Hey, everyone!
This is a sweet little piece of nothing I had to get out of my system. I'm getting sappy lately, I know :)
Remember Hope from chapter 31? Well, she's back :)
A year earlier
"I thought you were asleep," Carol giggled.
She had tiptoed her way in the bedroom as lightly as she could, not wanting to disturb Daryl who had come back a few hours ago from a two day hunting trip, exhausted, and headed straight to bed after a quick shower. Carol shimmied out of her clothes in utter silence and reached the edge of their bed, the mattress sagging just a notch under her weight. The moment she leaned forward to snag her night pants, though, a muscled arm locked around her waist.
"You think a lot of things," he nibbled her neck, smirking at the way her breath hitched in a flash. "That head of yours is fuckin' rumbling."
"Always a sweet talker, Daryl." Her back arched to provide him unobstructed access and a spark ignited, rattling up her spine.
"Sounds like me," he grunted huskily. His free hand grasped the pants she was holding and tossed them behind him before turning her to face him full front. "Can't resist my charm, can you?"
"Never could," Carol breathed and her lips went pliant under his greedy assault.
After a while, they were both naked, Daryl positioned on top of her, fingers groping every curve of her body and tongue trailing a moist path around her nipples as she moaned in delight, eyelids seamed and legs clamped around him.
When the door swung open they both gasped and jerked in unison.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Five year old Hope was standing in the doorway, eyes watery. "I had a nightmare!" she hollered, trotting to her parents with open arms, Sophia's doll dangling from one hand.
Daryl flopped over and landed hard with his back on the wooden floor groaning loudly whereas Carol barely had time to yank the flowery sheet atop her, idly thinking that she didn't recognize half of the swears he grumbled as they were both still panting, before Hope collided with her.
They were caught having sex, that was the problem. And as soon as Hope was cooed and soothed she didn't neglect to ask innocently what they were doing naked and how come they weren't cold. It was a legendary night that engraved in history for the glorious and erudite speech Daryl gave once he had his pants on and adjusted himself against the bed frame, stroking Hope's hair. Carol listened to him spellbound with mouth hanging as he explained that mom had a nightmare too and when grown-ups have nightmares they take off their clothes, otherwise they can't get comforted. Hope registered everything in awe, nodding, serious and concentrated before finally dozing off.
"What is sex?"
Carol's fork teetered over her plate and she hardly snatched it before plummeting to the kitchen floor. Daryl choked on his rabbit stew, chest retching in a regurgitative spasm as he coughed and gasped for air. Toppling her chair, Carol launched on her feet and rounded him, slapping at his back. With a sharp blow between his shoulder blades in sync with a coarse hack, the chunk of meat was eventually dislodged from Daryl's throat.
"Silly daddy," Hope scowled, shaking her head. "Mommy says always take time to chew slowly before swallowing. You never listen."
He was still buzzing with the aftershocks of their daughter's inquiries almost smothering him to death, when Carol handed him a glass of water. She was bent over him, chin resting on the curve of his neck, hand rubbing soothing circles on his chest as he gulped the liquid and heaved a few stabilizing breaths. He knew it; he had always known that these two women equaled his death.
"Easy now, Daryl. We got this," Carol whispered in his ear.
Squinting at her flustered face, suddenly compelled to shove her on the oak surface of the table and provide a visual demonstration of "what sex is" to Hope, he willed himself to stay put and in control.
"So, what is sex?"
Carol retrieved her seat casting a peek over Daryl who gawked at her, completely at a loss for words. "Where did you hear that word, honey?" she asked tranquilly.
"School," Hope shrugged casually, inspecting cautiously the way their parents strived to dodge the question. She was a little person, as her daddy called her, not a fool.
Carol scooted closer to Daryl and cupped his knee beneath the table. His hand clutched hers immediately, interlacing their fingers and he sucked in a lungful of air. He was awkward, beyond awkward. He wanted to rant, rave, quail and bolt and not even necessarily in this order, but didn't move an inch nevertheless and Carol was proud of him.
"Sex is something that grown-ups who love each other do," she offered with forethought, leaning forward to tuck a frizzy curl behind Hope's ear.
Hope mulled over it, brow furrowed. "Like they kiss?"
"Huh-huh," Carol nodded, poking Daryl to cooperate and he immediately plastered a fake smirk on his face.
"And how is sex different than kissing?"
