Rick heads home once the food is boxed up, deciding he'd rather eat his at home instead of alone in the restaurant. When he enters the apartment, he freezes, because the security alarm he set when he left is disabled now. He knows it isn't any of the building staff, because anytime maintenance or other employees access the apartment, he gets an alert on his phone that their cards have been swiped and codes used on the alarm system.
Beth is in class, a fact he knows for sure because she'd sent him a text with a photo of some fiddly bit of electronics she'd finished assembling as he pulled into the parking garage. Carl's in school, and it's not his week to be at Rick's anyway. Neither Lori nor Daryl would enter the apartment without telling him first, and Amanda is on her way to a doctor's appointment.
The building has some of the best security in the city, but nothing is foolproof. An icy feeling sinks into his veins. Letting the bag of food drop to the floor in the foyer, he draws his backup gun from his ankle holster, easing through the apartment. With the ever present possibility that Gorman might clue in to the investigation, he can't risk being careless here. His and Beth's rooms are clear, but when he returns to the living area, he finally notices something out of place.
When he left this morning, Carl's bedroom door had been open.
Rick doesn't even need to open the door once he's close to know the gun is no longer necessary, because the sounds of a couple having very enthusiastic sex are not completely muffled by the closed door. The pissed off part of him that just had to run through horrific scenarios in clearing his own fucking home is more in control than the relieved one. Banging on the door and calling Carl's name to give his son just enough warning that he doesn't see anything he can unsee, he swings it open, letting every bit of his anger show on his face.
"Why the hell aren't you in school?" Rick demands, clearing the chamber on his little Walther PPS and pocketing the bullet before laying the gun on the bookshelf just outside Carl's door. His son's eyes are wide, either from being caught or from remembering that surprising a cop is a horrifically bad idea. Or both, if he's got any blood left in his brain right now. It takes Rick only a second to identify Carl's companion, because she's wisely buried under the bedding, but the streak of vivid purple in the short blonde hair identifies Sophia pretty easily.
Carl swallows, shifting so that he's obscuring Sophia a little more. "They had a construction crew damage a water main, so they dismissed everyone at the high school since we didn't have water."
"So instead of going to your mother's, you came here?" Rick asks, keeping his voice even as he possibly can. The anger is fading a little, but not enough. "Or considering what you're up to, Sophia's dorm?"
"Mom's home, and Sophia has roommates," Carl replies, flinching a little at the admission.
Realizing it's not fair to Sophia to continue this discussion, Rick takes a deep breath. "Both of you get dressed. I would suggest that Sophia go back to campus, unless she really wants to be part of the talk you and I are about to have."
Somehow, half an hour later, Rick isn't surprised to see Sophia's sitting next to Carl on the couch, looking worried but determined. He's actually glad to see it, because he likes the girl, always has, and he honestly hadn't expected her to bail out on Carl. She's been his son's best friend a lot longer than whatever this new development between them is.
The delay's given him time to cool off, by putting the food away and his backup gun in the gun safe. He also called Lori, who seemed more amused than upset, but even as that irks him, he realizes that Carl's mother probably isn't as firmly in the loop about the Gorman issue as she should be. Daryl hasn't asked for updates since he turned the problem over to Rick, trusting him to get it taken care of. It's probably time to emphasize the seriousness of the investigation to both Dixon brothers and their wives, once he's done with the errant pair on his couch.
"How long has this been happening?" Rick asks, figuring he might as well see just how long he's missed something like this in his own home. He thinks of all the times Sophia's been here when he gets home from work, or how she and Carl have had movie nights when Rick wasn't here, so it's probably been longer than he wants to consider.
Carl and Sophia exchange a quick look before he speaks. "Since we moved to Atlanta."
"And you didn't see the point in telling me you two are dating because…" Rick lets his voice trail off. "Your mother didn't seem to know, either." He can't imagine Lori being out of the loop if Carol knows, so he's betting that the kids haven't shared their changed relationship with anyone.
