Theme Song: Hunger - Ross Copperman

Author's Note: Another great song for the chapter. There is a method behind the songs I choose. They make the moment and I listen to them while writing. I'll be updating some of my original works, The Forgotten and Rooftop Predators, this week and then will resume this one. :D

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"Red, wake up." The gruff voice broke through my nightmare and I sat up quickly, my hands gripping the bed covers beneath me.

It had to have been maybe thirty minutes to an hour that had gone by since I laid down last.

My chest was heaving up and down and as my eyes focused I saw Daryl kneeling on the bed and looking at me with concern.

"Daryl.." I breathed out in relief and he looked pained to see me so upset, but he kept silent.

"Thanks for waking me." I murmured quietly and Daryl switched his position on the bed so he was half sitting on the edge and half off.

"Yer' hollerin an' makin' noises."

All of a sudden, Calvin poked his head in, "Hey, ya'll okay up here?" I waved him away, "I'm okay, Calvin. Just a bad dream."

He nodded curtly in relief and saw Daryl was with me before hearing his footsteps disappear down the stairs again.

Daryl stared at me with concern and I swallowed thickly, "We found the others, but we couldn't get to them. It was like we were running at them and they were heading towards us, but they never got closer. They got farther away, actually; Rick, Carl, Michonne and Glenn. I could see them, but I couldn't reach them."

Daryl continued to stare at me, his face a little unreadable as he took in my dream. No doubt thinking of how much he missed the others too.

"We'll find 'em, Red."

The hope in his voice had me jerking up to look at him in surprise. My hope was rubbing off on him and it was moments like this he would show it.

I smiled lightly as he got up to leave before stopping in the doorway, "You straight?"

The memories of the first night in the prison flooded my mind.

He used the same words on me that night and I lied to appear strong.

This time I didn't lie.

"No."

My voice was so soft Daryl had to furrow his brows and strain to hear me.

"Stay with me."

My voice was a whispering plea.

Daryl looked away from me and down at the floor, silently debating before quietly laying his bow against the nightstand and getting on the bed next to me.

I took note he didn't take his boots off and not one article of clothing. He stayed in all his clothes and I was thankful because I had done the same when I slept as well.

We were both the kind of people that wanted to be ready to pop up at any time in case something happened.

Daryl got into a position on his back where his left hand was underneath his head and his right hand lay at his side, sometimes he bit his right thumbnail nervously.

I turned to his face him and curled up into a fetal position, my right hand snaking up underneath the pillows and my left hand on the bed sheet between us faced down.

After a few minutes, my eyes looked up to him and I stared, silently taking him in while he had his eyes closed.

I took in his thin lips and the growing amount of stubble that graced his face.

Even laying here I could feel the heat that radiated off his body and it soothed me..it also did other things too, but I tried my best to push those aside.

There was a certain kind of peacefulness about him as he relaxed on the bed with me.

Something I rarely got to see.

"What're ya' doin'?" He asked, his eyes were closed, but I knew from the way he spoke he hadn't been asleep.

He had probably felt my eyes upon him.

I felt my face flush from my neck to my cheeks and I quickly countered, "Just admiring the view."

He blew out a breath that sounded more like a scoff. He finally opened his eyes to glance down at me, "I think ya' need yer' eyes checked, Red."

I licked my chapped lips and met his gaze, those dark blue eyes daring to pull me in like the ocean waves, "I don't think my vision has ever been clearer."

My words weren't said in a joking manner, they were honest and he went quiet for a moment.

His body visibly tensed and I swore I could hear the hammering of drums which was probably from my heart beating out of control.

He ground his teeth, chewing on his thumbnail as he looked slightly agitated, "Ain't nuttin' special, Vicki."

He muttered this loud enough for me to hear even with his thumbnail in his mouth. I looked up to him and scooted myself up a bit on the bed.

"You are to me." I murmured aloud, the vulnerability in my voice was loud and clear.

Four words that might have meant nothing to anyone else, but to Daryl it had been everything.

My voice had been raw and honest, and if four words could change the shape of someone's relationship this was it.

Four words. Ten letters.

I saw the way he shifted to get a better look at me, removing his thumbnail from his mouth and his blue hues staring at me as if he was seeing me clearly for the first time.

He was no longer agitated looking, but downright perplexed, and..accepting.

If there was a word for it, I could only think of someone that was slowly surrendering, but there was still a cautious nature to his eyes as if he might draw away at any moment too.

Some force drew me closer and Daryl stilled, but my heart was anything but still. It hammered and pounded in my ears.

Hell, I could even feel it in my throat.

I scooted closer once again as if my body had a mind of its own and Daryl went rigid, all the muscles in his body coiled like a snake ready to strike..or flee.

But, he still didn't move.

Thoughts of our moment at the prison briefly passed through my mind. My lips hovered so close to his and in the silence of the night, I closed the gap and pressed my plump lips against his thin ones.

When he didn't flee, or move, I moved my body farther up and continued to kiss him.

I could smell the aroma of mint and nicotine mixed and I realized he not only had shampooed, but he had also used the Listerine.

He wasn't necessarily kissing me back, but he hadn't stopped me either.

Not like at the prison.

I noticed his body had tensed at something foreign, something so intimate.

A part of me felt like I was once again taking advantage of him, someone so shy and insecure..someone that stayed away from all forms of touch.

But, here I was..pressing my lips to his and he wasn't pushing me away.

After a moment, I pulled away, my heart beating in my chest like a hummingbird.

There was a look of fear that crossed his face and he furrowed his brow before doing exactly what Daryl Dixon always did when he was afraid.

