Thanks to LuckyandDino, MorraHadon, InTheWrongEra and NoFace the Demon for adding this to your favorites/alerts lists!
Readergirl66: I look forward to that deep conversation. I didn't quite get to it yet, this chapter was more of a filler which I think everyone was in desperate need of.
FanFicGirl10: Yeah he's noble, I wanted him to have that kind of soldier feel about him. Hmm, I don't think I like Carol enough to put her with anyone, but we'll see where this goes yet. Hehe I can't wait to start with Daryl and Baker. Don't think he'd ever had to make a good impression on a father before so that should be fun for me to explore. They definitely have the Sophia thing in common though, and I have a conversation for them planned in the future :)
Korvescence: Yeah, it was tough going in memory but I did my best. I think Baker is going to be a favorite now that you have an idea where I'm coming from for him (finally!)
SilverAdvenger12: I missed them too, but they are back in full force this time around. Everyone seems anxious for Daryl and him to talk, and it will be something I work into slowly to make it more fun. Indeed, they could share beers and talk about Jolene the whole time! Hehe glad you liked the song, I hadn't listened to the Used in a while but it felt appropriate for the chapter tone.
Leyshla Gisel: No worries, Daryl and Jolene are back again after that heavy last chapter. This one's kind of a filler before I dive back into serious topics (I almost never stray from the path, so this is a rare find) I have no words about Sunday's episode :(
WaterWarrior6: Haha suck it Carol! I'm glad I hooked everyone on William so far. I want him to be that old fashion gentleman who hasn't yet been entirely defined by the way things are going. Thank God you'll be able to see the finale. Hand to God, I'm more excited for that than Easter dinner. Daryl and William are going to have a relationship soon, I just haven't got them to talking yet, but I can't wait to get started on it!
MorraHadon: Well welcome and thank you! Jolene and Daryl are back, and I am glad William is turning out to be a reader pleaser. I'm glad you picked up on his similar habits to Jolene always helping people. She had to get that somewhere, at least now we have an idea. So far, your prediction about how Daryl and William will react to each other is pretty spot on with what I have planned for them. They have no reason for animosity, so it only makes sense they'll be tense and awkward for the first bit. Glad you haven't forgotten Jolene's first group being attacked yet, I still have plans about that for later so keep an eye out because I have the sequel coming up after this one too!
Disclaimer: Back to owning just two people at the moment (Jolene and William) That is all.
By now all eyes were on her and Jolene felt the sweat of shame collect over her as she pulled away from her father. She didn't leave him though, he put his hands on both sides of her face as if to measure how real she was before his sight and she made a small giggle in her throat that sounded more like a gurgle. She knew what was coming. "Where did all of your hair go?"
"This is Apocalypse safe." She stepped back and ran a hand through her hair, just a shade darker than his own, "Still keeping up with shaving?" She had to admire that. There wasn't a time in her childhood that she could recall her father with a root of facial hair and the limited resources of the end of the world hadn't stopped his habit of shaving once a week.
He ran a hand over his smooth chin, "Appearances I guess." He shrugged sheepishly. Once the silence took over, she got a good look at him as a whole and suddenly she was frowning at the vacuous look in his eyes, "Where's mom?"
If possible, his eyes moved further away from hers and he began to walk around her. She stepped into the line of his path, ceasing him by putting a hand on the crook of his elbow, "Dad, where's mom?" She repeated fiercely.
Her commanding tone startled him into a frown of his own, "We'll talk later. Right now I think I should talk to Sophia's mother."
Her hand fell flaccid back to her side as her father continued away from her. She let out a cruel breath, scoffing at the manner in which he brushed her off so abruptly. He approached Carol, whose eyes were gleaming from the sun reflecting off of her tears while her daughter was back on the ground, smiling up at him. The word stranger screamed in her head over and over again. She hadn't at all anticipated seeing him again, but what was worse was the method he returned. She wasn't even informed with half of the story yet and she was already with woe.
