AN: Here we are, another chapter here.

I posted a chapter to this one yesterday, so please make sure you read it before you read this one. Also, if you haven't, please consider letting me know what you think of that chapter!

I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! Please don't forget to let me know what you think.

111

Daryl was not at the place where he'd been working. Carol hadn't stopped, especially since she didn't know the person who owned the house, but she'd driven by. He wasn't at the office either, because Carol called Merle to ask him if Daryl was there, since she'd missed him. Merle told her that he and Axel were eating chili dogs at the table outside, so he could guarantee that Daryl hadn't come back by there.

Carol knew that she'd just missed Daryl. He'd been at work, gotten off for lunch and, not knowing that she meant to come by, he'd gone to grab something to eat or to run some errands. Carol knew there was a perfectly rational explanation for the fact that she couldn't immediately find him.

But the words from the MHC kept ringing in Carol's ears in a way, and she hated the woman for even having made her think, for a moment, about Ed again—and to think about how stupidly fooled by Ed she'd been at first. She hadn't realized, right away, that Ed was the monster that he turned out to be—of course she hadn't. If she had, she never would have married him, and she certainly wouldn't have ever thought about having a child with him…a child he took from her in the worst way possible.

Carol pulled the car over, like she'd promised Jacqui she would, the moment that she realized that her attention wasn't on her driving at all and her vision was blurred. As soon as she was pulled into a parking spot against the curb, she pulled some tissues from a package in her purse and blew her nose and dried her eyes. That done, she called Daryl on his cell phone like she should have in the first place.

"Where are you?" Carol asked, when Daryl picked up the phone.

"What?" Daryl asked.

"Please—don't answer me with what," Carol said. "Where are you?"

"You OK?" Daryl asked. "What's goin' on?"

"Daryl…where are you?" Carol repeated.

"OK—yeah. I'm at the house. Now—your turn. Where are you, Carol?"

Carol looked around her.

"I'm on—Warren Drive," Carol said. "I'm pulled over. In front of a yellow house."

"The hell are you doin' on Warren Drive? I thought you were at the café. You alright?"

"I wanted to bring you lunch," Carol said. "I have your lunch. Here. But you weren't at the place where Merle said you were supposed to be working. And then, when I called him to ask if he knew whether or not you were at the office, he said you weren't there."

"Finished up early," Daryl said. "Had to run a quick errand. Came by the house to drop somethin' off for a surprise tonight. Carol—you OK? Sprout OK? You don't sound OK. You need me to come get you?"

"I'm fine," Carol said. "Sprout's fine. Can I—come to the house?"

Daryl laughed into the phone.

"It's your house," Daryl said. "Our house. I know that's what you're gonna say, but…my point is that I ain't gonna tell you that'cha can't come to the house. I don't have nothin' else until one thirty. If you still wanna eat…I ain't eat nothin' yet."

Carol put the car into drive. She was feeling steadier, now, than she had been before. She was feeling foolish, too, though she still felt angry at the woman who had reminded her that even the people that you love and believe you can trust above all else can be capable of hurting you. Sometimes, in fact, they might be the ones to hurt you the worst.

"I'm coming," she said.

"I mean—if we got enough time, sure you are. I'll make sure of it," Daryl teased. Carol laughed quietly.

"So—you're alone?"

"Who the fuck else would be here?" Daryl asked. "You done said you talked to Merle. Besides—like I said, I finished early. Ran an errand. Come by here to drop shit off. Figured I'd make a sandwich or somethin'. Maybe eat some baby cake."

"Hold off on that," Carol said. "Sprout picked out your lunch today."

"Yeah? What she get me?"

"You'll have to see when we get there," Carol said.

"She lookin' out for her old man?" Daryl asked.

Carol's stomach tightened and she felt a wave of nausea. She was still getting used to the idea that Sprout was a girl and, more than that, she was still struggling to get used to the idea that Daryl was happy about that. If she'd listened much longer to the woman from the MHC, she might have been able to convince herself that Daryl was doing and planning a great deal of horrible things—all because of Sprout's sex reveal.

If she let her mind run away, like it wanted to, she could even convince herself that the surprise he'd mentioned was nothing short of something horrible.

Carol pushed back on the intrusive thoughts and turned onto their street.

"I'm almost there, Daryl," Carol said. "I'm going to hang up. I'm turning in the driveway."

Daryl met her, coming out the door, as she opened the car door. He reached for her and hugged her before she could even reach for the food in the passenger seat. She closed her eyes and sunk into the hug. He smelled good—so familiar. His arms felt good wrapped around her. Immediately, she felt safe. She felt "home," even though she was standing out in the yard. The tag on his shirt, the one that said "Daryl," scratched her cheek as she rubbed her face against it and squeezed him back.

"I believe this is about the best damn hug you ever give me at lunch," Daryl teased, not letting up on hugging her back. "You wanna tell me what's wrong? Because—you still didn't sound good on the phone, and I'm getting more'n a little worried."

Carol pulled out of the hug. She frowned at Daryl as she fought against the tears that wanted to bubble up inside of her, but which she simply didn't want to allow to escape.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you, too," Daryl said. He was concerned. She could tell it from the line between his brows and the particular softness of his expression and the tone of his voice.

"Please don't—please don't ever cheat on me, OK?"

Daryl laughed at the statement.

"Did you think I was cheatin' on you?" He asked. "Because I got off work fifteen minutes early?"

"No," Carol said. "I didn't. I don't. But—just promise me that you won't, OK? If you—see something else you like? Something you'd rather have? Just promise me that you'll just tell me and go after what you want, but you won't cheat on me. You won't…do that to me. Just promise me that, OK?"

"Yeah—OK," Daryl said. "Fine. I won't cheat on you. But you can't cheat on me, neither."

