AN: new chapter :) two time jumps in this, please look for the date with the xxx's.

I do not own or profit from The Walking Dead

Chapter 5

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1975

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Where was she? Daryl ran through the US consulate in Vietnam searching rapidly through the faces waiting to be air lifted out of the country. Carol had to be there, she had to be.

Saigon was falling, they were being lifted out, a marine guard at the consulate he'd been assigned to act as a driver, for his last few days in the country. Picking up those across the city the consulate saw the need to evacuate and ushering them in beyond the walls of the consulate which provided an illusion of safety.

He was searching through the faces of journalist rapidly, scanning them for the one face he'd longed to see. Carol.

She was a photographic journalist, a rare job for females, but one she cherished. He'd never forget the first day he'd seen her. He'd had the day off, walking the streets of the now doomed community, he'd seen a red head, bent over the knee, of a crying Vietnamese child, obviously with a scrapped knee. The redhead was pouring water on a red scarf, dabbing softly at the child's knee. Talking softly to the child. He suddenly felt the knead to move closer, something drawing him to her, what he wasn't sure, he just needed to be closer. As he moved closer he heard her murmur. "Oh Angel, it's okay, don't cry."

He stopped in his tracks, his throat almost closing over as a knot formed in his chest threatening to overwhelm him. He wasn't sure why. She stood as the child ran away wiping her hands with a chuckle, placing the red rag he later learned was used to wipe her camera lenses, hanging from her back pocket. She turned as though she sensed someone behind her, coming face to face with him. They stood stunned staring at one another. He saw her hand lift as though to touch his face but she quickly dropped it.

"Do I know you?" She whispered.

"No." He said but his heart whispered that was a lie. Somehow he knew her. His heart knew her. He just wasn't sure how.

The next few months brought about a love affair he'd never thought he'd be capable off. He'd always thought himself a prickly mother fucker, he had not been sure love was something he was capable of. But he was. Affection like he'd never known he possessed flowed out of him, sometimes he was scared she would feel smothered by it, but she never did. It was as though every part of his soul where before he'd found lacking, she filled up the empty spaces. He just could not loose her.

He ran through the halls, feeling panic overwhelm him, when he saw a familiar place. "Dale!" He yelled, running up to the senior journalist Carol worked with. "Where's Carol?"

Dale looked worried "She went out to shoot film of the evacuation of the orphanage. I'm worried Daryl, they were bombing that area, I haven't been able to reach her." He didn't let Dale finish before he was running, yelling to his commander where he was going, jumping in his jeep and speeding away.

He knew what orphanage she would be at. Saint Sophia's. A catholic orphanage she regularly volunteered at, he sped through the streets, they were packed with those desperately trying to flee the advancing troops.

He pulled into the orphanage lot, and let out a strangled yell. It had been hit, maybe clipped by a bomb, half the building was demolished. He ran in, shouting, when Glenn the driver who often drove Carol came running to him. His commander refused to let him drive Carol when he learned of their relationship.

"Daryl thank god! She's trapped, I need help to free her." He followed Glenn his heart pounding in his lungs. She lay in the rubble, concrete, over her abdomen and legs. Her face so white.

"You have to go" she was telling the nuns near her, trying to comfort her. "Take the children and go." Then she whispered something to the nun, who looked at her in shock and nodded. Kissed her forehead, took the remaining children and fled.

"Daryl.." she murmured when she noticed him.

He fell to his knees beside her, taking her hand than frantically trying to move the concrete on her legs. Glenn helping him.

"Daryl..."

"Daryl..."

"Daryl...". He looked up as she spoke "You have to go. Glenn heard chatter on the radio, they are coming back around to bomb again. There's...there's no chance." She whispered.

"No!" He yelled.

"Daryl...I'm trapped, there's a piece of rebar in my stomach. If you could move the concrete, I would...bleed out. I didn't want to say so in front of the kids. You need to go..." he slumped down in dejection, tears streaming down his face.

"Go Glenn." He whispered.

"But..." Glenn said.

"Go." He yelled.

Glenn left running and Daryl took her hand, bringing it to his lips. He could hear the bombers making their way closer.

"Go.." she whispered.

"No, I can't loose you again." He growled.

"Again?" She said confused, he leaned down brushing his lips over hers.

Her eyes opened with memories bubbling up from her soul and explosions sounded around them. "Oh my love" she whispered " Stay Safe."

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2015 ...ish

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He watched her from a distance. Her ass up in the air, she was putting on quite a show he thought with a chuckle as she groomed the white horse legs.

The Kingdom soldiers all seemed to ride horses, Daryl had been surprised that Carol could ride. He'd never known that about her, although he seemed to recall her saying she could ride, at Hershel's farm when she had begged to be allowed to go look for Sophia.

Sophia, the thought had him flinching in pain as memories of the little girl ran through his head. He'd thought that in time, the pain of that day would heal. Time would heal all wounds and all that crap, but if he was honest, the more he loved Carol, the more he saw her hurt, the more that day hurt to remember.

He loved her, he'd come to accept that fact, almost the first day he'd seen her. Something about her pulled him in. Sometimes he felt He would drown in her eyes if he looked at them for too long. But time never seemed to be on their side, and something inside him always felt, that if he acted at the wrong moment, it would mean a disaster.

So he watched and waited, every moment she was near, dying a little more inside when he saw how much she'd suffered. He'd suffered too, his life had been filled with it seemed never ending sorrow, like all his life something was missing. Like a piece of him just wasn't there, until the day at the quarry he'd seen her. He'd suffered but nothing hurt worse than watching her pain.

He was hovering in her orbit yet again. Having Rick assign him with her as they fought Negan. He needed to be with her. He needed to have her near. The panic seemed to lessen when that happened.

He got up, shoving the usual red rag he'd been using to clean his bow in his back pocket. They were at the kingdom, on a lay over getting resupplied. Carol was grooming her horse. Tara and Morgan had gone off to their respective rooms for the night.

"You want some help?" He asked, his voice was hoarse with emotion, just like every time he saw her, every time she was near. She smiled up at him, moving to give the horse a treat, scratching the horse's mane. "That's ok, all done."

"What's her name anyway,?" he'd asked nodding at the horse. But as her lips open before she made a sound he knew the answer. They together spoke at once.

"Angel."

She paused in the motion of scratching the horses neck her bodyshaking. His own mind filled with memories of past lives and existences.

"Oh my love" she whispered.

She turned to him, tears streaming down her face, no more than his own tears. She brought her hands up to his cheeks, her eyes as blue as the ocean.

"Oh my love." She whispered again "you found me even after the world ended."

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The end-

So I lied, it wasn't completely no zombies but I wanted you all to be surprised. Let me know what you think. I have had a bit of a rough week and your reviews make me so happy :)

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