"Patricia, set the barn up for surgery. I need to operate on the young man's leg right now before he sustains any more blood loss." Hershel explained before the woman disappeared back into the house. At that time, Jolene felt her feet move again as she rejoined the majority of the group waiting around the base of the porch, "Jolene, perhaps you could help me?"
"No!"
"Now hold on."
Everyone turned their attention to the two voices that had been quick to object. Her father and Daryl. William's eyes then settled on the man who was quick to jump to his daughters rescue, regarding him critically as Daryl turned his eyes completely away from the proximity of the gaze. Jolene paid no attention to either, "He'll be knocked out so he's of no danger to me or to Hershel. I'd be glad to help."
Hershel smiled, "Alright, come into the house with me to wash up and prep." The group parted in the middle to let her and Hershel through before they disappeared through the screen door.
"Someone should have told him about her injured hip. Standing that long for a surgery could wear her out." Shane pointed out with a look of annoyance.
"What's wrong with her hip?" Rick asked, surprise coating his words.
"She dislocated her hip in that car accident with Lori."
"Car accident?" William interjected, "When was this?"
Rick shot Shane a dark look for his tact, or rather lack thereof, "Last night, my wife and your daughter thought it would be brave to come into town to find me and our group. A walker ran them off the road."
Will gained a tired look that aged him unrecognizable from the vibrant man in the town last night, "Excuse me for a moment. Is it alright if I go inside?"
Maggie answered with an inviting smile, "Sure." She even went as far to push the screen door open for him, before it clacked shut on its springs.
"Rick?" Carol asked once they were sure he was gone, "Are we letting him stay?"
Rick looked down at the gravel driveway and then up at the waiting faces, "I wanted to ask everyone's opinion on that first."
"Can't let him leave." Shane stated to everyone's bewilderment, "He saved Sophia and he's Jolene's father. If he goes, she'll leave with him and we can't have that."
Rick studied his friend with interest, "Didn't figure you two were friends."
Shane put his hands on his well-balanced hips and shrugged, "Can't let someone with a medical background leave, we'd be fools to let that happen. Besides, he's resourceful to have lasted that long alone and having another gun around might not be a bad thing." He shot a look at Lori who rolled her eyes before turning into her husband.
"I want him here." Carol voiced.
Rick nodded in understanding before waiting for everyone else to speak, "Any complaints, I wanna hear them now."
"Jolene's done a lot for the group. Not gonna let her father walk out there and lose her too. I'm good." T-Dog said while lifting his arms as if he'd just made it plain and simple.
"I agree. He proved his worth to us last night so why are we even discussing this?" Glenn said in a flat tone.
The screen door fired open and Hershel re-emerged with Jolene, both of whom looked like they just received a scrubbing from a carwash. William followed out behind his daughter, looking concerned that she was about to help the kid who just short hours ago been firing on her own group. It was her way, giving help to those who couldn't help themselves, presenting options for them to make smarter choices. He remembered her carrying her work home with her; patients she treated always on her mind after the hours of her shift had ended. He wasn't sure whether he should be proud of her resilience or be fearful of it. What he found even more unfortunate was how he handled grief. He didn't want to become one of those people numb to it because it happened so often, but the emotions had started to settle in the dust and he couldn't seem to kick start them again.
"Dad I'll be fine. We'll talk later, like you said." She grabbed his hand and patted it with a gentle and warm touch before doubling back to Hershel.
"Can someone give us a hand on getting him down to the barn please?" Hershel asked.
Rick and T-Dog spoke up. Shane didn't seem like he wanted anywhere near the new death threat, or that's how he was viewing the young man anyways. Jolene and Hershel beat feet down after them leaving the rest of the group to break up and do not much of anything. The question about what would happen next was still out on the table, and would have to wait for Hershel and Jolene to be done with surgery in order for Rick to have everyone's opinion. At best, it seemed that they were staying put on the farm which was more than Daryl could have predicted. Now with Sophia found, he didn't really have much else to do which left him with an unreachable itch. He'd had full plans on continuing his search even though Carol had given up…guess he didn't have that problem anymore. He watched carefully at Carol who was taking to William again. The kid seemed attached to him anyways, at least more than his own daughter at the moment. Daryl felt awkward about the whole situation though and he found himself getting away from the area quickly, only with no real purpose.
