It's so hot here! It's gross! I am not a fan of summer. Sun burns and sweat and bugs... I should start a nice refreshing story that takes place in winter! Hope everyone is staying cool! Thanks for reading!

Chapter Twenty Seven

Daryl was pretty sure he could stay there for the rest of his life. The sun was going down and the breeze was picking up. He had his head in her lap and her fingers running through his hair was just about to put him to sleep. She was leaving Ed. He knew she would eventually but he wasn't sure how it would all play out. The thing that bothered him was the fact that she made it very clear that she wasn't leaving Ed to be with him. He wanted to ask her if she'd just leave now but really he had no where for her to go. He usually slept in the room above the garage. He couldn't move her and Sophia into a room. He needed to get the house done and then he'd lay it all out. He wasn't sure how to ask her though. It would take a few weeks before everything was ready anyway so he had time.

He heard a deep chuckle and then a man's familiar voice. "That which does not kill us?"

Daryl's eyes snapped open and his head came up, grinning at his uncle Odin. "Better fuckin' run," Daryl finished. The man reached down and Daryl took his hand, letting him pull him up off the ground. He took Carol's hand and pulled her up so she wasn't just sitting there staring at them. He introduced her quickly.

"When's the wedding?" Odin asked, scratching his beard and eying Carol appreciatively.

"Leave the boy alone."

Daryl glanced over and saw June coming towards them. He had a huge soft spot for the woman. After his mom had died she had stepped in. She had been like a second mom to him in a way. She was actually forty five, but looked much younger than that. Her Native American heritage was more obvious in her than it was in her son. Her coppery skin was free of any wrinkles or lines, making her look twenty years younger than she was. Her small stature and quick smile seemed at odds with Odin's gruff and dangerous look but the two of them were inseparable and their marriage was made of something unbreakable. Just like Buck and his mom's.

She hugged Daryl and then tried to smooth down his hair but he managed to dodge her. She gave him a disapproving look and then she noticed Carol. "And finally, we meet in person," she grinned and shook Carol's hand.

Carol smiled. "I was wanting to talk to you about when-"

"Tomorrow, nine o'clock. This couldn't have happened at a better time because my other girl just quit. Now, I don't have a dress code or anything but a lot of my customers are elderly or religious types so we can't have you coming in wearing just your bra or anything. You wouldn't believe how many girls actually needed to hear me tell them that they can't bake in lingerie. Oh, and none of Daryl's tee shirts either because he doesn't own one that doesn't have either demons or skulls on it. You'll be with me all the time so it isn't a big deal if you know anything about baking. I have enough patience to train you for as long as you need"

Carol's eyes had widened as she took all this in. "Okay. That sounds pretty easy." She said eagerly. June wasn't one to beat around the bush and Carol looked like she was trying to keep up with her.

"It is. Just make sure you bring your ears. My last girl, bless her heart, was a little idiot. Not that I would ever tell her that, of course. But it's going to be nice having another woman around to talk to."

Carol smiled. "I'm really excited about starting."

She winked. "Trust me, I'm excited to have you."

They both stuck around, talking for a while before they moved on to another group. For a bunch of hardened people, they were an extremely loving bunch and Carol looked pretty impressed. She met more people, almost everyone making it a point to introduce themselves to her. Some were nicer than others. Some were probably down right scary but she never let on like she was anything but comfortable with all of them.

One of his dad's oldest friends, Randy, finally made an appearance and Daryl watched her carefully when the man introduced himself. He did so by hugging them both, winking at Carol with his good eye. He had a jagged scar that ran from his hair line down his brow, disappearing under an eye patch only to start again on his cheek and then finally end at his throat. But it didn't seem to intimidate her. She stayed pressed into Daryl's side and talked to everyone like she had known them for as long as he had. He could tell that impressed the hell out of all of them. Hell, he was impressed himself. She had a way about her that seemed to put people at ease.

He was dreading her leaving tonight more than any other night. And he could tell that she hated to leave just as much as he hated to let her go. She hadn't been planning on staying so long but he had kept her there. Just spending time with her just felt right. He was always doing something to make her laugh. Being with her was just so fucking easy. He just wished she would give in and stay but knew it wasn't smart. They were standing away from the others, leaning against the wall. Well, he was leaning against the wall. She was pressed against the front of him so tightly that she had to crane her neck to meet his eyes. He had made sure he kept her as close as he could all evening.

