AN: Here's a little update for the day. Probably the last one here to mark the end of my weekend.
I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!
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Carol surveyed her yard and frowned. She was busy dragging the rake back and forth from one side to the next in some effort to smooth out the ground. She had very little hope of achieving any kind of magazine lawn, but at least she could maybe get rid of some of the potholes that Lincoln the landscaper had taken to making every time he was let out.
Lincoln was running laps around and around the fence while she worked, completely unaware that she wasn't pleased with his efforts to design a new yard for her.
"Someone could break something out here, you know that?" She asked the dog who wasn't paying her a bit of attention. "I wouldn't be very happy with you if it was me and I can bet your daddy wouldn't be pleased either."
Carol shook her head and continued shifting dirt around. What she couldn't figure out about the yard was how it was that no one had taken any of the dirt away that Lincoln had dug out to form the holes, yet there didn't seem to be enough dirt to fill them back up.
Carol looked up from her work a moment when Lincoln starting baying, his nose pressed firmly against the fence.
Walking by, on the sidewalk, was a figure that she immediately recognized as Axel, the man from the diner. He didn't notice at her at first though. His attention was turned to what it was that was making Lincoln bark, and that was whatever animal was making the yipping noise from outside.
Carol smiled as Axel reached down and scooped up the yipping animal, bringing something like an overgrown Chihuahua into view as he stood. Upon standing his eyes also crossed over her and he looked at her a second before smiling.
"Well hey there!" Axel said.
Carol smiled and walked forward, glancing toward the ground so as to avoid falling in any of Lincoln's mines, and let herself out the little gate in front, pushing Lincoln back with her foot until she could get the door closed.
"Hi," she said. "Am I correct in guessing that you chose a house around here?"
Axel smiled and glanced back in the direction from which he'd come. He pointed.
"Just around that corner there. Two houses down," he said. "I didn't realize you lived here. We're practically neighbors."
Carol glanced in the direction he pointed and shaded her eyes with her hand. They were truly almost neighbors, since she had a clear view of the back of his house.
"We are, you're right," Carol said. "How are you liking it?"
Axel shrugged a little putting the yippy dog down where it immediately stuck its nose between the fence boards to have its own kind of conversation with Lincoln.
"I like it," Axel said. "Not too settled in just yet. Got enough furniture to almost look like someone lives there."
Carol laughed.
"I know what you mean. I'm all settled in but I've only got a handful of pieces myself. It's going to take a while to get the whole place furnished," Carol said.
"I haven't seen you at the diner," Axel said. "How ya feeling?"
Carol nodded her head a little.
"Fine," she said. "Nothing too serious. Just a little low blood sugar is all."
Axel nodded his understanding.
"Can't be messing with that stuff," he said. "Tried to help you when you went out. I think everyone got scared. You must have hit your head or something, took a few minutes to get you back."
Carol nodded.
"It's OK," she said. "I have a hard head so there was no lasting damage."
She looked down at her feet where the dog had lost interest in Lincoln for the moment and was trying to climb her leg. Axel looked down and realized it at the same time, so he tugged the dog backwards.
"Sorry," he said apologetically. "She don't got manners."
Carol smiled.
"Yours, I'm guessing?" She asked.
Axel nodded.
"Name's Juniper or Juny. I didn't name her though. I got her about six years ago from a shelter and they named her. She seemed to like it so I didn't see no need in changing it," Axel said.
Carol knelt down and let the dog attack her, trying to get into her lap. She could hear Lincoln inside the fence protesting what he could see through the crack and she was sure he was going to let her hear about it later.
"She's cute," Carol said. "What kind of a dog is she?"
Axel chuckled.
"Just a mut, I suppose," he said. "She didn't come with any papers or anything. Don't really matter much, though, she's as good at doing everything any other dog would do, I guess. She hasn't been fond of the new house. She already tore out the molding between the kitchen floor and the dining room."
Carol stood up and Axel reached his hand out, catching her arm to help her up. She smiled at him.
"So yours is a contractor and mine's a landscaper. Together they'd be billionaires," Carol said. Axel stepped onto the grass and gazed over the side of the fence at Lincoln. Lincoln looked at him a moment and then returned to baying, now standing with his paws on the fence.
"Cute little guy," Axel said.
"His name's Lincoln, and he's what happened to the yard," Carol said, sweeping her hand out as though she were displaying the dirt garden in front of her for his inspection. Axel looked at it, chuckling a little and nodding his head.
"He does nice work," Axel said. "Oughta get him to come over and do my yard."
