Disclaimer:

Carol Peletier, Sophia Peletier, King Ezekiel, Henry, Jerry, Shiva, and any other recognizable character, part of script or plot of The Walking Dead belong to AMC Network and Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics and Robert Kirkman.

In no way is the author claiming ownage of any of the characters nor is there any economical/monetary gain at any time. The author is extremely respectful of the original creators and is willing to take down this work of fiction if requested.

No copyright infringement intended.

Original characters are property of the author.

Chapter 17: Are You Alright?

"You don't have to be nervous with us, ma'am. We just want to know what happened so we can help."

Carol knows the policemen that have come to the house are there to help her, to make sure that they have evidence to keep Ed locked up, but she's never had a good relationship with the cops back at home and she can't help but feel nervous.

A shiver runs through her body at the memory of the policemen back in Georgia. When Ed had first started abusing her, the neighbors had occasionally called the police. As soon as the cop cars pulled up their driveway, Ed would tell her what he would do to her if she told them anything. Trembling in fear, Carol would open the door and lie through her teeth. Sometimes the cops didn't seem to believe her and would press on, that's when Ed would appear behind her, pressing himself to her back. As soon as they saw who her husband was they would completely change gears and excuse themselves for intruding.

Ed isn't here though and he doesn't know these cops. There is nothing to stop her from speaking her truth except for her own hesitation which grows from the possibility of Ed finding out she spoke to them.

"You can trust us, ma'am."

"Is he in custody?" Ezekiel chimes in. It's almost as if he is able to read her mind, asking exactly what she needs to know in order to calm her fear. "Edward?"

"Yes, Mr. Peletier is being held in the county jail." The oldest of the policemen replies. Carol watches as he scratches his goatee and turns away from Ezekiel to face her. "But he will be released if we don't have testimony against him."

"If you do talk to us about the assault, Mr. Peletier is looking to face aggravated assault charges." The young of the pair adds.

Carol visibly swallows as she tries to get rid of the knot in her throat. "Aggravated assault? What... what does that mean?"

"Since he committed the attack while breaking the restraining order we have on him, the charge he faces is automatically raised to aggravated assault," Michonne explains. She had come with the policemen after giving her own testimony and explaining why she had sent her home, which Carol is extremely grateful for. She wouldn't have been able to remain at the parking lot while waiting for them, not with Ed anywhere in the vicinity of their daughter.

"Oh," Carol whispers.

She feels the couch dip as Ezekiel sits beside her. Sophia instantly scoots into his lap showing him that she still trusts him to keep her safe from the new men in their home. Ezekiel welcomes her with open arms, letting her rest against his chest as she sucks on her thumb. Once he makes sure that Sophia is comfortable, he turns to look at her and gives her an encouraging nod. "You can do this, there is no doubt in my mind."

She feels her chin quiver but she quickly makes it stop. She's not going to cry in front of the policemen.

"Just tell us what happened, what you remember."

"We'd just left the office." Carol starts to explain. Without Sophia in her arms, her anxiety has full reign of her hands. She immediately starts playing with the end of her blouse, passing the tip of her fingers over the stitches. "We were there because Ed's lawyer had called Michonne. They wanted to talk... to convince me to get rid of the divorce papers and go back to him."

"So you met him at the office. Did something happen there?"

"Ed was dumped by his lawyer. I guess he had lied to him or something. Mr. Biton, his lawyer, was under the impression this was just a 'rift in our marriage' that could be fixed. He wasn't that happy when he found out that Ed has abused me throughout all our marriage."

She's not sure how much Michonne told them, or how much she's able to tell them, but Carol feels the change almost as soon the words leave her mouth. Both cops shift on their feet, the younger one leaning towards her even more, his eyes growing kinder, softer almost.

"He's hurt you before?"

Carol gives a short nod as a reply. She glances quickly at Michonne to gauge if she should tell them more. Michonne replies with her own short nod to tell her it's fine.

