AN: ughhhhh why do I write new things when I have old things to finish? I promise this will not be long. Second chapter may already be done sitting in my docs;) let me know if you like and want second chapter tonight . 2-3 chapter

I do not own or profit from The Walking Dead

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Mornings were always the best times for Daryl at the shop. It was quiet, there was time to think. Most people seemed to drop their cars off at the end of the day, mornings were time to work, free from the hustle of the bell in the front off continually jingling.

Dixon's was a full service garage. Everything from oil changes to body work and painting. He and Merle had made sure to offer as many services as possible. They were always expanding, always trying to keep their customers loyal and wanting to come back.

Daryl some days had trouble believing that his life, his life could take such a drastic turn. Ten years ago he'd been going nowhere in his life. Angry and surly, he'd followed Merle into whatever scheme Merle cooked up next. Ending up more than once in jail.

He hadn't thought he'd deserved to be happy. His fucked up childhood had left more than scars than could be seen on his back. Life had never once showed him that anyone or anybody could care. Until he met her. His neighbour Carol.

She had moved in next to him and Merle. In a shitty run down apartment complex. He was instantly drawn to her. Somehow in her eyes, he could see that they were two of a kind. Both damaged, both hurting in more ways than they could show.

She'd quietly gone about her business in the apartment complex. Always keeping her head down, seemingly lost in her own thoughts and pain. Until that one fateful day.

He'd headed out to the parking lot to go buy Merle some booze, when he had seen her, or heard her. Softly crying her head was pressed to the steering wheel as she desperately tried to start her car. He'd thought about walking away, taken a few steps in the opposite direction. But there was something about the way she had been softly crying. The sound of her tears and pain did something funny to him, made his heart hurt.

"Ya need some help?" His voice came out as a hoarse whisper. He felt skittish, worried she would run away in fear at the sight of him.

Time seemed to stand still, she held her head on the steering wheel for a moment longer before lifting it up and she smiled at him. His breath caught in his throat. It was like he had been in the dark, and suddenly the sun came out.

"Thank you. That would be amazing. I'm late for class." She said. Her face was practically filled with adoration that he'd simply asked her if she needed help. She didn't seem scared or put off by him at all. He'd started her car. Nothing serious wrong with it, but she'd looked at him like he hung the moon. He'd watched her drive of wondering if he would ever feel the feelings she seemed to overwhelm him with.

She'd shown up at his door with cookies that night, he started carrying her groceries for her wheAn he saw her struggling with them on the walkway.

She started inviting him and Merle over for supper. One night Merle had gotten particularly quiet while he'd listened to her story. Her husband Ed had been an addict, he'd beaten her when she was pregnant. She'd lost the baby. Ed had killed himself rather than going to jail. Merle had checked himself into rehab the next day. From that moment on Merle had deemed himself Carol's honorary big brother. To Daryl she was the first, the only best friend he ever had. He was humbled and inspired by her determination to make her life better. At twenty five she was going back to school to become a nurse. She was trying to put her past behind her.

When Merle got out of rehab the two of them went back to school. They gotten jobs working at a shop putting money aside to open their own.

Carol had shown up at their door one night with a cheque for twenty thousand dollars. She hadn't wanted to use the money from her husband's life insurance on herself. She said it had been sitting in her account earning interest as she tried to figure out what to do with it. She used just enough to put herself through school and she was graduating soon. She wanted to invest, in them.

Daryl had been shocked. Spell bound. "You would trust us with your money?" He'd asked.

She had smiled tentatively leaning in to hug him."of course I would, your the best man I know." She said simply.

The business had grown. Merle had taken him to see a small duplex. They'd gone through one side when the realtor had lead them to the other. "Wait he asked Merle, you wanna take both places?" He'd asked.

"Well what the hell Daryl we ain't leaving Carol by herself at that shithole apartment building. She ain't gotta know how much the rent is. We'll subsidize it for her. Unless your actually gonna man up and move in with her." Merle had said.

He'd blushed muttering they were just friends. They taken her to the duplex that night. Shown her where they were moving. She'd seemed so sad it almost broke his heart. They marched her to the other side, smiling at her confusion when they showed her "her side".

"Didn't think we would leave you behind did ya?" He'd whispered when Merle had answered his phone. She'd flown into his arms, burying her face in his neck.

He'd never had that. He hated to be touched, but he didn't mind her touching him. In fact he was down right touchy freely when it came to Carol.

It was nothing for him, to put his arms around her now. To lay his head down on her lap when they watched a movie. They were friends. That's what friends did.

He was attracted to her, sure. He'd have to be blind not to be attracted. He spent many an uncomfortable night as she was curled next to him on her couch. Hoping that she couldn't feel the fact he was as hard as a rock.

The fact was she was too good for him. She was like an angel that he kept on a pedestal. He couldn't live without her in his life. He couldn't go back to being in the dark. He needed her smiles to breathe. They were friends, she was his best friend. The only one he had ever had. He didn't just care for her, he felt a connection to her he never had with anyone. He adored her, every moment he spent with her was like Christmas morning. He spent a lot of time thinking about it, wondering what word, would actually describe how he felt. He wasn't sure but he knew he would die for her. She had sneaked her way into places in his heart he hadn't been sure existed. He needed her.

He lived in fear of the day, that some guy would come along and take her away, but it never happened. She was thirty five, a year older than his thirty four. Still living next to him and Merle, working as nurse. The day still seemed a little darker until he saw her beautiful face.

He hadn't seen her this morning. He usually stopped to talk to her before heading to work. She was working a day shift at the hospital, and she had mentioned she was going to head in early an errand to run first thing. He missed her, he hadn't seen her since the night before.

Merle was out on a run with the two truck with their new apprentice Glenn. A five car pile up on the highway, a long haul truck had crossed the median it's driver had fallen asleep.

It was to quiet, that's whAt he'd been thinking when Merle extremely pale had come barreling into the shop.

"That was quick." He muttered not looking up from what he was doing.

"Daryl.." He looked up sharply at Merle's voice. Merle sounded as though he was close to tears.

"What's wrong?" He asked sharply,

"That accident...the one on the highway...two fatalities...the names not released yet...they wouldn't tell me there names god dammit..." Merle was hyperventilating.

"Merle!" He yelled as a feeling of dread creeped up on him.

Merle looked up, like he might be sick when he spoke.

"One of the cars in the pile up was Carol's."

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