Author's Note: Thank you for being so enthusiastic about these short stories. Gossip was fun to write. I am definitely filling prompts so let me know what you'd like to see. This one is for TheRealSonia, who wanted to see Carol try to use her feminine wiles to drive Daryl crazy. I put a little spin on it to include some girl bonding with our favorite katana wielding woman. I tried to be smutty but I kept it a little more sweet this time. My next prompt will be smutty so let me know what you want to see!
Thanks for reading and let me know if you like it! It's a long one! Happy new year, my fellow Carylers! This year's our year!
XOXO Pamela
4. One for the Team
"MOTHERFUCKER!" The curse reverberated in the courtyard and a chorus of heads shot up to see who was having such a fit. Carol grimaced inwardly because she knew exactly who was so pissed but she had no intention of going to settle him down. She calmly continued snapping the pole beans she had piled up in front of her at the group's makeshift outdoor kitchen. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a flurry of movement and then a furious Daryl Dixon stomped right by, glaring at her before dramatically flinging the door to the cell block open so he could go inside. She rolled her eyes and concentrated on her task at hand. She hadn't spoken to Daryl in a week and she didn't plan to start now.
A shadow blocked the light and she looked up. "You care to let me in on what the hell is wrong with that man? He's been acting like a complete jackass for days." Michonne's no nonsense tone put Carol on the defensive.
"Michonne, I'm as baffled as you are. I don't see why you're asking me about what goes on in Daryl Dixon's head, you seem to spend a heck of a lot more time with him than I do." She wanted to bite her own tongue off for how petty that sounded. She tried to soften her retort. "What I mean is, it's been a long time since he and I really shared confidences. Things are different now with all the new additions."
Michonne nodded in agreement. "Things have been a lot more hectic with all the new people. Puts a lot of strain of those of us that carry the load. You seem to be swamped with the kitchen duties. Do you have enough help? You're gone first thing in the morning and there's nights I go to bed and you're still nowhere near the cell block."
Carol sighed and chucked the beans she had in her hand down into the bowl. "I'm worn out. Sure, there's help but even with me and the rest of the council trying to organize things, it just seems we end up with organized chaos." She lowered her voice so the nosy people still milling around wouldn't hear her. "Daryl and I got into it last week. He asked me to go on a run with him. I said yes but at the last minute I had to cancel because we got that new group from Decatur in. When I told him I had to cancel, well, let's just say things were said that can't be unsaid. I spent fifteen years of my life being bossed around and yelled at by a man. I put a pick axe in his brain. Right now I'm wishing I still had that pick axe."
Michonne barked out a laugh. "I think many of us have been imaging impaling Daryl with sharp objects these past few days." She gave Carol an apprising look. "He's riled up because you guys had a fight. Anytime someone mentions you he runs the other way but I catch him giving you the hairy eyeball at every opportunity. He's all out of sorts. You need to fuck him."
Carol's gasped so hard she started choking. Her face flamed bright red and she fanned her hands to calm herself down. Michonne sat there, stone faced, waiting for Carol to get ahold of herself. When Carol finally got herself under control, she glared at her companion. "Are you insane? How is screwing Daryl going to help repair our friendship? He acted like a complete asshole! Jesus, Michonne, why don't you go screw him yourself if you think it'll help?"
"I thought about it," she said flatly and Carol raised her eyebrows at her, "but I'm not the one who has him all twisted. That lucky lady is you. Even if I walked up to him naked and covered in baby oil he'd look around me to see where you were. Every single woman here might as well not exist in his world. You're going to have to take one for the team." She smiled smugly.
"I certainly do not have to take one for the team. You can't just pimp me out because you think it'll soothe the savage beast. How am I supposed to perform this grand seduction anyways? He and I can't even be in the same room together. How am I supposed to suddenly have to power to lure him into bed?" Carol couldn't believe she was actually entertaining the thought. Well, of course she could believe it. She had lusted after that man since Hershel's farm. She wasn't sure when the lust turned to love, but love was what she felt for him. The cruel words he barked at her last week cut her to the core and broke her heart.
Michonne stood up and walked over to where Carol was seated. "Well for starters," she said as she put both hands on Carol's breasts and gave them a good squeeze, "we put these puppies to work. Lose a layer, get a bra with underwire and let the girls work their magic."
"Michonne, stop grabbing my boobs in public! This is not going to happen. Why can't I just talk to him?" She pointedly looked at her breasts being cradled by her friend's hands.