"Where ya going so fast?" A chipper voice called behind him just before he got passed the first layer of trees in the yard. Maggie was smiling while shielding her eyes from the sun. She had her hair parted behind one of her ears causing the sun to glow off her face with her pleasant smile. Why the Hell she was talking to him, he had no idea.
"Why don't you go check on that boyfriend of yours and leave me the Hell alone." He grunted before continuing on his way. He suppressed a huff when she caught up on his left side, still smilin' at him with a little too much cheer if he was gettin' blunt 'bout it.
"Nah, Glenn's a little weird right now. Figured I'd take a walk, give him some space."
"Go in that direction then." He pointed away from where he was headin', hopin' she'd take the hint. With the way she snorted, he figured she already knew he was annoyed, but actually had sumthin' she wanted to say…to him. What the fuck? "Get goin'."
"It's my farm, I can walk where I like." She teased before growing serious, "I wanted to talk to you actually, if you find it so hard to believe."
"I do." He cut in.
"You're more stubborn than a mule, did you know that?" She fired back sarcastically. Her face grew serious again and he figured he'd better listen to get her to leave quicker, "So, Jolene finding her father…that's good."
Ah Hell, the exact thing he didn't wanna talk 'bout, she had to bring up. Of course, she knew what she was doing all along, didn't she? "Wouldn't care either way. Those are some pretty good odds for her though." He said, playin' it safe.
"You seem a little stand offish from him though, did something happen last night when you helped Jolene?" So that's what this was; an interrogation. Not that he blamed her or nothin'. Her and Cherry were close so he suspected it was a natural reaction, one he had hoped to avoid with everyone else and had been successful at until Maggie came nosin' around.
"Ain't nothin' like that. Don't see why I gotta talk to her father neither."
"Why, what's the problem? It's not like you slept with her." Daryl winced and then wanted to smack himself for doing so 'cause he'd just given away everythin' with that not so subtle reaction. Maggie's eyes dilated into saucers, squinting and then widening again—OMG!—while he scowled at the ground, "You did, didn't you and she didn't even tell me!"
He suddenly grabbed her by her arm and dragged her around back behind the house. She was being so damn loud and he didn't want no one to overhear let alone find out the truth that he'd wanted to keep for himself, "You best shut yer mouth. Folks 'round here don't need an announcement like that."
"Relax, I'm not gonna say anything." She brushed his hand away with a mixture of a frown and a grin, "And you're just worried because you don't want people to know because you don't have things sorted out between you two, do you?" He hated how right she was. Daryl had not a clue where this thing with Cherry was going. Friends yep, but what more than that? He found himself thinkin' 'bout her a little more than he was comfortable with and that damn night was turnin' into a nightmare every time he tried to get some shuteye. Shit, was this what it felt like to go crazy?
"Hell I know what we are. I don't want any more from her than she wants from me."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Maggie crossed her arms in inquiry.
"It means we fucked one time and it ain't gonna happen again. That plain enough for ya or do I gotta paint you a goddamn picture?!" He snarled but Maggie never flinched back once. Her eyes were full of collected curiosity.
"I think you're wrong." She remarked before walking around him and back in the opposite direction.
Daryl was left with his mouth agape before spinning on his heel. Damn, he was so sick of himself right now, "What the Hell's that mean?"
Maggie paused but didn't turn to face him, "If I have to tell you than it depreciates the value." And like that she was gone, leavin' him to grumble silent obscenities while he kept watchin' that damn barn.
