Disclaimer:

Carol Peletier, Sophia Peletier, King Ezekiel, Henry, Jerry, Shiva, and any other recognizable character 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 economic/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 the property of the author.


Keeper of My Heart Chapter 13: The Next Day


Carol wakes up to the sounds of chirping birds and the soft whomp of a tail slapping against her pillow. For a second she's afraid to open her eyes in case she's dreamt she had taken the pictures, in case she'd find herself still cowering behind her memories and without the strength left behind by Ezekiel's touch, but she also knows that forcing her eyes closed is a way of hiding. Keeping her eyes shut is a coping mechanism she can no longer rely on, not if she's going to come out victorious. Gathering all her strength, Carol pushes away that fear and opens her eyes slowly to find she hasn't dreamt it at all. It all truly happened; the pictures, the baring of her soul, the kisses, and the reassuring. It happened and there is no going back on it. She doesn't want to go back on it.

She shared it all and for the first time in a long time, she feels like she is truly free, like she belongs.

Slowly, Carol stretches her limbs just enough to get the blood circulating again. The room is bathed in the soft glow of morning light that battles to filter through dark curtains. The only sound, other than the two that she woke to, is the soft breathing and occasional snoring of her daughter. Sophia seems to have twisted around in her sleep and shifted from laying on one side of Carol's body to the other.

She blinks rapidly before raising a hand to rub at her eyes. Shiva takes notice of her having wakened for she shifts until she's standing on the bed beside Carol, looking down inquisitively at the woman. Carol chuckles before raising a hand to gently rub at the tiger cub's forehead and ears.

"Good morning, sweet girl." She greets her. Shiva leans against her caress, chuffing contently before dropping unceremoniously beside Carol and rubbing her nose against Carol's neck and hair. "Someone is happy." She teases though she isn't quite sure that the feline will understand.

It takes her a second to realize that she's treating the tiger cub almost as it if were a house cat and not the ferocious animal it will grow up to be. When she does, she pauses for a moment then gives a tiny shrug; there will be other moments to reach Shiva how to tiger, for now, it's cuddling time and she can't quite say no to that. Judging by the increasing volume of the chuffing, neither can Shiva.

She gives another little stretch to her arms which in turn prompts Sophia to stretch in her sleep. Curious to see how her daughter managed to change sides, Carol turns to look over her shoulder to the opposite side to catch a glimpse of her child. It takes everything in her to not burst out laughing at the sight that greets her. Sophia has not only found her way between them but has also managed to pass out against Ezekiel. Her chubby little face rests on his chest while her body curls to the side so that her bottom is resting on the mattress between them, legs tucked against Carol's ribs. She has a hand curled against her side while the other is extended and thrown over Ezekiel's face, her hand touching his nose almost as if at some point she had been holding it and had fallen asleep while doing so. She's snoring and Carol does not doubt that there is a tiny pool of drool beneath her open mouth.

"Good morning." A sleepy but low voice interrupts Carol's musings. She quickly raises her eyes to find Ezekiel's mirthful eyes looking at her behind a veil of sleepiness.

"Good morning," she replies. She turns on the bed just enough to lay on her side to face him fully. The movement prompts Sophia to wiggle in her sleep but doesn't wake her. Instead, she relaxes even more against Ezekiel who has raised a hand to press to her tiny back, a shushing sound coming from between his parted lips. It's all so domestic, so natural, and Carol wouldn't have it any other way.

"How long have you been awake?" She asks.

"A couple of hours," Ezekiel admits.

"A couple of hours?" She asks astonished.

He gives her a little grin. One of his shoulders moves softly in a tiny measured shrug but the movement is so small that Carol almost misses it. He doesn't want to wake up her precious daughter which is probably why he's been awake for hours with little Sophia passed out on top of him. Ezekiel would rather be uncomfortable than disrupt her daughter's sleep.

A warm feeling blossoms within her and spreads all over her body at the knowledge of the lengths he would go thru to make sure Sophia is content. She knows what that feeling is, marvels at how it eases her heart and mind and leaves her feeling extremely happy. Ezekiel truly is a wonderful and caring man, ready to do anything in his power to make sure that they are comfortable and protected. Both she and Sophia are extremely lucky to have met him that day at the zoo and to have befriended him. She is sure, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are meant to be there and to be experiencing everything they are.

Yesterday she had bared her body and soul to him, had shown him the worst her husband had done to her body. She had trembled in fear and shame, sure that he would reject her once he saw all that she hid. Instead, he had made her feel beautiful, free even. He had kissed each of her scars to brush away the pain they still held, to replace it with love. He had even started calling her his Queen.