She felt her fingers crush under his squeeze and gritted her teeth to preserve her equanimity. "Well… You know how-how a kiss only involves the mouth of two people?" Carol asked and Hope assented. "Sex involves the entire body." There was hesitation there, a subtle stammering that didn't go unnoticed from her audience though.
Daryl watched Carol fidgeting and chimed in. "All your stew is still in your plate, little lady, and all you do is yapp," he glared at her, motioning at the intact plate. Both their gazes flicked over at the timer on the oven, the apple pie baking inside the chamber sparkled as the last ray of hope to evade the inquisition.
"I don't like stew," Hope sulked, pouting her lips at him.
That was all it usually took to have it her way with her father. But not today. Daryl was too clammed up by the disturbing topic that had popped out of nowhere during their lunch and he resented how poor an assistance he provided to Carol. Truth was he prayed for a heart attack, but wasn't about to leave her to deal with sex questions alone, at least physically, because his emotional absence should be considered granted.
"Your momma is baking you an apple pie and we're both plopped here answering all these fuckin' questions," he drawled, jaw set and eyes blazing. "Eat you fuckin' food."
Carol squeezed his hand and pleadingly murmured his name, but Hope eyed him evenly, unfazed. She wasn't afraid of her father, despite being the offspring of the most intimidating hunter of their small community; she couldn't recall one single moment in her life that she pondered he might actually hurt her. Sure his was all peevish temper and fits, but Hope was an observant child. His rage was always leashed and never constituted even the slightest threat for her or her mother.
"Come on, honey," Carol motioned to her plate. "At least a few bites, otherwise there's no dessert for you."
Hope grunted, grabbing her fork and stuffing in a mouthful. Daryl snorted at her reaction and Carol stifled a giggle at how much she was her father's child.
"And can you do sex just with one person or many people?" she went on.
"No!" Daryl's fist bumped on the table; plates, glasses and silverware bouncing off swiftly. "Just one! Maybe just one!" Voice trembling with trampled rage, eyes narrowed.
"Then it's not like the kiss," she countered, glaring right back at him. "Well, not you… But mom kisses a lot of people!"
Daryl gaped and Carol gasped. "No, sweetheart, I don't!" she exclaimed, aware of Daryl's furious gaze raking over her, turning to him. "Will you stop looking at me like this? I only kiss others on the cheek!"
"Out of the mouths of babes…" he grumbled.
Hope shoveled another bite in her mouth and dropped the fork in her plate, chubby, short arms crossed against her chest. "I'm not a baby," she stated.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Carol sighed at Daryl's still frowning expression. "Ok, honey, first of all, it's 'have sex' not 'do sex'," she elaborated, "and it happens between people who love and kiss each other."
"Is it good?" Hope was merciless. And clueless. And way too apt at fathoming her parents body language, despite her age. She huffed at their agape mouths. "That sex thing. Is it good?"
"Ye-yeah," Carol stuttered hesitantly.
"Stew good or apple pie good?"
Daryl cussed under his breath, effectively riled up to the point that he wished they were attacked by a herd so he could just skip the freaking topic and blow off some steam. "What do you mean, Hope?"
"I eat stew because it's good for me, even if I don't like it. But apple pie? I eat because I like it," she clarified innocently. Her cerulean gaze was sincere and full of curiosity and they both melted at the tiny face looking up at them, dying to know.
Carol laughed and she felt Daryl's grip relaxing a bit. "Apple pie good," he chortled despite himself.
Hope nodded, putting another morsel in her mouth with considerable fanfare to render explicitly that she was earning both her answers and her dessert bite after bite, literally. "And why do they do it?"
"This is how babies come into the world," Carol said solemnly as she bent over the table and tucked her chin in her free hand. "People have sex, or you can say 'make love' and after nine months a baby is born."
Hope was amazed with the dawning knowledge, the wheels in her head twirling override. "So, you and dad had sex?"
Carol swallowed hard and Daryl ran a palm across his face. He was menacingly tempted to lash out at her for uttering way more details than he wished their daughter knew only to cater her inquisitiveness and add salt on his wounds.
"What?" Hope rumbled befuddled, fork waving in the air. "If that's how babies come… You have me, don't you?"
"Yes, sweetheart," Carol muttered bashfully with a sidelong glance at Daryl's bowed head. "Daddy and I had sex."
"And why don't you have sex anymore?"
