AN: Here we go, another little chapter.
So this one is going to be wrapping up pretty soon here. I'm thinking we've got probably one chapter left on this one.
I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!
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ONE YEAR LATER
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"We gonna get somethin' goin' for supper…gotta get a move on!" Merle protested, dragging some of his supplies out of the back of his truck.
"Calm the fuck down, Merle!" Daryl declared, slamming his door. "We got time!"
"Get too damn cocky we gonna be eatin' hot dogs for supper, lil' brothah!" Merle responded.
Carol closed the passenger side of the truck and shut the door.
"You boys get going," Carol yelled at both of them. "I'd rather unload the trucks myself anyway! You'll just mess it up."
"I ain't leavin' you to unpack all this shit alone," Daryl declared, going around to start unloading bags out of the back of the truck.
"I won't do it alone," Carol said. "Andrea's gonna help me, aren't you, Andrea?"
Andrea was already in the back of Merle's truck dropping bags over the side.
"Get the hell out of here," Andrea said. "Leave us alone, you're going to slow us down anyway and I want to get some sun time in before it gets too dark."
"You bring that bikini?" Merle asked, reaching over and hauling out one of the suitcases that Andrea was struggling with. "Jesus! How many dead bodies you haul up here?"
Andrea swatted at him.
"Put my shit down, Merle!" Andrea declared. "I'm serious…go…I'm going to have to haul your body back if you don't."
Carol was leaning against the back of Daryl's truck watching the show. It wouldn't take them that long to get everything inside the cabin and the boys could be out on the lake fishing in a matter of minutes if they'd go ahead and get on it.
"Come on, Merle…leave 'em ta whatever the hell they do," Daryl said with a smile. He walked over and kissed Carol quickly. "Let us know if you need help," he said.
She nodded.
"We'll be fine," she said. "But I think I know where to find you."
When Merle and Daryl disappeared off to start their fishing extravaganza, Carol helped Andrea with the bags, pointing her in the direction of the room that she and Merle would be sharing on their weekend trip while she took her own bags and Daryl's bags to their room. They could travel with considerably less since they'd already brought up things earlier in the week and left them.
"Carol…this place is gorgeous," Andrea said, coming out of the bedroom she'd be staying in and walking around, examining the cabin.
"Isn't it?" Carol said with a smile. "I love it…"
"Who wouldn't?!" Andrea declared.
"Come on," Carol said. "I want to show you the back porch…and the lake. You can practically fall off the porch and into the water. In the morning it's…it's just the nicest place to have coffee!"
Carol was more excited about the cabin than maybe she should be, but she thought it was absolutely ideal. It was perfect in every way. It was open and had more windows than walls it seemed.
They stepped out on the porch where they could easily see the brothers down at the water, Daryl showing off his new little fishing boat to Merle while they went about loading it up for a day that would be spent on the water doing as much drinking and bullshitting as they would do fishing.
Andrea walked over to one of the chairs and sat down.
"The porch is as big as the house, Carol," Andrea said, stretching herself dramatically in the chair.
Carol smiled and nodded.
"It was one of the biggest selling points for me," she admitted. "I just…love it and it's covered so I can be out here when it rains. I could sleep out here."
She sat down at the little table across from Andrea and laughed to herself.
"What?" Andrea asked, the lake house having already made her look far more relaxed than she normally did.
Carol smiled and shook her head.
"We did sleep out here," she admitted. "The first night? I asked…and Daryl and I made a pallet out here. We slept all night out here. It was so nice."
"I'm just glad I'm your best friend," Andrea teased. "That means I get to use the cabin when I want, right?"
Carol nodded her head.
"Of course," Carol said. "That's one of the reasons that we wanted the two rooms…I mean that way we can be up here whenever we want, but we can share it with everyone, you know? No one has to feel like they're…up under…anyone else."
Andrea smiled looked off toward the lake.
"And I'm lucky enough to be the first to come up here," Andrea said.
"That's because you're engaged to the co-owner's brother," Carol said, narrowing her eyes at Andrea.
Andrea smiled wistfully and picked up her hand to look at her ring finger again like she needed to assure herself that she was indeed engaged.
Merle had surprised them all, really, when he'd asked Andrea to marry him. He'd gathered all of them together…everyone. Carol had thought that something might be up when he phoned her to ask for the numbers of all their friends, but she hadn't really expected it to be what it was.