"He's up for hire. If you've got any grass growing in your lot he'll make sure that the evil stuff is eradicated," Carol said with a laugh.
Axel stood there a moment, looking at Carol before he smiled and looked down at the dog that was trying to tangle his legs in her leash.
"Well, I'm sure I'll be seeing you around," Axel said. "I best get Juny to walking. Her termite practices are worse if she's not tired out at the end of the day."
"I'm sure I'll see you around," Carol said, smiling.
Axel untangled his legs from the leash and Carol stood there. She glanced at the sound of an approaching car and saw T-Dog pulling up, signaling just as he pulled into her driveway to drop Merle off for another round of cuss and kick at the motorcycle under her carport.
"Looks like ya got company," Axel said, nodding his head in the direction of the car, the very direction he was about to start in.
Carol nodded and sighed a little.
"Yes, I do have that," she said. Axel stayed where he was while T-Dog backed out of the drive and drove past them honking his horn slightly and waving at Carol who waved back.
"Well," Axel said, "guess I'll see you around. Take care and mind that blood sugar."
Carol smiled.
"I will, see you!" She said. Axel continued down the sidewalk in the direction he'd been travelling, the little dog running diagonal lines in front of him from one side of the sidewalk to the next. Carol stayed where she was watching him for a moment before she started around the side of the yard and up the driveway toward the carport where she could already the sound of metal on concrete that told her Merle was beginning whatever task he had in mind for the day.
"Who the hell was that?" Merle growled at her as she came under the carport.
Carol knew who he was talking about, but she glanced instinctively at the road again before answering him. He wasn't looking at her, he was too focused on whatever he was looking for inside the big red toolbox that had taken up residency under there instead of in the back of Daryl's truck where it had begun its life.
"That was Axel," Carol said. "I know him from the diner. He lives a couple of houses over in that direction." Carol waved her hand in the direction, but she realized Merle was paying her little attention. He continued what he was doing for a moment and then he looked up at her.
"My brothah know ya entertainin' men while he's at work?" Merle asked.
Carol didn't like Merle's tone of voice.
"I wasn't entertaining anyone, Merle. He was walking his dog and he passed by on the sidewalk. I spoke to him, that's all there was," Carol said. She swallowed, keeping her eyes focused on Merle.
Merle looked down the driveway and toward the road a moment, nodding his head.
"Ya was lookin' friendly with him," Merle said.
"Because I smiled at him, Merle? Or because he smiled at me?" Carol asked. "It is being friendly…and there's nothing wrong with it."
Merle looked back at her and sucked his teeth before he went back to whatever he was supposed to be doing to the bike.
"Nothin' wrong with it 'til there is," Merle said.
Carol put her hands on her hips. She had no idea how Andrea tolerated the man in front of her. He may have his moments where you didn't fantasize about shoving garden shears through his throat, but they were few and far between, and right this moment just the tone of his voice had Carol's blood racing.
"Don't make something out of nothing," Carol said. She realized that she'd gone from relaxed to wound up so quickly that her voice almost wasn't coming out right. "He's new in town and I've waited on him at the diner a few times. He's a nice man who happens to live a couple of houses down from us, that's all there is to it. There's no need to go adding your special Merle flair to anything."
Merle chuckled.
"What'cha doin' gettin' so damn bent outta shape about if ain't nothin' more to it than ya just happened on each other?" Merle asked. "I've seen a lil' bit a' how the good people a' Sweet Junction welcome their newcomers."
Carol gritted her teeth.
"What's that supposed to mean, Merle?" She asked.
Merle didn't say anything. He just chuckled and continued tinkering.
"You know," Carol said. "I wouldn't get bent out of shape about anything if I didn't think you were liable to be an asshole about things. You saw all the excitement there was to see about that interaction, so don't go playing at being one of the town gossips and making things into what they're not."
Merle shook his head and sucked his teeth again, obviously amused.
"Ya got some fire, Mouse…I'll give ya that," Merle said. "Ya gon' tell my brothah 'bout'cha lil' friend?"
Carol huffed.
"Sure, Merle, I can tell him about Axel. I don't usually go through my day telling Daryl about every single soul that I speak to, but if it'll make you sleep better tonight I'll be sure to tell him. I'm going to finish putting my yard back together now, unless there's something else you'd like to discuss?" Carol said.
Merle shook his head.
"I ain't got nothin' else ta say," Merle said.
Carol turned and stomped through the house, going back out the side door to take out her frustrations on the rake and the torn up yard. Merle Dixon could make anyone want to go running and screaming and the thing that frustrated her most about him was the manner in which he did things. It wasn't that he was some kind of yelling, screaming asshole. She knew how to deal with that type better. It was more that he was smug about things. He'd adopt a certain tone of voice that just made you want to gauge his eyes out.