His head snapped up. "We do!" he barked before he could restrain himself, instantly humiliated from his urge to defend their sex life to their kid. Next to him, Carol pursed her lips, looking miserable.
"Then why don't I get a baby to play with?" She watched her father staring at her mother, whose eyes had turned all kinds of misty and was evidently blinking tears away with great effort, his forehead creased in grave concern. Hope was instantly suspicious that he was guilty of something that was about to have her mother crying and glowered down on him.
When Daryl met her furious gaze, a gaze identical to the one he met in his mirror, a lump blistered in his throat and he felt the need to apologize for something he hadn't even done, every single inch of his face cloaked under a vivid crimson.
"Did you do something bad, daddy?" Hope growled.
"No," he gasped and shriveled, mentally scolding himself for being terrified of his own child.
"Then why are you blushing? You say I only blush when I'm caught being naughty."
Daryl's brows connected into an epic frown and he retorted the murderous look, swelling with pride that she didn't flinch.
"Have you been naughty?" Hope drawled pointedly.
"You're the only one naughty here asking all this stuff about sex and shit," he seethed, engaging in a glaring contest with her.
"Nobody's naughty. You're both good," Carol intervened calmly to restore peace, smirking at Daryl's childish demeanor.
Hope eyed her mother with remorse."HJ said that uncle Glenn and aunt Maggie have a lot of sex. That's why I wanted to ask," she confessed and Carol caressed her face.
Daryl scoffed. "Can't say I ain't surprised the kid still possess a dick to fuck."
"Daryl!" Carol slapped him on the chest.
"What?" he chuckled. "Thought Maggie chewed it off years ago."
Hope was suddenly intrigued. Out of nowhere and without her coaxing it, her daddy had revealed a connection she'd never imagined possible. All these bad words she had no idea what they meant and was never allowed to articulate had obviously something to do with the sex riddle. Amazing! She narrowed her eyes, regarding them both quizzically. "What is-" she started but was cut off mid-sentenced by the timer beeping.
Carol nearly groaned with relief and Daryl exhaled a huge puff of air.
"Oh, the pie is ready!" Hope cheered, clasping her hands.
Half an hour later she was still gorging the apple pie, smearing herself top to bottom and everything around her. When she extended two sticky hands Daryl lifted her over to the sink to clean them.
"Am I nosy?" Hope mumbled, gulping the remnants of her last bite. "Carl says I'm nosy."
"I wonder why," Daryl huffed.
"I asked him first what sex is and he said I'm nosy and to go ask my parents." She shrugged. "But I just have so many questions."
Carol swept some random crumbs away from her lips. "You're an angel, sweetheart," she said softly.
"A nosy one," Daryl smiled crookedly and Hope stuck a yellow tongue out at him.
The door pounded and Jude yelled for Hope to go out and join the rest of the kids for hide and seek. Hope squealed and stormed outside, waving at her parents.
"Come on, Hope! Spill!"
"I'm telling you, I didn't learn anything," Hope muttered, propping up on her elbows. "Just that when you have sex you have children."
HJ's eyes grew wide, threatening to leap out of their sockets at the shock of the revelation. "Every time?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Can't work like that. I'd have so many brothers and sisters…"
"Maybe we should just stalk our parents more since they're not telling us everything," she grumbled, crossing her legs, chin resting in her palm. "See what we can find out."
HJ slouched next to her, mimicking her posture, fingers fuddling with a hole in his short jeans. "You think we will ever have sex?"
"You and me?" She asked, squinting at the daylight, her ruddy face scowling. "I don't know. Problem is that if we have sex we have to kiss, too."
"Eww," HJ grimaced, his pitched voice matching it. "Kissing is gross!"
Hope sighed. "I know."
"And Jude said that Carl told her that when you have sex you are naked in the bed during night time," he confided, sharing his scoop.
"No kidding!" Hope exclaimed. "You're naked alone or with the other person?"
"I really have no idea," HJ admitted.
"That's so much grosser even than kiss."
"Yeah…"
"And apparently sex has something to do with all these bad words we're not supposed to say," she whispered conspiratorially, eyes rolling.
"Holy crap!" He gasped, covering his mouth with a hand. "Then why do people do that?"
Hope wriggled her fingers, eyeing him sheepishly. "I don't think I will ever want to have sex with you," she mumbled. "You mind?"
