Carol slides the arrowhead necklace Daryl gave her over her head and lets it pool on the nightstand on her side of the bed while he unclicks all the weapons from his belt and lays them on his nightstand. He drops his pants to reveal a pair of frayed, faded black boxers that look almost gray. She wants desperately to throw those away when he's not looking and replace them with new ones from storage.
They have an entire large storage shed full of neatly organized clothes at the Hilltop now, as a result of the "supply storage campaign" Carol helped to organize shortly after her election to the mayorship. Using phone books and paper maps from gas stations, she and the Supply Director plotted out all the department stores in the outer suburbs and chose those that were the most remote and least like to be thoroughly looted. Supply teams took a month to gather years' worth of essential clothes, and now there's far less sewing to be done.
As Carol dresses for bed, Daryl unbuttons his outer shirt and tosses it crumpled on his nightstand, and then he starts the fire. She turns down the quilt and looks at him on his haunches as he painstakingly struggles to make the logs catch. He split that wood early in the morning, before hunting.
"Thank you," she says softly, in part because she's grateful for all the little things he does to protect and provide, but also because she feels bad about their fight today. Every time they fight, her stomach curls into a twisted knot that takes a few hours to unravel. "I appreciate all the things you do for your family. Making sure the cabin is locked up at night. Walking on the worst side of the road when we're out together. The hunting. The scavenging. The firewood. The fire. All of it."
The fire catches, and he stands and takes the iron poker and looks at her skeptically. "So ya ain't mad at me no more?"
Daryl pokes the fire.
"Are you still mad at me?" she asks, because he's poking that fire a little aggressively.
"Just think ya should of vetoed the ruling. Sent it back to Council. John helped build that cabin with his own damn hands. For her. Like I did this one for you."
"We can't just allow vigilantism without any consequences. We're trying to maintain order here. He destroyed that trailer and seriously battered that man. Some price had to be paid, and Julie had as much right to that cabin as he did. She's maintained it. They've both lived in it for five years."
"Carol, tonight, some man is fuckin' his wife under the roof he built." He clangs the iron poker back into the stand. "Least y'all didn't take his dogfrom 'em."
"The Council did what it thought was best. It wasn't an easy decision. And I can't veto it now. Even if I had, only one Councilmen would have had to change a vote to override me."
"Who voted against?"
"You know I can't tell you that," she says as she slides into bed.
"Tara."
Carol sits up straight against the headboard, her eyes widening in surprise at his accurate guess. "How..."
"Tara told me that once in the old world, this girl broke up with 'er right after she convinced Tara to co-sign a car loan for 'er. Tara keyed that bitch's car good." He's standing at the edge of the bed now.
"When Sophia was three," Carol says quietly, "Ed and I took her to this local fair. I was talking to the ice cream man, and he said something funny, and I laughed, and he said something about my laughing eyes, and…then…next thing I know…Ed's shoving the ice cream cart into the man's stomach. And then Ed's punching the guy. Right in front of Sophia. Violent jealousy…I've seen more than my fair share of it."
Daryl's thumb goes straight to his mouth and he gnaws on his nail it in silence for a moment before dropping it. "Didn't think 'bout that." He climbs into bed next to her and leans back against the headboard, too. He puts a hand down near – but not over – hers on the bed.
"After a while, I just stopped making eye contact with other men." Carol reaches out her hand and settles it on top of his. He spreads his fingers so she can lace hers through. "We're coming from different perspectives on this. And we have different opinions. And that's okay. I did what I thought was appropriate. I have to pay the price of not using my veto, whatever that price may be. If that means losing Forestry…" She sighs. That's a lot of votes. There are twenty-eight hunters and fishermen, total, though some are only part-time.
"Yer the best choice for mayor," he assures her, which is not the same as saying she'll win.
"I hate that I have to think of everything in a political light now. Take this Christmas play Ezekiel has invited us to. I really want to go see it. But I have to think – are people going to think I'm neglecting my duties if I go? That I'm taking an indulgent vacation? And if I don't go, are they going to think I've lost my contacts and influence with the Kingdom? Because I know Roderick and his family are going."
"Then screw politics! Go 'cause ya wanna!"
"It would be a nice family vacation for us."
"Us?"
"You, me, Hershey, and Henry. Henry said he'd come."
"I ain't goin' to see no dumbass play."
"Judith's going to be in it. You don't want to see your niece in her first play?"
"Zeke don't want to see us together."
They've both been to the Kingdom repeatedly since Carol jilted Ezekiel on their wedding day, but never at the same time. Ezekiel's only been to the Hilltop once.
"Daryl, I assure you, he's over that. He's dating Michonne now. And she's not the first woman he's dated since we broke it off."
"His wound might be scabbed over, but ain't no sense pickin' at it. I ain't gonna throw us in his face."
"Well, we don't have to make out under the mistletoe or dry hump on the Kingdom's gazebo. But it would be a nice family time. Cyndie could cover for you here. Get a little experience stepping into your shoes for a few days. She didn't sign up to go. And Aaron already said he'll cover for me if I choose to go. It's Judith, Daryl. Playing Tiny Tim. Or Tina, in this case."
