AN: Here we are, another chapter here.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

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When they changed places between watches, the exchange always happened quickly. Still, when Daryl made the switch with Carol, she caught him on his way out of their tent and shared a kiss with him that he dared to let last a little longer than most things that took place at the change of watch. There wasn't much happening anyway—one Walker had come relatively close to camp, and she'd had to make some noise to scare off some kind of wildlife before Dog had growled at it to add in his two cents. Carol gave her report before the kiss, and Daryl had already half forgotten everything she'd said as he carried the kiss outside with him to occupy him through the quiet hours spent making sure that their livestock was safe and nothing reached their tents.

The kiss was all Carol had said about what they'd talked about—what had kept Daryl tossing and turning during most of his allotted sleep time. Maybe the kiss was enough, but the concern over what might happen and what it all might mean kept Daryl busy for the whole of his watch.

Just as Daryl was starting to sense that his watch was drawing to a close, Lydia appeared, scrubbing her eyes and immediately going for the buckets to start her morning routine. She wasn't much of a talker in the mornings, which suited Daryl fine, so he simply made his way back to the tent that he shared with Carol.

He expected to find her asleep. He expected to catch a quick nap with her before they were both up and starting the day.

He didn't expect to find her awake—though clearly having slept some for the slightly sleepy quality of her eyes—and waiting on him with the lantern lit and stowed in the corner of the tent. When he had zipped the tent behind him, she smiled at him.

"I was waiting for you," she said.

"Watch just ended."

"I've been waiting for you for a while," Carol said. Her words sounded loaded with meaning.

She was on top of her sleeping bag with her blanket covering her. Her shoulders were out and bare. Daryl's pulse picked up at the mere suggestion that his brain gave him that, maybe, there was as little under that blanket as there appeared to be at first glance.

Daryl tried to shake the thought away.

"That mean—you interpreted the bite?" Daryl asked, walking toward her on his knees to reach the spot where his blanket and sleeping bag had been put right up against hers.

Carol laughed quietly. She flicked the blanket back and revealed that Daryl's mind—making suggestions that he'd tried to ignore—had actually been right.

He lost his breath, and his stomach clenched. He felt somewhat lightheaded, and he was pretty sure he got the fastest hard-on that he'd gotten since he was like sixteen. She was reclined back, on her elbow and with her legs crossed at the ankle, and she wasn't wearing a single solitary stitch of clothing. Nothing.

Daryl's eyes slid down her body and drank in every inch of her that he'd ever imagined seeing, and had even created in his imagination to try to quell his hunger to see her and to be with her. She was more beautiful in person than she'd ever been in his imagination because, at this moment, she was real.

"This is as close as I can get, Daryl, to holding my tail up at you like Mindy does to Skip," Carol said, her voice shaking with amusement and, perhaps, a touch of something else. "But—I'm a little bit vulnerable here, so…if you don't say something..."

"I honestly have no damn idea what to say," Daryl said frankly. His whole body felt hot, but his face felt especially warm. He caught her eyes, though, and he held them so that she would know he was sincere. She smiled softly.

"Do you—like what you see?" She asked.

Daryl nodded.

"I know—it's not perfect, but…age and…life…" Carol said, looking down her own body. Daryl saw her fingers trip over her own skin. Without a doubt, they were tracing trails of her insecurities.

"Perfect," he said. The soft smile at Carol's lips renewed itself.

"I know I'm far from perfect, Daryl," Carol said. "But—I appreciate the compliment, and the vote of confidence."

"Perfect to me," Daryl said. He meant it. His stomach ached at the thought of how damned perfect she was, how long he'd waited for this, and how desperately stuck to the spot that he felt—like if he moved, this would all go away.

"Are you—going to take anything off?" Carol nudged.

Daryl nodded and shucked out of his shoes, socks, pants, and…in the spirit of being as transparent as Carol was, he took off his underwear.

There was no way that she could mistake his interest. His cards were, so to speak, very much on the table.

"Impressive," she said, smiling. Her eyes lingered on his erection. The word and the way she said it made Daryl shiver with anticipation. Any praise, coming from her, meant the world.

"Prob'ly not," he said. "You got a lot of experience."

"I'm just going to say that—if you're going to hold that against me, this isn't going to go very well," Carol said. Daryl felt immediately sorry for what he'd said. "I hardly think three men makes me a whore, Daryl. But if it does…then what does four make me?"

"I'd be four?" Daryl asked. Carol nodded.

"Mine," Daryl said. "Four—makes you mine." He held her eyes, and she didn't seem to disapprove, but she didn't say anything for a second. "And—that weren't what I meant. I don't think you're a whore. I just mean—you've prob'ly seen better. Had better. I don't…I don't got that kinda experience."

"Just her," Carol said. Daryl nodded. "How do I know it's not you that's seen better or…had better?"

"'Cause it ain't," Daryl said.

"It's always going to be your word…or my word," Carol said. "So—can we leave the past where it is? Mine and yours. Isn't that what we were going to do? Go to Wyoming. Build a new life. Focus on the future."

"We're goin'," Daryl said. "I didn't lie. I'm takin' you to Wyomin'. With the way we're movin', it won't be long and we'll start buildin' that new life."

Carol hummed at him.

"Then—let's leave the past, Daryl," Carol said. "Please? I don't want to spend the rest of my life apologizing for my past."

Daryl nodded.