Carol very nearly destroyed the rake that she had, though she attempted to keep any noises to herself. If Merle was watching her he would know that he had gotten under her skin and she was irritated by him, but she didn't want to alert him to it if he was actually paying attention to the stupid motorcycle.
She knew there wasn't really anything she could do about it either. He was Daryl's brother and if she pitched a fit about his presence or told him that he couldn't keep his bike there until he was done with it, if in fact he ever even finished whatever he was doing to the thing, then he would make her life a living hell if it was possible.
And though Carol thought that Daryl did love her and she hoped that he could see through Merle, most of her doubted his ability to get past what his brother said. Merle had proved in the past that he knew how to manipulate Daryl and he knew how to get into his head. Somehow the man had some kind of key to Daryl's psyche and when it was amusing to him he used it to do whatever he wanted.
She didn't know if it was hormones that made her feel the way she did, or if it was actual observation, but she felt sometimes like Merle didn't like her. She felt like he didn't like the relationship that she was working on building with Daryl. She didn't know if it was some kind of hidden and deep rooted jealousy issue…perhaps that Merle wanted the same thing but didn't have the balls to commit to it…or if it was something else, but she worried that Merle was always going to be there watching her and waiting for her to make some kind of mistake that he could point out to Daryl to try to pull Daryl out of her life again.
Carol felt she'd done enough damage on the yard when she realized that her efforts to repair the yard were actually resulting in her angry swiping making much of it worse. She walked to the fence, shooting a look in Merle's direction. He was oblivious to the world. She put the rake over the side of the fence and decided to leave it leaning there since she didn't want to walk through the carport and put it away again forcing her to have more interaction with the man whose throat she'd tear out right now if given half a chance.
She slipped inside, letting Lincoln trail after her and leave his muddy paw prints all over the floor, and she started dinner. She'd never been a drinking woman, but if it hadn't been for the baby, she might have considered it at the moment.
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Daryl pulled into the driveway with Andrea right behind him. She'd followed him through town most of the way and they'd been playing a, perhaps reckless, game of teasing each other on the back roads. As he crawled out the truck he waved at her, seeing that she clearly was just picking up Merle and had no intention of getting out of her vehicle.
Merle came walking down the driveway toward the car.
"How's ya bike lookin'?" Daryl asked.
"Ehh…shit'll be right soon," Merle said. "The fuck is up with the damn pumpkins by ya door?" Merle asked.
Daryl chuckled.
"Carol wanted to paint pumpkins an' Miss Jo sent her them ta paint. We ain't artists but they ain't turned out too damn bad," Daryl said. He glanced toward the house expecting Carol to step out the side door, but she didn't come out.
Merle shook his head and looked at Daryl with the normal disapproving look he got when Daryl did anything that wasn't Merle-like. Daryl chuckled at him, not even needing to hear what his brother probably had to say about the pussy ass practice of painting pumpkins with a woman.
"I swear ya fuckin' ass is adopted," Merle said. He started to walk toward the vomit green car where Andrea was waiting in the driver's seat. Daryl glanced back at her and watched a second as she pulled her hair up and fixed her ponytail.
"Just got the fuckin' brains a' the family," Daryl said. "They was a whole lotta that shit leftover 'cause you sure as shit didn't take none."
Merle punched him in the shoulder enough to smart a little and went on down the driveway without saying anything else. Daryl walked up to the carport and circled around the bike a moment. He stopped to pick up the tools that Merle had left scattered about and drop them back in his toolbox. Merle pissed him off about his tools sometimes. He'd just leave them laying any damn where he pleased and he'd caused Daryl to lose a good number of things over the years. Daryl looked around and noticed the rake was leaning against the fence. He didn't know who had been raking, since their yard was really more of a wasteland than a yard thanks to Lincoln, but he decided to put it up.
On his way into the house he stopped a moment, looking at the little pumpkin family they'd painted. It wasn't no award winning artwork, and his pumpkin looked a little drunk, but he didn't think it was too damn bad. He opened the door and stepped inside, toeing off his shoes just as he came in.
Lincoln came bounding to him and he rubbed the dog as he rolled over and over trying to make sure that every angle got touched.
Carol was setting the table and Daryl could smell evidence of a dinner that had his stomach growling already. His sandwiches from lunch were long gone and he didn't realize it quite so sharply as he did when he smelled the food.
"Smells pretty damn good in here," Daryl said. "What the hell'd ya make?"
