Sorry this one was so late. I've been busy. I've also been lazy but that's okay. I don't like this chapter at all but after this one it picks up again so that is a good thing. I hate boring chapters.

There was a guest reviewer that voiced some concerns over what happened a few chapters ago in the bedroom. Daryl was in no way trying to do anything to humiliate her. That isn't the type of person I'm trying to make him out to be in this story. That was all for fun and I hope everyone realized that Carol enjoyed herself regardless. She'll get her revenge eventually. Thanks to Merle raising Rick's room. But read on, so you'll know what I'm talking about. LOL!

I hope everyone has a safe holiday! Don't drive drunk or any crazy shit like that! Thanks for reading! Much love to you all! =)

Sophia's Secrets

"I got you a present."

Carol glanced over at Merle, giving him a suspicious look. "What?" She whispered. She looked around the dinner table but no one was paying any attention.

He shoveled more mashed potatoes into his mouth and winked at her. This was worrisome. She was so used to the Merle that had threatened her and acted out in anger all of the time that this version of him always surprised her. "I got'cha somethin'," He whispered. "You'll like it but ya best go upstairs before my brother does."

Now she was scared. Once more she glanced around the dinner table but, still, no one was looking at them. "What are you up too?"She whispered back.

He shrugged and continued eating. Along with the two of them at the table they also had Daryl, Glenn, Maggie, Lori, Rick and T-dog. They had spent hours with him earlier, trying to explain to him what was coming and how they all found each other. Just like Glenn he had known it was all true. Now he sat there picking at his food.

Sophia and Carl were upstairs, eating with Penny. Carol couldn't wait for the day that the girl wasn't imprisoned up there like a common criminal. Penny never seemed to mind though. She never really seemed bothered by anything, which was a little odd to Carol but it was better than the poor girl always being afraid or sad.

She leaned her head closer to Merle. "I don't trust you," she whispered.

He smirked. "I don't blame ya."

She sighed loudly, causing Daryl to glance at her.

"There's one thing I don't get," T-dog said suddenly, causing everyone to look at him. He looked at all the faces around the table. "I still don't get why Sophia is the one that all this craziness revolves around."

Carol shifted her eyes over to Merle but he was still engrossed with eating his dinner. Meeting T-dog's eyes she gave a delicate shrug. "No one else gets that part either, not even Sophia. But if it keeps us all alive then that's the important thing. We can try to figure it all out or we can focus on saving ourselves."

With a nod he went back to his food but it was obvious he was still lost in thought.

Carol excused herself, no longer hungry even though she had barely eaten anything at all. She had offered to let T-dog stay at the house and he accepted. He chose one of the rooms downstairs that they had converted into a bedroom. It wasn't large but he agreed that next to their cells, it was pretty grand. He also liked the idea of being on the main floor in case he was needed quickly.

She rinsed off her plate and headed towards to the back stairs.

"Hey," someone called from behind her.

She turned, spotting T-dog coming towards her. She smiled at him. Remembering him from the prison was particularly painful. He had been the one to save her and every time she looked at him she remembered that look on his face when he told her to run.

"I just wanted to say thanks," he said, stopping a few feet away.

She frowned. "For what?"

He looked at the floor and then gestured around the room. "For all of this. I really did think that I was losing my mind. Even though the truth is just as crazy as the dreams were, at least now I know what's coming."

"T, we were family. We have to protect each other." Looking at him now overwhelmed her with emotion. What he had suffered through to save her was unimaginable. She hoped he hadn't suffered that dream. And now that he was here he wouldn't have too. Before she even registered what she was doing she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

He hugged her back just as fiercely and they stayed that way for a few long moments before she finally pulled away.

"I'm happy you found us," she said, her voice thick.

He nodded. "So am I." He smiled then, a smile that she hadn't realized how much she had missed until she saw it just then. "Best get back in there before some pissed off redneck comes in here and shoots me in the ass for putting hands on his woman."

Carol laughed.

"I saw that coming, by the way," he said, glancing over his shoulder towards the dining room. "I just didn't know when his dumb ass was gonna figure out that you'd been his for a long time."

"It took a little chasing but it wasn't nothing I couldn't handle." She left him standing in the kitchen as she headed up the stairs, wiping at a stray tear. She hadn't realized that seeing him would have such an effect on her. She suddenly felt very melancholy.

She went into her room, leaving the door cracked. She was about to head to the dresser to search for some night clothes before she took a shower but paused when something on the bed caught her eye. She remembered then that Merle had told her that he had gotten her a present. She knew he hadn't left the house so she was curious when her eyes landed on the small brown paper bag that was lying in the middle of the bed.

She glanced towards the door and then, with a deep breath, she approached the bag. Surely he wouldn't do something cruel. She paused before reaching for it, remembering something that had happened to Ed a few years ago. A couple of teenagers had set a paper bag, much like this one, on fire on their front porch. They had banged on the door and when Ed went out to see who was there he had stomped out the flames, only to discover that the bag was filled dog crap. He had been so angry that he had gotten into his car and tried chasing the boys down.

