Disclaimer:
Carol Peletier, Sophia Peletier, King Ezekiel, Henry, Jerry, Shiva, and any other recognizable character or plot of The Walking Dead belong to AMC Network and Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics and Robert Kirkman.
In no way is the author claiming ownage of any of the characters nor is there any economic/monetary gain at any time. The author is extremely respectful of the original creators and is willing to take down this work of fiction if requested.
No copyright infringement intended.
Ophelia belongs to the writer.
Sisters
The sound of a high pitch giggle followed by the pitter patter of tiny feet against the ground, alert Carol that bath time is over. If she knows her daughter, this means that Sophia has managed to swerve her father's attempts to get her out of the tub.
Sure enough, a blur of strawberry blond hair soon passes in front of Carol's bed, followed by Ezekiel's warning. "We have a runner!" No sooner has her daughter exited their bedroom that Ezekiel follows behind, a fluffy towel grasped in his hands as he attempts to catch their toddler.
Carol smiles and shakes her head, amused at what she just witnessed. Without letting go of the smile, she looks down to her arms where her youngest rests, half asleep and half attempting to finish her meal. "Your sister and father are crazy, but we love them all the same, right?"
When Sophia had requested the tub of chocolate spread during their last grocery shopping, neither Carol nor Ezekiel had really thought that much about it. Sophia had inherited her mother's sweet tooth for chocolate and it was normal for her to request the delicious treat. After deciding that they could successfully limit Sophia's consumption of the thick spread, they'd purchase it then completely forgotten about it. That is until today.
They'd been in bed, simply cuddled together as both of their daughters took their nap. A new baby at home meant they were both tired, exhausted from the middle of the night feedings which although given by Carol since she was breastfeeding, were always accompanied by Ezekiel who wanted to share with her the responsibility of having a newborn at home. Silence had blanket them until they'd heard a tiny mischievous giggle. They instantly knew whom the giggle belonged to.
Ezekiel had been the first one to get up, telling her that he had everything under control. It only took a couple of minutes for him to make a reappearance at their bedroom door. This time he had little Sophia cradled against him, her legs wrapped around his waist, her little hands holding tightly to his neck. It was a good thing that he usually went to bed with no top off, even when only for a nap, because Sophia was covered from head to toe in the harmless chocolate spread. She had chocolate even in her hair and between her toes. Already she had left smudges of the substance on Ezekiel's chest.
Carol had been speechless, unable to understand what was going on. She instantly feared that her husband would get mad, a gut reaction from her years fearing Ed's reactions, that he would think her daughter was being racist, that it would end in a family fight. Instead, Ezekiel had simply given her a smile, his eyes shining, and told her he was going to give their daughter a bath. Soon after, before she could join them at the bathtub, their newborn daughter had started to cry, demanding her latest feeding. She'd been forced to stay out of the bathroom and not think about what would happen in fear that it would affect her nursing child.
"Gotcha!" She hears her husband call out amidst loud neverending giggles from her daughter. The steps grow a little heavier as they approach their bedroom once again. This time the image they present is the same, minus the chocolate, plus a towel that Sophia is now wrapped in. "I am here to claim the bounty for capturing the eluding Princess Sophia." He declares as he places their daughter on the bed. Sophia gives a couple of tiny jumps on the mattress then flops down; her hair is wild and still partially wet, but she looks far too cute for her to remind her not to jump on the bed.
Carol quickly checks on her nursing daughter then turns towards her husband, leaning her head back as she purses her lips. Sophia giggles as her mother and father share a sweet kiss, Ezekiel's hand gently tracing Carol's chin before pulling back. "The best of bounties from the most gorgeous Queen of this Kingdom."
"Me! Me!" Sophia declares, standing up on the mattress yet again and extending her arms, the towel wrapped around her remaining in its place. Carol is going to have to ask Ezekiel to teach her how to secure it so that it doesn't fall. Ezekiel complies with his daughter and Sophia gives him a sweet kiss on the nose, imitating the kisses he always gives her. "Thank yuuu!" She proceeds to plop herself down then scurry towards her mother's side, snuggling against her.
"What happened, Soph?" Carol asks her softly, her arm going around her daughter to pull her close. "Why did you cover yourself with chocolate?"
