Reposting this real quick. It was all messed up in my doc manager and didn't know it so when I posted the first time it was a mess. Sorry about that!

Chapter Forty Three

Another month had come and gone. Three months. Twelve weeks. Ninety days. However you wanted to phrase it, that was a lot of time to lose. He hadn't thought much about what could happen in the course of three months. Not until he had to sit on his ass for that amount of time. Well, not really sit on his ass. There were a lot of times that he was able to go to the exercise room and work out. There were times when Shane or Martinez would come to his cell and play cards or bring him something from some fast food joint. And twice in three months Shane had risked his ass to let Carol come into his cell. That wasn't something that Martinez would have okayed. It was too risky.

The first time she had shown up it had scared him to death. He had seen her before that, of course, during regular visits. But seeing her that close, without anything between them had been startling. She had been sick, weak, thin, pale, weeping at the drop of a hat. He had been sure that she was hiding the fact that she was dying. He had seriously thought that she was just going to keep wasting away until one day she just didn't come for their weekly visit. Like she would just fade away.

The second time was different. She was still thin but she had her color back, she smiled a lot. And she had mauled him. Any visit that included sex, cupcakes and the knowledge that the charges against him could possibly get dropped was a great fucking visit in his book.

"Your father is going to have me murdered, Daryl Dixon," Andrea grumbled.

He glanced over. "He ain't gotta know every fuckin' thing that's going on with me. I'm a grown ass man!"

She scoffed at that. "No you aren't. If you had been thinking like a grown ass man to begin with you never would have been put in this situation."

"You know what? It's over now so I don't need anymore of your council you high and mighty-"

"Daryl Dixon, I'll make it to where your ass has to walk home if you dare call me a bitch," she snapped, letting the door fall shut behind her.

He followed her out into the late evening sun. This was the first time he had been outside since the day he had gotten arrested. Every meeting he had had in the last three months was in that damn jail. Andrea let him have his moment, knowing that he needed to just take a breath. She waited at the bottom of the steps, checking her makeup with a small mirror she had pulled from her oversized purse.

"Why didn't you want me telling Buck anything anyway?" She asked once he made it to the sidewalk.

He shrugged. "Honestly, I was afraid for all of them to get their hopes up and then Dave pop up out of nowhere and they decide to press it again. I wanted my feet in the dirt before I even let myself believe that I managed to dodge this bullet."

"Well, you're still on probation for the next year so I wouldn't get too comfortable with this new found freedom, buddy. The likelihood of you staying out of trouble is slim and we both know it. I give it four months before I get called out of bed to come and see what you've gotten your fool self into."

"That ain't true. Quit actin' like you know a damn thing about me, woman," he grumbled.

"You're right. I don't know you. Not really. I've just spent the last ten years as your lawyer, been stuck dealing with your idiot actions and your father and brother's attempts to keep you out of trouble."

"It ain't gonna be like that anymore," he muttered, watching as the trees and houses whizzed past the car.

She laughed. "Is that right? So these three months really changed you, huh?"

He shook his head and glanced at her. "No. Not the last three months. The week or so before the last three months."

She didn't say anything else after that and he didn't offer up anymore conversation. She was right. He had known her for a long time but that didn't mean that she knew him. He had a tough road ahead of him. It wasn't going to be easy, but this was a second chance. He was going to do the best he could to make something of himself.

He had her drop him off on the road by the driveway leading to the house. He didn't want anyone looking out and seeing him.

"Daryl," Andrea said quickly after he shut the car door.

He turned, bending down so he could look at her through the open window. "Yeah?"

She sighed and then offered him a smile. "Something, against my better judgment mind you, is telling me that you're sincere. I really do hope things turn around for you. You aren't as bad as everyone thinks you are. None of you are."

He gave her a lopsided smile. "Things have already turned around woman." He turned and headed down the driveway. He was relieved to see Carol's car parked behind Merle's bike. The truck was parked in front of it. He used the key to unlock the front door instead of knocking or ringing the bell. No one other than Shane, Andrea and Martinez knew he was out. It had been hard because Buck was like a dog with a bone but they had kept their word and not spilled anything.

He walked in, the familiar smell of the place bringing a smile to his face. He heard the sound of the T.V. coming from the living room so he made his way to the room. When he walked in he stopped in his tracks. Merle was there, sitting on the couch with his head resting on the back, sound asleep. Carol was there too, sleeping with her bare legs draped over Merle's lap. Merle's hand was on her calve and from the looks of it she was fast asleep as well.

For all of ten seconds Daryl was pissed. Jealousy raising it's ugly head. Then he took a moment to really look at them. She was on her back, wearing a t-shirt she must have found in his own closet. She had her head lying on a pillow that he knew belonged to him and his vest was draped over her like a blanket.

He walked around to the back of the couch and flicked Merle's ear. Merle grumbled and shook his head but didn't open his eyes. Daryl snorted and did it again.

"Goddamn it, Piper," he muttered, still not looking to see who was there.

