Chapter 47 - All in

Drawing her bottom lip in and out of her mouth as she stared at Daryl on the idling bike, Tahlia let out a forceful exhale.

Guess it was time to face up to the mess she'd made.

"Right, then."

Climbing up behind him, she'd barely put one arm around his waist before he kicked the bike into gear and sped towards the gates, nearly knocking her straight back off again. Tyreese was patrolling the fences and opened the gates to let them through, giving them a friendly salute.

Tahlia couldn't help herself, having her arms around Daryl again felt like too good an opportunity to miss, and, given how surly he was looking this morning, this could well be the last time he let her ride with him, so, unashamedly, she hugged him tight and snuggled in.

Nervous anticipation was flicking at Daryl now, and it wasn't helping that the only thing he could think about was her body soft and warm pressed up against his and his brain started short-circuiting all over again. Slowing the bike to a stop at the edge of the woods, his jaw was clenched in apprehension as he lowered the kickstand and Tahlia slipped easily off the back, giving her arms a quick stretch above her head. She turned to Daryl who was still perched on the bike, gripping the handlebars, staring down at the cap of the fuel tank.

"Daryl?"

His eyes snapped up to meet hers, a hard look on his face.

"Can't just go 'round kissin' people, y'know." he growled, words he hadn't meant to say in a tone harsher than he felt.

Tahlia raised her brows and let out a little huff of surprise at his statement. The time for apologies and explanations had passed. The truth was all that was left now.

"For the record, it's not people. It's just one person. Only one person I want to kiss. Only you. No one else." With a staunch look in her eye, she held his gaze for a moment before she started to turn away.

With a guttural growl at her frankness, Daryl then stood up and shot a hand out to grab her wrist, tugging her back around to him, pulling her right in against him and the bike. Intensity radiated from his cobalt eyes, and he lifted a hand under her chin, tilting her head up a little before roughly crashing his lips to hers, kissing her deeply and fervently, one hand wrapping around the back of her neck, the other spread wide on her lower back, holding her body firm against his, drawing her in. His teeth gently dragged across her lower lip as he then disentangled himself from her, pulling away and swinging himself off the other side of the bike in one move.

He had surprised himself just as much as Tahlia by doing that, but managed to keep his composure as he raised his brows in challenge.

"I need to apologise for that?" he rasped, noting Tahlia's flushed face and breathlessness with satisfaction.

She swallowed hard and shook her head dreamily. "Uh-uh." she murmured, still reeling from the intensity and unexpectedness of his act.

"Good. Let's go." Daryl headed straight into the woods without a backward glance, a smug smile on his face from giving her a taste of her own medicine.

It took Tahlia a few spacey moments to regain control of her limbs, and then she jogged after Daryl.

"Daryl!" she called, catching up to him.

His mind had been wiped clean from that kiss and he needed to buy himself a little time before he could even attempt conversation, so, he just frowned at her over his shoulder and said the only thing he could think of.

"Shh. Huntin'."

"Oh my God, you can't just-"

"Hush, girl! Ain't gonna tell y'again!" he said sternly before carrying on purposefully through the trees.

With a perplexed huff, Tahlia threw her arms up and shook her head, but followed on quietly behind, happy butterflies flitting in her belly.

Continually glancing back to check on Tahlia while keeping his expression surly enough to be sure not to invite any conversation, Daryl caught a few squirrels and a couple of hares and tried to ignore the fact that Tahlia's usual smile in her eyes had been replaced by a moderately large grin on her face, which widened every time Daryl looked at her.

Eventually he heaved a sigh. "Would ya quit it?" He nudged her as she handed him a dead squirrel, smiling away. "Quit grinnin' the whole time!"

"Nope. Sorry, but I can't." She shrugged. "You shouldn't do that to me if you don't want me to smile about it."

He flushed at that and nudged her again, this time unable to help his own shy smile in return.

"Wait!" she called, an impish look on her face as he started off through the trees again. "Does this mean that I can just go 'round kissing people now?"

He turned back to her slowly, his eyes darkening. "Not people. Only me. No one else." he growled, repeating her earlier words.

