Disclaimer: As always, I have no copyrights to The Walking Dead, AMC, Norman BadAss Reedus.

A/N: I am soooo sorry my lovely readers that it took longer than normal to get this out. I just came off of working 8 days straight and I'm beat. Yours truly really, really likes this chapter. Hope all of you do too. Okay, I'll admit it. I am done writing the story but I haven't wrote all the well, INTIMATE scenes yet. I'm working on them at this moment. I've been having so many problems doing it. Everytime I write a line, I reread it, start giggling like a school girl and then rewrite it. It's so frustrating molding it into what I want it to be. I want every one to read it and then say 'I need a cigarette!'. Anyway, here's a little taste of smutty goodness to come. Enjoy!

To my loving followers:

PurpleDahlia: I'm estatic that you liked the last chapter so much and I really hope you like this one. It's a little better. Also, thanks for your constant reviews. They mean a lot to me and it's the little extra push that I need to get them out that much faster. Thanks for the review, hun.

eloquent dreams: Don't worry sweetie, the story isn't that far along, Merle isn't going to be left behind yet. Thank you so much, my first reviewer!

Noreey: Thank you for taking a liking to my story and I'll try to get them out to you as soon as I can. Little busy at the moment though, enjoy this next one. And thank you for the review, I appreciate every one that I get.

maawwge: I Know! I loved writing the kiss too, I re-wrote it so many times that I was actually starting to get a brain freeze. Well, Daryl alone is pretty good at doing that to me anyway. The craziness hasn't even begun!

