AN at the end! =)

Chapter Sixty Two

"I don't like it," Daryl grumbled as he sat on the bed and watched her. "It's dangerous just the two of you bein' out by yourselves like that."

She turned from the mirror and offered him a smile. "I know you don't like it but I really want to do this."

"Why the hell can't we all go?"

She turned around to face him, meeting his eyes. He looked like a petulant child. "Because I feel like I don't even know her anymore. Up until I met you, Sophia and I were all each other had. We were so close and now we're both so involved with our own roles in this family that I feel like..." she shook her head, feeling stupid.

He smiled slightly. "You feel like what?"

"I feel like I'm losing her and I feel like it's my fault. Being a part of this family is amazing. It's the most amazing thing that could have happened to either of us, but I don't want to lose what we had. In one year she'll be eighteen. She'll move out on her own and start her own life or she'll go to college and I don't want this year to slip by like the last few months have." She watched his eyes carefully and was relieved when she saw understanding there.

"Okay, I get it. But you do know that this is normal right? She's doin' her own thing too. Don't beat yourself up because you can't hold on to her as tight as you used to. She's got friends now. She's got Damon now."

Carol nodded. "I know that. I just want to spend some time with her. Just me and her."

"That shit makes me paranoid," he grumbled.

She let him pull her down on top of him. "I know," she said, her lips brushing over his. "But it's dinner and a movie. And I want to tell her that me and you snuck off and got married. We were planning on telling her first, remember? Just like with the baby? Everything gets messed up before we can ever tell her anything ourselves. I want to tell her."

"Fair enough. Just keep your phone close. Keep your gun close."

She pushed his hair back from his face and kissed him. His hands went around to her ass, hauling her closer. He deepened the kiss and for a few moments she lost her train of thought. Finally she pulled away, scurrying off of him before he had a chance to grab her. "I'm leaving," she said, giving him a pointed look.

"You just meeting her up there?" He asked, standing up and stretching, rolling his shoulders as she watched him. He grinned.

She narrowed her eyes and nodded. "Yes. Then we'll go see a movie or something. Take a walk. I'm not sure just yet. We used to walk down to the canal a lot. Maybe we'll go there."

He sighed.

"Stop worrying. We'll be fine."

He gave her a stiff nod and then she finally was able to escape him.

~H~

"I don't like it. You two don't need to be out by yourselves. It's too damn dangerous," Damon groused as he sat down heavily in the chair in Piper's room.

Sophia flounced down sideways on his lap, throwing her legs over the arm of the chair and causing him to grunt. "We're fine. I'm really looking forward to spending time with my mom. It seems like we're always doing something and we just wave in passing. I'm always with you and Piper and she's always off with your mom or spending time with Daryl."

He sighed. "That's how things are suppose to be. You're seventeen, not five."

She elbowed him and smiled. "I know it sounds stupid but before meeting all of you, it was always just me and her. We were the only family we had."

He shook his head, his dark eyes softening. "That ain't stupid at all. I get it. I just don't like you two goin' off alone."

She shook her head and tried to get up but his arms locked around her.

"You have a gun in the glove compartment. Use it if you need to."

She nodded. He had taught her how to use a gun not long after they first met and she was surprisingly good at it. He reluctantly let her get up and then she was grabbing her keys. Piper wasn't there yet because she was still out with Eli.

"I mean it, Sophia. You Keep that damn phone and that gun close."

She rolled her eyes. "You act like we're in the mob." She was almost to the door when Merle came around the corner with Randy. He grinned and ruffled her hair, causing her to huff and try to smooth it back down.

"Hot date?" Merle asked.

Sophia shook her head. "Me and my mom are going out."

Merle and Randy shared a look and they both scowled. "Alone?"

Sophia threw her arms in the air. "We're going up town! Would everyone stop pretending we're going on a nightly stroll in the middle of Detroit?" She didn't wait for any of them to reply. She grabbed her keys and stormed off. She loved them all but Jesus!

~H~

Carol waited outside of the Chinese restaurant, feeling nostalgic. When Sophia got out of the car she looked annoyed but when she saw Carol she smiled and then glanced around before meeting her mother's eyes and laughing.

"Is this place symbolic now?" Sophia asked, as they walked through the doors.

Carol nodded. "Yes. I think it is. Imagine how different our life would be if I hadn't let you treat me like a human Barbie doll and then our car hadn't broken down here." She tried to school her features into something serious but it didn't work for long and they both laughed.

