Chapter 13: Tangled

When I woke up, she was still sleeping. We'd shifted in out sleep. Carol's right arm rested on my chest and her head was on my left shoulder. I looked down at her and I smiled. She really did look like her daughter, with her little features and an overall innocent appearance. Her fingers flexed while she dreamed. I wanted to lace them into mine. I was gonna before I happened to glance upward. The color of the sky and the position of the sun told me it was already around 11am. I'd slept in.

I hated sleeping in. There'd be no squirrel caught that day, that was for sure. I had watch duty with Andrea today. But I wasn't gonna leave her alone in the tent. So I laid there thinking about every possible thing I could come up with to pass the time. Sophia, Merle, Michonne, and Rick and Shane too. I thought about where Sophia was when she got bit. If I could've saved her. Maybe if I could've prevented us finding her in the barn and protected Carol from getting hurt. I wondered about what Merle's opinion on all this would be. If I'd get hit or shot or stabbed. Maybe he'd just be happy that Andrea was still available. I thought about Michonne's past and what Woodbury might be like. I'd been meaning to ask her why she left that place to begin with. She looked like she was in agony talking about it the other day. What was really bugging me was what Rick said to Shane to make him leave. Carl was a complete mess since he left. On occasion, I'd become extremely jealous of the boy for having so many people that cared for him.

Carol stirred in her sleep and woke with a jolt. Her eyes were panicked and wide. I was thankful that she didn't scream. It took her a few seconds to remember that she came into my tent last night and to register where she was. She studied my face and came to relax. Her smile was a soft one, slightly there.

"Thank you," she whispered.

She sat up and I regained feeling in my arm.

"It's nothin'." I said quietly.

She crawled over to the front of the tent to put on her sneakers. When she got them on, she sat back for a moment, just looking at me.

"What are you lookin' at?" I said roughly.

She looked panic-stricken. I couldn't keep a straight face and I smirked at her. She realized I was kidding and smiled back at me. It was then that I noticed how often I was happy around her. It was becoming more than just protecting her – she made me happy. She made me smile, which is something most people can't do.

"See you later," she said with a giggle and left the tent.

I laid back down for a few minutes. That was the best night sleep I had since the world went to hell. I already missed the way she curled into me. That night really made me wonder why I'd cut myself off from everybody. I was finally happy.

I hopped off Cloud Nine and I snatched my crossbow and a few arrows. Carol left her pillow and her blanket in my tent. I was about to pick them up, but it didn't feel right. She'll come back for them. I moved the tent flap aside and stepped out.

The sun was blinding. I blinked several rimes to clear my vision. I squinted. T-Dog was cooking the squirrel from yesterday in the fire pit. My stomach grumbled.

"Daryl," a voice whispered. "Daryl."

I turned around. It was Andrea. I rolled my eyes in agrivation. I really didn't wanna deal with discussing watch duty while I was in such a great mood.

"What."

"So… Uh… You and Carol, huh?" Her mouth stretched into a wide grin.

Me and Carol…? Does she think we…? Oh, God. I hadn't even considered how that probably appeared to the rest of the group.

"There ain't nuthin' goin' on between me'n her, ya got that?" I said.

I was pretty ticked. It didn't concern her what I did or didn't have with Carol. She didn't know shit.

Out of spite, I added, "And if there was, you'd keep yer nose out of it. I didn't get in yer business about yer little thing with Shane, did I?"

That shut her up. I kept walking without looking back at her. Watch duty was gonna suck even more now. I really have to learn to shut my mouth. The crossbow thumping against my back helped to calm my nerves. I was planning heading out to the perimeter and waiting for Andrea, but while I walked past the fire pit, I saw we were low on meat. I just kept on walking to the woods. Andrea could yell at me about it later, but I had a feeling that she wouldn't mind much if I didn't show up. I walked around the back of the house, where the water pump was. Carol almost knocked over the pail of water she filled up when she saw me. She's so jumpy.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked, getting off the platform.

"What's it matter to you?" I shot back.

"You can't go out there alone, not so soon after a heard rolled through." She raised her voice.

I took a deep breath. I didn't wanna argue with her.

"Well, we're outta squirrel and I gotta go get some." I said it as calmly as possible.

"Bring somebody with you, then." She paused. "You ain't goin' alone."

I stepped closer to her.

"Why not?" I looked her up and down. "Not like you can stop me."

Anger flashed across her face. She grabbed my face and kissed me slowly. I brought my hands around to her lower back, laced them together and pulled her closer. I felt her smile as we kissed. I broke away just long enough to get a good look at her face before I pulled her back in. I rested my hand of her hips this time. Her fingers made patterns in my hair like they did on the bottom of the tent. Suddenly, she pulled back, with her little hands still tangled in my hair. She looked me in the eye with a smile creeping over her face.

"Who says I can't stop you?"

We walked back to camp together, smiling and joking. I couldn't think of another place I'd rather be. She squeezed my hand and went off with Lori to do the laundry. I groaned, remembering I had to spend the remainder of the day, and possibly the night, with Andrea.

"Dixon!"

Fuck! Twice in one day? What does she want now?

"Whaddya want, Blondie?" I didn't look back.

Her footsteps followed behind me.

"Are you seriously still trying to play off you and Carol?" she asked, jogging to catch up with me.

This woman never shuts up. I did warn her to stay away from me and Carol, didn't I?

"Didn't I tell ya to mind yer own business?" I fumed, still walking away from her.

"No need to get snippy with me," she said.

She said it like it was my fault she was sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Bullshit.

"I just don't like being lied to."

That made me stop dead in my tracks. She almost walked straight into me. I wheeled around to face her. She was really trying my patience.

"Stay out of my way! What I have or don't have with her doesn't concern you!" Through my teeth, I said, "Keep your ass out of it."

For a second she looked afraid, but she gave me a playful shove.

"Whatever you say!" She grinned.

She pushed past me, shaking her hips as she walked. I plodded along behind her. I bit my tongue to keep from cursing at her. It really wasn't any of her concern with what was going on. She sat down in the back of Michonne's pickup truck and looked out at the farm. I silently sat next to her and played with the string of my crossbow. She was still smirking.

"What?" I asked angrily.

"I would've come with you," she laughed. "All you had to do was ask."

She was spying on me? On us? Talk about an invasion of privacy! I was a loner throughout my entire childhood. Hell, I didn't want the kids at school to know my mother was killed by my father and that my father was in prison for it. I didn't want them to know I had a dumb-as-shit crackhead brother who dropped out of school to be in the "military". Well, they found out anyway because they invaded my privacy. They taunted and teased until I gave them a good punch in the mouth. Andrea got under my skin like those kids at school did.

I gave her a dirty look. She just sat there cackling away like an old hag. I knew nothing I could say would make her stop, so I hopped off the back of the truck. She called out for me, but I drowned out her words. I was going to the forest and nobody was gonna stop me.