Had my wisdom teeth surgically removed...it's miserable. Being the stubborn idiot that I am, I didn't follow the liquid diet and I now have dry socket so my jaws are throbbing with red hot pain...just in time for my EMT classes to start. Weeeee...

Anyway, I moved down to southern Missouri so I am starting a whole new adventure! Hopefully, I will have plenty of time to write even so. Be patient with me!

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Drip. Drip. Drip.

Carol's eyes fluttered open and for a moment she almost though it was still raining, but then her brain kicked into gear and she realized the sun was shining through the material of the tent and she wondered what was making that annoying sound. The next thing she realized was that the warmth of Daryl's body was gone and she wondered when he had left because she hadn't even noticed. Man...that's how worn out she was.

Images of the previous night flooded her mind and she smiled to herself as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

That much fun should be illegal. She mused as she looked around the tent for the clothes she had discarded so hastily the night before. She spotted them near the foot of the bedroll she was laying on, folded and placed in a pile.

She dressed with a smile and emereged slowly from the tent, she glanced up and realized the dripping noise was coming from the water dripping off the branches of the tree the tent was pitched under. It wasn't until then that she realized people would have noticed her absence...especially Sophia. Oh good lord...

"Mornin'."

The quiet voice seemed like a megaphone blast to Carol's newly awoken ears and she jumped with surprise and clutched her chest as her heart thumped wildly. But when she realized it was only Dale she relaxed and sighed.

"Mornin', Dale," she replied, emerging completely from the confines of the tent, stretching her back as she stood up straight. "What brings you all the way out here?"

"Just wanted to come check on you," Dale's face, she now saw, was full of concern and he cocked his eyebrow in that calculating way he does.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked, suddenly wondering just how loudly she had screamed last night...

"Had morning watch. Saw Daryl leaving to hunt and I asked him if he'd seen you," Dale stated matter of factly, "He said you both took cover in his tent last night during that storm."

"Yeah, it came on pretty suddenly," Carol said, nervously adjusting her shirt hem.

"I'm sure it did..." Dale's statement was left hanging, insinuating plenty in those four words.

Carol felt the blush creep into her cheeks and she avoided his eyes as she walked past, heading for the house to use the bathroom, making a wide arch around the campsite to avoid curious individuals.

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"Carol, honey, let's take a little stroll," Andrea's grip on her arm left no room for discussion and Carol found herself being dragged towards the barn.

"Andrea, I'm completely capable of walking by myself," Carol demanded weakly, "What's the rush anyway?"

Andrea glanced over her shoulder and her expression clearly stated 'Honey, you know EXACTLY what this is about'.

As soon as they reached the barn, Andrea whipped around and stared at Carol, waiting for her to speak.

"Andrea, what are you expecting to hear, exactly?" Carol asked with a sigh.

"Every single little, tiny, juicy detail," Andrea's eyes were positively gleaming with anticipation.

Carol's jaw dropped and she scoffed in disbelief.

"Andrea!"

"Carol, don't play innocent," Andrea rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as he cocked her hip. "You gonna tell me you spent the night in Dixon's tent and managed not to even get some?"

"I...we..." Carol was so taken aback by Andrea's blunt question that she couldn't even think of a good way to answer.

"Spill the beans, Carol!" Andrea insisted.

Carol sighed and shook her head slowly as she gave up.

"Fine. What do you want to know?" she asked, sitting down on a haybale. Andrea sat across from her and leaned forward, eyes bright with anticipation.

"Well, obviously, how was he?"

"A little shy at first, but I think he was just surprised..."

"Wait," Andrea interrupted, "Surprised? You mean YOU started it?"

Carol blushed brightly but nodded, eyes dropping to the barn floor.

"Carol, you skank, you!" Andrea was grinning like a possum, "Ok, so did he, uh, gain confidence?"

"Yes," Carol replied honestly, "Very much so."

Andrea gave a dramatic shiver.

"So...where does our youngest Dixon brother stand in..." she waggled her eyebrows.

"In...?" Carol was confused by Andrea's lack of clarity.

"Size, Carol," Andrea cut the discreet crap. "How big is he?"

"Oh." Carol's blush must have been redder than strawberries in a bowl of ketchup. "Um...I didn't really measure at the time but I'd say...a good seven inches at least."

"Sounds about right to me," Andrea grinned wickedly, "Too big, you got problems. Too small, you still got problems. Should have known, though. Those cargo pants of his tend to...cling sometimes, if you know what I mean."

Yeah, she knew. Carol hadn't let the tell-tale bulge that seemed much more pronounced in those olive green cargo pants of his go unnoticed. She loved those freaking pants.

"So," Andrea continued, "Is he rough? Gentle? Romantic? Animalistic? I bet he's pretty carnal, isn't he? I just get that vibe."

"Actually, he was very sweet," Carol replied, her brain flooded with images of their escapade. The way he had touched her was almost like...she was something worth bein careful with. He had made her feel...stronger than she had ever felt before. "He was nothing if not gentle."

"Well THAT is not what I expected," Andrea was smiling softly. "You love him, don't you? I can see it in your eyes when you talk about him."

Carol's eyes suddenly locked on Andrea's. She hadn't thought about this...DID she love him? Last night hadn't been planned out, it had just sort of happened. It was just sex brought on by rain and intense feelings, not love. But...maybe it was.

"I...I honestly don't know," she replied, shrugging. "I don't know what to make of him just yet."

Daryl stomped into the camp like he always did, his face set in it's usual grim and stern manner. He dropped the skinned and gutted raccoons next to Lori and cocked that half smile of amusement when she started dry heaving, but she recovered quickly this time and took the string of meat with a nod of thanks.

Daryl's hunt had taken much longer than usual, game was starting to become scarcer due to the weather getting colder. The animals were starting to slow down and prepare for winter, except for the deer, since it was rut. But he hadn't been able to find any of those today. He leaned back, cracking his spine to rid the kinks and looked around the camp.

That was when Lori got an idea.

"Daryl," she said, with fake concern, "I havent seen Andrea in a while, would you mind looking for her?"

Daryl's remained unphased.

"She's a tough girl, she can handle herself," he replied without concern, "She probably just needed some space."

That was about the reaction she had expected, so she moved on to her next game piece.

"Carol's missing too," she said, biting her nail to feign nervousness. She knew darn well where Andrea and Carol were. "I saw her come out of the farmhouse earlier but...we haven't seen her since."

Bingo. Daryl's expression was suddenly frightening to behold! He looked absolutely furious!

"WHAT!" he hollered, right in Lori's face making her step back, "You mean she's wandered off to God knows where by herself? Can't you people keep an eye on anyone around her?"

He shouldered his crossbow and immediately started heading in the direction of their shooting range, thinking maybe she was target practicing. Lori watched him go with a smile. Just as she expected...Daryl Dixon genuinely cared about Carol. Suddenly, all the worries she had been carrying about Carol being unprotected and insecure faded away. She was in good hands.

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So, I'm sorry this is so short, but I just wanted you all to know that I'm still alive and kickin'! Don't give up on me yet :D

Next chapter is going to be the scar talk, so keep checking back in and hopefully I'll have it written quickly! My weekend is...pretty wide open so it may be up very soon.