This is not a new chapter! I rewrote this whole story (which took me over a year to do) and I split the last chapter into two chapters because it was becoming very long.

This chapter has been rewritten!

Chapter Forty-Four

Two Years Later

Daryl glanced down at the piece of paper in his hand for the hundredth time that day, still not believing that it was his. Daryl Dixon was written in cursive along a straight line in the middle, congratulating and letting everyone know that he had gotten his Associate's degree in auto mechanics. This day had been a long time coming and now, Daryl had a new purpose and a way to make a living. With a job at the garage in town, he could make enough to support himself when he got on his own.

Maybe he could even support Carol...

"Congratulations, little brother." Daryl was taken out of his thoughts when Merle came up from behind him and slapped him on the back. "Now, you can support both our asses once you started working at the garage."

Daryl elbowed him hard in the ribs. "What? Are you thinkin' about quittin' that construction job? I don't think Maggie will be too happy about that."

"Naw, I just messin' with you." He wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulder and led him to the small group of people that had come out to see him graduate. "Besides, she'd kick my ass if I did."

However, Daryl hadn't heard a word his older brother had said. His gaze and attention was focused on the one person he wanted to see the most.

Carol.

It had been a month since he had last seen her. Finals and studying had kept her away and God, how he fucking missed her.

She spotted him a couple seconds after he did and broke away from the conversation with Milton mid-sentence and launched herself at him. He only had a couple seconds to prepare for her body to slam into his.

She littered kisses on his cheeks and chin, not caring that her dad was only a few feet away from them. "God, I missed you so much, Daryl." She said in between kisses.

"I missed you, too," he said and made sure Carol was firmly on the ground before cupping her cheeks to kiss her on the mouth for the first time in a month.

Carol liked college life. Surprisingly. She liked it a lot. The schoolwork wasn't as hard as she thought it would be, her education courses were fun and interactive. She had learned a lot from her practicum and working with children. Also, her roommate was a very tidy person and though, they ran in different circles on campus they were friendly toward one another.

She had made a few friends while there. Only a few, though, and they were in the same field of study as she. So, they would study together in the library or at the campus coffee shop. They were nice and made her laugh, but they didn't compare to the friends she had back home.

She missed the Daryl the most out of everyone.

It wasn't nearly enough to see him a couple weekends a month. They never had enough time to be together and she was always reluctant to head back to campus.

The first year apart had been the hardest for Carol. There were days where all she wanted to do was pack her bags, drive home and never leave the safety of his arms, again. Surprisingly. Daryl had always been the one to encourage her to always go back and to keep going.

There was no secret that Carol loved Daryl. And tonight, she would show him how much.

Dinner had been at Carol's house that night and in the form of a cookout. Maggie and Merle were there, as well. After all, the party was for Daryl. Milton and Andrea were both done with school for the summer, so they were home. Sharon was there, too, and stayed glued to Marc's side, a diamond engagement ring flashing on her left hand.

They all lounged around in chairs in the backyard and stuffed themselves with hamburgers and potato salad. Daryl hadn't wanted a party, but Carol had insisted that he had one. "If you don't have a party, Daryl," she said during one of their nightly phone conversations. "I won't be coming home for another week."

"Fine," he had grumbled. "I'll have a damn party."

The day after that conversation, Maggie, Marc and Sharon got together and planned the little party, knowing that Daryl wouldn't want to have anything too extravagant. Ever since Maggie had been dating Merle, she had become a part of the Spencer family just as Daryl and Merle had. Sharon had taken a liking to the older Greene girl and when Carol came home that weekend (and could be pulled away from Daryl), the three of them would go shopping and spend the day together.

In the two years Carol had known Sharon, Sharon had become more of a mother to Carol than her real mother had been the last ten years. At least, Sharon would call every once in a while and ask how things were going in school.

The sun was going down, the porch light was on and illuminating the backyard. Everyone was having fun and Carol decided it was time for desert. She stood up from her chair, next to Daryl and headed inside to grab it. It was pecan pie. Daryl's favorite. She had made it just for him.

After she had set the pie on a rack to cool, she nearly jumped out of her skin when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waits. However, she knew right away who it was, since it could only be one person.

"This is why I didn't want a fuckin' party," he humbled and kissed her shoulder. "I can't get you alone and kiss you all I want."

She turned in his hold and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You know, you can kiss me whenever you want."

"Nuh uh. I ain't goin' to kiss you in front of your daddy."

"Aw, why not?" She smiled. "We've been together for two years. He has to know that we kiss all the time."

"As long as he thinks that all we do," he murmured and brushed his lips against hers.

"It is all we do," she laughed. It was true. They had been together for two years and their relationship had not gone past second base. Both of them were okay with that, though they were times when Carol could tell that Daryl got a tad bit...frustrated during some of their more heated make out sessions.

She had offered to relieve him of his 'problem' once, willing to take their relationship to the next step, but he had blushed and firmly told her 'no'. Carol had been okay with that, too. Truthfully, Carol knew they hadn't been ready at the time. Either of them.

