The Accumulated Weight of Mother Earth News

Twenty years ago...

Carol Peletier woke up in a hospital room. At first she was too groggy to make sense of her surroundings but gradually she was able to recognize the two young women in the room with her. Andrea and Michonne. Best friends forever.

Ed wasn't here, but where was Sophia? Andrea moved closer to her. "Sophia is with my mother. Ed is in jail. Carol, we got this."

Michonne took her hand and Carol saw the tears in her friend's eyes. "Baby girl, Andrea and I are right here and we aren't letting go."

Andrea put a few ice chips and it felt so good in her parched throat, "You've had surgery, but you are going to be good as new. Better than new. Bionic".

"How?" Carol was confused. Her last memory was Ed hitting her and thinking that this time he would kill her.

"You called my home trying to find me. Mom called me at school. Michonne and I called the police and started home. The police broke in your house because Sophia was crying and found you. Ed wasn't there. The police arrested him. You're safe." Andrea bent and kissed her hand.

Carol looked at the two of them. Exhausted, wearing grungy jeans and t-shirts. Eyes red rimmed from crying or lack of sleep. "You two look like shit."

They laughed until they cried again. Michonne declared, "Carol Ann McAllister, you look worse than we do. Doesn't matter, we all have better day ahead of us."

They linked their hands together to form a triangle. Andrea spoke softly, "You are never going to be alone again, Carol. I promise you."

Andrea and Michonne picked her up from the hospital several days later and drove her to her new home. It was the shabbiest house on the street, located in the town that they both went to college, and Sophia was waiting under the tender care of Andrea and Michonne's mothers.

Carol saw the shock in the older women's faces. The cuts and bruises were starting to fade but she had a cast on her arm and moved like a ninety year woman because of the cracked ribs.

Both women did that eye flutter thing that everyone seemed to do when they saw her. Sophia held out her arms for her and Carol gathered her close even if it hurt like hell.

Andrea and Michonne had managed to rent this house for all of them. "We got out of our lease and the same day this place came up for rent. It's big enough for all of us and the rent is actually less than our apartment. This is great." Andrea was bubbling.

"We took money from your joint account for living expenses. Ed had health insurance through his job that will pay most of the medical bills. You'll get money from your parent's estate when you turn twenty one next year. We got this." Michonne patted her hand. "The bedrooms are upstairs. We bought a new bed for you and my brother Morgan moved all of Sophia's things here."

Michonne carried Sophia upstairs as Carol trailed behind. Carol's new bedroom had a bed and a crib in it. The one bathroom was next door and Carol could see the other two bedrooms were furnished.

Carol eased herself onto her new bed. One that she would never share with Ed again. Michonne handed her Sophia, "You need anything, ring that bell. We know that you need some down time with your baby."

Sophia cuddled next to her and Carol held her close. She would never in a million years be able to thank Andrea and Michonne enough for doing this. They had created a home for the four of them. She and Sophia were safe. The nightmare of her marriage was over and she was never ever going to get married again. She was going to go to college, get a job, and take care of herself and Sophia. She whispered her plans to Sophia as her baby went to sleep.

The four of them lived in that house for five years. Andrea and Michonne finished college and then law school there and Carol completed a degree in accounting and finance. Those were happy times. Sophia's baby sitter lived next door, but they adjusted their schedules so that one of them was available to take care of Sophia most of the time.

Rick Grimes was the deputy sheriff who had found Carol unconscious. He had visited Carol in the hospital and continued to stay in contact with her. Ed was sentenced to five years in prison but was paroled in three. Ed disappeared after that but he had already signed away all rights to Sophia as part of his plea agreement. The divorce was eventually granted and Carol legally changed her and Sophia's last name to McAllister.

Rick's marriage ended in divorce years later and Rick would bring his son Carl to football games. Their house as just a few blocks away from the stadium. Carl and Sophia would play in the yard while the adults cooked and grilled for their "tailgate party". Then those with tickets would go to the game while the others would hang out under the oak tree in lawn chairs. It was a happy time. They were all young and life was filled with friends and the future could just hang out there until they were finished with school.