"Yeah?" Tahlia asked with a smile.

"Yeah."

Tahlia bit her lip and arched a brow. "Like... whenever I want to?"

Daryl sucked in a sharp breath at that and nodded, something soft and misty descending in his eyes.

"Yeah, girl. Whenever you want to." he said thickly.

"What if I want to do it all the time?" The smile had faded from Tahlia's face now as a lusty hue sparked in its place.

Daryl held her gaze steady, questioning for a slow second if he could really have heard those words out of her mouth, if she could really want that. But there was an untamed air about her now that made his blood pulse with primal need, and he knew he'd heard right. He gave a hard swallow.

"Guess that makes two of us."

Then, in the next moment, he was striding over to her, discarding his crossbow, pack and catch on the way. Barreling straight into her, he wrapped his arms tight around her waist, lips hungrily finding hers as he backed her into a nearby tree making her gasp against his mouth, his tongue teasing against hers only for a second before pushing further into her, strong and insistent. This was not the tender exploration of the kitchen, but something fierce and needful as weeks of longing rushed to the fore.

Looping her arms around Daryl's neck as much to keep him close as to stop herself from disappearing completely as he claimed her, Tahlia could only surrender to him. Roughly, his hands roamed her back before one dropped down to her ass, squeezing hard for a moment before moving lower to scoop under her thigh, lifting her leg and hooking it over his hip as he pressed himself against her, groaning at the slight friction. Tahlia let out a low moan as Daryl licked and nibbled a hot trail down to her neck, his scruff grazing against her sensitive skin sending wild jolts of electricity right through her body. Pushing against her harder now, Daryl gripped her tight, his fingers bruising as he sucked at her pulse point, losing himself, barely hearing her words.

"Stop. Daryl. Stop."

Then again, urgent, as she pushed against his chest, trying to force him back, away from her.

"Stop! Daryl!"

All of a sudden, he registered the insistence in her tone, and quickly released her just as she gave him a hard shove, hanging his head as guilt flooded his belly, silently berating himself for coming on so strong, for pushing too much on her too soon.

"Shit, sorry, Tahly... sorry I just..."

He snuck an apologetic glance up at her through his hair, only then noticing that she wasn't looking at him, but over his shoulder.

And she was reaching for the knife at her hip.

And finally, his brain belatedly processing the information from his senses, he noticed the rasping groans behind him that sounded much too close for comfort.

Daryl drew his knife before he'd even turned around, just in time to throw his arm up at a large walker that was lurching towards him, unbalancing it and giving him enough time to get a strong swing with his knife into its temple. As he did so, Tahlia dodged to the side and grappled with a second lunging walker before managing to wrench her arm free from its clutches and drive her blade firmly into its skull. Eyes scanning the trees wildly, Daryl spotted a third and went on the attack, dashing for it, ducking under its outstretched arm and slamming his knife through the back of its head, taking it down.

Listening intently for the sounds of more, all was now quiet, save for his heavy breathing.

"That was close!" declared Tahlia, as she wiped her blade clean and resheathed it. "Now, where were we?"

But Daryl's expression was tight as he drew a hand over his mouth and shook his head. "Naw. Shouldn't have y'out here."

"What are you talking about? We come out here all the time. This is no different. Except... I'm having a lot more fun than usual today." she said with a saucy smile.

"Is different." Daryl replied, hastily gathering up his things. "I ain't payin' attention. Too distracted. C'mon, we're goin' back."

Tahlia was about to make a joke about being a distraction, but realised that he was seriously distressed.

"Whoa, whoa, Daryl, hold on." Gently, she laid a hand on his back. "What's happening right now?"

Agitated, he turned to face her. "Me not payin' attention nearly got ya killed! Didn't even know them fuckin' walkers were there 'til ya said! Ain't havin' that, Tahly. Ain't bringin' y'out here if I can't even keep ya damn well safe! And you ain't safe with me out here right now."

Protecting her was the one goddamned thing he could actually do, and he was failing at it because he was hot for her.

Tahlia grinned. "Well, how about I keep us safe, and you just get back to what you were doing?"

