AN: hey new chapter

I do not own or profit from The Walking Dead

Chapter 7

Daryl had been awake for awhile, the sun streaming in the window, of his room. He still lived with Merle, in a mausoleum of an old house that he absolutely hated. It had never seemed important to have his own place, his own roots. But suddenly he found himself, thinking about what kind of place he would like for his own.

Somewhere quiet, out in the woods. He had enough money that he and Carol could almost easily live off the grid. Lord here he was planning their future and he wasn't even sure she was staying in town. Sighing he grabbed his phone as it started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Rise and Shine Pookie"

He grinned sitting up at the side of the bed when he heard her voice. "Hey, ...Pookie?" He said on a laugh.

"It suits you, just go with it." She said.

No one in his life had ever taken to pet names or endearments. He'd never been an easy man, he knew he was at times prickly and somehow he had always felt hard to love. She seemed to burst in to his life like sunshine, not caring about his rough edges.

"Wanna come Christmas shopping with me?" She said happily.

"Shopping? You mean you ain't done?" He chuckled he'd assumed Carol would have been the type to be done in November in color coordinated paper.

"Done?" She laughed "I haven't even started!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"This place is madhouse." Daryl said as he watched Carol deliberate in a toy store for a gift for Tara's niece Megan.

"It's the only time the mall is fun." She said "What do you think?" He said showing Daryl a doll.

"It's nice, I guess. Don't know much about Doll's." He said eying the doll speculatively. "She supposed to have that much eye make up?" He asked.

"Good point" Carol nodded putting the doll back. "Maybe I'll get her books, instead." She said.

"What about you?" She asked as they walked along. "Don't you have a list?" She asked

"Just Merle" he'd already picked up a new hunting knife for Merle. He'd actually put some thought into it. Hunting together was about the one healthy thing they'd ever done.

"While normally weapons wouldn't be my first choice for Christmas gifts but that was so thoughtful" she said grinning, rubbing his arm. "Wanna sit for a minute?" She said motioning to a bench in the mezinine of the mall.

He nodded sitting next to her. "What's with all the cards on the tree." He asked motioning to the tree in the distance covered with cards.

"Oh, it's for families, that may be having trouble. The parents fill out what the kids want, and people pick a card and go buy what's on the list. Then you bring it to the mall office and volunteers make sure it's delivered." Carol said.

"Fuck, it's full." Daryl muttered wondering how, the tree could be so full this time of year.

"Yes, unfortunately so, Tara says, unemployment has been a big problem this year, well you would know, you live here." Carol responded.

He really hadn't known. Daryl had isolated himself in his loneliness. Never really trying to connect with others around him, other than in superficial ways. Maybe it was actually time to try, to put an effort in.

He felt excitement bubble up in him "Wanna fill a card? " he asked feeling his face light up in a grin "or twenty?"

XxxxxxxxxxxXxxxx

"I may never move my legs again."

They were slumped on the floor amid half hazardly thrown in front of Carol's fire place. She had a bottle of wine on the coffee table that she cracked when they'd finally made their way back to Carol's house.

"I can't believe you filled thirty five cards." Carol said groaning from where she was slumped against a pillow with a glass of wine. "No need to exercise for the next week, I got mall legs." She said downing her glass of wine.

He grinned watching her relax against her pillow, as she poured herself another glass. She reached over to fill his glass.

"You trying to get me drunk?" He asked her chuckling. She winked running her fingers through his hair.

"Nope, I am just trying to prepare you, for the horror that is ahead of us...wrapping."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two bottles of wine later, he watched as a slightly tipsy Carol attempted to wrap a gift for Tara.

Fuck he was feeling a bit of a buzz too if he was honest. They'd gotten most of Carol's presents wrapped, while giggling and sipping on wine. The quality of wrapping was becoming less than stellar which only seemed to amuse Carol even more.

"I can't wait till she sees this.." Carol was saying "I can hear her now...did you wrap this drunk? Why yes Tara, yes I did." Carol said descending into giggles.

"Thought you weren't drunk." He said with a grin.

"You're drunk." She responded while she tried to shake off a piece of wrapping paper taped to her hand. She puffed, a stray curl that had landed in front of her face.

"No you are." He said sticking his tongue out at her.

"Oh...you're in for it now, sticking you're tongue out is cause for tickling." She launched herself at him. Somewhat unsteadily, her hands descended to his side, knocking him flat on his back as she was on top of him.

She stopped suddenly, staring down, at him "You're eyes don't look lost when you laugh." She whispered, then leaned down brushing her lips over his.

It became heated quickly. His hands sliding up her shirt before he realized what he was doing. He took a deep breath pulling away, rolling her to the floor, looming above her.

"You're drunk." He whispered again his fingers trailing down along her temple then down to her collarbone, then tucking her hair behind her ears.

"It's not taking advantage if I want it." She said her fingertips coming up to his lips.

"I want it to be perfect." He said, staring into her eyes intently.

"It already will be perfect, because it's you." Carol responded.

He pressed his forehead to her neck groaning. "You ain't making it easy to be a good guy here." He pulled back looking at her. "For once in my life I wanna do something right."

She smiled and nodded, pulling more pillows down into the little nest they had created in front of the fireplace on the floor. Grabbing a fleece throw from a chair, he spooned her body. His arm clamped around her waist. When she spoke.

"Daryl?"

"Yeah." He said gruffly

"Never will I ever believe this is the first thing you've ever done right."