AN: So this is kinda a sequel to Friend Zone, but you won't need to read friend zone to follow this one, I'll be sure to explain/remind you of anything from the other fic that is pertinent. I'm honestly not sure about this idea, but I'm curious to see if people are intrigued by the first chapter. Hope everyone has a great day!

Chapter 1

There's a calm before the storm but there's an eerie silence after. Carol still woke every morning wondering when that silence would end or if maybe it really was just the calm as another storm brewed. She poured a cup of coffee, shook the thought out of her mind yet again and walked to the front window.

"Daryl, is that tiger really sleeping on our porch again?" Carol asked, peeking out to see Shiva perk up, then lay her head down with a sound that resembled a sigh when she saw it was her and not Daryl. "Shouldn't she be in her cage?"

Daryl rolled over in bed and sat up. He rubbed his eyes. "I tried… but she looked so sad in there…" Carol gave him a look. "She's a wild animal - she shouldn't be in a cage."

"There are children here," she replied. "There was a reason Ezekiel kept Shiva in her cage…"

"Okay, okay," Daryl resigned. "I'll take her there as soon as I have breakfast." It hurt Carol to see how bothered he looked about locking the tiger up and she wondered if it had anything to do with how Daryl had felt when Negan held him captive. But it made her nervous to see the tiger wandering around the Kingdom, especially without Ezekiel.

It made her sad to think about the last time she'd seen Zeke, lying on the ground in a puddle of blood on the ground at Alexandria. Thankfully one of the several shots from the assault rifle had hit him in the head and there was no chance of him turning. It was a long battle and his body stayed there awhile - he certainly would have turned without the head shot. There was nothing worse than seeing someone you cared about become a monster.

Ezekiel had agreed to help Rick fight Negan - and they had won, but the cost was high and they had lost a lot of people from Alexandria, Hilltop and the Kingdom - including the King himself. To make matters worse - Morgan was missing. There was always a chance he'd been killed, he turned, and walked out of ASZ in all the chaos and fighting, but Carol couldn't remember seeing him after about 15 minutes into the fight. He was there to start, but the next thing she knew he'd disappeared - and he wasn't among the casualties.

It didn't make any sense at all and that was one of the reasons that her and Daryl had been living at the Kingdom since the end of the battle. She was hoping he would return and she was sure the Kingdom was where he would come back to. With the threat of Negan and the Saviors now taken care of Carol had been sending the Knights out every day to look for Morgan, hoping maybe he was wounded and they could bring him home for help. Daryl tried to go a few times to help with the search, but everywhere he went a cat was right on his heels and clearly he had no desire to lock the feline up.

If they could find Morgan her and Daryl could finally return to their home - Alexandria. But until the Kingdom had a leader Carol just didn't feel right leaving. There were a few knights that likely had the skills and intelligence to take the job, but none of them wanted to lead. They were happy to serve and protect, but had no desire to rule.

Things were still quite chaotic since the battle. Although the three communities had moved into Alexandria to fight together, and that was where the bulk of the battle had happened, the Saviors also attacked the Kingdom and Hilltop, scavenging all their supplies and causing loads of damage. There was a crew, comprised of members from all three groups, that was loading up trucks at the Sanctuary and delivering supplies and food. But it was a slow process as everyone tried to rebuild and move on, still grieving tremendous losses, while celebrating their freedom.

Carol glanced over, just as Daryl slipped out of bed - naked. Her heart skipped a beat and her body responded ferociously just like it did every single time she saw his beautiful form. In the grand scheme of things, they hadn't been a couple all that long and with the preparation and battle with Negan they really hadn't had a chance to actually be a real couple. Stolen moments here and there, but the focus had been on the fight since the morning after their first time.

She knew Daryl was itching to get back to Alexandria and Carol certainly was too. It would finally be the start of their life together in the place they both considered their home. The Kingdom was nice and it was comfortable, but it was like being on vacation and staying at a hotel - eventually all you wanted was to get home to your own bed.

Carol set down the tea towel she'd been using to dry the dishes. Before Daryl could pull on any clothing she undid the tie on her robe and cleared her throat. He turned and stared. Carol slowly started to walk towards him, "I think maybe… maybe the tiger can sleep on our porch just a little while longer…" She reached out and touched his bare chest lightly. "Did you still want me to make breakfast… or…" Before she could finish her sentence Daryl pulled her against his body and found her lips.

