AN: Here we go! I can't believe we're almost at 100 chapters! Holy smokes! Y'all getting sick of me yet? LOL
I hope you enjoy the chapter. Let me know what you think!
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
Daryl came out of the barn carrying the extra parts that he'd been sent up to get. He was helping Hershel try to get an old tiller working and he hated to tell the man that he thought they were putting a whole damn lot of work into the thing that wasn't going to pay off. Still, Hershel paid him for a day's work so he didn't really give a damn what he did during that day. If this was how he was supposed to spend it, then this is how the hell he was supposed to spend it.
Daryl had heard a vehicle pull up while he'd been finding all the shit the old man needed and he glanced toward the farmhouse on his way out the barn. He stopped for a minute, not quite registering the fact that Carol's truck was parked outside the farmhouse.
As soon as the familiarity of the truck, which he wasn't used to seeing parked in front of the Greene house, registered for Daryl, he felt his stomach do the kind of loop de loo that it had done the few times he'd ever dared to ride a rollercoaster.
Carol didn't come out to the Greene farm while he was working. She was almost always working when he was. That was just the way that things went and seeing her truck there threw him.
Daryl tried to figure out if he should put down what he was carrying and go to the farmhouse to see what was wrong or if he should continue to the field where Hershel was waiting for him. He paused for a moment and when he realized that Carol nor Miss Jo was coming out the house and looking for him, he decided to take the parts to Hershel and tell the old man that he needed a minute to run back up to the house and just make sure that everything was fine.
So Daryl set off for the field where Hershel was waiting, double timing his steps to close the distance in half the time. He didn't realize, until he dropped everything he was carrying on the ground near where Hershel was kneeling down working, that he'd damn near run the whole way and he was out of breath.
"What's wrong, Daryl?" Hershel asked, looking at him.
Daryl assumed his face might have given away a little bit more of what his stomach was feeling than he had initially wanted it to. He had really no reason at all to believe there was anything wrong other than the fact that Carol was there and she wasn't usually there. He'd tried to convince himself that it was nothing and she was probably there for some woman thing with Miss Jo or something, but his stomach just didn't like the fact that this was not something he was used to.
Daryl struggled a moment to get his breath and swallow before answering Hershel who had made it to his feet now and was looking very concerned.
"I need a minute…" Daryl panted. "Carol's up at the house an' I need ta go an' make sure everythin's OK."
Hershel looked at Daryl with tightly closed lips and knit eyebrows and nodded his head.
"Well of course," Hershel said. "I'm sure there's nothing wrong, though, Daryl. Take your time getting up there or you'll give yourself a heart attack, son."
Daryl nodded and turned, clearing the space in even less time than he had when he'd been coming and trying to carry the heavy parts.
As Daryl neared the farmhouse, he saw Carol stepping out and walking to him. Miss Jo was on the porch and watching them. Carol wasn't walking quickly, though, and Daryl wondered if he looked foolish darting across the span of land. He was going to feel like a drama queen, as Merle called him sometimes, for freaking out if it wasn't anything, but he'd rather feel like a drama queen than have something confirm that it was fine for him to worry like this.
"Ya OK?" He called out as he got closer to Carol.
Before she could answer he'd closed the distance between them and stood in front in of her. Carol looked like she'd been crying, though she wasn't actively crying at the moment. She didn't answer him when he got there, she just looked at him and he felt his stomach do another colossal lurch.
Whether or not he wasn't supposed to touch her or whatever the damn agreement dictated, Daryl reached out and put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her to him. He didn't know what was wrong, but her face alone confirmed that there was something wrong and whatever it was had been bad enough that she'd bothered to apparently get off work and drive all the way out the Greene farm to see him.
"What's wrong," he asked, pushing her against his chest and rubbing her back with his hand. "Jesus, Carol…what's wrong?"
He could barely breathe and his brain was offering him every damn thing that ever go wrong in his whole life. Everything in his brain was burning down for the moment.
"I'm fine…it's fine…" Carol said. "Calm down, Daryl."
Daryl pushed her away. Her voice didn't go with her words and her face.
"Carol," Daryl said, calming a little in spite of himself. "What's wrong? Tell me?"
Carol shook her head.
"I shouldn't have come out here and bothered you," Carol said. "It's really nothing, Daryl. I just…I just wanted to see you…to talk to you…but it's really nothing. It can wait until you're off work."
