(I completely agree that it would be awesome to see the friendships between the female characters explored more in this show. I know the writers have an overall story to tell and have to focus on the plot, but it would be nice to see some girl bonding time on occasion. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I had a lazy day and didn't have much to do, so I decided to get one more chapter in. I hope you enjoy this next one.)

After exploring the inside of the house, Carol had found that what the landlord said was true, things were quite different on the inside. The sunroom was still there, but the new owners had put carpet down. The kitchen had been completely re-done. New cabinets, countertops and even a bar had been added. It was much more modernized now. What used to be a very large den that had a fire place in it had been split in two and remodeled to make a small fourth bedroom. There was still a den with a fire place, it was just half the size it was before. New tile had been put down in the bathrooms, new paneling put up, the bedrooms all had new doors on them and the carpet had been removed and replaced with wood flooring. Her room was still the same color that it used to be though, light blue. She liked the updates that the new owner had added. The house may not have looked the same, but it was still her home and it looked really good inside. She couldn't wait to move in. She'd signed a lease with the owner for six months and she immediately wanted to go and pick out furniture. She'd left everything she had but her clothes and personal belongings in Savannah when she left Ed, so she needed completely new everything for this house.

"Why in the hell did I agree to go shopping with you?" Daryl groaned, as he watched her circle the beds in the furniture store for the millionth time.

"Because you're my best friend." She smirked.

"I might be re-thinking that if you make me spend two more hours looking for a damn bedroom set." He scowled.

"It's barely been an hour so far, you're being dramatic." She rolled her eyes and walked over to a queen sleigh bed with a pillow top mattress.

"And it took an hour to pick out the furniture for the living room, and the stuff for the kitchen and the bathrooms, plus you still have to pick out stuff for the guest rooms."

"I'm only going to set up one guest room for my parents for now. I'm not worried about the other two rooms. All of our friends live close by." She told him, and then fell back onto the display bed. "I think this is the one." She smiled.

"Are you sure this time?"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure." She patted the bed for him to lay down and join her.

He walked over and laid down beside her, his legs hanging off the end and firmly planted on the floor. "Not too bad…almost as comfortable as my bed."

"Yeah…..almost." She said, as she rolled over to face him.

()()()

She'd been in the house for a little over a week now. All of her friends had come over after she first moved in and brought her little housewarming gifts and covered dishes. She'd finally gotten on a good sleeping schedule again and felt rested and a lot more relaxed. Her parents were settling in well, but they both seemed bored out of their minds. They were used to traveling and going places, not being holed up in a house. Her mom was keeping busy by cooking and doing the laundry, and in a way it was almost smothering to her. She was used to feeding herself and washing her own clothes, and her mom was treating her like she was a kid again. Then there was her dad, who was piddling around outside as much as he could while he recovered. He was going to cardiac rehab at the hospital here several times a week, but everything was looking good for him. They wanted him to make some diet and exercise changes long term to stay healthy. Her mom was already trying to incorporate the food changes, and it's safe to say he wasn't exactly thrilled. Having her parents back around was a bit of an adjustment, but she didn't see them much, and after almost losing her dad, she was trying her best to appreciate every minute with them. Besides, in a few more weeks they'd be on the road and it would be a while before she saw them again. During the past week she'd gotten to see Daryl several times. She'd go the shop on her days off to take lunch to him and Merle and she'd ended up hanging around for a bit and watching them work. She loved seeing him in his element. They hadn't talked any more about them though, they were just hanging out and taking things one day at a time.

Currently, it was after midnight and she was sprawled out on her bed reading a book and listening to music on her phone. It had just started raining a few minutes ago and she could hear the rain beating down hard on the tin roof. She was about to turn the page in her book when she heard a loud bang. She jumped, thinking that it was thunder, but then she heard it again and realized it was something tapping on her window. She threw the book down on the bed and walked over to the window. Sure, enough it was just what she'd expected to find.

'What in the hell are you doing?" It's pouring rain?" Carol asked, once she opened the window and saw Daryl at standing in the rain getting soaked.

"I see that." He growled. "Now let me in."

She rolled her eyes and lifted the window. She reached her arm out and helped pull him inside, just like she'd done a million times before. "Did you walk all this way in the rain?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"It wasn't raining when I left the house." He mumbled.

"And you were walking here in the first place because?" She asked, curiously.

"You always said I could come over if I needed to." He shrugged.

She felt her stomach drop. She felt like something bad must have happened for him to walk all this way this late. "What's wrong?"

"Merle brought Andrea back to the house because Michonne was working on a case and was tired of hearing em all the time…..You know how close our bedrooms are and how small that house is. You can hear everything….and I mean everything."

She grimaced. "Ew….ew…..ew."

"Just be glad you weren't there." He laughed.

She laughed too and then noticed he was dripping all over her floor. "Clothes off, now."

"What?" He asked, his voice was confused and held a hint of nervousness

"You're soaking wet and your dripping all over the floor. Get them off now."

"What the hell am I supposed to wear?"

She reached into her dresser and pulled out a pair of Armstrong pajamas that were too big for her and threw them at him. "Put these on."

