Not sure if I'll post two chapters today since it's the weekend and I usually feel like no one would be doing much reading. But I don't know. Hope you are all having a good weekend so far! Mine is basically lame! Glad you all liked the last chapter! I was getting paranoid I guess ;) Read and review!

Chapter Forty Two

Daryl trudged back towards the farmhouse angrily. He needed to find Merle. If everyone had a problem with his brother then it was his job to fix it. He had managed to scrounge up a few tents and he was going to set up camp away from the others. If they wanted his brother on the outskirts then he would join him. And he figured he needed to get him away from Maggie before he got them all kicked off the farm.

He let the screen door slam behind him and then took off towards the room he had shared with Carol. He stopped in the entrance to the hallway as he watched Merle step out of the room and head off towards the kitchen.

He frowned. What the hell was Merle doing in their room? He went to the door and cracked it open. Carol was sitting on the bed, eyes wide and hand to her throat staring off at nothing. She nearly jumped off the bed when he threw the door open and stormed in.

"What the fuck did he do?" He asked, feeling a knot form in the pit of his stomach. He wished he could be sure that Merle wouldn't have done anything to hurt her but by the look on her face something had happened and it hadn't been anything good. He slammed the door closed behind him.

She looked at him, eyes still wide. "Nothing. He didn't do anything." She said in a hushed voice that he had to strain his ears to even hear.

"Bullshit. I know he did something cause you look damn near scared to death. Why you holdin' your throat like that?"

She looked confused for a second and then dropped her hand. "We just talked."

He didn't like the tone of her voice and he was cursing himself for leaving her alone. Even though it was her who had to start acting like a raging lunatic. He still found himself more concerned about the strange look on her face than he was angry for what she had said earlier.

She wasn't looking at him so he wasn't sure if she was still mad or not but he decided right then that he really didn't care. He knelt in front of her with his forearms resting on her thighs and his hands gripping her waist. Finally her eyes met his. They were wet and he instantly tensed. What could Merle have done to cause her to cry?

"Sophia called me a hypocrite." She said when she finally looked at him. "And your brother..." She shook her head and smiled a sad smile.

"My brother what? What'd he do?"

She blew out a breath and finally the small smile she had on her mouth grew. "He was just reassuring me that Sophia was safe with him. In his own way, of course."

"Was he mean? I can shoot him in the ass if ya want." He knew she thought he was joking. He wasn't. He had shot Merle in the ass with an arrow on more than one occasion.

She did laugh which made him feel a lot better. "No need for any ass shooting. Merle sure does have a way about him. But the three of you were right to be mad over what I said. If you trust him and Sophia trusts him then I need to trust him too. Even though he's scary as hell." She added.

Daryl scoffed and pulled her closer, causing her to move her knees apart. "Merle ain't too scary."

She felt like she still needed to talk to Merle. Like she owed him an apology. But it was really his fault that people seen him in that light. It wasn't hard to be kind to people. Even Daryl had learned. She pushed his hair back off his forehead and kissed his cheek. She had almost forgotten what she had been thinking about before Merle came in and turned her afternoon upside down.

"Is this going to happen every single time things don't go your way?" She asked.

He frowned. "What are you talkin' about?"

"You packed up and moved out, Daryl." She rolled her eyes. "You are so dramatic."

"I ain't dramatic." he scoffed. "I was comin' back for your stuff." He lied. "I just thought it was time to get outta the old man's hair. It's bad enough Merle's got a room. Hell, even Milton has his own room here. When we do leave that man probably wont go anywhere."

She sighed. "I like it here."

He studied her face and then drew her even closer. "You want me to talk to Rick about stayin'?"

"You said it wasn't safe here."

"Ain't safe anywhere now days." He said as he pushed her until she was on her back.

