(I was going to wait until the end of the week to write this, but screw it. Why should I prepare myself for something important in my real life tomorrow when I can chop this out instead? Enjoy and be grateful that I am the world's worst procrastinator.)
Daryl had been unusually quiet at work the next morning. He barely spoke a single word to anyone. He had also seemed to be in quite the mood, because they were all supposed to working on tearing a wall down and the man single handedly took it out himself. His co-workers knew something was up, but they had no idea what. Daryl had told T-dog he needed to stop by his place on the way home and talk to him about something.
"So, what's up?" His boss asked him as he entered his house.
"I gotta tell you something and you ain't gone like it." Daryl said in a low voice.
T-dog looked completely confused. He knew Daryl had been off all day at work. Something had him upset and he had no clue what it could be. "What's going on, Daryl?" He said, with concern etched in his voice.
"I'm moving to Savannah. I gotta quit." He said sadly as he looked down at the floor.
"What?" "Why?" T-dog was in shock
"My brother, he got a job down there. He found me one too." He mumbled out.
"If this is about money, I can negotiate a raise. I don't wanna lose you Daryl. It's hard to find good work."
It ain't about that, you're paying me good. Hell, I'm gonna be making a lot less where I'm going."
"Then don't go." T-dog said as if it was the easiest choice ever.
"He's my brother man, I gotta go with him."
Daryl seemed like his mind was made up. T-dog didn't understand this at all. He didn't wanna lose Daryl as a worker and truthfully, he thought of the man as a good friend as well.
"When are you leaving?" He asked
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" "What the fuck Daryl!" "How long have you known about this?"
Daryl didn't like being yelled at. Not by anyone. He may have liked and respected T-Dog, but he didn't appreciate the man yelling at him. Although he understood he was upset about having this information sprung on him.
"Stop fucking yelling at me!" Daryl said with his own voice raised now. "I just found out about this shit last night. Like I said, I don't wanna go, but I got to. He's my brother. He's the only family I got. We've got to stick together."
"I don't think this a good idea. I think you should stay here, but this is your life and I can't stop you." T-Dog was now saying in a softer tone. "If you change your mind, the job is still yours. If not, you were one hell of a worker, and we will miss you around here."
()()()
Daryl figured while he was in the neighborhood he may as well stop by and break the news to Rick. He hated this shit so much. Leaving this place and every good thing that he found here was tearing him apart. Rick had become his best friend, aside from Carol. Hell, he was there when his daughter was born and has possibly helped save her and her mother's life.
Rick came to the door shortly after Daryl knocked. He hadn't been expecting to see him at all tonight. He noticed a pain expression on Daryl's face.
"Can we talk?" Daryl asked.
"Yeah, sure. Come on in." Rick replied.
"Actually, can we talk out here?" Daryl asked.
Rick noticed the sadness in his voice. He hadn't ever seen Daryl so upset before.
"Sure." Rick agreed, as he stepped outside the door. "Daryl, what's wrong?
"I'm leaving…"
"What do you mean leaving?" Rick asked with eyebrows raised. This wasn't making any sense to him.
"Merle, he got a job in Savannah. He wants me to go too."
"You don't have to go." Rick said firmly
"He's my brother…"
"I know that, but you have a life here. A job…"
Daryl cut Rick off before he could finish. "I quit my job."
"When?" "And just how soon are you leaving?"
"Right before I walked over here, and tomorrow…" He said with downcast eyes
"What the hell, man?" "You were just waiting to tell us?" Rick had anger in his voice.
"I didn't even know until last night." He countered.
"You don't have to do this. You can stay. Let him go."
"He's my brother." Daryl said helplessly.
"What about Carol and Sophia?"
That one stung, because as hard as this conversation was to have with Rick, it was going to damn near kill him to have it with Carol. He had no idea what he was going to say to her.
"She'll understand…" He managed to say. Because in all honesty, he really thought she would. Sure, he assumed she would be upset by the news, but she knew how much his brother meant to him. He was sure she would understand why he had to go.
Rick shook his head. He wasn't so sure Carol was going to understand and he knew she wasn't going to take this well. "And Sophia?" He asked. "You know she and Carl are with Shane and Andrea all week in Florida while they are on spring break." "You're just going to leave without saying goodbye?
"Man, what do you want me to?" "Merle is my family, my blood?" "I ain't Carol's husband and I ain't Sophia's daddy. I did what you said, I didn't go after Carol. Now you're trying to guilt me into staying because of her and Sophia…"
Daryl had a point. He had once told him that he had no business going after Carol, and right now he wished he never had that conversation with him. Maybe if he hadn't of then they would have ended up getting together. Maybe Daryl would stay if they did.
"I'm sorry." Rick said. "I just, I don't want you to leave. You helped save Lori and Judith, you've been there for Carl. You're not just a friend, you're like a brother to me." His voice was full of emotion.
"Yeah, you too." Daryl said sadly. "Take care of little ass kicker for me."
"Do you wanna see her before you go and say goodbye to Lori?"
Daryl shook his head. Seeing Judith would've been too emotional and he knew Lori would get emotional if he said he was leaving. He didn't wanna see anyone cry. "I gotta go talk to Carol." He said.
()()()
When Carol got home from work she found Daryl sitting on her steps. He looked like he was about to chew his thumb clear off of his hand.