Sophia turns to look at Ezekiel, as if asking for permission to share what they'd just talked about in the bathroom. When Ezekiel nods, Sophia turns to look at her mother and gives her a little grin. "Wanted to look like Pheia." Sophia declares proudly.
It takes Carol a second to realize what her daughter means. While Ezekiel is Sophia's father in most sense and has been since the moment Carol arrived at the women center with a newborn Sophia in her arms, he isn't the biological contributor to half of Sophia's DNA. Because of this, there is a contrast in her daughters' skins and Sophia had simply been trying to match her skin tone with her baby sister's. She hoped that Sophia had told Ezekiel the same thing and that's why her husband is not mad, because there was no malice, no racism, in her actions. Yet again, she doesn't think that Ezekiel is capable of being mad at Sophia even if he tried.
"You wanted to have darker skin as Ophelia does?" She asks to confirm. Sophia nods right away, her eyes falling to her sister's tiny foot which she quickly, but gently, traces with a finger.
"Cause she my sister." She explains.
"Sweetie, just because your skin color is different, it doesn't mean that you are not sisters," Carol explains before bending down to press a kiss on Sophia's forehead. "You and Ophelia are sisters no matter what."
"But...". Sophia mumbles before ducking her head. "I wanna look like Daddy."
"I know you do, my love," Carol assures her. She knows her daughter is far too young to understand that some people have mean intentions, that for many years many used blackface to mock and hurt people of color. She knows, eventually, she will have to have a talk with her about how the world works depending on the color of their skin, but she knows that now is not the moment. Now, Sophia's only concern is to look like her sister and her father so that no one will ever question whether she and Ophelia are sisters or whether her daddy is really her biological father.
It is then that Ezekiel decides to join the conversation, having finished drying the bathroom and himself. He lays down on the bed, his eyes trained on their oldest daughter who pouts at them as if they didn't understand. "What about your Mama? Don't you want to resemble her?"
Sophia turns to look at her mother, her pout growing even further. Her eyes sweep over her mother skin, her hand raising to press against her mother's arm. Carol knows she is deep in thought, comparing their skin tones. when she is done she gives a beautiful smile. "Soph like Mama?" She asks, turning to her father.
"I believe so."
"Pheia like Papa." Sophia declares, her words delivered in an absolute manner. "Soph like Mama."
"All as beautiful as the stars," Ezekiel concludes to which Sophia gives a sharp nod.
"And your sister looks like you." Carol reminds her. "You both have such cute ears, and you both have the same nose." Sophia leans over to look at her baby sister and nods along with her mother's words.
"Eyes?" She asks, pointing at her own eyes.
"Like Mama's." Carol reminds her because Ophelia is already closing her eyes in sleep even though she is still suckling.
"Soph's like Papa's?" Sophia asks her. Ezekiel nods proudly, claiming his daughter's hazel eyes as his own.
"Exactly like Papa's," Carol assures her.
With her husband taking over Ophelia's burping, Carol snuggles her eldest as close as she can. Sophia, ever the snuggly baby practically melts in her embrace. It is only when Sophia gives a little yawn that Carol remembers they haven't quite finished getting ready to go back to bed.
"Come here, let me dry your hair." She encourages, giving her daughter another kiss on the forehead. Sophia sits in front of her and lets her towel dry her hair then pass a brush through it. Once her daughter's hair is fully combed, silky and dry, she braids it in two so that she can have hair just like her father's. "All done."
"Look, Papa! My hair!" Sophia shows her father her braids, standing up on the bed, arms extended to be picked up by her father.
Carol leaves the warmth of the bed in order to find Sophia her pajamas. Once she's got them she returns to their bedroom where she finds Ezekiel holding Ophelia with one arm and Sophia with the other. "Are you two uniting against your Papa?"
Sophia giggles and shakes her head. As if she was agreeing with her sister, little Ophelia grunts then yawns, her tiny mouth making a perfect circle. If yawns are contagious, Sophia proves to be evidence of it as she yawns just as her sister relaxes once more in her father's arms. "Which one do you want?" She asks Ezekiel. "Jammies or diaper change?"
