Hello everyone!

This is my first Walking Dead fanfiction so please be nice. =)

I did my best to stay in character, along the way you may see a little OOC things but this is just the way I see the characters and the show.

I plan on making this a long story –of course positive feedback will determine that.

I just hope the story is good enough to keep around.

Takes place right after; Beside the Dying Fire.

Rated T for now will change to M a few chapters in.

So with that said, enjoy my Caryl fan fiction!

Chapter: 1

Tell me why;

"You're his henchmen and I'm a burden. You deserve better!"

"What do you want?"

"A man of honor."

"Rick has honor."

He didn't understand why she cared so much about him –his opinion or where he was or how he was going to react to things. What plagued him more was; why did he even care about all of those things when it came to her? Over the last few months the group had been broken down little by little –they lost a lot of people and gained a lot when they came to the farm. It was when they lost Sophia and had spend days and days searching for her –never finding her until about a month ago –that he realized this group wasn't going to last. The person he was up to that point was a person he didn't like anymore. He was rude and tough –although he was still tough in a lot of ways, it was because of Merle he was the way he was.

His brother brought out the worst in him in so many ways; although Merle was the only kin he had left –Daryl knew now that he was better off. Merle would have only brought him down more then he did before. Thinking all of this now made him a little sick –that wasn't the person he was. He did his own thing and didn't care about what others had going on… right?

No that was the old Daryl Dixon –the Daryl Dixon that was sitting there now watching this beautiful, frail woman next to him try to keep warm in her sleep –the man that went hunting for the group everyday, helped keep watch and helped keep the others as safe as he could (especially Carol whether he liked to admit it or not)–was the man he became in these last few months and he knew it was because of her. He found himself caring more about what happened to the people around him –especially Carol.

When he searched for Sophia all that time he had hope they would find her –in fact he was more then certain they would find her and he waited for the day to bring her back to her Mama. When Shane opened up the doors and the geeks flooded from the barn and he saw Sophia it was then all his hope was gone. The man he had become in that time sort of died, too, that day.

When Rick had to put Sophia down for good all that anger that was inside of Daryl unleashed. Why should he care about anything anymore –the one thing that gave him hope of proving himself to everyone that he wasn't his brother had gone away. The search for her was over and the reality of everything had set in.

He wasn't a man of deep thought usually –he was never put in any situations to really think deeply about his life or the people he cared about around him. He lived knowing that there maybe a tomorrow and if it did come he would just go about his business like any other day. But now that the world had gone to shit he knew that he had to find something to live for –they all needed something to live for. He wanted to think he had a reason and knew in the back of his mind what it was –but for right now he wasn't willing to admit it.

Looking around the fire to see everyone sound asleep, Daryl scooted over and leaned up taking off his jacket -with his wing vest attached- slowly before he lightly placed his hand on her leg to shake her awake. When she jumped he put his finger up to his lips, "shh," he said softly seeing her blink a few times to get her eyes to adjust in the dark before she sat up a little.

"What's wrong?" she asked him pulling her sweater more around her body.

"Here," he said handing his jacket out to her. When she furrowed her brows looking at him confused he nudged the jacket towards her again, "take it woman before I change my mind," he said sternly yet with a hint of gentleness in his voice.

Carol gave him a half side smile before she took the jacket from him quickly and draped it around her small frame. "Thank you," she said softly pulling her knees up to her chest looking into the dying fire. As her body shook she told herself it was because of the cold but it was really from the nice gesture that came from Daryl when he gave her his jacket. The smell that came from it was all man… all Daryl Dixon –she had smelled it when she was on the back of his bike holding onto his waist for dear life as he rode away from the farm like a bat out of hell.

Daryl leaned forward on his hands and knees throwing some more sticks into the fire to keep it going. While T-Dog was still awake, Daryl took it upon himself to gather more wood for the fire. Daryl also took on the duty of night watch –after everything that happened tonight he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep; it was the last thing on his mind right now.

"Daryl," she whispered softly still looking into the fire.

"Yeah," he said as his eyes searched the flames as well.

"When I said I wanted a man of honor, I wasn't talking about Rick," she said softly glancing at him quickly before she caught his gaze.

Daryl held her stair for what seemed like forever –but was really only a few seconds until he looked away throwing another stick into the fire. Her icy hues were too beautiful and worried for him to be lost in them now; he wouldn't and couldn't give into her even if she wasn't giving him advances right now.

"I was talking about -," she was suddenly cut off by him.

"Don't," he said to her softly. His voice was anything but viscous; he didn't want to hear what she had to say.

"Why?" she asked him pushing the subject.

