Chapter 43 - Under Ether

The Prison

Tess was awake much earlier than she needed to be that morning. She crept out of the living quarters, found herself a rifle and busied herself cleaning it in hopes that it would quieten her mind. It did not. It helped to keep her hands busy however and she probably went over every single part about three times before calling it quits.

She was anxious about today and she still hadn't made her mind up about what to do with the information she had learned. Nothing? Could she simply do nothing? Who's to say Daryl would ever find out if she kept it to herself? She still wasn't even entirely sure if she was making a mountain out of a molehill or not. Maybe, if Merle could talk about it, Daryl could too? Tess felt like the chances of that were slim to none however.

Every scenario she ran through ended some between terribly and disastrously. She really didn't want to jeopardize the relationship they had now - it was the best it had been in a long time. However, she certainly didn't want to keep secrets from him; even if Merle hadn't sworn her to secrecy. She was definitely settling more towards being upfront and as she reassembled the rifle for a fourth time, she considered how to bring it up.

That's how Daryl found her - in the common room, shifting the bolt into place for a final time before placing the rifle onto the table again. Unbeknownst, he watched her and considered whether to call the entire day off. Her demeanor last night had thrown him for a whirl and although she'd assured him that she hadn't changed her mind, he couldn't help but see her odd behavior as reluctance. Perhaps he'd gotten ahead of himself? Perhaps she still didn't trust him? That thought alone made him want to turn around. He didn't know if he could spend the day with her being on edge around him the entire time; it would only make him suffer.

But she'd told him it was nothing and that she still wanted to go and Tess wasn't normally one to lie. If there was ever anything that she wanted to tell him, he'd just have to trust that she would. No matter what he was predisposed to believe. With that decided, he finally entered the day room and the two of them left just as the sun was beginning to rise.

Over the last few weeks, Daryl had begun to set up more and more traps throughout the forest. The traps were only big enough for small game - rabbits, birds and other similarly sized wildlife. They checked the traps first before beginning to track anything. Tess silently followed Daryl around to each one, resetting any that had gone off picking up any animals that had been killed in the process. There were only two, a grouse and a rabbit, but given that Daryl had checked them only yesterday, they were lucky there was anything at all. They'd check them again on their way back home.
"That's the last one." Daryl told her as they approached a trap that was still set up, ready to go. He had tied the grouse and rabbit to a string line and had them strung over his shoulder.

"Who showed you how to make these?" She asked curiously and Daryl shrugged.

"Merle, I guess. I don't remember learnin' 'em."

Tess nodded, although a frown crossed her face as she started thinking about her conversation with Merle again.

"Did 'ya ever go huntin'?" Daryl asked her as they traipsed through the forest, his keen eyes on the lookout for tracks.

"Not really, no. My extracurricular activities were always more of the delinquent kind and then, with the career choices I made, shooting things for sport was kinda the last thing I wanted to do." Tess reflected and he nodded thoughtfully.

"I can't see you bein' the kinda kid that got detention." He remarked and Tess laughed a little.

"Mhmm." She nodded, "I was fully committed to being as troublesome as possible. It's a bit embarrassing now, actually. I was an angry kid. Even dyed my hair black at one stage."

Daryl turned to look at her and tried to imagine what that would look like. Strange, was what he decided. She saw his nose crinkle slightly and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Nah, the red's good." He said and turned away again. Tess ducked her head and smiled to herself, a rush of warmth reddening her cheeks.

They continued to walk in silence for a little while longer - Tess, proceeding to follow Daryl through the woods without question. She scanned the ground as best she could, trying to find any sign that something living had not long since been by but it was all just leaves and grass and dirt and none of it meant anything to her. She didn't see any footprints either, which at least was a good sign.

Tess figured Daryl had a normal route that he usually took with the amount of times that he had gone hunting solo. He would have grown very familiar with the area and probably knew where they were, even if she didn't. A part of her was a bit jealous that Daryl was able to spend so much time away from the prison. Tess regularly went on runs, yes, but never alone and being surrounded by people all the time got a bit tiresome. It would be nice to be able to get away from it all now and again.

Daryl stopped abruptly and Tess nearly stumbled into him, too lost in thought to notice. He toed something on the ground before crouching to get a better look.

"What is it? Tess asked, stepping around to get a closer look. Ah, literal shit, she thought to herself and grimaced.

