Chapter 25

"What's this?" Sam asked, sitting in the back of the pickup, as Daryl loaded in camping supplies.

"It's a fishin' lure."

"Oh. You like to fish?"

"Like to hunt more."

"Is that what you use your arrow gun for?"

"My crossbow? Yep."

"Daryl?"

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Can you teach me how to shoot it? I've got one, but it's just a toy."

"I don't think your mama would be ok with that," Daryl pointed out.

"Well, maybe you could talk to her. Please, Daryl? I'd never ask for another single thing ever, ever again. Please?" Daryl chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Why don't you go back up to the house and see if your mama needs any help?" Sam sighed, knowing that Daryl's brush off of the question was an absolute no. He hung his head, and Daryl helped him of the back of the truck. As Sam started up the sidewalk, Daryl called after him. "Hey." Sam turned around, hopeful. "You ain't quite big enough yet. Maybe in a few years, alright, son?" Sam's eyes brightened, and he nodded enthusiastically before hurrying up to the house to check on his mom and sister.

Daryl slammed and secured the tailgate, before he headed to the garage to finish loading Carol's car. He had to step around piles of boxes to get to it, and he kicked some of them out of the way. He'd moved a few things into his new house, but he hadn't had much time to finish moving, so Carol had graciously allowed him to store the rest in her garage until after the camping trip.

He carefully packed the bags Carol had packed for the kids into Carol's trunk, and he checked to make sure the safety belts were secured through the kids' booster seats.

"Daryl?" He turned to see Carol coming out with a bag slung over her shoulder. She was dressed in a pair of khaki Capri pants and a sky blue tank top that brought out the color of her gorgeous eyes.

"Think we're all set," he murmured, closing the trunk of Carol's car before coming over to wrap her in a hug. She greeted him with a loving kiss, and he gave her ass a squeeze. She laughed and swatted his hand away.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"We're goin' camping."

"I know that," she said with a roll of her eyes. "But where?"

"Near the lake."

"The lake by your house?" Carol asked, raising an eyebrow. Daryl snorted, shaking his head.

"Nope. There's one 'bout twenty miles from here. Real quiet. Nobody ever camps there, 'cause there's another camp ground a few miles away that people like better. I like it there. Quiet. Private." Carol smiled at that. "We can get the tent set up, and if it's still where I left it last time, there's a canoe hidden behind a big Cherokee Rose bush we can take the kids out on, let 'em fish."

"Oh, they'll love that," Carol said with a grin. "They've begged me to take them before, but I don't know a thing about it."

"I got somethin' for 'em."

"You did? Daryl, you didn't have to do that."

"I know. Wanted to." He nodded his head toward Carol's car, opened the trunk up and showed her the brand new children's fishing poles he'd bought for them. "I ain't that good at it, but I figure it's safer to teach 'em this than teach 'em the crossbow." Carol cocked her head to the side, eyeing him. "Sam wants me to teach him."

"Oh," she chuckled. "Well, at least he's found a new obsession aside from wanting to ride on your motorcycle." Carol leaned in to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "I'd prefer it if he was a little older before he starts handling weapons."

"I agree, 'course I wasn't much older'n Sam when I started learnin'. I can teach him to be careful with 'em. I mean, if it's alright with you. When he's ready. When you're ready."

"When he's older," Carol said with a definitive nod.

"Mommy," Sophia called in a sing-song voice. She came rushing into the garage. "Is it time yet?"

"Almost, sweetie. We have to stop to get ice for the cooler and some groceries, and then we'll be on the way."

"Groceries?" Daryl asked. "Don't need no groceries. We'll have plenty of fish."

"Well, I like to be prepared," she pointed out. "And if we don't catch any fish, I'd like to not starve to death in the middle of nowhere." Daryl smirked at that.

"Wouldn't let ya starve."

"I know," Carol said with a grin, kissing him chastely on the lips. "Come on, Soph. Let's go see what your brother's up to. He's being entirely too quiet."

"He's trying to decide what toys to take."

"Oh dear. That could take all morning. Come on, let's go help him, ok?" Sophia nodded and took her mother's hand, walking back to the house with her. Daryl followed after them, stepping into the house and sitting down on the couch. Sophia stopped at the stairs. "Sophia?"

"You go on, Mommy. I wanna talk to Daryl," Sophia said matter-of-factly. Carol smiled and nodded.

"Alright, honey. I'll be down in a few minutes." Sophia made her way into the living room, and she sat down on the couch next to Daryl.

"What's up, Soph?"

"Are you gonna marry my mommy?"

"Um, what?" Daryl asked, clearing his throat, shifting uncomfortably on the couch.

"Well, you love my mommy, right?" Daryl glanced toward the stairs, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. He hadn't at all been prepared for a four-year-old to interrogate him. "Well, do you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I love your mama, Sophia."

"And does she love you?"

"I…yeah. She does."

"Well, you should get married." Sophia knelt down by the coffee table, opening one of the drawers. Inside were pictures drawn with crayons, each one adorned with a sticker. "Most of the other kids have a mommy and a daddy in their pictures." She passed him the pictures of stick figure families, each one depicting a mommy, a brother and a sister. "I wish my pictures had a daddy." Sophia sighed, her shoulders slumping. Daryl felt his throat begin to close up.

