Final disclaimer: None of the characters, ideas, or themes from The Walking Dead belong to me, which is probably good. If they did, they'd be in rough shape, cuz I like to ride 'em hard and put 'em away wet.

Here it is, folks. Final chapter, and it's a monster. I considered splitting it, but screw it. I've had a ball writing this thing, even though I haven't slept in several days, and I am thankful for every reader. Double thanks for every reviewer – your encouragement meant more to me than you can know. So drum roll, please...

I hope it's as good for you as it was for me. ;)

"Oh my God...Oh my God!"

Carol had never been more humiliated in her whole life, and that was after being married for eighteen years to a man who got off on humiliating her. She felt sick and dizzy, and she feared she might throw up.

Her body was still thrumming from the most confusing orgasm ever. She'd been horrified when Daryl had burst in on her and watched while she came helplessly in front of him. Physically, it had been incredible. The lust she'd seen in his face drove her every nerve to screaming with an intensity she'd never known before. Emotionally, it was a disaster. She was mortified.

Burying her face in her arms, she wished she could disappear. She couldn't bear knowing he was still there looking at her.

"Oh no. Oh my God!" She knew she was wailing, but she couldn't stop any more than she could stop her face from flaming. Tears filled her eyes. Great. Just what she needed.

"Uh. I brought you books." His voice was rough and low. He cleared his throat.

Carol looked up, not believing his words.

"And dinner's ready." He dropped his eyes and bolted.

Seriously? 'I brought you books?'

She sat hugging her knees as the tears started to roll. Flinging herself back onto her pillow, she let them come, her whole body shaking with sobs.

'Dinner's ready?'

Maybe she was completely crazy, but it was suddenly the funniest thing she'd heard since the end of the world. Her sobs mixed with hysterical laughter, making her breath come in hiccuping gulps.

She couldn't be in here any more. The laughter abruptly died, and she was left with just tears again. She jumped down from her bunk, dragging her blankets and pillow after her. She had to get away from this cell.

It was getting dark, so she grabbed her flashlight. Bundling up her bedding into an awkward heap, she ran down the stairs and through the common room, avoiding the curious glances from the others having dinner. She ran to the only other place she knew.

They had secured the inner part of the prison around the infirmary today, so that's where she went. Once she was there, she stopped and looked around. It was disgusting. The walkers that Daryl and T-Dog had killed had been dragged away, but no one had been able to clean up the gory mess that remained yet. She couldn't stay here.

Picking her way carefully around the gunk on the floor, she opened the closet they had been trapped in and grabbed another armful of pillows and blankets. If she was going to sleep on the floor in some dark corner of the prison for the rest of her life, she was going to need pillows. Leaving the infirmary, she wandered the hallways, not sure where to go.

Books. He brought her books. They must have found the prison library around here somewhere. She'd go there.

She poked her head through every unlocked door she came across until she found it. It wasn't huge, but it seemed clean. There was no walker stink, and as she shined her light around, she didn't see anything either dangerous or gross. This would do.

She flung her pile of bedding unceremoniously onto the floor in a corner away from the door. Curling up on her nest, she wrapped herself up in her blanket and stared at the shelves around her. When she ran, she had no plan beyond escaping. Now that she was here, she didn't know what to do. She just knew that she never wanted to lay eyes on Daryl Dixon ever again. Leaning over, she grabbed a book randomly off the shelf next to her, opened it up, and began to read.

She didn't know how long she'd been sitting there, but she suddenly realized she'd been reading the same line over and over for at least ten minutes without having any idea what it said. Frustrated, she flung the book away. It hit the wall with a dull thunk.

The door to the library rattled. Shit! Walker? She thought they'd cleared this area, but maybe one found its way in. She had no weapon with her, no way to protect herself. Idiot! Fear skittered through her. She cast about, looking for anything she could use to save herself, but there was nothing except books and pillows. The door opened. Scrambling to her feet, she ducked around the end of the shelf. There on a desk was a lamp. She grabbed it in shaking hands and left her flashlight in its place, providing enough light to see, but without giving away her location. She slipped down the aisle between shelves, trying to spot the walker. When she got to the end, she could hear it moving just around the corner. If she could knock it down, she might be able to get past it to the door. Raising the lamp and steeling herself, she stepped quickly around the corner.

But before she could even see anything, it had grabbed her wrists. The lamp crashed to the floor and she shrieked, trying to pull out of its grasp.

"Whoa! Take it easy, woman!"

She froze and looked up. Daryl held her wrists. Not a walker.

Daryl.

