Die For You

Previously…

"Such a mouth on you, woman." He growled, hand gently but firmly gripping my throat. "If I gave you what you wanted, wouldn't be punishment, now would it?" He smirked, watching me squirm.

"Please." I whined, squeezing my eyes shut, not caring how much I sounded like a little bitch. Daryl could do things to me and make me feel like no one else could.

Daryl released my neck, "Not yet." He murmured huskily, moving up my body, "Wanna be inside ya."

Oh. Who was I to deny him that?

Chapter 12

I awoke to an empty bed. I wasn't surprised, our time in Alexandria taught me Daryl didn't sleep much. Light was just returning to the sky, guess I didn't sleep much either. I stretched and rummaged around for my jeans, bra and last night's tank top. After I dressed I checked the balcony and sure enough, Daryl was there. He stood leaning against the railing, smoking a cigarette.

"Morning," I murmured from the doorway, pausing to drink in the delicious sight before me. Eight days of captivity felt like eight years. It was so good to be free.

He straightened and turned to face me, offering me a smoke. "Morning." He answered back around his cigarette.

I accepted the smoke and after lighting me up, he leaned away, gaze returning to the woods behind the settlement. The wall was only about five yards away from the back of the house, so I could faintly hear the occasional growl of the shuffling undead below.

"Breakfast?" I suggested, resting my back against the railing, releasing a cloud of smoke.

Daryl's eyes slid sideways to look at me. "Mmmhmm." He nodded, watching me for a moment.

"What?" I scoffed, releasing another drag, crossing my arms.

"Nothin'." He murmured, flicking away his spent cigarette.

I sighed, "That look isn't just 'nothin', Daryl Dixon." I insisted before taking another drag. He just shook his head, gaze returning to the woods. I decided to just come out and say it, "Hey, you expecting things to get weird between us because I said three words and then we had mind blowing sex, twice?" I smirked, putting out my cigarette on the railing before flicking it away.

He just scoffed and looked down at me, eyes unreadable. I could tell he was at a loss for where we went next. I guess I'd have to take the lead on this one. "Well, news flash, Ace." I patted his chest lightly, sliding easily into his arms. "Things aren't weird, and they aren't gonna get weird." I pursed my lips, "You know why?"

"Why?" He murmured, clearly uncomfortable with where our morning conversation had gone.

"You're a good man, Daryl Dixon." I told him, eyes shining. He scoffed and shook his head. "You are." I insisted, my fingers gripping his chin gently to bring his eyes back to mine. "Plus, you lick another woman's pussy while you're so expertly licking mind, you'll suddenly find yourself without, ya got me?" He snorted softly, cheeks turning a little pink. "This goes both ways, Ace, a'right?" I assured him.

"A'right." He murmured, eyes watching me carefully. I knew he was still trying to keep up with all that was going on between us.

"Good." I nodded, giving his chest one last pat. "Now, let's grab some grub. Someone gave me quite a workout last night." I pulled him towards the bedroom with a wink.

Daryl blew a raspberry, "Stop." He chided, voice gruff.

I giggled and continued through the room and down the grand staircase. When we emerged from the house, Daryl fell into step beside me, arm around my back, hand resting on my hip. It was subtle, but clear enough to broadcast to those gathered that we were definitely together.

"Good Morning!" Maggie sang from her place at a picnic table. Sasha, Jesus and Enid were all with her. Enid jumped up first, practically running towards us. I opened my arms to her and held her close. As close as I was with Carl, I was even closer with Enid. She was a bit of a lone wolf, and us lone wolves had to stick together.

"Missed ya, Punk." I whispered, overwhelmed by seeing her again. I cleared my throat, "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, holding her at arm's length.

Enid smirked, her chin raising a little, "I couldn't stay in Alexandria. Seeing you stand up to Negan and return to the Sanctuary, I knew I had to do the same."

I cupped her cheek. "Awww, Punk." I sighed, "I'm not a great example of what to do. Self sacrifice rarely works out." I released her face with a playful pat.

Enid giggled, "Looks like it did this time," She wiggled her eyebrows, nodding towards Daryl.

"I got lucky." I shrugged, feeling my cheeks heat. Daryl was watching us, waiting until I was ready to join the line for food.