She licks her lips, continues playing with the end of her blouse, then turns towards the cops once more. "Yes, he's... what he did today is nothing compared to what he's done before. He's hit, cut, and burned me. I've had more broken bones than I dare to count. That's why I'm divorcing him."

"Did he become physical during the meeting."

"No, but he did warn me it wasn't over," Carol replies. "I didn't think that... I thought he meant the whole fighting the divorce. I didn't think he'd actually try and hurt me."

"Did someone other than you two witness this?" The older cop interjects as he points between Carol and Michonne.

"The stenographer. She has a full account of the meeting if you need it." Michonne offers them. The cop nods

"What happened after the meeting, Mrs. Peletier."

"Carol," she quickly corrects them. The last thing she wants is to be called a Peletier. "Please, call me Carol."

The young cop gives her a soft smile before repeating his question. "What happened after the meeting, Carol?"

"We waited in Michonne's office. The meeting was over so fast and Ezekiel wasn't going to pick me up for another two hours, so we waited. When he got there he honked the horn and we went to the back door. We'd just gone outside to get into the car when..."

The knot she'd been fighting pushes against the base of her throat, cutting off the air supply. She struggles for a second, closing her eyes. It was a big mistake and she knows it as soon as Ed's face flashes in her mind.

For a second she is pulled away from reality and thrown into a whirlwind of images. She feels the pressure in her arm, sees Ezekiel's blurry face, feels the impact of Ed's fist against her chin, the roughness of the ground beneath her, and Ed's angry red face hovering above her.

Her leg starts moving up and down, her hand twisting the end of her blouse. She can't control her breathing as an invisible fist closes around her neck.

Ezekiel's warm hand covers hers, sliding against her palm and pulling her hand away from her blouse. She turns her head towards him and opens her eyes which quickly lock into his. His caring gaze and the weight of his hand are enough to quickly center her and to push away the memory of Ed's violence. She twists her wrist enough to make their handhold more natural then intertwines her fingers with his.

Slowly she turns to look at the cops who seem to understand that she needed a moment and give her a nod to encourage her to continue.

"I felt a hand wrap around my arm and pull hard. I couldn't see who it was first but then he started telling me I had to go with him, that he was done. I fought as hard as I could but he dragged me away. At some point I think I clawed his face and he got mad so he punched me."

"Was that on your cheek and chin?" The young cop points at where she already knows a bruise is forming.

When Carol nods to answer his question, the cop then points at her arm. "What happened there?"

Carol follows his gaze and finds the bandage Ezekiel had placed around her arm. "He dug his fingernails hard enough to break the skin." She explains.

"How did you end up getting away from him?" The older cops scratches at his beard again before preparing to jot down whatever she says, as he'd been doing all this time.

"I fell to the ground. I was ready for what I knew was coming, trying to protect myself as best as I could but the guard got to him first. That's when Ezekiel got me out of there."

It didn't take long for them to turn towards Ezekiel, ready to continue their questioning. Carol relaxes right away as she feels the energy of the room turn towards him though she squeezes his hand to give him the strength he had given her.

"What is your relationship to Carol, Mr.-"

"King, Ezekiel King." He quickly replies.

"Mr. King?"

"I am her friend," he answers. "I made her acquaintance at my job and when I found out about her situation I offered to help her and her daughter." Carol's eyes quickly fall down to Sophia who had continued to snuggle against Ezekiel. The questioning must have been boring for her because she finds her little girl fast asleep on his lap, mouth parted and completely relaxed. A quick glance at the grandfather's clock near the window tells Carol that it's way past her nap time.

"And you were present today, correct?" The cop continues completely oblivious to her thoughts.

"Yes."

"Was Mr. Peletier waiting for her?"

"He wasn't present when I honked to tell them I was outside." He replies. "I wouldn't have put her in that position if I knew he was waiting but he must have been."

"Why didn't you do anything to help her?"

Carol wasn't ready to hear that question, it came as a shock that makes her quickly turn towards the cops. "What?"

