Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead, I swear on my life. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Warning: Rated M for language, gore, and eventual smut.

"Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark."

—George Iles

A Light In the Dark

SPOV

It was obvious that Jenna was damn near exhausted after the day's events. Every time Shane glanced over at her while he cruised down the old back road, she remained the same; eyes closed, head resting on her arm against the frame of the window. If he didn't know better, he would've guessed she'd fallen asleep. But one thing he'd learned about Jenna was that she very rarely let herself sleep, even when she probably should have.

It was bizarre how much they suddenly trusted each other. She knew the absolutely worst thing about him, and still, that didn't make him feel threatened—because he knew she wouldn't use that knowledge against him. She'd asked him to trust her, and he did, and in return he'd also gained her trust. And after everything she'd told him about all she'd been through, that was definitely saying something.

He was just glad that the one person he could really trust also trusted him. It certainly made things…easier. In all honesty, if she hadn't reached out to him when she did, he wasn't sure how sane he would be now. He doubted whether he could ever repay that debt, but he'd be damned if he didn't try.

His eyes moved over in her direction again when she shifted in her seat; struggling to get comfortable, he guessed. Still, her eyes remained closed, so he wasn't caught that time either.

Admittedly, he'd been catching himself looking in her direction a little more often than what was necessary for a few days now. He'd lied to her before at the nursing home when he'd told her he didn't remember a lot about the night in the rec. room of the CDC. The truth was, he remembered everything about that night, and he couldn't understand why. For whatever reason, the details of that night were vivid and clear, like a movie in his head. He remembered it all, from the words she'd used, to the sound of her voice, her laugh, the way those words in Russian had sounded so natural and fluid when she'd spoken, the way her partially damp hair hung almost to her waist…

Yeah, he remembered a lot from that night. Too much, really. Hell, he'd even found himself flirting with her a few times after that, without even thinking about it. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice it, and he'd gotten away with it each time.

It was a problem. Back before the world went to shit, it wouldn't have been. Sure, maybe she would've been a bit on the young side, but that wouldn't have stopped him. "Big flirty slut" is what Lori had teasingly called him as long as he'd known her, and he'd never been able to argue with her. And he wasn't particularly ashamed of it either, to be honest. He liked women and he'd never settled down, so hooking up was just something he'd grown accustomed to since his wild teenage years. If he'd met Jenna a few months ago, when the world was still normal, he wouldn't have thought twice about hooking up with her, either. Hell, he would've put forth a good deal of effort to make it happen, actually, because there was just something about that little woman that drew him in.

But the world wasn't the way it used to be months ago, and things weren't that simple. Everything was complicated, and everyone had their own issues to struggle with. Everyone had their own demons to contend, and that was especially true for Jenna and himself. They had bigger things to worry about, and getting his rocks off wasn't exactly high on his list of priorities at the moment. And he seriously doubted it was high on Jenna's.

Yes, he was attracted to her, but he wouldn't let it distract him. He wouldn't let it get in the way of the important things, and he for damn sure wouldn't let it screw up their friendship. Because he'd never needed a friend more than he did now, and he thought that might be true for her as well. So he wasn't about to screw that up.

Her eyes opened as soon as he pulled the Hyundai to a stop in the gravel driveway, confirming what he already knew; she'd been awake the whole trip back. He followed her gaze to see Carol exiting the RV, looking at the car with undisguised hope in her face. Jenna met his gaze then, and they both sighed, knowing they would have to break the woman's heart again today, and reluctantly climbed out of the car.

Thao rushed up to Jenna immediately, running past Carol to throw his small arms around Jenna's waist and cling to her, glad to see her return. And even though she was exhausted, Jenna hoisted the boy up into her arms and hugged him to her for a moment before settling him on her hip like a toddler.

"Told ya I'd bring 'er back safe, didn't I, bud?" Shane asked the boy, smirking.

Thao nodded happily, and Shane chuckled a bit, holding his fist out and bumping it with the child's much smaller one.

"Anything?" Carol asked in a feeble voice as she approached with Dale.

