Author's Note: Thanks for the lovin', guys.

TWDTWDTWD

Carol tried not to listen to the argument that was in full swing outside the kitchen window. Lori was raging, her voicing getting louder with every barb she threw at Rick. They'd not been right since they left the Greene farm, but Carol had thought that the worst part had passed over. Clearly her head was in the clouds because by the sound of it, the worst was only just beginning.

Dinner had been cleared up and Carol had taken up the task of packing up the last of their food, distributing all the ready to eat goods equally, in case they were unable to stop the convoy for meals. She'd taken note of things they would need fairly soon and filled up smaller bottles they had with water taken from the gallon drums that would be strapped down in the back of Daryl's truck.

She needed to step outside to pick up the drums, but was fearful of stepping into the middle of a Grimes meltdown, although somebody would have to soon, the rising voices would be sure to draw any unwanted visitors to them.

She looked over their heads out the window to the trees in the distant, seeing if Daryl had returned. He was gone out for a final hunt, a little more meat for her to cook that could be eaten on their journey the next day. It was getting dark, the nights had started drawing in, particularly as they travelled further north.

The Greene girls, Glenn and Carl were upstairs, sorting through clothes that had been left behind in this place, trying to gear them all up for a colder time than they were used to. Carol finally had new boots, but they felt alien on her feet, clumpy and awkward, despite being her size. She had been wearing them around the house all day, trying to break them in now, in case they had real running to do later.

She pleased to add a couple more sweaters to her wardrobe, although there was not another practical coat for her. Still, she found herself a little attached to the green dress coat, especially now she had managed to scrub the last of the blood from the sleeves. She was pulled from her thoughts when she looked up from the kitchen table to check the window for Daryl again and she smiled when she saw him come up the bottom of the long garden, a string of game slung over his shoulder.

"You two gonna shut the hell up? I just took out a Walker that was stumblin' its way over to you two." She heard him say to Lori and Rick with disdain as he pushed past them to get in the house. He slammed the kitchen door behind him, tossing the string of animals onto the counter. Lori and Rick resumed their arguing, albeit a little bit more quietly.

"I thought I was going to have to knock their heads together." She told him by way of greeting, squeezing the last of the tins into the carboard box beside her.

"She's a crazy bitch." Was all he had to say on the matter as he shrugged off his outer clothes.

"Don't." Carol knew of Daryl's aversion to Lori. It seemed the more Lori argued with Rick, the more Daryl seemed to get irritated with her. "She's pregnant. She's scared. And they're arguing about Carl, it's not crazy."

Daryl sneered at the suggestion and Carol just sighed, choosing to ignore it. Lori came into the kitchen and stomped through, ignoring Carol's hesitant smile.

She thought she heard Daryl curse under his breath but Rick followed his wife in before she could call him on it. She didn't want to argue with Daryl over her friend anyway. Some people just couldn't get on and it wasn't worth the hassle.

"Just the one Walker?" Rick asked.

Daryl nodded.

"Do you think it would be a ridiculous idea if I taught Carl how to drive?" Carol turned from her packing to look at Rick, but the question was directed at Daryl.

"Nope. Couldn't hurt." Daryl started his work on skinning the rabbit nearest to him and Carol went to the drawer to pull out the things she would need to cook the meat.

"Thank you." Rick gestured a hand in their direction, stalking off, probably to find Lori and use Daryl's agreement to strengthen his argument.

Daryl put down his knife and sidled up to her slowly, pushing his hip against hers. "Don't get pissed at me over Lori fuckin' Grimes." His mouth brushing against her ear, he pressed a small kiss at the side of her jaw and Carol turned quickly, catching his lips in hers. She kept her hands on the knives in her hands as she pushed her mouth against his, tongue running over his lips and into his open mouth. She saw his hand come up to her face and she pulled away sharply, waggling the knife in her hand.

"Get those paws away from me, these clothes are clean." She told him, taking a step backwards. Daryl huffed, looking down at his hands, grimy and reddened with rabbit blood.

