I'm so glad everyone liked the last chapter as much as I did! I think we all need a Buck in our lives. *sigh* Anyhow. Now I have loose ends to tie up! And I do want to keep going for just a little bit so we can see the relationships grow a little. Then I'm moving on to the sequel. After yesterdays chapter I really can't wait to see Buck fight off some Walkers. Thank you all for reading and I hope you have a great day! =)
Chapter Fifty Two
Oscar left after receiving a hug from Carol. He promised to be there for dinner Monday night. Daryl watched the two of them in disbelief. Daryl had known Oscar his whole life, even liked the guy, but Oscar was more like Buck than even Oscar would like to admit. And it was obvious that he was someone else that would jump in front of a train to save the crazy girl. He understood why he felt that way but the lure she had for other people was a mystery to him. Everyone loved her. It caused him to wonder how she had ended up marrying the one person that didn't.
Buck had made Daryl call Merle on Oscars phone so his brother would know they were safe. Merle's voice had been full of so much emotion that it stunned him. It hadn't taken him long, however, to start making fun of him for going off and getting himself kidnapped. He was glad when Merle demanded he give the phone to Carol.
After that Buck made one more call and then Oscar had taken off, waving away their thanks but flashing Carol an wide grin when she reminded him about dinner. Now they were alone, waiting on whoever Buck had called. Whoever it was had even been instructed to bring along some mouthwash. Buck sent him a wink then, causing Daryl to roll his eyes at him.
He was worried now. He kept his arms around Carol's middle, keeping her back pressed against his chest, fearing that this would cause him to be too paranoid to ever let her go again. He was glad that it was over. Jim was dead and so was Jenna and now they didn't have that cloud hanging over their heads. He wondered what that would feel like. Just them living. Not being afraid all the time. It was going to be something else. He was looking forward to it.
They did have just one more hurdle to get through before that could happen, however. He didn't want to bring it up in front of Carol but since he didn't have any plans to let her out of his sight, ever again, he had no choice. Buck had come too far and Daryl had made a decision to protect the man, just like Buck had protected him.
"We gotta say it was me, Buck." he said quietly as he leaned his back against the garage and tightened his arms around Carol. He didn't miss how tense she became in his arms.
Buck's head whipped around. "The fuck are you talkin' about, boy?" he growled.
Daryl blew out a frustrated breath. "You're on parole Buck. You got a fuckin' record longer than me. The chances of this sendin' you back to that shit hole are high. We can't let that happen."
Buck looked outraged. "Are you stupid?" He hissed. "You're gonna tell them mother fuckers the truth, you hear me. Or our version of it. He kidnapped you both. He was gonna kill you. I showed up and he came at me with a knife. I didn't have a choice. That's the story. You was both still tied up."
Daryl shook his head. "That ain't gonna work. All they'll say to that is, you got the knife away long enough to stab him with it. Then you broke his fuckin' neck. That's over kill. They'll think you need to be put away for life. You ain't goin' back to that prison. Not for this."
Buck started pacing back and forth, anger radiating off his large frame. He stopped and then closed the distance between them in a few long strides. Carol slipped out of Daryl's grip and moved a few feet away, Buck got closer, looming over him like some kind of pissed off ogre. He was so close that Daryl didn't have a choice but to crane his neck to look up at his face but it was cloaked in shadows.
"You're gonna tell'em it was me." Buck growled.
"No I ain't. Stop bein' so goddamn stubborn, Buck. You're damn near seven feet tall and you weigh at least three hundred pounds and every fuckin' bit of it is as solid as the wall behind me. Jim is what, five ten, a hundred and eighty if he's soakin' wet. Ain't nobody gonna believe that he was any kind of threat to you. No judge, no jury. You'll be fucked."
"That's my problem. You keep your mouth shut." Buck hissed, leaning down into Daryl's face.