Chapter Seven:

~~~~~~~TWD~~~~~~~

Arielle wasn't sure exactly how much time had gone by since she had stormed off to her tent to be alone. She felt like such an ass for behaving the way she had in front of the whole group, they probably thought that her time alone in the woods had made her unstable. She had always been so good at controlling her emotions (until lately it seemed), what with being raised (partially) by her a-hole father. As for her functioning family went, Bobby had been the only sibling that was around her alot, hell, he pretty much raised her. Her father had never been abusive towards any of her siblings simply because he didn't hate them.

Their mother, Stephanie, had died from complications when Arielle was born. Her father, Jacob, had always blamed her from taking his wife away from him as he constantly screamed at her whenever a case of beer or an eighth of Jack was involved. He hadn't wanted anymore children after Bobby and Satine.

Arielle smiled as she thought about her brother. He had looked almost nothing like his twin with short spiky red hair, the same red that Arielle shared along with their mother, and had a face covered in freckles. He always had this stupid grin on his face like he knew this big secret that no one else did and always wore this ridiculous green bandana over his unruly red hair. Bobby had been the one family member who would comfort Arielle after fights with their dad. He would usually try to keep her busy like playing baseball with her, taking her to movies and such. He was the one who originally talked Daryl into taking her hunting with them when she was a little older. Daryl hadn't liked it too much at first but it had served as the stepping stone in their intial friendship.

Arielle laughed lightly as she recalled the time when she had broken up with her first boyfriend, Craig, when she was fifteen. Instead of chick flicks and ice cream, Bobby and Daryl had taken her out hunting and got her drunk for the first time. The night had ended badly when the three of them ended up outside of Craig's parents' house, they slit his tires and poured sugar in the gas tank of his precious beat up corvette. Arielle fought back giggles as she recalled Daryl dropping his pants and pissing through the busted driver's side window all over the front seat. Her and Bobby had laughed hysterically from the side lines then they booked it upon hearing yelling from the back porch, leaving Daryl to catch up, tripping over the pants around his ankles as he ran. Her heart ached at the memories that were running through her head. She felt guilty for missing her brother more than her sisters. She couldn't help it, he had been there for her a helluva lot more than Satine and Maria combined.

A shadow passed over the side of her tent, pulling her from her thoughts. The person stopped at the front flap and raised their hand up as if to knock. Arielle bit back a laugh, it's hard to knock on a tent.

"Elle?" Daryl's tenative voice called though the zipped up flap, she smiled at the reassuring sound.

"Come in Daryl." She called back, scooting up into a sitting position, crossing her legs under her. He zipped the tent back up after him and glanced around.

"It's not the Hilton but it works." She commented on him observing her small sleep area.

"I share a tent with Merle, at least it don't smell like ours." Daryl replied as he pulled an empty milk crate from the corner to sit on. He sat down and started chewing his thumbnail, glancing at her questioningly.

"What is it Daryl? What's on your mind?" Daryl quit chewing his poor abused thumbnail and clasped his hands in front of him on his knees, leaning forward.

"Just wanted to see if ya was okay. Ya kinda made a scene out there, it ain't like ya. Well, usually ain't like ya." He said quietly. Arielle ran a hand through her long hair.

"I was just wanting to wait on letting everyone know I'm a doctor until the need arised. I didn't want people to wrap me up in bubble wrap and throw me under lock and key. Don't want to be treated any differently than everybody else." She mumbled, pulling her legs up to her chest and tucked her knees under her chin. Daryl observed her for a moment before climbing off the crate and sat down on her sleeping bag in front of her.

"I could call Merle in here and have him start motherfucking ya like he does with everybody. Keep ya from feelin' special." Arielle shot him a glare then pushed on his chest playfully.

"I'm good."

Daryl reached up and laced his fingers with hers, bringing her palm from his chest up to his cheek causing Arielle's heart to skip a beat. Judging from his expression, she knew there was something else bothering him.

"Are ya still plannin' on goin'?" He whispered before she had a chance to ask him what was wrong. She shook her head.

"I wasn't wanting to from the beginning. I just seen you step forward and I panicked. I couldn't stand the thought of you going. I know it's selfish." Arielle said softly. She rubbed the coarse hair of his goatee with the back of her hand. Daryl's intense gaze locked onto her.

