Author's Note: This comes from another prompt by my beta who I'm convinced is holding my other stories hostage in exchange for doing her bidding. I normally don't write topical stories in the middle of a season because our understanding of the characters changes from week to week. But I did my best to keep things as canon as possible. Also, since it's a loving service to my beta that I mostly wrote over a few days last week, all editing mistakes and oversights are mine. Apologies for that.

Of course, I do not profit from or own any part of The Walking Dead.

Chapter One: Inquiries Part I

"What do you two do out there?"

Daryl and Carol were talking about the supply run he was leaving for in the morning. Hershel had compiled a list of things the group still needed to scavenge for and the council made up a plan for searching the surrounding area to procure them. So far, the idea was to do a series of runs, each targeting a different category of items: building materials, pharmaceuticals, clothes and insulation, et cetera. Because of the shorter days in the season, it was best to organize quick, efficient trips, just Daryl and Michonne who could get in and out with the most stealth and least amount of worry. They'd been out together before a few times and everyone agreed they were a good team.

At Carol's question, Daryl squinted up at her from where he sat finishing his lunch, soothed by the idle movement of her rinsing and wiping down the pile of dishes in front of her. She tried to make the inquiry sound casual but Daryl knew her well enough to sense the curiosity behind her words. He hoped she wasn't about to get all nosy on him. It was a kindness that she cared but he wasn't exactly a sharer as she was well aware.

"Nothin' special," he said, taking another bite and leaning over his plate. "Go find stuff we need and come back with it."

"No, I get that part. I mean, what do you talk about? How do you go about getting things done?" She concentrated on wiping at the dripping plate in her hand.

Daryl shrugged. "Aint much to it. Just go about doin' what we gotta do." To him, it was a silly thing to ask about. Carol was on the council, same as him. She approved the trips he did with Michonne as did Glenn and Sasha and Hershel.

"You two have been running off together more often lately. That's an awful lot of time to spend with someone. You must have gotten to know each other better."

Now her questions were starting to make Daryl uncomfortable. "Aint exactly slippin' out to the ice house for a beer. Who else gon' go for supplies?" Daryl frowned. "Why are you askin' 'bout this anyways? You know all about our runs."

"I wouldn't say I know all about them. It's just the two of you. All alone for hours at a time; all day, in fact."

She smiled at him in that way of hers; it always made him feel a little warmer for the playfulness of it. For so long he'd only known a sad, damaged version of her and it was nice to see a lightness amidst all that pain. But it also meant she was up to something under that sweet demeanor. Before he'd know what's what, she'd stick him with some shitty chore she couldn't pawn off on anyone else. Submerging some cups into her bucket of water, she scrutinized him before returning to her work. "Do you play car games or listen to music?" She paused wiping down a mug. "Do you talk about stuff?"

He was back to being uncomfortable.

"Why you so interested in Michonne all of a sudden?" He scraped his fork along the plate but waited to take the last bite. "'Cause it sounds like you're fishin' for some dirt?"

Carol scoffed. "I'm not looking for any dirt, I'm just curious. And you guys spend a lot of time together so I just wonder how that's going." She continued to nonchalantly rinse and wipe down her pile of dishes, non-threatening, encouraging without exerting pressure. She was getting too good at handling him, Daryl thought.

He figured this was one of those situations where there was a whole other conversation going on from the one they were supposed to be having. Pretty much anything he said was going to be trouble. He couldn't blame her too much for asking though. If she was hanging around some new guy all the time, he'd want to know everything about the situation so he could keep her protected. Knowing Carol this long, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that she was similarly vigilant about him.

Understanding it didn't mean he had to like where this was going.

He and Michonne were pretty cool with each other. He liked going on runs with her because he didn't have to worry about protecting her. Hell, she watched his back better than anyone. And like him, she was an up-front kind of person who didn't waste her words. So when they went out together, they spent a lot of time in comfortable silence. That's probably not what Carol wanted to hear.

