Author's Notes: Thank you, thank you, thank you.

TWDTWDTWD

Carol's one rule for being in the truck was broken within three minutes of waking up. It was still dark, but then they had gone to bed by sundown, so it wasn't surprising that Daryl was up in what seemed like the middle of the night. He'd been awake for a little while and she had tried to ignore him as he attempted to prod her awake slowly. First it was just shifting his position, wrapping his arms tight around her, burying his head into the crook of her neck. When that didn't illicit the desired response, he switched to sliding his hands under her clothes and gently rubbing her cool skin with his warm fingertips. She stirred slightly, but her eyes stayed shut.

After a few moments, she felt him pull away from her, hearing him root around in one of their bags, although she wasn't sure what for. He returned a moment later, tugging the sleeping bag from her to press himself on top of her and without warning he tugged her pants down over her hips, running his hand between her thighs. The feel of his fingers probing her centre was enough for her to take in a sharp breath, eyes snapping open.

She arched against his fingers, lifting almost her entire body to him and he let a smile quirk his lips as he watched her come undone underneath him. He decided that pleasuring her was actually better than sex. He didn't think he would ever believe that, but it was true. It was far more satisifying to watch her losing herself over something he had done to her than it was to get his own rocks off. Not that he didn't enjoy that part. Because that was pretty much his second favourite thing to do. She always seemed so surprised whenever he did put his hands on her, like she was fucking grateful. Truth was, he was fucking thankful he was even allowed to put his hands on her at all.

She was clutching at him now, nails biting into his biceps, as she moaned and panted and it didn't take much for her to come underneath him, stiffening up and letting out a silent scream as he pressed onto her clit, throbbing around his fingers. He gave her a moment to get her breath back and she fumbled for the button of his jeans. She only got them down his thighs and he pushed her hands aside to roll the condom he'd retrieved on. There was no ceremony as he pushed himself into her, it was just fucking, pure and simple. There was no room to do more than thrust, her pants were wedged just under her knees, leaving just enough room for him.

She clutched at his neck and he laughed as she yanked his neck down to her, not even managing to press her lips to his, just pulling at him mindlessly as she bucked under him, hips coming up from the truck bed to crash into his. It was all of five minutes, when he felt the pressure building and he came inside her. She pushed her hand between them, pressing her fingers to herself to finish herself off whilst he was still inside her. He slammed his mouth on hers and pulled her hand away, pushing his own fingers there instead. He didn't want her to have to do it for herself. She bit his lip as she came, so hard he hissed into her mouth and he was sure she drew blood.

She gaped at him when she finally opened her eyes, pressing her hand to his mouth, a drop of blood marking her skin.

"Sorry." She huffed out. Daryl just shook his head and lifted himself from her, pressing one final kiss to her mouth before rolling the condom off and hitching his pants up. It was starting to get lighter and he was pretty sure he heard a car door slam somewhere.

He extended one hand to her, pulling her up so she could button her own pants, sliding over the truck bench to see what was going on with the others. He could see Rick and Lori were up and he pulled out his crossbow to join them. Carol was flushed looking and he threw her boots and coat over to her before lacing up his own.

"Try to look less like ya just got fucked." He murmured to her and she just smiled as he slammed the door behind him.

Rick had spread the maps on the bonnet of the car and he gave Daryl a nod as he approached.

"What happened to you?" Rick nodded his mouth and Daryl pressed a hand to his lips, wiping away any traces of blood. So much for Carol being the one that looking like she got fucked.

"'S nothin'."

Rick just raised an eyebrow and looked up at the truck, where Carol was stepping out and he took note of the steamed up windows. Daryl followed his gaze.

"Shut up." He barked at Rick and the other man just grinned. "We gonna plan this route or what?"

