AN: OK, here we go, another chapter…this one is sort of a bridge chapter or something like that to start setting up some of the action to come.
I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!
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"Alright fuckers, gather 'round," Alice said from her position almost in the center of the room. She was sitting backwards in one of the chairs she'd drug in from the dining area and Cayden was nestled into her arms, singing to her from time to time and sucking on one of the pacifiers that Daryl had taken from the piles of things that Judith never used.
Everyone else was sitting around, somewhat willy nilly, on the extra mattresses that they used as couches in the common area.
Carol was sitting on Daryl's lap, leaned back against him, with his arms encircling her, trying not to focus at all on the fact that the next morning he intended to leave out with Glenn, Wyatt, and Brian in search of the first few stops that they would be making as a group when they moved on from the prison.
"I've called together this little meeting because there's something that we have to discuss," Alice said. "This is the Bean. Some of you know him as Cayden…that's his non-super hero name…and he got here because of the very same issue that we're going to be talking about tonight."
"Is this age appropriate?" Rick asked suddenly, Carl sitting near him on one of the mattresses.
Alice frowned at him.
"Kid's gotta learn eventually. Now's as good a fucking time as any," Alice said. "Now…let's talk about safe sex. For all of you dirty, dirty heterosexuals in the bunch, safe sex is a thing of the past. We have condoms…and I know you assholes have them scattered all over this place because I've seen you trading them like they're currency…but they're about half as effective as they once were and even then they weren't guaranteed to work."
"You goin' somewhere with this?" Daryl asked, shifting around. Carol tried to move, afraid his legs might be going to sleep up under her, but he just tightened the grip he had around her and held her into place, clucking in her ear.
"I have your child…" Alice said, glancing in their direction with a frown.
Carol snickered and she could hear Daryl chuckle behind her.
"Get on with it, then," Daryl said.
Alice rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly before readjusting the baby in her arms who had decided at the moment to pay very close attention to her as she spoke, as though he was more fascinated with her speech than anyone present.
"Now," Alice said, "I'm not trying to police anyone's sex life or your reproductive choices. You can all batten down the hatches and turn into the little old people who lived in shoes for all I care, but I want you to at least be aware that if you're having sex, you might end up with one of these."
Alice lifted Cayden up a little who was humming from behind his pacifier.
"Condoms are a bonus, of course, and you should wrap it if you use it," Alice said, "but they're made of latex. Latex doesn't withstand time well and it doesn't withstand the lovely temperatures of our now climate controlled conditions. We're getting ready to hit the road and I thought this might be a pretty decent time to point it out that you need to have these things on your mind."
Carol glanced around. Carl was snickering, his face a little blushed, but prison life hadn't let the boy be ignorant to the ways of people. Glenn too looked a little embarrassed by the conversation, and Wyatt was squirming a little, though as far as she knew he wasn't with anyone.
Everyone else sat looking somewhat bored, their heads tipped to the side, humoring Alice since she was the resident doctor that would be responsible for any babies that might be born to the group, now or in the future.
"If you run into trouble," Alice said, "or you think you have…let me know as soon as possible, though. On the road we might not have the best medical care, but something's better than nothing if we don't want complications."
There was silence for a moment.
"We done?" Daryl finally asked.
Carol snickered. Daryl would harass Alice quicker than most of the others, and that was mostly because she would give it right back to him when she felt the time was right.
"I'm done," Alice said. "Unless anyone has anything they want to bring up."
A collective rumble and the fact that people were beginning to move about signaled that no one had anything to add to the situation and Carol shifted off of Daryl's legs to allow him to get up and dramatically bend his knees for a moment requesting that his body resume normal circulation. He reached a hand down and helped her to her feet so that they could go and collect their offspring that Alice was cuddling.
"Did we spur this speech on?" Carol asked Alice, coming to her and taking Cayden into her arms.
"No," Alice said. "Believe it or not, you're not the only people banging it out around here."
Daryl chuckled.
"We ain't doin' shit right now," he said.
Alice made a face at him.
"And you're not going to until I tell you that you can…and you better be careful after that too," she warned. "We know everything is up and functioning and there's no need to see how quick of a turnover you can get here."
"Point taken," Carol said, smiling at the woman.
Alice yawned and stretched.
"Did you two have a splendid vacation?" She questioned, glancing around and smiling at a couple of people who were going here and there to finish up their evening.
