On the short ride across the neighborhood, Carol found herself wishing she'd asked Daryl to just stay in that house with her forever. Maybe they could have survived on their own. But she knew if he'd tried to get Merle back to the group for safety there's no way he would try to make it with just Carol. It was fine as long as the houses were safe, but there was no guarantee they would be safe for long. There was nothing stopping a herd from taking over the neighborhood, and they would be much safer with the rest of the group if that happened. Carol knew Daryl could protect her, but she certainly couldn't return the favor. Not yet. She couldn't put him in danger by asking him to stay with her and her alone. Besides, if he wanted to do it, then they would still be there. Daryl had his reasons for going back to the group, not the least of which was probably a sense of duty. Daryl really was a man of honor. Carol knew he felt a loyalty to the group that he'd probably never felt for anything else in his life, and she understood. She felt bound to Lori and Rick, to Glenn, T-Dog, Andrea, to Hershel and his girls. She even felt a certain closeness to the quiet, mysterious Michonne after the last few weeks. She could never leave Carl behind, and the baby growing in Lori's belly almost seemed like he or she was Carol's child as well. They had become a family. They wouldn't replace her daughter, and as difficult as Merle had been they wouldn't replace him either, but they were a new kind of family for Carol and Daryl, and she couldn't imagine abandoning them.

Rick was waiting for them, tapping his fingers on the kitchen table and scowling. Carol couldn't help feeling like she'd stayed out past curfew and was about to get grounded, and it pissed her off a little. Rick might be their leader, but they were adults.

"Are you two done playin' house?" Rick asked in a level voice.

"You think you're our daddy now?" Daryl asked, setting his crossbow in the corner and crossing his arms over his chest.

"That's not what this is and you know it," Rick said, flaring his nostrils a bit. "What happened in the mall was. . ."

"Yeah, the mall I told you we shouldn't go to," Daryl muttered.

"You were right," Rick said. "Is that what you want to hear? Look, I knew there were risks at the mall. There are risks everywhere. That's my point. We can't split up the group again. You already left us once."

Daryl nodded, stayed quiet. Apparently he had decided to let Rick say his piece, to hear him out. Carol took a seat at the table. "Rick, we just wanted some time to—"

"Time to what, Carol?" He turned to her, his eyes wide. "Time to snuggle up in a little love nest? Must be nice. The rest of us have been here dealing with Hershel, Lori's been sick. . ."

"Oh god, Hershel." Carol covered her mouth with her hand. She'd actually forgotten about Hershel's leg. She glanced at Daryl, who was looking at her through narrowed eyes. How had they allowed themselves to forget what happened to Hershel? "How is he?" she asked Rick.

"He's ok now. Maggie and Glenn went on a run and found a pair of crutches for him at that pharmacy down the road. They're not exactly the right height but they'll work. He's not up and about much yet, though. Beth's pretty shaken by it."

"And Beth hasn't had time to tend to her father." This was from Andrea, who had just entered the room and stood in the doorway, hands on hips, glaring at Carol. "With you gone, she's been getting the meals ready and taking care of Lori."

"I'm sorry, I –"

"You should be sorry," Andrea continued. "It was irresponsible of you two to run off like that."

"Fuck off, Andrea," Daryl said. "Carol's not the only one who can take care of people around here. Maybe you could take care of somebody besides yourself for once."

Andrea stared at him, openmouthed. "I take my turns on watch, Daryl. I keep everyone safe." Daryl scoffed, rolled his eyes. Carol suppressed a smile, happy that he'd taken up for her. She did feel some guilt for leaving but Andrea was being ridiculous. Beth wouldn't have had so many chores that she couldn't spend time at her father's bedside. Carol had only been gone one full day, after all.

"How is Lori?" she asked Rick, ignoring Andrea's glare.

"She hasn't been feeling well," said Rick. "Just tired all the time. The baby moves constantly, won't let her sleep. She's craving meat again real strong." He glanced at Daryl, who nodded. He'd be off on a hunt soon, which made Carol's heart pound. The thought of him out there alone, in danger, was more than she could stand. She knew she would have to get used to it, but after the last two nights it would be harder than ever. Daryl picked up his crossbow and left the room, ignoring Andrea as she stared after him. Surely he wasn't going hunting now, without a word to Carol? She tried to brush off the thought and focus on Lori.

"I'm going up to check on her," she said. "Should I take anything up as I go?"

"I was about to take her this water," Rick said, handing Carol a bottle. He clapped his hand onto her shoulder and looked her in the eye. "I'm glad you're back."

Andrea sighed heavily, turned, and walked away. Carol didn't understand why she was so upset about her and Daryl being gone, but she didn't want to think about it now. She needed to make sure Lori was ok.

Lori was lying in the bed flipping through a very old magazine. When she looked up and saw Carol in the doorway, her face lit up and she held out her arms. Carol moved into them and gave her a gentle hug. "I'm so glad to see you, Carol," Lori said, and Carol could tell her words were genuine.

"You're not angry like everyone else?"

"Oh god no," Lori said, waving the idea away with her hand. "If anybody deserves some time away, it's you and Daryl. After everything you two do for us, I just. . . well, I told Rick I thought it would do you both some good and that he should leave you alone about it." She gave Carol a sly smile. "How was it?"