"I wasn't gonna let ya go anyway. Merle just beat me to the yellin' part." He admitted, his voice coming out dangerously low. Arielle smiled at him and leaned forward, bringing herself closer to him.

"That's funny. You think you can stop me from going?" She couldn't resist baiting him.

"The fuck I can't! I'll wrap ya up in ya sleepin' bag and sit on ya for the next few days if I have to." Daryl snapped, raising his voice. Arielle continued to grin at him and rose up to her knees, moving right in front of him. She ran her hands up his chest, feeling Daryl's heart beat a little faster under her hands and brought them behind his neck, tangling them in his hair. She leaned forward, bringing her mouth to his ear.

"How about we wrap up together in my sleeping bag and not leave my tent for a few days?" Arielle whispered in his ear before placing a soft kiss on his neck, below his ear. A low growl came from deep within Daryl's chest, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her roughly onto his lap. Arielle couldn't stop the blush that crept along her cheeks when Daryl pulled her down to straddle him. He kissed her firmly once before pulling away, rubbing his knuckles along one of her redden cheeks.

"I love it when ya do that." He said, distracting her from staring intently at his mouth, wanting his lips back on hers.

"What?"

"When ya blush, it lights up ya face even more and ya eyes almost sparkle. It's beautiful." Daryl replied.

"That was almost poetic of you Daryl." She smiled at the redness that crept onto his face as well. She must've embarrassed him.

"Well, don't be gettin' use to it. I ain't gonna be runnin' around after ya like a lost puppy in front of everyone." He said roughly. Arielle shook her head at his hopelessness.

"We can't have that now, can we?" She teased, bringing her face down to his and lightly brushed her lips against his. He moved his head forward to kiss her deeper but she moved hers back slightly to tease him. She did it again and this time, Daryl actually grunted at her, causing her to chuckle.

"Stop teasin'. I never took ya to be a cruel woman." He warned, moving his face up to try again which she dodged once more.

"It keeps things lively." She replied quietly, leaning down to finally give him what they both wanted. They were only a few inches apart, Arielle carefully snuck her right hand beneath Daryl's shirt. When his lips claimed hers, she locked her legs around his hips and scratched at Daryl's upper back, not hard enough to actually hurt but enough to make him hiss against her mouth. He released an unsteady breath.

"Ya little tease." Daryl breathed out before kissing her hard and wrapped one hand tightly in her hair, preventing her from pulling away, not that she had any inclination of doing that anyway. Arielle's lips moved against his as she wrapped both her arms around Daryl's neck. She felt that slow warming sensation blooming again in her stomach as she shifted on his lap to straighten out her back, getting more comfortable. When she moved, Daryl breathed in unsteadily again at the friction her movement caused against his lap, making his blood boil. He wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from falling backwards and quickly flipped Arielle onto her back. She gasped in surprise at her sudden altitude change, opening her eyes to see Daryl hovering over her, taking in her flushed face. He gave her a quick smile before returning his mouth to hers, causing Arielle to completely forget everything around her except the feeling of Daryl's lips on hers, the feel of his weight on her. Arielle parted her lips, sending him an invitation that he quickly accepted. As his tongue darted into her mouth, she trailed her hand down his back and slipped it under his shirt, tracing his skin with her fingertips, commiting the feel of his warm skin to memory. Daryl grabbed her hand from his back and pinned her arms above her head. He pulled away to kiss her jawline then moved down her neck. Arielle whimpered when he nipped the skin of her neck causing him to laugh. As he sucked the sensitive skin of her neck below her ear, his free hand traced down the contours of her shoulder and his knuckles lightly brushed the side of her breast, forcing her to gasp quietly and her body to shudder at the soft caress. Daryl's hand moved to the hem of her shirt, playing with it between his fingers. Arielle was burning for his touch and was growing impatient with his antics. She bucked her hips up to force his hand under her shirt, relief coursing through her as she felt his hand gently massage her stomach before slowly creeping higher. Arielle's breath hitched and unknowingly dug her nails into Daryl's other hand when she felt his fingertips graze the lining of her bra.

"Who's teasing who now?" She breathed, her voice becoming raspy with desire. Daryl smiled against her neck.