The guilty look they exchange tells Rick exactly what the answer is. If none of the family knew, no one would care about how much time they spent alone. Carl and Sophia have been best friends long enough that Rick's never really considered they might have sex, not since it didn't come up when they first entered puberty. Their behavior now is what he would have expected at fourteen, not near adulthood.
Sophia is eighteen already, since the end of July, the extra time putting her a year ahead of Carl in school. It's an odd way to be reminded that Carl will turn eighteen himself in eight days. But this? It reminds him too well of how he and Lori ended up with Carl, and as much as he thought about grandchildren just the other day, he sure as hell doesn't want one arriving when his son is still in his teens.
"Jesus Christ. Please tell me you're at least being careful?" he grates out. "Since you're acting like a pair of damned horny fourteen year olds."
Sophia's shoulders slump. "Yes, sir."
He doesn't press for details, but paces instead. "It's not just hiding the relationship or even having sex." Stopping to stare at Carl, whose attention is more on Sophia than his angry father, he sighs. "Look at me, son." When Carl turns those Grimes blue eyes to meet his, Rick continues. "Did you forget about the investigation? How I told you to never travel alone?"
Neither of them have a car, so it means they probably traveled separately to reach Rick's building. Sophia lives in a dorm on the Georgia Tech campus, much like Beth normally would, thanks to a generous scholarship she won. It saves her an hour plus commute from her parents' home each day. It's also over an hour from Lori and Daryl's home, with Rick's building as a sort of central nexus.
The reality of that sets in for Carl, and he swallows hard. "I'm sorry, Dad. I did get a ride from Ron after school let out."
Sophia looks completely confused, so Carl kept his part of the bargain in not revealing the investigation.
Sighing, Rick runs a hand through his curls. It's time they had a family meeting. He thinks about the food in the fridge and figures he can leave a note for Amanda, and he'll just call her when he's done with this mess. For now, he picks up the phone and dials Carol's number.
Gathering everyone for a family meeting at Carol and Merle's place takes nearly an hour, which also includes a phone consultation with Shane. The women are puzzled as hell about just why Rick is so agitated and Carl looking so shamefaced. At least the Dixon brothers' uneasy reactions makes Rick feel like he isn't just being an asshole toward the teenagers.
Rick fills them in on the parts he and Shane agree won't cross any lines for the case, especially since Merle's actually covered under the investigation the same way Beth is. When he's done, the ladies have shifted from amused at what they saw as an overreaction to worried. From the narrow eyed look Lori is giving Carl, their son is in for some pretty intense overmothering for a while.
But first, she turns her focus on Rick. "Maybe it would be a good idea to have Carl stay here until the investigation ends." Her expression is as compassionate as he thinks he's ever seen it. "I don't like asking you to give up time with him when he's got less than a year before college, but…"
Once, his instant reaction would be resentful jealousy, that she's wanting to take even more of his time with Carl away. That kneejerk reaction had been one of the hardest things to overcome during his therapy period, especially once Lori settled back into a nice little family unit, and he could only offer Carl a semi-absentee father. Now, he's just fucking grateful that they're on the same page.
"C'mon, Mom, Dad!" Carl's indignant, and the part of Rick that hates that his son is pretty much grown feels a little surge of joy that he doesn't easily accept the idea. "I get why Dad's upset about me being somewhere no one knew where I was. It won't happen again."
"You better bet it won't, Carl Grimes," Lori tells him sternly, compassion gone as she turns to look at Carl. "Because we're going to activate that tracking app on your phone, and you'd better not 'accidentally' forget your phone anywhere while it's on there."
The teenager reacts with horror at the idea, but before he can sputter out an objection, Merle speaks up. "Think maybe we should do the same with Sophia's."
Sophia doesn't squawk, but Rick thinks it's a near thing before Merle continues. "It's not to curtail your freedom, sweetheart. I'd just feel better if anything did happen that we know where to start looking."