"Yeah, in more ways than one." Sasha teased, nodding towards the hickey on my collarbone which I quickly covered with my braid. She chuckled and pulled me in for a fierce hug. "Good to have you back, Roz."

"Good to be back, Sassy." I murmured, squeezing her a little. I'd encouraged Abraham to teach Sasha how to shoot and take her on patrols. Really she just needed guidance, she was natural.

I joined Daryl in the line for food and once we were seated, Maggie pressed a steaming mug of coffee in my hands. "Oh, thank heavens! You're a saint, Mags." I sighed. "The Saviors have coffee, it's about the only thing I thought I'd miss about the godforsaken place."

Everyone settled into a comfortable silence while we ate. Gregory sauntered up to the table where we sat. "I trust our new guests settled in alright?" He asked, "You able to get some beauty sleep, Rosalind?"

Daryl's eyes narrowed and his shoulders tensed as Gregory paid special attention to me. I squeezed his thigh. "Down boy." I muttered under my breath, releasing his leg. "Yes," I spoke to Gregory, turning on the charm. "Yes, the accommodations are lovely, thank you, Gregory."

"Ah. I'm glad." Gregory smiled, resting his hand on my shoulder, "Maybe you could join me for a drink in my study this evening?" He suggested with what he thought was a debonair eyebrow raise.

"Sure," I shrugged off his hand, looking at the surly man to my left, taking a sip from my mug. "Daryl and I would love-"

"Hold on a minute," Gregory started to turn red, "W-who's Daryl?"

Daryl cleared his throat, sliding his arm around my shoulders. I gave Gregory my best apologetic smile.

"Ah. Well," Gregory took a step back, "Maybe another time then, uh." He abruptly was walked away.

"Idiot." Sasha scoffed, taking another bite of oatmeal.

Maggie pursed her lips. "He's more than that."

"Yeah," I scoffed, "He's a fucking coward." Daryl hummed in agreement.

Maggie nodded. 'And they're more dangerous."

After breakfast I found myself with Maggie atop the guardpost, spear in hand. Daryl had wandered off toward the blacksmith mumbling something about hunting, rope and carving wood. I had a hunch he was looking to make snares since there weren't many guns beside's Rick's colt within Hilltop's walls.

"You were so brave." Maggie gushed, hand shielding her eyes from the sun.

I sighed, "Incredibly stupid is more like it, Maggs." I snorted softly. "I was in way over my head in there."

"You handled yourself just fine." Maggie sighed with an encouraging smile. "You got out didn't you?"

I bit my lip. "I had help getting us out."

Maggie smirked. "I figured." She shrugged, "You always seem to make the right connections at the right time." She sighed, "Something Glenn always admired about you, called you 'The Commander' for a reason." She winked.

I pursed my lips. I missed Glenn so much. I couldn't imagine the grief that Maggie was living with. Definitely a big reason I surrendered in the first place, I couldn't lose Daryl. "Gosh, I miss that man." I sighed.

Maggie put her arm around my shoulders, "Me too, Roz. Me too." We stood in silence for a few beats before she asked, "So, you and Daryl?" with a wicked grin on her face.

"Yeah, me and Daryl, what about it?" I shot back, ducking my head a little. As much as I wanted to be clear that we were some form of together, it was still uncomfortable to talk about. Daryl wasn't exactly romantic relationship material. I turned to scan the main yard, looking for said man. He sat cross legged on the main house porch, carving a piece of wood. Looked like my hunch was right.

"You're together, like really together, now?" Maggie questioned, getting right to the point.

"Maybe?" I sighed, "I really don't know Maggs. It's not like we're gonna settle down, buy a house, get a dog, have 2.5 kids and a white picket fence."

Maggie laughed silently, her shoulders shaking a little. "At least he doesn't seem like the type of guy to sleep around." She sighed, "Well, at least you've decided what you want."

I took a quick breath, "Meaning?" I asked, eyes scanning the horizon again for any movement.

Maggie smiled bumping shoulders with me. "I see the way you look at him." She bit her lip. "You're with him. Ride or die."

I ducked my head a little, "I guess near death experiences 'i'll do that to ya." I scoffed, trying to skirt around the seriousness.

