Sorry for the wait guys! I had to take down wallpaper and do way more than I thought! No fun! Sooo, what about that last episode, huh? I'm not worried and I still have mad love for her. I can say that if it came down to someone else or my own family I would be capable of the same thing. In my book, she did the right thing!

Okay, just a warning, this is a filler but I tried to make it a little funny so it isn't so bad. Thanks for reading and I hope you all had a much better weekend than I did! =)

Sweet Treat in the Face

"It isn't going fast enough," Carol said worriedly.

Daryl glanced at her and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. Rick also stopped in the middle of placing another cinder block.

"It's a start at least," Lori said as she gulped down half of a bottle of water that Carl had given her. "That crew we hired will start on Monday and it shouldn't take long after that."

Daryl kept his eyes on Carol as she hefted up another block and placed it on top of Rick's. It had been four days since they had officially purchased the property and they were all frantic to get it ready. The thing that had been everyone's main concern was the wall. If nothing else, they had to have the wall finished. Daryl could understand her worry but she was working herself, and the rest of them, to death. He was actually starting to worry about her. And he knew that he wasn't the only one. Carl and Sophia were mixing another batch of mud in the wheelbarrow and Glenn hadn't even paused. They needed a break. All of them needed a break.

"Sophia," he called, causing the girl to whip her head around.

He motioned for her and she didn't hesitate to scurry over, more eager than ever to do what she could to help. "Yeah?" she asked, a little breathlessly.

He frowned and took in her sweat stained clothes and the slight sunburn along her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. "Go wash the stink off and change your damn clothes. We're getting' the hell outta here for a little while."

Her eyes lit up and gazed longingly down the dirt driveway in the direction of the house. He followed her gaze. She had worked hard and the temperature was pushing a hundred. He fished his keys out of his pocket and tossed them to her. They bounced off her arm and hit the ground where she stared down at them and then looked up, her eyes full of questions.

"Take the damn truck, it's hot as fuck out here," he rolled his eyes as she looked back down at the keys.

"Daryl, what the hell are you doing?" Carol asked as she ripped off her work gloves and put her hands on her hips. "She can't drive a truck and we can't leave either. We need to get as much done as we can."

"We've been workin' ourselves bloody for three goddamn days. Takin' a couple hours to cool off isn't gonna hurt nothin'. Your goin' into panic mode again, woman. Don't forget what happened last time you did that shit." He eyed her for a few heavy seconds as everyone looked from his face to hers. It looked like they were waiting for a showdown.

"She's twelve years old. She doesn't know how to drive a truck," she said, looking like she wasn't going to put up as much of a fight as he thought she would.

He couldn't help but give her a rueful smile. "Yeah she does."

Sophia looked at her mother with wide guilty eyes.

He held his breath and waited for the fit the woman was surely about to throw. Instead she crossed her arms over her chest and a huge grin split her face, erasing some of the worry from her eyes. "You taught my daughter how to drive a truck? Behind my back?" Her eyebrows shot up.

He shrugged. "You said it yourself. She's twelve years old. That's plenty old enough to learn to drive. Wasn't like you was gonna teach her. You baby her when you ain't usin' her for cheap labor." Oh he was pushing it big time.

Her mouth dropped open. "I do not baby her and I definitely do not use her for cheap labor!"

Rick and Glenn were both trying to hide quiet laughter now.

Daryl snorted. "If you think she's old enough to work like this then I think she's old enough to drive a truck. You don't want her drivin' then fine, I don't want her workin'." He crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

Carol frowned. "She can't even reach the pedals."

Sophia smiled then. "He rigged it. I can reach the pedals just fine, mom. He said I drive better than you do."

Damn it. That kid had a big mouth. Now even Lori, who was usually quiet and sullen now days, couldn't hide her smile.

Carol's eyes narrowed but after a few loaded moments she nodded. "Fine. Let's take a break then."

Sophia didn't wait another second. She took off towards the truck and Daryl followed her. The others followed them in their own vehicles. Sophia started the truck and then glanced over at him, giving him a shy smile. "Thanks," she said quietly.