Suddenly, Carol felt herself being lifted on to the counter top and she became face to face with Daryl. Memories of the first time they made out came to her mind and she could tell that the same thing was going through Daryl's mind, as well. He smirked and kissed her.

As his tongue traced the seam of her lips, asking for entrance, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer. Both of his hands were flat against the top of the counter and he moaned into her mouth. Carol went to his hands and urged him to place his hands on her hips.

"Uh hmm." Someone coughed behind them and Daryl jumped away as if he had been burned, his face beet red with embarrassment.

Milton stood in the doorway with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. If it had been two years ago, he would have been just embarrassed as Daryl to walk in on them kissing. Andrea was most likely the reason for it. "Your dad sent me in here to see what was taking you so long to get dessert, Carol." His gaze jumped between the two. "Should I tell him to give you two a few more minutes?"

"No!" Daryl yelped.

Carol laughed at her boyfriend and hopped off the counter to head to the cooled off pie. "Okay, okay. We're coming."

Andrea appeared next to her boyfriend in the doorway, a frown on her face. "Carol, your dad just told me that you have to head back to campus, tonight. Do you really have to? You just got here."

Daryl turned to her fast. "You're leavin' tonight? Why didn't you tell me? I thought you were going to be here the whole weekend."

She winced. "Irene called me before your graduation and asked if I could take her shift at the bookstore tomorrow morning."

"And you said yes?" He looked hurt and rightly so. This was his graduation weekend. "I've hardly spent any time with you and now, you're goin' to be leavin'?"

Carol already knew that this was a conversation they needed to have in private. She handed the pie over to Andrea, who took it with understanding. "Can you take this outside and tell my dad we'll be out in a few minutes?"

Andrea nodded and grabbed the pie with both hands. Nudging her boyfriend, the two of them slipped from the room and disappeared down the hall leaving Carol and Daryl alone in the kitchen.

"Look, I'm sorry, Daryl. She had no one else to call and if she couldn't get a replacement, she would lose her job." Carol tried to placate him, knowing deep down that it wouldn't work.

"Why is the damn bookstore open on a Sunday, anyway?" He shoved his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders a bit.

"It's the end of the year, students want to trade in their books before heading home and this is the last weekend to do so."

He looked defeated, realizing that nothing he was going to say would make her stay. "Carol, I haven't seen you in a month." It was one of the longest times they had gone without seeing one another.

"I know." She cupped his cheeks and urged him to look at far. "I'm sorry, but in a week's time I'll be back and we'll have the summer together. Three whole months!"

He looked away. "A week's too far. Especially since you told me that we would have this weekend together." Without another word, he turned from her and walked out of the kitchen. Carol watched him leave and nearly called him back to tell him the truth, but she kept her mouth shut.

Hopefully in the end, it would be worth it.

An hour later, the party had wound down and the guests started to leave. Not that there had been very many. Merle left to take Maggie home while Andrea and Milton helped some of the stuff away before they left. Sharon was staying the night with Marc, which left Daryl the only one left besides Carol.

When everything was put away, Carol looked around the yard to see no sight of Daryl. She had thought he had left without saying goodbye, but after a quick search, she found him standing outside his truck in the driveway. She nearly cried in relief.

Once she was within reach, Daryl pulled her close and crushed his lips to hers. "I'm goin' to fuckin' miss you." His lips moved to her jaw and down her neck.

She gasped when his teeth found her collarbone and she wanted more. But it would have to wait. "You'll see me in a week."

"That's too far away." He pouted.

She pulled his head up so she could look him in the face and gave him a long kiss. "The week will go by fast, you'll see."

Carol sat in her car and bit her lip. Her stomach was in knots and she felt like puking. The Dixon house stood in front of her. It was dark and she could only guess that Daryl had gone straight to bed once he got home. Merle's motorcycle was missing, meaning he still hadn't come back from dropping off Maggie. She sighed in relief.

Finally, she gathered up her courage and climbed out of her car. Shutting the door as quietly as she could, knowing that Daryl had a great sense of hearing, she took a deep breath and walked to the door. The last thing she needed was for Daryl to meet her at the door. It would ruin her plans and possibly, her nerves.

Carol quietly opened the front door and tiptoes to Daryl's room. Taking another deep breath, she tried to calm herself down and opened the door slowly.

"The hell you want?" Daryl's voice filled the room and when he saw who was in the doorway, his eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doin' here?"

Before she answered, Carol made sure the door was closed and locked. "I lied about going back to campus tonight. I wanted to surprise you."

Daryl sat up and slung his legs over the side of his bed. "Surprise me with what?"

"This." Closing her eyes for a brief second, she crossed her arms in front of her and pulled her dress over her head. Then, moved to unclasp her bra so that she stood in front of him in only her panties.

"Carol," he started. His eyes went briefly to her bare chest and then, back to her eyes. "Are you-" He swallowed. "Are you sure?"

