Apologies to my OQ friends. This is not an OQ story, I promise Fractured Hearts is next!

I started watching The Walking Dead a couple months ago and finished every episode in three weeks. I fell in love with Carol and Daryl, together and individually. I thought I would try my hand at writing fanfiction for them, broaden my horizons and stretch myself to write new voices. I'm still learning but I hope I have captured the voices of Carol and Daryl somewhat.

This is unbeta'ed, and a bit of a stream of consciousness type thing. Forgive me my mistakes!

I only rated this T, but there is some language in it. I figure that if AMC allowed it, Daryl would swear quite a bit more!

I don't own anything related to The Walking Dead, so please don't sue.

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace

-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

A Time to Mourn

Carol sat in the back of the box truck wedged between pillows and blankets that the group had scrounged together, despite her protests that it was not necessary.

She leaned her head back against the wall of the truck, her movement sending a severe ache down her left side causing her to wince. The pain medication they had given her at Grady was starting to wear off.

"Mind if I take a look," Sasha asked, leaning over her, concern evident in her features.

Carol nodded her head in consent, lifting her shirt, exposing her black and blued side. Sasha's fingers gently poked the bruises and a sharp pain jolted through her rib cage making her hiss.

"Sorry," Sasha quietly mumbled, her hand giving Carol's a quick squeeze before pulling away.

"The people at Grady gave us some codeine to help with the pain," she said, searching through the duffel bag, humming in victory when she found the bottle.

"No," Carol shook her head, "I'm fine," she insisted. She needed to be alert, ready to fight if need be. She was already weak because of her injuries, once again a liability to the group and taking the codeine would only serve to render her even more useless. "We need to keep it in case someone else needs it, in case – of the worst," she trailed off.

"Carol," Tyreese's deep baritone made her look up, "Twenty-four hours ago you were in a coma, you need these," he gestured to the pill bottle.

"I'm fine," she repeated, trying to sound convincing. She needed to remain alert, she needed to be able to protect the others if a dire situation arose.

Sasha sighed softly, "At least try to sleep then."

Carol nodded and closed her eyes, the desire to shut the pain out was overwhelming, but she knew sleep wouldn't come. There were too many unwanted images that haunted her when her eyelids came to rest. Karen and David, Mika, Lizzie, Sophia – She squeezed her eyes tighter, attempting to clear her brain of the painful memories. Sounds of a gunshot echoing, of blood spattering and of Beth falling to the ground invaded her thoughts. Dead. Beth was dead. A new nightmare to add to the never ending cycle. She swallowed back a sob but was unable to stop the one tear that escaped. She had been right, they really couldn't save anyone anymore.

The group had not been given much time to mourn. The threat from Dawn's group had still been a strong possibility and they were forced to continue on their way. Maggie had clung to her sister, the young woman's sobs had torn at Carol's heart. It had taken Glenn, Rick and Daryl to pull her from Beth and get her off the ground into the other van that they had found. Beth's death was difficult for them all but it had hit Maggie and Daryl particularly hard. Hearing Daryl's anguished sob back in the hospital was not something Carol wanted her thoughts to linger on. He wasn't one to display his emotions very often but when he did the result was heartbreaking.

The back door of the truck opened abruptly causing Carol to jump. Her eyes landed on Daryl and she watched as he climbed in. She was surprised to see him, had figured that he would remain in the vehicle that carried Beth, keep guard over her until she was laid to rest. She knew he felt responsible for the young girl, yet here he was.

His face was pale and his eyes red , he looked worn,empty, and she felt a fresh wave of sadness wash over her at the devastation that lingered in his eyes. He closed the door quickly, making sure it was secure before his hand banged the wall. The engine immediately roared to life and they all jolted as the truck moved forward.

He made his way towards her, his eyes scanning her body rapidly, his brow furrowed in worry.

"I'm fine," she once again tried to reassure.

His eyes flicked to hers and he grunted, a sound that made it clear that he didn't believe her.

His head turned to Sasha, seeking a second opinion from the closest person they had to a medic. Her eyes darted briefly to Carol before answering Daryl's unasked question.

"She should take the codeine," she advised,shaking the pill bottle, "It will help her rest more comfortably. She needs to rest."