He was wrong, yeah sure, wrong about what? The fact that he'd only slept with Cherry that one time with no possible chance of it happenin' again, or that they were only friends. Shit, he'd only just found out now that her last name was Baker. Of course, so had everyone else, but that wasn't the point. Why the Hell was this botherin' him so much in the first place? Never had he ever been through this type of emotional spiral and he fuckin' hated it. She'd gone and kissed him again in his tent, that had been a good sign, but what with everythin' goin on she probably didn't want the headache of him neither. He should be grateful anyways, she was stayin' put now and he couldn't ask much more than that. He hadn't realized he'd been pacin' 'round for so long 'til he came back to the front of the house where Carol was with her daughter…and Jolene's father.
"Daryl." Carol called pleasantly, "Do you know if Hershel and Jolene are done yet? Rick wants to put together a meeting about the boy."
He narrowed his eyes on her while ignorin' the burnin' stare he was gettin' from the person he'd been tryin' to avoid, "What makes you think I'd know that?"
"I…I just assumed that's where you were." She stumbled on her words while giving him a look. He wasn't mad at her, just the situation, but sometimes his anger won out…actually almost all the time it did, "Never mind, here they come." She looked passed his shoulder down the hill where Hershel and Jolene were climbing back up, both looking exhausted. Her hobbling had grown more noticeable, but the old man had loaned her his arm and she was still smiling as they chatted. Their voices carried up to the house until they took note of the people outside.
"Rick's waiting?" Hershel concluded.
"Inside. You should check on Beth first though." Carol suggested as she brushed back Sophia's hair from her face. The girl still wasn't too talkative, or maybe she just liked the silent attention from her mother after having been missing for over a fortnight.
"I'll leave you in the hands of these people then." Hershel told Jolene before she gave him his arm back. Daryl was tempted to help her stand but made no indication or movement to prove otherwise so she ended up leaning against the porch railing while Hershel disappeared inside. Smiles were exchanged but it was just a formality to keep the tension at bay.
"How'd it go?" Carol asked. Her heart was in the right place, though it was clear she wasn't really interested in the well-being of the stranger. No more than anyone else was in any case.
"We repaired what we could of the calf muscle. There's a good chance he'll walk with a limp from now on, but he was lucky." She gazed around, looking tight for a fight that wasn't coming, "Daryl can I talk to you for a minute?"
He shot her a bemused look in which she returned it with a pleading one, "Guess so." He shrugged and didn't start walkin' at least until she caught up. He knew that they were being watched and did his best not to care, just like he always did. With that cryptic glance diggin' into his back he felt the need to keep on his toes, "Where we walkin' to?"
"Doesn't matter. Away from the house." She said while sneaking a glance over her shoulder, "You probably figured out I actually don't have anything to ask you."
"Yeah, doesn't mean I don't wanna talk though." She was looking at him with surprise so he quickly added, "You avoidin' someone?"
She scoffed, "Was I that obvious?" They'd made it back out to the field, where one single tree erected from the ground and soared high with its nimble branches. They kept safe under its shade, her leaning her back against the bark as if it were a feathered pillow, "I'm not ready for that talk…and I don't want to be."
"Your mum?"
She nodded without breaking her focus on the crepe sole sneakers that she'd changed into before surgery borrowed from Patricia, "I already know it's bad news. Don't see why I need the details." She mumbled and he realized he was seeing her vulnerable again, only more openly this time.
"Never known you to run from a few tears. Never seen you cry a lot at all in fact."
"I'm not cold." She snapped on the defense, "And I do cry…just not for everyone to see."
That bothered him in ways it shouldn't have. He hated that she felt the need to hide her emotions yet he was guilty of doing the same thing. Damn, did he know how to pick 'em, except she wasn't really his to claim at all and that was a real drag. "So you broke down once. Everyone has at some point." He bet it had sumthin' to do with that fiancé and had to remind himself not to let it get under his skin. Yeah, that was workin' real good; his hands were clenched tight at his sides so he quickly brought his thumb up to his mouth before she could notice. He bit around the nail bed, the feelin' of being distracted good enough to keep him in check.
