Stronger together

Disclaimer: They`re not mine. Not making any profit with them. Just having fun.

She`s standing in front of his room. She knows he`s inside because she saw him walk in. She`s been watching him ever since they made it back to Hilltop. Together. Carol still can`t believe Ezekiel came looking for her, all on his own, because he was worried about her. After everything she did, after the way she treated him, he was there when she needed him the most. Not pushing her in any way, just being there with her, offering comfort with just his presence. Like he`d done so many times in their marriage. He just always knew what she needed.

The relief she felt upon seeing him out there had left her speechless, shocked even. She hadn`t been able to show her gratitude back then, remaining silent almost all the way back to Hilltop. But now she is feeling the overwhelming need to see him, be alone with him for a while. She needs him to know how much she appreciates what he had done. How much he still means to her.

Taking a deep breath, Carol knocks on the door, then enters without waiting for an answer. She can see that Ezekiel is surprised to see her and it pains her. He shouldn`t be feeling that way with her, she never should have let it come that far. Glancing at the box in the closet, Carol chooses to ignore it. She isn`t here to talk about the upcoming fight.

The scarf around Ezekiel`s neck catches her attention. She noticed it before, but didn`t think much of it. Now it hits her as something unusual. She`s reaching out, peeling it away carefully, revealing what he is trying to hide from everyone. Despite his effort to downplay it, Carol knows right away what it is. Ezekiel once told her all about his father`s illness.

The realization feels like a punch in the gut. As if losing Henry and the Kingdom hadn`t been enough already, now he also had to suffer from his disease. And even worse, he had to deal with it on his own. Without her. Because she had been too absorbed by her own emotions. Her anger, her hate. Her need for revenge.

In that moment Carol makes a silent vow to herself that from now on she will be there for him. Whatever may happen tonight, she will fight with all her might. For him. For them. She can`t stop herself from touching him. She needs to connect with him, show him what she isn`t able to put into words right now.

Leaning forward she kisses him. It is meant to be innocent, but as soon as her lips meet his, she knows that she needs more. Without thinking she deepens the kiss, turning them around. Ezekiel sits down on the bed behind him, looking up at her, waiting for her next move. She climbs on his lap, her hands on his face, her mouth finding his again in another kiss. His hands come up on her back, pressing her to him.

It feels so good to be in his arms again. Even though it had been her own decision, Carol had missed Ezekiel every single day since they`d been apart. He`d been her happiness. He still is. She thought the feeling was lost to her, but she knows she`d been wrong. Hope is flaming up inside her as well as her desire for him. She lets it happen, gives up her control, gives in to her need, her love for him.

Without ever taking her mouth from his, Carol shrugs out of her jacket, then goes straight to the buttons of his shirt, opening them one by one. She pushes it down his shoulders, but gets stuck because his hands have crept under her shirt and tank top, fingering the clasp of her bra. She breaks the kiss, breathing hard, tugging impatiently at his shirt.

"Help me here."

Ezekiel lets go of her for a second, allowing her to take his shirt off. As soon as it is gone, his hands are back under her clothes, shoving everything up at once. Carol raises her arms so he can push the garments over her head, sending them flying somewhere. Grabbing his head, she resumes kissing him, pressing her breasts against his chest. His arms wrap around her waist tightly, pulling her with him as leans back on the mattress.

Carol moans into his mouth as she feels the evidence of his desire pressed against her. His hands land on her ass, helping her move against him but it`s not enough. She wriggles a hand between their bodies, but before she can open his pants, Ezekiel has them flipped over. The fire in his eyes matches her own, distracting her from her task. He starts licking his way down her body, taking his sweet time torturing her oversensitive nipples with his tongue, before going further down.

Carol lets the sensations overtake her, her hands digging into the edge of the bed above her head. When he reaches the waistband of her pants, she raises her butt so he can drag it down her legs along with her underwear. She hears her boots hitting the floor somewhere and looks up just in time to see him standing before her, sliding down the zipper of his pants. She gets up on her elbows and looking at him, slowly shakes her head.

"Let me. Please."

He crawls on the bed again, hovering over her. Carol lets her hands wander down his muscled chest and stomach, then back up again. She missed touching him. She pulls him down on top of her, her hands going around him, sliding down his back and under his pants. She shoves them down as far as she can reach, then does the rest with her feet. Thankfully he`d already gotten rid of his boots as well.

She pushes against his chest to make him lay on his back, then climbs on top of him. She loves the sight of his dreads sprawled out around his head. Smiling, she grabs his face and leans down for another deep kiss. Then she sits up again and without further hesitation slides down on him, making both of them cry out in pleasure. It`s been a while since they made love, but her body welcomes his intrusion without resistance. They always fit each other perfectly, like they were made for each other.