He huffed running his hands through his hair leaning back against the rock formation behind him, "because I aint no man of honor," he said finishing her statement for her. It was true; Daryl was no man of honor at all. He was just some hick from the backwoods who did what he had to do to survive and nothing more. He didn't care about the others; no way!

Well he tried to convince himself of that, anyways.

"How can you say that?" She asked after a few minutes of silents.

"Because it's the truth," he said looking into the fire before he heard her sigh. "Look don't be tryin' to make me feel better with that 'man of honor' bullshit." He crossed his arms over his chest feeling a cool breeze hit his bare arms.

Carol grunted and shook her head before she stood up slowly, she could feel his eyes watch her the whole time. She removed his jacket from her shoulders and walked a few feet to him dropping it in his lap. If he didn't want to hear what she had to say then she was going to go back to sleep in the corner she came from. She didn't want any of his help at this point –he pushed her away every time she tried to get close.

"…'the hell?" he said suddenly standing up to tower over her meek body instantly shoving his hand to her chest with the jacket to make her take it back. It was a soft gesture –he would never do anything to hurt her.

"How can you say that?" she said a little loudly before looking around to make sure no one heard her. The whole group stayed still in their sleep –she knew everyone was tired. She was too –but right now she couldn't sleep –especially with the conversation taking place.

"Take it, Carol," he said sternly watching her eyes shoot to his the instant he said her name. He never said her name much – but when he did, it sounded beautiful rolling off his tongue. When she didn't make a motion to take his jacket back he huffed once more draping it out behind her and over her shoulders. He wanted to move away from her but his feet refused to move. This closeness made him uncomfortable –or at least he was trying to convincing himself that it did.

"Look at all you've done for this group, I've told you once before… you're every bit as good as them, why don't you see that?" she said hugging his jacket closer to her thinning body.

Daryl took a moment to finally step back and look her up and down. She was thin and looked so tired and worn out –they all did; but for some reason it bothered him more that she looked this way. He wanted to do everything he could to protect her –emotionally and physically. Although the emotional part he was bad at; Daryl never stuck around long enough to have a relationship with any woman. To be honest; Daryl Dixon had only ever been with one woman in his entire life and that was when he was seventeen.

Merle had made fun of him for the chick he had slept with –the one who took his virginity and every time a potential woman came about, Merle had always reminded him of his first and how bad of a lay it was. Every since then Daryl could give a shit less about being in a relationship with a woman –he was told time and time again that he would never be good for any woman and at this point in his life –he believed it.

But with the world gone to hell what else did he have to do? His brother wasn't around anymore to hassle him about possibly having feelings for this woman or even caring to help the group out when he was needed. This was his time to fight for him self and not be in his brothers shadow anymore. It was going to be hard for him to change his thought process on everything but the more he thought about it all –the more he wanted it to happen. He wanted to live for himself now –it was sad it took the end of the world for it to happen but he wouldn't expect anything less from the life he had lived.

He found his reason to continue on in this shitty world –his reason to keep living even if it was in hell.

It was her.

She was his reason.

But he would never tell her that… not no anyways.

"Tell me… why …why you fucking care so much?" he suddenly asked her crossing his arms over his chest once again. His eyes never left hers even when she glanced down at the ground for a moment then up again to match his penetrating gaze.

"We all need something… someone to live for," she said softly realizing she caught him off guard. "I lost my husband…" she started to say before hearing him chuckle.

"No great loss there." He said sternly not caring if he hurt her feelings or not. A part of him was angry with her for staying with that low life piece of shit anyways. She was so much more then that –Ed was beneath her –much like he thought himself to be as well only thing was he would never lay a hand on her. Daryl was more of a man then that –he always thought any man that put his hands on a woman was no man at all and that included the times his brother was locked up for domestic abuse.

Then his thoughts changed the moment her eyes started to water –how could he really be angry with her. Woman was probably scared to death –he had seen the way Ed hit her and talked to her. He knew for a fact that if she left or even tried to leave him he would have killed her. So he understood her side of it all but it still made him angry to think of what she had gone through.

Carol swallowed loud and hard before continuing, "…I lost my baby girl." She finally said with a sigh feeling the tears well up in her eyes. "Sophia was the only thing I had left in this world," she said softly hugging herself now. "I lost everything…" she trailed off glancing up from the ground to see him watching her. His gaze was like fire –it was hot and not just in the angry hot but the hot that made her want him even more in that moment.

"You're right about Ed though," she continued seeing him give her a half side smile. "Lord forgive me for saying this… but… but I'm glad he's gone. When you handed me that axe that day… I felt a sense of relief – I felt like I could finally breathe again for the first time in a long time."

