Oh, hey! Remember me? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. ;) But, I have not forgotten you. It just took me a little longer to get this chapter written than I originally intended. Whoops. I am just going to go ahead and blame it on the fact that I recently have found myself totally immersed in some Bethyl fan-girling. Thank you SaidWhatIMeant and MollyMayhem for kicking my butt to get this chapter finished and posted.

Also, to my dear guest reviewer who tears my writing apart but also can't type or spell to save her life: Enjoy this chapter please! And feel free to write to Elizabeth Kate Kelly and tell her that I am "copying" her work. She is one of my betas so I am sure she will be glad to hear of your concern. Cheers, darling!

Chapter Three

Daryl quietly stepped into their room, finding Leah on their bed watching Lily as she slept.

She turned, smiling slightly at him. "Hey babe. Sorry, I got distracted."

He shrugged and quietly unshouldered his crossbow. "Change yer mind?"

Quickly, Leah shook her head. She stood up and walked towards him, her hands grabbing for his when she reached him. "No way," she said, her voice a whisper. "I ran into Carlie on my way in and then …. " Her voice trailed off and she looked back at Lily.

She didn't need to finish her sentence. Daryl understood. This wasn't the first time he had caught her staring at Lily while the little girl slept. There was a fierce protector inside of this woman who was standing in front of him. Other days, he might be content to just watch her, but not tonight. Tonight, his body was practically screaming for her. Subtly, he gave her hands a tug.

Her head turned back to him and he felt her hands squeeze his as she smiled. "I asked Beth to check in on... "

Before she even finished her sentence, his lips were on hers, pressing firm, closed kisses against her mouth. Leah immediately melted against him, her arms wrapping around his waist. In the silence of the room, the sound of their lips dancing echoed against the concrete walls. Daryl took a step, turning their bodies and pressing Leah backwards until her back hit the door. Her mouth opened, tongue sliding over his lower lip, as her hands opened, fingernails scratching the skin on his back through the material of his flannel. Daryl growled deep in his throat before he let his lips capture her tongue, sucking gently. Leah fisted the material of his shirt and pressed her body closer.

With a sudden jerk, Daryl pulled his face away, taking in a deep breath. "C'mon."

The library wasn't far, yet to Leah each step felt like a mile even as they hurried hand in hand down the dark hallway. Daryl kept his flashlight low, not wanting to draw any attention their way. It's wasn't exactly a secret that the library was their normal rendezvous point. Hell, everyone had their little hideaways. Maggie and Glenn often used the guard towers. Tyrese and Karen, although their relationship was still new, had been seen sneaking into a private room off D- block. In a group this big, there were a few other hook- ups. Casual and otherwise. And they all had their places. Even so, Daryl and Leah kept quiet as they moved towards the library.

Once they were inside, Daryl pressed a chair into the back of the door, securing it from the inside while Leah slipped behind a stack that would hide them from view. Not wanting to waste time, she slipped her shirt over her head, revealing the gray sports bra that she usually wore, and dropped it to the floor. Her skin hummed with excitement, electricity shooting through her nerves as she listened to Daryl's boots on the floor, his steps quick and sure. He rounded the corner, immediately catching her in his arms and making her feel safe and turned on all in one moment. His hands slid down her naked sides, landing on her hips, and pulling her towards him so their bodies were flush against each other.

"Hey," he growled quietly as their eyes locked.

Tilting her head back, Leah smiled up at him. "Hey yourself, handsome."

A tiny smile pulled at the corner of Daryl's lips before he dropped his head. Their closed lips met, soft yet firm. Leah's hands quickly made their way up his shirt, landing palms flat on his stomach. She slowly ran them over his skin, feeling every contour, and every ripple of every muscle.

Her touch made him shiver and moan, open- mouthed, against her lips. As his lips parted, Leah seized the opportunity and let her tongue slip gently into his mouth, deepening their kiss.

Her simple movement of letting their tongues meet unlocked everything between them. In a sudden rush of excitement, their clothes were ripped from their bodies, hands flying and tugging on fabric until every inch of skin was revealed.

Daryl's hands immediately found Leah's breasts, nipples already pert, his thumbs moving over them and causing her to shiver. He didn't relent, pressing his thumb in harder as he palmed her. He couldn't go slow, not this time. All he needed was release. The only thing that was more important was that she need him as bad as he needed her. Her round breasts fitting in the palm of his hands, he squeezed, fingertips digging unforgivingly into her soft skin.

