AN: Here we are, another chapter.
Also, I've realized that I've been calling the place motel/hotel interchangeably. It should be "hotel" because the doors of this establishment open to the inside. Please mentally correct that. I apologize!
I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!
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Nobody was allowed to go to "Court" with the Judges that wasn't in the MC or an invited guest of the MC.
That meant that, for at least a little while, Carol hung around the hotel with Andrea and a number of other old ladies and mixed company. They stayed under the explicit care of Jerry—The Big Kahuna to most of the other bikers—and an assortment of other Judges and Saviors that were choosing to skip court in order to watch out for their wards.
They got the call when they were able to move back to the Chambers, and they all went there in a single file line that looked more like some kind of funeral procession than anything else as it stretched out between the two MC owned locations. Jerry was the front rider and, as such, he set the pace for them—a slow pace to which nobody could object, at least not on the grounds that it endangered anyone's life.
In the parking lot of the Chambers, Carol opened the small plastic bags that Daryl had purchased, and she emptied them into the brown paper bag, as was fitting to Sophia and Daryl's image of everything. Jerry was somewhat impatient, and he paced around the car outside. Carol saw him wave off Andrea—urging her inside with the others—and she didn't miss when his hand went to leisurely rest at his hip.
He was armed, and he wasn't taking any chances.
Carol rolled down the window and he jumped where he was settling in, leaning against the front fender, to wait out whatever was delaying her.
"Problem, Boss?" Jerry asked with an infectious smile. Carol smiled back at him and shook her head.
"Just a quick—thing with Sophia," Carol said. "No problem, but we're going to need a minute."
The man visibly relaxed.
"Take all the time you need," he said. "I'll stay right here. Make a quick phone call, if you don't object."
"Go ahead," Carol said. She'd noticed him, several times, pecking out messages on his phone while he'd been keeping watch. She'd asked him, once, who he was talking to, and she remembered the facial expression he got when he answered her. "Tell Nabila I said 'hi.'"
Jerry smiled and nodded his head.
"Just let me know when you and the little princess are ready to go," he said, taking out his phone and choosing a comfortable spot about three feet away from Carol's car where he could lean against the fence.
Carol turned her attention back to transferring the contents of the small bags over to the paper bag. When she was done, she packed the empty bags into a discarded shopping bag, rolled up the end of the paper bag, and offered it over into the back seat where Sophia sat.
"You're sure you still want to do this?" Carol asked. "You don't have to if you don't want to or if you're feeling overwhelmed by all the new faces. Daryl and I can do it."
Sophia grabbed the paper bag, undid Carol's work of neatly closing it, and smiled at the contents before she balled the top of the bag up tightly in her hand. She bounced a little in her seat, showing off what was left of the energy that she didn't get out when she was running up and down the stairs at their little hotel.
"I got it, Mama!" Sophia assured her.
Carol smiled to herself. She'd once worried that her daughter was too timid. Maybe, she'd even worried that her daughter would grow up to be a "mouse," in the same way that Merle teasingly described Carol. She could see, though, that any mouse-like qualities that could have ever been attributed to Sophia were owing to environment and not at all to personality.
She didn't care that there was a somewhat overwhelming number of bikers in Liberty now. They didn't intimidate her in any way. On the contrary—Sophia saw them all as simply more friends to be made and more family that she had yet to meet.
Carol nodded.
"You do have it, baby," Carol offered. "You ready to go?"
Sophia's only response came in the form of her opening her door. She spilled out of the car and Carol barked at her to wait for her before she got out as well. Jerry rushed forward, around the car, and put himself somewhat between Carol and Sophia. Carol had no real concern that anyone was going to appear, suddenly, from the slightly wooded areas that somewhat surrounded the Chambers, but she appreciated Jerry's caution because she knew it would transfer over to every situation when she was relying on him to help her keep herself and her daughter safe.
Sophia was in her element and not at all concerned about anything. She skipped through the parking lot, clutching her brown bag, and tugged at the handle on the heavy door to try to get inside. She backed up and knocked on the door when she couldn't get it open, and it opened—with Wren standing there holding it open—just as Carol and Jerry walked up.
"Thanks, Wren," Sophia offered.