"Don't act like ya don't like it." He responded, shifting himself downward so he could kiss the exposed skin of her chest. He slipped his hand under her bra, cupping her breast and gently rolled her nipple between his fingers. Arielle moaned loudly, tilting her head back against her pillow and arched her back up, wanting more of his rough, calloused hands on her. Daryl continued kissing down her chest and roughly pushed her bra and shirt up, completely exposing her chest to him. She felt a spasm of nervousness course through her insides, she couldn't help but feel self concious at being exposed for him to see. Daryl felt her stiffen up under him. He raised his head to look up at her nervous, flushed face.

"Knock it off, girl.' He growled, running his hand up her chest to cup her face, 'Ya sexy as hell. Don't make me have to tell ya again."

At the sound of his rough 'That's final' voice and commanding words, some of her tension melted away. Daryl bent down and kissed the space between her breasts, never breaking eye contact with her. She found it to be incredibly erotic. Daryl turned his attention to her breast, giving it a squeeze before slipping her nipple into his mouth and running his tongue along it. He continued to suck and tease her breast with his wonderfully amazing tongue while he toyed with her other with his free hand. His ministrations had her panting, her breaths coming out in harsh bursts. She grinded her hips against his lower stomach, not being able to control her movements. Arielle's hands were still bound and she was pulling, trying to free herself from his grasp. She was finally able to due to Daryl's lack of concentration and the fact that he didn't care anymore, he wanted her to touch him. Upon releasing her hands, one flew to tangle up in his hair while her other grasped her pillow tightly, slightly shoving it to her face to muffle her moans.

Daryl had never seen anything so sexy as the redhead writhing underneath him, biting her lip as she continued to grind and arch herself up against him. Daryl had never wanted anyone more than he wanted Arielle right now, moving under him as he imagined pushing her to her limit and he yearned to hear her scream his name. He felt himself harden even more just thinking it. Almost as if she could read his mind, she arched her back again, pressing his mouth harder to her breast. He bit her nipple gently, eliciting a harsh shudder from her and she moaned his name.

"Oh, Daryl..mmm..."

Just hearing her moan his name tore away his final shred of restraint that he had been clinging to. He began to kiss his way lazily down her stomach only to lick his way back up. Daryl lightly blew against her damp skin causing her to shudder and goosebumps to appear in his wake, he smiled to himself. He moved back down her body, kissing and nipping around her belly button. He lifted his hand and started to work on unbuckling her belt. Hearing Daryl pull her jeans zipper down, Arielle's eyes flew open and she stiffened up. Daryl sighed obnoxiously and looked up at her with lust filled eyes.

"I already told ya..."

"It's not that." She said quietly, pulling her bra and top back down before sitting up. Daryl wasn't able to keep his snort of annoyance at bay, he was just a man after all.

"What's wrong?" Arielle shifted uncomfortably on the sleeping bag.

"It's embarrassing. You'll laugh at me." She replied, worry thick in her voice, catching Daryl's attention. He scooted closer toward her and wrapped an arm around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I swear I won't." He whisperd in her ear, causing her to shiver. Arielle's eyes darted around the tent, anywhere but at him. She couldn't look at when she told him.

"You better not. It's just that, well...I,' She stumbled over her words, trying to find a way to not feel like such a dork. 'Okay, it's just that I've never, you know, done 'IT' before."

She quickly turned her gaze to Daryl, waiting for his response. He just stared at her.

"Hello? Did you hear me?" She asked impatiently. Daryl leaned back a bit.

"Seriousy?" He asked, disbelif evident in his voice. Arielle tried to pull away from him but he held onto her tightly.

"See, this is why I didn't wanna say anything." Arielle snapped, trying to pry his hands off of her waist. She was so embarrassed, she had to get away from him.

"Stop it Elle. Ya just surprised me is all. I just figured that a beautiful, sexy woman like ya would've had to fight men away with a stick." Daryl explained, kissing her neck lightly. Arielle swatted at him.

"Hey, it's not from a lack of guys trying. It's because... oh shit! Nevermind, let's pretend that I didn't just speak." Arielle blushed furiously which of course, sparked his attention even more.

"What? What were ya gonna say?" He asked, curiousity gnawing at him.

"No, it's stupid." She snapped.

"Well, ya gotta tell me now. Ya brought it up and ya know I'm a stubborn man." She turned to look at him once more, sighing loudly.

"It's gonna chase you away." She insisted.

"Arielle!" Hearing Daryl use her full name alerted her to the fact that he was starting to get mad and she reallly wasn't in the mood to fight with him.

"Fine.' She huffed, turning around on her butt to face him. 'The truth is that I never went to bed with anyone because well, none of them were you." Arielle admitted quietly and mumbling her words out quickly, keeping her eyes downwards and absently picked at a loose thread on her sleeping bag.

