ORDER (sequel to Trouble) [TWD]

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"You wanna talk about it?" Carol questions, glancing at him. Once he meets her eyes, she looks back into the pair of binoculars.

"Nah," he denies with ease.

"Might make you feel better," she offers.

Daryl looks to where he had his crossbow leaned against his leg, mind at a stationary halt while speeding at the same time.

"Them kids.." he begins, hating that he was letting Carol get to him, "They're all I got. All I've ever had."

"How's the story go?"

Carol gets the tiniest idea of a smile out of him at that question.

"I almost knocked Sakiko out with a door."

Carol sets the binoculars down, once again looking at Daryl though his eyes stayed on his bow.

"Merle's dealer was their dad. We met just cause we were in the same area a few times. But.. Kids have a way of getting under your skin. They sure did."

"When?"

Daryl looks up to the wall, attempting the math in his head.

"They were probably.. Ten? Eleven? Hard to remember when. I just know why and how."

Carol hums, letting him know that she'd heard him. But, Daryl was caught up in his thoughts. 

He wishes he could say that those were simpler times. But, to be honest, Daryl doesn't think he and his kids ever had 'easy times'.

"We just talked. On their birthday.. Some druggie that their dad cut from his route tried to get to them so he could get his fix. Merle and I met their dad at a bar and went back to his house so Merle could get his fix. Saw the kids with their knives out.. Nanami was covered in blood cause he stabbed the dude.."

Carol holds back her surprise, figuring that the Dixon's had the furthest thing from a white picket fence life and knew they had struggles. But, she couldn't imagine someone Sophia's age going through things like that. Sophia had been through enough, the twins had been through that and then some.

"Three of us went to try and find him, but we couldn't track him. Kids told me they were running away. Next morning.. I wasn't gonna go. They asked me, but I.." Daryl sighs, shoulders slumping, "I didn't think it was my place. I figured I would just be a burden to them. I packed my shit in a bag and met them in town. Told them to get in my truck and then.. Then, Atlanta happened."

"What made you change your mind? About leaving with them, I mean."

"They were a pain in the ass. Nanami didn't have a backbone to save his life. Sakiko was an annoying little shit. They were both brats," Daryl scoffs.

Shaking his head, he lets out another tense breath.

"But, I love 'em. They're still my kids."

Daryl throws a look over his shoulder to the window, just making sure that that car with the white cross wasn't in eyesight.

"Hershel told me that. He helped me see that. Least I can do is bring his kid back to him. I can't seem to make it work with mine, I can help him, though."

"Why can't you make it work?"

"We never can," he shuts down in dismissal, "It's always something. We keep leaving."

"You keep coming back, too," she points out.

"They're adults now. Probably nearing twenty or something.. They don't need me no more."

"Our kids always need us. Just like we need them."

Daryl is quiet for a few seconds before frowning, "I think I need them more."

"That's a parent's job."

When Daryl doesn't say anything, Carol takes a step closer.

"After we find these people and get Beth back.. You're coming back, too.. Right?"

Daryl thinks about it all. From the memories he's reliving thanks to telling the stories to Carol to just the other night when they argued worse than ever before.

"It's a parent's job, ain't it?"

A smile creeps onto Carol's lips as she nods, "It is."

"Guess I ain't got much of a choice then, huh?"

𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇 𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓈--

my dixon family has once again separated sigh