Kiss Away My Sins - Chapter 11

Hey y'all. Here's the next chapter. At the end, I have a few announcements to make, so stick around. ;)

Please remember to leave a review when you finish too, they always make me feel more warm and fuzzy! :D

I don't own the Walking Dead, nor do I profit from it in anyway. Except emotionally. God that show does things to me.

Chapter Eleven

Carol sat next to Sophia sat on a log near the Dixon fire pit. Daryl and Merle sat across from them, gnawing at their squirrel meat like a couple of half-starved animals. Sophia was watching them, fascinated by this new breed of men that she was suddenly coming in contact with. The only man Sophia had ever spent a lot of time around was Ed, and he was more than capable of making any little girl scared of men forever. The Dixon brothers were much different than Ed Peletier. They were loud, rude, and occasionally disgusting, but they were never aggressive toward any of the women or children in the group. They were ten times better men than Ed could ever be.

In a way, Carol was grateful that Sophia was watching them—learning from them. They showed her that not all men were like her father. Some were noble, and had good hearts.

"The squirrel's good," Sophia remarked, clearly trying to illicit a response from at least one of the brothers.

To Carol's surprise, it was Merle that spoke up, "Thank ya, lil' darlin'. One a' these days, my baby brother'll teach ya how ta shoot 'em."

Sophia looked at Daryl. The taciturn hunter said nothing and focused on his meal. The brothers had come back to camp earlier that day, and since them, Daryl had been quieter than usual. And now, in the light of the fire, Carol could see a few bruises forming on his face; one just beneath his left eye, and the other on the right side of his jaw. Sophia must have noticed them too, for she kept looking at the younger Dixon with worried eyes. "Did you get in a fight?" she blurted out the question that had been nagging at both of the Peletier women.

"Sophia!" Carol said with a warning tone. She gave her daughter a stern look. "It's not nice to ask people personal questions—"

Daryl raised his hand for her to stop. He looked at the little girl with slightly narrowed eyes. For a moment, fear clawed at Carol's belly; it was difficult to tell what either of the Dixon brothers were really thinking, and she had no idea if he was upset, angry, or completely fine with her question. After a few agonizing moments of silence, Daryl spoke, "Ya don't miss much, do ya, kid?"

Sophia shook her head, not detecting the potential thin ice that she was now treading on. "I guess not… I notice a lot a' things most people don't."

The hunter nodded in approval. "S'good."

Carol watched her daughter's eyes light up at the praise. She had no idea what Daryl Dixon's motives were for keeping them so close to him, but at that moment, she didn't care. Seeing him interact with Sophia, and seeing her daughter genuinely happy for the first time in a very long time, she was perfectly okay with whatever Daryl and Merle had planned.

"Ya really think so?" Sophia asked, desperate for the hunter's attention.

Daryl nodded. "Yeah. If ya wanna learn how ta hunt, ya gotta notice thangs most people don't. Hell, if ya're good at huntin', I'll teach ya how ta track if ya want."

"Cool!"

Carol smiled widely at Sophia's excitement. The little girl turned toward her, jittering happily. "Can I, mom?"

"Sure, sweetie. As long as Mr. Dixon is okay with it," Carol replied.

"It's Daryl."

Carol looked at him, confused for a few moments. "What?"

"Ya call me Daryl," he said, picking another piece of meat off the bone with his fingers. "Both a' ya."

"Same fer me," Merle suddenly spoke up. "Call me Merle. Mr. Dixon was our daddy, and he was a piece a shit, anyways."

Sophia looked at Merle and blinked. "Ya swore."

Daryl snorted in amusement as his brother faltered at the girl's words. Merle finally composed himself after a few seconds. "Sorry, lil' darlin'. Bad habit s'all. I forgot yer still jus' a pup—ya act more mature than most a' tha fu—bas—jerks in this group."

Carol couldn't hide her smile as Daryl chuckled at his brother's difficulty. She had never seen the hunter laugh before, and it was one of the most adorable things she'd ever seen in her life. "I thank this here apocalypse is tha best thing that's ever happened ta ya, Merle. First it got ya off tha drugs, now it's brought ya a little girl so ya got no choice but ta watch yer mouth."

Sophia beamed at Daryl's words, and gave Merle a friendly smile.

Merle gave Daryl a fierce glare, but when he locked eyes with the little girl, his face softened. "My brother's right 'bout one thang. Gotta watch my frickin' mouth."

Daryl chuckled, and Carol giggled as well. Actually giggled. She hadn't done that in years. The hunter must have heard her, for he glanced over, looking the most relaxed she'd ever seen him. He gave her a small smirk which she returned with a wide smile.

Carol woke up to Sophia snuggling into her back. She rolled over so she could face her daughter. She half-expected Ed to storm into the tent and ruin this peaceful moment when she remembered: she was living with the Dixons now.

Carefully so she didn't wake Sophia, she untangled herself from the sleeping bag. She quietly dressed in and worn, oversized sweater, and a pair of white capris. When she was finished, the began to gather the clothes that needed washed.

Daryl and Merle was sitting near the fire pit when she emerged from the tent, dirty clothes in tow. She set them down on one of the logs and looked at the brothers. "Do you need anything washed? I'm doing laundry."

Daryl looked up at her, squinting his eyes against the mid-morning sun. "Ya don't gotta do that," he mumbled before looking back to his crossbow.

"I told you that we would pull our weight. We're not going to sit on our butts all day doing nothing. Plus, I'm already doing me and Sophia's… I might as well do yours while I'm at it," Carol said simply.

"If ya don't mind—Sonuvabitch!" Merle's words were cut off as Daryl slapped him on the back of his head.

"We can do our own laundry… Nice a' ya ta ask," Daryl said gruffly.

