Carol woke to something hard pressing against her ass. She smiled. Apparently Daryl was looking to start the day off with a bang. She stretched and sighed, rubbing herself against his erection, letting him know she was awake and very willing.
Daryl lifted her leg and slipped inside, then pulled her body flush against him. It had been a few days since they'd made love and Carol was enjoying it very much. Since their physical relationship had started after they settle into the Alexandria Safe Zone, they had been intimate regularly. But Carol had been so busy with the expansion of the wall, supervising and planning the finer details, as well as continuing her weapon training with Daryl and offering a sniper class of her own... Things had been pretty crazy.
She sighed and arched her back, pressing her ass into him, taking him deeper each time he thrust towards her. Whatever had made him decide he wanted to be with her that morning, Carol was very thankful. Whether it was the simple fact it had been a while and he was horny, or because he was going on a run that would take him away for most of the day… it didn't matter. Carol was happy with the reminder of what they'd been missing.
The release was incredible. It was shocking how much pent up sexual frustration had been building without her even realizing it. "I needed that, so much," she said, rolling over and leaning against his chest.
"Me too," Daryl agreed, stroking her hair, lovingly.
"I wish we could just stay here… do this all day," she sighed.
"Me too," he said again, with a lazy smile. "But Glenn's gonna be bangin' on that door any minute if I don't get my ass downstairs."
"And I'm willing to bet Abraham is pacing, cursing, and grumbling because I'm late for the start of the next phase," Carol giggled. She could just picture him strutting back and forth, his face turning the shade of his hair the longer she made him wait. "Oh well, some days it pays to be Mayor. I make my own hours and no one can tell me different."
"Must be nice," Daryl teased, climbing out of bed and finding clothes to put on. Carol followed his lead and they headed to the bathroom together. It took her a while to get used to sharing and actually peeing in front of him. But by that point it was pretty much second nature. She brushed her teeth and washed her face while he went pee and then they switched. Carol washed her hands again and they left only a couple minutes later.
Life was relatively normal. But it took them all a long time to get back into a routine that somewhat resembled a normal life. She could remember when they first arrived she slept fully clothed, clutching a weapon, ready to fight at a moments notice. The group had spent the first night in one house, even though they had been given three. Eventually they began to trust their hosts and Rick developed a good relationship with the current Mayor, Douglas. When his wife was killed during a walker attack Douglas never recovered. He ended up taking his own life and asking Rick to lead his people. Rick didn't think he was the right one to lead them all, he was comfortable being the sheriff and looking after defence. He decided Carol was the perfect person to lead the community and she agreed to do it, somewhat reluctantly at first.
But it really hadn't taken her long to start to feel comfortable in her role and by that point she absolutely loved it. People looked up to her and trusted her decisions. And Carol felt like she was contributing to the best of her ability. It felt like she was finally where she belonged. It helped to have Daryl by her side. Without his support and encouragement there were moments Carol was sure she never would have survived.
They had a quick breakfast with Glenn and Maggie. Carol could tell that Daryl had been right, Glenn was itching to get out the gates and start the run. "Gonna go find Aaron and meet you by the gates," he announced after stuffing half a muffin in his mouth. Maggie rolled her eyes and followed him out the door.
Carol watched Daryl finish his breakfast slowly. There was a time he'd been exactly like Glenn. Always itching to get outside the gates, even when they were back at the prison. But lately he always seemed to linger around her until the last second. "You okay?" Carol asked.
"Yeah…" his voice trailed off.
"Don't sound like it," she pushed.
"It's just…" he looked at her and she saw something she hadn't seen in a long time - his shy embarrassed side. "It's hard to leave you," Daryl said, pink coloring both cheeks instantly.
Carol slipped out of her chair and took a seat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his cheek. "Well it's a good thing you'll be back soon, huh?" She looked at him with a flirty smile. "I'll be waiting up if you're late." She used to wait up for him every night - he'd do the same if he was home first. But lately they'd both been exhausted and sometimes they couldn't stay awake.
Daryl stood, sliding her off his knee, back onto her feet. "Better be," he said slapping her ass affectionately. He grabbed his crossbow and backpack by the door and they headed outside. It was a gorgeous day, warm and sunny already, though the sun hadn't been up long. Most residents were early risers and there were already several people wandering around, tending to their various tasks. Carol walked with Daryl to the gate as Glenn and Aaron drove up in the jeep they were taking on the run.
Right on the back bumper of the Jeep was a pickup truck. "Looks like my ride is here too," Carol said, trying to keep from laughing. Abe looked annoyed. She knew exactly how to sweet talk the hard-ass though, so Carol wasn't worried. Rosita had given her a few tips after Carol almost strangled the temperamental ginger one day. "Bye," she said, brushing his hand in a movement that would look accidental to anyone else, but would be understood as something more by Daryl.
"Bye," he replied, jumping into the back seat of the Jeep. Carl and Michonne opened the gate and the Jeep was gone.
Abe pulled forward and Carol got in. "Sorry. Slept in a bit this morning," she said with a huge smile. That was pretty much all it took to get to Abe.
Once he saw her smiling at him he defrosted. "It's fine," he mumbled, taking off out the gate. Carol looked out the window and bit the inside of her cheek. That was way too easy. They headed for the new section of the town that almost complete and ready to be joined to the current part. Both were completely walled in, so there would be a period of time that they would have to removed a section of both walls in order to join them. That time had almost arrived and they would be making the final decisions and plans for the safest and quickest way to get the job done.
