Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

Chapter 92

Author's Note: Reviews make my day! Happy Holidays again. I so can see this conversation with Carol and Jewel since they both were at the quarry. I hope I feel better soon, this flu sucks!

Group POV:

Beth and Summer sat on a table in the cafeteria while eating dinner. Beth started singing, with Summer soon joining her. "They hung a sign up in our town. If you live it up, you won't live it down . So she left Monte Rio, son. Just like a bullet leaves a gun. With charcoal eyes and Monroe hips. She went and took the California trip. Well, the moon was gold and her hair like wind. Said don't look back now. Just come on, Jim. You got to hold on. Hold on. You got to hold on. Take my hand, I'm standing right here. You got to hold on. Take my hand, I'm standing right here. You got to hold on. Well he gave her a dime store watch, and a ring made from a spoon. Everyone's looking for someone to blame. If you share my bed you share my name," they both continued.

Jewel sat beside Rick and Daryl and Hershel as Mar joined them. "Some reunion huh?" Daryl asked quietly not to disturb the other people.

"She's in a bind," Rick said.

"We all are," Mar responded.

"Andrea's persuasive. This fella's armed to the teeth. Bent on destruction." Hershel said.

"So what do you want to do?" Daryl asked.

"We match it," Rick said. "I'm going out on a run tomorrow," he said.

"I'll head out tomorrow," Daryl told them.

Rick shook his head. "No you stay here, keep an eye on Merle. I'm glad that your back, I really am. We all are, but if he causes a problem it's on you," Rick told him as he rubbed Jewel's back.

"I got him," Daryl assured him.

"When have you ever controlled Merle? When have we ever been able too?" Jewel asked quietly.

"It's different now, we're different," Daryl told his sister.

Rick nodded. "Jewel's coming with me, and I'm taking Michonne and Carl. He's ready," Rick said.

"Jewel's still got an injured hand," Daryl pointed out.

"She volunteered. I'm going to Kings County to the police station and the clinic is on the way," Rick said.

"Plus I really need to get away from the prison," Jewel said. "I can still fire a gun and throw a knife."

"Is taking Michonne a good idea though? I mean we don't know if she's with us or if she's just out for herself," Mar told them.

"We'll find out," Rick answered. "You hold it down here," he instructed Daryl.

"You got it," Daryl answered.

"I'll keep an eye out on the kids. Sasha and Tyreese are fitting in real well, and I think Carl's even got a little crush on Lexi," Mar told them.

Rick gave a small laugh. "Well that's something normal, at least," he told them.

Hershel turned his attention back to Summer and Beth. "They sing like angels, don't they?"

Rick smiled softly. "Yeah they do."

"When there's nothing left to keep you here. When you're falling behind in this big blue world. You got to hold on. Hold on. Got to hold on. Take my hand, I'm standing right here. Got to hold on.… Down by the Riverside Motel. It's 10 below and falling. By a 99-cent store. She closed her eyes and started swaying. But it's so hard to dance that way. When it's cold and there's no music. Well, your old hometown is so far away. But inside your head there's a record. That's playing a song called. Hold on, hold on. Baby, you got to hold on. Take my hand, I'm standing right there. You got to hold on. You got to hold on, hold on. Baby, got to hold on. Take my hand, I'm standing right there. You got to hold on. You got to hold on, hold on. Baby, you got to hold on. And take my hand, I'm standing right here. You got to hold on. You got to hold on. You got to hold on, baby. You got to hold on, girl. You got to hold on. You got to hold on," both Summer and Beth sung.

Daryl and Mar's POV:

Mar walked into her cell. "People are going to start talking, you staying in my cell."

"Let 'em," Daryl responded. "Mitch down?"

"Carl and him are reading comic books," Mar responded as she sat on the edge of his cot. "What are you going to do if Merle causes trouble?"

Daryl sighed as he rubbed her leg. "He won't."

"You don't know that, Daryl. He may be your brother but he isn't good for you," Mar told him.

Daryl sat up. "He's a dumbass, Mar. I know that. I know that he was never there for Jewel and me. But he's still blood. We've all changed, Mar. This is the way the word is now," he said as he kissed her. "I got to give him a chance to prove himself."

Mar sighed. "I talked to him, and maybe there is a glimmer of hope that he changed. But, God, what he did to Glenn. Every time I see his face, I just want to hit Merle."

"You don't have a good right or left hook," Daryl teased her.

"Shut up," Mar told him. "It's going to take Jewel some time to forgive him, if she ever does."

