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Sometimes keeping your mouth shut was a nearly impossible task when you had something you really wanted to say. Daryl knew this for a fact because he had been trying all damn day to keep his mouth shut. It was only the end of day one in Alexandria, but he had already formed his opinion about the place. It hadn't taken all of an hour to know that although all seemed well within the walls of Alexandria, it just didn't add up.

And then there was Carol...the reason he had been nearly gnawing his tongue in half all damn day when he really just wanted a minute alone with her. At any given point in time Daryl always had one eye on her and today hadn't been any different. Well...except for the fact that Carol had been different.

It was the little things that she had been doing that he had taken notice of. He wasn't sure that anyone else had paid her all that much attention, but he had. He always did. It started with the way she had reverted back to her old self...the Carol she had been before, but slightly different. She fumbled her weapons and walked around with this silly smile on her face that had him taking note as well as keeping tabs on her all throughout the day. As if that alone wasn't bad enough, she had come waltzing out of one of the 'mansions' of a house that they had been giving wearing a style of clothing that he hadn't ever seen on her before. She didn't look like Carol, not his Carol anyway. She looked like June fucking Cleaver and he hated it. Those thoughts were what led him to spouting off at her and calling her ridiculous which hadn't seemed to have fazed her at all.

He just didn't get it.

So he ended up spending most of his time seated on the fancy porch of the house because it was just about the only place that felt normal to him. These fancy houses weren't his style before the damn world had gone to shit and they sure as hell weren't his style now.

He briefly considered the idea of a cult of some sort. He hadn't ever encountered one first hand, but years of experience taught him that there was a first time for everything. He was pretty sure those same rules hadn't altered much since the beginning of the apocalypse. The houses were too perfect, the walls not guarded, and the people didn't really seem able to defend themselves if necessary. Maybe he was wrong...maybe he was just overly suspicious since Woodbury and Terminus, but he really didn't think so.

"You've spent almost all day on this porch. Gonna sleep here too?"

Daryl scoffed and leaned back against one of the white posts, one leg drawn up onto the railing. "I might. What, you a hall monitor now too?" He knew he was being a sarcastic asshole, but he couldn't help himself. Just looking at her in that outfit made him crazy. It wasn't her, not at all, and every time his eyes landed on it he resisted the urge to rip it free of her body. She wasn't meant to be some stuffy housewife. No way.

He winced as she poked him roughly in the shoulder with her finger. "You've been at me all day. What gives?" She crossed her arms and leaned her hip against the rail so that her body was touching his raised leg. He toyed with a loose thread in his jeans while he pondered what to say. His ears were alert to any sounds that weren't supposed to be there as he spared a glance around to make sure that they were still alone.

"Should be askin' you the same question." He lifted the hem of the Godawful sweater thing that she wore in disgust. "What the hell is this getup? And the happy-go-lucky vibe? I ain't buyin' it."

She pursed her lips together, the action drawing his eyes like a magnet as he imagined pressing his own against them. At first he thought that she wasn't going to answer him as she nonchalantly looked around, but then he realized she was just doing a cautionary check like he had mere moments ago. A surge of pride welled within his chest.

"Honestly? I'm not sure I trust this place. It seems okay...a little too okay if you ask me. I'm not taking any chances with safety, not after everything that's happened so far. If something goes down, and I'm not saying that it will...then I want me to be the last person that they expect to do something." As she spoke, her tone was soft and she leaned in closely, her breath blowing gently across his cheek.

Just like that some of his agitation decreased. He released a relieved gust of air that his girl had conducted such a brilliant plan. It was almost humorous in a way just how well she was pulling off the part of innocent housewife when he knew exactly what she was capable of. This was the Carol he knew.

"You little sneak," he whispered teasingly.