"You welcome, Sweetheart," Wren offered.
"Here you go," Sophia said, reaching in her bag and offering Wren one of the balloons that she chose.
He turned it over in his hand.
"Well, thank you," he said. "I swear—I weren't expecting to get me one of these today. Not at all."
Sophia beamed at him, and she slipped her hand into his when he offered her his to hold. Carol and Jerry slipped in behind him and followed him as he made his way toward the front of the bar where his preferred seat was located.
Carol listened to him as he walked with Sophia.
"This sure is somethin'," he indicated. "It damn sure is."
"What'cha got there, Wren?" Merle asked, meeting him as he moved around the space where everyone, having broken apart after the meeting, was interacting with everyone else, finding new seats, and just generally milling about and mingling now that business was done for the night.
"This is a present," Wren said, holding up the deflated balloon. "Just for me, 'cause I'm the only one that can open the damned door when Sophia needs to get inside."
"It's not just for you!" Sophia said quickly. She shoved her hand all the way in her bag, burrowed around, peeking around her arm, and came up with another that she handed to Merle. Merle took it and studied it with a furrowed brow.
Carol jumped when she felt someone touch her on the shoulders as they approached her from behind.
"Just me," Daryl said, quietly, as he leaned his face close to hers. "Anyone figured it out yet?"
Carol smiled to herself and dropped her voice to a whisper.
"She's only given out the two," Carol offered.
"What is this?" Merle asked.
"It's a balloon, Merle," Wren offered. "Ain't you never seen a balloon before?"
Sophia giggled.
"You gotta blow it up, Wren!" She barked. She drew her hands apart, showing that she imagined the cheap balloons would end up being huge. "Blow it up so it'll stay!"
"So it'll stay, huh?" Wren mused. "You want me to tie it off? Like with a knot?" Sophia nodded. Wren did as he was asked and knotted the end of the balloon. Then he flapped it around between his fingers. "Got me a pink balloon," he mused. "That's my signature color." He laughed at his own joke, so it wasn't really necessary for anyone else to laugh, though Merle did chuckle, as well.
"You gotta do it, too, Merle! Everybody's gotta do it!" Sophia demanded.
Seeing that Merle was going to do what she asked without question or hesitation, Sophia began handing out balloons at a much faster rate. She made her way around the bar, digging in her bag at each step of the way, and passing out the three different colored balloons—all bought in party bags so that they could limit the colors available.
One by one, the balloons got handed out. They were blown up, tied off, and then they were played with, somewhat absentmindedly. It was proof, to Carol, that age mattered very little. When given a balloon, everyone either flipped it back and forth in their hands, holding onto the knot they'd tied or, in many cases, slowly began to bat the things around the room in a game that engaged those closest—or not so close—to them.
"What's with the balloons, Soph?" Andrea finally asked, batting her balloon back and forth with Sadie, who was sitting close enough to her that they could have touched each other with any effort.
"What do they got in common?" Daryl asked.
"This a riddle?" Merle asked.
Daryl laughed and tightened his grip on Carol where his arms had fallen, quite naturally, to hug her around the upper part of her chest as he rested his face next to hers and hugged her from behind.
"Somethin' like that," Daryl offered.
"They all balloons," Wren said. "What prize do I win?"
"Try again, asshole," Daryl responded. "What are balloons for?"
"Poppin'?" Wren asked.
"Celebrating!" Andrea said loudly and quickly. She almost hopped out of her chair and her quick reaction started Sadie so that the woman barked out her surprise before laughing at herself and accepting Andrea's hug as an apology for appearing to be in some distress when, in actuality, she was only happy to contribute to the game.
"To celebrate," Daryl confirmed. "So what else they got in common?"
"Sophia give 'em to us all," Merle offered.
"Sophia," Daryl said. "Why are you the one givin' everybody the balloons? Why ain't it me?"
Sophia stopped what she was doing. Carol didn't know how many balloons were left in the bag that she was hugging to her chest with one hand, but she stopped handing them out for a minute.
"Everything, Daddy?" She asked.
