The weather was cooler now that summer was winding down. It wasn't exactly fall but it was just on the cusp of it. That cool breeze coming from the woods letting you know that soon...soon the trees would lose their leaves and winter would be around. He was more aware of it apparently than the rest of the group but he wasn't surprised by that either. How they survived this long was a mystery to him and that wasn't even counting the end of the world.

"Do you ever sleep?"

Daryl jerked his head up and widened his eyes. Carol was in front of him, the light of the fire leaping up to throw her into dancing shadows. It made him squint and he fought down a sneer. It was something he found himself doing a lot lately with her. He hated himself for it. He could hear Merle in the back of his head and he savagely silenced that voice the best he could.

He refused to listen to the part of him that was saying that it was more than just lust. He refused to give that thought any ground to stand on. Because if he did then he'd surely get caught in the fucking landslide that was inevitable pain. He wasn't meant to have someone. If his own family couldn't love him then how could he ever think someone as perfect as Carol could? He couldn't and that was why he only entertained thoughts that were downright pornographic while never allowing anything else to spread.

"No." He snapped.

Carol just smiled at his sharp retort. She walked around the fire and leaned against the brick beside him. She was too close. Carol was always getting in his space and he wasn't sure how to handle it. He knew how he wanted to handle her but again he pushed all those thoughts away. This woman already took up ninety percent of his thoughts he didn't need her taking the rest.

"When are you going to let me in?" Carol's voice was soft.

He huffed at her. "Go play house with Dale."

Carol shot him a withering look and slapped his arm. Her look morphed into an amused smile. "He's a little old for me."

Daryl scowled at her but she just kept smiling. When he didn't say anything she leaned further back and braced her hands on the ground. Daryl pointedly didn't notice how her breast were arched and that her nipples stood out.

"It's so cloudy out." Carol said.

Daryl fixated on the fire and felt her shift next to him. They were quiet for a long time. This was another thing that Carol could do that no one else ever did. She could be quiet. There wasn't a need for small talk or feeling the silence. She could let him be without forcing the situation. Not that he wanted to think about it but it was hard not to with her constantly tracking him down. She'd single handedly kept him from leaving this shit group. He'd felt so terrible after Sophia...so much happened and then he'd fucking yelled at her. She stood there and took it.

Daryl stood as his emotions swirled. He swallowed thickly and again gazed down the long driveway. He longed to search for his brother but something told him if he left Carol wouldn't live. Rick would fight for Lori, Carl, and he'd try for the rest but in the end Carol would get left behind. He knew just as sure as he knew that Merle was out there. His instincts were never wrong before and he was a slave to heed their advice. He cut his eyes to her sharply and questioned himself again...what was it about this woman that refused to let him go? Why couldn't he walk away? Why was she different from others? Even Merle was easier to ignore and that was his obnoxious fucking brother.

Daryl rubbed his face roughly and stormed away. He nearly ripped the tents door off as he crawled inside. He tore at his boots and belt. He was angry at himself. He was pissed off at the world for the bullshit it kept throwing at him. Walkers? Really? Who the fuck thought the dead would come back! Now he was stuck with one of the most useless groups ever all because he couldn't stop fucking caring for someone he didn't need to. He was going soft. Merle would choke him when he found him.

"Daryl?" Carol's voice was worried.

He threw himself back and blew out a breath. The breeze was blowing through the tents windows and cooling it even more inside his tent now that he was away from the fire. It felt good on his overheated skin. He pulled his shirt over his head and arched his hips kicking away his jeans.

"Go away." He said.

He heard her shift and closed his eyes. Carol wasn't one to just barge into someone's tent. She'd pester him but she'd never once crossed that line. She'd harass him in the morning but until then he could sleep as best he could.

"This is stupid." He heard her whisper.

He smiled to himself as his breathing slowed. He could hear her walking away. It was the last thing he focused on before sleep washed over him.

His eyes snapped open and his hand shot out quickly closing around the handle of his knife. He focused trying to figure out what woke him. He cut his eyes to the window seeing it was still far too dark to even be close to morning. He couldn't have slept more than an hour.

His tent door was jerked open violently and he set up quickly. His eyes widened when Carol crawled right through, her lantern turned down low, and glared at him. Her finger stabbed him in the chest after she walked on her knees towards him. He looked down at it and then up at her. His chest burned where she was touching him.

"Don't you dare." Carol hissed.

"Are you fucking crazy?" Daryl snarled. "I could have killed you." He pointedly waved his knife for her to see.

Carol slapped it from his hand. He watched it fall and then looked back her. He knew his jaw was slightly open. She had more fire in her in this moment than he'd ever seen. Even when she'd been raging at Rick she didn't look like this. He grimaced when he realized it was causing his traitorous body to react.

Carol leaned towards him. "Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

Daryl's eyes shot to his groin as his lips thinned. He narrowed his eyes.