She was too terrified to look up and witness Daryl's reaction. A tense silence filled the tent around them as Arielle waited, worried he was going to start laughing at her ridiculous convictions that she had clung to for so long. She finally sneaked a glance under her eyelashes at him.

Daryl couldn't believe what he just heard Arielle tell him, that she had never had sex with anyone because she wanted him instead. Her confession tugged tightly at his heart and he couldn't keep himself from smiling. A strange sense of instinctual pride (and maybe a little smugness) washed over him at learning that she had been saving herself for him, it's too bad that it had taken a zombie apocalyse to finally bring them together. The pride and smugness faded as quickly as it came and was replaced with a sense of gnawing guilt.

Here was Arielle, she had spent her whole existence in celibacy, waiting on Daryl to finally wake up and smell the mutual attraction. Then there was himself, who had not only been with other women since his own realization about his feelings for Arielle and during her extended absence from his life but also before all this, dated her own sister. Daryl, at one time, thought that he was in love with Satine but came to realize that he was in love with the idea of her. He wouldn't deny that the main reason was that she had been smoking hot. After awhile though, it wasn't enough to cover up the fact that she was vindictive. Not to mention, harsh towards Arielle sometimes, who was the least deserving person of Satine's cruelty that he knew. All Arielle had ever wanted was acceptance from her and Satine just threw it back in her face. Daryl wasn't an idiot either, he knew that Satine was flinging her ass around the county to other men. Part of him just didn't want to accept it. A much larger part felt as if maybe there was something wrong with him that made her want to cheat so thoroughly.

Mentally shaking himself out of the past, Daryl focused on the redhead in front of him. Her eyes were on him, wide and expectant, glistening slightly with unshed tears. He felt horrible, here Arielle just admitted this huge secret to him and he zoned out and took a trip down memory lane. Arielle looked around and began to pull herself away from him to stand up but his hands shot forward and grasped hers tightly.

"Sorry. I had an ADD moment." He explained while rubbing his thumbs along the back of her hands. Arielle simply nodded, not looking at him.

"Hey, I'm talkin' here. Pay attention." He ribbed, trying to pull her gaze back to him which worked.

"I'm no choir boy as ya know. I've been with others before but if it means anythin', I've never wanted any woman as much as I want ya." Daryl confessed, locking eyes with her, smiling when his words brought another blush to her face.

"Ultimate pick up line of all time." She mumbled, looking down at their entwined hands. Feeling bristled from her comment, Daryl released her hands and quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her roughly back onto his lap. Arielle released a squeal of surprise at his sudden action.

"C'mon Elle. Ya've known me forever. Have I ever lied to ya?" He questioned her. Arielle squinted and pursed her lips as she thought back.

"Well, there was that one time when I was eighteen, I molested you at my house after cleaning your wounds from a bar fight and you..." Daryl interrupted her, slightly annoyed.

"I already explained that. Seriously." Arielle bit down lightly on her lip before returning her gaze to him.

"No."

"Then it ain't no pick up line. It's true." He stated firmly, giving her ass a hard slap before resting his hands on her hips.

Arielle smiled. "I can see that the butt slappings are becoming a trend."

Daryl ran his hands along her hips gently before moving them back to give her behind a firm squeeze.

"What can I say? I'm an assman." He replied, his hands lingering on her backside.

"Okay, that is never happening. I don't play that way. It's an exit, not an entrance." She laughed at Daryl's incredibly confused expression. His eyebrows shot up and he laughed, finally getting her sexual joke.

"Real funny, Mason. I meant I like a nice, firm ass much like yours." He corrected, lightly rubbing her ass through her jeans. She sighed softly, leaning her forehead against his.

"Ok, no more heavy today. It's getting too serious around here lately." She said, wrapping her hands around the back of his neck and kissed him firmly.

"Just one more thing." Dary said against her lips then pulled back to look up at her.

"Elle, as much as I may want to throw ya down and run the Dixon train on ya...' He paused, waiting on Arielle to finish giggling from his words. 'I'm not gonna rush ya. Whenever ya ready, just let me know."

Arielle smiled widely, nodding. She gave him a deep, passionate kiss, scratching her nails lightly at the back of his neck. Daryl moaned against her mouth.

"Quickly run, knock people over if ya have to, to let me know."