He pushed off the bed and mumbled in a rough and distraught voice, "Can't."

Or something that sounded like that word.

I knew I heard him say that at least, whatever else he had mumbled had been too low for me to hear.

My lips parted to speak, but I couldn't get anything out at the moment. He was already off the bed and striding towards the doorway.

I scrambled after him quickly, getting off the bed and standing up. I felt a brave notion take hold of my gut.

No, he wasn't getting away from me this time. He wasn't going to keep skating around it, pulling me in only to push me away again.

He had just got to the doorway when I spoke bravely in a heated whisper.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you don't feel something for me. If you can do that, then just go. I'll never bring it up again."

Daryl stood rigid in his spot in the doorway and I couldn't believe he hadn't walked away yet.

He was visibly trembling, his right hand twitching every so often and his head hanging low as if he were staring at the floor.

The seconds drifted on and he still hadn't said a word..I was right. He couldn't say those words to me because they weren't true.

"You're not the only one that's afraid of...all of this. I'm just done being scared about how I feel."

And I was. He terrified me at times and not because he scared me, but the way he made me feel.

The way I can't sleep without being in the same vicinity as him.

The way he makes me laugh.

The way I make him smile.

The way I feel anytime he calls me Red.

It all scared the living shit out of me.

But, I was done being afraid.

I looked down at my own boots, my cheeks burning a thousand crimson fires as I mumbled lowly, grasping at anything to break the thick silence,

"Daryl-I just-"

He had whirled around unannounced and I noticed his bow next to me on the nightstand and I knew he was coming back to grab it before he walked out.

I looked up, clearly startled as Daryl was instead right in front of me. His blue eyes held a look to them that I hadn't seen before.

Wild.

That was how his blue eyes looked.

Wild and determined.

His hands were already reaching to cup my face the moment he got close enough to me.

My hands reached up instinctively to hold them and he moved in like a man that knew exactly what he had wanted to do.

His movements had been fast as lightening so he had surprised me enough to where I couldn't even speak, much less make a sound.

His thin lips crashed into mine and we immediately moved in synch with each other. I melted against him, though clumsy as the kiss had started, within a few moments we were actually kissing.

A rush of heat flooded my cheeks and went all the way down to my toes.

I heard a deep guttural groan of pleasure that escaped his lips while we were kissing and the mere sound gave me more ammunition to continue.

At first he was slow and precise, so very shy like a person experiencing a kiss for the very first time, though I knew that was unlikely.

He tasted just as every bit wild and rugged as I thought he would. I lost all sense of right and wrong because in that moment all I could was that this was right..it felt ridiculously right.

He poured out his emotions to me in one of the most intimate gestures he'd ever given me.

It both scared and excited me.

My hands were on his hands as they cupped my face, his stubble scratching me slightly, but I didn't mind.

If anything it was sending tendrils of excitement straight down my body.

He was so close to me that I snaked my arms around his torso, running my hands up and down his back and gripping the leather vest I loved so much.

He leaned in closer, the sound of kissing lips and heavy breathing the only thing that could be heard in the silence of the room.

At one point he got a little antsy and a smidgen reckless, but he had been so very gentle with me the entire time.

And just as fast as it all had happened, he pulled away slowly, catching his breath and I was doing the same.

His calloused hand lingered upon my face, holding me gently and stroking my cheek with his thumb.

Every one of my nerve endings was on fire and judging by the way he had kissed me, he was feeling the same.

I swallowed thickly, feeling my heart skip a thousand beats a minute and my cheeks holding a heat to them that hadn't been there before.

Daryl was silent, probably taking in everything that had just happened and he let his forehead rest against mine.

I could feel his puffs of breath against my face.

"Been wantin' to do tha' for a long ass time." His rough voice sounded almost relieved.

I chuckled lightly, still collecting myself from the moment, "Better late than never."

And then I felt it..a strange trembling.

"Yer tremblin'.." He pulled back to look at me with a hint of concern and I saw his eyes grow weary as if he had done something wrong.

I let out a very nervous laugh, his eyes searching me when I finally willed myself to look up at Daryl.

"You do that to me." I murmured unabashedly and Daryl faintly smiled, taking me in as if he were holding on to the moment like a life line.

"Can't understand what ya' see in me, Red." He muttered roughly.

His thumb still lingered on my cheek and I reached up to place my hand on top of his.

"I can." I stated boldy, looking him over and then he dropped his hand from my face and I found myself craving for more, but I stayed still.

"M'gonna ruin ya', Red." Daryl spoke lowly; his face now tilted down to the floor, but I snuck a hand up under his chin and made him face me.

My eyes held nothing but the truth as I admitted in a whisper, "You do a lot of things to me Daryl, but you'd never ruin me."

I had a rueful smirk and Daryl simply stared stoically at me.

He held my gaze for a moment longer before breaking away and grabbing his bow, "Get some sleep, Red. I'll be down the hall."

He didn't look back at me until he was at the doorway, "'Night."

I smiled a stupid smile, still reeling from what had transpired. He walked out as quietly as he had first come in, leaving me to myself.

I knew why he didn't want to stay the night..I understood. I wouldn't have been able to promise to keep my hands to myself if had stayed.

Long after he had left I still felt the spark of electricity running in my veins.

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Author's Note: WHEW. FINALLY these two share a true intimate moment. I promise Daryl isn't going to get all sappy and super lovey-dovey on us. He's going to be the same old Daryl we love so much. I just thought it was time for at least one little kiss. ^.~ It really doesn't put them as "official couple" status yet, but I thought it was fitting for the moment.