Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
AN: We're getting a little further on the romance. A little disclaimer before we start. Although I know of this folk remedy for teething, I in no way endorse it. I'd be curious if anyone else had. Enjoy!
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
On Watch
Sweat trickled down Beth's back as she coddled a fretful Judith on her hip. It wasn't even seven in the morning and already the temperatures inside were uncomfortably warm.
"Five speckled frogs, sat on a great big log, eating the most delicious bugs - yum yum," Beth sang, bouncing Judith on the yum yum.
On the edge of her vision, she could just see the daily ghost of Daryl, sneaking flowers into Carol's cell before she was awake. Beth thought of him as a ghost, because he always slunk in the shadows along the wall, making no noise.
"One jumped into the pool, where it was nice and cool," she continued, miming her fingers jumping into the air to land on Judith's belly. The baby gave up her grumbling and smiled at the fingers. "Now there are four speckled frogs."
"Glub, glub." came a different voice.
Beth spun to catch Maggie finishing the song, right behind her, with a wide grin. In her arms, Judith cackled and yelled something that could be 'ma' 'ga' or 'ba'. No one could tell. It was enough that Judith always seemed to be happy to see people and greet them, in her own baby way.
"She's in a good mood," Maggie said as she scooped a happy Judith out of Beth's arms. The older sister still had sleep heavy in her eyes and her hair stuck up all over.
"She is now," Beth sighed, stretching her back out. "Little froggy here has been up for hours. I think she's teething."
"Are you teething?" Maggie asked Judith. While Beth poured them both a cup of coffee, Maggie nestled Judith in her lap and probed the baby's wide grin with one finger. "Yep," she said. "I can feel one, no two. teeth breaking through the skin."
"Too bad we don't have any teething gel. I wonder what else might work," Beth asked with a sigh. On the wall of the kitchen, a fat brown lizard scuttled its way up to eat a moth. Beth tried not to shudder at the sight.
"Rub whiskey on her gums."
Beth whirled, surprised for the second time that morning at the gravely voice. Daryl smirked as he stood right behind her, pouring coffee into a blue, Starbuck's mug. "Always worked for me," he yawned.
"How'd you get there!" Beth huffed, keeping one eye on the lizard and the other on Daryl. She knew that neither one could be trusted in the kitchen unsupervised. "I saw you upstairs, not two seconds ago."
"Some baby sitter you are," he snorted, sipping a second mug. "Or do ya just do kiddie songs." He followed Beth's line of sight and snorted even louder at the lizard on the wall and the way Beth kept cringing away from it.
"Morning, Daryl," Maggie said, kissing Judith's hands. "How goes the wooing?"
Daryl only shrugged. He snagged a leftover biscuit from a tray and crammed half of it into his mouth. On Maggie's lap, Judith squawked like a baby bird. Without missing a beat, Daryl stuffed most of the rest of the biscuit into his already full mouth and then popped the tiny bit left into Judith's mouth.
"You're teaching her to beg," Beth reproved, as Daryl walked past them, unrepentant. "Shame on you." She tore her eyes from the wall climbing lizard to smack at Daryl as he passed. When she looked back, the lizard had disappeared. "And how do you know about teething?" she called out to him.
The two sisters watched Daryl ignore Beth's question and silently climb the stairs carrying the steaming blue mug into Carol's cell.
"He bring her flowers again?" Maggie asked, craning her neck trying to see inside Carol's cell at this angle. Judith pulled on her hair, trying to get attention.
"Wisteria," Beth said softly. "I love wisteria."
Wincing at the tug on her hair, Maggie stepped back toward the kitchen and handed Judith off to Beth. "How long has it been? Daryl bringing flowers, I mean."
"More than three weeks," Beth sighed as Judith grabbed a double fistful of her blonde hair. "I wish someone would bring me flowers."
Maggie went over and fixed a bowl of oatmeal for both Judith and herself. "Carol give any sign of noticing him?" she asked as she sprinkled a few of the last blackberries onto the bowls. The hotter weather was quickly drying up the fruit.
"Not that I can tell. She keeps asking around if anyone knows who's leaving them." Beth untangled her hair from Judith's clenched fist and glared at her sister. "Thank for bringing me a bowl," she grouched.
Ignoring Beth, Maggie spooned oatmeal first into Judith's mouth and then some into her own. The blackberries were both sweet and tart. "We need to do something," Maggie mumbled through the cereal. "Got any ideas?"