"I never did get that skirt back," Sophia muttered after they ordered drinks.

Carol felt her face flush and she busied herself with the menu. "I want to do this at least once a week."

Sophia looked up. "What, eat Chinese food?"

Carol rolled her eyes. "No. I want us to get out, just you and me. I miss you."

Sophia's smile softened and for just a moment Carol saw the little girl that Sophia used to be. "I'd like that, mom."

"And I have something to tell you. Something big," Carol said, suddenly feeling nervous.

Sophia laughed. "What now? Did you run off and get married without telling anyone?" Carol felt her eyes widen and then Sophia looked up. "Mom?"

Carol cleared her throat. "It all just sort of happened."

"You're married?"

Carol felt horrible but then Sophia shook her head and laughed. "Mom, I can't even be mad at you for not telling me. I'm just happy that you're happy."

Carol breathed out a sigh of relief and then the waiter came to take their order. When he walked away she looked up sheepishly. "I swear if I do anything else, you'll be the first to know about it. I promise. Now, it's just you and me and we need to talk. It hasn't been just you and me for a long time."

Sophia nodded. "I know. I love spending time with everyone else but I miss this. Not that we were able to really do anything like have dinner before, with Ed around and all, but it was always just us."

Carol nodded. "I know." She looked up and out of the corner of her eye she saw someone walk by on the other side of the restaurant. In that brief glimpse she was sure she saw a leather jacket and her eyes narrowed.

"What's wrong?" Sophia asked.

Carol took another sip from her drink and then stood up. "I'll be right back," she said quickly. She walked to the other side of the room, her eyes scanning the tables. It was crowded tonight but she spotted what she was looking for towards the very back. She stormed over to the table but then she stopped in her tracks.

She thought that Daryl had followed her, or sent someone else to follow her but she had been mistaken. The man's back was to her and she realized that the patches on his jacket were not the same as the ones on Daryl's or Merle's or any of the other men. He was sitting across from a younger man, maybe still a teenager, who glanced up at her and frowned.

Without a word she turned and went back to her table, feeling a little ridiculous to think that Daryl would follow her.

"Everything okay?" Sophia asked with a frown.

Carol rolled her eyes and sat down in front of her plate. Their food had arrived while she was away from the table. "Yes. For a second I thought that Daryl had followed us here. False alarm."

Sophia rolled her eyes. "Maybe it was Damon."

Carol shook her head. "At least we know they care," she said with a sigh.

Sophia chewed thoughtfully. "That's true."

"Okay, enough about paranoid Dixon's. How is school?"

Sophia raised a brow and smiled. "School is good. How is work?"

Carol laughed. "Work is good. How is your devil worship thing going?"

Sophia nodded. "It's great. How is the pregnancy going?"

They both laughed and ate in silence for a while. The conversation came easier after that and Carol was so glad they had decided to do this. Sophia was different. She was different. But that didn't seem to matter. It felt good to sit down and have a meal with her daughter without any underlying tension. They didn't have anything to worry about. They didn't have to deal with any of the things that had hung over them for so long. They were just able to talk and laugh. It was a comfort to know that they hadn't lost anything over these months.

~H~

Daryl felt like a total creeper. It shouldn't have been a big deal if his wife went out to have dinner with her daughter. But it was. He didn't like them out alone. Sure, it was probably just paranoia but it was better safe than sorry. He would rather them not need him and him still be there than them need him and he be sitting at home.

He was parked in the very back of the lot, under a broken street light so he was confident that they wouldn't see him. He didn't know if she'd be upset so he was just going to keep this a secret.

He saw them coming out and breathed a sigh of relief. They had already gone in when he had gotten here so he was waiting for them anxiously. He smiled to himself when they put their heads together and laughed. They both got into Sophia's car and pulled out of the parking lot. The plan was to meet there and then Sophia would drive them to the park where they would walk along the canal for the hour before the late movie started.

It was going to be a long night for him but if they were safe then it would be worth it. He stayed back far enough so they wouldn't know he was following them. There was one car between them but he wasn't too worried about that. Not until the car that was between them slowed and then pulled into the North entrance to the park.

He frowned, knowing that the park was usually abandoned at night. He was tempted to follow the car instead of Sophia's but he decided against it. Whoever was in that car couldn't have known where Carol and Sophia were going.

Sure enough Sophia pulled into the entrance further down and he slowed as he drove past. He would park the truck at the ball field and then he would follow them on foot. He frowned at the thought. This really wasn't normal. Then again, they didn't really lead normal lives.

