Alrighty, thought of this chapter in the shower. I swear, my best ideas throughout my life have come to me in the shower, songs, poetry, stories...must clear my mind or something.
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Daryl had no idea what he was walking into when he arrived back on the farm after an unsuccessful hunt, but if he had known he probably would have turned right back around and tried again for that reclusive buck he'd been after.
The minute he rounded the corner of the barn he heard the voices, angry and raised. He stopped in his tracks on the driveway and cocked his head to listen, trying to identify the voices. Rick...Lori...oh, good grief...Carol. Immediately his hackles raised and he strode forward at an increased pace, a steady, determined and angry stride. Carol must have spotted him coming because she started towards him with an angry stride of her own.
Daryl wasn't quite sure what to expect, but this was not it. As Carol neared he saw her eyes were squinted with anger and she was glowering...at HIM! Immediately, his strut slowed and became unsure just before she reached him. Before he knew it she was standing in front of him, her finger pointing accusingly in his face just inches from his nose, her other hand on her hip which was popped to the side. He would have thought it was cute if he had any clue what she was pissed about. Lori and Rick were right behind Carol and their voices soon joined in the fray as curious onlookers poked their head around the RV and out the house windows.
"You're a terrible influence!" That was Lori.
"You need to get onto her!" That was Carol.
"I want answers and I want them NOW!" That was Rick.
Finally, after taking a few steps back and glancing at each of his accusers with wide and terrified eyes, Daryl collected himself and stood his ground with clenched fists.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, ALL OF YOU!" he hollered at the top of his lungs. They did, eyes wide and suddenly looking slightly deflated.
Daryl sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Now, can we all calm down and talk one at a time?" he growled, "And please explain to me what the hell is going on here!"
"That daughter of yours!" Lori snapped first, her eyes were blazing and Daryl saw her hand twitch like she was itching to slap him...or someone. "She broke my son's nose!"
"She did NOT, Lori, stop over exaggerating!" Carol sounded exasperated and Daryl almost pulled her to his side away from Lori but she didn't look very happy with him either.
"Well he was bleeding like a stuck pig!" Lori yelled back, getting right in Carol's face. Rick took her shoulders and pulled her back, thankfully, because Daryl was VERY close to shoving the woman away from Carol. The enraged brunette pointed a finger in his direction. "This is your doing, Daryl Dixon!"
"I'm still not sure exactly what it is I'm responsible for," Daryl mumbled, seriously considering turning and running back to the words.
"Daryl," Rick's voice was angry, Daryl could tell, but at least he kept his cool and tried to explain, "Your daughter got into a fight with my son over something or other and she punched him in the face. Now we've taught Carl never to hit a girl and we both fully expect you to teach that girl some manners herself and we expect an apology from her as well."
Daryl had to fight back the laugh that was threatening to rise in his throat. Swallowing it down, he took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.
"Kids fight, ya'll, it's just one o' those things, and it'll blow over."
"You are NOT just gonna let this go!" Lori shrieked, the pitch of it literally hurt Daryl's ears and he flinched. Carol must have noticed because she slipped in between her and him, green eyes flashing.
"This is NOT Daryl's fault, bitch!" she said fiercely, Lori and Rick's faces were stunned. "WE will handle our daughter, I suggest you go get your son's side of the story."
Daryl had been proud of Carol many, many time but this took the cake. It was all he could do not to wrap her in his arms and tell her she was amazing, but he fought the urge and satisfied himself by watching Lori and Rick walk away in an angry fluster. Carol sighed and turned around slowly to face him.
"Daryl, this does not let you off the hook," she said coldly.
"How exactly is this my fault?" Daryl asked, genuinely confused.
"She looks up to you," Carol explained, her anger starting to fade now that Lori and Rick were gone. "She won't talk to me right now but I know she'll talk to you because she thinks you'll take her side."
"I probably will..."
"I want you to go talk to her and get her side of the story," Carol said, cutting him off. "And you will explain to her that there are better ways to solve arguments than physical actions. If YOU say it, she'll believe it because YOU are the one she got this aggression from."
"Come on, Carol," Daryl sighed, "Can't you talk to her?"
"Daryl, when she has a fight with a boy, that's YOUR territory," Carol explained in a no-nonsense tone, "When she starts liking them, that's when I take over."
Daryl winced, hoping that day didn't come soon. He wasn't sure he could handle that innocent little girl of his starting to take an interest in boys. He knew all too well what boys at this age were thinking about and he didn't know if he could refrain from shooting any boy who dared think those things about Sophia.
"That's...a fair trade," Daryl admitted grudgingly, he shifted his crossbow on his back nervously. "Where's she at?"
