And we've made it to Friday!

I just wanted to remind you all that I am a Caryl shipper. I ship Caryl. I don't favor Daryl. I don't favor Carol. I won't write a story that puts either of them on any sort of pedestal. I've noticed in this fandom that there is a divide. It's your Carol fans vs Daryl fans and sometimes people get upset when things don't go the way they want for the character of their choice. But I don't write that way. I love both characters equally, which is why I ship them. I just want to write a story and hope that people enjoy it. If you like stories where one or the other is treated better, I'm not the writer for you. Mistakes are going to be made by both parties. Things wont always be roses for either. Life isn't like that. My stories aren't either. Regardless of this, I hope that you all understand that I would never pick favorites or intentionally be mean or unfair to one of them. I think if you love the ship, you need to love both characters in it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and, as always, thank you all for reading.

Chapter Fifty Three

Daryl kept shooting the girl sideways glances but she just kept looking out the window, staring dejectedly at the rain washed scenery. If it was Piper or Damon he'd know how to handle it but he hardly knew Sophia at all. He needed to remedy that though and there was no time like the present.

"You know, she's scared to death. That's the only reason she's giving you so much shit," he said, trying to break the ice.

She glanced at him, a small smile on her face. "I know."

He frowned but he should have expected this from her. "You ain't gotta do that."

She stared straight ahead. "Do what?" She asked stiffly.

"Act like you ain't pissed off."

She glanced at him. "You're on her side. All you're going to do is lecture me about how stupid I was for doing what I did. I already heard it from her. I'm not trying to be disrespectful," she added hastily.

He barked out a laugh, slowed for a stop light and then looked at her. "Okay. Knowin' the outcome, if you had it to do over again, would you?"

She looked at him, her eyes studying him.

"Don't try to figure out what I want to hear, kid. Tell me what's in your head."

"Yes I would. I know that she thinks it was really reckless but it got you out of jail and Damon was watching the whole time. So yes. Knowing what I know now, I would still do it because it needed to be done. She needed you."

He nodded. "I agree."

From the corner of his eye he saw her mouth drop open slightly. "What? You can't say that you support me doing that."

"Kid, if you hadn't done what you did then my ass could very well be locked down for a long time. I wouldn't be around for my own kid. You think I don't appreciate what you did? You're a fuckin' trip, Sophia. I love your mom. Everybody knows that, but I don't have to agree with everything she says. She's had sixteen years to go into full blown mom mode. I've had a few months just get to know you, and most of those months were spent behind bars."

"So you aren't mad?"

He shook his head. "You gotta cut her some slack though, man. She don't know how to handle any of this shit. Just like you don't. You're both tryin' to fit yourselves into these new roles. You're both trying to learn how to deal with freedom. You've been locked up your whole life, she's been locked up half of hers. You're both trying to cope. This won't be the only bump in the road. But the only thing that she's thinking about is what if something happened to you. It scared the hell outta her, you know? And now she thinks that the two of you are driftin'. Plus she's all knocked up, by a total fuckin' immature temperamental asshole that she barely knows, so that's gotta make things even worse."

"I know where she's coming from. I just wish she'd try to understand that I had to do something. And you aren't an asshole," she added, glancing at him.

He grinned and pulled down Buck's driveway.

"I'm not suppose to be here. Damon and Piper are off limits, remember?"

He shook his head. "You three got your own shit to sort out, remember? I'm not stupid. So let's go so you can talk to them," he said as he jumped out of the truck and hurried to the porch. She was hot on his heels.

"Are you serious?" She asked once they were on the porch.

He snorted. "No. You're grounded so get back in the car. I just brought you all the way here to fuck with you. I'll be back inn a minute."

She frowned but then actually turned around, about to head down the steps.

"Jesus, I'm fuckin' with you, kid." He grabbed the back of her shirt and tugged her back towards the door with a shake of his head.

"Oh. Well, are you going to lie to her about this? Because you really shouldn't. You know, even little lies can really mess up a relationship. Not that I'm an expert or anything."