Leah reacted favorably, arching her back and letting a surprised gasp into his mouth. The slight pain feeling so good. Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling slightly, as their tongues continued to fight for dominance. Instinctually, her hips rocked against him, silently and feverishly telling him what she wanted.

Everything about the woman clinging to him had Daryl on edge. His skin screamed and blood rushed, leaving him light headed. He dropped a hand from her breast, and pushed quickly down her side, his jagged fingernails scratching until he landed on her thigh, cupping it firmly from behind. Unceremoniously, he hitched her leg up. Leah didn't miss a beat. Leveraging herself against him, she pushed upwards, letting both legs wrap around him while Daryl supported her ass.

His lips attacked her collarbone, nipping at the delicate skin, not caring that there would surely be bruising there tomorrow. He took a moment to look up at her. She was beautiful. Skin flushed and dark hair tumbling around her shoulders.

She could feel his heart speeding up, hammering against his chest. Whispering, she begged. "Daryl, please."

The quiet desperation in her voice hooked him. He moved forward, knocking her into the stack of books, and making the shelf wobble. Leah barely felt the force of the blow against her back as he thrust into her for the first time. A loud moan escaped her lips and she clung to him, fingernails digging into his shoulders.

Daryl's breath hitched when he felt nothing but heat and wetness circling him. Damn, she felt good.

They kissed sloppily, all panting and teeth grazing lips, as Daryl thrust into her quick and hard. His biceps flexed as he frantically moved her body up and down. Hitting her deep and filling her completely. The stack of books behind her creaked and groaned, but Daryl couldn't stop. Leah grunted and moaned, her shaking thighs tightening around Daryl as she began to lose control.

When her head fell back and she breathed out his name, Daryl gripped her tighter, knowing that he was close behind. Her tight walls fluttered around him as she orgasmed, causing pleasure to fire through him. Burying himself as deep as he could within her, Daryl's eyes squeezed shut and he let out a primal, low growl.

Leah's head dropped into the crook of his neck. She panted heavily, her body feeling loose and just so good. Her lips lazily grazed his skin and she felt him dropping to the ground, his knees weak. They lay on the floor, still together, Daryl slowly softening inside her, just a tangle of sweaty limbs. Silence enveloped them as they let their hands do the talking, hands on each others bodies, tracing each curve they had long ago memorized.

It had been hard and fast, but left them both completely satisfied. After catching their breath, they eventually, albeit reluctantly, got up and retrieved their clothing. Slowly re-dressing and walking hand in hand back to C- block.

In the comfort of their own room, Leah lay quietly beside Daryl until she could hear him breathing deeply and rhythmically. She held her left hand up in the dark, examining her new ring in the slivers of moonlight. With a smile she rolled over and pressed a kiss into the tattoos on his right shoulder blade.

"I love you, Daryl Dixon." She mumbled against his skin before letting sleep claim her.

The prison cemetery plot had grown quite large since the residents of Woodbury had joined them. The older folks weren't cut out for this. It was too hard. Too stressful. Their group dwindled not from accident, but from nature. This morning they had lost another, someone Daryl barely knew. Mr. Gerald, he had heard Leah call him. She knew everyone and they loved her back. He just happened to be known by association to her. Something he was just fine with.

Taking a break, he lifted himself from the half- dug grave and reached for his water. From his peripheral vision he caught movement and turned to see Lily prancing out towards him. Despite himself, a tiny grin turned the corners of his lips upwards.

Quickly, he wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. "Leah know yer out here?" he called out to her.

Lily shook her head as she got closer, the pigtails that he had watched Leah twist into her hair that morning bounced back and forth.

"Where is she?' He capped the water bottle and tossed it back into the grass.

"Helping Mr. Hershel."

Daryl stared down at the kid. "Why dontcha go play with Mika and them?" He was digging a grave for damn's sake, what the hell was he going to do with her out here?

Lily plopped her butt down on to the grass. "Don't wanna."

He frowned in thought and then shrugged. What did it matter? "Suit yerself kid."

Lily watched as he bent over to grab the shovel and hopped back into the grave. Casually, she asked him, "Is this for Mr. Gerald?"

Her blunt question made him pause, shovel hovering above the ground and then nodded and answered her plainly. "Yeah."

