This is probably going to give some of you Sons of Anarchy feels but I was in a mood when I wrote this chapter. That and... when I was younger I was always more insightful after smoking weed. No worries though. I am no longer a stoner. Don't want to lose any respect from any of you. It started making me think I was constantly being followed by the cops so I gave it up.

Thanks for all the thoughts concerning my dog. He passed away this morning and I get worst mom of the year award because I haven't told my youngest yet. I'm working on it, though. Anyway, if you see any glaring mistakes, I'm distracted and may not have gone over this chapter very carefully. It's been a really rough week. Thanks for reading.

Chapter Twenty

Daryl sat on the roof of the garage, his knees pulled up to his chest. He didn't get high very often anymore but today had been one of those days that he was so fucking close to the edge that he scared himself a little bit. The sun was going down, painting the sky in colors that seemed just a little more vibrant than they would have if he'd been sober. His phone was close but he didn't expect it to ring.

He took another hit, the sweet smoke filling his lungs and clearing away the angry fog that was still clinging to him, leaving him feeling less rage and more contemplative of this whole fucked up situation. Good weed could do that. He held it in until he nearly choked on it and then blew it out in a thin stream. He needed to think about what the hell he was going to do. Merle was right. He was all fucked up over some woman. Something he never thought would happen.

Now that he was a little more calm he was able to sort out all the shit that had been messing with his head since the damn minute he had met her. Everything had snowballed fast and it seemed to keep snowballing. He hadn't meant for any of it to happen and yet it had all happened regardless. He couldn't get her out of his head. Then again, what the hell kind of life could he offer her? This was a world that few really knew much about. What right did he have to try to drag her into it? Sometimes members of the club found themselves neck deep in some dangerous shit. It didn't happen all the time but still. If he cared about her then why the hell would he risk her getting hurt because of him?

But it didn't matter now. For some reason she had dug her claws in deep. If he hadn't gone to her house that night. If that hadn't happened then he would have probably been able to follow through with walking away from her. But that night had changed everything. It had changed him.

He'd never felt anything like that before. He hadn't thought he was capable of it. You see shit like that happen to people in movies. You read about shit like that happening to people in books. But that didn't mean it really happened. But it had. And now he was sitting on a rooftop, getting stoned, waiting for a phone call telling him that it was okay to kill a mother fucker now. And if she was hurt. If she got so much as a fucking paper cut while he was in the same room with her, Daryl would do it. He would take him out and he would happily put a bullet in his brain. He smiled at the thought and took another hit.

"Man, shit just got real."

He turned his head at the sound of the familiar voice. Damon sat down next to him, mirroring his position, pulling his knees up and then swiping the joint out of Daryl's hand and hitting it hard a few times before giving it back.

"I should kick your ass for takin' that girl home with you last night," he said with a scowl.

Damon laughed. "What's it to you?"

Daryl shrugged. "Hell if I know. Just don't fuck around with her if you plan on ditchin' her in a week."

"Hell, if I did last a week then it'd beat the hell out of your track record with chicks."

Daryl turned his head, studying the boy that didn't really look much like a boy anymore at all. He was taking after Buck. He was taller than Daryl and more muscled than Merle. By the time he quit growing he would be one scary looking guy. "My track record ain't none of your damn business."

"You ain't got shit to worry about anyway," Damon said after a long pause. "She's different." His expression grew serious and he wrapped his arms around his knees as he stared at the sky.

"Did you at least keep it in your pants?" Daryl asked, relieved that he seemed to be serious about Sophia anyway. Or as serious as any seventeen year old could be.

Damon glanced at him briefly before turning his eyes back to the quickly setting sun. "Yeah, man. It ain't like that. She ain't like that."

"What's it like then, Romeo?" Daryl asked, stretching his legs and crossing them at the ankles.

"She hadn't ever even kissed a guy before. I wouldn't have tried to get in her pants. Even if I'd had time and she'd been offering."

Daryl snorted. "You're more patient than me, kid." Understatement of the century.

They were quiet for a long time before Damon spoke again. "I heard about what you did. Talking to that Ed guy."

Daryl kept his mouth shut and waited the kid out. He could tell that there was something on his mind. He knew what that shit was like.

"You wouldn't have done that for just anybody. We all know that. Why'd you do it for her? You know that now all of us have to look at that asshole because of you. So why'd you do it?"

Daryl shook his head, not answering.

Damon sighed. "I don't even know why the fuck I asked. I know why you did it. You did it for the same reason I've been tryin' to figure out how to off the son of a bitch without my dad findin' out."

Daryl looked up sharply. "Don't you even think about doin' any shit like that. Your hands are clean, kid. Keep them that way as long as you can."

"What if he stops fuckin' with her mom but takes it out on Sophia? You think I can let shit like that happen?"

He studied the boy and then grinned despite the dark topic. "You little bastard. You got it just as bad as I do don't you?"

