Hey friends,

Here's another little somethin' from my brain. Set during the upcoming ep, 3x12 "Clear".

As usual, I'm just playing around! I own nothing, folks!

Enjoy ^.^

Rick, Carl and Michonne left at dawn.

Daryl set them off with a reassuring nod, his promise made to Rick the previous night repeated silently between their meeting eyes. It would be a long day of waiting for them to return, a day for the group to spend relaxed but vigilant.

A day for Daryl to keep things in order, and keep an eye on a certain brother of his.

The morning went by pretty smoothly, as far as he was concerned. Merle was quiet and tolerable during breakfast but Daryl did not miss the way Glenn glared death at him, or the wry smirks Merle shot back.

As long as their fists didn't go flying, they could make faces at each other all day for all he cared.

All was silent for several hours, with Merle keeping to his cell, reading, of all things, a little black Bible that Herhsel had left with him. Glenn and Maggie volunteered for watch in the tower, obviously ready to get as far away from the elder Dixon as possible for as long as possible.

Beth and Carol tended to 'Little Asskicker' and Hershel took turns with him going in and out, keeping one eye on Merle and another on everything else.

The peace held out until around noon, when Asskicker started getting fussy, and Merle decided to be an ass about it. He was on the perch with Carol when the girl began pitching a mini-fit in his arms, and he had no problem whatsoever handing her over to Carol and when she prompted:

"She's probably hungry again. I got her."

By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs the whimpers had turned into little wails, and a look across the bay confirmed Beth already on her way with a heated bottle. Merle's voice boomed over the crying,

"Good Christ, how do ya'll suffer that damn yowling?"

He brushed past his brother with a pause,

"She's a baby. They cry. Deal with it, Bro."

He watched Maggie come down from the tower to fetch some lunch for her and Glenn. Perched above her on the crosswalk, his crouched position did not stop her from catching sight of him behind their feeble wooden defenses and she gave him a tired, annoyed look.

"Your brother behavin' in there?"

Daryl fought a frown and shifted the mood, raising up a bit to nod down at her,

"You and Glenn behavin' up there?"

She shot him a small grin and moved on, head shaking but a noticeable sway to her hips.

When he came back inside it was to renewed silence.

Maggie had rejoined Glenn on watch and the baby was sleeping in Beth's arms on the stairs. Hershel nodded his way before jerking his head to the left.

Daryl followed the motion to find Carol leaving Merle's cell, a tightness in her lips and a spark in her eye. His brother was leaning back against the wall behind his bed, grinning at her back.

He watched her roll her shoulders and bypass Beth on the stairs, heading up to busy herself with cleaning the baby's changing station.

For a moment he stood in the doorway, considering his options. He could go to Merle first, find out what the shit-eating grin on his face was all about. He could go to Hershel, find out what had happened from an outside perspective.

Or—

With a sigh he ignored Merle's settling gaze and made his way across the bay to the staircase. Beth scooted over to make room for his boots, and he looked down at her find her smiling up at him briefly. The baby in her arms made a small sound and shifted with the clank of his feet on the metal, and he eased up past them as quietly as possible.

The slightest touch on Carol's arm had her peering up at him.

"Come on." With a jerk of his head he headed towards his room, one glance behind to be sure she was following. He leaned up against his bunk and waited for her to enter, and in her quiet way she slipped inside, the tension leaving her in a wave the moment she crossed the threshold of his cell.

He didn't hesitate:

"What happened, with Merle…"

Carol leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, shrugging.

"Just reminding him of the way certain things work around here."

"He bother ya?"

"'Bother' isn't exactly the word I'd use. But it's nothing to fret over. I got it." Daryl frowned and was about to push for more details when she suddenly smiled and ducked her head.

He blinked, his brow furrowing in confusion and curiosity.

"What?"

She looked back and lowered her arms, shoving her hands into her pockets instead. Pursed her lips and seemed to be forcing the grin off her face.

"He thinks we're...together. Called you my 'boyfriend' more than a few times during the five minutes I was talkin' to him."

Daryl felt his face flush. The bristle on his cheeks seemed to sting suddenly, and his chest tightened.

He sucked in a shallow gulp of air at the way one of Carol's eyebrows quirked up at him, and that tell-tale toothy grin flashed his way. She chuckled and he exhaled heavily, shaking his head.

"You correct him?"

Her grin ebbed back and she met his eyes, held them evenly.

"No."

He froze. Crossed his own arms and the tightness got much, much worse.

He felt strangled as he forced out,

"Oh….uh—"

Even as he broke eye contact he could see her move from off the wall, take a small step in his direction. Her head tilted to the side as she tried to follow his straying eyes. He felt apprehensive, and she hadn't even done anything yet.

And then,

"I figured…it's Merle. He wouldn't believe me even if I denied it, so…I didn't."

A hand landed suddenly on his arm, and Daryl looked away from his vest hanging just beside him to find Carol directly in his space, smiling gently, calmly, eyes finding his with a familiar reassurance that always seemed to calm his shot nerves.

"He was just tryin' to push my buttons, anyway. Nothing serious."

He nodded, fighting the urge to glance down at her soft grip on his bicep.

She was right.

And she was wrong.

Clearing his throat he moved slightly, jarring Carol enough to prompt her to take a small step back. He inhaled, his breathing coming easier despite his rushing blood.

"That what the whole thing was about? Me and you?"

She shook her head.

"Not entirely. But I get the feeling he was just being…nosey."

Daryl's fingers met the metal rail of the bunk, curled into it with frustration.

"Merle's always gotta have his nose in somethin'."

Carol shrugged again, looked back to the doorway at the sound of the baby cooing. He smiled at the sound, despite himself.

Stepping forward, he reached out to finger the palm of Carol's hand. She met his gaze, eyes narrowing slightly and her lips lifted again. She pressed their hands together and he fought the panicked alarm that sounded in his head.

Leaned in to nod out past her ear,

"Don't let 'im get to you, neither."

Carol squeezed his hand and let go just as quickly, confident and calm.

"Not a problem."

And with a last lingering smile she was gone, heading back to the stairs to check on Judith. The moment she stepped out he felt his chest loosen, and for a moment in time the cell blurred.

He wanted to curse himself for letting his nerves get the way they did, and he wanted to curse Merle for pestering Carol and the rest of the group.

But as hard as he tried (and for a few seconds there, he did try), he couldn't bring himself to curse Carol herself for going along with Merle's idea of….them.

Even if he knew it'd all probably come back to bite him in the ass.