Carol looked between them, and nodded. "If you're sure. If you change your minds, you know where to find—"

Tramping through the undergrowth made her freeze. The Dixon brothers were on their feet immediately. Before Carol even knew what was happening, Daryl was yanking her behind him. His huge hand enclosed around her arm and jerked her behind him. He stood before her like an immobile mountain. Merle was at his brother's side, closer to Sophia's tent, and on the defensive. Carol's heart leapt into her throat as Ed and Shane burst into the Dixon campsite.

Ed Peletier's shoulder was wrapped from where Daryl's bolt had hit him. The last time Carol had seen him, he had been doubled over in pain, looking agonized and terrified at the same time. Now, he looked like the man she knew—the monster that was always angry, and always itching for a fight. Ed had a knife in his hand, and Shane held a shotgun. However, the former cop looked disinterested in the whole affair, staring off into the woods. Carol let out a terrified gasp when she saw the knife and grabbed Daryl's shirt out of instinct. She was so close to him now that she could feel the heat radiating off his body. Daryl heard her gasp, and must have felt her press up against his back. He straightened up, but wasn't stiff. It was as if her actions made him even more determined to protect her.

Daryl glared at her husband. "Ya ain't welcome 'ere," he said simply.

Ed returned the glare, looking just formidable as the younger Dixon. "I want my wife, and my family back."

"Ain't gonna happen!" Merle suddenly snapped. "Now get outta our camp before I shove that knife up yer sorry ass!"

"Mama?"

Carol turned as Sophia pulled back the flap of the tent. Her eyes were still heavy with sleep, and she didn't seem to notice Ed and Shane. "Mama, what's goin' on?"

Merle went to Sophia before Carol could even move. "C'mon, lil' darlin'. On yer feet, and stay behind me, okay?"

Sophia looked at him confused, and then noticed Ed. Her eyes widened as she jumped to her feet. She grabbed Merle's on and held onto it with a death-grip. "Don't let him take me away!" she cried. "Please, don't let him! He'll kill Mama, and then he'll hurt me!"

"Shut up, ya little brat," Ed growled. He looked at Merle. "That's my wife and my daughter, and I want 'em back."

"Ya ain't gettin' 'im!" Merle shouted, livid at Sophia's reaction. "An' I'll skin ya if ya try 'urtin' or comin' after either a' 'em!"

Ed growled. "Ya ain't got no right—"

"We got every right, asshole!" Daryl snarled in response. He raised his crossbow and pointed it at Ed's head. "If ya don't turn around and go back ta camp right now, I'm gonna shoot ya, and this time, ya ain't gettin' up again, ya hear?!"

"Lower yer weapon, Dixon," Shane said, clearly demonstrating his disinterest.

"Shut tha fuck up, Office Fucktard," Merle snapped. Carol could see that all of the patience had been drained from the older man's body. Sophia still clung to him, shaking in fear of her own father. He looked down at Sophia, and his face and voice softened. "Shh, s'all right, lil' darlin'. Tha fucker ain't gonna 'urt ya," he tried to assure. "C'mon now, stop that shakin'."

Ed took a step toward Sophia, and all three of them - the brothers and Carol moved simultaneously. Merle spun toward him, his eyes blazing in rage. Daryl shifted to keep his aim on Ed's head, and Carol rushed forward, surprising them all. "You stay away from her!" Carol shouted, her voice and body shaking. "If you touch her… if you come near here, ever again, Ed Peletier. I will slit your throat in your sleep. Do you understand?"

Her husband stared at her, stunned. It took him a few moments to gather his composure. He just narrowed his eyes. "You don't tell me what to do, bitch!" Carol closed her eyes and flinched just as the back of his hand came in contact with her face.

As usual, the force of the blow sent her to the ground. She heard Daryl, Merle, Sophia, and even Shane shouting words. Carol's was on the ground, her vision blurred and her hearing distorted. Slowly, the familiar blackness began to consume her sight, sound, and thoughts. Her body was weak from a variety of things—lack of food, lack of sleep, and just health problems in general—but this wasn't just due to the apocalypse. It had been like this before the world fell apart—all of her illnesses, and her overall health weaknesses. This wasn't the first time that just one of Ed's hits would knock her out, and she knew that that was exactly what was going to happen this time.

She cursed herself for leaving Sophia alone, even if she was with the Dixons. She hated that Sophia would have to see her mother yet again be beaten at Ed's hands. At least Daryl and Merle were there this time. They would protect her.

Please, Carol thought before she lost all consciousness. Let them keep her safe.

A/N: Okay, so the thing with Carol passing out from one hit: Carol is a very skinny and frail woman, and, in my story, she has some health problems partially due to the past injuries Ed has given her, partially due to her weight and how fragile she is, and partially due to a weak immune system since she's so small, and skinny.

Another thing, I've recently finished my other Caryl fic, "Amaranthine", which you can check out if you would like. The sequel for that is called "Everything to Me" and will be posted soon. I have yet another Caryl story in the works as well called "A Silver Rose" which will be posted later today. I would appreciate if you check them out; if you like this story, you should like the others as well. :)

Since you're here (if you're reading) I'd like to take the time to thank each and every one of you for reading and supporting me. I can't believe this is Chapter 11 and this story has 72 reviews! I think this is more than, if not as much as my earlier Caryl story, "Amaranthine". I know that I don't respond to reviews unless they contain a question, but that is mostly because I read them on my phone and I am never logged in on there, and it takes to long to navigate through the site to reply. However, I read every single review and they always manage to put a smile on my face. I love the support you guys give me, and the kind words. You guys are what inspires me to write more. Every time I get a new review, it only inspires me to write the next chapter faster, and keep going even when I get nasty PMs because I'm a Caryl supporter.

So thank you guys. Really. You keep me going.