Carol nodded.
"Ain't over yet," Daryl said. "Still gotta couple more hours."
Alice nodded and scratched her head.
"You're going out tomorrow with the group, though?" She asked.
Carol and Daryl both nodded.
"Bad damn deal, huh? How the hell did you decide who was going?" Alice asked.
Carol directed her attention toward Daryl and he shrugged.
"Sorta fell in our damn laps that way, ya know?" Daryl responded. "Rick's got the kids…so it just came down ta bein' the four a' us."
"Yeah…" Alice said. "You've got a kid too now."
Alice glanced at Carol and Carol caught her eye. Alice was known for being mouthy, but Carol knew the woman restrained herself a good deal more than people gave her credit for. If she felt the urge to speak about everything she'd ever disagreed with at the prison then it would be probable to assume that she'd never shut up.
Melodye walked up then, looping her arm around Alice's and leaning her head against Alice's shoulder, smiling in Carol's direction toward Cayden.
"What are we talking about?" Melodye asked, glancing a little in Alice's direction without actually moving her head.
"Selection practices," Alice offered. She sighed. "We were just finishing up, though."
"Headin' out tomorrow," Daryl offered to Melodye who looked a little confused. "Alice was just askin' how they picked who was goin'."
"How did they pick it?" Melodye asked.
Daryl shrugged again.
"Just the most likely people ta go," Daryl said. "It ain't no big thing. We gon' be back within a week or so."
Carol didn't say anything. She didn't really know what to say about it. She didn't like the idea that they were going out, but Daryl had basically volunteered, as had the others. Whether or not they volunteered because they were the only people that would do it mattered very little.
She didn't really like the idea of Daryl leaving for at least a week…realistically maybe longer…and she didn't like the idea of him being part of the team that would be the first to start blazing a trail toward God knows what, but she knew better than to really say anything.
For Daryl this kind of thing was something he felt was his responsibililty. Taking care of the group and moving the group forward, even at risk to himself perhaps, was his responsibility…his ultimate responsibility…and he saw that as, by association, taking care of her and Cayden as part of the group.
"Well if we're not up when you leave," Melodye offered, "good luck and be safe."
Daryl smiled at the blonde and nodded slightly.
"Always am," he responded, his customary response to anyone telling him to be safe.
"Well, goodnight fuckers," Alice said. She leaned over and Carol held Cayden out so she could kiss him on the forehead. Carol smiled at him as his eyes trailed after her when she pulled away.
Carol and Daryl bid the women goodnight and said goodnight to Hershel, Ned, and Milagros who seemed to be staying in the common room for some conversation or whatever form of entertainment they may have chosen for the evening, and headed back to their cell to spend what little time they could before they had to sleep so that Daryl wouldn't be exhausted when their small group set out at first light.
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Daryl looked as tired as Carol felt and she wondered if he'd actually slept at all the night before. She'd tried to get up the very moment that Cayden so much as warned he was going to cry in order to keep him from disturbing Daryl, but with all of them sharing a cell it just wasn't possible.
Now he was up and ready to go. He'd already been out and helped load up the vehicle the four men were setting out in, and all that was left was to say goodbye to Carol and Cayden before he'd crawl into the car and head out with the others.
And Carol didn't want to admit that she felt like her heart was breaking into pieces at the very thought of watching him go out of those gates…out there…not knowing what might happen.
She was trying to hold it together though, for Daryl. She didn't want him to go out there knowing that she was upset and she didn't want her mood to affect Cayden too much.
Daryl was standing awkwardly in the cell now, nuzzling his son in quiet and Carol was standing off to the side trying desperately not to let her worries get the best of her. She'd kept herself from crying, or at least crying audibly, but she still had to reach up now and again and swipe away the tears that simply refused to be held back.
"Ya gotta be good, lil' man," Daryl said to the baby. "Ya the man a' the cell while I'm gone an' ya Ma's gonna need ya ta keep her ass in line."
Carol chuckled softly through the tears that were trying to choke her.
Daryl looked up at her, a certain amount of pain in his eyes, and she reminded herself why she didn't want to be upset at the moment. This wasn't easy on him either. It had been some time since they'd been apart and he hadn't left Cayden before. This was his first time and she knew that he was battling his own feelings…feelings he wouldn't want to show to the other men he'd be travelling with.
"Ya look after him too, ya hear?" Daryl said to Carol. "Take care a' each other."