The thing with Carl is that he's always been a cop's kid. Sophia has a general idea of things being different in how Carl grew up, but the fact that he's taken self-defence classes and keeps up a range qualification under Shane's instruction doesn't really register with her the way it might to other girls. Carol was smart with her daughter, enrolling her in martial arts classes and encouraging her to go hunting with Merle and Daryl.
But aside from the unlikely possibility of Ed Peletier ever getting out of prison, he doesn't think Sophia has ever considered she might be snatched up to be used against a relative. Carl has, and now that the initial privacy outrage has passed, and the focus on Sophia, too, Rick sees everything fall into place for his son. He reaches out and takes Sophia's hand before nodding.
"Yeah, maybe it's a good idea," he agrees. "But if I do that, maybe I don't have to stop going to Dad's? We could work something out so I'm never there alone, if you're really worried."
It wasn't quite that at issue for Rick, more that Carl was somewhere completely unknown, but at least reality is sinking in.
"I know it will make you two feel a little better," Daryl comments, drawing everyone's attention. "Having Carl just stay here. But I think that as long as we stick to the set schedule, with me or Rick always transporting Carl to and from school, then he's just as safe at Rick's as here. Ain't like Rick gets called out for long shifts all that much anymore."
Carl takes hope from his stepfather's support. "That's only happened once, Dad. And the only other time you were out, it was that work thing. I mean, it's not like you're dating all the time anymore."
Jesus, the boy's just chumming the water for Lori, and probably Carol, too. Sophia's mother is one of those women who delights in matchmaking. They're both curious now, studying Rick carefully. Daryl, the asshole, barely hides a snicker, while Merle eyes his brother, then Rick, and narrows his eyes.
"And I won't be until the investigation is finished." Because he can't take Amanda out, not like she deserves, not yet. "Aside from the fact that it would mess up the cover story with Beth, I just don't have the inclination." He hadn't shared the secondary story he and Amanda had fed Gorman. With Daryl already giving him a chat about her, he sure as hell wasn't telling the man what he'd crudely implied to the corrupt cop.
Sophia rats him out, the minx, turning to her mother. "He's dating Aunt Mandy, Mama."
"Huh." Merle's response is more grunt than verbal, blue eyes turning on Rick with the sort of astute study that Rick knows is what sets Gorman on edge about the man. "Makes sense."
Revelations about his love life seem to distract from the seriousness of the prior discussion, easing tension in the room. Rick honestly isn't surprised that Lori and Carol both seem cheerful about it. As for Merle, he'll deal with the shovel talk when it comes. It can't top facing down Susan McGinley.
"Why didn't Mandy come along for this?" Daryl asks, after the idea that Rick isn't the only cop in his apartment most of the time seems to settle Lori's unease about Carl being there, and she tables the temporary custodial change for now.
"She had a doctor's appointment. I assume something with her return to duty paperwork, since she's back to full duty this week," Rick tells them. "I was actually supposed to be having lunch with her when she was done." Glancing at his watch, he frowns. It's been four hours since she left him at the restaurant. Surely it couldn't have taken that long, but a check of his phone shows nothing. After the scare with Carl and Sophia, it makes him damned uneasy, but he reminds himself that she's not a teenager, but an experienced law enforcement officer. "I should get going."
Lori walks him to the door, studying him thoughtfully. Her hand rests on the swell of her belly. If he remembers correctly, she's about five months along. She catches his look and smiles. "We go in for the anatomical ultrasound this week."
"Are you going to find out the gender?" Rick feels a surge of wistful yearning. They're both so much happier now than the last half of their marriage, but after this morning, there's an ache in his chest where children are concerned.
"I am not as strong willed as Carol to wait and find out," Lori replies with a laugh. "I'll send you a text." But she lets the amusement slide away. "Something's bothering you that isn't just what happened with Carl today. Why weren't you working today?"
Rick glances back toward the living room. They're in the foyer now, but he wouldn't be shocked if Daryl, at least, could hear even from here. Since Lori's likely to tell her husband anyway, he sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I finally did the followup work for my fertility surgery."