He nodded and then looked out the window while they made their way to the house.

Carol had worked fast getting the inside ready. It was already furnished and someone had already came out and worked all day repairing the fireplaces. There was furniture and the pantry and root cellar were already stocked with canned food. More food was coming from a food service provider that delivered to facilities like nursing homes and developmental centers. It was pretty fucking genius.

Shutters had been placed on all of the downstairs windows, thick and heavy but still easy to close. They were making progress. He wished Carol would calm down. There was even someone coming to install solar panels. She should have been overjoyed, but she was stressed. Daryl figured that it was because of Sophia. No one else in their group had to live through watching their only kid become a monster and then get their brains blown out. He winced at the memory and then glanced at the happy kid next to him.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Sophia asked as they pulled up in front of the house.

He groaned and blew out a breath. "I guess. As long as it ain't about boys or... puberty or some shit."

She shook her head, blushing furiously. She looked like her mom when she did that. "Nothing like that." He waited until she turned off the truck and finally looked at him. "Do you think it's right?"

He frowned and moved so he was facing her. "Do I think what's right?"

She looked out the windshield at the house. "We can save our group and I think that's really great, I do. But what about the people out there that aren't going to get saved? Kids just like me are going to go through the same thing I went through and here we are, getting ourselves ready for it while the rest of the world is blind. It doesn't feel very right to me."

He looked away, following her eyes towards the house. He hadn't really put much thought into that. Of course for most of his life it had just been him and his brother. They didn't matter to anybody and nobody mattered to them. But he could almost understand where she was coming from. He just had no idea what to say to her. "You talk to your mama bout this?" he asked, hoping her answer was no.

She shook her head and her eyes met his. "How can we let people die like that?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know kid. We can't save everybody. There's a reason we remember the shit. Sometimes you gotta worry about yourself first. That's about all the answer I got for you.

She seemed to roll his words around in her head before saying anything else. "I won't say anything to my mom. I know you don't want me too and it won't do anything but make her feel bad anyway."

He narrowed his eyes. "I think you're right."

Without another word they climbed out of the truck and joined the others as they filed into the house.

~H~

Merle watched the man get into his car and then pull out of the parking lot. He glared at the back of the man's head. The more Merle dreamed the more he fucking hated the guy. He really hated the guy. And he was an evil bastard too. Oh sure, Merle wasn't no saint by any means. But this guy was a sadistic psycho. Or he turns into one anyway.

He knew that he had a little girl somewhere. In his dreams he was quickly becoming one of the man's most trusted men. The kid had been bitten and he had her locked in a cage in a room in his apartment in Woodbury. Some would say that the man didn't become evil until then. Merle didn't believe that at all. No, not after the shit he had ordered Merle to do.

Merle was a strong believer in being born bad. He was pretty sure he was one of those people himself and if he wasn't then it didn't take his daddy long to turn him into one. But bad was different than evil and this man was an evil son of a bitch. That man's evil didn't have a damn thing to do with what happened to his little girl. That seed of evil had taken root in that man a long time ago. This was going to be a mercy killing for sure because if this man lived, a whole lot of people were going to die.

The only thing he wasn't sure of was what to do about that damn kid. The end was near, he knew it. He could feel it now. Even if he hadn't started dreaming he would have been able to tell that something was coming. He thought about contacting his brother but dismissed it. This wasn't something Daryl would understand. His brother was too fucking soft, that's why.

He drove on past as the man pulled into his driveway. He didn't turn to see him get out of the car. If he did then he would end up blowing his brains out all over his azaleas and that wouldn't be good. So he drove on, heading back to that fucking house where his nightmares lived.

He wanted to go see his brother but he was afraid that by now his brother would be able to tell that he was on board with this bullshit. Still, it might have been worth it just to be able to talk to him. He knew what his problem was. Daryl was right. He had always been the one to skip out on the boy and now Daryl was the one that had left his ass in the dust. Just as well, he supposed. He deserved a little abandonment. He had dished enough of it out.