Carol frowned, "I don't need to take anything, I'm fi-"

"Take the damn pills," his voice was gruff, grouchy and irritated to the untrained ear, but the slight quiver in his tone and the pleading, desperate look he shot her told a different story. Their gazes remained locked for a few moments, various emotions passed through Daryl's eyes, emotions that mirrored the turmoil that was flickering through her heart.

She reached out a hand towards Sasha, relenting, "One." She needed to maintain some control over this situation, but with Daryl here she felt more at ease, she knew the others would be protected if they ran into trouble on the road.

Daryl had a canteen at the ready, she took it from him, swallowing the pill in one fluid motion.

"Sleep," he said, his voice just above a whisper, his hand holding hers a beat longer than necessary as she handed back the water.

She nodded, closing her eyes and leaning back against the wall. The last thing she remembered was feeling Daryl's shoulder bumping hers as he settled in next to her.

"Carol."

"Carol."

She could hear her name being called amidst the fog, it was distant and muffled but she knew it was calling her name, knew it was a voice that made her want to reach out and cling to it and never let go.

"Carol." It was closer now.

Her eyes fluttered open and she squinted needing to grow accustomed to the light. It was still, there was no roar of the engine, no movement from the others that had been in the back of the truck. She took a deep breath as things began to become more focused. The earthy scent of dirt and pine invaded her senses. Daryl.

Fully awake, she tilted her head, her gaze met piercing blue eyes. At some point her head had fallen on his shoulder, the realization made her pull back, startled.

"Easy," he drawled, gently grasping her elbow.

She blinked her eyes, still disoriented. "Where is everyone?"

"At the r'sort," he explained, his eyes shifting downward.

"Oh," she whispered.

Maggie had wanted to bury Beth at a hiking resort located 3 hours outside of Atlanta. It was a place where they had vacationed several times as children and had been a favourite of Beth's, a place where the Greene family had many happy memories.

"Y'alright?" Daryl's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Yeah," she breathed, shaking her head to clear it, she turned to look at Daryl, "I'm OK."

He stared at her, his eyes narrowing.

She sighed softly, "I have five fractured ribs – I'm sore Daryl – but it's getting better – I promise." If only the emotional scars would be able to heal as easily.

He regarded her for a moment longer, searching, and finally he nodded, the movement quick and sharp.

"Building's clear. Come on," he gripped her arm more firmly, assisting her to to her feet. Every bone in her body protested and she winced when pain pulsated in her abdomen. Daryl put his arm around her, shouldering her weight. When they reached the door, he jumped out of the truck and extended out his arms.

She paused, staring down at him, there was something in his look, in the way he contemplated her, that had her heart rate increasing. It was a feeling she experienced occasionally in his presence, a feeling that was often foreign to her and stupid for her to even dwell on, especially at a time like this.

"Carol, you OK?" Carl came into view, a rifle hanging off his shoulder, his expression concerned.

Her head snapped towards him, "Yes," she was quick to reassure, "I'm – I'm fine Carl."

She stepped down into Daryl's arms, his hands rested on her waist, gently maneuvering her to the ground doing his best to avoid her ribs. She ignored the heat rising up her neck and kept her gaze on anything but the man in front of her.

She stumbled slightly when she was finally on the ground, her legs still numb from disuse, both Daryl and Carl grabbed an elbow, steadying her.

Her hand reached out to tap the brim of Carl's hat offering him a small smile of gratitude before the three of them began to make their way towards the resort.

"Carol?" Carl's voice broke the silence.

She glanced over at him, humming in acknowledgement.

"I'm really glad you're OK," he said.

She felt tears threatened at his confession but cleared her throat warding them off. She smiled at him not trusting herself to speak.

"You were like a warrior or something, getting us all out of Terminus," he said, his eyes full of awe. "And you kept Judith safe – I never did thank you for that. Thank you."

"Tyresse -" she began, trying to downplay any role she had in Judith's safe return. It had been Tyreese who saved her from the prison.

Carl wasn't having any of it, "No," he interrupted, "Thank you."

Before she could respond, Carl continued, "We need to learn to say the important things to people right away. There might not be a tomorrow. You'd think we'd know that by now, wouldn't you?" He offered her a small, sad smile before turning to look forward once more.

