Alamo Girl strikes again. Our conversations have spawned this...THING HERE. I wanted to give Carol (and you gais) some laughs as well!

I disclaim everything. But I really want a chocolate sundae right now...

The rocking chairs on the porch were far too inviting to pass up as the blazing heat of the day ebbed in the coming late afternoon.

Carol slipped quietly into one, tapping a foot to start the rocking process, her eyes immediately darting over the grounds in front of the house as she noted the activities of the others.

Dale was of course glued to his chair atop the RV, and the man caught her eyes as he too scanned the area. She returned the nod he offered with a small smile.

Lori and Rick appeared deep in conversation by their tent, and she could tell just by their expressions that it concerned something serious. She drew her mouth into a thin line at the consideration of how scared the woman must be about bringing a newborn into a world full of monsters.

Glenn was huddled by a tree alone, guitar in hand, eyes rising momentarily to look at the house. She noted that he focused on the door, and did not even make the attempt to acknowledge her presence on the porch. The boy was obviously distracted by his own troubles, and Carol knew they probably had to do with the shootout he and Rick had been involved with in town, as well as the young daughter of their host.

She was not blind to the spark between the young couple, and neither did she miss the uneasiness they were suddenly giving off around each other.

Carol smiled again as Carl came striding from the house and went bounding down the steps towards his parents, his head jerking back to look at her as he did so.

"Hey, Ms. Carol." The boy waved and gave a rather mature, Rick-like nod her way.

"Hey there, Carl." He was already jogging to Rick and Lori's tent as she spoke, but the falter in his step and the brief look back told her he had heard.

She watched as Shane strode past the family, shoulders raised and brow furrowed, his eyes refusing to meet their own as he headed toward the house. She chose not to speak to the troubled man as he stomped up the steps and threw himself into the home, the towel slung over his shoulder evidence of his intent to shower.

Carol squinted against the lowering sunlight across the fields, hoping to catch a glimpse of Daryl in his separate camp. The man still refused to move back into the safety of the group at night, but he had made it a point to be present at the RV every morning.

And every morning, he would give her that same acknowledging nod and uncertain twitch of his lip.

They had barely spoken.

Movement to her left broke her reverie and Carol shifted in her still-moving chair to eye Andrea as she hovered over her.

"Can I sit with you?" The blonde gave a somewhat nervous and hopeful smile, and Carol wondered at it before nodding her consent.

"Sure."

She bent her legs back to allow Andrea to move to the chair to her right, settling into it with a sigh that sounded far too old for the younger woman to be uttering.

Andrea's head rolled back and she blinked up at the ceiling of the covered porch.

"It's nice to just…stop for a second. Breathe."

Carol mimicked the woman's gesture and their eyes met as they flopped rather pathetically into their chairs.

"Yes it is."

The two began rocking slowly, small smiles forming at each other as the creaking against the wood reminded them of how silly they must truly look.

Carol raised her head when Andrea's smile faltered suddenly.

"I never told you how sorry I was….about Sophia; we'll all miss her…"

Carol caught the threat of tears in the woman's eyes, memories of her little sister very likely making the statement all the more difficult to force out coherently.

"Thank you, Andrea." They had always had an easy time talking, and for the first time since their departure from the quarry Carol found herself wondering why they hadn't done much of it as of late.

Several long minutes of silence pierced the air between them as the smothering heat gave way to the cooler afternoon air, and she breathed deep the smell of the grass that surrounded the farmhouse.

The place was truly a paradise in this horrible world.

If one did not count the solemn graves now visible under the trees by the barn.

A chuckle interrupted Carol's somber thoughts and her eyebrows bent down reactively.

Glancing over at the younger woman, she found Andrea smiling and shaking her head at herself. Their gazes met and Carol's question was silent but obvious.

Andrea rocked her chair back even more, propping it in position with a firmly placed foot against the guardrail in front of her.

"I could sure use that vibrator these days."

Carol's own smiles grew and she felt her cheeks flush slightly at Andrea's boldness.

