For notes and disclaimer, please see part one.

Previously, on the Walking Dead—Daryl kills the final walker and realizes that Carol (and Sophia) had good directions.

Ready or Not

It was unlike anything else, the feeling of peace that surrounded her and filled her up from within, as she stared up into the cloudless blue sky. She was so happy to be back in Sophia's Meadow, blanketed in warm sunshine, resting on the sweet, tall grass.

"Mom?"

She smiled, turning her head slightly, to see Sophia propped up on her elbow.

"You're doin' that slow thing again."

"And I'm going to enjoy every second of it," Carol said with a soft laugh.

She huffed loudly, though it sounded incredibly put-upon. "If that's what you're gonna do…" She got to her feet.

Reluctantly, Carol sat up. "And what are you gonna do?"

Determined, familiar footsteps emerged from the woods surrounding the clearing. "She's got about ten seconds to hide…"

Sophia squealed in excitement as Daryl placed a hand over his eyes, counting slowly.

"You're gonna indulge that?" Carol asked, getting to her feet.

He peered at her from between the spaces in his fingers. "Better than the alternative, ain't it?"

"You've got a point there," she admitted quietly.

"Don't let him cheat!" laughed Sophia as she dove behind a flowering bush.

"Eight… nine…"

Sophia giggled.

"Ten," he announced, lowering his hand.

When she woke, it was under a starry, pre-dawn sky back at camp. Her nap at the waterfall had been dreamless, good only for energizing her for the hike back. Once they'd returned, the women had been intrigued at a "safe" place to work, and Rick had agreed that a perfected exit strategy would be one of their best defenses against a herd.

The inevitable question had come up, as to how they had found the water and the waterfall, but Daryl had answered that it was just luck. He had remembered how the others had treated Carol's previous dreaming confessions, and had decided there was no need to revisit that. The look she'd given him conveyed the appropriate thanks without her ever having to open her mouth. He'd merely dipped his head slightly in return.

After a hot dinner of fresh squirrel, Carol had found her way to the back of the bike, digging out her blanket to settle in early. No one had questioned it, particularly not after Daryl told them about the four walkers.

Wouldn't that have been something, if Sophia had only been playing a game of hide and seek when Daryl had gone looking for her, and, more than that, if he'd found her. While that outcome could never be a reality, it was a beautiful dream, one she'd cling to when she found her mind drifting down the darker paths… ones that led her to wonder what Sophia's final moments were like. If she could rewrite history, she would. And she'd rewrite it like that.

His voice was soft when he asked: "How'd you sleep?"

"Best dream yet," she admitted, looking up at him.

He pondered for a moment what his best dream would entail. A working TV. An ice cold beer. Hell, maybe even fast food. He'd lived so long without those things now, though, that it seemed pointless. He could deal without them. "Yeah?"

She smiled, before slowly getting to her feet. "By far."

He nodded, giving her the moment to continue if she wanted, or not. When she remained silent, going about packing up her blanket, he had to ask. "I ain't gonna be chasin' after you today, am I? No bears or nothin'…?"

She folded the blanket over her arm, shaking her head. She started back toward the bike but hesitated before adding. "At least, not today."

On the early morning wind, she could almost hear Sophia's innocent giggle.

End.