Chapter Text
Chapter One
Daryl was in between wake and sleep; the stage where your mind dreams, but your body feels everything that is real. He expected his reality to be a pounding hangover and a toilet, but instead of that, his arms were wrapped around something soft and warm; the smell of lavender and vanilla assaulted his nostrils. This had to be the dream part, he convinced himself; he had thrown up so much that he had passed out and this was his mind's way of giving him respite. He ran his hands down the expanse of skin that belonged to whoever was pressed against his chest. He breathed in the smell of her, and slid his morning wood against her firm ass with slight shifts of his hips. He moaned into the skin of her neck and felt her move with him; his arm gripped her tight and he held her against him. He heard her breath quicken and felt his cock leak. She suddenly turned in his arms. "Oh Daryl," she moaned softly. The sound of his name startled him, and his eyes shot open. It hadn't been a dream, there was a soft, beautiful young woman wrapped in his arms and pressed against his body.
"AAAHHH!" Daryl screamed in surprise and ripped himself away from her. He was so startled, that when he scrambled away, he fell off the bed and onto his ass, hard. "What the fuck is going on?" he questioned as the numbness in his ass traveled down his legs. He lifted his eyes and looked at her; it was the girl who sat in front of him in U.S. History. The girl with the long, auburn curls, and the smile that sent shivers down his spine. How in the hell had he ended up in bed with her?
"Oh my God! Daryl? Are you okay?" Carol shot up and moved to the edge of the bed. Daryl was lying in a heap on the floor and she extended her hand to help him up. He ignored her offer and stood on his own. Backing up against the wall, he tried not to look at her, but she would not be ignored. "Daryl, are you okay? Were you dreaming?"
Fuck yeah he had been dreaming. "I don't remember," he said hoarsely, and looked down at himself. He was only wearing his tee shirt and boxer briefs and his face turned a pretty shade of crimson. Desperately looking around the room, he saw his pants and shoes lying on the floor in front of the bed. Dashing over he picked them up and pulled them up his body. "Shit, Carol. I'm so sorry; I didn't mean for this to happen; I promise. Please forgive me." He ran out of the room with his pants unbuttoned and his boots in his hand.
Carol watched him run out the door; he hadn't really given her a chance to say anything and it was obvious that he didn't remember a thing that had happened the night before, and she needed him to know what had happened, and what didn't. She looked out the window of the second story bedroom and saw him sitting on the porch steps lacing his boots. She put her own shoes back on and went downstairs to find him.
The living room was filled with sleeping high school graduates. Last night, the class president, Rick Grimes held a graduation party for the seniors of Senoia High School, and half of them had shown up. Half of those had passed out in various areas of the house. Carol carefully maneuvered her way to the front door and managed to get outside without waking anyone up. As she closed the door behind her, she realized Daryl was no longer there. She frantically looked up and down the street, finally finding him walking in the direction of the school. She took off running to catch up with him. "Daryl! Daryl! Wait up!"
He cringed when he heard her sweet voice calling his name. He ignored her; pretended he couldn't hear her and kept walking. He was beyond embarrassed; he had a crush on Carol since fourth grade, and had been forced to sit behind her in every class since. Alphabetically, Daryl Dixon came right behind Carol Dennis, and he had been forced to gaze at her long auburn hair and smell her lavender body spray for the last eight years. He tried walking faster, but his world started spinning; he had temporarily forgotten that he had been completely shitfaced last night. He stopped walking and sat down on the curb, allowing Carol to catch up with him.
"Daryl, we need to talk," she said as she stood over him, her hands on her hips.
"I already said I's sorry Carol. I didn't mean for that to happen; you deserve better than that. There ain't nothing we can do to change it, but I hope you can forgive me." He glanced up at her through his shaggy bangs.
Carol sat down next to him on the curb and patted his knee. "You really don't remember a damn thing, so you?"
"No," he said softly. If there was anything in his whole, young life he would have wanted to remember, it was spending the night in bed with Carol Dennis. "I think I can safely assume a few things, though."
"I wouldn't advise assuming anything in your current condition. We need to talk, well I need to talk and you need to listen; you also need food in your stomach. Come on, greasy hangover remedy is on me this morning." She hauled him up onto his feet and put her arm around his waist to keep him steady, then wrapping his arm around her shoulders they walked the three blocks to Dale's Diner.
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Maggie Greene's little sister Beth, who was a sophomore at the high school, was working the breakfast shift that morning and took their orders as soon as they were seated. Carol took the responsibility of ordering for the both of them; eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast to eat and plenty of black coffee. "Okay," she addressed Daryl once Beth left to get their coffee, "tell me what you remember."
Daryl took a deep breath and tried to access his memories. "I remember showing up with Aaron and Eric. I remember playing drunk poker with Shane and Abe, then getting in between 'em when Abe found out Shane was cheating. Then I went outside to smoke and I saw you and Ed in the backyard." He stopped suddenly when that particular memory resurfaced. He had seen the couple talking quietly by the back fence and sat on the steps trying not to watch.
