Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Carol and Lori were woken up the next morning by Axel who had gone out and bought coffee and muffins for breakfast, and they were so grateful for it. Axel sat them down to have a talk to them about some work issues that had come up, and Carol didn't like the bribery food. Lori was shoveling a double chocolate muffin down her throat already, but Carol stuck to the coffee. It was nice and warm and didn't reek of hesitation.

"I know you girls have been through a lot the last couple of days, and I'm sorry to add more to your burdens." He set his triple Americano down and rubbed his hands together, trying to jolt himself into just blurting it out, but he was so anxious. He was about to break more hearts, and he couldn't stomach it, but this was happening whether he told them or not. So better for them to hear it from him than from someone else later.

"What's going on, Dad?" Carol squeezed her hands between her thighs. "We do have school today, you know."

"I've already…called and told them you two wouldn't be in today." He rubbed his jaw and exhaled. "Family matters."

Lori swallowed the last bit of muffin with coffee and frowned. "What family matters?"

"This." He cleared his throat. "I've been holding this back for months now, but I can't anymore."

Carol's heart dropped. "Are—are you sick, Daddy?"

"No, no, I'm healthy as they come." He managed a smile, but it faltered. "I'm sorry, girls."

"What's going on?" Lori stood up. "What happened now? Did Mom miscarry?"

"No, this has nothing to do with Mom. This is all me." He met Carol's eyes then Lori's, grasping her hand and sitting her down. "I…I've been promoted."

"That's good news, though, right?" Carol held her breath.

"It is very good news. It's a higher pay grade, better benefits for you two and for Clay, and there are better hours." He lowered his eyes. "But the position is in Washington. Washington DC."

Carol stopped breathing altogether, blood running cold inside of her, and she shook her head. No. No. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't stop her mind from spinning out, her heart from sinking, and she wanted to grab him up and shake him and demand to know why this joke was so bad. She couldn't honestly take him seriously right now. He had to be joking. He fucking had to be joking, because she couldn't take this. After their Mom's news and now then? No, no way. She refused. There was not a chance in hell he was serious with them. It had to be a joke. It had to be.

She couldn't uproot her life and her son from the people and places she had grown to love and grow up in for a permanent move to Washington. She couldn't do that to him or to herself. She had finally come out of her shell and was making friends in new places. She was branching out of her normal hobbies. She was learning about herself and her place in the world. She was growing up here, and it wasn't a too awful of time after her mom's death, but this was going to make her childhood/teenage-hood a nightmare.

She had a boyfriend she had made promises with. She was going to move in with Daryl and live in his place while he was in college. They were going to raise their son together, be a parenting unit that neither heaven nor hell could shake. It was all she wanted in the entire world—to be by his side and learn how to be the best mother and lover she could possibly be. That was her goal in life right now until she figured out what she wanted to do with her career, but she had senior year and guidance counselors to figure that out. She couldn't do that in WASHINGTON!

She couldn't be with Daryl in Washington, and he couldn't be with his son if they moved. She refused to separate Clay and Daryl. He had no right to do this and be serious, because she would be even more heartbroken. She couldn't handle that right now. She had just come to terms with the baby last night with Lori, and now this bomb had been dropped on her. She couldn't believe this. She couldn't fucking believe he would do this after the conversation they just had last night. He was there. He was actively there and knew neither of them took it well. How could he do this?

She had to go with him. She had no choice. There was no way he'd let her stay with Karen and Tyreese until she graduated. She was his little girl, and there was simply no other way around it. Lori was Karen's, and Carol was Axel's, that was how this would be painted, and Carol would be shipped off to DC without a second thought of how it might churn up her life. She would simply have to take it and bear the pain. As she always did, because why not? Why would Dad decline such a high pay grade and cool new title and shit so she could finish out her schooling in the only state she had ever known. So, she could walk among friends and family across the stage, accept her diploma from a principal she knew and trusted. So, she could say goodbye to her girl friends on the road trip they had been planning post-graduation since, like, fifth grade. So, she could be happy and stay with her boyfriend, father of her son and love of her actual life!

She searched his face and saw the deep remorse he felt. He didn't mean to drop this bomb on them like this. He hadn't meant to leave them so vulnerable and so shattered. He simply wanted to accept the position to do right by them, to help them through college and through the first few weeks or months living on their own. He wanted the best for them, but the rules had changed on him. His daughter got pregnant. His wife was having a non-affair and got pregnant, too. There was no way around this, and he couldn't decline the position, because then they would believe he didn't want a higher position within the corporation, and then they'd fire him for not wanting to climb that ladder. For wanting to stay in the same unmoving place.

"God, Dad." Carol dropped her head into her hands and rubbed her temples.