"Get the fuck up numb nuts," Daryl said in a low voice.

Merle's eyes snapped open and he craned his neck to look behind him. He opened his mouth to say something, eyes wide, but Daryl shook his head and put his finger to his lips, motioning towards a still sleeping Carol.

"She won't wake up," Merle said with a shake of his head as he glanced at her. "She does this every damn day after work. She comes here and she sleeps on the couch for a few hours. Nothin' wakes her up."

Daryl frowned. This was one of those quirks about someone that you realized about them after spending a lot of time with them. He wasn't jealous of his brother because he thought that his brother or Carol would ever do anything to betray him, but it was Merle that had spent these months with her. Merle knew her quirks. Merle knew her habits. Merle probably knew what her favorite foods were and what kind of movies she liked to watch. Daryl didn't know any of that and for a second he was filled with an overwhelming sense of envy.

"I gotta take a piss," Merle muttered, lifting her legs and moving out from under them. "She's gonna wake up starving. She always does. You got one weird fuckin' woman, brother. I'm glad you get to finally do all this shit. I'm wore out." He was grumbling but Daryl saw his eyes soften as he glanced down at her. It was obvious that when he had asked Merle to look after her, he had taken the job seriously.

Merle didn't leave the room without pulling him in for a hug. He slapped him hard on the back. "We knew you were getting out soon but nobody would tell us shit. Glad to see you free baby brother."

"You and me both."

Merle left the room and Daryl knelt down in front of the couch. Her brows furrowed in her sleep. "Carol," he said, smoothing out her frown with a finger.

Her lips turned up and she pulled his vest up a little higher but her eyes didn't open. He shrugged and then pressed his lips to hers firmly.

She pulled away with a startled squeak and then all he heard was the crack of her hand across his cheek as she slapped him. "What in the hell is wrong with you!" She shrieked, completely outraged.

"Ouch!" He barked, his hand going up, feeling the heat rising off his stinging face.

Her eyes grew impossibly wide and then she sat up, rubbing her eyes and then looking at him again.

"What in the hell is goin' on in here?" Merle bellowed as he came back in.

"I thought you were kissing me so I slapped you but it wasn't you!" Carol explained, the artery in her neck was jumping wildly. "Daryl?"

He stared at her, nodding.

She reached out, grabbing the sides of his face and yanked him towards her. Before he could open his mouth to say anything she was kissing him.

Merle sighed and left the room again, now that he knew no one was being assaulted. She pulled back, her eyes bright. "You're here!"

He nodded. "Yeah, I can see that."

"Why in the hell didn't you let us know? Do you have any idea how worried we've been. Andrea has ignored all of our calls and Martinez and Shane kept giving us the runaround. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought I would just show up. I didn't know you were gonna smack me for it."

"I really did think you were Merle. I thought he'd lost his damn mind. That's disgusting."

"Well fuck you too," Merle muttered as he came back in.

Carol rolled her eyes and took the hand Daryl offered her. She stood up. "I'm starving," she muttered, yawning loudly. She ignored Merle's sarcastic look, taking Daryl's hand and steering him towards the kitchen.

Merle grabbed her arm before she could get past him. "Save your appetite, little sister. I called Buck and they got the grills fired up already. We're goin' to the garage."

Daryl groaned. "Damn it, Merle. Couldn't you have just kept this shit to yourself?"

Merle scowled. "That man's been goin' outta his fuckin' mind over your ass, boy. Hell no I wasn't gonna keep you bein' out to myself."

"You shoulda just told him to get the kids and get his ass home. I don't feel like dealin' with all those people tonight."

Merle stared at him like he'd grown an extra head. "What the hell are you talkin' about? You love those goddamn get togethers. We got people from three more charters rollin' in right now just to see your ass. Buck only did it for you."

Daryl sighed. "Fine. Let's roll then."

Carol didn't seem too happy about it either but she slipped on a pair of boots and dragged him off to the door.

"Where'd you get those boots?" He asked as she quickly climbed onto the back of his bike. She could wear the hell out of some biker boots.

She looked down. "Merle got them for me."

He scowled but didn't say anything about it. It wasn't like he could buy her anything while he was in jail. He wasn't going to let it dampen his spirits. He was a free man and he was about to see his family. So what if Merle knew her better than he did. So what if Merle bought her shit and let her sleep with her legs in his lap. So what if Merle had been there for her while she was sick and he was the one that watched out for her. So what if Merle effortlessly slipped into the role of a decent man.

He ignored the thoughts that were trying to drag him down. Forcing him to second guess himself. His brother had only done what Daryl has asked him to do. Nothing more. When her arms came around his waist he let it sooth the turmoil in his mind. Before starting the bike he ran his hands down her smooth thighs that were pressed against his hips. They would be alright. They would get into their own routine. He didn't need to stress himself out over shit that he couldn't change. All he could do was be the man his brother had been for her.

Man, that sounded fucked up even in his own head.