Daryl nodded. "Jewel always hated Merle for leaving. That's just how she dealt with things, standin' up for herself, getting' mad at Merle, telling him what she thought. I was never like that. But out in those woods, I did."

"You've changed Daryl, you are the man you always were meant to be. You aren't anything like Merle or your father. You could never be like that," Mar assured him as she kissed him. "Hey do you remember what your mom looked like?"

Daryl looked at her. "What?"

"Something Merle said, about Jewel reminding your dad to much of her. Jewel never says anything about her, except that if it wasn't for Jane, she could have wound up like her," Mar said.

Daryl looked at her. "She looks like her, Summer too. Pretty, real pretty, when she wasn't drunk like a skunk. I remembered she used to smile a lot, lit up her whole face. Jewel has that smile."

"Jane always told her that her smile was like sunshine on a cloudy day," Mar said.

Daryl sighed. "I know you and Jewel miss that woman, so do I. Best thing to ever happen to Jewel."

"I think that's why Jewel wants to go to the clinic, maybe just to remember. I was tempted to volunteer to go with her, but I know she feels better if I stay here with you and the kids," Mar said.

Daryl kissed her. "I'm glad your stayin'," he said.

Jewel and Carol's POV:

Carol watched as Jewel stood on the perch where Daryl usually slept and came upstairs. "Can't sleep?"

Jewel shook her head. "Guess my mind is racing with everything that's goin' on," she said.

"So Daryl and Mar finally hooked up huh?" Carol asked.

"I know that you have feelings for him," Jewel stated.

"Had. Maybe at the beginning, maybe I thought he was the type of man that was like Ed, the type of man I thought I needed," Carol said. "But Daryl's nothing' like Ed. He's a good man and you're a good woman," she said as she placed her hand over Jewel's hand. "And maybe somewhere deep down Merle has a piece of humanity in him."

"Not to sure about that, Carol. This is my family. Everyone in this prison. Even Tyreese, Sasha and Lexi, and they just came here. I don't want to lose anyone else Carol. We've taken our punches and we've hit back. We've lost, my God you lost Sophia. But, I have to be truthful, when I think about everyone here, everyone I'm willin' to take a bullet for, I'm not sure I would for Merle. And he's my own flesh and blood. I hate myself for even thinking' like that, Carol," Jewel told her. "What does that say about me? What does that tell my daughter?"

Carol squeezed her hand. "It says that you know who has your back. It says that you have been hurt to many times by trying to trust Merle. We aren't the same people we were at the quarry, Jewel. I'm not the scared beaten housewife, and you aren't the woman who didn't trust anyone around your daughter but your brothers. You have became an important part of this group, an important person to Rick. You see what Merle did to Glenn, and it makes your blood boil, it makes my blood boil, but he's not my brother. You probably wonder if the positions were reversed if you could do something like that," Carol told her.

Jewel looked at her. "Who are you and what did you do with Carol?" she teased.

Carol laughed. "That day at the quarry, when I picked up that ax and took it to Ed's face, it felt amazing. I released all the years of anger, all the years of disgust, right there."

"Carol are you suggesting I take an ax to Merle's head? The idea's tempting…." Jewel said with a laugh and playfully hit the other woman's shoulder.

Carol laughed. "No, I'm not suggesting that," she said as she returned the shoulder bump. But there sure are a lot of pipes around this old prison that you can handcuff him to and I'm sure Rick has a pair of handcuffs you can borrow. Make sure he can't get away and listens to what you have to say. Unless there's something else you'd like to be doing with the handcuffs," she teased.

"Carol!" Jewel laughed. "Oh my God!" she said as she laughed.

"Not much use for that vibrator anymore huh?" Carol asked, bringing up the conversation from the quarry.

Jewel lost it as she laughed harder. "It got left behind at the farm," she said trying to compose herself.

"Everything OK up there?" Rick asked as he looked up carrying Judith.

Jewel burst out laughing. "Yeah…fine….girl talk…I'll be down in a minute."

Carol laughed. "Nothing bad Rick, just talking about tension releasers," she told the other man.

Rick arched an eyebrow. "Well it's good to hear laughing. Not to long Jewel, we got a long day tomorrow," he told his wife.

"I promise it won't be to long," Jewel said as she kept a straight face as he took Judith to get her a bottle. "You are horrible!" Jewel said as she burst out laughing. "Just you wait, you and Axel are getting close. I'll remember this conversation," she teased.

Carol grinned. "Feels good to laugh doesn't it?"

"Yeah, but now I got to go try and keep a straight face around my husband. Thanks," Jewel said with a laugh.