Author's Note: Thank you so much for the continued support! I know stories that don't generally have the usual couples don't get a lot of hits, so I'm pleasantly surprised to see people are sticking with it. I promise it will be worth it and for true Carylers, there's definitely stuff coming for you.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. I hope it's full of good cheer, good people and goo spirits. I promise in between cooking I will upload another chapter tomorrow.

XOXO Pamela

3. A New Flow

Three months had passed and Carol's role in the group came naturally. There were few women in the camp. Alisha, a former Army private who had been stationed with Mitch reminded Carol so much of Maggie. She was tough as nails and had amazing sharp shooting skills. There was another woman, Lilly and her sister, Tara, that came to the camp a few weeks before Carol arrived with Lilly's daughter, Megan in tow. Lilly was a nurse and the camp was glad to have her there. Tara and Alisha had formed a hot and heavy relationship right away and they shared a cabin while Lilly and Megan shared one next door to Carol. Megan was one of three children in camp and Carol took to them immediately. She started her storytime again daily and Alisha assisted her with survival skills and weapons training. Carol also took over main duties as camp cook and everyone agreed she was an expert at making do with whatever they had.

Pete and Mitch were the main hunter gatherers of the camp and the forest near the RV area had an abundance of game Carol hadn't seen since the quarry. Carol wasn't totally surprised when she and Pete formed a strong bond. He reminded her so much of Daryl and it helped her heal her broken heart to have the young man's friendship. He insisted on teaching her how to hunt and track. He was impressed at how quiet she could be. She refrained from telling him it was from years of abuse from her marriage to Ed. She learned the more quiet she was, the less apt he was to notice her. Pete was quite smitten with her and Carol loved to tease him mercilessly about their age difference. Pete wasn't immune to her charms and they spent a good deal of time together. Whenever he would come back from a hunt, he would plunk his kills down in front of her like a boastful predator. Mitch was not happy with their bond and the naughty thought crossed Carol's mind to threaten to slit his throat in his sleep like she did a certain other bad influence. But Mitch, much like Merle, loved his brother and his loyalty outweighed any apathy he had towards Carol. They formed a strained but respectful understanding.

For as much as Carol enjoyed the playful but innocent banter she had with Pete, there was one man in camp that made her face flush and heart race. She internally berated herself for feeling this way towards the camp's leader, but he was so open, so charming, she couldn't help herself. Caesar desired her counsel on a daily basis and picked her brain about what they could improve on at the camp. He had been impressed at how she had jumped in and taken the reins of the domestic issues and the training for the children. They spent hours on end together, talking, laughing, enjoying each other's presence. She never thought she could feel like a woman, like a wanted woman. The thing between her and Daryl always seemed to be on the cusp of something. She knew he had deep feelings for her but she never knew if they were anything more than platonic. She, on the other hand, had been quite sure on her feelings for the younger Dixon. She had been in love. Utterly and irrationally in love. Two years with him as her closest companion and best friend had rendered her devoted to him. When she was banished by Rick, she grieved for the unrequited love she lost. She tried not think about Daryl much. It still gave her physical pain to think about him, about the rest of them. But she knew she was moving on. She knew it because what she started to feel for Caesar was something unexpected but something real.

They spent many a day sitting on the dock, sometimes just watching the crystal water flow over the pebbled river bed. Sometimes they talked so much Carol was hoarse the next day. That particular day Caesar had brought a couple of bottle of beer with him. They sat side by side, bare feet dangling in the cool water. Carol had confided in Caesar about Sophia weeks ago, about the farm and losing her. He in turn had talked to her about the family he lost. That evening Carol was telling Caesar about trying to teach Sophia how to fish in that exact river and how she ended up with a scar on her behind from the fish hook that got imbedded in there.

"You should show me that scar, Corazon, I can't seem to picture it well in my mind. I need a visual aid." Caesar joked, pulling at the waistband of her pants playfully.

Carol swatted his hand. "If I'm going to show you my ass, I'm going to need more than just a couple of bottles of beer." When she met his eyes, the look he shot her was anything but playful. His finger traced the side of her face and Carol closed her eyes to the overwhelming sensation.

"What do you need?" His finger trailed to her neck and she moaned at the sensation. She felt his breath on her lips and she opened her eyes and he was there, eyes burning with want.

"I need you." She whispered and closed the gap and pressed her soft mouth to his. Their first kiss was soft and sweet and he cupped her face with both his hands as he deepened it. She felt like she had fallen into the water below them and was floating. The feeling was incredible. She never thought she would ever experience anything like this again. All of her suppressed desires bubbled to the surface and she moved to straddle him, pressing her need against his own. There was only a sliver of moonlight so anyone that came nearby could not make out the two figures that slowly stripped on the dock and the heavy breaths and soft moans of their coupling mixed with the sounds of the river flowing steadily by.