Christmas

Daryl woke to a familiar smell wafting into the bedroom, and his stomach grumbled right away. He pulled on a pair of black sweat pants and walked down the stairs to find Carol cooking in the kitchen.

"Mornin'," he murmured. She turned and greeted him with a smile and moved toward him to kiss him softly. "Sorry, ain't brushed my teeth yet."

"Hey, I'm used to 'morning breath Dary,'" she laughed. "I don't mind. Here. Have some coffee." She poured him a hot cup, and he groaned softly after the first sip.

"Feels strange havin' all this again. Feels almost like it used to." He opened up the oven door to be greeted by waves of heat and the smell of turkey roasting in the pan.

"Merry Christmas," Carol said softly, gently running her hand up his bare back, her fingers gently grazing over his whipping scars. Daryl closed the oven door and turned to pull her into his arms. He kissed her softly for a moment, putting his coffee cup down so he could hold her with both arms, moving his hands down her back.

"Want your present?" he asked, his lips grazing over her ear, his hands moving to untie her bathrobe.

"If it's what I think it is, I think we'd better baste the turkey first," she teased. Daryl snorted against her neck, and she giggled as his lips moved over her collarbone.

"Wait here," he murmured. Carol smiled and watched him go, biting her lip as she anticipated her present. She took a sip of coffee out of Daryl's cup before placing it back on the counter. She peeked out the kitchen window and into the back yard, where snow was beginning to fall. She sighed softly and leaned against the counter, wondering what was going on at Rick's home. Was Judith opening presents? Was she listening to Christmas carols? It felt a little strange, still, waking up every morning without a whole group to eat breakfast with and travel with. They'd barely been in their new home for a week, and she figured it would just take some adjustment. Still, she had an added bonus of waking up in bed with Daryl every morning, and she was definitely not going to complain about that.

She moved over to reach into a cabinet above the fridge, and she grabbed a small box, smiling as she ran her fingers over the ribbon she'd lovingly tied around it. When Daryl returned with something behind his back, he froze when he saw her holding a box.

"You're not the only one with surprises," Carol said with a small smile.

"Ya didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to." She smiled and held the box out to him. They exchanged presents, and she bounced on the balls of her feet. "Open yours first." Daryl sighed and then proceeded to remove the ribbon carefully, a notion that touched Carol. He knew she'd taken her time wrapping his present.

When he finally got the box open, he found a nice, warm, cream colored sweater. Carol smiled at him. "I traded three days of gate duty for it," she confessed. "I saw it and thought of you. You can wear it when you go out to hunt since the weather's turned so cold." Daryl had already made arrangements with the gate crew so that he could go hunt fresh game so the people wouldn't have to rely on eating only dried meat. The turkey in their oven was courtesy of Daryl's hunting trip yesterday.

"It's nice. I like it," he murmured. "Thank you." She smiled and kissed his cheek. Most women would probably assume by the short phrases that their men didn't care for the gift, but Carol knew her man was one of few words, and when he said he liked something, he meant it. Carol helped him tug the sweater on over his head, and she relished the feel of his muscles jumping under her caresses.

"Just as I thought," she said with an approving smile. "Perfect fit." Daryl shifted nervously now, and he tugged something out of the back pocket of his sweats. It was a small, black velvet box that had the tears already welling in Carol's eyes.

"Oh God," she murmured. "Daryl, what did you do?"

"Open it," he urged her. "Go on." She delicately took the box in her hand and pried the lid open. She covered her mouth with her hand when she saw the simple but elegant silver band with a set of small diamonds.

"Oh God, Daryl," she whispered. "What…"

"I, uh, wanted you to know," he murmured. "Ain't never been nobody like you before. Ain't never gonna be nobody like you." He leaned in closely and put his hands around her waist. "I love ya."

"I know," she said with a smile. It wasn't the first time he said it, but it was the first time he'd looked in her eyes and told her in a way that wasn't playful or fun. He wanted her to know he meant it when he said it, and she felt her heart flutter in her chest. "I love you."

"Will ya wear it?"

"Daryl Dixon, are you asking me to marry you?" she asked with a little grin as the tears began to roll.

"You been married, and I know ya weren't happy. I just want ya to know I love ya, and I want…I want to spend my life with ya." The tips of his ears were red, and a blush was spreading from his neck up to his cheeks.

"I want that too," she sniffled. "Will you put it on me?" He nodded and took the ring out of the box. He slipped it gently onto her finger, and she sighed softly, curling her fingers around his.

"Just as I thought," he said softly, echoing her words from earlier.

"Hmm?" she asked, her eyes welling with tears again.

"Perfect fit."