His words hit a little too close to home and she chanced a glance at Daryl. Her eyes widened when she found him watching her. Their gaze held and soon she found it difficult to breath. She broke eye contact, glancing down to the ground and focused on getting her breathing back under control.

They had buried Beth that afternoon, Father Gabriel proceeded over the small funeral making Beth's death seem more real, more final than all the others, if that even made sense. Maggie had stood stoic, staring off into space, the ever present fire that burned in her eyes, extinguished. It had crushed Carol seeing Maggie like that, it was a feeling she knew all too well herself.

Daryl had stood beside her, unable to stay still, constantly moving his feet and fidgeting. She knew he had wanted to escape, desperate to mourn on his own and away from prying eyes. After Maggie had laid a rose on Beth's grave and Father Gabriel had said the final prayer, Daryl had fled into the woods, mumbling something about going hunting. Carol had watched him retreat, unable to follow because of her injuries, but she knew he needed the time alone.

It was now well into the evening and Daryl had still not arrived back at the resort. Anxiousness rolled in the pit of her stomach. She hated when Daryl was out more than a couple of hours, but in the state he had been in – it had her nerves even more on edge.

She sat on the sofa along with Sasha and that kid from the hospital, Noah. Aside from Daryl, the only ones missing from the group assembled in the main sitting room were Maggie, Glenn, Tara, and Rosita. Her knee bounced nervously while she listened to the others discuss their options for the future. Rick was knelt on the floor, a map laid on the small table, scouring for safer locales for them all to stay.

"If we travel north," his finger traveled along the map, "we could make our way to Virginia in a few days."

The creak of the door opening caused everyone to turn their head. Daryl entered, his crossbow slung across his back. Carol sighed in relief, the tension easing somewhat from her shoulders.

"What's goin' on?" Daryl drawled, his gaze drifting over everyone and finally resting on the map.

"Just discussing where to head to next," Rick answered, "Noah's from Richmond – thought we'd go with him and decide what to do then. Washington might not be the cure we were hoping for but it's still the nation's capitol, it has to be well protected I figure."

Daryl nodded, setting his crossbow against the fire place before leaning over to look at the map.

"About a five hour drive to Virginia or fifteen days walk, give or take a few days. Figure we'll drive as much as we can," Rick continued. "What do you think?"

Daryl rubbed his chin, deep in thought, "Good as plan as any," he mumbled.

"OK," Rick stood, "We'll leave first thing in the morning."

Carol groaned inwardly, not relishing the thought of setting out so soon. Her body was slowly improving but a couple more days of rest would have gone a long way in the healing process. Staying a couple more days would have also offered Maggie, Daryl, and all of them time to grieve in peace, well, in as much peace as they would receive in this world they now lived.

"'Scuse me?" Daryl muttered, "In the mornin'?" Carol's head snapped up at the anger laced in his tone.

"We have least enough food for four days, a pond out back. How 'bout we rest for more than one damn day?"

Rick watched Daryl for a moment, his brow furrowed, "We need to keep moving," he said, slowly. "Those people – from Grady – if they're tracking us...we're sitting ducks staying here."

"They ain't comin' after us," Daryl said, his tone firm, confident in his statement.

"Daryl's right man," Noah intervened, "with Dawn no longer in charge. They won't be coming after us. They have no reason to."

Rick shook his head, "A lot of you thought we were safe once we escaped from Terminus, and look what happened there."

"That ain't the same," Daryl said.

"That isn't a hunch I'm willing to place my family's lives on," Rick grabbed the map off the table folding it, clearly done with discussing the issue any further.

"Your family," Daryl scoffed, his eyes igniting with a fresh anger, "Always 'bout you an' yours."

Rick turned to face Daryl, his eyes narrowing, "What the hell does that mean?"

"Means you don't give two shits 'bout the rest of us, our families."

Rick's eyes squinted, seemingly confused by Daryl's accusation, "You know that isn't true. Movin' on is what's best for the entire group."

Daryl shot forward aggressively towards Rick causing both Abraham and Tyresse to move in ready to intervene if necessary, "Maggie's mournin' an' needs time to get her shit together – we all do an' Carol -" Daryl's voice cracked with emotion on her name which made tears spring unexpected to her eyes, "Carol was hit by a fuckin' car five days ago. We can wait least two more god-damn days."