"I ain't jokin' 'round, Tahly!"

"Uh, neither am I. I'm real interested in what you were doing back there."

Daryl stared at her for a moment, then let out a little surprised laugh, visibly relaxing. "Shit, girl. Only just figured out that we both wanna do that. Can't have ya chewed up by a walker just yet. Gotta get a little more of that in first."

"Any chance of a little more right now, then? You know, just in case I get bit on the way back to the bike."

"Tahly! Don't even joke 'bout that!" Daryl scolded her, a shadow passing over his face as he grew serious again. "If anythin' happened to ya, I'd... I'd..." he trailed off sadly as he gave a helpless shake of his head.

"Ok." Tahlia conceded gently, noting his grave expression. "Ok, let's go."

They started back through the trees, Tahlia unable to help the grin that had returned to her face. "Hey, so we should probably talk-"

"Tahly." Daryl turned around and held a hand up. "My concentration is completely shot right now with... with..." He waved his hand at her. "It's takin' all I got just to get us back to the bike. So can we just not say nothin' 'til we're back at the prison?" Then he added, "Promise we'll talk then. And... other stuff."

Tahlia gave a laugh at that, but then nodded and pursed her lips, pressing her thumb and forefinger together and drawing them across her mouth.

As they arrived at the Triumph, Daryl quickly fixed his crossbow to the bike, then paused for a moment, letting out a long breath before turning to Tahlia, who was waiting patiently.

"Ya good?"

Tahlia just gave a little smile, a quirk of a brow and a hitch of a shoulder, still attempting to honour his request for silence.

Knowing how hard that must be for her, Daryl's lips twitched in a smile of his own, and then he murmured, "Giiiirl." as he moved in towards her, cupping her face gently in his hands and leaning in to press his lips softly against hers.

She slipped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer, chasing his lips as he started to pull away. With a low groan, Daryl's mouth was back on hers, one hand tangling in her hair and gently tugging on a fistful, kisses quickly deepening, growing in insistence as he dragged her hard against him. Abruptly, he pulled away, a dazed look on his face and his breath hard in his chest.

"Yep. Fuck. Gotta get ya back behind them fences."

Tahlia arched a brow and drew her bottom lip slowly out from between her teeth. "And then what?" she asked huskily.

Daryl let out a choked laugh as he shook his head. "Shit, girl. Gonna be the death of us for sure. Now get on the bike. And keep your hands where I can see 'em!"

Motoring back to the prison, Rick waved a hand in greeting as he opened the gates for them, then gestured to the far side of the fence line.

"Daryl, can you come and give me and Ty a hand with those fence supports? Just trying to get a few more up."

Letting out a forceful exhale laced with irritation, Daryl chewed his lip for a second. "Yeah. Course. Lemme just park up."

He had been hoping to grab a little more time with Tahlia, but it looked like that would have to be put on hold. And to add to his annoyance, Rick waited for him to park so he couldn't even steal one quick moment with her and had to settle for a brief squeeze of her hand before they dismounted from the bike.

"Catch up later?"

Tahlia, more than happy with how the day had panned out so far, gave him a warm smile, then said quietly, "Definitely. Got some talking to do, and... other stuff."

Daryl couldn't help the little longing rumble that sounded from his chest at her words, and had to force himself to resist the urge to watch her walk away, instead focusing on heading down to the fences with Rick.

The afternoon slipped by, and Daryl ended up busy at the fences right up until dusk when the evening meal was in full swing in the courtyard. Walking in, his eyes were immediately drawn to Tahlia who was passing out plates of whatever was in the big pot to the older folk, and he felt a sudden surge of itching apprehension as the confidence he had felt in the woods when it was just the two of them quickly drained away. Grabbing a plate of food, he hovered for a bit, unsure whether he should go over to her - but she was caught up in conversation and hadn't even seen him yet, so he lost his nerve and headed straight for his usual spot back by the concrete wall.

As he ate, his gaze wandered around the courtyard.