"I never would."

"Well—that goes same for me," Daryl said. "But as long as we're havin' this serious ass discussion, I'm gettin' my own damn demands in, OK?"

Carol nodded her head.

"I'll never cheat on you," she said. "And—don't…hurt me. Or Sprout. If you're mad or…you just don't love us…or want either one of us…or whatever…you just…don't hurt us. Go, or do whatever it is that you need to do, but…"

Daryl caught her face. He held it tightly with one hand on either side of her face. He held her eyes with his own.

"I'm never gonna hurt you," he said. "Neither one of you. Never. Not on purpose, at least. And if I ever do it accidentally, you just know that I'm sorry in advance. And I'm sorry for the rest of my damn life. But I'm never gonna hurt either damn one of you on purpose. You understand that?"

Carol nodded as best she could with his hands holding her face tightly. She didn't tell him that, really, he was hurting her a little as he held her face. She felt, beyond the strength of his fingers as they held her face, a slight tremor to his touch.

"I understand," Carol said.

"You wanna tell me what the hell's got your ass shook up like this?" Daryl asked.

"Just something someone said," Carol said.

"Michonne?" Daryl asked.

"No," Carol said quickly. "No—someone—I don't even know her. A woman at the café. They were working on some book about women who don't know their husbands, even though they think they do. They find out who they're really married to when something happens. I started thinking about Ed and…"

"One thing led to another," Daryl said.

Carol felt her lip trembling. It was beyond her control.

"I swear I never thought you were guilty," she said. "I swear it. But I still…"

Daryl nodded at her and pulled her against him in a tight hug. He held her almost tightly enough to cut her breath off, but she didn't complain. She hugged him right back. She'd felt shaky since talking to those women. She'd felt just a little out of control of herself—a little like she might be free-falling in some way. When he held her tightly like this, she felt secure, grounded, and safe. She felt like she had nowhere to fall. She'd already landed in the best place she possibly could. She closed her eyes and drank in the feeling of his strong arms holding her.

"You was still scared because his ass done a number on you," Daryl said. "Any damn body'd be gun-shy after his shit. But it ain't me, Carol. I swear that to you. I ain't never gonna cheat on you. I ain't never gonna hurt you or Sprout. Swear that with my life or whatever the hell you figure it oughta be sworn with. And if you'll tell me where the hell I can find this woman, I'll tell her that, too, if you think she needs to hear it."

Carol laughed to herself.

"No," she said. "No—I don't think it would matter to her, anyway. She wouldn't believe you. I don't think she'd believe anything you say, no matter how much you swore it."

"Well—fuck her anyway," Daryl said. He pushed Carol off of him enough to get a good look at her. He held her a moment at half an arm's length, and then he wiped at her face with his hands. She'd tried her best not to cry, but a few tears had escaped. He raised his eyebrows at her. "I don't give a damn about her or if she believes me or not. But I do give a damn about whether or not you believe me. You believe me? That I ain't gonna cheat on you, and I ain't never gonna hurt you or Sprout?"

Carol wrapped her hand around Daryl's hand and squeezed.

"I never didn't believe you. Not really," Carol said.

"But you—extra fuckin' believe me now?" Daryl asked.

Carol laughed to herself.

"Yeah," she said. "I do."

Daryl smiled. He pressed his hand to her belly, and Carol caught herself closing her eyes. It was a knee-jerk reaction. When he touched her like that—so tenderly—she naturally wanted to close her eyes to drink in the absolute comfort of it. She wanted to bask in the warmth like a cat sleeping in the sun. She smiled to herself even at the thought and her natural reaction to Daryl's touch.

"I wish you could feel Sprout kicking," Carol said.

"I'll feel her soon," Daryl said. "Your doctor said it's like any time now, right? And she's just gettin' bigger and stronger every damn day. It ain't gonna be long she'll be layin' into me."

"And me, too," Carol said with a laugh. She moved Daryl's hand to where she could feel something. "Anything?" She asked hopefully.

"Nothin'," Daryl said. "But maybe tomorrow. My question is—does she believe me? Does she believe that I ain't never gonna do a damn thing to hurt neither one of you?"

Carol smiled.

"Sprout never doubted you," Carol assured him. "Not even for a minute. I'm sorry to say that I think Sprout was even more unshakeable than I was."

"Well—that's because she didn't know Ed," Daryl said. "And I'm thankful for little damn things. You wanna go inside? Feed her somethin' 'fore I send your ass back to work an' head over to my girlfriend's house?"

Carol raised her eyebrows at him and smirked.

"Your girlfriend?"

Daryl laughed and winked at her.

"My after-lunch appointment is an outdoor faucet issue at Agnes's house," Daryl said. "And you know she insists she's my girlfriend."

"The only one you're allowed to have," Carol ceded.

"With you, Agnes, an' Sprout runnin' my life, I sure don't have the time or energy for another damn woman, you don't have to worry about that."

Carol playfully swatted at Daryl, but she also accepted the kiss he offered her. She got the food out of the car and let him take her hand to walk her into the house.

"What about that surprise?" She asked. "You know—Sprout and I are curious."

"No," Daryl said. "That's—that's somethin' else. A whole thing I done. And there ain't time or space for it now, so it's for tonight. And I ain't negotiating. Not with either damn one of you."

Carol laughed to herself.

"I guess we won't push," she said. "But—if we eat fast…would I have to push too hard for a quickie?"

"How quick?" Daryl asked, glancing at his watch.

"As quick as you can make it," Carol said.

"You really think that six seconds is gonna do shit for you?" Daryl teased.

Carol smiled at him.

"As hot as I am for you," she teased back, "I'll make it work."

"You might just have yourself a deal."