She leaned away from him a bit, much to his dismay and a smile flirted at the corners of her mouth. "I can't believe you of all people didn't catch on. You really think this was me? I thought you knew me better than that Mr. Dixon. You're making me question the very foundation of our friendship." Her words were serious, but her eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Pft," he huffed. "I knew what you were doin'. I know you better than anyone else here."

"Oh really?"

He pushed his leg off of the railing and twisted his body around so that he was facing her with his legs swinging in front of him. "Really."

"Prove it," she challenged.

The air between them crackled with sexual tension that seemed to grow bigger and bigger every time they were alone together. It was something that Daryl had been thinking a lot about lately...the vibe between them. He wondered if she felt it too or if he was making it into something that it wasn't. Tonight he was feeling just brave enough to test that theory a little.

He didn't give himself time to think about it or he would have talked himself out of doing it much like he had all those other times. He reached out and cupped her face, his finger tracing the smooth lines of her skin. Just like he figured, she didn't flinch at all except for her lips. They twitched just enough to let him know that he had caught her off guard. Continuing on, he glided his thumb across the plump skin of her lip and was rewarded with the barely noticeable change in her breathing. She wasn't immune to him. He was affecting her in more ways than one and he wanted to shout it from the rooftops for all to hear that Carol was his.

Biting back a smile, he traced the curve of her chin down to the stiff fabric of her blouse. He drew lazy circles over the material until he reached her chest. From there he lingered, pressing his palm over the rapid thump of her heart. She swallowed and his eyes were drawn to the movement of her Adam's Apple as it bobbed up and down.

He wanted her. He wanted her more than his next breath, but he knew that it wasn't the right time nor the right place. He told himself constantly that he was fucking crazy for putting it off, but he wanted the moment to be perfect. He knew that they weren't guaranteed tomorrow and that at any time he might lose her or himself, but he still held out. Baby steps.

The heat between them was undeniable. It was best described as a fine wine that only grew better with age. The perfect moment would be soon, he could tell. She was almost there, almost to the place where he had been waiting for her to be. He had watched her grow into a fiercely beautiful woman and it had been mesmerizing. When he finally claimed her completely he didn't want to be in a hurry. He wanted to take his time and savor the moment that he had waited years for. No one else could do for him what the woman in front of him did. Not even close.

He slowly withdrew his hand and smiled at her, something that he didn't do often if at all these days. She blinked and swallowed again, straightening her shoulders. "Was that it?" She asked.

"Mhm."

"I don't get it," she sputtered.

"Yes you do if you think about it. No one else gets it more than you." The meaning of his words went deeper than just the surface.

"Hey guys?" They both turned at the sound of Rick's voice to see him peering out at them through the partially cracked front door. "We're fixing to have a meeting. Care to join us?" Rick raised an eyebrow almost mockingly and Daryl wanted to slug him in the arm. He had a feeling that Rick was on to them because he liked to tease them from time to time.

"Be there in a minute," Daryl replied.

Rick nodded, but left the door ajar and the voices of their group drifted out to them comfortingly. Carol stared at him with narrowed eyes, her teeth biting down onto the flesh of her lip almost as if in invitation. Daryl inhaled deeply and nudged her shoulder with his own.

"Come on Mrs. Cleaver."

A giggle escaped her and she smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "I am not Mrs. Cleaver!" Daryl raised his brows and let his eyes fall to her outfit again. She followed his gaze and then frowned as a small groan escaped her lips. "Oh God, I am Mrs. Cleaver."

Daryl snickered as he followed her to the door, making sure he placed his lips right next to her ear as they paused on the threshold. "If only the original had looked this good, I might have watched the show more."

He was rewarded for his efforts with another smack to the shoulder, but it didn't deter him any. In fact, the actions only made her that much more adorable in his eyes. He wondered if he could get find her some heels and pearls to complete her outfit, but the image that evoked affected him so strongly that he decided against it. It wouldn't do either of them any good if he had to walk around with a constant boner. Sighing dejectedly, he stepped inside and shut the door behind him as the meeting began.

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