No Place Like Home

Carol got out of the vehicle and grabbed her bag to carry in. They were back at their house in the foothills of North Carolina four days before Christmas and somehow they had to convince everyone to pack up and move to the mountains by New Years. The door opened and Carl came out to greet them. Alia passed him and bounded toward her and Daryl. "Mommy, Daddy, You did come home."

Daryl picked Alia up and hugged her, "Course we came home. Got to missing our Alia." Carol dropped the bag on the ground and watched Daryl and Alia.

Alia leaned over toward Carol and Daryl put her in Carol's arms. "I missed you too. Are we going to go get a Christmas tree like in the story?" Alia smiled at her Mommy and Carol blinked back tears.

Carol hugged Alia close to her. "It's cold out here and you don't have a coat. Yes, we can go get a Christmas tree and you can show me the tree in your book". Daryl picked up her bag and went into the house.

Carl stood awkwardly in front of Michonne and she took mercy on the boy and hugged him, "Good to see you, Carl. Anything happen while we were gone?"

Carl let her hug him for a bit until he pulled away. "Nothing going on here. Everything okay?" He turned to Morgan. "Did you have trouble out there?"

Michonne thought that Carl had grown in the short time they had been gone. "No, we did find a place. Several houses and a farm included. Even got a next door farmer's daughter just your age. She's pretty too. I think I have your checklist all filled out."

Carl groaned, "I never said I wanted a girlfriend. That's on you." He helped Morgan take bags out of the vehicle and they all began walking toward the house, "What's her name?"

Michonne laughed, "Arya McAllister and she is going to be master at the katana. We need to find her one before we go back. You might win her heart forever if you give her a sword".

TWDTWDTWD

They put the tree up in the living room and everyone contributed toward the decorations. Rachel wired the lights to a solar battery so that they could run them after the generator was turned off. Tyreese had carved some angels out of wood. Eugene had made a star for the top of the tree. Alia and Michael were enchanted because this was this was the first Christmas tree that they would ever remember.

The group had another meeting that evening. They sat in the living room lit by candles and the Christmas tree. Carol and Daryl had taken the love seat and Alia was curled up between them. Abraham had brought his people over this evening to find out how the trip went.

Morgan had taken a piece of cardboard and had drawn a diagram of Mountain Top Farm. It showed the houses, the barns, the water supply and the ponds, meadows, pastures of the farm. It also showed that there were two empty farms right beside of it. Carol remembered how Morgan had drawn Terminus on the living room wall of the house that they stayed in. Morgan's ability to draw to scale made that attack work and it was selling the good points of moving now.

Michonne talked about each house and showed the digital images on Eugene's laptop. She and Morgan made a good team. It looked as if everyone was pleased with the place but there were holdouts about going up before spring. Rick asked Daryl to explain why they should risk the colder winter weather in the mountains.

"It is cold up there but it is cold here too. The houses were built for the cold and they are super insulated. They have solar features that give it some electricity too. Those are good people and they want us up there with them. We are a tough bunch but it is just us against the world here. Up there we will have neighbors who we can trust. We will be closer to each other too. It's ain't perfect but it is safer than here. The winter hasn't hit really hard up there yet and I want to be there when it does." Daryl just spoke plainly.

Rick turned to Carol, "Why should we go now?"

Carol didn't think she should talk about Grandma Lydia's and her prediction of danger. "The road is clear now. Once it starts to snow there won't be any crews clearing the way up the mountain. It will be cold but we have food, water, and a heat source there. Those are nice houses and it will give us a chance to live close to one another but have more privacy too. Daryl and I are going up Christmas Day with Alia. He may be coming back to help move supplies but Alia and I will be staying. Daryl and I want to live in the house that isn't finished. Eugene, Morgan, and Michonne will be there too. That leaves plenty of room for the rest of you. I hope you don't wait too long. The weather can change quickly this time of year."

Rick was still annoyed at the change in plans. "I don't think this is a good idea. We stocked this place to last all winter and now you want to run off to the mountains. I think that we should stay where we are".

Daryl hated dealing with pissed off Rick, "Tomorrow I think you and the next group should go up and stay a few days. Take some truck loads up and look the situation over. Carol and I will stay here and look after this house. I think you should take Rachel, Sarah, Eugene, Beth, and Elijah. Sarah may want to take Michael with her. Abraham might want to take some people. You bring the empty trucks back and we'll fill them again. We have ten days or so to get moved in. Don't have to do it in one day."

Rick realized that he had been outmaneuvered again by Daryl. He would look like a total ass if he refused to go, "Okay, let's plan what gets moved tomorrow and we'll sent the trucks back in a day or so after that."

Carol went on upstairs. She gave Alia a bath and they read the Christmas book in bed. She was content to stay here in this house until Christmas morning. She was going to be a Grandma Lydia's house for Christmas dinner. She and Daryl were taking Alia to meet the rest of the family. Finally, Daryl came upstairs and he listened to Alia read for a while and then he walked her to her room.

Carol was waiting for him when they got back, "Let's take a shower".

Daryl could recognize a come on when he heard one. "Oh, go ahead. I want to clean my bow and rifle before I take a shower". He picked up his bow and snuck a peek at Carol.

She was looking at him with a smile on her face and she rolled her eyes at him when he looked at her. He grinned at her, "Or maybe I'll take that shower now".

He put down the bow and locked the door. He started taking off his clothes as he walked to the bathroom, "Come on I haven't got all day".

