Finally got to watch the last episode of Walking Dead, ooh emmm gee. As much as I love Daryl and his crossbow, there is something sexy about our Dixon carrying a machine gun.
Daryl hadn't suffered from a proper nightmare in quite sometime so when Carol woke up to the sound of whimpering, she was a little confused, she had to readjust to the darkness as she looked around for the only other person in the room. He was sat exactly where he'd fallen asleep but his fingers were tightly knotted in his hair and his feet were scraping against the floor like he was trying to scramble away, it was hard for Carol to watch but she wanted to see if Daryl could wake himself up this time, after all she wasn't always going to be around when this happened.
The man didn't look like he was crying, but in the darkness it was difficult to see properly. She could feel Daryl flinching and twitching violently, his body was shaking from his tense muscles making it look like he was about to explode. Carol wanted to wake him up, she wanted to caress his face until she could see his beautiful eyes but she couldn't bring herself to do it, his body and mind had to learn how to adjust.
Silently Carol watched as one of his hands came out of his hair and headed for his mouth, he chewed his thumb in fear making it even harder for her to just sit back and watch. Right when Carol was about to give in she saw Daryl's eyes flash open and in sheer panic he threw himself to the other side of the room, he pressed his back to the wall to get as far away from her as possible. But when Daryl's eyes finally got used to the dark he realised who she was and relaxed.
"Fuck." He whispered scrubbing his face to banish any remaining exhaustion. "Felt like he wer' in the room." Daryl mumbled keeping his eyes on Carol to stop his mind losing control, she didn't move an inch until Daryl shuffled his way back over, when he sat himself back down beside her Carol turned her body to the man to comfort him. She kept her hands to herself and let him decide what he wanted to do next.
Daryl's hand lifted to touch the woman's wrist, he was uncomfortable with the idea of taking her hand so he just circled her wrist with his fingers. The contact of their skin seemed to be a major help when he was struggling, he didn't always allow her to touch him especially not when he was angry, but other times it was the right way to subdue the flames. "You think they know were gone yet?" Carol asked brushing her thumb lightly over is knuckles, the skin had healed again showing patchy scars but his hands were still in repair so she didn't press too hard.
The redneck shrugged in response, his head snapped to the direction of the door when something banged against it, no doubt the Walkers trying to get in still. He ignored the noise and looked back at the only other person he had for company. "They know where we were, if Rick comes lookin', it won't be long. Jus' a while to go." She could see how optimistic he was trying to be, Daryl was trying to keep a level head and not work himself up again, it was a difficult task but he seemed to be managing. "That's if they want ma sorry ass back." He muttered under his breath hoping Carol wouldn't hear but she did, she frowned at the man making him squeeze her wrist very gently as he glared at the floor. "Can't do nothin' wit' these hands, wake 'em up most nights, ain't worth lookin' fer. Ain't worth shit."
"Oh, Daryl. Not this again please, you know that isn't true." Carol said feeling exhausted by his constant negativity, it was hard to think positively when you were crammed in a tiny room with no food, no water and no bathroom. There was no light, no breeze. They only had each other.
Daryl looked up at her and scowled, who was she to tell him what to think and what to say? "Jus' wanna get the fuck outta here." He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest in frustration. Carol understood his frustrations and anxieties but he just had to hold out a little longer, Rick would find them, he would come looking and then they could both go back to the cell block. They'd get some food in them, take a shower and fall asleep beside each other on the perch, Carol felt like she could sleep for hours.
She had noticed how often Daryl was swearing again, he had stopped swearing as much as he used to when they moved in to the prison, it seemed as his anger simmered down so did his profanity but now it was back up to boiling point. The man was cursing again to vent, Carol knew Daryl needed that outlet but she much preferred it when he didn't swear. He seemed nicer and more approachable that way. "Sophia will be happy to see you again." Carol said absently trying to take his mind off being trapped, Daryl's shoulders slumped as he thought about the little girl, he adored that child. Almost as if she was his own.
"Think her Uncle Daryl's gonna abandon her?" He said smirking at the term he used to describe himself, Carol giggled and bumped him with her shoulder, he was a funny man when he didn't think about it. She liked listening to Daryl joke and make funny comments to make others laugh, that was part of his true personality, he could find humour in a dark situation. Daryl met the grey haired woman's eyes, almost completely forgetting about his previous anger caused by the nightmare about his father, if she asked he would tell her what happened, but until then he was going to keep that information to himself. Carol didn't need to know Daryl's father pinned him to a wall and used a knife to very faintly cut his skin, he'd done it so they wouldn't scar, they would be superficial but still cause him plenty of pain and draw plenty of blood. He could remember the feeling of the knife piercing his skin, the feeling of his legs giving out because of blood loss, the look on Merle's face when he found his baby brother lying in a pool of his own blood.
