This one is kind of late. I woke up with the stomach flu so I haven't been on my computer much. Thank you all for reading and I hope that all of you feel way better than I do =)

Chapter Seventeen

When Carol saw Piper and a few of the boys she recognized walk out she breathed a sigh of relief. Sophia was usually one of the first kids out the door at the end of the day. When Sophia didn't come out behind them she felt panic well up in her chest again and she got out of the car.

Piper saw her and Carol could have sworn that the girl cursed. She waved at the boys and headed Carol's way. "Hey, how's it goin'? Did you here that Daryl got out yesterday morning?" Piper smiled brightly. "I forgot to mention that when I stopped by."

Carol couldn't force a smile for the girl. "Where's Sophia?" She asked, glancing over Piper's head but there weren't anymore student's coming out.

"Oh," Piper glanced around. "I think Damon gave her a ride or something."

Carol eyed her. At the moment Piper looked like a Precious Moments doll, her large green eyes full of innocence. "I've been sitting out here since before the bell rang, Piper. She never came out. And now that you mention it, Damon didn't come out... Oh God. Tell me she stayed with you last night."

"Course she did. That was the plan, wasn't it?"

"What's goin' on?"

Carol's heart nearly leaped out of her chest at the sound of that familiar voice. She looked up just as he was strolling over. He didn't seem to be looking at her at all but she couldn't tell with his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. "Did Sophia spend the night with Piper last night?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. I didn't come home last night."

She couldn't help but wonder where he had stayed if he hadn't gone home. Or who he had stayed with. She didn't have time to think about it too much because suddenly he was whipping off those dark glasses, grabbing her chin and forcing her head to the side. She had thought the light bruise was covered up by the makeup she had painstakingly applied but as his eyes roamed over her face she knew she hadn't done a very good job. She felt his thumb graze the small cut on the corner of her mouth.

"Why the fuck didn't you just call me?" He asked, his voice like ice. "That was the only goddamn thing I asked you to do." His eyes bored into hers.

She pulled her face away from his grip. "I didn't know that the offer was still on the table. I didn't come here for some kind of confrontation with you. I just want to know where Sophia is."

He eyed her angrily and then shook his head. "We need to talk."

She had spent a lot of the night thinking about him. Him and her and the stupid decisions that led her to her precarious emotional state. He was a twenty seven year old biker with a criminal history. And that was okay. She wasn't judging him for who he was. She wasn't judging him because she loved how he could be all of those things and still make her feel like he would do anything for her. Like she was the only person in the world when she was with him. She loved the way he had made her feel things, deep things, that she hadn't ever felt before. She could easily leave her husband and pursue some sort of fling with him but she didn't have the option to do that. She had a teenaged daughter to think about. A teenaged daughter who was currently missing. "I need to find my daughter," she said quickly.

He didn't seem very happy about the subject change but he did finally look down at Piper. "Where the hell is she?" He asked. "And don't you even think about bullshitting me."

Piper cursed under her breath. "I didn't lie. She's with Damon."

"Where?" Daryl asked, his voice harsh.

Piper sighed heavily. "They're probably still at Damon's. That's where they stayed. You happy now? I'm officially a nark."

Daryl's eyebrows shot up at that. "She spent the night with him? Odin and June are gone."

Piper nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's why they didn't put up a fight when he took her back to his place."

"Have you talked to her?" Carol gasped.

Piper shook her head. "Not today."

"Get in the truck, Piper," Daryl ordered and the girl didn't put up a fight like Carol expected her to.

They watched her storm off, not happy but willing to give them a few moments alone. Carol looked at him then, really looked and felt her brows pull together in a frown. He had a deep cut right above his eyebrow and an obvious black eye. Without thinking about what she was doing she ran her fingertips lightly over the bruises there. He stayed very still for a few seconds before his hand reached up and pulled hers away. He didn't drop her hand like she thought he would. Instead he linked their fingers together. His eyes slid down to her mouth.

"Why didn't you call?" He asked quietly, his thumb sliding over her wrist lightly. "Even if you didn't call when it happened, you coulda called later."

"What good would it have done?" She asked, her heart racing at his touch. "You come and rough him up for it and end up getting yourself arrested again? What's the point? This is my hell, Daryl. I created it with my bare hands. It isn't your job to pull me out of it. We had a few nights together. They were great. Probably the greatest I've ever had, but it doesn't mean you're responsible for me or it's your job to protect me. You have your own life and it's vastly different from mine."

He squeezed her fingers gently. "I'm gonna have Piper ride with you so she can show you where Damon lives. I'm gonna have a chat with your husband, whether you want me to or not. And my job is whatever the hell I want it to be. If I wanna pull you out then I'll pull you out. Kickin' and screamin' if I have to."

The thought of him meeting Ed had fear gripping her. "Daryl, all you're going to accomplish is making my life worse. Please just drop it."

He shook his head. "I know what I'm doin'."

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to talk her heart into not breaking just from being around him. Then she realized how hard she was gripping his hand and she loosened her fingers.

"Just trust me, alright." He said suddenly, dropping her hand and taking a step back. She hadn't realized how close they had been standing and they were in plane view of anyone standing near them.

