Chapter Five
It only took him a few days before he was up and trying to go full steam ahead. He hated staying in the house, hated being around the tension that had engulfed the group but he didn't seem to hate being around her so she would take it. It was hard not to try to get him to slow down, but she hated the look on his face whenever she made the suggestion so she simply let him do what he wanted. He wasn't one that took too kindly to friendly suggestions to take it easy. It seemed like every time she asked him if he was sure that hunting was a good idea, or if he was sure that moving outside was a good idea, he took it as a personal insult to his manhood.
Which simply wasn't true.
But he was stubborn and needed to do things at his own pace, which was to not pace himself at all. So she decided that if he absolutely had to do something then she would make suggestions and hope he agreed to do what she wanted to do instead of pushing himself too hard.
He was slumped in the fold up chair he'd claimed earlier, picking at the breakfast on his lap and staring off dejectedly towards the woods and she knew if she didn't suggest something then he would take off again.
"I think I'm gonna take a walk around the property. There's a lot of acreage here and it's a nice day," she said to no one in particular.
Lori looked up and smiled. "It is. And being here, it's almost like the world is still normal."
Carol nodded in agreement but she noticed him watching her out of the corner of her eye since she mentioned going on a walk. She gathered up the last of the dishes, stopping in front of him to take his plate and saw him narrow his eyes on her. "What are your plans today?" she asked innocently.
He moved his gaze back towards the tree line and pursed his lips. "Guess I'm gonna stick around here today," he said, almost grudgingly.
She made a noncommittal sound at his answer and sat the dishes down next to the tub of soapy water, where Sophia had her hands shoved elbow deep. She was on dish duty, which was part of her punishment for sneaking off. She had indeed saved Daryl's life, but she had also nearly given Carol a heart attack when she had disappeared.
"I want you to stay here with Lori, okay?"
Sophia looked up briefly before nodding. "I know."
Carol sighed, her gaze lingering on her daughter for a few more moments before she turned and strolled away in the direction of the pond. She hadn't been down there but Hershel had told her about it and she wanted to see it. She didn't know how much longer they would be able to stay here, especially with Shane making Hershel and his family edgy, and she wanted to see as much of the place as she could. Lori was right. It was all so... normal here.
"Tryin' your hand at new tactics?"
She fought the victorious smile at the sound of his voice, forced herself not to glance at him from over her shoulder and kept on walking. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied.
Her eyes stayed straight ahead once he caught up with her, though she really wanted to look over to see his expression. She couldn't tell from his tone alone if he was upset, and if he was, that was his problem. She had refrained from begging him to stay close until his body had time to heal.
"You knew if I knew you were gonna wonder all over hell's creation that I wouldn't go huntin', even though you know damn good and well that we're runnin' low on food and can't depend on the old man to keep us up for long."
She finally allowed herself a sideways glance. "Is that what you think I'm doing?"
"Yeah."
She shook her head. "I can't help it if you feel the need to keep an eye on me. If I recall, yesterday, when I tried talking you into staying here I got an ear full. So, should I start yelling now or save it for later?"
He grumbled something under his breath.
"That's what I thought," she sighed. "So, it's okay for you to feel as though you have to look out for me but it isn't okay for me to feel as though I should look out for you?"
He groaned. "Don't do that."
Fighting another smile she stopped hands going to her hips. "Don't do what? Don't point out your little double standard?" she arched a brow.
He gripped the bow strap and glared. "No. Don't go doin' that passive aggressive woman thing. You know exactly what you're doin'."
"And what's that?" she pressed, just because she knew she was under his skin.
He waved her off and started walking again. "What you think you're doin' is teachin' me some kind of lesson. Hate to blow your bubble but it ain't workin'. Cause if I wanted to go then I'd go, whether you wanted to walk around and put your fool self in danger or not."
She grinned and hurried to catch up with him. "So you're here because you want to be and not because the thought of me wondering around alone out here worries you?"
