Two

We almost died today. Jacqui did die today. And Andrea almost…

The words kept rattling around in Carol's head, and the unsettling anxiety that knotted in the pit of her stomach kept her awake. She was emotionally and physically exhausted. Dr. Jenner had very nearly killed everybody in their group. They'd clawed their way through the end of the world to survive, to get to the CDC only to find that Dr. Jenner's last shred of hope had died and what he called their extinction event had already been set in motion.

She had held Sophia close and sobbed and begged Jenner to let them go.

"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this!"

She'd felt weak. Powerless. Maybe even more than when Ed had made her feel that way. She'd prided herself on protecting her daughter at all costs, hiding the bruises and the beatings as best she could. Sophia wasn't dumb. She knew her father was a bad man. And Carol still felt guilty that she'd never found the strength to leave him for good. She hated that she hadn't been able to do that for Sophia.

Every bit of her ached. She'd been running on pure adrenaline since the CDC, and now that she was idle, she was beginning to feel everything. Most of all, she kept thinking about the moment she'd handed Rick that grenade. That was what was currently keeping her awake. She wasn't sure why it hadn't dawned on her that she had that weapon until that very last possible moment. Whether it was luck or God or fate, she was grateful she'd done it. If she hadn't, they'd all be dead.

She sighed and turned on her back. The floor was uncomfortable, and the stench of the dead haunted the room. It was cleared out, but the old nursing home was in such a sad state when they'd arrived that it had been impossible to clear out all of the bodies. Everybody crashed as soon as they had their meager supper of garbanzo beans, and Carol felt certain she was the only one awake, mind still reeling, with the exception of Glenn who had taken first watch downstairs.

She sat up, leaning over to see Sophia was sleeping soundly with her doll tucked under her arm. Carol tugged Sophia's blanket up over and peered around the room. Lori and Rick were huddled in one corner with Carl, while Andrea, Shane and T-Dog spread out in another. Dale, who Carol had been hearing complain of a terrible pain in his back, was lying on an uncomfortable pew they'd dragged down from the chapel.

She suddenly felt like the walls were pressing in on her. She took a slow, steady breath, but the air in the stuffy room was growing thicker. She stood then, carefully stepping over Sophia and a couple of their packs. She stepped over T-Dog's outstretched arm, narrowly missing his fingers by half an inch. She started for the door but stopped in her tracks when she saw the figure leaning back against the wall in the shadows. His crossbow was lying across his lap, and she could tell by the steady rise and fall of his chest that he was sleeping, or at least damn near close.

They hadn't spoken since last night. A few glances at breakfast and a chance encounter in the hallway that almost led to conversation but was interrupted by Glenn stumbling, still hung over, toward the bathroom. Then, when they'd arrived at the nursing home after narrowly escaping with their lives, Daryl, running on fear and adrenaline, had snapped about keeping Sophia quiet when the girl had started to cry. Carol had hissed at him to leave her alone, and they'd shared a look, but that had been it.

Hell, she didn't know what to say or if she should say anything. They'd barely said more than a handful of sentences to each other since meeting. All she knew about him was that he had an asshole brother with a drug problem, and being with him in the damp CDC shower room had been the most pleasurable sexual experience she'd had in her entire forty years of life.

A shiver ran down her spine, and she quickly snapped out of it, forcing herself to move carefully across the room so she wouldn't disturb anyone. She paused in the doorway, casting a glance down at Daryl. He didn't move, but she heard a soft sigh escape his lips. She didn't know what she was expecting. It wasn't like they'd cuddled after. They'd scratched an itch and went about their separate ways. That was it.

She gently quietly closed the door behind her and made her way down the corridor with only the moonlight to guide her way. She was careful to step over the strewn corpses, and she made her way into one of the rooms. It was void of death and the bed was still made with hospital corners. Unused. Forgotten.

She puts her hand against her throat and closes her eyes before taking in a deep breath to steady her anxieties. She hadn't even felt this claustrophobic at the CDC. Maybe it was because there had been a fleeting glimmer of hope that they could live out the rest of their lives with the safety of those walls around them. Only, that had come to a crashing halt the second Jenner had locked them inside. Now, they were alive and free but still trapped inside with a bunch of corpses while the dead outside roamed and waited for food. Waited for them.

It was too much. She hurried to the window and pried it open, gasping as the cool night air hit her face and filled her lungs. She breathed it in and leaned her forehead against the cool window pane before hoisting it up a little further. She looked down below, spotting a few of dead passing through on an aimless quest for the next bite of flesh.