"I cry over silly things though."
"Like what?" He pulled his hand back so he could talk properly.
"I'd rather not say it's embarrassing." And judging by the red on her face, she really was ashamed of herself.
Lucky for him, he had no sense of boundaries when it came to gettin' answers he wanted and he didn't feel bad 'bout pressurin' her just a lil' bit, "I won't laugh or nothin'."
"No..? I guess you won't. I might laugh at myself though." She pulled gently at her hair; the pixie cut was something he was used to now. He'd even go as far as to say it looked beautiful in an end of the world kind of way, "Umm, it's not that big of a deal or anything, but I might have cried alone in your tent when you were injured in the house." Discreetly leaving out the part that she'd found her own hair as one of his belongings.
Daryl pulled a face while she recoiled back. If it was possible, she would have let the tree consume her into its trunk after having dropped a bomb like that. What the Hell was she thinking, telling him that? It wasn't like there was going to be a reasonable explanation, not a rational one anyways. She hadn't expected him to react all that well either and his perplexed face pretty much summed up what he was thinking. She actually cared about his opinion too, which sucked all the more at a time like this, "Can we just pretend I didn't say that?" Already humiliated enough, she backed away from the tree, intending to go back to the house to avoid the loud silence. He stopped her by pulling back on her arm. She ended up stumbling back first into his chest, her hip surging in pain.
"Sorry." He mumbled before releasing her.
"It's fine." There wasn't much to do but pick herself up and dust herself off, "I'm sorry too, ah, for putting you on the spot like that."
She thought her words had inconvenienced him when in reality he was still tryin' to wrap his head 'round the idea of her wastin' tears on him. That had been at a bad time too, he'd said things and treated her terribly yet she went and cried for his sorry ass, "Didn't put me on the spot. Just wasn't expectin' that to be yer answer."
He shrugged like it was no big deal, "And what did you think I'd say?"
"Don't know. Sumthin' other than that."
Something like James she figured, but she didn't let on about that, "Sorry, I guess you don't get to pick who you care about." Her stare was unwavering, cool, strong.
He frowned, "Hell, you must be blind or sumthin'."
She hummed, "Yeah I guess I must be right?"
"Alright no need to make fun."
"No really." She continued, "Why would I care about someone who helps the group day and night? Who went out searching for a little girl—getting injured in the process—who wasn't even his to find, and has saved my ass more than I can count? Thanks though for telling me otherwise. Dodged a bullet there." She shot him an are you serious look.
He glowered at her, "Ya done?"
"I don't know, did you get my point or am I going to have to go deeper?" Her tone was no longer playful and he figured if he disputed her again, she might lunge.
"Jesus, yer a real gem."
"More like a rock being dropped in the middle of a pond." She countered, "Oy Vey!"
After that little spat, he wanted to hide from her. Dealing with her confession so openly made him just the tiny bit squeamish. Alright, really fuckin' nervous. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other, straightenin' his crossbow even though there wasn't a thing wrong with it. Hell, he could see his response was frustratin' for her, but he'd been so adamant on getting' his answer, he hadn't stopped to think, which wasn't really a surprise at all.
She stood closer, resting her tiny hand over his. Looking at them side by side, it was strange and a bit funny how much bigger than her he was. Men really were the dominant sex; built with muscle and strength well beyond a woman's. His arms were twice the density as where his legs, and though she was tall, he could still rest his chin on her head without difficulty. He could over power her in almost every way, so why was it that she was making the first move again? God almighty be damned, she was wastin' her time with him wasn't she? She was just takin' too long to figure that out.
He was startled back into the moment when she leaned up to kiss him again. He pulled back, successfully destroying the moment, "Will I ever be able to do that without you moving away first?" She asked, though no sounds of annoyance or disappointment in her voice, just patience. SHe was waiting...always she waited.
"Told you, I ain't no good at this." He grumbled, blue eyes meeting brown.
