Chapter 26

When Sophia and Carol returned, they carried bundles of wood in their arms. Sophia's load was much smaller, of course, but she looked so proud to be helping. Daryl had taught the kids the proper art of roasting hot dogs over the fire, and Carol had to quickly remind Sam several times not to stand too close to the fire.

By the time everybody had their fill and the kids had begged for at least ten minutes for s'mores, Carol had to remind them that s'mores were for after dinner much later when it got dark, and while the twins hadn't been too excited to hear that, their spirits brightened tenfold the second Daryl brought their new fishing poles out from Carol's trunk. All thoughts of the sweet, chocolaty treats were gone, and the kids were being strapped into their life bests while Daryl went searching for that hidden canoe.

It only took him fifteen minutes to find it, and after a thorough inspection to make sure there wasn't any damage since the last time he'd used it a few years back, he dragged it out to the water and got in. Carol lifted Sophia in first and then Sam, and then she started back toward the camp.

"Mommy? Aren't you coming?" Sophia asked.

"Mommy's got to change," Carol called out. "You go on. I'll swim out and meet you."

"Don't scare the fishies away!" Sam hollered, getting a chuckle out of Daryl as he paddled the canoe out further into the center of the lake.

"You two just listen to Daryl and stay seated. Butts on the boat, you two. Understand?"

"Yeah."

"Yes, Mom!" Carol chuckled to herself, moving over toward the truck to sort through one of her bags, coming out with a black bikini with a white flower pattern. She blushed a little, feeling foolish for even considering wearing it, but she'd bought it a year ago when she'd started taking the twins to the YMCA for swimming lessons, but she'd never felt confident enough to wear it. She was confident and comfortable with her body, and she knew Daryl appreciated how she looked, but she still wasn't exactly sure she was ready to be parading around that way. She decided against it, and instead, grabbed the one-piece suit she'd brought just in case.

She quickly stripped down and slid into the suit before lathering up in sunscreen. Then it was time to hit the water.

The second she stepped in, she shivered at the sensation of the cold water against her feet and ankles. But, she pressed on, wading out until she was waist deep. She could ear Sam and Sophia giggling as Daryl taught them how to bait their hooks. She smiled, lying back in the water, closing her eyes and just floating there, enjoying the feeling of being completely suspended, completely weightless.

The water lapped at the sides of her face, and she gently moved her arms, doing a backstroke, swimming slowly, aimlessly, remembering the joys she'd always felt when her parents would take her swimming as a child. She'd always loved it. She loved it now, and she supposed that the twin's love of the water came from her. She always called them her little water babies, because she'd always had the hardest time getting them out of the pool anytime they'd go. Bath time, however, had been a completely different story.

She floated there for a long while, until she heard Sam's voice cry out.

"Mom! I caught a fish! I caught a fish!" She startled and began to swim over toward the canoe. And sure enough, as soon as she made her way over, she saw Sam proudly holding his line with a small fish wriggling there.

"You did! Sammy, good job!" Daryl started to take the fish off the line, and Sammy's face fell. The pride was gone, and he simply looked sad.

"Sweetheart, what is it?" Carol asked, holding onto the edge of the canoe, kicking her legs under the water.

"He's gonna die?"

"Sweetie, that's dinner. We…we have to cook him."

"I don't want to," Sammy murmured. "Can we throw him back? Please? Daryl? Please? Can we throw him back?" Daryl glanced at Carol, and she made a motion with her hand.

"Help me up." Daryl handed the line to Sammy and reached down to grab Carol's hand, helping pull her up into the canoe. Carol took the line from her son's hand and gently grabbed the fish, unhooking and tangling it from the line. She tossed it overboard, and Sammy moved to look, but she held him back.

"Hey, you caught a fish, kiddo!" she exclaimed, distracting him, because she could clearly see the fish floating on its side just next to the boat. "I'm proud of you!"

"Did he get away, Mom?" Sam asked, his little mouth stuck out in a pout.

"Yeah! He's down there swimming with his fish family. Boy, I bet he has a story to tell, huh?" Sam grinned, clearly feeling much better, and he moved over to watch Sophia as she moved her fishing pole slowly back and forth. Carol sighed, and Daryl moved to sit next to her. Without words, he paddled away from the dead fish so that Sammy wouldn't be reminded of his loss.

They spent a good hour out there, and Sophia never caught a bite, but Sam had fallen asleep curled up on Carol's lap, and by the time Sophia announced she was hungry again, they were all pretty tired and ready to get back to shore.

...