Over by one of the fire drums, Maggie and Glenn were unashamedly cuddling into one another, heads together as they talked, conversation punctuated by small kisses. Not far from them, Tyreese was leaning against a wall facing Karen, holding both of her hands in his. And just next to that on the sofas, Selena was lying with her head in Joel's lap as he absentmindedly twirled a lock of her hair around his fingers while they chatted.

God. So much damned romance. It was making him feel antsy.

Sneaking a quick peek at Tahlia, she happened to glance up at that same time and Daryl's face nearly caught fire with the intensity of his blushing, and he quickly dropped his eyes to his boots. They had finally moved beyond friendship, but he didn't know where they had actually landed since they still hadn't had a goddamned conversation about what this new thing was. And here he was without a clue how he was supposed to act around her now. He chanced another glance at her only to see that she was still gazing at him with an amused, questioning look on her face, and Daryl ducked his head again, rubbing at his temples with a thumb and finger. Shit, he was making it so obvious. Everyone in the whole damned courtyard must be able to see what had happened between them just by looking at his face.

Jigging one leg restlessly he chewed on his lip for a contemplative moment.

Nope.

Too fucking awkward.

Jumping up, Daryl kept his eyes on the ground as he quickly strode from the courtyard out into the safety of the empty darkness beyond.

After two vigorous laps of the perimeter where the cool night air and time alone eased a little of his tension, Daryl finally headed back to his cell and flopped down onto his bed. He needed to go and find Tahlia. But she would probably still be in the courtyard, and the thought of having to put himself back in the spotlight in the company of others was a little daunting, so he stayed put.

A long while later he was still in exactly the same position, chewing on his thumbnail, when he heard a rattle on the bars.

"Daryl, can I come in?"

His stomach lurched at the sound of her voice, and he quickly sat up on his bed, crossing one leg under him. He didn't say anything, but she came in anyway, and sat at the foot of his bed, a radiant warmth in her eyes.

"Saw you run out of the courtyard earlier. You ok?"

"Fine." he mumbled, carefully inspecting the callouses on his hands.

Tahlia smiled. "Pretty confusing, huh? Crossing that line with someone. Hard to know how to act. What to do."

He glanced up at that, grateful that she had just launched straight into it. "Just ain't sure I'm gonna be any good at this." he said, apologetically.

"I don't know..." Tahlia replied with an arched brow and a knowing smirk in her eyes. "From what I've experienced so far you seem to be exceptionally good at... this."

Laughing a little, Daryl loosened up with that comment. He loved the way she could lighten any situation.

"But," Tahlia continued, serious now. "If you're having second thoughts about any of..." she gestured between them. "If you're not ready, not into it, if you want to go back to the way it was before, then that is absolutely ok. We can forget any of the bits over the last couple of days happened, and just move on. Your friendship is super important to me, and I want to keep that intact, above anything else. Nothing has to be weird or awkward. We're still just us, no matter what."

Daryl's expression quickly darkened into a frown, his defenses rising at the thought that he was in a tailspin over her, yet she might be able to forget any of this happened.

"That what you want?" he shot at her acrimoniously. "To go back?"

"Is that a serious question?" Tahlia chuckled, and Daryl gave a moody huff, dropping his gaze again.

"Daryl. God's sake, Daryl, look at me."

He glared at her.

Tahlia just smiled. "Ok. I'm gonna go out on a limb and be really straight up with you so that you know where my head's at, then you can decide what you want to do with that." She gave a quick quirk of a brow before carrying on. "I've wanted this for a while. I like you a lot. Like, a stupid amount. You are absolutely my favourite thing in this world. I mean, before, you'd probably be in line after caramel lattes, spa treatments and cheeseboards, but you'd still have easily been top 5." Tahlia grinned at him, then gave a little shrug. "We've started something and I just want to keep going. I know that it's hard for you to hear this, to believe it, but I just think you're the most incredible person, and I want you. All of you. Just the way you are. But, like I said, your friendship is more important to me than anything else, so you just tell me what you want, and whatever it is, that's ok with me."

She had that ever-present amusement dancing in her eyes, that little smile tugging at the corner of her lips and that playful lilt in her tone, but her words were spoken with such easy sincerity, that Daryl's wariness quickly morphed into incredulity as he tried to process what she'd said, everything in his head swirling down the drain at the same time.

