A\N So hey there! It is currently 7:59 in the morning, I should be in school, and I feel like shit...

Happy Tuesday! :D

So, I have this weird swollen eye and my stomach and head hurts, so I'm not going to school, so I get to write more! Woo!

To Serethiel96, Thanks, I couldn't stand Lori for a while because I thought she was being unfair to Shane and Rick, but now I like her more! ^.^

Also to jaded 79, Oh I misinterpreted it then! No worries! :D Haha, I'm going to die if they don't get together in the next episode! Thank you, Lori just seems way too perfect you know? Yeah, she slept with her husband's best friend, but other than that, she just seemed fake. So thank you! ^.^

And to Auds1978, First, hi and welcome! And thank you, I made you like her more...WOO! :D

So here is our main hunk! (Besides Daryl, of course!)

Rick

Being a police officer put you on the line everyday. One minute you're enjoying a meal with your family, then next, you're facing criminals. The people you're trying to save, they depend on you, they trust you to save them. Sometimes you can, and sometimes you can't.

And when you can't, that's the hardest part.

It was Rick's second day in the group as they were trying to talk some sense into Daryl. Rick sat against a tree to relax for a few minutes before taking charge. There was a light, comforting breeze in the air that calmed his senses, and made him relax almost instantly. He heard a few scuffles , but he didn't hear moaning so he knew it wasn't a walker. His eyes fluttered open and averted to where the sound was making its debut. Sophia sat down in front of him and saw he had his shirt open. The redness of his wound was still there, but no blood was coming out, the stitches held nice.

"Did it hurt?" Sophia asked, looking at the ground like she was being to invasive and protruding. Rick knew what she meant and an airy smile came to his face.

"Naw, I couldn't even feel it," He lied, putting on his best smile. He didn't want to scare her more than anything, but he hated lying to her young, innocent, truthful face. Sophia seemed to buy this, but still sat staring at it, almost intrigued by it.

"Were you scared?" She questioned, looking him dead in the eyes. He pondered this for a moment, trying to step back into his shoes of the past and fit together all the broken pieces of that horrible time.

"Yeah," He said faintly, "I was scared I wasn't going to see my family again," Sophia looked at him, then turned her head where Carl was. A light smile etched her face as she stared until she turned back to Rick and eyed him. She observed the larger man, taking everything about him in.

"Do you trust Carl?" She finally asked, narrowing her eyes. Rick was taken aback by this question and was at a loss of words. She took this complete silence as a 'No' and nodded her head thoughtfully. "I knew you didn't," She said softly, "I do though, he said that you're going to leave again," Rick sat up straighter at this, getting ready to protest.

"Now wait a minute, just who said I was leaving?" He asked, feeling a bit of anger rise in him.

"Carl said you were gonna leave again so you could find Mr. Dixon. But I know we'll be okay, Carl said he can save me," She nodded, confirming this, and searched for Rick's eyes.

"We haven't decided yet. But that can wait, Sophia. Look, I know Carl is your friend, but he's your age, he can't protect you. He's still a boy and in this world, little boys just can't save anyone," Sophia's pretty, petite face was full of disgust at that moment, just as Rick finished his sentence.

"Well this isn't the world anymore," She hissed, "I think anyone can save anyone. And I know Carl can save me. I trust him, and I don't know why you don't. He's your son, why don't you trust him?" Rick thought about this, trying to see exactly why he didn't.

"He's just a little boy," He whispered, shaking his head.

"That's not a reason! You need trust to live Rick! If you don't trust anyone, then you're not a good leader, husband, father, or person! Especially since the world is filled with zombies, you need trust people and if you don't, then this group is going to die one by one all because you won't trust anyone!" Sophia was having a bit of trouble catching her breath, but she never looked away from Rick's eyes. She was courageous for yelling that to Rick and as Rick sat there, speechless, he knew she wasn't going to back off until he gave her an answer.

"I just can't trust anyone right now, Sophia. I'm a police officer. People depend on me, not the other way around. I save them, and tell them that everything's going to be alright. I don't need to trust anyone, because I know what I'm doing," This somehow didn't satisfy Sophia.

"You were a police officer. This isn't a world where criminals are killing people. This is a world where zombies are killing people. You can't hand-cuff and arrest them and you can't take them to court. They pop out of nowhere and kill people, and if you don't trust anyone, then you're going to die. And in case that you forgot, Carl told me you were shot by a sneaky third shooter that no one knew about. If that happens again, and you're bit by a sneaky zombie, you can't get better, you're going to die," Sophia didn't wait for him to say something. She picked herself up and left Rick to contemplate this alone.

When he made it back that night from his expedition from Atlanta with the others, he saw Carl protecting Sophia with his body as they searched desperately for Lori and Shane.

And he knew, she was right.

~ . ~

"Sophia," Rick managed to squeeze out of his collapsing throat, as tears swept his face completely, leaving him a blubbery mess for a moment, "You were right. We need trust in this world. This group is gone, broken, like Dale had said. Carl has no one to trust anymore, because you're gone...he doesn't even trust me. Lori trusts me, Glenn does. Maggie trusts Glenn, Andrea trusted Dale, and your mom trusts Daryl. But me...I don't trust anyone. Still. I don't trust anyone. I'm so sorry that you're gone...because you trusted me...and I failed you," Rick walked away, feeling Lori's arms wrap around him as he went to make another decision he himself, didn't even trust.

Sophia had depended on him, had trusted him, but the foundation of trust in their group was gone.

A\N Hey! So I hope you liked this one! Haha, it didn't end like most did, you know where the character had a revelation! WOO! Change!

I hope you liked it!

Carl's next! :D

'Til next time! ^.^