Chapter 7

AN-I am so sorry it took me so long to write this final chapter, I hope you enjoy it.

The counsel meeting didn't last long enough to hammer out the final details, like who would know what she did and what do we do about Tyreese. And right now I don't care. It's been a hell of a day already and I just want some downtime.

After lunch, Lizzie's out of quarantine and she reunites with Carol and her sister Mika. They go up to A block with a book and she reads to them.

I find lil' Luke and challenge him to a game of hoops. I let him win.

The sun starts slippin' away and I go up to A block to look for Carol, but she's not there.

I glance over to C block, I hear indistinct voices as people start getting ready to cook dinner outside in the tents. I see the flickering of candles, people calling to each other. It's comforting, I gotta admit. At first this place was like living in a tomb. But those were the early days. With all the folks from Woodbury we took in, well it's like a little town now.

I decide I need to clean up before dinner and make my way to the showers. But I don't make it there.

Tyreese is standing in my way at the top of the staircase, his face twisted in a scowl. Glenn really does suck at lying.

When he spoke, his voice was as desolate as a mountain.

"She killed Karen. And you brought her back here."

I pause, thinking of what to say. "Everybody's sorry about Karen. But she was sick. You saw what that flu did to people, it tore them apart in a matter of hours. Carol gave her a painless death."

"That's too bad. Because Carol's won't be."

I feel my rage start to creep up and it wants my mind to shut down, wants to let the fire take over. I fight it.

"It doesn't have to be that way, Tyresse. We can get past this."

"Funny you say that. Because once I get past you I'm getting to Carol."

Fury has me so tight I can barely speak. "That's not you, man. You can fight me if you want. You can't touch Carol."

He mutters "We'll see," and he starts laying into me, and I into him. He's a big guy and he can land some heavy blows. But I'm faster and not that little myself. And I'm fighting for the woman I love. He's fighting for a ghost.

We're both bloodied by the time I get him up against the rail. I know I have the leverage right. I think I can do it. I try to speak, my voice is a raw growl.

"You can leave her alone. Or you can leave this prison. Or you can leave this world."

He spits in my face and I heave him over the edge. His body makes a sickening thud on the cement floor below. By this time, our scuffle has attracted others, an' people rush to help Tyreese. He's alive. Knocked out.

I spot Carol in the crowd below and we lock eyes. She runs up the stairs to me, grabs a handkerchief from her pocket and starts wiping my face, insisting we go to the infirmary so she can look at me. Hershel's lookin' after Tyreese.

I oblige and let her mop me up. She sits me down on a bed and goes to work. She even puts two stitches in my temple. When she's done, she shakes her head.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." It's been one fucking hell of a day. I grab her arm and pull her towards me into a deep hug.

"No it ain't. You know what life's like now. Things go south, we do what we can."

She turned her head and kissed my cheek. "Careful, I got stitches." We both chuckled.

We lay like that a while and I was so exhausted I fell asleep. When I woke up, I woke up gradually. That's not normal for me, usually my eyes open and I'm up. First I felt sun on my face, streaming in through the window. Then I felt the warmth of a body next to me. I felt her rhythmic breathing and my first thought of the day was a realization. The sound of Carol's breathing is the most comforting sound in the world to me. I wondered what feeling her heart beat would do for me. I listen again to her breathing, she's deep asleep. I gingerly take my hand and place it above her breast, over her heart. I close my eyes. The bump bump bump of her heart beating against my hand is intoxicating. I think, for a funny moment, I'm not just in love with her, I'm in love with her being alive. That's romance these days.

She stirs and I move my hand away, but it's too late, she knows where it was.

"Easy, Tiger." She smirks at me. I love her for it. Her humor puts me at ease, even with things I ain't always been so easy about. Like this level of intimacy. Sleeping next to someone. Caring for someone. Loving someone. I have mixed feelings about what will come next. I've never wanted anything more. And I've never been more terrified.

Sure enough, there's a counsel meeting called to decide what to do about me, Carol, and Tyreese. But it's not what I expected. Tyreese has decided on his own that he's going to leave. His sister's still debating on whether or not to go with him, seein' as how she can't talk him out of it.

Good riddance. It never made sense it me. Carol killed to protect the group and Rick sent her away. Tyreese almost killed Rick over nothin' and everything was cool. Never quite picked up on the logic of that.

But Tyreese got better and he left with a car and supplies. His sister had the good sense to stay behind.

A few weeks pass. Things return to normal, at least our version of it. It was like the first night we got back. I look for Carol before dinner but I don't see her. I think she must be in the library. I spent the day hunting, so I decide to clean up before dinner.

This time of day, most people are in the tents outside, waitin' for supper. So the showers are usually empty. I don't see anyone's shoes outside, nor do I hear water runnin' so I walk in.

But someone was in there. Carol. Our eyes lock and for an instant both of us panic. She regroups much faster.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think there was anyone in here. I'll leave you be." And I turn to leave because I think I might be blushing for the first time in my life, then it happens. She calls out to me.

"Wait. Come back."

Everything in my body has separated into two things: Anxiety that surges though my brain and blood rushing to points south.

Struggling to get myself under control, I oblige. I stop. Turn around. She's fully clothed. Must have gotten here a minute before me.

"Come with me." Her eyes are burning. She motions for me to follow her to a special section of the shower room. Here is the communal shower area that most use, but there is a separate shower in the back. Its original use might have been for prisoners in isolation, or the disabled, I'm not sure. I can't really think about that right now.