Looking around the camp quickly, she noted the distance of everyone from the porch and then nodded with vehemence.

"Yeah."

"And you know what else?"

"Do tell."

"A chocolate sundae."

Carol found herself laughing for the first time in what felt like a month, the easy chuckles loosening the pain and heaviness that seemed to sit lodged permanently in her chest.

"That does sound good."

"With a cherry on it."

"Well, of course."

"And nuts."

"Definitely."

As the women rocked and laughed Carol was brought back to that brief moment of joy by the waters of the quarry, of reminiscing and cherishing- and she had forgotten, she realized, how important it was to do so.

To cherish moments such as these.

To laugh when you could and do it with all the joy you had in you.

Andrea's cheeks were darkened as she grinned at her wickedly.

"You know, I take it back. Screw the vibrator. I could really use some sex."

A half-snort choked through Carol's nose and she once again scanned the campgrounds like a paranoid gossiper.

"…Yeah. Me too…"

The cackle that snapped sharply from Andrea's mouth brought a head or two up in camp, including a curious look from Dale. Carol's cheeks were beginning to warm up as she realized the conversation from the quarry was indeed going to continue in full force.

Andrea suddenly leaned closer to her, her chair ceasing its movement for a moment.

"But…can I confess something?"

Carol grinned a bit and nodded.

"Of course."

"I've…I've had sex recently."

Andrea's head bowed slightly and she hid whatever expression would give away whether or not she was proud of that fact.

"With Shane?"

Blonde hair flew as the woman met her eyes, wide as a deer caught in headlights.

"Is it that obvious?"

"I think more so to us women. I've noticed you two going off together pretty often."

"It was just once…"

"You don't have to explain it; it's none of my business..."

"I know, I just…wanted to tell someone, I guess."

Carol sat quietly as Andrea began rocking again, eyes avoiding her own for several moments before another grin suddenly sprouted across her face.

"So, you need to get laid more than I do, missy. We need to find you some sex."

If Carol had been drinking anything in that moment, she would have done a movie-esque spit-take. Laughter welled in her chest at the ridiculous notion.

"And who do you propose I get this 'much-needed sex' from?"

"Oh, honey…if I were Amy right now I'd roll my eyes and say 'duh'. I'm not the only one who's been wandering off with a man lately."

Carol's eyes watered with the exertion of her laughs and widened at Andrea's suggestion.

"Oh…oh God. I'm pretty sure I'm the last person Daryl Dixon would want to have sex with."

This time, Andrea did indeed roll her eyes, her sister's playful spirit shining through them.

"I'd beg to differ. I can't say I've ever seen a man watch a woman the way he watches you. Like a dog watching a sheep and a hawk watching a mouse…at the same time. I don't know what exactly is going on between you two—"

"Nothing is…"

"Maybe you should fix that." Andrea flashed another toothy smile and leaned over again, slipping a finger under the cloth of one of Carol's layered shirts and tugging. "I say you shed one of these tank-tops and go seduce that redneck bastard."

If her cheeks had been warm before, they had begun to blaze at her friend's bold dare.

Carol laughed and shook her head, shooing Andrea's hand away and simultaneously grasping it in her embarrassed mirth.

"I'd need to get him to speak to me first—"

The sound of the screen door squeaking open had the two jumping in their seats, and Carol watched as Andrea's expression turned from amused to wickedly mortified.

A lump caught in her throat and Carol dared herself to turn to look behind her.

Daryl stood rigid and awkward on the top step of the porch, head pointed determinedly in the direction of his campsite, his eyes cutting to the right to stare at them.

Carol met that gaze with a flush of horror, and she watched as the eye visible to her twitched.

With a quick nod he all but jumped the rest of the steps to take off towards his solitary tent, body tense and fists balled up tight.

Carol felt her jaw lock and she met Andrea's sparkling eyes.

"Now, I wonder how long he stood at that door and listened to us?"

Carol shook her head and dipped it down to hide a smile.

"I don't want to know."

Except she kind of did.