"No. It's our fuckin' problem. You wanted to make things better. You wanted me back. Fine. You got me. This is the kind of stupid shit you're suppose to do for people that you love, you fuckin' dumb ass. This is what bein' a Dixon is suppose to mean." Daryl was getting more mad every second. "Is that what you wanna hear? You wanna hear that nothin' you ever did then matters now? It don't fuckin' matter, alright. None of it. Nothin' you did then means anything. You ain't goin' back. I need you. Merle needs you. Carol needs you and you ain't goin' back." His voice broke at the end, pushing through a lump in his throat. "I don't give a fuck if I'm twenty years old, I need my dad. I don't even care if I sound like a pussy. Please. I gotta do this. I ain't losin' you." He was whispering now, trying hard to fight back tears that were nothing but the ultimate sign of weakness to him.
He braced himself for rejection. He braced himself for the rage he thought might be on it's way. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears spilling, when he felt Buck's hand wrap around the back of his head but the pain he had been expecting never came. Instead Buck pulled him the few inches that separated them until he felt his forehead hit the block wall of Buck's chest. He hadn't even realized that he had any walls left until they crashed down around him once Buck brought his other arm up and wrapped it cautiously around his back. He felt like a kid. Some broken and wounded kid that was unable to reign in his emotions. He felt pain, but it was a welcome thing. It felt like parts of himself were laid open, sensitive to touch from being hidden away for so long. Buck's acceptance had always been something Daryl had craved with every cell of his body. He never imagined he would receive it.
He kept his head pressed into Buck, his eyes still squeezed shut. He never knew Buck was even capable of a kind touch, not towards him, but he was. Buck brought his head down so his mouth was close to Daryl's ear, his fingers raking hesitantly through the hair at the back of Daryl's head. "I ain't nothin' compared to what you deserve. But ya gotta know I love ya, boy. You do know that, right?" Buck rasped, his voice low in his ear.
Daryl remembered the look of rage on Buck's face when he had been standing behind Jim tonight. He remembered how he had let Daryl pummel him, offering him whatever he needed to get past all the bullshit. Buck loved him. He didn't know for sure if he always had but he did now and that was what mattered. He nodded, tears still leaking from his sealed lids like a dam had been broken, soaking into Buck's t-shirt. He remembered what Merle had said to him in the truck. Now was the only fucking thing that did matter. Merle was pretty damn smart when he wasn't being such a dumb ass.
He felt Buck's chest rise and fall with a heavy breath. "You sure about doin' this? You know if you do then your ass is goin' to jail tonight. Until they get everything checked out you'll stay there. You know that?"
Daryl nodded again, a rush of relief drying his eyes but he still didn't pull away. Buck didn't seem to want to let go of him either. There was a hungry part of him that was being fed and he would berate himself for so much weakness later. Right now he just wanted to keep on feeling like that kid that was finally getting the attention he needed, finally getting the love from a parent that was long absent. "Don't let nothin' happen to her." He said after a few long minutes. "And make sure her and Merle don't start showerin' together or some shit."
A growl rumbled against his head, low in Buck's chest.
"Them two worry me." He muttered.
"Someone's coming." Carol said quietly from a few feet away.
Buck dropped his arms to his side at the same time Daryl stepped away. He felt weird. Lighter somehow. Carol crushed herself to him and sobbed into his shoulder. She knew what was going to happen. He was gonna get locked up. It wouldn't be for long though and the thought of it didn't even really bother him. What was a few days compared to what Buck would get? Buck wouldn't get out this time. It didn't matter if Jim had been a crazy piece of shit that deserved to die. That isn't what they would see. They would see a giant of a man with a huge rap sheet and who had killed in the past. They wouldn't see that when they looked at Daryl. His record was clean, he was about the same size as Jim. The rope burns on his wrists were proof that he had been tied up. All the evidence they gathered up would prove Jim to be the one that was responsible for all those deaths. And then Daryl would be released.
He ran his hands up and down Carol's back while Buck met someone half way to the garage. It was Shane Walsh. "What the fuck is he doin' here?" Daryl grumbled.