"Do you remember what happened after that?" She asked. Just then, Beth brought their coffee to the table and Daryl was grateful. It gave him time to rack his brain, he was scared shitless that he had done something embarrassing or stupid. His silence told Carol that he either didn't remember, or he was embarrassed.
"I saw you come outside and sit on the steps. Ed was mad because I asked him to go easy on the alcohol. He said that it was his graduation night and he would do whatever he damn well pleased and if I didn't like it, he'd make sure I regretted opening my mouth. I started to walk away, but he grabbed me by the arm and shoved me against the fence. Next thing I know, you run over and pull him off me and knock him to the ground. You were sitting on top of him and you wouldn't stop hitting him. Everybody ran outside to see what was going on; Rick pulled you off him and Glenn took you inside. Rick threw Ed out and told him if he ever came near me again, he would make sure you knew about it and send you to take care of it." Carol giggled when she thought about the look on Ed's bloody and broken face when Shane and Abe hauled him to his feet and escorted him through the house and deposited his drunk ass on the curb next to the trash cans.
Daryl's eyes were wide; he had always been aware of how people saw him, as a Dixon. He had quite a reputation; a gift from his father and brother, but had been conscious enough to never let his actions feed that reputation. He had gotten good grades, never been in a fight, and never been suspended or expelled. He had never lost his cool around his friends no matter how much he had wanted to. "I did that?" he questioned.
Carol smiled brightly. "Yes you did, and I never got a chance to thank you properly." Beth brought their food and refilled their coffee, then left them to continue their conversation. Daryl looked at her and saw gratitude and appreciation in her eyes, and it made her seem even more beautiful to him.
"You don't have to thank me," he said around a mouthful of sausage. "I don't even remember it; wish I did though. That seems like it would've been a very satisfying experience." She smiled at him in agreement.
"Anyway," Carol said, continuing with her story. "when I went back into the house, I looked for you, but you had disappeared. Glenn told me he had taken you upstairs to one of the bedrooms, so I went up to find you." She started to giggle at the memory. "You were standing in the corner, talking to yourself."
Daryl turned six shades of red, and quickly took a sip of his coffee to hide it. "I didn't say anything stupid did I?"
"I couldn't understand what you were saying at first. I put my hand on your shoulder and you turned around; started rambling about what had happened." Daryl wasn't sure if he wanted to hear this, but if she was sitting here with him and not cursing at him, it couldn't have been too bad, right? "You apologized for losing control; you said that you couldn't stand to see Ed touch me like that or yell at me, and you had to stop him. You told me that I deserved better than him and you regretted never telling me that you liked me. You said it was your fault that I started dating Ed in the first place because you were too much of a pussy to tell me how you felt."
Daryl felt the embarrassment and humiliation creeping up again. He averted his eyes from hers, looking down at his almost empty plate of food. "Please tell me that's when I passed out," he begged. He could sense her smiling at his words.
"No, that's when you said you had to piss and started taking off your pants." Daryl groaned so loudly that the other patrons’ attention was drawn by it. Not only did he piss on Rick Grimes' bedroom floor, but he had drunkenly exposed his dick to the most beautiful girl he had ever known. He wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole. He pushed his plate aside and dropped his forehead to the table with a thud; even if she forgot about this in time, he never would.
"Good lord!" He exclaimed. He felt her hand on his shoulder and he reluctantly looked up at her.
"Don’t freak out. When you started unbuttoning your pants, I pushed you into the bathroom; you got there on time. I had to hold you up though; I thought you were going to fall over."
"You did what?" he asked, thinking that this was the perfect time to freak out.
"I was holding you up from behind. I didn't see anything, I promise. I took you back to the bedroom and helped you get out of your boots and pants. You passed out on the bed; I didn't want you to be alone, so I climbed in beside you and went to sleep. We didn't have sex Daryl; I slept in my clothes."
Daryl thought back to earlier when he had first woken up; he hadn't noticed at the time, but Carol was fully clothed as he looked up at her from the floor. He felt relieved, sort of. He had made a complete ass of himself and would never forget it as long as he lived. This is the kind of memory that would creep to the forefront of his mind when he least expected it, but they hadn't had sex. That was the most important thing, right?
"God Carol, I'm so sorry." he said as he covered his face with his hands. Beth came over to take their empty plates and refill their coffee. Carol told her she would take the check when it was ready.
"There's nothing to be sorry about Daryl. You are the least offensive drunk I have ever had the pleasure to take care of. Ed's a violent drunk, that's why I asked him to lay off it for the night. You are much better company than him any day, drunk or sober." She offered him a smile, which he returned, hesitantly. After the bill was paid, he followed her out the front door. "Would you walk me home? My parents left this morning to spend the next month with my grandparents in South Carolina. I don't think I'll run into Ed, but I don't want to take any chances."