The cops share a look but it's the younger of the two that answers. "If Mr. King was there and he did nothing to help then he endangered you."

"No! He didn't!" She exclaims with a sharp shake of her head. "He was trying to help me. I saw it."

"I already told you guys why Mr. King was unable to help her." Michonne takes a step forward, ready to defend her friend from being dragged through the mud by the cops. "I prevented him from doing so. Forgive me but a black man getting in the middle of an altercation? Somehow Ed would have found a way to turn it against Carol and Ezekiel and Ezekiel would have ended in county jail instead of dear Edward."

Carol relaxes as the cop gives a nod in understanding. Michonne was right, after all, and they couldn't deny it. If Ezekiel had pushed himself between them, had given Ed a taste of what he had put her thru, Ed would have brought up charges against him faster than anyone could blink.

"What did you do after the guard subdued Mr, Peletier?" The cop redirects himself.

"Got her out of there as fast as I could. I had to make sure she and Sophia were safe, that was all I cared about. I brought them home and tended to her wounds."

"I think we have enough for now," the older cop chimes in before his partner can continue. "We will need you to go down to the precinct, sign some paperwork and we will need to take pictures of your wounds."

"Is it necessary?" She finds herself asking. Somehow having the cops take the pictures seems so much different than what she'd done with Ezekiel just recently. She knows it's not really the picture taking but the possible gawking that unnerves her. She doesn't want to be pitied and she knows that's exactly what she'll get.

Surprisingly, it isn't the cops that answer but Michonne. "Yes, Carol." She says in that straightforward tone that she got whenever she needed Carol to do something that she knew she wasn't going to like. "The statement and the pictures will help us in the divorce procedures."

With a sigh Carol nods and assures the police that she will go once she's fully over the shock of the attack.

While Michonne guides the men out, Carol sighs and turns towards Ezekiel. She lets out a small smile as she watches him cradle Sophia but extends her arms to gently pick her daughter up. Ezekiel carefully transfers her fast asleep little girl, making sure that her little body doesn't flop around or gets hurt.

"I'll put her to bed for her nap." She tells him in a soft whisper so that Sophia doesn't wake.

With practiced ease, Carol gets up and starts making her way towards the hallways that leads to the bedroom. She has almost reached it when she suddenly hears him get up and say her name. "Carol?"

"Yes?" She turns to look at him, wincing slightly as her movement makes the bandage shift against her wounds.

"When the cop asked about us... about what we were... I said we were friends only because I didn't want to hurt you-"

"I know." She promises.

Carol hadn't taken his answer as something negative, after all they were barely understanding their relationship themselves. There was simply no way to explain to the cops that even though they'd met what many would consider to be recent, the love they felt was strong and deep. There was no way to tell them that they were more than willing to explore what they felt and that the house that had been a shelter for Sophia and herself was quickly turning into a home. Carol also knew Ezekiel didn't want to do anything that could hurt her chances of divorcing Ed or keeping Sophia so saying they were friends seemed the obvious choice.

"I swear I tried to get to you, to push Ed away from you, to-"

"Ezekiel, I know. I saw you fighting Michonne's hold. You know I don't want you to get hurt or to get in trouble. I'm glad Michonne stopped you, I really am." To make sure that he believes her words, Carol turns the rest of the way and closes the space between them. She shyly smiles at him, wincing slightly as the smile makes her hurt muscle ache, before she stands on her tiptoes and presses a kiss to his lips.

When she pulls back she makes eye contact with him once more. "I know." She repeats before turning to disappear down the hallway.

Gently, Carol places a sleeping Sophia in the middle of the bed as the murmur of distant voices reaches her. Instead of focusing on Ezekiel and Michonne's conversation, Carol decides to lay down beside Sophia who instantly turns in her sleep and curls against her.

"My sweet girl." She whispers before pushing a random strand of hair that had slipped off from her daughter's pigtail away from her angelic face. "I'm sorry you had to go through that today. Mama is making sure it never happens again. I promise."

