I'm glad you all liked that first chapter. This one gets a little more weird, but trust me! There is a point to the weirdness. There is a reason behind the things he is doing. I hope you like this one just as much! Thanks for reading and reviewing and following and such! Much love!

Vertigo

Daryl appeared in the open doorway of the shower stall, his own towel thrown over his shoulders. His bare shoulders. She had never seen him without a shirt on since the farm when she had brought him food and even then he had covered himself up quickly. Not even while they slept did he take his shirt off and as she stared at the hard lines of his neck and chest she started to wish that he would cover himself back up. The last thing she needed to do was have more of him for her imagination to work with. That would only lead to trouble.

Her eyes finally made their way up to his face. His hair was still wet and was hanging in damp strands over his forehead. She had the urge to push the damn strands out of his eyes but she stilled her hands. Him and his unspoken rules. She almost rolled her eyes.

"You alright?" He asked again, a frown forming between his eyebrows.

"Where's your shirt?" She blurted out without thinking.

He shrugged. "In my bag."

She nodded and then offered him an unsure smile. "You ready?"

He turned and went to the bag sitting on the long counter that held rows of sinks. He grabbed a shirt and slipped it on. She kept her eyes on her sock clad feet until she heard his voice once more.

"You comin'?" He called over his shoulder.

She didn't say anything but she did hurry after him.

"You know all them fuckers are gonna be talkin'. I didn't even think of that." He grumbled.

She couldn't help but smile at that. "Daryl, we share a cell. A private cell. That's where we spend a lot of our time. People have probably been talking about us for a while now."

He snorted. "I know. Even Rick can't quit askin' questions."

"What kind of questions?" She asked as they rounded the corner. Sure enough every pair of eyes still left in the room fell on them.

"Just questions. Your as nosy as he is." He mumbled as they reached the stairs.

"And what's your answer to these mysterious questions?" She teased.

He opened the door and motioned her in. He shut it loudly behind her. "I tell him the same thing I tell Merle, Tyreese, Glenn and the rest of'em. It ain't none of their goddamn business."

She snatched the bottle of lotion off the side of the sink and sat down on the bunk, yanking her socks off. "Well, all that's gonna do is make them all wonder." She glanced at him as he sat down at the head of the bunk, his back to the bricks once more.

He looked over and met her eyes briefly before looking away. "Let'em wonder then. That bunch would just think the truth was a lot weirder than if I just let'em guess."

"How is the truth weirder than if you just let them wonder?" She asked curiously.

"Cause then I'd be getting' asked why not and then all that would do is lead to even more questions. That's how."

She smiled as she started rubbing the lotion into her skin.

She suddenly felt like the room tilted a bit and then she was hit by a wave of vertigo. She squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn't paying any attention to him so she nearly cried out in shock when he grabbed her around the ankle and yanked her foot towards him. She stared on in shock as he grabbed the bottle, poured a good amount into the palm of his hand and then started rubbing it into the soles of her feet.

"Ya tell one person I did this and I swear I'll kick your ass all over this prison and then tell'em all ya made it up." he growled without looking at her.

She was stunned into silence for a few long seconds, the intense wave of dizziness all but forgotten, but then she gathered her wits and smirked. "I wont tell a soul." She groaned when his rough thumbs started working slow circles into the arch of her foot and then her aching heel. "Where in the hell did you learn how to do that? And why haven't you been doing that since the moment we met?"

She actually got a chuckle out of him. "Yeah, that woulda went over real well with Ol' Ed."

She snorted. "God, I wish he was here."

His thumbs stopped working and he looked at her sharply.

"So I could shoot his kneecaps out." She smiled.

He shook his head and moved on to her other foot. She leaned back on her elbows and tried to keep her eyes from rolling into the back of her head. She hadn't felt anything this good in... well, she hadn't ever felt anything this good before. His hands were rough and strong and he seemed to really know his way around a foot. Maybe he was one of those weird foot fetish guys. If so he could do whatever he wanted to her feet. This thought had her giggling like an idiot, causing him to look at her again.

"What?" he asked.

"Do feet turn you on, Daryl?" She asked as the giggle turned into an obnoxious laugh that she had to stifle behind her hand.

"That's it. I'm done." He growled as he shoved her feet off his lap.

She raised up and snatched the bottle from between his legs. "You want me to do you now?"

"Jesus, Carol." His face once again took on the color of a ripe tomato.