This special shower in the back, walled off and separate, the women of the group have taken a special interest in and have made it their own personal space, their own private escape. What they've done with it is impressive, it doesn't even look like a part of the building. The women have established this area as their own. I wonder if I'm the first male to see it.

Yards and yards of rich purple fabrics drape and hide the concrete walls, making it soft and warm. Multi colored bath mats line the floor. Ivory pillar candles, all of different sizes surround the shower, Carol busies herself lighting them while I take it in. The scent of them and dozens of different body washes fill the air.

I take a few steps towards her. She holds me in her eyes and slowly slips off her tank top and bra. My heart almost comes to a complete stop. She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Without knowing what I'm doing, I walk towards her until I'm right in front of her. I raise my trembling hands from my sides and gingerly place them on her waist. Her skin is like silk on fire. My fear starts to dissolve as I realize how natural it feels to tune into her body.

My head dips very slowly towards hers. Our lips are millimeters apart. I swear I can feel a pleasant electricity between them. I close the gap and kiss her. But not like the day I first told her I loved her. That kiss was hard, desperate. Today, safe here in our home, it is pillow soft and sugar sweet. She responds. I take in the honey taste of her while my hands explore her soft bare skin. One hand dares to gently feel her breast. It fits perfectly into my palm. She breaks the kiss to gasp when my thumb slowly grazes her nipple.

I can't believe I made her gasp. I didn't know I had the ability and I am possessed by this new knowledge. I want to make her do more than make her gasp. I think about her past, her asshole husband, and wonder vaguely if a man's touch had ever brought her more than pain. Tonight I intent for my touch to bring her as much pleasure as humanly possible. I don't have much experience, but I pay excruciatingly close attention to Carol's body, and her reactions tell me what to do. I listen to her breathing, feel her movements, hear her voice. Plus a few tid bits I picked up from Merle.

I continue caressing her breasts and teasing their tips. My mouth travels slowly down her jaw, down her neck, to her shoulder, leaving a trail of heated kisses and gentle nibbles. She's breathing faster and making little noises that are driving me insane. Her hands are buried in my hair, encouraging me.

My mouth wanders further and further south. I take a nipple into my mouth and she moans deeply. I start to suckle and I can feel her body trembling against mine as her breathing becomes choppy. I know she wants release and I'm going to give it to her, as many times as she can take, but I'm going to make her wait for it. I feel my own need that has been making my jeans impossible tight, but that can wait. I think about a piece of advice Merle gave me a long time ago. "It's ain't hard to make a girl squeal. Just find the little man in the boat, tease him until she comes, then do what you want with her." Guess I can use part of that.

One hand moves to pop the button on her pants, zip 'em down an' wiggle them off. She steps out of them and kicks them aside. I have to take a moment to lean back and take her in. Mostly naked Carol.

"You are so beautiful." I utter and she smiles. I kiss her mouth and lightly press her against the velvet draped walls. I drop to my knees and kiss the edge of her panties while looking up at her. There is an ecstatic panic in her eyes as she realizes what I'm about to do.

"Oh God, Daryl. No one's ever…"

No one doesn't know what they're missing. I brush my hands across her bare stomach and thighs, reveling in feeling her shiver with anticipation under my touch. I make a line of kisses from the top edge of her panties down and down, until I'm almost there. Just a thin layer of cloth between us. Something about her gasps tells me it's too expected. So before I place a kiss there, I slide a hot tongue along where her inner thigh meets cloth. She has to cover her mouth to keep her noises down, and she's not doing a very good job of that. I don't seem to mind. Then slowly, over her panties, I kiss her there. She shudders and sighs. I hook my fingers around her underwear and pull them off.

She really is beautiful. I kiss her lower stomach and stroked her thighs, again moving my mouth closer and closer to her centre, feeling her tremble against me. I finally bent my head and began to delve lovingly into her folds. She makes a guttural sound, throws her head back, and thrusts her hand into my hair. Her knees knock reflexively at my sides.

I explore her at my leisure, paying special attention to her little swollen nub, taking great pleasure in licking her senseless. I feel her body start to slip against the wall, apparently unable to withstand my tongue lashing and stand up at the same time. I wrap one leg over my shoulder and easily support her weight. I can feel her coming closer and closer to the edge. I tease her by speeding up and then slowing down, but her body's becoming more and more tense.

I decide to try a little something. I take her shining pearl into my mouth and start to suckle. Forgetting herself completely, she screams and begins to buck against me. She's moaning, panting, shaking, and I'm doing everything I can to draw out her sweet torment. Finally I feel her twitch and convulse against me, and she screams, "Oh God, Daryl!" I keep my mouth working firmly and relentlessly against her as she rides out the first orgasm I give her.

I must have done good because it takes a fair few minutes before she can bear her own weight or form a complete sentence.

We're slumped on the bat mat covered floor, I throw my arm over her shoulders as she recovers, feelin' pretty good about myself.

"S' ururn ext." Carol mutters, still a hitch in her breath.

"What's that, darlin'?" I chuckle. She takes a few more moments to collect herself, and she looks at me with those big blue eyes.

"I said it's your turn next."

AN- Hope you liked the end of my first Caryl fic! This story is done, but I am working on a one shot that should be up soon. Keep calm and Caryl on!