Axel had been trying to delay them for entire months now. Since the beginning of winter, he'd been delaying them. He'd gotten the higher pay and the duties, but they now needed him in the Washington office. There was nothing he could do about it. It was either move now or be fired. They were adding pressure to him as it was, and now it was down to the wire. They were offering him a hotel to stay in until he found a place, flying him out next week to look over the office and his new desk, to meet with the higher ups and have lunch with them. He had no choice. It was now, or he lost out on the job he'd been wanting since he was a boy. He was sorry to do this to the girls so close to Karen and Tyreese's news, but they had a right to know just how shaken up their lives were about to get.

Lori was numb. She couldn't process the given information and ran upstairs to try and escape it. Like a long shadow, though, it swallowed her at the top of the steps, and she tripped, landing on the first floor. She curled up there, unharmed, and whimpered. She shook her head and felt tears pooling in her eyes. Her entire world was going away, and there was nothing she could do about it. She wasn't the lucky girl with parents who loved each other anymore. She wasn't the Georgia state girl anymore. She wasn't going to be living with Carol anymore. God, and no more Clay at bedtime.

Axel would take Carol to Washington with him. There were no doubts about that. Karen would take Lori, because Axel couldn't raise two girls and Clay on his own. He couldn't even handle going in to stores to buy pads and tampons, let alone raise a teenager mother who was sexually active along with Lori. She was the odd man out, and she would be tossed to the side like garbage. She was born to trash, and slowly but surely that exactly what she was becoming. The unwanted child. The mistake. The burden. She dug her nails into the heel of her hand and shuddered. Maybe this wouldn't hurt so damn bad if she had never been born…

Downstairs Axel fidgeted with his goatee and looked over his daughter, who still had her face buried in her hands, and those little hands were trembling. He knew she was crying silently. He knew his daughter well, and she was upset with him, with the situation, with the entire damn world. It had never been fair to her, he knew. Taking her mother from her at such a young age. Knocking her up by a stranger. Having said stranger become a good friend, a boyfriend, a love then having to leave said love behind for new sights, because Axel couldn't continue on alone. It was his biggest flaw. He wasn't made to survive entirely alone. That was partly why he agreed to marry Karen.

And now that action was biting him heavily in the ass. She was pregnant and likely soon to be engaged to Tyreese. They were moving in together and going to raise their baby boy or baby girl. They were going to probably fight for Lori, because Karen couldn't let her go to Washington, even with Axel. Karen loved that little girl with everything inside of her, and there wasn't a chance in hell she'd ever let her go. So, that meant Carol was also losing out on having a sister. She had had a sister in her life from the time she'd lost her mother onward. In her memories she'd always had a sister, and now at the age of seventeen he was telling her that was no more. Sure, they could visit and call. Video chat. Text. But it wasn't the same as being right down the hall or simply down the stairs. It would strain their relationship, and they wouldn't be as close. It would crush Carol, because Lori was her best friend.

And speaking of best friends, she would have to leave behind Michonne and Andrea and Caesar. She had just found Caesar, and she now had to say goodbye. It was cruel, he knew that. To finally be open enough to find new friends, to cherish the ones she already had, was a big step for anybody. He was driving the knife between them, and he acknowledged that. If she hated him by the time he was done, then so be it. It was partly selfish of him to accept this career change so late in his life, but he'd been dreaming of this long before he had dreamt of her. The hard truth of the matter.

Another hard truth was leaving Daryl behind. Obviously, Axel couldn't ask the young man to uproot his entire life to move to DC with them, and Axel wasn't going to support him through college unless he asked. Which he didn't have to, because he had scholarships and opportunities here. He had people who supported him here. He had loved ones here. There was no need for him to move across the country for a high school love, even if it was real. Axel wouldn't let him give up his future on the chance that this was just a glorified crush. He couldn't risk the boy who had been abused and who had been told he was nothing for year's future on the chance that he might not adjust well up there. That he might flunk out in the last few months of high school. That he might revert back to his party boy self. That he might not get the same abundance of grants as he had here. He would absolutely not risk it. Daryl was a fine young man, and he wouldn't jeopardize his future, because of Axel's dream job.

But that meant leaving Carol as a single mother. And there was no reassurance Daryl wouldn't say fuck it and follow them up. He was a savvy young man, and if anyone could do it, it was him. Axel didn't want that, but he had no control over his life. Just Carol's and Lori's apparently. Power he had no interest in having, because it led to the reason why his beloved little girl…his beloved daughter…was crying.

"Carol, I'm sorry."

"Why now, Dad?" She dropped her hands and revealed her crying face. "Why right now?"

"I tried to delay it until the summer, but they need me up there by the end of this month."

"I only had three more months with him as it was," she wailed. "And now it's just… it's just… God! How can this be happening?"

