This should have been the last chapter. I honestly don't know what the hell I'm doing with this story anymore so I'm just gonna free style and see where it ends up. All I can do is ruin it, right? Lol Anyway, so, a few more chapters, one more chapter, ten more chapters. I have no idea. Hope you enjoy it regardless of where it goes. Have a good weekend and thanks for reading!

Chapter Five

She turned to face him once she was waist deep and was startled to see how close he was. He had shed his shirt but she forced her eyes to stay trained on his face. He was smirking at her as she backed away, an amused gleam in his eye that she didn't trust one bit.

"What?" she asked, wading backwards until the water was lapping just below her chest.

"Nothin'," he said, but he kept his proximity close, not letting her get out of arms reach.

She opened her mouth to say something else but closed it quickly when she took one more step back and realized that there was nothing under her feet. She went under, panic clawing at her throat but before she could even make one fruitless attempt to get back to the surface a pair of hands gripped her waist and lifted her out of the water.

She sputtered, blinking water out of her eyes and even though she knew she wasn't drowning, that panic still had her heart in a vice. She scrambled and gasped, her hands gripping the first thing they came into contact with, which happened to be a pair of broad shoulders and she used them for leverage to haul herself up even further.

"Shit, I forgot you said you couldn't swim," he said as she struggled to hang onto him, needing to get her body out of the water as much as she could. Her arms were all the way around his neck now and she glared at him hard.

"That was a horrible thing to do!" she spat, letting go of him with one arm just long enough to swipe water from her face. "You almost let me drown!

His eyes widened. "I got you right out!" he was still gripping her waist under the water but she wasn't even thinking about that at the moment.

"You should have warned me I was about to step off a damn ledge! I know you knew it was there!"

He snorted and to her great horror he took a step right towards the drop off and he still had a hold of her.

"What are you doing!" she almost yelled, holding onto him even tighter. To her absolute horror he stepped right off the edge, hauling her up as he did so. Instinct had her wrapping her legs around him. It took her a few long second to realize that, though water was now up to his neck, he was simply standing there, waiting for her to calm down.

"You okay now, spazz?" he asked, raising one eyebrow at her.

She wanted to slap him for scaring her like that. She tried to push away from him but he wrapped an arm around her and held her still.

"About three feet away and it drops off again, except you'll actually be over your head instead of just thinkin' you are. Might as well stick with me." He wasn't even trying to hide the grin.

She glared. "That was mean."

"I'm sorry," he said but the slight upturn of his lips told her that he wasn't very sorry at all.

"Sure you are," she grumbled, glancing around to see who got a good look at her panicking like an idiot in water that wasn't even over her head. She was lucky because they were far enough away not to draw any attention from the others.

"You outta know by now that I wouldn't let nothin' happen to you. You're just dramatic."

It took her a second to calm her pounding heart but then she looked up, meeting his eyes and realized that she was completely wrapped around him, the warmth from his stomach pressing against hers driving the chill of the water away. His arms were around her and she was finally able to process the feel of his fingers barely tracing patterns into the bare skin of her back. She had never been in a situation like this before in her life and she couldn't escape and she couldn't hide from the intense feelings that were suddenly consuming her.

"You ready to do it?" he asked, searching her eyes.

Her jaw dropped. Sure they had loosely agreed to officially start dating and she was currently clinging to him like her life depended on it but she sure as hell wasn't ready to just... "Do it?"

He nodded. "Learn how to swim?"

"Right! Swim."

His brows came down in a frown. "What'd you..." His expression cleared and he grinned again.

"What?" she asked, wishing she knew how to swim already so she could go ahead and slink away.

"Where the hell did your head go, pervert?" he asked still grinning at her.

"Shut your mouth, Dixon. I wasn't thinking about that."

"Sure you wasn't."

"I wasn't," she grumbled, struggling to untangle her legs from around his waist. It wasn't easy since he suddenly had both arms wrapped around her, holding her steady. She gave up and glared at him, her face flaming.

