Author's Notes: Alright, so I decided to put off writing this chapter until the new episode came out, just in case they gave away any new information about the incident, or showed Daryl's reaction to what happened. Needless to say the new episode didn't really do anything in terms of hinting at the outcomes.
So I tallied everyone's votes about whether or not Carol killed Karen and David, and if she didn't who you all seemed to think she would be covering for. Most of you said you didn't think she killed anyone, which is my personal belief, and it was a close call between her covering for either Lizzie or Carl (though there were a few votes for Sasha, and one or two for Dr. S or some other unnamed person of my own choosing).
Anyway, I am a people pleaser, so I wrote what it felt like most of you wanted. I hope you like my take on everything.

Chapter 5: Suffocating Under Words Of Sorrow

Carol tries to look away from Daryl's gaze, tries not to see the pain and betrayal in those hardened blue eyes, but she has no choice because he refuses to release her. The events of the past few days come back to haunt her as they stay locked in this never ending staring contest, and tears brim in her eyes, threatening to fall.

Daryl, seeing the watery sheen taking over Carol's eyes, wants to just let her go, wants to pull her close and embrace her. But he's not too sure he'd be able to do that gently, the way she would deserve, and so he just relaxes his grip on her shoulders a little, softens his expression, and hopes for the best.

Carol doesn't speak for a while, and Daryl is beginning to think that she really did kill them. In fact, he is about to shake his head and release her completely, maybe even get up and leave on a wave of disappointment, when her whisper floats to him on the breeze."

"No. I didn't kill anyone."

Her voice is so soft that he barely hears her answer, but when it finally hits him he is stunned into silence, trying to process his emotions. He's ecstatic about this news, happy enough to jump for joy if that weren't such a stupid thing to do, but at the same time he's trying to figure out a way to convince Rick and the others that she's telling the truth so that they'll let her back into the group; Daryl doesn't want to go back to the prison without Carol by his side.

"Then who did? You gotta tell me so's I can try an' help ya." Daryl drops his hands from Carol's shoulders, resting them on his knees, and tries to give her the space he thinks she needs.

Carol closes her eyes and shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts so she can tell Daryl what happened without the pesky memories invading and upsetting her. It's no use, though; the scene from earlier in the week flashes behind her eyes.

"Lizzie, what have you done?" Carol gapes at the scene before her, at the blood splattered over the beds and walls and floor.

Lizzie, who is crouched on the floor, a small knife clutched tightly in her hands, looks up at Carol. And then she smiles, actually smiles like she's proud of herself. "I did what you told me. I became strong. I saw what needed to be done, so I did it."

Karen and David lay dead on their cots, blood still seeping from their ears where Lizzie stabbed them, just like Carol showed her earlier that day.

"Why would you do something like this?" Carol asks, cautiously stepping into the cell and kneeling beside Lizzie.

Lizzie's face falls a little bit, like she wasn't expecting this reaction from Carol. "They were going to make us sick. They were going to kill more people. I did what I thought you wanted me to."

Lizzie's face scrunches up, almost like she's going to cry, and Carol knows she has to diffuse this situation quickly. She places an arm around the younger girl's shoulders, pulls her close. "Lizzie, you can't do things like this anymore. You have to wait until someone has already died before you stab them like that, just to make sure they don't come back as a walker, or to put them down if they've already changed. But these were innocent people, and they might have gotten better if we'd given them more time."

Carol is trying to handle the situation delicately, but Lizzie realizes all too quickly that Carol is disappointed in her actions. She starts to cry, her small frame trembling under Carol's arm. "I thought this is what you would have wanted."

Carol has nothing to say to that, no way to fully explain to the girl that what she has done is wrong. But she has to act fast and cover up this whole mess before Tyreese comes to check on Karen and finds the two of them crouched in there beside her dead body.

Carol pulls back and takes Lizzie by the shoulders, making the girl look at her. "Listen to me, Lizzie, you can never tell anyone you did this, okay? This was murder, and you'll get in serious trouble if the others find out. I'll cover this up for you and handle Rick and the rest of the group when this comes up, but you have to promise me that you won't ever do this again, not unless someone is dead and coming after you. Alright?"

The girl nods and Carol shoos her away, then drags the two bodies out of their cells and into the small courtyard area a little ways off the hall. There she lays them out in the sun, says a silent prayer for the innocent people who have died, for the troubled little girl still inside, for deliverance from what she is about to do, and for guidance on how to handle Rick, Tyreese, and the rest. And then she douses the bodies in gasoline and sets them aflame.