"Coyote maybe." Daryl guessed and poked at it with an arrow. "It's not fresh; likely from last night."

"Could you track it?"

"Maybe. Probably long gone now though. Coyote's don't tend to stick around."

"Good to know." Tess muttered to herself, quietly appreciating any knowledge she could garner from Daryl without pestering him with too many questions. Daryl got back to his feet and they continued along the same path they had been walking since leaving the prison; wherever that path was taking them.

After an hour of walking, Tess was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to find anything. Oddly enough, Daryl didn't seem too fixated on the ground, like she would have expected. He seemed to scan the area around him occasionally but didn't look overly focused on what was beneath their feet. Tess cracked it up to him not needing to, simply because he knew what he was looking for and wasn't finding it.

Walking in silence had given her a lot of time to think about her problem. She'd gone back and forth, again and again in her head trying to decide, one: what to make of Merle's info, and two: what to do with it. Tess knew that talking to Daryl about it was probably the right thing to do but even thinking about doing it was terrifying enough. She'd had nothing but opportunities to bring it up now that they were alone together and the longer she put it off, the more she convinced herself that it was okay.

It felt like too great a risk to potentially ruin their comfortable status quo. She didn't want to go backwards. It was hard enough going forwards. If she could do anything to protect their existing situation then she would - even if it meant being selfish. She'd keep her mouth shut and hope that the subject would never arise.

Ahead, the trees were beginning to thin out and Tess could start to see what looked like a gravel road cutting through the forest. Daryl said nothing as they breached the tree line and diverted them down the road. Tess followed along curiously, wondering where they were going and it didn't take long for them to reach the end of the road, which forked into two. Daryl led her left, down a rougher looking trail and along the side of the road small cabins started to appear. The farther they walked, the more frequently they appeared and the bigger they got. How had they never come across these during the winter?

When the ground started to turn to dirt and the forest had all but disappeared, Tess had to stop and stare at what awaited them ahead. Water shimmered on the horizon and in the glare of the sun, she almost mistook it for a mirage. Cabins were plotted around the lake and a few small motor boats were left abandoned on lawns, awaiting a summer vacation that would never come. It was quiet and still and a cool breeze washed up from off the lake.

Tess jogged down the road to catch up to Daryl who hadn't stopped to admire the sight like she had. So this was where he had been heading. She wondered if he'd been attempting to fish lately and that was why he was leading them here. Instead of going straight to the lake, Daryl walked up to one of the waterfront cabins. It was a simple, single storey timber home and he approached the front door and opened it without issue.

Tess followed him up to the threshold and peeked in as he went inside. The front door led into the living area - a sofa was pressed against the wall to her right, a woodburning stove sat in the far corner to her left and a tall bookshelf laden with trinkets and taxidermy animals stood opposite the sofa. At the end of the room, Tess could see the lake through a glass ranch slider that took up much of the back wall - above it, a small wooden sign read Gone Fishing.

Tess walked in while Daryl stepped into the small kitchenette and dropped the rabbit and grouse onto the bench. The place looked like it had been lived in recently and Tess wandered over to the coffee table in the center of the room and picked up what looked like the beginnings of a small wooden bird; the shavings that had been carved from the wooden block were still left on the table. Her fingers brushed over the jagged whittling as she contemplated it and it dawned on her where they were.

"Is this where you've been staying?" She asked.

It never really occurred to her that Daryl would have found himself a place to stay while he remained out overnight; she just figured he camped somewhere. She suddenly felt like she was encroaching on his personal space. Tess looked up to see Daryl walking into another nearby room.

"Sometimes." He answered her and disappeared behind the door.

Curiosity got the better of her and Tess leant back to see in and saw an unmade bed. The blankets were rumpled and thrown to the side, much like they had been with Daryl's original bed at the top of the stairwell back at the prison. She chewed at the inside of her cheek and quickly averted her gaze when Daryl re-entered the front room. He was holding something long wrapped in a towel and looked apprehensive, like he wasn't entirely sure what to do with it.

"What's that?" Tess questioned him and Daryl handed it to her without a word. Whatever it was, it wasn't heavy. She eyed it and him suspiciously before taking a seat on the sofa. She placed the mystery item on the table and carefully unwrapped it.