Carol tried to say something, hiccuped, and then buried her face in his chest and sobbed some more. He knew that she understood why he had to do this. He hadn't had time to talk to her about it but she understood it anyway.
Shane and Buck approached them then. Shane even thrusted a new bottle of mouthwash at Daryl. He let go of Carol long enough to rinse his mouth out several times. While he did this she hugged her arms around herself and kept crying.
"Buck, I gotta say, this ain't gonna be good for you. With your record, man, you ain't getting' out of this with a slap on the wrist." Shane said worriedly as he glanced from Daryl to Buck.
"Buck didn't do nothin'. He got here after it happened."
Shane looked at Daryl sharply and then ran a hand through his hair. "I already know he was here, Daryl."
"He was too late to do anything." Daryl said, his voice turning to ice as he glanced at Buck who was watching him with a pained expression.
Shane just gave him a sad smile and shook his head. "I'm gonna go ahead and call this in. I'll tell'em Carol called me. You don't wanna be a part of this then you might need to get your ass away from here, Buck."
"I'm stayin'. Tell'em I showed up afterwords. I ain't goin' anywhere yet." Buck said, the finality clear in his voice. "You tell'em you was drivin' by and happened to see Carol after she escaped. She flagged you down and then I showed up after you got here."
Shane looked concerned, like he wasn't sure if all this was a good idea.
Daryl pushed Carol away enough so he could really look at her. Her eyes were red and swollen, skittering away from his for the first time in a long time.
"You know I gotta do this, right?" He whispered.
She nodded but her chin trembled slightly. He huffed and then kissed her, hoping that she understood. Really understood why he was doing what he was doing. She threw her arms around his neck and responded instantly. He had to remember to thank Shane and Buck for the mouthwash. It would be a real mother fucker to not even get to kiss her goodbye cause his mouth was all pukey.
She pulled her face back just enough for her to lay her forehead against his. "I don't want Buck to go away forever, but this is gonna be hard."
"We'll be fine." He muttered against her lips.
She nodded but he could feel her trembling under his hands.
~H~
Carol hated this. She felt like she was the reason this was happening. She wasn't sure exactly what had happened down there but she was sure that it was bad. The cops that came were men she didn't know but Shane stayed with them, even calling Rick and giving him a heads up on what had happened. She couldn't believe he was going to lie to keep Buck out of prison. She knew Daryl couldn't stand him but he really was a stand up guy. Sure he was arrogant and he was usually a real smart ass as far as Daryl was concerned but he was really helping them right now. She was glad that he was her friend and she was glad that Buck wasn't going to have to go away.
There were three officers talking to Daryl at the moment, Shane, and now Rick, hovered close to him. Both of them standing with their hands on their hips and she was sure that they were making sure he wasn't being treated horribly. That made her feel a lot better.
Andrea showed up and talked to Buck for a few minutes. She came over to make sure Carol was okay, which she was not, but she nodded and offered the other woman a sad smile. She was going to take Beth home, figuring that the Dixons needed a night together, just them. Carol was worried about Merle being alone.
They carted Jim's body out and then shortly after that they had Daryl stand up and then they cuffed him. She felt like she was going to be sick. She stood in front of Buck, leaning her back into him as his arms stayed draped over her shoulders. He hadn't even let her go when Andrea reached up and kissed him. For all his flaws, Buck was the perfect dad. At least in her book. She had barely knew her own. He had always been away on business, but she had loved him anyway. He had been a good dad when he was around.
Rick even checked the cuffs to make sure they weren't on him too tight before they put him in the back of the car. He didn't look at them. She didn't know if she was happy about that or not. She didn't want him to have to see her crying again but she didn't want him to go without her getting to see is face once more.
She was next, answering the questions she was asked. Really, other than Buck being there, she didn't have to lie much. She hadn't been down there at all when Jim had died.
She watched the squad car pull away with blurry eyes. Would she ever stop crying over this? She had the overwhelming urge to go home. She wanted to curl up on the couch with Merle and watch all those stupid shows with him. She wanted to put her feet in Buck's lap and listen to one of those horribly gruesome stories he liked to tell her sometimes. She wanted to go upstairs and sleep with Daryl's arms wrapped around her.
