemed too good to be true and they were all on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop and the brutality they'd been facing for years to show up yet again.

Rick had his guard up, Daryl too and even after everything that had happened she trusted them both completely. Daryl first and foremost, but Rick had protected the group for a long time. Even though she didn't always agree with his decisions, she knew his first priority was keeping his family safe. Of course his kids were put before anyone else, as they should be, but the rest of the group, Carol included, were his family.

Carol was holding the youngest member of the Grimes family in her arms, taking comfort in her innocence. It always felt good to hold Judith and dream of a life where people were safe and raised their babies - a place where people were happy.

As they stood in the middle of a street, surrounded by houses making up a subdivision of sorts, part of a community, almost a town really, Carol wanted to believe this place could give them a chance to settle and live a life where Judith could grow up and have a chance at normalcy, whatever that looked like anymore. But as her eyes drifted from one face to the next she saw the same insecurities she felt inside. Rick looked hard and fierce, asking all the right questions and obviously doubting the answers. Maggie stuck close to Glenn, listening to what was being said. Carol could just barely see a glimmer of hope in her eyes, but it was shaded by distrust.

Abraham, the new guy that she had grown to admire almost instantly, had his usual poker face. He was hard to read most of the time, but Carol knew he was a straight shooter. And he questioned Rick, which was her favourite quality. Abe didn't just accept Rick's decisions, if he disagreed he spoke up. He was very similar to her in that respect. But also like her, Abe had developed a solid relationship with Rick. Carol knew he wasn't likely to admit it but Rick needed the two of them questioning him, ensuring he was indeed doing the right thing. The two of them made Rick a better leader.

The last face Carol looked at was Daryl. The one she trusted most. The one she could always count on to protect her at all costs. It wasn't as if she needed protection like she had in the past. But it was still nice to know he would always have her back, no matter what. And it was nice that she had been able to return the favour a time or two since they had been reunited.

Not many people could read Daryl. He always looked pissed off or confrontational, but Carol knew what was going on in his head. She could read him just as well as she could read her own emotions.

As Judith pinched her cheek and tried to grab her hair Carol watched Daryl's face. He was thinking all the same things she was: don't drop your guard, this place is too good to be true, and what if it's not? What if it's every bit as wonderful as it seems?

If they decided to stay and settle it was going to be the hardest for Daryl, she knew that. It took him a long time to trust and he was not much of a people person. Daryl had really been starting to fit in well with the new people from Woodbury back at the prison when things spiralled out of control. Carol had no doubt it could be that way again for him but after so much, all the bad people they had met, all the evil they had encountered... Would he even want to try? She knew Daryl was very content with the group they had. He wouldn't likely be open to letting new people in or meshing with a new crowd - at least not for a while. And for once Carol was inclined to agree with his ways.

She tried to focus on what they were being told. One by one they were to meet with a man named Douglas. Rick would go first and decide if they were going to stay for sure. They had agreed as a group to give it a try when they were approached by the man who had been scouting them for weeks. They also agreed that they would trust Rick's instinct once they were inside to make the ultimate decision.

Carol didn't care one way or the other. All she wanted was to be with her family. If it was there in a safe place where they could build a future she would be thrilled. If it was back out on the road searching for safety and security while surviving the horrors that were out there, that was okay too. As long as they were together. The one thing she knew was that she never wanted to be away from any of them again - especially Daryl.

It was time for Rick to go meet Douglas and he was led off by a pleasant young man. A couple other men took the rest of them on a tour of the little town. Carol wandered up beside Daryl and immediately Judith reached for him. Carol smiled as he easily lifted the baby from her arms and tucked her into his own.

Judith was a lucky little girl. She had a dad and bother who adored her, but she also had an extended family that loved her like their own. Carol, Daryl, Tyreese, Maggie and Glenn were most often the ones who stepped up when Rick needed a hand with the baby. But Judith had taken a liking to both Tara and Abraham. Carol loved watching the large red headed man, who was usually so stone faced, cooing and tickling Judy. It was almost as fascinating as watching Daryl go from redneck warrior to silly Uncle D like he was right then with the baby in his arms.

When they stopped he lifted her above his head and tossed her up, catching her as she giggled. He did it a couple more times and Carol watched the easy smile spread across his face every time he made Judith laugh.

She tried to listen to what the guide was saying but Carol didn't want to hear all the amazing things this place held until she knew they were staying. A few things caught her attention like the fact that the kids went to school and there was an infirmary with a doctor. But the one thing that grabbed her was when they stopped in front of three empty houses and were told they were their new homes.

