Slowly Carol would walk along the prison tower, pale blue orbs trained on the tree line as if she could merely will him to appear. When Rick and the others had returned from that god forsaken town she'd immediately noticed that they were lacking more than just Oscar. As soon as Rick had been able, he'd explained what had happened with Glenn filling the group in on the missing pieces. The others believed that Daryl must have gotten separated from them in the confusion of the smoke but one look into Rick's eyes and she knew the truth just like he did. Daryl had gone to try and find his brother.

Carol wanted to be angry, she wanted to kick and hit and throw a temper fit that would have made the redneck proud. She had known that his brother had a strong hold on him, but she'd thought that this group meant more, that she meant more. She hated this weak feeling in her chest, like she was about to crumble at any moment if she allowed herself, but she refused. Over the harsh winter she'd become someone new, or if not new than a better version of herself. She was never going to cower in the corner like she had before, she was stronger. She was a survivor, but the thought of him out there, dead or worse nearly broke her.

She cast her eyes down to the fence, those blue orbs narrowing as she looked at the rotting corpses that surrounded their haven. Some were merely coasting from one spot to another while others pressed themselves against the metal fence, hissing and growling for the flesh they could smell but couldn't reach. Carol's lip curled in disgust and her finger flexed against the trigger, all too happy with the idea of releasing some of her frustration but with a slow release of breath she moved her finger and placed the weapon there at her side.

Her hands fell to the metal guard rail and even she was able to see the white in her knuckles, a feat considering how pale she still was. She had tried to force herself to relax, even to rest as Hershel had instructed but visions kept plaguing her making her restless. Every time she closed her eyes all she could see was that small little closet that Daryl had found her in, those dark walls that had threatened to become her tomb.

At the thought she turned her head towards the three crosses that marked the graves of two of their fallen comrades as well as her own. No one had to tell her that they hadn't thought she'd make it; she hadn't even had to see the crosses to know. She wouldn't have expected her to make it either, truth be told. She had thought herself dead so many times that it was strange now to focus on being alive. A small little smile curved the corner of her lips as she thought about one of her new reasons to live. Judith. Just thinking the name had Carol relaxing slightly.

Every one of their group had taken to the little girl, realizing exactly what the child meant. Hope. Hope for a chance of reclaiming this planet back from the dead. Every time Carol held that little girl in her arms she felt just a little bit more complete, a little bit stronger than she had before. She wouldn't deny that a part of her hurt too, memories of holding her own little girl when she'd been that age always seemed to play in her mind like an old movie. Snap shots of a precious life that had been taken way too soon but the pain was something she could bare.

This worry on the other hand was slowly driving her insane. Again her eyes moved to the tree line and once again it was vacant of the one form she wanted to see. Her whole body tensed as she heard the footfalls up the stairs warning her of impending company. She'd wondered how long it would take him to seek her out. She didn't bother turning her head to acknowledge his presence as Rick joined her at the rail, his own eyes trained on the same line. They stood there in silence for countless minutes before he finally broke it.

"You really think he survived, that he'd come back if he did?" Rick sighed and leaned down placing his forearms on the metal. To Carol she couldn't remember a time he looked more exhausted. Even after the death of his wife and he'd lost his mind for awhile, he had still bounced back from the brink with relative ease. She would tilt her head, studying him a moment and it came to her why. It was because he was missing the one person he'd come to rely on, just like her.

Sighing softly she turned her eyes away from him and slowly leaned to mimic his stance they're shoulders brushing occasionally when one would shift. It was strange how comfortable she'd become with Rick, especially after their encounter after the Farm. But during the hard winter she had watched as he took they're small little group and turned them into warriors, survivors. They owed their lives to this man and Daryl, and she, more than anyone, realized and respected that. Before the end of the world no one had given two shits whether she was alive or not.

She could count on one hand the times that anyone had stepped in to try and help her, and one of those few times had happened after already joining the group. They hadn't tried to rescue her though, they'd forced her to realize she could rescue herself and because of that she would never, could never, simply brush any of them off especially Rick. Even if she did disagree with the choices he made sometimes.

"If he's alive he'll be back." Carol answered with determination thickly layered in her voice and then, with a slow curve of her lips, she would turn to meet Rick's eyes and voiced one of Daryl's favorite quotes. "He's alive. Aint nothin can kill a Dixon, but a Dixon." And no matter what Merle had done in the past or with his more recent actions, Carol refused to believe that Merle would ever allow Daryl to be killed. As much of a bastard as that low life had been to his brother, he'd still protected him from others and that was what Carol was counting on.

Rick chuckled but the amusement didn't quite reach his eyes, and honestly Carol didn't blame him. They had all seen what Merle was capable of every time they looked to Glen's battered face. Yet even then Carol wasn't fooled. She could understand Merle's hostility towards those that he believed had left him for dead, but the fact that he kept asking for Daryl, wondering if he was alive told her so much more about where his true concerns were.

"I don't know what we'll do if he doesn't…" Rick began but Carol stopped him by placing a hand to his forearm giving it a determined squeeze until he would raise his tired and worried eyes to meet the fierce blue of her own and only then would she speak.

"Daryl's coming back Rick, and if he doesn't…"the words stuck in her throat, pain washing over her at the mere idea but she pushes forward and lifts her chin in a stubborn gesture that she'd taken up over the last few months, "then we'll survive. We'll fight, just like we always have. "

Rick sighed heavily lifting his free arm to rub at the bridge of his nose. Carol watched him quietly, his expression morphing with his thoughts and though she could see that her words had given him a small amount of comfort, it didn't take away the heavy weight of his burden. After another stretched moment of silence in which Carol had allowed herself to get lost in thoughts, her eyes once more along that same tree line, she felt the weight of Rick's hand as it moved to rest atop hers.

"He'd kill me if he ever finds out I said this, hell don't think he even realizes it himself, but he cares about you Carol. We wouldn't have made it without him, but he wouldn't have stayed if it wasn't for you. Regardless of if he comes back or not, you should know that." Rick's voice was rough, a year's worth of regrets haunting his eyes and she knew he was thinking of his wife and the anger he'd held too so firmly in her last months with them.

Tears welled within her pale eyes and her other hand joined their others, giving his a pat before turning to look out once more, quickly blinking away those pesky drops of liquid. She was so tired of crying. It seemed like for almost all of her life she had never gone a day without shedding tears for one reason or another. First it had been her home life as a girl, then it had been her marriage to Ed, then the end of the world happened and she lost her baby. Sometimes she felt as if there should be permanent tracks where her tears have fallen on her face like the ledge of a canyon cut by a river.

Rick's words caused a bittersweet pang within her battered heart. She had known for some time that there had been something between her and Daryl but like the man in question, she wasn't sure what to call it or even if it were wise to try to give it a name. Still, as good as it was to hear these words it would have been so much better to hear them from Daryl himself. She could only hope and pray that she'd have the chance of that happening.

"Don't worry; I'll keep your secret safe. He'll never know it was you that tipped me off." She teases a little, the corner of her mouth lifting into the first genuine expression she'd truly felt since they had first returned. She wasn't sure exactly what she expected his reaction to be but when he actually laughed, a true deep bodied laugh Carol blinked not sure how to respond to his amusement.

"Somehow I think he'll know it was me." Rick said between chuckles making Carol all the more confused. Sure it was nice to see Rick laugh, lord knows they'd had very little to laugh about as of late but she wasn't sure what had been so funny about her words. Then she heard it, that quiet -THUNK- of an arrow being released and quickly shifted her eyes, gasping at the sight of him making his way towards the gate, killing everything that moved.

"Hey! Ya'll gonna open the damn gate or stand there holdin hands moonin all day?!" Daryl shouted with narrowed eyes towards the tower. He was exhausted, starving, wounded and now he was downright pissed. He'd been thinking about nothing else but her since escaping and when he finally makes his way home to her, what is she doing? Holding onto Rick, that's what. He relaxed a little though to see, even from this distance, the absolute joy that came over her features when she saw him. It put a little bit of ointment in the sting but he still wasn't too happy with what he'd seen.

Rick was the first to make it to the gate, Carol joined him using a shovel to drag across the fence to distract as many of the walkers from Daryl as possible. Her hands were shaking as she yelled and made as much noise as she could, her body going through the motions while her mind raced. What had happened? How had he escaped? Where was Merle? Those were just a few of the questions that were twirling around in her mind as she watched Rick pull Daryl those final steps through the gate. He was covered in blood, how much was his own was still in question but however bad he was injured it would be okay. He was alive and home where he belonged and that was all that mattered.

Dropping the shovel in its designated spot Carol dusted off her hands and made her way over to the others, standing slightly behind Rick's shoulder. What she really wanted to do was rush forward and wrap him in her arms and check him all over for injuries but she knew he'd probably die of embarrassment or worse, shove her back without even thinking of what he was doing. They had come a long way over the hard winter, slowly breaking down his walls until she was able to touch him without his flinching. Hell, most people in the group were now able to joke and tease Daryl in a way that was so unfamiliar to him but he was handling it well. Better than she could ever imagine. That being said, he was injured, tired and obviously on edge. Right now it was best to keep her distance…no matter how badly she didn't want too.

"Welcome home brother!" Rick shouted as he pulled Daryl in and gave him a brief hug and clap on the shoulder, all smiles now. Obviously he wasn't so concerned with upsetting the wounded redneck and briefly she wondered if she should have been. Able to watch though, she saw the way that Daryl winced, either in pain or discomfort she wasn't really sure but he didn't push Rick back and that brought a soft smile to the corner of her mouth. She was so incredibly proud of him in that moment, he'd come so damn far but then really they all had hadn't they?

"Never thought I'd ever call the slammer home but beggars can't be choosers." Daryl managed what he hoped passed as a grin towards Rick. He was mighty grateful seeing that he was actually missed but if the man didn't let go soon he might just have to punch him. His hand was resting near the gun shot he'd taken to the shoulder and it was taking an act of God to not give anything away. He looked past Rick and saw her standing there with that look in her eyes that she sometimes got whenever he seemed to do something that pleased her. At first it had annoyed him; he didn't need to be pleasing anyone. Carol was determined though to get under his skin, even when she wasn't even trying.

Carol understood him in a way that none of the others ever could, and maybe that was why it was so easy to give in to her. Soon he wanted to please her, to have her poking around in areas that were off limits to everyone else. Woodbury had proven just how much she'd changed him. He'd fought and clawed and killed his way out of that town, and the first and only thing on his mind that had kept him going was her. Her and little ass kicker, he refused to leave either of them in this shit hole of a world without him being there to protect them.

Carol had seen the look and gave a small nod, her smile brightening even further before she stepped forward and gently eased Rick's hand down away from Daryl's shoulder. "As much as he probably does need to staunch the blood flow to the wound Rick, I'm pretty sure he would much rather have it done inside…resting." She teased and gave a soft laugh as Rick's eyes widened and he lowered his hand immediately as if he'd been burned.

"I'm so sorry Brother, Carol's right, let's get you inside to Hershel." Rick of course knew better than to try and help take some of the weight off him by putting Daryl's arm over his shoulder but he did move close to his side so he could help if it were needed without appearing so. Carol moved to his other side and blinked as Daryl handed her his crossbow to carry. No one was allowed to touch the damn thing and the weight of it felt so odd in her hands but as she turned those eyes swiftly to Daryl's there was a message clear there between them that even Rick could see and smirk silently over.

No one was allowed to touch it, except for her now. It wasn't the verbal declaration that she'd wanted when Rick had first spoke of his thoughts about Daryl's feelings for her. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't a show and so few would even recognize it for what it was but Carol did. Carol understood and the smile that blossomed on her lips was nothing to the expressive eyes that she cast over to the Hunter. Her fingers secure their hold on the crossbow before she slung it over her shoulder to rest against her back just as Daryl always did, an action that caused his lips to twitch in amusement.

Declaration acknowledged, accepted and now returned. For now, that was enough.