Daryl glanced around. Miss Jo was sitting on the porch in one of the rocking chairs and when he glanced back toward the field where he'd left Hershel he could see the old man headed in their direction, either to talk to them or to go and ask Miss Jo what she knew about the situation.
"It's OK," Daryl said, still not sure what the problem was. "We can go for a walk."
Daryl steered Carol off to the left and over toward the tree line where he walked with Hershel on the days that he needed to walk and chat with the man. It was a nice little area that lead straight down to the pond. Carol followed him and walked along in silence beside him until they'd gone for just a bit. She seemed a little calmer and Daryl was calming too.
Maybe whatever it was really wasn't all that bad after all. Daryl thought that once upon a time he might have been annoyed at getting that worked up over nothing, but the truth was right this moment he didn't care if it wasn't a damn thing at all other than the fact she just wanted a minute to walk with him down to the Greene's pond.
"I got subpeoned today…" Carol said, finally.
"What?" Daryl asked. He wasn't sure what she was on about, but he was sure she'd explain in her own way and her own time.
"Daryl…I have to go to court. Ed's case…it's up in court and I have to go. I'm a witness…or something like that, I guess," Carol said.
Daryl looked at her, stopping their walk for a minute, realizing that absentmindedly he'd somehow wrapped her hand in his as they walked along.
"A witness? What the hell'd ya witness?" He asked.
Carol pulled her hand free from his and crossed her arms tight and awkwardly across her chest. She looked around the land around them and looked anywhere but at him. Finally she shrugged, still not looking at him.
"I don't know…" She said. "I don't know what they want exactly. I'm just supposed to go…and I guess answer questions."
"What Michonne say about it?" Daryl asked, concerned. He knew that Michonne had said before that Ed's case this time didn't have anything to do with Carol, so he didn't know what she was having to go to court for.
Carol shrugged again.
"There's nothing she can say, Daryl," Carol said. "I've got to go in and answer questions…take the stand about whatever it is they ask me about. You know the drill…tell the truth, the whole truth…Andrea…she got a letter too."
"What the hell did she get a letter for?" Daryl asked.
Carol shook her head. She caught Daryl's eye for a minute and he could tell that she was fighting crying.
"I don't know," she said. "They don't tell you any of that, Daryl. Just that you have to be in court on a given day and that's it...You might even get one, I don't know. Michonne said it's probably some angle that Blake is trying to pull, but no one knows for sure."
Daryl thought about it, but he really wasn't sure about any of this court shit or what might happen. He knew, though that Carol wasn't going to be one bit happy about having to go into a room and answer questions about Ed.
"Is that fucker gonna be there?" Daryl asked.
Carol nodded.
"It's his case, Daryl, of course he's going to be there," Carol said.
Daryl decided to excuse the slightly irritated tone in her voice. He doubted sincerely that she was annoyed with him and was probably just pissed off with the situation at the moment. He was pissed about it too. He didn't know what the hell Carol had to do with a court case trying to get Ed's sorry ass out of jail when she was the one who really wanted him there more than anyone else in the world.
Daryl stubbed his toe in the dirt and tried to figure out what to say or even what was supposed to be happening.
"When ya gotta go?" He asked.
"Next week," Carol said. "My letter says three days, but Andrea's only got one day. Michonne wants to go with me. She said she can go in for support or something like that and maybe get a feel for what Blake's doing or what his chances are at…" Carol broke off in her speaking and Daryl watched her tighten her arms tighter around her body. He reached out and squeezed her shoulder, not really knowing what to do with the body language that she was wearing at the moment. "At getting Ed out of there…" Carol finished.
Daryl nodded his head a little and looked around, wishing there was some kind of answer written in the air somewhere.
"Hey," he said, "don't worry about it, OK? Ya want me ta go with ya too? I can sit in the back. Ya gon' know I'm there."
Carol looked at him and he hated to see the look that was in her eyes. It was a look of fear and it was a look that he couldn't take away from her.
"I don't know if they'd let you in," Carol said. "I don't know if they're going to let Michonne in…I don't know how it works."
Daryl squeezed both her shoulders then.
