AN: Here we go, another little chapter for you all.

My visit was great, but I admit that I'm exhausted and far behind on work. That means I'll be playing catch up and I have a lot of things coming up as well. I'm sure that means that updates will be more sporadic (and shorter, maybe), but I'll try to get chapters out when and where I can!

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

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Carol was already tired when she started the drive toward Jo Greene's house with Russ in tow beside Sophia in the backseat.

But tired or not, she had to drop both kids off and then head I my work for another day of the not so fascinating meetings and such that came along with preparing for her new job.

"I don't feel good," Russ protested for the second time since they'd left the house.

Carol wasn't sure if he actually didn't feel good like he suggested, or if he was tired and just wanted someone to stay home with him like Daryl suggested.

Russ hadn't identified any of the symptoms of his possibly phantom illness beyond the fact that he didn't feel good and he thought that it might be better if he were to stay with Daryl during the day rather than go to Jo's. Even when he was pressed, he had no real description of his problems…nothing but the repetition of the phrase that Daryl assured her meant that nothing was wrong with Russ beyond the feeling that he might miss something…though there was nothing to miss and he'd probably have a far better time with Jo than either Daryl or Carol would have their jobs.

"I'm sorry, Russ," Carol said, glancing at the boy through the rearview mirror. "I'm sure that Miss Jo will let you rest and will take care of you when we get there."

She was pretty sure she was following directions well, but she didn't remember exactly how to get to Hershel and Jo Greene's farm and Daryl's directions had included a lot more landmarks and a lot fewer road names than she'd actually hoped for.

"It's OK," Russ whined back with a voice that indicated anything but the fact that he was OK with the arrangement. "I just…I wish…you know? I could have stayed with Daddy…"

Carol chewed her lip, glancing around her for her boundaries and glanced back at the boy. Sophia was looking at him now and again like she wanted to know what was wrong with him, but she was on a car adventure and had been promised the possibility of a rabbit, so for the most part she was simply bobbing in her seat and humming to herself along with the kids' music CD that Carol had playing low…the one she'd heard so many times by now that she sometimes, although she hated to admit it, caught herself playing it in the car even when Sophia wasn't with her.

"Well…" Carol responded, feeling like she had to tread easily because Russ was an odd sort of sponge to literally everything, "your Daddy had to work…and I have to work…but Miss Jo, she's going to take great care of you and you're going to have a great time there."

"Is my Daddy going to come get me?" Russ asked.

Carol nodded.

The day before she'd stayed late at work trying to get the feel of some things after the meetings that they'd been put through and she'd tried to mingle a little and get to know some of the people, at least by name, that she'd be working with. But today she'd agreed that she'd be leaving early and she'd pick both kids up, since she had Russ's car seat, and with any luck she'd follow directions to the shop where Daryl worked to drop both Russ and his seat off there since she would be done before Daryl.

"He won't come pick you up," Carol explained. "I'll pick you up…but I'm going to take you by the shop where your Daddy works."

Russ didn't look entirely happy with this. He sucked his teeth.

"Is that OK?" Carol asked.

"Yeah," he said remorsefully. "I just wish…I wish my Daddy was picking me up. I miss my Daddy."

Carol bit her lip. It hadn't been half an hour since he saw his Daddy…his Daddy who had entertained both children while Carol got ready and did a pretty good job of dressing of Sophia…though he'd insisted that he didn't do hair. But she supposed that she knew what the boy was trying to say and the arrangement was odd to him. It was odd to her too. After all, this was the first time that she'd done anything like this and she was already asking herself exactly what it meant that she was spending the night with Daryl on nights that she had to work and she was driving his son around.

"I know you miss him," Carol offered. "But you'll see him soon…"

She paused and then glanced in the mirror again to watch the boy's face.

"And I'm going to need your help finding the shop," she said. "Do you know where your Daddy works?"

Russ looked at her and nodded his head slightly, not looking like he'd given up entirely on his misery.

"Yeah he just works with my Uncle Merle…an' he works with Mac and Wren too. They work on cars…an' sometimes…I get to work on the cars…I'm really good at it," Russ explained.

Carol nodded at him and furrowed her brow to make sure that he knew that she took him very seriously.

"I heard that you were really good at it," she said. "What do you like to do with the cars? How do you work on them?"

Russ sighed somewhat dramatically. Apparently all of her incessant chatter and general lack of knowledge and common sense was a little tiring to his superior intellect.

"I just work on them…you have to…there's a lot you have to do," Russ said. He nodded his head dramatically at her and sighed again. "It's a lot…and I'm really good at it…my Daddy lets me work on the cars…because I like it and I'm really good at it."

Carol nodded her head, repeating the last four words for him in her mind as he said them out loud.

After a few more miles and a little more idle chit chat, Carol was silently congratulating herself on having found the house that she was looking for. She parked the car and got out, checking to make sure that she was still as far ahead of time as she needed to be in order to not be too rushed dropping them off and making it to work, and then she got the kids out, Sophia waiting patiently to be unbuckled and put on her feet and Russ unbuckling himself and crawling over Sophia's side to come spilling out the car as quickly as he possibly could.

Carol had a feeling that his ailment was getting better, though it wasn't completely gone.

Russ bounded ahead, toward the farmhouse, while Carol tugged Sophia around by her arm, listening to her comment on the cows that they could see from where they were parked, and got out the bags for both children.