He'd thrown a barbecue…nothing special and nothing fancy…with a few plastic kiddie pools full of ice and beer and a picnic table covered over in condiments and cheap hotdog and hamburger buns. Everyone had come, but as the evening had worn on, they'd all settled into thinking that Merle had just gotten a hair to throw a gathering.
It wasn't until he'd brought out the dessert…two large strawberry shortcakes and one individual sized one with a large strawberry right in the middle of it…that people started to wonder why he insisted that Andrea eat hers…and that she eat it all…but when he forced her to bite the strawberry on top, she discovered, moments before needing the Heimlich maneuver, that he had pushed a diamond down into the strawberry.
And he'd asked, one by one, the permission of each of Andrea's friends to take her hand in marriage…declaring that it better be enough romance and tradition to carry her through the years.
So she'd agreed to a simple wedding…just them and their friends…nothing fancy at all. And until Carol and Daryl had bought the cabin, they hadn't even known where they would have it.
"This is going to be great for the wedding," Andrea declared. "And the reception."
"We can all get out of here afterwards if you want it for the honeymoon too," Carol offered.
Andrea shook her head.
"No…I think it'll be more fun to have everyone here for the weekend," Andrea said. "It'll be like a road trip…vacation."
She stretched dramatically and yawned, the surroundings having a somewhat sleep inducing effect if you sat still for too long.
"Alice and Sadie are going to love it," she said.
Carol hummed her agreement and then laughed.
"Michonne's going to hate it!" Carol declared. "I'll bet you ten bucks right now that she starts complaining when she gets out of the car and she doesn't stop until she leaves."
Andrea laughed in response.
"You're next you know? Getting married?" Andrea said.
Carol hummed this time in disagreement.
"I don't think so," she mused.
"Oh come on," Andrea declared. "After Daryl finally got you to let him move in with you…you don't think he's going to ask you to marry him?"
Carol chuckled and shook her head softly at Andrea.
"Daryl's already asked me to marry him," she said. "Three…four times…and he only won the moving in discussion because the two of you are essentially kicking him out."
"We're not kicking him out," Andrea protested. "Don't be so dramatic. He can stay if he wants. He wants to live with you…and you want to live with him. He's practically over there every night anyway…and this place?"
Carol and Daryl had bought the cabin together. They were splitting the cost fifty-fifty, right down the middle. That way it would be their cabin in name and in practice…neither owning any more of the property than the other did.
And it was true that Daryl already spent most of his nights at Carol's house…and most of his days too, but she'd only recently agreed to let him officially move into her home.
It was her home and she still liked maintaining her independence. She loved Daryl…and he loved her, and she knew it. They were good together and he'd proved, over the time that they'd been together, that he was dedicated to this relationship, even if it looked so little like the life that he'd imagined he would have.
Because it also looked very different from the life that Carol had come to imagine would be hers.
So she could agree to let him live with her, in her house, and she could agree to let him split the bills with her that she had, until this point, paid on her own, freeing up the money that was going toward her half of the cabin. But she still wasn't sold on the idea of getting married to Daryl. It just didn't seem necessary to her.
And by now it was pretty evident that he understood, or at least it was something that he was willing to accept.
"This place is great," Carol said. "And he's moving in with me…but we're not getting married. I just don't need it, you know?"
"That's what I said too," Andrea said. "And yet…I still said yes."
Carol smiled and nodded at her friend, reaching across the table. Andrea caught the movement and reached, taking Carol's hand and Carol squeezed it gently.
"You said yes…and that's wonderful for you and for Merle too. But that's you…and that's what works for you two. Daryl and me? We're just doing it our way," Carol said.
Andrea nodded knowingly at her and then she dropped her hand, getting to her feet rather quickly.
"Come on," she declared. "Let's get out bathing suits on. I want a tan. I can't get married looking like Casper the friendly ghost."
Andrea looked around again.
"You know…it's pretty secluded here," she said. "We could give the boys something to talk about…lay out topless."
Carol laughed and shook her head.
"They'd capsize the boat and I don't feel like doing mouth to mouth," Carol declared. "Keep your tatas tucked away for now."
Andrea faked an annoyed sigh.
"Fine, mom," she said. "You're such a fuddy duddy."
Carol followed her into the house.
"I'm just old enough to know better," Carol responded.
"And I'm still too young to care," Andrea teased.
