Chapter 17: Interlude

Carol gently placed the baby monitor on the bedside table and crawled into bed beside Daryl. He was sprawled out under the blankets, staring up at the ceiling with his bottom lip worried between his teeth.

"Lyddie's out like a light."

"Merle?"

"Him, too. I gave him something for the pain."

"Surprised he ain't built up a tolerance by now," Daryl muttered.

"Well, he was snoring, and might I add, drooling, when I left him," Carol pointed out. Daryl snorted.

"You sure you're alright with him bein' here?" He nodded toward the door. "With Lydia here?"

"He's your brother. As much of an asshole he is, I don't think he'd ever do anything to hurt you on purpose." She leaned over and kissed him, and Daryl groaned, pulling his arms around her. She smiled, looking down at him. "Besides, Dog's sleeping out in the hallway. He'll let us know if Merle stirs." She crawled on top of him then, and Daryl stared up at her with a look somewhere between surprise and shock on his face. "Thought you said we couldn't. No condoms, remember?"

"Guess what I found in the attic this morning?" Carol beamed. She nodded toward the bedside table before climbing off of him. Daryl rolled to the side and reached into the drawer to pull out a full box. "You must have forgotten them after one of your runs."

"This day gets better'n better," he muttered, getting a laugh out of her. He fumbled with the box for a moment, tearing the top open, while Carol shifted in the bed beside him. When he rolled onto his back, Carol was already naked beside him, and he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Holy shit." She grinned at him, and she climbed back on top of him, feeling him stirring inside of his sleep pants. She gently ran her hands up his shirt and over his stomach, and his muscles jumped beneath her touch.

"Clothes. Off." She straddled his waist, and he arched up, and with her help, he tugged his shirt over his head. Carol's hands were on the drawstring of his pants next, and—again—with her help, he wriggled out of them and kicked them aside. She gently pushed him back against the bed, biting her lip as she closed her eyes and rolled her head back. She rocked her hips against his, each movement making him harder, each brush of her core over his cock working them both into a hunger for one another.

He took his time looking at her. He slid his hands up and down her back and then over her hips before bringing his hands up her ribs and over her breasts. She sighed and bowed her head forward when he came up to take a nipple between his teeth. She moaned softly, reaching between them to stroke him as she slid against him.

"Fuck," he bit out, his hot breath hitting her skin and making her shiver. Her core was throbbing, and as he tugged at her breast with his lips and teeth, she reached for the box of condoms, slipping one out and tearing open the package. Daryl lay back against the mattress then, watching her breasts sway as she reached between them to slide the condom over his dick. And he closed his eyes and leaned his head back when she sunk down on him, taking him all the way in as slowly as she could. His hips bucked, and she gasped when he hit her cervix. It nearly knocked the breath from her. "You ok?" She nodded her head, pressing her hands down against his chest as she leaned forward and rocked against him. "Hey. Look at me." She opened her eyes, and he brought his hand up the back of her neck before pulling her down to kiss him. She curled her hands into his hair, riding him slowly as his tongue slid against her lips. Her nerves felt on fire as is hands moved freely down her back and over her ass before gripping her hips and helping her find a rhythm.

She pulled back then, admiring the way his eyes rolled back when her walls squeezed around him. She kissed him again, smiling against his mouth when he groaned against hers. Her legs trembled, and she reached between them, wrapping her hand around the base of his dick, using just enough pressure his eyes opened and he surged closer to the edge.

"Carol," he grunted. "Jesus Christ." He squeezed his eyes shut tight, but she let go of him, arching back and placing her hands on his chest as she rocked faster and harder against him. His fingers dug into her hips, and when he moved them, the little white dots turned pink from the pressure of his fingers. She gasped when his hips bucked again, and when she slowed, he took the opportunity to pull out of her and flip her onto her back.

She whimpered when he crawled over her, curling his hand behind her knee and draping her leg over his hip. He looked down at her with a devilish gleam in his eye, and she smiled wide when he leaned forward to kiss her.

He eased into her then, slowly, and he tugged her bottom lip between his teeth, giving it a little nip before he began to move. She moaned softly against his mouth, crying out when he reached between them and teased her clit. Her hips bucked against him, and he eased his hand up and down the inside of her thigh, driving her crazy as he pushed faster and deeper, bringing her over just in time for him to reach his own peak. He groaned against her neck, relaxing against her as she clung to him and peppered warm kisses against his jaw.

"Love you," she whispered.

"Me too," he chuckled, getting a grin out of her. "Love you so damn much." He lay with her for a few moments, still connected with her, memorizing the way her eyes fluttered shut when she leaned her head back and took a deep breath. He watched the way the flush in her neck and down her chest began to fade, the way the stiff peaks of her nipples softened until he leaned down to tease them with his mouth again. And she laughed and pushed at his shoulders, easing him off of her. He chuckled and pulled out of her, rolling onto his back and wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "What brought that on?"

"What?" Carol asked innocently, a blush spilling across her cheeks. Daryl eyed her. "Hey, you're getting ready to leave me. I wanted to get as much time in with my husband as possible before…"

"Hey," Daryl stopped her. "I'm comin' back to ya. You know that, right?"

"I know. But there could be problems," she said quietly, rolling to her side to face him. She gently stroked his cheek with her thumb. "Just promise me you'll try to get back safely."

"I will," he insisted. "Might even be comin' home with our friends."

"It feels strange," Carol murmured. "It's been so long. We've changed so much. I just wonder…have they changed, too?" Daryl thought for a moment. What if they had changed. What if they were strangers now?

