Greetings from the great white south! It's -20 today and there is snow EVERYWHERE! I love winter, excuse the excitement. Okay, this story takes a strange turn here. I wasn't going to write it this way but it happened. A few of you have jokingly made inquiries about it but I've stayed silent and just waited until it was time to post this chapter. I hope it goes over well with you! Anyway, stay warm and be careful out there! Thanks for reading!
Chapter Thirty Six
The first thing he did when he woke up was reach for her. Panic slammed into him when there was no one there. He sat up, willing himself to calm down, his heart banging painfully against his ribs, like a bird beating against a cage, despair climbing his throat, burning like acid.
"Morning."
He turned his head and was greeted with a pair of blue eyes watching him carefully. She crawled back into bed and he let his head fall back to the pillow with a groan. The sun was beating against the glass on the other side of the drapes and he knew he had slept in. The fear he had felt melted away once she curled up into his side. Was it always going to be this way? Every time she wasn't right there was he going to subconsciously think that she had taken off again?
She raised up on her elbow and looked down at him, studying him carefully. "You thought I left, didn't you?" She asked wistfully.
He pushed his hair back out of his face, staring up at the ceiling without answering her.
He heard her sigh. "I can't blame you if you decide that you can't do this. I deserve it and I know it. I just wanted you to give it a try and you did. I won't ask you for anymore than that."
He stayed silent, waiting for his pulse to slow to a normal rhythm. He sighed heavily and then wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. "I ain't gonna stop tryin'," he said gruffly. He meant it too. He had made the decision to be with her. To really be with her. It was just going to take a little time to get himself to a point where he knew, deep down, he was it for her and she wouldn't leave again.
Raising up again she ran her finger over his lips, smiling sadly. "Somehow I'm going to make this better. And even if I can't, I'm not going to stop trying either."
"Guess that's all we can do then," he said, his voice still gruff.
They laid there like that for a few more minutes until she shifted again, sitting up. "I need to get out there and see what I can help with. I can't just stay in bed with you all day."
He felt his lips twitch but he kept his eyes narrowed on her. "I 'spose I do too. I gotta figure out what to do about that damn girl."
"That damn girl is just fine. You can't control her," Carol said with a grin.
"You're gonna have to get a handle on that boy then. I'll leave Piper be when you convince that kid to stay the hell away from her," he grumbled.
"He isn't mine, Daryl. I brought him to the group but he isn't my responsibility.
Daryl sat up, scowling down at her. "So I gotta play dad to some girl because I'm the one that brought her here but you get to let the boy you brought run wild? That's bullshit."
She grinned. "He's a good boy, Daryl. He don't need to be watched."
He scowled. "Well she's... she's an ass, but I shouldn't have to watch her all the time just cause you think your kid is better than my kid. That's an even bigger pile of bullshit."
"I never said he was better than her! I just don't think that he's really the one we have to worry about. I think Piper is amazing but you have to admit that she's a little... you know."
He pushed the blankets aside and slid out of bed. He was wearing pants but they weren't buttoned and instantly her eyes were all over him at once. A small part of him shied away from the scrutiny but a larger part, one that he was still getting used to, liked the fact that she obviously liked what she was seeing. He cleared his throat, raising a brow at her when her eyes finally made it up to meet his. "You care to elaborate?"
"What?" She blinked.
He crossed his arms over his chest. "For some reason, you think that Piper needs the lookin' after and you were about to tell me why."
Her eyes cleared and she crossed her own arms. "Do we have to do this now? I don't feel like fighting with you over a couple of kids that aren't even ours. How about they just look out for themselves."
He openly gaped at her. "Because she's the one that could end up pregnant if you don't keep a damn leash on the boy!"
She groaned, rolling her eyes. "They aren't even doing anything!"
Hands on his hips he looked at her like she was stupid. "Neither were we! Shit happens out of the blue and you know that. One minute there ain't a damn thing goin' on and then the next you got two people climbin' each other like a tree."
"You're being ridiculous," she muttered, walking past him towards the door.
He grabbed her by the arm, yanking her back until she slammed into his chest. She looked at him from over her shoulder and glared. He put his lips close to her ear. "We ain't done talkin'," he growled.
Her back was pressed hard against his chest and he could feel her pulse quicken. She tried to get away but all that accomplished was him tightening his grip on her, his breath rushing out as her ass moved over his crotch.
She gave up on acting angry and finally laughed, leaning into him. "I love fighting with you."
He snorted. "I noticed." He ran his tongue over the back of her neck and felt her shiver and then suddenly let her go, reaching down and picking up the shirt he had discarded the night before. She spun around just as he started buttoning it up.
"What was that?" She asked, her wide eyes accusing.
He shrugged. "Penance."
She glared. "You're planning on using sexual warfare on me? Seriously, Daryl. A man has a much higher sex drive than a woman. I think you'll mostly just be torturing yourself."
He kissed her quickly on his way past her and stepped out, squinting into the bright sunlight.
She followed and the look she gave him was smug. "If a war is what you want..." she shrugged.
He opened his mouth to say something but suddenly the door next to his slammed shut. Piper stormed out and then stopped in her tracks when she spotted them. She scowled at him and then pointed to the door to her room.
"Thin walls, old man! Thin goddamn walls. The two of you kept me up half the damn night!"
To his horror the others were out by the fire and they were all looking their way. But, of course, Piper didn't pay them any mind. And she wasn't finished.
"So, you finally manned up and put it to her. I'm happy for you, seriously. Hell, I'm happy for her because from what I hear you got some mad skills. But I don't want to hear about it! Jesus! You're pseudo dad, remember? No one wants to hear their parental unit slamming his lady friend. For hours!"
