When Carol woke up the next morning to the annoying sound of birds chirping she was alone. She sat up, rubbed her eyes and stretched, then started to climb out of the tent, wondering where Daryl was. The second she poked her head outside she realized exactly what Daryl was up to.

"Nice shot kid," she heard him exclaim after a little thunk sound. Carol smiled as she watched Daryl instructing the boy holding his crossbow. He waved when he saw her and she walked over to join them. Austin was enamored with the crossbow. She was sure the only other person she'd seen look at a weapon that way was the man who owned it. "Leah said to come have breakfast when you're up, then we should probably…"

Carol nodded and the three of them joined Leah and Tim for a bite to eat. "It's not much," Leah apologized. "Supplies are getting low, but we'll get some game soon," she added with a smile. Carol liked the woman's confidence. They made polite conversation while they ate stale cereal and drank some sort of wild berry tea. The tea was delicious and the cereal wasn't too bad either - it was food and she was hungry.

"We'll go pack up that tent and we should get on our way," Carol said, once they had all finished eating.

"Oh don't worry about that," Leah said. "Austin and I can take care of it… Not like we'll be going anywhere right now," she smiled and nodded towards Tim who smiled back and shrugged. Carol could tell they really loved each other and they were happy. Even living in the world they lived in… they were happy and making the best of it.

"Thank you very much for everything," Carol replied.

"You really have to go already?" Austin asked, looking sadly at Daryl.

"We do Kid," Daryl replied. "But before we go… as long as your folks agree… I have a gift for you." He looked at Leah and Tim and held up the crossbow. Carol watched, completely shocked. She never thought she would see the day when Daryl parted with his baby.

Austin was absolutely losing his mind with excitement. There was no way his parents were going to say no - it would break his heart. Carol watched Daryl's face and knew he was feeling pretty good about making the boy so happy. He had such a soft spot for kids. It hit her hard when she realized that the chances of him having a child of his own were pretty small. It's not like it couldn't happen. The elements were all there. But pregnancies were dangerous - her mind flashed to Lori.

And if it was her that Daryl ended up with… Carol shook her head, why was she thinking that way? They had kissed a couple times and that's all. Luckily she was saved from the path she was travelling down in her mind when Daryl spoke. "You ready?" Carol nodded and with a wave and one last goodbye they headed to gather their things.

"You gave away your crossbow?" She asked quietly, giving him an amused look as they walked.

"I only had a couple bolts left," Daryl replied with a shrug. "Ain't no good to me unless I find more. 'Sides, I had three more of them back at the prison with about 30 bolts… maybe they're still there." Carol couldn't help but laugh. It was a totally sweet and adorable gesture but the fact he had a backup plan too made it even cuter. "Got that spare gun?" He asked.

Carol rooted through the backpack and handed him the weapon. She'd seen him with a rifle, but she honestly couldn't remember ever seeing Daryl carry a handgun. It was odd. But they were going to get to the prison eventually and he would have his trusty crossbow back - maybe even a spare if they had a way to carry extra supplies by that point.

They gathered everything up and Carol went to climb on the 4 wheeler. "Hey, you wanna drive today?" Daryl asked her.

"Oh, I uh…I don't know how…" she replied, feeling slightly shocked. There was no way Ed would have ever offered for her to drive anything. It was times like these that she had to remind herself that even the simple everyday things in life were different now. She wasn't with a chauvinistic asshole who didn't believe in her.

"Good thing I do, huh?" Daryl teased. She smiled. She really did want to drive it. Daryl gave her key and she started it up. He gave her a quick lesson and then climbed on behind her. It was pretty simple and Carol felt comfortable right away as they headed off. Daryl could have held on to the bars on the back, but instead he had his arms wrapped around her and was talking in her ear as they drove. "It ain't that far to the farm, but if you don't pick up the pace we ain't gonna make it in the daylight."

Carol hadn't even realized how slow she was actually driving because she was just enjoying the feel of being in control of something so powerful. Without warning she sped up, throwing Daryl off balance. He tightened his grip on her until he regained balance and she heard him chuckling in her ear which made her smile.

Daryl gave her directions as they drove and she enjoyed the wind in her face as they flew along. There were a couple small hiccups along the way. They had to pull over once and put down a small group of walkers who she couldn't simply maneuver around. They also made a wrong turn, which she didn't plan on ever letting Daryl forget about.