"You're feet, Daryl." She said with another laugh.

"Nope." He said as he reached over and killed the small flame on the oil lamp, throwing their cell into complete darkness. She felt him shifting around and then his legs were stretched out next to her.

She rubbed her toes together and grinned in the dark. "Please?" She was on her knees at the end of the bunk.

He laughed again. "You're gonna beg me to let ya touch my feet?"

"It feels good." She laughed. "And you just had a shower so I know they wont stink."

"My feet never stink." He countered.

She weighed her options. If she went ahead and did it anyway he would either like it or he would kick her in the head. She doubted he would kick her in the head. Despite the fact that she teased him mercilessly and generally gave him a hard time about everything, he still liked her pretty well. So she silently filled her palm, rubbed her hands together until it was warm and then quickly grabbed the foot closest to her. It was sad that she had to force him to let her make him feel good. After everything he had given her tonight this was the only thing she could give back. And it was his fault for putting the idea in her head.

"What the hell, Caro... Oh fuck."

She laughed again as she copied what he had done to her. Now he was the one groaning. She doubted much felt good to him now days. They spent most of their days in different states of uncomfortableness. Feeling anything remotely pleasurable was a rarity in this world. It made her feel good. He did a whole lot, not just for her but for everyone. He kept them fed. He worked just as hard as Rick did to keep them safe.

"You were right." He muttered. "We shoulda been doin' this shit from the start. Fuck Ed. I'd have kicked his ass if he didn't like it. Shoulda kicked his ass anyway."

"You didn't even know me, Daryl." She said quietly as she smiled in the dark. She must have hit a tender spot that had him groaning even louder until it was suddenly muffled by what she assumed to be the pillow. "If you don't keep it down then they'll all be talking even more." Her hands went still.

He must have pulled the pillow off of his face because his voice was loud and clear in the cell. Probably the whole prison. "Son of a bitch, I don't care. Don't stop now."

This got another laugh out of her and he must have put the pillow back over his face because he was muffled once again. She chuckled as she continued on, to his obvious delight. She didn't stop until her hands were actually aching.

The cell was getting colder and she rubbed her hands up and down her arms to warm them before she shuffled around on the bed until she had the blankets situated. He was still lying on his back, which wasn't something either of them could really do with two in the bed. She laid down, bringing the blankets up to her chin, her back to him. When she closed her eyes she saw a sudden and intense flash of light so she opened them quickly. It was so strange. She was seeing white spots dance around her vision as though she had actually been looking into a light. She was starting to get scared. She wasn't feeling quite herself.

She expected him to roll over until his back was pressed against her own but he surprised her once more. He was full of them tonight.

He rolled over but it wasn't his back pressed against hers. It was his chest. She didn't say a word, fearing if she did she would scare him away. It made her feel good that he was being so much more open than he ever had before. They had woken up like this before but then he had nearly landed on his ass on the floor when he jerked as far away from her he could and then stormed off grumbling about needing to get his ass back on the top bunk.

"Are you going to leave in the morning?" She whispered after she was sure he wasn't going to bolt out of the cell.

"No. I'll give him another day." His warm breath hit the back of her neck causing her to shiver involuntarily. "Ya cold?" He asked and then she felt his arm snake around her waist.

"A little." She lied. She was actually extremely warm. She could feel the heat radiating off of her face. Why was he choosing now to start acting so open towards her? She was pretty sure that he could hear her heart pounding much too fast in the small space. Then he would realize that she was a complete moron and then he would definitely get back up to the top bunk.

"Ya want me to move?"

Without thinking she covered the hand that was pressed against her stomach with her own and then shook her head. "No." She said a little too quickly.

"Then ya might wanna think about relaxin'." He whispered.

She realized her mistake then. It felt like every muscle in her body was tensed. She forced herself to calm down. They had been sleeping in the same bed for a while now. There was no reason to start reacting this way to him now. She kept her hand over his and then she let herself relax against him. It felt good. Better than good. She didn't think she remembered ever feeling as safe as she did with his arm around her like that. She still wasn't sure she would ever be able to actually go to sleep but she eventually felt her eyelids grow heavy as the steady rhythm of his heart beat strong and even against her back.

She was in a room that she didn't recognize. Darkness pressed against the windows. She was lying in a strange bed in a strange room. It was eerily silent. There wasn't even the white noise associated with every silence. This was simply stone cold stillness. That stillness was broken by the one thing that could shatter her heart.