Sophia continues sleeping, sighing contently in her sleep. Carol takes some respite in the fact that Sophia's expression is calm and that she doesn't seem to be having bad dreams, but she will be ultra observant in case her little one's mind tries to process what she had experienced. She will be there to reassure Sophia that they are safe despite Ed's resurgence in their lives and that they have nothing to fear with him behind bars.

"I love you, Sophia."

"Luv... Mama." Her daughter whispers though Carol is sure Sophia is still asleep.

She closes her eyes to rest a moment and relaxes against the mattress. Ed doesn't matter nor does his attack. She refuses to spend any more energy worrying about what had happened. She wills her brain to be silent and focuses on ignoring the pain Ed has left behind. It's easier said than done but thankfully she doesn't have to try too long.

"Are both of my girls in Morpheus' arms?" Ezekiel's voice instantly makes her lips curls upward. She gives a little hum as a reply before snuggling further into the bed. Her eyes crack open as soon as she feels the bed dip and has to pull back a chuckle as she sees Ezekiel try and be as careful as he can in getting on the mattress without waking Sophia.

"She's sleeping deeply. She's not going to wake up." Carol assures him but Ezekiel finishes just as careful as he started.

When he's settled on the other side of the bed he quickly glances at Sophia before gently placing her beloved tiger plush near her. Only then does Ezekiel turn to look at her. "Are you alright?"

Carol takes a moment to think of her answer. It is all strange; she had gone to see her husband who had demanded that she go back to him and when he hadn't gotten what he wanted he'd tried to kidnap her, hitting her in the process and leaving behind another wound for her to deal with and yet she wasn't as terrified as she thought she would be. Sure, at the moment it had been nothing short of traumatizing but now, with just Sophia and Ezekiel at her side, she is calm. She knows a lot has to do with Ed being in jail, unable to hurt them, but she also knows that another big part has to do with Ezekiel and the feeling safety he gives to her.

"Yes," she answers truthfully. "I'm alright. He's locked up, he can't hurt Sophia, he can't hurt you or me. That's all that matters."

Ezekiel smiles at her. The glimmer in his eyes coupled with that dazzling smile of his not only makes her face light up but makes butterflies take flight in her stomach. Her heart skips a beat then races wildly as if she'd just been running a marathon. A warm feeling grows in the pit of her belly and spreads throughout her body, making her relax her even further against the mattress, urging her eyes to slip close once again.

If Ed knew what she was feeling mere hours after his attack, he would no doubt call her a whore. Carol doesn't care though, at least she can't find the effort to care tonight about what Ed might or might not think. He is in jail and she is safe at home.

"You are exhausted." She hears Ezekiel conclude before the bed shifts again. She cracks her eyes open to find him pushing his body up and leaning over her daughter to reach her and press a kiss to her temple. She hums at the feeling of his soft lips against her skin, her heart skipping a beat once more, and sighs sleepily.

"I should get up and help you with Shiva." She mumbles before her eyes slam open as she remembers the Tiger cub. "Shiva! We need to pick her up."

"Shhh," Ezekiel presses a finger to his lips to assuage her worry. "Take a nap. We will pick her up later. She's in good hands right now, I promise."

"I don't want her to think we are abandoning her." She admits. The tiger cub has become an important part of the little family they are forming, almost as if she were another daughter, and not having her there feels wrong.

"I promise she won't. Rest your weary head for a moment. I'll unload Sophia's new belongings and start clearing her room." With a gentle caress of the back of his hand against her cheek, Carol relaxes once again and curls around Sophia who continues to sleep undisturbed. "I'll wake you up in a couple of hours, then we'll pick up our cub."

She nods against the soft material of the cotton sheets and pulls Sophia close. She knows that when she wakes up her body will ache, her arm will be bruised and her chin will be swollen, but as long as her daughter and Ezekiel are fine, she will not care.

"And you?" She mumbles as sleep threatens to quickly pull her under. "Are you okay?"

"I couldn't be better, my Queen, I couldn't be better."