She knows what the warm feeling is and for the first time she's not afraid, not even a little, to call it what it is; love.

She is in love.

"I couldn't permit my rising with the morn be the reason that our Princess' slumber is disturbed." He explains further, bringing her from out of her thoughts. "So I remained a guard over her sleep."

"You can't be comfortable." Carol muses as a tiny smile takes over her lips. "Just how much of your body is completely numb?"

Ezekiel gives her a beautiful smile, shadowed only by her daughter's arm still laying over his sleep. "Most, if not all." He admits.

"Want some help?" She's already leaning forward, reaching for her sleeping daughter.

"It is no bother."

"I know," Carol assures him. "But you deserve to be able to move a little and if I don't straighten her she's going to be achy all day."

With loving care only a mother can have, Carol gently picks up Sophia. She expertly rearranges her daughter, who doesn't even blink awake in the process, so that Sophia is laying between them. As soon as her daughter's back rests on the mattress, Sophia turns on her side and curls against Ezekiel in her sleep. Carol feels the bed dip slightly beside her before she sees a blur of orange and white jump across her body and buries itself near the sleeping Sophia. Shiva then rests her head on her daughter's legs and lets out another sound that shows she's quite content with the new resting arrangement.

"Better?" Carol asks as she once more finds her spot on the mattress.

Ezekiel stretches just enough to get the blood circulating on his body but Carol can still see he is worried about disturbing Sophia. "She's fine, out like a light." She promises.

"Then yes, I am much better." Knowing Sophia won't wake up must be what he needs to mirror Carol's position on the bed. He faces her, grinning when once again Sophia burrows against him.

"She feels safe," Carol notes as she reaches to brush a strand of reddish-blond hair behind her daughter's tiny ear. "That's why she does that. She feels safe with you, knows she can rest because you'll protect her. I don't think I've ever seen her as deep in sleep as she is right now."

Ezekiel's chest puffs out in pride though he quickly asks. "And you, my Queen? How do you feel?"

Carol doesn't have to think much to know how she feels and she takes little time before telling him. "Surprisingly happy. I thought today would be hard, after taking the pictures. I was so afraid I'd wake to find I had dreamt it and that I would still feel the sting of Ed's touch, but... it's not there. You took that away. I feel free."

Once more Ezekiel gives her a beautiful smile before reaching over her sleeping daughter and gently pressing his fingers to her arm. Slowly he caresses her forearm, silently erasing whatever ghosts had been left behind by Ed. She shivers but doesn't shy away from his touch. Instead, she closes her eyes, this time not to hide but simply to feel. His touch feels good. His touch feels right. His touch sends butterflies flying all through her stomach and straight to her heart.

"Does my Queen and my Princess have any plans for the day?" Ezekiel question surprises her enough to open her eyes. He is staring at her with that teasing grin of his and the sparkle in his eye that tells her he has something planned, something she will certainly enjoy and that will make Sophia the happiest she's ever been.

Deciding to go with his lead, Carol teases back. "Of course we do. We have a Kingdom to run; council with the marshmallow cereal, training with the realm's tiger protector, downtime with the one and only King before we do a full expedition of the Kingdom's gardens. A full busy schedule ahead."

His smile pretend falls as he pulls his hand back. She misses his touch instantly and curls into herself and closer to her daughter in an attempt to keep the warmth it brought.

"Then perhaps I can entice you with a picnic another day, a slower day when the realm doesn't require of the Princess and Queen's presence."

"A picnic?" Carol perks up almost instantly, moving her arm so that she can lean her head against her palm while her elbow digs into the mattress. "Have you been talking to Sophia? Because this sounds like something she would have roped you in."

"Perhaps," he admits. "She might have mentioned it a few days ago but I wanted to clear it with Michonne. She said as long as no one sees us we should be all right. I had thought of taking the two of you to a park but we couldn't risk it. Then I thought of one of the woods nearby. Perhaps a nature walk with a picnic toward the end. We could take the girls, tire them out, feed them and bring them right back."

"The girls? Sophia and Shiva?"

"As part of her rehabilitation, of course," Ezekiel adds. "Shiva needs to learn to climb and what better place to do it than in nature?"

Carol thinks about it for a second; while the initial idea might have come from Sophia and her daughter's desire to explore the world, Carol knows that Ezekiel has put a lot of thought into this. He's no doubt going to use the opportunity to help Shiva heal but Carol knows he's doing it to help them as well, to give them a sense of normality they've probably never had before. It makes her heart ache with love.

"I know my sense of timing is horrible," He adds, no doubt worried over her lack of response. "Yesterday was a hard day and a harder night. If you wish for me to postpone the picnic trip I will gladly do so."