She yanked her hands away and smacked him in the chest. "Asshole! You scared the SHIT out me!"

"Sorry."

She flushed under his eyes. "What are you doing down here?"

"I had to see you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Didn't you see enough already?" she snapped. She regretted saying it as soon as it left her lips. Embarrassed tears burned hot in her eyes.

"Carol-"

"Go away! I don't want you here. I came here to hide from you, for Christ's sake."

"Carol, please?" His soft plea made her insides twist.

She folded her arms tightly in front of her and wouldn't meet his eyes. She sighed heavily. "Fine. What?"

Now that she was listening, he seemed to get nervous. His feet shifted, and he mumbled around the thumbnail in his mouth. "I'm sorry for what happened. It was an accident."

Her anger with him ebbed. Of course she knew that. It was just incredibly terrible timing that this whole awful thing happened. That didn't make it any less humiliating.

"I know," she whispered.

"If I could take it back, I would. I'd never hurt you on purpose. You know that, right?"

She looked up at him and nodded, the hot tears starting to spill over.

He hesitated at her tears, apparently unsure how to react. His face twitched as he struggled with himself, eyes tormented. Very slowly, he reached a hand toward her. She flinched slightly, but didn't pull away. He brushed his thumb over her cheek, wiping away the tears there. Her lips trembled. His other hand came up to brush the tears from her other cheek. His fingers stroked her jaw, stroked her hair back over her ears. Butterflies danced in her stomach at the tenderness on his face. She'd never seen him so soft and gentle before.

"You know I ain't the best at talking about stuff, but I had to come see you. I uh, I sorta realized that I...um." He took a shaky breath and swallowed hard. He seemed to lose his nerve, pulling his hands away and dropping his eyes.

"Daryl?" Her voice wavered.

He scrunched his face up and rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. "Shit. I thought this'd be easier."

He scrubbed his face with his palms and ran his fingers back through his hair, leaving it more rumpled than usual. His blue eyes were bright in the dim light.

"Fuck it," he said, putting his hands squarely on her shoulders. "I am completely fucking crazy for you, and I don't know why the fuck it took me this long to figure it out."

The tension fell out of Carol's body in a rush. She wobbled on weak legs. She knew her mouth was hanging open, but nothing came out. She couldn't possibly have heard him right.

Now that he said it, he couldn't seem to stop. "You're an amazing woman, and I know I don't deserve you, but dammit, I love you. I ain't known anyone like you before – you're wonderful, and frustrating, and confusing, and so goddamn beautiful I can't even say."

She just kept staring at him, her mind in a whirl. Her lack of response seemed to make him nervous again. His hands on her shoulders loosened a little and he bit at the inside of his cheek.

"So. Um. I'd like to kiss you. Would that be, you know...OK?"

He was so adorable she couldn't help but smile in spite of herself. "I would like that very much."

A smile quirked the corner of his mouth. He stepped closer, dropping his hands to her waist. She rested her hands softly on his biceps and tipped her face up toward his. He let his lips brush lightly over hers, making her shiver. He leaned back to judge her reaction.

"More," she demanded.

Want flared in his eyes. He pulled her tight to his chest and kissed her hard. She opened herself to him and his tongue slipped in to taste her hungrily. She hummed her pleasure as he explored her mouth. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. He moved his mouth to her throat, kissing and licking his way from her jaw to her collarbone. She moaned and tipped her head back to give him room to work. With one long sweep of his tongue, he made his way to her earlobe – the same one he'd nipped that night in the yard by the bus. He took it into his mouth and suckled on it.

"Oh!" She gasped at a rush of wet heat deep within her.

"You like that?" he murmured into her ear.

"Oh, yes!" she breathed.

He scraped her lobe with his teeth and nibbled his way around the delicate edge of her ear. She squeaked and shivered at the sensation.

Pulling back, he loosened his arms around her and let his hands rest at her waist again. He looked at her with half-lidded eyes. "Now kiss me."

She felt suddenly shy, but she slipped her palms to his cheeks and pulled his mouth to hers. She laved his lower lip with her tongue, then pressed into his mouth. His fingers tightened around her waist, bolstering her courage. She kissed him with abandon then, throwing self-consciousness out the door. One hand moved to the back of his neck to change her angle of attack, letting all her long-built feelings for him drive her. Her other hand slipped down between them and stroked the length of his erection. He sucked in a hissing breath and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Do that again," he groaned.

Smiling into his mouth, she stroked him again, feeling him grow even harder in her hand.

He groaned again, wordlessly this time, and covered her hand with his. He dragged her hand away and brought it to his mouth, kissing each of her fingers in turn.

