It's About Time

Daryl was late. He and Carol had had an argument about her going to work. He had first thought that the feds were investigating the company and Carol was worried about a worst case scenario in which she lost her job. He was so happy about buying the farm that he hadn't really focused on her job situation.

He had handed her a cup of coffee this morning and asked, "What's going on at work?"

She told him then. Everything. All about her suspicions about Trey and Grayson and then finding out what they were planning. Calling Jason Tucker and meeting Laurel Rice. Wearing a wire and taping conversations. Continuing to peek into the company's files.

Daryl had started pacing when Carol started talking. He was pissed that she hadn't told him about any of this. He was pissed because she called Jason Tucker, a guy that she had dated in the past. Just generally pissed off. Are you angry or afraid? Say what you feel but give yourself time to know the difference between anger and fear.

He waited until she finished. Daryl started, "I'm angry that you didn't trust me enough to tell me about this. We got stuff to work through. I just generally pissed off about the whole situation. I'm afraid for you. I want you to call in sick. Stay home or we'll go to the farm. Just don't go to work."

Carol was determined to go to work and there were words exchanged. Daryl raised his voice several times. Daryl hadn't even known that Carol could sound that loud. In the end she went to work. She kissed him goodbye and drove off in her little clown car and he stood there and let her drive off like any other morning.

Jesse looked up as Daryl came in their office trailer. "Good morning, sleepyhead. Glad you decided to show up for work."

Daryl muttered something obscene and sat down in his chair, "We're buying a farm a few miles from Sophia and Carl. I'm ready to put Atlanta in my rear view mirror."

Jesse pushed the invoices away from him and gave his full attention to Daryl, "I saw how happy you and Carol were at Thanksgiving playing farmer. Here's my plan. You go find your farm and I'll run the business here until June. We sell the heavy equipment. Give our guys enough time to find other jobs. Michonne and I are ready to relocate to that area. Michonne's mother is having some health problems and we need to move closer to her. Might even buy a farm. We've been talking about it since her birthday party."

"You've been the best friend I ever had and I feel like a shit leaving you in the lurch. Do you think we can find some jobs in that area? Farms don't make a lot of money and we could do home renovations or maybe building small houses." Farms don't make money. It's all about making a life.

Jesse's blue eyes lit up. "That would be great. No multimillion dollar contracts and long hours away from home. Michonne is going to practice law in town but not full time. The only reason I haven't talked about it with you is that Michonne is trying to work up the nerve to tell Andrea that we're leaving."

Daryl contemplated that. Carol, Michonne, and Andrea had been best friends from high school. They had all lived in a house together for five years. They moved to Atlanta together. "Andrea won't stay here without them. Rick will just have to take his retirement and find a job close by. Or she'll leave him."

Jesse laughed, "Don't ever make Carol choose between you and those two friends of hers. It mean it could go either way. So why are you two in such a rush? You've been dating like a month."

"I've been half in love with her for years. I tried to convince myself that all she cared about was her daughter and her career. Cold-hearted and ruthless. The only men she would be interested in would be ones that could advance her career. That's why I always brought a hot date when I went to your gatherings. Gonna show her that I wasn't some loser who couldn't get a girl." Daryl pulled his hair with both hands. "She would just look at me with those icy blue eyes like I wasn't even there."

"My favorite was Bambi." Jesse laughed, "Long blond hair, lots of makeup, big boobs, and a low IQ. Were you trying to pick someone who was nothing like Carol? "

"I took Bambi home and told her that I was being transferred to Nova Scotia and I would really miss her. She batted her false eyelashes and asked me what state that was in." Daryl sighed, "The next time Carol brought Jason Tucker. Tall, thin, smart, good manners, great clothes, and a hell of a nice guy except for the damn cologne. Perfect for her. Opposite of me."

"Hey, that ended that night and I know that Carol was not really into him at all." Jesse couldn't stop laughing.

"How do you know?" Michonne. Jesse and Michonne tell each other everything which may be why they are so happy together?

His friend looked nervous. "Can't tell you because I am way more afraid of pissing off Michonne by telling. Just saying that Carol never had sex with him."

Daryl kept his phone handy. Carol was going to meet him at noon. This was the day that Carol was going to see their house and their farm. This was the day that it stopped being a pipe dream and became a reality. Carol already had someone who was interested in her apartment. A downstairs tenant had a sister who wanted to move to their condo complex. He had stopped by the management office who assured him that he had people on the waiting list for a chance to move there.

Daryl went to his bank and closed out his accounts. He had enough between his savings and checking accounts to buy half the farm.

Daryl had already gotten a call from a prospective buyer by the time Carol came back to the condo. She changed into more comfortable clothes and they headed toward the country. The remnants of their morning argument began to dissipate as they left Atlanta behind. It was warm enough to open the windows a bit and let fresh air in. Carol was watching the green and brown earth fly by as they rode along a country road and she was smiling.

"I'm sorry that I raised my voice to you this morning. Wasn't anger, I was scared that you could be hurt." He pulled the truck over and sat for a minute, "You don't know how happy that being with you makes me. How afraid I am that I could lose you."