"Boy do I know that." Maggie snorted softly. "Glenn and I sort of just happened. Then we chose to stick together rather than face this world apart."

"I couldn't leave him." I murmured, feeling tears prick the back of my eyes. I cleared my throat. "Last night, he wanted to know why I risked my life so I told him-" my voice broke and Maggie brought me in for a full hug.

"Awww, Roz." Maggie soothed, "You told him you loved him, right?" She released me, her hand remaining on my shoulder for comfort.

"Yep." I confirmed, swiping my eyes with the back of my hand.

"Didn't say it back did he?" Maggie asked, her voice quiet.

I shook my head, gaze holding on the horizon. "Thought it didn't bother me." I barked a laugh, "Hell, the words had no sooner left my mouth when he pounced."

"I see that," Maggie smirked, nodding to the bite on my collarbone. She sighed releasing my shoulder. "Give it time. He doesn't seem like the type of guy to have been in many serious relationships."

"You don't say." I quipped, sniffing a little. "Thanks, Mags." She nodded with a soft smile. "Now, why don't you go lie down or something. I'll keep watch for a few hours." I shooed her away. She didn't protest much, I could tell as much as she wanted to help, she knew taking care of herself was a priority too.

A couple of uneventful hours later, Daryl wandered towards the gate, looking like he was headed out into the woods for a bit.

"Hey, Ace." I smiled at him, switching my spear to my right hand as he came up on my left. "How's it going?"

Daryl's lips twitched like he was trying to suppress a smile.

"What?" I scoffed, feeling my cheeks heat.

"The spear," Daryl's eyes squinted a little at me. "Suits ya."

My lips twitched into a small grin. "You think any weapon suits me, Ace." I murmured, tearing my eyes from his delicious form to look back at the horizon. All clear. I glanced back at him.

Daryl smirked, his eyes telling me he found it attractive that I was well versed in weaponry, "I'm gonna go out an' set the snares." He explained why he wanted to be let out.

"Want some company?" I asked as Sasha climbed the ladder. The sun was high overhead, signaling midday shift change.

"Hey Sassy." I nodded to her, tossing her the spear.

She caught it with ease. "Hey Roz." She smiled, "Daryl." She nodded down to him.

He returned her greeting before turning back to me, "Mmmhmm." He confirmed that I could join him.

"Great." I smiled, "Let's grab some lunch and hit the trails."

"Lentil stew for lunch." Sasha informed us with a smirk.

"Mmmm." I hummed sarcastically, " My favorite." I gently touched Sasha's forearm. "I'll be back to relieve you in a few hours. I insisted that Maggs get more rest now that I'm here. I'm planning on taking her shifts for the time being."

"Sounds like a plan." Sasha nodded in agreement.

"Great, see you later." I squeezed her arm then let go to descend the ladder. Daryl stopped next to the bottom of the ladder. I reached the ground and fell into step beside him, heading towards the aroma of food.

"Fuck." I swore as my knife missed the tree completely. My time in the Sanctuary had taken its toll on keeping my skills sharp. Plus, my accuracy suffered when my emotions were out of whack. Daryl possessed the necessary expertise to set up the snares, so I was mostly present just for backup. I decided to do a little target practice while he was busy.

"Ya keep dropping your shoulder." Daryl drawled dusting off his hands.

I glanced sideways at him, rolling my right shoulder back. I took a deep breath and threw another knife, this one sliced off some bark before embedding itself in the tree behind my target. "This is ridiculous." I muttered, clenching my jaw, nails biting into my palms.

"Relax." Daryl murmured in my left ear, coming up directly behind me. I jumped a little at his sudden nearness, causing him to chuckle. Evidently I was too frustrated to hear him come up behind me. He gently gripped my left hip, pulling me backwards so my back rested snug against his chest. "Now, take a deep breath and throw." His right hand gently held my right shoulder in position as I did as he instructed. The knife stuck in the tree, just not dead center like I was known for.

"Better." Daryl drawled, lips grazing my ear, breath hot against my skin. I bit my lip to keep from moaning aloud. God dammit, I felt like a fucking teenager. Just a few touches and he had me ready and raring to go. "Again." He instructed, kneading my shoulders a little so I relaxed even more.

