AN: Here we are, another chapter here.

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

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The sound that escaped Carol when she rounded the corner to look up into the stairwell almost deafened Daryl. He wasn't exactly sure what she might do, but he thought that things could go a number of ways. He reached out to her, prepared to catch her if she might hit the ground, but she didn't. Instead she tried to run up the stairs so fast that she stumbled twice, somewhat falling upward Daryl waited at the bottom to make sure that he wouldn't have to catch her if she should come tumbling back down again.

Sophia looked stunned, and Daryl had no other word for it. She stared at Carol and Daryl both for a moment like she didn't believe her eyes. She didn't move and she didn't speak. Daryl could only wonder if maybe the girl thought they were part of some kind of vivid hallucination. Maybe she thought that she was imagining things. Maybe, even, she thought she might have died and they were some kind of spirits wearing familiar masks that came to escort her to some kind of otherworld.

She didn't move at all until Carol made it to the top of the stairs and, dropping to her knees, wrapped her arms around her. Sophia folded into her, then, and she let out the first noise that Daryl had heard her make beyond the thumping of her feet on the floor that he hardly believed was her.

"Mommyyyyyy," Sophia cried, her voice trailing off into a pathetic sob at the end.

Carol dissolved into her own sobs. The noises that escaped her were dotted with "Sophia, sweetheart, and baby" until all the sounds ran into one another as she practically mauled her daughter on the floor while her daughter mauled her back in an attempt to be as close to the woman as was humanly possible.

Daryl imagined that Carol hadn't been this happy to see her daughter since the day she'd been born. In a lot of ways, he imagined what was happening was a rebirth in its own right. Carol hadn't wanted to give up and lay her daughter to rest, but her heart had already started doing just that. Now that it was safe for it to believe her daughter was alive again, there was no telling what emotions were coursing through her.

Daryl gave them some time. They had time, after all. For as long as it had taken them to find Sophia, there was more than enough time for them to lock up in the animalistic searching of one another that had to happen after being reunited.

Instead of watching them, Daryl gave them some privacy. He walked away, found his pack, and started unpacking items out of it onto the floor of the living room. His own heart was pounding in his chest. His throat was tight and it hurt to swallow against the tightness, but he was oddly as relaxed as he could recall being in a long time. Even though Carol and Sophia both sounded like they were crying in the staircase—and hearing crying was always something that was difficult for Daryl—it didn't bother him to hear this crying. It felt good. It felt earned.

And he was thrilled to be unpacking items that he honestly hadn't known whether or not they were going to need.

There was water and food there. Daryl had packed bandages and rubbing alcohol for anything they might need to care for before they got Sophia back to Hershel and his full cabinet of supplies. Daryl looked around the living room and got to his feet. He collected a soft throw from the back of a chair, shook it out to rid it of some of the dust it had collected, and then stopped back by the couch to straighten the pillows and cushions that he and Carol had messed up only a short time before.

He didn't know what Sophia had heard, or even what she might've seen, but he was sure that they would find out—there was time for that.

By the time Daryl finished everything that he could think to do and returned to the staircase, he found Carol sitting at the top of it. She was swaying her body, her eyes closed, as she held Sophia across her lap like a largely oversized infant. The girl wasn't protesting the act at all. If Daryl didn't know any better, he might assume that she'd already fallen asleep in her mother's arms.

He hated to disturb them, but he knew that eventually they'd need to get back. Eventually they'd need Hershel to look Sophia over and give her a clean bill of health.

Daryl cleared his throat and caught Carol's attention. She opened her eyes and looked at him, but she didn't stop the rocking immediately.

"Hershel's gonna know better'n us if she's suffered anything more'n a little hunger and some missing sleep," Daryl said. "Might oughta get her back soon."

Carol nodded her head and moved her hand to wipe her nose.

"Yeah," she said softly. It was barely more than a breathed whisper, but Daryl heard it. "Yeah," Carol repeated. She stopped her rocking, but Sophia didn't move. Daryl wondered if she had actually fallen asleep or if she was still just trying to overcome the trauma that, without a doubt, she'd suffered in the past few days. Even if nothing had happened to her, Daryl was sure that being lost would be trauma enough to set the girl back for a few days. He remembered how he'd felt when he'd made his way back home after being lost, and that was even without having a warm and safe place to crash.