Daryl was staring at her, wide eyed and red faced. "Would you keep your voice down?" He hissed. He couldn't believe she had heard them. But of course she heard them. The walls were thin. What the hell had he been thinking putting her in the room right next to his.
"Oh my God," Carol choked.
He looked at her and she was covering her mouth, her own face flushed with embarrassment. This was all her fault. After that first time he had went to sleep like any other respectable male. She was the one that had woken him up later and they had done it again. God, this was horrible.
Piper gave them one last withering look and then stormed over to join the others.
"I swear I didn't even think about her being in the next room. She heard everything!" Carol groaned.
He sighed and started walking towards the fire, knowing everyone was staring at them. "We need to figure something else out. She's gonna hold this over my head forever."
"Well, you can't lecture her about having a sex life and then force her to stay in a room where she gets full audio of your own," Carol hissed.
He scowled and then veered off towards the wall.
"Where are you going?" She demanded.
He didn't even glance back at her. "Huntin'. You were the loud one. You handle this mess."
~H~
She watched him go with a scowl on her face. She couldn't believe that man! Turning on her heel she stormed over to the fire, ignoring the smirks on some of their faces. Piper and Lydon were sitting together on one of the logs, talking in low voices. Noah and Carl were sitting close to them and then all three boys started laughing at whatever Piper was telling them. Carol felt her face flush even more and she looked away, only to meet the merry eyes of Rick.
"So, I hear that you two patched things up," he said with a grin.
"Shut up, Rick," she grumbled.
"Well, here," he said, handing her a bottle of water, "You've gotta be thirsty."
She growled but then realized he was right. She took the bottle and drank her share before handing it back to him.
"Seriously, is everything okay now?" He asked, all the teasing gone from him eyes.
She sighed, remembering the look on Daryl's face this morning when he had thought she was gone. It had stung but she had earned it. "I think we're a lot closer to being okay than I ever expected to be. He doesn't trust me but at least he's trying."
Rick nodded, his eyes going to the wall. "It was pretty bad there for a while. I even tried talking him into finding someone else."
She didn't begrudge Rick for making the suggestion. Seeing him with another woman would have been agony but she would have endured it because it would have been no ones fault but her own. "Did he consider it?" She asked out of curiosity alone, even though she knew him well enough to know he hadn't. Daryl didn't open up to many people and he didn't open up to anyone all the way. Not until her and then she had ran off and damaged him all over again. He wasn't the type of man that could be with a woman easily.
Rick shook his head. "I thought he was gonna take my head off for even thinking that he would do something like that." He looked at her, his eyes imploring and all traces of humor vanishing from his face. "If you feel like you can't be here. Really be here," he paused and looked out towards the wall again and sighed heavily. "Just don't do that to him again. I can't watch him go through that. He deserves to be happy."
Carol felt her heart sink. She knew then that Rick didn't trust her either. It didn't seem like anyone did and it was her own fault. She looked over and happened to catch Lydon's eye. He smiled at her and she smiled back. Well, there was one person here that she hadn't let down. That had to count for something. "I wouldn't leave again. I learned my lesson," she said in a low voice.
Rick wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a half hug. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed.
"Hands off the goods, Dick. If you're thinkin' about playin' grab ass with my pseudo dad's woman while he's gone I'll happily kick your nuts completely off."
Rick and Carol both looked across the fire where Piper was openly glaring at them both. Carol eyed her until Piper finally dropped her gaze.
"If you don't stop calling me Dick Grimes then I think I'm gonna start calling you baby Merle. And trust me, that isn't a compliment," Rick said as he stepped away from Carol.
Piper shot up off of the log that she had been sitting on, her fists clenched at her sides. "How the fuck did you know that?" She yelled, her voice trembling with anger.
Carol frowned and her and Rick shared a startled look before they both turned back to the furious girl. "Know what, Piper?" Carol asked gently.
Piper looked between them, her eyes darting like a caged rabbit as she took a step back. "Why did you call me that?" She said in a lower voice.
"What?" Rick asked. "Baby Merle?"
"Piper, what's wrong?" Carol asked, taking one step towards the girl.
"Don't you ever call me that again," she growled.
Carol felt a strange chill run up her spine. "Why," she breathed. "Why are you so angry that he'd call you that?"
Amazingly, Piper looked even more outraged now, her face twisting up in disgust before she actually spit on the ground. "Merle. That's the name of the piece of shit that got my would have been mom hooked on the hard shit and then took off after he knocked her up. He's the whole goddamn reason the bitch gave me up to begin with. How the hell did you know that? Nobody knew that! I wasn't even suppose to know that!"
"Oh my God," Carol whispered. "Rick... you have to find Daryl. Now."
Rick took off at a jog towards the wall, not needing to be told twice. Carol stared at Piper who was watching Rick.
"What the fuck is going on?" She asked, her sharp eyes meeting Carol's once more.
Carol didn't know what to say. It wasn't really her place to say anything at all. She shook her head. "Daryl... Just wait for Daryl to come back and we'll talk.
SO, this is far fetched and I am completely aware of that. But this is fanfiction and I went with it anyway. I ran Daryl through the ringer in this story and before this story comes to an end I wanted him to have more than just Carol as an end result. Him losing Merle has always bothered me more so than any other loss to any other character other than when Carol lost Sophia. But Sophia, like Beth, is gone for good *sorry, I couldn't resist that barb*. But I want to end this with him not only having a strong relationship with Carol but a huge piece of his brother. A link to someone that he didn't get a chance to grieve over. So, some of you may think that it's too over the top. That's cool because you're right. But this is what I wanted for him in this story. I'll update again soon as long as my internet provider cooperates =) Again, thanks for reading!