Since they had been living at the Kingdom, for close to a week, they'd had a lot of sex. But it didn't matter how often they did - the desire for each other didn't wane one bit. Carol was pretty sure it was actually getting stronger because the sex seemed to get better each time. The first time was special and it was something she would never forget, but the more comfortable they got with each other, the more bold Daryl got… it was just even more incredible every single time.

"I got somethin better in mind for breakfast," he growled, gently pushing her back onto the bed. Daryl had gone down on her for the first time in a while only a few days before and since then it was like he couldn't get enough of it. She certainly wasn't going to complain because it felt too good. Once he started it was like she was completely lost in the bliss. 5 minutes, 5 hours… she never knew how much time had passed and it didn't matter because it was absolute perfection.

Carol tugged the sheet over her body afterwards. The air was cool when she didn't have his skin touching her, keeping her warm. Daryl tugged at the sheet to get her attention, "You uh… you think Shiva was out there listening to all your moaning and screaming?"

"Shut up," she laughed, throwing a pillow at his face. But half an hour later when they walked out the front door Carol was sure the tiger huffed at her, before nudging Daryl's hand like an oversized house cat. "He's mine you big fur ball," Carol whispered under her breath. Daryl looked at her and grinned. She sighed and stepped down off the porch.

"I think maybe I'll just take her for a little walk, find some food before I lock her up," Daryl said, petting Shiva's head. It might have been that he was the only one brave enough to try, but it seemed that Daryl was the only one Shiva would let touch her.

"Okay," Carol said with a nod. "I'm gonna go find Daniel and Jerry, see if there's been any sign of Morgan." Her heart felt heavy mentioning his name. Despite their strange and eventful journey she considered Morgan one of her closest friends.

"Before you go…" Daryl said. She paused and waited for him to finish. "Pet her."

"Excuse me?" Carol was surprised.

"Just try it," he insisted. "She's not going to hurt you and… well… I can't even explain how it feels to put your hand on a tiger. A tiger," he repeated. "It's… I don't even know… Just try it, please?" He was looking at her, pleading with his eyes as if it was extremely important to him.

"If she bites my arm off she's never leaving that cage again," Carol muttered, moving slowly towards Shiva. "Listen, when I called you fur ball earlier," she said sweetly. "I meant it in the nicest possible way." Carol put her hand near the tiger's nose and let her sniff it. The tickle of the air from her nostrils sent chills down her spine. Shiva bowed her head slightly and Carol looked wide eyed at Daryl - she was just given permission, yet she was too shocked to move. He nodded at her and slowly Carol reached out, closer and closer until the tips of her fingers met the soft fur. This is a tiger. A fucking tiger, her mind was screaming. I'm petting a goddamn tiger.

Carol held her breath and Shiva made a sound… it was a chuffing, like a tiger version of a purr. Daryl was so right about not being able to properly explain how it felt to touch Shiva. It was exhilarating, but there was almost something divine about it - like she was doing something that wasn't supposed to happen in the natural world. She let her fingers move deeper into the fur and then pet her lightly with a full hand. "Wow," Carol whispered. It was the only word that would come out. Not wanting to push her luck she took her hand away and stepped back. "That… that… was amazing," she stammered, still taken back with awe.

Daryl leaned over and placed a kiss on her temple, causing Shiva to huff again. Clearly they weren't quite besties yet, but at least they had made a connection. "You two are amazing," a voice spoke from behind them. "I can't get a hand within a foot of her unless it's got food in it." Carol turned to see Jerry had walked up to join them.

"I was just coming to find you," Carol said with a smile. Jerry was so sweet and jolly. You couldn't help but feel happy in his presence.

"I'm gonna head out," Daryl said, preparing to leave for his walk with Shiva.

"Oh Daryl, can you stay a moment?" Jerry said quickly. "I actually came to see you, well… both of you." Daryl paused. "People have been talking… and, well… we think maybe Shiva has picked our new King."

Carol realized right away what Jerry was saying, but it was clear it wasn't sinking in for Daryl. "Oh good. We can finally go home. Who is it?"

Carol and Jerry exchanged a look before he spoke again, "Uh, dude… it's you." He smiled at Daryl. "We want you to stay. We want you to be our leader here at the kingdom… both of you actually," he added, turning to Carol. "King… and Queen."