A/N: A little back ground and some revelations. Let me know what you think and as always thank you for reading.

Merle laid down next to Travis under the '78 ford truck they were working on Monday afternoon after school. He handed him a wrench and took one himself to work on the chassis and bolt the engine back in. They had just dropped a fuel injected motor in it that they had rebuilt together along with Daryl, and soon it would be on the road again.

It still needed a tranny but they were making progress, haunting the junk yards for parts and what not. Merle's girlfriend Andrea worked at a parts store and gave them huge discounts on the business parts and for personal use. That was how Merle had met her, a few years ago. Andrea was a frequent person in Travis' life now and his only female role model at the moment.

The boy needed a mother figure and Merle had said as much to Daryl on more than one occasion. Daryl wasn't hearing that at the moment and Andrea had stepped in without being asked. Merle thanked her for the little things she did for Travis, which consisted of mostly talking to him when he wanted to.

She took him clothes shopping sometimes and to the movies every time a new Marvel movie came out. They were tight and both loved extra butter on their popcorn.

Andrea was at work that night so they were working on the truck and she was coming by later with oil and a filter for the truck.

Travis wasn't old enough to drive yet but when he was he would have a pretty sweet ride as Merle said. They had been working on this truck slowly since the month after Daryl and Travis came to live with Merle. Another thing to keep Daryl and Travis busy.

Merle made it his business to keep both of them so busy that they didn't have time to think. It worked most of the time, but when Daryl was alone he still thought of her. It still cut as deep as it did when it first happened, but if he was distracted he was ok, Merle was right about that. But at night alone in his room he knew, she was gone forever.

Travis was doing all the things a teenager did, making friends and thinking of girls, he was adjusting. It was different for him, he'd lost his mother and that was always going to be with him but his father had lost the love of his life. He knew that, he remembered how his parents had been with each other. He hoped one day to have that with someone.

But he would not let his father give up.

Daryl showed up with two pizzas' and kicked at Travis' leg under the truck. Travis slid out and stood up to face his father. They were like mirror images except Travis had Kelly's dark hair and Daryl's hair was dirty blonde. They both had the lean lanky build and they stood exactly the same, their hair was exactly the same and they both had blue eyes.

"The meeting is tonight, for the trip, you still going." Travis asked.

"It's only October? Trip isn't till January." Daryl said as Travis shrugged.

"I dunno, I heard they want to discuss fundraising or something."

"Alright, let's eat, come on Merle." He called to Merle under the car.

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Carol was talking to one of the teacher chaperones for the trip Tara, the English teacher, in the library where the class trip meeting was going to be. Sophia was sitting at one of the tables watching the door and Carl was next to her with Judith. Lori was in the kitchen making coffee and putting out cookies.

A few of the parents had shown up already and they were discussing fund raising ideas, there would be a car wash the next weekend and a bake sale.

The annual Halloween dance was going to donate part of the proceeds to the senior trip as well. The parents would have to pay some of it, but the bulk of it the kids were going to work for themselves.

This was a good experience at real life working and earning the things you wanted for the students. Carol was taking part in most of the fundraisers to offshoot her costs as well. Any parent volunteers got a discount as well.

Daryl and Travis were walking down the hall towards the library, Travis could see Sophia's head from where they were sitting inside. She was smiling and laughing at something Judith had said. He grinned and couldn't wait to see her.

"Ok, so Mrs. Grimes is married and Mrs. Johnson, but Sophia's mom is…." Travis was saying.

"Hold it kid, this aint the dating game and I aint interested." Daryl grumbled.

"I know, just filling you in on who's who." Travis shrugged.

"Sure kid, cause it's important for me to know who's married and who aint?"

Travis looked over at his father. He was better than he was, but still not like he used to be. Travis wanted him back 100% and he would keep trying every angle to get his father back. Something had to work, he didn't care if he dated. He wanted his father to be happy again.

"Don't you ever want what uncle Merle and Andrea have?" Travis asked. His uncle and his girlfriend were the happiest couple he had ever seen, well the second. He knew it was rare indeed to find someone special, but you had to at least try.

"Had that Travis, you don't get that twice." He said slowing down and turning to Travis. Travis bit his thumb at his reply, a habit his father had too.

"She's a red head." Travis said.

"Who?" Daryl said.

"Sophia's mom." Travis said. "Don't you have eyes?"

"I aint interested in her."

Merle said she cheated on her husband. He wouldn't touch her with a ten- foot pole. His beautiful wife was gone and this woman still walked the earth. Life wasn't fucking fair.

"Why not, you need to make new friends." Travis said. "Don't mean you got to date her."

"Not her." Daryl said and they started walking again. "And I don't need any new friends."

