AN: So I got stuck here. I have a lot of the big plot planned out here, but I got stuck on just having the motivation to keep going (it happens sometimes). I'm trying to get back here, though.

Here's another little chapter. I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

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"Come on…you can do this…you've done it before," Carol coaxed at Cayden as she stood him back up, against his wishes, and slowly let go of him to see if he'd stay. He didn't stay, though, he dropped immediately to his bottom and started to fuss.

He'd was scrubbing at his eyes and crying and Carol knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wanted to eat and he wanted a nap. The little boy was so much like Daryl that it almost bothered her. He was a regular Sancho Panza of the world and if his needs were met like food, sleep, and comfort, he was happy as a clam…but he could be the world's tiniest devil if any tank was running even a little low.

And it wouldn't be too long before Carol had to abandon her little bit of leisure time with him to go back to lunch, but she was almost determined to get him walking.

What was most frustrating was that she knew that he could do it. She'd caught him standing more than once, holding onto something, and he would let go of it and stand alone for any amount of time as long as nothing reminded him of what he was doing. As soon as something distracted him, though, it was right back down to his bottom he went.

Carol sat back on her feet just about the time the door swung open and Daryl came in, dirty and sweaty from working, holding something in his hand that she couldn't make out at a glance.

"What'cha doin' ta him now?" Daryl asked, looking at the miserable child on the floor, a few feet from Carol.

She made a face at him.

"I'm not doing anything to him, Daryl," she protested. "I don't do terrible things to our son when you're not looking, you know?"

Daryl snickered.

"Looks like ya do…hell…half the damn time I come inta the house you got him cryin'…he's hungry," Daryl said.

"I'm trying to make him walk to me," Carol said. "I'm trying to motivate him to come after what he wants."

Daryl hummed at her.

"Brought him somethin'," Daryl said, putting the item that he was carrying on the floor. At the moment, though, Cayden was too wrapped up in his fit to care at all that he'd just received a present. "S'a train," Daryl said as though Carol needed explanation of what the roughly made little wooden toy ways. "Got a string on it an' he can pull it 'round with him…Jude's got one too. Tyreese put 'em together outta scrap wood."

"It's nice," Carol said, still distracted by the fact that she wasn't getting anywhere with her walking lesson. Daryl pulled at the string on the toy and the little train surged forward, rolling and catching Cayden's attention long enough to stop his crying for a moment and then he dissolved back into it, though now it was more of a pathetic whimper, inside of which was hidden the word "Mama" in the most pathetic manner possible.

Daryl looked like he was as pleased with the toy as Cayden would ever be and she wondered, however briefly, if he'd ever had toys like that.

"You can play with him later," Carol offered. "He'd like it better if he could walk with it, though."

Cayden started to crawl toward her and Daryl caught him up, picking him up and further spurring on the fit because of the added distance that it now put between him and his ultimate goal.

"He's really feelin' it," Daryl said. "You gonna feed him down there or ya want me ta help ya up?"

Carol sighed and stretched a hand out to him. She didn't really need the help getting off the floor, but if he was offering, she'd take it at the moment.

He tugged her up and she sat on the couch, starting to go about coming out of her clothes.

"He's not really that hungry," she said. "He's just being dramatic."

Daryl chuckled and offered her the little boy that was slowing his crying because he could see that she was taking off her shirt…and that was proof enough to him that he was getting his way in all of this.

"Damn…wonder where the hell he got that from?" Daryl asked.

Carol took Cayden and helped him get situated, ignoring Daryl's assertion, a common one for him, that Cayden's dramatics were what he'd gotten from her, since Daryl often teased her about being overly dramatic at times.

"I'm just…concerned," Carol said.

Daryl looked at her a moment with furrowed brows and then apparently decided that whatever he'd come in to do, though Carol wasn't sure what it was, was something that could wait. He stooped down, knees cracking as he went, and hovered close to her in front of the couch, the position being one that he could hold for quite some time and that she marveled at because every time she saw him do it she thought about how much it would probably kill her if she were to try to assume and hold that same position for any given amount of time.

Daryl tugged at the string on the train absentmindedly, rolling the toy here and there as it bumped along on the wheels that weren't entirely round.

"What'cha concerned about?" Daryl asked. "He alright?"

Carol looked at Cayden. While he ate, he was wearing the general expression of betrayal around his eyes. It was the look he had eaten with since he'd been born if she'd ever been tardy at all with a meal. It was the expression of him deciding whether or not he'd ever forgive her for her cruelty.

She shook her head slightly.

"I think he's fine," she said. "But I don't know…we should have kept up with time better. We don't know how old any of the children are. Beyond a guess we don't even know what time of the year it is…and it's even harder now that we're not in Georgia and we don't even know how to read the climate the same way."

Daryl looked at her, stilling his playing with the train and shrugged.

"So? Don't matter as long as everythin's workin' the way it oughta…an' it's all workin' out pretty damn good," Daryl said.

"What if he's not developing like he should be?" Carol asked. "What if he should be walking by now? Or talking?"

Daryl made a face at her that showed he was slightly confused. And Carol knew that he was probably confused because the fact that any of this was something he should even think about was probably not something that had crossed his mind.

Daryl's mentality on Cayden was that he was alive and he seemed relatively happy as long as things were going his way. That meant that he was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, absolutely perfect. He was the shining example of what a child should be.

