A/N: Hello again…
Sorry for the delay in the next chapter. I found myself with a very unexpected houseguest for a week…my friend took in her cousin's dog while she went on vacation, only to find out that the big dope loathes her cat (personally, so do I). After a night of massive fighting and close calls, I got a teary message on my phone asking if I could take the dog for the rest of the week.
I am definitely more of a dog person than a cat person, but this guy is 130lbs and a huge mama's boy. I haven't had a moment to myself in a straight week! I also haven't slept well because he is convinced that the only way that he can rest comfortably is if he is laying on top of me in some way. Even as I write this, his head is lying in my lap. Hopefully I won't bump him and cause him to jump up and whack me in the jaw like he did earlier:-[
Anyway, I'll stop bitching now and get back to the story. Hope you guys are still enjoying it. This chapter should at least sound a little closer to normal for our main characters. Just 3 more weeks guys! I am so excited!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead, but I do own some of its merchandise.
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Ch21.
Please tell me this is a joke…
Carol was sitting on the infirmary bed; her foot tapping impatiently. It now marked two weeks since the incident in the tombs, and she'd thought that things were finally starting to look up again. Doctor Stevens had taken out her stitches the day before, her bruises were almost completely gone, and she'd been given the okay to leave the infirmary this afternoon. It was the best news she'd heard in half a month, but yet here she sat…still waiting.
Where could he have gone?
Daryl had been acting weird all morning. When she'd informed him that she could finally leave and go back to her room, he'd made her promise to stay put until he got back, claiming that he had to help Rick with something and he'd be back shortly. That had been nearly an hour ago. Exactly how long did he expect her to sit there and wait for him?
He hadn't seemed mad when he left. The more Carol thought about it, the more she wondered if he wasn't rethinking their situation. She knew she'd been a little more demanding of him in the last few weeks than normal, but it was only because he insisted that she not get up and overexert herself. She had tried her best to be patient and not overreact to his little idiosyncrasies, but now that she had permission to get up and walk again, all bets were off. There was no way she was going to go back to being a weak, frail damsel who needed him to do everything for her. All the same, she hadn't expected him to just disappear on her either. If he was really serious about this relationship, he was going to have to try and at least compromise with her on some of it. Of course, in order to do any of that, he also had to be present.
That's it…he gets five more minutes, and then I'm moving the stuff back myself.
Her things were sitting in a pile next to the bed, and although she didn't enjoy the idea of having to lug it all back herself, she would do it if it meant getting herself out of here. She went to reach down to get the blanket off the top and noticed that there was a big dirty boot print in the corner. It was obviously Daryl's, but the blanket hadn't been off the bed since Rick had brought it over to her from her room. Knowing exactly how many times he had actually laid his feet on the bed, there was only one instance that it could have occurred.
The night of the funeral.
He had slept with her just that one night before returning back to his own cot. In that moment had been completely unexpected, and he'd practically had to perch on the edge of the mattress in order to make enough room for her. It had also given Carol another reason to cling to him in a way that she normally wouldn't have. That night had been particularly rough on both of them, and she would be the first to admit that she had become unhinged.
It wasn't the first time he'd seen her like that, but she'd prayed that he wouldn't go running in the opposite direction. To her surprise, his words and simple gestures made all the difference in the world, and he had let her stay in his arms the entire night. The next morning, things had gone back to the way they always had and neither had said much about it since, but it was a night that Carol was sure never to forget. Her knight in shining armor had once again come through. Now, she was starting to wonder if she was ever going to see him again.
His five minutes had come and gone. Figuring that she was truly on her own for the moment, Carol got up from the cot and turned to grab her bag. She was just stepping out the door when she heard the familiar sound of boots coming down the hallway. From their pace, she'd guess that he was running.
It's about time…
She was ready for him as his face finally came into view. He was huffing a little, but what truly surprised her was the look on his face as he took in her sight. Most days, Daryl did his best not to look like he was enjoying himself, but the grin plastered on his face made her instantly anxious. He only ever looked like this when he was out in the woods hunting, or when they were messing around. To her knowledge, he hadn't been doing either recently.
"Where have you been?"
He held out a bandana in front of her. "Come on. I have a surprise for ya."
She threw him a look. "You aren't really expecting me to put that on are you?"
He threw the look right back. "Want your surprise or not?"
"Right now you're lucky I'm not trying to strangle you with that thing."
"Just trust me, will ya?" He lifted the bandana so it covered her eyes. "I ever let ya down?"
Of all the things Carol had been expecting today, having him lead her down a long hallway blindfolded really wasn't one of them. "Please tell me you're not taking me back down to the lower level to see if I can fight off another walker." She said, grabbing his arm as he led her further down the hall. "I'm tough, but I'm not sure I'm that good."