Carol shakes her head against her hand before leaning over a sleeping Sophia and placing a tender yet trembling kiss against his forehead. He's too much and he's making her heart feel like it's about to overflow. What did she ever do to meet a man like him?

"You know that you are probably going to end up carrying Sophia back, right?"

"I know."

"And that before she begs to be picked up she is going to be running all over the place, climbing and falling and getting all kinds of dirty? They both are."

"I know."

She raises an eyebrow at him. "Why? We could have a picnic here, in the living room. You wouldn't have to go through all the trouble."

Ezekiel shrugs before plainly answering. "Because it will make her happy. Because it will make you smile. That's all I care for in this world."

She blushes at his words. There is no doubt in her mind that their safety and happiness is all he cares about. She might never understand why it is but she's not going to question it, not right now. "It seems we are going on a picnic."

"Say no more."

A thought makes her suddenly stop. Her eyebrow rises higher and her lip curls into a teasing grin. "How exactly do you plan to take a tiger cub and a toddler on a nature walk and a picnic?"

Her question makes him laugh. He tries to stifle it behind his hand but it does nothing to stop the mirth from spilling forth. The shaking of the bed created by his laughter wakes Sophia who raises her head to look at him in sleepy confusion, her hair all over the place.

"Good morning, Princess." Ezekiel greets the toddler. "Guess what we are partaking in today?"

Sophia rubs her eyes sleepily, much like Carol had done when she'd woken up. It takes her a little longer to focus and truly wake up but when she does she gives Ezekiel a toothy grin before she shakes her head to tell him she doesn't know.

"We are going on a picnic!"

That wakes Sophia in an instant. The little girl rushes up from the bed, standing on the mattress with unsure footing and looking down at both of them. "A picnic? A picnic?" She asks over and over with excitement, too much excitement for someone who had just been passed out to the world just minutes ago. "A picnic?"

"A picnic," Carol promises.

In a heartbeat, Sophia scrambles to the side of the mattress before carefully sliding off the bed. Shiva is quick to follow behind her though she's much more careful in getting off without hurting herself. "Come, Shiva! Come!" Sophia beckons. "We go picnic!"

It's Carol's turn to laugh before turning so she can lay fully on the bed. Her daughter has far too much energy and she's about to prove it to both of them. She's not sure who is going to be more exhausted by the end of the day, Sophia or them, but she can't wait to find out.

"Mama, hurry!" She hears Sophia's voice from far away. "Zekey!"

"Coming!" Carol calls out as she leans forward into a sitting position. Besides her, Ezekiel raises as well, ready to face the day full of laughter and of chasing a little girl and her tiger.

"No, but really, how are you planning to do it?" Carol asks again before getting up from the bed to start their day.

"Let's go find out."

"Yes, we will have returned by that time."

Ezekiel's voice travels from the living room, through his house and reaches Carol even as she stands in the middle of the bedroom. She knows she shouldn't snoop but his volume makes it hard not to. She's very sure he's not even attempting to conceal his call. "I don't know if she will be up for it, we are going on a walk today. Yes, we'll be careful."

Carol knows he is talking to Michonne not only because he called out her name quite loudly when he picked up the phone but also because she's the only one who knows where she is living. Carol also knows the 'she' that Ezekiel is referring to is her but she's not a hundred percent sure why Michonne wishes to speak to her or see her for that matter.

"I will ask her, yes." She hears him promise his friend before he says goodbye and she hears the click of the phone being placed back on its receiver.

"Mama!" Sophia's mirthful voice breaks through and pulls her back to the task at hand. She's doing two Dutch braids on her daughter's small head in an attempt to control Sophia's curls so that neither dirt nor sticks or leaves will tangle in them during their adventure.

"Yes, sweet pea?"

"Ready, Mama?" She asks to make sure she can move again without risking her mother's careful work.

She finishes wrapping the tiny elastic on the end of a braid before declaring she's finished. "All done!"

"Now dolly!" Sophia begs as she lifts her beautiful doll for her mother. Carol smiles down at her before hunching at her level and giving her an Eskimo kiss which melts Sophia into a fit of giggles.

"How about I do dolly's hair later? I can braid it while you have your lunch."

She doesn't want to keep Sophia or Ezekiel waiting while she braids a doll's hair. It's not that she thinks Ezekiel will be mad at her like Ed had always been when they were running late, she knows him and knows better than to even think that; she simply doesn't want to keep them from the excitement of the day and she's not quite sure how long Sophia will be able to contain the excitement that is reflected on her angelic face.