"Then I go an' if they don't let me in I sit in the fuckin' truck in the parkin' lot," Daryl said. "You'll know I'm out there, though, an' I'm waitin' on ya. Ain't no big deal. Ya just gon' walk in there with ya damn head held high an' ya gon' tell them fuckers what the hell they oughta know 'bout Ed Peletier, an' then ya gon' walk right back out an' I'll be waitin' in the truck for ya."
"Daryl," Carol said. "What if I say something that helps him? What if I say something that gets Ed out?"
Daryl rubbed her shoulders again, kneading them below his fingers.
"Ya ain't gon' say shit that can help Ed. Ya gon' tell him what kinda fucker he was an' what he done to ya. Ya gon' tell 'em what he woulda done to ya. Andrea's gonna do the same damn thing an' they'll see the asshole needs ta stay right the fuck where he is," Daryl said. "Hell…if they got any damn sense they'll just throw the fuckin' key out the damn window."
"What if it comes back on you…what if something happens and you…and Merle…what if they try to do something to you?" Carol asked. "What if Ed tries something like that?"
Daryl sighed and pulled her to him then, even though she didn't undo her arms from their position to wrap them around him. He rubbed her back and rubbed his chin against her head.
"Ain't nothin' gon' happen ta me or ta Merle…fucker that he is. We ain't done shit ta Ed that weren't out of defendin' you an' defendin' Andrea an' I'd tell the whole damn court that. I'd do it again, too, an' if they wanta put my ass in prison for stoppin' Ed from beatin' on y'all an' let his sorry ass go free, then I ain't got one damn bit a' faith left in this whole fuckin' country," Daryl said.
Carol wrapped her arms around him then and finally broke into the sob that she'd been holding back for the most part. Daryl squeezed her tighter to him and rubbed her back a moment more feeling a knot rising in his own throat. He didn't want her subjected to being a room with that asshole either. Whether or not the kind people of the court would ever let Ed touch her didn't really matter. Just thinking of the fucker messed with her head and seeing him would be an extra bad situation. There wasn't a damn thing that Daryl could do to stop it, though.
Daryl pushed her away, finally, and tipped her face up toward him, holding her chin between his pointer finger and his thumb.
"Hey…none a' this, OK?" Daryl said. "Ya don't walk in there an' let that fucker think he's got'cha. Ya walk in there with ya head held high. Let him know ya done gone on without his ass. Ya done found ya another fuckin' asshole for ya life…an' ya done got'cha a kid on the way…ya don't belong to Ed Peletier no more, so don't give him not one damn bit a' satisfaction. Ya look at me or ya look at Michonne or ya look at Andrea…don't'cha even look at that fucker."
Carol wrapped her arms around him again and he let her sink against his chest again for the moment. He didn't know this lawyer guy, but he hated the man just to think that he'd be willing to take some kind of case to get Ed out of jail. Now that he'd found out more about the whole damn thing and found out that Ed only had five fucking years to serve anyway, he thought it was a crock of shit that someone was trying to get that lessened or taken away completely. Daryl thought that just what Ed had done to Carol the night that he and Merle had been there should probably have gotten his ass five years and to think about all the bragging he'd done before that made Daryl's blood boil.
He almost wished they'd ask him up on the stand so he could tell the whole fucking place what he thought about Ed Peletier. How fucked up he was and how, because he was such an asshole, Carol couldn't let go of so much of his shit.
Except he wasn't the one being called in there.
After a few minutes of standing there, hugging him, Carol finally straightened up and rubbed her fingers up under her eyes, swiping away the tears that had fallen.
"Feelin' better?" Daryl asked. He knew it was a stupid question, but he didn't really know what else to ask.
"Yeah," Carol said almost too quietly for him to hear her.
Daryl tipped her face up again and lowered his lips to hers, kissing her softly and holding it, their lips just barely pressed together for a moment. He only moved his head when he heard her sigh, catching her breath that was still jagged from the few sobs that were remaining.
"Ya gonna be alright ta go home or ya want me ta drive ya?" Daryl asked.
Carol looked at him. Her eyes seemed bigger right now, fuller…though Daryl knew they weren't any different than they normally were except for the fact that any hint of a smile that might have made her squint them a little was gone.
"I'll be fine," she said, her voice still a little shaky.
Daryl put his arm around her and started leading her back toward the Greene's farmhouse.
"Where's Andrea?" He asked.
