AN: Here we are, another chapter here.
I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!
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Carol got off work early to get everything ready. She packed the food they'd purchased, leaving the items that would go into the cooler for last. She packed their bags, checking several times over to make sure that she'd packed everything off the lists she'd made, and that she'd packed the things she knew to be Daryl's favorites. She grabbed toiletries for both of them, and tucked her vitamins into the bag for Sprout, remembering to grab them from the kitchen. She slipped the special little package into the suitcase, pulling it from where she'd hidden it the moment that she'd plucked it from the mail and examined it to make sure it was exactly what she wanted.
When Daryl got home, he wanted a quick shower, and Carol moved everything to a pile by the door while he was washing off the day.
She wanted the trip to be perfect, and any and all of the anxiety that she might have about the trip circled around whether or not it would be exactly what Daryl wanted it to be.
He had researched the trip himself. He'd chosen the cabin rental place—they advertised exactly what he wanted, he said, and Carol hadn't even asked to see what he'd found. She trusted him, and it didn't matter to her, really. She'd have stayed with Daryl in the seediest motel imaginable if it fulfilled some piece of his fantasy. He'd looked up places to eat, and things to do, but mostly they intended to stay in their little cabin and pass the time with snowball fights, snowmen, hot chocolate, making love, and snuggling around the fireplace. Carol had let Daryl make all the plans for the trip, but she'd made a few of her own for passing the lazy time they spent relaxing together inside Daryl's little Christmas fantasy.
When Daryl was out of the shower and dressed, Carol reassured him of everything she'd packed as he ticked off items on the list. While Daryl packed the truck and covered the bed with the tarp that he would secure in place in case they ran into rain or any other precipitation, Carol finished packing their cooler and food. The food was the last thing that Daryl packed into place under the tarp. While he assured himself that everything was secure, Carol prepared the house to leave it for a few days, and she locked the door behind them—even though Andrea had a key and could let herself in any time she pleased.
Daryl opened the door for Carol, and she let him help her into the truck. She accepted the kiss that he leaned over to give her, and the smile that followed warmed her chest. Daryl was whistling Christmas songs as he walked around the truck, and Carol felt tears prickling at her eyes simply because she was overwhelmed at how happy he could be over the simplest things—and how happy it made her feel to live a quiet little life with a man who could be so damned happy. She wasn't ready to try to explain that feeling, exactly, though, and she accepted it might simply seem ridiculous to anyone else. So, when Daryl noticed the dampness of her eyes and furrowed his brown in question, she shook her head and smiled at him.
"Sprout," she offered.
He smiled, the corner of his mouth turning up. He reached his hand over and patted her stomach before squeezing her thigh.
"Y'all ready?" Daryl asked, cranking the truck.
Carol reached her hand over and rested it affectionately on his leg. She patted his leg and assured him that they—because he always liked to pretend that Sprout voiced opinions in such matters—were ready to go.
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Ever since he'd been a little kid, Merle had warned Daryl about getting his hopes up too high. Daryl hadn't been offended by the warning since he'd gotten old enough to understand what his brother meant by it. Merle didn't mind Daryl enjoying whatever it was that pleased him. In fact, as something of a follower of epicureanism, Merle pushed Daryl toward doing things from which he would derive pleasure. He warned Daryl, though, about expecting too much from things because, if there was anything that Daryl knew bothered Merle, it was seeing Daryl with his feelings hurt—even if he'd never quite put that into words.
Merle had issued the same warning to Daryl at work that day that he'd heard a thousand times—don't let his hopes get up too high. After all, once he'd elevated an experience to some kind of epic heights, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the experience to live up to his expectations.
And Merle was usually right—it was usually impossible for things to live up to Daryl's expectations if they got too high. The tool he couldn't wait to have, the place he couldn't wait to go, the pattern he couldn't wait to use to create something in his workshop—all these things had let him down at one time or another.
But Carol? She didn't let him down.
She couldn't, really.
All Carol had to do to fulfill Daryl's expectations, really, was to simply be Carol. Being with Carol was what he wanted most of all. This adventure with her was exciting because it was just that—an adventure with her. It had snowed recently—decently heavily, for the area—where they'd rented a cabin, and they were going to enjoy it together. All that Daryl really wanted was to spend time with Carol there, in the cabin in the snow, and there was no way that she could fall short of his expectations.
Still, he'd agreed with Merle and assured him that he would keep reasonable expectations for the weekend.
Daryl and Carol had both gotten off work early to allow for a decent driving experience. As they drove deeper into the mountains, Carol had made sounds of happy approval at the landscape. She'd commented on how beautiful things were—the road was fairly clear, though heavily salted, and snow surrounded them on either side.
Daryl's heart had pounded wildly in his chest, almost the whole time, because her sounds of delight over the white world around them made Daryl feel like he'd done something right. He'd done something good. And he'd done it for the person who was the most important person in his world.
He was succeeding at being the kind of husband and man that he wanted to be.
When they finally reached the main office of the cabin rentals, Daryl told Carol she could stay in the truck, but she insisted on going with him to pick up the key and get their instructions. He'd told her to at least stay put until he could open her door. On his way around the truck, he dragged his feet somewhat dramatically, searching out icy spots in the semi-cleared parking lot. He opened the door and offered his hands out to her. She smiled at him with the smile that indicated she was preparing to tease him.