Wrapped in the cotton toweling, Tess found an arrow and then full set. Each arrow head was carved to a sharp point and she held one to examine it. The fletching was white feathers with a single, small red one tied into the lacing. Tess' heart began thudding in her chest - the arrows looked handmade, yet expertly so. Finally unraveling the last of the wrapping, she found the bow - sleek and curved and handmade like the arrows. It was a beautiful set, meticulously crafted and cared for. All those nights that Daryl hadn't returned to the prison, is this what he had spent his time doing?

"You made this?" Tess uttered in a voice muffled with awe. She looked up at Daryl - his arms were crossed tightly across his chest and his tense shoulders shrugged.

"Since you lost your other one." He replied with an uncomfortable grimace. He was feeling a bit out of his depth here.

Tess gazed down at what was likely the best and most considerate gift she'd ever received. Her heart swelled at his thoughtfulness - no one had ever provided her with anything that required such time and attention. This was special and she wasn't an idiot, she knew what a gesture like this from Daryl meant. It was him apologizing and letting her know that he cared all bundled into one.

She wanted to tell him how much this meant to her. That she forgave him for everything that had ever happened and it was water under the bridge. She wanted him to know how she felt about him. But all she could think about now was the secret she was keeping from him. Guilt swallowed her whole and she winced as it claimed her. She couldn't do it, it wasn't right to keep it from him.

"I've gotta talk to you about something." Tess muttered with burgeoning trepidation.

Daryl's arms tightened around his chest. That hadn't been a response he had anticipated.

"What?" He said hesitantly and Tess sighed, already regretting opening her mouth.

"I was talking to Merle yesterday. Well, it was less of a discussion and more of an argument."

"About?"

"I pissed him off and so he tried to pick me apart like Merle does."

"He don't know anythin' about you." Daryl assured her with conviction, "Whatever he said-"

"It's not what he said about me…" She cut him off, completely consumed with dread now. "He talked about your parents; your dad mostly."

Daryl fell silent and Tess rose to her feet, slowly as though she might spook him.

"What did he tell you?" Daryl asked her through gritted teeth.

"Not much, not really." Tess shook her head nervously, "Said he skipped out on you and left you with him. I just, I wanted to tell you now rather than keep it from you and have you find out later." She explained, stumbling over her words. "I'm sorry."

Daryl fixed his gaze on the ground and his features became hard - jaw tensed, brow furrowed, eyes squinting in a way that made him look calculating.

"Sorry for what?" He asked in a slow, level way.

"I- You've never said anything about it and so I've always just assumed it was something you didn't want me to know." Tess shifted uneasily on her feet. "It doesn't change anything about what I think."

"What do you think?"

"Everybody knows you're a good person, Daryl." She assured him, stepping closer. "All that apples falling from the tree business is bullshit anyway."

"But what do you think? I skipped out on you. Maybe it's true." Daryl scowled at her, trying to scare her away but she swallowed back the knot in her throat and persisted.

"I think I don't care about that anymore." She said with determination. "You did what you did because you thought you needed to, I know that now. Nothing that's happened or anything that Merle's said has made me care about you any less."

Her words sounded weak beneath the sound of her pulse thumping in her ears. She was so close to him now that if she reached out, she could touch him. Daryl's solid arms unfurled from around his chest and dropped to his sides. His eyes scanned her face and she chewed her bottom lip nervously, tasting copper in her mouth.

"Why?" He asked her, his voice raspy and pressing.

"You know why." Tess whispered, her quaking chest rising and falling in rapid succession.

"Do I?" Daryl challenged her and stepped closer until they were nearly toe to toe.

"Why'd you kiss me?" She argued, feeling flustered but hopeful. It was the first time she'd brought it up since it had happened and the rigid frustration on Daryl's face alleviated and he looked at her with something akin to relief.

He thought she hadn't known, hadn't remembered or hadn't cared. But she had; she did. If Tess weren't so immersed in him, she would have missed what he said next; he said it so quietly.

"You know why."

Daryl's dark eyes, full and desperate, locked onto hers and she suddenly felt starved. Starved by the lack of him and his close proximity wasn't close enough. Against better judgment and before her nerves could get the better of her, Tess crushed her lips against his in a feverish attempt to satiate her need.

It was rough and urgent and it caused Daryl to stiffen in surprise. Tess pulled away, breathing heavily and growing deeply uneasy by his lack of response. She didn't even get back down onto flat feet before his hands clutched her face and pulled her back in. Daryl hungrily matched her kiss with the same fervor as before and she melted into him. Her hands balled into fists around the fabric of his shirt and she pulled him in impossibly close. A deep vibration rocked through every inch of her.