Without giving it another thought he decided to make a pit stop in Cobb County. He knew that was where they were living now because Carol had given Ed that little house back. Merle was giving up on any hope of Ed being able to help him out when it came to Carol. She was his brother's now and he had to get used to that. There wasn't a damn thing going to change it.

He still didn't have to like it, though and he still didn't like her either. But he'd do what he had to to be able to see his brother soon. Maybe not today but soon. He stopped at a stop sign and reached into his back pocket, knowing the paper was there. He pretty much had the address memorized but he glanced over it one more time.

~H~

Carol watched Sophia carefully as she dug into her sundae. Daryl must have felt really bad for her to demand to take her out. Of course, Daryl's idea of taking a kid out for ice cream involved going through the drive through and then parking at some nearly deserted park, like getting caught drinking a milkshake was so below him. She giggled to herself as she licked at her melting cone.

They were sitting in the shade of a large tree. Her and Daryl opted for the grass and Sophia was perched at the end of the picnic table.

"What the hell's so funny?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"You're embarrassed to eat ice cream in front of people," she giggled again and caught more drips with her tongue.

He scowled. "No I ain't."

"Then why didn't we just go in, where it's air conditioned, and eat there? You wanted to cool off. That would have been cooling off."

He shook his head. "Too damn many people in a place like that."

Sophia was watching them curiously.

"Mmm," she nodded. "You're either too embarrassed to eat ice cream inside a crowded place or you're just embarrassed that someone you know might see how domesticated you've become since I came into your life. Which is it?"

Daryl watched her for a few more seconds and then glanced at Sophia. "You know it ain't right for a man to put their hands on a woman, right?" he asked the girl, causing Carol to frown.

Sophia nodded solemnly as she watched him but Carol could see the gleam in her daughter's eye.

He sucked on his straw, his narrowed eyes sliding back over to Carol. He pulled the straw away and sighed heavily. "But sometimes a man finds himself in a situation like this. And he ain't got no choice but to put a woman in her place."

Sophia continued to stare at him and shoved the spoon into her mouth. She nodded again. Carol was becoming furious. How could he say something like that too Sophia after everything the girl had...

"Oh. My. God!" Carol shrieked. Her thoughts were cut off when Daryl's hand snaked out and slapped the side of the cone, squashing it right in her face. It fell in her lap with a plop. She picked it up and threw it at him but he was already on his feet and she missed him.

Sophia was doubled over, her cup sitting next to her and her skinny arms wrapped around her middle as she laughed hysterically. They didn't think to ask for napkins so Carol was forced to use her own shirt to get the ice cream off her face. Thank God it was only vanilla.

"Sorry you had to see that, kid. Sometimes evil is necessary. Especially where your smart ass mama is concerned," he flashed Carol a brilliant smile and then nudged Sophia with his elbow as he leaned against the picnic table.

"You're dead," Carol grumbled. "You won't know when and you won't know how but payback is gonna be painful."

"Stop poking the bear, mama," Sophia managed between bouts of laughter. She obviously found it funnier than Carol did. She still couldn't help but fight back a smile as she scowled at the man and then stood up, wiping her sticky hands on her jeans. He did it for her daughter's benefit and that, at least, counted for something.

"Yeah, woman. Ain't you learned a damn thing by now?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Shut up," she grumbled as she stormed past them both. "We were suppose to be going over to Rick and Lori's after this. Now I'm filthy and we have to go right back home so I can get cleaned up," she called over her shoulder. She didn't want to turn around because she didn't want them to see the smile on her face.

Sophia had done so well and worked so hard that she needed this. This was normal and Sophia needed normal. A male figure in her life that showed her kindness and, unfortunately for Carol in moments like this, showed the girl that not every man was out to cause someone pain. Sure, she was a a mess as the end result, but hearing her daughter laugh like that was like food for her soul. Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't going to dish out any sort of punishment to Daryl for that stunt. Even if the end result of that would most likely leave him satisfied.

She yanked the truck door open and waited for Sophia to climb in. Daryl gave her a knowing look before she climbed in herself. She was going to ignore her fears for the rest of the day and just enjoy her family. Daryl was right. She was on the verge of breaking down again and there was nothing to come of that but stressing everyone else out.