Here's the next chapter. Sorry for the wait! I hope you all enjoy! I really liked writing this one!
Chapter Twenty-Six
When Carol opened her eyes, she was surprised to see herself standing in front of the barn, while Daryl, Shane, Andrea, Glenn, and T-dog fired shots into the heads of the walkers spilling from it. The noise didn't register until several seconds later and it almost deafened her. Looking next to her, she saw Lori on the ground cradling Carl in her arms. Hershel was on his knees in front of them, flanked by his family as they watched the scene.
Where was Sophia?
She wanted to yell up to Daryl to see if he knew where her daughter was, but the gunfire would have swallowed it up, just as it was swallowing up Lori's pleas for Rick.
Where was Sophia?
Daryl looked behind him at that moment and Carol took the opportunity to wave him over. He got an odd look on his face, but put his rifle down to his side and jogged up to her.
"Somethin' you need, lady?"
Lady? Daryl had never her that before. In fact, not that they were together, he would say her name more often.
"Have you seen Sophia?" The gunfire nearly swallowed up her words, but Daryl heard them and instantly, the confused look from before was replaced by a guilty one and his eyes shifted to his boots.
"Haven't found her, yet." He mumbled.
"What?" Carol hoped that the noise had caused her to hear Daryl wrong. So, she leaned closer and placed a hand on his hip. He hissed in pain and flinched back. Carol gasped at the sudden movement and covered her mouth in surprise.
"What's wrong? Did I hurt you? I'm sorry!"
"That's the side I got fuckin' shot with an arrow!" He looked annoyed, now.
"An arrow? When did that happen?"
Daryl looked at her in slight disbelief. "Really, lady? What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I-I don't understand." Why was he being so rude to her?
"Just forget it. Damn." He walked away and muttered. "Don't even know why I walked over here in the fuckin' first place."
If Sophia wasn't still missing, Carol would have allowed herself to dwell on how Daryl had just treated her. The fact that he had nearly shouted at her, had brought tears to her eyes. What had she done for him to start treating her this way? Never had he gotten so mad at her before.
But if he wanted to be an ass, that was fine. She'd remember that, later.
Carol turned to Lori, hoping that maybe the other woman, or her son, knew where her daughter had run off, to. However, right as she opened her mouth to speak, the gunfire stopped and everyone's attention turned to the mass of corpses in front of the barn. Beth's high-pitched sobs could be heard clearly, now.
"Is that it, mom?" Carl's voice had Carol looking back at him. The boy was now trying to stand up from his mother's arms, to probably run to his dad, but Lori kept an iron grip on him. Carol didn't blame the other woman. The gore was not something a child should see. Hopefully, Sophia had found a spot to hide away, so she wouldn't have had to witness the massacre.
Just then, a tiny, soft growl came from the direction of the barn and for some reason, Carol's heart sank at the pitiful noise. Everyone in the front line raised up their weapons, again, but no one was prepared for what stepped out into the sunlight.
Sophia.
"No." Carol sobbed. It couldn't be. She had just walked her daughter up to see Carl before going to Daryl's tent, earlier. This couldn't be happening.
Without telling them to, her feet began to move and soon, she found herself running to the walking shell of her daughter. Before she could reach her, a strong pair of arms went around her and she was pulled to the ground, sobbing.
This couldn't be happening.
Sophia was fine. She had been alive the last time she saw her earlier that day.
But it was her. She was even wearing the same clothes, her favorite shirt and a pair of tan capris. She was exactly how she had looked earlier, except now, a part of her shoulder was missing and her eyes were a milky white.
But it was her. She was even wearing the same clothes, her favorite shirt with the rainbow and a pair of tan capris. She was exactly how she had looked earlier, except now, a part of her shoulder was missing and her eyes were a milky white.
"No," she moaned and bent her head down to the dirt. Daryl was awkwardly rubbing at her arm.
A gunshot rang out and Carol looked up just in time to see her daughter crumple to the ground with a bullet hole in her head.
Carol woke up screaming.
The noise jolted Daryl and was instantly reaching for the knife he kept close to his side.
"What's wrong?" His blue eyes frantically looked her over; trying to see of there was something physically wrong. Carol just shook her head and clung to him. It had all seemed to real and for a moment, she had actually thought that Sophia had been killed.
"Nightmare?"
"Yes. Where's Sophia?" She had to make sure.
"In the RV with Carl. They went there after the barn, remember?" He drew soothing circles on her back with his hand. "Was that what your nightmare was about?"
She nodded. "Sophia was in the barn and..." She sniffled and a few tears leaked from her eyes. "She had been bitten. Rick put her down."
"Fuck, I'm sorry." With one strong arm, Daryl hauled Carol until she was leaning fully on his chest, their bodies pressed as close as they could possible get.
"It was the worst thing I could have ever dreamed about, Daryl." Her cheek nestled just above his heart and the rhythmic beating of it was soothing.
"I know. But it ain't goin' to ever happen in real life. I promise." Daryl ran a hand up her arm and brought it up to her chin so that he could tilt her face to his. "I won't let anythin' happen to that little girl."
"I know." Carol smiled and leaned down to kiss him. The kiss got unexpectantly heated and Carol soon found herself on her back with Daryl hovering over her body and his mouth was attached to her neck.
"Do you want to, um, finish what we started...earlier?" She asked, slightly unsure on how he would react.
Daryl's eyes went wide, but she saw the way his pupils darkened. "If you want to."