Jenna just shook her head as she looked back at the older woman, remorse in her bright eyes, and Shane answered so she wouldn't have to.

"Not today," he told Carol regretfully, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, Carol."

The pain in Carol's expression seemed to compel Jenna to make some sort of promise. "We'll cover more ground tomorrow," she assured Carol. It was really the only promise any of them could make.

Shane glanced over at Dale, and was surprised to find the old man staring at Jenna with an intensity he didn't quite understand.

"What happened out there?" he asked her, and it sounded almost accusatory.

"Place was overrun," Shane answered, drawing the old man's attention, and meeting his gaze for a long moment before Carol spoke again.

"Let's go getcha cleaned up," she said to Jenna, leading her away in the direction of the Greenes' house.

Jenna didn't put up a fuss, and let the woman lead her while she set Thao down on his feet. He grabbed hold of her hand and walked beside her, intent on staying glued to his mama's side for a good long while. Shane watched her go for a moment, glad that she'd be able to rest for the time being, and then strode off in the direction of his tent, wondering if Rick and the others had returned from their search in the woods yet.

"Shane?" Dale called after him, walking quickly to catch up with him.

"Hm?" he replied, wondering what he wanted, and if he had something to say about Jenna. What the hell had he been staring her down like that for?

"I was thinkin, you've got that nice new ride of yours," he began as Shane stopped and turned to face him, "and plenty of fuel. Enough for you to get far from here."

What the fuck? "You askin me to leave, Dale?" Shane asked, both bewildered and honestly a little amused. That was certainly not what he'd been expecting from the old man, and he had to admit that Dale had some balls for striding right up to him like that, stopping just a couple feet away when he had to look up just to glare at Shane.

"Yeah, I think that'd be best for everyone," said Dale threateningly.

"You think the group would be better off without me?" Shane demanded, no longer amused by the old man. Who the hell did he think he was? "Why don't ya tell that to Rick an' Lori—their boy would be dead if I hadn't put my ass on the line."

"And Russell and Otis's," Dale shot back.

Shane felt like he'd just been punched in the gut, but he made sure to keep his expression and demeanor calm. Even so, he was not about to have this conversation. He turned and began to walk away, hoping the old man would leave him the hell alone. But Dale followed after him, refusing to let up, and Shane knew he wouldn't be able to get out of this conversation, no matter how much he wanted to.

"You've been vague about what happened," Dale persisted as Shane came to a stop again, not turning around to face him that time.

He worked to keep his voice neutral. "Otis died a hero. Russell didn't make it."

"So you've said," Dale pressed, obviously not impressed with that explanation.

For God's sake, what did the old man want—details? How could anyone expect someone to give a detailed account of what it was like to watch two men get torn to pieces by rotting corpses? That was just…cruel.

"A little boy's life was saved because of what went down that night," Shane said through his teeth, struggling to reign in his temper. "I think you outta show some gratitude."

"I wasn't there," said Dale.

"Naw, man, you weren't," said Shane coldly, glaring down at the old man contemptuously.

"But I have been here, payin attention," he went on. "I've seen the way you've been watchin Jenna. You barely let her outta your sight. She's young, she's got a little boy who depends on her, and she doesn't need someone like you breathin down her neck."

Shane just stared back at him, completely dumbfounded and lost for words that time.

"I know what kind of man you are," Dale said then, giving Shane an undisguised look of combined revulsion and loathing. "And if you don't leave that girl alone, I'll see to it that she knows too."

Fighting the urge to scoff and tell the old man that she already knew, Shane just left him with a cold glower before striding off in the direction of the water pump by the house. He needed to cool his head before he did something he'd regret later. But Dale's words echoed around in his mind, and he knew he hadn't heard the end of this.