"I wanna go home, Buck." She whispered when they were finished with their questions.
His huge hand covered hers and he tugged her along with him. He was silent until they were in the car.
"I shouldn't have let him do that." Buck said once she was next to him. He sounded defeated.
She looked at him sharply. "This is hard." She said in a voice that sounded stronger than she felt. "But it had to be done. He'll be home in a few days. You wouldn't be home ever again. Everything he said was the truth. We need you."
He started the car and pulled away from the curb. "It don't make it right. This ain't right at all."
"Nothing about tonight was right, Buck. It's all so pointless. But Daryl needed to do this for you. He loves you."
"He loves you too." He muttered, glancing at her.
She smiled. "I know. That's what he says."
Buck took one hand off the steering wheel and pulled her to him, tucking her into his side. "A few days wont kill us. You and Merle stay outta that goddamn bathroom." He gave her shoulder a squeeze.
~H~
Merle paced back and forth across the porch, waiting and worrying. He should have been with them tonight. There wasn't any reason for him to stay here and babysit the damn women. Andrea was tough as nails and Beth could handle her own too. He needed to be with his brother. If he would have been there then he could have went to jail for Buck. Not Daryl. This was all bullshit.
When he heard the engine he stopped pacing and finally sat down on the porch step next to Beth. He grabbed her hand. He felt bad for being such a distant asshole towards her but he was scared to death for his brother. What if they tried to pin the whole thing on him somehow? What if Shane wasn't really helping? Fuck, everybody knew he had it bad for Carol. Maybe this was how he was going to make sure he had his chance with her. He could pretend to be some fucking night in shining armor, doing all he could to save Daryl but in reality he could be setting this whole mother fucker up.
The car pulled into the driveway and he tightened his grip on her hand. She smiled at him.
"Everything'll be fine. Okay?" She said quietly.
He nodded. Andrea was going to take her home earlier but as soon as Beth heard that Daryl was going to be arrested she had demanded to be taken right back. He was glad that it had been her to come tell him instead of hearing it from Carol. He wasn't sure if he would have been able to deal with all of that. She was going to be hurting something awful and the last thing any of them could stand the thought of was her in pain. That one time he had pulled her hair didn't count.
He stood up, pulling Beth up with him. Carol and Buck looked like they had been ran through the fucking ringer. He winced when he gave her a once over and noticed how bad her wrists were cut up.
He looked up and met Buck's eyes. "Tell me you made it hurt." He growled, anger clouding his head.
Buck shrugged. "Might'a got a bit carried away. I'm sure he felt every second of it though. Made your little brother puke, if that tells ya anything."
Merle felt the grin split his face. "No shit?" he shook his head and loosened his grip on Beth's hand. "He's so delicate." Merle snorted.
"You guys are insane." Carol said as she shook her head and walked past them.
Merle reached out and stopped her, careful not to touch her wrist. He pulled her towards him and that was all she needed. He hugged her and she clung to him for a long time. He was so relieved that she was okay that it dulled the ache in his chest for his brother. She pulled away first and then hugged Beth. "Thank you. You know, for coming back and keeping him out of trouble."
Beth grinned and flicked a tear off Carol's cheek with her thumb before pushing her towards the door, keeping her arm around her waist. Beth glanced back at him. "Someone had to do the hard stuff while the rest of ya was out goofin' around."
Carol laughed but Merle just snorted.
The men followed the girls back into the house, prepared for a rough couple of nights.
~H~
He opened the drawer and picked up the picture that was nearly worn from having been handled so often. It was a high school picture of her. It was the only one he had been able to save. He had others now but they weren't the same. They were more recent. After she had married Ed she had basically disappeared for a while and when she was seen she had looked too broken. Too scarred. She wasn't the same person. He wanted to help her but he couldn't. There wasn't really any way he could do that.