"They're still our people. Even if we ain't been with 'em. They're still family."

"Yeah," Carol agreed. "I know. I just hope Rick knows that, too."

...

Carol was restless. Despite being thoroughly spent, she wasn't sleeping well. Her tossing and turning had Daryl stirring in his sleep, and she wanted him to get as much rest as he could in before heading out with his brother on what might turn into a rescue mission.

She found her clothes in the dark and slipped out of the room and past Dog in the hall. He whined and lifted his head, but when he saw it was only Carol, he lay his head back down and let her slip into Lydia's room without another sound.

Carol leaned over the crib to see Lydia sleeping soundly, her little lips making a sucking motion as he curled her fist by her face.

Carol smiled and yawned and turned to leave the room. She shut the door and started back to her room when she heard a groan from Merle's room. She hesitated and then came the sound again. In a moment, his door came open, and Dog leapt to his feet. He limped into the hallway and paused when he saw Carol standing there in the dark.

"What do you need, Merle?"

"Need to take a piss," he snorted. "That alright with you?" His words were slurred from exhaustion and pain medication, and Carol nodded, eyeing him as he lumbered toward the bathroom. Carol slipped into his room then, turning the light on and finding his bed was dotted with blood. She sighed and retrieved the first aid kit from the hall again. When Merle returned, he looked surprised to find her in his room.

"What would my little brother think if he knew his wife was visitin' his brother in the wee hours of the mornin'?" he asked, stumbling over to his bed.

"I think he'd say 'shut up and let her stop you from bleeding to death.'" Merle smirked, and she raised an eyebrow. "You're bleeding. Let me see." Merle groaned and started reaching for the waist of his pants. Carol held a hand up and looked away. Merle laughed.

"You're the one who wanted to see," he teased. "Don't worry. I got shorts on." He pulled his bloodied sweats down, and to Carol's relief, he was telling the truth. But the bandage was soaked through, and Carol frowned at the sight. Merle propped his leg on a pillow and Carol gently pulled back the tape around the bandage. She tossed the soiled bandage away, reached into the first aid kit and squeezed a sizeable dollop of sanitizer in her hands. She rubbed them together quickly but efficiently.

"You a doctor or somethin'?"

"No. Having a husband like Ed? Well, let's just say, hospital bills add up." She used a dry cloth to gently dab at the wound. "He cut me right here once. Kitchen knife." She slid her finger against a very pale scar on the side of her wrist. It was about two inches long and faded like the memory of the bastard that had done it to her.

"You sewed it up yourself?"

"Hmm."

"Badass," Merle laughed.

"Nothing badass about it. Desperate, maybe."

"You did what you had to do. You survived. I know a little somethin' about that. Daryl too. Maybe more'n me."

"I did what I had to do," she agreed. She narrowed her eyes at the wound. "Stitches aren't broken. Just pulled a little. You'll live." She grabbed the ointment and spread some over the stitches before putting fresh gauze and tape over the wound. "Pull your pants up."

"Don't think I ever heard a woman say that to me before," he said with a cocky smirk.

"Go to hell, Merle," Carol muttered with an eye roll. Merle laughed and stood long enough to pull his sweats back up, blood be damned. He'd change them in the morning. Carol used the sanitizer again and eyed Merle as she rubbed her hands together. "What?"

"I never thought I was strong. Not back then. But I was a mom. I fought like hell to keep my daughter safe, to keep her from seeing what her daddy did to me. I wish I'd been stronger, but I was as strong as I could be then. As strong as I thought I could be." Merle narrowed his eyes at her. "I know Daryl. I have a fairly good sense of who you are, but we're still strangers."

"What're you getting at?"

"I know you love your brother. I know you want what's best for him."

"You know a lot," Merle muttered, leaning back against his pillow and folding his arms behind his head.

"Don't mess with Daryl. He's come a long way. He has. But you're his brother, and I know you know how to get into his head. If you do? I'll know."

"You threatening me?"

"Just telling you. He has a family. We have a daughter. Daryl's ten times the man he'd have become if you'd had anything to say about it. I know this, because I've seen him struggle with who he was, with who you wanted him to be, with who he is. But that scared boy, that little brother that always got slapped around? He's still in there. That woman I was? The woman whose husband threw her into walls and forced her to…" She swallowed hard but didn't break eye contact with him. "She's still here." She put her hand against her chest. "Don't hurt him. I think you're the only person in the world with that kind of power. Just…don't." She got up then, leaving the first aid kit on Merle's bedside table. She started for the door, and Merle shifted on his bed.

"Hey." Carol turned. She looked right into his eyes and saw him nod. "My baby brother's lucky to have you." Carol let out a shaky breath and nodded her head.

"I know." Merle chuckled at that. "I'm pretty lucky to have him, too." She turned then, closing his door and retreating to the bathroom to wash her hands. She splashed some water on her face and looked up into the mirror. Sometimes, it took her a moment to recognize herself. Sometimes, her eyes looked like they belonged to a completely different person. Sometimes, she had to remind herself that even with the hell they were living in, there was still something good, something just for her and for Daryl.

When she slipped back down the hall and into her room, she crawled back into bed, and Daryl reached for her. He groaned softly and pressed a kiss to the top of Carol's head.

"You ok?" he asked sleepily.

"Mmm," she assured him. She turned her face toward his and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "I'm good. Go back to sleep."

Author's Note: Thank you all for your wonderful feedback! Please keep it coming. Feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading!