AN: So here's a second installment for the night, moving us forward!

This chapter comes with another warning. Domestic abuse is an issue ahead, so if you're uncomfortable, you should skip this chapter.

Let me know what you think!

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Carol got loose long enough to sprint for the bedroom. She slammed the door and locked it. She knew full well that when Ed made it through the door there would be hell to pay, but it was bound to buy her a little time. She rushed to the phone and dialed the police station, hearing Ed cussing outside and throwing his weight against the door. She prayed the door and frame were solid enough to withstand him.

It grew quiet outside the door for a second and she heard the voice on the other end of the line.

"It's Carol Peletier…help me…" she whispered. She listened again. Ed was back outside the door and it sounded now like he had a better plan than his original attempt to merely break the door down. She listened to the sounds and realized that he was taking the door off the hinges. She knew he'd be through it in a matter of minutes. "Please help," she rasped again. She dropped the phone, leaving it off the hook in hopes that whatever the person on the other end of the line heard was enough to encourage the quick dispatch of whoever was on duty.

Carol darted across the room, away from the phone. Someone had told Ed that she was in town today and had reported seeing her apparently nowhere in the vicinity of the supermarket. Whoever the asshole gossip was, they'd already earned her more of a beating than she'd had in a while, and she didn't need Ed to notice her on the phone when the door came down. If he did, she was afraid she might not make it to see the officer arrive.

Carol stood there, panting and bracing herself as the final hinge gave way and the door gave up its flimsy protection.

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Rick drove through town with sirens on, his partner Shane behind him in another car. Nothing happened in Sweet Junction, which was one of the perks of being a police officer here. At the most they dealt with a few rowdy drunks now and again at The Watering Hole, but for the most part Loretta kept everyone in check. The phone call from the Peletier house tonight, though, had Rick on edge.

Everyone in town knew Ed Peletier and knew he was a brute. Rick would have loved to haul his ass into jail more than a few dozen times already just from catching a glance of Carol here and there about town. Until now, though, she'd never reported Ed, and nothing could be done if she didn't identify the abuse as a problem.

Now they had a call though, and the disturbing noises coming from the phone obviously left off the hook had convinced Rick that it was an emergency. He'd called Shane for backup and Shane had gladly joined him a few streets back, having nothing more to do than handle a few joyriding teens that threatened to disrupt the people who were actually out for dinner at the Dairy-O.

Rick roared into the driveway of the Peletier house and stopped just behind Ed's truck. He didn't know what he expected to find, but he kept his hand on his gun, just in case. Shane was out of his car a moment later and behind him for backup. Rick pounded on the door, announcing their presence, and waited a moment. A crashing sound inside followed by a scream was all he needed. He pounded again on the door, gesturing to Shane, and tried the knob. To his surprise the door was open. There would be no theatrical breaking down of doors tonight.

"Police!" He called, making his way into the house with Shane behind him. It took a moment to locate the source of the sounds, but he followed them down a hallway and finally came to the bedroom of the house, stepping over pieces of broken furniture and various other items as he went.

"Hands behind your back, Ed!" Shane called out from over Rick's shoulder.

Ed Peletier froze, holding his hands up. Shane was well known for being the more hot headed of the two and his gun was in his hand. Rick had known him to pull his gun on teenagers that were being too rowdy before. Ed wouldn't be stupid enough to give him the chance to actually fire it. Rick stepped forward and handcuffed Ed easily enough. He looked around him to find Carol on the floor.

"Shane, why don't you take Ed here and read him his rights. Take him to the jail and I'll handle Carol Ann," Rick said.

Shane was obviously happy with the job that he'd been given. He could find more than one excuse to bully Ed Peletier on his way to the car, and that was the kind of thing that Shane thrived on, though the town offered him very little opportunity to practice it. As soon as Shane had roughly taken Ed from the room at gunpoint, Rick knelt beside Carol.

"Easy," Rick said. "You're alright, it's Officer Rick Grimes," Rick said. Carol knew him and he knew her well, but he wasn't sure exactly what frame of mind she was in at the moment. The phone called out the alarm that it was off the hook somewhere in the room, but other than that there weren't any sounds in the house besides her sobbing. "Carol, can you hear me?" Rick said.

Carol made a move and sat up. Rick put his hand on her shoulder to steady her.

"I'm fine," she said, swallowing, her sobs slowing.

"I think maybe you should go to the hospital…" Rick started.

"No, no!" Carol said quickly. "I'm fine, I'll be fine."