I glanced sideways at him, catching his eye. He smirked and nodded in encouragement. I blew out a heavy breath through my nose, rolling my shoulders back. I unsheathed a knife and Daryl stepped back. I took another deep breath, willing myself to zone out. I threw the knife and it stuck next to the previous blade on the side of the tree, closer to center. I unsheathed two more knives. I threw them in quick succession, embedding the second dead center in the tree. "Finally." I breathed, relief washing over me. All I had to do was quiet my mind and I was able to focus. "Thank you." I murmured to Daryl, turning to face him. He stood just a step behind me, arms crossed, legs spread comfortably apart. He didn't speak, he just nodded and grunted at me.

I gave him a lopsided grin before striding over to the tree and retrieving all of my knives. I wore a double shoulder holster similar to a gun holster, that secured three knives on either side of my body, under my arms, along my rib cage. I also wore a thigh holster that held six more knives. I inspected each knife before placing it back in its sheath. Just a couple needed some sharpening, the others looked still perfectly razor sharp.

The tell tale growl of a walker made my ears perk up and my heart pound. It'd been a minute since I'd killed a geek hand to hand. I stepped back from the tree, unsheathing two knives as the pair of walkers came stumbling into view. Daryl stepped forward to help me, but I waved him off. "I got 'em." Two more appeared behind the first wave of walkers. I swallowed, maybe I did need some help.

"Together." Daryl drawled, stepping forward, unsheathing the knife on his belt. I nodded and took a deep breath. We knocked elbows together and took our defensive stances.

I focused on the walkers closest to me, throwing a knife at the first one, hitting it directly in the forehead.

"Atta girl." Daryl grunted softly, charging forward to grab ahold of the second walker, stabbing it in the head with his knife.

I threw the second knife at the next walker coming towards Daryl, hitting it in the side of the head, dropping it to the forest floor. Daryl stepped over the now still walker, catching the next one and silencing it with his knife, letting it fall on top of the previous kill.

I bent down and collected my knives, wiping them clean on my pant leg before returning them to my holster. I helped Daryl drag the corpses together so when patrol went around the compound they would get picked up and disposed of. Maggie had things running pretty smoothly around here even though she was still recovering. People listened to her, respected her and I admired that.

"You gonna move that snare?" I pointed to the snare closest to the fresh corpses.

"Yeah." Daryl sighed, "Damn walkers." He growled, stomping over to untie the snare.

I chuckled and shook my head. He was definitely cute when he was frustrated. "Show me?" I offered, joining him in a crouch next to the foreign contraption.

Daryl regarded me carefully through the hair that fell into his eyes. He took a quick breath. "A'right." He murmured. He gathered up the snare then led us away from the corpses. After about five minutes he stopped and bent down to look at the ground. "What do ya see?"

I bit my lip and crouched beside him. The leaves were all swirling in one direction and dirt was showing in areas further down that gave the illusion of a small path. "Well," I cleared my throat. He'd first tried to teach me tracking when we started hunting together at the Prison. I knew enough to track a big animal like a deer or a boar, but I had a tougher time with small game. "Uh, a trail?" I guessed, biting my lip.

"Mmmhmm." Daryl confirmed. He straightened and walked beside the path, testing a few small saplings to see how strong they were. "Here." He held onto the perfect, slim trunk. I reached out and grabbed it. He left go and knelt down press the trigger into the ground. He tied the noose to the top trigger piece. After everything was assembled he laid the noose directly across the path and set the snare. "Ya bend this over and set the trigger so when a critter goes through the loop-" He tugged on the noose and the sapling snapped back upright, pulling the the noose tight around his wrist.

"Bam. Dinner is served." I quipped with a grin.

Daryl snorted softly, setting the snare again. He covered the area carefully with some leaves to disguise the rope but still maintain the path. "We'll come back tonight to check on 'em." He drawled, dusting off his palms. "Don' wan' tha walkers gettin' to 'em."

"Might have to go without me." I shrugged. "Takin' Maggie's shift." I took a quick breath. "You could always take Jesus with ya." I teased, knocking my shoulder into his gently as we walked back to the gate.