Carol smiled to herself and covered her mouth. The two of them had practiced this, in the kitchen, but it was hard to get a five-year-old to remember all the pieces to a multi-step plan. Still, Sophia was doing well. She hadn't given away all of Daryl's secrets at once and, really, Carol had half expected her to come through the door tossing balloons out like Mardi Gras beads while she announced to the whole bar that she was being adopted and getting a baby of her very own to play with.
"Just—why is it you, sweetheart?" Carol offered. "Just—that part."
"I hope 'cause she's the only that's got any business skippin' around here handin' out balloons," Merle offered with a snort.
"Daddy," Sophia offered, abandoning her balloon efforts to come over to Daryl. She wagged her finger at him and he let go of Carol to lean down close to Sophia. "I don't wanna say it wrong," Sophia whispered quite loudly.
Daryl laughed to himself and scooped her up as he straightened up. She allowed him to perch her on his hip.
"Can't say it wrong," Daryl assured. "No matter what you say, it don't matter. Not long as it gets said. But—how about I help you out anyway?"
Sophia nodded her liking of that idea, and Daryl patted her back reassuringly.
"Sophia wanted to hand out the balloons 'cause she's got a lot to celebrate," Daryl offered. "And—the biggest thing we got to celebrate right now is…that we're becomin' a whole ass family."
A round of applause went up before it was clear that nobody really understood any specifics of why they were clapping. They supported the idea of family, though, in whatever shape or form that may take.
"We already knew you were getting married," Alice offered.
"You didn't know I'm officially adoptin' Sophia!" Daryl barked.
"I knew you wanted to!" Andrea said, popping out of her seat again and raising her hand.
"Only 'cause we talked about the legality of it, asshole," Daryl said.
"An' you ain't said nothin'?" Merle asked, directing it to Andrea. She shrugged. "I see how you is. A damned turncoat. You sleepin' on the fuckin' couch tonight. I don't want no part of you."
Everyone laughed, especially since Merle wasn't able to keep a straight face during his threat. The second round of congratulations included several rough hugs as the three of them were practically trapped and passed around to those who wanted to offer their full support of the building of their little family.
"That ain't all!" Daryl said, still holding Sophia despite the joint hugs they'd shared. "That ain't all. There's one more thing…one more thing about them balloons…"
"Sadie might have it," Andrea offered. Being closest to the woman, it was clear that Sadie had saddled closer to Andrea to share her suspicions, but she hadn't necessarily expected that Andrea would call her out. When Andrea waved her hand at her, though, to press her to say something, she hummed.
"Oh," Sadie said. "OK. Well—they're blue…and pink…and yellow."
Daryl nodded dramatically.
"They are," he said. "Bought 'em in the party aisle so they could be that way. But why the hell you think they blue, an' pink, an' yellow?"
Sadie furrowed her brow at him and Andrea repeated the question back to her. The distance between them, and the more than few people who stepped into the direct line of sight between Daryl and Sadie, made it clear that she had no chance to follow the conversation entirely.
She smiled at Andrea, though, when Andrea had repeated the question where nothing could block her from reading her lips.
"They're baby colors," Sadie offered, matter-of-factly.
Daryl beamed. He hugged Sophia a little tighter as something of a knee-jerk response.
"They're baby colors," he echoed.
"Because—you adoptin' Sophia," Merle offered.
"That ain't all of it," Daryl said.
Carol could glance around the room and see how quickly everyone seemed to realize what was going on. Some faces froze in smiles. Others simply froze in wide-eyed expressions. Almost all of them, though, turned to look at Merle to see if and when he'd understand his little brother's message.
Merle smiled to himself. He looked at the balloon he was holding with the knot pinched between his first finger and thumb. He flicked it back and forth—rapidly and a little nervously. His smile broke into a quick burst of laughter. He looked at Daryl.
Carol glanced at the man that would, very soon, be her husband. He was smiling as sincerely as he could be. Maybe, she thought, his eyes were even a little damp. Sophia, who had already lost interest, had allowed Daryl to put her down and, now, she was laying out the leftover deflated balloons on the seat of a nearby chair.
"With Mouse?" Merle asked, directing the question to Daryl.
Daryl laughed nervously to himself.
"Shit—I hope so," he responded.
Carol assumed that was all the communication that was necessary between the brothers, because, less than a moment later, she felt herself being warmly sandwiched between the two of them in a hug.