Rick shook his head and looked around. The house in general was in shambles from the rampage that Ed had been on. He wasn't leaving Carol here.

"Look, Carol, at least let me take you home with me. Lori would be glad to have you, and we can take care of this with Ed. We can serve him the restraining order in jail. We'll hold him on domestic violence charges until we get it," Rick said. "I don't think you should stay alone, even if you won't go to the hospital. You could have a concussion."

Carol shook her head slightly.

"Michonne," she said.

"What?" Rick asked.

"Michonne, she said I could stay with her," Carol said. "I need to call her." Carol looked around as though she were trying to find the phone.

"Michonne Williams?" Rick asked. Carol nodded slightly.

"OK, Carol, I'll call her for you," Rick said. "Tomorrow you're going to have to come in and fill out some paperwork. Tonight, though, I'll take you over to her place."

"I need to pack my bag," Carol said.

Rick regarded her, not positive she was stable enough to do something as simple as pack a bag. He sighed.

"Carol, I don't know if it's broken or not, but your nose is bleeding a lot," he said.

Carol nodded a little.

"I can stop it," she said. "I just need to go to the bathroom."

Rick, realizing he wasn't going to win any kind of battle against the woman's will, essentially picked her up and put her on her feet. It was the easiest way to achieve the movement. She stumbled forward and he caught her, directing her toward the bathroom. She stumbled into the bathroom and he followed behind her a moment, making sure that she was stable enough to make it. When he heard the water running, he went around the room searching out the phone by the sound it was making. He hung it up and dialed the familiar number. He'd called the lawyer many times. In a town like Sweet Junction, everyone had the same lawyer, especially when there were only two and her father was more retired than not these days.

After Rick hung up the phone from his conversation with Michonne he watched as Carol fumbled around packing a bag. If need be he'd escort her back to the house for more of her things once Ed was out of jail, but for the time being she needed just enough to get her through the night.

Once Carol was satisfied that her bag was well packed, and once the bleeding from her nose had been stopped, Rick carried the two bags she had out to his cruiser and put them in the trunk. He opened the back of the cruiser and waited for her to lock the door of the house and make her way to him. He hated putting her in the back, but that was protocol.

She rode in silence until they reached Michonne's house. Rick opened the backseat of the car and helped Carol out. She stood to the side, leaning against the car and waiting on him to get her suitcases. He walked her up to the front door and knocked. Michonne opened the door in a bathrobe.

"I can carry these in for you," Rick offered.

Michonne nodded and let Carol and Rick both pass into the entrance hallway of the house. Carol stood, hugging herself, in the hallway, obviously unsure of what to do. Michonne directed Rick to where the guest room was located and took Carol by the shoulder, leading her into the living room. Rick deposited the bags in the room and passed back through. Michonne was waiting for him in the hallway.

"Are you sure it's fine with you if she stays here?" Rick asked. He was more than willing to take her home with him if he needed to. Her mother and his mother had been very close friends. Carol's mother had passed already, but he knew his own would be sorely disappointed in him if he didn't offer his home to Carol in a time of need like this.

"It's fine," Michonne said softly. Rick remembered that she had two small children and dropped his voice another notch so as to not wake them.

"Tomorrow she needs to fill out paperwork. We'll keep Ed until the restraining order comes through," Rick said. "We'll just keep an eye on him after that."

Michonne nodded.

"She'll be safe here," Michonne said. "Goodnight, Rick."

"Goodnight Michonne," Rick said. He let himself out the door that he'd come in, and Michonne closed it behind him.

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Michonne went to the bathroom and passed back into the living room with some damp washrags, cotton swabs, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. If it was possible, Carol looked twice as bad as she had in MIchonne's office earlier that day and Michonne was beating herself up for having let the woman go home.

"I'm sorry," Carol said when Michonne knelt in front of her.

"Nothing to be sorry about," Michonne said.

"I woke your baby up," Carol said.

Michonne realized that Carol was paying attention to Celine, her youngest daughter, who was singing in the pack and play next to the couch where Michonne had been sitting when Rick called.

"You didn't wake her up," Michonne said. "She's being hard headed and doesn't want to go to sleep. Her father let her sleep too much today, and if Celine's schedule gets off at all then it's a long night for the both of us." She explained, dabbing at Carol's face.

"You don't have to do this," Carol said, reaching up and catching Michonne's wrist. Michonne eyed her hand a moment and then gently pushed it away.