He growled but otherwise ignored her because she already knew the answer. They walked along in silence for a while and then he squinted towards the distance and veered off course. She watched him as he made his way to a cluster of bushes and then followed suit, stopping next to him.
She eyed the clusters of white flowers, admiring them for a few long seconds before looking up at him. He glanced over, meeting her eyes and then nodded towards the flowers.
"They're beautiful," she said, following his gaze and wondering why they had caught his attention. He didn't seem like the type that would take pause just because of a flower, regardless of how nice they looked.
He gave her a swift nod but didn't look at her again. "Cherokee roses."
She waited him out because she could sense that there was more and she wasn't disappointed. He explained the legend of the flower, his eyes never leaving hers and by the time he was done it was her that broke the contact, gazing again at the blooms with a new appreciation and ignoring the small lump in her throat. It reminded her of the hours she had spent wondering if her own child was okay, and reminded her to thank God that she came back unscathed.
To her surprise he reached out, snapping one off, rolling the stem between his thumb and forefinger, carefully avoiding the small thorns, before handing it over.
She bit her lip as she took it, running her fingers over the smooth petals, her chest aching with emotion at the small gesture, because she knew it wasn't really small at all. Not for him and not for her. She was still unaccustomed to this kind and vulnerable side he hid away from everyone else and she knew he was unaccustomed to letting that side of him shine through.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her around to the other side of the bush and pointed, all gruff and businesslike again. "There you go. A pond. Now that you've seen it, we can get back to camp and maybe I'll be able to go catch us some damn dinner."
"We already have dinner covered," she said, tightening her grip on his hand when he tried to drop hers. He gave up quickly, returning the pressure but looking down at her suspiciously.
"What do you mean you got it covered?" he asked.
"Lori and I are gonna cook for the Greene's tonight. Just to show them that we appreciate everything they've done for us here."
He sighed, rolling his eyes. "The man bandaged me up and then let us sleep in his damn yard."
She eyed him until he looked away. "They've also let us use their shower, their food, put up with Shane. And he was willing to let you stay inside until you healed up a little more but you insisted on pitching a tent with the rest of us."
He pulled her towards a small dock. "Yeah, well, I'll admit that was a dumb move," he said, almost to himself and she wondered if he was referring to the fact that the first night she had stayed with him in the bed and the last two nights they had slept in separate tents. She shook the thought, however. She was sure he knew how she felt about him and if he wanted her to sleep with him in his tent he could ask her. Sophia stayed in the RV so he knew that wouldn't have been an issue.
But she didn't bring any of this up. The two of them had gotten close and she valued his friendship. So what if the memory of waking up the other morning wrapped in his arms made her ache. So what if she stayed up, hoping to hear the sound of him stirring outside her tent. None of that mattered because what they had was good.
They walked for a while and he never tried to drop her hand again until they had started back towards the house. She never should have thought about the other morning because now it was all she could think about. Waking up with his solid form molded against her back, his arms banded around her like he had worried she'd leave while he slept. It had all felt too good to be true. She had felt safe, protected.
"The hell are you sighin' about?" he asked as they rounded the corner of the barn.
She glanced up at him, unaware that she had sighed at all. "Nothing," she said a little too quickly.
He eyed her and then decided to drop it.
~H~
Daryl had no intentions of going inside and participating with the others. Sure, the Greene's had been pretty hospitable but the old man didn't really make it a secret that he wanted all of their asses gone, not just Shane's. He knew Rick had talked to the man but that didn't matter. Hershel was still under the illusion that the situation could be salvaged and didn't believe anyone that told him otherwise.
So he didn't see the point in gussying up to sit down with a family that didn't want them there, pretending that everything was fine and dandy.