Sophia decides for both of them, instantly extending her arms to be transferred to her mother. Her little nose scrunches up at the thought of being anywhere near her sister's diapers. "Very well, diaper duty it is," Ezekiel says nonchalantly. "I have been championed by the Queen and the Princess to slay the dirty diaper, and I shall, for the good of the Kingdom."
Sophia giggles in her mother's arms, squirming until Carol puts her down on the bed. "Like a dragon, Papa!" She says, excitedly bouncing on the bed. She growls as she assumes a dragon would before settling for her mother to slip the top of her jammies on. Dramatically she tumbles on the bed, careful not to jostle her sister too much even though she's laying on the other end of the bed, then offers her legs so her mother can slip on the bottom of her jammies. "Up, up!" She encourages, then kicks happily, just like Ophelia is doing.
"All done Papa!" Sophia declares proudly before turning and crawling towards her sister. She hovers her face above Ophelia's, then gently places a kiss on her sister's forehead. "Dragon done?"'
"Slayed she has been."
"I will not have you two calling my sweet baby a dragon." Carol teases them in mock anger, bending to take little Ophelia in her arms.
Sophia giggles as she climbs all over Ezekiel. "Bed Papa." She declares.
A quick look at the clock tells Carol that they might as well call it a night, especially since Sophia missed her nap time in favor of playing with the chocolate spread. At Sophia's request, they all climb into bed, the babies resting in the middle, both parents balancing on the edges of the bed.
With Ezekiel's grave voice playing in the background of her mind as he relays a bedtime story to Sophia and Ophelia, Carol allows herself to simply watch her family.
She couldn't have asked for a better husband; someone who loves and cherishes her and never harms her in any way. Someone who gave her a brand new baby to love and protect and marvel at. And finally, someone who opened his heart to her daughter from the moment he caught a glimpse of her, all red and wrinkly after they'd been let go of the hospital and Carol had decided to put as much distance as she could between her newborn daughter and her violent husband. Carol can't help but feel her heart swell with love for the man that not only welcomed Sophia wholeheartedly into his home but also claimed her as his daughter. She knows Sophia will never doubt her place in his heart.
"What occupies your mind, my love?" Ezekiel's voice filters through her mind, pulling her from her musings.
Carol blinks surprised then smiles at him. "Just thinking how lucky I am to have found you."
"I have never been as grateful for anything I have accomplished in my life as I am for having volunteered at the women shelter that day," Ezekiel informs her, making Carol blush and hide her face playfully. Between them, their now sleeping daughters rest, completely oblivious to their parent's antics.
"I love you."
"And I love you." Ezekiel reaches over their sleeping daughters in order to caress her cheek lovingly. Carol turns to place a kiss to the palm of his hand before nuzzling against it. "And I love Sophia as much as I love Ophelia. The color of her skin is of no importance, she's my daughter. In fact, she's my daughter just as much as our little dragon is."
Carol narrows her eyes at him when he mentions the nickname she fears will stick to their daughter. He chuckles and blows her a kiss before pulling back his hand and securing it around his daughters. Carol ends up grinning at him.
"There will come a time where we will have to explain to Sophia why some will not take kindly to her desire to look like her sister, and she will comprehend why, but today is not the day," Ezekiel assures her as he closes his eyes. "She is but a child."
"I know," Carol mumbles, her voice soft and tender, showing for just a glimpse of a second how unsure she had felt after initially seeing Sophia's state. "And I know it will be something we will deal with together as a family. I'm sorry for worrying, I just didn't want it to anger you."
"Nothing to be sorry about, my love, you are her mother and it is part of your job to worry for the well-being of our Princesses."
"You know, I'm starting to really love this whole King persona," Carol mumbles, her eyes slowly falling close as she fights sleep. "I can't wait to see you on stage. Sophia might actually think you are royalty and she's a princess."
"She is a princess and you are my Queen, and no one will tell me any different," Ezekiel concludes, his voice slurring softly. Between them Sophia rolls to the side, burying her face in her father's hair just as Ophelia's little arm raises to rest by her face; her mouth doing those suckling movement she does to soothe herself.
It is with that image in her mind's eye that Carol is finally whisked away into sleep. They will no doubt face many questions and learning curves, but she knows they will guide their daughters down the right path.
They are a family, and a family like theirs is eternal.