Daryl scoffed, eyes sliding sideways to meet mine. "Shady. As. Hell." He drawled as the gate opened for us. I just grinned and waved to Sasha standing guard as we went through.

I still found myself in awe of the lack of light pollution at night. You would have thought I'd be used to it by now. I lit a cigarette, relishing in the calm it brought me. I flicked my lighter closed and tucked it away before taking a long drag. I released the smoke and felt the platform shake. I peered down into the darkness trying to make out who was climbing the ladder at this hour. I relieved Sasha after having an early dinner and was supposed to stay until after midnight. I knew that hair and those shoulders anywhere.

"Hey, Ace." I murmured with an easy smile. I reached out for him and I could see the panic form in his eyes. He looked over at the other platform. Both guards were talking quietly, not paying attention to us. The balcony of the main house was empty, so there were no prying eyes at our level. I didn't care anyway. I'd found myself missing him while I stood watch. At the prison, we always kept watch together and back at Alexandria we partnered up when he wasn't away on recruitment runs. I slid my arm around his waist and tucked myself into him, both of us still facing the horizon. He gripped my right hip with his right hand, his left rested on the wall. I sighed with pleasure, resting my temple against his jaw for a moment."Any luck?" I asked, tipping my head back to look up at him.

Daryl nodded, eyes meeting mine. "Some rabbits."

I smiled softly, "Awesome." I murmured around my dwindling cigarette. "Maybe we'll get some rabbit stew for lunch tomorrow." I patted his chest, returning my gaze to the horizon. I lifted the night vision binoculars slung around my neck to my eyes for a moment just to be thorough. I looked to my right and nodded to the other two guards. Still all clear, calm and quiet.

"Quiet." Daryl mused, nodding to the outside of the wall.

"It's a little unnerving." I scoffed, letting some smoke go, "The Sanctuary feels like New York City compared to this place."

Daryl chuckled at that. I took a last drag on my cigarette before tapping it out and flicking it away. The platform began to shake again signaling someone was climbing up the ladder. A lovely young woman named Bertie stepped up onto the platform. "Hey Roz," She smiled. I untangled myself from Daryl's arms and passed the spear and binoculars to her.

"Hey Bertie." I smiled back, "This is Daryl."

Bertie's eyes softened. "Hi," she extended her hand. Daryl took it and shook it once. She cleared her throat, and bumped shoulders with me. "You two look really good together." She murmured giving me a wink. Bertie was definitely a free spirit, someone who said what she was thinking without caring what other people thought. I admired that about her until this very moment. She took a quick breath, "I mean it," She smiled, gripping my forearm affectionately. "Sexy as hell, baby." She turned to Daryl before I could stop her. "When did you two get together? Before the turn or after?"

"After." Daryl drawled, cheeks turning a twinge pink. I could tell he was more flustered than embarrassed. I shot him an apologetic look.

"Ah." Bertie sighed like all had become clear. "Lucky you did." She set the spear in the corner and crossed her arms. "Crazy woman charged right into the lion's den and saved your ass." She scoffed. "You're one lucky bastar-"

"Now, that's not exactly what happened, Bertie." I insisted, shaking my head. "We were both captured and we had help getting out. Jesus was there for backup when we escaped the compound, remember?" I reminded her, eyebrows raised.

Birdie sighed. "Alright, alright, whatever." She shrugged. "Still think you saved his ass." She winked.

"She did." Daryl drawled before descending the ladder.

I stood rooted to my position for a moment, mouth agape, my cheeks aflame.

Bertie laughed. "You two are so damn cute."

After getting Bertie up to speed on what was scheduled to happen in the next few hours, I descended the ladder and returned to the bedroom Daryl and I shared. The room was dark, save for a single candle burning by the bed. I shrugged off my knife holster, laying it on the dresser next to Rick's colt. I unstrapped my thigh holster and laid that on top. I moved further into the room and stopped short of the balcony door. It was open and I could smell cigarette smoke, telling me Daryl was probably out there. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and slipped through the door out onto the balcony.

Daryl stood resting his back against the railing, facing the doorway. Looked like he was waiting for me. "Hey, Ace." I murmured. He nodded at me. "Look, I'm sorry about Bertie." I sighed, "She gets carried away and I don't know her that well, so it's awkward to just tell her to knock it off, so…" I trailed off, joining him at the railing.