Lily scooted forward, letting her feet dangle into the open earth. "He's with my mommy and Uncle Chase now."

Daryl let her statement hang unanswered, and continued to shovel while she watched from above. The sun beat down on both of them from a cloudless sky, warming their skin against the slight chill in the air. Their silence was companionable. It always had been. Although she was closer to Leah, they understood each other, and he liked that Lily wasn't scared of him. She had a way of making his hard heart a little softer. Both his girls did. He couldn't remember the last time he had tried to fight it, this softness that had seemed to creep up and settle in. Once he realized that it made him a better man, Daryl had embraced it.

"Hi."

Lily's voice pulled Daryl from his thoughts and he looked up, squinting into the sun. Carlie had made her way out to them and kneeled down beside Lily, giving her a gentle smile.

"Hey there." She answered his little girl. "You're Lily?"

Lily nodded.

"I'm Carlie."

"I know, Leah and Daryl brought you back here."

Daryl saw a look of confusion cross Carlie's face before she looked down at him. But when her eyes tried to meet his her puzzlement was replaced with a smile. "They did. I'm pretty lucky."

Leaning his forearm on the end of the shovel, Daryl wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead with the handkerchief in his back pocket. "Need somethin'?"

Carlie looked back at Lily then to Daryl, giving him a look that he couldn't quite understand. She softly cleared her throat and Daryl tried to wait patiently, his fingers drumming on the top of the shovel.

"Yeah. I haven't really seen you since you brought me in. I saw you out here and thought I would um, seize the moment. Ya know?" The redhead gave him a nervous smile.

Daryl looked at her intently, wondering what the hell she was babbling about. "What?"

Carlie chewed on her bottom lip. "I guess I just wanted to say thank you. And um, explain some things."

She looked back at Lily and Daryl finally understood that she might not want to say something in front of her.

"Lily. Go find Leah." His voice was gruff and deepened when he saw her about to protest. He wasn't going to let a four year old with an attitude argue with him. "Git."

Lily pouted a little, but stood up and brushed the dirt off her little bum.

"Go straight to C block," he demanded before her feet disappeared from his view. "No stops, 'long the way."

Carlie's eyebrow raised. "You talk to her that way?"

Daryl resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"And she just runs around wherever she wants here?"

"No. She knows the rules."

Carlie gave a slow disbelieving shake of her head. "So, she's not your kid?"

His eyes narrowed and he dodged her question, something about it felt weird. "Said ya wanted to 'splain somethin'?"

Carlie nodded and sat cross legged on the ground, interlacing her fingers in her lap. "Yeah, I just haven't had a chance to really say thank you. I thought I was done for. People can't survive this shit alone. I never dreamed that there was something like this out here." Carlie's eyes dropped to her lap and she methodically picked at her cuticle.

Daryl waited to see if she would continue and when she didn't, he spoke. "It's jus' what we do."

"Yeah, you've said that. I don't think you realize how rare your group is."

"We do," Daryl answered her, choosing not to give any specifics about the Governor or Woodbury.

Carlie looked like she had more to say and Daryl tried to wait patiently, but the task at hand was gnawing at him. He didn't have all the time in the world, and this chick was wasting it. "That it?"

A frown crossed Carlie's tanned face. "I guess. Do you, um, need any help?"

"Nope." He speared the tip of the shovel back into the dirt and re-started the dig. From above him he heard a gentle sigh, but chose to ignore it. If Carlie had something to talk about he was not the person for it. She could go find Leah or Beth for that.

"Um, do you mind if I just sit here? I kinda need space. Air."

Daryl shrugged. No harm in that. He understood the need for space better than anyone. The prison could seem crowded at times. He wouldn't have chosen to spend his alone time with a stranger digging a grave, but if that's what she wanted it didn't bother him. "Suit yerself."

"Thanks." Her voice sounded relieved. "You know, there's something about you Daryl. Your presence is calming almost. You feel safe."

He held back a guffaw. No one had ever described him as a calming presence, but he didn't answer her and continued to dig. Carlie sat silently above him for the duration of his work and alternated between watching him and the walkers along the fence.

From the prison yard, Leah could just make out the shape of Carlie sitting cross- legged on the ground. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she squinted to get a better look. It didn't look like she and Daryl were talking, but she couldn't be sure what was happening. With a puzzled frown, she turned away and walked towards the rain water barrel. If it was important, Daryl would tell her about it later.