Before she allowed herself to get excited about the possibility of living in a real house she waited for Rick to return. As he rejoined the group he gave them a nod. "We're going to stay," he announced. "Douglas wants to meet one more person today, then he'll start seeing others tomorrow. Sasha? You ready?" Sasha nodded and was led off.

"These are our houses, so we need to decide who is staying where," Rick said.

It was pretty easy to divide them up. Rosita, Abe and Eugene stayed in one house along with Tyreese and Sasha. Rick, Carl, Michonne and Judith took another house. And the last house was shared between Glenn, Maggie, her and Daryl.

Carol was glad Rick had been smart enough to put her and Daryl in the same house. He had to know by that point that Daryl didn't let her too far out of his sight anymore. The banishment was one thing, but when she's been hit by a car and taken away Daryl lost his mind. He was almost clingy for a couple weeks after he got her back. It was actually kind of sweet but it made her claustrophobic at times and Carol worried it was dangerous for him to be so focused on her. Eventually they had a chat and he backed off a bit.

Before they separated Carol saw Abe whisper something privately to Rick. Shortly after that Rick approached Daryl to take Judith and whispered something to him. Daryl have her a look that told her he would explain soon and they wandered off with Glenn and Maggie to check out their new home.

As soon as they were inside Daryl scoped out the entire house with Glenn while Carol and Maggie stood awkwardly in the kitchen. "I could cook..." Carol mumbled, eyeing the stove.

"There's running water," Maggie said, turning on the kitchen tap. "We can shower..."

They looked at each other, both fighting the urge to get excited, but failing miserably. Maggie started to smile and Carol felt herself following suit. Before they got too deep into their giddy state the boys returned.

"Soon as it gets dark we're all sneaking to Rick's," Daryl informed them. "Stay under one roof for the night, make sure they ain't gonna pull any shit." Carol nodded, it made sense. "Three rooms upstairs. We can figure out which is whose once we know we're actually gonna stay here I guess."

"But we can shower while we're waiting, right?" Maggie asked, her eyes bright.

"Don't see why not," Daryl mumbled.

"Come on Glenn," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the kitchen.

"Don't waste too much water," Daryl called after them. Carol laughed. "What? You know exactly what's gonna happen in that shower," he grumbled.

Carol did know exactly what was going to happen and she felt a pang of jealousy. She looked at Daryl and let her mind wander to what it would be like to climb into a steaming shower with him. "Ya know, we could shower together too... Save water..." She teased him.

Daryl blushed, snorted something and wandered out to the living room. Carol rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure how much more prodding the man needed to see how she felt about him. She was pretty sure Daryl felt the same way about her, if he would open himself up to those feelings. She wondered if he even understood what it was like to be in love with someone.

They waited their turn to shower and Carol went first. It felt amazing and she had to force herself to shut off the taps and not stay there under the warm spray until the hot water ran out. Clean clothes would have been nice, but at least her hair and skin were clean for the first time in a very, very long time.

By the time Daryl had showered too, it was getting dark out. Carol couldn't help but stare at him when he came back downstairs. The clothes were the same but his bare arms and face were no longer covered with dirt and blood. And his hair hung in damp whisps, fresh and clean. Carol knew when it dried it would be soft and silky and she would have to fight the desire to touch it. Or just touch it and tease the shit out of him.

"Ready?" he asked them. They all nodded in response, gathered their things and wordlessly slipped out the door.

By the time they arrived at Rick's place Abraham's group was already there. Everyone stood around the living room chatting quietly. "Probably should try to get some sleep," Rick announced. "There are 4 bedrooms and the living room. Spread out and rest up."

Carol decide to take a small bedroom at the top of the stairs. It likely belonged to a child at one time, judging by the juvenile decor and the single bed. She threw her backpack in the corner, kicked off her boots and climbed into the bed, fully clothed. It was going to take a long time before she was comfortable enough to change before bed. They had always needed to be ready to spring into action. A skimpy nightie... Or less... Wouldn't be ideal to fight off walkers.

Carol was tired and fell asleep almost instantly in the comfortable bed with blankets and a pillow. Something woke her a short time later and she sat up in bed, reaching for her knife, only to realize it was Daryl. "What's wrong?" she whispered, assuming there had to be a problem for him to be in her room.

"Oh, uh... Nothing," he stammered, shuffling his feet and looking embarrassed. "It's crowded in the living room and... Well I ain't spent a night that far from you in a while..." Daryl muttered something she couldn't make out. "Fuck, sorry, I'll just go sleep in the hall."

"Daryl, wait," she called out before he could leave. "Don't go... Stay with me." She met his eyes in the dark and waited for his decision, her heart beating wildly anticipating his response. Daryl reached for the door, then stopped. What's it gonna be? Carol wondered, holding her breath.