Warning for light violence here! Thanks for reading!

Chapter Fifteen

Daryl knew where he was before he even opened his eyes. The thin mat under him told him everything that he needed to know. He sat up and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, wincing when he realized that he had a cut above his eyebrow.

He stood up, stretching out the kinks in his back and popping his neck. He knew he was going to be stuck here for a while. Buck wasn't even in Georgia so he wasn't getting any help there and he was pretty sure that Merle didn't have the pull with the big wigs to get the charges dropped. So now he was stuck in here with nothing but his thoughts. This was going to be a long day. A very long day.

He barely remembered the events after he stalked behind the bar, grabbed two bottles of bourbon and took them up to his room. He'd been trying to make himself numb. He had managed that alright. He had blacked out completely. He remembered almost falling down the stairs on his way back down to the garage. He remembered Dave sitting down next to him at the bar. He was pretty sure Dave asked him why Daryl didn't have the classy piece of ass with him and that was it. He had been to far gone to remember anything after that.

He sat back down on the cot, mentally preparing himself for the next twenty four hours when he heard the clang of the electronic lock slide out and then the door cracked open. His head snapped up in surprise. A familiar face appeared then.

"If I wanted any shit from you Walsh I'd scrape it off your teeth," he grumbled.

Shane Walsh leaned against the door, trademark smirk in place. "Don't be like that, Dixon. It's been months since I've seen you. And I come bearing good news."

Daryl sighed and leaned his head against the wall. "What's that?"

"We're serving Sloppy Joe's for lunch," Shane deadpanned.

"Don't be a dick, Walsh," Daryl muttered.

Shane sighed. "You're out, Dixon."

"How?" Not that he wanted to argue but he didn't see how he could have gotten out on a Sunday with Buck out of town.

"Posted bail. Daddy called and had somethin' arranged." Shane grinned.

Daryl stood up. "Lead the way, Dick Lips."

Shane barked out a laugh. "You know Dixon, if you wasn't as pretty as you are I'd knock your teeth down your throat."

"Well ain't you just a flirt," Daryl smiled on his way past.

Shane laughed. "You know it. Wanna grab a beer later?"

"On a Sunday? It's against my religion."

Shane led him through a set of familiar doors and then gestured towards the desk. "You know the drill. I'll see ya around.

"Yeah, I'm sure you will."

Shane clapped him on the back on his way by and Daryl headed towards the desk.

~H~

Carol couldn't function today. She broke two plates, she dropped a whole pitcher of tea on the floor and she had no idea what to cook for dinner. Her mind wasn't in the present at all unless she was worrying about whether Daryl was okay. When she wasn't thinking about him sitting in jail she was thinking about the night before and that was something she really needed to just forget.

Her phone going off had her jumping out of her skin. She fished it out of her pocket and frowned because she didn't recognize the number. She opened the text anyway and then felt relief wash through her.

"Hey, sending word that my dumb ass brother is out. Thought you'd like to know since you seem like the type to worry and shit. M."

She quickly replied. "Thank you, Merle." She wasn't sure why the man had felt the need to tell her that Daryl had been released. She had only met him that one time but she was thankful he had.

The sound of the front door opening had her tensing as she shoved her phone back into her pocket. The slam that followed caused her to flinch. She closed her eyes and steeled herself for the chaos that she knew would reign down on her now. She was going to stay true to her word, though. Sophia deserved a normal life. She deserved a normal life. Ed was going to accommodate them or he would just have to leave. Or her and Sophia would leave.

"No dinner?"

She took a deep breath and turned around, glancing at the clock before her eyes settled on Ed's disapproving face. "It's only four thirty, Ed. We don't eat until six. That's your rule, remember?" He hadn't seen her in a week and he was going to do nothing but ask about dinner the moment he lumbered through the door. It was hard for her to hide her disgust at the moment.

He snorted and opened the refrigerator. "Looks like you've been eating dinner non stop since you got here. How much weight have you gained? Twenty pounds?"

She stared at his back, his words having their usual effect, tearing her down piece by piece. Making her feel disgusted with her appearance. But then something strange happened. Through the sting of his words she remembered the way Daryl had looked at her body. The way his hands felt on her skin. And then she smiled. "No, I haven't gained any weight. I actually lost a few pounds since Sophia and I have been doing so much walking."

"Well, it must be something else making you look like shit then. Where is Sophia?" He turned around, cold eyes meeting hers before she looked down.

"She's out with a friend. She'll be home by ten." Here it was. This was what she had been waiting for. His whole body went still and his head came up slowly. She swallowed hard.

He slammed the door so hard that he caused a potted plant on top of the refrigerator to fall and crash to the floor. "What the hell do you mean, she's out with a friend? She's not allowed to go out and you know it."