The children had rested sleepily in the camping chairs while Carol and Daryl set up the tent. It was rather large, and it fit all four sleeping bags inside. Carol couldn't help but notice the looks Daryl shot at her as he scooted the kids' sleeping bags closer away. She would snort at him and swat his hand and tell him that he was crazy, and he would pull his hands around her waist and pull her in for a kiss.

"Tonight," she whispered against his ear. "When they're sleeping, we'll go for a swim."

"Don't swim," he confessed.

"Well, would a naked swimming partner persuade you?"

"Maybe," he said with a smirk. "Just how nekkid?"

"Nekkid?" she asked, putting on her best imitation of his drawl.

"Yep. Naked with a purpose," Daryl pointed out.

"Oh, believe me, I know what nekkid is," she whispered. "Let's see how the night goes, hmm?" She gave him a swift kiss on the lips before Sophia came rushing into the tent.

"Mommy?"

"Yeah, sweetie?" she asked, kneeling down to her daughter's level.

"Sam says there's bears around here. He says they'll eat me all up when I'm sleeping." The little girl's eyes were wide, and her lower lip trembled. Carol sighed, shaking her head.

"There are no bears around here. Right, Daryl?"

"Not 'round these parts," he promised. "This is a bear-free lake." The worry and fear drained from Sophia's face and was replaced by annoyance.

"Mommy, I know hitting's bad, but I really wanna hit Sammy." Daryl snorted at that, and Carol bit the inside of her cheek.

"You don't want to hit your brother. I'll talk to him. He's just trying to scare you." Sophia sighed, and she turned to walk outside.

"I better deal with this," Carol murmured.

"Hey. Let me," Daryl offered. Carol raised her eyebrows.

"You sure?"

"Sure. I can handle it."

"Alright," Carol replied with a little smile. "Go ahead." She watched him walk out, clearing his throat as he prepared to talk to Sammy.

"Sam," he called. The boy was playing with one of his toy trucks, running it over small mounds of red dirt.

"What?" he asked.

"Come over here for a minute."

"I'm playing."

"Just come here," Daryl replied, a bit more sternly. Sam sighed and got up, brushing the dirt off his knees. He made his way over to Daryl, looking up at him uncertainly. "You say somethin' to scare your sister?"

"No," Sam lied.

"You didn't? 'Cause she says you did. Somethin' 'bout bears." Sam thought for a moment. "You wanna think 'bout your answer?"

"I was just joking," he said with a shrug.

"Well, it scared Sophia. You think you oughta apologize?" Sam sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "What's goin' on, Sam?"

"Sophia told me the fish died."

"What?"

"She said she saw the fish floating in the water. Mom said he swam away. Did she lie?" Daryl thought carefully for a moment.

"Your mama didn't want you to be sad. Didn't want ya upset with yerself. Don't be mad at your mama. She just wanted you to be happy, alright?" Sam nodded, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "S'called a white lie. She thought it wouldn't hurt nothin' to tell ya he was ok."

"Oh," Sam said with a nod.

"Now you wanna go apologize to your sister for scarin' her?"

"But what about…" He nodded toward Sophia. Daryl sighed.

"Soph?" She looked over at him. "C'mere for a second." Sophia nodded and walked over slowly.

"You tell your brother about the fish?"

"Yeah, but he threw a bug at me!" she insisted. Daryl sighed heavily, hanging his head for a moment before he looked back and forth between the both of them.

"Look, we're gonna have a fun campin' trip, ain't we?"

"Yeah," they replied in unison.

"So you're gonna be nice to each other, ain't that right?"

"Yeah," they said in unison, nodding their heads.

"Good, 'cause I want both of ya to apologize to each other."

"But…"

"Go on," Daryl replied with a nod. Sophia made a face, but she looked at her twin brother.

"Sammy, I'm sorry for what I said about the fish."

"M'sorry I threw that bug at ya. And told ya about the bears," Sammy replied. "And m'sorry I splashed water on you and pulled Griselda Gunderson's hair out." Sophia held up her doll to reveal a huge bald patch on her doll. Daryl sighed. Kids.

"Alright, we good?"

"Yeah," Sophia said with a shrug.

"Sure," Sam replied.

"Great." He stood up and headed back into the tent, where Carol was grinning from ear to ear. "What?"

"That was sweet."

"You were listenin'?"

"Of course," she laughed. "They're good kids, but they act up sometimes. Thank you. You were good with them."

"Kinda felt like a fish outta water."

"You'll get used to it," she promised, cupping his face with her hands and giving him a soft kiss. "You sounded like a daddy just then." Daryl looked down for a moment before he turned his attention back to her face and gave her a little smile. "How'd it feel?"