But he held tight to a few words. Only a few were needed for this next bit.

"What I want?" he repeated hoarsely, eyes dark with intensity. "Know what I want. You, Tahly. I'm in, girl. All in."

Tahlia beamed. "Really?!"

Daryl chanced a little shy smile. "Yeah."

Then he noticed the expression on her face, and he gave her a warning look. "Don't."

"What?" she replied innocently, biting back a smile.

"Just don't. Don't make it weird."

But she was practically fizzing from trying to hold it in, and wrung her hands before tipping her head back and saying theatrically, "I can't wait to call all my friends and tell them I'm going steady with a boy who's sexy as hell!"

Dropping his face into his palms, Daryl let out a low, pained groan.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." laughed Tahlia. "Obviously I'll tell them you're a man, not a boy."

Daryl grabbed his pillow and threw it at her, but couldn't help smiling as he shook his head. "Jackass."

Then, on the back of that, Tahlia turned serious again. "But, look, there's no pressure at all. This doesn't have to look a certain way, fit into a box. No one even has to know. You want to keep it quiet? Just between us?"

Considering her question, Daryl nodded slowly. "Maybe. Yeah. Just for a little bit. If that's alright? Just 'til I get my head around bein' allowed to actually... do stuff with ya."

Tahlia's breath caught a little. "You've always been allowed to do stuff." she said huskily. "You just didn't know it 'til now. But yes, of course. We'll keep it under wraps for as long as you want. Let's just do what feels right."

Daryl smiled as he eased himself down the bed until he was sitting next to her, then reached for her hands. "Do what feels right?" he murmured as his hands slowly ran up her arms, alighting on her face and his eyes were the last to reach her there. "Feels right."

Leaning in, he gently brushed his lips against hers, then again, firmer this time, Tahlia immediately dissolving into him.

She was breathless when he finally let her go again. "Yeah. You should definitely keep doing that, then."

"Pretty damn hard to stop."

"Then don't."

"Don't tempt me. Been thinkin' 'bout this for a long time."

"You have?" asked Tahlia in surprise.

"Hell yeah."

But you said that you weren't interested in me! That you'd never see me as anything more than a friend!"

"Ain't never said that!"

"Did so! That's why I didn't throw myself at you sooner!"

"Shit, Tahly." Daryl rubbed at his jaw. "Ain't never said that. Ain't what I meant, anyway. Meant that we're friends first. Care 'bout ya." He took one of her hands in his. "Do anythin' for ya. No matter whether I ever got to do this-" Turning her arm out gently he leaned down to kiss her inner wrist, moving further up her arm and brushing two more kisses on the way then another on her shoulder, before finally reaching her lips. "-or not. Look out for ya, no matter what."

Tahlia gaped a little at him after that, taking a long moment before she had enough wits about her to speak again.

"You can't say stuff like that and expect me not to call you sweet!"

Daryl leaned in to kiss her neck. "Think I might just keep sayin' that kinda stuff, then."

"Yeah?" breathed Tahlia.

"Yeah." He pulled back a little so that he could look her in the eyes. "Coz it shuts you up for a bit."

Dropping her head back in laughter at that, Tahlia then gave him a little shove. "You really wanted to do this for a while?"

"Long fuckin' while." replied Daryl lowly as he leaned back in, but Tahlia stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"Then why the hell didn't you do it sooner?!"

Daryl frowned. "Coz I ain't never wanted to be one of them guys! Like one who's friends with ya then tries it on! And ya sure ain't never made that easy, wanderin' 'round lookin' like ya do. Underwear and all."

She laughed at his accusatory tone. "Shit, well you got a lot of lost time to make up for then, don't you?" murmured Tahlia as she pushed him to lie back on the bed and straddled him, hotly kissing his mouth before slowly trailing her lips down his neck.

Daryl groaned and dug his fingertips into her ass, pulling her down against him, unable to help grinding on her a little. He was fast losing control, hardly able to believe that the thing he'd been fantasising about for so long had finally become a reality. He coaxed her head back up to his, needing to taste her again.