Michonne shrugged and let go of her. "Well, if you want me to be the only one that touches those fabulous tits for the rest of your life, then just go talk to him." She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that will work out fantastically. Look, you had boyfriends. A husband. Use your feminine wiles. You still have them, even in this hellhole. Just make him want you so bad he feels like he's climbing the walls. Hell, he's halfway there. I bet you he'll be on you like a cheap suit by tomorrow night."
"A bet?" Carol said, intrigued. "If I can do this," she waved her hand noncommittally, "you get my kitchen duty for a week." Michonne scowled and Carol continued. "Don't you think a happy, calm, quiet Daryl is worth it?" She held her hand out to her. "Deal?" Michonne's hand reached out and shook her own. It was on.
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
As soon as Carol walked away from Michonne and back into the cell block, she was regretting her decision. This was insane. A woman her age, trying to seduce the man who has never shown one ounce of interest in her sexually. Well, he was like that with every woman here but no one was as close to him as she was. She walked to her cell and pulled the curtain shut. She opened up the small, intricately hand carved armoire Daryl had gifted her for their unofficial Christmas. Inside was all of her worldly possessions, including a lacy lingerie set Maggie had shoved into her hand one day after a run. When Carol had questioned her about it, Maggie simply said she was a hopeless romantic and she knew one day Carol would put it to good use. The delicate matching black set might has well been in a glass case with a sign that said to break it in case of an emergency. Carol figured this predicament constituted an emergency. She was freshly showered, so she slipped out her clothes and put on the bra and panties. The panties were tiny bikinis, she was never a fan of thongs and marveled at how the lingerie enhanced her body. She was still firm in all the right places and the bra and panties emphasized her assets.
She grabbed one of the scented lotions she rarely used since she preferred the Aveeno naturally scented ones. As she rubbed the cool lotion into her skin, she noticed her skin glow brighter when she turned at different angles. "Dammit, she whispered to herself, "I used the shimmer lotion. I'm sparkling like a Twilight vampire. This is ridiculous." She knew she'd only get the stuff off with another shower so she resigned herself to her fate and finished glitterizing herself. The fairy dust-filled lotion smelled delightful and luckily came with a matching body spray, which Carol liberally spritzed on herself.
Since it was a cool night, she opted for a pair of tight black jeans she hadn't found the nerve to wear yet. Her top was more of an issue. She flung every blouse, tank top, sweater and shirt out of the armoire and glared at them as they lay haphazardly across her bunk. She ended up choosing a deep purple three quarter sleeve Henley with a plunging neckline. It also had four buttons you could undo for even more cleavage so Carol opened one. Anymore and her bra would show. She might have to unbutton a couple more if Daryl didn't seem receptive enough. She put her Doc Martens back on, because they were the most kick ass things she owned. She checked herself out in the mirror, fluffed her ever growing hair and smeared some tinted chapstick on her lips. She impressed herself with the finished product. She looked different, but not obvious that she was trolling for sex. She let out a deep breath as she took one last look in the mirror before heading off to find her mark.
It was close to suppertime, so she headed for the dining area. She had been lucky to already have tonight off so it gave her time to hunt the elusive man down. Since their fight, he had made himself scarce. It was hard to reflect back on how it started but it ended with him yelling at her in front of Rick that he never asked her to be anything to him and she could just get the fuck out of his life. She had responded coldly that she would be happy to and that she wished she had never met him. As she tried to walk away from him he had grabbed her roughly, demanding to know where she was going but Rick had ended up tearing him away from her long enough for her to get away. She had hidden in the library all night and by the next morning Daryl had left on a three day hunt, Rick's orders. No one knew of the circumstances except Rick and he had come to her cell and held her while she cried. She asked him to make sure Daryl stayed away from her. She knew he had honored her request when Daryl had come back from the hunt and had headed straight for her cell to try to talk to her. Rick stopped him and she overheard the two men arguing heatedly. Rick barred Daryl from any contact with Carol until she decided differently. Since then, she had made a concerted effort to never be in his presence.
As she entered, she spotted him eating off by himself. She made her way to get a bowl of whatever mystery meal they were serving, ensuring she walked by him on the way. She kept her posture straight and her eyes ahead but she could see him watching her from her peripheral vision. Maggie caught her attention and she halted to talk to her.
"Holy crap, Carol, you look gorgeous. I knew you would do those jeans justice." She forcibly turned Carol around to check out her rear and Carol blushed at the overt attention. Her friends seemed to enjoy manhandling her. Maggie leaned into her ear and whispered, "I see someone here certainly appreciates how good they look on you," cutting her eyes towards Daryl, who found his food suddenly fascinating. It didn't take long for his eyes to flash up on her again. This time he didn't look away. Carol decided the time was now to set the stage. She turned her body so her ass faced him and cocked her hip out a bit so her rear end strained in the tight jeans. She then started rubbing the back of her neck slowly, like she was working out a kink. Maggie gave her a funny look. "Are you okay? Does your neck hurt?"