"I'm so sorry, honey." He moved further down the couch to touch her, and she let him. He rubbed her back and grasped her hand. "I fly out next week to meet with my boss, to have lunch. And I'll be looking at property listings while I'm there. If you want to come with me…."

"No. No, thank you."

"I know this is heartbreaking news but try and see the upside of it."

"What upside, Dad? My entire life…is in ruins, and I don't care about the upside." She stood up and walked over to Clay's crib. "How can you do this to us?"

"I made a decision, and while it impacts all of it, it isn't necessarily a bad one."

"My son is going to be taken away from his father," Carol retorted. "Tell me how that isn't bad."

"Carol—"

"Tell me you can let me stay with Mom until I graduate."

"You know I can't let you do that."

"Can't or won't?"

"Fine, I won't let you do that, because I need you, too, Carol. You're my daughter first, and I need you in my life."

"Smothering me isn't going to make me love you." She snapped, glowering over her shoulder at him. "Or stay once I'm eighteen."

"Then it'll be your decision, but for now, you're legally bound to me. And we…are moving."

Daryl received a text from Carol saying she was coming over right now, and he was on his way out for school, so he set Clay's carrier down and decided to wait for her. Merle had already gone before five this morning to work on himself—made Daryl damn proud of him—and it would just be the two of them. Maybe they could work out her issue and hit the sheets before leaving to be late for school.

He shook his head and sat down with Clay, adjusting him on his thighs. "How are you today?"

He looked at his daddy and smiled at him talking to him. "Dada…."

"That's how you're doin'? Good to know." He chuckled and wiped drooled from his toothy smile. "Mommy's on her way."

He cooed and looked over at the door as if she were entering right now.

"Give it a minute, bud." He grabbed the remote and turned the early morning cartoons back on, twirling his son around to see them and resting interlocked fingers across his boy's tummy. "Let's see what Paw Patrol is up to today."

It'd taken about an hour for Carol to arrive. She had to stop driving to have a breakdown on the way, and when she entered his house, he knew something was wrong. Her eyes were puffy and red, and she was sniffling. He flicked the TV off and set Clay down in the playpen, moving to grasp her arms, and she wrapped her arms around his back.

"What happened? What's going on?"

She broke down into tears again, and he just held her. He let her get it all out, and he walked her over to the couch and sat her down, all while holding her, so it was rather difficult. He rubbed her back and consoled her. It'd been another hour before she calmed down, her entire world turned upside down, and she slowly explained what was happening.

"No fuckin' way." He shook his head. "No."

"Yes." She snuffled. "And I don't have a choice. I'm not eighteen. So, fuck the world, where he goes, I go."

Daryl leaned back on the couch and rubbed his hands over his face. "Fuck, man." He was quiet after that, not speaking a word but thinking. He considered it from both sides and all the motherfucking angles. He knew what Carol had thought, what Axel had thought and why they had done what they did. Axel accepting this awesome promotion. Carol coming over here to cry it out, and honestly, he was surprised with where he landed with everything.

"You should go with him."

Carol stopped mid-wipe at her cheek and stared at him. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me, and I ain't gonna repeat myself to change the wording." He sat up on the couch. "Y'all should go to the DC."

"What about us? What about high school and my friends? The things I had planned to do when I graduated?"

"You can still do all those things." Daryl tried to touch her, but she stopped him. "Baby, listen to me. Everythin' you got planned, you can do. That road trip? Just fly back and go. High school sucks no matter where you are. And your friends will still be your friends. Andrea's rich. She could probably fly her and Michonne up to visit during the summer or spring break."

"Okay, Mr. Has-An-Answer-For-Everything, what about us? Our prom? Our son? Our relationship?" she snapped. "Huh?"

"We'll be fine long distance." He searched her eyes. "It's just some space, and we'd have to do it anyway when I go to Atlanta. I can call and text and video you. And I fly up there when I'm not busy and have made some money. You can show me the sights. We can break in your new bed."

"Oh, ha ha, jackass." She slid off the couch and moved away from him.

"And who needs prom? I wasn't even sure I wanted to go." He moved with her and caught her arm. "Carol, Axel needs this. Just like Karen needs Ty. You gotta realize it's bigger than the job. It's what he's been workin' for since before you were born. It's his goal. You can't shit on that."

"And why not?"

"Because it'd mean shittin' on me, too. My goal and my dream that I'm trying to achieve, the better life I want to have for myself and our son. You can't just…think about yourself in situations like this. You gotta consider every angle, Carol. You're smart. You know this."

"I do know it. And I have thought about it from my dad's point of view, but God, the cost, Daryl. I… I have to give up seeing my friends every day, seeing you graduate, going to our prom together. It's so much, and I don't want to do it."