Carol finally looked up, meeting his glare and she hated the fear she felt right then. She couldn't do this. She couldn't fight him. She couldn't live with his wrath. She just needed to do what he said and things would be...

"If somethin' ever happens. Somethin' bad I mean, you gotta swear you'll call me."

"Well, are you gonna explain yourself?" Ed barked, taking a step closer, hovering over her.

With Daryl's words clear in her mind her chin came up and she met his eyes. "I don't think that calls for an explanation, Ed. She's sixteen years old and she wanted to go look at some old cars with a friend. She needs to have some sort of life of her own."

His fists clenched and he took one more step. She forced herself to keep her head up. "You call her and you tell her to get her goddamn ass back here now."

Carol shook her head. "I'm not forcing her to come home." She had to do this. She had to stand her ground. She had to do it for Sophia and she had to do it for herself. They were not prisoners here. They were not pets that he had the right to control.

His nostrils flared and a rage she hadn't seen in a long time turned his features to stone. He wasn't used to her defying him. Whether he hit her or not, she was afraid. Always to afraid to question him. "Just who the hell do you think you are? You think since I've been gone for a week that anything's changed? You don't make the rules around here. I make the rules. It would do you a lot of good to remember that." He wanted to hit her and she knew it. She wasn't sure if he was going to and that was the thing she hated the most. She felt safer with a man that she didn't even know than she did with the man she had spent the last seventeen years with.

She turned and was about to walk out of the kitchen but his hand closed over her upper arm, jerking her until she was forced to face him again. He leaned into her face, his breath foul. She met his eyes again and this seemed to make him even angrier.

"I don't know what the hell's gotten into you while I was away but I'm here and I'm telling you right now, this attitude of yours stops."

She jerked her arm out of his grip, the first time she had ever physically defied him throughout their entire marriage, even during the worst years. His hand came flying towards her face and she wasn't fast enough to dodge it. The crack of his palm across her face sounded in her ears before she felt the pain. The throb in her jaw and the sting as the corner of her lip tore from the power behind the blow.

"This is your fault!" He roared as he shoved her and stepped away. "Do you think I wanted to do that?"

There was a sharp knock at the door, saving Carol from facing more of his screamed excuses. She went to step past him but he grabbed her arm again, squeezing hard, stopping her again and causing her to wince at the grip.

"I'll get it. You keep your ass in here where you belong," he snapped.

She wretched her arm away from him again but she didn't stick around this time. She hurried to the door, throwing it open quickly. Her eyes widened when she saw Piper standing there.

"Hey, Square's mom. They back yet?"

Carol quickly stepped out the door, shutting it behind her before Ed could come hear anything Piper may say. "No, I don't think they'll be back until ten. Actually, do you think your dad would let Sophia spend the night at your place?"

Piper had grown very still as she looked up at Carol's face. Before Carol could stop her the girl threw open the door and hurried inside. Ed was just coming in through the dining room, his face still an angry mask.

"Who the hell is this?" Ed barked.

Carol quickly put herself between Ed and Piper but Piper was fast.

"Hey, you're Ed Peletier, right?" Piper asked quickly, her voice pleasant and the smile on her face seeming genuine.

Ed's face changed from rage to arrogance as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, who are you?"

"I go to school with Sophia and she mentioned that you're about to take over that new dealership. The one that sells the Harley Davidsons, is that right?"

Carol wasn't sure what to do because she had no idea what was going on. What was Piper doing?

Ed nodded, still studying the girl curiously.

"My grandad owns a garage over on Hindley just a few miles away. He heard that you were suppose to be some real important big shot over there and thought you might be interested in doing a little business with him."

Ed scowled. "I'm a business man, little girl. I don't have time to chat up with some old man at a two bit garage. You need to run along now."

Piper ran a hand through her unruly hair and shook her head. "You got it wrong. He's not some old man and that place isn't a two bit garage. He's the president of the motorcycle club here and him and my dad and uncle, they've been looking for some new guys that might be interested in joining. They just thought since you were a bike guy you'd be interested. Thought I would swing by and ask but if you aren't interested I'll pass it along. It's a damn shame too. They're are some pretty powerful players in that-"

"Hold on a second. An MC?" Ed didn't look curious anymore. He looked like he was about to salivate. Why was Piper doing this?

She nodded, green eyes flashing like daggers. "Oh yeah."

"And they're interested in me?"

Piper nodded. "Oh yeah." She looked at Carol then, her eyes hard. "I just need to call my uncle up and make some arrangements and you can meet with him."

Carol's heart sank.

"Well you go ahead and do that sweetheart. I can talk to him whenever he's ready."

Piper nodded. "Trust me. He'll be chomping at the bit to talk to you Mister."