Carol moved to sit on the edge of the sofa, she couldn't remember the last time she had seen Daryl this upset, especially with Rick.

"I'll be alright Daryl," she reassured, trying to ease some of the tension that had filled the room.

"No!" Daryl growled, not even turning to address her, his hard gaze remained locked on Rick. "If Rick wants to leave – fine, we're stayin'."

The men stood staring at one another, neither backing down. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, it was Rick who finally gave in, "Anyone else have any opinions?" he asked, his eyes flicking around the room.

It was quiet for a moment, each individual weighing their options, not wanting to set either man off. Eventually the majority agreed with Daryl, stay a couple more nights and then move on.

Rick nodded his head, relenting, "Two days and then we head out," he growled, he did not seem pleased with the decision. He turned toward Michonne, his arms reaching out to take Judith.

Carol observed Daryl carefully, his hands were balled into fists and his jaw was clenched, anger still radiated off of him. She could tell there was still something bothering him, that this had been about so much more than just being against Rick's decision to leave the resort right away.

"Three hostages," he muttered.

Rick's arms dropped back to his side and he turned to face Daryl once again. "Excuse me?"

"We had three hostages an' then y'had to go all Rambo on that guys ass."

Rick stepped forward, "That guy knocked Sasha unconscious and was headed to warn the others at Grady. He would have ruined our chances of getting Carol and Beth out of there."

"He didn't make it though, y'had him, it could've been an even trade."

"You blaming me for what happened to Beth?" Rick asked, his tone dark, hurt.

Daryl stepped towards him and Carol could see Abraham and Tyreese once again moving in. Everyone watched wide-eyed, surprised by this animosity between the two men. Carol's heart hammered in her chest seeing Daryl like this, a wild animal lashing out. It had been a long time since he behaved in this manner. She longed to reach out to him, to calm him, but felt useless in that moment.

"What happened at the hospital was a tragedy, unforeseen by us all. It was no one's fault," Sasha said, doing her best to ease the tension.

"It's been a long day," Abraham said, reaching out and gripping Rick by the shoulder, "we should all get some rest."

Rick wasn't ready to end it, he jerked away from Abraham, "If we had gone in like I had planned-"

"With guns a blazin'?" Daryl cut in, his voice raising. "That could have gotten 'em both killed. Like I said, y'don't give two shits 'bout anyone but your own." Daryl turned away from Rick, shaking his head.

"I cared about Beth," Rick's voice hitched, his emotion over her death evident. He took a deep breath before continuing, "I care about Carol."

Daryl snapped at that, storming towards Rick. He grabbed the lapels of his shirt, roughly pulling him towards his face. "The hell yo do!" Daryl snarled.

Tyreese grabbed a hold of Daryl's arms and pulled him off the sheriff. Daryl struggled but was unable to escape Tyreese's grip. He pointed his finger at Rick, jabbing the air forcefully, "You left her out there all 'lone to fend for herself," he cried.

Carol softly gasped, some of the others looked confused not sure what Daryl was talking about, but she could tell by the look of guilt that flashed in Rick's eyes that he knew exactly to what Daryl was referring, her banishment from the prison.

Daryl stood staring at Rick, his breath heavy. He then glanced over to her making brief eye contact before his eyes darted to the floor, she could tell he hadn't meant to say what he did out loud. He pushed Tyresse off of him and quickly made his way to his crossbow, grabbed it and left, the door slamming behind him.

"What the hell was that about?" Abraham questioned to no one in particular.

Carol grabbed the edge of the sofa and pushed herself up. Rick's gaze settled on her as she limped toward him. When she went to pass him, her hand momentarily rested on his arm. It was a gesture to show him that what he had done to her was a thing of the past. It was not something she would be able to forget but it was something that she had forgiven. It would be hypocritical of her to hold a grudge when she had received forgiveness from Tyresse for all of her wrongdoings. His hand came up to cover hers, squeezing it before letting go, gratitude in his eyes. She ignored the stares of the others as she slowly followed after Daryl.

She stepped out on the porch, relief washing over her when she spotted Daryl's silhouette sitting on the steps, she had been concerned that he might have taken off to the comfort of the woods once more.