"No," he said firmly, unconsciously embracing the idea of lifelong virginity. "Sounds awful." He met her gaze and offered a cheeky smile lacking the two front teeth. "But we can still get married."
"I like that," Hope grinned back.
"What about kids?" he went on, scratching his forehead. "Seems like we can't have kids if we don't have sex."
She furrowed her brow, lips puckered. "We can take some from people who have then."
"Wow, that's an awesome idea, Hope!" HJ scrambled up on his feet and stretched out an arm to her. "Let's go ask Jude and the others if they want to give us a child."
She grabbed his hand. "Yeah, let's do that!"
As they ran to where the rest of the kids were playing, a lamp lit in Hope's head. Scattered memories and unconnected pieces of information started to cluster together, progressively stumbling on their right spot. Kiss, naked, bed, night, people who love each other. Suddenly all the parts spontaneously fit together, the jigsaw complete in her mind. She smirked, but kept her mouth sealed. Glenn and Maggie and Rick and Michonne weren't the only parents around having sex. Hers had too. Even if it was gross. And her daddy had been naughty.
Carol was doing the dishes, her gaze occasionally skimming to the kids playing outside under Karen's and Carl's hawk eyes when Daryl hauled up on the counter next to her.
"You did well today," he said quietly, fixed on his nervous hands. "All I did was screw your lecture there."
Carol shook her head. "You stayed when all you wanted was to flee the scene, didn't you?" she offered.
They fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes.
"We'll have to tell her eventually, the story about the night she was born," she sighed as she rinsed the last glass, face dropping.
Daryl jumped off and leaned over her, yanking the curtains of the kitchen window closed before he wrapped his board arms around her. He knew how hard this conversation would be, especially for her. It would be so fuckin' emotionally draining that he'd rather go over the sex gabbling torture a million times.
"No way will she let that drop. Not unless she finds out the truth." His grip around her tightened in reflex when her voice cracked.
"I know," he rasped in the crook of her neck as she dried her hands on a cloth.
Carol turned and he came face to face with a set of bleary eyes. "I'm sorry," she sniffled as he wiped stray tears away, voice muffled by looming sobs she was fighting back.
"It's ok," he muttered, snuggling her against his chest.
When she drew back a little, her eyes were downcast. "And with the pace she's growing and maturing, it's gonna be sooner rather than later."
Daryl heaved a sigh and tilted her chin. "Then we'll tell her," he said, voice thick with emotion.
"We?" Carol quirked a brow, looking at him expectantly, tears still glistening at the edge of her eyelashes but she forbade them to roll.
"She caught me off guard today, but I'll be prepared for that," he nodded sternly, mustering everything he had to sound and feel confident. "I promise."
"No more 'mom had a nightmare' nonsense?" Her face was scrunched up as her fingers raked the unruly wisps of his hair.
"No more of that," he chortled. "Although it was brilliant!"
Carol took in the grayish hue of his sideburns and regarded him proudly. "That it was," she smiled broadly, shunting away from his eyes a strand with its own free will.
"You trust me?" She was taken aback with the tinge of doubt detectable in his tone when he cupped her face.
"You know, there are no stupid questions for Hope," she stated dryly, almost offended by the way he questioned both of them. Almost. "But here I'm standing after all these years thinking how damn proud of you I am and you go and ask something so stupid."
Daryl scowled and let his hands hang, but Carol hugged him tightly to pin him on the spot.
"If I trust you? You know the answer, you fool," she breathed, pecking at his jaw line and he suddenly felt defenseless. "Now say it."
"Blindly," he grumbled begrudgingly, unable to get pissed at her manipulative tricks, feeling a little smug already.
"Why?" Her mouth had wandered down his neck and he felt the wet trail her tongue left in its wake.
Daryl grabbed the edge of the counter to steady himself, a soft groan escaping his lips as her lower parts were pressed against his. "'Cause I'm the best man you've ever met." This time he smirked at the cocky swaggering of his voice.
"See?" Carol lifted her head and locked her gaze with his, mere admiration and dark craving twinkling exactly where tears used to be. "That's my man."
The supple hairs of his stubble grazed the corner of her mouth and he lingered like that, pawing her ribcage. "Damn you, you're crazy."
"Do I get a little reward for keeping my shit together today?"
"What do you want?" His arm glided beneath her tank top, fingertips fiddling with the clasp of her bra, lips still brushing.