"Please woman." He scoffed. "Like I'd let you get anywhere near that place again. We're not even on that side of the prison."
"You're not exactly boosting my confidence here."
"Hush up. We're almost there."
He took her a few more steps forward, then turned her and had her walk further along. Finally he grabbed her shoulders to make her stop.
"You ready?"
"As much as I'll ever be."
The blindfold came off and she looked around. They were in a room all right. There was a double sized mattress on the floor in the corner, a makeshift desk off to the side, and her bag and the things from her room were sitting next to it. She also noticed that Daryl's things had resurfaced mysteriously.
"You made up a room for us?"
"Didn't figure you'd mind." He said boldly. "Just got the rest of your stuff moved in. Rick and I spent some time clearing out this block so we could have more room."
Carol was shocked, but also stumped. Daryl had been with her every day since the accident. "When did you have the time to clear the block?"
"The week I was avoidin' you." He said bashfully. "Had a lot of time on my hands."
"So, you'd actually been planning on this all along?"
"Sorta." He made a face. "We originally cleared it out so that Glenn and Maggie could have a place of their own, but they're down further. I found this spot and claimed it for us."
Carol couldn't believe her eyes, or her ears. Daryl wasn't tired of her at all. He was being as selfless as she'd ever seen him. If she hadn't driven him away during the last three weeks, then they were probably as good as they'd ever be.
"I can't believe you did this."
He looked almost boastful. "You like it?"
"I love it." She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.
"Good, cause gettin' your stuff over here was a bitch." He tossed her things aside and plopped himself down on the mattress. "How many damn books you got?"
"I got most of them from inside the prison." She sat down next to him. "Apparently the inmates used to spend a lot of their time reading."
He guffawed. "I doubt that. Probably hid their stashes in 'em. Or porn."
Carol chuckled. "Well I didn't find either of those things. Guess I didn't look in the right places."
"Merle might've cleaned 'em out before…" Daryl paused, looking unsettled with the image in his head. "Well, just don't go collecting no more. I ain't lugging 'em around if we have to leave."
"If we have to leave, books will be the last thing on my mind." She moved closer. "But I will tell you what's on my mind right now."
Daryl looked intrigued. "Yeah? What's that?"
She crawled forward until she was right in front of him. "Somehow, I think it will be easier if I just show you."
When she crawled into his lap, Daryl got the message loud and clear. It had been weeks since she was allowed to do much of anything, and right now a little fooling around was sounding pretty good. She wasn't surprised that he'd missed it too. While she'd been in the infirmary, he'd barely touched her. Every time she'd asked him for a kiss, he'd made up some excuse about the doctor coming in and seeing them. Now that there was no chance of being interrupted, she planned on taking full advantage of the situation.
Their lips came into contact and she smiled. It had been too long. He was being very gentle, nipping his way along her bottom lip in a deliberately agonizing way. She tried to coax his mouth open wider so she could get him to react a little more enthusiastically, but he wasn't allowing it. Carol groaned in frustration and Daryl pulled away.
"What's wrong? I hurt ya?"
She sighed. "No, but if you don't kiss me properly, I'm going to hurt you."
"You threatnin' me?"
"Only if you keep acting like I'm going to fall apart." She brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Daryl, we were in that infirmary for two weeks, and you've barely touched me since the accident. I just want some sense of normalcy back in my life."
"I get it." He almost sounded guilty. "But we got plenty of time. Don't gotta rush."
"I like rushing. It's exciting."
"It can also end up nearly killin' ya."
She tugged on his collar. "Look Dixon, I'm giving you an option. Either kiss me now, or I'm leaving and going back to my old room."
He chuckled. "Ain't much of a threat."
"I won't talk to you for a month."
He blew a raspberry. "Don't think that's humanly possible."
"Wanna find out?" She was getting annoyed. "You are skating on thin ice here bu-"
Before Carol could finish scolding him, his lips made contact with hers. It was a slow, long kiss; the kind that always gave her butterflies. By the time they finally pulled away, his attitude had completely changed.
"You really are gonna be the death of me, ain't ya?"
Carol kissed his jaw. "Maybe, but I promise we'll have a lot of fun in the meantime."
That was all it took. He grabbed her face in his hands as their lips crashed against each other. Their tongues battled as Carol pulled herself further into his lap. He was already aroused from the feel of it. She wove her fingers into his long locks, feeling his grip on her waist tighten as he rolled her off to one side and down onto the mattress. She took the opportunity to slide her tongue across his bottom lip, feeling empowered at the growl he offered her in return.
He was hovering over her now; his hands seemed to be everywhere at once, and yet he still wasn't close enough. Her hands reached up to undo the buttons on his shirt, but was thoroughly disappointed to see that he was wearing a wife beater underneath. His lips were attacking her neck, making heat pool heavily at her center. God she had missed this.