Then she tugged Sophia toward the farmhouse where Russ was already knocking at the door.

Jo Greene opened the door after a moment at Russ's knocking and looked around and then she smiled at Carol.

"Come on in with all of that," Jo declared when she saw how loaded down Carol was with bags and things.

"Thanks…" Carol said, nodding at her and passing quickly into the house. She deposited the bags on the floor where Jo pointed out a spot for her and realized quickly enough that they weren't alone when she found herself being scowled at by a little black girl probably no older than Sophia who seemed to be silently scolding her for whatever she was interrupting.

Jo must have seen it too, even as she pulled Sophia and Russ inside.

"Angie…this is Miss Carol," Jo said. "Carol this is Angie. Her sister isn't up yet, but Angie's my early bird. She helps me get breakfast ready in the mornings because she gets up and comes to see me even before Papa Hershel leaves to get his day started."

"Hi Angie," Carol said to the little girl who seemed to be carefully deciding if she was going to replace her scowl, now turned inquisitive, with a smile. "You look like you're just about Sophia's age. I bet she'll like playing with you."

Jo hummed at her.

"I bet they'll have a great time," Jo said. "Angie's a little slow to warm up…but once she's there, she's a sweetheart. Russ, where's your Daddy?"

"He's at work," Russ responded, going to the kitchen and tugging at the handle on the refrigerator as though he were right in his own home.

"What do you need?" Jo asked.

"I'm just a little thirsty," Russ declared.

The woman set about getting him something to drink and Carol watched as Sophia curiously followed Angie into the living room, apparently having already forgotten entirely about Carol's presence now that she had a new friend who likely had toys to lure her away.

"Russ says he doesn't feel well," Carol said, "but he seems to be feeling a little better."

"You don't feel good?" Jo asked the boy as she handed him a cup with juice in it. He accepted the cup and drank from it before answering her.

"I just don't feel good," he said, his voice changing. "I wished my Daddy would stay with me, but he has to work."

Jo smiled.

"He does have to work," Jo said. "And I'm glad he didn't stay with you so you could come and see me. Papa Hershel is getting the tractor ready and he said something about a little boy helping him…but if you're not feeling well…"

Russ's eyes got big.

"No…no…I feel better," Russ declared. "I think I just…all I need was some juice, because I was very thirsty, but I feel better now. Where's Papa Hershel?"

Jo laughed lightly and Carol couldn't help but laugh too. There was nothing like something more exciting than what a child thought they wanted to make them feel all better about whatever it was that they weren't getting.

"He's outside," Jo said. "He'll come up and get you when he's ready for you. You drink your juice and I'm sure he'll be here soon. Where did Sophia go?"

Jo directed the last question at Carol.

"She followed Angie," Carol said.

Jo smiled.

"Angie has already got all the toys out in the living room," Jo explained. "Her mother's a lawyer and she goes in pretty early in the morning. Usually my day starts with a cup of coffee and little Miss Angie joining me for breakfast. Celine, her younger sister, sleeps in…but not Angie."

Carol smiled and nodded her head. Even though she didn't know Jo Greene all that well, she felt like she did. And she felt like Sophia, much like Daryl had insisted, wasn't going to have any problem at all with staying with the woman.

"Well," Carol said, looking at Russ who was drinking his juice by the counter and then glancing toward the living room, "I guess I'm going to tell Sophia bye and then I'm going to work…they both ate breakfast but Sophia ate better than Russ did."

Jo nodded her head.

"I ate my food," Russ declared. "I just…didn't want it all because I wanted waffles and not oatmeal but Daddy said I was getting oatmeal and I just couldn't eat as much oatmeal as I could eat waffles."

Carol nodded her head. That was a little like the way that breakfast had gone. Russ had wanted waffles and Daryl had declared that oatmeal was on the menu so Russ had more or less pouted his way through the amount that Daryl had declared that he had to eat if he didn't want to be in trouble.

Sophia, on the other hand, couldn't care less what she was served. Oatmeal, waffles…it just didn't matter. It was all the same to her and she'd liked that Daryl had strawberries and let her eat as much of those as she wanted with the oatmeal that she scarfed down.

"I'm sure we'll have a snack before long," Jo said. "Angie has to have her snacks if we want peace in the house and Papa Hershel likes to have his snack with them because farm work works up quite the appetite, doesn't it, Russ?"

Russ nodded, eyeing Carol.

Carol slipped around into the living room and found Sophia making friends quite easily with Angie. Rather than disturb them entirely and cause a scene, Carol bent down enough to kiss the girl on the side of the face and declare that she loved her. Sophia looked at her and smiled, like she'd only just remembered she had a mother, and told Carol that she loved her too…probably not entirely understanding that the declaration meant that Carol was about to leave…and then Carol slipped back in the kitchen to say goodbye to Russ and to let Jo know that she would be picking him up for Daryl that afternoon.

Carol slipped out of the farm house, leaving Jo Greene with her wards for the day, and smiled and waved at Hershel when she saw him crossing the yard toward the house slowly. He waved warmly back and Carol got into her car, checking the piece of paper with her scribbled directions and checking the time again so that she could head toward work for her second day. She didn't want to be late, after all, and created a poor impression of herself so early in the game.