Chapter Thirty Three

Daryl was given his own cell. It wasn't because he had people on the inside pulling strings for him either. It was because he was apparently some sort of menace that had to be kept away from other inmates. He didn't care because he would rather be here than out there dealing with a bunch of dumb asses that had a point to prove. He hated listening to their tales of bad assery when he knew very few of them could actually go toe to toe with him. He'd rather just sit around by himself. He had a lot to think about. A sea of worries to sift through. Misery didn't need company at the moment.

"Hey."

He looked up and saw Martinez. He nodded. "Hey." He wasn't going to blame them. This was all on him and it was high to time he stopped blaming other people for the dumb shit he got himself into. Martinez and Walsh were always sticking their necks out for him.

"Buck and Merle met with Andrea earlier. She's gonna bust her ass on this one so hopefully we'll at least be able to get you bonded out."

"They ain't offerin' bail?" He wasn't surprised.

Martinez shook his head. "Not as of right now. Brought you some books. Paper, and pencils and shit like that. Don't go stabbing any of the guards either. My job's hard enough as it is."

Daryl smiled but he didn't feel like it. "Thanks man."

Martinez studied him for a second before opening the cage and sitting the stack of books by the cot. Daryl raised an eyebrow. "How the fuck long you think I'm gonna be here?"

Martinez sighed. "As of right now, you're court date isn't until July. Unless Andrea can work her magic and get a bail set for you..." He didn't finish the sentence and Daryl felt all his hopes dissipate.

"Three months?"

A stiff nod was all the answer he got before Martinez walked out. The sound of steal slamming against steal had Daryl flinching. There was a feeling of finality to that sound. Three months. A lot of things could change in three months. Hell, things could change in a few days. Three months seemed like a very long time. There was still so much hanging in the air. Things he hadn't been able to get out in the open because it wasn't the right time. Now he wasn't going to get the chance. Did Carol know how he felt about her? Would she use these three months to get her head cleared and realize that his life was just too much for her and meet some guy that was a better fit for her lifestyle?

Maybe some forty something business man would show up at the bakery one day, all charming and dressed in some faggot ass suit, and offers to take her out to some fancy fuck place in his brand new car. He laid back, folding his arms behind his head. It would be a lot more mature than his own approach. Take her to a biker party, get her shit faced and then fuck her in the hallway.

Three months. She would be out there for three months. And he would be here. Wondering what the hell she was doing. He wasn't sure if she would visit. Merle and Buck and the others would watch out for her, keep her safe, but it wasn't like they could beat up guys for talking to her. Well, maybe Merle would. Damon would. Next time he was able to talk to them he was going to tell them to do just that. Fuck being mature about this. Maturity was overrated.

~H~

By the end of the day Carol was in love with everything about the job. June was a talker, and a nurturer, and an insightful loving woman and Carol couldn't wait to spend another day with her. She told Carol about her mother moving them off of a reservation out in Southern Arizona to Georgia when she was still a baby. She had no living family other than Damon. She told Carol about the pros and cons of the life and family that she was now a part of. She had a lot of stories about the Dixons. Her and Odin had met in elementary, started dating in high school and married shortly after she graduated. She promised to bring some pictures of Odin and Buck before the tattoos and beards. She was looking forward to that.

And she realized as they worked side by side that she really was learning a lot from the other woman. She even wrote down a few of Carol's own personal recipes and wanted to try them out tomorrow. And all of the customers were great. All in all, she hadn't had too much time to worry about anything that was happening outside of the bakery. It quickly became her little safe haven. For eight hours anyway. When it was finally quitting time she felt her mood fall drastically.

As soon as she got into the car her phone rang and she answered it quickly. Buck's deep voice rumbled in her ear.

"How you doin', darlin'?"

She smiled slightly. "I love the job. It's distracting."

"That's good cause I got bad news."

Carol's heart sank. "How bad?"

"Three months bad. We're tryin to keep it from goin' to trial. They won't set bail."

"Three months?" She breathed.

"As far as it stands right now but I got people workin' on it. That's worse case scenario."

"Not really. Worse case scenario is it going to trial and then him getting actual prison time."

Buck sighed heavily. "Yeah but I've got strings I can pull. I'm almost sure that won't happen."

"Almost?" She hated the sound of despair that saturated her voice. "And if it does go to trial?"

"It won't."

"But if it does?" She pressed. She wanted to know what they were dealing with.

"Three to five is the least he'll get. That's straight time. But that isn't happening."

"Years?" She whispered, the tears overflowing now.

"Why don't you come on over to the garage. The kids are already here and then I'm gonna send you and Merle out for some food. Get you and Sophia settled in at the house, okay? And don't forget that I'm all over this. He's my boy, and I'll handle it. You gotta trust me."

"Okay. I was thinking about picking up some more stuff of mine and Sophia's ton-"

"It's already done. All your clothes, everything that looked like it belonged to you or your girl is out already."

She breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

"Bye Buck." She ended the call and then stared at the screen of her phone before she shoved it into her bag. She wiped at her eyes but it did no good. Regardless of what he was to her, she couldn't go three months without seeing him. She just couldn't. She couldn't even fathom years. A lot of things could happen in a matter of years. He could forget all about her in that amount of time.

