All publicly recognized characters are owned by Robert Kirkman and belong to the TWD.
Thanks to everyone for the feed back from chapter 1. This is my first fanfic and honestly the first thing I have ever written. Pleasel leave a review and let me know what you think.
Chapter 2
As I am putting the last books away I look up and see a tall man standing at the checkout counter. I wonder if he is someone's husband, we don't get many men that rugged looking come through our doors, but I've never seen him before. I would remember those broad shoulders and lean muscular build. Surely I would know if he is one of the parents picking up their children from the afterschool program; I interact with them daily. No, this man is new.
I put back the last book on my cart and begin walking over to the counter. I normally don't work the front desk, but my coworker is nowhere to be found. As I get closer I notice the man has a careless, hard look about him, but I know better. I've worn that mask many times. To the outside he may look cool and collected, but I can tell by the fidgeting of his hands he is nervous.
As soon as I round the corner to go behind the desk his eyes snap up to me and his hand goes to his mouth. I am met with a pair of the deepest gray eyes I have ever seen. I know for certain now that he is a kindred spirit. Our pain is hard to mask with eyes that deep. He begins chewing on his thumbnail and quickly drops my gaze.
"Good afternoon, can I help you find a book?" I can only assume he is here to check something out because he isn't a regular.
"Uh, naw. I'm here for the kids, um, I mean my kid. You know the program for the little ones." He's stuttering and blushing his way through his explanation, all the while his thumb nail hasn't left his mouth.
"Oh, you have a child in the afterschool program. Well, can I get your name and ID? We have to check to make sure we are sending the kids to the right home." I try to make a joke to ease the tension, I know I am blushing just as much as him. We never really ask for the ID's but, due to my years of abuse, my social skills are seriously lacking.
"Um, yea. My brother didn't tell me I needed that. Uh, it's not mine. I mean she ain't mine, damn it. What I mean is, I am picking up my niece, Bonnie. Her daddy couldn't leave the job yet, so he made me come here." Here I thought I was bad at small talk. This man is clearly so uncomfortable he is rocking back and forth. He resembles an animal trying to escape a cage.
"That's ok. If you can just give me your ID, I will match it in our system. Then I will show you where the kids are." I begin pulling up the database while I am talking. This allows me to avert my eyes and let my heartrate settle a little. He hands me his ID without saying anything else.
"Can you tell me your name?"
"Cain't you read? I mean you work at a damn library, and you cain't read." He huffs lowly, but I hear him anyway. Ed trained my ears to pick up any sound, even the words not meant for me to hear.
My ears start to burn as my blush runs up my neck. I can feel tears prick my eye, but I refuse to let this stranger get to me in that way. "Yes sir, I can read. I just need to make sure your name matches your ID." I say this slowly because I know if I try to be bold my voice will betray the tears I am trying to hide.
His head snaps up and his mouth hangs loose; like he can't believe I actually heard what he said. "Shit, I'm sorry. Sometimes my mouth speaks before my head can tell it to shut up. My name is Daryl Dixon, and I am picking up my niece Bonnie Dixon."
I didn't think his fidgeting could get worse, but now I'm afraid he's just going to run out without picking up his niece.
"No, it's my fault. I'm not great at talking to people, can you tell? I normally don't work the front desk because of this. I'm sorry, again. My name is Carol Shaw. I actually have a daughter in the program as well, and I believe your niece Bonnie is the same one my Sophia is dying for me to meet." I say all this with a small smile on my face. It's not often I talk to people who are more nervous than me. It gives me a certain sense of calm once I realize he is harmless. "Why don't you follow me, and I will show you where the girls are." As I walk away, I glance back to make sure he is actually following my lead. My steps falter some when I see him. HIs head is hung low, and his shoulders are sagging. He is wiping his face and shaking his head back and forth. I can hear him mumbling something under his breath. I don't catch what it is this time, but I know from the stance he is berating himself because of our interaction. When I see this I make a promise to him, silently of course, that I will never make him feel this inferior again. Just as I finish my silent vow, he takes a deep breath and raises his head. He blushes when he sees me staring at him, but walks toward me anyway. I realize I am going to have to work a lot harder if I want to befriend Daryl Dixon.
—--
When we enter the afterschool room I am hit with a small body before I can fully get through the door. I stumble backwards and hit a wall of muscle. Mr. Dixon's hands come up automatically to steady me and land awkwardly on my shoulders. My face heats up again, and my heart goes into overdrive. I have to convince all of my muscles to uncoil from the unfamiliar touch. I take a deep breath and step sideways away from the man, all while clutching Sophia to my legs.
"Sophia, baby, what did I tell you about running inside? You are going to hurt someone." I have a hard time scolding my child because she got enough of that from her father. I can see the panic start to form in her eyes at my warning, so I bend down to look her in the eye. "Sophia, take a deep breath. Just like mommy taught you; breathe in, 1, 2, 3, 4. Now breathe out, 1, 2, 3, 4." I can see the panic leave her eyes as she practices the technique I taught her. It makes me want to kill that bastard all over again for the lasting effects he has on my daughter. "Baby, I'm not mad. I just don't want you to get hurt or to accidentally hurt someone else, ok?