"Daryl! Daryl, you're up!" came an unwelcome call from down the block.

"Shit." muttered Daryl in annoyance. "That's Sasha. Gotta go do watch." Then calling back, "On it!"

Keeping his mouth on hers, he rolled Tahlia onto her back, sliding his hand under her top and all the way up her side until his thumb grazed the edge of her breast and he circled there for a moment before reluctantly pulling back. Moving his hand to her face, he stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers for a slow second, then quickly jumped up off the bed in one sudden movement as if he'd had to trick himself into moving away from her.

For a long moment he just stood there staring at her still lying on the bed, and she raised her brows.

"You ok?"

"Mm-hmm." he grunted. "Just might need a minute 'fore I go anywhere."

"Anything I can help with?" asked Tahlia in an innocent tone as she tucked one hand behind her head and caught the tip of her other index finger between her teeth.

Daryl's expression darkened immediately. "My Gawd, Tahly." he growled lustfully. "Five fuckin' minutes with you and I'm a damn mess."

Then he knelt next to the bed and took her hand in his, kissing it gently. "Don't wanna leave, but think I'd better go 'fore I ain't got an ounce of sense left."

"Want me to come with?"

Daryl's eyes widened as he stood up to grab his jacket. "Hell no! Goddamn girl, y'ain't doin' no good for my concentration right now. You up there with me? We could get stormed by an army of fuckin' walkers and I wouldn't damn well notice."

Tahlia lay on his bed for a long while after he left, grinning until her cheeks hurt, considering whether she should just stay right there until he came back. But then she reminded herself that they had only been on the same page for a day. One damned day. And she'd better at least attempt to play it somewhat cool, despite the fact that her whole body was flaming for him.

So, with a sigh of wistful contentment, she reluctantly pushed herself up off his bed, ready to head back to her own cell.

Alone in the drafty guard tower, the heavy darkness leaning on him and only the constant snarl of the walkers outside the fences to keep him company, Daryl's mind – his own worst enemy - started to water the seeds of doubt that had permanent residence in a corner there.

Although the memory of what had just transpired in his cell was still fresh and real, Daryl couldn't help but let the vine of misgivings grow in his head.

This couldn't be happening, because good things didn't happen to him. And she was more than a good thing. She was the best thing.

It felt like he'd been given a Christmas present. A big, beautifully wrapped gift. And, turning it over in his hands, feeling its reality beneath his fingertips, he knew two things:

One – this present contained the thing he wanted more than anything else in the whole world.

Two – it wasn't really his. It had been given to him by mistake, and any moment now, it would be taken from him and gifted to its rightful recipient.

Because the irrefutable truth ingrained in the framework of his life had always been this: Dixons didn't get Christmas presents, and they sure as shit didn't get what they wanted. Ever.

And the fact that she was the thing he wanted with a needful urgency that dragged from the centre of each and every cell in his body, meant that naturally, she would never be his.

But.

There was another part of him now though, a new part, one that she had been doggedly building up since the moment he'd met her with her acceptance and praise and her unwavering, zealous belief that he was good and worthy and more. And although this part was small, it was strong and it was bright and it was casting its golden shadow over the doubt.

Because despite his propensity for pessimism, this part allowed him to believe in what they had carefully forged together; believe in what she'd just told him; believe that maybe this good thing was really happening.

And because of this, he now knew a third thing: it didn't actually matter whether this present was meant for him or not - right now, he was the one holding it, so he would take it and open it and keep it and love the hell out of it for as long as it was in his hands.

And with the knowledge of this third thing, the night didn't seem so dark anymore, nor the walkers so loud.

Daryl floated through the rest of his shift, then he dashed back to his cell, hoping like hell that Tahlia hadn't moved. When he saw his empty – but made – bed, he smiled despite his disappointment because he also saw the note she'd left on his pillow:

'My favourite thing. Looking forward to hugging it out tomorrow xx'

And just before he went to sleep, he realised that, for the first time in his life, he finally understood the sentiment underlying the saying 'feeling like a kid on Christmas morning'.