"What I meant was, you wanna learn how to swim now?" he asked, trying and failing, to look innocent.

Actually, there were other lessons she was sure he could have given her that would be a lot more interesting than learning to swim but she wasn't about to say anything like that. Instead she shrugged, ducking her head to hide the blush on her face as she reluctantly unwound her legs from around his waist.

~H~

He hadn't been ready to let her go but had known that it was the smart thing to do. It wasn't like he could have spent the whole afternoon with her wrapped around him like that and if they had spent it like that, they could have gotten a lot more done in his bedroom rather than out here in front of God and everyone else.

Not that he planned on doing any shit like that. Well... not unless she actually brought it up, which he knew she wouldn't. Besides, neither one of them had ever actually done anything like that before so there was no reason in trying to speed things up.

The next couple of hours were spent being productive and having as much fun as they could despite the fact that Merle's crowd wasn't far away and they were subjected to witnesses some of them get drunk and act even more stupid than they usually did.

"I think I got it," she said, paddling up next to him where he waited in the deeper water.

"You got the doggy paddling down to a science," he grinned at her.

She shot him a severe look. They had been at it for hours and hours and she was kind of a natural after she stopped doubting herself and assuming he was going to let her die. She relaxed, bringing up her legs and floated on her back in front of him for a few long moments. He was completely distracted by the view so when she kicked water into his face he was caught off guard.

Of guard or not, he was a lot faster than her and he had been swimming here since he had been a kid. He glared at her and dove under as she backstroked away. He swam under her and then turned, pushing himself up from the bottom, rushing towards her. When his arms went around her she screamed and tried to pull away but he had her from behind, dragging her towards the shallow end in case she really did panic and end up drowning them both.

"I'm sorry! I swear," she panted, giving up the fight and leaning her back heavily into his chest once they had their feet on semi solid ground.

He needed to keep his hands to himself and he knew it but damn it was hard to do that when there were so many opportunities in front of him. She turned in his arms once his feet were on the bottom and grinned up at him, her arms winding around his neck again. She was a far cry from the girl he had talked into coming with him weeks ago. She probably didn't see it, but he sure as hell did.

For the first time in his life he thought that maybe, he was actually good for someone. Every small change she had made had been for the better and he took a little pride in knowing that he'd helped her get there, and was still helping her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, the smile on her face still bright.

He cleared his throat and looked down at her lips before he shrugged. "Have you noticed we're the only ones left in the water?"

She peered over his shoulder to where the crowd had all gathered around a low fire. The music was still loud and so were their voices. She met his eyes, searching for something but he had no idea what. "Do you want to go over there?"

He felt his brows try to crawl into his hairline. That was unexpected. "What, you wanna go over there and socialize with a bunch of half drunk idiots?" Surely she didn't really want to go over there and join the others. She probably just assumed he wanted to.

She looked past him again. "I told you that I have to try to get over it. Can't hide forever."

He didn't exactly want to go hang out with the others. He was perfectly fine with just hanging out with her, especially like this, but if she wanted to push her boundaries then who the hell was he to hold her back. "Let's go then," he said, letting go of her and trudging towards the bank.

They both slipped their shirts over their heads but she shoved her jeans back into her bag after toweling her hair off. He didn't comment on her lack of pants since her shirt covered everything anyway. Her steps didn't waver as they made their way towards the crowd of rowdy people hanging out by the fire.

"Well look who decided to join the rest of us," Merle said with a grin before chugging what was probably his tenth beer.

Daryl snorted, his eyes roaming over the rest of them. There were a few coolers scattered about and he wondered if they had brought anything to drink that wasn't alcoholic. He had to take Carol home eventually and the sun was already starting to set. He lucked out and found a bottle of water at the bottom of the cooler and offered it to Carol first. He looked up when she didn't take it and was surprised to find the spot next to him empty. He straightened up, his eyes darting around until they finally landed on her. He felt his eyes widen.