"Nothing special," Carol said. "Pork, rice, vegetables. Something quick. I wasn't really in the mood to cook."
Daryl could tell by her demeanor that something was wrong. She walked into the kitchen to start fixing plates and didn't even look at him, less likely offer him a customary kiss hello. He furrowed his brow in response.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Nothing's wrong," Carol said. He watched her as she dipped out a plate. The clatter of the spoons on the plates was loud enough that he thought she might break something just by dipping the food out. When she took one of the plates to the table and was moving at almost a jog, he stifled a laugh.
"Fuck is wrong with ya?" Daryl asked. "An' don't tell me nothin' 'cause ya don't move that fuckin' fast on a regular basis."
"Sit down, it's time to eat," Carol responded.
Daryl shrugged a little.
"Alright, then, I reckon ya can tell me over dinner," Daryl said.
Daryl took his seat at the table and waited for Carol. When she finally sat down with his plate he started to eat.
"Now ya gonna tell me why ya breathin' so damn hard ya almost pantin'?" Daryl asked.
Carol looked at him and her eyes almost burned through him. He hoped that whatever it was wasn't something he was responsible for.
"We have a new neighbor," Carol said. "His name is Axel and he lives a few houses over. I've waited on him a few times at the diner."
Daryl nodded. He couldn't figure out what this neighbor might have done to piss her off like he had, but Daryl was starting to worry that he might have to go and have a talk with this man.
"He do somethin' to ya?" Daryl asked. "Food's good, by the way…"
Carol shook her head.
"He's a nice guy," she said. "And thanks."
Daryl chuckled. He couldn't control it any longer. He knew he was supposed to expect mood swings and everything else that the horror stories were made of that everyone told him about Carol being pregnant, but he didn't quite know what he was supposed to do with this. She looked like she was pissed as hell and as far as he could tell at the moment it was over a nice guy who lived a few doors down and had a hankering to eat at Lula's from time to time.
"So what's up under your skin?" Daryl asked.
"He came by here walking his dog and we had a conversation about his house and the dogs," Carol said.
Daryl shrugged.
"So I gotta whip his ass for somethin' or ya gettin' ta that part a' the story?" Daryl asked. He got up from the table, realizing there was nothing to drink, and went into the kitchen to get glasses and fix them both something.
"No, you don't have to do anything, Daryl," Carol said. She sighed. "I just wanted you to hear it from me in case anyone in Sweet Junction might have seen us talking and wants to make it into more than it is."
"An' that's why ya pissed?" Daryl asked.
He wasn't really sure what she was pissed about. He didn't know if he was supposed to react a certain way to this story or not. He carried the glasses back over and put one down in front of her. She thanked him and slid it over to the other side of her plate. He sat down and looked at her. She was obviously still stewing in whatever juices she'd been boiling in when he came through the door, but she looked a little calmer.
"I'm not pissed," Carol said. "It's nothing. I just wanted you to know that so that if people were to start running their mouths then you'd know they're full of hot air."
The pouty tone of her voice almost made Daryl laugh again, but he pinched his own side to keep from doing it. He nodded his head a little.
"OK," he said. "I'll…uh…keep it in mind. Anythin' else I might need ta know?"
Carol shook her head, a little of the red leaving her cheeks now.
"How was your day?" She asked with a sigh.
Daryl moved his left hand under the table again and pinched himself again so as to not laugh at her.
"A hell of a lot better than yours, I reckon," he said. "Got headbutted a couple a' times an' I damn near busted my ass comin' 'cross the field without lookin', but ain't too damn much gone on."
Carol nodded.
"My day was fine, really," she said. Her voice was calmer now. "I just don't want…well…I don't want you getting the wrong idea about things and thinking that I'm doing anything with anyone or that there's anything you don't know about that you need to know about."
Daryl wrinkled his forehead. Honestly that would have been about the last thing he would have thought about Carol.
"I weren't gon' think nothin' like that," Daryl said. "But I'm glad ya told me so I know if someone starts yappin'."
Carol nodded a little at him and focused on her food. Daryl turned his own attention to his plate. It appeared, at least for the moment, that whatever had her more stirred up than a hornet's nest in a tornado had died down for the moment. Daryl shook his head to himself. He was a little worried, though, about cookie jar time. He didn't know how long that mood had been brewing, but it may have been long enough for her to go through about a pad and a half of tiny paper slips for him to justify after dinner. He decided that he'd do good to have an extra helping of dinner and maybe of dessert too. He might need to go into jar time tonight on a full stomach and… judging from the looks of Carol… a chair and a whip might not hurt either.