Carol wrinkled her nose. "I don't think I'm ready to talk about it yet."

Lori nodded and started flipping through the magazine again. "Well, thanks for checking on me."

"Lori, don't be upset. . ."

Lori looked up and shrugged. "I'm not upset. I guess I was just hoping to live vicariously through you. I certainly don't have anything exciting going on right now." She looked around the room. Carol knew she was bored since Hershel had pretty much confined her to her bed as much as possible.

"Lori, you've got a baby growing inside you," Carol said softly. "A beautiful little boy or girl, and I can't wait to meet them. I know this isn't the best world to bring a child into, but I think we can do our best to be happy about that new life." She placed a hand on Lori's growing belly and smiled at her friend. "I can't talk about Daryl because it's just too new. It took a long time to get him to show that he feels anything. If I talk about it or make him feel pressured to acknowledge it, I'm afraid he'll scurry back into his hole, you know?" She chuckled, imagining Daryl as one of the squirrels he hunted, furtively scampering about, escaping emotions. Lori joined her in her laughter, placing a hand over Carol's on her stomach.

"It's good to see you with a smile on your face, Carol," Lori said.

Carol sat with Lori for a while longer, trying to keep Lori's mind off the aches and pains of pregnancy and trying to keep her own mind off what Daryl must be thinking now. She was trying to just enjoy the afterglow of their amazing two nights together for as long as she could before she had to face the reality of what things would be like between them now. Would they have time together, even if he wanted things to stay the same?

Carol tried to keep herself busy looking after Lori and tending to Hershel's needs.

Daryl stayed gone the entire day and night, and when he returned late the following morning he crashed onto the couch and fell asleep without a word to anyone. He'd brought back a deer, skinned it, and prepared it for cooking. Everyone was excited to have venison for dinner, especially Lori, but Carol was worried about how tired Daryl looked. He must have decided to stay away until he could bring back some good meat for Lori. If Carol had ever had any question about his loyalty to the group and his desire to stay with them, his dedication to providing for them had erased it.

They cooked the meat in the fireplace until the smell of it nearly drove them wild with hunger. They'd found food in the houses, but nothing compared to freshly cooked meat, and their bodies craved protein. Carol tried to enjoy the meal, but she couldn't keep her eyes off Daryl. She watched his hands as he lifted the food to his mouth. She thought about his hands on her body, wondering if she would feel them again soon. He glanced at her, catching her staring at him, and she blushed. He peered at her through narrowed eyes, chewing his bottom lip. He inclined his head slightly, glancing pointedly at the bathroom door. She excused herself and headed for the bathroom.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was slightly red, still flushed from when he caught her staring at him. A few minutes passed, and then the door opened and Daryl slipped into the bathroom to stand behind her. His arms moved around her waist and he bent to kiss her ear. Her eyes closed as she threw her head back and lifted her arm behind her to run her hand through his hair. "Missed you," he murmured into her ear.

She met his eyes in the mirror. "You disappeared again."

"This was different and you know it," he said, flipping her around to face him. "Just kiss me, woman." And so she did, as his strong arms enveloped her and his hands rubbed her back.

"I want you," she whispered against his lips. "It's driving me crazy."

"I know, me too," he said, sliding his hands under her shirt to touch the bare, smooth skin of her back.

She hesitated for a moment, then decided she didn't care anymore about feeling embarrassed or shy. She slipped a hand into his pants and wrapped her hand around his already hard cock. "Daryl, I need you inside me right now."

He hissed when her hand squeezed him. "Here?" he whispered.

She nodded, unzipping her pants and stepping out of them quickly. He grabbed the waistband of her panties and tore them roughly, letting them fall away from her body. He propped her on the sink and used his hands to spread her legs wide. He looked down at her, his eyes blazing, and licked his lower lip. Carol wondered if he was thinking about tasting her, and the thought made her shiver. She was already dripping wet, desperate to be filled by him. He wasted no time, freeing his cock from his clothes and pushing it against her entrance. "Are you ready?" he asked huskily. Instead of answering, she braced herself with her hands and lifted her hips to push herself forward, taking him inside her. He grabbed her hips and gave a few thrusts before the pressure of her hot, wet folds clenching his cock sent him over the edge. He came hard inside her, pressing his mouth against her neck to keep himself quiet. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"No. God, don't worry about it," she soothed him, as he slipped out of her and stepped back with a shy smile. "It's not like we have a lot of time in here, right?"

"We have enough time. Fuck them." He nodded at the door.

He lifted her tank and bent his head to her nipple. She was thankful she'd skipped a bra today. Her nipple tightened and hardened almost painfully as he teased it with his tongue. He slid his thumb up and down her wet slit, making her clit throb. He sucked her nipples and slid his fingers in and out of her, brushing against her clit just enough to make her crazy, until finally she came, shuddering against him, covering her mouth with a hand so that she wouldn't cry out. He wrapped his arms around her again and held her close against him while she recovered her breath.

"If this is all we can have, I'll take it," he muttered against her forehead. "But I miss our bed."