"Gonna be a hot one today." muttered Rick, as he and Tahlia carried the scrap buckets down to the pig pen. Emptying his bucket into the trough he then tugged on the collar of his shirt. "And it looks like Carl has conveniently slept in this morning! Probably stayed up late reading comics again."

"Ah, teenagers need their sleep-ins!" replied Tahlia. "We'll just leave the worst jobs for him to do later." she joked with a grin.

Rick laughed at that. "He can muck out the pig pen in the afternoon heat! Ugh. Now that would be a punishment. I'll take these buckets back up to the kitchen and bring the water container down."

"Sure thing." Tahlia sauntered over to the horses. "Morning girls!" she called to the animals as she headed around the back of the shelter to get them some fresh hay, then she jumped a little when she saw that Daryl was sitting on a crate there.

"Daryl! What are you doing 'round here?!"

"Hey." he said shyly, peeking up at her through his hair. "Came back from huntin' not long ago. Saw ya down here and figured it wouldn't be long 'til ya came to check on the horses."

"You're waiting for me?"

"Well, I ain't waitin' for Rick." chuckled Daryl as he stood up and took a step towards her, tentatively reaching his hand out for one of hers.

Tahlia laughed at that. "Phew. Worried that I might have some competition. Ooh, I hope you're here to hug it out!"

"Somethin' like that." murmured Daryl as he scooped Tahlia into his arms and backed her into the stable wall, mouth eagerly on hers as she wrapped herself tightly around him.

Daryl had never spent much time kissing anyone unless it was a direct precursor to sex, and even then, he hadn't found it overly pleasurable. So, he was surprised at how gratifying just kissing Tahlia was. He couldn't deny that yes, hell yes, he wanted more, but he also felt like he could kiss her endlessly. There was something so heady and consuming and intoxicating about it, about just being with her, he felt like he'd never be able to get enough.

But eventually, he managed to pull himself away.

There was a hazy, spaced out look on Tahlia's face and she gave a happy sigh as Daryl traced slow lines up and down her arm. "I want to go to the woods with you."

He gave a low groan. "Not yet. Gimme a couple more days to get used to this, then maybe I'll be able to focus on other shit instead of just you when we're out there."

"I want you to just focus on me." she said coquettishly, gazing up at him through her lashes.

"Damn, girl!" Daryl exclaimed with dark lust, giving her a slap on the thigh before dragging her against him once more. "It's shit like that that's keepin' us behind these fences."

Tahlia giggled and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Couple more days then."

"I'd better go 'fore Rick comes lookin' for ya. Whatcha up to for the rest of the day?"

"Got a few bits to finish here, little bit of gardening, then probably head up to the courtyard to help Carol with food prep. Nothing planned after that. You?"

Daryl shrugged. "Gonna help on the fences for a bit. Then... maybe head up with ya?"

She smiled warmly. "Sounds good. I'll come down and get you when I'm finished here."

In the courtyard at midday, Carol watched on as Daryl cooked some rabbit on the grill plates, while next to him, Tahlia chopped vegetables. There was a relaxed air about them as they talked easily and stood much too close to one another, completely oblivious to everything else around them.

She smiled a little to herself. Seemed like they'd realized that they shared the same 'damn feelin's' after all.

Just then, Rick came running in and skidded to a stop in front of the grill.

"Guys, have either of you seen Carl at all today?"

"He still hasn't surfaced?" asked Tahlia.

"He's not in his cell, and I can't find him anywhere."

Tahlia laid her knife down at the worried note in Rick's tone, and wiped her hands on the back of her pants. "I'm sure it's ok. He's probably with Elise. Look, there's Selena now." Tahlia waved at Elise's sister who had just hurried into the courtyard, scanning the area frantically. "Selena! Have you seen Carl today?"

Selena jogged over, distraught. "No! I thought Elise was with him, but I can't find her either! Or Irina! We've looked everywhere, but no one has seen them!"

"What?!" demanded Rick in panic. "You're saying they're missing?!"

Selena nodded, tears welling in her eyes. "They're gone!"