Carol saw the memory flash in eyes but didn't ask him what it was about, the heavy topic would make it harder for him to relax. "I know you would never abandon that little girl." She replied in a matter-of-fact voice, Daryl loved the little girl even if he couldn't admit it, if he was to leave the prison with the intent to never return then he would be leaving with a broken and heavy heart. Carol found herself admiring the way the man named himself 'Uncle Daryl', he would never say it in front of the others but it was wonderful to see him including himself in their group, including himself in their dysfunctional family. "Can't wait to get back and get a shower." Carol whispered as an almost backhanded comment, Daryl just groaned at the thought of a somewhat warm shower, he may have always been dirty and sweaty but he did enjoy a decent shower when he could.
Just like that Carol was imagining Daryl in the shower, she had never thought of him in that way before but she could not completely shake the image. The water cascading down his shoulders. The shape of his body. His hands running across his skin. Fingers running through his hair. Groaning as his muscles relaxed.
Carol took a sharp breath and shook her head to vanquish the image of Daryl naked, the breath startled Daryl making him flinch, he glanced at her in concern. "You okay?" He asked totally unaware that rough, undefined voice did not help her situation. When Carol didn't reply he leaned towards her, looking in her eyes for a sign or a clue as to what her problem was.
"I-I'm fine, just thinking." Carol replied trying her best to hide the stutter but it was unsuccessful Daryl noticed straight away, he got the wrong idea. He thought she was panicking, he thought she was thinking they'd never get out.
Daryl squeezed her wrist gently with his fingers, he was trying to reassure her, trying to make Carol feel better. "Want'a talk 'bout it?" Daryl asked, it was like he was taking a leaf from her book. He was not the kind of man who liked talking of emotions and feelings but he cared about Carol so much, he had to respond in the way she would. When Carol shook her head he felt a little offended, if the roles were reversed she would bother him in to telling her the problem, so that was what he did. He kept bothering her and prodding her until she gave up.
"You ain't gonna like this..." She said meeting his eyes, he shuffled uncomfortably but nodded curtly to make her continue. "I was thinking about you... in the... shower." She mumbled staring at the floor in embarrassment, there was an awkward moment of silence making her cringe but just a few seconds later, she heard him chuckling. Carol looked back up at the man and saw the genuine twinkle in his eyes.
He was smiling as he scratched the back of his head in nervousness. "You think that's bad..." He started biting his lip as he considered admitting to his own truth. "Saw ya in the shower once, you wer' stood right in the door, closed the door so no one else could see. Didn' want that convict lookin' in." Daryl said as he avoided looking at Carol, he didn't want to tell her that despite his best intentions, he couldn't help but take a peek. He felt awful for a little while, but eventually he got over it. Carol for a moment seemed stunned making Daryl hop to his feet and walk in circles, he thought she was mad at him, he thought she was going to be furious at him because Daryl had seen her naked in the shower. "Didn't mean t' look, had'ta close the door. Had no choice!" The last few words were snappy.
Carol just shook her head and stood up, she swayed a little from the lack of food and water but she didn't let it affect her. She wanted to focus on Daryl, Carol wanted to focus on calming Daryl down, he had frightened himself again. She wasn't mad at the man for doing what he did, part of her completely understood if he took a sneaky peek, he was a man who never had seen a woman naked in the flesh before. Carol had not realised when she was in the shower she stood in full view of the door, Daryl had started off with the best intentions and just wanted to close the door but his hormones and curiousity obviously got the better of him. If Daryl had been anybody else Carol would have felt embarrassed and horrified, but because it had been him who had looked in, she was barely concerned. What Daryl did with the image of her in the shower was his business.
"Daryl, it's alright." Carol whispered watching him thread his fingers through his hair and tug until his knuckles were white, Daryl kept shifting from foot to foot, spurting out apologies and telling her spying on her in the shower was never his intention. Even as she tried to calm his frazzled nerves the words would just pour out of his mouth. "Daryl, just stop!"
Instantly the man froze and shrunk back as he stared at her, he threw his head back and stared at the ceiling, embarrassed that he overreacted again. Daryl was not used to his emotions taking over, he usually had such solid control over those feeling, but since the night of his first nightmare, that barrier he built had crumbled down. Daryl was unsure if he'd ever be able to rebuild that barrier, he just wanted to go back to the way he was before, whether that meant the constant anger came back too or not. The redneck man was fed up of being so unstable. He was done being 'emotionally diverse', the man wanted to forget the constant ache in his chest when he thought of his childhood, he wanted to forget feeling lost and childlike so he could become a real man.