"I do." She wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him down for another searing kiss. "I really really do." Her fingers crept from his hair and went to his shirt to start unbuttoning. Daryl watched with rapt attention.
"Hopefully, we won't get interrupted this time." He smirked.
"I won't let us." She pushed the shirt from his broad shoulders and ran her hands over his chest, marveling at how toned he was.
"My turn." Daryl leaned back and allowed Carol to sit up before he peeled off her top, leaving her only in a white bra. Carol bit her lip and then, with a deep breath, reached behind her and unclasped the garment. Daryl's eyes were glued to her chest and his eyes darkened further.
Together they eased back to the position they had been in before. "You're fuckin' beautiful."
Carol blushed. "You're only saying that because I took off my bra."
"Naw." He leaned down and placed a row of kisses along her jaw. "I've always thought that and I always will."
It didn't take them long after that to strip out of the rest of their clothes. Daryl looked unsure as he settled himself between Carol's thighs. She only smiled encouragingly.
"Uh, do we need...anythin'?"
At first, Carol didn't know what he was talking about when his eyes flitted down to their lower halves, she understood and shook her head. "No. Sophia was a difficult birth. The doctors didn't say anything about not being able to have any more children, but as soon as I was able, Ed tried for a boy. Twelve years later and I never became pregnant, again." The mood changed in the tent and Carol blinked back tears.
"I'm sorry, Carol." Daryl said, softly. "I know how much you wanted more kids."
"But I never wanted more kids with Ed." She wiped away the tears. "I was glad that I couldn't conceive, anymore."
"I-I would have liked to have a kid with you. Not now, of course, since you know...but-"
"I wish Sophia had been yours." Carol blurted and then, quickly covered her mouth.
"Really?" He asked in disbelief.
"You would make a wonderful father and I've always had a crush on you. I use to keep a diary and every time we would hang out, I would write it in. I even wrote 'Daryl and Carol Dixon' in a heart on several pages." Her face flushed, but instead of laughing, Daryl's face turned serious.
"I wish I had never left." He looked right at her and Carol gasped at the amount of emotion and love she saw shining in them. She pulled him down and kissed him.
"Daryl. Make love to me, right now. Please."
"Carl, you awake?"
"No," came the muffled reply from the bottom of the bed.
"Yeah, you are." Sophia nudged him with a foot and he flopped up to the blanket to glare at her.
"What do you want?"
"I can't sleep, anymore."
"Well, now, neither can I." Carl sat up and stretched. "And we're stuck in here because it's dark and everyone else is asleep."
"My mom would kill me if I went wondering around, now, anyways." She scooted over and made room so that Carl could sit next to her at the front of the bed.
"Do you want to talk about what happened today?" Carl looked eager to discuss it, but Sophia wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Not really. It was bad enough that I saw it."
"I hope Beth is okay." He said wistfully.
Sophia snorted. "I knew it! You have a crush on her!" She giggled into her hand.
"Do not!" Carl argued. Crossing his arms on his chest, he looked away from his friend.
"Yeah, you do. I saw the way you kept staring at her, earlier, when she came in to check up on you."
"Well, you have a crush on Glenn!" Carl pointed at her with a smirk. Sophia's face instantly went red and she opened her mouth to speak. "Don't even try to deny it. I know. Every time he would play with us at the quarry, you would laugh at everything he said. My mom says that happens, sometimes, when a girl likes a boy." He looked smug when he finished speaking.
"But he's with Maggie, now. So, you don't have a chance." He added.
"Well, Beth is with Jimmy, so neither do you!" Sophia shot back, angrily.
"Sophia? Carl?" Andrea's voice sounded muffled through the door, but they both heard it clearly. "Is everything okay? I heard yelling."
"We're fine, Ms. Harrison. Thank you." Sophia called back and then, turned to glare at Carl and spoke in a fierce whisper. "I'm going to bed. I don't want to talk to you, anymore."
"Fine." Carl humped and crawled back to his side of the bed and hid burrowed himself back under the blankets.
Carol and Daryl laid together in the afterglow of their coupling. Carol felt boneless as she curled into his side and Daryl sounded like he was having trouble catching his breath.
"That was amazin'." He finally gathered enough air to say.
"Maybe we should get Sophia her own tent to keep across from ours, so that we could do this every night." Carol suggested with a smile.
"I'd be okay with that." He pulled her closer and closed his eyes. Together, they drifted off to sleep.
That morning, they were the last to come to the main camp or breakfast. Everyone else was there, except Glenn, who was up with Maggie at the farmhouse and Rick. Sophia ran over to her mother when she saw her and gave her a hug.
"How did you sleep, honey?" She asked and smoothed down her daughter's bed head.
"Fine. You?"
Carol resisted the urge to look over at Daryl. "Great. Now, are you hungry?"
"Yeah! Andrea tried to make some eggs, but I think she burned a couple."
"I'll go and help." Carol smiled and walked over to the middle of camp where Andrea was bent over the fire. When she saw Carol approach, she smiled gratefully and allowed her to finish up the rest of the meal.
Despite the events of the day before, the camp seemed peaceful, like everyone was able to breath better now that the threat in the barn was eliminated. However, when Rick came back to camp, the tranquility was shattered.
"Hershel's gone." He announced. "And, I'm going to go after him."
There was going to be more smut, but I chickened out. I won't even consider what I wrote smut, actually. I hope that didn't disappoint.
Thanks for reading!