Daryl's face lit up. "Yeah, of course. You know I won't let him get near you ever again."
They walked side by side down the street and continued to talk. "After last night, I don't think Ed will want to be on the same side of the street as you. I may have to hire you as a bodyguard." She said laughing.
Daryl blushed. "I'd do it; I'd keep you safe." He turned his head to look at her; she had her head down, but he could see the pink tinge of her cheeks she tried to hide from him. Before he knew it, they were standing on the sidewalk in front of her house. He had always known where she lived, but had never been inside. "I'll walk you to the door," he offered and she let him. Before she put her key into the lock, she turned to face him.
"Thank you Daryl; for taking care of Ed last night and just being such a wonderful person. Would you like to come in? Like I said, my parents aren't home. We could watch a movie or something. Unless you have to get home?"
He desperately wanted to stay with her, and if she was extending the invitation it would be rude to say no. "Ain't nobody at my house. Ain't seem the old man for a couple of weeks and Merle is in jail for the next three months. I ain't got nowhere to be." She opened the door and took his hand, leading him into the living room.
"So you didn't have any family at graduation yesterday? Oh Daryl, I'm so sorry." Carol said, going into the kitchen and bringing back two bottles of water
"That's okay," Daryl replied. "I'm glad they weren't there. I had my friends, that's all I need." He took the bottle of water from Carol and drank half of it in one gulp. He thought about those friends he had. He had spent most of his childhood in the shadows, trying not to be seen. The whole town knew about the Dixon's and he had been laughed at and humiliated by his family and classmates for years before the wrestling coach had cornered him in seventh grade. He convinced Daryl to try out for the team, and that is where he had found Rick, Shane, Abe, Glenn and others who gave him the self-confidence to grow and succeed.
Carol sat down next to him "I know, but it's a shame that the people who are supposed to love and support you can't be there for you when you meet your greatest accomplishment to date."
He looked into her sad eyes, and wanted to hold her close. "You were there to see it; I don't care about anyone else."
"Can I ask you something? It's about something you said last night." Carol scooted away from him slightly, anticipating that he may not want to answer.
"Yeah, sure," he responded. He would tell her anything she wanted to know; he had already humiliated himself beyond belief and couldn't imagine things getting any worse.
"When you said you liked me, that you wished you had told me how you felt; can you tell me now? I would really like to know if how you feel is the same as how I feel."
She had feelings for him? Daryl was stunned. She had always been nice and friendly, but nothing more; never flirting or even having a conversation with him. "I, uh don't know what to say."
"You still like me, right? Or is that in the past? Did I wait too long and miss it?"
"No, I still like you. Liked you since the fourth grade." He was afraid to look at her, but so badly wanted to see her reaction.
"Why didn't you say anything? Don't tell me I intimidate you, because that would be a lie."
Daryl exhaled sharply and prepared to spill his churning guts. "I'm not your type, Carol. You deserve someone better; someone with a good family and money. Someone who can take care of you and make you feel good. I can't do that"
"Why not?" she asked him defiantly. "You were the one who stopped Ed, no one else ever tried; they just watched him yell and said it was none of their business. Ed's family is loaded; they have a huge house and expensive cars, and he treated me like shit. I've always liked you Daryl. Remember the field trip to the zoo when we were in fifth grade? Shane and Phillip teased me the whole time and threw all the money I had into Alligator cove. I didn't have enough to buy a bottle of water, and you gave me the last dollar in your pocket to buy a drink. I've never forgotten that; I think that's when I fell in love with you."
Daryl didn't know what to say to that, but he did know what to do. He took her face in his hands and kissed her for all he was worth. She didn't hesitate to kiss him back; their lips moved together and when his tongue swept across her bottom lip, she opened herself up to him and he took her mouth with fervor. He put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer to him, and he could feel her breast pressing against his chest. He gently laid her down on the couch and continued kissing her, his lips moving to her jawline and down to her shoulders. He was getting caught up in the moment, but soon realized that he may be moving too fast for her. He pulled his mouth from her soft flesh and looked down at her.
"I love you too Carol, and I want you. Am I moving too fast? Do you need me to leave?"
Carol grabbed him by the shoulders. "No, not too fast; don't leave, please. I want you too Daryl. I've wanted you for so long."
He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. "You're sure that I'm what you want? That you want this, with me?"
"I've never wanted this with anyone but you, Daryl. Now stop analyzing it and kiss me." He didn't say another word, just leaned down and took her lips again, running his hands along her side, feeling the soft skin under her shirt. When he reached her breasts, he covered them with his strong, oversized hands and squeezed lightly, causing her to moan breathily into the kiss.
"I think we better get to your bedroom quick," Daryl whispered in her ear. "or things are gonna get pretty uncomfortable pretty quick. I need room to spread you out." Carol shivered beneath him and she sat up, pushing him away.
"Then let's not waste any more time," she replied taking his hand and leading him out of the room.