So sorry I've kept you guys waiting. Don't worry. I'm not catching writers block with this story or anything. It's just been a real bad couple of weeks and I haven't had the chance to get much writing done for this story! I'm not a big fan of this chapter but it needed to be written! I hope you enjoy it at least a little! Thanks for reading =)

Learning to Kill

Shane entered the house first, unwilling to let his two companions take the risk themselves. It was a sturdy looking farmhouse, spacious and clean. It didn't look to be torn apart like a few of the other houses they had raided over the last few days. He went in low, scanning the immediate area like he had been trained to do years before, his knife out and ready for anything that may come at him. He was greeted by absolute stillness. He quickly did a sweep of the downstairs before retrieving his companions.

Leaving the other two downstairs he went up to the second floor to make sure they were alone in the house. The only sounds he could hear were the sounds of Tyreese and Sasha rummaging around downstairs. They had found the road. Or thought they had found the road anyway. It had taken a few miles for Shane to realize that it wasn't the road that he needed to be on to get back to the farm. He had gotten completely turned around in those woods and now it was taking much longer to get to where they were going.

He made his way back downstairs and found the siblings in the kitchen. The few days he had spent with them he had been studying their dynamics. They actually cracked him up. Tyreese was the one, at first glance, that Shane had been sure he would need to keep an eye on. His size alone made him an intimidating figure. But in all reality the man was kind, soft spoken and big hearted. Sasha on the other hand was different, and by different he meant that she was quick tempered, bossy and fierce. It was obvious, however, that they adored one another. They were both good people and they would make great allies once they made it to the farm. He was certain that the rest of them would accept the two of them willingly enough.

Sasha turned to him, her eyes bright. "No one has gone through this place yet. I don't know where the owners ran off too but there's plenty here. We won't be going hungry tonight," she grinned.

Shane smiled back and ran a hand through his hair as Tyreese pulled some cans from the pantry. "That's good to hear. We can fill your bags before we leave. I think this place is as good as any to hole up for the night. It's getting pretty close to dusk."

Tyreese and Sasha nodded in agreement. Shane was sure that they were close to the farm by now. Surely.

Unbeknownst to the three of them there was a group of strangers heading in their direction from the woods that surrounded the property they were assuming was going to be a safe haven for the night.

~H~

"Merle?" Carol choked on the name as she looked over at her friend.

Andrea rolled her eyes and put another egg in the basket that she carried. "Yeah. The other night while we were on watch," she said quietly, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. It was growing dark.

Carol studied her for a few seconds before shrugging. Once she got over the shock of it she was able to quickly right herself. "So what? He isn't like he ever was before."

Andrea smiled slightly. "None of us are, Carol," she said quietly.

Carol was dying to ask her about Rick. The question had been eating at her since Andrea had gotten there but she hadn't wanted to push the other woman into a conversation that she wasn't ready to get into. She decided that now was a good a time as any. "You and Rick seemed..."

Andrea snorted, her eyes landing on Carol as a grim smile settled on her lips. "Spit it out," she said gruffly.

Carol blushed slightly. This was really none of her business and it really didn't seem like Andrea wanted to talk about Rick at all. She decided not to push her. "Was Merle any good?"

The question caught Andrea off guard and she barked out a laugh, her eyes widening. Even in the dim light Carol could see her face reddening. That was really something to see since it was Andrea and Andrea didn't embarrass easily. She took a deep breath and turned, leaning her back against the chicken coop. "I have to be honest..."

"I expected nothing less from you," Carol grinned and put her free hand on her hip, waiting with a glint in her eyes.

Andrea shook her head and looked up at the darkening sky. "It was actually... pretty damn incredible."

Now it was Carol who laughed, causing Andrea to jump. "You're serious?"

Andrea grinned and nodded. "I know. He never really struck me as the type to go out of his way to please anybody but himself but the things that man did with his mouth... Let's just say that I was pleasantly surprised that Merle Dixon is a very attentive lover."

Carol felt her eyes grow wide. "That's... nice?"