"Minx," he slurred.

She laughed.

"If I tell you something, will you promise not to get mad?" he asked softly.

"You can tell me, but no promises."

He pulled her close again and let his lips brush her ear as he spoke. "Watching you come was the hottest thing I've ever seen. Were you thinking of me when you touched yourself?"

"Daryyyyyl..." she squirmed in embarrassment, but he held her close and nuzzled her ear.

"I want to watch you come again. Can I make you come?"

She moaned weakly and nodded.

He took her hand and led her over to the desk where her flashlight still shined. Her cheeks heated as she realized he wanted her in the light. He wanted to see her. His hands slipped under the fabric of her tank top and slowly slid it up and over her head. He pushed her bra straps off her shoulders and drew her close, pressing kisses along one shoulder and up the side of her neck. As he kissed her, his fingers worked behind her to unclasp her bra. She pulled it from her and dropped it to the floor. His hands slid along her ribs up to cup her breasts. He groaned into her neck and bit her tender skin. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He eased himself back to look at her. Her face flushed at being bare in front of him. She wasn't young anymore and she knew the number of scars on her body was alarming. But his eyes darkened with desire as he looked at her.

"God, I want you," he growled as he lowered himself to take her breast in his mouth. One arm held her close so he could suck and tease at her nipple. The other hand slid down over her hip and squeezed her ass, pulling her to him. Her fingers clutched at his hair and shoulders as she arched into him. She cried out as the sensations from his mouth and tongue made her flood with wetness. The tingling between her legs became a throbbing ache.

He moved his mouth to work her other breast. His hands moved to fumble at her waistband. She felt her pants loosen and he shoved them and her underwear down to her knees. His hands reached around to circle the backs of her thighs. They slid in and up until he cupped both cheeks and squeezed. He finally pulled his mouth from her breast and looked into her eyes.

"Do you want to come for me?"

She nodded, her whole body shaking with her need.

"Ask me."

Her face flushed, but she asked. "Please? Will you make me come?"

Smiling, he lowered himself to his knees, hands spread wide on her hips. He leaned his face in close to her and breathed deep. "You smell good."

He slid his palms down the sides of her thighs, then all the way up the fronts, letting his thumbs push between them. The throbbing was becoming unbearable. Finally, he slipped one hand between her legs and ran his fingers along her slick opening. She pulled in a ragged breath as he pushed one finger and then a second inside her.

He nuzzled his nose into her curls, seeking her swollen clit. When he pressed his mouth on her, she cried out and wavered. His free hand reached around to steady her, but he didn't interrupt his efforts with mouth or fingers.

She was whimpering now and getting louder as the pressure built. "Oh, God! Daryl!"

He pulled his mouth away and replaced it with his thumb on her clit so he could watch her face. "Look at me, darlin'! I wanna see you."

She looked down to meet his eyes, and that was it for her. With a wailing moan, her universe shattered into a million pieces. She shuddered and shook against him as wave after wave hit her. When it was over, she slumped weakly forward to rest her hands on his shoulders. His eyes took it all in greedily.

When he slipped his fingers from her, she shuddered again. He rose to his feet and pulled her into his arms. She clung to him limply as she struggled to catch her breath. When she had recovered somewhat, he put his hands at her waist and lifted her up to sit on the desk behind her. He crouched down and stripped her pants and underwear the rest of the way off her. He plucked the underwear out and tucked them into his back pocket.

"Daryl!" She tried to snatch them back.

"Nope." He caught her hands and held them. "Mine now."

"Come on! I don't have that many pairs!" she pleaded.

"Tough. I'll bring you more."

She sighed and rolled her eyes knowing it was no use arguing. Instead she reached out for him, pulling him to rest between her knees at the edge of the desk. She kissed him softly and gazed up into his eyes.

"You know what I'd like?"

"Hmm?"

Blushing at her own audacity, she pulled him down so she could whisper into his ear. "I'd like to tear those clothes off you and suck your cock for a while. Would you mind if I did that?"

"Hnngh," he groaned.

"And then maybe if you're good, I'll let you fuck me. How does that sound?"

He twitched and nodded.

She smiled and grabbed a fistful of his shirtfront. Pushing him away, she hopped down from the desk. She led him to her pile of blankets and stood him in front of it. She unbuttoned his shirt and shoved it down off his shoulders. She admired his arms all the time, but she'd never seen him shirtless before. He was lean and well-muscled, and like her, he had many, many scars.

"Mmmm. You're beautiful, Daryl. Do you know that?"

He snorted. She reached up and caught his face in one hand.