TWDTWDTWD

Carol had decided she hated Missouri. It seemed to take forever to get through it, blocked roads that took hours to shift only for them to have to turn around to avoid hordes of Walkers or to come across a collapsed bridge and have to take a route that was fifty miles out of their way. She was starting to feel like Missouri was one giant maze that they would remain in for all of eternity. It didn't help that they were sleeping on the side of the road and that they were back to eating from tins and stinking to high heaven. The weather had picked up again, oddly, so days spent in the truck were hot and sticky and temperatures plunged at night, below freezing, she was sure because not even a heady combination of Daryl and layers of blankets could keep her warm. She never used to think of herself as a particularly irritable person, but now she was distinctly crotchety.

Supplies were running low and they chose an empty house to hole up in for the day, right next to a river so the clothes could be cleaned whilst Maggie, Glenn, T-Dog and Rick made the run into the nearest town a few miles away. Daryl was about somewhere, she could ocassionally make out his shape in the distance. He was keeping watch on the wider area, hunting as he went. Every so often he would reappear in her eyeline, game bouncing from his belt.

Beth and Carl had been ordered to scour the house for anything of use. Everything from a tube of toothpaste to hand sanitizer to the batteries from a television remote, everything was to be brought to the kitchen table, ready for the rest of the group to sift through and slot into their existing supplies.

Hershel was in the garden, shot gun in hand, apparantly keeping watch on Carol and Lori as they scrubbed the everlasting pile of clothes at the river side, but he was busy rummaging in the garden shed, making noises of appreciation when he found something that might be of use to them.

It was when the clothes were blowing in the wind, almost dry by Carol's watch, that Daryl returned. He had a small string of game, a considerable find considering there was very little in the way of forestry.

"They back yet?" He asked them by way of greeting, as Lori and Carol both sat on kitchen chairs they dragged to the patio, enjoying a little of the late afternoon sun.

"No, somethin' botherin' you?" Lori asked, sitting up a little straighter.

He shrugged off the string of animals and flicked his hair out of his eyes.

"Nah, not really. Got some tyre tracks up in the dirt track, not even a mile up a ways, they ain't more'n coupla days old. Not if it's been rainin' up here too." He looked to Hershel who reappeared from the shed, clutching his shotgun in one hand, a saw in another. "Probably only passin' through."

"Three miles off a main road?" Lori questioned, standing up.

Daryl took a step back from her, turning towards the house. "There ain't no-one 'bout now." He responded, a little defensive, Carol noted. "And we wait until the others get back, see what they gotta say. Just don't go gettin' too comfortable."

"Any Walkers?" Hershel asked.

"Just a couple, they ain't our problem. Just keep ready to go."

Carol nodded and watched him as he stomped into the house looking for somewhere to clean his kills.

"Come on." Carol gave Lori a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Let's go see what those kids are up to."

The others returned soon after, with very little. Just one backpack of odds and ends, retrieved from a couple of abandoned houses. Enough to stretch to one meal, maybe two when combined with Daryl's meat.

They sat or stood around the small kitchen, resting on counters or sitting at the table as Rick spoke of their findings.

"No Walkers. Not one. Even in the centre of town. Lotsa bodies but nothing else. Every store, absolutely picked clean. Not looted. Like someone literally went in there with a moving truck. We checked the houses in the immediate area, same story. What we found was in the houses nearest here." Rick sat hunched at the table and Carol could see by his face and the faces of the other three, that there was more than that.

"We think there's a survivor's camp." Glenn blurted out. Rick and Maggie both shot him a look. "I couldn't hold it in!" He shrugged.

"A camp?"

"There were these over the town." Rick pulled a folded up wad of paper from his pocket and prised the three sheets of paper apart. Lori, Daryl and Hershel all went for them at the same time and she looked over Lori's shoulder to read the words.

There is hope. Camp Sheldon is 3.6 miles North East of Aullville. We have food, shelter and safety. We have medical staff. We can protect you. We live within a twelve foot walled community, with constant protection. There is no need for weapons here. On your approach to our home, please hand over all arms and supplies. We are a utopian society. Safe journey.

Lori was the first to finish the words and her head snapped up to Rick. "We have to go."

"I ain't goin'." Daryl threw the paper down with as much force as one could with a piece of paper, pulling himself from the crowd around the table, back against the counter.