"Amaro's gonna record my graduation 'cause his son is there too, and he can mail you a copy. And I do mean mail. Man can hardly work a cell phone it seems like." He tried to make a joke of it, to make her smile, but she was frowning.

"It's not the same." She pulled her arm free and looked him over. "And you know that. My nana made me a prom dress, and I won't get to wear it with you."

"Carol…" He slid his hand down to grip her hand. "We can get through anythin', and if I gotta fly my ass up to Washington for your senior prom then so be it. It'll give me time to buy a tux."

Tears prickled up in her eyes. "You'd do that? Just for one night?"

"If it'll make you happy, yeah."

She felt silly now. He was willing to do all of this to try and make her life better, and she was griping about how it wasn't the same. Nothing was ever going to be the same after Mom dropped her bomb on her at Clay's birthday party. She needed to face the reality of that and suck it up, buttercup. It was only a matter of time before she was out in the world on her own, and she couldn't come crying to Daryl for help. She needed to find a home within herself—a home not distance or time could change, a home friends were still best friends—and hold it close when she felt lonely. She needed to grow up. Even though it would hurt like hell.

"I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face there. "I'm being really selfish."

"Nah, it's okay." He kissed her shoulder. "I love that you find things to fight for."

"I'll always fight for us." She pulled back to look into his eyes. "Always."

"Me too." He smiled.

"I want that cookie now, please."

"You got it." He kissed her and stepped back. "I'll get you a variety of cookies and somethin' for the kid to nibble on."

"Thank you. I'm gonna wash my face."

"All right. I'll be right back."

Daryl ran downstairs to get a fresh round of baked cookies, explaining to Amaro that something personal came up, and that was why he wasn't in school today. Amaro nodded and said to keep him informed if it got any worse, and Daryl said it was handled but lingering. Amaro said this round of cookies were on the house and asked about Merle. He told him what he knew, thanked him and headed back upstairs as Carol came out of the bathroom, kicking off her shoes.

"Here you are. We got chocolate chip, Oreo, double chocolate, peanut butter, brownie and Hershey kiss cookies." He set the bag down on the table. "Still warm."

"Mmm. That smells so good." She curled up on the couch and reached into the bag, feeling for the peanut butter but pulling out the brownie. Just her luck today. "Thank you."

"Least I can do." He picked his son up and sat down beside her. "You feelin' any better?"

"Yeah." She nodded, biting into the saliva-inducing yumminess. "Holy crap, that's good."

He smiled at how excited she was about the cookie and adjusted Clay on his lap to let him try a little bit of a cookie. "Here, let me see a piece."

"Here." She handed a small chuck over and watched her son drool and chew all over it. "Guess that means he likes it?"

Daryl chuckled. "He likes everythin'."

"That is true." She tucked hair behind her ear and finished off the cookie. "I need some milk now."

"Help yourself."

She stood up and moved to the kitchen, pausing in the doorway and tapping her finger against the frame before backing up, struck by a thought. He looked up and asked what was up, and she bit her bottom lip before suggesting. "Why don't we get married?"

Daryl tensed. "What?"

"I mean…you love me, I love you, and we already have a kid together. What's stopping us? Aren't here benefits to it, too? Maybe I wouldn't have to move with Dad."

"Carol, I ain't nowhere near ready to get married. Seriously, let's not go there."

She frowned. "You wouldn't want to marry me?"

"Not right now." He sighed and tried to explain it to her, but she just nodded and moved to the kitchen. "Carol, wait."

"No, s'ok." She picked at her nails and turned to face him. "It was just a suggestion. I don't want to get married to you either. At least not right now."

"I don't want you mad at me, not with everything else on your plate." He scooted closer to her, using his son somewhat as shield. "I… I love you. We love you, but we're not gonna get married this young. We're still growin' up and learnin' what we like in people. Let's just wait. If I'm not tired of you, and if you're not sick of me in ten years, then yeah, let's do it."

"So, when I'm twenty-seven, we'll get married?"

"Maybe sooner than that…?" He narrowed his eyes in thought, and Carol actually giggled. "I'm just tryin' to give you a timeline. 'Cause the way I see it, I don't want nobody but you, and if that don't change in five, ten years, it ain't ever gonna change. I don't really believe in marriage anyway."

"Well, I do." She laced her fingers together in front of her. "I want to be Mrs. Daryl Dixon someday."

"We'll just have to…see what the life has in store for us."

"A lot in the coming weeks." Her eyes dropped. "God, it's so depressing."

"Hey, you got me till you're sick of me." He kissed her cheek. "And maybe a little after that, if the sex is still good."

She lightly shoved him, and when he came back, he caught her lips, and she closed her eyes, gripping his button-down shirt. He kissed her slowly, softly, and when he pulled back, he kept his forehead against hers, murmuring, "What we got right now is more than enough."

"Yeah," she nodded, "it is."