Carol's eyes narrowed and she shuffled closer to him. She was looming over him forcing him to brace himself on his elbows now or lay down. Her hand planted on his bare chest as if it drive her point home. He seen the second she realized he was shirtless ripple through her eyes. It would have made him laugh any other time, maybe, if he hadn't been hard as a fucking rock at the moment.

Carol quickly looked down as if to confirm that he was indeed shirtless. Her eyes shot around and seen his clothes laying around. She was actually kneeling on his jeans. Her eyes widened and shot to his face.

"You're naked!"

Daryl tilted his head and despite himself watched the flush spread up her neck onto her face. Her eyes were wide and her pupils dilated. He felt his breathing deepening as her look changed from clear anger to arousal so quickly. Now he wasn't one to think he was hot shit or be very prideful if he was honest with himself but watching her reaction had him smiling.

"Should expect that when you barge into a man's room in the middle of the night." Daryl replied flippantly.

He tried to stay calm but on the inside he was screaming. His two very different opinions warring away. One was telling him to take this opportunity. The other telling him to push her away pack his shit and leave before she could sink those hooks deeper. Before the world went to shit he'd have cut and run already. Watching her now as her lip pulled between her teeth and she ducked her head, looking up at him through her lashes though, well it put completely different thoughts in his head. His mouth watered at the sight of her on her knees in his tent. Red faced and breathing heavily. It was when he realized he didn't even give a fuck about his own release that he knew he was fucked.

Carol shuffled a little closer to him and he swallowed. Her hand was still on his chest. Her nails bit slightly into the skin close to his collarbones and he groaned low in his throat. It was all the encouragement he needed because they were kissing. A tangle of limbs as he pulled her to him. When they finally pulled apart for air she was below him. Her eyes wide and thighs spread around his hips. His groin was pressed into hers tightly. She rolled her hips experimentally and his hips jerked into her.

Carol sucked in a breath. Her eyes were shining like she was discovering something completely new.

"I know you overheard me and Andrea." Carol whispered.

He nodded slowly. He knew exactly what she was talking about. He'd been a mess for days with the thoughts of no man ever having went down on her. He'd avoided her the best he could but it was useless. It'd put images in his head that even now were taunting him. Begging him even to slide her pajama pants down her legs.

As if reading his mind she arched her hips up. Daryl's eyes shot hers and when she flushed even deeper. He groaned and done exactly as she wanted. When he tossed the pants behind him he looked back down and his eyes widened. She wasn't wearing panties. Her legs were spread again. He looked up and seen her anxiety, she was about to cover herself but he caught her wrist before they got past her hips. Sliding the other hand up her thigh he stopped before he got to the apex of her thighs. Carol spread her thighs even wider.

"Were you joking that day?" He questioned, his eyes following his own fingers as they teased her.

"No." Carol pleaded.

Daryl looked up as he shifted his position to be closer to her. Carol stared wide eyed.

"Damn shame." He whispered to himself.

Before Carol could respond his mouth as on her. Carol's back bowed and her hand tangled in his hair. He grunted as she tightened her grip. His mouth watered at her taste and he groaned. Carol cried out as he traced over her, testing what pulled the most noises from her. The richest noises. When he hit pay dirt he didn't let up.

Carol was chanting his name, sounding more like a sob as her body shook. So close but he smiled against her backing off. When she whined and tried to drag him where she wanted he just teased her more. When her body calmed down he went back to work. It wasn't long before she was right at the edge again. Begging him to keep going.

His eyes shot up when she pushed herself upwards. Her eyes were locked with his as he kept his face buried in her. Carol's jaw slackened and she smiled against her. Carol cried out as he sunk his fingers into her. With a come hither motion he sent her flying over the edge. Her body locked up and her eyes rolled into the back of her head, her thighs locking around his head and nearly smothering him. His hearing was muffled but he growled as he heard his name falling repeatedly from her mouth. He kept going until she whined trying to get away.

When she finally loosened her grip on him he collapsed next to her. Carol was panting wildly and looked over at him.

"You're not leaving." Her voice was stilted and choppy.

He looked over and cleaned his fingers. "Eventually I will."

Carol stared at him for a long moment. He watched her study him. He didn't feel his usual unease with such close inspection. Instead just the need to wrap his hand around his own cock and finish himself off. He groaned at the thought and slid his hand down into his boxers. Carol's eyes shot down and watched fixedly.

Her hand shot down catching the waistband of his boxers and tugging them down exposing him. He sucked in a breath. His eyes still locked on her as she watched him jerk off. Her taste was still in his mouth and her eyes on him was all he needed to send him over the edge. Her eyes were wide and glazed as she watched him cum.

It was when her finger traced through the mess on his stomach that he snapped back to attention. Her eyes were on him again but he watched as she slipped her finger in her mouth. His eyes were wide.

"But you won't leave without me?" Carol questioned.

He stared at her his own thoughts from earlier laughing at him. He was fucked. "No."