"What? Are you insane? It's safe there." Lori turned in her seat to look at Daryl.

"I ain't fuckin' goin'!" He told her. "Have ya even read the fuckin' paper? That ain't government or army or some shit!"

"How do you even know?" Lori asked scornfully. "Anything would be better than driving around aimlessly with nothing ahead of us!"

"You gonna put your life in the hands of some strangers who want all our weapons? I had ya pegged for alotta things Lori, but dumb bitch weren't one of 'em!"

"Hey!" Rick and Carol spoke the warning at the same time and Rick shoved the chair back, raising a hand in Daryl's direction. "Cool it." He told him. "All of you. No-one is suggesting we walk in there and hand over our guns. And I agree, Daryl. I don't think this is an authority either. But we are aimless. Yeah, we're heading to Nebraska but we don't know what's in store for us. It's worth considering."

Daryl shook his head and mumbled a string of expletives under his breath. "I ain't considerin' shit." With that he picked up his crossbow and stormed from the room and a few seconds later they heard one of the doors upstairs slam shut.

Eyes fell to Carol expectantly and she just shrugged. "I'll talk to him. I don't think he'll change his mind."

"I want to go, Rick." Lori told him firmly.

"We're not just walking in there. I thought maybe, if everyone were in agreement, we could scope out the area, see what's what. Take it slow." Hershel nodded his agreement and this seemed to fortify Rick. "Just take a look. It stands to reason, not every living person left in this world is out to kill the others. There must be more like us."

Carol sighed and rubbed her hands over her face. She already knew that this issue would drive a wedge between the group and force her to make choices she didn't want to make.

"Are we staying here tonight?" She asked tiredly.

"I think so." Carol stood up at his words.

"I'll go talk to him. Do you mind getting started on dinner without me?" She asked Lori and the other woman nodded.

"I'll help." Beth piped up and Carol squeezed her shoulder in thanks before leaving to find Daryl.

TWDTWDTWD

She could hear the squeal of metal scraping against metal as she made her way up the stairs and she knew he was sharpening his knives. She pushed the door open to see him hunched over a vanity, in what was probably the master bedroom, the pots and potions swept onto the floor beside him, in anger most likely. His knife roll was laying half empty on the bed and he looked up into the mirror to see her watching him, arms folded as she stood by the door.

"I guess you're here to make me change my mind." He bit out bitterly.

She didn't say anything as she crossed the room, sitting just behind his right shoulder. He carried on sharpening the knife viciously and she tried not to wince as the sound shook her eardrums.

"It's a stupid fuckin' idea. Rick's a fuckin' cop, he thinks too highly of authority. I know how it fuckin' goes." He muttered. To her or to himself she wasn't sure. He turned around sharply to face her, knife in hand. "People are sick assholes. We shouldn't trust no-one. Especially not people who want our weapons the minute we stroll in." He waved his hand at her and she just looked down at the knife that was way too close to her face.

"Shit." Daryl dropped the knife onto the vanity as if it burnt him. "Sorry." He mumbled. "So ya wanna go?"

"No." She whispered.

His head shot up at that, an answer he clearly wasn't expecting.

"I told you I trust you. Still stands. If you say no, then I say no too."

He turned around on the stool to face her properly. His rubbed his hands on his thighs nervously. "Serious?"

She nodded once, firm.

"It ain't right Carol. They gotta be huge, t' be able to clear out a whole town of Walkers. Take all that's there. Ten of us would be nothin' on them."

"Then talk to Rick, tell him your concerns. And maybe try not call his wife a dumb bitch?" She offered with a tilt of her head, her mouth almost quirking into a smile.

"She is." He muttered churlishly, sitting forward so their knees were touching.

"Come on. She's my friend, Daryl."

He made a noise that might have been an agreement, although Carol couldn't be sure. She smiled before standing up and he caught her hand in his. She waited for him to say something but there was nothing for him to say, so he pressed a kiss to her knuckles before getting up and heading down the stairs with her.