Carol made sure her voice carried over to where Daryl was listening. "Yeah, it's been a stressful week. What I wouldn't give for a good deep tissue massage. Too bad none of the new people are licensed massage therapists." She then rubbed the exact area Daryl had massaged that night on top of the bus, the memory of his touch still very vivid in her mind.
She saw Maggie flick her eyes Daryl's way before looking at her again. "The way you look tonight, I'm sure you could find several handsome volunteers." She leaned forward and sniffed. "You smell great, too! You know Ryan has been asking Glenn about you every time they are at the fences together. I think you have an admirer."
The screeching of a metal chair being shoved back interrupted their conversation. Daryl got up suddenly and dumped his dirty bowl by the sink, and instead of taking the free aisle straight out to the cellblock, came right down the aisle Maggie and Carol currently occupied and squeezed by Carol. The aisle way was so small both had to turn sideways and he still brushed the entire front of his body against the back of hers. Carol sucked in a breath as he did and Maggie's eyes almost popped out of her head. He didn't say a word to them and continued walking on.
The two women watched him storm off, their mouths open. Maggie finally spoke first. "Well, I was trying to get a reaction out of him but that certainly wasn't what I expected. He just rubbed himself up against you like a cat. It was like he was marking you!" She looked at Carol wild eyed.
Carol was stunned. She didn't know what to make of his action but she was rethinking the whole idea. There was no way she would even get him to talk to her, much less get naked. She sighed resignedly. "I have no idea what's going on in that man's head. I think I'm going to go clear my mind. I'm not hungry anymore." She suddenly had the urge to cry and bit back tears. "I'll see you later, okay?" She didn't wait for an answer and took off towards the privacy of the library.
She grabbed a battery operated lantern and headed off to the library. It had come to be a place of solace and escape for herself. She loved being in there, not only did she adore spending time there with all the kids of the group but she spent many a night there, curled up on the dozens of floor pillows, reading one of her favorite novels. It had been her refuge the night of her fight with Daryl and she felt the need to go their again to clear her head of all the nonsense she had put in it today.
She entered the dark library, the large room still cast in shadows even with her lantern. She kicked off her boots and unbuttoned her uncomfortably tight jeans and moved toward her favorite spot. As she bent over to make a nest out of the pillows, a voice startled her so much she yelped.
""Bout time you showed up here. I've been here for the last five nights, waiting to talk to you." Daryl's unmistakable low growl emanated from a dark corner of the library.
"Oh, so now we're talking. Last I heard you didn't seem to give a shit about me. I figured I was doing you a favor by staying out of your life." She retorted and grabbed her lantern to walk back out. All of a sudden, Daryl was standing in front of them door, blocking her path. "Daryl, please get out of my way. I'm tired and I need to lay down and get some rest. It's been a while since I've gotten proper sleep." The yellow glow of the lantern gave her the opportunity to study Daryl for the first time in a week. He had bags under his eyes and he looked exhausted. His mouth was set in a frown and he was having a hard time looking at her in the eye. Her anger was superseded by concern for him. She knew he more than likely had the mid watch and needed sleep beforehand. "Daryl, go get some rest. You look worn out. We can talk tomorrow."
"No, you'll just have Rick stop me like last time. Why did you tell him to keep me away from you? He's been watching me like a hawk to make sure I don't go anywhere near you. But he doesn't know you come here when you're upset, only I do. I've been spending every night here hoping you'd show up." He blurted all of that out quickly and Carol feel her face heat up as his words sunk in.
She sat the lantern on the nearby table and crossed her arms, hugging herself. "That fight was bad, Daryl. You haven't talked to me like that since the farm. I thought we got past that. I thought you were my friend." Her eyes watered.
"Your friend." He barked out a laugh. "Yeah, that's funny. You seem to have forgotten I exist. Between all the new people you're fawning over and your admirers, I'm surprised you've gotten any sleep at all!" He had crept forward in his rant and ended up in her space. His nostrils were flared and his eyes darkened as he suddenly shut his mouth and just stared at her.
Carol felt the heat from her face shoot through every nerve in her body. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she felt a soft touch on her collarbone. Daryl was tracing a line on the bared skin of her upper chest with one finger. He tilted his head as his eyes followed the movement of his finger.
