Commitment
The damn Georgia heat pushes in on her as the simple cotton beige shirt clings to her like a second skin. Carol strips out of her sweat stained shirt throwing it into the heap of clothing ready for their next wash cycle. Clad in her best white cotton bra that too was threadbare, yet he best one by far, it too clings to her skin and she simply unfastens the claps as it slips from her small framed body.
Daryl spoke Dale outside their station off the old farm house enquiring where Carol is, only he kind of figures where and heads off through their campsite jetting across the grounds only to stop short by the window seeing Carol's naked frame. He stands there like a deer caught in headlights as she pushes her trousers off kicking those aside too and next her greying cotton panties they also found their way into the laundry pile.
The Winnebago is like a tin can on a hot summer's day, a pressure cooker about to burst, and she couldn't stand being cooped up inside the old metal box any longer and picks out her lightest cotton salmon pink sleeveless shirt. She opts out on a bra; as her sweat would soak through the thin material soon enough and slips the sleeveless shirt over her head and fixes her buttons. He doesn't move from his spot knowing she'd hear any slight movement in the dirt below, as the tiny window is wide open to allow the faintest breeze to enter the tiny space, only the air was still and humid. He transfixes his eyes on how she dips down as she pulls up freshly clean trousers along her slim legs and gently hangs them on her narrow hips hugging them just right.
Once she moves out of his vision he takes a few seconds to recalibrate his rapidly beating heart to a steady pace. He doesn't hear the screen door creak open or the lilt of her voice through the steady beat of his heart thumping wildly in his ears. Daryl, he felt like a prick just standing there watching her dress and nearly fucks off when she calls on him. "Hey, Daryl, help me with the laundry?"
Confusion clouds his face as he looks at her keeping his eyes steady on hers. Her lips curls in a sideways smirk, as she held the door awkwardly as it bangs against the over flowing laundry basket causing some garments to tumble to the dirt.
"A little help?" her voice pulls him out of his stare.
His eyes travels to her chest down to the garments in the dirt, back to her hands, and with a tug he pulls the basket out of her hands keeping a steady focus on his own hands. She bends down giving him a rather fancy view (which he steals a glance) of her chest retrieving the fallen garments off the ground and places them gently on top of the pile.
"Come on, the laundry doesn't get done on its own."
All of this took place in the view of Andrea who was on watch. She gives her blond head a shake with a grin hoping or maybe praying that they can have a bit of fun. At least someone should on this bloody farm, she thinks to herself.
They reach the washing station, the lines of clothing barely moving in the hot heat. Daryl slams the basket down. Carol delicate hands work quickly unclipping each wooden peg, removing each garment as she went. She is neat, and meticulous, folding each one, setting them in their own piles. She knew each person's style and made fast work of the line. Once complete she rubs her knuckles mumbling mainly to herself, "Damn old age settling in."
Daryl forgets why he went to get her in the first place and her voice pulls him from his inner toil. "Let me." For a redneck that is rough his calloused fingers moves softly over her hands, relieving some of that ache setting in.
"Arthritis." She admits.
He does in fact work each finger starting with the pinky, and so on, working up through the joints into the hand with small circular motion until he could feel the tension release enough for her to relax them. Daryl pulls back once done, his eyes back to hers with a simple nod. "Me-Maw, she crochet and shit, made me sweaters that itched – well, she'd get me to remove the tension."
Carol gave another one of those silly smirks. "Thanks."
"Why don't you take a break from all this work?"
"It's got to get done."
"Let Lori do it. You're not their keeper."
Carol shrugs, "I don't mind doing it."
Annoyance washes over his face and he it shows through the cadence of his tone as he spoke. "Lori can take care of it, damn it woman take a fucking break. This shit will still be here."
Somehow, the Dixon men can be sweet talkers because she places the dirty garments in her hands back into the washing pile and she walks alongside him matching his pace and stride.
They sit on the rickety old wooden dock with the hot summer sun beating down on their backs. With their naked feet dipping in the cool water as the gentle breeze tickles their face as peace surrounds them. Only the sound of tree frogs with locusts could be heard.
Carol leans back tilting her head towards the sky saying a private prayer of hope for the safe return of her daughter. She could feel the sting of the heated shoulders knowing she was burning up from the rays of the sun. Daryl turns to face her remembering she wore nothing under that shirt. Her chest rises up slowly then back down releasing the stress from her day.
Daryl's hands move as he unbuckles his knife still sheathed in the leather case, "Here, take this."
She sits upright eyes on his hands, she notices the hilt of the blade was a dark wooden handle warn with age. "Why?"
"For protectin', I'll teach ya." With a slow steady hand he pulls the blade out of its case. "Was mine, ma gave it to me, said to keep myself safe."
With a shaky hand she grips it as he holds hers into place her mind races with anxiety. "The only time I hold a knife is to cut up food." The words sound rather weak as she hears them fall from her lips; so she takes the knife holding it up catching the glint of the sun off the steel seeing how sharp it really is. She then sheaths it and he takes it from her, with a steady hand he clips it to her belt but before he pulls away his fingers brushes the underside of her shirt against her pale flesh, creating goosebumps.
"Hey, I said, I'll take you huntin' once we locate your little girl. I'll make you strong. Ya ain't weak."
She nods. "You wanted to look for her… Why? This whole time I just wanted to ask you."?"