Daryl understood where she was coming from, he really did but at that moment he didn't know what to say. He wasn't good in situations like this –he never was. If he opened his mouth now to comfort her any way it would all come out wrong and he knew that she felt like shit right now for talking about it all and lord help him he wasn't going to do anything to make her feel worse.

But he hoped he was hearing her right –her reason to live now was him?

He couldn't stand the confusion his brain was being put through right now; but he didn't ask questions. Not now anyways. He knew Carol and knew that this wasn't the end of the conversation so later on when it all came up again maybe he would have the balls to ask her what all this really meant.

"So you ask me why I care so much… it's because out of everyone here, you're the only one who doesn't treat me like I'm crazy." That was the truth –although Daryl had a funny way of showing it –she knew he cared for her in some way or another. "I lost my girl and everyone is treating me like I lost my mind or something," she said with a sigh.

"Maybe it's 'cause they don't know how to react around you now. When we searched for her everyone felt sorry for you and they could comfort you the way you needed to be, but now that she's gone they don't know what to say or do to make things better," he said to her softly. This was all getting a little too deep for him and he wanted a way out of it like… now!

"It will never get better…" she said finally feeling her legs give out beneath her as she slid down the rock wall too tired and cold to hold herself up anymore. "But I'm doing what I know I should do, I keep busy and I keep to myself –it makes it easier to not think of her."

He furrowed his brows looking down at her, he knew what she meant by not thinking of her daughter but he also knew how hard it probably was for her to admit that just now. This woman seemed to trust him and that bothered him a little –no one ever trusted him with anything and frankly he rather it be that way. But not just her –the whole group seemed to lean on him for something and he found himself liking it more knowing that he was needed –even if it was to gather things for them all to survive.

"Look…" he said pausing unsure of what to say. When he saw the possible hope in her eyes he stopped himself from getting into deep with the conversation. "You outa' get some sleep alright?" he said looking down at her then averting his eyes back to the fire.

Carol yawned faintly and leaned back against the rock wall looking ahead of her into the blazing fire. There was so much more to say to him but she felt her exhaustion taking over minute by minute as her eyes started to flutter open and closed.

"…and Carol," Daryl finally said looking back at her over his shoulder seeing her out like a light. He turned his body fully to look at her at this point before he chuckled to himself; yeah he was becoming such a pussy right now for being so soft. Luckily she was asleep and if he showed this side of himself it was rare and only in front of her and he knew she wouldn't make a big deal of it in front of the group.

"You're no burden at all," he whispered to her softly hoping to God she couldn't hear him right now. It was true though – to her earlier statement; she was no burden, at least not to him she wasn't.

He wanted to kick himself right now for being such a softy. But it was only for a moment and knew first thing in the morning his ass would be back to normal. He figured with the events of tonight –he would be nice –especially with Rick's news shocking everyone. He knew the woman wouldn't be able to handle anymore on her plate right now and he noticed even when he was an evil bastard to her she still came back to him at the end of the day (so to speak). He knew he shouldn't be that way with her even after all this time –but that was just Daryl.

He knew that sometime later on –this conversation would come back up again and only this time he hoped he was more prepared for it. All this deep and sensitive thought wore him out for one lifetime. But what he hated more now as the fact that he had so many unanswered questions himself after everything they talked about tonight.

Daryl looked back over to her –he wanted to wake her up now and finish this before it ate away at him. But seeing the look on her face while she slept –he knew he couldn't do that to her. He would bring it up sooner then later –he just hoped that when he did he would have the courage he had like he had now.

Ok, so tell me the truth; I can handle it. I swear. Was it good enough to keep going? I have high hopes for this story and I hope you all continue to read on as I journey through TWD in my own way.

First let me say this; I'm going to keep everyone as IC and cannon as I can. I love Carol and Daryl on the show, in the words of Norman Reedus –"damaged people tend to gravitate to one another, and that's why I think Carol and Daryl are so drawn to each other," I totally agree with him on that and I want to keep that theory going. I just love the way he looks at her and cares for her and how much they compliment each other as characters. Although Norman doesn't want the characters to end up with each other –I know we as fans do, so no worries loves, it will happen. =) I just want to write their story along the way!

Also; Norman said in an interview that he was playing Daryl as a virgin. I think that is awesome that he is giving him that persona –someone who has never experienced sex and is socially awkward. He plays it so well and I hope I do a good job of keeping up with that. Although I put that he's had sex once, I'm going off that. So he's been celibate since he was seventeen –interesting right? It will be eventually =D

Anyhow, the rating will change to M a little later on but for now it's T for language and whatnot. So are you ready for Chapter 2; On the move.

I hope Chapter 1 left you wanting more; commenty goodness would be greatly appreciated! Love to you all!