That was when he knew that it was hopeless. That it would be too hard to get to her if she had a husband. Especially if she was always locked away in that house. That was when he had started talking to Jim about her. After Jim had confided in him over coffee one morning that he was concerned that she was being abused by her husband. Jim had been pretty upset over it and he knew that the man was widowed. He knew how easy it would be to talk her into Jim's thoughts How easy it would be to force Jim to fall in love with the girl. Try to make the man believe he was really falling for her. He could tell that, since his wife had passed. that he was unstable at best. How easy it would be to have Jim do every bit of the dirty work. To let him spiral out of control. He saw it happening a while back ago and it only got worse once she had moved away from Ed and tried to start a life for herself in her grandmothers house.
But that had failed. Jim had gotten out of control and those Dixons were much smarter than they looked. They had figured things out much faster than he thought anyone would. He couldn't help but be impressed. While the police were out looking for Ed Peletier, thinking he was the one behind the killings, the whole time the Dixon's had known it hadn't been Ed. He wasn't sure how they knew, since Ed really had up and disappeared. It had probably been Jim to kill the ugly wife beating bastard. He didn't care either way. He hated the man. Anyone that would hurt her deserved whatever they got.
Jim was suppose to have killed the Dixon boy and taken Carol. That had been the plan. Jim had finally confided in him days ago that he had to do it. That he was running out of time. What a shame. Instead he had taken Daryl and Carol both, like an idiot.
He stroked the bright smiling face in the photo. He wished he had the other photos as well. He had had a trunk full of things that had belonged to her. Photos and trinkets. Small odds and ends. All gone now. Burned up in a fire that was set by his own wife. She had called him sick and perverted. Said he was obsessed. He would have been the first to admit the obsessed part. From the moment he had first laid eyes on Carol he had been mesmerized by her kindness, her smile, her beauty. She had been absolutely perfect. And his wife had discovered that secret. But that was okay because shortly after that she had discovered that her breaks no longer worked.
He chuckled to himself. His wife had been a real piece of work. Hungry for power and social standing and nothing he had ever done was enough. But it would have been enough for Carol. She was too sweet and too good to make a man feel worthless.
He put the picture back into the drawer and closed it gently before going to the bar and pouring himself a stiff drink. He shook his head sadly. Poor Jim was dead now. Too caught up in his own game to have any hope of pulling himself out. But Jim would have gone off the deep end eventually anyway and gotten himself killed somehow. Or he would have simply killed himself. At least for the past year now he had had some sort of purpose.
If things would have gone according to plan then she could have been here with him right now. He could have been the one to rush in and save her. Kill the insane Jim and be her hero. But it didn't seem to be time yet. He was a very patient man. He had all the time in the world. And he wasn't as obsessed as his late wife had accused. He didn't mind that she romped around with the Dixon men. That didn't bother him in the least. He just wanted her. It was as simple as that. And he could wait for as long as he needed too.
He savored the flavor of the cognac before he let it slide down his throat. He gazed into the glass, lost in thought when he heard the sound of someone coming into his study.
"Daddy?" Penny asked as she rubbed her eyes sleepily.
He gave the sweet girl an indulgent smile. "How about I read you a bedtime story, honey?"
The little girl smiled and ran into her fathers arms. He took one last lingering look towards the drawer where Carol's high school picture was tucked away safe and sound.
Yes, he was a very patient man.
So, some of you can rest easy that you were right. It technically was Philip, but I couldn't really let him be the one actually doing everything. That would have been much too obvious. Sorry, SOA. Milton was completely innocent throughout the whole story ;) But now you all know who the man was that Jim confided in. The same man filling his head with crazy ideas to begin with.
And about Shane. I know that some of you may find it hard to believe that he would break the law to help the Dixons. I really don't know about that myself but I really ran his character through the ringer in my last story so I really wanted him to be a good good guy in this. He wasn't bad until the Lori thing in the show. So that is my only reason for him helping like he is. lol I hope it's enough.
Once again, thanks for reading! =)