Damon blew out a breath. "I'm serious, man. What am I suppose to do to keep him from hurting her when he can't even know I know her? I ain't got the pull around here like you."

"I think he'll be on his best behavior and tomorrow I can add that stipulation. I didn't even think about that. You don't have to worry about it for long though. I'm gonna talk to her mom and try to get them the hell outta there. Don't know if she'll go for it since it ain't like I got shit to offer, but when Buck gets back I'm gonna man up and talk to him. Hell, that other house has been sittin' there empty for going on twenty goddamn years. Merle says I've been a pussy and this time he's right. I gotta do somethin'."

"You think Buck will think you're serious? You think he'd stick his neck out like that to help them out?"

Daryl shrugged. "I think he will if he knows the story. He's a sucker for shit like that. That and that mother fucker has been waiting for me to get my shit together for a long time now. Never thought some goddamn woman would be the push I needed. I always thought it'd be an extended prison sentence."

"Hopefully Carol goes for it then. I don't like thinkin' about them there with that dickhead."

"I feel ya, kid," Daryl sighed.

~H~

Carol was still in shock as she picked at her food. Ed had came home and she had braced herself for his wrath, ready to bolt if she needed too. Instead he had actually complimented dinner. The three of them were sitting there at the table, eating quietly. Well, Ed was eating. Carol's stomach was in knots and Sophia looked nervous.

"You do somethin' different with the rolls?" Ed asked, taking another one from the bowl.

Carol shook her head and glanced at Sophia. "No, they're the same as I always make."

He didn't say anything else. He just continued eating and then he did something that stunned Carol and Sophia both. He got up, went to the refrigerator and refilled his own glass. He glanced over his shoulder. "You two want anything while I'm up?"

They both shook their heads, staring at him with wide eyes. Daryl had told her that he wouldn't hurt her anymore. She hadn't believed him but he had made her a promise. Apparently one that he intended to keep. Ed came back and sat down to finish his meal. Sophia nervously excused herself, sharing a look with Carol. She still wanted her to keep her phone close and at this point the strange atmosphere in the house had her daughter nervous enough that she looked like she was ready to call Daryl now.

Once Sophia left the room Carol stood up to gather the rest of the dishes. Ed stood up with her and she flinched when he got up quickly, taking his glass from her. "I can help clear the table and then I think I'm gonna watch some T.V."

Carol nodded but didn't say a word. What in the world had Daryl said to this man? If he had started acting like a lot of years ago Carol would have been beyond happy. But that was when she still lived under the delusion that there was a chance for him to change. Now she didn't care what he did. She still planned on leaving him. She wasn't going to tell him that tonight, of course. One thing at a time. She wanted to save up her money and actually find somewhere to go before she dropped that bombshell.

She was dreading this conversation. She took her time with the dishes and the rest of the clean up. She didn't know how she was going to tell him. She ran different scenarios through her mind and every one she imagined she was left bloody and battered on the floor. But eventually the kitchen was spotless and she made her way to the living room.

She found him sitting in his chair, remote in hand. He glanced up when she walked in and perched on the edge of the sofa. She cleared her throat. "Ed, I need to talk to you about something." She watched his face carefully and saw the annoyance flash across his features. He quickly schooled his face, however, and then muted the television.

"I already know what you want to talk about. I should have brought it up earlier." He leaned up in his chair and turned a little so he was facing her more. "I never should have done what I did yesterday. There's no excuse for it, I already know that. I just want you to know that it'll never happen again."

She stared at him, speechless for a moment before she shook her head. "Actually that wasn't what I needed to talk to you about."

He frowned. "Well then what is it?"

"I think it's time for me to get a job. I know how you feel about it but I'm tired of just being here all the time. Sophia is older. She's got her own friends now. I know you don't want me to work but I'm ready to do something else other than be here all the time."

She watched him, that familiar anger filling his eyes and she could tell that he was struggling. Finally he cleared his throat and leaned back in the chair. "What kind of job you thinking about?"

She expected him to go on about how she had no skills. No college education. No job experience. He had mentioned things like that before and that was without her talking about working. "I'm not sure. I..." She couldn't handle this anymore. She couldn't pretend like this was normal behavior. "What is going on with you?"

He turned the volume back up and his eyes went back to the screen. "What are you talking about?"

"Ed, you're acting strangely. You aren't acting like yourself at all. What happened today?" She had every intention of asking Daryl. She was going to call him as soon as she was able and find out what in the hell he said to this man to make him turn into a completely different person. She had no doubts about Daryl. He was a very capable man. But this was insane.

"I just figure it's time to cut you some slack. I know I'm not the easiest man to live with and after what happened yesterday I thought I'd try to work on it a little bit."

"Ed," she snapped, feeling an unnecessary anger surge in her. "You've spent the last sixteen years treating me horribly, don't tell me that you've had a change of heart now."

He narrowed his eyes and then seemed to catch himself. He turned all of his attention back to the television and turned up the volume even more.