AN: Here we are, another chapter here.

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

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There wasn't much that Daryl could do, so he did the only thing that he felt able to do. He physically held onto Carol. He didn't know what to expect. He didn't know how the reunion would go. He honestly didn't know what to expect from Sophia. So he held onto Carol so that, if anything happened, he could at least do his best to prevent her from getting hurt or hurting herself in whatever might unfold.

Samirah brought the girl up the porch steps to the new house. Outside, Daryl could hear her comforting the girl as she came. She spoke in the voice that was usually reserved for calming small children.

Wasn't it exciting? She was going to be able to have whatever she wanted. Carol pulled away from Daryl a little when he heard the girl respond with only the word that was, perhaps, the most precious to Carol's ears: Mama. He held tight to Carol. Yes. Mama. Sophia would have that too if only she'd come calmly up the steps and into the house where she must have been at least a little reluctant to go.

As soon as Samirah stepped inside the door, though, leading Sophia along with her, there was no need for her to coax Sophia any further. Sophia saw her mother and ran to her, practically taking Carol and Daryl both to the ground. Daryl held to Carol and when she started to go down, her knees betraying her, and he eased her down so that her descent was soft and smooth instead of hard and abrupt.

Immediately they were a tangle of limbs on the floor. It was difficult to tell where Carol ended and her daughter began. Both were sobbing and the noises that they made were unintelligible to Daryl. Sure that Carol was safe on the floor for the moment, and that the young woman who was her daughter wasn't a physical threat to her, Daryl let go of her and backed away to allow them a moment.

Melodye had closed the door and she was simply watching what was happening. Near the door, Samirah was standing with the man that must be the one that Melodye had called Willomen. Daryl made a wide loop around Carol and Sophia and approached the two of them.

"You do this?" Daryl asked, keeping his voice low. It appeared that Carol—caught up in apologizing profusely to her daughter over and over—and Sophia—simply crying and repeating the one word that was most precious to her over and over—had forgotten entirely that they weren't alone in the room. Daryl didn't want to speak loudly enough to interrupt that for them.

"I did and I didn't," Samirah said. "I found Sophia. But if it weren't for Milton, I never would've been able to get the children back. His pull with this project is the only thing stronger than the law right now in a lot of situations."

"You done good," Daryl said. "You think she's gonna be OK?"

Samirah smiled to herself.

"I think she's going to be fine," Samirah said. "She's just—so lonely and so desperate." She shrugged her shoulders. "She missed her Mama. I can understand."

"You miss yours?" Daryl asked.

"Don't you?" Samirah asked.

Daryl swallowed.

"Not like that, I don't," Daryl said. "Want that—that kinda love though. For my kids. It's clear Carol's a good one to give it."

Samirah hummed and Daryl watched Carol and Sophia on the floor. The crying and the words were quieting, but their desperate clinging to one another hadn't eased yet. Daryl wondered if it would ease any time soon or if they'd spend the whole rest of the day locked up together in the sheer disbelief that the other was alive.

Daryl turned his attention to the giant—because Melodye hadn't exaggerated when she'd described him as such—and offered him a hand.

"You must be Willomen," Daryl said.

The man was somewhere in the neighborhood of seven foot tall and he looked to be the kind of man who could eat what Daryl would consider a regular sized meal as a snack or an appetizer. Despite his size, though, he wasn't exactly overweight. There was simply more of him than Daryl normally saw on any one man. He was much darker skinned than Daryl and he had long, curly black hair that was braided back and tied just at the back of his neck where the curls bunched up beneath the band that was holding them back. When he took Daryl's hand in his, his hand swallowed Daryl's hand entirely.

If Melodye hadn't told him there was nothing to fear, Daryl would have been at least a little nervous in the man's presence.

"I am," Willomen said, his voice every bit as deep as Daryl expected it to be.

"You don't believe in us bein' Wilds?" Daryl asked.

The man smiled at him, showing Daryl almost all of his teeth.

"I believe everyone's wild," Willomen said. "When they have to be. So—yes and no. I don't believe there's anything that sets you apart from everyone else, if that's what you're asking."

Daryl laughed to himself.

"I guess that's what I'm asking," Daryl said. He looked the giant man up and down again. Though Daryl was inclined to believe what the man said—that everyone could possibly be "wild" if that was what was required of them—he didn't exactly want to imagine what it might look like if the man in front of him were to be backed into a corner badly enough that he was forced to show his own wildness.

"You're—here for the children?" Daryl asked, laughing to himself at the thought of this gigantic man tending to little children.

"Is that funny?" Willomen asked.

Daryl shrugged his shoulders.

"You're just—you're just about ten times their size," Daryl said. "That's all. Gotta be—overkill."

The man laughed to himself.

"I love children," he said.

"You don't mind my sayin', but I woulda thought that was because you was grindin' their bones to make your bread," Daryl said. "If you catch my drift."

"I caught it," Willomen said. "But—I'm disappointed." Daryl raised his eyebrows at him in question and the man laughed to himself. "That's not very original. I thought you could do better than that."

Daryl laughed to himself.

Carol and Sophia were calming now. The initial wave was passing. Sophia was still hugging tight to Carol, but Carol was starting to look around. She was starting to become aware again that she was in the presence of others.