"Mom."

Sophia.

Carol blinked and then suddenly her daughter's face was there. Looking over hers, looking down worriedly. Her eyes were red rimmed and afraid.

"I need you." The little girl whispered.

This was different than other dreams that she had had of her daughter. The desperation in her little girl's voice had Carol feeling like she would surely die from the pain it caused her. In all of her other dreams Sophia had seemed happy, wherever she was. She always smiled and waved. It hurt to see her, knowing that she'd never hold her again but it didn't hurt like this did. This was pain so intense she thought she would surely be sick.

She wanted to reach up and touch her daughter's face. Never before had she been so close to her in these dreams. She could see each individual freckle that was on her face. She could see the tears glistening in her eyes.

She wanted to wake up. Before she had always hated waking up and missing out on seeing Sophia but the look on the girl's face and the sound of her voice were killing her. Ripping her heart to shreds. She forced her eyes closed and willed herself to wake up.

She yanked herself away from the dream with a sob. She shuddered as the pain came to the waking world with her. She put her hand over her mouth but it was too late. She had woken him up.

"Carol?" He whispered, his voice full of sleep and concern. He pulled her shoulder until she was on her back, his face was looming over hers somewhere in the pitch blackness of the cell.

Her hand was still over her mouth but the small broken sounds weren't easily stifled. Her stomach ached. Her chest ached. Every beat of her pounding heart sent more pain racing through her bloodstream. She had never dreamed of the girl like that.

"Hey..." She felt his fingers tug the hand away from her mouth. "Sophia?"

She nodded, knowing her voice would be a mess if she tried to speak. She'd woken up hurting before after dreaming of Sophia but never like this. She was sorry that she had woken him up but she was eternally grateful he was there. His fingers were brushing tears away before she could do it herself. She was so much stronger than she had been and she was almost embarrassed at him witnessing her breaking down like this.

"I'm sorry." He whispered from somewhere above her. He was close, she knew that much and it was enough to make her feel a little bit better, less alone in her anguish although her heart was still hammering painfully behind her rib cage and her breathing had her chest heaving with every agonizing intake of air into her lungs. He cupped the side of her face in one large hand, his thumb wiping away tears that were instantly replaced by fresh ones.

He eased himself back down next to her but kept his hand on her face for a few more minutes. She was starting to calm down. Her breathing was returning to normal and the tears stopped flowing. Her chest still ached, her stomach hurt. She felt dizzy disoriented again and she wished she knew what was happening to her. She was starting to feel detached, like she was walking that line between sleep and consciousness. He must have felt her calming down because he moved his hand away. She missed it instantly. That hand let her know that she wasn't alone. It was like an anchor, keeping her there.

She was about to roll back over to face the wall, to ignore the pain and try to let him sleep but a strong hand came out of the darkness and tugged her arm until she was facing him. This was really breaking the rules. God he must have felt so sorry for her. He let go of her arm after he guided it around his neck and then, unbelievably, he had his arm around her waist again and pulled her a little closer.

She wasn't sure what to do with her hands, since their bodies were pressed together like they were, so she kept her arm around his neck, since that was a safe place. He was the one that had put it there.

"Do ya wanna talk about it?" He whispered after she settled herself against him once more.

She shook her head. "I want to forget it." She moved her hand up until her fingers were gliding under his hair. Why not? He was the one breaking all of his own unspoken rules.

"Ya can't forget it." He whispered as his fingers traced hesitantly over her lower back.

She nodded. "I know."

"This was suppose to be a good night." He sighed, muddling her already muddled thoughts even more.

"It was a good night." She whispered and then dared thread her fingers through his hair. It felt like silk. She felt the pain in her chest lesson, her aching stomach relaxed a little. His fingers were tracing a figure eight over her shirt, less hesitant than before. "You came back. I'm clean. And you even let me touch your feet. That's a real honor, Daryl. Don't sell yourself short."

His quiet laugh washed over her face like a healing salve. "I really am that bad, ain't I? Cause I didn't let ya do a damn thing. You forced yourself on me. I was a victim here."

He was probably blushing. She could almost feel the heat coming off of his face. He was making himself uncomfortable to make her feel better and she didn't think she had ever loved him more than she loved him right now. "You liked it."