She met his eyes and nodded miserably. She couldn't worry about him and Ed right now. She had to worry about her daughter. Who had spent the night with a boy and then skipped school. She just had to pray that whatever Daryl did today, she wouldn't pay for tonight. She turned around to walk away but heard him curse under his breath. She turned back around to face him and his lips came down on hers before she realized what was happening.

She should have pulled away. He couldn't tell her to stay away from him and then kiss her like this. But there was no way she could. She actually kissed him back, momentarily forgetting that they were standing right outside because she wanted this. Wanted it more than she had ever wanted anything in her life. He cupped her neck, his hands gentle as his thumbs trailed down her jaw. When he pulled back she realized she was gripping his waist tightly.

He sighed heavily. "Just go get your girl and don't worry about a damn thing, okay? I got this. You gotta trust me."

She nodded because even though she truly did trust him, she didn't trust her voice.

~H~

Sophia had been more than a little freaked out when she had woken up and realized that she wasn't in her own room. She wasn't in her own bed. And she wasn't sleeping alone. She hadn't meant to fall asleep in his bed. She had been scared to death when he had taken her straight to his bedroom, which looked very similar to Piper's. But he hadn't tried anything at all. He hadn't even tried to kiss her. So she had eventually relaxed and they had ended up on his bed, on their backs and he had quietly asked questions that she found herself answering honestly. Questions about herself and her parents. And then he didn't even have to ask questions anymore. She had talked on her own. And it had felt good to just talk. And talk and talk. They laid on his bed and she had told him almost everything.

She was pretty sure that she had still been talking when she had fallen asleep and when she had woken up there was a heavy arm draped over her and her back was pressed against something warm and solid. And it had been the safest that she had ever felt in her whole life. Nothing could happen to her here. Ed couldn't touch her here.

They didn't really leave the room even after they had woken up. She knew that her time here was drawing to an end and she wished it wasn't. She should have called her mom hours ago but she had been dreading it and then eventually just decided not to. He had put in a movie and now she was curled up with her head resting on his thigh while he sat with his back against the headboard. She wasn't paying attention to the movie because his hand, that had been resting innocently on her waist, was now moving. First it was just his fingers fiddling with the hem of her shirt but now it was his fingers moving in random patterns over the skin there.

"Somebody'll be here soon. School's about over," he said softly.

She swallowed hard. "It sucks."

He chuckled. "Yeah. It does. All this time we coulda been making out and here we are, watching some eighties flick and I ain't got the slightest idea what the hell it's even about."

She rolled over and then sat up. By now he knew almost everything there was to know about her. What was one more embarrassing fact? "I've never made out with anyone in my life." She said suddenly, watching his face carefully to see if he was going to make fun of her for it.

He blinked and then he snorted. "You're full of shit."

She shook her head. "No, I'm not. It's the truth."

He rolled his eyes. "You're hot. And not the annoying kind of hot where you gotta stand in front a mirror for an hour to make yourself hot. You woke up hot. You got legs up to your fuckin' neck and you're not a stuck up bitch. How the fuck have you gone almost seventeen years without making out with a guy?"

She flushed at his words.

"See! You don't even know it. That's a rare trait. You ever wanna know what it's like to make out then you just let me know. I'll be happy to show you the ropes." He laughed and shook his head.

"Okay," she said suddenly.

He grinned. "Okay what?"

"Show me the ropes. No better time than the present, right. I can't promise I'll be any good at it th-" Her words died as he pressed his lips to hers. She instantly froze up, unsure what to do but he was patient.

He pulled away just a little, his eyes on hers, dark and penetrating. "You're overthinkin' it."

"I suck at this," she whispered, feeling stupid.

He shook his head, grinning. "No you don't." He leaned in again and this time she relaxed. Or tried to. Her hands were still in her lap, balled into tight fists. Her heart was pounding so hard she was sure that her ribs would be bruised and she felt dizzy. But she kissed him back, following his lead easily once she stopped thinking so hard about what she was doing and just let herself enjoy it.

Before she knew what was happening he was pulling her closer, causing her to nearly climb onto his lap as he leaned back against the headboard. Her lips parted and he deepened the kiss. She wasn't sure where her mind went after that. Her hands were on his shoulders and she was as close to him as she could physically get. His arms were around her, anchoring her to him. When she finally pulled away to catch her breath he was staring at her with wide eyes.

"You're a quick learner," he said, his voice low.

Her breathing was ragged and she was almost embarrassed until she realized that his was too. "Probably because I have a good teacher." His head dipped down and now his lips were on the side of her neck. "Oh gosh," she breathed. "A really good teacher."

He laughed against her throat. "You're a fuckin' trip, Sophia."

She nodded like she was in total agreement with that assessment. "You know, maybe I shouldn't be letting you do things like this. I don't even know your last name."

He raised his head, the grin on his face almost had her grinning back. "Dixon."

She frowned. "What?"

"Buck Dixon is my dad's older brother. Daryl and Merle are my cousins," he said before his lips were on hers again.

Her head was reeling. She had a feeling that this was going to make things a lot more complicated than they had been.

I was a little bit nervous about posting this one. I don't plan on getting to in depth with Sophia's relationship. She's a good girl. And she's a teenager so don't worry about any graphic stuff with them. I didn't want anyone to worry about anything like that. No way I could write it =)