"Ok mommy, I'm sorry. I feel better now too. Mommy, who is that man? He is staring at you." With her words comes the realization that our little moment wasn't entirely private. I scoop up Sophia and place her on my hip as I stand.
"Sophia, this is Mr. Dixon. He is Bonnie's uncle"
"Um, just Daryl. Nice to meet you kid. You know where my niece is?" Even as gruff as he sounded, I'm glad Darly didn't dismiss the interaction altogether. I can see Sophia assess him with narrowed eyes. Her mind must come to a good conclusion about the man in front of us because her face breaks out into a huge smile.
"Hiya, Mr. Daryl. I like your eyes, they look like a wolf's. I know where Bonnie is. She went to get another book for us to read. Did you know she can read big kid books, real ones? She was reading to me, but we finished The Hungry Caterpillar and she went to get another one. I can go find her if you want." Sophia wiggles in my grasp until I set her on the floor, then she darts across the room.
"Slow down Sophia." I call after her, but she is determined to find her new friend and doesn't seem to hear me. I look up at Daryl and his eyes are huge as he stares at the shelf my daughter just disappeared behind. He composes himself, and looks at me with amusement.
"A wolf, huh. I didn't think I would ever meet a kid that matched Bonnie's energy, but I guess I was wrong, huh."
I can feel a blush creeping back up my neck at my daughter's antics. I try not to tone down her personality when possible, because she wasn't allowed to be herself in our old life. I feel like I have to defend her now. "I'm sorry if she offended you. She often doesn't think about things before she says them. I know she can be a little over the top sometimes. I am always reminding her to run things through her head before they come out of her mouth. I promise she isn't always so high strung. She is just so excited about meeting someone new." I know I am rambling and the blush is getting deeper across my face.
"Hey, ain't no one offended. Hell, I think a wolf is a pretty badass animal to be compared to. And we both already know my mouth has a mind of its own too." He says the last part with his eyes averted, and the damn thumb finds its way back into his mouth. Before I can answer him, I look up just in time to see Sophia racing toward us holding the hand of another young girl. Bonnie, I assume, is a little taller than Sophia with long, wavy brown hair. She isn't as lean as my daughter, probably because Sophia has missed one to many meals, and she has a bright smile etched on her face that only gets bigger when she spots her uncle. They skip to a stop in front of us and Bonnie reaches out to do a little handshake with Daryl. They both laugh at the end and I catch his eye. His face lights up bright red and he hangs his head again.
"Uncle D, did you meet Sophia? We met on the bus. She said I could share her mommy today because daddy couldn't pick me up. She is so nice, she is my new best friend."
I smile fondly at the little girl who has warmed up so quickly to my daughter. I look down at Sophia and she is beaming.
"Bonnie, this is my mommy. Her name is Carol, and she is the best mommy ever." Sophia states this proudly and it makes my heart skip to hear those words from her.
"Hi, Mrs. Carol. I'm Bonnie. I know Sophia says you are super nice, but I don't want you to be my momma. We can be friends, but I already have a really awesome momma, her name is Grace and she is a nurse. Is that ok, Mrs. Carol?"
I can't help but chuckle at the workings of her little mind. "Yes Bonnie, that is completely ok. I would love to be your friend and I can't wait to meet your momma. She seems to have made a very smart and sweet little girl."
My words make the little girl beam with pride. "Did you hear that Uncle D? Mrs. Carol said she wants to meet my momma. Can we do that this weekend? Maybe Sophia can come over and Mrs. Carol can talk to my momma while we play!" Her excitement is contagious and soon both girls are bouncing on their feet and pleading with their eyes to have their newfound dream come true.
"Now Bonnie, you know your momma has to work this weekend. I will ask your daddy about Sophia coming over, but that's all I can promise. Now go get your stuff so we can go. I promised your daddy I would feed you before I brought you to the shop." Daryl's words seem to deflate his niece. She grabs Sophia's hand and drags her away. Sophia doesn't seem to understand why her new friend is suddenly sad, but holds her hand tighter anyway.
"Aw shit, I done it now. She ain't gonna talk to me the rest of the day" Darly looks genuinely upset about this situation, and I find myself reaching out to touch his shoulder before I realize what i'm doing. HIs muscles tense under my hand and he jerks his body to the side.
"I'm sorry" I stammer out, "But I don't think she will be too upset with you. Sophia is great at making people feel better."
Just as I finish my statement, the two girls start walking back to us. They are still holding hands, but both are grinning widely and honestly look a little mischievous. "See, I knew Sophia would help Bonnie."
"Ok, Uncle D. We will talk to my daddy when he picks me up from the shop, but I get to choose dinner. I want Dairy Queen, so I can get ice cream." Bonnie seems so proud of her new idea, and Sophia's little giggles lead me to believe she had something to do with it.
"No problem short stuff, just don't tell your Ma." He looks down at Sophia, "NIce to meet you little miss. Thank you for helping my niece, maybe your Ma can get some ice cream tonight too." He winks at Sophia, who turns her head to me with the biggest grin of the day. "Oh mommy, please!" Daryl chuckles and then takes Bonnie's hand "Let's roll short stuff."
I scowl at his back, Daryl doesn't know I don't really have the extra money for ice cream, but as I look down at my daughter I decide; what the hell? I can spare $3 to make my baby happy.