The truth was, they did talk sometimes, not a lot and not extensively but their conversations were weighty. They had talked about Merle some, Michonne telling him about those last moments of his life. She thought it was important that he knew how much he'd meant to his brother, whatever flawed relationship they'd had before then. Despite her dislike, she'd been surprisingly sympathetic towards the elder Dixon. Daryl didn't have to tell her what kind of childhood they'd had, she'd just known. And there was an understanding of what that kind of life could do to a person.

Likewise, she'd shared some of her pent up anger over what the Governor had done to his own people and theirs too. She had difficult regrets about those last couple of weeks, so much guilt and rage that she kept coiled inside, driving her zealous quest to find him. As the days turned into weeks, as she became closer to a select few in the group and more devoted to serving the community, those relentless emotions extended to protecting what they were building. She wanted to keep everyone safe and that meant taking out the threat that had killed so many of their own in cold blood, both at the prison and from Woodbury.

They also talked about stupid shit too, like the little dramas going on at the prison or the crazy things they'd sometimes come across during their looting. Although he was Daryl's friend, somehow, she'd heard before he did about Tyreese's recent flirtations with a woman from Woodbury. He remembered the non-verbal dressing down he got for his crack about women being busybodies.

It was a quick friendship but it was still new and fragile. He'd never had a friend like her, so alike in temperament and ambition even as they were so opposite in every other way. He wasn't about to spoil it by telling her business, even for Carol who he was closer to than anyone in his entire life, including his own brother. So instead, he chose to keep his response to Carol as simple as possible.

"It's goin' fine with me and Michonne." He grinned at her as he took the last bite of his meal and handed his plate over. They stared each other down, Carol wanting more information and Daryl refusing to comply.

She smirked and took the dish from him. "Okay, I get it. I'll stop prying. You know I worry about you and that extends to worrying about who you spend your time with."

"I spend plenty 'a time with Rick and Tyreese too. Don't hear you askin' 'bout them so much."

"Well, I already know Rick. And I'm getting to know Tyreese along with everyone else. He's the friendly type. Michonne, not so much."

"She aint disrespectful to nobody," Daryl defended. Sure she wasn't all warm and fuzzy but she wasn't ever mean, just reserved. And she was funny when she wanted to be with a dry humor that had cracked him up a few times.

Carol laughed at his reaction. "Sorry. I didn't mean to speak badly of your buddy." Daryl shook his head and licked the crumbs from his fingers as he stood up.

"Quit it," he chastised her gently. He'd had enough teasing for one sitting. "I talk to her enough to know she's had it rough; rougher than us 'cause at least we had each other. And she's a private person so she'll open up when she's ready. Just give her some time."

In fact, Daryl was pretty sure that as difficult as it was for Michonne, she was already making a modest effort. She and Carl had been pretty tight since that run to his hometown and Rick had a way with her too. He wondered at times about the latter relationship but it wasn't his business so he didn't bring it up. Things were good between Michonne and the Greene family as well. Maggie and Glenn had always carried a soft spot for the woman who had informed Rick about their kidnapping. Beth seemed fascinated by her and there was something about Michonne that Hershel found endearing, although that was probably true of the old man and pretty much everyone in the group.

Carol stacked the last of the dishes and draped the damp rag over her shoulder. "Well, you two always get the job done and get back in one piece. I suppose that's good enough for me." Daryl nodded and turned to leave. "Still, be careful out there. Both of you." Her words were a nice gesture that spoke volumes about her respect for their friendship. Really, he'd expect no less coming from her. These days, Carol was tough but she was loyal. If Daryl was fine with her then so was she.

"Count on it." He grabbed the bucket of dirty water to take to Rick and the rest of the grounds crew. "See ya when I get back."

FYI, each two chapters of this story should be considered one part of a pair that occurs around the same time. I broke them up for ease of reading. The companion to this will be up later on tonight.