"Why are you twinkly? Is that some of that fancy lotion the women are always fighting over? I thought you like the all natural stuff I always get you?" His voice had dropped an octave and she shivered as something primal stirred inside of her. She thought about the reason she had worn the ridiculous stuff in the first place and tilted her neck back so he could have better access to her neck. He let out a faint groan and his entire hand replaced his finger as he cupped her neck, his thumb stroking the hollow of her throat.
Her pulse was racing and she was certain he could feel it as he touched her. Her eyelids fluttered closed as his other hand came up and began fiddling with the buttons of her Henley. She let the sensations of his touch overpower her and just lost herself in the sensations. She felt air hit her skin as he opened the rest of the buttons on her shirt until her bra was exposed. She felt like her skin was on fire as he slowly dragged his hand down from her neck until it stopped at the swell of her left breast.
"Daryl." She breathed that one word and she felt her shirt pushed aside as his hand covered her breast. He was even closer now, his nose brushing her forehead. She finally willed her hands to move and she laid her hand over the one he had on her breast. "I want you to touch me Daryl. I've wanted you to touch me for so long."
"Really? 'Cause you sure have a funny way of showing it. Especially when that run I set up for us? I had it all planned out. I cleared out a furniture store a couple weeks ago. I was going to have us hole up there for the night and spend some time together." He squeezed her breast and smirked as she bit her lip to contain a moan. "But you went and blew it all to hell when you cancelled out on me. I was so pissed at you, ran my mouth, said shit I didn't mean and then watched you walk away like I didn't mean nothin' to you." He eased up the pressure on her breast but didn't move his hand. "This week's been hell. I tried my best to talk to you. I always worried one day I'd push you too far and you'd finally tell me to fuck off. I thought this was it and it about killed me. I missed you so much. I'm sorry, Carol. I'm so sorry."
Carol's other hand reached up and grasped the front of his shirt. "Daryl Dixon, I think that's the most I've heard you say at once. Now, do me a favor. Shut up and kiss me. I think I've been a patient woman long enough."
"Yes, ma'am." He crushed his lips to hers and moved his hands from her chest to her ass. He then shifted them a little lower and lifted her up, her legs reflexively wrapping around him. He walked them to her little nest of pillows, covering her with his body as he laid her down. As they frantically removed their clothing, he stopped for a moment and asked her, "I meant to ask you earlier before you distracted me with your pixie dusted skin. Why are you dressed like you was going on a date? Not that I'm complaining since I am reaping the benefits." He leaned in and nibbled on her ear.
"I'm supposed to be seducing you. Turns out you did all the work for me." She pulled him back to her, kissing him hungrily and they spent the rest of the night working out their frustrations and setting things right again, sweaty and sated in each other's arms.
They woke up in the morning completely naked, their limbs entwined. When Carol glanced at her watch, she realized she was late for starting breakfast. She hastily put on her clothes from the night before, throwing Daryl's pants at him. "I hate to basically sleep with you and take off, but I gotta go make breakfast." She kissed him thoroughly before heading out to the outdoor kitchen for the morning meal.
She was humming to herself as she stirred the giant pot of grits at the grill. She looked up as Daryl sauntered up to her, saying quick hellos to the people sitting at the tables. She handed him a bowl, brushing her fingers against his. "You aren't being very subtle. You strutted up here like the cock of the walk. People are going to know something is up since all you've been doing lately is throwing tantrums. Try not to look like you got thoroughly fucked."
He choked on a spoonful of grits he had been eating. She stood there, smirking at him, as Michonne walked up to join them. "Good morning, you two. It's nice to see you both. Been a while." She shot Carol a questioning look, but Carol kept her face impassive. Michonne turned her attention to Daryl, who also made no attempt to move or engage in conversation. Michonne's eyes narrowed as she took in Daryl. She scrunched her face up as she exclaimed, "Why is your skin glittering in the light?" Daryl blushed and she turned back to Carol and her eyes got as wide as saucers. "Well, well, well. I am impressed, Peletier." She smiled brightly as she walked up to Carol and took the ladle out of her hand. "Go on. Kitchen duty, remember?"
"You heard her, Carol, let's go." Daryl walked over to her, nudging her with his shoulder. "Feel like going on that run? I'll let everyone know we'll be back tomorrow. You got this, 'Chonne?" He asked Michonne, who was already feeling at ease with her new duties, using the ladle to pour servings of grits into bowls.
"I sure do. See you guys tomorrow. And you two might want to take a shower first and wash that shimmer shit off of you. You smell damn good but you're sparkling all over the place." She winked at them as Daryl grabbed Carol's hand and pulled her away. Carol couldn't hold back the smile that spread across her face as he entwined their fingers together as they walked the rest of the way back to their cell block, together.