Disclaimer: I do not own TWD.

A/N: Thank you guest for my first review on this fic! And thank you to those who have favored/followed. Please enjoy the new chapter.

CH 2- Somewhere Safe

Daryl placed their rations on the coffee table in the living room. The few cans would only last them about a day but it was better then nothing. Daryl grabbed his pack and began to rummage through it. It was then he noticed Charlie wander off down the hall.

"Ey," He called out, "Where ya goin'?"

Charlie spun around to meet his gaze. "Gon go explore." She said.

"Don't take too long." Daryl warned her. Charlie nodded and wandered down the hall. Daryl watched her go. He didn't know what he'd do with himself if something ever happened to her. He had promised Beth he'd always watch over her. He remembered perfectly.

X

Infant cries echoed through the forest waking everything in its path. Walkers turned their heads and were instantly drawn to the sound. Daryl made his way through the forest, dodging Walkers as he ran past the trees. He knew he shouldn't have left her alone. He knew it was a bad idea. But he had to risk it. Her life depended on the formula heavily guarded by walkers in the old convenience store.

Rotting hands reached out for him, snarling teeth snapped at his skin. Daryl pulled out his knife and stabbed at walkers when they got too close. He stabbed a male walker in the head, its skull cracked as Daryl pulled out the knife. Black rotten blood squirted out, spilling on the greenery below.

The infant's cries became louder the closer Daryl got. The moans of the dead did too.

Daryl took down a few more approaching walkers until he reached the small clearing. He looked up to the basket hanging from a branch where he had left her sleeping. His heart stopped where below had gathered a small hoard of walkers. There must have been about eight or ten of them. Their hands reached out desperately for the basket. Daryl knew it was a daft idea but there was nowhere else to hide her.

But as soon as he saw those biters around his girl, he saw red. He put up his crossbow as he charged towards them. Arrows flew quickly through the air taking down the first few walkers. When he was out of arrows, Daryl threw his crossbow from the ground and pulled out his knife, throwing it. It flew through the air crashing in to the back of a biter's head. It instantly came tumbling down.

A few walkers turned at the commotion and darted towards him. Daryl reached behind him, pulling out his machete. He swung as the first walker approached him. The machete struck its skull with full force and the walker went down.

The second walker took a hold of Daryl and pushed him to the ground. Daryl grunted as the weight of the dead bore him against the forest ground. Daryl reached out, his fingers searched desperately for a weapon, for anything. The walker leaned forward, snapping down, desperately trying to take a chunk out of him. Daryl met its yellow eyes. Its nose had fallen off as well as its lips and half of its face. Its remaining clumps of her were grey and matted. It reeked something awful.

Just then another walker turned around at the sound of Daryl's struggle. It ignored the infant's cries and aimlessly dragged its feet to Daryl and the other walker.

Her cries grew louder and desperate causing Daryl to panic. He needed to get to her. He needed to save her.

"Ya ugly sum'bitch." Daryl spat as he reached for a heavy rock and smashed it against the walker's face. The walker fell over letting Daryl reached in to his boot where he pulled out a switchblade and threw it, striking the incoming walker between the eyes. He then jumped up to his feet and smashed the first walker's head in to the ground. Blood and brain matter gushed all over the ground.

Daryl hurried to the other walker, taking back his switchblade. He yanked it out and hurried to the few walkers remaining. He grabbed one by the shoulder, spinning it around and stabbing it from under the neck. It fell limp at his feet. By the time Daryl was done finishing off the remaining walkers he was sweaty and covered in walker blood.

He hurried to the tree and untied the rope, carefully lowering the basket. He hurried to the basket. There she lay unharmed, wrapped in his leather jacket. She wailed loudly.

"Shh, there, there, sweetheart. I got ya. I got ya now." He swooped her out of the basket and in to his arms, "I ain't gon let nothin' happen to ya."

He held her against his chest, relieved that she was safe and remembering the promise he had made to her mother and the promise he had made to himself.

x

Charlie ambled down the halls of the farm house poking her head in to rooms and closets. She made a left turn in to a hall at the end of the house and noticed a stuffed elephant lying on the floor. Charlie hurried to it and plucked it from the floor, studying it.

The elephant had a few speckled stains of what could have been dried blood on it. Charlie glanced up from the stuffed elephant to the door on her left. She pushed it open revealing a blue painted room filled with bunk beds and many toys.

"Wow." She mouthed as she stepped inside completely amazed by what she was seeing.

Charlie tiptoed around the room running her fingers along every object and every toy. She had never really owned anything but the clothes on her back and the weapon in her pocket. And even then the clothes were dirty and torn and she wasn't allowed to play with her switchblade. It was only for the biters, her father had warned. Still, her father had also claimed she didn't need any toys. Not in the world they lived in at least.

Charlie stopped in front of a small television with a Nintendo attached to it. Charlie was born after the world went to shit and had no clue how things had worked in the past nor had half a clue what some things even were. She didn't understand the concept of normal things like television or electricity. When Daryl told her about cartoons her eyes grew wide and she accused him of fibbing. Daryl chuckled and shook his head telling her that it was the magic of electricity and tv. And Charlie continued to marvel over a magic box that played cartoon characters and other wonders.

The young child stopped in front of the closet where she reached her little hand up and grasped the sleeve of a red hoodie.

