AN: Here we go, another chapter here.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

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"So—basically it's just that Sophia's heart is set on getting in some driving time," Carol said. "And she's really missed out on a lot of it. We've been so busy that we haven't gotten around to taking her much and there's just a lot of—stress behind it."

Andrea stood there, coffee cup in hand, still wearing her pajamas, and nodded her head at Carol while Carol talked.

Carol's strategy, at the moment, was simply to keep talking. As long as she kept talking, she figured that she allowed Andrea very little room to ask questions that she wasn't prepared to answer. Her speech, after all, was prepared but would only get her so far. She wasn't as good at thinking things up on the fly as Daryl was, so she didn't want to give herself too much rope with which she could hang herself.

It was Saturday. Andrea had the day off. It was a perfect day to give Andrea a few things that might distract her from a home life that was, perhaps, improving, but was still quite rocky. Carol fully intended to go through with her part of the plan and keep Andrea busy. Sophia, of course, was more than willing to help—especially since her role in everything would benefit her.

"Stress?" Andrea asked.

Carol sighed and made her way to sit down at Andrea's table with the cup of decaf coffee that her sister-in-law had made for her the moment that she'd walked through the door. The beverage did very little to wake up the senses, but psychologically it could somewhat fool their brains into thinking they were still allowed the caffeine that got them through so many days before. Andrea joined Carol at the table, looking at her feet only at the moment that she nearly tripped over a sneaker that had been left in the middle of the floor by one of the boys.

"I don't do well with Sophia when it comes to driving," Carol said. "I'm too anxious. I know that. It's just—I see my life constantly flashing before my eyes. I can't control it and it really doesn't help things. I get nervous and Sophia reacts. She gets nervous and then it's just a slippery slope from there. I'm not cut out to teach her to drive."

"So you think I'm better suited to be in the car with her?" Andrea asked with a laugh.

"You taught MJ to drive," Carol said.

Andrea nodded her head.

"That was because Merle didn't have time," Andrea said.

"How'd you keep your cool with him?" Carol asked. "How'd you keep from—nearly screaming every time you approached a red light at fifty miles an hour with very little sign of using the brakes?"

Andrea laughed and shrugged before she tasted the coffee in her mug. It reminded Carol to drink from her own so that she didn't look like she didn't appreciate Andrea's efforts to make her feel at home.

"I guess it just didn't bother me," Andrea said. "I had faith that he would stop—even if it nearly sent me through the windshield. And he always did."

Carol pointed at Andrea.

"And that's why I need you to take Sophia driving," Carol said. "My nerves can't handle it and Daryl gets so frustrated, so easily. It's like—he can be completely zen about anything and everything, but when he gets in the car with her? That all goes out the window. He becomes a completely different person."

Andrea sucked in a breath and let it out with a nod of her head.

"Yeah," she said. "Sure. I mean—it's not a problem to take Sophia driving. But—if I'm stepping out of the house then you're going to have to keep an eye out on the boys."

"You know I will," Carol said.

"And I don't want to take Hays in the car," Andrea said. "Just in case. I mean—I don't think anything is going to happen but..."

"But the fewer people to worry about in the car, the better," Carol said quickly. "I understand. I've got it. Hays is an angel. He won't be a problem at all."

"So you just want me to take her around town?" Andrea asked.

"She could use a little practice where it's a little busier," Carol said. "I thought—maybe you could take her over to Union? Let her get a taste of driving in the "big city"?"

Andrea laughed at Carol's air quotes. Union wasn't a big city by any real standards, but for them it was the biggest city around if they weren't up for the drive to Atlanta. There was no way they'd take Sophia to drive in Atlanta, either, until she was at least comfortable driving somewhere like Union. It would be akin to throwing her into a shark tank the very first time she was learning to swim.

"OK," Andrea said. "We'll go to Union. Maybe we'll get some lunch while we're out. A little girls' day."

The smile that came across Andrea's face was exactly what Carol wanted to see. With nothing but boys of her own, Andrea didn't get the mother-daughter experiences that Carol got with the girls. And even though she loved her boys dearly, Carol knew that was something that Andrea had always wanted. It made her a great aunt to the girls because they gave her the opportunity to play at being a mother to girls and, in return, she spoiled them a little more than maybe Carol would normally do.

"Maybe while you're there you can go to the mall?" Carol asked. "Sophia could use a new pair of shoes for school and a couple of outfits."

"Take her shopping?" Andrea asked.

"Nothing extravagant," Carol said. "Just—two or three outfits and some new shoes. She'd rather go with you, anyway, because you have good taste and I just wouldn't ever understand what all the girls are wearing these days."

Andrea laughed.

"Fine," she said. "We'll drive to Union, buy some new clothes, and have lunch. But—are you sure you're OK with the kids?"

"I'm sure that I have more than enough babysitters that will help out for some spending money," Carol assured Andrea. "I promise everyone will be fine. Lizzie will be on the job for the right amount of money."

"Then why don't you come with us?" Andrea asked. "Get Lizzie and Mika to babysit Jude and Hays and—I'll threaten mine with their lives if they don't behave. We'll make it a real girls' day." Andrea smirked at her. "You can even sit in the back with a blindfold on while we drive there so you don't have to see what's happening outside the car."

