They ate their soup in silence, except for the occasional slurping. The rain fell hard outside, accompanied by the sounds of thunder and flashes of lightening.

Carol found herself looking at Daryl more than she usually did, sneaking glances at him whenever she took a bite of soup. Thanks to Maggie and Michonne, she'd been thinking about him all day.

She couldn't help but notice how attractive he was. Definitely the best looking man in their group. Floppy hair, tanned skin, bulging arm muscles…yeah, he was good looking. And those eyes…

"What?" Daryl barked, making her jump.

"What yourself?" she snapped back.

"What do you keep looking at? I got soup on my face?" he brushed a hand down his face.

She sighed. "No, Daryl. I didn't mean to stare."

"What's your deal?" he pressed.

She sighed again. Then she gave him her best fake smile.

"It's nothing. Really. I ran into Maggie and Michonne earlier, and I was thinking about some things they said to me."

He just stared at her, waited for her to continue.

"They think we have something going on with each other."

Daryl coughed and lowered his head like he was going to take another bite of soup, trying to hide the blush that Carol could clearly see on his cheeks.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah. They were asking about it. Don't worry, though, I told them I was being perfectly chaste with you."

This earned her an eye roll and a scoff.

"Whatever, woman. I'm surprised you ain't jumped me already," he said, standing up and taking his bowl to the sink.

"Yeah, you wish," she retorted. She followed him to the sink.

She didn't miss the sideways look he gave her or the blush on his cheeks.

While Daryl took his shower, Carol got herself ready for bed. She changed into a pair of plaid pajama shorts and a black tank top. It wasn't the most practical outfit to wear in their current situation, but she was tired of always having to sleep her stuffy old woman clothes. Plus, it was hotter upstairs.

She ran a small comb through her hair, working out a few knots. Sometimes she couldn't believe how much her hair had grown out.

The water stopped running. She listened as Daryl rustled around in there for a few minutes before finally coming out. Her door was closed, but she still heard him say, "Night, Carol." Then his own door closed.

When she came back from the bathroom, she settled into the bed with another book from upstairs. She'd finished Alice in Wonderland, one of Sophia's favorites, that morning. Tonight, she'd decided on Frankenstein. She thought it was fitting for a night like tonight.

The storm continued to rage, and she read until her vision became blurry, forcing her to stop. Not once had she heard any scratching noises. Good. Maybe all the mice had been captured or were off dying somewhere from the poison.

She was drifting off to sleep when she heard a creaking noise, like one of the doors opening on squeaky hinges.

The sound freaked her out, but she willed herself to calm down, chalking the nerves up to being in such an empty house. It was an old house; the wind could have forced the door to open on its own. Or it could be Daryl going back to the bathroom.

The door shut. She sighed. It had been Daryl. She waited to hear his footsteps pass by her door, but she never heard them. Maybe he was barefoot, although she'd never seen the man barefoot.

Then she heard him snore.

Carol bolted up in bed, a chill running down her spine. There was no way he'd just gone to the bathroom.

What the hell was going on?

It wasn't ghosts. It couldn't be ghosts. That was ridiculous.

The door creaked open again. This time she got up and swung her own door opened. She peeked out into the hall. Sure enough, the bathroom door was wide open. Then it closed. By itself. Right in front of her eyes.

She squealed and raced to Daryl's room. His door was already opened, and she shut it behind her when she ran inside.

She could just barely make out his silhouette in the darkness. He was lying on his side, snoring softly.

She walked right up to him and starting shoving his shoulder.

"Daryl. Daryl, wake up."

He flinched and bolted up, nearly knocking her onto the hardwood floor.

"What is it?" he asked, reaching behind him for his crossbow. If she hadn't been so freaked out, she would have been rolling her eyes. Of course his crossbow got the other half of the bed.

"Put that down. Look, don't judge me, but I need to sleep in her with you tonight," she whispered, walking around to the opposite side of the bed. She lifted up the covers and slid inside, making sure to leave him plenty of room.

"What the hell for?" he asked.

"The bathroom door keeps opening and closing."

"What? Doors do that. Old house, remember?"

"Well, that might be the case, but it freaked me out. Can I just stay in here tonight? I promise to stay in this one spot and not hog the covers."

She couldn't see him, but she had a feeling he was probably rolling his eyes at her.

"Yeah, you best stay in that one spot," he grumbled and turned back over on his side, facing away from her.

She instantly felt better being here with Daryl. He just had a way of calming her down, even when he wasn't even doing anything. She hated being such a wimp, but this house was starting to wig her out.

She rolled onto her side, facing his back.

"So, are we going to talk about why you share your bed with a crossbow?" she whispered.

"Shut up and go to sleep," he whispered back.

Author's Note: Hey, y'all! Well, not much happened in this chapter, but I think it's my favorite so far! I just love how cute it is and how cute they are. It just makes my heart happy! Please review and let me know what you thought! Thanks!

Thank you to all of you who read this story and give me such sweet reviews! I love it!