Nodding, she walked closer and reached for his shirt to pull it over his head. "We've been together for two years, Daryl. I love you and I think we're ready for this."

Unable to speak, he nodded and jumped when her hands went to the waistband of his pajama pants. When he was left in only his boxers, she went for those, too. However he reached for her wrists and stopped her.

"We're movin' a little too fast," he said.

"Daryl-"

"I haven't even kissed you, yet." He tugged her close and soon, Carol found herself in his lap with his mouth on hers. It didn't take long, with her bare chest pressed against his and her hands in his hair, for Carol to begin to feel him through his boxers.

In an instant, she found herself on her back with Daryl hovering over her. One hand was on her breast and a leg was pressed between her legs as he maneuvered himself so his hips were between her thighs.

Daryl nipped at her earlobe. "I want you so bad, Carol."

She knew. She could feel it.

"I want you, too." Her back arched as his lips traveled lower. Then, his hands were on her panties and were slowly pulling them down her legs.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered in awe as she lay bare in front of him.

She blushed. "You aren't so bad yourself," she teased. Sitting up, she reached for his boxers and within seconds, Daryl was just as naked as she was. Carol wanted to touch him, but he stopped her before she could.

"This already ain't goin' to last long, but if you do that, it'll be over before it begins."

"Okay," she said. Swallowing back her nervousness, she lay back down and rested her head on his pillows.

Daryl bit his lip, looking unsure for a moment before he crawled back over Carol and supported himself on his forearms. "Are you sure?" He asked, again.

"Yes." Punctuating the answer, she wrapped a leg around his waist and pulled him closer. Their lower halves were flush against one another and a jolt of pleasure went through her body. It was nothing she had ever felt and he wasn't even inside her, yet.

"Fuck," he growled and lowered his head, trying to calm himself down.

"What?" She asked, panicking a little.

"I don't got a condom." He began to pull away from her. "I don't want you to get pregnant our first time."

"It's okay." She scrambled to pull him closer. They had gotten this far already. "I'm on the pill."

"What?" He asked confused. "Did yo-?"

"I knew that tonight would be the night I'd be like this for you." She blushed and looked away from his face. "And I didn't want you to wear anything the first time. I wanted to feel all of you."

He blinked, his pupils dilated even more. "I fucking love you. You know that, right?"

She smiled. "I love you, too."

His body settled back over and they made eye contact. "This is goin' to hurt for you, isn't it?"

"Yeah. But I still want to do this."

"If you want me to stop, you just gotta say so and I will."

She nodded, again. The nerves were coming back. This was it. Soon, they would be one.

He captured her lips in a kiss, reached down between their bodies and with a little fumbling, he filled her up. Tears sprang to her eyes at the sharp pain, but she quickly blinked them back while he stilled.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"It's okay," she said. "Just give me a minute." He nodded and kissed along her collarbone, then back up to her shoulder and neck. He could wait forever as long as he got to stay this close to Carol.

After a few minutes, Carol rolled her hips experimentally. Daryl groaned with the intense pleasure he felt at the motion and had to will himself to hold on. He didn't want things to end too early.

"Daryl," her soft voice had him opening his eyes. "I'm ready."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

Then, he started to move.

It hadn't lasted long, but that was all right with her. Tonight, had been one of the best nights of her life and as she laid curled into his side, watching him sleep, she knew that there would be many more nights like this.

"Are you watchin' me sleep?" He grumbled and one of his blue eyes opened to look at her.

"No." She smiled.

"Good." He shut his eyes.

"Good night, Daryl." She leaned over and kissed the scar that slashed across his collarbone before kissing him quickly on the mouth.

The arm around her waist tightened. "Night, Carol." She laid her head back down on the pillow, cuddled closer to his side and quickly drifted to sleep.

They belonged together and there would be nothing that could tear them apart.

I know, I said that I would NEVER write sex...well, I changed my mind. This is the first time I've ever written it, so please be nice!

Okay, so this is the end and I want to thank ALL of you who have read, reviewed, followed and favorited this. I would list all of you, but that would take WAY too long, so I'll send you all your own thank you message later. :) But there is one person, I have to publicly thank and that is my dear friend Haitus80. Without her, this story would have probably been like 10 chapters and crappy or abandoned. Not the 44 chapter, over 100,000 word monster that it is now. She constantly bugged me to write and constantly gave me ideas for future chapters. Milton's parents meeting Merle? Hers. Marc beating the crap out of Buck? Hers. The name of Buck? Hers. I also bounced ideas off of her too make sure they didn't sound stupid. I seriously love this girl. She's like a big sister to me. Definitely feels like it when she's scolding me through emails and yelling at me with all caps. :). I think I've become a wayyy better writer in the five months since I've known her and I owe it all to her! I feel like there are things I'm missing to thank you for, Robyn. If there is, then I'll just email them to you later! ;)

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you all at the sequel!