(Takes place during Season 2 episode 1)
Daryl stalked, crossbow in hand, back to the highway. Rick had given Daryl the responsibility of leading the others back through the thick forest, while Rick, Shane and Carl stayed behind to look for Sophia. With every step he could hear Carol's soft tears. Poor woman, losing her daughter like that, but Carol's pain was of little concern to Daryl. The thing he cared about was finding Sophia. He walked with the group for what seemed like forever, silently tracking Sophia the whole time, just in case she found a way back to the highway. He couldn't let the group, mostly Carol, know he was looking. He didn't want to give her false hope. Night was falling and Daryl knew little Sophia had almost no chance of surviving the night, with animals and hungry walkers out in unfamiliar woods. But he prayed.
Suddenly, he heard a soft rustle of trees to the left of them. Daryl was the only one with a weapon and if the group was attacked by walkers, they would lose people. He motioned to the group to get low and stay quiet.
He dropped to his knees and aimed the crossbow at the area where the sound had come from. Just before he was about to fire into the trees, Carol grabbed his arm "No! It could be my baby." She half whispered in a panic. He knew it probably wasn't but he studied the faces of the group, all fear and loss.
Then he turned to Carol "Let me check it out. Don't you dare move or make any noise. If something happens, just keep going on the path we are on, understand?" he looked from Carol to Glenn then he nodded for Glenn to take control. Daryl rose from his knelt position in the grass, back arched down, he crept over to where the noise came from. He grabbed the trunk of a tall tree and peered around it. In a flash, he was struck in the face, and thrown to the ground. Within seconds, his attacker lept on him but somehow, in a fury of kicks and elbows he managed to land a hard punch to the person's ribs. "Ack" the noise came from the person. They quickly rolled off of Daryl but left him with a hard elbow to the chin. Daryl attempted to get up, but the person was sitting on his chest restricting any movement. Now he could see who it was. A girl. More like a woman. She raised a crowbar over her head and brought it down. Just before Daryl received metal to the face, she stopped mid swing.
"Holy shit, you're human." The young woman's big blue eyes inspected Daryl's face. Her long, red hair fell in strands around her face as she lowered the crowbar to the ground. He stared at her porcelain skin, then grabbed her arm and pulled her off of him. He quickly jumped to grab his crossbow and he aimed it straight at her. As soon as she realized what had happened the unfamiliar woman smacked the ground and lept to her feet, crowbar poised for another fight. "Who the hell are you?" she asked.
By now the whole group was standing behind Daryl, staring at her in wonder and amazement. It had taken bother Rick and Shane to bring Daryl down in a fight, and they were trained cops. "We're looking for a little girl, you seen her?" Daryl asked in a gruff, not so friendly voice. Carol stumbled up to where Daryl stood, clutching his arm.
The stranger examined Carol quickly then turned back to Daryl, adopting a defiant stance. "Blonde, bout yay high, left alone in the woods to die? Might've seen something, who wants to know?" she swung her crowbar in her a circle as she spoke. No inflections in her voice. Carol took an unsteady step forward.
"I'm her mother." She almost sobbed. The woman raised her eyebrows at Carol.
"Well you're doing a fine job, ma'am." The woman said sarcastically. Carol almost broke down in sobs. The woman watched Carol with pity. "Ok Momma, calm down and come here." She motioned for Carol to step closer with her index finger. Carol took a few steps forward, when she was close enough, the woman grabbed her arm. "You bit?" she said, inspecting the worry stricken mother, turning her this way and that. "No" Carol replied sheepishly. "You scratched?" the woman inquired again. Carol simply shook her head. She then pushed Carol back toward the group. "You wanna lower that crossbow?" she said a little louder to Daryl.
"No." was his only reply. The stranger sighed and tuned her head, all the while keeping her eyes on Daryl.
"Sophia. Sweetie you can come out now." She called in a soft tone, one which the group had not heard before. A small blonde girl, holding a .44 pistol emerged from a nearby tree. When Sophia caught sight of her mother, she dropped the gun and ran to her mother. Carol dropped to her knees sobbing, wrapping Sophia in a hug. Instead of watching the happy reunion, the woman picked the weapon from the ground while Daryl watched her. He had never met someone like her, well he hadn't officially met her either but he knew this woman would give him a run for his money. He needed to know this woman, but he knew he never could.
"Are you alone?" Lori questioned. Maybe this strange woman needed help.
"Yes." She said, she hadn't realized that Lori was there. All of her attention was on Daryl.
"What's your name?" Glenn asked her from behind Lori.
"Helena." She replied never looking away from the man with a crossbow fixed at her head. "Are you ever going to put that bow down?" she questioned Daryl.
"No." he stared at her.
"Why not?"
"You elbowed me in the face!" He roared at her. Unfazed by his anger she smirked at him.
"You startled me." Everyone snickered except Daryl. His lips curled back in an animalistic snarl.
"Why don't you join us Helena? We could use another pair of eyes." Lori gave Helena a reassuring smile. Helena hadn't noticed the embrace of Carol and Sophia had lasted this long, but as soon as their hug broke, Carol jumped on Helena, grabbing the unsuspecting woman in a hug. Daryl watched Helena's reaction, first she stiffened and then she awkwardly put her arms around the ecstatic mother, then, as she felt more comfortable, she relaxed and hugged Carol.
She smiled at Carol as they let go of each other. Then switched her gaze to Lori. "Umm, sure I guess I could for a little." She took Lori's outstretched hand and followed her past Daryl, giving him a quick glance.