Chapter 7

"Promise me you'll listen to everything Daryl tells you, ok?"

"I will, Mama. I promise," Sophia said with a confident nod. The girl zipped her jacket up and stuffed her hands into her pockets.

"You stay close to him."

"I will," Sophia said with another nod. Most girls her age would be rolling their eyes at their mothers at this point, but Sophia's father had made it a point to give his daughter a brief swat to the face for rolling her eyes at him once. She'd never told her mother. It had never happened before or again, but she would never forget it, nor would she ever roll her eyes at her parent ever again.

"I'll take her in the truck, take her down the mountain a ways. I'm thinkin' that walker last night mighta made its way up after our shootin' practice." Carol swallowed hard and gave him a little nod, trusting that he'd take care of her little girl, because, who else could she trust?

"You need anything for the pain?

"It's not so bad," Carol said with a little shrug. "You two just come back safely." Daryl's gaze met hers for a moment, and she gave him a warm but nervous smile.

"I'll take care of her. Promise." Carol looked to Sophia.

"Sweetie, why don't you go get some gloves? I have some in one of my bags back there. The temperature drops so quick up here sometimes." Sophia gave her mother a nod and headed off to get her gloves. "Oh, I hate this." Daryl sat down on the coffee table, watching as Carol tried to steady her nerves by taking a few deep breaths. "My little girl's going to learn how to shoot a gun so she can…kill…"

"Walkers. They ain't people, Carol."

"I know. I know that. They have to be put down. I just…" She shook her head. "The idea of my little girl out there—my baby—shooting guns. I never thought I'd see the day."

"It's gonna be alright. She's gotta know. She's gotta protect herself in case…"

"In case we can't," Carol said gently. Daryl gave her a solemn nod.

"I'll keep her safe." Carol nodded at him, and Sophia came back into the room from the back of the cabin.

"I'm ready," she said a bit hesitantly. Carol held her arm out, and Sophia moved to give her a hug.

"I love you," Carol said softly.

"I love you too," Sophia replied. "Don't worry." Carol nodded and gave her daughter another squeeze before letting her go.

"Please be back before dark."

"We will. Might even bag us some supper on the way. You stay off that foot."

"Yes sir," Carol said with a little grin, making him blush considerably. Daryl nodded to Sophia.

"C'mon. Best get goin'." Sophia nodded and gave her mother a little wave before following Daryl out of the house. Carol listened as Daryl's truck roared to life, and the grumble of his engine faded as he drove away from their cozy little home. She sighed as silence settled in the air around her, and before long, she was dozing off, her body mercifully letting sleep pass the hours until they returned home to her.

Daryl had driven Sophia down the mountain a ways, and they'd found a field to practice shooting in. He'd set up some old soda cans on fence posts for her to aim at, and the entire time he worked, his mind wandered back up the mountain to the cabin Carol was all alone in. He felt his stomach twist a little, and the back of his neck grew hot. Never in his life had he worried about somebody in this way. He'd never gotten close enough to anybody to worry like that before. Carol and Sophia were pretty much all he had in this world, and the idea of anything happening to either of them was just not something he wanted to think about. They needed each other. They needed people. Daryl had been prepared to walk through this new, dangerous life all by himself, and then she'd come into his life, and he'd had to completely change his plans. And he was ok with that.

"You gotta keep your arm steady," he murmured, turning back toward Sophia as she held the gun awkwardly in her hand like it was going to hurt her. "You gotta learn how to breathe and hold it steady. You gotta know the moment to shoot, when not to."

"When don't I shoot?"

"You see a whole herd of 'em comin' at ya? You run. You find higher ground or four walls and a roof. You got two or three of 'em, you aim for their heads, and you squeeze that trigger. You don't think. You just do, you got it?" Sophia nodded, her big, blue eyes wide with determination and fear.

"Can you teach me how to shoot your crossbow?"

"Uh," he muttered, "let's just get through handgun training first. Then we'll talk." Sophia sighed but nodded. Daryl moved behind the girl, his hands positioning her arms and steadying her. "Now line up your target. You got it?"

"Got it."

"Okay. Now you take a slow breath. Gently squeeze the trigger. Relax your body. Just keep your arms steady." Sophia nodded and took another breath, gently squeezing the trigger and emptying the chamber. The bullet snapped into the wooden post, knocking the can down but not hitting it. Sophia sighed heavily. "S'alright. Good shot. Try again."

Carol woke to the sound of the screen door's rusty spring creaking, and her heart nearly beat out of her chest. She scrambled for her knife that was tucked under her pillow and she sat up on the couch, her knuckles white as she gripped the handle. The door swung open, and Sophia came walking in first, her cheeks pink and her eyes bright, a smile plastered over her face.