Carol rolled the truck window all the way down, "I found something this morning. Already sent it to Laurel. I spent fifteen years at that company and it's all over. I'm never going back, but I don't care. We're going to buy a farm today. You and me together from now on." She unfastened her seat belt and scooted closer to him. "Are you ready for that kind of commitment?"

"As long as you are on the other end of the chain," Daryl kissed her, "Let's go buy a farm."

Garrett Meadows aka Old Hippie met them at the farm and gave them the grand tour. Garrett had already moved most of his furniture out. "I called the kids and told them to come get what they want. I'm not going to bother moving anything to Sedona. The house out there is furnished in Sante Fe style and nothing would look right. If you want the place you can take whatever is here."

Garrett and Carol had a love fest as he guided them around the ponds, the solar arrays, the cisterns, wells, and springs of the farm. Garrett drove them around the meadows, barns, and boundary markers to the place. "There's plenty of hay in the barns to run some cattle or horses if you want. The tractor, mower, and bailer were figured in the price. We can stop by my insurance company after we sign the deeds. I'm already talked to them and they're ready with a policy if you're interested in using them. They've been good to work with."

Daryl had a brief moment of panic as they drove into town. I'm given up my business, my home, and my life to go be a farmer with a woman I hardly know. Am I crazy? He glanced over at Carol who looked a little pale herself. Hell, she's giving it all up too. We're both going over the falls in a barrel and she's willing to risk it all with me. It's time to let it ride. The reward is worth the risk. Living your life with someone you love is worth any risk. He covered her hand with his, "Where are we sleeping tonight?"

She smiled at him, "Atlanta. I need to start clearing out my condo. I got a text from the management. The sister will take it at the price I set, but she wants to move in by New Year's Day."

There got back to Atlanta late that night but they were now the co-owners of a farm. They sold both apartments that week and the local Goodwill center was happy to take everything they didn't want to keep. The mover's delivered their worldly goods on Christmas Eve and they spent that afternoon and evening arranging furniture and putting things away with the help of their friends. Michonne's family spent Christmas with her mother. Andrea, Rick, and Judith spent Christmas Eve with Sophia and Carl.

Daryl wanted to open one gift each on Christmas Eve and save the rest for the next morning. Carol agreed and they worked until late getting things in order. Then Carol insisted on a shower before opening any presents and she invited Daryl to shower with her.

It was even later before they made it back to their Christmas tree. Carol was yawning. She handed Daryl a present from her. He opened it slowly and Carol knew that he had spent too many Christmases without a gift to rush through opening a present. In it was a photograph of a puppy. He looked at it and looked up at a smiling Carol, "A farm needs a dog. It's an Australian sheep dog and it is at Sophia and Carl's. They're bringing it in the morning."

Daryl looked at the dog, "It has blue eyes. Never had a dog before." He stared at the photograph for a few seconds. He didn't show much enthusiasm, "It's very cute." She might as well have got me a toy poodle. Better act like I like it. "Thank you." He leaned over and kissed her.

Carol laughed, "I picked it out for you." Nice to know she thinks I'm some pussy that wants a prissy dog.

Daryl handed her his present. He tried to sit still, but he was too nervous to perch anyway for over two seconds, "It ain't a dog."

Carol nodded, "Good, one dog is probably enough."

"Sophia wrapped it for me." Daryl put in as he squirmed on the ottoman in front of her chair.

Carol tore the wrapping paper away to reveal a cardboard box and opened that box to find a smaller cardboard box and then an even smaller one inside that.

"Almost there." Daryl said as he chewed his cuticle.

Inside was a blue velvet box and Carol opened that slowly. A gold band and band of diamonds were lying side by side in the box. She met Daryl's eyes, "Are you trying to ask me something?"

Daryl nodded, "I want you to marry me. I love you and I want to do this thing right."

Carol leaned over and kissed him, "Let's let it ride."

Daryl slipped off the ottoman and took her hand. "The band of diamonds is the eternity ring and the gold band is the wedding ring. An engagement ring didn't sound right for us. Let's get married New Year's Eve." He kissed her left ring finger.

Carol laughed, "In for a penny, in for a pound. Did Sophia help you shop for the ring?" She kissed him and pushed the hair out of eyes, "You have to have a haircut."

Daryl laughed, "No, she did tell me later on what size the ring needed to be." He kissed her hand again, "I bought the rings the morning after our first dinner together. I woke up that morning with you. Second time without sex, just saying. I went for a long walk because I didn't want to face you. Didn't want to deal with what you knew about me and what I knew about you. I wanted to run into a bar and get drunk and come back and be so damn obnoxious that you would never look at me again. I wanted to burn the bridge that we had built. Wanted to go fuck some other woman." He looked at Carol then, "Not because I wanted them but because I wanted you so much. Fighting fire with fire."

