This is actually a chapter I finished last week. I keep myself at least 9 chapters ahead so I can update a lot. I was going to take this chapter in a different direction but I decided to take it somewhere else for my lovely friend HGRHfan35, who was so annoyed over Shane that she actually stuck her tongue out at me before she went on her Siberian walk. Which was quite cold according to her. So here is some warmth ;) And some humor for you my cold friend!

Thank you all for reading and reviewing and being quite awesome all the time! I seriously don't think I would bother writing if it wasn't for all of your great feedback! Oh, and I love you Sheena! Hope you all have a great day!

Chapter Forty Nine

"You talk to her?" Daryl asked Carol as he approached her from behind. She was sitting on a small dock at one of the ponds that were scattered around the property. Her small feet were in the water, kicking up small waves around her ankles. Her jeans were wet all the way up to her calves.

She looked over her shoulder, squinting a little as the sun hit her face, and smiled. "I did." She turned her face back to look at the water once more as he sat down beside her. She didn't elaborate.

He'd already kicked his own boots off so he plunged his feet in too. He hissed at how cold it was, causing her to laugh at him. "And?" He asked as his own eyes scanned the pond.

"And that kid is changing on me. Stealing guns. Running off with Merle Dixon. Yelling the f-word to a bunch of adults." She looked over at him and forced a scowl. "You'd think you gave birth to the girl."

He barked out a laugh and she couldn't help but join in.

He sighed and shook his head, that rare grin still brightening his face and making him look like a boy. "She's just comin' into her own. She's the same girl, she just ain't got nothin' to be scared of anymore. Ain't nothin' wrong with that."

She smiled. "I was thinking the same thing. It's good to see her like this but it's still strange. She used to hide behind me all the time. She was so quiet. Now she seems so grown up. It's scary."

He folded his hands behind his head and laid himself back onto the dock, staring up the sky. "She's different. That's a damn fact. She's always puttin' Merle in his place." he chuckled.

Carol laid down beside him, their arms barely brushing. Daryl glanced over at her but her eyes were closed. She kept them closed when he rolled over onto his side and didn't even open them when he traced her lips with his finger. She only smiled. He let the finger slide down her chin, down her throat and then dip into the hollow between her collar bones, down the center of her chest. His eyes never left her face and he bit his bottom lip and moved the finger even lower. She still didn't open her eyes but as he watched her breath quickened. He spared a quick glance around.

The dock wasn't very visible because of the weeds. The house was pretty far away and he would hear anyone coming before they could see anything. He looked back at her face and her eyes hadn't opened yet. He undid the button of her jeans and slipped his hand inside. Her nostrils flared as she took in a deep breath. He slid the hand in further when she didn't protest. Her jeans were tight but he was able to adjust his hand to where it wasn't a problem. He didn't want to take off her clothes. He wouldn't have minded too but they were outside, in broad daylight and there were a lot of people that could walk up on them at any given moment. He wouldn't hear them in time for her to get herself dressed again.

Both times they had actually had sex he had trouble controlling himself, always more rough than he really wanted to be. Always driving harder and faster than he had planned, and her not so subtle prompts didn't help him any either. So he made sure he kept his fingers light, almost not even touching her at all, and he moved them as slow as he could.

He watched her face for a long time. Sometimes her eyebrows would pull together in frustration at his pace but he didn't change it. Her eyes stayed shut and she stayed very still other than the frantic rise and fall of her chest as she breathed in and out. He dipped his head down and kissed the spot right under her ear that he knew always got her squirming. But she didn't squirm a whole lot. Just moved her head a little so that he had more access to the pale skin there. She was playing along with him and he had to keep reminding himself of what he was doing, not to go fast, not to increase the pressure, just keep it light and slow.

She finally let out a small gasp when he caught her earlobe between his teeth.

"Oh wow. Wow wow wow..." She whispered and he let go of her earlobe and pulled back to look at her. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut now but other than that her face remained calm. Her body remained, for the most part, still. She didn't buck against his hand and she didn't demand for him to do anything else. She simply let him work her however he wanted. She bit her bottom lip and then tipped her head back. He felt the muscles in her stomach tremble and contract under his arm and he knew exactly what she would have felt like if he was inside her. He growled low in his throat and then moved his hand down just a little, he couldn't help it, he had to feel her come somehow, so he kept up with those slow light strokes with his thumb and then slid his middle finger inside.

And it felt just like he knew it would. She shuddered, her eyes snapping open and then she raised up onto her elbows. Her eyes locked on his and she grabbed him by the back of the head and pulled his face to hers. She moaned into his mouth and then she laid her head back down, he didn't take his mouth away from hers and he was surprised that it was still happening. She was still trembling, muscles tightening around his finger. He didn't even know how long it lasted but finally she let go of him and moved her face away from his. She stared up at the sky with a dazed expression on her face as he slipped his hand out of her pants and buttoned her back up.

"You shouldn't have done that." She said finally but she was smiling widely.

He flopped back over onto his back. "I know. You put up such a fight that I should be ashamed of myself right now."

She rolled over and then pulled herself on top of him. She grinned when he wrapped an arm around her back and then sat up. He knew she could feel how hard he was and there wasn't anything to be done about right now. She just locked her legs around his waist and kept on grinning at him.