She pulled his face to hers and kissed him eagerly and he responded the way he always did. His heart started pounding and his breath came out in a rush. Sex hadn't dampened that strange need that welled up in him every single time she touched him. Didn't dampen it at all. It made it worse. Now that he knew exactly what it was like to be with her he couldn't keep it out of his head. He wrapped one arm around her back and then moved her up so he could get better leverage.

"Are you really thinking about that again?" She teased when his mouth moved from hers down her jaw and to her throat.

"Mmm Hmm." Was his only response as he bit lightly at the skin right below her ear. He couldn't help but smile when he felt her breath catch.

The shirt she was wearing buttoned up the front and he started at the bottom and worked up until he only had about four more to go but he left them alone, opening the shirt enough to keep her breasts covered but her stomach exposed. He dipped his head down and used his teeth on the soft skin there, avoiding the spots where the bruises hadn't faded all the way from the last beating Ed had ever given her. He never would have thought that shy quiet Carol was the type of woman that liked to get bit. But every time he did it she would gasp and then he felt her hands in his hair pushing his head further down.

"Damn, baby brother. I had no idea you had skills like that. Bet it taste like heaven a little further down."

Daryl didn't even pull away. What was the point? "God damn you, Merle." He growled and then just laid his cheek against the warm skin of her stomach. He was pretty sure she was mortified but he was just pissed. He glared at the smirking man but Merle didn't look like he cared.

He closed the door and came further into the room just like he had done earlier. Merle was one of those dumb asses that didn't take a hint. Daryl raised his head and glanced towards Carol but to his surprise she looked like she was trying to hide a smile. Her eyes shot down to him and she shrugged like it was no big deal. But then he felt her stiffen and watched her eyes widen and then glance up. He did the same.

Merle was standing right by the bed, a frown on his face, actually running a finger over one of the larger bruises on her ribcage. Daryl slapped his hand away. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" He snapped and then raised up on her knees.

Merle didn't look at him but his frown deepened as he stared at the faded bruises until Daryl started buttoning the shirt back up. "Looks like I was wrong." Merle said in a quiet rasp.

Daryl glared up at him. "Bout what? Not that this is news or nothin'. You're usually wrong. I just never get to hear you admittin' it."

"I shoulda let you bash the fuckers brains in while we was at the quarry." He said simply and then looked away. "He ever touch Sophia like that?"

"He hit her a few times. I'd get in the way though. It usually landed me in the hospital." Carol said quietly.

Daryl stood up and then pulled her up in a sitting position when he was finished buttoning her shirt back up. She was watching Merle as he stood in front of the windows looking out. He couldn't gauge her expression but she looked liked she may have been deep in thought.

"Was there somethin' you needed Merle? Or are you just in a hurry to add cock blocker to your list of bad qualities?"

That was enough to wipe the troubled look off his face as he turned around. He smirked and then shook his head. "I do no cock blockin', little brother. From my view over there the only thing I interrupted was you givin' this bad girl here a tongue lashin'."

"Jesus, Merle." Carol groaned as her face burned with embarrassment.

Merle just chuckled. "I came to tell ya that we all got invited to a little powwow tonight. The good doctor wants us all to gather round and eat. Then I'm pretty sure his ass is plannin' to send us all packin'.

Daryl sat down on the edge of the bed. "How do you know?"

"Heard him and that girl hollerin' about it when I was tryna get some beauty rest. She wants us here, he wants us gone."

"Did he say why?" Carol asked as she felt her heart sink.

Merle shook his head. "Heard'em tellin' his girls that he did what he was spose too. Offered us shelter and now we ain't in much need for his services so he believes it's time to tell us to hit the road."

Daryl rubbed the back of his neck. "I need to find Rick. We gotta talk to the old man. If this is where you wanna stay then we need to try."

Carol shook her head and gave him a smile. "It's okay. He's done a lot for us already. If we have to hit the road then to hell with this place." She shrugged. "But bring your stuff back in, Dixon. That bed isn't going to waste since the clock's going to be ticking." She winked at him as he felt his mouth drop and then she walked out of the room.