"We could send Carol notes pretending to be Daryl," Beth suggested as she took over feeding Judith. All around them, people were coming in for their own breakfast.
"That won't work," Glen said as he plunked a bowl next to Maggie and flopped himself down. He looked as tired as Maggie did. Beth suspected they had other things on their mind than sleeping the night before. "No way on earth Daryl would pass notes." The sleepy man paused to spoon oatmeal into his mouth. "Seriously," he mumbled. "I'm not sure Daryl can even write."
"Say the man who would refuses to read anything other than comic books," Maggie grumbled and smacked Glen on the arm, making little bits of oatmeal fly off his spoon. Judith laughed. "Of course, Daryl can write. Last I checked, he was reading Game of Thrones in his room. Book four, I think."
"I agree. Notes wouldn't be Daryl's style," Michonne said, as she joined in on the conversation. Instead of lumpy oatmeal, she had a plate with a pile of leftover pan-fried squirrel.
"There goes my lunch," Maggie scowled at Michonne's plate. "You got a problem with oatmeal?"
"Not usually," Michonne said as she nibbled at a leg. "I got put off by the gecko swimming on top."
At that, everyone stared at their own bowls.
"I knew not to trust that lizard," Beth said as she pushed Judith's bowl away. The baby started to protest.
Glen shrugged. "It could use a little something," he said as he continued to shovel the cereal in. "It's better than bugs."
Carl laughed as he joined the table. He had a bowl of oatmeal and a paste covered lizard riding on his shirt. "I remember that. Bug spaghetti! That stuff seriously crunched." He wiggled his fingers at Judith making her grin.
Michonne stared at the oatmeal crusted lizard as it crawled up Carl's shirt. She knew she liked that kid for a reason. "I don't think I know that story."
"Not much to tell," Hershel chimed in. Maggie and Glenn both scooted over and made room for the old man. "Carol was cooking dinner one night." In moments, Judith demanded to transfer to Hershel's lap, where she started eating out of his bowl with her fingers.
"Spaghetti sauce," Carl added, his mouth full of oatmeal.
"With no pasta," Maggie agreed. "Daryl had found a giant mushroom instead."
"The mushroom was a Hen of the Woods. Very tasty," Hershel agreed. He paused to dunk a leftover biscuit into his coffee, deftly keeping it away from Judith's hands. "Anyway, there was a swarm of Mayflies at the moment. They were so thick you couldn't inhale without breathing a wing in."
"Half the swarm ended up in the spaghetti sauce," Beth finished with a frown. "We were all so hungry, we ate it anyway."
"Bug spaghetti," Carl agreed with a smile. "It was pretty good."
The table fell silent as people began to finish their respective breakfasts, regardless of any reptile additives. Beth got up and fetched her own bowl.
"What if Daryl were to suddenly start receiving little anonymous presents," Beth mused, swirling her spoon around her bowl, as she sat back down. "Would he assume they were from Carol?"
"Yeah, he would," Michonne agreed, sucking on a bone. "But he wouldn't ask her about it."
"Do you think that Carol would think that someone else was moving in on her man?" Maggie mused.
"Probably," Michonne nodded. "It could work."
"What are you girls up to?" Hershel asked, taking a sip.
"Matchmaking," Glen said. He scraped his bowl of every last oat and licked the spoon. "Daryl and Carol," he said matter-of-factly.
"Daryl and Carol? If you ask me, that fox is already in the henhouse," Hershel said.
"No," Maggie disagreed. "Daryl was just here. He didn't seem like he'd gotten anywhere."
"Well, Carol knows Daryl's been leaving the presents," Carl said. He had the gecko walking from one hand to the other. "I told her last night."
"What?" five voices chimed out at once. The gecko jumped out of Carl's hand and scuttled out of sight.
"That settles it," Maggie confirmed. "We make Carol jealous."
Carol sat up in watch tower and looked out into the bright afternoon sky. The early summer day was hot and muggy. Off into the distance, Carol could hear thunder rumbling.
"Gonna storm by nightfall."
Carol turned and watched Daryl emerge from the stairwell and join her on watch. She saw he had the crossword book rolled up in his hands. "What else is new?" she answered. "It rains every day, this time of year."
Daryl nodded and took a place beside her at the rail. Carol took the opportunity to get in a good look, as Daryl scanned the tree line for threats.
The man looked good.
He wore new black jeans and a black shirt with the sleeves rolled all the way up. The shirt had black pearl buttons and swirly stitching on each breast. Carol always had a thing for western wear. And as out of place is seemed on Daryl's rangy frame, it was also kinda hot. Carol gave him a long look.