"Just say my name," she said hoarsely, unbuttoning his sleeveless shirt, her free hand snaking behind his nape.
"Carol," Daryl soughed, sucking her lower lip.
"Again."
"Carol," he almost cried out when nails grated the curves of his toned sternum and she started thrashing against his bulge. Unhooking her bra he cupped her tit, thumb toying with her nipple. "Is that all?"
"Yes," she whimpered, flapping in his arms.
He devoured her mouth and she reciprocated, lips flexing proficiently and tongues swirling in sync, technique mastered after years of incessant practice and passion unquenched in spite of it. "Jesus fuckin' Christ," Daryl maundered between kisses. "Will you stop settling with nothing?"
"I love you, Daryl," she moaned, ungluing her mouth to stare at him dead in the eye.
"I love you too," he rasped, returning the tentative gaze.
"Carol," she whispered, curling her fingers around his wrist. "I love you too, Carol."
Daryl huffed. "She goes from nothing to wantin' to kill two birds with one stone" Littering her with fresh, fleeting kisses, he paused just for a second. "I love you too… Carol."
A grin blossomed under his mouth, eyes crinkling as she eyed him mischievously. "Wanna screw around?"
Daryl rolled his eyes. "The day I say no to that, just blow out my brains, ok? But I'll go down first."
"Even better," she giggled, shoving him to the hallway.
"Feel like climbing the stairs or need a man for the dirty job?"
"I still have a few good years ahead of me. Then you'll carry little old me around everywhere."
Daryl scooped her up anyway, mounting the stairs two at a time.
"Thought you wouldn't be in the mood for this for a while after Hope's questions." She nibbled his earlobe and his knees vibrated.
"Ain't no way in hell my kid will act like a cockblocker. That's the part I save for myself for the day she comes home with a boyfriend."
Carol laughed out loud. "Wicked!"
"No bastard's doing to her what I do to her momma," he chuckled.
Kicking the door open, he almost dismantled the hinges before slamming it closed and Carol stretched to flip the lock. That lesson was learned the hard way.
The next morning, Carol was making breakfast when he emerged in the kitchen cradling Hope in his embrace.
"Someone's too sleepy today," he snorted. "Again."
"It's not me, it's the school," Hope nuzzled in his neck, stifling a huge yawn. "It's boring."
Carol beamed at the sight of them and dragged a chair, tapping her lap.
"This girl is mine," Daryl winked at her as he placed Hope in her arms.
"Just found out, huh?" she teased, drifting her attention to her dozy daughter. "Hey, honey. You think a little piece of apple pie would help you wake up?"
Hope rubbed her fuzzy eyes. "You say never sweets for breakfast," she mumbled groggily.
"I can let you get away with a little rule violation every now and then," Carol smirked, tickling her tiny belly and Hope tittered, squirming.
With mouth still crammed, she turned around to plant a sugary kiss on her mother's cheek. "Best mommy ever," she grinned ear to ear.
Daryl crouched down in front of them. "What about me?"
"I'm not so sure," Hope deadpanned. "You've been sneaky lately."
"I'm not sneaky!" he protested heatedly, eyes goggling in despair before pointing his forefinger to Carol. "Your mom is the sneaky one!"
Carol doubled over laughing. "Excellent parenting, Daryl!"
"Yes, you are," Hope went on, nodding contemplatively. "And a fibber!"
Daryl looked hurt, as if his heart was crushed by a truck and her resistance ebbed away. "But still best daddy ever," she said sweetly.
Carol put her on her feet and she leapt at Daryl, her lips producing a shrill smooch on his cheek. He grinned, teeth and everything, gawking at her like a fool.
"Chop chop, sweetheart, class's not gonna wait for you," her mom helped her hoist her school bag around her shoulders.
Hope was already at the door, hand on the knob when she remembered something, turning around to her parents. "Oh! And daddy, don't think I don't know you were having sex the night you told me mommy had a nightmare."
She vanished in a flash, leaving two thunderstruck grownups in the kitchen.
Sorry if my parental approach or kid's voices suck. I love kids but know absolutely nothing about them!
Hope you liked that :) I'll go back to your requests for the upcoming chapters. I have four plots and three songs to crank out, so you know… It will probably take three months! Please be patient with me, I'm a slow writer and every story takes forever but I will deliver, eventually.
Thank you all for reading :) A review would make me and little Hope very happy.