Merle was shaking his head and looking at the door when Daryl finally collected his wits. "Never in a million fuckin' years woulda guessed she's turn out to be so goddamn sexy." Merle mused.

"Merle!" Daryl nearly shouted and swiped him in the back of the head. "Shut up. And if you put your grimy fingers on her again I'm gonna break'em off."

Merle followed him to the door. "Come on now baby brother. How many times did I offer ta share my own with ya?"

Daryl ignored him. Sick bastard always had to talk. He couldn't ever just shut his mouth. But he had to admit that he was right. Carol wasn't the same woman he had sat with by the water at the quarry. Not a bit. And he wasn't the same man either.

~H~

Sophia wasn't sure how long they had been up there but she felt like it was starting to get late. The sun was starting to go down but it had been so peaceful and they had both spent so much time on the go the last few days that she just wanted to be able to enjoy being still for a while.

"I was wrong about Daryl. And I'm sorry about that." Carl said quietly.

Sophia looked over at him but he was still looking straight ahead. His eyes were filled with tears though and she felt her heart break a little for her friend. "It's okay. As long as we were found, that's what matters." She frowned as one of those tears escaped and ran down his cheek.

He shook his head and wiped the tear away angrily before looking at her. "I thought my dad would be the one. My dad and Shane would show up and get us out of those woods. I always looked at them like they were heroes. And I always heard Shane talkin' about Daryl and Merle like they were nothin' but trash. How they were no good. And then Daryl ends up being the one to find us. And Merle, even though I still don't much like him, he told us to run. He cared enough to not want us to get hurt. And while all that was going on my dad and Shane both were right here."

Sophia wasn't sure what to say. Carl had always talked about how big of a hero his dad had been. That was before Rick ever found camp. And he was always going on and on about Shane too. And they had both let him down. She had never expected anything from Ed so he never let her down. Her mom was letting her down a little but it was nothing like this. She didn't know how to comfort him but she remembered in that shack, after those Walkers. He was there for her and it made her feel a hundred times better just knowing he was there.

Another tear escaped and before he could turn his head she cupped the side of his face and caught the moisture with her thumb. She kept her hand there so he wouldn't look away and his wide eyes met hers. "You can't think like that, okay? You heard what Daryl said. Him and Shane had been looking. They just aren't trackers like Daryl so he ended up being the one to find us. Your dad is a good man. So what if he wasn't the one that found us? We were found. As long as we were found it doesn't matter."

"It mattered to me." He whispered.

She kept her hand in place but moved so she was facing him more with her body. He looked so sad that she almost wanted to cry herself. She moved her hand and then pulled him in for a hug. That was all she knew to do. Try to make him feel like he wasn't alone. She was his friend and she was there for him. They had to stick together now. She felt his arms go around her loosely and then heard him chuckle next to her ear.

"What?" She smiled happily. At least he was laughing now.

"You." He said into her hair and she could here the smile in his own voice.

"What about me?" She asked.

He pulled back so he could look at her and shook his head but he kept his arm around her and she kept her own draped across his slender shoulders. He grinned and his eyes were dry. "You go from punching me in the face to huggin' on me all the time. Girls are crazy."

She laughed because it was true.

"Sophia!"

They both jerked apart and looked down in the direction of the angry voice that had yelled her name. "Oh shit." She whispered.

Daryl was down there, looking up at them with his hands on his hips. His face was red and his eyes were narrowed and he looked like he was about to murder someone. Merle was a few feet behind him but he was grinning up at them. Daryl pointed an angry finger. "Get your skinny ass down here. Now!" he roared.

She glanced quickly at Carl, remembering the conversation her and Daryl had had about boys. "Carl, go out the back. Run like hell until you find your dad." She whispered as she stood up.

"Then what?" He asked, clearly confused.

"Then you best start prayin'." She said and then she took off.