He looked up at the sound of feet approaching and frowned at the look on Carol's face. She hadn't noticed him yet so she wasn't trying to school her features. She looked a little upset and he had to fight back a flash of anger at whoever could have made her look that way. She finally glanced up, saw him sitting there and tried to smile. It failed. Instead of saying anything at all she slipped into the small tent that had become her new home for the time being.
He pushed himself up and stepped around the fire he'd built, unable to hide his curiosity, because he refused to call it worry so curiosity had to suffice. "Hey, you alright?" he asked and then danced away from a duffel bag that she unceremoniously tossed out of her tent.
She crawled out, grabbing the bag before standing up and glaring at it. "I'm fine."
"Coulda fooled me," he said as she tossed the bag onto a chair and yanked the zipper open.
She shook her head, rifling through her meager stash of clothes. "It's nothing, really. Just..." She let out a long suffering sigh, dropping her hands in defeat before looking up at him. "Everyone else seems to have scrounged up enough to at least look presentable tonight. Lori, Andrea, even the guys. I look as frumpy as usual and for once, I really just want to feel... I don't know." She shook her head. "Forget it. It's stupid."
He swallowed, remembering the day on the road, the fit he'd thrown when Lori had acted like a bitch over the damn dress. He felt his face flush.
"I'll bring you a plate when we're finished, okay?" she said, plastering on a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
She turned to go but he grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Hold on," he muttered, almost wishing he had never stashed the stupid thing in his bag because he didn't want her to know... well... anything.
He dropped his hand and stalked off towards his bike, knowing she was following. He reached into his pack, knowing the difference between the feel of his clothes compared to the dress. He pulled it out and then shoved it into her hands.
With a frown she looked down and then her eyes widened when she shook it out. Her head snapped up, her eyes meeting his and before he could say anything at all she was shaking her head and then she flung her arms around his neck.
His brows went up and he stumbled back a bit but he didn't have to think twice about wrapping his arms around her waist, not giving a fuck at the moment that they were right out in the open and anybody looking out could easily see them.
"Why did you take this?" she asked. She sounded almost choked up.
He shrugged as best he could. "You wanted the damn thing," he grumbled.
She finally pulled away but then her lips brushed his jaw and she took a step back. The look on her face then made him goddamn glad he'd taken the damn dress. "You..." she shook her head. "You're amazing, Daryl Dixon."
He snorted at that. "Well, go on and fancy your ass up so you can have your damn dinner. The sooner it's over the sooner I can have your scraps."
She rolled her eyes at that. "Amazing but still stubborn as a mule." She flashed him one more smile before turning around hurrying back into the house.
He raked a hand through his hair and watched her go inside before returning to his spot in front of the fire. He was tempted to say to hell with it and go inside because he knew seeing her in that damn dress would be worth the dirty looks from Lori and having to deal with Hershel trying to pretend like he didn't mind them there. But he stayed where he was and let his imagination run for a while instead.
~H~
She had been so excited to have this dinner, hoping that everyone would have a good time and maybe leave any bad blood at the door, and it had gone as planned, but she wished it was over. Everyone had plenty of compliments for her and now she felt like squirming and all she wanted to do was take Daryl his food and spend some time with him. She hadn't seen him much, not since their walk this morning, and she found herself unable to focus on the conversations.
To say that she was falling for the man was the understatement of the century. She wasn't even falling anymore, really. She had already fallen, and fallen fast and hard. After all the years living under the oppressive weight of Ed's wrath she never would have thought it was even possible.
But it was very possible. Hell, with Daryl, it was downright inevitable.
She jumped when she felt someone nudge her in the side, startling her out of her thoughts. Andrea was giving her a knowing smile and then she slid a plate over. Carol looked down and frowned, shaking her head.
"Sorry, there's no way I can eat another bite."
Andrea rolled her eyes and nodded towards the door. "This is for Dixon. Go."
Carol opened her mouth to argue but Andrea apparently wasn't having it. "You're finished and everyone knows you're just being polite by sticking around. You already gave Sophia the go ahead to spend the night with Hershel's little girl. Take that insufferable man his food and enjoy your night."
