Chapter 25

Periodic footsteps and idle commotion broke the silence in the building's empty halls as Daryl moved the last of the chairs off to the side. Only a couple more things to tidy up and he'd be able to head home. The evenings he spent at the shelter were always long days for him and this one was no different—except for the late night Merle had talked him into the day before.

His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since lunch—he'd have to stop for something on the way home since he'd polished off the last of the stolen leftovers from Michonne's fridge. His stash probably would have lasted him all week if Merle hadn't been dipping into it too. Leave it to his brother to be a pain in the ass like that. In his head, he considered stopping at the diner on his route home or maybe just picking up a burger depending on what time he and Carol actually left.

Daryl broke down an empty box to stow in the corner. Seeing nothing more to do, he locked the closet and turned towards the door. The sound of his phone ringing stopped him and he unclipped it from his hip, smiling as he answered it.

"You miss me?"

Michonne's soft laughter greeted him. "Always. You sure you don't wanna come over tonight?"

Daryl leaned against the stacked chairs and crossed one foot over the over in recline. "Depends on what you got waitin' on me when I get there."

"Is that your way of asking me what I'm wearing?"

He smirked. "No, but if you wanna share, I aint gon' stop ya."

"Daryl Dixon, such a dirty mind." It was nice to end his day with this kind of banter between them, especially at the late hour. "And I don't really want you driving all the way out here. I've still got work to do before I turn in, and it'd just be a waste of time when your site visits this week are out in your neck of the woods."

"I'd sure rather be with you and the girls instead of picking up after Merle all week. And you know he ate up all the food I stole." He didn't even bother keeping the petulant tone from his voice.

"Serves you right for sneaking off with half that stew AND the leftover pizza. Greedy…."

He recalled the pleasure of making that stew with her while the girls were with their father for the day. It'd been his idea to make the dish as they considered what she had available in her freezer, and as they prepared it, she'd taught him her proper way of cutting and dicing the carrots and onions, using her impressive knife skills. It'd been relaxing to work on the meal together; they tried to do things like that as often as they could. Of course, she'd flirted with him the whole time, which he pretended to only tolerate but secretly loved. There'd been so much stress and tension the past few weeks considering everything going on with Rick and Andrea that they savored this transition into easier times together.

Without anyone in the room to see his reactions, he allowed free reign to his wide grin at his thoughts of her. "I'll show you greedy when I get back over there," he murmured into the phone.

She snickered at that. "I'll hold you to it. Anyway, I did not call you to go there. You're still with Carol at the shelter right?"

He grumbled an assent. "Yeah, just finishin' up. Gonna go grab her soon and try to get outta here. I'm starvin' and T-Dog's talkin' 'bout startin' things off at 6:30 tomorrow morning so we can get a jump on the day."

"Ouch. Well, I won't keep you. I just called to make sure you're really ready for this whole Thanksgiving-Disney World thing we're doing next month. I'm about to confirm the reservations so it's your last chance to bow out."

"Michonne, I'm the one that's been on ya to do it already. Do what ya gotta do because we gon' go: Disney World, your family, the whole bit. I got your back."

He started to worry when her silence stretched on for a little too long. "Okay, I'm doing it." Their phones picked up the sound of clicking as she made her final adjustments. "All set." He heard her let out a long breath across the line.

"It's gon' be fine, Babe. We'll get by—me, you, and the girls."

"I know. And I'm excited, really. Just nervous, too, you know."

"Aint no goin' back now."

"Nope. " Instead of sounding stressed, though, he could detect the relief and happiness in her voice, the same tone he'd tried to convey. He understood her anxiety. Hell, he'd been through it about her and Merle meeting, and that hadn't exactly gone well. But even in the past couple of months, they'd come a long way in their their relationship with time to prepare her family and themselves for whatever happened.

"Maybe when we get back you—"

Her voice cut out and he heard muffled sounds that turned into chuckles. Away from the phone's mouthpiece she said, "I'll be right there and we'll do it together, okay?" He couldn't hear the other voice but she had to be talking to one of the girls, probably Octavia who tended to fight bedtime more than her sister. "We'll see about that too but let me say goodnight to Daryl and then I'll come over … No, Sweetie, Daryl can't come look too, but he'll check it out the next time he's here." A pause: "She wants you to check out her new glow-in-the-dark stars for her room," she explained into the phone.

"Tell him, it's gonna be better than everything," he heard Octavia say, now closer to the phone. "I can tell him too." He heard Michonne's "oof" as the little girl hopped onto her lap and grabbed the phone. "Daryl," Octavia said, now more clearly. "You have to see my stars. Mama's gonna get the high ones and then you can put some on the ceiling."