"You okay?" She asked him softly. She placed a hand on his shoulder and for the first time in a long time he tensed up at her touch.
"Not really." He said barely above a whisper. "We need to talk."
She had no idea what those words meant, but her stomach immediately dropped. He was really upset about something. His voice sounded like it was on the verge of tears and he was shaking a little. She had already had a long day at work and ended up losing a patient, so emotionally she had no idea how much more she could take. She let him inside and the two stood in the living room for a second in silence.
"You're scaring the hell out me, Daryl. Please tell me what's going on?" She finally said breaking the silence.
He looked at her and bit his lower lip hard. This was going to be the hardest conversation he ever had with anyone, but he figured it wouldn't be half as hard as if she ended up coming to him one day to tell him she had met someone and fell in love. So he decided he had to do it.
"I'm leaving…" He managed to get it.
"Leaving?" "Like working out of town with T-Dog for a while?" She asked confused.
He shook his head. "No. Merle got a job in Savannah and I'm going with him."
She froze. She literally just felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She had been married to a husband who abused her for almost 13 years, and right now she would have rather endured physical abuse than to hear him say these words. It was like a knife to her heart. When she divorced Ed there had been no sadness, just a sense of freedom and happiness that she could start a new life. The thought of Daryl leaving was breaking her heart and she hadn't ever even kissed him.
"Leaving?" Leaving?" You're, you're leaving?" She kept repeating herself and her voice was cracking and her eyes were filling with tears. She was silent again for a moment and finally spoke up again "When?"
"Tomorrow." He said, not looking at her. He knew she was crying and he knew she was crying because of him and he felt like the biggest asshole in the world.
"Tomorrow!" "Why?" She asked as she wiped tears from her eyes.
"Merle's leaving and I gotta go with him. He's my brother." He said for what felt like the millionth time today.
"How can you just leave like that?" She spat out angrily. "Without a second thought to anyone but yourself?" "What about your friends?" "What about me and Sophia?" She was yelling and crying at this point.
So for the second time today he was getting yelled out about leaving, except this time the person doing the yelling was making him feel horrible and guilty and she was basically asking him how she could leave her and her daughter. He was sad and angry and he felt like he was backed against a corner, and he did the most natural thing a Dixon could do when they are backed into a corner, he lashed out.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" He screamed as he threw his arms in the air. "I AIN'T YOUR HUSBAND AND I AIN'T SOPHIA'S DADDY."
She was slightly startled that he was yelling at her, she hadn't ever seen him angry before, except for that time he jumped on Ed. She wasn't afraid of him though, despite his current state. She paused for a second to think about what she wanted. What she really wanted was him, she had wanted him for a long time now. She never thought she had a chance and hadn't ever pursued it. Now he was leaving and she might not ever see him again. Her emotions were ten different levels of crazy right now and he was still staring at her waiting for her to answer. She didn't know what to say, so she did the first thing that popped into her mind.
She quickly moved towards him and started kissing him. She had expected him to freak out, to get even madder, to push her way, to freeze up, but he didn't. When her lips first met his he didn't react for a moment, it seemed to her that he had to process what was happening because it was so unexpected. And truthfully it was, this whole damn night was. But once it seemed he realized what was going on he was kissing her back. So, she went with it. She deepened the kiss and moved her hands to his hair, she had wanted him for so long and it had been a long time since she had been with a man. She wanted him to know where she wanted this to go.
Daryl was almost in shock as to what was happening. He never in a million years would have thought him telling her he was leaving would have ended with her kissing him. Hell, he never thought she'd be kissing him. Yet, here she was, her lips locked against his. He had wanted to kiss her for so long, to be with her for so long and now it was happening, there was no way in hell he wasn't going with it. So, he kissed her back, then she ran her fingers through his hair and deepened the kiss and he lout a moan. Next thing he knew she was pushing him backwards towards the bedroom and he knew what was about to happen. He knew from that moment she kissed him, because it wasn't just a goodbye kiss, it was full of intent.
The way she was kissing him and moving him towards the bedroom, this was going to go fast. And he didn't want it to, he had wanted her for so long, and he didn't want this to go by in a blur. He wanted this to be done right, so he decided to jump into control. He slowed the kiss down just a bit, then he moved his hands down her back at first, and then down her ass, then on the back of her thighs. Once he reached her thighs he lifted her up and pulled her close to him. Still not breaking the kiss. He could feel her lips curl into a smile when he did this and she let out a small moan.
He was holding her now and walking towards the bedroom, the door was closed and for a moment he pressed her up against it and continued kissing her. While she was pressed against the door he broke the kiss for moment to start kissing down her neck, as he balanced her in one arm and fumbled for the door with the other. The two made their way to the bed and he found himself on top of her. She went for his shirt and pulled it off quickly. He moved his hand under hers and was undoing her bra as she was kissing his neck. Once her bra was undone he went to take grab handful of boobs and it suddenly dawned on him what they were doing. He knew once this happened that things would forever be changed. He froze in place and looked her in the eyes. He wanted to be sure that this was what she wanted.
She looked back up at him. His blue eyes were locked on hers. She knew he wanted to make sure this was okay with her. She looked up at him and nodded before locking her lips on his again.
That was all the reassurance he needed, as he moved to pull her shirt up