"I need to find Sophia and get home," she said, the sadness clear in her voice.

"You need to pack a bag and just stay with me," he muttered into her neck.

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on his shoulder. "I want to. I really do. But I should go."

"Where's Ed been sleeping?" He asked suddenly, an idea forming in his head.

She scowled and pulled back so she could look at him. "On the couch. Him an I haven't shared a bed in at least a year."

He felt his eyebrows raise. "The two of you ain't..." He let the question hang there, not able to even voice it. He knew what Ed had said during their little meeting but he wasn't sure if he believed it and he didn't really want to think about it.

She grimaced. "No. Not in a very long time. And even when things were new and good all those years ago, it was nothing like what I feel when..." she let her voice trail off and her cheeks turned pink.

"Leave your window unlocked," he whispered into her ear.

She drew back, her eyes looking panicked. "Daryl, we can't... I mean..."

He made a face. "That time of the month or somethin'?" He shrugged. "It ain't just about that, Carol. About all the... you know... the fuckin'." He grinned when she smacked his chest.

She bit her lip to hide a smile of her own. "You'd sneak into my window just to sleep with me?"

He nodded, feeling a little awkward at the mushy turn the conversation had taken.

~H~

"I don't know if I can get out," Damon said, his hand holding hers tightly.

She swallowed thickly but smiled. "It's okay."

He shook his head. "It ain't okay after what I did today. He's gonna take it out on you and you know it."

She had been thinking the same thing all day but she wasn't about to say anything. "I've gone almost seventeen years without you around to make sure I'm okay. I'm tougher than I look."

He still looked skeptical but there wasn't anything she could say to make him feel better. She just had to put on a brave face was all. She could get through tonight just like she got through every night.

"Besides," she gave him a level look. "You haven't slept at all. You're exhausted and you need to go home and go to bed."

He grumbled but she couldn't make out what he was saying. With a weary sigh he finally nodded. "Alright but I'm gonna sleep with my phone by my head. If something happens, call. And I'm picking you up in the morning."

"Okay. I'll call if I need you, but I doubt I will."

"How do you know that? Especially after today."

"Because he isn't some kind of tough guy. He desperately wants to be but he just isn't. It's why he treats my mom the way he does. He wants to feel like he's got power over other people. What you did to him today probably scared him enough. He doesn't want that to happen again so he probably won't do anything to cause it. He's a coward and now he knows that there's consequences to how he treats me." At least that's what she kept telling herself anyway. "It's why he was nice to my mom yesterday. He wants to be a part of something like what you guys have here. He wants to feel what it's like for people to be afraid of him. Not just me and my mom but other people too. I think I'll be fine."

"I'm still gonna have Daryl call him. Him or Buck. Then I'd know for sure he'd stay away."

She smiled. "If that'll make you feel better then go for it."

"Hey!" They both turned and looked as Piper hurried towards them, a bag in her hand. "You ready? Your mom's waiting on us."

Sophia frowned. "Us?"

Piper glanced at Damon. "Yeah. I figured since one Dixon had to stay behind, you could use another one. It's already cleared but your mom wants to go before that dick face gets home tonight."

Sophia looked from Piper and Damon and was surprised to see that he was smiling now. The troubled expression he had been wearing most of the day was gone, replaced by relief. "Piper, I don't want you to have to do that. It's stupid really. What could you possibly do to Ed that I couldn't do myself. I don't want you thinking I need protected."

Piper grinned. "You have no idea what I'm capable of."

Damon nodded, his voice serious now. "It's true."

Sophia was skeptical, until she met Piper's eyes. There was a look there that, despite her small stature, made Sophia shift on her feet. Piper was a good person once you got to know her. She stood up for people and she cared deeply. With that said, Sophia saw something just then that she hadn't noticed before. Piper, under the elven features and easy smile, was just as lethal as any man standing around them now. Maybe more so, considering how underestimated she was. With a nod Sophia looked back up at Damon. "I'll see you tomorrow."