Insert usual disclaimer here. It's cold here - let's turn up the heat!

Carol was up before the rest of the group. As she got started on breakfast, she let herself get lost in thought about the events of the previous day. Obsessed might be a better word. She replayed it over and over in her head. In the middle of her panic attack, it didn't occur to her how remarkable Daryl's actions had been. He'd held her in his arms and allowed her to hold him but showed no signs of discomfort with the close contact. He'd told her a dozen or more stories about his childhood with his brother – he almost never volunteered information about himself. And as for the other thing...well, a little thrill went through her every time she thought about that. She wondered whether it was a general reaction to their closeness or whether he had responded to her specifically.

Sure, they had become friends. He was the best friend she'd ever had, when she thought about it. And this teasing thing that had developed between them over the last week was exciting and fun, but she wasn't sure how serious it was. Though they were always playful in their teasing, for her it wasn't just joking around. Somewhere along the line, she'd fallen in love with the big pain in the ass, but she just didn't know how deep his feelings ran. He obviously liked her and cared about her, but beyond that?

Heaving a sigh, she pulled the boiling water off the fire. She stirred in the instant oats and carried the whole pot carefully inside to the common room. While she let that sit, she pulled out her secret treasure – a giant jar of honey. Well, not completely secret since Carl had been the one to organize the food they got from the prisoners here, and it had been sitting in the open on the shelf for two days. But it was still a treasure. She brought it out today because...well, because she felt like it, dammit, and that's all the reason she needed. Their food situation had improved immensely with the addition of the prison stores, but most of it was still repetitive and bland. She did the best she could, but it was nice to have something special once in a while.

She opened the jar and dipped in a big spoon. The prison was quite cool in the mornings, so the honey was thick and stiff. She scooped up a good amount and tried unsuccessfully to get it over to the oatmeal pot without stringing honey everywhere. She loved the stuff, but it was impossible not to make a sticky mess with it.

Catching movement in the corner of her eye, she looked up to see Daryl leaned against the doorway, peering around the corner at her. He picked at one of his thumbnails. She smiled in greeting, and he ducked his head down, as though suddenly realizing she could see him.

"Morning," she said.

He nodded once without looking up, picking harder at his thumb. He shifted and took a breath as though starting to say something, but then hesitated and went back to his thumb. She decided to help him out rather than watch him agonize over what to say.

"Thank you for being there for me yesterday. I've never had anyone to help me though that before. I'm glad you were there." She held the spoon over the oatmeal pot, letting the honey slowly ooze its way down.

He frowned, but nodded again. Then he suddenly seemed to grab some courage and dived in.

"I'm sorry about what happened in there. At the end. I didn't...I wasn't..." He was drowning again.

"Don't worry about it. It's just one of those things that happens, right? I don't mind. I was just...surprised is all." She scraped honey off the spoon with her finger. Then she had to scrape her finger with the spoon, trying to chase the stuff together enough so it would drip into the pot.

He finally looked up. He relaxed slightly as he seemed to recognize her sincerity and even smiled a little bit.

When she finally got as much honey in the oatmeal as she could, she licked the back of the spoon and sighed happily. She turned it over and stuck it in her mouth to lick the rest of it clean. The honey was wonderfully sweet and so thick she had to work to get it off the spoon.

When she turned her attention back to Daryl, he was staring at her intently with...something...flickering behind his eyes. Her stomach fluttered at the intensity of it. He approached her cautiously, as if she might startle and flee like a stalked deer. His hand circled her wrist. He brought her hand up to examine the honey coating her finger. Then he turned his eyes to watch her as he slowly and deliberately ran his tongue down the length of her finger. She gasped at the sensation, feeling her insides flood with heat. Gauging his movements by the reaction on her face, he brought his other hand up to cup hers, kneading her palm with both of his thumbs. He drew her whole finger into the warmth of his mouth then, sucking hard, tongue laving the underside to capture the honey clinging there. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she gave a throaty moan. She drew quick, shuddering breaths as he worked her finger with his tongue. All she knew in that moment was that every nerve in that finger was connected directly between her thighs, and she ached for him.

She opened her eyes to find him still watching her hungrily. He gave one long, final stroke of his tongue before pulling her finger from his mouth. He reached over to the honey jar and rubbed his thumb along the edge, gathering a sticky bead. Somehow, he didn't make a mess with it. He dragged the flat of his thumb across her lower lip, leaving behind a honey coating. Her tongue licked over her lip automatically, but he held up a warning finger.

"No."

He settled himself in front of her, pushing her back until her hips rested against the table. She went weak when he pressed against her, his arousal now as obvious as her own. He stuck his thumb in his mouth to lick off the sticky end, then took the spoon she still had clenched in her fist and tossed it on the table behind her. Light as a breeze, he stroked his fingertips down her jaw and his other hand found the back of her neck. His eyes met hers, then flicked down to focus on her honeyed mouth. He leaned forward and gently licked at her lower lip, pulling it into his mouth to work off the honey with his tongue, sucking gently.

She moaned softly and leaned into him, but he didn't allow her to turn it into a proper kiss, pulling back just enough to keep control of her. He laved her lower lip again, cleaning off the last sticky bit, and a warm rush washed through her. She reached for him, but he caught her hands with his own, bringing them up to his mouth. He nibbled gently at the tips of her fingers, then backed away.

"Folks gonna be wakin' up soon," he said. "I'm glad you ain't mad about yesterday."

He picked up her spoon, grabbed a bowl, and scooped a heap of oatmeal into it. Looking back at her, he licked the back of the spoon much as she had done earlier, and instantly she was desperate to feel his tongue on her, wanted him to taste her everywhere. Another warm, wet throb caught her as she imagined him nuzzling into her.

"Gotta go. Got watch."

A slow smile stretched one side of his mouth as he looked at her, flushed and panting in front of him. He drew in an unsteady breath, then took his bowl and walked out.

She stood gaping after him for a full thirty seconds before shaking herself back to reality.

"You've gotta be kidding me." She pressed her hands to her face and throat, letting the relative cool soothe the flush in her cheeks. She drew in a centering breath and tried to rein in her crazed hormones. With a frown, she squeezed her thighs together – she ached in a way she hadn't in years. The slippery wetness was making her squirm.

She decided to slip into her cell to change into dry underwear before doing anything else. It was going to be hard enough to get through today without the distraction of squishing every time she moved. She snorted air through her nose and scowled. Being horny made her cranky, and today was going to be one hell of a cranky day.