They returned to the living room to watch more Paw Patrol, Carol had gotten her glass of milk, and they snacked on the cookies until a sleep spell crossed over Carol and Clay, and Daryl put them both down for a nap. He wasn't tired, so he went downstairs to speak to Amaro. He found him in the bakery, sampling a batch of snickerdoodle croissants, and he offered one to Daryl, but he'd had too many sweets to begin with.

"Nah, I'm good." He leaned against the packing counter. "Could I talk to you for a minute?"

"I'm always here for a talk." He removed his gloves and tossed them in the trash, gesturing to the back office and removing his hairnet and overshirt. He had forgotten about his lunch, and there it sat, from the now warm Philly cheesesteak to the bottle of water, untouched. He helped himself to half and offered the other to Daryl, who at first declined by at the smell, accepted. He pulled a bottle of water from the minifridge and tossed it to the young man. "How can I help?"

He explained his dilemma with Carol and her family troubles between bites and sips of water.

"Well, it sounds like you gave her the right advice. There are a lot of opportunities in Washington." He wiped his mouth on a napkin. "She could get a better education, possibly some more grants, and there are a few people I know up there that are great with kids."

"You know people everywhere."

"Yeah," he smirked, "I do. It comes with the business territory and having family scattered across the states."

"I'm worried that we ain't gonna make it…if she goes," he confessed. "I love her enough, don't get me wrong on that, but…. I got needs…you know…like, needs, and…. What if I slip up? What if I meet someone at college who…I kinda start to like? Or, or what if I relapse into drinkin' again and get into with someone?"

"What do you normally do when your needs aren't met?" He twisted the cap off his water and took a long drink.

"Normally, I'd go to a party and blow off some steam, but that's how I got Carol pregnant, and I'm tryin' be straight with her, but… I'm just nervous. I ain't good on my own."

"You won't be on your own." He leaned over the table. "I'll be right there should you need someone. Merle will be right there should you need him. Carol is only a phone call away."

"Yeah, but—"

"Look, Daryl, unless you're a sex addict, I think you'll be fine." He paused then. "Are you?"

"I…don't think so." He hadn't considered it. He used to use sex to get over his problems, used girl after girl to try and outrun his past, but he never thought about what that was doing to him. He didn't think he was an addict for sex. He didn't masturbate enough for that. With Carol as his girlfriend, he hardly wanted to anymore. He wanted her. He just wanted her.

"Look, if you think you'll step out on Carol, don't. You're a loyal to the bone type of person, and I have faith in you." He smiled softly. "And if you think you can't control yourself, there…is the possibility of catching a flight to DC."

"Yeah, 'cause I got that kinda cash."

"Hey, just ask for a holiday advance," he suggested. "I'm open for it."

Daryl started to feel itchy at the subject and shook his head. "Nah, this is weird. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"Daryl, you're a teenager. You need to lighten up. Life without sex isn't the end of the world. Religious people do it all the time, and you've done it before, too, remember?" He nodded, rubbing his arms. "Now, if you do start to become attracted to someone else while at college, explore that. I'm not saying cheat. Break it off with Carol. Explore a new relationship. You're so young. You'll stunt your emotional growth if you don't."

"What about Clay? If we broke up, she'd never let me see him." Well, maybe.

"There are laws that protect your rights as Clay's father," Amaro suggested. "But I doubt Carol would keep you from him."

He nodded. "I don't like this subject."

"Neither do I, but sometimes you have to leave a relationship for a while to possibly come back to it and to realize what was missing the first time. That could be something good, something you could both work on, or it could be something…that breaks you up for good." He swallowed. "Don't think I don't approve of Carol, because I do. She's a lovely girl. But you have so much growth you'll miss out on while only in one meaningful relationship."

"I think that's up to me."

"You're absolutely right. Growth—personal growth—is up to the person. I'm just giving my opinion."

He nodded. "Thanks for that, but I'll stick to what feels good." What felt right.

"Good. That'll take you far in life." He stood up after a glance to his watch. "I have to check on the next shift coming in, but if you want to talk more, I'll just be ten or so minute."

"No, I'm good." He stood up and headed for the door, looking back once and asking, "What if Carol slips?"

He smiled sorrowfully and clapped his hand on his shoulder, knowing that was Daryl's worst fear, and he guided him out of the office. "You gotta have some faith, Daryl. Just a little bit of faith."

"Faith ain't done shit for me."

"Then have faith in her." He began to wash his hands in the sink by the office door. "Just trust me on that."

He nodded and rolled out of the building, swiping a couple sampler croissants on the way, and he headed upstairs. He unlocked the door and found Merle busy at work in the kitchen. He took the croissants to the bedroom so Merle wouldn't eat them, and they could all have some when Clay and Carol were awake, and he closed the door.