She snatched her hand away from the bag and looked back over her shoulder once more. Merle had been on good behavior. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. She poked the bag with her finger but whatever was inside was hard. She finally picked it up and sat down on the edge of the bed. She looked inside and then a laugh escaped her before she could stop it.

"You're welcome," Merle said from the doorway.

She looked up at him, grin in place. He winked and sauntered off down the hall towards his own room before she could say anything. She reached in the bag and pulled out a set of handcuffs. The keys were there. She should have been embarrassed. Maybe the Carol that she used to be would have been. But at the moment she really didn't feel that way. She felt downright sneaky. Revenge was going to be a sweet thing, thanks to Merle Dixon.

Just then she heard light footsteps coming towards her room. She shoved the cuffs back in the bag and then shoved the bag into the drawer of her nightstand before standing up and heading for the door.

Daryl stepped in, a frown in place as his eyes swept the room. "Where's Merle?"

Carol swallowed and then shrugged, trying to step around him so she could go back downstairs. Daryl caught her around the waist before she could escape, pulling her flush against him. His lips went to her ear as she leaned her back against the solid wall of his chest.

"What's got ya so flustered?" He asked.

"Nothing," she said quickly. "I need to get back down there. I forgot that I have a cake cooling. I wanted the kids to get some since they're probably done with their dinner."

His grip around her waist loosened but he didn't let her go altogether. "You alright after seein' T and everything? You looked a little distracted down there."

She turned in his arms and eyed him. "It was really strange seeing him like that. After..." She looked down, fiddling with a button on his shirt absently, "After what he did for me."

He lifted her chin with a finger, forcing her to look at him. "Ya know, I watched him get bit that day. When I was tryin' to get to ya. He sacrificed himself so you could get away but don't think that you're the reason he died, alright. You ain't. He was gonna die anyway and he knew it."

"That doesn't make what he did any less heroic though. The pain he must have..."

He stopped her with a kiss, long and searing. When he finally pulled away he was shaking his head. "That was his decision. One that I'm glad he made. He didn't do that so you would feel guilty about it. He did it cause he knew you had a fightin' chance and he didn't."

She nodded. "I know that. It's still hard not to think about." She gave his hand a squeeze before stepping away.

He didn't let go of her hand, instead pulling her back towards him. He lifted the hand and then grazed his fingers across the slight bruising on her wrist. His face reddened slightly. "Sorry about that," he said quietly.

"That's okay," she said as she pulled her hand away from his. "It'll just make revenge that much sweeter."

He snorted. "I don't think you could tie a knot I couldn't get out of."

She winked on her way out the door. "I'm sure I can't."

~H~

Daryl watched her walk away, a frown forming between his brows. What the hell was that suppose to mean? He shook it off and followed her down the hall. Instead of going down the stairs he stopped in front of the girls room and knocked lightly.

It was Carl who opened the door and Daryl caught himself scowling despite himself. He let himself into the room, where Penny came out from behind the door. She smiled at him and then flopped onto her bed gracelessly, her legs swinging back and forth.

"How you holdin' up, kid?" He asked as his eyes scanned the room for Sophia. She was sitting on the floor with her back to the wall, looking over a small stack of papers.

"I'm good," penny said in response to his question.

Sophia looked up and motioned him over. "Daryl, you gotta see this. This is amazing."

He walked over to where she was sitting and slid down the wall himself. He brought his knees up and then took the stack of papers that she handed him.

The first was a pencil sketch. A very detailed pencil sketch of someone he recognized right away. His jaw clenched. It was Philip, a side profile of him smiling. This smile was different than the ones Daryl had seen on the man's face but it twisted his stomach all the same. He glanced up at Penny but she had a book in her hands and wasn't paying any attention to him. He moved on to the next.

"It's me and you," Sophia beamed.

Daryl felt he corner of his mouth turn up. "I can see that." This picture was done in colored pencil instead of regular lead. Sure enough it was him and Sophia. Sophia was standing there with her hands on her hips, facing him while he mocked her stance. The first word that came to mind as he studied the drawing was 'stubborn'. He squinted and looked more closely. Sure enough, dangling from Sophia's closed fist, was a set of car keys. He barked out a laugh and then went on to the next.

He went through the small stack and then handed them back. He knew that Penny was a book worm and he knew that she loved to draw but he never imagined that she was a damn prodigy. And that was the only word that he could use to describe her art. "How old are you, Penny?" He asked suddenly.

She moved her book from in front of her face and blew a strand of hair away from her eyes. "I'm ten."

"Ten, huh?"

She nodded.

"How long you been drawin' like that?" He asked as he stood back up.

"Since forever I guess," her eyes strayed back down to the page she was on. "I paint too but all my stuff is at my old house."

He glanced at Sophia who was watching him. "Might have to make a run to stock up on some supplies for ya tomorrow."

Penny looked back up, dark eyes wide. "Really?"

He shrugged. "I don't see why not. Write out a list of shit ya like and then I'll make sure ya got it."

Sophia rolled her eyes. "You shouldn't say shit, Daryl."