"Didn't say that last night." He muttered churlishly. She stifled at smile and turned back to her work. It was true. She definitely said the exact opposite if she could recall. She was more vocal during sex than she had ever been with anyone else. Daryl liked it, she could tell and it encouraged her to keep on. She had to rein herself in more than once so they didn't disturb the others. She'd never had the freedom to express herself that way before. It was wonderful, but it was exhausting. Just a few snatched hours sleep in the last three nights and probably even less in the coming days. Except now she would mind even more because it wasn't for pleasure but because they would be on the road and the chances of having privacy at night would be slim, if they even stopped at all.

She ignored him and just took the raw meat from him to cut into strips, shaking her head to physically remove the thoughts that were making her blush.

TWDTWDTWD

By nightfall, the group were packing the last of their things into the vehicles. Carol watched as Daryl revved the engine on the bike from the back of the truck, testing and tweaking parts that she didn't know. He handled the bike softly, as if it were precious cargo. She hadn't seen him so gentle before, except perhaps, with her. She smiled at the memory of the last time he touched her so gently and rested herself against the side of the truck.

"So, maybe you should ride the bike for tomorrow, if the weather stays dry?" She suggested. Daryl shut the engine off and pulled himself from the bike.

"Nah, s'alright." He pushed his hair from his eyes before jumping from the truck bed.

"Well actually..." Carol pulled away and tailed off, pretty certain that he would be glad to ride the bike when she told him her reasons why. "Lori has asked if she can ride the truck tomorrow. She needs to take a break from Rick. And I know you won't want to be there -"

"Fine. I'll take the bike. One day. And she ain't drivin' the truck. At all." He told her, cutting her off the moment he realised Lori would be in close proximity to him otherwise. Carol folded her arms and nodded. "I mean it, she's a shitty driver."

Carol let out a laugh. "I'm going to bed."

She had fallen asleep by the time he made it into the study, waking up with a start when she heard the door click. He kicked off his boots, pulling the weapons from his waist and she rubbed her eyes when he flicked on a torch.

"What's wrong?" She asked groggily, pushing herself up from the mattress and running a hand on her face.

"Nothin'." He sat beside her on the bed, pulling a gun from the back of his waistband and setting it between them on the mattress. "I want ya t' take this tomorrow."

Carol looked down at the gun. It was the one she had used, just once. The one she killed Andrew with. "I don't want it." She pushed herself into the centre of the bed, drawing the blankets up a little higher. Daryl caught her arm as she tried to pull it under the covers and he pressed the gun into her hand. She let her fingers curl around the barrel, it was heavier than she remembered.

"Well, you need it. If it's just you an' Lori in the truck, you need at least one weapon between ya."

"I don't want it, Daryl." She dropped it onto the mattress. "I really don't want that thing."

"Tough shit, you're takin' it. I ain't lettin' you get in the truck without me an' without a gun. It's not even negotiable." He took the gun away and put in on the desk, before returning to the bed and sliding in beside her.

"I just don't want you to be unarmed." He murmured, bringing himself closer to her. He reached out and touched her waist, she was already naked under the covers and he found it turned him on that she was ready and waiting for him like that. Carol responded to his touch, pushing herself into his outstretched hand.

"Why are you still wearing clothes?" She muttered back, turning around to face him properly. Carol slid one cold palm under his shirt and he flinched as her icy fingertips brushed his warm chest.

"You told me you wanted actual sleep tonight." He told her, but he pulled his shirt off anyway.

"Oh shut up." Carol pulled him towards her and pressed her mouth to his, his tongue immediately invading her mouth as he rolled on top of her. He pulled her thigh up, pushing his own leg between hers and she gasped as his denim clad knee brushed along her crotch.

Her hands went to his belt, fumbling at the buckle and he let her struggle, putting his hand on one breast, thumbing her nipple to a peak. Eventually she pulled the leather apart, unbuttoning his jeans and pushing them down his hips with his underwear. She reached under the pillow where they had stashed the condoms, pulling one shakily from the box. She could feel him hard against her, pressing against her clit and she had to force her hips to stop from jutting up to push him into her.