Daryl smiled at hearing her voice so excited at her new project. And it satisfied him more than he'd admit that she thought of including him on it too.

"You got it, Big Bit. Don't keep your mom up though. Be a good girl and go to bed on time so you can get your beauty sleep."

Octavia huffed. "You told me I don't need no beauty sleep."

"Any," he heard Michonne utter from nearby. "Any beauty sleep."

"You said I don't need any beauty sleep," she corrected.

Yet again, Daryl marveled at how much this little girl was like her mother when she got to making a point. "I did say that, didn't I?" She hummed her agreement. "Well, it's true. You're already pretty and, like your mom says, bein' pretty don't make you better than anybody. You gotta be nice to people and always try your best too."

"I know," she said matter-of-factly. "I'll be good and go to bed so I don't get grumpy." She'd actually learned her lesson after hurting Daryl's feelings that time she hadn't gotten enough sleep and snapped at him. "Ursula already got in trouble tonight anyway." Her giggles drifted loud and clear through the phone. "She put her green beans up her nose and then she sneezed and got it all over the table. She said Joey did it too at afterschool but Mama didn't care and made her go to bed early."

Shaking his head at his other little rascal, he found himself laughing at their daily antics, guessing that Michonne probably hadn't thought it funny at all. "I'll have to ask Urs about it the next time I come by." In the background, he heard Michonne urging Octavia to say goodnight so they could finish decorating her room before bedtime.

"Okay, okay." Her impatient response must have gotten disapproval from Michonne since she promptly apologized. "Goodnight, Daryl. Come home soon. Don't forget about my stars."

"I won't forget. 'Night, Tavi. Sweet dreams." The phone speaker crackled as little hands passed it on to bigger ones.

"Call me tomorrow when you get done at work, okay? I'll give you the details about the trip."

Daryl straightened and started to slowly walk across the room. "Hey," he called out before she could hang up. "You never told me what you're wearin'. Why you gon' tease your man like that."

Her spontaneous laughter sparked that tightening in his gut that then filled with so much love for her. He'd never get enough of it.

"Goodnight Mr. Dixon."

"Night, Babe." He hung up the phone and returned it to his pocket. It sounded like he missed an eventful night but a normal one for that household. He liked that he knew what normal was for them—and that it often included him too. Although Michonne was right about his commute and the silliness of him driving all the way out there only to drive back in the morning, he still wished he was there tonight, checking on the girls and seeing for himself what Michonne planned on wearing to bed. And like her, he actually enjoyed the chaos of getting them ready for school and daycare in the morning. Daryl strolled down the hall for one last sweep of the wing, eager to get out of the building and maybe think about driving out to Michonne's house anyway.

Checking each room as he went, he mentally confirmed how much he'd gotten done in the last few hours. At least there'd be some down time when he came back on Saturday to finish up. With the new supplies stocked in the storeroom and all the areas in the rest of the complex cleared out, he finally went looking for Carol so he could rush her into calling it a night. Stopping in her doorway, he was happy to see that she was packing up for the day.

"'Bout damn time," he said, knocking on the doorframe.

Carol smirked at him. "Oh stop your whining. I'm coming."

"Not fast enough for me."

"With that attitude, no one's ever going to accuse you of being much of a sweet-talker, Daryl." He shook his head at her innuendo. "I don't know how Michonne puts up with you."

"Go ahead and ask her. That woman is satisfied, I make sure 'a that."

"Is that what she tells you?" Carol's playful question annoyed Daryl but also made him laugh. He'd never had a friend like her, but he was thankful every day to have her in his corner. "I'll get the truth out of her. I bet you snore and hog the covers too."

Daryl chuckled because it was true. "Like I said, aint been no complaints. Must be makin' up for it somehow," he grinned.

Carol returned the smile and continued to straighten up. "Are you headed over there tonight? Is that why you're so eager to get out of here?"

Leaning against the wall at the entryway, Daryl crossed his arms and shook his head. "I want to but I probably shouldn't. I'll pass through there over the weekend. I promised the girls I'd check out their Halloween costumes since their dad's on Trick-or-Treat duty this year. But tonight Michonne's got some work thing going on and T-Dog's got me checkin' on things out this way for the rest of the week." He rubbed at his eyes before tracking her again as she scurried around the room. "And I been spendin' time with Merle anyway. That's why I'm so messed up today."

"Late night at The Walker Pit?" Daryl was going to have to do something about her knowing him too well. His silent confirmation amused her further, although she quickly turned serious on him. "As long as you and your brother are staying out of trouble."

"We are. Merle's been laying low ever since he got that new job 'a his doing personal security or whatever."

Carol looked up from her packing. "So he's like a bouncer?"