~~~~~~~TWD~~~~~~~

It wasn't until later that day that Arielle had learned that Merle had volunteered to join on the supply run, surprising her greatly. When she confronted him about it, he merely shrugged his shoulders and said:

"Can't have little Daryl losin' his new play thing."

She had to exert a lot of self restraint not to hide animal droppings in Merle's sleeping bag that night. Not that it would really affect the smell of their tent. As much as she loved Merle, she was dying to tell him that it was time for a bath. Oddly enough even though he spent so much time in the woods and working, she noticed Daryl never really smelled bad. Mostly he smelled like a mixture of dirt, woods, sweat (not b.o.) and something else. Something Arielle was never fully able to put her finger on, something uniquely Daryl.

Arielle was thankful that no one treated her any differently when she joined everyone for dinner that night besides an awkward glance from Shane and a searching look from Dale. She just smiled at the older man and lightly patted his shoulder when she walked over to the dimly lit fire with her dinner in hand. Tonight's Special: pork and beans with a scoop of canned fruit cocktail. Dinner of Champions.

Sitting between Glenn and Dale, Arielle sneaked a glance over to the other fire where Daryl was seated with his brother along with Ed and Carol Peleiter and Sofia, their daughter. Arielle really liked the soft spoken young girl but didn't get a lot of chances to interact with her or her mother. Ed was always keeping them around him in case he wanted someone to order around or get him something. As she scanned the small group her attention drifted to Sofia who just happened to look up at the same time Arielle glanced at her. Sofia sent her a shy smile before quickly casting her eyes downwards before her father took any notice of her. Arielle couldn't keep the bittersweet smile off her face. The young girl reminded her so much of herself at that age, it broke her heart seeing Sofia terrified to socialize in any way with others. Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, her eyes slid back to Daryl, who was facing her direction. They kept shooting each other glances on and off throughout dinner, occasionally throwing a quick smile into the mix to shake things up. She had asked him to join her over at the other fire which he had blantantly refused. Arielle hated how it felt like the cafeteria in high school all over again. Different cliques at separate tables. Never changing, never meeting.

After dinner, she called it an early night, wishing everyone a good night before heading off to her tent. She wasn't that tired but she felt like playing with Daryl, not even sending him a slight good night glance.