Removing his shoes, he set the baggie on the dresser and moved for the bed. Carol rolled over in her sleep and moaned softly. He paused to look her over and saw an image of her at thirty-five, forty, and his heart felt funny. Like…it wouldn't matter if she was forty-nine and in his bed. Or rather that was all that would matter.

He lied down in the slice of space beside her, she instantly curled up against him, and he smiled contentedly, gripping her hand on his chest. Yeah, this was all that mattered.

Lori sat in her bedroom, her eyes blood red and swollen, and she sniffed, swallowing thickly and picking up her phone. She dialed the once familiar number and waited a moment before he picked up, and she exhaled with relief that he had done so.

"Hey."

"Are you all right?" He could tell by her voice she had been crying.

"No." Her voice broke. "Please, come talk to me."

"Yeah, I'll be right here. just wait there for me. You're at home, right?"

"Yes."

"I'll be over in ten minutes."

"Thank you, Rick. I really don't know who else I can turn to right now."

"Just give me ten minutes. Don't do anything stupid."

She closed her eyes and nodded. "Please, hurry."

Carol woke up to the scent of snickerdoodle and a tongue on her stomach, she smiled and moaned softly, reaching out and grasping Daryl's soft hairs without opening her eyes, and there was a clatter of a plate before her hoodie was rolled up to expose more skin. She weaved her fingers through his hair as his kisses drifted upward towards her bra, and she whimpered, parting her legs as his body came down on her.

"Break it off!" Merle opened the door, Carol shrieked and scrambled to the head to the bed, and Daryl glowered at his brother. "I said wake her up, not turn her on."

"Oh, my God." Carol pulled her hoodie down and groaned. "I forget you live here, too."

"Ain't that special?" He smirked. "The kid's gotta blowout diaper, and I ain't touchin' it."

"I'll take care of it." Daryl swung off the bed. "He in the playpen?"

"No, on the floor. I thought he was tired of bein' confined, but it was just a bad shit."

Daryl went to check on his son, and he groaned. "Damn it, Merle, you couldn't have moved him off the rug? There's shit everywhere!"

"Not my kid, not my job."

"Oh, bite me, Merle."

Carol giggled at the exchanged and checked the time on her phone, seeing it was just after four, and she stood up, stretching. She had to call her friends and let them know about the move. She didn't want to do that, but she had no choice. It was happening. So, they should hear it from her and Lori first.

"Horny little kids." Merle crossed his arms. "Y'all need a better hobby."

"You need to keep your nose out of our intimate relationship." Carol approached him. "It's not a joke."

"I'll let that slide 'cause you're movin'." He looked her over. "You handin' it all right?"

"Not really."

"Well, I'm here if you need any help movin' boxes. I don't pack. I only move, and I expect pizza as a reward."

She smiled. "Thank you, Merle."

"It's what I'm good for."

They headed to the kitchen, Daryl reminded Carol of the croissant, and she went back for it, eating it slowly, not sure of its taste, and he joined them in the kitchen with a cleaned-up Clay about thirty minutes later. He had to bathe him it was so bad, and it was no surprise given the snacks Merle slipped the kid when he stayed over. Late night uncle bonding, he called it. Carol called it making her kid chunky with the runs. Honestly, he needed to stop it, because there was only so many blow outs they could handle. The last one ruined a bedspread.

"What's for dinner?" Merle inquired at his brother. "Do you want steaks? 'Cause there's a good deal on steaks at the market." He was looking over the weekly sales paper that came in the mail. "Get some potatoes. Some type of veggie to please the little lady here. Could be a real good dinner."

"I actually have to meet my friends." Carol had sent an S.O.S text to her friends to meet at the coffee shop, and they would likely grab a bite to eat on the way. "But I want to spend the night here tonight. I can't face my dad right now."

"That's fine. You can have the couch."

"Merle." Daryl shook his head once. "She'll sleep with me."

His lips twisted, and he rolled his eyes. "Just keep it down."

Carol checked her phone and saw a text saying they were nearly there. "I should go now, but I'll be back soon." She kissed her son's forehead then Daryl on the lips and headed out the door with her purse.

"So, it's just the boys tonight." Merle grinned. "Finally. I got some ideas."

Daryl looked at Clay. "I don't like the sound of that."

"No," Clay uttered, seemingly shaking his head.

Carol met Michonne and Andrea at the The Lovely Bean, Lori was a no-call, no-show, and Carol would let her be alone with her thoughts right now. It was a lot to adjust to, and she needed time. She would let her be and check on her when she got to school tomorrow. She just hoped Lori wasn't such a mess that she skipped school. If she did, Carol might have to skip to check on her, because being alone with sorrow was not an option.

