Author's note: Hey I'm back after taking a bit of a break. I was reading several shorts on Daryl being a father figure for Sophia and wanted to write something about how Daryl would feel if he realized he missed that opportunity. If people like it, I think I'll try another chapter on Daryl's opportunity with Judy. Takes place right after they find Sophia in the barn.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for what I have written.
"She wasn't mine!" The moment that those three words had come out of his mouth, Daryl had known that they had been a mistake. He knew very well that Carol didn't think of him as a father figure for Sophia. It was much more likely that she wanted to think that if Sophia had been found, she would have been showed that all males weren't as bad as her father had been.
Sophia had been terribly quite around anyone but another girl or woman around the camp and had seemingly even been afraid of everyone. It was worse for guys though. She wouldn't speak around the adult, liked to avoid Carl and sometimes managed to whisper in Glenn's presents. Daryl knew that Carol had been planning on showing her the men could be friends to, not just abusers. Though why Carol had decided to pick him as that person, he would never know.
Sophia was dead and he was more than angry about that. Sophia had been robbed of her life before the whole "dead walk thing" and then didn't even get to enjoy it after either. She died way too early into life, one that she hadn't gotten to live yet. "You got no husband, no daughter...You don't know what ta do with yourself. You ain't my problem!" He didn't even mean it, he was only yelling because if he didn't he was afraid that tears would start running down his face.
Men weren't supposed to cry, though sometimes for it just seemed to happen with him. He usually got over it by shutting and hitting whoever was being ridiculously stupid. He would never hit a woman though, especially someone like Carol. Someone sweet to the world even though the world has done nothing but destroy everything about her hopes and dreams. Even now, when she had just lost her daughter; she refused to take the bait, to hate him.
She just gave him a small and very sad smile with a few tears gathering in her eyes. He wondered if he still believed if he was a good man now, he sure as hell never would. Instead of running away and crying, instead of sobbing and hitting like he had watched his mom do during her years of life; Carol steeped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
They stood there for a long while without even moving, hugging. He eventually realized that he had tears pouring from his eyes and he felt embarrassed to be crying in front of her. It only made him bring his heavy hand up as well and return her hug.
If Sophia would have been safe and sound, he would have gotten to show her how to use his bow, how to track in the woods, show her what in the forests are safe to eat. Now he didn't get any of that.
It wasn't fair; Carol held him tight and kissed his forehead as he walked her backwards and onto the small RV bed where she had been resting. They ended up on the bed together, laying side by side in each other's arms. Nothing seemed fair, but that didn't mean that nothing was worth it.
Carol was worth it, and remembering Sophia was worth it. A lot was taken away these days, but that just meant you had to hold on tighter to what you have. Sophia wasn't his, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't have loved her given half a chance. He kissed Carol's cheek in return.