Andrea blew out and breath and pushed away from the wall, bumping Carol's shoulder as she turned to walk back towards the house. "It was," she sighed.

Carol frowned. She didn't sound very happy at the moment. If she liked Merle then that was a good thing and if Merle went out of his way to show her a good time then what was with the morose tone. "What's wrong then?"

Andrea shrugged. "I have no idea. He hasn't spoken more than three words to me since. Rick is following me around with that sad look on his face."

"Do you want things to work out between you and Rick?" Carol asked quietly as the house grew near.

Andrea shook her head and stopped, giving her a level look. "You don't realize how lucky you are," she said as her eyes flicked towards the house. She shook her head, not meeting Carol's eyes any longer. "You and Daryl have this thing. I don't even know what the hell it is, none of us do. It's like..." She made a frustrated sound and then shook her head.

"No. spit it out," Carol urged, refusing to let it go. She felt bad for her friend.

"Rick is a married man. All that stuff that happened between her and Shane didn't really happen. Rick has Carl and Lori to think about and I don't think he understands that. He's not the same Rick that I talked to at the prison. He's not the same Rick from the quarry. Can you imagine the fall out? What if Rick was what I wanted? We're stuck here. Probably for the rest of our lives. Can I sleep in the same house with Lori and Carl knowing that I ripped their family apart? Me and Lori have always had our differences. Always. But I can't do that to her. To them."

"You never answered the question."

Andrea sighed and started walking again. "I don't know. I don't think I want him. I don't want to hurt him either. And now I've done something stupid and messed up anything that I could have had with..." She shook her head, stopping in her tracks. "How stupid am I? I was about to say Merle. Merle is still Merle at heart. He hasn't changed that much. If he had then he would at least be speaking to me now."

Carol wasn't sure what to say to Andrea. She wanted to give her some sort of advice but she was way out of her league. She hadn't ever been torn like Andrea was. The only man in her life that she had ever really wanted was hers now. It wasn't something she had to think about.

They climbed the porch steps slowly but Andrea stopped her with a hand on her arm before Carol could open the door. "Thanks," she said with a sad smile.

Carol quirked a brow at her. "For?"

"Listening," Andrea smirked and then walked into the house, leaving Carol alone in the growing shadows.

Carol sighed and went in after her. She felt bad for Andrea but she had other things to worry about. Things like the plan that was unfolding for her daughter. Daryl seemed to think that Sophia could lead them right to the monster that would tear them all apart. The problem was, Carol couldn't stand the thought of Sophia out there again. When she had lost her that first time a piece of herself had died. A huge piece of herself.

She went to the kitchen to find Beth and Amy working with Annette. Glenn, Maggie, T-dog, Matinez and his wife were gathered at the table with a deck of cards. There were people milling about all through the house but it was strangely calm and comforting. Annette looked up when Carol came in.

"Your small soldier is in the basement. All of the children are," she said with a smile. "Apparently that man of yours has his hands very full."

Carol groaned. What could he possibly be doing in the basement with all of the kids? She didn't miss what Annette had called Sophia. Small soldier. That was certainly what Daryl seemed to be trying to turn her into. She went to the basement, past the food storage area into a room that Daryl had designated to show Sophia how to defend herself. Which consisted of much rough housing and knife training. Sure enough she found them all there.

Sophia and Daryl were in the middle of the room with everyone else lining the walls, including Merle. To her surprise Merle was holding a rag to his nose but she could see by his eyes that he was grinning, much like Carl who was standing next to him.

Carol just about cried out loud when suddenly Sophia, who had been circling Daryl, lunged forward and kicked him right in the back of the knee before he could turn around to block the blow. He went down and then suddenly Sophia had the handle of a bladeless knife pressed against the back of his head. Merle whooped and the rest of the children cheered loudly.

"What in the world?" Carol yelled as Sophia stepped back and grinned triumphantly.

Sophia looked up sharply as Daryl sprang back to his feet. There was a huge smile plastered across his face as he spun around to face her. Sophia put the hand that was holding the knife handle behind her back, her expression going from proud to guilty. "Hi mama," she said quickly.