"Hi Mom," she said with a smile, hurrying over to wrap her arms around Carol's shoulders. Carol gave her a squeeze and breathed a sigh of relief, her gaze moving over Daryl's face as he walked through the door.

"I'm glad you're home," Carol murmured, rubbing Sophia's back but never taking her eyes off of Daryl. He looked away, and she thought she caught the beginnings of a blush forming on his cheeks, but he ducked out of the room, and she smiled a little bit to herself. "How'd it go?"

"Daryl's going to take me back out. Both of us. When your ankle's feeling better. I hit a can off the fence post. He said my aim's pretty good." Carol smiled nervously at her daughter.

"That's great, honey."

"He said he might teach me to use his crossbow."

"That's a big might, kid," Daryl muttered, coming back into the room, his arms bare as he wore only a button down with the sleeves cut off and a pair of comfortable jeans. Carol couldn't deny that the sight of his strong ,muscular arms made her stomach do somersaults and her heart beat a little faster.

"I'll get better with the pistol," Sophia promised. "You'll see." She sounded the happiest and most confident than she had for a very long time, and Carol couldn't help but feel relieved that Sophia was coming out of her shell a little, though the idea of her daughter with a gun terrified her beyond belief. "How's your ankle?"

"It's better. I took a nap, and the pain wasn't so bad when I woke up."

"Good," Sophia beamed. "Can we go out later and shoot some more?" She looked up at Daryl.

"Best save our ammo for now, a'right?"

"Okay," she said with a nod, a little disappointed.

"Why don't you go into the kitchen and see what you can find for supper?" Sophia nodded and did as her mother asked. Carol sighed when Sophia was out of earshot, and she shook her head

"I don't like this."

"Ain't too crazy 'bout it myself, but she's gotta learn."

"I know. She's just a child. She has to grow up so fast." Carol winced in pain as the throbbing came back in her ankle.

"Still hurtin'?"

"It's getting worse. I'll take something."

"Here. This might help." Daryl knelt down next to the couch like he had last night when he'd helped her with her boots, and he pulled a box out of his pack. "Stopped at a store down the mountain, and they had this. Thought it might help." It was an ankle brace.

"You didn't have to do that."

"I know," he said with a little shrug. "Just thought it might help with the pain." Carol smiled a little. "You need me to...?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind. It hurts to move it too much." Daryl nodded, and he took the brace out and gently slipped it over her foot and up her ankle. She grimaced in pain a little, and his gaze caught hers. "It's ok. I'm good. Thank you." Daryl nodded and stood up, wiping his sweating palms on his jeans. "You should sit down. You look tired."

"I'm alright," he shrugged.

"Just sit down." She hadn't expected to just reach out and yank his arm, but she did, and he tumbled back and fell on his ass on the couch seat. They both looked at each other, a little surprised, and she covered her mouth with her hand. "Sorry. I'm just…bored and need to talk."

"Talk about what?" he asked.

"I don't know. I just…there's not a whole lot to talk about at the end of the world." Daryl snorted.

"Unless it's about tradin' walker killin' tips."

"Or proper water boiling techniques."

"How to hide when the undead are tryin' to eat your face."

"Oh, that's a good one," Carol chuckled, feeling a little better now. It was good to have someone to talk to, and while Daryl wasn't a man of many words, he was at least opening up a little bit, and she felt like they could be friends. With a sigh, Carol leaned back against the couch, turning her head a little to look at him. He felt her eyes on him, and he felt his face growing warm. He turned to meet her gaze unsteadily, looking from her eyes to the door a couple of times before taking a deep breath and focusing directly on her. "Thank you for taking care of her today. She's a good kid."

"Yeah, she is. You done good with her," Daryl said with a nod. Carol's grin spread into a full smile, and she felt the flush fill her cheeks this time, her heart pumping hard in her chest as she tried to figure out what he was thinking when he looked at her the way he was looking. With a sigh, she found herself leaning in, unable to stop herself from scooting closer to him. She leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek, but he turned just in time to catch her lips with his own, brushing ever so gently over them, feeling her warm breath against his mouth.

They both pulled back quickly, and Daryl's face turned a shade of red Carol wasn't certain she'd ever seen. He didn't move though. He sat as still as he could possibly get, and Carol, as stunned as he was, made the move and gently brushed her lips over his once again. This time, her hand moved to rest against his chest, and he opened up to her, deepening the kiss and reaching out to pull her in.