And though Carol did think that her baby boy was perfect, she also remembered all the things of science past when doctor's measured and tested and asked questions about Sophia and every other baby to make sure that they were developing as they should. They kept a check on every little aspect to try and foresee if there were any problems that might arise in the future or if there was anything they needed to be aware of that might not register for the naked eye.

Carol thought that maybe the miscarriage had her stirred up…because it certainly did…but it also had her thinking about what if there was something wrong with Cayden? What if there was something that they didn't even know about? How would he deal with this life if the community they were building didn't work out and they were thrust back out there on the road?

Everyone knew that there was something a little different about Wyatt. No one ventured to put a name to it and Ned didn't offer any information about it if he knew what it might be. Wyatt was built for survival because he was strong and he was generally unafraid of everything…but that was also why Wyatt wasn't built for survival. Carol doubted, sometimes, and she knew other did too that Wyatt would have survived this long without Ned and Imogene to take care of him. He could handle the physical aspects of the world around them and he could take care of them by providing the work hand and even by hunting, but he wasn't equipped to handle some of the seemingly simple daily tasks. Wyatt had to be told, often, that it was time to eat…he had to be told that it was time to bathe, because he seemed to get caught up in things and forget the daily little tasks…and he had to be stopped from doing things that were possibly dangerous simply because he hadn't "stopped to think them through".

Carol wished, though there was no way to have it because Alice wasn't a pediatrician by any means, that there was someone who could put her mind at ease and tell her that her worry was just that…worry. It was just a mother's natural reaction to the world and wanting to know that her baby was just fine and wasn't going to face any unnecessary hardships along the way…especially none that she could be to blame for.

Daryl shook his head at her.

"He talks," Daryl said. "I mean…he says a couple words…makes a lotta noises…an' he could walk if he wanted to, but I don't reckon he wants to yet."

"Why doesn't he want to?" Carol asked.

Daryl chuckled.

"Hell…if I had people cartin' me around an' givin' me what I wanted without me havin' ta do nothin' more'n ask for it? I don't reckon I'd spent a lotta damn energy on walkin' around," Daryl said.

He straightened up from his position then and came over beside Carol, sitting down on the couch. She switched sides with Cayden, but doubted that he would continue to eat for much longer. He was getting enough to fill his stomach a little and his eyelids were beginning to flutter.

Because Cayden, unlike his mother, didn't worry about much of anything. He was well on his way to having all of his necessities met and he would sleep well because of it, probably while Carol went about helping to get lunch ready for everyone that would entertain Cayden when he woke up from the refreshing nap.

"Carol…look at him," Daryl said. "Kid's damn near perfect…an' Alice don't seem worried about him…she plays with him every damn day an' don't say nothin' 'bout if he ain't developed."

"She's not a pediatrician," Carol said.

"She ain't dumb neither," Daryl said. "Reckon if he was on up Jude's age an' weren't walkin' you could get stirred up…but hell…he stands up an' shit. Just ain't got a damn thing means enough ta him for him ta go just runnin' after it. He's faster crawlin' than he'd be walkin'…so he's bein' smart about shit…pick the damn transportation gets you there the fastest…"

Carol laughed at that thought, shocking Cayden who had drifted off for a second. He jumped into wakefulness and returned to sucking for a moment, now using her as much for a pacifier as he was for food.

"You're right, I guess," Carol offered. "I just…keep worrying that something's wrong or something's going to happen…or that we're not doing something right. I try not to, but it just…keeps happening."

Daryl snorted.

"That's what you do," Daryl said. "Hell…I don't worry 'bout nothin' when it comes ta Cayden…I worry 'bout gettin' damn panels up…an' I worry 'bout how many plants is lookin' sickly…an' I worry 'bout how good the huntin' is 'round here. I don't worry 'bout nothin' when it comes ta him 'cause I figure you're doin' all the damn worryin' for both of us…"

Carol frowned at him and he smiled, his chest shaking with the laughter that he was trying to hold back.

"It's the damn truth…everybody's got hobbies an' yours is worryin' 'bout the kid...but ain't nothin' wrong with him," Daryl said. "He's pretty damn smart, you ask me…"

Carol raised her eyebrows at him. She felt like Cayden was smart sometimes too…but then she tried to remind herself that it was probably just mother's pride and he wasn't doing anything all that impressive.

"Lil' asshole knows how the hell ta get ever' damn person in this place ta do exactly what the hell he wants," Daryl said. "Even I ain't figured that shit out yet."

Carol smiled and looked at Cayden who had fallen out into sleep now, his hands splayed out, one against his chest and the other touching his face like he'd made an effort to suck his thumb but never quite made the mark.

"I have to help with lunch," she said. "What did you come in for?"

"Water…wash up…I'm damn near hungry enough ta sit in the floor on my ass an' cry like Cayden done," Daryl said.

Carol laughed.

"You wash up…and then can you carry him next door? I'll get your lunch ready for you first…" Carol offered.

Daryl nodded his head and got up.

"Stop fussin' over him," Daryl said. "Ain't nothin' wrong with Cayden…I ain't sure of a lotta shit…but that's one thing you got my word on."

Carol smiled at him, but didn't respond verbally. While he disappeared to wash up, she sunk back against the back of the chair, moving Cayden around as gently as possible to at least cover herself, though she wasn't fully wrestling into her clothes at the moment so as to not disturb him too much, and then she snuggled him against her, waiting for Daryl to return so they could go about the rest of their day.