JPOV

It was getting progressively closer to dusk, and still, Daryl hadn't returned from his search yet. Everyone else had made it back to the farm just fine, but they'd yet to see any sign of the experienced hunter, and Jenna would've been lying if she said she wasn't a bit worried. But, she just focused on Thao, who was nestled comfortably in her lap while they sat in the grass in the camp site. She was helping him read one of his comics, and she was actually impressed at how well he was able to read on his own for being so young. Hmm. She would have to see about teaching him basic math skills, and how to write sometime soon. Now that they didn't seem to be about to get up and leave again, it seemed like a good time to slow down and focus on other important things. She hadn't been able to do that with him before, and she didn't want to hold him back developmentally.

Dusty sat behind her, combing her hair through, and Jenna wondered vaguely when she'd last combed her own hair. The Greenes were letting them use their facilities while they stayed, and Jenna was eternally grateful for that; it was a blessing to be able to get clean regularly.

"Good Lord, you got some long hair," Dusty commented, holding up a handful and pulling it as far away from Jenna's head as she could without pulling too hard, examining the length, Jenna assumed.

"Runs in the family," Jenna said with a small smirk.

Every woman in her family had her hair grown out long, refusing to cut it short. It was practically tradition. Back in the good old days, Babushka made sure of two things: that her children and grandchildren were fluent in Russian, and that the girls took very good care of their hair. Because "it'll be gray and thin before you know it," as she always reminded them. Jenna recalled how devastated her grandmother had been when her cousin, Christina, dyed her hair from golden blonde to black and blue—and she had to stifle a rueful laugh. Poor Babushka nearly had a heart attack when she first saw it.

Jenna looked up from the pages of Thao's comic book in time to catch Andrea give them a sneering look before turning her gaze back to the fields in the distance. She had the binoculars in her lap where she sat back in the foldout chair, keeping watch. Jenna thought the binoculars would make better use with Dale up on the RV, but chose not to comment.

As far as she was concerned, it was best for everyone if she and Andrea just stayed out of each other's way.

She looked around, scanning her eyes over the area. T-Dog was busying himself with preparing a quick dinner for everyone over the fire pit—Jenna couldn't deny that the man did know how to come up with a decent meal with limited supplies better even than most of the women. Carol was in the RV, cleaning it up from the sound of it; trying to keep herself distracted. Rick and Lori were inside sitting up with Carl, who had been in and out of consciousness all day. Glenn was reading one of Jenna's books near the fire pit, taking a break for the first time she'd seen since they arrived at the farm. Shane was still in his tent, resting, Jenna assumed.

He'd been in a bad mood since they got back from their search of the housing development, for some reason Jenna couldn't name. She wondered if he was alright, but resisted the urge to ask him. He didn't need her to smother him with concern; if he wanted to talk about it, he'd talk about it. She just wished she knew what was bothering him, because then she might've been able to help him somehow.

But maybe she didn't need to worry about him so much. He was a grown man, for fuck's sake. He could take care of himself. Sure, she could help him deal with the aftermath of what happened with Russell and Otis, but that was it. He didn't need her for anything else.

"Oh my God…" Dale muttered from atop the RV.

Jenna peered up in his direction questioningly to see him straining to gaze off in the distance—binoculars would've been helpful, no doubt.

"What is it?" Glenn asked, standing up quickly and trying to follow the old man's gaze.

Dale pointed toward the fields ahead of them. "Daryl's back," was all he said, but the stunned tone of his voice told Jenna that wasn't the whole story.

Andrea got to her feet and peered through the binoculars, and then gasped sharply.

By that time, everyone was on their feet and looking toward the tree line where Dale had indicated, and Jenna tried to see what had them both startled. Was Daryl hurt? Did he need help? Why the hell weren't they saying anything?

"What's goin on?" Shane asked, stepping out of his tent.

His tone was a bit more commanding than Glenn's, which might've explained why he got a better answer than the younger man had.

"Daryl, he's back," Andrea repeated, "and it looks like he's carrying someone…"

"Someone?" Dusty asked intently, growing anxious. "What d'ya mean, someone?"

"Sophia…" Dale murmured, bewildered, as he continued to stare at Daryl's small form in the distance.