One of his hands weaved into her hair and the other dropped to her waist where it pushed and pulled at the hem of her shirt, like he couldn't decide which he preferred to do. A deep, carnal sound elicited from Daryl's throat and it made her weak at the knees. They kissed with such urgency, making up for all the months, weeks, days, hours and minutes where they hadn't.

Daryl had never known such delirious satisfaction in all his life. The feeling that her lips molded perfectly to fit his and their matching breaths and pawing hands drove him crazy. She was like the last drink of water left on earth and Daryl wanted her all to himself. He wanted to savor her on his lips and satisfy a thirst that only she could quench. He didn't stop even when the palms of her hands traced the channels of the chest and wrapped around his shoulders and he thought about how he'd never wanted anyone to touch him like that before. He decided, then and there, that if he were the last water on earth, he'd happily let her consume him.

Emboldened, Daryl pressed Tess against the nearest wall and she gasped into his mouth, a shameless whimper leaving her lips at the sudden change. A scalding hand trailed up her side and she placed her own on his arm until he took it in his and held it against the wall above her head. Desperate for contact, she felt her leg rise on its own accord and Daryl stepped into the space between. His hand released hers and seized her hip, pulling her into him. Through the layers of their clothing, Tess could tell how much he wanted her and it caused her to stop breathing, forcing her to come up for air.

She could feel his heart pound against her chest, same as he could feel hers. His lustful eyes watched her keenly and she knew he was waiting for her to stop him or begin again. His expression was ardent and his gaze was so fixated on her every signal. Tess couldn't recall any other man that had ever looked at her like that. Whatever fears or worries she had previously were all dust. Gone in a matter of affirming catharsis. She gripped the back of his neck and pulled herself into him again. This time with the same arduous intensity as before but now with more deliberate intent.

Daryl reciprocated, one conscious goal in mind. He wanted all of her, more than anything he'd ever wanted before in his life. His fingers darted to her exposed waist from where her shirt had risen and currents of electricity fed through the pads of his fingers into her warm skin. Tess shivered at his touch and moaned against his lips as the same hands worked their way up her ribs; the fabric of her shirt bunching as he went. In an effort to encourage him along, Tess lifted both arms above her head and Daryl was quick to take the hint, ridding her of her shirt.

They paused for the briefest of moments, Daryl committing this moment to memory and Tess in complete awe of what was happening. Her chest, still covered by her navy blue bra, rose and fell with her sharp, shallow breaths. She clasped the hem of his shirt and used it to pull him in again, driving her hips into his as she did so. Daryl used his hands to steady himself on her waist and he squeezed his eyes shut in a vain attempt at self control. He brushed his calloused hands up her waist, along her ribs and settled them just beneath the material of her bra.

Daryl's eyes followed the blazing trail his hands took and he looked at her with such wonder and yearning that it made her feel like magic. Whatever spell she was under, she'd be quite happy if it never faded. Without faltering, his hands caressed the swell of her breasts and she arched into him with a maddening sigh, encouraging him to continue. In a frenzy, he tangled his fingers into the hair at the back of her head and tugged, extracting a moan from her that made him ache. Tess' eyes fluttered shut in ecstasy as Daryl buried his head in her neck and left urgent kisses along her throat and chest.

Her fingers clawed at his back in desperate need to see and feel him just as he was her. She pushed against him and tugged at his shirt, letting him know what she wanted and he drew back, suddenly looking hesitant. Tess immediately paused, afraid that she'd gone too far too soon. She knew he had his insecurities and suspected he was self-conscious by the way he averted his eyes and how his heavy breathing grew slow as he dealt with whatever anxiety he faced. Yet, he didn't shy away from her hands that were still pressed against his torso - even stepping in closer as she tried to pull away for him.

Tess's cheeks flushed, both from the rush of everything that had just happened and her sudden shyness. It was now readily apparent to her just how exposed she was in comparison to him.

"We can stop. If that's what you want?" She whispered softly, through shuddering breaths as she searched for air.

