AN: I'm sorry my updates haven't been frequent lately. I'll try to do better but it's been a crazy busy month. Hope you enjoy this one. Happy Easter to everyone this weekend.

Chapter 4

It didn't take long before Carol could sense that something was off with Sherry. It wasn't something that put her on guard, she was quite confident that Sherry wasn't there to hurt anyone, but Carol felt like the woman was hiding something about her past.

Carol had always been able to read people. It was part of her survival skills to be able to read Ed's mood and know what kind of day it was going to be, or how much she should and shouldn't engage him. Daryl had certainly gave her one hell of a test at reading his moods at first, but it was second nature for her at that point.

She watched Sherry from a distance, helping Dianne work in the garden. She was giving it her best effort but it was clear that the young woman didn't have much of a green thumb. Carol decided she had a better idea. "Dianne," she called out, waving the blonde over to her. "I want you to take her out for the day. Do a canvass and search for Morgan, but I really need you to talk to her. I would go myself but there are a few things here that I want to get done." The truth was, she was hoping Daryl would be back and she wanted to be there when he returned. "See if you can get her to open up to you… there's something…" Carol's voice trailed off.

"Oh good, I noticed that too," Dianne nodded. Carol smiled, she really liked Dianne, she was tough, brave, strong and apparently her intuition was spot on. "I'll do my best. Oh, on foot?"

Carol shook her head and smiled, "Take horses. If she's never rode don't go too far, but I saw her at the stables this morning and she seemed very comfortable. I think she's probably been on horseback before." Carol paused, "Keep your guard up… just in case. And take a walkie, check in with Daniel every hour. If you miss a check we'll send people out immediately." Her gut said there wouldn't be a problem but Carol wanted to be safe.

A little while later she waved as they rode out the gates. Seeing Sherry on the horse Carol knew she was a pro. If things worked out she could become a Knight, just like Dianne. Carol decided she would talk to Daryl about giving Sherry bow lessons. He was a really good teacher and it was something he was passionate about. It could be a good "mission" for him.

She started to wander, deep in thought. Maybe they would get lucky and in an ironic twist Sherry and Dianne would find Morgan when Carol really hadn't intended on this being a true search, it was just a cover to give the two women a day alone to chat.

It surprised her how much she missed Morgan. She didn't just want him back so she could go home, it was so much more than that. He was family and he'd been there for her in one of the darkest moments of her life. She wanted to see him happy and Carol knew that this place, the Kingdom, had been a solace for him. Morgan had become very close to Ezekiel and she knew he would be proud to carry on his legacy and make sure the Kingdom thrived.

Carol wandered around some more and eventually ended up in the little building that held Shiva's cage. It was still weird to have a tiger roaming around. She put her hands on the bars and looked in. There really wasn't enough room in that cell for a tiger and it suddenly struck her as cruel to put Shiva in there. Carol decided it was time to make her a large enclosure where she could roam free with far more space. But the problem was… would the tiger actually be staying at the kingdom when her and Daryl left? Chances were pretty slim that Daryl was going to leave his new pet behind - chances were even more slim that Shiva was going to allow it.

Just as she was about to leave Carol heard a noise. She spun and saw Daryl and Shiva enter the room. She startled Daryl, who clearly wasn't expecting to find anyone in there and when he yelled it startled her too until they both ended up laughing at each other while Shiva seemed to be less than impressed by the whole ordeal. She also seemed to be glaring at Carol again. "You think you got rid of me?" she asked, walking over to pet the tiger.

Shiva huffed but Carol noticed that she was enjoying having her head stroked and started to make a sound that was likely the tiger version of a purr. "I was just gonna put her in here for a bit and come find you," Daryl explained as he opened the cage and indicated for Shiva to enter. She hesitated and let Carol pet her a little longer, then wandered in obediently and lay down.

"You found me," Carol said, giving Daryl a sweet smile after he locked the cage and turned around.

"I did," he said with a growl as he backed her up against the wall.

"Whatcha doin?" she asked.

"You know," he whispered, hovering so close to her lips without touching them. Carol could feel his breath, warm on her mouth and made her body feel tingly. Suddenly he attacked her lips, as if he couldn't stand to be apart one second longer.

She let him kiss her, even kissed him back just as passionately, but when his hands started to wander, squeezing her ass and working their way up under her shirt Carol stopped him. "We can't," she gasped. "Not here…" Carol gazed in the direction of the cage, where Shiva really didn't seem to be paying them any attention.