They start moving together, his hands gripping her waist, hers bracing herself on his chest. It`s passionate, wild, greedy. For the first time in months they allow themselves to feel alive again, to let go of the hurt and pain that numbed them. It`s not taking long for Carol to come, her nails digging into his shoulders, head thrown back in a silent scream. Her inner muscles contract violently around him, trying to take him with her, but Ezekiel refuses to let go just yet. With clenched teeth he waits for her to come down and when he feels her relaxing, rolls her beneath him, driving himself into her over and over.

Carol welcomes his attack, wrapping her arms and legs around him, spurring him on. She loves to feel his power, his strength, him. He starts sucking at her pulse point, marking her. She feels another orgasm approaching, giving in to it. It`s even more powerful than the first and this time he follows her, spilling his life into her. He manages to roll to his back, completely spent. Carol snuggles up to him, allowing herself some precious moments of pure bliss. She would love to stay like this with him forever, but she knows they can`t.

Placing a soft kiss on his shoulder, she gets up and starts getting dressed. Ezekiel tries to joke with her, but she can see the underlying seriousness. Despite just having had incredible sex, he`s insecure, almost shy. She would laugh if it wasn`t so sad. Sitting next to him on the bed, she grabs his hand, holding him close to her. She slides closer, looking directly into his eyes, cupping his cheek with her palm. She needs him to understand.

"We`re NOT going to die tonight."

He raises an eyebrow, looking skeptical.

"We`re not. I won`t allow it. I need – I need you. I love you."

A single tear slides down his face at her words and she brushes it away with her thumb. She knows there`s a million things that need to be said, but right now this is enough. Ezekiel turns his head, kissing the palm of her hand.

"I love you, too. Always have, always will."

She smiles at him, then moves to straddle him again. She needs to be as close to him as possible, hugging him tight. They start kissing again, soft, tender kisses at first, but they gradually get deeper, igniting their desire for each other again. When she feels him stir against her, Carol drags her mouth away from his, giving him a seductive smile.

"Missed me a lot?"

Ezekiel chuckles, pulling her against him.

"You have no idea how much, my Queen."

With that, he captures her lips again and starts peeling her clothes off yet again. This time, they truly make love, slow and sweet, reassuring each other of their feelings, promising to never let go again, come what may. Deep down they both know that this might be their last night, the battle ahead of them the worst they ever had to face. But they take this moment of happiness, drawing strength from each other. Their love is worth fighting for and they will until the end. Together, side by side. Because this is when they are strongest.

Epilogue

Carol wakes up in the middle of the night slightly disoriented. The new place still feels unfamiliar to her. She reaches for Ezekiel, but he`s not there. Turning her head she makes out his silhouette standing in front of the window. There`s just enough moonlight streaming in for her to see him. She gets up and wraps her arms around him from behind, silently watching the quiet scenery outside with him.

They`re at the Commonwealth, the place Maggie had left to so many years ago. She still can`t believe they really made it. They lost Hilltop that fateful night to the Whisperers, then lost Alexandria, too. Many people got killed, but somehow they managed to survive and ultimately even won, destroying Alpha and her horde. Thanks to Eugene, they got in contact with another group and it turned out that those people were connected to the Commonwealth, to Maggie. When she heard what had happened, she offered her help, inviting them to the Commonwealth. It was a long, hard way, but they made it.

They`ve been here for a couple days now, still trying to accommodate to their new surroundings. It wasn`t home, not yet, but it was a safe place with good people and Carol felt confident that they would be able to settle down here. The most important thing to her was that Ezekiel was still by her side. The trip had been hard on him, but the Commonwealth has a very good medical care and the doctors are confident that he can be healed.

"This is a good place" he says as if reading her mind.

"It is" she agrees, smiling against his back.

"Mommy?"

They both turn around as they here RJ waking up, calling for his mother. None of them knows what happened to Michonne, they lost all contact to her when she left Oceanside weeks ago. Carol and Ezekiel have been taking care of RJ and Judith since they had to flee Hilltop. Maggie had made sure they had a nice little place where they could stay with the children. The kids had their own room, but almost every night ended up sleeping in Carol and Ezekiel`s bed because they had nightmares.

Carol slips back into bed, holding RJ in her arms, trying to comfort him as best as she can. Ezekiel follows her, careful not to wake Judith. He`s reaching over to hold his wife`s hand as she rocks the little boy. When he`s sleeping again, she crawls over to her husband, snuggling up to him.

"We`ll be needing a bigger bed soon" she whispers, placing Ezekiel`s hand on the small bump of her belly. He chuckles, kissing her head.

Many lives were lost in the war with the Whisperers, but they created a new life growing inside of her, giving them hope for the future.