"In the RV," Carol stated simply, nodding in that general direction.
Daryl nodded and made his way toward the RV, trying to figure out what to say as he went.
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When Daryl stepped into the RV, he spotted Sophia sitting on one of the bench seats on either side of the table, her arms were crossed over her chest, her head was hung, her right leg was swinging back and forth making an angry sounding clump! clump! clump! sound to fill the awkward silence Daryl found himself in. She didn't look sad or scared though...she looked pissed.
Daryl closed his eyes for a moment, trying to think of some smart way to start this conversation, but he soon gave up and just strode over and slid into the seat opposite her, across the table. He set his crossbow against the wall and folded his arms on the table, waiting for her to acknowledge him. But she didn't speak, look up, or even stop swinging her foot. The clumping soon wore his ability to sit still thin and he sighed.
"Sophia," he said firmly, yet not angrily, "What the fuck happened this morning?"
Sophia finally raised her eyes to meet his, they were filled with anger and he felt his lips twitch slightly but he stopped the smile in its tracks, Carol was right, Sophia was becoming more like him every day.
"Carl's a thief, dad!" she growled, "But nobody will listen to me! All they can think about is that I hit him. They didn't even want to know WHY!"
"I wanna know why, 'Phia," Daryl said seriously, "I'm here to listen to your side o' this thing."
Sophia looked at him almost like she didn't believe him but then she leaned forward on the table, her eyes locked on his and her nostril's flared angrily.
"Carl and I were playing with Lulu in the back yard," she gushed, "Carl's shirt came up and I saw he had a gun on his hip. Well I asked him about it and he told me his dad and Shane let him have it, that he'd found it. When I asked where he'd found it he wouldn't tell me so I kept bothering him about it and he told me I couldn't tell anyone if he told me."
Daryl nodded as Sophia took a breath.
"And he told me he took it from your motorcycle! So I got mad and told him he better give it back because I know you've been wondering where it went and I threatened to tell you and he started yelling at me and as I was going to find mom he yanked me back by my arm and it hurt so I turned around and...I punched him."
Daryl pulled his lips back into his mouth and closed his eyes as he fought back a laugh, knowing he had to keep this serious or Carol would be pissed. But when the initial laughter rush faded it was replaced with anger.
"So you're telling me that Carl admitted he stole my gun, asked you to lie for him AND hurt you?" he asked quietly, trying not to scare Sophia by the rage that was building inside.
Sophia hesitated, but finally nodded slowly.
Daryl couldn't hold it back anymore, he wasn't a saint and his patience and good nature was worn thin, he smacked the table with the flat of his hand and Sophia jumped with a squeak of fear, her eyes wide.
"Come on, Sophia," he growled as he stood up, "We've got some things to get straight with the Grimes'. This is NOT your fault, 'Phia, and I, for one, am proud of you for sticking up for yourself. I'm only sorry you DIDN'T break his nose!"
He slammed the RV door open and strode angrily across the yard with Sophia on his heels, looking scared and worried. Along the way, he found Carl sitting on a stump with a rag held up to his nose and Daryl snagged the boy by the arm and pulled him along in their scary little parade without a word. Carl stumbled along, wide-eyed.
Daryl would have laughed at the look on Lori and Rick's faces as they approached if he wasn't completely pissed off. Lori looked ready to fly at him like some demon possessed mother bear and Rick was gaping like a fish out of water. Daryl pushed Carl forward when they stopped in front of them then pulled Sophia to his side.
"What is the meaning of this!?" Lori yelled, grabbing Carl in her arms and crouching over him protectively. "How dare you even touch my son like that!"
"Shut up, Lori," Daryl snapped back, "I've got a question of m' own fer ya. What the hell is your son doin' stealing things and yankin' my daughter around?"
"Excuse me?" Rick asked, his neck was turning red from anger and Daryl turned his eyes to him slowly, not at all intimidated. "What exactly are you accusing my son of?"
"Exactly what I just fuckin' said," Daryl replied, his blue eyes daring Rick to call him a liar. "Sophia said Carl admitted to stealing MY gun and when she was going to tell me about it he grabbed her by the arm, which is why she hit him because it hurt. So don't even get in my face, Rick!"
"Don't YOU talk to my wife like that, you bastard!" Rick's fists clenched, and Daryl tensed his muscles, ready to defend if he had to.
"What the hell is going on here!?" Carol's voice made Daryl jump more than if Rick had swung at him and he bit his bottom lip as she shoved her way between him and Rick. "Daryl Dixon, I TOLD you to handle this calmly and be a good example to Sophia! This is NOT handling it well!"
"But she..." Daryl tried to defend himself.