Arielle changed into a tank top and sleep shorts then climbed under the covers, rolling around to try and find a comfortable position. Finally settling in, she doused the light on her lantern and waited, seeing if Daryl had taken the bait.

~~~~~~~TWD~~~~~~~

Arielle was awoken by the sound of her tent flap unzipping and someone stepping inside. Half asleep, she panicked and grabbed her shoe next to her. She chucked it with all her might at the approaching figure. The shoe connected with a loud thunk!

"What the fuck?"

Arielle shook herself awake and turned the knob of her lantern up slightly, casting a light glow through the tent. Her hands covering her mouth when she recognized her intruder. Daryl plopped onto her sleeping bag by her feet, rubbing the side of his head gingerly. He shot her a dark glare.

"Oh god, Daryl, I'm so sorry." She apologized and rolled onto her knees to check his face. Nothing but a red, angry mark.

"Why the hell did ya assault me? I don't think that walkers know how to unzip tents yet." He growled still lightly rubbing his battle wound.

"I'm sorry, I was half asleep and I freaked. If I had know it was you, I would've thrown something much heavier." She said, cracking a wide smile. Daryl just grunted at her before shooting the shoe a dirty look, kicking it across the vinyl floor.

"It's not my shoe's fault." Daryl moved his glare back onto her.

"Ya know, for someone who was out cold, ya have pretty damn good aim." He snapped. Arielle climbed out from her blankets and scooted down to him, snuggling his side.

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" She asked sweetly, looking up at him with innocent eyes. A slight smirk crept across his face, his bright blue eyes lit up mischievously before burning into hers. He leaned forward, shifting his weight onto his hands and knees, hovering over her. She had to lean backwards onto her pillow to keep from head butting him. Daryl positioned himself over top of her, not putting any weight against her.

"I can think of a few ways that ya could try." He whispered, leaning in closer to her face. Arielle met him halfway, fully pressing her lips against his. Daryl shifted his weight to one arm, using his free hand to softly run his fingers along her exposed collar bone. Arielle giggled, pulling back from their kiss and wiggled out from underneath of him, shooting an innocent smile at him before diving under the covers.

"And just what do ya think ya doing?" He drawled out slowly, letting the sentence drag out, emphasizing the 'think' as he lifted the blanket to peer inside. She poked the top of her head out, the blanket resting just below her eyes.

"Waiting for you to come find me." She replied playfully before diving back under. She heard him unlace his boots, dropping them next to the sleeping bag before climbing in next to her. Arielle nuzzled her face against his neck, taking in his scent as Daryl pulled her against him.

"Found ya." Arielle laughed softly.

"Yes, you did." He tucked his free arm behind his head and stared up at the top of the tent.

"Can't stay all night unless ya want the rest of camp to start gosspin' like a bunch of ol' ladies." He said gruffly, she nodded against his neck.

"I get it but I think that ship has already sailed." His hand had been trailing lightly up and down her arm, pausing as he turned his head to look down at her.

"Somebody say somethin' to ya?" He growled, a note of possessiveness gripping his voice.

"People aren't stupid Daryl, no matter how much you think they are." Daryl continued to look at her.

"Ya didn't answer my question. Did somebody say somethin' to ya?" He repeated. Arielle was beginning to get annoyed with him. She pushed herself up onto her elbow.

"So what if they did? Why are you so worried about people finding out about us? You embarrassed of me?" She questioned testily. Daryl scowled at her, pulling himself up to only pin her back down to her pillow.

"What would ever give ya a stupid idea like that?" He asked staring down at her. She couldn't help but be a little upset with herself, she knew that wasn't the problem. Daryl had always been really awkward when it came to relationships. She fiddled with the collar of his shirt before answering.

"I don't know. I just hate having to keep myself distanced from you so much. I hate the sneaking around." Arielle whispered, unable to meet his intense gaze. Daryl lifted her chin with a finger, leaning down so their faces were only a few inches from touching. Arielle's breath hitched in her throat at the firm resolve that was etched on his face.

"Now, I'm only gonna say this once so listen up. I could never be embarrassed of ya, if anythin', it oughta be the other way 'round." Arielle opened her mouth to protest but he quickly shushed her.

"Let me finish." She reluctantly closed her mouth, nodding him on.

"I ain't no great catch. I don't understand why ya waited for me to smarten up but I'm glad ya did." Daryl paused, contemplating his words carefully.

"I'm awkward as hell at this stuff and I know I can be an ass at times but I don't want ya thinkin' for a second that I am embarrassed of ya or that I don't care about ya, ever. I never cared for anyone before like I do ya. I'm never lettin' ya go, made that mistake before, unless ya want me to. So, Elle, that bein' said, ya gonna stop all this self doubtin' bullshit and realize that havin' ya with me is the best thing that I coulda ever hoped for?" Daryl finished, wiping a stray tear from Arielle's face that had escaped. She nodded quickly, not trusting her voice in the slightest. Her heart was beating painfully in her chest and a lump had formed in her throat from hearing his words. She couldn't believe that Daryl had said all that he did, that wasn't like him, she was elated that he had though.

Arielle forcefully grabbed Daryl's face between her hands and hungrily kissed him. Daryl ran his hand through her hair before cupping the back of her head, pressing his mouth harder against hers. Arielle pulled away, needing air.

"Ya might wanna stop now unless ya changed ya mind on the whole 'not yet' business. I'm dyin' to hear how loud I can make ya squeal." He whispered against her ear, pulling a soft shudder from her with his words.

"You keep making it hard for me to say no." She replied, her voice trembling slightly. He smirked slightly then softly trailed his tongue along her bottom lip before nipping lightly.

"Then don't."

Arielle shook her head hard, trying to regain her composure which was very difficult with how intently Daryl was staring down at her, his smouldering eyes burning her alive from the inside out. She pushed him away lightly against his chest.

"You're gonna be the death of me, Daryl Dixon." She breathed out slowly then laughed at catching sight of the slightly annoyed expression on his face. He rolled onto his back again, pulling her tightly against his chest.

"You mad at me now?" She asked, pulling his gaze back to her.

"Course I ain't. I'm just bein' a typical guy, ya know. Ya can't blame a man for tryin'."

Settling in, Arielle let the beating of his heart against her ear lull her back to sleep.

~~~~~~~TWD~~~~~~~

Another one done! I really liked this one and I know this chapter was pretty much spent in Arielle's tent but I felt like the story needed one really good chapter of them admitting their feelings and getting shit aired out before moving on. From now on, my story will be following the series canon and I sorry to the readers who don't like that but it's just the way I want the story to go. The next chapter has a HUGE twist, sorry but I gotta throw a teaser in there. Don't worry, I'll get it out within the next few days. Please review and let me know what you thought of this one. Later my beloved readers!