Daryl just shrugged. "'S a'right." He murmured.

I let go of the breath I was holding. "I understand if you don't want people getting the wrong idea about us." I looked up at him.

"Nothing wrong." He shook his head tossing the spent cigarette, eyes curious.

"Ace," I sighed, "She thinks we're like Maggie and Glenn were," He just blinked at me. "Together, together." I sighed again, "What I'm trying to say is I understand if you want to keep this to ourselves-"

Daryl's brow furrowed, "Ya think I'm embarrassed to be wit' ya?" He asked quietly.

My breath caught. I shook my head quickly, "No, I didn't want you to feel like you had to change just because I have feelings for you and we fuck on occasion."

"Red, that's what you think ya are to me?" Daryl scoffed, hands gripping my biceps. "Just a goddamn fuck?"

I bit my lip. "N-no. Uh, well." I swallowed. "Maybe?" I shrugged lamely, helpless under his clear blue stare. He looked incredulous, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I didn't think you wanted more than that." I murmured, my voice small. "You know, once you get bored and move on-"

"Bored?" Daryl scoffed. "Move on?" His eyebrows shot up. "Ya think I'll just use ya and leave ya?" His voice rose, anger swirling in his eyes.

"I-I'm s-sorry." I sputtered, eyes welling up. "I-I didn't think-"

"No, ya didn't." Daryl spat. I hadn't meant to make him angry. I just wanted to apologize for putting him in that situation. He sighed. "Is tha' what you was gettin' at this morning?"

I racked my brain for what I'd said to him. "I-I didn't want to scare you away," I bit my lip, "Not after I practically threw myself at you."

"Ya threw yourself at Negan, not me." Daryl scoffed. He was right, I'd practically begged Negan to let Daryl go and take me instead, almost offered to become one of his wives if it meant Daryl's freedom. I'm so glad that Daryl brought me back from the brink with his simple, 'don't be stupid' encouragements.

"I did, didn't I?" I barked a laugh, my lips flaring into a terrible grin. I took a deep breath, suddenly feeling sober again. "I thought you were going to push me away." I whispered, "I was so afraid that once you knew why I'd done it, you'd run the other way."

Daryl's eyes softened, his anger subsiding. "Not runnin'." He shook his head a little, pulling me closer. "Said I want ya, Roz." He swallowed, "All of ya." He was so close I could feel his warm breath on my face. His fingers threaded into my hair, pulling my hair free of its usual braid. I caught the elastic just before his fingers let it fall to the porch.

"Careful there, Ace." I held up the elastic between us. "These were precious before the world went to hell." I smirked, "Now, they're like gold."

"Mmmhmm." Daryl murmured, plucking the elastic from my fingers, tossing it over his shoulder into the darkness.

"Daryl Dixon!" I exclaimed, trying to push out of his arms so I could save my elastic. "Let me g-" His lips cut me off and I melted. The kiss was soft and made me forget all about my insecurities. He released my mouth and I rocked back on my heels, dragging in a deep breath. "I'm down to one hair tie, Ace." I murmured through swollen lips.

Daryl smirked and just shrugged, crossing his arms. I could tell he'd thought he'd won by tossing away my only way to secure my hair.

"I was thinking about asking Enid to cut my hair." I drawled, carefully watching his face. I sighed, "I guess I'll have no choice now..." I shrugged, biting my lip to hide my grin.

Daryl's eyes widened. "How much?"

I wrinkled my nose. "Probably shorter than yours, Ace." I ran my fingers through my hair, emphasizing the impressive length. "Maybe even as short as Maggie-"

"No." Daryl growled, turning away from me to search the balcony. By some miracle he produced the hair elastic, gripping it tightly between his fingers.

"Easy, Ace." I giggled as he grabbed my hand and shoved the piece of elastic around my wrist. "I said I was thinking about it, not that I was going to do it."

"Don't." Daryl urged, pulling me closer again. This time he palmed the back of my head, and kissed me breathless.

I drew a ragged breath. "Now, now Dixon." I murmured against his lips, pushing back on his chest a little. "Just because you can make me forget my first name when you kiss me like that doesn't mean all is forgiven."