Daryl's face came back up to hers, and they were both breathing heavily. Carol was desperate to bring their bodies into full contact and wrapped her legs around his waist, gasping when she came in contact with his groin. Daryl moaned against her mouth, and it was absolutely the sexiest thing she had ever heard. Carol reached down for the hem of her own shirt, trying desperately to pull it up over her chest. She was surprised when Daryl pulled away from her and tugged the shirt back down.
"What're you doin'?"
She was panting. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
He pushed her arms back down. "You shouldn't lift like that. It could strain your side."
"Okay, then why don't you do it for me?"
"S'not a good idea." Daryl rolled off of her. "We should stop. You've had enough rollin' around for one day."
Carol propped herself up on her elbows. "You're kidding, right?"
"Do I look like I'm kiddin'?"
"Daryl…" She sat up. "You can't keep get me all hot and bothered and then just turn it off like nothing happened."
He grabbed his shirt off the floor and put it back on. "It was your idea. I never said I'd go along with it."
"I think you were just as invested in it as I was. Maybe even more."
"Oh yeah? Who was threatenin' who?" He stated, pacing the floor. "Shouldn'ta even let you have your way. Too soon for all this shit."
She was defiant. "It's not too soon. We both have needs. There's nothing to be ashamed of."
"I ain't ashamed."
"Then what is it?" Carol got off the mattress and walked over to him. "I'm not letting you leave here until we talk this out. If you're angry with me, then just say so."
"I'm not."
"Then you're angry with yourself, which isn't any better."
"God woman!" He flipped back around to face her. "I told you I ain't got a problem! You just shouldn't be rollin' around all over the damn place when you still got a hole in your side!"
"I know that's not all it is." Carol didn't move away. "Daryl, you do this every time we get close to actually getting physical. I know that something is bothering you, and I'm trying not to blow it all out of proportion. I just wish you'd tell me what's going on."
He'd gone back to facing the wall, but she'd seen his face before he turned away. He looked ashamed and angry, which was not a good combination. Maybe her theories on him having a bad sexual experience weren't as far off the track as she'd first thought. The biggest problem was trying to get him to stop clamming up and work through it. If she didn't, she could kiss any chance of romance goodbye.
"You know sex gets better with time, even if it's not exactly what you want it to be at first."
She could see his shoulders tensing up at her words. Maybe it hadn't come out the way she'd wanted, but she had just hoped he could understand that she didn't have any pre-conceived judgments about what they could have. She'd spent two decades with a man who had made her feel like a failure in the bedroom, not to mention life in general. The idea that she could be with someone who cared about her just as she was meant more than anything, and it was all she had ever hoped for.
After a moment, Daryl turned back around to look at her. The look of shame was gone, but the anger was still very much present. "You wanna know my burdens? You gotta even the playin' field first."
"Anything."
"How many guys you been with?"
Of all the things she'd been expecting, that sure wasn't one of them. It made her mind go blank. "What? Why would you want to know that?"
He looked hurt. "You said anything! Afraid to tell me?"
"No, but I…" She stumbled on her words. "I don't….really know."
"A couple? A lot?"
"I don't-"
"Ed wasn't your first."
"No, he wasn't."
"So how many?"
Carol felt cornered. "It doesn't matter! That was another lifetime ago, and has nothing to do with us right here and now!"
Daryl went back to pacing, his face filled with condescension. She'd never seen him this crazy, and wondered if giving him an answer would even help the situation. Carol didn't have an exact number off the top of her head, but if that was what he needed, she would just have to make something up. Before she had the chance, he spoke.
"Slept around a lot, didn' ya?" He chuckled dryly, still pacing the floor. "I knew it. Knew you were a slut, just like Merle said."
The words punched a hole through her abdomen and knocked the breath out of her. Of all the injuries she'd ever had; this one had cut the cleanest and the deepest. Flashbacks of the life she'd known before came flying back into her memory as her brain tried to take in and process his words. Daryl had done something she hadn't thought was possible to do anymore. He had made her feel as worthless and degraded as Ed had for all those years. It was a feeling she would never forget. It was something she had promised herself she would never have to experience again, especially with him.
Daryl came towards her; sorrow etched on his face at the realization of what he'd just said, but Carol backed away. He knew what kind of damage he'd done, but he couldn't take it back. It was too late. He growled and knocked over a stack of books before storming out of the room.
Carol's back hit the wall; her body sliding down slowly as she watched the door slam shut behind him. The man she loved was gone.
A/N: This ending took a slightly different turn than I had anticipated, but in the moment of writing it, somehow it just felt right. I'm hoping to have the next part out within the next few days, so I'm gonna go work on it.
Only three chapters left guys! Send me some love!