She felt her eyebrows shoot up as she looked back at Daryl and saw that he had a reddening mark on his cheekbone. "What exactly are you all doing?" She asked.

Merle stepped forward, removing the rag from his face to reveal a bloody nose. Carol instantly felt concern for him. It was her nature. It always had been. She knew that it was a weakness in a world like this but her natural urge to show compassion overtook her at the site of Merle's poor nose. She took the rag from his hand and tilted his head.

"Merle, what happened?" She asked as she put a gentle hand to the side of his face.

He grinned, his perfect teeth slightly pink from blood that must have gotten into his mouth. "The girl is a goddamn natural!" He seemed so excited that she would have laughed if the reality of the situation hadn't smacked her in the face.

She looked down at Sophia who was all but hiding behind Daryl, the sides of his shirt fisted in her small hands. It was then she noticed the knuckles of Sophia's right hand were red and swollen. Her daughter had done this! "Sophia?"

Sophia poked her head around. "Yes?"

Carol looked up and met Daryl's eyes. He was trying to hold back a grin of his own but he wasn't very successful. "Daryl, what exactly are you showing her?" She raised a brow at him.

He shrugged and opened his mouth to say something but Merle beat him to it. "She's learning to kick ass and take names!"

Daryl shot Merle a look but then met her eyes again with a shrug. "Just showin' her how to defend herself. And Merle is right. For a skinny little thing she's damn near tough as nails and quick to learn at that. In just a few days she's shown us that she's got as much fire in her as you got." The grin he was trying to hide broke through and she felt a warmth fill her chest at the pride she saw in his eyes.

Sophia stepped out from behind him but kept one arm around his waist as she looked up sheepishly. "I need to know this, mom. If it helps keep us all safe. I don't wanna be like I was before. I wanna know how to protect myself instead of run away."

Carol bit her lip, not knowing where the surge of emotion was coming from. The eagerness in the girl's eyes had her kneeling in front of her and taking her hand. "Show me what you got then," she smiled.

Sophia nodded eagerly and when she stood back up and met Daryl's eyes again he gave her a slight nod.

The quiet chatter from the other children grew quiet and Daryl motioned for Merle to come closer. He did, eyeing Sophia with mock menace. The girl grinned at him and then narrowed her eyes.

Daryl's voice was clear in the quiet room. "I told ya before. Walkers might not be as fast as you but they're still pretty damn fast. You can run from'em but we both know what can happen when all you do is run."

Carol watched as Merle walked to the other side of the room. Sophia walked to the opposite side, facing Merle. Daryl stood in the middle of the room. He looked up at Merle and then back down at Sophia.

"You ain't gonna run from a lone walker. You ain't gonna run from two walkers. If you see a herd you hightail it away from them but if you just see a few, what are you gonna do?"

"Take'em out," she said, her eyes never leaving Merle even though it was Daryl speaking. She looked right through him at the person that was suppose to be a threat. She studied Merle.

"If you ain't gonna run away, then what are you gonna do?" Daryl said in a low voice.

Carol was amazed at the cold look that came over her sweet daughter's face. She wasn't Sophia Peletier in that moment. No. She was someone different. She was all Daryl. All Merle. One hundred percent calculated killer. Carol's breath hitched in her throat as the grip Sophia had on that knife handle tightened and she took off at a dead run. This was not a game to the girl, that was obvious. In her mind this was life and death.

Merle did the same. He came at Sophia, not as fast as he could because a Walker wouldn't be able to go as fast but he was still quick. Before Sophia could get to Merle however Daryl reached out and grabbed her shirt, yanking her back against himself roughly. Sophia yelped in shock but then, as Daryl's mouth, teeth actually bared as though his whole goal was to take a chunk out of the girl's shoulder, something happened. Sophia growled and so fast that Carol wasn't sure she had even seen it she brought the knife handle up, hitting Daryl square in the eye with it.