He got out and started down the path he knew they would most likely take that would lead them to the canal. The dark water glittered with reflections from the lamps that were spaced out along the walkway. He stepped away from the path and spotted them about twenty yards away. He took off in their direction, keeping his distance. He was actually enjoying the walk when suddenly someone shoved him from the side.

He nearly lost his balance and toppled into the water but he righted himself at the last minute, swinging with everything he had as he turned because he heard the guy coming at him. His fist connected with a jaw that felt like it was made of concrete but at least the guy was knocked back a few feet. The guy was faster than he thought he would be and before Daryl could get his bearings the guy grabbed him and threw him on the ground. He was bigger than Daryl but Daryl couldn't see much of the other guy because they were in a spot between the gas lamps and everything was in shadow. He grunted when a fist caught him in the ribs.

He tried to buck the big bastard off of him, his adrenalin raging as panic washed over him. Was this guy after Carol and Sophia? He swung again and landed another blow to man's face and then the man returned the favor. Daryl saw lights dance before his eyes and then he rammed his knee up as hard as he could.

The guy rolled off, groaning and Daryl was on his feet. He was about to kick the sucker punching son of a bitch right in the ribs when the guy suddenly sat up and grabbed Daryl by the leg, yanking him down and crawling back on top of him.

He was able to scramble backwards and climb to his feet before the man could hold him down. He reached behind him, grabbing the gun that was shoved into the back of his pants. He felt the bruise where the gun had dug into him while he was on the ground.

To his surprise as soon as he had the gun raised, the man had his raised as well. The two of them stood there panting for a few seconds and then Daryl realized exactly who he was staring at. He dropped the gun in horror.

Damon did the same. Both of them cursing as they realized exactly who the other was. Daryl growled and slapped the boy in the side of the head. Damon ducked out of the way, tripped over his own feet and then landed on his ass.

"Fuck, I'm sorry! I didn't know it was you!" He said as he frantically scurried backwards. Daryl slapped him in the head again and then hauled him up.

"What the fuck are you doin' attacking me like that! I coulda shot you right in your stupid face!" Daryl barked.

"I was just watching out for Sophia and Carol! I thought you were some fuckin' stalker!" Damon grumbled as he tried to duck away from another slap. "Quit fuckin' hittin' me, damn it!"

"You're lucky I don't drown you in the canal you little bastard! You blacked my eye and bout gave me a goddamn heart attack!"

"Are you two finished?"

They both froze and then turned at the sound of Carol's disapproving voice. Daryl cursed. Carol and Sophia were standing there, arms crossed over their chests as they glared at them.

"Fuck," Daryl muttered.

Carol and Sophia shared a look, shaking their heads before they looked back. "You both know how completely stupid you just looked rolling around like that, right?" Carol asked.

Daryl and Damon shared another look and then nodded, both looking down.

Sophia sighed. "Well, now that you're here, you both get to join us. That new romantic comedy is playing tonight and since you didn't want to stay home, you can watch it with us."

Daryl groaned as Carol and Sophia stormed past them. This was just fucking great. "Good job, dumb ass," he growled as Damon fell in step beside him.

"Fuck off," Damon muttered, rubbing his jaw and scowling. "It was just as much your fault."

Carol and Sophia didn't glance back at them as they all headed towards their vehicles but Daryl had a feeling he was in for it once they got home. "She's gonna bitch about this for a fuckin' week."

Damon nodded. "No shit. Maybe we should have stayed home."

Daryl nodded but none of them said anything else.

So, I got a guest review from someone named Syd and I feel like I need to respond to it. She brought something to my attention that I hadn't even realized. She mentioned that in the beginning of this story, Carol and Sophia were extremely close, but as time went by they lost that. She was quick to remind me that she still loved the story, but missed their bond. I completely agree with her!

Sometimes it's really easy for a writer to get bogged down with the busyness of a story and little things like that get shoved to the back burner. I didn't mean to do it, but I did it all the same. This story is finished, yes, but that doesn't mean I can't improve it. So I have added things here and there and I hope that I've remedied that a little. Syd, don't ever be nervous to point out things like this to me. Some writers want people to kiss their ass and when someone don't they get pissed. I'm not that writer. I love this story. It means a lot to me that my readers enjoy it too. If you see me slacking, by all means, let me know! So, thanks to Syd, you all will probably get a few more chapters of this story. Thanks for reading, and thanks, Syd, for pointing this out to me! =)