Regardless of how undeniably disappointed she would be if they did, she didn't want this to go any further if he wasn't comfortable with it. The affection and care in her voice wasn't lost on him either - part of him felt undeserving of it but the warmth and security it gave him was enough for him to not care. Daryl shook his head, a deep frown creasing his forehead. He had a look about him that seemed guilty and perhaps a little embarrassed. His hands rose to the collar of his shirt and pulled free a chain that she had never noticed him wearing. A chain that looked inextricably similar to-

"Are those my…?" Tess breathed, her heart picking up speed in her chest again.

"Michonne brought them back. I should'a told you." Daryl went to pull the metal tags over his head to return them but she placed a steady hand against his, prompting him to stop.

"I'm glad you have them."

You. Not her. She didn't want them back. She had only continued to wear them more out of habit than desire away. In fact, it made her quite happy to see him wearing them and knowing that all this time, he'd had a part of her with him. Adoration for him swelled inside of her at the thought and warmth stretched out from every corner of her body from her toes to her ears. If this is what love felt like then she was content to be a slave to it.

In a flurry of movement that she was unprepared for, Daryl grasped her face and kissed her. It was different this time, more passionate and less rushed but equally great all the same. Just as her brain caught up with her mouth, she was lifted up off her feet and she gasped in surprise as Daryl's hands found their way beneath her thighs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as he carried her over to the sofa, where he dropped her down.

Tess attempted to reach for him again but Daryl was already busy ridding himself of his shirt. Her metal tags around his neck lay in full display on his chest like some sort of collar of ownership and it made her feel all kinds of depraved things. Shamelessly, she gazed up at him, admiring how his muscles looked like they were carved from stone and how they moved with ravenous intent. Daryl stooped to remove her boots and she helped him by toeing them off so that he could do the same with his own.

While he was occupied, Tess slipped out of her pants and threw them to the side. She was nervous, she couldn't hide that. Not only had this been a long time coming but it had been a long time in general. A lot about her had changed since the last time too. She was thinner now than she was before and not as shapely as she had been. It was a body she wasn't used to presenting to someone else; not like this. The look on Daryl's face when he finally got rid of his boots let her know that he was anything but disappointed.

His eyes were dark and lustful and they raked over her with such blistering depravity that she suddenly didn't care what she looked like anymore. He certainly thought she was nothing short of astonishing. It was perhaps the best sight Daryl had ever seen in his life. Her pale skin reminded him of milk and honey in the way that it glowed and looked oh so sweet. The subtle curves of her body and definitions of her muscles that made her look strong and womanly all at once. His only disappointment was that it was merely his first time seeing and touching her like this. What he'd give to go back and do this much, much earlier on…

Tess made the short step towards him and traversed the planes of his chest and back with her hands in one sweeping motion as Daryl pulled her in. His lips met hers in another series of fiery kisses and she gasped when his hands landed firmly on her rear and squeezed, pressing her into him. Daryl's tongue experimentally reached out to meet hers and she met it brazenly. Her fingers pressed and pulled at his back and like a woman possessed, they ventured down to the waistband of his jeans. Her hands blundered with the button and zipper, suddenly forgetting how either worked, but eventually she managed to undo both and she pushed at the hips of his pants until Daryl shuffled out of them himself.

In one fell swoop, she was off her feet again but not for long. Daryl hooked her legs around his waist and moved them into the bedroom, where he sat down on the edge of the bed, with her on top of him. Her knees planted into the mattress on either side of him and she braced herself against him. Tess breathed a shaky laugh and a smile crossed Daryl's face that she'd never seen before. It reached his eyes and was genuinely joyous and unguarded. It gave her great pleasure to know that she was to blame for it. She grasped his face with both hands and delivered him a passionate kiss that would burn into his memory forever.

Daryl's wandering hands journeyed up her back, past the scars and to the underside of her bra where she felt him trying to reach for something that wasn't there. She released him from her hold and tore her bra off overhead, freeing herself from the barrier between them. Almost instantly, Daryl's hands were against her breasts, shaping and molding them in his palms with miraculous wonder. Tess arched into him again with a blissful sigh as he placed hot, open-mouthed kisses along her chest. Crude but gentle fingers toyed with her pert nipples and she felt her toes curl in torrid satisfaction.

Only, it wasn't enough. She desperately needed fulfillment and was keenly aware of Daryl rock hard between her thighs. She ground her hips into his and his head fell back and his eyes squeezed shut as a frustrated groan erupted from his throat. His hands shifted to her hips and he squeezed her so tightly it was likely to bruise but she was so far from caring that she teased him with her hips once more just to get him to do it again.

