Discalimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 1 - Leaving
It was the final blow to my ribs before he stormed out the door that cemented my decision. I wasn't going to take it anymore, I had Sophia to think of, and this had been going on for too long. I don't know why I stuck around so long; he was never going to change. All I'd hoped for was a real family for Sophia so she wouldn't have to grow up as quickly as I did. As I leaned against the wall to pull myself I could see Sophia walking towards me with tears in her eyes. "Mama, are you going to be ok?" she asked quietly. "I'll be fine, I'll just go and clean up then I'll be with you."
I stopped as I walked by the phone; I knew how to get Sophia away from here. Before I knew it I heard a familiar voice on the other end of the phone. "Dale, its Carol. It is ok if Sophia and I take you up on the offer to stay a while?" He knew what was going on and I could hear the relief in his voice as he said he would have a room waiting for us. "Thank you Dale, we'll be there by the morning." "Sophia pack your things we're going on a trip, just you and me." Her eyes lit up as she ran towards her room. Dale had looked out for me since my dad died. I had my mum but she spent most of her time at the bar with my friends Daryl and Merle Dixon's mum. The three of us had looked after each other until I was kicked out of the house and sent to live with my aunt when I was 14.
Sophia's voice brought me back to the present. "Mama, how much do I need to pack?" "As much as you can, we're going to stay with a friend of mine and I promise things are going to get better, ok?"
We had to be gone before Ed came home; luckily neither of us had very much to pack so we could be out of here as quickly as possible. It would be strange going back after all this time but it was my home and Sophia and I could have a better life there. I also hoped that Daryl and Merle were still around, we had been through so much together and I hadn't seen them for 7 years.
Sophia had slept most of the way here, we were close to Dale's house and I already felt as though a massive weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Marrying Ed had been a mistake but I was determined to make up for it. At 18 I loved him and at the time he didn't care that I had a 4 year old daughter, I was so sure that he would be a good father to her. I don't know whether it was a desire for a real family that made me stay or fear of Ed doing something to Sophia if we left but now 6 years later we were on our own again.
Driving through town it looked like very little had changed although one very familiar area on the edge of town seemed to have been abandoned. My old house was still there but it was looking even more run down, my mum had disappeared a few years ago and Dale had kept the few things that were left in case she came back. Even after all these years the Dixon's old place next door was still little more than the pile of stones it became after the fire 15 years ago.
After finally stopping the car at Dale's I felt the pains where Ed had hit me. I knew I'd have a black eye by now, my lip was split and sore and my ribs would be bruised or possibly cracked, again, but I'd deal with that later. As I expected Dale had the room ready and was offering us breakfast before we were even in the house. I could see him looking at my bruised face but he wasn't going to say anything in front of Sophia, I would talk to him later but just now Sophia and I needed to eat and I was exhausted from driving all night.
After resting my mind was clear enough to start planning my next move; I need to find a job, Sophia would have to be enrolled in school and we'd need a place to live. They all seem easy compared to talking to a lawyer about divorcing Ed; I knew he would fight even though he didn't love either of us.
Getting Sophia in to the local school was easy enough, I just hoped she wouldn't be too shy to try and make friends when she started on Monday. I also found a few jobs I could apply for which meant I could start saving for a place to live. Now I just had to call the lawyer to get the ball rolling.
A/N: Reviews are appreciated. Any suggestions for occupations of characters are welcome, if their job is mentioned they will probably still be that in the story. Next chapter is a sort of flash back - time won't run smoothly in this fic but it will be obvious when everything occurs. Also if someone could message me on how to name chapters, that would be great.