Carol shook her head. She'd been prepared for this too. She'd known that Andrea was going to try to talk her into joining them for a girls' day out. And, under normal circumstances, Carol would love the idea. But these weren't normal circumstances.

"I would but—I've got an appointment," Carol said quickly. "I can't miss it. And I don't want to reschedule."

Carol hated the look of concern that crossed Andrea's face, but it had to happen.

"Appointment?" Andrea asked. "What's wrong?"

Carol shook her head. She wanted to look concerned herself, but she didn't want to look grave enough that it would ruin Andrea's whole day or possibly threaten to destroy what was already in place with an offer to take care of her.

"I'm sure nothing's wrong," Carol said. "But—I just want to be sure. You understand."

"The baby?" Andrea asked.

Carol's heart picked up a couple of beats. Andrea looked like she might be sick and Carol hadn't thought her plan through enough. She hadn't thought that the appointment would be enough to upset Andrea—she'd simply wanted something that would be urgent enough that Andrea wouldn't insist she change her plans and join them.

"I'm sure everything's fine," Carol repeated. "Really—I think that everything's fine. But—but you know that...you know I...sometimes get worried. I just thought—it was best to go and know for myself. Get a little reassurance." Andrea's face changed a little and the worry there seemed to be lifted some from her features. "I just wanted a little reassurance," Carol said again, deciding that she'd found the best way to handle the situation.

"Does Daryl know?" Andrea asked.

Carol nodded her head.

"Of course," Carol said. "Of course he knows. And he's not worried either. He's—got things to do today and he knows it's just nerves. But we're not talking about it with the kids. OK? It's just—I'm sure it's nothing and I don't want them to be concerned for no reason."

"Are you sure you're OK going alone?" Andrea asked.

Carol smiled at her and reached her hand across the table to pat Andrea on the arm.

"Absolutely," she promised. "I'm fine. You see—I'm fine right now. It'll just be nice to have a little more reassurance, that's all. And I'll feel better knowing that Sophia's getting some driving time in because she desperately needs it. And—I don't have to be the one to do it with her." Carol forced as much of a laugh as she could so that Andrea would catch it up and let go of her worry. It seemed to work because Andrea patted her hand affectionately.

"I really don't mind taking Sophia," Andrea said. "I just hope that—everything's OK."

"It will be," Carol assured her. "Better than OK. I'm sure of it."

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"Damn it, boy! Anybody got eyes in his head could see this shit is fucked up," Merle said.

"I don't know how it got past me the first time," MJ responded.

"This damn car's set to go out today," Merle said. "I done called 'em to pick it up after lunch."

"I guess there's nothing to do but get it fixed," MJ said.

"Ain't you a bright damn boy," Merle growled. "High school education is payin' off, I don't care what the hell they say about the damn school system here. Fix this shit an' get it done 'fore they get here."

MJ bit back his laughter because he didn't want his father to know that the string of sudden "problems" that were popping up around the shop were his own doing. None of them were major—he'd never go that far—but they were all inconvenient enough to keep Merle busy for the full day. He would barely have time to take a piss during the course of the work day and he certainly wouldn't have time to even think about leaving the shop.

"Can't," MJ said. "Already got that Dodge over there that'cha promised would be done today. You made that promise last week an' we keep on pushing it. It ain't good business to push it much damn longer."

Merle growled. He looked around the shop.

"Every damn thing in this whole damn shop is falling the fuck apart and where the hell's your uncle?" Merle asked.

MJ shrugged his shoulders.

"Had to go see about parts," MJ said. "Had a meeting. Don't you remember?"

"Don't fuckin' ask me what the hell I remember," Merle said. "Get your ass under a car so I don't gotta look at'cha."

MJ smirked and nodded his head.

"Wouldn't a damn thing make me happier, Ole Man," MJ said. "Oh...and you might wanna have a look over that Toyota too. Can't be sure, but I'm thinkin' there might be somethin' wrong with the fuel line."

"The hell's wrong with the fuel line?" Merle asked.

MJ shrugged his shoulders. There wasn't a single damn thing that was wrong with the fuel line. He knew that for a fact. The truck had been waiting for two days for the owner to pick it up because he'd been out of town on business. It had been checked over, as Merle would put it, from asshole to appetite twice. But telling Merle that something was possibly wrong with it, especially after all the carefully coordinated disasters that had already been put in place that day, would keep him busy for a while. He'd spend at least an hour chasing shadows while he searched for a problem that didn't even exist.

And MJs job was simple. He just had to keep Merle so busy that he didn't have time to think, and he had to keep him at the shop.

"Don't know," MJ said. "Why I said you oughta look at it. You know I don't know my ass from my elbow sometimes."

"That's the fuckin' truth," Merle grumbled, diving back under the hood.

MJ cleared his throat.

"Don't look like we getting a lunch break today," MJ offered. "You want me to call? Order somethin'?"

"You think you got the sense not to fuck that up?" Merle asked.

MJ laughed to himself. Merle's jaw-flapping didn't bother him in the slightest. He was more than used to it—especially when it came to matters at the shop. And what Merle didn't know was that MJ was greatly succeeding at exactly what he was trying to do. In fact, he couldn't imagine that it could possibly go any better than it was going right now. He only hoped that everyone else was even half as successful at their jobs as he was at his.

"Maybe not," MJ said. "But I'll sure as shit give it a try."