"Looks quiet out there," Daryl said, unaware of Carol's scrutiny. "Cleared around fifteen down by the back fence. Didn't see no more than that. Maybe the walkers are thinning out."
"You were clearing fences today?" Carol asked, curious. The man didn't have a speck of blood on him. In fact, he looked freshly showered. The collar of his shirt was damp..
"Yep. Busy day," Daryl agreed, still unaware of Carol's gaze. He pushed off from the rail he was on to check the other side. His step was slow. The motion was almost a swagger.
Was Daryl putting on a show, Carol wondered? She did a little checking of her own. No blood, no brains, no holes. Daryl had dressed up for her. For her! Carol felt something a little primal flare in her blood. Maybe it was the short sleep from last night. Maybe it was the weeks of flattering gifts. She wasn't sure quite what it was, but Carol knew that today was the day she should make her move.
"I brought the puzzle book," Daryl said as he finished the watch perimeter. "Figured we could do another one."
"You look really good," she heard herself say. "Today a special occasion?" Despite her resolution, Carol found herself thrillingly nervous.
Daryl turned and looked at her in surprise. He studied her thoughtfully, the book loose in his hands. "It's just a day," he simply said. Daryl's face was open. His gaze affectionate.
Carol smiled back.
Despite her decision to make a smooth move, their watch together was distressingly normal. They watched, worked toward solving a horribly hard puzzle, hollered down from the tower for people to clear this fence, or that, cheated by looking at the answers when the other wasn't looking and watched some more.
The hours ticked away. The storm grew closer. Carol felt her willpower slip slowly away. Her internal tension ratcheted up. Should she? Shouldn't she? How could she possibly?
When it was nearly time for their watch to end, they had somehow managed to finish the puzzle. Around them, twilight started to set in. Carol's only accomplishment, other than to enjoy their watch time together, was to manage to slide closer and closer to Daryl in an excuse to see the puzzle better. Even that closeness ended when the last word was recorded and Daryl climbed to his feet.
Standing, Daryl offered a hand to Carol and helped her up. Only, he pulled a little too hard and she stumbled against him.
It was now, or never, she thought looking up at his squinty, blue eyes. She could never get tired of his eyes.
Taking a deep breath, Carol took the pencil and carefully placed it behind Daryl's left ear. She was certain to make the motion slow. Nervously, she allowed her fingers to linger, and then spill down the side of his neck. Along the length of her body, she could feel Daryl quiver. It was a heady feeling.
Emboldened, Carol pressed harder against him. Maintaining eye contact, Carol reached around and slipped the rolled up book into his back pocket. Trapped by her body, she felt Daryl twitch.
"You keep that until next time," Carol practically whispered, her voice husky. "I had fun today."
Daryl looked down at her and swallowed hard. "Me too," he managed.
Pretending a confidence that she really didn't have, Carol let go of the book in Daryl's back pocket and dragged her hand slowly back, all along Daryl's hip. At the same time, she pressed inward and whispered, "You really do look good today. I like it."
Carol took her roving hand and deliberately brushed the front of his pants before sweeping it slowly up his front. Under her touch, Daryl started breathing like a freight train, but he didn't push her away. All that power gave her a feeling of euphoria. It made her want more.
"I want to thank you for the clothes," Daryl said, his voice breaking. . "I ain't had nicer in a long damn time," he finished, breathlessly.
The end of his sentence cut off quickly as Carol ran her hand back down. Carol watched with lust as Daryl closed his eyes and knocked back his head when she deliberately, and firmly, cupped the absolutely large bulge in his pants.
Carol never wanted anyone as bad as she wanted Daryl. She had never been this aggressive with a man in her life. She felt like a wanton creature and it felt good.
Do it, she whispered in her mind. He's yours.
Keeping a firm handful, Carol stretched and licked up the side of Daryl's neck. Damned if the man didn't actually moan at that. Her underparts sang.
Oh, he was definitely hers.
Her own breathing picked up to match Daryl's. She gave him another squeeze and was satisfied to hear that moan again. Carol took her free hand, popped two buttons open and slid it inside of Daryl's black shirt.
The heat he gave off was tremendous. The hair on his chest tickled her fingers as she knuckled a few and gently pulled. If it was at all possible, Daryl's breathing got faster and harder. Carol felt rough hands grasp her hips and pull her against him.
