Carol was still breathless, but Daryl's kisses were relentless. Without breaking contact, he backed her up to the bed and gently guided her down. She lay back on the piles of clothes and gazed up at him. He quickly took off his shirt and lay beside her, his mouth seeking hers again. He lay on his back and pulled her on top of him, running his hands over her back and her ass, pressing her against him while he kissed her for what seemed like ages. He pulled her shirt over her head and unhooked her bra, his eyes closed the whole time. Even with all the kissing and touching they'd done so far, there was still a shyness between them. Carol wondered if he was afraid to look at her, afraid if they took a moment to think about what they were doing they might just stop.
They both moaned at the sensation of her breasts against his bare chest. Daryl flipped her over onto her back and pulled away a little, finally opening his eyes to look at her. He took in the sight of her naked breasts for only a moment before he dipped his head to take one hard nipple into his mouth. Carol cried out, throwing her head back. Was he going to make her come again? She could feel his hard cock pressing against her through their clothes. She was tempted to tear off his pants and take him inside her, but she didn't want to stop what he was doing to her with his mouth. He stayed on each nipple for a long time, his tongue stroking it slowly, his hot mouth sucking. Carol had never felt like this before, and nothing could've prepared her for watching Daryl lavish her body with this kind of attention. She wanted to return the favor and give him some pleasure, but he seemed to be enjoying taking his time with her.
Suddenly there was a loud crash from downstairs, and Daryl shot up. "Was that from the porch?" Carol asked. They both quickly threw on their shirts and grabbed their weapons. Daryl kept Carol behind him as they slowly made their way down the stairs. Carol's body was still trembling from her orgasm and from Daryl's attention, but she tried to focus on remaining quiet and alert.
"Daryl? Carol?" They heard Maggie's voice from the porch. "It's just us!"
Daryl opened the door and glared at them. "What the fuck?"
"Hey, sorry," Glenn said, "we were going to knock like normal people but Maggie knocked that chair over." Maggie gave an apologetic smile, and Daryl just sighed. He looked over at Carol, blushing a little. "Rick sent us to get you guys," Glenn continued. "He was uh. . .afraid you might stay too long."
"What the fuck does that mean?" Daryl asked.
Glenn looked as if he didn't know what to say, so Maggie jumped in. "Rick just wanted to make sure you guys got home before it got too late."
"He ain't my daddy," Daryl said.
"Come look at all the clothes I found," Carol said, taking Maggie's hand. Daryl and Glenn followed. Carol showed them around, and Maggie and Glenn were excited about the running water. Daryl kept shooting glances at Carol and then shyly looking away. She was astonished that he could be so bold with her in private and then barely look at her now. At one point, however, she caught him staring at her breasts. She'd forgotten to put her bra back on, so her nipples stood out against the fabric. She could still feel a slight wetness on them, where his tongue had been working, and knowing that he was thinking about it sent a thrill through her body. She didn't know if she could stand waiting much longer to be alone with him again.
When they came back downstairs, Maggie gasped. "A piano! Carol, didn't you tell me you used to play?"
"Oh, yeah, a little," Carol said, shrugging.
"Can you play something?" Maggie asked. "Please?"
"I don't know if that's a good idea," Glenn said, looking at Daryl. "What if there are walkers around and they hear the noise?"
"Oh come on, just a little something," Maggie pleaded. "We never hear music anymore. The world is so sad without music. She can play it softly, right, Carol?"
Carol looked at Daryl and he shrugged, assenting. She sat on the piano bench and stretched her fingers out. It had been so long since she'd touched a piano. Even before the walkers came, Carol hadn't played in years. Ed had sold her piano a long time ago, saying it was unnecessary. She had always wanted to teach Sophia how to play, but he said there was no use in it. "I don't know if I remember anything," she said now, suddenly embarrassed. Then she touched her fingers to the keys and sighed, recalling how much she had loved playing the piano as a child. Her mother had taught her how to play, and for many years of her childhood it was her favorite thing to do. She'd loved just sitting down and making up songs, but she also loved learning the classics, playing music that had been loved for centuries. She played the first few notes of a Chopin nocturne that she'd always loved, and suddenly it came back to her. She played it in its entirety, skipping any crescendos or sforzandos that might draw the attention of a neighborhood walker, and when she stopped the others were silent.
"Oh my god," Maggie said. "That was so beautiful." Carol looked up shyly and was pleased at the smiles on Maggie and Glenn's faces.
Daryl's face, on the other hand, looked serious and almost angry. "Enough," he said gruffly. "We need to get out of here."
They packed up some of the new clothes and grabbed the few bottles of water that Andrea and Michonne had left in the kitchen and headed out. "I love this house," Maggie said.
"Me too," Carol said, thinking that she'd known more joy in the last couple of hours than she had in many years. She'd never expected to find any kind of happiness again after Sophia died.
Daryl had barely spoken to her as they left the house, and she didn't know why he suddenly seemed angry after her piano playing. Perhaps he was angry that they'd taken a risk with the noise. She didn't get a chance to talk to him about it until after a long conversation with Rick and the others about the new houses they'd found.
"We need to decide if we want to move in there now or just keep going there for supplies and water," Rick was saying, while Andrea rolled her eyes.
"Why wouldn't we move in?" Michonne asked. "Why carry water when we can just live where it runs?"
"We'll see," Rick said. "We have to think about the mall too. If we're going to settle in one spot, we need to make sure it's the best place for all of us."
Carol didn't feel like worrying about Rick's decisions and whether or not they should settle here or there. She just wanted to get Daryl alone and see what was going on in his head. He hadn't said a word to anyone since they left the new house. Finally, when he was on watch that night, Carol seized the opportunity to talk to him and joined him on the porch.
"Hey," she said quietly. "What's going on with you?"
"Nothin'," he muttered.
"You haven't said a word since this afternoon," she continued. "Are you angry about something?"
Daryl sighed, finally looking at her. "Yeah, I'm angry," he said. "I'm angry at myself. I didn't protect you today."
"What?"
"When Maggie and Glenn showed up," he said. "That coulda been a walker. We weren't payin' attention. We gotta stay focused. I gotta."
"Daryl, we just—"
"I know what we did. We weren't thinkin'." He looked away from her.
"Don't make it like this," she whispered. "You made me feel—"
"No," he said. "We can't let our guard down like that. We can't forget what kinda world we're in now, Carol. Besides, you. . ." He trailed off, looking uncomfortable.
"I what?" She moved closer to him.
"You're too. . . you're too good, Carol."
"Too good for what?"
"For me," he answered, looking into her eyes. "You're too good for me. I was thinkin', when you were playin' that song, I just—"
"Stop it," she said, a little harshly. "You don't get to do this. You don't get to decide that because I can play a little Chopin I'm suddenly not right for you. And you don't get to throw away what we've built because the world is dangerous."
They looked at each other for a long time. She wanted to reach out and touch his face but she didn't think he would allow it. How did they get here? Just a few hours ago he was kissing her, touching her everywhere, making her feel things she'd never felt before. What happened?
"I can't do this, Carol," he said, so softly she barely heard him. She went into the house and slammed the door behind her. She didn't care if the noise brought a thousand walkers.