"Hey, girl." Michonne smiled and slid an ice coffee over to her. "It's my treat. There's a deal on buy two, get one free. I hope you like mocha, because they were out of caramel."

"Oh, it looks yummy." She lowered herself down into the chair and exhaled to calm the urge to cry. She had known them for so long. They had gone through first periods and first kisses and first crushes together. They were the best and only friends Carol had had in her entire life, save for Caesar, who would be told by Daryl, because he had known him longer, and it might come out easier. Or maybe she'd change her mind and tell him. It might more out of respect that way, even if she did come out crying.

"Something's wrong." Andrea scooted closer to the edge of her seat. "You're sighing like you're about to cry. Did you and Daryl break up? Do I need to kick his ass?"

"What? No. Daryl and I are solid." She rubbed her temple with fingertips and tried to keep the tears back, but she was still pretty raw. She couldn't control as blonde and brown blurred before her, and she sniffled, her voice breaking. "I'm moving."

"What?" they exclaimed and brought down the attention of the entire coffee shop.

Carol sank into her seat and tried to keep the tears at bay, Michonne moved and wrapped her arm around her shoulder, and Andrea took Michonne's seat and grasped her hand. She told them the same thing she'd told Daryl, explaining the situation in its entirety, and she sobbed softly. She was so heartbroken. She didn't want to leave her friends and family here. She loved them so much and so worried if she did live and wasn't with them every day then she was going to fade out of their lives. It was her biggest fear on graduating. They were going their separate ways—Michonne wanted to go to Berkeley college, Andrea might travel a bit, Lori wanted to take the summer to save up for an apartment, and Carol had no freaking clue what she wanted to do—so their girls' only road trip was supposed to cement their relationships and place in each other lives.

"Okay." Michonne crouched down beside Carol. "It's all right. We can still have our trip. Just… just save some money for a ticket back here at the end of the year, and Andrea's gonna rent an RV for the road trip, and we'll make it work."

"And in the meantime, we'll video chat and text every single day, if you want." Andrea rubbed circles into Carol's hand. "We'll keep you informed of our lives here and the stupid school life we have, and you'll feel like you're still here."

"It's not gonna be the same." She pushed hair out of her face with her free hand and trembled. "W—we were supposed to sign each other's yearbooks and watch the end of semester play and go to our senior prom together. We won't even start our last first day together or our last last day together."

"We don't need any of that." Michonne shook her head. "We're…literally like sisters, the four of us."

"Only not related sister, because I'm dating you," Andrea commented.

"In relation to Carol," Michonne shot back and rolled her eyes with a laugh in her eye. "We're all sisters, and I know we'll be in each other's lives for a long, long time. Don't worry about the distance. We're solid."

"I love you guys so much." She hugged Michonne tightly.

"We love you, too." Andrea joined in on the hug.

They took a moment to calm her down, Andrea made a few jokes to get her to laugh, and Carol was soon back to a semi-perky state. She drank her coffee, and they talked about the move and how Lori was handling it and how they would help if they needed any help. Carol was so grateful to them, and she loved them even more in this moment.

They went out to eat after their coffees were drank. Andrea was picking up the tab, and Carol was leaving the tip, so they ordered quite a bit of comfort food at the bistro. Carol was glad to have them by her side right now, but she needed to check on Lori. She hadn't responded to any of her messages, and Carol was worried.

"I'll be right back." Carol stepped out of the bistro and called her cell phone, but there was no answer. She'd left a message and sighed, wondering where she could be.

"Everything all right?" Andrea stood in the doorway.

"Yeah, it's just…. Lori won't pick up her phone." She tapped her cell against her palm. "I'm just a little worried."

"Mich tried her, too, just now, and there's was no response." She wet her lips. "Maybe she just needs more time."

Carol peered at her friend and tried to nod, but it didn't feel right. "Let's finish eating then check my house for her."

"Good idea."

Lori sat inside Rick's car at a private location in the woods, the heat lightly on, and Rick was trying not to stare at her. He rubbed his jaw and peeked at her as she silently sat there, and he pressed his lips together. She inhaled through her mouth, the air catching on the mucus there, and she shuddered.

"…" Rick cleared his throat. "You want some water?" He had a couple bottles in the back, but they were hot from being left out in the car, but he had to break the silence somehow.

She shook her head and rubbed her arms. "I just want…to be close to you again."

He ran his tom set of teeth of his bottom and expelled a sigh. "That…ain't why I picked you up."

"You're the only person I have," Lori whispered.

"That isn't true." He shifted to face her in his seat. "You have your sister and friends."

"Michonne and Andrea and Carol have ties outside of our relationship, and I'm…just left to free float." A single tear slid down her cheek, and she shivered again. "I'm nothing."

"You're not nothing." He searched her eyes and frowned, seeing nothing there in her eyes. "Were you gonna hurt yourself if I hadn't picked you up?"