Daryl shrugged. "Hell if I know. All he says is that he's the muscle for somebody and it's all legal and square. Showed me a paystub and everything. I guess I should be grateful he's keepin' his nose clean but it's hard to shake the feelin' that he's up to somethin'." He shook his head again. "Old habits and all. Just don't want him findin' his way back to prison 'cause he's hangin' with the wrong crowd."

"If he does, it'll be his own doing, not yours" she's quick to clarify. " You've been more than generous with him."

Carol was right and he did understand that. But he'd always have those conflicting feelings when it came to his brother, wanting to follow and protect him but also dreading what shit he'd get them into next. No doubt, she could relate after all those years making excuses for her asshole husband. That's why she stayed on him about not putting his own safety and desires at risk over Merle.

It sure felt different having someone care about him like that, and now he had a few folks looking out for him.

"Michonne said the same thing. I know I need to stop frettin' over it."

"Yes, you do," she agreed sternly. "Listen to your wise, older friend and to your girlfriend."

Daryl scoffed. "You can stop with all that right now 'caus you aint even that much older than me. Hell, Merle's got a good chunk 'a time on ya."

"The point still stands. Speaking of Michonne, have you two decided about Thanksgiving yet?" Her question sounded curious rather than probing which he preferred. She even had her back to him when she asked, distracted and searching for some pressing item that had eluded her.

Daryl walked farther into the room and helped her move her chairs over so she could get to a stack of boxes behind them. "Yeah, she just called to tell me she set it all up. I got worried and thought she'd try and get out of it since we hadn't really had a chance to talk about it. She's been so tied up lately with work and helpin' out with Rick." Carol murmured her understanding, also from having spent a lot of time with their distressed mutual friend.

Together, they moved the boxes back in place when Carol found what she'd been digging around for. After letting the somber reflection of Rick's difficulties pass, Daryl began laughing at Carol as she tried to stuff a fat file into her already full bag.

"You're worse than Michonne trying to carry all that crap at one time."

She smiled and finally slipped the folder into the tiny spare crevice she'd found. "Well, we can't all be like you, leaving our work at the office. Duty calls."

"Yeah, I know. Just wish it wasn't like that sometimes," Daryl said, trying—and failing—to sound casual about it.

"Sasha mentioned seeing her at clinic so I assumed her schedule was business as usual. Is she in trial?"

"I don't think so. I haven't asked. It's not like I'd understand it even if I cared about the details."

"Are you worried she's working too hard? Or is it something else?" she asked carefully. Knowingly. Now she was probing.

He really couldn't hide much from the woman. Normally, he'd be annoyed but this time he actually had something he wanted to get off his chest. Carol stood quietly behind her desk, waiting for him to find the words to explain. "A while back, Rick warned her 'bout the help she's givin' Andrea. He told her that Philip Blake had come up to him lookin' to stir up trouble, sayin' a bunch of trash about Lori and Shane. Ever since then, Michonne says she's backed off but…."

"But..." Carol prompted.

Daryl reluctantly continued. "But she aint good about lettin' stuff like that go."

"Why would she lie to you?" Carol sat behind her desk and began logging out of her computer. She turned to him again as she waited for it to shut down.

"I don't think she's lyin' to me but, damn, them lawyers sure know how to stretch the truth when it suits 'em, Michonne included.

"Do you think she's gone behind your back on this?" A frown of disapproval appeared on her face and Daryl figured he should be careful how he laid this out. The last thing he needed was for Carol and Michonne to get into it because he'd implied something stupid.

He shook his head before he could dig himself deeper into a hole. "No, nothin' like that. It aint nothin' really. Things are real good with us right now. But I know she and Andrea still talk, even if Michonne says she's not involved no more." Carol seemed to accept that and flicked the button on her monitor, the screen immediately going dark. "I'd prefer Michonne keep her distance and just let Andrea be for a while till it all blows over."

Smirking again, Carol leveled her authoritative stare at him. "Did you tell her that?" she joked."

They laughed together at the idea of it. "Hell no! I've said my share 'a stupid shit to her but I well know how bad that would go down."

"Good answer." Their lazy mirth died away and Carol sighed, sitting up straight and still in her chair. "I know you don't want to hear this, Daryl, but what if she's right. What if helping Andrea nail Philip Blake is the best thing for her to be doing?"

Shock left Daryl speechless; but it quickly turned to anger. He loomed over his friend, glaring at her as she sat at her desk. When he noticed her raised eyebrow over his aggressive reaction, he took a step back but held his challenge.

"What the hell, Carol? You know this whole situation aint nothin' but a fool's errand."

"Andrea doesn't think so. And neither does Rick. He may think it's too dangerous to stay involved and that he and Michonne shouldn't be the ones handling it, but that's not the same as believing that action isn't necessary. And it sounds like Michonne's backing off because you asked her to and to protect her family, not because she thinks everything will end well."

