Be a Man

By Kella Marie

Disclaimer; I do not own Daryl Dixon, Carol Pelletier, or Judith Grimes.

**Author's Note; This was intended to be a one-shot, but after writing it, I thought I left y'all hanging a little. If people like it, I'll continue with another chapter(:**

Merle's the one that left. Merle is always the one that leaves. He left when Daryl was only eight years old to join the United States Army. Leaving Daryl to fend for and defend himself. He hated Merle for that. The scars on his back. The sounds, much like the crack of a whip, and the sting of their father's leather belt. The horrible sting that brought tears to Daryl's eyes. His blue eyes filled with blue tears. But Daryl couldn't cry.

Shut the hell up, Boy! Stop bein' a fuckin' baby and be a man!

Their father loved his whiskey, even more than their mother loved her wine and cigarettes. That's why they had to move to Georgia because their mother burned the house down. Before, they'd lived in a small town in South Carolina where beating your child was frowned upon. Down here, in the south, that's all they talked about.

Oh, Johnny got the paddle last night. One of them would say.

So did Anna. She slept with that boy down the street... To think she thought her father and I would never find out. Said another.

Their Daddy thought that children were a disgrace to the world. A disease. A plague. Maybe Mama should have been on the pill, or Daddy should wrapped it up, then they wouldn't have been stuck with one too many kids.

Daddy! Stop! That hurts! Crack. Sting. Tears.

No, Daddy! You're drunk! What did I do? Crack. Sting. Tears.

Of course, Merle always pulls the "But I came back!" gimmick. Merle thinks that their father would never do anything to hurt poor, little, innocent Daryl. Obviously he hasn't seen the scars. It seemed like a good thing that Merle had returned, at first, but Daryl is started to regret that decision.

One thing he doesn't regret though is opening that hall door. The one he'd been sitting across, jabbing Carol's knife in to the ground, for God knows how long. He'd been so bent on the idea that she was gone forever. His heart was broken in to a thousand tiny pieces, and the only thing that would put them back together was to see Carol. Alive and well.

At least he got half his wish. He had found Carol alive in that room across the hall, Dehydrated and hungry, but alive. The only thought that was running through his head as he was running through the prison halls was that he was about to kill her. Drive that motherfucking knife through her head and end her life right there. He would have never forgiven himself.

"Jesus Christ, I can't be thinkin' about this now!" Daryl said to himself, aloud. He was laying in one of the cell beds, one knee bent up on the mattress and the other on the floor.

"Thinkin' about what?" Daryl jumped. He'd forgotten that Carol was there with him, watching Judith, who was, at the time, asleep, while everyone else was either on watch, or on a run. He hoisted himself up to lean on his elbows, shaking his head.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it," Carol had come to sit at the end of the bed, making Daryl uncomfortable. She was so beautiful, so strong. It made him feel intimidated, like he wasn't good enough for her. A broken boy in the shell of an angry man. He'd never be good enough for her...

"No, I want to hear. It must be somethin' worth talkin' about if it's worth cryin' over," She reached over and wiped a tear from Daryl's face. He hadn't even noticed he was crying, and that made him blush. Which in return made him embarrassed, causing him to stand up and walk to the other side of the room.

"It's nothin', Carol," He said, looking out the small, barred window of the holding block.

"Well if you ever wanna talk, I'm around," She said with a smile, getting up and preparing to leave. Daryl didn't want her to leave. He never wanted her to leave, like Merle had all those times.

"It's about my father," Daryl called. Carol turned back around to face him. "My father... My shitty ass, mother fuckin', son of a bitch Daddy."

She cocked her head to the side, furrowing her eyebrows in concern, wrinkling her slim and lovely forehead.

"He hit me after Merle left. When Merle was home, he never laid a hand on me. I just sat in my room listening to the screams coming from the spare bedroom, where he let his anger out on my brother. I really hoped it'd never be me, but of course, Merle left because that's just what he does. Merle leaves and I'm left to do all the dirty work. Just like now," Daryl was still staring out the window at the pink, twilight clouds. He hadn't noticed Carol had moved behind him to stare out the window over his broad shoulder. He stiffened when she looped her arms around his midsection, tightly and warmly.

"I know how that is, Daryl," Carol said softly. Her breath caught his ear and he could feel himself becoming red again. "My daddy was like that too. And my husband..." She trailed off and rested her chin near Daryl's neck. Her short hair brushed his jugular and he resisted a shiver moving down his spine.

Stop bein' a fuckin' baby and be a man!

His father's words rang in his head. He knew he had to do it and he knew he had to do it now. He should have taken her offer the first night they arrived, on top of the RV, but he was dumb. Her body language was hinting. He knew he had to do it now.

"Carol," He started. Hesitating to collect his thoughts. "I'm going to do something, but don't get pissy with me, okay?" Carol thought as well. Her heart was pumping in her chest and she knew exactly what was going to happen.

"Alright," She replied, trying to contain as much of her excitement as she could. Daryl turned around and Carol dropped her arms. They engaged in a stare that seemed like forever, and the faintest hint of a smile was glowing on Carol's face.

Stop bein' a fuckin' baby...

Daryl placed his callused hand on Carol's cheek, looking from her lips to her nose to her cheekbones...

... be a man!

He kissed her, sending shock waves of emotion and hormones through both of their bodies. Carol let her fingers linger on Daryl's collarbones, while Daryl's free hand was on the small of her back. Lightning shot through them from the lips down and sexual pleasures rose up in both of them. Carol let her hands drop, touching every part of Daryl's upper body that she could, without it being weird. She allowed her palms to rest on his hips, waiting for the perfect moment.

Daryl's heart was racing, and all he could think was how smooth it was all going. He removed his hand from her face and slipped it under her shirt, touching her bare ribs, just under her bra. Shit. He thought, What if she doesn't want this? He was jumbled, but didn't want to end it all right there. Awkwardly, as he always was. Awkward.

A cry struck the walls outside the cell, causing a horrible and creepy echo. Carol pulled away from the kiss and sighed.

"Judith's awake," She smiled, her cheeks beginning to feel very hot.

"Well you better go take care of the Lil' Asskicker before she wakes the dead," Daryl smiled too. They stood there oddly, looking at each other. Both debating on what to do next. Finally, Carol stood on her tip-toes and planted a sweet kiss on Daryl's cheek.

"Thanks for that," She said. Daryl watched as she walked away, staring at the back of her head, and thinking about the smile on the other side.

**If people like I'll continue with this one as well :)**