Merle had her tucked into his side, his arm draped over his shoulders as he chatted with a few of the other guys. Carol didn't exactly look comfortable but she at least smiled and spoke when one of them spoke directly to her. She was the one that wanted to try to force herself out of her comfort zones so who was he to try to coddle her?

He unscrewed the water and took a few long drinks.

He was about to make his way over there when Joe's voice suddenly had him looking over. "So, you gonna tell me how you ended up hanging out with Carol of all people? I mean, if you needed hooked up I know a lot of chicks I could hook you up with."

His hand tightened around the bottle and he forced himself to keep his anger in check. Joe was treading dangerous ground but one of the other guy's biggest problems was, he was stone cold stupid. "I ain't hookin' up with her. And if you'd stop bein' a judgmental piece of shit you'd see that she was a better goddamn person than you'll ever be. Keep your damn mouth shut about her, Joe. Cause if you don't, I'm gonna break your goddamn jaw." There, that wasn't so bad. He'd at least warned him. That was more than he would usually give.

Joe glared. "If you wanna waste your time on some nerd bitch, have at it. I was just tryin' to- Ooomph..."

Daryl hit him hard in the stomach and Joe doubled over, the air rushing out of him painfully. He walked away, leaving Joe there to fight to get his breath back, knowing that the guy wasn't stupid enough to try to come after him from behind, and wouldn't even be capable for a while. Carol looked up and then nodded towards the beer in her hand.

"He forced me," she said, the look on her face turning sheepish.

Merle flashed him a toothy grin and winked. "They're more pliable when they're drunk, little brother. Remember that."

Carol flushed, her eyes going wide and Daryl decided then that it was time to get her the hell out of here. He grabbed her free hand and pulled her out from under Merle's heavy arm.

"Thanks for the heads up, Merle," he said dryly.

"Any time," Merle tipped his beer towards them and then turned his attention to a new girl that took Carol's place under his arm.

"My God," Daryl grumbled, tugging her towards the path.

"Why are we leaving?" she asked once the noise of the crowd were behind them. The trees closed in on them once more, bringing a chill to the air. He was ready to get out of his wet clothes.

"Because just cause you feel like being social don't mean I do," he muttered. "And Joe pissed me off."

She made a face and then took a sip of beer, which caused her to make another face. He repressed a smile. "I don't know why he hates me so much."

Daryl shrugged. "He don't. He just likes making people feel like shit. You ain't the only person either so don't feel special."

She was quiet for a while and then she finally shrugged. "It's his loss, right? I'm pretty great once a person gets to know me. You can't go one whole day without seeing me, so..."

He laughed at that, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "Yeah, gettin' a little full of yourself there, girl."

Once they made it to the house she didn't hesitate before she walked down the hall and straight into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. She tossed her jeans onto the foot of the bed and then plopped down gracelessly, falling to her back and staring up at the ceiling.

"Well," he muttered, dropping down right next to her. "What now? You learned how to swim and you were at least a little bit social. You wanna call it a day?"

She raised up on her elbows and looked down at him, her brow furrowed. "I don't want you losing friendships over me, Daryl. I know you say that you never really liked Joe to begin with, but you don't do anything with anyone at all anymore. I know there were other people that you liked spending time with."

He stared at her for a few long moments before he raised up himself. "If I wanted to hang out with someone else then I'd just drag you with me," he said, wondering where she was going with this.

"Well, I don't want you thinking that I'd ever try to keep you from doing what you want," she said, dropping back down. "Because I never would."

He swallowed, rolling slightly so he was able to look down at her. His pulse kicked up a few notches as his head spun with an idea. Surely it was a stupid idea. She would never go for it, right? "So, whatever I wanna do, I can do, and you're fine with that?"

She met his eyes and nodded. "Of course I am. Even if we do try this whole... dating thing... you're still you and I'm still me and we're both allowed to do what we want, right? I mean, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't mess around with other girls but I think that's just one of those unspoken rules. I guess if you wanted to do that then I wouldn't even be here right now because you never would have asked me to come to that party with you and..." she took a deep breath, her rambling words fading off as she studied his face. Her eyes widened. "Are you about kiss me?" she blurted suddenly, her face flaming.