He looked them over, noticing they were men's. "Who's were they?" He asked, gruffly. His first thought was that they were Ed's and he wasn't wearing a damn thing that belonged to him.

"They were mine. The college used to hand free stuff out all the time when you'd go to campus activities…I was a broke college kid, I took what I could get…..they weren't his." She told him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "Now, go change in the closet and I'll put your wet clothes in the dryer."

He nodded and went to the closet. He emerged moments later, wearing only what she'd just given him. He handed her his wet clothes all wadded up together. She'd taken them from him and walked into her utility room to get them drying. When she returned he was laying on her bed with his hands behind his head.

"I don't get it." She told him as she crawled over him and onto the other side of the bed. "You could have just driven here and you could have knocked on the front door. Hell, you could have even called first."

"I guess I felt like taking a walk down memory lane." He confessed. "You want me to go home?" He went to roll off the bed.

"I didn't say that." She told him and latched onto his arm and pulled him back in bed.

He hummed and let his head hit the pillow again. "I think Merle likes Andrea."

"Really?" "I just thought they were screwing around."

"Maybe, but I ain't never seen my brother fool with the same girl this much. If he just wanted sex he could find someone else."

"Andrea likes having a fuck buddy though. You know how much she and Shane screwed around back in high school with no strings attached."

"Yeah, I know…. I'm just saying it ain't Merle's thing to keep fooling with the same girl. Hell, he usually don't even go for girls like Andrea."

"What do you mean?" She asked, and turned towards him.

"Merle usually goes for the whore at the bar who'd fuck someone for booze or dope. Not some girl with a college education. That's why he's had the clap twice."

Carol's eyes grew wide. "You let her sleep with him knowing he had an STD?"

"He ain't got it no more…. I don't think anyway…besides, I was a little busy watching your drunk ass. I couldn't keep an eye on Andrea too."

"I was not that drunk." She defended, slapping his arm.

"You threw up on me and didn't remember what happened the next day." "Damn, how drunk do you usually get?" He teased, and playfully poked her in the side.

She giggled and kicked at his legs. "Stop. You know how ticklish I am on my ribs."

A smile spread across his face. "Where, right here?" He asked, going for the same spot again.

She jerked back and slapped his hands. "I said stop." She laughed.

"Nah." He went for it again and she grabbed both of his hands. They wrestled around a bit and he ended up with the advantage because he was stronger. He pinned her hands behind her head with one of his and was about to go for her ribs again, but he stopped when he saw how she was looking at him. Her breathing was deep from the way they'd just been playing around and her eyes were locked on him. They slid down his shirtless body and then up to his eyes and she bit at her bottom lip. He was hovering over her at this point. He let his eyes slide over her too, and suddenly became very aware of what she was wearing. She had on a tiny pair of shorts that barely covered her ass and a tank top. His eyes went up and down her smooth legs, then to chest, and slowly made their way back up to her eyes. By the time he finally reached her eyes again, he felt her lips go to his. He didn't do anything to stop it, he probably should have, but he didn't. Instead, he went with it and deepened the kiss. They were both on their sides, pressed against one another, and he felt her sink her hips further into his. He let his hand slowly start to glide up her leg, wondering if any minute she'd stop him. His heart was pounding, and she was pressed so close to him right now he could feel hers pounding too. She was running her hands up his chest and one of his hands was right on the edge of the bottom of her shorts now, while the other gripped her ass. He was about to move his hand under them when they heard the bedroom door open.

"Carol are you awake?" Her mother asked, as she flicked the light on. "Oh my God!" "Never mind. I didn't mean to interrupt. I didn't even know you were here." Her mom stammered before closing the door and darting away from the room.

Daryl quickly snatched his hands off her and buried his head in the pillow next to him.

Carol rolled over onto her back and placed her hands over her face. "I can't believe my mom just walked in that." She groaned, her face turning red from embarrassment.

"Me either." He mumbled. His face still hidden in the pillow. He stayed like that for several minutes before turning to face her. "I'm sorry about that….I should….I should probably go." For the second time tonight he went to roll off of her bed, but this time he was being serious. He felt like an ass for almost sleeping with her again when they clearly weren't a couple yet.

She grabbed his arm once more. "Stay….please." She begged. The desperation clear in her voice.

He searched her eyes, looking for an indication of what was going on inside of her head. "You're not mad at me?" He asked, hesitantly.

"Daryl, I kissed you first. I'm an adult and I knew what I was doing. Just like I knew what I was doing that first night we were together. You were drunker than I was then. If I didn't want it to happen I would have told you one of the many times you asked me if I wanted to stop. You have to stop feeling guilty every time you touch me."

He took a deep breath. "I just don't wanna screw things up."

"I know you don't and neither do I….What almost happened probably wasn't smart right now. I'm not asking you to stay to do that. It'd be pretty weird now anyway knowing my mom would know what was happening and all. " She laughed. "I just….I just want you here next to me. I sleep better when you are."

"Yeah…me too." He whispered, as he pulled her close. He wrapped an arm around her waist and nestled his head on her chin."

"I'm sorry I kissed you….I don't know what I was thinking." She whispered back, as she placed her hand over the one he had wrapped around his waist.

"I already told you that you could kiss me whenever you wanted. You ain't gotta be sorry."