I'm back with this one too! Hope you enjoy.

S.-

After the Woodbury people settled in the prison, the reactions in the initial group had varied widely. Some of them had felt threatened by their presence, and it was understandable, especially after all they'd been through. They rarely said it out loud, but the lack of trust became evident in little things, and for most of them it took a while to relax around them, talk to them, put them in charge of the things that had to be done. Daryl had been one of the least receptive to them; to the point Carol sometimes thought he'd never be his old self again, and she understood it at some point, because it'd definitely taken him a while to get used to and feel at ease with his former group, but she also thought it was a shame, after how far he'd come. He'd just get lost in the woods, with the bonus that he always came back with food, which had become scarce now that there were so many of them, or he'd keep himself busy and alone fixing stuff that needed to be fixed or organizing runs. She knew there was an important run coming, which he was kind of nervous about, and she kept encouraging him to take some of the Woodbury people along, but hell did she know that her friend was hardheaded and hard to convince.

And for Carol, it'd been pretty much the opposite way. It had been like renewed air, having these new people in. It gave her the sensation of things slowly returning to normal, or as normal as it could ever be in that world. It was almost like slowly rebuilding a society, and in that process, her role was now a very active one: she took charge of things, made decisions, argued when she didn't agree, belonged to a council. It'd also given her the possibility to meet very nice people, some of them she became closer to than others. She missed her friend, missed that complicity they'd always shared and which had become rare these days simply because he wasn't around, but it was easier when you had other people to talk to and so many things to worry about. And almost instantly and unexpectedly, the two girls, Lizzie and Mika, had glued to her, and she had to admit she'd grown fond of them pretty quickly too. It was probably the result of them having lost their mother recently, and of Carol herself determined not to make the mistakes she still couldn't forgive herself about when it came to Sophia. It was also that the girls were adorable and simply easy to be around, and that their father, Ryan, was still confused and shocked, unsure of his capacity to raise two kids in the middle of a zombie outbreak and without their mother.

The truth was that, when it came to take care of people, Carol was always the one to be reached. She just knew about hurt, had had a lot of it in her previous life. And for that reason, she never ever judged. She'd gotten close to Ryan mostly out of his need of comfort, of someone telling him things were going to be ok and her daughters wouldn't grow without a female figure. She also wasn't oblivious to the fact that the man had begun to innocently flirt with her, and sometimes she felt bad for letting him just because it didn't harm anyone and it did boost her self-esteem a bit. So one day she decided that what the man needed was someone to show him he could indeed look after his kids, survive in this world, and she organized her own little run with him in search of some kid clothes. She made sure she told Rick and Hershel, and they didn't object because the place they were heading was pretty close, shouldn't be taking more than 4 hours. She also tried to tell Daryl, because she respected their unspoken agreement of keeping the other updated with whatever they did, especially if it involved going outside the fences, but he was nowhere to be seen so she figured she could just catch up with him later. And so did she.

And even when she knew Daryl could be unpredictable, his reaction had gone far beyond her imagination.

"Wow, thanks Carol. God knows Judy was needing some winter clothes, and so was Carl. And me", he said with a chuckle, going through the box of clothing for the Grimmes family she'd managed to get.

"Matches your eyes", Carol said with a grin, happy to have helped. The run had gone as smoothly as it could go and she did feel kind of proud.

"Ya know, Daryl was looking for you", he commented, examining the brand new blue sweater and instantly putting it on.

"Oh, wow, you look handsome, Officer", Carol said with a whistle, and they both laughed. "He was? Where is he now? I haven't seen him, I think, since yesterday", she told him, suddenly realizing it wasn't really a long time, but it did feel like it.

"I think he's on watch? I don't really know. I can tell you though, he didn't look happy when I told him you went on that run", Rick told her warningly, an amused expression on his eyes.

"Yeah, well, he's never happy with anyone going on runs, unless it's him or Michonne", Carol said with a sigh, deciding she'd look for him.

"Unless it's anyone but you", Rick objected, and she laughed and rolled her eyes. Maybe he was right.

And Daryl was indeed on watch, his back to her. She was surprised he hadn't heard her jog up stairs.

"Hey Pook, what's up?" she said, deciding to test the waters first. She knew he'd probably complain about her going on a run but she didn't think he'd actually be angry.

"Watcha doin' ere?" he barked, staying still, and she frowned and walked to him. She'd thought wrong.

"I was looking for you. Been looking for you the whole day really", she told him. It was the truth after all. "Got you a nice shirt and I'm begging you don't cut the sleeves off", she joked.

He slowly turned around, his mouth pressed in a thin line and his brows lifted.

"A shirt, huh? holly shit, thanks. Ain't matter that ya coulda gotten yerself killed, was really needin' a fuckin' shirt", he said coldly, and Carol stepped back.

"There was no way I could have gotten myself killed, Daryl, it was no big deal", she said matter-of-factly, her eyes searching his.

He remained quiet for a second, and then walked to her, pointing at her with his finger. "That's exactly what people who don't know shit 'bout runs say, an' who'd have been there ta take care 'f things if shit hit tha fan, huh? that fuckin' asshole yer so fond of who ain't even know how ta use a damn knife".

