A/N Super short chapter but wanted to get it posted. The next couple chapters are still a work in progress so updates aren't going to be as quick. I love reading your reviews. It's the most fun I have had writing since college! Thank you so much for them. They are also really helping me figure out how the next couple chapters are going to be put together. Keep 'em coming! Hopefully the update notifications will be working again soon. I just found new chapters in three of my stories I was following and never got a notification! So hopefully some of you reviewers from early chapters are seeing this!
The air was frigid as Daryl slid into the passenger seat of the cruiser, shutting the door quickly to seal in the heat that was blowing from the dashboard vents. He handed Rick a styrofoam cup of coffee and set his own in the center console before strapping on his seatbelt. "Merry Christmas. Sorry it ain't wrapped."
"Thanks," Rick chuckled, tipping the coffee cup up in appreciation.
"You been up since dawn?"
"Yeah, Carl was pretty excited and we had to get it all in before I left."
"So, how was it? Seeing her? Phillip wasn't with her was he, that son of a bitch?"
Rick took a long sip of his coffee and put the car in drive. "I didn't see her," he answered, avoiding Daryl's gaze as he turned the steering wheel, guiding them out of the parking lot of the police station and onto the main road.
"You left before she came to get Carl?" Daryl asked, surprised to hear this bit of information.
"Wasn't me she was there to see."
"So your mom was the one…" Daryl started to laugh at the thought. "Shit...oh that must've been a sight." He was practically doubled over now and even though Rick didn't find it particularly amusing, Daryl's laughter was catchy.
"I guess it probably was a little awkward," he offered, stifling his laugh.
"Rebeccah handing Carl off to Lori on Christmas morning, now ain't that a hallmark moment. Wish we had a picture."
Rick hadn't bothered to ask his mother to be nice when she saw his ex-wife for the first time since she left. There would have been no point. Rebeccah was never one to be impolite but something told him that exchange would probably be the exception. "Yeah...I'm sure Lori wasn't expecting it but, she could stand to be on the other side of a surprise for once."
Daryl nodded, taking in the lightness of Rick's tone. He seemed happier than Daryl was expecting from his friend on this holiday morning.
"Hey, Michonne's riding up with us to Tyrese's place next weekend. Figured we could save her from being third wheel with Andrea and Shane."
"Oh, yeah?" Daryl looked at the side of Rick's face as he drove. His cheeriness was starting to make sense.
"That ok?"
"Sure man, shouldn't be any third wheels on that ride," he snarked, taking another sip of his coffee while still staring at Rick.
"What's that mean?" Rick asked, pulling up to a stop light and turning to look at Daryl.
"Nothing, just you two have that thing you do when you're in a group of people, you know, where you get all consumed in your little conversations and your jokes and you can't hear nobody else when they're talkin' to you."
Rick looked at him quizzically. "We don't do that."
"Oh, ok. Must've imagined it," he snickered sarcastically.
Rick kept his sideward gaze at Daryl while he took off from his stop. "What are you talking about, man?"
"Nothing, hey, I'm not complaining. I'm glad to see you happy like that. Besides, Carl and I have some catching up to do so I probably wouldn't be talking to you much anyway."
Rick held back a smile and returned his eyes to the road. His friend was dropping some not so subtle hints lately about his friendship with Michonne and Daryl wasn't one to comment on other people's business. He was starting to wonder what the rest of the group was saying. He sighed thinking that he had once again found himself the subject of public speculation.