"Watch your mouth," he muttered.

"I will if you will," she grinned at him.

He rolled his eyes before heading towards the door. "Your mama baked a cake. Make sure you bring her a piece of it." He motioned towards Penny who wasn't paying any attention to anything that didn't involve the book she was reading. He made a mental note to take Sophia along with him tomorrow so she could pick out more books for the girl. He had a feeling that they would need to invest in a lot of shelves for this kid.

He made his way down the stairs, glancing towards the living room where everyone seemed to have gathered after dinner. There was a movie playing but he wasn't interested in watching it. Merle happened to look up just as he was passing by the doorway and grinned at him before moving his eyes back towards the T.V. Daryl ignored him and headed for the front door.

He enjoyed sitting out there after the sun went down. Once the world ended he wouldn't be able to do this anymore. Well, that wasn't completely true. He could sit out there all he wanted but it wouldn't be like this. It wouldn't be peaceful anymore. There would always be the walkers on the other side of the wall. There would always be other threats to worry about too. Philip Blake was proof that it wasn't the dead you had to fear once there was no more law.

He was surprised to see that he wasn't alone. Once his eyes adjusted he noticed T-dog's broad form leaning his arms against the railing, staring out at the dark yard. He knew T-dog had heard him because he hadn't been quiet in the least, but he didn't turn around to see who had joined him until Daryl was standing beside him.

He finally sighed and glanced over at Daryl. "It's a lot to take in, huh?" His voice was quiet but familiar and strangely comforting.

Daryl nodded. "Yeah. Thought I had done lost my mind when I started dreamin' about that shit."

"Me too," T-dog said in a somber voice.

He let the silence wrap around them again, not needing to fill in the space with idle chatter. There was a slight bite to the air that hadn't been there before but he knew it wasn't the weather that chilled him. The days seemed to be flying by and he was dreading it. Even with the house and the land and the supplies, the world was still ending and that was still a scary thing to contemplate.

"So, you and Carol," T-dog looked over at him with a grin.

Daryl scowled at him. He wasn't about to sit out here and get into this with the man, no matter how much he owed him.

Finally T looked away, leaning in further and crossing his arms. "It's a good thing. I wasn't sure if the two of you would ever get your heads outta your asses long enough to realize that you loved each other."

Daryl cut him a look. The man wasn't going to let this go.

"Did it happen at the prison?" T asked after a few blessed seconds of silence.

Daryl shrugged and looked down.

T-dog chuckled. "Well, good for you either way."

He slipped into silence once more, for which Daryl was thankful, but there was something that needed to be said here. "Do ya know what you did for her back at the prison?"

T-dog stiffened and then gave Daryl a tight lipped nod. "That was when the dreams stopped."

Daryl wasn't good at any of this. Words alluded him most of the time but it needed to be said. "Thanks. For what you did. She woulda died that day if you hadn't told her to run."

T-dog glanced at him and then back towards the dark yard. "She would have done the same thing. Any of us would. I was gonna turn either way."

Daryl stayed out there for a long while, enjoying the silence. There was more he wanted to say to the man but he didn't bother. T knew that he was grateful for what he had done. He didn't need to hear anymore than that. When he made his way in it was just in time to hear Rick's voice.

"I think someone was in my room earlier," he said in a suspicious voice. Daryl stopped outside the doorway and listened.

"I haven't seen anyone in your room," Carol said distractedly.

"Hmm, I could have sworn I had an extra set... Never mind. Guess i left'em at the station."

Silence fell over the room then, other than the sound of the movie they were apparently watching. Daryl went on past them and up the stairs. T.V. wasn't his thing at the moment.

~H~

"Do you know his name yet?" Carl asked.

Sophia ran a hand through her hair, something that she knew she had picked up from Daryl but didn't really care. "No. No name yet."

"But he's still coming, isn't he?" Carl asked in a low voice. They were sitting on the edge of his bed. They decided that if they needed to talk then they best not do it where Penny might over hear them and then cause another misunderstanding. Neither of them wanted a repeat of what happened with Merle.

"Nothing I do keeps him from coming," she said quietly, fear causing her stomach to twist painfully.

Carl grabbed her hand and gave her a hard look. "He isn't gonna touch you. He won't be able to touch any of us. There'll be too many of us and we'll be ready. We have years before we have to think about it."

Sophia looked at their hands, taking comfort in the touch. "I hope so." She said in a quiet voice. She looked up. "Cause if we can't stop him, we all end up dead. I can't not think about that."

Carl squeezed her fingers with his own. "We'll stop him. We have Merle. Merle's the key. You said so yourself."

She nodded. "We just have to wait and see. But so far he's still coming. I just can't see if we win or not this time."

"We'll win," Carl said as he stood up and pulled her up with him. "Now get out of my room before Daryl catches you in here."

She didn't feel much like smiling. This was a sore topic that she tried to avoid, but Carl's obvious fear of Daryl caused her lips to turn up. "Chicken."

"Shut up," Carl grumbled right before he shut the door in her face.