"She's a tiger. She doesn't care," Daryl grunted, trying again to get his hands on her boobs. "I missed you," he whined.

"I missed you too, but… Can't… we…just…go… home…" she got out as she tried to dodge his efforts. Daryl gave her a look and then looked down at his pants where it was very evident that he was a happy boy. "We could just wait a min…" Her words were cut off when he captured her lips again, slipping his tongue into her mouth, eliciting a moan. Why did she want him so badly, all the time? Was she seriously considering giving in and letting him fuck her in front of Shiva? When Daryl reached for her pants and started to undo them her mind was telling her to stop them but her body was saying no way! Instead of stopping him she reached for his pants too and the next thing she knew she was bending over and he was inside her.

Carol closed her eyes and let herself enjoy every second. If she opened them and saw that damn tiger she would just stress or feel embarrassed. So instead she focussed on how good it felt. He'd been gone barely a day and it was like he'd been away for a week or more. It was ridiculous how much she craved him. It wasn't just the sex. The sex was incredible but what she was really looking forward to was simply the comfort of having him sleep beside her. The bed had felt so empty without him and the night so long when she kept waking up and reaching out to feel his warmth only to remember he wasn't there.

It was taking all she had to not cry out and she couldn't hold back the whimper when she came and for some reason she decided that was a good time to open her eyes. Of course the damn cat was looking at her and she didn't look impressed. Carol was sure Shiva rolled her eyes if felines could actually do that. Well at least she hadn't let the voyeur ruin the whole thing. She closed her eyes and tried to refocus while Daryl finished, but unfortunately her cheeks were burning and she couldn't get back to that happy place again.

Once it was over Carol couldn't turn around until she had herself dressed. Even then she hesitated until Daryl hugged her from behind. "I ain't leaving again until you come with me," he whispered.

It made her feel guilty because even though he'd missed her Carol knew that he had enjoyed seeing everyone and still wanted to go home. "Soon," she replied, turning to look at him. "Just a little longer, okay?" He sighed, but nodded and his face conveyed a look of understanding. "Let's get out of here," she said, eying Shiva. She looked at Daryl and saw the same pouty look on his face as she could somehow see in the tiger's eyes. "Oh fine," Carol muttered. "Bring her," she said to Daryl. She didn't miss the smile on his face or how quickly the tiger came to wait at the door while Daryl opened it.

They started to walk out and all of a sudden something bumped into her ass and she stumbled. Daryl chuckled and Carol glared at him first before also glaring at the culprit. "Enough furball or you're going back in the cell," she snapped.

"Maybe she was complimenting you," Daryl suggested as they kept walking. "She did get a pretty good view of your sweet little tushy."

"Oh God," Carol groaned, her cheeks flushing once more. "Don't remind me." Daryl laughed again and she decided to change the topic. "A new girl showed up here while you were gone," she started. "I sent her out with Dianne to see if she can get a backstory, make sure we can fully trust her. I want you to meet her when they get back, see what kind of vibe you get." Daryl nodded but before he could speak Jerry and Daniel arrived and pretty much carried her away babbling about something they needed her help with. "I'll find you later," she called over her shoulder with a wave.

Later on when Sherry and Dianne returned Carol sensed that things went well, even before she could talk to Dianne. The women seemed to have made a connection and looked comfortable with one another. The weight she'd been carrying, worrying about Sherry was lifted off her shoulders instantly.

The women got off their horses and walked over. "Go ahead and take them to the stables," Carol said with a smile. "I'm gonna find Daryl and bring him to meet Sherry."

"Did you say Daryl?" Sherry asked. Carol felt her heart start to pound at the look on the woman's face. She was pale and looked shocked. "He's here? He's safe?"

Carol was momentarily stunned. How did this woman know Daryl? "Are we talking about the same man?" she asked, hoping to hell they weren't.

"Daryl… He, um… he helped me out once," Sherry was struggling with her words. "I, uh…I did something stupid… but I tried to repay him…I don't know if he knew it was me..."

What the hell was she nattering on about? "What's going on?" Carol jumped in to stop the senseless rambling. "How do you know Daryl? What are you talking about?"

Sherry had tears in her eyes and Carol just found herself even more confused. But when the woman spoke it sent chills down her spine, "I helped him escape… from the sanctuary."