As much as she was enjoying the build up, she'd had enough of fooling around. She wanted him. She wanted all of him matched with all of her and no more space in between. Something foreign and reckless overcame her, lifting her to her feet where she found the courage to remove the last article of clothing she wore and stand bare before him.

Daryl's mind went blank, his eyes scouring every inch of her. He felt like he was in some kind of dream and he almost had to pinch himself to determine that this was real. She was real. She was here, in front of him and even with the scars that painted her skin, she was nothing short of breathtaking.

"Daryl…?" He heard her whisper his name and it sounded like a miracle to him.

He didn't need to put any thought into meeting her again or undressing to match her, it all just happened. His briefs disappeared and her warm body pressed against his. They became a tangle of limbs and fondling hands in a heap on the bed. Tess could feel Daryl, pressed hard against her inner thigh and oh so close to where she wanted him to be. She pawed at him, consumed with a desperate need for him and they both breathed a heady sigh as she drove her hips up into his and situated herself on top.

Her hair pooled around Daryl's face. Normally, he'd find it annoying but he'd happily be buried in it at this moment. Tess leant back and the red strands brushed against him, forcing his eyes closed. He felt her hands on his chest and when he opened his eyes again, he knew he had been wrong before. This. This was the best sight he'd ever seen. Her cheeks were rosy and her lips were swollen from his own zealousness. Her hands on his chest kept her breasts pressed together between her arms and the same hair that he'd just bathed in fell over her shoulders like it knew just where it belonged. Daryl still wasn't sure if he knew what love was but this alone felt close enough.

Tess' hand slowly slid into the space between them, her breath hitching in her throat as she reached for Daryl's shaft. His head fell back and he groaned as she gripped him firmly while lazily gliding her hand up and down a few times to get his attention again. And it did just that. His eyes sprung open to watch her shift on top of him and she felt him twitch in her hand as she lowered herself down; finally bringing them together.

Her eyes fluttered closed and a shuddering breath left her lips as she held him inside her for the first time. Daryl felt encompassed in warmth and, for a moment, swore they were the only things to exist. The world outside wasn't real. It was just them. Here. Now. Under ether.

—

Tess slipped out from underneath the blanket as Daryl slept soundly amongst the covers. She had drifted off as well and it was now mid-afternoon. The blanket rested just above his waist and Tess smiled fondly, taking a moment to admire him without him knowing. He lay on his back, sprawled out like he'd been exhausted from a thousand days of walking.

Her cheeks reddened as she thought about what they'd done. It had been the most deliciously satisfying crescendo that she had ever experienced. The soles of her feet had burned with how deeply her ending had rooted into her and even now, she swore she could feel the waves of ecstasy rolling over her. It had been an encounter like no other and one she would gladly do again and again and again.

—

Daryl was having the most peaceful and contented dream that he'd had in a long time. His mind was finally quiet and at ease. No more questions of what if or could it be, only comforting reassurance that everything was just how it should be. Everything was exactly where it belonged. Including them.

His dream molded into an outer-body replay of their earlier affair. He watched it play out with rapt delight, caught somewhere between being involved and being an onlooker but equally enjoying both. It was all seared so perfectly into his brain that he knew he'd never be at risk of forgetting.

Tess' salacious moans and ardent sighs echoed around him like he was trapped in an endless valley of her. It was the most beautiful sound he'd ever known. Desperately wasn't a strong enough word to define how much he needed to hear it or to see her writhing beneath him with such euphoria. He'd become someone else, someone more like himself in that moment. It was the most affirming and validating experience of his entire existence and he owed it all to her.

Her - who was a vision of glowing red hair and moonlight skin that made him feel things that the English language didn't even have names for. Her - who left marks deeper in him than any other scar that adorned his skin. He was submerged in her wave and suddenly the idea of drowning sounded like exactly what he wanted.

In his dream, he reached for her as she leant down. Her head nestled into his neck and she whispered words that he couldn't make sense of. They were warm and silken and could have been nonsense for all he cared, as long as they continued to sound so sweet. Then she pulled back and smiled at him, her eyes sparkling like they held the universe and all its galaxies.

Then he woke up.