Carol rushed out of the RV at that moment, clearly having heard at least the last part of that conversation. She looked around at everyone, hope emanating from her in almost palpable waves. Jenna really hoped Dale wasn't wrong. She didn't know how much more disappointment that woman could take at this point.

"Sophia?" she asked, hesitantly at first. And then, stronger, "Daryl found Sophia?"

"I dunno," Shane told her honestly, trying to keep her calm. "Jus' stay here a minute an' let me find out, alright? Someone go an' get Rick." He paused and looked around at them quickly, his eyes landing on the machete secured to Jenna's belt. "Jenna, you're with me. C'mon."

She nodded and led Thao over to Glenn quickly while Dusty rushed off to go and get Rick. "You stay right here with Glenn. I'll be right back," she instructed the boy.

Before he could answer, she and Shane were rushing off to the field, armed with a machete and an ax. They didn't speak, but just ran, getting closer and closer to Daryl as they went. And Jenna could now see that Daryl was indeed carrying the small form of a child—it had to be Sophia. But was the little girl alright? Was it too late for her after all?

"She alright?" Shane panted as soon as they were within speaking distance of Daryl.

Jenna skidded to a halt at Shane's left as they came upon the hunter, and stared wide-eyed at the skinny, obviously malnourished child in his arms. It was Sophia. The fact that she was clutching the little rag doll in her thin arms gave Jenna hope—it at least told her the girl was alive, anyway.

"She's alright," Daryl confirmed, his voice giving away how fatigued he was. Jenna wondered how long he'd been carrying her through the woods. "Jus' dehydrated, an' hasn't eaten anythin' for a long while."

"C'mon," Shane urged quickly. "Let's get 'er inside so Hershel can look at 'er."

The three of them rushed back across the field as quickly as they could, met halfway by Rick. As soon as they reached the yard, the rest of the group was upon them, all of them wanting to see for themselves that it was really Sophia. And all of them firing out questions at rapid-fire speed.

"Is she okay?"

"Where'd you find her?"

"Was she bit?"

"What happened?"

"She's fine!" Daryl snapped at them, clearly aggravated. "Get the hell outta the way so I can get 'er inside!"

That certainly worked like a charm, as everyone stepped back to give the man some room to move, save for Carol, who was not about to leave her daughter's side for an instant. Tears poured from the woman's eyes as she walked right along at Daryl's left side, staring fixedly at her little girl. Jenna watched from the yard as they were met by Hershel and Patricia at the front door, and led into the house.

"Think she's gonna be okay?" Dusty asked Jenna in an undertone at her right when the screen door closed behind Daryl's retreating back.

Jenna nodded. "Yeah…yeah, I think she's gonna be okay."

It wasn't a lie by any means. Daryl had said that Sophia was fine—just very underfed and dehydrated, but those were things that a child could easily recover from. And Daryl didn't make a habit of sugar-coating things, so she trusted his assessment.

A small smile fixed itself to Jenna's face as the reality of the situation finally sank in. Sophia was alive. After four days alone in the woods, the little girl was alive. She'd made it.

Jenna looked over at Shane, who stood a few feet away at her left, and grinned up at him, unable to help herself.

"You were wrong," she said quietly, still grinning like a fool.

He smiled back after a moment, and nodded. "Yeah, sure was," he admitted easily. "Glad for that," he added, looking back at the house.

Jenna looked back at the house too, running her fingers through Thao's sleek hair fondly. She felt like she was floating. After all that had happened in the last couple of days, after all the bloodshed and travesty…this one miracle occurred, shining a light on everything that had been casting shadows upon them all.

Things were finally starting to get better for them. Maybe this was their turning point. Their path to better things.

With all that had happened today, Jenna allowed herself that bit of hope, dangerous as it was.

Note:

Sorry for the wait, but I hope this compensates! I didn't exactly read this over for mistakes because I wanted to get it posted tonight, so I apologize for any spelling and/or grammatical errors. Thanks to those who've reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! You guys make me smile.

Also, I'd like some input from you guys. I'm debating whether or not to split this story into two by the end of the second season. What do you guys think? Make a sequel for season three, or keep it all together as one?