She almost tore the condom trying to pull it from the foil and he pulled his hand from her breast to take it from her trembling fingers. She put her hands to his face as he rolled it on deftly, taking the time to run his fingers over her wet entrance, pushing two fingers into her depths, slow and firm, enough to drive her crazy.

"You are such a bastard." She managed to breathe out, moving her fingers to his neck, pulling his face to hers.

He smirked at the insult that was actually a compliment, because he knew even after a few short days, that she loved it when he teased her. He pulled his fingers from her to push his jeans down to his ankles, kicking them free. When he came back to her, she took his dick in her hand, guiding him to her and he let out a contented sigh as he sank into her.

She was more relaxed on this night, once he was inside her she calmed down some, letting him thrust himself into her languidly, taking the time to run his hands over her skin as her fingernails pressed into his back.

He felt like he could do this forever, rocking his hips into hers, pressing his mouth over her jaw and neck, sucking at the soft skin there, wondering idly if he would leave marks on her and finding that he wouldn't mind if anyone else saw them.

She moaned and sighed under him, her breaths becoming more ragged and shallow. Daryl slowed his pace even further, not wanting her to come too soon. She squirmed under him and he responded by grasping her thigh, pushing her leg up for her shin to rest against his chest and he found this new angle illicited a louder response and she pressed her own hand against her mouth to stop herself from releasing what she thought might become a scream.

Her skin was slick under his hands and he was finding it hard to keep his grip on her after several minutes, they were both sticky with perspiration from the exertion. He released her leg from his grasp, resuming their orginal position, his favourite way of being with her. Perfectly aligned, his chest against hers, their feet tangled up together.

She was muttering under her breath again, saying things he could hardly make out and it made him want to drive into her deeper, just the sheer fact that being inside her drove her to senselessness. He thrust faster and she mewled into his mouth, fingernails scratching at his back, fingers tangling in his fair, pulling at his scalp. He changed his angle slightly and she only lasted a few more seconds before she suddenly stiffened and stilled and he pulled his head from her to watch her face scrunch up, the breath hitch in her throat as she came around him. It was enough to set him off, watching her, and one more thrust was all it took for him to come with a groan, pushing his head into her neck as she tugged on his hair.

He slumped against her and after a moment she relaxed her vice-like grip on his dick and his hair, but neither made a move to separate. She was panting still, eyes closed but a smile on her lips. He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth and moved off of her, deftly rolling off the used condom and putting it aside.

"I can't believe ya wanna ride wit' Lori when you can ride with me." He moaned into her back as she turned over and he pressed himself against her.

"We'll be driving a truck. We wouldn't exactly be missing out on anything!" She laughed.

He raised an eyebrow but with her back to him, she wouldn't have seen it, although she did not mistake his silence. She turned her head to look over her shoulder at him. "We would not be doing that in the truck, Daryl." He just looked at her deadpan. "Oh come on, we are supposed to be adults, not horny teenagers." She chuckled, shrugging him from her back playfully and turning around to face him. "I'm going to sleep. You are exhausting and seeing as I am the only one driving tomorrow, I need my rest."

She pushed herself further away from him, giving him a few inches of space. She was always careful to never appear clingy or needy. He never initiated much contact outside of the room, except when she was injured and she was always aware that she could frighten him off. She suspected that despite being more than satisfactory in the bedroom, that Daryl was not skilled in the other parts of a relationship. But then, she supposed, neither was she really. Still, she would let him lead the way when it came to this. There was no room for messy break ups or arguments when your life depended on the people you lived and travelled with.

She pulled the blankets that had bunched around their knees and covered herself. Daryl got up to switch off the flashlight that had been left on the desk and he surprised her by returning to her side of the bed, pushing himself into the gap between the edge of the bed and her body. Carol shuffled over to let him in but he stopped her with a hand to her waist before she could go too far.

It was as if he could read her mind, she thought as she drifted off to sleep, her back pressed up against his chest and his hand curled over her hip.

