A/N: Hello everyone! :) I don't know about all of you, but it's a crappy day here in the Boston area, which is unfortunate. HOWEVER, it's giving me some writing fever :) that and all of your lovely reviews :) SERIOUSLY you guys are amazing! look at how awesome of a mood I'm in lol But, yeah, you all apparently loved seeing Daryl and Sophia interact, and trust me, there's more to come :) I love these two together, (it's like whenever people write Merle and Sophia scenes. You can't help but fall in love lol) and I'm glad that you all liked it, because I was planning on writing more :)

Now, 2ndly, I wanted you all to know that I will be posting how much time has gone by in the story in my A/N. So, as of right now, we're starting out 3rd day :) . It's been 2 days since the events in Chapter 1, and 1 days since everyone met at the campsite...yeah, a lot has happened. I'm sorry for the slowness. I just like character development lol.

LASTLY, thank you to all of my lovely reviewers: Killarneyheart, Maeflower3, vickih, Peta2, earthbound68, peonies01, HGRHfan35, Rodgerse, futuredweller, Silver Dog Demon, Escapingreality007, BanannaFlvdSnow, and SilverWolf84 . Thank you all so much for your ongoing support! :) On with Chapter 12!

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Chapter 12: Questions Intimidations

Carol sat alone in the tent, hiccuping quietly as she wiped her eyes from the remaining tears that were trickling down her cheeks. She could hear the faint sounds of the rest of the group waking for the morning, their laughter and joyful banter filling their air. She slowly sipped from the bottle of water Sophia had given her not five minutes ago, before her daughter sprinted out of the tent like a bat out of hell. She capped the bottle and gingerly stood to her feet, stretching out her soar muscles as she did so. As happy as she was to be finally free of Ed, the world hadn't stopped turning, and Carol needed to get on with her daily routines. Sophia's probably starving. No wonder she left in such a hurry. Carol placed the water bottle down on the ground, and exited the tent, squinting until her eyes adjusted to the glare of the bright Georgia sun. She placed her hand above her eyes to give them a little relief as search for her daughter. Panic rose within her when she saw no signs of her little girl wherever she turned her head. Carol saw Lori speaking to Shane by their tent, and quickly made her way to the woman's side.

"Lori! I'm sorry, but have you seen Sophia? She left the tent five minutes ago, and I thought she was just getting something to eat, but I don't see her anywhere!"

Lori smiled at her warmly. "I understand Carol, no need to be sorry. I think I saw her by the woods with, Daryl I believe it was." To Carol's surprise, she felt relief at hearing these words. Though she'd known the man for only a day, she felt that she could trust him. She had seen him watching over her more than once, and he had even saved her from Ed.

"Thanks, Lori. I'm sorry I interrupted you two, I was just..."

"Concerned. I understand. If I didn't know where Carl was, I'd feel the same way. You have nothing to apologize for." Lori and Shane smiled at her, and Carol smiled in return. "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept alright. It's going to take some getting used to, sleeping in tents and sleeping bags, but it could be worse," She replied, I could have ended up like Ed.

As if she could read her mind, Lori put her hand on Carol's shoulder, and lowered her voice. "I'm sorry, about your husband. Shane told me what happened. Are you alright?"

"Thank you, Lori, but it's probably better that he's gone," she heard herself say, shocking herself as the words came out of her mouth. She didn't back down from them, or try to take them back, however, as it was the truth. The world was a better place with her no for good husband rotting in the ground. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get myself some breakfast," Carol said, and turned around to open a box of M.R.E.s by her tent.

She ate her meal in peace, watching the others go along their daily routines as well, and noticing two new faces setting up a small tent. It was an African American couple, both of whom were moving as though they were on auto pilot. Carol saw blood covering their clothes, and knew they must have gone through hell before they arrived. She turned her attention the the last bit of food on her plate, and then went to throw the container away in the garbage. Once she was done, Carol changed her clothes, and gathered her dirty ones. She was hoping to try and get the dirt and blood stains out of them after she washed herself. She retrieved her tooth brush, tooth paste, and a bit of soap from her tent, and traveled down to the waters edge to clean up a bit.

Carol had just finished brushing her teeth when a dark shadow loomed over her.