"Do we got time?" She asked as she moved her hips so she was grinding against him.

He groaned and then locked his other arm around her waist and pulled her against him even harder. He was killing himself but he didn't care. She felt too good to care. "They'll send somebody out soon to find me."

"Go ahead. I can keep waitin'." Merle said from behind them.

Carol's head shot up and Daryl looked over his shoulder. Merle was sitting there with his knees pulled up and his forearms draped across them. He waved with his good hand.

"Goddamn it, Merle!" Daryl yelled.

"Boy, is that all you can ever say to me?" Merle asked with a smile.

"What the fuck are you doin'?" Daryl growled.

Merle just shrugged. "Takin' notes." he winked.

"How long you been there?" Daryl sounded like he wanted to toss Merle into the pond.

"Long enough, baby brother. I'm proud of ya. One of the best compliments a man can get when it comes to a woman is one little word. Wow. You get a woman to say wow and you're doing somethin' to her that ain't been done before."

"Oh my God." Carol whispered. "I just... Merle Dixon..." Her horrified eyes met Daryl's. "You're brother just watched you get me off."

"Are ya'll gonna fuck or what? I'm sick of sitting here. My ass hurts. I can go keep watch for ya."

The saddest part was that Daryl knew he was serious. He felt bad for Carol. She wouldn't ever get used to Merle. And Merle had no intention of making things easy on her. "Well?" He asked with a wink.

"Well what?" She whispered.

"He just offered us an out. He'll keep watch if ya wanna do somethin' bout that empty feelin' inside." He knew he shouldn't tease her. It was already bad enough but he couldn't help it. Not only that but if there was any chance in hell that she'd go for it then he would definitely make good use of the old dock. And he'd kept watch for Merle enough times when he was young that the man owed him.

She glanced at Merle again and then looked down at him, looked like she was actually considering it, and then finally shook her head. "Better not. He'd probably be too busy watching us himself to pay any attention to anything else. Sicko." She unwound her legs from around him and then stood up.

"Hey!" Merle called. "I heard that! Ain't like I was watchin' him play with himself. Then I'd be a sicko. A man can watch a pretty woman come all he wants and shouldn't be called sicko for it."

"Merle, shut up." Daryl grumbled as he stood up himself. The sound of Merle's voice was enough to get rid of the bulge in his pants pretty quick. That was a plus. At least he wasn't going to have to sit there and hope it went away on it's own. Merle wasn't worthless after all.

Carol's face was flaming as she stormed past the grinning Merle.

Merle waited up for him and fell into step as he passed. "She's a shy one ain't she? Those always end up bein' the best in the sack."

"Shut the fuck up, Merle." He growled.

Merle stopped him with his hand on his chest and then frowned down at Daryl's arm. "What'd you do to yourself, little brother?" He asked. He actually sounded concerned which had Carol back tracking with a worried look of her own.

"Huh?" Daryl frowned. He hadn't done anything to his arm that he knew of. He held it out straight and turned it this way and that but didn't see anything. "The fuck you talkin' about dumb ass? Ain't nothin' there."

Merle grabbed Daryl by the wrist, his frown deepening. "Make a fist." he ordered and Daryl did.

Merle kept looking and the frown he wore only deepened. He moved Daryl's arm up and down again and then held it at eye level. "Okay, straighten yer hand back out."

Daryl was studying his own arm now, actually getting a little concerned. Merle lowered his hand a little and when Daryl looked up at him his fingers were right under Merle's nose and the man was grinning.

"Merle, you sick son of a bitch!"Daryl yelled and then shoved him backwards. Merle stumbled a little but righted himself quickly and laughed.

"Little brother, you lucky mother fucker! That has to be the sweetest pu..."

"Merle!" Carol shrieked as she finally understood what the hell was going on.

He looked at her and then threw his arm over Daryl's shoulder. "What?" He asked as they started walking again. Daryl was trying to slip out from under Merle's arm but Merle just tightened his grip. "I tell her she's pretty when she comes. I tell her she's got the sweetest smellin' pu..."

"Merle, shut the fuck up!" She yelled.

Merle just shook his head. "When did it get so hard for a woman to take a compliment?" He asked happily. He finally dropped his arm from Daryl's shoulder but he kept an eye on him just in case he tried shoving him again. Which Daryl would have done if he hadn't been watching.

He felt bad for Carol. He knew how embarrassed she got about things like that. Merle finally got the hint and was trailing behind them a bit. No doubt probably just so he could look at Carol's ass without getting caught. He looked back over his shoulder and sure enough there the man was, smirk on his face and eyes following the sway of her hips. Stupid jackass. He bumped her shoulder with his.

"Sorry bout Merle." He grumbled.

When she turned her head to look at him he was surprised to see a small smile on her flushed face.

His eyes widened and then he smiled back. "What?" He asked.

She gave a little shrug and shook her head. "I don't know. He's a disgusting foul pig." She glanced over her shoulder and then rolled her eyes. "Who is staring at my ass." She tried to hide the grin creeping up on her face. "But I think he's just trying to be sweet."