"She's working at the Korean place right now," Carol said. "She gets off at seven or something like that. I don't know…"
"Listen," Daryl said. "I don't wantcha goin' ta the house alone, not right now. Can ya stay here an' hang out with Miss Jo for a bit?"
Carol stopped walking and Daryl stopped with her. She looked at him, a little tiny bit of a smile on her lips.
"I'll be fine, Daryl," Carol said. "I'm not going to go home and do anything crazy or anything."
Daryl looked at her. He honestly hadn't thought she'd go home and do anything. He just thought it might be better for her to be distracted for a little while and he still had a couple of hours of work that he owed Hershel. Daryl knit his eyebrows together, now concerned that he'd might have missed something that he needed to be worried about.
"I was thinkin' ya should stay with Miss Jo for a bit," Daryl said. "I was thinkin' ya could talk ta her 'bout the baby an' 'bout cookin' an' all that shit you women like ta talk about so damn much. Then I can follow ya back ta the house…I ain't gotta stay the night nor nothin' but I could stay 'til ya ready ta go ta sleep."
Carol sighed audibly and looked toward the farmhouse.
"That's sweet, Daryl, but I don't want to put anyone out. I can just go back to the house. There's nothing that Miss Jo can do…or you can do for that matter. This is just something that I've got to do…" Carol said.
Daryl pushed her forward and continued toward the house.
"I was gonna come an' try ta see ya anyway after work," Daryl said. "That ain't like it's no big change a' plans. An' Miss Jo loves some company an' ya light up when ya talkin' with her. It'd do ya good ta talk all that baby shit with her…"
Daryl wasn't really sure why, but he wanted Carol to stay there. Even if he'd be working with Hershel, he wanted her there where he knew where she was and that she was alright and she wasn't more upset than she had to be.
"I want'cha ta stay here," he said finally. "I'll ask Miss Jo myself if she minds, but I betcha she don't. She's old an' old people like havin' people ta talk with 'em."
Carol snickered a little.
"I'm not sure you should necessarily word it that way, Daryl," Carol said.
When they neared the farmhouse, Hershel and Miss Jo both were on the porch, watching them.
"Everything alright?" Hershel called.
"Fine," Daryl said. "Just fine."
He stood there a moment, his arm around Carol's shoulder.
"Miss Jo…ya reckon ya could use some company, just 'til I'm off for the day? Might could talk about some stuff or cook somethin'…or I don't know what'cha do with company…but'cha reckon ya might like some?" Daryl asked.
Carol started to protest, but Jo got to her feet, already smiling.
"I would love some company," Jo declared. "You know, Carol Ann, I've got a few baby things in the attic we could have a look at. My girls…they aren't really interested in any of my stuff…they say it's all too old and they don't really want it…but there are some nice things in there if you don't mind old…if you'd like to take a look at it we could see what's in there."
Daryl looked at Carol and smiled, nudging her a little. He could see the fear and the sadness just below the surface. Her eyes looked tired like they did when she was upset about something, but she did muster up a smile.
"OK," she said. "We could look…but I won't take anything that's supposed to go to the girls."
Jo stepped to the edge of the porch around Hershel and held her arm out in Carol's direction, smiling.
"Come on, then, let's go keep busy while the boys are working on that old tractor that's never going to run," Jo said.
"It's going to run fine, Jo," Hershel said.
Jo chuckled and waved Carol forward. Carol turned and looked at Daryl for a minute and he dropped his head pecking her gently on the lips before pushing her forward a little so that she'd cross the distance between them and the porch.
He waited as Hershel descended the same steps that Carol was climbing and watched as Jo took Carol inside before he started toward the field with Hershel.
"Something to do with Ed?" Hershel asked.
Daryl didn't say anything. He didn't know if Carol wanted anyone knowing what was going on.
"She mentioned something to Jo about it. I heard he's going to court. It'll be a cryin' shame the day and hour they let Ed Peletier…or anyone like him for that matter…go free as a bird," Hershel said.
"We hopin' it don't happen for a long damn time," Daryl said. "Reckon if it does, though, we'll do what the hell we gotta do."
Hershel nodded his head and kept step beside Daryl. He clapped Daryl on the shoulder and then Daryl flinched a little as Hershel squeezed the back of his neck.
"I'm sure you will, son," Hershel said. "You're a good man…and Carol Ann's a good woman. The Lord looks out for people like that…one way or another."