Carol looked less than pleased but not really pissed. "So what did you do? You left me a note telling me that you wanted to go to lunch. Going to be a busy morning for you. Getting drunk, creating a scene, and having sex with another woman." She sat back in her chair and waited. Carol was good at listening and hearing what he was really trying to say.

Daryl sat back on the ottoman and looked at their Christmas tree. "I stopped walking and realized that I was miles from our condos. I called Merle and he sounded like he had his shit together and he had been one totally screwed up individual. He was off drugs, happily married, and working with teenage druggies. I needed to get out of my way. Time to tell the truth. I was in love with you for years before Michonne's party. Loving you ain't no new thing for me. I got off the phone and right beside me was the jewelry store. I went in and the nice lady talked to me about what I wanted before she started shoving rings at me. I bought these rings and she promised to have them sized for you."

"You loved me? Never saw much signs of that." Carol smiled at him, "You avoided me like the plague. You dated all those bimbos and never looked at me."

" I was afraid that you would laugh if I let you know how I feel. You never looked at me. I never had hope that you would notice me until you agreed t go to the party with me. Then, I started to get a vibe that maybe Carol McAllister wasn't exactly as immune to the ole Dixon charm." Daryl gave a satisfied little smirk in Carol's direction. "You were hitting on me all damn night."

Carol raised an eyebrow at him. "I was not. I just hung out with you because I knew you were shy around new people."

Daryl leaned back and laughed, "You were hitting on me. You drank more than I've ever seen you drink. Getting your courage up to make your move, I guess. You kept wandering back to me at that party and you kept smiling at me. Once we were inside your apartment you were on board with kissing me. You were on board for sex. You wanted a ride on the Dixon Love Train and we both know it. Was it just that night or did you have any feelings before then?"

Carol stood up and walked to the French doors that opened onto the deck. It was still raining dogs and cats out there. It felt good to be warm and safe here in this house with this man. Time to recognize the truth in what Daryl had said even if she hadn't admitted it to herself, "I was always aware of you. Always knew where you were in any gathering. I told myself that I detested you. That you just wanted all those women with overdeveloped mammary glands and underdeveloped brains. It was more difficult after you stopped bringing them to parties. I agreed to go with you because I wanted to go with you. I could have found an excuse to get out of it. I am always cautious around you and that night I wanted to throw caution to the wind. Wanted to drink too much and wanted to spend that night with you. I wanted to stop wondering what it was like to be with Daryl Dixon and be with Daryl Dixon. I still want to be with Daryl Dixon." She walked back to Daryl, "Enough truth telling. Let's go to bed."

Daryl smirked, "Best offer I've had all day."

TWDTWDTWD

Carol smiled at her friends and took a drink of champagne. The ceremony was over. She was officially now a married woman. Her new husband was downstairs in the basement of their house with his buddies and she was here with her best friends telling stories and laughing because both Andrea and Michonne had drank too much champagne. Sophia just kept giggling because those two were a riot.

Daryl must have the puppy with him because she wasn't in sight. Which was always a bad thing. He had fallen in love with the puppy at first lick. She was a handful but adorable. Daryl had named her "Sheilah" because she was an Australian sheepdog and girls in that country were called "Sheilahs" They had decided to take a honeymoon later because there was so much to do at the farm. Carol suspected that Daryl didn't want to leave Sheilah too long.

Michonne slurred, "To true love and forever friends."

Carol drank to that. You could survive in this world if you had those two things.

TWDTWDTWD

Daryl was watching the clock. Just another few minutes and he could go upstairs and see the New Year in with his new wife. Rick was being way too serious talking about how they needed to be prepared for some sort of apocalypse. What a buzz killer.

Rick walked over to the storage area of the basement. "You take this space and block it up so that your supplies are safe. Make an even more secure room over here so that you can store your weapons and ammo. Andrea and I are leaving Atlanta and I'm taking a job as police chief in town. We're looking for property out this way so we can be close to Carl and Sophia. And you assholes too."

Jesse spoke up, "Michonne's mother is going to have to go into an assisted living home in town. There is a farm that adjoins this one for sale. The farmhouse burned down and the owners want to move to Florida. Rick, you and Andrea buy half and Michonne and I will buy the other half. We'll be one big happy family when the zombies crawl out of the CDC."

Daryl shivered, "You guys give me the creeps. That's a good farm and the barns are intact. We can all be city slickers together out here in the boondocks of Georgia. Let's drink a toast to the New Year and then go upstairs."

Rick raised his beer, "To all of us surviving whatever comes our way."

AN

Sorry this has taken so long. The Muse gets bored when people are happy. It seems the Muse wants these people to endure some sort of apocalypse. I favor massive power failures but it may be zombies.

Here is Sheilah or an image on Google of a blue-eyed Australian sheepdog.

search?q=australian+sheepdogs+with+blue+eyes&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sa=Google+search&tbm=isch#imgrc=CdPH1dZP9cnsgM%3A

Which apocalypse do you prefer? EMP (massive power failure, zombies, collapse of the economy, super storms, or earthquakes? The choices for disaster are almost endless.

Let me know.