He nodded, praying he didn't suck at it.

Her gaze slid to his mouth and she almost looked like she was trying to press the back of her head through her mattress. "I've never done that before," she whispered.

He'd already guessed as much. "Me neither."

"You're lying."

He shook his head.

"Okay, no pressure then," she said, swallowing hard.

He grinned at that and it made it easier to actually lean in and do it, since he'd been wanting to do it for a long time now. He probably would have been nervous too but he wasn't. This was Carol and that made things different. He didn't have to worry about anything with her. Not like he did with other people. There were no shows he had to put on. She liked him for him, period. She didn't expect him to be anyone other than who he was.

He felt her warm hand on the side of his face seconds before he bumped her nose with his. His eyes snapped open and he pulled back slightly, embarrassed that he didn't even have the skill to properly get this started. She smiled, seeming to relax since he basically just proved to her that he had no secret tricks he'd learned over the years. It was pretty clear now that he didn't know what the fuck he was doing.

She raised up on her elbows again, snaked her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him forward, his awkward attempt apparently giving her a little courage to make this happen herself. Her lips met his, chaste and hesitant but still his heart just about leaped out of his chest. The hand that wasn't now buried in his hair slid up his side, which was exposed from the gaping hole in his shirt where the sleeve had been. Her hand on his skin is what did it. He had no idea what good kissing protocol was but instinct had him pulling her bottom lip with his teeth and even though it was gentle, she gasped, dropping back down. He followed, though, unwilling to break the kiss just yet. As a matter of fact, he had a lot to learn and they were just getting started.

Her lips parted on a sigh and he felt the tip of her tongue trace the seam of his mouth. He steeled himself for his next move, his own tongue sliding along hers. After that things became a bit of a blur. Somehow, without him even realizing it, they had moved further onto the bed and he was no longer wearing a shirt at all.

"You're getting me wet," she breathed when his mouth left hers to explore the hollow between her collar bones.

He raised up, his heart hammering, unable to believe she'd just said that. And he had no idea what to do with it, either. Was she actually willing to do it? He was Merle's brother after all, spending half of his life getting pointers so he wasn't really worried about messing it up but this was moving damn fast. "What?" he manged to choke out, anticipation and a small measure of nervousness causing him to to almost stutter.

"Wet. Your pants are still wet," she said, staring up at him with wide eyes and lips slightly swollen. The flush on her face caused her skin to almost glow in the dim lamplight.

He realized then that she wasn't exactly talking about his sexual prowess. He was still wearing his soaking wet cut offs and she must have just now realized it. "Oh, right," he managed, rolling away from her and sitting up, snatching his pillow in the process.

She sat up with him, blowing out a heavy breath. "I didn't mean for you to stop."

He raised an eyebrow at her and then stared down at the pillow covering his lap. "Probably time to stop anyhow. I need to change pants."

She smiled at that and he was surprised to see that it was a shy one. "Don't you need to actually get up and find something to change into?"

He flushed. "In a minute."

She shrugged and slid off his bed, snatching her jeans up. "Well I guess these bottoms are as dry as they can be," she said, sliding the jeans up her legs. He watched, sad to see her legs covered up after getting to spend a whole day with them. "What are you grinning at?" she asked.

He shook his head and finally stood up. The sound of voices coming from the living room had him glancing at the door and sighing heavily. "Looks like Merle brought the party here. You wanna go to your place?"

She chewed her lip and his eyes followed the slow drag of her teeth. "Jenny's working the third shift tonight."

He held her gaze for a few long moments, feeling slightly guilty because the first thought that popped into his head is that they would have all night to finish what they started here. He shook the thought because he knew her, and he knew himself, better than that. "You want me to stay?" he asked.

She nodded and looked away. "Yes, I do, but we can't..."

He grinned. "I already know."

She laughed, the sound breathy and almost nervous. "Just making sure."