Daryl was so torqued up and Carol knew it wouldn't much to make him lose it. The thought that she had effect on him drove her wild. She clenched her thighs and considered humping his leg. Oh, it would feel so good. She went so far as to press her lower body forward and rub.
"Carol," Daryl said as he curled around her body. "We can't….not here…..open," he said as he shuddered from her touch. Carol could tell he was close to losing control.
"Why not," She breathed into his neck, nuzzling behind his ear. He smelled very good to her. Musky and hot. So good.
"Watch is over," Daryl half moaned as Carol nibbled his earlobe. His legs started to quiver beneath them. "Someone's gonna come."
"Oh, I hope so," Carol purred. Pulling her hand off his chest , Carol used it to pull back the collar of his shirt so she could bite at his neck. The fabric was so new that collar actually crinkled.
"Fuck," was all Daryl managed to say.
"Great idea. I'm game if you are," Carol said as she soothed the bite mark. "We can lock the door."
With that, Daryl pushed Carol back and frantically looked a last look around the perimeter, No walkers. No people coming to relieve them. Glancing at the dimming sky, he looked back down at Carol, lust and hope darkening his eyes. "You serious about this?" he asked.
At Carol's nod, Daryl grabbed her hand and drug her into the inner part of the watch tower. Using his crossbow as a lever, he wedged the door shut.
"We don't have long," Daryl said as he gently backed Carol up against a wall.
"We don't need long," Carol replied, truthfully. She was just as jacked up as he was. She was sure that if she touched her, she'd come on the spot.
With a shaky hand, Daryl trailed up Carol's arm. His fingers light and electric as they ghosted around her neck to grasp at the nape. Tightening every so slightly, Daryl tipped Carol's head up and pulled her up to him.
Summertime in Georgia is a steamy affair. The days are always hot and humid. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms are commonplace. Today was no different. As Daryl and Carol pulled closer together, the heavens unleashed. Torrents of rain struck the guard tower at the same time as thunder boomed and lightning flashed.
"Storm's here," Carol whispered as she watched Daryl's lips get closer.
"It's a good a day as any," he said, licking his lips.
Behind them, someone started pounding on the door. It sounded like Glen. He was frantic to get out of the storm.
They were out of time.
Daryl sighed and let go of Carol's neck. Carol straighten herself up and wiped sweat from her brow. Giving her a half smirk, Daryl called over his shoulder, "Hang on a minute. I'm comin'"
"Jeeze, get a room!" came the muffled reply.
Carol laughed and pushed Daryl away. "Want to come to my room later," she asked. "We have more puzzles to solve."
Daryl nodded and buttoned his shirt back up.
"You really do look good in those clothes," Carol said as she straightened her own shirt up.
"You should know, you picked for me," Daryl said, shamelessly adjusting his pants.
"No I didn't," Carol said, slowing her movements. "I've never seen them before."
Daryl also stopped. He stared at Carol like she had lost her mind. "Didn't you leave them on my bunk? As a surprise?" he said. "That's why I thanked you for 'em."
"Not me," Carol admitted, wishing that she had.
At the door, Glen pounded harder. "Come on, guys! Let me in. I'm getting soaked!"
"Well who did then?" Daryl asked.
A streak of jealousy shot through Carol's spine. She could only come up with one answer.
"Looks like you've got a secret admirer," Carol said coldly.
With that, Carol stalked across the room, kicked aside the crossbow and flung the door open. Glen stumbled in, looking like a drowned rat.
He started to say something nasty, but froze at the looks on Carol and Daryl's face. "Did I interrupt something?" he stammered. "I can wait outside."
"No, we're done," Carol said. "Have a nice watch." She gave Glen a tight smile that was anything but friendly. Without flinching at the rain, Carol walked out into the torrent.
"Dude, what happened?" Glenn asked as he watched Carol leave.
"No idea," Daryl said, completely baffled.
"What are you waiting for? Go after her," Glen said, water dripping down his face. "Are you stupid or something? Run!"
Something clicked inside of Daryl. Something hard and unyielding. Giving Glen a nod, Daryl snatched up his crossbow and ran out the door.
Somewhere in the prison yard, lightning struck.
Tbc..
AN: How is everyone feeling, post finale? Quite a pickle they got themselves into. At least here, things are a little more simple. Longing, groping, kissing. What, no kissing you say? I guess I'll have to leave that for next time.
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I hope you take the time and drop me a line.
Thanks for reading!
Surplus Imagination