Chapter 11: Crickets

"Daryl!" Carol huffed in frustration after an hour and a half of his tossing and turning.

"What?" he grumbled, throwing the covers off of himself. "S'too hot."

"Well, turn the fan on, then."

"Then it's too cold."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you." She turned onto her side, burrowing her head under the pillow. Daryl frowned and flipped the bedside light on. Carol groaned and threw the pillow off of her head, sitting up, letting the blankets pool into her lap. "What time is it?"

"Four."

"God. Ok, I'll heat you up some warm milk."

"Don't like warm milk."

"Well, what do you like?" she asked, her voice thick with frustration. Daryl smirked, and Carol rolled her eyes. "It's four in the morning. I think I'm getting a headache."

"Stop," he muttered, getting a little grin out of her.

"Alright. Alright. How about we open the window? Would that help?"

"Maybe," he murmured. Carol nodded, and Daryl got up and opened the window, letting in some fresh air. Carol sighed, relaxing back against the mattress as Daryl got back into bed with her. "Night."

"Night," she mumbled sleepily, puckering her lips groggily as Daryl leaned over to kiss her. He reached over her to turn the light off, and he finally settled back down against the bed. Just as Carol was drifting off to sleep, Daryl fidgeted again.

"What now?" she whined.

"Crickets," he muttered. "Sounds like a whole plague of 'em outside the window." Carol groaned and promptly reached for something in the bedside table. She handed him a small package. "What's this?"

"Earplugs."

"Why do you have earplugs?"

"I hate to break it to you, but you snore. Loudly. A girl has to get her beauty sleep, you know?" Daryl gaped at her in the darkness, and Carol let out a sigh, pulling the pillow back over her head. "Sweet dreams."

"Yeah," he muttered. "You too." He put the little wax ear plugs into his ears and settled down against his pillow. A few minutes passed, and then the bed shifted, and the light came back on.

"Oh God, Daryl. What?" She sat up, blinking and squinting into the light, and Daryl took the ear plugs out of his ears.

"Do I really snore?" He was answered by a firm wallop from Carol's pillow.