"NO! You shut your mouth!" Carol cut him off and faced Rick, "And you, back OFF!"
Rick stepped back nervously and took his place next to Lori and Carl, who was starting to look like he was going to cry.
"Now...I am going to fix this," Carol announced, "Sophia, tell me what happened."
Sophia eagerly spilled her story, this time with tears in her eyes. Carol then turned to Carl and asked for his side.
"Sophia's right," Carl said quietly, "Everything she said...it's all true."
And the boy buried his face in his hands and began to cry, so loudly and pathetically that even Daryl felt little bit sorry for blowing this whole thing out of proportion, but damn it, the kid had to learn to be held responsible for his actions.
"Let's settle this already," Carol said simply, "Sophia, apologize to Carl for hitting him."
Sophia hung her head but immediately threw her arms around Carl in a tight hug and Daryl heard a little sob escape her throat.
"I'm sorry, Carl," she said, her voice choked, "I didn't want to hit you, you just made me so mad!"
"I'm sorry too, 'Phia!" Carl's sobbing joined in, "I should never have taken the gun in the first place and I'm sorry I hurt you!"
The two kids held each other and sobbed for several minutes and finally broke apart, wiping their tears away. The parents all stood their feeling highly awkward about the whole situation...except for Daryl, who was still very pissed.
"Carl," Rick said, clearing his throat, "Don't you think you have another apology to make here?"
Carl nodded and slowly turned to Daryl, his head hung low, afraid to meet the redneck's eyes.
"Mr. Daryl...I'm..I'm sorry I took your gun," he said meekly, "And I'm sorry I lied to everyone and said that I just found it. Here."
Carl unhooked the gun from the holster on his hip and held it out sadly. Daryl almost reached out to snatch it away, but he something inside of him said there was a much better thing to do. He knelt down and closed Carl's hand back over the gun, pushing his hand slowly back. Carl looked up nervously and finally made eye contact.
"Carl," Daryl said seriously, giving Carl a stern look, "You keep it. You should have something to protect yourself and this farm with. But you know, if you would have asked for it, I would have just given the damn thing to ya. If I ever catch ya stealin anything ever again, you ain't gonna get off so easy. Understand?"
Carl nodded.
"Now, another thing," Daryl wasn't done with the kid, he had some shit to sort out in his young mind. "You ever lay a hand on my daughter with any wrong intentions...I'll kick your ass so bad you won't be able to recognize your face in the mirror. Hurtin' girls is the lowest thing is a man can do, and I KNOW you want to be a good man like yer dad. So shape up."
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After all the hullabaloo of the day, Daryl retired to the target range to make some arrows and take his annoyance out on the haybales. He stayed out there until the sun began to set and then grudgingly returned to the house for dinner. As usual, he didn't take much and he ate it quickly before heading out the door. He sat on the porch swing and listened to the chatter coming through the windows, he waved at T-Dog who was set up on the RV keeping watch.
Carol came out a while later and started walking toward their campsite, so Daryl kicked his legs off the swing and followed her, catching up quickly.
"Where's Sophia?" he asked as they walked.
"She and Carl wanted to have a sleepover after everything today," Carol replied, "I figured the two of them have a lot to discuss."
"I bet," Daryl replied, feeling an excited flip in his stomach at the prospect of having the tent to themselves. He let himself fall behind slightly to let his eyes fall to her ass, admiring the way she walked for a moment before he stepped back up beside her, his left hand reaching back slightly to give that ass a squeeze. Carol yelped slightly and smacked his hand with a wicked grin.
When they reached the tent, Daryl let Carol slip inside but he made his rounds to make sure there was nothing around. He made a wide circle around the tent, made some noises to attract anything that might be just beyond his sight, but the area was clear and he lowered his crossbow with a satisfied nod. He unzipped the tent and slipped inside and laid his crossbow in its regular spot along with his knife and boots and all the other utensils he had on his person went in the roof mesh. He eyed Carol, who was lying on her back on her sleeping bag, her eyes looking up at the roof of the tent, and smiled as he lay down next to her, rolling onto his side to lean over and kiss her.
But she surprised him by turning her head away from him.
"Hey," he said softly, turning her head back to him with his hand, "C'mere."
"Nope," Carol said simply, pushing his hand away and rolling onto her side with her back to him.
Daryl felt a bubble of anger rise up in him, but it was overshadowed quickly by his bruised ego.
"Carol, what's wrong?" he asked nervously, wondering what he'd done to make her act this way. She'd NEVER done this before.
"I'm not in the mood, Daryl," Carol replied simply.
"I can get ya there..." Daryl suggested, his hand slipped between her thighs and he squeezed her through the fabric of her sleep pants. But she gripped his hand tightly, her nails digging in and he yanked it back with a sharp intake of breath. "Carol...is this about what happened today?"