Carol followed behind him picking up his dirty clothes and putting them in a hamper. He was naked by the time he got to the shower. "You've got way too much clothes on". He tugged her top over her head and one handedly stripped off her bra. He strutted around her enjoying the view while she appreciated his ass, his arms, and his rapidly enlarging penis. "Down boy" Dary said staring down at his cock.

He unbuttoned her pants and pulled them down quickly and she stepped out of them. He stepped behind her and kissed her neck and she could feel his erection pressing against her. His hands cupped her breasts and his rough fingers pulled at her nipples with enough force to cause her to push back into him. He laughed and his breath was hot on the side of her neck. His right hand slid down between her legs and inside her panties. She turned toward him and he closed the gap and picked her up and set her on the counter. The cold stone was cool on her ass but his fingers were seeking the warm wetness between her legs while his tongue sought hers. Carol didn't touch his penis because they had learned that had a tendency to end the event before it got started. The rest of his body was her playground and she suckled his nipples and slapped his ass just a bit.

He wasn't playing around tonight though and his fingers rubbed against the clit and she pushed back all thoughts of anything but what was going on here and now. Carol grabbed him and guided him in. Daryl had pushed himself back a little because he liked it when she took him and put him inside her. He then pushed into her and she could feel him inside her and he pulled back and she said, "just go slow for a bit.' He nodded and suckled her breasts until she thought she might explode between that pleasure and the fire building between her legs. "Okay, faster" and Daryl began to push into her faster and harder and she bit her hand to keep from moaning too loudly and she finished with one final spasm and then in a few seconds Daryl collapsed against her. They were both still for a while just sort of holding on and letting their bodies relax.

Daryl kissed Carol's sweaty forehead, "Love ya". He turned the water on and grimaced a bit "Let's wait 'til it warms up and hope all the hot water isn't gone". He helped Carol off the counter and they jumped into the shower together. It was warm and getting warmer and they stayed long enough that the water got cold again.

They settled in bed and Carol commanded, "Don't go to sleep yet".

Daryl said, "What do you need to talk about?"

Carol said, "Maybe I don't want to talk".

Daryl snickered, "Alrighty then". He moved closer to her.

"I do want to talk", Carol admitted, "How do you think it went this evening?"

Daryl frowned at her, "You're a tease, you are. Rick was just kicking up some dirt to show who is head dog around here. He is going to leave in the morning with that box truck that we have loaded. Elijah and Beth are taking a truck. Maggie and Glenn. Abraham, Sarah, and Rachel. Eugene is staying with us. Morgan and Michonne will go up with a truck on the 23rd . Rick's coming back on the 24th and going with us on Christmas Day. I think we'll be out completely then."

"We need to go on some runs before we leave. I want to bring some warm clothing up with us. Not just for us but for the folks on the mountain. They are working on our house right now. What else do we need?"

Daryl brightened and Carol suspected that he was channeling Martha Stewart again. "We need to get a box truck and load it with sheets, blankets, dishes, glasses. Not just for us. I think we should go to a fabric store and gets needles, pins, cloth, and thread. Canning jars and salt and sugar if we can. Things we can use for barter."

"You are right. We'll need a lot of help setting up a farm and we need to think long term. Are we moving to one house tomorrow?" Carol was wondering how that would work.

"Yeah, I think that would be easier on the watched. Sasha, Bob, Tara, and Rosita will stay with us. Eugene and Tyreese will be here with us. I may make a run up in a couple of days but I won't stay." Daryl expected that the more they moved up there while it was clear the better they would be. The group being separate made the ones left behind more vulnerable.

Carol nodded, "Eugene and I will take care of the house tomorrow. Rosita and Tara might want to go with you on the run. Bob and Sasha will take a truck too. Morgan and Michonne too".

Daryl shook his head, "No, I am leaving Morgan or Michonne at home. Carl isn't going with his dad and he is staying too. Sarah is taking Michael but you'll have Alia and Judith. If we get back in time we'll switch out and you and Michonne can go on the second wave. We better grab what we can while we can."

Carol listened to Daryl with a half-smile. He didn't realize how much of a leader he had become in the last few weeks. No wonder Rick was kicking up the dirt. Daryl's leadership style was laid back and easy going but he had the respect of the others so they generally went along with his plans. Daryl had hit bottom when he fell in with that bunch of thugs and he had kicked himself back up to the surface with a vengeance. Maybe she had hit bottom too and the woman who came back from that was less afraid and more daring. She slid over next to Daryl, "I am not a tease." Carol ran her hand slowly down his chest and over his stomach and more slowly down to his penis. She began to stroke him and Daryl caught his breath.

"You might still be a tease, haven't shown me anything yet?" He moved a little closer and kissed her lazily. She laughed, "Alrighty then." She broke his kiss and straddled him, "I guess I am going to have to show you the money."

Daryl laughed, "Don't talk the talk if you aren't prepared to walk the walk".

The next day was busy. Carol got up early to prepare breakfast. Morgan and Michonne decided to go up with the group and drop a load off and then come back. Carl rode up with his dad and then came back with Morgan and Michonne. Daryl went on a run with Tyreese, Bob, and Sasha.

Carol was busy packing and making lists of things to take. She was ready to go now, but they had to have all their supplies moved before they could go. Carol was still grappling with the concept that she couldn't control everything. She was trying to just find as much joy and happiness that she could find in her life and letting go of her need to take care of everything. It wasn't easy but she tried to concentrate on loving her friends and family and letting the rest fall where it may.

AN

May 23 is Melissa McBride's birthday! Birthdays should be celebrated and it is a holiday weekend. Enjoy your day, everyone.