His arm reached out to the space beside and he jerked up when he found it empty. Had it all been a dream? It wouldn't have been the first time and he certainly didn't think it would be the last but they had never been so vivid. Concerned, he looked around the room but there was no sign that Tess had been there - no clothes, no weapons, nothing. He got dressed quickly and stumbled out of the room in a panic, desperately seeking affirmation. On the table in the living room, the bow and arrow he had made her was gone, along with the towel it had been wrapped in. In its place was the Gone Fishing sign that normally hung above the ranch slider.

Daryl's breathing slowed as his panic dissipated. It hadn't been a dream. It had all been very, very real. Relieved, he left the house and walked down to the water. On the old wooden dock he found the towel, bow and arrows and Tess' jeans and shirt piled together in a heap at the edge. He spotted her swimming in the lake and he sat and watched, waiting for her to return.

Tess had left the cabin with the intent of testing out her new bow but the lake had looked so inviting and she was in dire need of a bath, so it took precedence. The water was tepid in the summer sun and she enjoyed the quiet solitude while shamelessly reflecting on every minute detail from earlier. It left her feeling heated just thinking about it. When she looked back over toward the house, she saw Daryl sitting at the end of the jetty. Her skin caught alight beneath the water - he had an uncanny ability to appear just as she was thinking about him.
Slowly, she swam back to shore and joined him at the dock. At least she could blame the redness of her cheeks on exertion; Daryl couldn't do the same. He shuffled over as she rested her arms on the end of the dock. His eyes fell on the prominent scar on her shoulder from where The Governor had shot her - she'd gone to Hershel about it much later than she should have.

"Hey." She greeted him with a gentle smile, bringing his gaze back to her own.

"Hey." He replied, "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"That's okay, I did too. I take it as a compliment." Tess let out an airy laugh and Daryl bowed his head, an embarrassed smile crossing his face.

She grinned to herself, enjoying seeing this side of Daryl that didn't feel the need to pretend any longer. Neither of them had to repress how they felt anymore because it was shared and known and safe. Tess pressed her hands into the dock and pushed herself up to where she could sit and swing her legs over. She was only in her underwear but after everything they had just done, she didn't feel uncomfortable in the slightest. While the sun was still high and warm, she lay down beside Daryl and closed her eyes.

Daryl watched her every movement, enthralled by the shimmer of water on her skin and the way it found its way where his hands had been only a few hours ago. When she lay back and closed her eyes, he wondered if she was intentionally teasing him because if she let him, he'd happily have his way with her again. She looked relaxed, content even, but Daryl still wanted to hear that she had no regrets - the small worries that hung about would go away after that.

"Are you okay with… everything?" He asked her, faltering with what to say and how to say it. Tess hummed, confused and peered at him from beneath her hand she was using to shield her face.

"You mean us?" She asked and he nodded with a face made of stone.

If she told him no, he thought might fill his pockets with rocks and walk into the lake. Tess sat up and knelt in front of him, providing him with the best confirmation that she could - she kissed him. It was ardent and true and all Daryl could ever want and more. His hands found their way around her waist and it warmed her cool skin as they trailed along her back. Reluctantly, Tess did stop herself from continuing and pulled back, looking Daryl in the eyes as she said,

"I don't regret anything. I am very okay with us. And I'm okay with however you want to continue this going forward."

"What do you mean?" He frowned, unsure what she was getting at.

"Well I don't suppose you want to be going back and telling everyone about us?" Tess assumed and grabbed the towel to wrap around herself; much to Daryl's disappointment. "And I don't expect you to pack on the PDA."

Daryl dropped his head back and sighed. He hadn't thought at all about anyone else.

"And before you suggest it, no, we can't just stay here." Tess added with a cheeky but disappointed smile on her face.

Daryl wasn't ashamed or anything like that but it did make him uncomfortable sharing personal information with most, let alone having everyone aware of his sex life. He liked his privacy and what they had was theirs and theirs alone. Tess appeared to be okay with his predilection, and she was, which was why she left the decision up to him. She'd let him move them along at his own pace, as long as that didn't leave her high and dry that was.

With the towel wrapped tightly across her chest, Tess scooped up the rest of her belongings and stood.

"We should head back soon, so I'm going back to bed and you're welcome to join me if you'd like." Tess remarked coyly, backing up from the water. Daryl didn't need to be convinced - he got to his feet and followed her back up to the house, where they made the most of their privacy while they still had it.