"Pwomise?" Sophia asks before pulling the dolly against her.

"Pinky promise."

No sooner have they secured their pinky promise that Ezekiel's head pops into the room, a wide smile on her lips. "Are my girls ready for a day of adventure?"

"Yes!" Sophia exclaims loudly as she jumps off the bed and rushes towards Ezekiel who promptly picks her up and secures her on his hip. "Shiva?"

"She is in her pen, ready to be transported under the watchful eye of Princess Sophia." He assures her daughter who only grins wider. "Think you are up to the task?"

"Yes! Yes!"

"Very well, then all we need is confirmation from the Queen herself."

Carol can't help but blush as she hears his pet name for her. She hears her daughter's soft giggle, no doubt simply thinking that since she was a princess it was natural for her mother to be called a queen. There is no way her daughter knows why it is that Ezekiel is calling her that but she doesn't seem even a little bit bothered by it.

Carol reaches for the small bag she's prepared and double checks that she has everything needed. When the wipes, backup diapers, water, and snacks have been checked, Carol turns to look at them and gives them a nod. "I'm ready."

"Perfecto!" Ezekiel declares enthusiastically.

"Perfect-oooo!" Sophia mimicks, elongating the last 'o' as she throws her arms above her head. "Les go! Les go!"

"Let's go!"

She can't help let her daughter's happiness wash over her. It's so pure and bright that it makes her momentarily forget the conversation that had been happening on the phone. It's not until Ezekiel puts Sophia down so that her daughter will scurry away and he reaches to take her pack, that she even remembers it. She feels ashamed for having been so momentarily elated when the shadow of Ed is still hovering over them but quickly pushes the feeling down. Ed will no longer dictate what she can or cannot enjoy.

"Is everything... did Michonne say anything?"

"She wants to have a conference with you later today." He admits to her. Ezekiel raises a hand to gently caress her forearm, to try and help her relax if she needs it. "The divorce papers have been drafted and are ready for you to sign."

"Already?" Carol asks surprised. She knows that's the easy part, after all, she had said she didn't want a single thing from him and had requested full custody of Sophia, but it's still a surprise. She'd never gotten to this step before in her previous attempts to flee. It had always been run, hide for a few days until he found her, then go straight back to the house of horrors she lived in. The thought that it was finally happening, after so many years of pain and abuse, steals her breath away momentarily.

"Are you all right?" Ezekiel's voice softens considerably.

"Yeah." She quickly assures him. "It's just... it's actually happening. It's a little..."

"Overwhelming." He finishes for her.

"Yeah."

He leans forward and presses a tender kiss to her forehead before pulling her close to him. Carol burrows against his chest, taking in a deep breath and letting his scent calm her. She wraps her arms around him and closes her eyes. "You are going to be perfectly all right. Remember, you are a phoenix spreading her wings, about to take flight. Do not let him ever stop you."

She nods against him before tilting her head back just enough to look into his eyes through the small veil of tears that gathered in her eyes. "I won't." She assures him before centering her eyes on his lips. The need to kiss him becomes all-consuming so she purses her lips in the hopes that he'd catch her timid request.

He smiles down at her before slowly leaning in for the kiss she's requesting. It's just a press of his lips against hers but it's enough to have her heart beating a mile a minute. Ed never made her feel this way. With every second that she spends by Ezekiel's side, she grows more and more convinced that she'd never been in love with Ed. Whatever her feelings had been before he'd abused her didn't hold a candle to the feelings she already had for Ezekiel. They were so astronomically different that it floored Carol.

When the kiss is over she stares at him for a second before feeling her cheeks flush bright red. Ezekiel chuckles and leans down for a peck only to snuggle her close afterward. Carol has no doubt she would have remained in his arms a little longer, comfortable and secure, had it not been for little Sophia reaching the end of her patience with the grown-ups in the house.

"Mamaaaa!" She cries from somewhere in the living room. "Zekeeeey! Hurry!"

She snorts at her daughter's lack of patience before Ezekiel presses another kiss to her forehead before opening his embrace so she can step away. She squeezes her arms gently around his waist, hugging him again before she takes a step back.

"Come on, an adventure awaits us." Ezekiel urges before he offers his hand for her to take.

Carol takes it right away. Their fingers easily intertwine; dark and pale, strong and delicate. She has little time to marvel at it before she feels a little tug as Ezekiel starts guiding her towards her daughter's voice.

"Hurryyyyy!"

She knows she will have other chances to marvel at the differences between them, other opportunities to simply hold his hand and feel that it is meant to be. With that thought, she smiles and follows him. After all, they have an adventure to live.