TWDTWDTWD

They woke up later than they intended to. Usually Daryl was the first up, but she guessed that he needed the rest as much as she did because they both woke with a start when they heard the sharp knocking on the study door.

They dressed quickly and Carol left the gun on the desk alongside his, hoping he would forgot all about his insistence that she should have it. But there was no such luck. As she dropped her bag into the cab of the truck he came up behind her, reeling off instructions to her about how she shouldn't be crunching the gears, not to let Lori drive the truck and to stay behind Rick's car and in front of Glenn's at all times. She rolled her eyes as she turned away from him to tuck her coat away in the truck and jumped when she felt the coldness of metal against the small of her back as he tucked the gun into her waistband.

"Just have it in the truck, alright?" He told her before moving off to the bike at the front of their convoy and no other farewell for her, not that she expected any public display.

They'd been on the road for over an hour and Lori still hadn't paused to take a breath. They were through the middle of Missouri and Carol had to really focus her mind to hear what Lori was saying and focus on the road.

"He's not even 12, he can barely see over the top of a steering wheel, it's absolutely ridiculous that Rick think's he's capable of controlling a car." Lori told her, arms folded, feet propped on the dash.

"He's only trying to protect Carl." Carol said placatingly. "And he does carry a gun after all. It's not like he's completely unused to handling things he should be too young for."

"Don't even get me started on the gun! I fought against that one too, but I was outruled once again." Lori was full of righteous indignation now, arms gesticulating wildly. Carol knew that she was pregnant and therefore entitled to a little irrationality but it was a struggle not to roll her eyes. She felt instant guilt when she thought of it though, when did she become such a bad friend? Probably when started getting distracted by Daryl Dixon.

"I know that it's a difficult one. I know if it were Sophia, I wouldn't have wanted her near a gun or driving a car." She said her daughter's name without the usual pang in her chest whe she thought of her and she briefly wondered if this were a good or a bad thing. "It's not fair that Carl is having his childhood ripped away from him. It's not. But Lori, what would happen if it were you and Rick that were taken from him instead, God forbid? Wouldn't you want him to have the best chance possible?"

Lori was silent, contemplating this scenario.

"Hopefully, that will never happen." She said, finally.

"Of course! You know every single one of us would fight to stop that happening. He's the most precious member of the group, we all believe that, Lori."

Lori smiled at that, relaxing her defensive stance.

It was some miles later when the weight of the gun behind her became so irritating she couldn't leave it any longer. She wedged her hand between her back and the seat, pulling it from her waistband and throwing it on to the dashboard.

"Where did you get that?" Lori frowned, leaning forward to get a better look.

"Daryl made me take it." Was the only answer she gave, she did not feel like telling the other woman that she had used that particular weapon before.

"Boy, that man sure does wanna watch out for you." Lori let out a low whistle.

Carol blushed and chose to keep her eyes fixed on the road.

"I hope you're practising safe sex." Lori bit out, voice full of laughter.

Carol spluttered and put a hand to her chest. "What? I mean - we're not, it's not-"

"Oh come off it Carol, you aren't exactly quiet, you know." Lori let out a chuckle, hand plucking at a stray thread on her shirt.

"You heard?" Carol was pretty sure her face had turned purple with embarrassment. "Oh my god, this is mortifying."

"Oh come on, it's normal to have sex, Carol. You two have been hanging around each other long enough. And I only heard you last night. But I'm pretty sure I'm the only one, so don't worry." Lori watched Carol's horrified expression. "Really, it's not a big deal anyway, I'm sure he's excellent at it by the sounds you were making anyway."

"Lori! You are not helping here." This was absolutely humiliating. She could only hope to God that no-one else found out because she wasn't sure Daryl could handle the teasing if they did.

"He's clearly utterly in love with you."

"Absolutely not. Don't even go there. It's not like that."

"Oh he so is. He stayed with this group for you and only you, Carol. He's as close to nice as Daryl Dixon could ever get. I haven't even seen him throw a tantrum in weeks. This is your doing, whether you realise it or not."

Carol didn't quite know what to say to that one, so she said nothing at all, fixing her eyes back on the road.