"What're ya doin'?" Daryl's voice made her jump.

Charlie instantly dropped the stuffed elephant she didn't realize she was still holding and turned to her father. "Nothin'." She said innocently.

"Well, c'mon then." He reached his hand out for her.

Charlie instantly hurried to his side and took his hand. She turned back to look at the room before exiting.

….

They sat in the living room floor to eat. Charlie watched with eager eyes as Daryl fished out the can opener and opened the can of corn. Charlie reached out for the can but Daryl pulled it back. "Uh-uh"

Charlie's fine eyebrows pulled together. If Beth were with them she would swear Charlie looked just like Daryl when she was angry. They had the same pout and angry brows.

"What ya do that for?" Charlie asked in a tiny gruff.

"Spell it first, then ya can have it." He said.

"Daddy, dat ain't fair!" Charlie complained.

"Nothin's fair, ya best remember that."

Charlie slumped her shoulders. Daryl had to constantly remind the child that nothing came easily in life but she knew that every single day they struggled to find shelter or even food. Hell, even falling asleep could welcome death.

Charlie's cobalt eyes flew to the can of corn in her father's dirty hand. She bit her bottom lip and chewed it slightly. "Uh…"

"Sound'it out." Daryl shoved a spoon in the can and took a bite.

Charlie watched him with steady eyes. "Uh…K…o…" She stopped and frowned at Daryl, "S'hard.

"Ya wanna eat, don't ya?" Of course he'd never let the girl starve but he knew she could do it.

Charlie huffed and continued, "Um, r…n?"

Daryl tilted his head. He shrugged, "S'good 'nough." He handed her the can. Charlie took it instantly and eagerly dug in.

When the can of corn was empty, Charlie dug around for the last remaining kernels. When she couldn't reach them she looked around the living room. It was quiet. The first time it had been quiet for a very long time.

"Daddy." She said as she looked back to the empty can.

"Yeah?" Daryl didn't bother to look up from his can as he dug the spoon around for whatever was left.

Charlie bit her bottom lip again, contemplating on her words. Daryl sighed heavily, "Out wit' it, girl."

"Can't we stay here?" Charlie glanced up at him.

Daryl looked at her suddenly. Her question had taken him by surprise. She never asked to stay anywhere for too long. On the contrary, she always wanted to run to the next place and see their next adventure. Daryl remained quiet only raising a questioning eyebrow.

Charlie shrunk under her father's cold stare. "I like it here." Her voice was barely audible. "Ain't no biters 'round 'er nothin'…"

Daryl sighed. "Ya know we can't stay."

"Why not?" Charlie looked at Daryl with disappointed eyes.

"'Cause I said so." Daryl grunted as he continued to fish out the last kernels in his can.

Daryl had his reasons for not staying. He had to find her. She was out there somewhere waiting for him, he just knew it.

"But why?" The girl questioned again.

Daryl grew frustrated at her never-ending questions. "Cause we can't!" he snapped.

Charlie didn't flinch at his outburst. She only looked at him with big hurt eyes that reminded him of Beth's. Daryl sighed softly. "C'mere." He said gently as he waved her over.

Charlie set her empty can down and hurried to her father. She climbed on to his lap and rested her forehead against his chest.

"Sorry, alright?"

Charlie nodded against him. Daryl felt awful. He didn't always have the most lenient temper or the best forms of expression. No one showed him how to be a father. It was just thrown upon him but five years down the line he wouldn't give it back.

….

Daryl spent the rest of the afternoon tinkering with an old truck Charlie discovered behind the barn after they ate. They had ransacked the house for anything useful and found a few bottled waters down in the basement along with a few boxes of crackers.

Charlie sat on an old wooden crate munching on a cracker as she watched her father dig in to the engine. Daryl had been at it for hours and had broken in to a sweat. The relentless Georgia sun beat down upon them hard. Daryl wouldn't miss the suffocating heat when the summer was over but cold weather brought other sorts of problems.

"Is it workin' yet?" Charlie asked kicking her feet against the dirt.

"Almost." Daryl grunted and pulled his greasy hands out of the engine and set them on his hip. "That should 'bout do it."

Charlie eagerly watched as Daryl jumped in to the truck. He closed his eyes for a moment hoping it worked. He and Charlie had been walking for weeks and with the weather growing colder he didn't want to risk his girl getting sick. Slowly, Daryl turned the ignition. It had to work…for her.

Suddenly, the engine roared to life and Daryl opened his eyes completely astonished.

Charlie jumped off the crate. "It works!" and ran off to meet Daryl who hopped out of the truck. He picked up the girl off the floor and settled her on his hip.

"Now, les' get the hell outta here." Daryl smiled softly at her as he lightly flicked her nose leaving behind a grease smudge.

Before they left Daryl went in to the back room where he found Charlie earlier that day. He went straight to the closet and pulled out the red hoodie out and stuffed it in to his pack. It wasn't every day they came upon good clothes and with the cold approaching fast, she was going to need it.

Charlie was waiting for him besides the back door. "Ready?" Daryl asked. Charlie only gave him a single nod and the two were off. They drove off the farm and on to the road. Charlie watched through the back window of the truck as they left the safety of the farm behind.

"Where to now?" She asked landing her blues on Daryl.

"Somewhere safe." He answered keeping his eyes on the road.