Rick came alone sometimes. He slept on their couch and helped with the current renovation project. He and Andrea argued all the time. Her idealistic friend was sure that her point of view was right and Rick liked to stir Andrea up by disagreeing with her.

Andrea always had lots of boyfriends but Carol noticed that Andrea kept her weekends free when Rick was in town. Eventually she wasn't seeing anyone but Rick and he stopped sleeping on the couch. They got married the summer before her last year in law school. Rick went to work for Atlanta Police Department and Andrea took a job as an assistant prosecutor there when she graduated.

Michonne enrolled all three of them in self-defense classes as soon as Carol was well enough. Their instructor was a handsome African-American man with blue eyes named Jesse Graham. Jesse proved to be a good teacher and a better friend. They finished the self-defense course but Jesse became a constant in their lives. He could and would fix anything that was broken around the house. He convinced them to buy their house and then renovate it. Jesse not only helped them with every project, he taught them how to do it for themselves. It was a sad day when Jesse who was in the army reserve and got recalled to active duty before he finished his degree.

They gave Jesse a farewell party at their house which was now the nicest house on the street. Carol cooked Jesse's favorite foods and the house was filled with their friends. Jesse drank more than usual and all three women cried as they hugged him goodbye. Carol noticed that Michonne held on a little longer than anyone else.

"Michonne, why don't you drive Jesse home? He's not drunk, but there is still that DWB thing." Jesse was a great guy. Down to earth. Michonne was dating Mike Foster but Carol had never given up hoping that her friend would see that one Jesse was worth a thousand Mikes.

Michonne nodded, "Driving While Black is a thing in this town. I'll take his car and I'll call you when I need a ride."

Michonne called later, "Don't worry about me. I'm driving Jesse to the base tomorrow and bringing his truck back."

Carol smiled, "Tell him that we love him and want to see him when he gets back."

They were all living in Atlanta when Jesse came back. He wasn't interested in going back to school. He had survived two tours of duty in places that tried to kill him every day that he was there. Jesse wanted Michonne and he wanted to make money. He started a construction business and he and Michonne soon married. They had twins, James and Jada.

Carol had taken an entry position at a large corporation which a reputation for promoting hard working employees. Between the demands of the new job and spending time with Sophia left little time for a social life which was fine with Carol. Romance would come in a distant third after Sophia and her job.

Sophia learned to read by the time she was four. Carol wasn't sure how but there were always loving adults in their home willing to read to her and somewhere in all that Sophia began to read to them. She read everything she got her hands on and that included the left behind magazines at the Laundromat. Carol always checked them out first and a pristine copy of this month's Mother Earth News seemed safe. Sophia brought it home with her. Carol read it with her. It seemed innocent enough. Filled with articles about people who lived on practically no money but were happy in their self-built ecologically friendly homes. Everyone grew their own organic food and were happy-happy.

Sophia begged for the next issue when it came out and Carol happily brought it home to her. Carol found them relaxing to read after a day spent in ruthless business negotiations. Moving up in her job required her to concentrate on the bottom line. What was good for the company was good for her. Carol learned that she was often underestimated because she was a woman. She learned to use that against her competitors, but sometimes when she came home she liked to read articles about the virtues of compost and how to raise tomatoes from seeds.

Carol dreamed of chucking the corporate world and moving to a farm. It made her feel calm and happy to imagine living close to nature and working with her hands. She and Sophia would sometimes spend Sundays driving around the countryside looking for farms. They never found the right place or the price was all wrong and eventually Carol stopped looking for farms that she would never buy.

But she never stopped subscribing to Mother Earth News. Time went by faster than she could imagine. Sophia finished college at twenty one and then married her long-time boyfriend Carl Grimes. They bought a small farm and seemed prepared to live happily ever after.

Carol's last romance to a local banker ended when she found out he was had recently become engaged. She was angry and humiliated, but also slightly relieved. None of her relationships lasted very long. Carol decided to give up on love and just concentrate on her career.

