i got you, i got you.
warning: spoilers for 5x12 remember. i own nothing and all mistakes are my own.
small note: i used this post by the amazing carol-on to help me put it into words because she said it better than i ever could xo
“Goodmorning, officer.” Carol teased as she saw Rick leave the house he was staying in. Rick looked up at Carol in the yellow button down shirt, blue sweater and tan pants she was wearing, shaking his head briefly. He'd thought the outfit was a joke last night but here she was in the morning wearing it again. What in the world are you up to, Carol? He thought as he set his hands on his hips, watching her. She had a mug in her hand as she leaned against the railing of the house next to his and despite looking ridiculous, she was smiling at him.
“Morning.” He nodded as he came down the steps of his new home, walking along the sidewalk and up the steps of the home Carol, Daryl, Sasha, Noah, Tara, Maggie, and Glenn were staying in. He, Michonne, his kids, Abraham, Rosita, Gabriel, and Eugene were in the other. It was a bit cramped, but they were making it work. “Got one of those for me?” Rick questioned, nodding to the cup of coffee in her hand.
Carol's lips turned up in a smile and she reached behind her, pulling a light blue mug out from behind her and handing it over. Rick quirked an eyebrow, he had been kidding when he asked. “I saw you moving around when I was making coffee, thought I'd be nice to you for once.” She teased, her tired eyes sparkling with humor.
A chuckle left Rick's lips as he took the cup of coffee from Carol and he sat on the opposite side of the railing, lifting it up to his mouth to take a small drink of it. It seemed like forever since he had coffee. “How was your night?” He asked as he inspected Carol's features. She'd showered the day before and looked clean. She was carrying herself better than she had in the last month, her wounds from Atlanta having healed now.
“I didn't sleep much.. Or at all, really.” Carol admitted. As she said to Rick the night before, she had her reservations about the place. She just didn't want to see her family become weak, to forget what – and who – was out there. Rick had said he wouldn't let it happen, but shit happened.
“Me either.” Rick said. Even if he'd allowed himself to lower his guard just a few inches, he was still on guard. This place was new, these people were new, and Rick wasn't going to let any of them in too close. Holding the warm mug between his hands, he looked at Carol's outfit again and let out a laugh. “What are you doing?”
“What do you mean?” Carol asked, tilting her head to the side as she raised an eyebrow.
He scoffed, wondering why she was being difficult in this moment. “Daryl told me your job. Feeding people? Your outfit. The shit you pulled with your gun yesterday? We both know you can handle that rifle better than most of us.” Rick said, keeping his voice down. Despite that it being fairly early and he didn't see anyone else on the street, that didn't mean there wasn't someone or there wasn't someway that they were listening.
Carol licked her lips and shrugged, taking another drink of her coffee. “I know what I'm doing, Rick. I've got it all figured out.” She assured him.
He frowned, but knew he shouldn't have expected anything different from her. “Care to enlighten me?”
She sighed and set her coffee mug down for a second. “People underestimate me. That's good.” Carol explained, sitting up a bit. Rick opened his mouth to ask how that was good, but she continued. “Doing this, serving people food? I can meet the neighbors.. Listen to them talk. Stay under the radar.”
“Why?”
Carol took a deep breath and glanced around, leaning forward a bit so Rick could hear her. “So that if... If they turn on us... I'm the last person they expect to put my knife in their skull or a bullet in their head.” Her voice was soft and low, her eyes on his.
Rick stared at her for a moment, her words echoing the words he'd said to Aaron a few days ago. They sounded so different coming from Carol, in her soft voice and her twinkling eyes. “You're terrifying sometimes, you know that?” He said before a smile formed on his face. “But damn brilliant.” Rick approved of her plan, she was always one step ahead of him and everyone else in the group.
"This old woman still has a few tricks under her sleeve." Carol joked, picking her coffee mug back up and taking a slow drink from it. Rick scoffed playfully as he finished off the coffee, the hot liquid burning his throat but he knew he was going to need it.
"Thanks for the coffee." He said, looking into the empty mug.
"It feels like forever since we've had something like coffee, I almost forgot how to use a coffee maker."
Carol and Rick laughed, carefree for just a moment.
Hearing the front door to his home open and seeing Michonne leave the house out of the corner of his eye, Rick stood to his feet and set the coffee mug on the railing next to Carol.
Carol turned her head to see Michonne coming out of the home, lifting her mug free hand up to wave at the woman. “Morning, officer.” She echoed her greeting to Rick earlier. Carol could see Michonne smile at her and wave good morning to her, walking down the steps and coming towards her and Rick.
Hearing his throat clear, Carol looked back up at Rick, who leaned in to speak to her so only she heard as Michonne came closer. “Stay underestimated, Carol. Don't break your cover.” She stood to her feet with both of the mugs in her hand and sent a playful wink while mouthing 'that's my plan' to Rick before he left her porch to join his partner.
Carol took a deep breath before heading back into the house to start her first official day – as Rick put it - undercover.