"I may not have to, but I'm going to," Michonne said. "This is going to burn a little, but I think I can clean it up pretty well. I'll get you some ice when I'm done. That eye is going to swell, and your nose might be broken."

Carol didn't protest or make any response other than to whisper a thank you. She sat still and Michonne cleaned her up as well as she could. When she finished, she cleaned up the mess around her and came back with an ice pack wrapped in a towel.

"You just relax here. I've got to get your room ready for you," Michonne said.

"I don't want you to go to any trouble!" Carol protested. "I'm fine on the couch."

Michonne smiled.

"It's no trouble," Michonne responded. Celine protested her position in the pack and play and Michonne noticed Carol glance in that direction. "You want to help me out?" She asked after a second. Carol looked at her.

"I'll do whatever you need me to," Carol said. Michonne smiled again.

"Good," she said. She walked over to the pack and play and picked up the four month old. She came over and gently deposited the baby in Carol's arms, handing her a pacifier. "Can you hold her? She's spoiled and she won't go to sleep without being held. I'm trying to break of it, but I don't think tonight's that night."

Carol looked down at the baby. She took the pacifier and offered it to the baby. Michonne left her there and slipped down the hall to make sure that there were clean sheets on the guest bed. When she got back, she took the dirty sheets to the laundry room and passed back into the living room. Carol was leaned back on the couch, watching the baby who was finally asleep.

"You're good at that," Michonne said softly.

Carol looked at her and smiled a little, her eyes spilling tears.

"I was going to have a baby," Carol said, "but Ed…" Carol paused and the tears came a little more freely. Michonne realized what the rest of the story probably was. She went to the side table by the couch and came back with some tissues, handing them to Carol.

"Hey, it's OK," Michonne said.

"If I had left him earlier…" Carol said, carefully dabbing at her eyes with the tissues.

"Don't think about that," Michonne said. "Think about the fact that you're out now. You've got your whole life ahead of you. Believe me, there are a lot of men out there, and a lot of babies to be had. Besides, being a single mother isn't all it's cracked up to be."

Carol shook her head.

"Not for me," she said. "I'm done with men."

Michonne chuckled a little.

"We're all done with men at one time or another," Michonne said. "Give it time. You'll find someone that'll treat you right. Right now, though, you've just got to focus on you because that's all that matters."

Carol stopped crying and nodded slightly.

Michonne gently took the baby from her.

"I'm going to put her in her crib," Michonne said, "then I'll show you your room and you can get some sleep. I'm sure you could use it. I have to work in the morning, but you sleep as late as you want."

Carol nodded again and Michonne left the room to put the baby down. When she got back Carol was sitting in the same position on the couch.

"Come on," Michonne said. "Let's get you to bed."

Carol turned and looked at her for a moment. She stood up and her step almost faltered. Michonne reached out to grab her arm and steady her. She led her down the hallway and into the guest room.

"This is too nice," Carol said when she came into the room.

"Nonsense," Michonne said. "It's just a room, Carol."

"You don't have to do all of this," Carol said, turning suddenly. "I shouldn't have come here…I shouldn't have imposed."

"It's not imposing when someone invites you," Michonne said. "You stay as long as you need to. It's no imposition to me."

"I'll look for a job tomorrow," Carol said. "I can get a place soon."

"You take your time," Michonne said. "There's no hurry."

Michonne bid Carol goodnight and left her in the guest room. She slipped into the nursery and checked the girls one last time before going to her own room and climbing into bed. It really wasn't an imposition having Carol there. She'd rather know that someone was staying in her house that needed instead of some deadbeat man who wouldn't get a job because he felt everything was beneath him.

Michonne turned off the lamp and lie there daydreaming to herself a little. She wanted to help Carol, and if anyone had asked her why she wouldn't be able to give them a direct answer. Perhaps it was because she felt like no woman should suffer at the hands of a man like Ed Peletier. Perhaps it was because she respected Carol's decision to get away from him now and take control of her life. Perhaps it was the memory of the sweet girl that she'd gone to school with for as far back as her memory went. Or perhaps it was because she remembered all too well the things that her best friend from college had suffered at the hands of her husband. It had been a fight that she hadn't deserved, and one that she had tragically lost. Michonne knew that this was something that Carol didn't deserve either, and she couldn't bear to see anyone else suffer the same way that Jasmine had.

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AN: OK, so what do you think? It won't be long now before Carol and Daryl get to meet one another! Yay!