Carol shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm just distracted tonight. I need to change and-"
"Nope." Andrea pulled the plate away. "If you dare change out of that dress I dump this whole plate in the trash and he'll starve. Didn't you let it slip that he was the one that grabbed it for you to begin with? Don't you think that might have been because he was interested in actually seeing you in it?"
Carol scoffed at that. "He grabbed it because he saw me admiring it and he also saw me put it back. It doesn't have anything to do with him wanting to see it on me."
Andrea rolled her expressive eyes. "You're probably right. He'd much rather see you out of it, but that has to wait until later so just take him the food and thank me."
Her face flushed and she glanced around, worrying someone had heard Andrea but everyone else was engrossed in their own conversations. She finally looked at her friend and grabbed the plate. "Even though you're completely ridiculous, thank you."
She said goodnight to the others, kissed Sophia quickly and then hauled ass out the door, feeling self conscious for the first time since putting the damn dress on. Probably because she didn't exactly care what the others thought but Daryl was different. She had spent so long hearing Ed's disgusting insults and being put down for every little flaw that she was almost afraid that Daryl would see those flaws too. She knew it was ridiculous. She knew that Ed was saying anything he could to hurt her and that his words were untrue but when a person heard it so many times, it became hard to shake.
She made a beeline for the campfire where she had left him earlier, pushing back all of her fears and shoving her insecurities to the back of her mind. He had made it clear that first night they stayed in the abandoned house that he had specifically went seeking her out. For whatever reasons, it was her he had wanted, so she shouldn't be so hard on herself.
The sun was nearly down but there was enough light lingering for her to see that he was busy making bolts and he must have been lost in thought because he didn't seem to hear her approach. He didn't look up until she cleared her throat. His head snapped up then and she saw his eyes widen, his lips parting slightly as his gaze raked over her. Like they had a mind of their own his eyes lingered on her chest where the cut of the neckline showed just the barest trace of cleavage.
He finally blinked, like he was coming to his senses and finally leveled his gaze on her face.
"You hungry?" she asked, feeling the blush on her cheeks but ignoring it.
He stood up, letting the bolts fall to the ground and then he shoved his knife back into it's place at his hip. "What?" he asked, looking more flustered than she had ever seen him before. "Oh, yeah," he muttered, taking the plate that she was holding out to him.
He didn't even look at the plate because his eyes were running over her again and she couldn't even begin to try to tamp down her excitement, because there wasn't any judgment or disgust in that gaze. No, there was plenty there to see, but it wasn't anything that she had silently prepared herself for.
She cleared her throat. "Are you gonna bother eating it or..." she let the sentence hang in the air for a second and then he met her eyes, the corner of his mouth turning up.
"Yeah. I plan on eating it," he said, his voice dark, lower than usual.
She didn't miss the implications, couldn't mistake the double meaning in his words even if she had wanted to. Which she didn't.
He sat down on the same log that he had been occupying when she had first came out. She sat a bottle of water at his feet and pulled up one of the lawn chairs, smoothing down the back of her skirt before sitting down across from him.
His reaction tonight had her stomach doing flips, her palms sweating and her mind going back to that room back at the CDC. The tryst hadn't exactly been all fireworks and stars. He had been drunk and she had been ill prepared, all nerves and insecurities. If it happened again would there just be a repeat of that? She quietly decided that it didn't matter. Ed had never been a good lover, greedy, demeaning, selfish. Not to mention he wasn't much to look at on top of all of it. She knew Daryl wouldn't ever be demeaning. The one night they'd been together he had seemed to only have his own pleasure at the forefront of his mind, but that was different.
Besides, it may not ever happen again. She was probably reading him wrong.
And if she wasn't, she silently thanked whatever God was listening that she'd had access to a hot shower and put the razor that Maggie had given her to good use. She smiled to herself, shaking her head at the thought.