"And I told you, you were fine." He never thought he'd be there again after the first time, but she went back in with him prepared. Her lips were the same as he remembered, Hell dreamed about night after night. The bottom one just slightly fuller than the top and rose pink just because they were made that way by nature. It seemed like the sun in the sky stopped moving as they landed back under the shade of the tree. His back touched the rough bark while she knotted her fingers but good into his hair. She smelled like lemon and surgical gauze, likely because of helping Hershel. These smells were hers, lulling him into the moment, coating him and suffocating him into a trance. She penetrated his mouth with her tongue, soft like sponge cake and indulgent. Little puffs of air tickled his face as she breathed heavy into him, coloring him with complacent satisfaction until he was—dare he say—giddy. He accepted the fact that she went slow in his favor, never over stepping her boundaries. Dammit, if they had the time he would have taken her somewhere private. He'd only thought way too often of wanting to be inside her again. Somewhere familiar, somewhere safe where this world couldn't touch them. His heart had been without fear, showing what he deemed was full courage to actually be fully naked around her. The darkness of night had been his silent protector of course and she'd already seen the worst of him. He supposed he would never be at ease entirely with the way he was not adequate for her. There was an invisible standard that started at blur and was never ending in his mind.
She pulled back, only for lack of oxygen though and she didn't make a move to leave the sheltered embrace he had her wrapped in. The tip of her nose was frigid as she nuzzled it against his neck, back and forth in strokes. A frustrated groan escaped him when she thought it'd be fun to tease his skin with her tongue the sly devil, "Better stop. Don't wanna stop sumthin' we can't finish."
She made a sound against his throat, her teeth plucking at the skin for good measure before she let it go, "I guess we better go back. Rick will want to start soon and I don't want to be one of those people who need a messenger every time the group decides to discuss something." She pushed off him, his body unyielding to her attempt at strength.
It was early afternoon, his favorite time of day as he watched her stretch her arms up over her head to the sky before coming back down. She ruffled her hair before smiling at him. One of those smiles that made explosions of heat go off in his chest, making him feel all fuzzy and shit, "So, what do you think we can expect?"
He pushed off the tree, not realizin' how much he'd been relyin' on it until he started walkin' back with her. He felt like a featherweight, all light on his feet. Not the kind of dizzy you get when you've just been hit with a wicked case of vomiting neither, "Rick's recount of things will make it clear. I'm guessin' we'll just send him on his way. Doesn't really matter much to me whether the kid goes or if he ends up as a toe tagged stiff."
She had that same bounce in her step as him, tossing him a side glance now and again, "I don't know what to think either. Guess I have other priorities." He followed her gaze to the porch were her father was still sitting with Carol and T-Dog.
He didn't have much in terms of words of comfort, "Everythin' will work out. It's the way it is."
"Yeah…I'll get by, I always do." Fighting back a grin she added, "I intend to finish you later though."
He stopped so fast, he considered it a miracle he didn't end up on his ass. She didn't look back, leavin' him in the dark 'bout whether she was jokin' or wanted to fulfill that promise. Hell she always kept her word and this time he would be the one to soak up in her selflessness. All he had to do was get through a group talk and avoid her father…should be easy enough.
And if I need you to be secure
It's cause I'm not
You're ladylike
I need you to be secure if I'm not
You're ladylike and more
Ladylike, Big Wreck...
Filler alert! That was all for you guys being patient with me last chapter after having no Daryl and Jolene. Also, I needed happy time after Sunday's episode. I won't say what happened in case there are people out there who haven't seen it, but feel free to leave tears in your reviews (already shed mine on my keyboard) Not long to go in this story now. I can't wait for the sequel because I'm going into the winter months first. Don't know how long I'll make you all wait before I upload it after this one is done. Next chapter gets back into the swing of things with Jolene talking to her father. We'll find out just what's going on with him and what his story has been since before Sophia. Anyways, if I don't update before Sunday have a great Easter and a great season three finale (everyone watch talking dead after, or you'll miss out on Norman.)