"I get it," he said. "Don't want that, neither. But—you oughta know that…even my experience? It weren't much experience."

"We'll make it work," Carol said. She uncrossed her legs and, bending her knees, opened herself up more to him. A renewed surge of enthusiasm coursed through Daryl. He dared, now, to come toward her. The fear that movement would break whatever spell this was changed to the fear that if he didn't get there soon enough, it might all vanish.

Carol met him with open arms and he kissed her hungrily. She kissed him back, her fingers gathering up his shirt and squeezing it as she pulled him deeper into the kiss.

"Aren't you going to—take your shirt off?" Carol asked when the kiss broke.

Daryl chewed his lip.

"I don't," he said. "Never around people."

Carol nodded her understanding.

"Not even me?" She asked.

"Some shit's ugly…"

"Not to me," she said, smiling at him. His stomach felt shaky. He felt like she understood; like she was communicating with her eyes that she understood. "It's behind you," she said. "Maybe—the acceptance is the moving forward? The knowing that—you're beautiful to me?"

Daryl scoffed.

"Beautiful?" He asked.

"To me, you are," Carol said.

"You ain't seen it."

"But you've seen all of me," Carol said. "Wrinkles, gray hair, stretch marks, saggy skin, scars…"

"Stop it!" Daryl barked, louder than he meant. Carol jumped slightly and raised her eyebrows at him. "Stop sayin' all the things you think are bad. Every damn one of 'em got you here. Gonna get you to Wyomin' for a new damn life."

She smiled at him.

"Give me the chance to love all of you," Carol said, "if I'm giving you all of me."

Daryl's heart thundered.

"Love?"

"Is it—too much? Too soon?" Carol asked.

No. No. It wasn't too much. And it wasn't too soon. It had been so long—so many years. It had been lifetimes, it seemed, and in every one of them, Daryl had loved her. He had never imagined, though, that she would ever love him anywhere outside of his dreams.

He pulled his shirt over his head, balled it up, and tossed it to the side. When he kissed her this time, Carol's fingers traced the rippled and puckered skin of his scars. He shivered under her delicate touch where he had forbidden others to see him or touch him. He wrapped his arms around her. When the kiss broke, he let his lips trail down and she tipped back her head to allow him access to her neck as he went.

"Not too soon," he said. "Not too much. Right."

"It's right," Carol agreed, practically purring out the word as Daryl's lips crossed her collarbone and worked their way down to her breasts. She pulled his hair when he latched onto her nipple, but he appreciated the bite of pain and forgave her for it. She was clearly overwhelmed with her own feelings. He moved to the other, and started to dip further, but she caught his face and pulled him up to look at her. "It's been a long time," Carol said. "I've waited for you for…"

"We said we ain't talkin' about the past," Daryl said. "Just the future. Our new life together."

She nodded and kissed him again. She put her forehead against his as soon as the kiss broke. Her breathing was ragged.

"Then…please, let's start the future right now," Carol said. "Let's start that new life right now. Because I'm tired of waiting. If you want—me? Then…please…"

Daryl did want her, desperately, and he understood exactly what she was saying. As she pulled at him, he caught her leg. He rearranged her and himself. He found his position between her legs, and he touched her where her fingers were already touching herself. She jerked and curled up toward him as his fingers took over for hers.

For a moment, he was overwhelmed, again, at the thought that this was real. It wasn't fantasy. The thought of getting what he'd wanted for so long drove him. Daryl only meant to barely enter her. He meant to give her time to tell him no or to change her mind…or whatever she might want or need to do. However, the feeling of her overwhelmed him and, before he even knew what he was doing, he had sunk into her and she was surrounding him. She surrounded him, too, in other ways. Her arms wrapped around him. She touched him and caressed him. She rolled her hips to meet his thrusts. She kissed him. She whispered encouragement to him—praise and thanks.

And, when she came, Daryl didn't have to wonder if, in fact, he'd pleased her. Her body made it very clear to him. He had expected not to last long, but he lasted, in fact, a bit after she did. She praised and encouraged him even more strongly after orgasm, and when he came, she welcomed him to rest in her arms, and she peppered his face with her kisses.

Daryl wasn't certain if the warm, salty tears between them came from her eyes, his, or both, but neither of them felt the need to discuss them as they lie with their bodies tight together and kissed through the slowing down of their breathing and heartbeats.

Daryl closed his eyes, drinking in the comfort of holding Carol against him. He nuzzled his face against hers and she stroked his cheek.

"Is it too early to say I love you?" Carol asked.

"Damn near ten years too late," Daryl said.

"Too late?" Carol asked. Daryl caught the inflection in her voice.

"Don't mean it like that," he assured. "Meant—shoulda been ten years ago."

"Should have," Carol said. "But—you know—you didn't say it back…"

He held her eyes. He brushed her cheek with his thumb. There was dampness there, and his skin brushed it away.

"I love you," he said. "There's—just one thing." She hummed in question. "I gotta know now, because…I ain't gonna be satisfied if this is anything that don't just keep goin' on. Forever. I ain't gonna be satisfied if…you ever lookin' for number five."

Carol smiled at him. She kissed his lips softly before smiling at him again.

"I think four's my lucky number," she teased. Daryl sighed, a feeling of satisfaction washing over him, and pulled her just a little tighter into him before he closed his eyes for the last bit of a morning nap that he could expect before the day's work awaited them both. He was certain that he'd have the sweetest dreams he'd ever had before.