Suddenly he hauled me up and threw me over his shoulder. I squeaked in surprise, playfully pummeling his back with my fists. "Daryl Dixon, you're gonna pay for this!"

"Am I now?" He drawled, dropping me unceremoniously down onto the bed.

"Oh yeah." I murmured as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He undid his boots and set them neatly at the foot. I sat up and reached for mine, but he sank down to his knees in front of me and took them off for me. "'m not a child, Ace." I murmured.

Daryl smirked, looking up at me through his fringe. "Definitely not." He dropped a kiss to my ankle and moved to sit back on the bed. I slid off the edge of bed and padded over to where my pajamas were. As much as I liked being ready for anything, I wasn't going to sleep in my jeans when I didn't have to. I changed quickly, flopping back down onto the bed beside Daryl. He'd shed his outer layer of clothes, leaving them in a typical heap on the floor beside the bed. He was propped up against the pillows, hands resting behind his head.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I rolled over and slid into his lap, my thighs hugging his hips. His hands left his head to grip my hips, a groan escaping his lips. I explored his chest with my hands, sliding upwards to his jaw. My fingers wound themselves into his hair as I lowered my mouth to his. I soft sigh escaped my lips as his hands slid up my back, pulling me deeper into his lap, my feet disappearing under the pillows.

"Does it bother you?" I asked suddenly against his lips.

He pulled back a little to stare up at me for a moment. "What now, Red?" He growled. I could tell he was getting impatient with all my talking instead of the action my body promised.

"Sorry," I grinned sheepishly. My brain had the worst timing. "Forget it." I shook my head a little, leaning in for another kiss.

"Ask your question, woman." Daryl murmured before I could kiss him again.

I sighed, biting my lip. "Our age gap, does it bother you?"

Daryl sighed, eyes squinting at me. "It did," His chin jutted up a little, "A' first." He looked at me for a moment. "It bother's ya, don' it?"

I shrugged. "It did," I smiled, "A' first." I echoed his response. "Really, Ace." I sighed, "Eight years isn't really-"

"Thirteen." Daryl corrected me, chin lifting a little, fingers brushing through my hair.

"Hmmm?" I squeaked. Thirteen? No wonder the man thought I was nuts when I'd first kissed him in the guard tower. I tried to quickly do the math in my head.

Daryl's gaze dropped, "I'm forty-one."

"Oh." I breathed, my twenty-eight year old brain fogging over. How the hell was this man over forty? How did I miss that? I'd always gone for older men, but this was a little different. "Hot damn." I murmured. I barked a laugh, "No wonder the women are so jealous." Daryl's breath stilled and his eyes shot back up to mine to see if I was kidding or not. "Seriously, Ace." I laughed softly. "You are sexy as hell." I bit my lip, leaning closer to him. "It's even hotter that you're over forty and you look this damn good."

"Mmmm." He mused, eyes dropping again.

"How about you just sit back and relax." I purred. "Let me show you just how desirable you are, Mr. Dixon."

Daryl smirked against my lips after making love to me. "Not bad for an old man, eh?"

I laughed softly. I loved this side of him. Sure he was ornery and moody as hell most of the time, but times like this is where I was treated to the man Daryl had blossomed into. It felt so special to be able to share this part of him. "You're incredible." I murmured back. "Did you?" I asked suggestively, pulling back to look at him.

Daryl shook his head. "Not yet," He drawled, wrapping his arms around me, pressing his lips to my ear. "Get on all fours." He nibbled my ear lobe. "I'm not done with ya yet."

Dearest Readers,

Whew! That was a loooooong chapter! #sorrynotsorry Lot's of character development, some filler, but overall a good transition to getting the gang back together. I'm so excited to get everyone back together and visit the kingdom!

I'm also toying with a flashback that shows the first time Daryl and Roz kiss. Its awkward as hell and I wasn't sure if I wanted to include it in the story. Let me know if you'd be interested in reading something like that!

Y'all are amazing. All the follows, favorites and feedback are extremely encouraging. I'd probably still write, but knowing I'm not alone makes this that much sweeter.

xoxo

Lumora The White