Final chapter: Daryl confronts Morgan and tries to work out what's best for Carol.

"By my side..."

Where are you going?
Where are you going?
Can you take me with you?
For my hand is cold
and needs warmth.
Where are you going?

Then I'll take your hand,
finally glad, finally glad
that you are here,
by my side...
-lyrics: Stephen Schwartz

By My Side

The soft knock on the door made Daryl scowl, afraid it would wake Carol. He eased her off his chest and gently made sure her neck was cushioned by the pillow next to his head and pulled the covers up over her. Then, grabbing his big knife, he rose swiftly and went to the door, which he opened just far enough to see who was out there.

"The fuck do you want?" he rasped, angry but keeping his voice quiet. The man was at about the bottom of his list of people he wanted to see at the moment.

Morgan stared at him for a few beats, taking in the fact that Daryl was shirtless. He looked over the other man's shoulder and saw Carol asleep in the bed behind him.

"To make sure she was okay." Morgan said softly and then met Daryl's eyes, "Is she okay?"

"No thanks to you." Daryl bit out, and then opened the door so he could grab a hold of Morgan's shirt and shove him across the hall until his back hit the opposite side wall in a move so quick Morgan had no time to react. In his other hand was his buck knife which he held blade down, ready but not immediately threatening.

Faced with a naked, enraged Daryl Dixon and already wearing his guilt on his face, Morgan didn't try and fight back. He held his hands out to his sides at waist level in surrender and waited for Daryl to speak.

"You're gonna want to keep away from me and that means you'll be stayin' away from her, 'coz I ain't leavin' her side, got that?" Daryl growled menacingly, his head almost touching Morgan's, brow to brow.

"Yeah, Daryl... I got that." Morgan said, with a somewhat sad clipped nod.

"So you probably want to find new digs." Daryl abruptly released him and took a step back. He hadn't been exactly thrilled when Rick had moved the newcomer in without consulting the rest of the household. He still wasn't sure he trusted the quiet man with the bow staff, despite the fact that Morgan had saved him and Aaron from the Wolf trap.

"You speaking for Rick now?" Morgan asked, squinting up at Daryl.

"You can ask him." Daryl shrugged, "After I tell him what went on in that basement."

Morgan's eyes went to Carol again.

"She told you?" he asked, his voice flat and resigned.

"Naw—Doc did—said you were keepin' one of them?" Daryl's voice went low and dangerous, "His life more precious than all the innocent people he and his bunch slaughtered?" he sneered.

"I never meant for Carol or anyone else to get hurt..." Morgan protested, looking into Daryl's eyes for understanding, "...but she wouldn't stop. She came after him—"

"She was protecting this place!" Daryl shut him down, getting in his face again, "Protecting us, like she always does."

"You don't have to always kill." Morgan said resolutely. "People can change. I did."

"Daryl?" a very surprised sounding Michonne appeared down at the end of the hallway at the top of the stairs. She drew her katana and kept walking towards the men, her head tilted in curiosity.

"You keep away from her, you hear me?" Daryl said, for Morgan's ears only before he turned to Michonne, brazening it out. "Just asking everyone to keep it down so Carol can get some rest," he said, his hands on his hips, standing sideways to her, staring at Morgan, "She had a hard couple of days."

"Looks like she's not the only one." Michonne replied, deadpan, her eyes briefly falling before they rose and met his with an amused smirk, sheathing her sword.

Daryl snorted at her and then turned and stalked back into Carol's room, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

"Well, that's new." Michonne observed with a thoughtful look.

Morgan frowned at her.

"That part of her disguise?" he asked shrewdly, "Them staying away from each other before this? So people wouldn't see?"

"See?" Michonne arched an eyebrow at him.

"That he's in love with her." Morgan said.

"Sometimes it just takes awhile for people to see it for themselves." Michonne replied with a small smile. "Good night, Morgan." and then she headed down the hall towards her room.

"Good night, Michonne." Morgan said as he stood in place, staring at Carol's doorway. "...some more than others..." he said softly to himself after he heard Michonne's door click shut.

"Thank you." Carol said softly as Daryl slipped back into bed beside her.

"Shit—was trying not to wake you." Daryl whispered, gently pulling her back into his arms. "Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry I conked out on you." she replied, cuddling closer. After he'd carried her into the bedroom and put her in bed, she'd finally felt the full effect of the pain meds Denise had intended for Daryl. She'd fallen asleep in the middle of a kiss, which didn't do much for Daryl's ego, but he was glad she was comfortable enough in his presence to rest. His shoulder ached like a son of a bitch so he'd stayed awake, just watching her sleep.