"It's OK, sweetheart," she repeated several times before she really started to break with the repetitive nature of the initial encounter. "It's OK. You're here. You're here and you're safe. I've got you. I've got you—and I'm not going to let them get you. Never again. It's OK. Mama's here."

Now that Daryl could understand the words, they struck him. It felt like a blunt object hit him in the chest. He'd known Sophia was coming and they'd talked about it, but it was different now that it was actually happening. It was different now that he could see Carol, legs folded under her, sitting on the floor with her daughter.

Sophia was her daughter. She was as much her baby as the babies she was carrying. She was a part of her past. She was a part that Carol had believed that she'd lost forever. Just like his brother coming back when Daryl was certain he was dead, Sophia was a living ghost of flesh and blood in Carol's arms.

It was all very real, suddenly, to Daryl.

Daryl walked over, making a wide loop again so as to not startle the girl, and walked behind Carol. He put his hand on her shoulder on the side where Sophia wasn't pressing her face.

"You want me to help you up?" Daryl asked. "Get y'all on your feet? So you can—show her the house? Her room?"

Carol glanced at him and nodded her head.

Slowly she started to peel her daughter off of her. Sophia clung tighter at the sensation of Carol pulling away, though, and let out a scream in response that had to at least partially deafen Carol for a moment. Daryl jumped and he could see that he wasn't the only one in the room to have the same reaction.

"It's OK, sweetheart," Carol assured her daughter. "Let's stand up. You want to stand up? We'll show you the house. You haven't met Daryl yet. He's just going to help us stand up, OK? You're not going anywhere and I'm not going anywhere. Never again. Not without each other, OK?"

Sophia accepted Carol's words, or she must have, because she pulled away from Carol. Daryl caught Carol under the arms and helped her get to her feet. He held her against him for a moment, worried that her legs might have fallen asleep in the uncomfortable position that she'd been in on the floor.

Then he noticed Sophia, with her face tear-streaked and her hair stuck to it, watching him.

Daryl swallowed. As soon as he was sure that Carol was steady on her feet, he let her stand on her own. Letting go of Carol, he offered a hand in Sophia's direction. She stared at his upturned palm.

"Come on," Daryl said. "I'll help you up, too."

Sophia looked like she had to consider it, so Daryl gave her the time that she needed. Everyone around them was quiet enough that Daryl might have forgotten they were there if he weren't entirely aware of their presence.

Sophia finally reached her hand out and put her hand in his. She let him help her to her feet, but as soon as she was on her feet, she was back in her mother's arms, leaning against Carol with her head on her shoulder. At least, this time, she was quiet and had finally stopped shedding the tears that had poured out of her before.

"I'm Daryl," Daryl offered to Sophia. She simply stared at him in response. "It's OK," Daryl offered. "We got time for introductions. I live here too. With your Ma." Sophia continued to stare at him, and Carol simply gave Daryl a look that begged something from him—and he was entirely willing to give it to her. Patience, understanding, and kindness to her daughter was likely what she was asking him for, and if Carol needed it, Daryl had it to offer.

Carol walked toward Samirah and Willomen with Sophia holding to her. Sophia moved along with her like any small child might that was determined not to break their hold on the person from whom they were drawing comfort and security.

"I don't know how to thank you," Carol said to Samirah.

"I don't want thanks," Samirah said, shaking her head. "I didn't do anything that shouldn't have been done years ago." She glanced at Sophia. "Sophia's been—so excited to see you."

Carol smiled.

"I don't think excited even begins to cover it for me," Carol said. She sucked in a breath and let it out. "It's been—so long."

"Too long," Samirah said.

"It never should have happened," Melodye offered, walking over. "But there's nothing any of us can do to turn back the clocks. All we can do is move forward. Do just what we're doing. We're going to get out of here. Get out of your hair and let—let you start settling in."

"I don't know you," Carol said, quickly turning her attention to Willomen.

"You'll know me," Willomen said. "If you need me, I'll be around."

"He'll be reachable by phone," Melodye said. "If you can't just see him? Call. We'll have him sent if you need him. He's here to handle anything. For a little while? We're requesting that you don't take Sophia anywhere in the community without Willomen present. Also? Nobody's allowed to come into the home without him here unless it's someone that we already know Sophia trusts and can be comfortable with. So—right now? I'd say that's Sammi. Al and I will bring Willomen with us for a little while, just until Sophia gets to know us a bit better."

"Thank you," Carol said. "Thank—all of you. You brought my little girl back to me."

"Thank us by taking care of her," Melodye said. She looked at Daryl and then back at Carol. "Thank us by—by proving that Sophia is just a little girl. OK? Not—not what people said she was."

"We got that already," Daryl offered. He didn't miss the smile that Carol gave him for his confidence in her daughter, perhaps. The smile was worth whatever they had to do.

"I'm going to give you a little time," Melodye said. "I'm supposed to be paying house visits every day. Just—coming in and making sure that everything's going well. I'm going to give you a little time, though, to settle in without interrupting. The day after tomorrow? I'll stop in and see how you're doing."

"Anything you need," Samirah said, "just call it in. Meals and everything, just like always."

Carol thanked them again and then Daryl thanked them before they saw them out of the house and closed the door behind them, ready to begin the new adventure of getting to know Sophia—Daryl for the first time and Carol all over again.