Daryl instantly let go. It was a kill for sure if the knife had had a blade and Daryl had been a real walker. Now there was only Merle and Sophia didn't hesitate as she charged him. Once she was in arms reach Merle made a grab for her but suddenly Sophia wasn't there anymore. She went to the ground quickly, her skinny legs flashing out, tripping Merle. Once Merle went to his knees Sophia scurried up, rounding on him and slamming the handle into the back of his neck in an upward motion and then shoving the "corpse" away.

It had all happened in less than a minute but Carol seemed to have been watching it all take place in slow motion. Her eyes had never left Sophia. She was stunned into silence. Had she really just watched her daughter do that? Merle and Daryl hadn't seemed to be trying to take it easy on her either. Her eyes scanned the room for Daryl then. He was standing next to Duane, hand holding his eye as he grinned at the panting girl.

Sophia's face seemed to transform back to normal. "How'd I do, mama?" She asked in the sweetest voice.

Carol was still trying to remember how to work her mouth when Merle launched himself off the floor and then grabbed Sophia, lifting her off the floor and holding her up like one would a toddler, under her arms. "You're a goddamn bad ass!" He hooted and then sat her back down, looking down on her with pride. "And this is just after a few days of practice. Ya skinny little shit! You're gonna fuck them bastards up out there!"

All of the other kids started laughing at Merle's vulgar language. Carol wasn't sure what to think of it all. Se never really believed that Sophia would be able to protect herself and that made her feel ashamed of herself for ever doubting. She could have saved herself out there that day she had been chased into the woods if only Carol had had it in her to be strong. But looking at her now, her face flushed and her sweaty hair sticking to her face, her heart swelled with pride.

She felt a tug on her arm and looked over at Daryl. His eye was swelling but he was smiling at her. She let him pull her closer. "What'cha think?" He asked quietly.

Carol looked back at Sophia. "I think you were right. We have ourselves a little bad ass," she said, letting the smile finally break across her face. She heard him chuckle.

"I think you're right. The kid zones out and just does it. She ain't been bit one time today," Daryl mused.

Carol let him pull her closer into his side as they watched Merle and Sophia scuffle around on the floor. She felt a weight lift off of her shoulders then. Sophia would be okay once they left the farm. Merle and Daryl would make sure of that.

~H~

Andrea was making her way down the hall towards the attic stairs when she heard someone say her name softly. She knew the voice and she turned around slowly, dreading the conversation she was probably going to have to have.

Rick was standing in the doorway to the bedroom that he had moved into. Alone. It was the old sewing room that Carl had used before the house became so full. "Can we talk?" he asked, looking so hopeful that Andrea felt her chest tighten painfully.

She nodded and made her way towards him. How had her life gotten so complicated? She was suppose to be focusing on keeping her sister alive and happy. But that was so easily achieved here that it wasn't something that kept her very busy. Now she was neck deep in drama and she hated it. She hated feeling like she didn't know what she wanted. She hated the dirty looks she got from Lori and she hated the pleading looks she got from Rick and she hated the fact that Merle wouldn't look at her at all anymore. She sighed tiredly as she followed Rick into his room.

He shut the door behind himself as she sat down in a small chair near the foot of his bed. "What is this about, Rick?" She asked even though she knew what it was about.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and then leaned his back into the door. "Lori and I are taking a break for a while. She seems to think that I need to get my head clear."

Andrea stared at him, not sure where this going anymore. "That's good. A break will give you both some time to think about some things," she said, wondering if she wanted him to think about Lori at all. Man, this was such a mess. She wondered if facing the walkers out there would be easier to deal with.

"I already know what I want," he said softly as he walked towards her and knelt down in front of the chair she was sitting in.

She felt her heart slam against her ribs a little harder at the intense way he was looking at her. And he was actually looking at her. Unlike a certain Dixon that she had grown quite close to. He leaned closer and she knew what he was about to do, knew that it was a very very bad idea to let him do it. But she did let him. When his lips met hers it was nothing like what had happened out there on the wall with Merle. No heat and no spark. It was nice as far as kisses went though. It just wasn't what she wanted. So why wasn't she stopping it? It was a question that would haunt her for a while. Especially once things progressed even further than that.