It wasn't the first time he had done it. It had worried him how little she relaxed even in sleep while they'd been on the road after Terminus, as if she didn't trust that anyone else would protect her so she never let her guard down. Sheer exhaustion had forced her to rest in Atlanta while they searched, the night in the shelter the first time she had looked a bit peaceful in that bunk. He wanted to think it was because they'd been alone together, that she trusted him more than the others...

"Thank you for keeping him away from me." Carol said.

"Didn't think you'd want to see him." Daryl said simply.

"Don't." she agreed, not elaborating.

"He'll stay away." Daryl said firmly.

"We all live here, Daryl. It's our home." Carol said, not just meaning in the same house, but in Alexandria.

"You're my home."Daryl said, wearing his heart on his metaphorical sleeve.

Her only reaction to such an emotional declaration from him was to press the coolness of her hands against his chest, resting her head over his heart and tucking her chilled feet against his warm calves.

"You're like a furnace." she said, the top of her head under his chin, curled into his side, her arms going around his torso, "I always appreciated that on the road." He'd usually bedded down between her and the outside of the circle when the group slept around the campfire. With flames on one side and Daryl on the other, even under her thin blanket he made sure she stayed toasty.

Daryl was at a loss. She hadn't responded to what he'd said. Maybe she was only thinking of this as a onetime thing? Sharing her bed with him? He didn't want to push and ruin things, but he also needed to know... damn, people accused him of being close-mouthed and inscrutable, but she avoided and glossed over with the best of them.

"Carol..." Daryl tried, but her breasts were squashed up against him, all soft and full and her thighs went one over and one under his right one, her sex pressed against the long muscle there. When he felt her lips brush against his collar bone, he sucked in a breath in response. Her mouth continued to move across his chest until it came to rest over one immediately hard nipple, sucking down, swirling her hot wet tongue around it in devious distraction.

"Carol." Daryl groaned, his hands going to her shoulders, unsure if it was to pull her away from him or drag her closer. "Whatta ya doin'?" he asked.

"Apologizing." She said, lifting her head briefly to speak, her eyes soft and seductive, "I fell asleep on you before..."

"Can you... can you stop for a minute?" he asked her, wondering if he'd just qualified as the stupidest asshole around for wanting to get some things clear before they went any further. Merle would've said so—he had a woman in his bed—well, her bed—but a real live gorgeous sexy naked woman who wanted him and he was stopping to chat?

Carol lifted her chin, a small frown line forming between her brows causing her nose to wrinkle up. She suddenly looked vulnerable and unsure, trying to move away from him, but he still held her by the shoulders.

"Hey—where're you goin'?" he soothed, "Didn't mean you had to go nowhere."

"You said stop." She said, sounding hurt and also angry with herself for feeling that way.

"Not 'cause I wanted you to stop!" he said with a snort.

"What?" now she was just confused and tried wriggling out of his grasp.

"Didn't want you to stop, just wanted to ask you something first, but I couldn't... damn it..." he groaned, all her little movements in trying to get away from him, brushing that soft pussy against his leg, her breasts peaking as they bounced against his chest, were making parts of him react in ways he couldn't exactly control.

He saw the exact moment when that fact registered on her face as her eyes went wide and her mouth came open in a gasp. She stopped struggling and held her body still.

"What do you want to ask me?" she asked him, keeping her eyes on his face.

Daryl stared back. He wasn't a talker—hell, if anybody knew that she did—but this was important; this was them.

"Want us to be together." he finally said.

"You're here, in my bed." she responded. "And if that isn't your buck knife digging into my belly..." her voice trailed off suggestively and then she raised an eyebrow at him, "...seems pretty together to me."

"Smart-ass." he smirked.

"How long has it been?" Carol asked him. "For you... for this?"

"Long time—before the Turn—always used something though. I'm safe... fast but safe..." he said, with a shy squint, making her purse her lips at him being so self-deprecating.

"I want us to be together too." Carol told him. "I do... but I don't need to talk about all the other—I just need to forget it—can you give me that?" she asked him.

He knew the last thing she needed was to keep holding everything inside, but at least this way he'd be close enough to her so maybe he could be there when she was ready to let go... or when she just simply fell apart...

"I can." Daryl told her, nodding, leaning close.

"And you'll still go out on runs with Aaron or Rick?" she pressed, "You won't hover over me like I'm some delicate flower?"

"Fuck flowers," he snorted, "You're steel and fire rainin' down on anyone thinks they can hurt us."

