A/N: Thank you to everyone who showed such enthusiasm for this story. I love every single follow, favorite and review, you all make my day.
Maggie and Tara were at Carol's house in record time. Tara didn't yet know what was going on, Maggie filled her in as they drove over.
They knocked on the door and Abraham, Carol's brother let them in. He was older than Carol, and her guardian, because both their parents were gone. He had seen Maggie and Tara pull up and run up the driveway like their asses were on fire. So when he opened the door they stopped short and almost barreled into his chest.
"Woah, whoa girls slow your roll." He said opening the door and they stopped short about to knock on the door.
"Oh, hi Abe." Tara said. "Carol home?"
He nodded and let them in. Maggie waved to him as they scooted past him and up the stairs to Carol's room. They knocked in quick succession on her door. She didn't answer.
"We're coming in." Maggie said through the door.
They opened the door and Carol was laying prone on her bed, her iPod in her ears. Maggie and Tara jumped on her bed on either side of her. She rolled over and Maggie gave her a big hug.
"How ya doing honey." Maggie said.
Carol shrugged and allowed them to both hug her. She just wanted to lay there and cry all day.
"So, Maggie told me the scoop." Tara said. "You don't mind, right?"
"Nope, it's ok, go ahead judge me."
Tara sat up. "Forget judging, that's not what we do."
Carol sat up too and Maggie, they both put their arms over her shoulder.
"Can I just ask though...?" Tara said.
"He was cute and he was there, that's the only excuse I have for myself."
Tara nodded. "He is cute, and you know that's not my thing so, if I noticed."
"I'm telling my sister you're checking out guys now." Maggie said.
"She won't care, she does it too." Tara turned to Carol. "My point is, I don't blame you Carol, he's fucking hot. I've watched him walk, the view is equally good coming and going..."
"He has that whole bad boy vibe going on, not my type, but I get it." Maggie said and that was true, her boyfriend Glenn was way on the other spectrum from Daryl Dixon. She had been going with Glenn since sophomore year. Tara and Beth had been together since Christmas of this year.
Carol hadn't even had a real boyfriend yet.
"He was keeping Ed off my ass and it just got out of hand, at Glenn's party." Carol said.
"And you didn't even tell us, I dunno Carol, that's not in the friendship rulebook, I'm supposed to know when you get laid." Tara said pointing to Maggie. "You too."
Tara and Maggie erupted in laughter.
"Something tells me it was above average." Tara said.
Carol's face heated up, it was. "Like I have anything to compare it to guys?"
"Next time I want a report, typed, double spaced, with citations and footnotes." Tara giggled.
"Fine, next time I decide to do something as crazy as to screw some guy I haven't said ten words to our whole four years in school, I'll let you know." Carol said, trying to find some humor to her very grave situation.
"What happened, besides him keeping Ed off your ass?" Maggie said.
"He kissed me and I lost my mind, literally, he was like let's go and I was like ok."
"And…" Tara said.
"And he knocked my socks off, I thought about just asking him if he wanted to do it once in a while. Fuck buddies or something." She covered her face. "But, I lost my nerve, I'm just some mousy book worm, I knew he'd never go for it."
"Oh Dixon has the golden rod." Tara laughed.
"Guess so, and it's loaded." Carol said softly.
"We're gonna figure this out, don't worry, "Maggie said rubbing her shoulder.
"Your brother…" Tara started to say.
"Don't even remind me, he's going to kill me, he is." She said, her voice going into panic mode. "And then I won't have to worry because I'll be dead."
"No, Abe won't kill you, he'll kill Daryl." Maggie whispered.
Carol covered her head with her hands, leaning over because now she felt sick.
"What are you going to do?" Tara asked.
"I don't know…" She said throwing herself back on the bed.
/
Daryl looked up from the car he was working on in his brother's shop. In the summer and after school he worked at his brother's garage. Merle was ten years older than him and he had taken over the garage when their father died. It was just him and Merle, and right now Merle was in the front of the shop behind the glass partition talking to someone. Then she turned around and he saw Merle pointing towards him.
Carol Watson was here. He did a double take to make sure it was really her. She sure was slumming it coming around here. That girl was so far out of his league that he knew better than to try and call her after that night in his truck. He just thanked whatever God was smiling on him that he got to be with her that night.
There was a boundary, a line between a girl like her and a guy like him. He knew better than to try and cross that line.
He knew he would get kicked right back over to his side. That's how it worked in this town.
He got one flash of bravery that night when that asshole Ed was bugging her and he still thought about that night.
Sometimes when he was alone.
She was in all college prep classes and he was in Vo-Tech, and that drew the line in his mind. He couldn't imagine why she was here, and looking for him. It wasn't like he had the answer to anyone's prayers in his pants that they had to come looking for more.
Though secretly he had hoped she would. Even if she didn't want to date him, he would have been her dirty little secret if she wanted. That guy you fuck and don't want anyone to know about.
He would have been that guy. For her.
Merle was waving to him and he nodded. He leaned up against the car he was working on.
Then it all came together in his head as he watched Merle walking Carol around the other side of the bay so that she was outside. Customers weren't allowed where the cars were. He pushed off the car and he started to walk towards her. He saw her face and he knew, he just knew by the look on her face.
He walked out pulling his cigarettes out of his front pocket.
"Hay." He said to her as he lit his cigarette and watched Merle walk away.
"Hey Daryl." She said as he leaned against the wall of the shop. She followed and looked over at him. Neither one of them spoke for a few minutes. Then he took another drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke away from where she was standing.
"So I guess you aint here to ask me to dinner."
She shook her head.
"Daryl, I…" She said. "I'm…." She couldn't get the words out, he knew the condom broke. He had cursed out his brother for leaving them in the glove compartment for so long, even though he was dam glad he found it at the time. Why was he making her say it out loud?
She took a deep breath.
"I'm pregnant."
He took a deep breath trying to work this all out in his head. He didn't want to be a dick, but he had a question to ask her.
"And you're sure it's mine."
She stepped away and turned to him so they were facing each other, the look on her face told him he had fucked up.
"Yes." She hissed. "It's yours. And fuck you for asking me that."
He held his hands up to her in a motion of surrender. She was one pissed off red head now. He was so smooth he shocked himself sometimes.
"Just asking, that's all."
"It was my first time you asshole."
He looked at her incredulously, was she for real? It wasn't like he had been with a lot of girls before, actually just one before her and she didn't return his phone calls after.
That was great for his ego, but then Carol fell into his lap. He couldn't call her after though, no matter how much he had wanted to.
"What?" He said, not believing his ears. "Why didn't you say something?"
"It was none of your business."
He stepped back taking a drag of his cigarette and looked at her for a beat. Then he shook his head and started to laugh.
"What?" She said. But he didn't answer her, he just looked at her. He was annoying the hell out of her, and now she had no choice but to deal with him.
"Ok so let me get this straight, I can put my dick inside you but it aint none of my business if I'm the first?"
Then she started laughing, he was vulgar but funny.
"Look, I don't want my brother on my ass, and I think we should talk about this tonight, after we both have a chance to think. Ok, are you free?"
She had no choice but to be free so she nodded.
"Pick you up at seven, we'll go eat somewhere and talk about this."
He nodded and started to walk away from her.
"Daryl, don't you want my address?"
"I know where you live."
He said throwing his cigarette down on the ground and walking away.