"Pretty good," he admitted. Carol grinned and kissed him again.

"Come on," she murmured. "Let's go check on our kids."

...

After about three S'mores apiece, the kids were surprisingly not on a sugar high. Sam was the first to fall asleep, and Daryl took him into the tent and put him down in his sleeping bag. Sophia held on for almost an hour more, before she dozed in Carol's lap, and Daryl took the initiative to carry her back to the tent as well. When he came back out, Carol was nowhere to be seen, and he felt a panic rise in his chest.

"Carol?" he whispered into the night. "Where'd you go?" He reached down, adding a few large pieces of wood to the fire. The flames licked and sizzled against the wood, sending wisps of smoke and embers curling into the breeze. "Hey, Carol?" He heard a soft clink against the side of his pickup, and he narrowed his eyes. He turned and peeked back into the tent, making sure the kids were sleeping soundly before he zipped up the door and headed for the truck.

When he drew closer, he could see Carol leaning against the tailgate, and he moved around quietly, clearing his throat to let her know he was coming. She turned, shivering as the breeze cooled down, and he saw the moonlight bouncing off of her bare shoulders. She was wearing a bathing suit, but not the one she'd worn earlier. This was a bikini, and it sure as hell showed a lot more skin than the one she wore earlier.

Her arms were folded across her stomach, and she gave him a nervous smile as he moved to stand next to her.

"Goin' for a swim?" he asked.

"I was hoping you might join me," she said softly, smiling as she turned to face him. He pulled his hands around her waist.

"You sure?" he asked, glancing back toward the tent.

"They're sleeping?"

"Yep."

"Then we're good. They're very heavy sleepers. We could have an earthquake, and we'd have to carry them out of it." Daryl snorted at that. Carol snaked her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes to press her lips against his. Then as quickly as she was kissing him, she was fleeing, hurrying down to the water. Before he knew what was happening, he heard a splash and a muffled shriek as the cold water hit her body like a wave of ice. Then she was laughing, softly, but laughing, and Daryl hurried after her, shedding his clothes as he rushed down to the water's edge.

He stripped down to his swim trunks, and as soon as his feet hit the water, he resisted the urge to howl from the cold.

"Jesus fuck that's cold." He stepped back on the shore.

"Just get in here. It's a rush. It's amazing." He couldn't even see her, but he could hear her splashing around, and he let his eyes adjust to the view of the moonlight reflecting on the surface of the lake. He huffed out a few deep breaths before he gathered up the nerve and took the plunge, rushing toward the water at full speed before jumping in, splashing out to the deeper water. It felt like a thousand needles hitting him at once, but after a few moments, his skin and nerves adjusted to the cold temperature, and it started to feel good.

It felt even better when he felt her hands slide down his shoulders and her arms wrap around him from behind. Her lips and teeth caught his earlobe before she kissed down his neck and around to his back. He moaned softly as one hand moved down his chest, stroking his belly under the water.

"Careful, sweetheart," he groaned. "Gonna have to finish anything you start." Carol moaned softly against his ear, when his hand moved back, brushing against her thigh.

"Oh, I plan to," she purred, moving around in the water to face him, pulling her legs around his waist. Her lips were on his in moments, and she was grinding against him, and his hands were moving down her waist and over her ass. She giggled when he gave her a little squeeze, and she sighed, enjoying the feeling of his mouth against hers, his hands working over her body.

Without warning, she wriggled away from him, sending up a splash of water as she swam away. He followed after her, and they circled one another as the rippling water shined like diamonds in the moonlight. Carol smiled that smile that lit up her face, and he moved in, pulling her back into his arms. He kissed her softly then before resting his forehead against hers. She placed her hands against his chest, feeling the way his body shuddered as he took in deep, shuddering breaths.

"Daryl?"

"I'm gonna marry you someday," he murmured, stroking her cheek. To his relief, she didn't pull away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him, kissing his jaw and his neck before resting her head against his shoulder. He held her, stroking her back under the water. "I ain't askin' now. But I'm gonna ask someday, and you ain't gonna expect it, neither. That ok?"

"Mmm," she murmured softly. She lifted her head as a smile tugged at her lips, and she nodded.

"That's ok," she murmured. She stroked the side of his face with the back of her hand, and she kissed him once again. And then she pulled away, heading for the shore.

"Where you goin'?"

"I'm going to shore, and you're coming with me. I'm gonna fool around with the guy who wants to marry me someday. That ok?"

"S'alright with me," he chuckled, before taking off after her toward the shore, leaving moonlit ripples of water in his wake.