"Because I think she's still out there. Truth is what else I got to do?""
"Shane and Rick both want end the search." Her voice sounded so deflated and distant, "So does Lori…"
"Olive Oil only thinks of herself."
Carol finally cracks a slim grin across her lips that clouds behind her anger, but he sees it for a split second and shares one back.
"I'm not alone in this Dale knows she's been sleeping with Shane."
"Pretty sure she's pregnant with his kid."
"See that's why I use condoms, ain't going to have another Dixon runnin' around here." Daryl then adds, "Not that I am havin' sex."
"Good to know. Since we're confessing, I'm sterile."
They both chuckle.
Her eyes flicker from the angry tone to a lustful one in one single beat. His eyes are locks on her lips he smells her and feels it. Slowly, their faces angles towards each other both wishing to meet in the middle and their lips press together for a single kiss. Awkward as it is, their noses bump, and their lips move against each other and Daryl's mind goes back in time when he was a teenager kissing a girl for the first time. Not just any girl, Merle's girl, older and a blonde. What was her name, he racks his brain trying to recall who it was, a Suzi, Sarah or a Sally, something like that.
His eyes open up feeling Carol's hand connect with the back of his neck pushing him into the kiss. Her lips opening and allowing his tongue pushes against hers. He can taste the sun kiss sweet tea on them, like the kind his me-maw used to make. His mind springs back to when he recalls seeing her naked by the window, how the curve of her breast looks as she dresses in the window. His fingers itch to feel them, so he presses his calloused ones under her shirt holding her ribcage. She laces her fingers in his holding him still against the underside of her shirt.
She never kissed a male like this. Ed wasn't a romantic sort. Ok, in the beginning, he charmed her just long enough to convince Carol too marry him. Her mind wanders back to Daryl as she feels the need to make the kiss linger while sweeping her tongue over his teeth as she catches the bottom lip in hers. To hear him hiss as she nips his bottom lip and then plunging her tongue back into his mouth. Their lungs were burning from the lack of oxygen and only then they break the seal.
She places a warm flat palm on his chest. "You know your mouth twitches when you think?"
"Huh?"
"You do. What were you thinking of?" Carol asks simply.
"You're lips they taste like honey."
She licks her swollen kissed lips, "And?"
"That I wanna taste them again." His voice rose at the end sounding nervous.
Her hand cups his face fingers brushing his soft lips.
He leans in meeting her lips with his softly brushing them with his. It was a simple kiss. He pulls away shyly.
A hand falls from his face placing it flat against his chest just hovering over a scar she could feel through his shirt. Not only that, the very quickening of his pulse as it races through his veins. How tempting it would be to let loose, to open up to him how right this feels? Yet, it is the wrong place and time. He flexes his fingers, sending a signal to hers still holding his still against her heated skin.
She tilts her head to look up at him, and finds her courage to use her voice. "We need to talk."
He doesn't at least not yet. He keeps still. His eye tells her everything she needs to know. So, she continues to speak. "I want this. You want this. Yeah?"
She is him. All down to how his body reacts to her voice. She knows as she feels his spine tense becoming ridged and tight. Somewhere he finds his voice; the tone matches his body language.
"Lust is a dangerous thing." He sighs.
"Terrifying to say the least." She agrees with a flash of a smile. "But I'm not saying no."
"But you're saying what?" Daryl's fingers releases her hipbone flexing them a little.
She notes the quiver in his bottom lip then the nervousness as he chews the inside of his mouth.
"Daryl, it would do us a great disservice if we just act on impulse." Carol feels the shift of emotional change in him.
He twitches his mouth pondering what to think of her confession. He knows it wrong to act on one simple feeling. "Impulse is what I know."
"I know. I use to be the same way, still am. I didn't want to set confusion in, we want this, and it will change us."
"Animals just do it because they smell it. I can smell your heady scent." The archer drawls out.
"I also know that you saw me change out of my clothing, Daryl." She doesn't wait for him to answer, "I saw you through the glass reflection, eyeing me, had that look, and to be honest, I liked it."
"You saw?" Suddenly his throat closes up then realizes she said something else and croaks out, "Wait, you liked it?"
Forgetting the summer heat beating down on them she glances at Daryl like it was the first time. She slips her hand in his, noticing the sweaty palm but ignores it and lets it lie on her thigh. "A great reminder that I'm not Ed's anymore."
This confession of her new found freedom makes her smile with want and hope for something more. Daryl notes the sly smile she shares with him and takes it in. "Now you can live your own life."
"Same with you, I know it's easier said than done."
He releases her hand but caresses her thigh with it knowing exactly what she means. "We're trying."
She nods; feeling now was the right time to stand up and to head back to camp. "Supper won't cook on its own."
Starting back they move together in the same stride and pace. Seeing and hearing the ruckus which are Shane and Rick arguing as they heads towards the barn. They change direction from their camp following the two men knowing something is to be done with the barn full of walkers.
Who knew that their lives will take a very drastic turn for the worse?
A/N this is during season 2 before the barn scene when Daryl and Carol spent a lot of personal time together. I will have something up soon this isn't a big fic. This is a small chapter fic, and there will be time jumps, I will say where they start. I am sorry for the delay on this piece as family life always seems to get in the way of writing fiction.
Soon, second chapter will be up. Now I know where it will go, not sure if there will be sex or smut, or just screwing around?