Daryl shuffled in front of her desk, now agitated again. "All she needs to concern herself with is whether things will end well for her. And it will the farther away she stays from that prick. Why are you so bent on defendin' her all of a sudden?"

Carol shrugged. "Because I understand what Andrea is trying to do. Yes, sometimes you can just put your head down and hope it all works out and trouble doesn't find you. And sometimes you've got to do the difficult things that others won't."

"With everything that's happened with you, you still think that?" Daryl asked callously.

Carol frowned and leaned back in her chair, shoulders sagging. "Yes. Especially after everything I went through, except I was too late to stop the worst from happening. Andrea isn't."

Daryl was silent at that. He didn't know what else to say. Far be it from him to tell her how to think or feel about losing her daughter, but it was so difficult for him to wrap his head around her justifications.

She smiled sadly at him. "I've talked about this a lot with Tyreese given that he has to deal with both me and his sister when it comes to this kind of thing. Maybe it's because you and Tyreese and Rick are men, but I suspect you're not seeing the situation for all that it is. At the end of the day, Philip Blake sounds like another person trying to manipulate those who threaten him because he feels so small and insignificant in his sick mind. And you guys, you're thinking of your pack and protecting those who are closest to you. But some of us believe that we can do more to stop the ugliness we see around us, keep it from hurting the people we love as well as people who don't have the means or the will to do it themselves. That's important too. This world sometimes has you thinking that everything is your choice and your situation to control. You can forget that there are so many out there who can't breathe and are groping around for a lifeline. That's where people like Sasha and I come in. Or Michonne or Andrea."

Daryl had to stop himself from getting defensive because he didn't want to come at his friend like that. Carol made him sound like some selfish douchebag and he wasn't. He hadn't always done the right thing in his life. He wasn't no do-gooder type like Michonne and a lot of the friends he'd made in the past year. But he'd learned to change some of the worst parts of his past and he did what he could.

"It aint that I don't care 'bout what happens to folks. But if it's us or them, I'm 'a pick us every time."

"No, you wouldn't, Daryl, at least not every time. You say that but just wait until you're really made to pick. You'll realize it's not that simple. I used to think it was too but…." Daryl waited but Carol couldn't bring herself to finish that statement. Instead, she flicked off her lamp and motioned for him to follow her out the door with her huge bag in hand.

With slumped shoulders, Daryl took a calming breath before trailing behind her. He'd always expected Carol to see his side of things since they were so much alike. Her opinion was gold to him. It hurt to disagree with her on this.

"Maybe none of this will matter anyway," Carol added as they walked. "Maybe it'll all work itself out." Her tone betrayed her belief in that and she knew it, just like Daryl did.

"Yeah, maybe," he responded, not willing to go in circles with her about it anymore.

She bumped him in the arm as they exited the building, waving to Otis as they headed towards her car. "Enough of that though. When you get back from your trip we should talk about some business with the shelter I want to get your thoughts on."

Interest piqued, Daryl leaned against her car as she threw her heavy bag onto the seat next to her. "Anything we need to talk about now."

Carol slipped off her coat at the last second before climbing into the seat. "No, it's nothing that can't wait. It's stuff I'm not going to think about until the end of the year anyway. No rush on it."

"Alright, if you say so. Lord knows I'm used to the women in my life holdin' out on me." She scowled at him as he moved to let her close the door, waiting for her to start the car and roll down the window.

"Get over it," she scolded. "Sometimes we know best."

"And sometimes you get yourselves in a jam and need me to come help your ass out of it."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean," Carol said grinning. "I'll see you this weekend. Go easy on your woman."

"Yeah, yeah." He waved at her and followed her taillights until she disappeared around the corner. Now feeling even more tired than before, he headed to his truck, eager to get home and put a cap on the day. After getting all keyed up again over this whole Philip Blake situation, he figured it probably wasn't the best idea to try and get to Michonne's tonight. His phone rang as he climbed in and he picked up, wearing a frown at seeing his brother's name flash across the screen.

"What? I'm on my way back."

To his surprise, Merle didn't retaliate at hearing his irritated words. "Good. 'Cause we need to talk, little brother."

TBC...

AN: It feels good to post more of this story! I know I took a hiatus, but I did it for the greater good (so that there will be fewer lapses between chapter). I won't be updating with the frequency of my first posting frenzy but I will try and get an update done once a week.

Many, many, many thanks to the folks who kept checking in on this and reviewing and letting me know that this story was missed. I hope I can properly convey my appreciation for your encouragement by doing my best to entertain and keep the chapters rolling. I'm truly thankful for your efforts.