"Well, if it ain't little Miss Mouse," Carol's eyes widened in fear as she heard the voice of Merle Dixon behind her. She didn't have to speak to the man to know that he was bad news, and not at all like his brother. She gulped and turned her head, trying not to let his intimidation get to her.

"It's, it's Carol. My name is Carol," she said, hearing the shakiness of her own voice. Carol straightened her back in hopes of making herself look less threatened, as she faced the stone cold face of Merle Dixon.

"You ain't seen or been hangin' around my brother today, have you, Miss Mouse?" Merle asked, taking a step towards her.

Carol tried to keep her composure, and shook her head no, not trusting her voice.

"You wouldn't be lyin' to me, now, would you, Mouse? 'Cause word around the camp is that no good husband 'a yours done kicked the bucket out in them woods. You tryin' to tell me my baby brother didn't have nothin' to do with that?" Merle asked, sneering down at her.

Carol backed away from the man in front of her, but found her voice, and whispered out, "Yes, that's what I'm saying. Your brother had nothing to do with it." She hated the panicked feeling she felt under his steel gaze, so much like her husband's. The silence stretched between them for another few seconds, causing Carol's heart to beat furiously under her chest.

"You stay the fuck outta our way, ya hear? If you know what's good for ya, you won't look at him, talk to him, or even fuckin' think about him in that pretty little head 'a yours," he whispered menacingly. Carol watched as the large man reached down by her side and splashed some of the cool water onto his face. He gave her one last glare before he turned around and started walking back towards the hill.

"He's a good man... Daryl. He's a good man." She spoke out quickly, shocking herself at her own gall. Merle stopped in his tracks, and then turned fast on his heel to look at her once again.

"You don't know shit about my brother, sugar tits," he growled out, staring her down.

"I don't have to," she said, shaking her head, not knowing where the confidence was coming from. "I can just tell."

Merle's eyes turned into slits as he looked her up and down. ""You stay the hell away from my brother. I don't wanna see that small ass anywhere near him, got me? He ain't your friend, and he sure as hell ain't your fuckin' hero, so back the fuck off 'a him, and learn your fuckin' place," he whispered fiercely once again. The rush of confidence she once felt left as quickly as it came, and Carol gulped in fear. She stared down at her feet until Merle left her, and then picked up the soap from the ground, and began washing herself in the water.

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Merle was pissed. He was more than pissed. Merle was fucking enraged.

He had woken up that morning with a pounding headache, and found himself unable to remember anything after he had gotten high the night before. Daryl was nowhere in site, though his sleeping bag was unrolled, and looked to be slept in, so Merle decided to go out and look for him. Not two minutes after exiting his tent, he was hailed down by the cop, Shane, who informed him that the big oaf, Ed Pellietier, was found dead in the woods that morning by him and fucking Darylina.

"Daryl killed the walker this morning, and we tracked it to Ed's body. We're gonna be bumping up security around here, and putting more people on watch shifts; might even set up a group to head into the woods to make sure the perimeter is safe," Shane explained to a now alert Merle. He didn't care about the walkers. Those fuckin' freaks were everywhere. What got Merle's head spinning was that it was his own baby brother who had found Ed's body. It hadn't been two fucking days, and Daryl's name was once again associated with that family. He couldn't prove it, but Merle got the distinct feeling that his baby brother was involved in more than just finding Ed's body.

When he made it to the water to wash up a bit, the first thing his eyes landed on was the petite figure of Carol Pelletier. He narrowed his eyes in anger, and stormed over to her. She of course denied any affiliation with his brother, but her panicked expression told him she was lying. When the mouse told him what a good man his brother was, he felt the anger swell within him. Who did this bitch think she was. She didn't know either of them for more than a day, and she's trying to tell him what a saint his brother is. The Dixon brothers were damaged people, plain and simple, and no mousy bitch was going to change that.

So here he was, storming up the hill in search of his brother, as rage filled his gut with ever step.

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A/N: Ok, so I know that this was short, and I was going to make it longer, but I've had some of you tell me you don't like too many POVs in one chapter, sooo the second part will be coming out either later today, or tomorrow :) I really need to start writing faster, I'm sorry guys :/ So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you all on the next one! :) Reviews are wonderful and make a girl wanna write quick like a bunny :) Soooo show me some love, and hit that lovely little review button :)