Hey! I know you guys are beyond ready for this separation to be over. Not much longer now, I promise I wouldn't write a story where they stay apart the whole time! I know stories like this are hard to stick with sometimes. It will work out =) Thanks for reading!

Chapter Thirty Nine

Carol still felt a little shaken but she was getting better. Seeing him and actually being able to feel him against her had seemed to put her back together and rip her into pieces all at the same time. He was so worried about her. More than worried really. He seemed scared for her and he wasn't scared of anything. She felt like crying again and not stopping. She hated herself right now. Hated herself because she had came to a decision to leave if he didn't get out. If he had to serve a heavy sentence then she was going to take Sophia and go. She would start over somewhere else. She wouldn't let him suffer even more than he would end up suffering already.

She hated herself even more because she knew, deep down, she would never ever be able to go through with it. He would know, and he would suffer for it. If he went to prison he would have to go knowing he had a child.

"You feelin' better?" Merle asked, swiping at a smudge of paint on his forehead.

She nodded. "I think so. I hope Shane doesn't get in any trouble. I just needed to see him I guess."

"Looks like it done you some good. Got some color back in your face. You wanna grab somethin' to eat?" He watched her as she ran her hand over the polished wood of the banister.

The mention of food had her stomach swirling with nausea and she shook her head quickly. "No, I think I'd rather just finish up here."

"When was the last time you ate anything?"

"Merle-"

"When?" He snapped, his eyes hard.

"June made me some soup and brought it in. I ate some before I went to see Daryl."

"Did it stay down?" He asked wearily.

"Yes, actually. It did. She's making some more and said she'll bring it by tonight."

"You know, if I let anything happen to you while he's in there, he's gonna run me over when he gets out. Why don't you just go back to the damn doctor? Buck offered to pay for it. I offered to take you. You're wastin' away to nothin' woman."

"I'm fine, Merle."

"Buck asked me the other day if I thought you were pregnant," he said, a frown between his eyes.

She was amazed that she was able to keep her face schooled. "Merle, I knew your brother for a few weeks before he got sent away. I'm thirty four years old. Do you think I'm stupid enough to let something like that happen?"

"No. That's what I told him. I guess he was just hoping that it wasn't somethin' bad."

"Are you done with the kitchen?" She asked, knowing if he didn't shut up then she was going to cry.

He growled but nodded. "We're down to that one room upstairs. Other than that I can't think of a damn thing left to do."

She nodded. "I'll take care of the last room. It's important to make it as perfect as possible. Somebody is going to love this place."

He nodded, his eyes taking in all of the progress they had made over the last month. "You're right. It's about damn time too."

She wrapped her arm around his and smiled sadly. "What do you think he'll end up getting out of this place?"

Merle shrugged. "I don't know. He won't try to get a whole lot. He just wants somebody here. Houses go to shit when they ain't lived in."

"Why didn't Daryl ever want this place?" She asked, glancing up at him.

He shrugged. "This place was meant for a family, not some single guy."

The words were like acid to her already frayed emotions. She was being ridiculous and she knew it but it wasn't like she could control it. She tried to slip away so he wouldn't see her tears but he saw them anyway and jerked her back.

"What the hell did I say?" He asked, his eyes wide and frantic.

She blinked the tears away and stared at him. "Nothing." She shook her head. "I just don't feel good. Maybe we should just go back to your place. I'm tired anyway."

He stared at her but finally nodded, relieved that she wasn't going to start crying all over him. They drove back to Buck's in silence but she could feel him glancing at her occasionally. She didn't blame him. She had woken up that morning in tears for no reason. She had managed to keep her emotions in check for most of the morning but then June brought up Daryl and that careful composure crumbled. She hadn't been able to hold back and June had instantly reacted. She had talked to someone on the phone and then had demanded Carol leave work and ask to speak to an officer Walsh. Carol had nearly walked right out of the police station when she realized that Walsh was the man that had arrested Daryl to begin with.

She needed to be more careful. If she was going to keep the baby a secret then she had to stop acting like a... pregnant woman.

"You know, everything is gonna work out, right?" Merle finally said before they pulled into the driveway. "This lifestyle is hard but we always end up makin' it in the long run. Ain't sure how it's gonna play out but I know he won't set foot in a prison. It's just a feelin', but things are gonna be fine."

Carol shook her head, swallowing through the lump in her throat at the concern she saw in his eyes. "I just don't see how that's going to happen. I know we all want it too but that isn't gonna make it happen."

He sighed and got out, waiting for her to join him before he walked with her to the door. They all acted like she was going to break. Sometimes she wondered if they really had something to be worried about.