"Yes you do, you're a nasty fuck." Travis said. "And she's hot."

"Don't care Travis." He said and the truth was, he had noticed her and she was hot. He didn't want to notice her, but he did.

"Well, Sophia is my friend and you might not have any choice but to get to know her." Travis said as they walked into the library.

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The kids were hanging outside talking with some of the others that were going on the trip all in a circle near the side of the building. There was a total of thirty-five kids going and they were going to have to be watched like hawks. Lori had made it very clear in her speech at the end of the night that if more parents could be rounded up that would be helpful.

The more the better.

There was a group of parents standing in the lobby of the school after the meeting was over and Tara was explaining about the car wash they were having at the school the next weekend. Merle had donated some buckets and sponges for them to use and he was going to help Travis and Daryl.

"Daryl, this is Carol, do you two know each other?" Tara said to him as he walked by taking his cigarettes out of his pocket.

"I know who you are." Daryl replied and looked at Carol. "The Targa." Then he lit a cigarette and walked away whistling for Travis to get moving. Travis looked up at him from his group of friends and Daryl motioned for him to get moving.

Tara and Carol looked at each other.

"He's so rude." Carol said.

Tara put her hands on her hips. "Maybe he's having a bad day."

"I had a bad life, you don't see me growling at everyone." Carol said.

"You my friend are an exception to every rule." Tara said.

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Sophia came downstairs in a halter bathing suit top and shorts and Carol looked at her from the kitchen table where she had been drinking her coffee on the car wash day. She stood up and pointed to her daughter and then to the stairs.

"Go get a t-shirt." She said.

"Mom!"

"Go." She pointed to the stairs. "You don't see me half naked do you?"

"Fine." She stomped up the stairs and Carol sat back down to drink her coffee. "I'm wearing a white one and having Carl hose me off." Sophia yelled from the stairs.

Carol laughed. "Keep it up kid and you're getting grounded."

"Love you." Came filtering down the stairs and Carol grinned to herself.

"Love you too."

Lori, Carl and Judith came to the door shortly after that with the signs that needed to get put up and the day was started.

Later when they got to the car wash Sophia was properly covered and Carol had put on some shorts and t-shirt too. They had hung up signs all over town so they were late arriving.

Andrea and Merle were there with Daryl and Travis and Merle turned to Andrea as Carol's car pulled into the school parking lot.

"Ed's car." Merle said to Andrea.

"Hers now." Andrea said. "Fair and square, get over it already."

"Ed told me she fucked the kids field hockey coach and the bartender down at Igor's." Merle said.

"He hit on me once, I never told you, but he had come in for new wiper blades and frankly I can't see it." Andrea said. "I don't think she's the type."

"Good thing you never told me or I woulda beat that fat ass of his." Merle said.

"That's why I didn't tell ya." Andrea shoulder bumped him.

"That a Nine Inch Nails shirt she's wearin?" Merle asked putting his hand up over his eyes.

"Just cause she likes a different type of music doesn't make her a bad person." Andrea said.

"Doesn't help." Merle replied.

Travis ran past them to go help Carol and Sophia take more buckets out of her car. And Merle watched him as she stopped and talked to Carol and Sophia. Lori and her two kids pulled in soon after them and Carl got out with a bag of sponges. Three girls came running over to Travis and Carl and those boys were eating it up with a spoon.

"Yeah that kid takes after me." Merle said. "Chasing the pretty girls already."

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Daryl leaned up against the truck watching the kids wash the cars. Lori and Carol were right in the middle of everything, both getting sprayed with water and then he watched as Sophia snuck up on her mother and almost dumped a bucket of water on her. Carol must have heard her and turned around scaring Sophia who dropped the bucket right on her own foot.

Daryl laughed at her, clearly she was a good mother, being so involved with her daughter's life. He never saw them apart and in a way she reminded him of Kelly and how she was with Travis. Kelly was the first to volunteer for anything having to do with school and he knew he would never fill her shoes.

Carol was that kind of a mother too. But that didn't mean he had to like her.

Travis came running up to him. "Dad the Grimes invited us to a barbeque tonight, everyone's going, can we?"

He nodded tossing down his cigarette.

"Sure T."

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Daryl stood outside smoking a cigarette at the Grimes house on the front porch out of the way of food and kids. He looked up and rolled his eyes at Carol pulling up in the Targa. Sophia was out the door and running to the backyard the second it stopped.

"Is Travis out there Mr. Dixon." Sophia called to him and he nodded at her. He started to stand up and follow her and Carol called out to him.

"Wait a second." She said and he stopped but didn't turn around. "I know you don't like me; I want you to know that I don't care."

She said as she walked past him.