"Listen to me, Daryl Dixon. You're a beautiful man. Inside and out. Don't ever doubt that." She turned his head side to side as she regarded him. "You could use a haircut, but other than that..."

He growled, swatted her hand away, and grabbed for her waist with tickling fingers. She shrieked and jumped away.

"NO! It's my turn! No tickling! Don't interrupt me. If you're not good, you don't get to fuck me," she scolded him.

He immediately dropped his hands and bit his lips.

"Good boy!"

She made him sit on the blankets and pulled his boots and socks off him. She pushed him back onto the pillows and straddled him. Leaning over him, she kissed along his jaw, letting the scruff on his cheeks tickle her nose. His hands drifted up to cup and squeeze her breasts. She kissed and licked her way down his chest, sucking briefly on a nipple and smiling when his breath caught. Her hands worked at his belt while she dipped her tongue into his belly button. She unfastened his pants and pushed them down just a little. He groaned in frustration, then hissed as she scraped her fingernails low across his abdomen. With every sound he made, her own desire grew again. She wanted this man more than she would have thought possible.

She moved down to his feet, dragging his pants and boxers with her, stripping them off him. Something fell from his pocket – a box of condoms. She raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged.

"Matchmaking gift from T-Dog," he said.

She laughed and shook her head, setting the box to the side.

She sat for a moment at his feet, caressing his ankles while she admired his naked body on display in front of her. Uncomfortable with the scrutiny, he started to sit up. She held up a finger and said firmly, "No! Bad!" Immediately, he settled back on his pillows. Pleased, she thought she could get used to an obedient Daryl.

Crawling forward, she pushed his thighs wider to make room for her to kneel between them. She spread her hands on his thighs and smoothed them up the length of his body as far as she could reach and back down again. Then she wrapped a hand around his cock and stroked hard. He tensed and groaned deep in his throat. She leaned forward and took him into her mouth as deeply as she could. His groan turned into a strangled, hitching gasp, which renewed the wet warmth between her legs. He was already dripping, and it made her giddy knowing she did that to him. She worked his cock with her hand and mouth, swirling her tongue around him and sucking. He shuddered under her and his hands twitched near her head. He gasped again and lurched forward to touch her cheek.

"Carol! Stop – I can't hang on if you don't stop. Please, I want to come inside you. Let me fuck you."

She stopped moving for a moment, but didn't let him go. She really wanted to make him come in her mouth, but decided she wanted him inside her more, so she pulled her mouth from him, sucking hard.

"Hnnngh! Carol, please!"

"Only because you asked nicely." She grabbed a foil packet from the box of condoms and tore it open. She slithered up his body, dragging her breasts across his skin, making him breathe erratically. She straddled him and reached between them to roll the condom on.

"Please!"

She took him inside her. She gasped as he stretched her and paused to let her body adjust. Then she began to move with him. They took a moment to find a rhythm. His hands were on her hips, guiding her. He slipped a thumb down to rub against her clit. His eyes were focused on her face, watching her reaction, determined to build her up again before he let himself go.

Heat coiled tight deep inside her, and she whimpered, feeling herself clench around him. She cried out as she tipped over the edge once again, taking him with her this time.

"Shit! God, Carol, fuck!" He grunted and thrust hard into her, shaking. She could feel the pulsing of his cock as he emptied himself deep inside her.

She collapsed onto him and kissed his neck. Both of them were breathless and sweaty. "I love you, Daryl. You have such a way with words."

"Jesus Christ, woman. I almost died. Give me a break."

Laughing, she rolled off him to cuddle up against his side and burrow under some of the blankets. The cooling sweat on her body made her shiver. He pulled off the condom and tossed it aside. He dragged another blanket over them.

A few minutes later, she was drowsing off into sleep when he spoke again.

"Do you really?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Her sleepy brain was lost.

"Do you really love me?"

She opened her eyes and turned him to face her with a hand to his cheek. "Of course I do. I have for ages. I've just been waiting for your slowpoke ass to catch up." She patted his cheek and closed her eyes again with a smile.

"Smart ass."

She snuggled closer, flinging her leg across him, and he slid his arm down to grope her butt. They drifted to sleep in a happy tangle of arms and legs.

Final A/N: When they wake in the morning (after lots and lots of dirty, sexy sex), they go to work bringing the vehicles inside the gates at the beginning of 3x04 Killer Within. In my world, this is why Daryl's in such a good mood, teasing Glenn and Maggie up in the guard tower. Also makes it double extra evil when he thinks Carol has died later on. I'm a mean one. I know.

Hugs to you all! Hope you had fun!