She pulled her blouse tighter around her attempting to ward off the slight chill that evening had brought. The stairs creaked under her weight giving away her presence but Daryl still continued to look out over the dark landscape. Carol could just make out the forms of Rosita and Tara by the treeline where they sat on watch.

"You should be restin'," he said.

"I needed some fresh air. Mind if I sit?"

He let out a soft grunt, Dixon speak for 'do whatever the hell you want'. She moved to sit but her body protested, her bones stiff and still painful.

"Can you give me a hand?" she asked quietly. Daryl was on his feet in an instant, his expression a mixture of worry and guilt.

"Sorry," he mumbled, his hand gripping her elbow as he helped lower her to a sitting position before sitting back down himself.

They sat in silence for awhile, their arms occasionally brushing. There were so many things unspoken between them and Carol didn't know even where to begin.

It was Daryl who spoke first, "Maggie couldn't even look at me today."

Carol turned to look at him, her heart breaking at how lost he looked.

"Maggie is mourning. She just lost Hershel and now Beth."

"Beth was my responsibility. I shouldn't've taken my eyes off of her, shouldn't've went to feed that damn dog." He shook his head, "There were so many god damn walkers -"

"This isn't your fault," she told him, her voice soft but firm.

Daryl sighed in frustration, "She never gave up fuckin' hope. I was such a bastard to her, had givin' up, but she just kept –," he sighed again, "God, life ain't fuckin' fair – takin' both Beth an' Sophia."

Her breath hitched at the sound of her baby's name.

"Must be fuckin' cursed," Daryl mumbled.

Carol grabbed his arm, pulling it, forcing him to look at her, "No. What happened to Beth, to – Sophia, that isn't on you. You did more for those girls-," she paused, tears filling her eyes as memories of an endless search, of a barn, and of her little girl, overwhelmed her. She gave her head a little shake before continuing, "It's like you said, life isn't fucking fair."

It was true, this world was a fucked up place and it always seemed to take everyone and thing that was truly good away from them.

"It should've been me."

She realized she must have have spoken her thought out loud when Daryl's head snapped up and turned to look at her, his eyes slightly crazed, "No!" he growled. "Don't say shit things like that, don't even think 'em."

"The things I've had to do," she whispered glancing down avoiding his eye contact, "I don't deserve-"

"Don't," he hissed, pained. "We've all done things." He lowered his chin to catch her eye, urging her to look at him once more, "You're the strongest person I know."

She shook her head, willing herself not to cry. She wasn't strong, it felt like at any moment she would fall apart, break into a million different pieces.

"I – I can't lose you too," he said, his tone soft and gruff with emotion.

Her breath caught in her throat at his words and her pulse quickened from the way he looked at her, from the pure need for her that poured out of him and she knew she couldn't unload her burdens on him tonight.

His bottom lip trembled, and he chewed on the inside of his cheek. Her hand itched to touch him, to not only offer him comfort but to receive comfort in return. She was unsure of how he would react to her touch. Back at the prison they had seemed to enter a place where her touch, her flirting, was something he welcomed. Now, so much had happened and they were both different, changed. Her mind drifted to their reunion in the woods. The way he had ran to embrace her, his relief evident in the way he had clung to her, freely touching her on basic instinct. She had never felt so – loved.

Her decision made, she raised her hand and threaded her fingers in his hair. He immediately leaned into her touch, a soft whimper leaving his mouth. The sound unleashed her own tears and she rested her forehead against his temple. She lost track of how long they sat like that, quiet and leaning against one another, mourning the young girl they had loved, but yet grateful that they still had one another.

It was finally Carol who broke the silence, her fingers still tangled in the strands of his hair. "You need a haircut,"she murmured.

Daryl snorted and pulled back, his eyes flicking to hers, a hint of amusement in their depths.

"Come on," he mumbled, "It ain't that bad, have y'seen Rick's beard?"

Carol barked out a laugh and covered her mouth with her free hand. His lips twitched and for the first time in a long while, she felt a bit better. There was still a lot of emotional baggage she needed to figure out, feelings she needed to thoroughly process but she could finally see a little light at the end of the tunnel and for now that was good enough.

For now this is a one-shot, but if there is interest I would love to continue. I'm interested in writing Daryl and Carol's journey in coming together!

I'd love to know what people thought, let me know!