"What do you think, Daryl?" Carol asked bitterly.
"But I handled it..."
"No, you didn't," Carol rolled over to face him this time and he felt like a little progress was better than none. "I had to come and fix it. You couldn't even handle that small disagreement."
That was like a slap in the face as far as Daryl was concerned.
"Are you sayin' I can't handle my responsibility with Sophia?" he asked grimly.
"I'm saying you've a long way to go," Carol muttered.
Daryl looked at her for a minute before sitting up and pulling his boots on. He didn't bother lacing them or anything, he just grabbed his knife and left the confines of the tent before he said something he would surely regret. He walked to his motorcycle and reached into the saddlebag, pulling out a small rectangular package. He eyed it for a moment before he flipped up the top and pulled out one of the slender white sticks, placing it between his lips and reaching back in the bag for the lighter.
He lit the end and closed his eyes as the tabacco hit his senses like a warm hug and he exhaled the smoke through his nose in a long breath. He walked a little ways and sat down on the old fireplace, gazing out over the field as he tried to gather his thoughts.
Had he really handled the situation so wrong? He thought he'd done what needed to be done...wasn't a father suppose to protect his daughter over anything else? Sophia hadn't been wrong to punch Carl, at least she wasn't going to take any crap! But...he'd let his anger get the best of him, as always. He took a long drag off the cigarette to clear his mind.
"Daryl?" he didn't know how she snuck up on him, but he jumped at the sound of Carol's voice beside him. He tapped the end of his cigarette off and he sighed as she sat down next to him tentatively. "I didn't know you smoked."
"Don't much anymore," he replied quietly, not looking at her. Truth be told, he was ashamed...because Carol was right, he had a long way to go.
"Only when you're upset?" Carol asked softly.
Daryl had to admit...it was true. So he nodded, snuffed the butt out on the rock next to him and flicked it away. He felt the warmth of Carol's hand slip into his and her upper body leaned closer to him slightly.
"I'm sorry, Daryl," she whispered, he noticed her voice sounded strained, like she was about to cry. "I didn't think before I said all that."
"But you were right..." Daryl started, but she shook her head.
"No, I wasn't," she said with a sniff, Daryl felt his throat tighten at the sound and he automatically squeezed her hand in attempted comfort. "You were standing up for Sophia...and what you did, giving Carl that gun, that was very admirable."
"Would have been great if I could contain my temper though, right?" Daryl muttered, not responding to her hand as it moved up his arm. But then it cupped his chin and he felt his face being forcefully turned to her.
"Maybe just this once," Carol agreed, looking very sorry. "Come back to bed?"
"I smell like smoke..."
Daryl's words were cut short by Carol's mouth as she kissed him quickly and gently. She pulled back and licked her lips.
"I don't mind it," she whispered, "I'm used to it. Plus...it's kind of soothing."
"Be in soon," Daryl stated, all desire he'd had before was long gone and he didn't quite know how to tell her that. "Gonna...have another."
"Can I sit with you?" Carol asked quietly.
Daryl finally broke down and looked over at her, taking in her moonlight bathe figure.
"Of course you can," he replied softly, bringing his hand to her cheek to run his thumb over her skin, "I never want you to leave."
They sat there in silence, shivering slightly in the chilly air, as Daryl smoked down another cigarette. He made a smoke ring at one point which made Carol laugh and snuggle into his side as comfortable as any other time. He felt his doubts about his abilities as a father fading and he finally snuffed the stick and stood up, holding her arm.
"Come on," he murmured, "It's cold out here."
They slipped back into the tent and laid down wordlessly next to each other, Daryl pulled the blankets up over them both and pulled Carol's back into him, his knee pushed between her thigh to bring her as close as possible. He sighed deeply, feeling her hair move from his breath.
"I...I'm sorry, Daryl," he heard her whisper in the silence, "If you still want to..."
"Nope," Daryl replied darkly.
And that did it. He felt Carol suck in a deep breath and she let it out in a sob, a quiet one, but just as heartbreaking as anything. Daryl tightened his grip around her and pressed his lips to her neck.
"Now, don't," he said gently, "It's ok. You know I'd never make ya if you didn't want to."
"But..." she sniffed and let out another sob before continuing, "It's not that I don't want you..."
"Carol, hush," Daryl whispered in her ear, "I understand, ok? I don't think you love me any less."
"You're not mad?" Carol asked, wiping away a tear. Daryl pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.
"I'll never go to bed mad at you, Carol," he whispered, "Never."
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There's another chappie, folks! Let me know what you think of it and don't forget, I'm serious about those usggestions!