He could see in her eyes that she liked that he thought of her that way, that he admired her strength instead of being threatened by it. Her lips curved into a smile and she took hold of his biceps, using them to lift herself more fully on top of him, straddling his hips so that his cock was notched at the cleft of her center.

He framed her hips with his hands to stop her, careful of the bruises already blooming there.

"Wait—need something..." Daryl asked, realizing he should've grabbed the condoms he had in his backpack as part of his survival gear. They'd hold up to a gallon of liquid and could be inflated as a signal marker, both of which he'd learned after he'd quietly freaked out upon seeing them fall out of Aaron's pack on their first solo recruiting trip. The other man had dryly told him that he was hot, but he was in love with Eric.

"Don't." Carol said, giving a little negative nod, stopping him, and he felt her trembling a bit. "You don't need it—I can't—and I'm... healthy... I want this... just you..."

Daryl looked up into her steady blue gaze waiting for further explanation, but when none came he took her at her word. He suddenly realized that her last time had probably been with Ed and the weight of the trust she was showing him hit him hard.

"Com'ere." he said , sliding his hands up to cup her elbows, drawing her down so her breasts rested on his chest. He raised his head, his eyes lowering to her lips and she closed the gap between them and kissed him delicately.

Carol moved her hands over his upper arms, testing the power in his biceps with her grip. As the kiss grew more insistent, she began to move on him, slipping her hips up and back, coating his straining dick with her wet heat. She licked at his lips, taking the lower between her teeth and nipping before sucking it inside her mouth. When his mouth opened on a moan she used her tongue again, this time lapping at the bare skin on his chin above his little patch of whiskers there before returning to the kiss.

Daryl's hands rested on the bed to either side of his hips—he was afraid of hurting her by gripping her bruised backside too hard in passion—and so he resisted the need to touch her. When her tongue pushed in seeking his, he responded in kind and the kiss quickly turned into something he couldn't hold back from, though he tried. She just tasted too damn sweet, too alive and it was his turn to shake with need.

She took his hands in hers and helped them find her breasts. When he felt her reach down and hold his erection steady so she could merge their bodies he willed himself to hold off, to not give over to the release that clawed at his belly and balls to be set free, to wait until he was inside her, a part of her...

"Please..." she gasped.

Daryl arched his hips up, helping her to sheath him, so tight, so good, just the head, but she squeaked and stuttered out a sigh of pleasure.

"More." she demanded, rocking against him, her knees to either side of his hips widening and another inch slipped in, all that slick grasping goodness sucking him deeper.

Her hand was still circling him at the root, but with the next inch she slid it back and cradled his balls and he almost lost it.

"Shit, woman!" he grunted, flashing a half glaring half pleading look up at her, but she just smirked at him.

Payback was his right hand leaving its hold on her breast to slip between them and push in to find her swollen clit with a stroke intent on pushing her as close to the edge as he was just as he bucked his hips up, burying his dick in her the rest of the way.

Her mouth came open and her eyes went wide in sensual shock and he grinned at her, a little proud of himself for being able to hold off this time.

"Good?" she asked him, just like he'd done in the shower, but instead of waiting for an answer she just started moving.

If he'd though being buried inside her bare was the best thing he'd ever felt, the sensation of her walls tightening around him as she shuttled up and back on his cock was like the Pearly Gates had opened wide and god hisself was standing there with a six pack of Sweetwater and a welcoming smile on his ever lovin' Hershel bearded face.

"Heaven." he groaned and then worked to bring her up there right along with him, using every point of their connection, deep kisses, teasing her nipples, his fingers on her clit, to drive her crazy; holding off until she came first, then him, both quite noisily, and she collapsed down onto his chest, a sweaty pile of sated woman. She slid off him onto her side and he draped his arm around her, carefully pulling her close.

Neither of them spoke, but he coaxed her head up by sliding his index finger under her chin, staring intently into her eyes. The haunted hardened look that had underlain her every expression since they'd been reunited outside of Terminus was still there, but more than anything else, what he saw reflected back at him... was love...

"You don't never have to put on a front for me... I always have your back... I'm always on your side..." Daryl told her, his voice hoarse with feeling, "Whatever you need from me you got it."

Carol's lips twisted into a bittersweet smile, her eyes welling.

"I don't know if I even know who I am any more... but whoever she is... she needs you..." she said softly.

Daryl took a deep breath and gave her back a crooked slightly worried grin while he nodded and kissed her tears away tenderly.

"You need to get some rest." he told her gently. "We both do... it's been a hell of few days."

Thanks for reading my little trilogy here. I miss them interacting so much it hurts. I think I need to go back and watch some Season 2 & 5A to recharge my feels...