A mixture of emotions flits across Lori's face. There's a flash of pain, and he understands that one. He'd started the process after the divorce filing, after all. But that's gone quickly, followed by a sorrowful look that tells him she suspects the news wasn't good, and in the end, compassion settles into place. The hug she gives him is gentle, and he leans into it, drawing comfort in a way only possible because they were married for so long. "I'm sorry."
"They didn't say there's no hope," he admits when he finallys steps away from her. "But it's something I have to tell Amanda before anything goes any further than it has with us."
He hasn't brought himself to read that pamphlet yet, but he's seen what Shane and Michonne have gone through in the last year and a half. It's a lot for her to consider, if she wants to have children rather than adopt. Hell, they aren't even close to that point in their relationship, but it's like being a single father. Some facts just have to be disclosed up front.
"I understand." Lori smiles sweetly, shooing him toward the door. "Go have that conversation. I think she'll surprise you."
"I sure as hell hope so."
Rick makes it as far as his car before his phone rings, Shane's tone apologetic, but they've had the sort of accident that could use ranking deputies on scene. School bus versus semi-truck, oh fucking hell. Giving thanks that Merle's place is closer to work than his own, Rick makes record time to the scene, and it isn't until nearly dark that he remembers he hadn't texted Amanda like he intended.
Worn out, exhausted, and heartsore in the way he always is when an accident has a fatality, Rick tries to call, but it goes straight to voicemail. Part of him considers going to her apartment, but for all he knows she's at his place, like they'd considered when they parted at lunch. He's not so lucky, finding the apartment as empty as it should have been when he arrived earlier. Beth won't be home until close to midnight, catching a ride with Tara, who has added to her undercover protective role by taking a part time job at Merle's bar.
He calls again, leaving a more detailed message than just that he was looking for her, before getting into the shower. It's always possible she got called in for an extra shift, and he knows answering a personal call out in the field can be next to impossible sometimes. Settling down to sleep feels impossible, though, so he's still awake when Beth gets home. She sighs, seeing his light on, and leans against his doorframe.
"No Amanda tonight? I heard about the accident. Figured she'd be here, or you'd be there."
Rick shrugs, giving up on the nature documentary he could barely tell you was set in Costa Rica, but not much else. "She's not answering her phone. Figure she's working."
Beth hums thoughtfully. "Likely. Bet they want to make up for all that time they had her on desk duty. Or she goofed and forgot to charge her phone, or left it on silent after work, or something like that. Maybe you should treat it like Christmas. Sooner you get to sleep, the sooner you hear back from her. Or just drive over to see if she's home."
A drive at midnight to see if Amanda's home or not seems almost stalkerish, as much as he would like to sleep next to her if she is home. And unlike her, he doesn't have a key. If she is sleeping, and that's likely by now if she pulled an evening shift as an extra, he'd have to wake her. "I'll try to be good and get some sleep then."
"Good. I'm going to go use Carl's shower so you don't have any excuse to stay awake." Normally, she'd still shower in Rick's bathroom, because he tends to just wake, take note that it's Beth, and return to sleep, but since Carl's not here to be bothered, it makes sense. "Good night, Rick. Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."
With the flippant farewell utters, Beth disappears, and Rick finds himself smiling a little despite the dour night he's had. She's probably right. Amanda's either sleeping and not checking her phone, or working and not checking her phone. He's not a needy fifteen year old. Reaching for his phone, he sends her a text, though, telling her he hopes she's sleeping and not pulling a double.
After a brief minute, thinking of Beth's cheerful farewell, he sends a followup text: I am forgetting how to sleep without you beside me. I think it's something we should talk about tomorrow.
Rick doesn't want a night like this, and what he's considering is stupidly too soon, but to hell with it. They're both far too aware of just how fucking short life is, and the worst thing Amanda can tell him is 'no', right? That decided, he finally manages to sleep.
A/N: This was actually supposed to have an Amanda & Carl section as well, but Rick just sort of took over the whole chapter...