"Are you going to—catch me?" She teased.
"I'ma fuckin' hold onto your ass," Daryl said with a laugh. "Every damn step of the way to that door over there. It's slippery. They cleared it, but they ain't salted this. You fall? Then you get hurt, and Sprout gets hurt, and I have to have a damn massive heart attack out here with nobody to save the whole mess of us—and I don't want us to all go out that way."
Carol's cheeks colored pink, and she laughed quietly, but she did take Daryl's hands without an argument. She allowed him, too, to walk with his arms around her toward the office.
"What if you fall?" Carol teased. "And then you pull me and Sprout down with you?"
"Thought about that," Daryl said. "Prepared for it. If I start to go down, I'm pullin' you on top of me. I ought to do a decent damn job of breaking your fall."
Carol stopped moving and looked at him.
"And then I'd probably break your back or neck…or…"
"It'd be worth it to me," Daryl offered, "to know you an' Sprout was OK."
Carol's facial expression changed, and Daryl squeezed her with one arm and pulled her face, with his other hand, so that he could kiss her. He laughed quietly against her skin.
"It's OK. Don't get upset. It was a joke," he said. "If we were to fall out here? We gettin' skinned up—and that ain't no fun, so we ain't gonna fall. But—all three of us is gonna live through it if it happens, OK?"
"I'm sorry," Carol said, sucking in a breath to calm herself. The muscles in her face visibly relaxed.
"Don't be sorry. I don't like it when you're sorry and feelin' like you gotta apologize. Just—calm down. Besides—you get tense; you stiffen up; you got a better chance of slippin'."
Carol clearly made herself relax. They didn't fall as they made it to the office, and she relaxed more when they were inside and greeted by the husband and wife who owned the little cabin rental place. Daryl immediately informed them, should they wonder why he'd walked in holding his wife close enough to practically walk her forward on his feet, that Carol was pregnant, and he was worried about her slipping on the ice they couldn't see in the parking lot.
The wife had immediately started to talk to Carol about babies—her face lighting up at the mention of Sprout's existence, and Daryl had talked shop with her husband who passed him the key and all the instructions he needed. The cabin was ready to go. The heat was on, the wood was chopped and stacked for them, the hot water heater had been turned on, and they'd been up there earlier to clean it and get it ready.
Daryl and Carol didn't fall, either, on the way back to truck.
At the cabin, Daryl got Carol out of the truck and walked with her to the door.
"This is so beautiful," she said, standing outside the door and looking around. The light was growing dimmer as the end of the day approached, and it really was beautiful. The cabins had been decorated for Christmas, and even the small trees growing in the yard had been decorated with a few ornaments and garland.
"Most beautiful thing I see here, is you," Daryl said with a wink.
Carol smiled at him, even though she playfully rejected his compliment. He unlocked the door and pushed it open. The cabin was small. It was an economy unit with a bedroom, a bathroom with a nice tub that both of them could easily fit into, and a combined kitchen and living area—but it was cozy and decorated for the upcoming holiday.
"Ohhh—Daryl, it's beautiful!" Carol said.
"You really think so?" Daryl asked, following her inside and tossing the keys at the kitchen counter.
"You don't? You're not happy?" She asked, turning around quickly and with far more concern than the situation would have merited even if he had been unhappy. Daryl squeezed her shoulders and squared her in front of him.
"Didn't say that," he said. "It's perfect to me. Just—didn't know if you'd really like it, since I didn't give you no say and all." He shook his head. "It ain't the top of the line."
Her expression softened.
"It's beautiful to me. Perfect. It's the perfect little vacation. And—you're perfect."
Daryl felt his face grow warm.
"Me? Let's talk about—how you take care of me," Daryl said. "I come home from work an' you done outdid yourself, woman. Got everything all packed up nice and neat, ready to go. Ready to get us here so we can enjoy all the time we got. Even packed the food. I told you what the hell I wanted and—you just made that shit happen."
Carol's cheeks turned pink.
"It's sandwich meat and…and a few things, but it's nothing special, Daryl," Carol said.
"I happen to like sandwiches," Daryl offered. Carol laughed, and his pulse kicked up.
"Are you going to let me help you unload the truck?"
"Nope."
"If you hold me hostage in here, it won't be very much fun," Carol said. "I can't—build the snowman or have the snowball fight."
"You can go out to do that—tomorrow," Daryl said. "When it's light and we're headin' into the snowy area. It's the half-cleared places like that walkway that get slick as hell. I'ma bring the shit in. Put it right there by the door, and you can do what you do an' put it all in the right places."
Carol nodded her agreement with Daryl's plan.
"Want me to make you one of those sandwiches you like so much?" She asked. Daryl nodded. "I've got all the fixings; what do you want?"
"Surprise me," Daryl said with a wink. "You always know how to take care of me."
"You hurry up and get everything unloaded," Carol said with a smile, "and I'll take care of you in more ways than that."
Daryl laughed to himself and started toward the door to begin unloading.
"Just the damn promise alone will keep my ass warm, no matter how damn long I gotta be out here in the cold," he tossed back to her.