~H~

Sophia wasn't sure if this was such a good idea. She didn't know many of the other kids that they were hanging out with but from the looks of them they were a lot like Piper and the guys. They had met up with them in an abandoned barn on the outskirts of town. It was set far away from the road and behind it was a pond. That was where they were all hanging out now. There was something going on that Sophia didn't know about. Piper and Damon had been acting strange for a few days now and it was really starting to bother her. It reminded her of what Sara had said that day. She wasn't one of them. She was starting to feel like that was the truth.

She was leaning against one of the few trees, watching the rest of the kids talking and laughing around a low burning fire. Damon and Piper were a few feet away from her, talking in low voices. She couldn't make out what they were saying and she wasn't going to make a total ass of herself by butting into their conversation.

She wished she had driven herself but she had ridden with Damon and Piper had came with a guy that she sometimes made out with in secret but refused to call him her boyfriend. So she was stuck. She wouldn't dare call her mom to come and pick her up. Not only was this place off limits to any parents, even Merle, but she didn't want her mom doing anymore than she had to. She was terrified for her mom and for herself. She was starting to think that whatever was wrong with her was really bad. So bad that her mom wouldn't even talk about it.

She sighed and then pushed off the tree, making her way towards the group. She never should have came here but now that she was here she wasn't going to stand around by herself. There were a few people actually sitting in front of the fire, beers in hand. She sat down between a guy and a girl. They both looked up at her and nodded before looking back at the fire.

"You wanna beer?"

She looked up and saw the boy she had sat next to holding a beer out to her. She wasn't a fan of beer. She had drank it a few times but it wasn't really a taste that she could get used to. Her eyes went to the last place that Piper and Damon had been but they weren't there. As a matter of fact she couldn't see them anywhere. Anger lit a spark in her and she snatched the beer, popped the top and took a few long drinks.

"So, what's your name?" The boy asked, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"Sophia," she said, forcing more beer down her before she could spit it out.

"I'm Tyler."

She nodded and followed his gaze back to the fire. She finished her beer in silence, stewing over being ditched at a party that she hadn't even wanted to come to in the first place. "You got another one?" She asked, shaking her empty beer can in front of Tyler.

He grinned then pulled a small cooler around so it was sitting between them. "Help yourself."

"Thank you," she muttered, opening the lid and reaching into the ice.

"You from around here?" He asked as she started on her second beer.

She nodded. "Yeah. I go to Monroe. You?"

He laughed. "I don't go to school."

"Drop out?" She asked, no judgment in her voice.

"Kicked out."

She shook her head. "What did you get kicked out for?"

He shrugged and leaned back on his arms. "Fighting mostly."

"I got in a fight about a month ago," she said, remembering the satisfaction it had given her to slap Sara right in the face.

He raised an eyebrow. "You? You don't look like the type."

"I get that a lot actually," she muttered finishing another beer as fast as she had the first. "You know what I don't get?"

"What's that?" He asked, looking amused.

"What the hell type do I look like? I mean, really? I don't fit in with you leather vest wearing assholes and I don't fit in with those dicks at school. None of them. I'm serious. You see cliques all the time and there's always a group out there for someone. But do you think there is for me?"

"I'm guessing no."

She nodded. "Exactly. The only damn reason I'm here at all is because my mom got drunk and slept with some biker. If it wasn't for that do you think I would be here talking to you?"

"Uh... no?"

"No. I would be at home eating ice cream with my mom, watching reruns of Three's Company and turning into a lard ass. I wouldn't be sitting here, drinking beers with some stranger while my asshole boyfriend ignores me half the night and then disappears on me."

"You have a boyfriend?"

"Yes, I do. But do you see him? Of course not. Because actually hanging out with me instead of conspiring with his cousin would be too damn much to ask."

"Who is he?"

"Damon Dixon."

"Shit," he muttered, taking the beer from her and scooting away. "You need to go talk to someone else."

"What? Why?" She asked, reaching for the beer that she had nearly finished.

"Because I didn't come out here to get into a fight with that bastard."

She scowled. "I thought you got kicked out of school for fighting. You're scared of him?"

He shook his head. "I didn't say I was scared of him. I just said I didn't come out here to have to fight him."

"And why would you have to fight him?" She asked, feeling her anger spike even more.

"Because if you're his girlfriend then I don't have any business chatting you up."

"He doesn't own me!" She snapped.

He chuckled. "You keep telling yourself that sweetheart."

She stood up then and was surprised when she swayed a little. How many beers had she sat there and chugged for Christ sakes! "Can I at least take one more for the road?"

He sighed and handed her one more. "Take it easy, Sophia."