She was still living in the modest two bedroom condo that she had bought when she began making real money. She drove a gas sipping hybrid and saw her friends occasionally. Carol McAllister was ready to make the move to the head of Mergers and Acquisitions. She had a wardrobe of power suits and nothing except her conscience to hold her back.

Present Day

Daryl Dixon looked out his condo window and watched Carol's little car slide into her parking space. She got out gracefully with a bulging briefcase. She was dressed in a business suit. Dark suit with some sort of pinkish blouse underneath. She managed to look efficient and sexy at the same time. Not that she was trying for the sexy.

He sighed. Jesse had made him promise to get Carol to Michonne's birthday party. They were business partners and best friends and Jesse wanted all of Michonne's friends there. Especially Andrea and Carol because they had been friends from high school.

He met Carol coming up the stairs. Might as well jump right in, "What time are you going to be ready?"

Carol blinked at him, "Ready for what?"

Time to bring out the biggest of all persuaders. Guilt. "Tonight's Michonne surprise party. You got an invitation. I dropped it under your door. Jesse has been planning this for weeks. Michonne will be heartbroken if you're not there. You missed James and Jada's birthday party last month."

Carol narrowed her eyes at him. "I have a big meeting tomorrow. I need to be prepared. Her birthday is tomorrow anyway. I didn't forget. I have her present in my apartment."

"I am not taking no guilt present to your damn best friend. The party is at her and Andrea's office. Jesse is taking Michonne out for dinner and Andrea is going to call while they are on their way and tell her that the security alarm went off. Michonne will insist on going by and checking it out. We need to be there out of sight by seven. That means we have to leave in thirty minutes. Get your skinny ass in gear. I'm driving you there. We can leave early. You can stay up all night if you need to."

Carol ignored his rude tone, but then she mostly always ignored him. "I'll be ready in thirty minutes, but we leave early." She whirled across the hall to her doorway, "You could stand a shower too, especially if I have to be in the same vehicle with you." She slammed the door behind her.

Daryl watched her flounce off with a smirk. A heartless bitch at times, but she loved her daughter and her friends. He did need to get his ass in gear. Carol wasn't a woman who liked to be kept waiting.

He was outside her door in exactly thirty minutes dressed in tan khakis and a blue dress shirt. Carol came out in a blue dress looking all sweet and feminine. Not business attire for sure. He wanted to tell her how nice she looked but instead he growled, "Let's go."

He had cleaned up the truck this afternoon. Just in case she didn't bail. He held the door for her and she stepped up on the running board and settled herself in like she did it every day. Like a damn queen ascending her throne. They talked about Sophia on the way over. He and Sophia had always gotten along. They agreed that Carol dated pompous asses and that the Braves needed to get serious about baseball.

Carol smiled, "She's happy. Loves the farm and she and Carl are building another greenhouse."

They were there in plenty of time. Judith gave them both a hug, "You two are dating! You look so happy. OMG. "

Andrea hugged them both, "Judith has entered the sacred years of puberty. God help me. You two do look as if you planned your wardrobes together. Just saying. Carol, it is so good to see you. I have some new pictures of Carl and Sophia on my phone. I'll show you later. I have to call Michonne now."

The crowd listened as Andrea half hysterically called Michonne and reported that the alarm was ringing and she and Rick were on the way to check it out. Michonne stated that she and Jesse would be there in a few minutes.

Daryl stuck close to Carol. He didn't know most of these people and he had never been able to fully escape being uncomfortable with strangers. They hid with James and Jaden who were bursting with excitement about surprising their mother. Carol's eyes were tender when she watched them. She really did have a sweet side. Not that he would ever see it.

Jesse and Michonne burst through the door. The lights came on. The balloons dropped and the crowd yelled "Surprise."

Michonne was delighted and a delighted Michonne meant that Jesse would be in a really good mood tomorrow. The caterers had food prepared in a conference room and everyone mingled for a while. Michonne hugged Carol. "Baby girl, it's good to see you."