After she got herself under control, at least to the point where she was no longer crying, she pulled out and headed for the garage. She wanted to make sure Sophia was okay. This was all so much for her to have to go through. Sophia and Daryl weren't close but they liked each other and Sophia had just seen him get arrested that morning. How had their lives become so turned upside down in such a short time?

When she pulled up Merle was outside talking to another man that she had met at the cook out but she couldn't remember his name. She had met a lot of people and keeping track of them all was impossible. She found Sophia with Piper and Damon and a couple of other boys that looked like they fit right in. Sophia, to Carol's surprise, was smiling at something Piper was saying, that carefree look back in her eyes.

When Sophia looked up her smile faded and she hurried over to Carol. "Mom, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Carol nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine. From what I hear we're moving tonight."

Sophia nodded. "Yeah, Damon took me by there and it's a nice little place. It's pretty secluded but it isn't far from June and Odin so we won't have to worry about-"

"I don't think we'd have to worry about him anyway, honey. I'm pretty sure he learned his lesson last night. He'll leave us alone."

Sophia looked at her feet for a moment before meeting Carol's eyes again. "I know that all of this is a lot to handle. I know that now, with Daryl gone you feel like you have to handle it all on your own, but I'm here. I'm not a baby anymore and you don't have to handle me. It's me and you, okay? And me and you are a lot tougher than we look. Or we will be."

Carol studied her for a second and realized that she was right. They were tougher than they looked and they would get through it. "I'm going to try to get us an apartment somewhere okay? Something that can just be ours. A fresh start."

"What about when Daryl gets out?" Sophia asked, searching her eyes.

Carol sighed and shook her head. "You to, huh? Sophia, me and Daryl aren't a unit. We're not a couple. He isn't my husband. I want him out of that place just as much as the next person but what do you all expect? The two of us to go house hunting together?"

Sophia held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. I get it. I just thought-"

"Well don't. He's wonderful and I care about him but everyone is under some impression that just isn't true." The words made her chest ache but they needed to be said.

Sophia nodded and grabbed her hand. "Buck's waiting. He wants to talk to you about something before you and Merle leave."

Carol followed her, feeling more tired than she had any right to. After pointing to a closed door Sophia walked away, smiling over her shoulder. She knocked a few times and waited. When the door opened up Randy stepped out, and she felt that initial fear fill her at the site of him but then he grinned, leaned down and actually kissed her cheek.

"Good to see you again, sweetheart."

"I-er- You too Randy." She smiled back and waited for him to walk away before she slipped into the room. Buck was sitting at the head of a huge glossy black table. The walls of the room were paneled in dark wood and photographs lined a long shelf on the far wall. Behind her was a leather couch, a flat screen television sitting on a plush white rug. The contrast to the rest of the garage was startling. This was the room of a very important man. This room screamed power and danger. She swallowed hard before looking at Buck again. The room suited him in every way.

"You want a drink? You look like you could use one, baby girl."

She shook her head and blushed at the affectionate term. "No thank you."

He pointed to the chair to the left of him and she hurriedly sat down. She didn't even want to touch the table top for fear of smudging it. When she met his eyes he was watching her curiously. "You ain't gotta be nervous."

She shook her head and lied. "I'm not."

He smiled and then reached out, raking his thumb along her cheek. She stayed very still, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. When he pulled his thumb back he showed her. "Flour." He wiped it onto his dark jeans and took in a heavy breath. "Daryl ever tell you about the house I bought for his mama?"

She frowned at the topic but shook her head. "No, he never mentioned it. We never really had too much time to talk..."

He cocked one eyebrow at her and she flushed, averting her eyes and clearing her throat. "Anyway," Buck said with a grin, "I was wondering if you could help me out with somethin'?"

She nodded eagerly. "Of course." She would do anything he needed her to do but she couldn't think of any way she could be useful to him.

"That house has sat out there empty for a good many years. About eighteen to be exact. We've kept up on repairs but a house goes to shit real fast when it ain't bein' lived in. Not only that but everything is outdated and all that. I moved out of there damn near as soon as the boys mama passed and I never could bring myself to do a damn thing with it. I'm gonna have my hands full around here and dealin' with all this aftermath. I was wonderin', if I sent some guys out there to fix it up, if you'd let them know what to do. You know, however you would want things to be, you make it happen."

"Me? You want me to be some sort of interior decorator for you?"

He chuckled. "I trust you. Do whatever you want to the place. Just act like it's yours, alright? If I let June take over I'll be having to hire painters to get rid of the pink and yellow."

She smiled at that. "When do you want me to start?"

He shrugged. "I already got the guys ready and the money put back. You just let me know when you feel like it." He got up so she got up with him. He led her to the door, his hand at the small of her back. "You and Merle run and get some take out for these kids and we'll meet you back at the house, alright?"

She nodded. "What about the house we were suppose to stay in? The safe house?"

He nodded. "After dinner. I didn't get a chance to stock up on anything so I want you two to get something to eat before you head out. If you want Merle already offered to go back with you and spend the night."

"I don't think he needs too. You guys have done too much already."

He smiled. "Darlin', I don't think you realize how much we owe you." He stepped around her, not giving her a chance to ask him what he was talking about. The only thing she had done was stumble into their lives and cause chaos.