"Well?" Daryl's voice startles Carol out of her memories.

Carol's eyes snap back up to his, and she is almost unable to tell him the truth, almost unable to tell him what really happened. But in the end she manages to force the words out. "It was Lizzie. She thought she was doing the right thing; she wanted me to see her be strong. I covered it up by burning the bodies, but she killed them, Daryl, not me."

Carol hangs her head, the tears rolling down her cheeks, and Daryl sits in front of her in stunned silence. He is trying to process what exactly would make a girl of no more than twelve or thirteen snap and kill people for the greater good. But sometimes there is no logical explanation for something like that. Sometimes people are just born fucked up and they do things that aren't right to people that don't deserve it; he knows that better than anyone after what happened with his dad, and he reckons Carol knows it well enough, too, after her marriage to Ed.

Carol brings her hands up to wipe her tears away, and Daryl catches one of them, holding it tightly in his own. He wants her to look at him, but doesn't want to be as rough as he was before; he doesn't want to force her this time, but rather wants her to willingly meet his eyes.

And she does, the stormy blue orbs almost full of more sorrow than he can handle. But he meets her gaze, pain and all, because that's what he needs to do. "Why didn't ya tell Rick 'bout this? Why'd y'let him kick you out for her?"

Carol snorts and rolls her eyes. "What was I going to say to him, Daryl? 'Oh, by the way, Lizzie's a psychopath who killed two people because she wanted my approval, and I covered for her by burning the bodies.' Yeah, that would have gone over well with him. He probably wouldn't even have believed me about it, because it does sound pretty ridiculous. I'm surprised you believe me, to be honest."

Daryl knows Carol is right; Rick would have called her a liar, would have said something about weak kids not being that much of a threat, would have forgotten that his own son is a matured young man who isn't afraid to kill if it comes right down to it.

Daryl rubs his thumb over the back of Carol's hand, and she smiles slightly at the gesture, which makes his lips curve up in return.

He believes her because he knows her too well. She wouldn't lie to him, not now that he's come so far to find her and drag the truth out of her, not when she has nothing left to lose. He believes her because he can tell that she's being honest with him. He believes her because he loves her, and you're supposed to trust the people you love.

"Come back with me, Carol. Come an' tell Rick an' the rest of 'em the truth. They'll believe ya; they've known ya too long not to. And then we can figure out how t'get Liz some kinda help, make sure she don't hurt nobody ever again."

Carol is shaking her head before Daryl is even done speaking. "I can never go back, Daryl. It would be too hard, and they'll believe Rick over me if it comes right down to it. I don't know that I want to see Tyreese again, anyhow, since I am guilty by association in the crime. He'd kill me without a second thought just for covering for Lizzie."

"No, he wouldn't." Daryl growls out, his jaw tightening at the thought. "I'd never let him touch you, Carol."

Carol sighs. "It's no use, Daryl. They don't want or need me around, anyway. Just go back to the prison, go back home. Tell them whatever you want about what I said; I don't care. But leave me here."

"I ain't goin' back without ya, Carol, not when yer innocent in alla this."

Carol closes her eyes, sighing deeply again. Nothing she can say will make him leave her, will make him leave well enough alone, because he's just too damn stubborn. So she chooses not to say anything at all about it. Instead she moves closer to him, feigning a chill from the night air, and rests her head against his shoulder.

"Alright, Daryl. Can we just talk about this in the morning? I'm tired and cold, and I've said all I can about this subject for one day."

Daryl takes this opportunity to finally do what he's been longing to since he first saw her eyes open when she was laying in the dirt: he wraps his arms around her and holds her close, rubbing soothing circles into her back.

Carol smiles faintly, content to have at least this moment with the man she loves. Silently, she pulls him to the ground with her, inching her backpack over so that they can share it as a pillow, and throws the blanket over both of them.

Daryl doesn't release his hold on her, keeping one arm tucked underneath her, even though he knows that limb will have no feeling come morning. But he doesn't care about that, because Carol is warm and soft beside him, and she's innocent, just like he knew she would be.

Rick was wrong, and Daryl will have great pleasure in telling him so tomorrow. But that's a matter to think about in the morning.

Author's Notes: I kind of want to just end the fic here, let you all use your imaginations about what happens the morning after. But at the same time I kind of want to continue it. So give me more opinions: do you want me to continue with this story or leave it as it is now?