"You sound like a rapist. I'm sure they say shit like that too to make themselves feel better."

She couldn't believe he said that. "You're ridiculous." She muttered but she was smiling. It felt good to smile. The image of Sophia was still vivid in her mind, unlike any dream she had ever had, but as long as he was talking she could at least focus on that instead of the pain. And as long as he kept touching her she figured that it wouldn't take long for her to feel whole again. She was almost embarrassed at how much she depended on him.

"No I ain't." He whispered.

"Thank you." She said quietly, hoping he would know how much she meant it.

He didn't say anything right away but his fingers fumbled awkwardly at the hem of her shirt, seeming unsure until he took a deep breath and then she felt just the very tips of his rough fingers on the skin of her lower back, barely touching her but sending goosebumps in their wake.

"What for?" He breathed. She could have sworn that his face was closer to hers but she was preoccupied with the feel of his fingers actually brushing against her bare flesh.

"For everything. For just being you. For being here." She swallowed hard, feeling almost silly for the words that tumbled out of her mouth but knowing that they needed to be said. "I think sometimes you're the only thing that keeps me from losing my mind. I'm not sure if you understand how much you mean to me. Especially now. Now that it seems like its just you and me."

She waited for him to scoff at her clumsy words but he never did. Instead he placed his forehead against hers and then moved his hand further up the back of her shirt.

"You and me, huh?"

She raked her nails against his scalp and nodded. There was something about the way he said those words that sent a slow burn through her veins.

"Carol..." His voice was barely there as his hand rode up her back, hitching up her shirt in the front and exposing more skin. She was surprised to feel that his flesh met hers instead of the worn material of his own shirt.

"Yeah?" She brought her hand down out of his hair and followed the line of his neck down to his shoulders. They were bare.

"They say it's almost time." He breathed. "But I can't let go..."

She frowned in the dark. It was the same thing that Maggie had said earlier. Why did those words fill her with a cold dread?

"I don't underst..." He didn't let her finish his sentence.

"Will you go with me? Day after tomorrow. We can leave out at dawn." He said quickly, pressing his hand flat against her back, pressing her even closer to him.

"What?" He had never asked her to go with him before. Not on runs or hunting trips. Never. He always wanted her behind the walls of the prison. She didn't understand.

He blew out a frustrated breath, like she was slow or something and he hated taking the time to explain things to her. Like she should already understand what he meant.

"Just you and me. You've done let go of everybody else." He said eagerly. "Leave with me."

"Daryl, what do you mean I've already let go of everyone else?" She asked as she let her hand slide down his shoulder to the top of his arm.

"Will you leave with me?" He asked without answering her question.

She wasn't sure what was happening. Today was turning into something that felt more like a dream than reality. Was he asking her to leave the prison and not come back? Could she do that? She thought about Rick, Carl, Maggie and Beth. Hershel and Glenn. Judith. Could she leave them? Was that even what he was asking?

His hand stopped moving over her skin and flattened against her spine again as his knee pushed itself between her legs. He pulled her against him until there was barely enough room to even breath anymore.

"Please..." He said the word so low that she wouldn't have ever known if he had really said it if she hadn't felt the soft exhale that followed it against her lips.

"We aren't coming back, are we?" She knew how sad she sounded but the thought of him leaving without her or staying only because she wouldn't leave herself was something that she couldn't even fathom. The words that she had said to him earlier were still true. It was just the two of them. Everyone else in her group had moved on. They were making a life for themselves that was separate from the two of them. She still loved them. They were still her family. But he was more. He had always been more.

He shook his head against hers. "We ain't comin' back."

She felt her eyes fill with tears once more.

"Everything'll be alright." he whispered again but she heard pain in his own voice. Raw and real and then she felt his lips on hers, hesitant and unsure, just like the hand on her back had been.

She was stunned into stillness for a few seconds but then she parted her lips and kissed him back. His lips moved over hers desperately slow, his tongue sliding against hers lazily. When he finally broke away from her he barely moved his head away at all.

"You're sure?" he asked, his hand once more moving across her back.

"I'm sure." She nodded right before he kissed her briefly one more time.

"Go to sleep Carol." he whispered.

She nodded and then wrapped her arm around his neck. She fell asleep much faster than she thought she would. She still felt safe, despite the dream he had been unable to keep at bay. There wasn't anywhere else she wanted to be. As long as she was with him she would be okay. He would make it okay.