Pairings: Daryl/Carol, Lori/Rick, Andrea/Michonne
Spoilers: AU, no zombies, so not much in the way of spoilers.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were.
Summary: Carol's newly divorced, Daryl's got a job teaching archery to middle-schoolers like Sophia. Will their new connection stand the strain when Daryl's older brother is released from prison?
Prologue—Daryl:
It was the archery class that saved his life.
Merle and his old man figured Daryl'd got enough education when he graduated high school; after all, it was more than any other Dixon man had achieved. But Daryl knew the truth. Without a real education, he'd be stuck in a series of dead-end jobs and before long he'd find himself wandering into the same kind of trouble that always seemed to find Merle.
And, hell, it wasn't like he was going to some fancy four-year college, reading Aristotle and shit. It was a two-year community college course in motorcycle mechanics. Not even the old man could say that wasn't practical.
But there had been a PE requirement, and he'd signed up for archery instead of some pointless class that would have him running laps around a football field. Archery had never been his thing—a crossbow was a hell of a lot more efficient if you wanted to be sure of having dinner on the table. Still, his granddad had taught him to hold a bow when he was just a kid and it turned out to be pretty much like riding a bike—something you never forgot.
Things just kind of escalated from there.
The instructor, an older guy named Horvath, had called a friend of his at the state university. Turned out they had an archery team and an actual scholarship for a qualified candidate.
So, much to his father's dismay, Daryl left for the University of Georgia, with a scholarship for archery and a major in business.
Along the way, damned if he didn't even read some Aristotle.
Prologue—Carol:
Ed Peletier had been a member of her church family. He sat in the back row, between his mom and dad, just three places down from Carol and her folks.
What could have been safer?
When "that nice Peletier boy," as her mother called him, asked her out one Sunday, Carol saw no reason to say no. On all their dates, Ed was courteous, respectful and even laughed at her jokes.
She was never really in love with Ed, but she knew he could give her a good life.
That was the first mistake, Carol mused as she sat listening to the judge dissolve her marriage. Thinking that someone can "give" you a life; a life has to be something you make for yourself.
The violence had started on their honeymoon. Apparently, the wedding band marked her as Ed's property to do with as he pleased. But he apologized the next day, blamed the champagne, and swore never to do it again.
Each time, he swore never to do it again.
She'd had two miscarriages before Sophia—thanks to Ed's beatings. She'd stopped fighting back after that. She'd only ever wanted to be a mother, and she'd feared that Sophia was her last chance.
Her life got smaller. Her parents died in a car crash when Sophia was three. They'd never seen "that nice Peletier boy" for what he was. It was some small comfort to know that her parents had passed on thinking their daughter and granddaughter were well cared for.
She'd been an only child, so there were no protective big brothers or sisters to question the bruises she couldn't cover up. As for friends, it was easier to let them slip away than to explain what a fool she'd been.
Lori saved her. Or helped Carol save herself. Whatever.
Lori Grimes' husband was a deputy sheriff. When Carol showed up at the PTA meeting covered in bruises, Lori guessed the truth. (The PTA was the one indulgence Ed allowed her. He was all about still appearing to be "that nice Peletier boy" in public; that meant letting Carol attend PTA once a month.) Over the course of six months, Lori had tried to convince Carol to take Sophia and leave Ed.
Finally, when Ed had gone on a hunting trip with his buddies from work, Carol found the nerve to pick up the phone. Twenty minutes later, a police car pulled up in front of her house. Lori and Rick helped her pack while Carol and Sophia played in the kitchen.
The divorce papers were filed before Ed got back from his trip.