"Fine," he mutters. "But yer gonna have to keep me awake durin' the damn play."
[*]
The next day, there are whispers throughout the town. Some say Carol is compassionate for taking in John, others that she's a hypocrite, and still others whisper that there's a rift between the mayor and the Council on the matter, and that Carol wanted to use her veto power but simply wasn't strong enough to withstand the Council.
None of the gossip reflects the very careful deliberation that went on in those Council chambers, the long discussion on vigilantism, the reticence with which the 4-1 decision was made by the Council, and the equal reticence with which Carol let it stand.
Late that afternoon, when Carol gets back to the cabin, she follows a trail of mud to John's boots, which are lying haphazardly on their side in front of the couch. His black Stetson hat sits randomly on her desk, on top of her files. She takes the hat and tosses it onto his borrowed bed in Henry's old room.
She finds the men are on the back porch, smoking and laughing. "Where's Hershey?"
"Over at Gracie's place," Daryl mutters. "Jesus'll walk 'em back by dinner."
She closes the door, and they don't come in until she calls them in for dinner.
[*]
The following morning, at the Council meeting, Tara says, "I think the Council needs to consider replacing the Director of Education. Julie Markwood appointed her own lover as deputy director without disclosing the relationship."
Carol's already angered John's friends, and now if this resolution passes, she's going to piss off Julie's friends, too. She knows this, but part of her agrees with Tara that the Council can't have cabinet members it can't trust.
"It's also created some scandal," Aaron says, "and the Council has to be seen as acting. So I second the motion. All in favor?"
All five council members' hands go up, which pretty much leaves the matter out of Carol's hands. She could veto it, but all they have to do is stick to their vote. Not that she won't be blamed for it, anyway.
"I say we appoint Barbara," Tara says. "She has three adopted kids in the school. She tutors a lot of the kids, and she always babysitting."
"She knows all of the Hilltop's offspring," Eugene agrees. "She's been an indesbensible help with my own Eugene, Junior."
"But then she won't have time to always be babysitting," Aaron says.
"Well, you and I won't need a babysitter when I step down form the Council," Jesus reminds him. "I'm going to have more time for Gracie."
Aaron gives him a peeved look. He's obviously not happy with Jesus's decision not to run, but he asks, "All in favor of appointing Barbara as the new Director of Education?"
All five hands go up, and Carol signs off on the appointment after Aaron writes it up.
Carol goes to the school house during the recess hour to deliver the bad news to Julie as she watches the kids play in the courtyard. The worst part of being mayor is being the bearer of bad tidings.
"Was that really necessary?" Julie asks. "I think I've been doing a good job here, and I'm not sure what my private life has to do with it."
"You appointed him as your deputy, Julie. You withheld information from the Council about your relationship. If we bend the rules for you, we have to bend them for everyone. You can continue on as a teacher, and this doesn't completely rule out the possibility of future director appointments."
"I thought you were on my side."
"I'm not on anyone's side. I'm trying to what's best for the Hilltop." But sometimes, Carol doesn't even know what that is.
She's feeling pretty down when she returns to the Council Chambers and finds Henry there with lunch set out on her desk. "I've heard you're having a hard time of it," he says. "So I thought I'd eat with you today. Whipped up a little something from my own rations."
She smiles and takes a seat across from him at the great desk to eat. He's prepared a snack plate of cured meats from wild game, goat cheese, and fruit, and there are several walnuts in a bowl. Two tin cups full of cool tea rest on the desk. "You didn't go on the hunt this morning?" she asks.
"I'm going fishing with Cyndie later instead. She's training me. I thought it would be good to learn a new skill."
"Mhmh. I'm sure you did." Carol smiles slightly, and he flushes.
"But we can't go until the afternoon, when it warms a little, or the fish will be down too deep. And she says in a few weeks, we won't be able to catch much at all."
"If you're interested in Cyndie, Henry, you know you have to end it with Jessica when we go to the play next weekend."
His blush deepens.
"Trust me, Cyndie isn't going to want to date a man who's seeing someone else."
"Cyndie isn't going to want to date me period." Henry cracks open a walnut with a silver nutcracker but uses the tip of his pocket knife to pick out the pieces. "She's way out of my league. And Daryl said a bird in hand is worth two in the bush."
Carol pushes her cup aside. "Daryl told you to hold on to Jessica?"
"No, it's just a phrase he uses sometimes when we're hunting. I'm not saying I'm marrying Jessica tomorrow, but...Look, Mom, I'm just being practical." The mom comes out naturally, like he isn't even thinking about it anymore. "In all of the known world, there are maybe six women between the ages of eighteen and thirty who don't already have a husband or boyfriend. Or girlfriend. And most of them like older men. I can't be chasing a dream."
"You used to be so idealistic and romantic."
"And you used to try to make me more practical! Now that I finally am, now you don't want me to be?"
"Henry…Your idealism has always worried me, because it's made you do brash things. But it's also been a beautiful part of you. The world needs dreamers, too. You just have to…balance it. The practical and the pursuit of the ideal."
The shell of the walnut Henry holds between the metal prongs of the nutcracker shatters. "I'll take that under advisement."
Carol hopes he will.