"Well…I…"

"Mommy says that me and Sam are special. That she wanted to be a mommy sooo bad that she didn't need a daddy to have us." She furrowed her eyebrows. "Penny Blake says that's stupid and all kids have to have a daddy, 'cause we wouldn't be here. Is that true?" Daryl felt like his heart was going to stop, or like he was going to throw up. How the hell was he supposed to answer a question like that? Was it even his place?

"Um, you…you should talk to your mama."

"But…"

"Soph, I don't think it's somethin' I can tell you about." He stood quickly, and Sophia frowned.

"You don't want to be our daddy?"

"I…that ain't…Sophia…" He slowly sat back down and put his hand on the little girl's shoulder. "I'd be proud to call you mine. You're a good kid. You and Sam."

"So you'll marry my mommy?"

"I think we're gettin' a little ahead of ourselves, kiddo." Daryl said a silent thank you to whatever force was looking out for him in that moment, as Carol descended the stairs holding Sam's hand, a bag slung over her shoulder.

"Alright," she said brightly, adjusting the strap of the bag on her shoulder. "Are we ready?"

...

Carol followed Daryl down to the lake in her car, and as soon as she pulled down the narrow dirt drive that lead down to the water, she gasped at the gorgeous turquoise color contrasting with the red Georgia soil at its shore.

"Ooh, Mommy, can we go swimming?!" Sophia asked excitedly, bouncing in her booster seat.

"We'll see, sweetie. Let's just get settled first, ok?" She parked the car and helped the kids out of their boosters. They immediately swarmed Daryl by the pickup, and Carol grinned, leaning against the car as she watched him interact with them.

"Daryl, can we go swimming? Can we?" Sophia asked.

"That's up to your mama. Figure you kids might be hungry first."

"Nope. Not hungry."

"We got hot dogs. You ever had hot dogs roasted on a fire?"

"No," Sam said curiously. "Maybe I could eat one hot dog."

"No, Sammy, let's go swimming!" Sophia urged.

"But, I'm kinda hungry," the boy whined. Carol grinned, when Daryl looked helplessly up at her.

"You wanna show up how you build a fire?" she asked, slipping over to stand next to him, curling her fingers with his.

"You puttin' me to work already?"

"I just want to see you flex your muscles," she teased. Daryl pulled his arm around her waist, giving her a quick peck on the lips, to which Sophia giggled and Sam made a face.

"Alright, who wants to help me get some firewood?" Daryl offered.

"Can I, Mom?" Sam asked.

"Go on. Be careful," Carol warned.

"I will!" Sam exclaimed excitedly. Carol laughed and shook her head, watching Daryl and Sam walk off, and she turned to Sophia. "Well, what do you say, Soph? Want to help Mommy with some of this stuff?"

"Ok, but you did pack the swimming suits, right?"

"Yes, sweetie. I wouldn't dream of forgetting that." Sophia grinned up at her before following her over to the truck. By the time the boys came back with arms full of kindling, Sophia had helped Carol set up four chairs around what would be the fire pit, and Sophia was already tired, yawning from where she sat in her chair.

"Nope, none of that," Daryl warned. "No yawnin' 'round the campfire. We still got lots to do today."

"I'm not tired," Sophia insisted. Daryl snorted at that, and he crouched down in the dirt, placing the larger pieces of wood on the bottom.

"Now ya gotta arrange 'em this way," Daryl instructed, helping Sam get the pile just right. It took several minutes, and Sam watched Daryl intently, his every move being mimicked in the air by Sam's little hands. When it was all done, Daryl reached for a pack of matches and some dried grass. "Alright, Sam. Go over there by your mama." Sam did as he was told, and Carol, who had taken a seat in one of the larger camp chairs, pulled her son up onto her lap. He leaned back against her chest, and they watched as Daryl worked to get a fire going.

"Will that go all night?" Sophia wondered.

"If we keep adding to it," Carol answered. "You want to help gather some of the firewood, too?"

"Okay," Sophia said with a grin. "We can all go!"

"Somebody's gotta stay and watch the camp. I think it's Daryl and Sam's turn, don't you?"

"Yeah," Sophia grinned. "They can stay." Off the girls went, and Daryl got a stable flame going within a few minutes, and Sam quickly handed him more pieces, one by one, to add. Before long, there was a good sized fire going, and Sam was jumping up and down with excitement.

"What happens if we put a whole bag of marshmallows on there? Would it blow up like…like Marshmallow Man?"

"Marshmallow Man?" Daryl asked, glancing at the boy.

"Yeah! You know, like in the movie. The Ghostbuster movie."

"Oh, yeah, like that guy," Daryl chuckled. "Best not try and find out. The girls wouldn't be too happy if we got rid of all the marshmallows."

"You're right, Daryl. You know everything," Sam said in absolute awe and admiration. Daryl shook his head a little and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Don't know everything, kid. Don't know anybody who knows everything."

"Did you talk to my Mom about the arrow gun yet?" Sam asked hopefully.

"Ah, I'm afraid that's gonna have to wait, buddy."

"I knew it," Sam moped.

"Hey, don't be too hard on your mama. She loves you. Just wants you safe."

"I'm safe with you," Sam said softly. Daryl chuckled and nodded.

"That's right. But you're still gonna have to listen to your mama. What she says goes, alright? Someday, when you're older, we'll talk about it again. But not now. Alright? We got a deal?" Sam sighed, slouching his shoulders for a moment before he lifted his head and gave Daryl a nod.

"Ok, Daryl. We got a deal."