"You think I'm not capable of going on a run, huh?" Carol asked him, crossing her arms around her chest. "and what do you know about Ryan other than hating him because he happens to be spending some time with me?"

He threw his head back and opened his eyes, a sarcastic smile spreading on his lips.

"an' ya think I give a damn who ya spend yer time wit'?" he said harshly, stepping into her personal space. She fixed her eyes on his, her gaze almost as cold as his.

"I know you do", she stated, her words taking him by surprise, but he let out a chuckle.

"Ya know NOTHIN'", he spat, waving his arm in the air. "Ya think ya become useful jus' for goin' on a run an' get back wit' a bunch of fuckin' clothes wit' an asshole who wants to fuck ya? Well lemme tell ya somethin', yer fuckin' wrong!"

Carol froze at first but quickly felt the rage starting to flow on her veins. She loved him, but she wouldn't let her treat her like shit just because he couldn't deal with his own emotions. She walked forward and, without thinking, grabbed him by the neck of his jacket. The action surprised him and his face expression changed, her face inches away from his as she spoke:

"Don't you dare saying those things to me, you son of a bitch! I'm not allowing it anymore. All this time I thought you knew me better than anyone and you throw those words at me?! WELL FUCK YOU DARYL! I wish you were man enough to say what really bothers you about all this!" she barked on his face and turned around, determined to go straight to her cell.

She hadn't even started walking when she felt his hand wrap harshly around her wrist, turning her around. She stiffened. He was so close she unconsciously leaned against the tower wall to distance herself.

"Dontcha turn yer back on me when I'm speakin'", he said, his voice low, and even though it was dark she could see his eyes flicking all over her face, his gaze a cold, intense blue.

"Fuck you, Daryl! Let me go", she muttered sharply, her hands going to his chest to push him away. But her eyes went wide open when she felt him press his lower body against her own. She saw him lick his lower lip and she opened her mouth in confusion, letting a breath out instead of any words.

"Say it again, an' I'll let ya go", he whispered, his face so close he was almost nuzzling hers.

Carol frowned, her heart starting to beat faster, and she couldn't quite believe what was going on but she felt extremely and instantly turned on by the whole situation, this Daryl, the Daryl standing in front of her, every inch of his lower body pressed against her, wanting her to feel him, one she didn't recognize, one she'd fantasied about, sure, definitely, but she'd dropped those fantasies as soon as she realized they wouldn't become real.

"What..?" she started to ask, but then his head went down to her neck and she found her own arms wrapping around his lower back, pulling him closer as he licked the way up her chin, his breathing already heavy.

"Tell me ta stop", he whispered on her ear in the huskiest of voices, his hand finding its way under the hem of her shirt and moving painfully up. And she wasn't thinking anymore, things she'd been wanting for so long she'd almost forgotten about happening so unexpectedly and quickly that her brain just shut down. She moved her face to try to find his lips, but she ended up kissing his chin instead, a loud sigh coming out of his mouth.

"Tell me ya ain't goin' nowhere without me knowin'", he spoke on her mouth, his fingers moving to her chin to hold her face still while he slowly opened his eyes, fixing them on hers. She could feel him hard against her pelvis and she couldn't help to grind herself against him, a growl escaping his lips as his eyes scanned her face.

"I can't tell you that Daryl", she said in a voice she almost didn't recognize.

"oh, fuck"ΒΈ he whispered on her mouth before crushing his lips against hers, his tongue immediately intruding her mouth. She moaned and tangled her hands in his hair, kissing him back with the same intensity, her tongue tangling with his and fighting for dominance. She felt his hands roam all over her body with such desperation she suddenly realized he might have been wanting her for as long as she had.

She grabbed one of his hands and led it to her breast as they devoured each other's mouths, but he abruptly pulled apart, his hands going to her sides and holding her tightly as his eyes found hers.

"I 'd fuckin' die 'fore I let anythin' happen to ya. I fuckin' hate that whenever I look for ya there's that damn asshole followin' ya around like a lost puppy. I hate tha' I want ya this much an' lately ya jus' seemed impossible ta reach", he confessed, his voice heavy with lust.

She smiled at him, her heart still hammering in her chest both by that heated kiss and the sincerity of those words she thought she'd never hear. She brought her hands to his face and pressed her lips on his, letting them linger for a while before pulling apart.

"Daryl, I've always been here. I've always wanted you".

He gave her a crooked smile and crushed his lips against hers once more.

And she knew exactly what would have happened if Glenn hadn't decided it was his turn on watch.

Carol kept on walking, the proximity to Terminus making her almost jog even with the heavy weight of Judith on her back. She couldn't help but thinking Daryl could be there. She couldn't wait to find out. She didn't believe in magic but she sensed somehow she was getting close to him the same way she still remembered the feeling of his rough lips over hers. The memories of that first kiss that'd been almost angry and desperate were the only fuel she had left. Luckily, it hadn't been the only one. But sometimes she felt she needed so many more of them just as she needed air.