"Actually, you're probably better at this than I am. I've been locked up for damn near the whole time I've been with your mom. I'm wingin' it. And no, I ain't lying about it. I'm gonna tell her what I did and why I did it and then you're gonna stop givin' her the silent treatment and take whatever punishment she doles out like a trooper. Ask yourself how the hell you would feel if she did somethin' as monumentally stupid as you did."

"Like letting herself get pregnant by an immature temperamental asshole that she barely knows?" She smiled.

He raised a brow. "Touche, kid. Touche."

They let themselves in, knowing that they'd likely find everyone in the kitchen. Sophia glanced in and then headed down the hall towards Piper's room. June was the only one in the kitchen. She looked up from her coffee, her eyes troubled.

"Did she already kick you out? Daryl, it's only been a few hours."

He scoffed as he walked past. "Nah, brought Sophia back here to talk to Damon and Piper."

June sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Good. He's been moping around like an oversized puppy since you all left. Reminded me of you for that, what, whole day that you tried to avoid Carol?" She smiled.

"Shut up," he muttered, slinking down in his seat. This earned him a slap in the back of the head. He looked up over his shoulder, seeing Buck's disapproving face.

"Boy, mind your manners." He admonished. "And you're already fuckin' up, you know. Bringin' her here when you know what her mama said."

"Her mama will be fine. I'll tell her about it when I get back. Ain't like I'm lyin' to her. Sophia needed to work things out with those two. It didn't seem right. And what she did wasn't as bad as Carol thinks. Damon was with her. She was safe."

Buck and June stared at him. "You're oversteppin', boy."

Daryl shook his head and reached for a cookie that was sitting on a plate in the middle of the table. "No I ain't. Why the hell is it so hard for everybody to look at this whole thing through Sophia's eyes. She did what she did because she wanted to help her mom. She fucked up, sure, but her heart was in the right place. She's grounded. After this, she can stay grounded, but I think she has earned the right to clear the air with Piper and Damon."

"Will her mama feel the same?" Buck asked, sitting next to him. "Sophia isn't Piper. You can't just go behind everyone's back and handle things your own way."

"Goddamn," he muttered, "How bout you all just let me handle my own shit for once. She ain't a bad kid. She fucked up, sure but I'm out because of what she did. I owe her."

"You know, you're gonna have to step up boy. You asked for this. Hell, you didn't even ask for it, you just reached out and took it. You gotta hell of a lot on your plate. You're the only man that girl has to look up to. You think going behind her mom's back and letting her get her way is settin' any kind of example for her."

Daryl groaned. "Lay the fuck off, Buck. It ain't like I'm takin' her to a damn party. She needs to talk this shit out. How bout you just let me do what I need to do and stop actin' like I'm twelve."

Buck and June shared a look and Daryl decided enough was enough. He stood up, flipping his dad off as he walked out of the room. He was thinking about checking his drawer for the stash of weed he usually kept there and then remembered that being on probation could possibly have him taking random piss tests. This grown up shit kind of sucked.

~H~

Sophia wasn't even sure what to say to them. They both sat on the edge of Piper's bed. Piper was picking at a hang nail and Damon was looking at Sophia.

"Well, let us have it," he finally said, standing up and shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Did you know that Dave was going to get killed?" She asked bluntly.

He nodded. "I knew it was a possibility. And after hearing what they found in that mother fucker's house I'm only sorry I wasn't there to do it my damn self. Don't expect an apology, Sophia. He deserved every fucking thing he got."

She felt her temper flare. "You could have told me."

"I could have but I didn't want to. Neither one of us did."

"Why?" She snapped.

Piper and Damon shared a look. "Because you aren't the type that could hear something like that and be okay with it," Damon said, losing steam. Now he just looked worried.