"What're you doin'?" She jumped at the gruff voice, and she turned at the window to see Daryl standing there in the doorway, his crossbow in hand. She flinched and crossed her arms across her chest.

"I…needed some air." Daryl stepped into the room and shut the door. He placed his crossbow down in the corner and took a few steps over to the window. She watched as the moonlight illuminated his muscular arms. He was tight lipped, as if chewing over the words he didn't know he should say. She turned her attention back to the window, and then she felt him shift beside her.

"You ok?" His voice was low and rough, and Carol hugged her arms to herself and managed a small smile.

"You asking for me or for you?" She glanced up at him, and he looked away.

"M'sorry. Didn't mean to snap like I did. Your little girl was scared."

"We were all scared. We're still scared." She shivered, and Daryl glanced at the window.

"You cold?" He reached up to shut the window, but Carol reached up and put her hand on his arm.

"No, please. It feels good." Daryl looked down at Carol's warm hand on his arm, and she watched him tense. She pulled her hand away, and Daryl took a step back. "Sorry."

"For what?" he asked.

"I don't know. You looked…I don't know." She shrugged and bit back the urge to cry, and she wasn't sure why.

"You should get some sleep," he said quietly. "Who knows what's gonna happen tomorrow? Better rest up."

"Who knows?" she echoed. She looked down, and she let out something of a dry laugh. When she forced herself to look at him again, her shoulders slumped. "We almost died today." Daryl chewed the inside of his cheek and nodded. "We almost died." She took a shaking breath and looked skyward with tears in her eyes. "We don't know what happens tomorrow." She took a step toward him, and his breath hitched in his chest. "Right?"

"Mmhmm." She watched him swallow hard, and when she placed her hands on his arms.

"Would you…" Her resolve crumbled, and she flinched, taking her hands away.

"What?" he asked. She shook her head. "Tell me." She shook her head again, and he took a step toward her. She looked up. The moonlight bathed them in a hazy blue glow, and Daryl looked at her with equal parts lust and concern. She wasn't used to men looking at her like that. She'd spent her entire marriage avoiding the looks of other men, so she honestly couldn't be certain how they'd looked at her. All she knew in this moment was that his normally tense jaw softened, and his hand came up to brush against her arm. "Hey." She dragged her gaze up this. "Show me."

She let go of the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, and she leaned in to bury her face against his chest, breathing him in. Daryl's hands moved up her back then, and she pulled back to let her fingers work his buttons loose. Daryl looked down, watching her trembling fingers work, and when she slid the shirt down his arms, he pulled her close, groaning when she pressed her mouth against the center of his chest. A little groan left his lips, and Carol's hands moved around to caress his back. She felt the ridges of his scars for the first time, and he flinched, but he didn't pull back. Carol pressed a kiss to his shoulder, and he dug his fingers into her hips. She gasped when he pulled her close, and then his hands tugged her shirt over her head, revealing the lacy white bra underneath. Even in the moonlight, he could make out the bruises dotting her robs, bruises that hadn't deterred her at all the night before. Tonight, however, he traced his hands up her waist, his calloused fingers gentle as Carol stepped forward. He stepped backward until he came to sit on the edge of the bed.

Carol straddled his legs then, staring down at him, gently playing with the hair at the back of his neck. She wanted to kiss him, but it almost felt too intimate. Kisses were something for sweethearts. That's not what they were, was it? She couldn't even remember the last time Ed had kissed her. She couldn't remember the last time she enjoyed a kiss that left her wanting more. And Daryl looked up at her, leaning in as if reading her thoughts, but instead, she buried her face against his neck and let his hands wander over her back and her ass. She moaned softly when he pressed soft kisses between her breasts, kneading one with his palm through the fabric of her bra. He dragged the cups down and pulled a pert nipple between his teeth, giving it a gentle nibble before wrapping his lips around it. She gasped at the sensation, reaching behind her back to unclasp it. She tugged the garment off, but before Daryl could explore her further, she backed away.

His mouth opened in a silent protest, until he realized she was slipping off her pants. He tugged at the button on his own jeans, and he worked quickly to strip them off before passing one fleeting glance over at the closed door with no lock, hoping to god nobody walked in.

She came back to him, the moonlight glinting off of her bare form, and he lay there staring at her for a moment, his hand curling around the base of his dick. He gave it a few tugs, and his nostrils flared as she crawled over him, her scent filling the air. His head fell back against the mattress, and Carol pressed kisses along his collarbones and his neck.