Daryl wanted to give Carol the happiness she was looking for, to give her the stability she needed, but that was never going to happen if he didn't gain some kind control.
"You ain't mad?" Daryl whispered clenching his fingers in his hair. "You should be pissed... why ain't you pissed?" He asked watching Carol take a few steps in his direction, she gently peeled his fingers from his hair and dropped his arms to his sides. Carol shifted her hands to his chest to feel his heart beat erratically, Daryl's body tensed at the contact but relaxed again within seconds.
The woman smiled making him frown in confusion, he could not understand why she was grinning at his question. "Because it was you Daryl, nobody else, it was you and you're special."
"I don't get it, 'm allowed to watch you shower cause I'm special?"
Carol giggled and fisted his shirt in her fingers, she caught sight of his shirt lifting slightly to expose the skin of his stomach, she wanted to reach down and brush her fingers against him but she knew he'd freak. That kind of touch was just too much for him at the moment, it seemed too sexual and he could not handle that, sex was a none approachable subject. "I'm okay with it, look at the world we live in, your male hormones were bound to get the better of you at some point." She said gently pulling him by his shirt so their noses brushed and their breath mingled, his breath hitched but he forced himself to regulate again. She was trying to distract him and doing it this way was more than welcomed.
Carol smiled as he tipped his mouth towards hers and grazed her lips, his kisses always made her heart race, the way his hands grasped at the side of her face possessively made her stomach flip in excitement. A slight taste of whiskey still hung around in his mouth making her press firmly against him, she had to taste more. Daryl's cheeks coloured slightly and radiated heat at her persistence, he could feel a strange fluttering in his chest, he wasn't sure if that was even supposed to happen or if his heart was giving out on him.
If he was about to have a heart attack and die then he was going to get his fair share out of this woman, with out a second thought he pulled away to take a deep breath and crushed his mouth against hers, wanting nothing more than to just convey his feelings without having to say them out-loud. To kiss her the way he wanted to the night before. This was about pure need and desire, not testing the boundaries. It wasn't about being gentle and careful with each other, it was about having time alone so he could express himself, even if he didn't entirely understand what he was feeling.
His lips changed from grazing to grasping at hers, his breath staggered as the atmosphere changed, there was a fire inside them both growing with each moment. Carol shifted one hand from his shirt to the back of head, pulling him closer if it was even possible. She could have gasped at the feeling of his new stubble scratching her face, the feeling of rough skin clutching her face as his dry, slightly chapped lips collided with hers.
Daryl held the woman tightly, cradling her face as she groaned in his mouth. He smirked, a little proud he was able to make her do that, he felt a little courageous and as he moved his hands to her waist he gently pried her mouth open with his tongue. Carol felt her heart squeeze in excitement as his tongue adventured in to his mouth, she could have melted as she met him, allowing them to hastily caress each other. Nobody had ever made her feel that way before, not even at the beginning of her relationship with Ed. Despite his lack of experience, Daryl knew exactly what to do, as if a switch had been flicked he had become exactly what she wanted.
His aching fingers clutched at the material of her shirt as he reluctantly pulled away from their kiss, he could have carried on kissing her for hours but his need for air was resounding, he didn't expect to stumble backwards and fall against the wall. Daryl was not used to this. Being overcome by his negative emotions felt awful, but these emotions, he wanted them to take over. Like a primal instinct. He leaned forward again, his hands pushing him off the wall slightly to place a few more gentle kisses on her lips, his eyes sliding shut as he let one hand cup the back of her head. There was nothing needy about this kiss, it was more innocent and chaste than the other almost like he was thanking her for letting him have complete control. Daryl needed to be in control and decide how fast they moved to keep her safe, to protect her from himself, there was no other way to take care of her.
Neither of the pair heard the door creak open, if Daryl hadn't been so wrapped up in the taste and feel of Carol he probably would have saw the light pour in the room, but he was too distracted. For a hunter and a survivor, distractions were dangerous. The door lingered slightly ajar for a moment before sliding open a little further, in shambled a dark figure who just stared at them.
Daryl and Carol both yanked away from each other when they heard a familiar voice from behind them, it was the sheriff. Carol whirled around spotting the smug grin on the man's face, he had caught them. It seemed being locked away in a cupboard had is perks and advantages. She ran at Rick and threw her arms around his shoulders as she hugged him tightly, that didn't quite sit right with Daryl, seeing her practically dive on the other man made his stomach churn and his chest ache. She had never ran at him like that, Carol had never greeted Daryl by throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing him tight, was this... jealousy? He wanted to shove Rick away from his woman, she was his woman, she belonged to him and not the leader of their group. Daryl wanted to throw Rick against a wall and take Carol away, he met Rick's eyes with a cold hard stare but he didn't seem to recognise the look.
"Here's me thinkin' you two were gonna kill each other in here." Rick said as he held Carol in his arms, he was so glad they were alive. Both of them. He would not of coped losing two more members of their group. Especially not someone as compassionate as Carol and someone as talented as Daryl, the group would never have survived if the pair had turned or been devoured.
The woman would always take care of others, most of the time putting them before herself with little to no complaints, she had given up complaining about the squalor they had to live in. She had now adjusted and realised this was close to modern day luxury.
Daryl on the other hand was their source of food and sustenance, the group needed Daryl to keep them alive when food was short, he was a prolific hunter and protector. He had rescued many members of the group countless times, Daryl's crossbow provided the perfect form of silent support, he could wipe Walkers out with little effort and next to no noise. But it wasn't just that they needed Daryl but the group wanted him around, despite his sometimes frosty attitude he was a caring and loving man, it may of been well hidden but it was there. It was evident in the way he whisked Carl away and treated Sophia like a princess.
"Can we get the fuck outta here now?" Daryl said feeling a little snappy and unhappy, Rick still hadn't let go of Carol. Rick nodded with a grin and moved aside allowing them both to pass in to the corridor, the sheriff placed his hand on Daryl's shoulder as he passed. It was like he'd forgotten making the redneck freeze and force himself not to turn around and punch the man, Rick backed up a little realising what he'd done and giving him the space he needed.
Carol turned around and met Daryl's icy eyes as he stood in the doorway, his jaw clenched solid as he connected with her gaze. Her greyish-blue eyes showed him he was safe and there was nobody around to hurt him. Carol let her hand reach for the man's fingers and weave together. "Come on, you look shattered." She whispered using her other hand to brush her fingers across his jaw and cool him off.
"Got more sleep than you." He whispered in reply as Carol gently pulled him down the corridor with Rick behind them, he wasn't going to make the mistake of touching the other man again, no matter how innocent the touch was supposed to be. Carol grinned and rolled her eyes at the man as she lightly squeezed his fingers.
"I was thinkin' dinner, shower then bed?" Carol said trying to keep his head level, he was tired and uncomfortable, so by keeping him talking or just thinking she could stop him freaking and lashing out at Rick for getting too close. It was not Rick's intention to send Daryl back in to defensive mode, he had no idea Daryl was claustrophobic and even though he knew Daryl had issues he didn't know exactly what kind. But his reaction to a male touch gave him a pretty good idea. The man had Daddy issues. And probably brother issues too.
Daryl chuckled weakly feeling deflated and ready to just curl up in bed and sleep for a month. "Tryin' get me inta bed again?" He said stumbling in the cell block with heavy eyes, the smell of food didn't do much to perk him up it just made his stomach growl. He was starving but also exhausted, his need for sleep was more pressing.
He come back to life a few minutes later when the group ran at them excited to see them alive, the attention was almost too much for him and made him shrink back in the nearest corner and let everybody fuss over Carol, everybody but Carl who smiled in understanding at him. Knowing Daryl was unhappy with all that attention. After a little while slumped against the wall Carol took his wrist again and sat him down on the stairs, she thrust food in his hands that had been initially prepared for the others and sat beside him with her own, the group was still fussing over their arrival but he was more interested in getting the food in his system.
Daryl managed half a bowl before the fork and food fell out of his hands, he was so wiped he could not hold on to his food. Carol giggled beside him and wrapped her closest arm around his waist to keep him upright, his head lolled to one-side making him start awake.
"Go to bed Daryl, I'll be up in a minute." Carol whispered squeezing his waist as he scrubbed his eyes, he glanced at her as he forced himself to stay awake. He was reluctant to leave her, Daryl absolutely did not want to leave her and then wake up again finding her missing. Daryl was scared of leaving Carol and not finding her again. "Promise."
He let out a deep breath and smiled weakly, he reached one hand over to grab her face, his rough fingers stroking her jaw to grab her attention. Daryl pushed himself forward to capture her mouth in a kiss, he did not care the rest of the group were watching he just wanted her to know how much Daryl appreciated her. The man was thankful for her constant care and adoration.
Daryl pulled back to the sound of whistled but ignored them and headed upstairs to his perch. He barely felt Carol crawl in to his bed and wrap her arms around him, Daryl grunted and lazily shuffled closer to her, holding the warm body to his own. He could feel her head as it rest on his chest, within seconds the pair were asleep completely oblivious of the missing members of their group.