She glowered at him and then stalked off towards the barn. There were a few people in there, but she wasn't sure if that's where Damon and Piper had gone. Who knew what the hell those two were up too. She was half tempted to start walking home. She didn't want to be here if she was just going to have to walk around aimlessly by herself.

"Hey, there you are." Damon's voice sounded from behind her and he grabbed her arm lightly to slow her down.

She jerked her arm out of his grip and spun around. "What the hell do you mean, here I am! I've been fallowing you around like some idiot all damn night!"

His eyes widened. "Look, I know that I've been-"

"And then I sit down and actually have a conversation with someone, someone who actually spoke back and then he sends me off because you're a big fat jerk!"

He gaped at her. "Sophia I was-"

"You do not own me!" She barked taking a step back and almost falling. He caught her quickly.

"I never said I owned you. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Tyler said that you owned me. Or thought you owned me. And you do not own me."

"Tyler? When the hell did you talk to that ass?"

"When you and Piper snuck off and left me alone."

"We didn't sneak off. We're trying to figure something out, okay? Something big. Are you drinking?"

She finished off the new beer. "Yes. What else am I suppose to do while walking around here like an idiot."

"Sophia, come on, it isn't like that." He grabbed her hand and she seriously thought about pulling away again but she realized suddenly how incredibly good looking he was. She let him pull her closer.

"Then what's it like? Because it sure as hell feels like I've been in your way. You and Piper have been acting weird for days."

He shook his head. "It's nothing you want to be a part of okay? Just trust me."

"If it has something to do with you then I want to be a part of it. Tell me what it is."

He looked torn and she knew that she was wearing him down. She wound her arms around his neck and walked backwards, dragging him towards the side of the barn. He followed, helping her stay upright. He still wasn't giving anything up though. She turned, gripping his hand and leading him towards his bike. "What are you doing?"

She pointed to the bike. "Sit."

"Why?" He asked. "We can't leave just yet."

"Please?"

He sighed and climbed on the bike, keeping his booted feet planted on the ground. "What the hell is the point of this?" He cocked one dark eyebrow at her.

She climbed on, facing him and shoving at his chest until he sat down on the seat. As soon as he did she leaned into him, her lips on his. Kissing was easy now. They kissed all the time. A few times he had even managed to get his hand halfway up her shirt before she shoved it back down. Knowing it was probably the alcohol but not caring, she deepened the kiss.

He gripped her hips and pulled his face away from hers. "What are you doin'?" He asked, his voice deeper, the way it usually got when she kissed him.

"Nothing," she smiled, sliding onto his lap to where he had no choice but to lean back a little to keep her from sliding off.

"You're drunk," he growled as she kissed his neck.

"I think I might be. I think I like it."

"You shouldn't be crawling all over me while you're drunk."

"When we do it, we should do it on this bike. Not many girls can say they lost their virginity on a vintage Harley."

He pulled his head back, his dark eyes wide. "You're gonna be embarrassed as hell in the mornin' if you remember sayin' that."

She nodded and grinned. "I probably will, but I think about it all the time."

He sighed. "We need to head back before you try to get me to do somethin' you'll regret later."

"Tell me what you and Piper are up to," she whispered into his ear.

He laughed then and wrapped his arms around her, hauling her so she was fit against him like a puzzle piece. "Sophia, are you trying to seduce information out of me?"

"Is it working?" She leaned back and made a face.

"It would if you hadn't been drinking. But I ain't that guy."

"What guy?"

"The guy that takes advantage of his drunk girlfriend." He grinned.

She didn't smile back. She held his gaze, forcing her eyes to tear up. It was a trick that she had learned a long time ago when she had decided that she wanted to grow up and be in the movies. It still came in handy every once in a while. "Why don't you trust me?"

His face grew tense as he noticed the tears and then his arms were around her. "Fine. We're lookin' for someone, okay? That's it. That's the big secret."

She snorted and then had to laugh at his shocked expression.

"You fake cried so I'd tell you something? What the hell happened to that sweet girl I met in Science class?"

"You corrupted her. Now, who are you looking for?"

He looked like he was about to close her out again but he finally looked away, cursing under his breath. "You can't tell a fucking soul. This is serious shit."

"I won't. Who are you looking for?"

He met her eyes and held her gaze for a long time. "Dave Henderson."

She made a face. She knew that name. Had been hearing that name a lot here lately. "Why are you trying to find that guy?"

Damon finally met her eyes again. "Because if there's no Dave Henderson then there's no trial."

Sophia let this sink in for a long time before responding. When she did it was obviously not what he expected her to say. "I'm in."