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.

This is a work of fiction and in no way is the author claiming to own 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.

Original characters are the property of the author.

Not long ago I wrote a Headcanon in which Carol's necklace was actually her engagement token. I was very wrong I'm on that since we now have evidence of her wearing her ring and it was explained that the bauble was actually part of Sophia's hair tie.

And this Headcanon was born. I hope you guys like it.

Sophia's Necklace

She feels like a demented person; turning everything in her path, digging through pockets and looking under pillows, opening and emptying drawers, turning her pack over and spilling all the contents on the bed.

It has to be here. She couldn't have lost it.

She couldn't have lost the last thing she had of Sophia.

Before, when they had been on the road, it had been easy to keep track of the hair bauble; she had put it in her pocket, where she could feel it throughout the day. She only had one set of pants, two at the most, so she always knew where it was.

Now, at the Kingdom, with multiple sets of clothes at her disposal, she has kept track of it by changing it from one set of jean's pocket to the next. As soon as she takes off the pair she is disposing of for cleaning she will place it in what she plans to wear. They are at peace so she doesn't need to be dressed in bed and ready to go at a moments notice, but she always feels safer having her clothes nearby in case something happens during the night.

She had been exhausted the day before, barely able to walk to bed so she had forgotten to transfer it. Now it is gone.

She has to find it. It can't be lost.

She continues on her search for what feels like hours, finally slumping on the bed, her tears rushing to her eyes, her sobs wracking her body and preventing her from being able to breathe. She hasn't had a panic attack in a very long time, but it hits her like a speeding train, when those still worked.

"Hey! Hey! What's wrong?" She feels Ezekiel's hands gently taking hold of her elbows. "Hey baby, I need you to breathe for me."

With his coaching on when to breathe, she stops extending her neck in futile attempts to get air into her lungs and she is able to slowly calm down enough to get a deep breath in. "That's it... that's it.. deep breaths."

He quickly works on her boots, unlacing them and dropping them haphazardly. He guides her into a sitting position and helps her feet make contact with the floor, grounding her. "There we go. You are alright; at the Kingdom, in our chambers, with me. Nothing is gonna hurt you."

Carol can't help but let out a tiny smile, just the curling of her lip upward. Ezekiel has no way of knowing why she was panicking but he knows that she will sometimes get nightmares vivid enough to disorient her and wants to help her. For all he knows, she was in the middle of reliving an episode with Ed, the Governor or Negan.

"I lost it." She finally whispers when she is somewhat able to talk.

Ezekiel stares at her weirdly, not understanding what she is talking about. "Lost what?" He asks, finally taking a look at their room and the state they were in.

Carol closes her eyes. Admitting it out loud is too hard for her, but Ezekiel is already trying to find with his eyes whatever she was looking for, at least she can guide him in the right direction. "Sophia's hair tie… it was the last thing I had from her. I've… I've carried it since the Farm… we lost everything… I lost everything… but I… I had that hair tie in my pocket when it happened… now it's gone."

Her sobs come back to her and Ezekiel quickly moves to sit beside her, opening his arms and letting her into his embrace.

"She's gone… she's truly gone." She sobs against his chest. Ezekiel can only tighten his arms around her.

"Our loved ones never truly leave us, my love." He whispers against her hair. "From what you've shared with me, Sophia was a wonderful girl; she was caring, she worried about others, and she loved you fiercely. I have no doubt that she was and is proud of you."

"I don't know," Carol admits between sniffles. "There were so many things I could have done differently, so many lost opportunities to give her a happy life… I… have done very bad things."

"Out of necessity, not pleasure." Ezekiel reminds her. "Ed hurting you was not your fault, and you protected your little girl like a lioness protects her cub. You told me Sophia would always run and cling to you. Would she have done so if she didn't think you'd protect her? And Karen and David, Lizzie, the people you mentioned that lived at the Sanctuary, Negan's men; you did what you had to do to protect someone, to protect your family. You've honored Sophia by protecting others. She's proud of you."

Slowly her breathing goes back to normal, her tears dry on her cheeks, and her body relaxes. "I just wish I still had it. It's dumb, you can say it."

"It isn't." He quickly interjects. "Do you think it's dumb that I keep Shiva's collar on my nightstand? Now I know it's not the same, Shiva wasn't my daughter but I loved her as one and I miss her. Is it dumb?"

Carol shakes her head. "No."

"There! It's not dumb that you want to keep that link to her." Tilting her head to his he gives her a beaming smile. "But you shouldn't cry because it's not lost."

Carol narrows her eyes in confusion. "I misplaced it," She points around the room. "And as you can see I haven't found it anywhere."

"That's because you didn't misplace it here." He replies as he starts digging into his own pocket. Pulling back his hand he reveals a pale pink plastic circle with a hole in the center, a black elastic, stretched far too much, dangles from it.

Carol gasps loudly, instantly reaching for it and holding it up to her lips to kiss. "Where did you find it?"

"I didn't, actually," Ezekiel admits. "Henry found it laying on the grass where you train them. He said one of the balls was broken so he threw it away. He asked around but couldn't find who it belonged to so he tied it around his hand. I saw it, recognized it and told him it was yours. He asked me to give it to you but it had completely slipped my mind."

Henry. Next time she sees him she will give him an extra long hug as a thank you.

Turning to Ezekiel she gives him a smile before leaning in and pressing her lips to his. It's a sweet kiss to thank him for delivering it to her.

"I'm just the messenger but I will gladly take a kiss from my Queen anytime."

Carol can't help but laugh at the light teasing look he always gets when calling her 'Queen.' They both know what she thinks of the titles. "Come here then."

After their second kiss, Carol presses her forehead against his. "Maybe I should leave it behind. Maybe with Shiva's collar?"

Ezekiel remains silent for a couple of seconds before he reaches around his own neck and unties the cord he always wears. Slipping out the beads from it, he then takes Carol's hand and silently asks if he can take the bauble. Carol gives a small nod before handing it over.

With reverence and outmost care, he breaks the elastic then slips it off. He carefully inspects it to see if any of Sophia's hairs had been caught in it, wanting to somehow preserve them for Carol. Finding it clean, he then slips the cord through the hole in the plastic circle.

Looking up towards Carol, their foreheads separating completely, he motions for her to turn around. Carol does as requested, then follows the bead as it was passed over her eyes, her fingers meeting it and gently caressing it while he ties the cord expertly.

"As much as it would be an honor to have the last of Sophia's possessions resting with my girl's collar, it just wouldn't work. You draw strength from it, it helps you face the worries and evil of this world. You need it close by, where you can always reach for it, where you can always know she is nothing but proud of her Mama."

Carol lets it rest against her chest, her heart beating strong against it, the plastic transferring that heartbeat as if it was Sophia's.

Turning, she catches Ezekiel's hand with her own. "How do you always know what to say? What to do?"

Ezekiel shrugs a little before sending her a smile. "I know you. I love you. I'll do everything in my power to make sure you are happy… anything."

A teasing smile graces her lips, her eyes sparkling with the light in their room. "Anything?"

"Anything."

Looking around the room, Carol can't help but grin fully, her eyebrow-raising in a way he knew she was about to get away with something. "Even tidying up the room?"

Ezekiel laughs then nods. "Even tidying up the room. Rest baby, I got this."