"She hungry?" Daryl asked. "I got food down here. Plenty enough to get her through until we get her back and get her somethin' hot."

At the mention of food, Sophia perked up. She moved out of her mother's arms and, sitting beside Carol, gazed down at Daryl. She looked like he expected her to look. She looked exhausted, thinner than she had been even though she'd been rail thin before, and stunned. It was a lot to take in—especially for a child.

"You hungry?" Daryl asked, directing the question at Sophia.

She looked at Carol.

Carol nodded her head.

"It's OK," Carol said softly.

Daryl's chest clenched.

Maybe Sophia didn't trust him. Maybe she didn't trust anyone. She'd learned not to even trust the most basic of kindnesses—like food might come with some kind of trick attached to it. Apparently she was fine with eating what she found, but taking it from someone else? She needed her mother's permission to take the food.

Of course, Daryl could remember Ed pitching more than one fit about food. He hated to share anything, especially if he thought it was anything that he might need. Daryl knew that if he'd heard it, Sophia surely had.

"It's OK," Daryl offered up the staircase. "Got a couple things. You can have what'cha want. All of it, if you want it."

Receiving permission, Sophia eased down the stairs toward Daryl. She looked at him, big-eyed, when she reached the bottom and stood beside him. He gestured toward the floor where he'd unpacked the food, a can opener, and a spoon that he'd grabbed up at breakfast just in case. Beside that he'd put several bottles of water.

"How long has it been since you eat?" Daryl asked.

Sophia stared at him and shrugged.

"You don't know?" Daryl asked. "Or you scared to tell me?"

"Maybe yesterday?" Sophia said quietly.

Daryl nodded his head.

"Go slow," he said. "You don't wanna get sick. You eat too quick. Drink too much water too fast? You'll get sick. Eat what you want. Eat it all. Drink all the water. But go slow, OK?"

Sophia nodded at him and offered him a soft thank you before she eased toward the food. Seeing that it wasn't a trick at all, she dropped to her knees and dived into helping herself to the food with the same enthusiasm that a child might dive into presents under a Christmas tree.

Daryl looked up the staircase where Carol was still sitting, mopping at her eyes with her hand. The tears that she was shedding now didn't have the same effect on Daryl as the ones before had. He knew these tears were good and they were earned. He wanted her to have them, but it looked like she was already getting them under control.

Daryl gestured up at her, waving at her to come down. She got up and her step nearly faltered. The whole thing was a lot for Sophia, but it was a lot for Carol's system as well.

"Hold to the rails," Daryl said. "I don't wanna try to carry you both back."

Carol laughed quietly to herself. She did hold onto the rails, though, and she slowly made her way down the stairs. At the bottom, Daryl dared to reach a hand out and touch her arm. He wanted to do more. He wanted to hug her against him. He wanted to feel her next to him again. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to share this moment with her and feel the energy that he was sure was coursing through her body.

But he didn't dare. Not with Sophia sitting on her knees on the floor, her back to them, scarfing down canned beans and franks like they were the most delicious thing that she'd ever eaten.

Daryl dared only to lean his head toward Carol's enough to put his mouth near her ear. She shivered when he whispered in her ear.

"We got to talk to her," Daryl said. "Don't know what she might say."

Carol looked at Daryl. Sophia had her eyes. They weren't the same color, but they were her eyes.

"She wouldn't say anything," Carol said, her voice barely coming out at all.

"Still," Daryl offered back.

Carol nodded her head. She walked away from Daryl then and maneuvered herself around Sophia. She sat down on the couch near the little girl. Sophia looked at her, but neither of them said anything for a moment. Daryl thought he understood that feeling. Sometimes there was so much to say that it seemed like there was no way to say anything at all.

Maybe it was all understood—at least until it could come trickling out.

Sophia was the one who broke the silence. She offered her mostly eaten can of beans and franks in her mother's direction.

"Are you hungry, Mama?" Sophia asked.