"Yeah, well. I think I could have proved you wrong. But I'm not the type to waste my time on assholes that think it's okay to lie to their friends. I thought we... Never mind. I should have listened to Sara. I'm not one of you. I'm not a part of this and I don't even know how to be. I'm glad that my mom got Daryl out of the deal but other than that, I really think I messed up trying to play tag along. You two lying to me, you pretty much confirmed it."

Piper stood up as Sophia turned towards the door. "Dude, just hold on a second. You don't understand."

Sophia turned, eyes flashing. "Fuck you, Piper. Maybe I expected it from him but not you. You've always been up front with me. I guess you always will be so long as it suits you, right?"

Piper's jaw clenched and she shook her head. "That ain't fair."

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Damon snapped, taking a step towards her.

"You figure it out. This isn't working. Any of it. I'm not like you two. I'm not a part of your little circle. My mom's not a member of the club. I'll save you both the effort of covering your tracks and just stay the hell away from both of you."

"You're a member of this family too, Sophia," Piper growled. "And you don't walk out on family."

"Yeah, well, you don't lie and keep secrets from family either so I guess it was the two of you that broke the code first. That means I get to walk."

They both stared at her as she stormed out, slamming the door on her way. Daryl was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, obviously getting an ear full from Buck and June. She didn't even glance at them. She grabbed his hand and kept walking. "Let's go."

"Bout fuckin' time," he grumbled.

"Yeah, no shit," she muttered, more to herself than to him. The car ride to the hardware store was silent and tense. He seemed to be deep in thought and she really didn't feel like trying to cheer him up because she had a lot on her mind herself.

Once they made it inside she followed him straight to the paint swatches. "What'cha thinkin'?" He asked, his eyes scanning the samples. He grabbed a light pink color and she couldn't help but smile. He raised a brow and she shook her head.

"Thank God," he muttered, putting it back.

"Black."

He glanced at her. "Black?"

She nodded. She was definitely in a mood for black. She expected him to shake his head and tell her that was too much. Instead he nodded.

"Fuck yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about."

She grinned at him, feeling a little better, even though she kind of felt like she left half her heart back in Piper's bedroom. "Seriously?"

He nodded with a grin. "I thought this was gonna suck. Wasn't sure if I was gonna have to pick through a bunch of flowery shit the whole time. This though, this is right up my alley."

"Mom's not gonna like it."

"I'll work her over."

"Gross."

He grinned and pulled her towards the paint mixer. "Let's keep lookin'. Buck pissed me off so I swiped his credit card."

She laughed. "He's going to kill you. And you're being a really bad influence right now. What would you do if I stole my mom's credit card?" She lifted a brow, unable to believe that this man was suppose to be like a father figure to her now.

"You wouldn't. And if you did then I guess we'd both get our asses chewed out and then you'd feel bad cause I'm such a great guy and all."

She felt bad about using Buck's card for all of five minutes until he showed her an isle that had a bunch of stick on wall decals. She started going through them carefully while he waited. "Are you really gonna charge all this to Buck's credit card?"

He nodded. "I am. But he gave it to me. I didn't really steal it. I was testing you."

Her eyes got wide. "Testing me? I knew I shouldn't have agreed to this." Now he was going to think she was a thief.

"No worries, kid. You passed." He bumped her shoulder with his own and then held up a large red wall decal of a devil face. "You really wanna get under her skin, you're gonna need this."

She laughed. "I thought you said I should take it easy on her?"

He shrugged. "There's always those purple and yellow butterflies you were staring at. Those would look good on black too."

She snatched the devil out of his hands. "Okay. Let's get out of here. I think I owe my mom an apology. I hope she hasn't been too upset because of the way I've acted today."

He threw an arm over her shoulder and shook his head, a small smile on his face. "That's my girl."

She felt herself smile. Maybe he wasn't perfect and maybe he had a ways to go before he really got this parenting thing down, but she was starting to feel like there was a real chance that Daryl Dixon was going to prove to the world that he could be a really great father. She felt better after spending this time with him. She felt like he understood her. For the first time in her life, as strange at it sounded, she felt like maybe even she would get a real chance at having a real dad.