Once again, I have no business starting another story but the idea came to me while I was watching Suicide Kings and I knew I had to put it into writing. It was only supposed to be a one shot, but when I started writing it I could tell that it was going to be long and I decide to split it up into parts. Probably 3 or 4 at the most. Well, here's part one and I hope you all enjoy! :)

Oh, in the summary I said it was an AU of 3x09, but it's also an AU of 1x03 because a certain character does not die then.

Part One

"I'm hardly the woman I was a year ago," Carol said not looking at the younger girl and continued to work on the box-turned-crib. "But if Ed walked through those doors right now, breathing, and told me to go with him, I'd like to think I'd tell him to go to hell."

"You would." Beth reassured vehemently as she rocked Judith in her arms.

"Doesn't matter." She whispered, but knew that she could hear her.

Beth hadn't known Carol back in the quarry days, back when she had cowered from her husband's hand and harsh words. The younger Greene had only known the older woman since they had stumbled on her farm, looking for her little girl.

Despite losing her baby girl, she had been stronger then, stronger than she had been in the quarry. Ed was gone, cast out by the rest of the group for having been caught beating her one night.

It had taken both Rick and Shane to drag his ass out of the tent. She watched from the tent, clutching her sides in pain. She wasn't sad to see the bastard go. Sophia clung close to her side and, even though it hurt, she wrapped an arm around her sobbing daughter and pulled her close.

Eventually the yelling and cursing had caused Daryl to come down from his own little campsite away from the others, they had just gotten back from getting Merle a few hours prior and he was now dealing with the fact his brother wasn't coming back.

"The hell is this?" He snapped at the two police officers as they struggled to drag the fat man away from his family. His eyes had flicked over to her and he must have seen the tears cascading down her face and the way she held herself, because he suddenly got angry.

With a growl, he lunged at the man on the ground and slammed him into the dirt.

"You fuckin' prick!" He snarled and slammed a fist into the man's cheek. Rick and Shane both took a step back, knowing not to get involved. "You like hittin' woman." Another punch and this time it was to the other side. "How do you like bein' hit?"

Repeatedly, Daryl laid blow after blow on the man's face and at the time, Carol had no idea why he had been so angry and violent. He didn't know her and he sure as hell didn't owe her a thing.

Several months later, while they were on the run after the farm, she had asked him about it and he told her that his dad had laid hands on his mother.

"No man does that to someone you're supposed to love." He admitted softly. She knew they must have been getting closer, because the Daryl from the quarry would have never admitted that.

That night had been the last time she had seen her husband. Daryl had rendered the man unconscious and had to be pulled from him, before he killed the guy. Rick and Shane had dragged his limp form into the back of one of the cars, drove away and dropped him off somewhere far. They had even threaten to kill him, if he had ever stepped foot in that camp again.

Carol had not been sad to see him go.

"We're weak without him." Beth's soft voice broke her out of her thoughts and she moved to grab one of the towels hanging on the railing.

They were still talking about Daryl.

"We'll get through this, too. Tyreese and his friends seem capable." However, she hadn't actually talked to the large man and his group; she felt that they were good people. Well, Tyreese and Sasha, anyway.

"I'm pissed at him for leaving." The baby in her arms started to fuss, as if hearing of the man who had helped save her life being spoken about so harshly upset her.

"Don't be." Carol spoke and lined the walls of the crib to make it more comfortable for the baby. "Daryl has his code. This world needs men like that." She looked up and smiled at Judith. She needed something to distract her, to make her stop thinking of the man that had left his group. Left her.

After placing the baby in the crib and cooing softly to her, she picked up the box with the words Lil' Asskicker written on the side and moved to put her in Rick and Carl's cell. The patriarch of the Grimes family had asked for his daughter to be with him in the same cell and Carol had happily agreed.

It made her happy that the man so obviously cared and loved this child, even though there was a possibility she wasn't his.

"Carol!" Her name echoed off the prison walls and it startled her. "Carol!" Rick came rushing into the cellblock, eyes searching for her. When they finally spotted her coming out of his cell, she instantly could tell something was wrong.

"There's someone outside I think you'll want to see." His voice was grim and a shot of fear coursed through her body.

Was it Daryl? Had he come back? But Rick wouldn't look so upset if he had come back, unless...

She gasped. What if it was Daryl out there but...turned? Her feet remained glued to the cement. She couldn't see him like that. Couldn't see another person she loved turned into one of those things.

Never again.

"Carol?" Rick questioned. "Come on." He read the emotions clearly seen on her face. "It's not Daryl, if that's what you're afraid of."

Relief washed through her, followed quickly by confusion. Who was out there that she needed to see? Everyone she knew and cared about in this world was right here, well except for one but Rick had assured her it wasn't him.

Suddenly, another wave a dread coursed through her blood, causing her to shiver. "No." She whispered.

Rick sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's Ed."

Sorry, this is a little shorter than my usual stuff but this was the perfect place to end it. Please tell me what you think and yes, this will eventually turn into Caryl. I can't not write them! I probably won't update for several days since I have school, work and two other stories I need to work on so I'm going to apologize in advance for the little wait. And it will only be a little wait. I promise. :)

Thanks for reading!