Carol forced a smile and nodded, not trusting her voice at all, sure that if she tried to speak she would sob and that was the last thing that she wanted to do. She sucked in a breath quickly, hoping to clear her throat a little.
Daryl frowned.
"We ain't gon' be gone long," he said. "Just like a week, an' when we get back we gon' know where we goin'."
Carol nodded again. She understood perfectly well why they were going. She understood perfectly well that what they were going to do needed to be done. This wasn't something she didn't or couldn't understand, it was simply that she didn't want to be without Daryl. It was her own selfish heart that didn't want him to go right now.
Daryl passed her Cayden back and she sucked in another breath, trying to calm herself.
"While I'm gone don't'cha let none a' them bitches rile ya up, an' ya feed the kid when the hell he wants it…an' ya hold him too. He ain't allergic ta fuckin' touch," Daryl said.
Carol nodded, almost feeling like she was getting a lecture from her parents before leaving her alone for the very first time instead of hearing what her husband had to say before he set out on a mission that may or may not be dangerous.
Carol swallowed hard.
"Be careful," she said. "And you come on back to us as quick as you can."
Daryl bit at his lip and nodded his head before smiling, forcing himself to chuckle a little.
"Hell woman, I'm always careful an' I'ma get back just as damn quick as look at'cha," Daryl said.
"Daryl? Glenn?" Brian's voice rang through the prison block. "We're ready to go when you guys are. Sun's coming up…might want to roll out soon."
Daryl turned his head, looking toward the cell door, though nothing was visible there except the blanket they hung for privacy.
"Reckon that's my cue, huh?" He said. "Gotta head on outta here if we wanta have time ta scout an' find a good setup 'fore dark."
Carol nodded again and sighed.
"You need to go," she said. "It's dangerous to be out after dark."
Daryl smiled and stepped forward. He tipped her face up and she closed her eyes when she felt the pads of his thumbs wiping under them. When she opened them again, he was looking at her, his face almost expressionless, but it was still an expression that she recognized.
Daryl dipped his head and Carol kissed him with all that she had, tangling her tongue with his an ignoring the small sob that escaped despite her best efforts to hold it and all its little friends back.
When they broke apart, Daryl rubbed her cheek with his knuckles and smiled at her.
"Do me a favor?" Daryl asked.
Carol nodded a little.
"What?" She asked.
Daryl smiled softly again.
"Try not ta cry too much, OK?" Daryl asked. "I know ya gonna cry…prob'ly just as damn soon as we hit the pavement…but don't do it too much, OK? Don't want Cayden thinkin' he's got nothin' ta worry 'bout."
Carol smiled and nodded her head, taking a breath to control the feelings again.
"OK," she said.
"Promise?" Daryl asked, raising his eyebrows.
"I promise," Carol said. "Don't worry about us, OK? You just worry about you out there and getting back here."
Daryl made a face at her like he was bored with her and she knew he was thinking of teasing her.
"It's my job ta worry 'bout'cha woman," Daryl said. "Ya just stay safe, ya hear?"
"Nine lives," Carol said.
Daryl smirked at the old joke and leaned in, kissing her softly once more before ducking his head to kiss Cayden.
Carol followed him out, one of the woolen coats wrapped over her shoulders to keep both her and Cayden warm for the few minutes they were outside, and watched as Daryl got into the car, casting a glance back toward her before he ducked down and disappeared into the driver seat.
Carol stood and waited until Carl had let the car out of the gate and it had passed out of sight, saying a silent prayer for the safe return of all of them but especially for the safe return of Daryl. When they were gone, and they had been so for at least a few minutes, Carol finally turned to head back inside.
It was only then that she noticed Maggie standing there too, her arms crossed, watching the nothing that remained from them leaving.
"They'll be back soon," Maggie said.
Carol didn't know if it was more for her benefit or for Maggie's, but she nodded and offered the young woman a smile.
"They'll be back," Carol said, her voice stronger than it was before. She figured she would have here good cry…it would surely come…but perhaps it would wait until night when she was alone in her cell and trying to doze between Cayden's demands to be fed. "We've got work to do," Carol said. "That way when they get back we'll have something to show for what's happened here."
Maggie nodded her head a little and reached out, squeezing Carol's neck before wrapping her arm around her and walking back inside the prison with her to get started on everything that had to be done there to start preparing for the great migration.