Daryl was staggered that even her best friend would call the ice queen "Baby girl", but whatever.

Carol surprised him by blinking back tears, "Happy birthday, and my sweet friend." She handed her a present, "I can never repay you for your friendship, but what the hell I can try."

Michonne opened her gift, a gold charm bracelet. "It's beautiful." She looked at each charm, "There's a scale of justice, a tiny wedding ring, a little boy, a little girl, and a triangle." She stopped to hug Carol. "I love it"

Carol hugged her back, "There's a sword that represent your skill with the katana, and a little car because you finally got your BMW."

Jesse had created a presentation from old home movies and still photos. Daryl set beside of Carol as Michonne's life story was seen in living color. Michonne as a baby and starting school wasn't too interesting, but Michonne in high school with her new best friends almost made him cry. They looked so young and innocent. Carol had masses of dark curly hair and big blue eyes. They all had lots of hair and makeup, girls trying to look all grown up and not quite making it.

There were lots of photos of the three of them with Sophia. Books everywhere and Carol laughing as she cooked. Jesse's goodbye party and Michonne and Andrea's graduation from law school. Carol and toddler Sophia wrapping Christmas presents. Sophia aged from an infant to a toothless first grader. Adorable as always.

Daryl lost interest after everyone moved to Atlanta. He started showing up in the photos ten years ago when he became a business partner with Jesse. He wanted to see more of the Carol in the early photos. The ones in which she was happy.

Daryl lost sight of Carol for a while after that and found her downing shots with Michonne and Andrea. He knew she was slightly drunk when she smiled at him, "Daryl, are you ready to go home?" Totally out of character but obviously Carol was regressing to her college days. The evening was getting more interesting all the time.

Andrea and Michonne dragged her off somewhere after that. The combination of alcohol and the old photos had all three of them all wound up.

Rick grinned at Daryl and Jesse and raised his own glass, "Don't know about you two, but I know I am getting lucky tonight."

Jesse have Rick a fist pump, "I deserve everything good that is going to happen to me tonight. Sorry about your damn luck, Daryl, but it's your own fault. You've been living next door to Carol for five years and you haven't made your move. What are you waiting for?"

Daryl shook his head, "Carol don't want no working class man. She likes those guys in expensive sports cars and cashmere sweaters."

Jesse laughed, "Well, we got her drunk. She's all giggly and sentimental. That the trifecta of getting laid right there. You be righteous with her. You hurt her in any way and Michonne and Andrea will cut your heart out."

"I'm just taking her home. She's got some big presentation to do tomorrow. No sex will be committed on the way home or after. Damn it."

Daryl gave her another half hour and by then Carol was definitely feeling no pain. She hugged Andrea and Michonne and told them that she loved them. She floated out to the truck and got in not nearly as gracefully as she had earlier.

She chatted all the way home and Daryl found himself laughing more than once. She really was funny when she forgot to be all cold and business like. He helped her out of the truck and they headed together toward their apartments.

Daryl tried to evaluate how drunk she was. If she was really drunk then he could not put a move on her. If she was just a little drunk but still in control of her senses then she was fair game.

She maneuvered the stairs fairly well but he kept his hand on her arm anyway. She didn't tell him to keep his hands to himself and that might mean that she was too drunk to notice which meant game over. It might mean that she didn't mind being touched which meant game on.

His grandmother used to say, "Better to live in dreams than it is to die in despair." Grandma was a glass half full kind of woman. Maybe his stars had lined up again? Maybe the peasant had a shot at the queen?

AN

Carol as a cold-hearted Scrooge helping her company ruthlessly take over competitors? Oh, why not? We've seen Christmas past in a way. A happy Carol who survived Ed and was surrounded by loving friends and her beloved daughter, but also one who overtime became increasingly consumed with climbing the corporate ladder.

Then there is Daryl. He's not a loser by any means. He is both attracted and repelled by Carol. More attracted than repelled but he is not a fan of ruthless Carol.

Not going to be a long story but let's see where the muse wants to go with this?

What do you think?