I know this is short and pretty long over due, but at least it's something! I hope you all enjoy!


Chapter Twenty-Eight

September 1982

"I want to help people when I get older." Carol picked at a blade of grass as Daryl lounged on his back beside her. Together, they were sitting under their tree in Daryl's yard. "I want to either do that, or be a teacher."

"So you're sayin' once you graduate from school, you want to go back and teach it?" Daryl scuffed.

Carol just shrugged. "I don't mind school, and I think teaching would be fun. But my first choice would be to become a counselor or a social worker. I think I would like to help children who have had a difficult time in their lives, or ones whose parents don't pay much attention to them, you know?"

Daryl sat up. "Is this because of how it's like at your house?"

Once again, she shrugged. "I know my mom and dad love me, but it kind of makes me upset that we don't talk much. I should be able to go to my mom and tell her everything, but I just...can't. I mean, I don't think this will hurt me in the long run, but for those that it does, I want to be there to help."

Daryl fell silent and Carol took it as him being upset. "Oh, I'm sorry, Daryl!"

He looked confused. "For what?"

"Here I am going on about my parents and how I can't talk to my mom, and your poor mother..."

"Naw, its all right. She wasn't much of a mom, anyway." Carol gasped. "It's true. All she did was drink and smoke. Never paid too much attention to me and Merle, and then one day she was just gone. Burned up. I was sad for a little bit, but then I kind of just got over it."

"I'm still sorry." Reaching over, she grabbed his hand, briefly and squeezed. He didn't shy away from her touch like he had when they first met.

"You know somethin' Carol, you don't gotta wait until you're older to help people. Hell, you've already helped some." Daryl seemed nervous as he speak and refused to look at her. Instead, his gaze was focused on the ground.

"I have?"

"Yeah. You helped me in the woods that day."

"Daryl, that's not what I'm talk-"

"Ain't talkin' just about you helpin' me get out of the woods. Y-You talked to me, and didn't act like I was a piece of shit. You gave me your favorite stuffed animal and called me your best friend." Finally he looked up at her, looking much older than his ten years. "Uh, I guess what I'm tryin' to say, is that you made me feel like I was...worth somethin', even though you had just met me. A-And I know that's helped me get through these past few months, you know?"

Carol tackled him to the ground in a hug. "That's the kindest thing you have ever said to me, Daryl." She kissed him on the cheek.

"It's the truth." His voice was muffled, but he hadn't pushed Carol off, so she took it as a good sign and continued to have her arms wrapped around him.

"Daryl Dixon, do you want to know something?" She finally sat up and allowed Daryl to sit up, as well.

"What?"

"You're the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm glad I got lost in the woods and found you. I can't imagine this summer without you there. Don't ever leave me. Okay?"


"Carl has a crush on you." Sophia continued to speak to the teenager, whose eyes were still wide open, but unseeing. "He would be so mad at me if he found out I told you, but I don't care. He makes me so mad, sometimes, and you're with Jimmy, so it's not like he even had a chance." Twenty minutes had passed since her mother had asked Sophia to speak with Beth, and she was starting to feel disheartened at the girl's lack of response to her ramblings. Not even the mention of Jimmy had roused her. Carol had said not to worry if Beth didn't respond to her talking, but Sophia had wanted so bad to be of help to someone. When she had gone missing in the woods, Carl had said that everyone had looked for her, and she wanted to prove herself, now.

"Beth, I know you're going through a tough time, right now. I don't know what I would do if I lost my mama. But you still have Maggie, your dad, Jimmy and Ms. Patricia, who all love you and want you to get better. They hate seeing you this way. I hate seeing you this way, and we barely know one another." Sophia sighed and blinked back tears. "I was lost in the woods a few days ago. I don't know if you knew that or not. I was lost and I thought for sure I was never going to see my mom, again. Then, Daryl found me. I-I think you're lost, right now, Beth, and you're going to need someone to find you. I just want to let you know that I'm here, and I'm going to keep talking to you until you tell me to shut up."

If Sophia had been paying attention to Beth's hands, she would have seen that the fingers on the older girl's right hand had begun to twitch.


Carol and Daryl still sat on the porch swing with Daryl using his foot to gently rock them back and forth. Carol had been dozing on Daryl's shoulder when she felt the comforting weight of his arm slide from her shoulders. Whining at the loss, she sat up to ask why he had moved and saw that he was looking out at the yard. Carol turned in time to see Carl bound up the stairs.

"Oh." Carol understood, now. Turning to Carl, who had walked up to them when he noticed them sitting there, she asked, "Does your mom know you're up here?" Now, that Carl seemed to have healed enough to run around, he found every chance he could to leave the camp. Much to Lori's distress.

"No, but you're up here, so she won't worry." Carol doubted that. "How's Beth?" Everything made sense, then. The boy had a crush on the older girl and had come up to check on her. Daryl snorted from behind Carol, and she rolled her eyes.

"Sophia is in there speaking with her."

"So, she's awake?" His eyes brightened and he reached for the door handle, ready to race inside.

"No, not yet, I'm afraid. Sophia's talking to her to see if she'll wake up, soon." Carol explained and watched as Carl visibly deflated at the news.

Carol nudged Daryl, and motioned for him to scoot over a bit so that there was room next to her for Carl. Daryl rolled his eyes, but moved. "Come here, Carl." She patted the empty space and Carl took it, and hung his head.

"Don't worry, honey. Beth is going to be fine. If my Sophia can't get her to wake up, your dad and Glenn went to get her father, and I'm sure he'll be able to help her." She wrapped an arm around the boy and pulled him close.

"I hope you're right, Carol."


"I think my mama and Daryl are together," Sophia whispered, as if there was someone else in the room with them. "They don't think I know, but I see the way my mama looks at him, and Daryl is always by her." She had grabbed Mr. Snuggles from where he had been at Beth's side and began to play with his ears. "They think they're sneaking, but I'm even sneakier."

"I'm glad my mama has Daryl, though. He's good for her. My daddy wasn't. My daddy was mean, and he use to..." She paused. "Nevermind. I'm supposed to be talking about happy stuff. So, how are you and Jimmy? I saw him in the living room when my mom brought me here, and he looked real upset.

Beth's left arm twitched and brushed against Sophia's leg. The younger girl glanced over just in time to see Beth blink.

"Beth? A-Are you waking up?"

Instead of staying glued to the ceiling, Beth's eyes looked at Sophia. "Did you say Carl had a crush on me?"


So, what do you all think?

Thanks for reading!