It always looked good on paper, but Carol worried they would run into complications along the way, so she wanted everything to be perfect and well planned out before she would allow them to begin. The residents were excited about the expansion, but some of them had been safely behind walls almost since the start of the apocalypse and even a very short period without that extra security would be scary for them.
It was a long and busy day, like they had all been lately. By the time Carol returned the sun was setting. She hoped Daryl would be home, waiting for her, but she knew the run was scheduled to be a long one and it would have been surprising to find them back before dark. As suspected they weren't back yet, so Carol decided to go home and have a shower in the mean time. The sun had been hot and she'd been sweating most of the day.
The cold water felt great. She made a point of showering in cold water most of the time, conserving the hot that used up extra energy. She had just stepped out and was toweling off when she heard someone yelling her name from downstairs. "One second," she hollered back, getting dressed quickly. As much as she loved being Mayor, it was sometimes annoying and inconvenient that she couldn't even take a damn shower without getting interrupted.
"What's wrong now?" she sighed, on her way down the steps. It was Noah waiting at the bottom. He looked like he was going to puke and Carol's stomach turned. "Noah… what's going on?" There was only one thing that would have Noah that upset, Carol knew what it was about before the young man even spoke - Daryl. "What happened? Is he okay?"
Noah shook his head. "He's gone."
Carol felt her heart stop inside her chest. "G-g-gone?" she repeated. "He's dead?"
"No. No," he replied. "Well, we don't know. He's been captured. But Aaron… they killed him."
"Oh God," Carol couldn't breathe. Aaron had become a very close friend. He'd been Douglas' right hand man when he was Mayor and it became second nature for him to act the same way with Carol when she took over. "Glenn?" she was afraid to ask, but she had to know.
"He's here. Safe," Noah explained. "Come on, they're all waiting for you at Rick's." Carol felt her warrior mode kick in. Some assholes had killed Aaron and captured Daryl. There was no fucking way they were getting away with it. She jogged behind Noah and burst into Rick's house.
Carol walked straight to Glenn and hugged him. "I'm so sorry Carol…" he muttered into her neck. "I tried to go back, see if I could get him once I escaped… but they'd already moved locations. Must of had a temporary camp set up." He pulled back and looked at her, his eyes flashing with anger, "I think they were waiting for us. It's as if they knew we were coming." Carol swallowed the lump in her throat. "He was alive, the last I saw him. They killed Aaron instantly, but they tied Daryl up. If they were gonna kill him, they would have done it right away, like Aaron. He's gotta be alive," Glenn spoke with desperation. Daryl was important to more people than just her. The entire group would feel the loss - hard.
But there wasn't going to be a loss, Carol told herself with determination. "Let's figure out what we're gonna do," she said, looking around the room. Michonne. Rick. Abraham. Maggie. Rosita. Tara. Eugene. And Noah. Tyreese and Sasha were likely on watch at the main gate and Carl was probably trying to get his sister to sleep. Even though they had integrated completely with the original residents of the town, for some reason it was the main group that had met in Rick's living room. It was likely because this wasn't something new for them. It wasn't the first time they had dealt with a psychopath that had captured one of their own, killed one of their own.
"I know where they were set up," Glenn offered. "I could lead you right there. But I don't think it's gonna help because they're gone."
"Maybe I could track them from there?" Noah offered. "Daryl taught me. Said I'm better than he is now," he added proudly. After speaking his name though Noah looked sad. He was in mourning.
Carol nodded. "That might be a good place to start." She looked at Glenn, "They get the Jeep?"
"Yep. I had to return on foot," he explained. "They ambushed us first thing this morning, but it took me all day by the time I went back for Daryl and then walked here."
As much as she wanted to head out immediately, worried that the longer they had Daryl, the worse his chances got, Carol knew they needed to wait until morning. If Noah had any hopes of finding their trail he needed daylight to see it. "Everyone needs to get some rest tonight. I'll decide who is going with Noah and I in the morning and we'll leave at first light."
"Carol," Rick interrupted. "You should stay here. Let me take a group out. We don't know who these people are, but we know they're dangerous. This town needs you…"
"No way," she snapped. "Daryl needs me right now. It's not up for discussion." Rick conceded. He knew she would take him along because if she didn't he would just go anyway. Daryl was his best friend and like Carol, it wasn't up for discussion. "Go. Sleep. I need everyone at their best tomorrow. We're gonna find…" The door burst open and Tyreese flew in breathless from running.
"He's here," he gasped. "Daryl… he's here."
They all looked at him in shock. Carol felt a sense of relief like she'd never known in her life. "Where?" she asked.
Tyreese was still panting. "A vehicle pulled up and just threw him at the gate, drove off. Sniper blew out a tire, but they kept going somehow. I think someone might have chased after them," he took a breath. "But Sasha and Heath took Daryl right to Denise and I came straight here."
Carol gave Rick a look and he picked up his weapon, nodded at Abraham and the two of them took off to see if they could catch up with the kidnappers. "Is he…" Carol was afraid to ask.
"He didn't look good," Tyreese said gently, reaching an arm around Carol's shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze. "But he's alive."
As much as she wanted to go to Daryl's side alone, there was someone else who needed to be there with her. Carol reached for Noah's hand. "Come on, let's go see him."