"I don't want to be alone right now." She didn't trust herself. "But if you want me to leave, I'll manage."

"No." He grasped her hand and held it. "I want you here, so does your sisters and so do your friends. They love you, right?"

"Michonne and Andrea love each other. Carol loves Daryl. I'm just…a spare tire." She started to crumble again, and Rick pulled her against him. "They love me because they've known me for long, or because they have to. That's the rule, right?"

"There's no rule to loving people, save for respectin' them." He stroked her hair. "And there's nothing spare about you. You're a seriously cool person, and sure, you have some flaws, but that doesn't mean you're nothing."

"It's what I feel," Lori murmured.

"Maybe we should talk to your parents—"

"No." She pulled away from him. "No, please, let's not involve them."

"How about my parents then? You can some and spend the night at our house. My dad won't mind." He searched her eyes. "It'll be all right. I promise."

"I don't want to talk to parents. I don't want to talk to anybody but you."

He lowered his eyes and nodded. "All right. Let's go for a walk then. I think the air will do you some good."

She nodded. "Okay."

Axel set a plate of peanut butter and banana with honey with a side of sweet potato fries down in front of his dear friend, and he sat down beside her, helping himself to the sweet tea and burger he'd made for himself, and Karen rubbed her tights and exhaled at the non-existent sounds within their dwelling.

"They'll be back just as soon as they're ready," Axel told her, picking at the fries on his plate.

"They hate me."

"Well, they hate me now, too, so we're in the same boat." He paused then reached over and patted her stomach. "Well, you're a submarine."

She chuckled. "Shut up, Axel."

"I just call it like it is." He smiled and tried to remove his hand, but she clasped it and held it against her belly. "It'll be okay this time."

"I know. I just… the baby likes when people touch my stomach." She smiled faintly. "Call it an inkling."

"How about we call it a mother's intuition?" He rubbed her stomach with his thumb. "Hmm?"

"I like that." She chuckled and released his hand. "Thanks for making dinner."

"I had to keep myself busy. I've cleaned the entire house, balanced my checkbook, finished up on my late paperwork, and this was the next item on the list."

"Carol will forgive you," Karen assured him. "Lori will need more time."

"She always had needed more time. We're alike in that regard." He smiled faintly. "I don't know about Carol, though. I'm taking her away from her first love. That's…brutal."

"She'll survive it, and who knows? Maybe she and Daryl will become stronger from this distance." She picked up a fry and nibbled on it. "She's always been full of surprises."

"Nothing like her pregnancy," Axel stated.

"Yeah, nothing's topped that." She agreed with a laugh. "She's been such a good girl, and now she's dipping her toes into bad girl territory. I think she needs to do that for a bit, to really grow."

"As long as she doesn't have sex with strangers or drink and drive or do drugs and drive, I'll find a way to be okay with it." He knew it was a lie coming out of his mouth, but he had to try and make it fly. Soon Carol would be out on her own, and he would have no say in her actions. He had to do the best he could now so later Carol would make the right decisions. Like the decision to date Daryl. That was a good one. They were a good couple, very strong, and they could survive the distance. He was sure of it, even if Carol wasn't. They had a good foundation, and that would last any distance with hard work and persistence. Luckily, he knew his daughter had both. And so did Daryl, whom he sort of hoped to call "son" one day.

"Riight," Karen smiled at him then lowered her eyes and lost her smile. "I love you, Axel, you do know that, right?"

"Of course I know it, and I care greatly for you, too. You're like the best kid sister I could ask for." He smiled at her. "Don't worry. It's not good for you or the baby."

"Right. I just…am worried." She sighed. "I don't know how the girls will ever forgive me for what I did."

"You found love. There's nothing wrong with that. Don't let poor reactions get you down. You're a homeowner for the first time in your life. You're going to be a mother again. You're going to get married to Tyreese, probably." She chuckled, and he continued to smile. "You have a lot to look forward to, so don't frown. It'll give you lines."

"Okay, Mel."

"I do channel her sometimes, you know. Can't help it." He chuckled now and picked up his burger for a huge bite.

"Wait, wait. A toast." She picked up a half of her peanut butter-banana sandwich. "To our children, may their anger be brief and their lives long and prosperous."

"And to us. May we find what we've always been looking for, even if it surprises it."

They toasted on sandwiches and dug in, avoiding the elephant in the room. They had already brushed by it and washed it and dried it but refused to actually acknowledge it, because it would beyond difficult. Eventually, when the time came, the girls would be separated between Mom and Dad. Washington and Georgia. Karen had a claim on Lori, Axel had a claim on Carol, and neither one would let the other go. It had already been decided without the girls' best interest or opinions in mind, they just didn't want to admit it.