WOW, This got away from me. Kids, school, work, house, blah. Please review. I swear, I'm not going to leave this story. THANK YOU!

I got home well before supper that evening. It wasn't anyone's fault really, but once Alex and I found that we both had dead or missing older sisters by the name of Sophia, well, that was that for the afternoon. We were both kind of bummed out. Besides I want to see my Daddy, and get the questions and freaking out over with.

I slip into the kitchen, grab a random cookie off the plate and sit at the table. Daddy will be home any minute. Unfortunately for me, Momma won't be. She is over at the Pendleton's cabin.

Mrs. Pendleton is a friend of Momma's, and Daddy is fond her husband Ed, who HATES to be called Mister. Ed is the only one among all of the men in this village that daddy can stand to take hunting. Daddy says it is because Ed is a quiet soul too.

Momma loves Mrs. Pendleton. She likes to talk and she tells great stories. Momma says it's nice to get to gossip once in a while. Last fall, Mrs. Pendleton shocked everyone by announcing she was expecting.

The Pendleton's already have 3 kids: 2 boys and a girl. Only Mrs. Pendleton had a boy and a girl: Andrew and Noelle. Ed had a little boy himself, Nathan. Both knew and loved each other way before the dead started walking. They went to school together and were quite close, in love really. Ed was divorcing his wife when the outbreak hit and lost her, leaving him alone with his son. Mrs. Pendleton lost her husband the early stages of the outbreak leaving her alone as well.

Eventually, they came together as a family. Momma thought it was terribly romantic. Poor Mrs. Pendleton was having a really hard time carrying their first baby together. Pop Hershel and Ms Edelebrock, our resident midwife, are shocked she's made it this far. Momma helps out with the kids so Mrs. Pendleton can rest and Daddy takes Ed hunting or just out to chop wood, just to get him away from the kids and the worry.

So tonight, Daddy and I have to fend for ourselves for dinner. Momma made fried chicken and laid it on a plate with a kitchen towel over it to keep the flies away. She included some beans that were in our ice chest so I went about heating the both up for us. I figure feeding Daddy might be a way to put him in a good mood when he gets home. Lord knows I'll need it.

As if my thoughts fabricated him into reality, Daddy slipped into the back door just as I started to stir the beans. He smiles at me and takes off his boots, lining them up by the back door. Momma has trained him well.

He walks over to me, slipping his arm around my shoulders and draws me into his side, squeezing me just a little harder than usual. He looks…sad.

"Hey Dix." He whispers into my ear.

"Hey Daddy, have a good day?" I ask as brightly as I can, even though I am a bundle of nerves.

"Yeah." He walks over to a kitchen chair and sinks down into it, looking tired.

I serve us dinner and he's quiet. Daddy is always quiet, but today, more so. He seems sad. As I clear away the dishes, he looks out the window hoping to see Momma walk in I guess. He worries about her still, even though it's been nearly a year since we've seen a walker in our area.

He finally looks up from the arrow he's cleaning and asks me about Alex.

"That new boy, he ain't giving you a hard time is he?" he asks with just a little pain in his voice.

"No sir. He's very nice." I smile at him.

"That's good." He looks down.

Before I can stop myself I ask about Sophia. I don't know where it's coming from, but it's out of my mouth before I can stop it.

"Daddy? Do you miss her?" I look over at him from the wet dishes.

He blanches and then looks up. "Who?"

He knows who I am talking about, I'm confident. "Sophia." I say softly, like a prayer.

"Of course I do." Daddy looks down again. He looks up, then down. He starts rolling his shoulders, and then sighs. I eye him strangely. He walks over to me and grabs the wet plate from my hands. Dries it, puts it away. Sighs again. Then he motions for me to sit at the table.

He folds his hands in front of him and closes his eyes. My Daddy isn't a religious man, but at that moment, I am sure he's praying.

"Dix, I guess it's time you knew. God, I don't know what to say here."

He is scaring me. He grabs my hand. He blows out one last big sigh and closes his eyes.

"I wasn't your sister's Daddy." He says it so softly I think that I misheard him. Then I see the tears in his eyes.