"Fuck," he panted, as she took his hand and brought it between them, guiding him between her legs. His fingers twitched against her thigh before he began to rub her, gathering up the slick moisture at her core and stroking upward to tease her clit.

"Ohhhh, yeah," she panted, grinding against his hand. "Oh God…." She was panting as he pushed two fingers up into her, stroking her slowly as her walls fluttered around him. "Oh!" He reached up to pressed a finger to her lips.

"Best be quiet, or this'll be over 'fore it starts." He nodded toward the door, and Carol suddenly remembered that Glenn was still awake and on watch. Carol nodded and bit her lip, and Daryl took the opportunity to grip her hips and flip her onto her back. She moaned softly, and he gripped her legs behind the knees, bringing her legs up over his shoulders. She bit back a moan when he pressed open mouthed kisses to her stomach and then to her breasts. She wanted his to go lower again, to keep going, but she wasn't used to asking for what she wanted and getting it. Instead, she brought one hand up to caress his chest, and her other hand moved between her legs, slipping through her folds. She slipped two fingers inside slowly before pulling them away and reaching for his dick. He groaned, thrusting his hips against her hand as she stroked him.

"Fuck," he bit out, reaching down to slip his dick between her folds, teasing her clit with the head before pressing against her opening.

"Daryl," she panted. "Please. Oh, please…" Her hands fell down against the mattress, gripping the sheets as he slipped into her slowly, stretching her. She writhed beneath him, panting and whimpering as the ache of being filled overpowered her. "Yes…oh fuck." He held himself up then, pressing his palms down into the mattress as he began to move. He watched her head fall back and her mouth open, and her beautiful breasts rocked with each motion. He bent down to suck at the hollow of her throat, and her hands moved down his back and over his ass, gripping him there to urge him to keep going.

Her walls were hot and slick around him, tight and fluttering in the most delicious way. He wasn't going to last, and she was so close, and he figured finishing fast would be in both of their best interests tonight.

He pulled out of her then, and Carol whimpered when he slammed back in. Her eyes flew open, and he realized he'd gone too deep. He started to slow, but Carol whined.

"Please don't stop. Please." She was begging him, and the room felt like it was spinning. He was close. He felt like a tight coil about to snap, but he didn't want to stop until she…

Her pussy clenched around him like a vise, and he buried his own moans against her neck as her body trembled through the orgasm. He kept pushing, thrusting faster until he finally let go.

He pulled out then, panting as he flopped back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as he panted for air. Carol shifted next to him, and then she was up and looking for her clothes. He watched her for a moment. She turned to see him watching her, his chest still rising and falling in stunted breaths.

She dressed faster than she ever had in her life, not knowing what to say or do. All she knew was if she didn't leave soon, somebody might wake up and wonder where she was. Where they were.

"I'll go back first," she whispered. She slipped her shoes back on and straightened, and he slowly sat up on the bed, his dick still half hard and flagging against his belly.

"Yeah," he muttered. "Ok."

"They'll wonder where we are." She wasn't sure why she felt the need to explain, but the way he was looking at her made her feel like maybe she should. Spending the night in his arms wasn't the worst idea she'd ever heard, but did he even want that? She didn't know how this was supposed to work. And he was right before. They needed to get some sleep. There wasn't time to wax poetic about this situation, whatever it was. It was time to rest, because tomorrow was so uncertain. They'd be lucky if they had a roof over their heads come tomorrow night.

He got up then, fumbling around for his clothes, and when he straightened again, he huffed out a breath and pulled his jeans up, tucking himself back inside before doing up the button. He looked at her then, and for a moment, she wondered if he was angry with her. Or was he angry at himself?

"You ok?" she asked, reaching out to touch his arm. He stiffened for a moment, before he raised his eyes to hers and nodded.

"Yeah. You?"

"Yeah." She managed a weak smile, and Daryl followed suit with one of his own. "Okay. Goodnight, Daryl."

"G'night." She turned and hurried out of the room, being careful and quiet as she made her way back to her sleeping bag on the floor. Minutes later, Daryl returned, sitting back down and leaning against the wall the way he'd been when Carol had left the room. She turned to face him, and though neither of them could see the other's face through the darkness, Carol was certain he was staring. Despite the uncertainty of tomorrow, Carol fell asleep with a smile.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading guys! Please let me know your thoughts. Feedback is always appreciated!