Carol was having a really great day, but the second they saw the remnants of the farm it all came crashing down. Everytime she'd imagined going back there, even though she knew there was a fire and everything would be destroyed, she still imagined it like it had been. The barns, the big farmhouse, the RV still parked where it had been… But that's not what was before them - it was long grass and the burned rubble of the house and barns.

Carol knew Daryl was watching her. He wasn't looking around like she was, he was focused on her and how she was holding up. "You okay?" He finally asked, after a long moment of complete silence.

"I'm not sure," Carol admitted. She really wasn't sure how she felt yet because she hadn't prepared herself properly for what she was seeing. It was so different. Even if she had of tried to prepare herself she never would have imagined it looking like this anyway. "I'm glad Maggie and Beth…" She glanced at him when she said the second name. "I'm glad they never had to see this." Daryl hadn't really talked much about Beth, but Carol knew he still carried the weight of her loss with him because he blamed himself. He seemed okay with the casual mention of her name though, which Carol took as a good sign.

Carol headed towards the rubble of the house. There was something she wanted to look for to take back to Maggie. "Careful," Daryl cautioned as they started to crawl through the mess. "What are you looking for?"

"In the living room there were framed pictures on the wall. I thought maybe Maggie would like a photo of her dad… Beth… ya know? I'm sure they are probably all burnt up, but if there's a chance..." Carol knew how good it felt for her to have a photo of Sophia. She would never forget what her baby girl looked like, but it was just this special little snapshot in time that was tangible and something not many people still had.

They spent a good hour digging before Daryl finally found some photos. "Here," he called out. Carol joined him and picked up a charcoal dusted frame. She wiped it off and saw it was a picture of Hershel and Maggie's mom. Carol smiled and quickly took the photo out of the damaged frame and tucked it into her backpack. Daryl was still digging and he handed her another one. Carol wiped off the glass and saw it was probably one of the most recent family photos they would have had. Even Beth's boyfriend Jimmy was part of the photo.

"This is perfect," Carol comment, smiling at the photo and excited to take it back for Maggie. Daryl didn't respond. He had found something and was looking at it. Carol glanced over his shoulder and saw he was starting at a beautiful photo of Beth. "Keep it if you want," she said gently.

"Nah," Daryl said, setting the frame back on the floor.

Carol didn't understand. "Why? It's okay, really." Daryl shook his head. "Talk to me," she said, reaching for his soot covered hand.

"I don't know how to say it without sounding like an ass," he muttered.

"It's just me," she said softly.

Daryl sighed. "It's not so much about her - about Beth," he said, struggling with his words. "She was family 'course, and I feel like shit for her getting taken. I cared about her, I did…" his voice trailed off as he tried to explain himself. "But it was more the way it all happened than who it happened to…" He finally looked up and met her eye. "I'm not making any sense."

"Keep trying," Carol encouraged him. She was pretty sure she understood, but she needed a little more.

"I didn't know Sophia… and I didn't really know Beth either… but they were kids and I should have kept them safe," he said, looking tortured. "We got Beth back and it felt… good - for a second," he sucked in a breath. "For just a split second the guilt was gone. I couldn't find Sophia, but we did it - we found Beth… and you…" he added. He didn't need to say that - she knew how he felt about her. "But 'fore we knew it she was gone. I had her blood on my face and she was gone. So close… ya know?"

This was the first he'd really talked about Beth and Carol was glad he was sharing but she didn't want to push, so she simply nodded. "Anyway," he shook his head. "It's not about her so much, 'cuz, I didn't know her, but it was the situation." Daryl was really struggling. "I was getting to know her," he added. "She was a sweet girl. And a lot tougher than I ever expected," he smiled a bit. "I'm rambling. I don't know how to explain it."

Carol was pretty sure she understood. "I get it," she said, giving him a quick hug. It was the same as T-Dog for her. He saved her life and sacrificed himself for her. He would always hold a special spot in her memory, but given the chance she wasn't going to carry a photo of him around in her pocket. He didn't hold that kind of place in her heart. And that was okay.

They exited the rubble and stood quietly. Carol's eyes were drawn to the spot where the barn used to stand. The barn that had held the monster that used to be her daughter. She felt chills run down her spine and anger swirl in her belly - just the slightest bit of rage, but it was there. She finally knew exactly what she needed. There was something she had to get off her chest. There was a secret that only she knew. It was time to share that secret in hopes she could finally let it go.

"Daryl," she whispered, turning to face him. "There's something I need to tell you…" She took a shaky breath. "Hershel knew." Daryl narrowed his eyes. "All that time we were out there searching for Sophia - he knew… He knew she was already in that barn."