Carol smiled at her and shook her head.

"No, baby," Carol said. "You eat it. You eat all of it."

"Both cans," Daryl said from where he was standing. "If you want 'em."

Sophia looked at him over her shoulder and he nodded his head at her in case she needed a little more encouragement.

"Sweetheart," Carol said softly. "Why didn't you come before? When we—we first got here? Why didn't you come?"

Sophia focused on the beans.

"Did you hear us?" Daryl asked. "Knocking around down here?"

"I didn't know what it was," Sophia said softly. "They make a lot of noise. Those things? They make a lot of noise when they get stuck. But—they can't climb the stairs."

Carol nodded her head.

"Didn't you hear me call you?" Carol asked. Sophia shook her head. Carol nodded again. "Did you ever hear Daryl calling you? Rick or—or Shane?"

Sophia glanced over her shoulder at Daryl and then she looked at Carol.

"I'm sorry," she offered quietly, even though she didn't give a direct answer to Carol's question. "I'm sorry, Mama."

Carol shook her head.

"Don't be sorry, baby," Carol said with a sigh. "It's—OK. Everything's OK. You're safe now. And I'm not letting anything happen to you again, Sophia. I promise. I'm not going to let anything happen to you again."

Sophia nodded her head at Carol.

"Did you hear anything else?" Carol asked. "Is there—anything that you want to...maybe you want to talk about?"

Sophia stared at her. She glanced over her shoulder once more at Daryl. Then she looked at the food on the floor.

"No, Mama," Sophia said. "Can I have that, too?"

She gestured toward a wrapped up sweet cake that was on the floor. Daryl thought it might be a honeybun or something like that. It had been smashed, but those things weren't even made of real food and they'd never go bad. He'd dropped it in the bag because he figured there wasn't a kid alive that wouldn't want the treat, especially not after what Sophia had been through.

Carol nodded her head.

"Of course you can," Carol said. "You can have anything you want."

Carol stood up. She touched her fingertips to Sophia's shoulder and then she walked toward Daryl.

"I'm going to look upstairs," she said, loudly enough that both Sophia and Daryl would be aware of her plans. "See if there's something she can wear. Something clean?"

Daryl nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said. "I'ma stay down here. Keep an eye out."

Carol thanked him and started up the stairs. She wasn't as shaky on her feet now. Sophia, settled down in the floor, didn't look as shook up either, though Daryl was certain there was a long road ahead for both of them to overcome the emotions of the past few days.

Daryl crossed the floor and sat down on the couch where Carol had been.

"You like that?" Daryl asked Sophia as she ate away at the cake.

"Thank you," she offered softly.

Daryl laughed to himself.

"Yeah," he said. "It's OK. But—listen—your Ma ain't down here right now. And I gotta know. You hear anything, Sophia? Anything you wanna—ya know—ask me about?"

Sophia stared at him. She was almost owl-eyed and Daryl figured he had his answer. He'd give her this, though, she was as dedicated to not talking about things as anyone with secrets ever had been. Daryl nodded his head.

"You wanna ask me anything, you can," Daryl said. "Mean that. I ain't gonna—get pissed or nothing. But—I am gonna ask something from you. You think you can do it for me?" Sophia didn't commit one way or another. Daryl cleared his throat. "You got something to ask, you ask me or your Ma, OK? Just us. Don't—don't talk to nobody else. Listen—last thing I want is your Ma to get hurt. Don't want you to get hurt and I don't want her to get hurt. So I'm just gonna ask you that—if you got somethin' to ask? You don't ask nobody but us, OK? If you do that for me? I'll do anything you want me to. Find you anything you want. Do anything you want me to. Deal?"

Sophia nodded her head. She glanced back toward the staircase like she was checking to see if Carol was coming back down yet. Overhead, Daryl could hear bumping around as she went from room to room searching closets and drawers. Sophia looked back at him.

"OK," she said softly. "But—there is something..."

Daryl laughed to himself. The girl was much more than most of them gave her credit for being. She was so much more than Ed or Shane gave her credit for being.

"What is it?" Daryl asked. "You tell me and—if it's in my power? It'll get done."