This one is a little bit longer! And Sophia is a really hard character to write. For me anyway! So some of you will think that her reactions to certain things is unrealistic in this chapter. And you are probably right but the kid has a lot of fear going on when it comes to her father and I tried to make it as though that fear over rides any paternal love she has for him. So with that said, I hope you enjoy =) Read and review!
Chapter Six
"Hey, you need help packing?"
Daryl spun around at the sound of the voice. The little girl was standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. She was shifting from one foot to the other nervously. He glanced around but for once the cop's son wasn't with her.
"Nah." He shook his head and tried to rearrange the scowl he knew was on his face. He didn't want to scare the kid away but he didn't really know how to communicate with them either.
"Okay." She said quietly and then turned to leave. She seemed disappointed which made him feel like an ass. Maybe she just wanted something to occupy her time so she wouldn't have to think about leaving with her dad.
"Hey," He called to her without really thinking.
She turned, looking hopeful.
"I got some jugs I was gonna fill up. Figure we best boil us some water before takin' off in the mornin'. You feel like helpin with that?"
She grinned and nodded but then she looked past him and the grin slipped a little. He turned around to see what was bothering the kid and then got a little bothered himself. Carol was leaning up against a Jeep looking as though she was deep in conversation with that idiot cop. And not the poor bastard that just got to camp a few days ago but the other one. Shane.
He didn't like Shane. He was a hot head and a smart ass that thought he could throw his weight around. He had to admit that he was glad Shane had done what he did to Ed. He just wished he would have been the one to do it himself. He was too busy glaring at Shane to notice that Carol had turned to look at him. Her face was still a storm cloud when he finally met her eyes. He turned away from her and looked at the girl again. The kid didn't look very happy.
"You think you might need to go ask your momma if it's alright?" He asked her.
She sighed and then walked away towards Shane and Carol. He gathered up some gallon jugs. He didn't figure Carol would let the kid go with him. He was glad because then he wouldn't have to deal with the kid but he wouldn't have to look like the asshole by turning down what help she offered.
When he looked back up he cursed to himself. Carol was walking over with her girl, who was grinning again so he was sure Carol had given her the okay.
"You sure you don't mind her tagging along?" Carol asked.
He looked from her to the girl and then nodded. "She can help if she wants too." He grumbled as he shoved two empty jugs towards the girl.
Carol nodded and smiled at the girl but when she looked back up at him it disappeared. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
He blew out a breath and put his hands on his hips. He didn't want to talk anymore. He wanted to stay the hell away from her.
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms and looked down at the little girl once more. "Fine, Daryl. We don't have to talk anymore. But can you please do me a favor?"
He scowled but nodded.
"I'm not sure where Ed went. If you see him down there can you..." She looked at Sophia again and then sighed. "Sophia, can you run back to our tent and pack up a few more of your things for me? Put them in Shane's Jeep. Daryl wont leave without you."
Sophia nodded and then scurried off.
"Shane's Jeep?" Daryl asked, his brows came down in a frown and he almost flinched away when she reached up and smoothed out the lines with the tip of her finger. He stayed still though, not wanting to hurt her feelings any more than he already had today.
"I told you. I said no. I'm not getting in a car with Ed. Even if he agrees to follow the group."
He looked away then, not wanting her to see the relief on his face. Not even understanding himself why he felt relieved to begin with.
"I don't know where Ed is. If you and Sophia see him down there, no matter what he says, will you make sure he don't get near her? I'm afraid of what he's going to do now. I don't want him getting close enough to snatch her up."
He nodded. "I can do that. But if I kill him do you think your new friend there will arrest me?" Where did that come from? He needed to just stop talking to this woman. But it was hard to keep his mouth shut when she was around.
He expected her to get angry but she didn't. Instead she gave him a smile. "Just keep her safe for me, okay?"
He nodded once more and then turned to leave but her hand on his arm stopped him. He looked at the hand and then back up to her face.
"I don't mind sharin' the water, Daryl. I think it's big enough down there for the two of us. If you don't mind sharin' with me, of course."
What the hell did she mean by that? From the way she talked earlier he got the impression that she wanted him to leave her be. Hell, leaving her alone was probably the best thing he could do for himself. Did she want him to be there tonight? She was confusing the shit out of him. "You gonna be there later?" Why the hell did he ask her that? And why was her hand still on his arm?
Her eyes widened a bit but she quickly caught herself. "Are you going to be there later?"
He didn't mean to do it but it was there before he could catch himself. A grin. As her eyes lit up he wished his brother was there. Merle would have put an end to this craziness before it even got started. Why was he still grinning? "I'll be there later." He cursed himself repeatedly in his head. He shouldn't have said that. He also shouldn't still be grinning like a weirdo.
"Okay, mom. I got everything." Sophia said and then she stopped and took in the scene before her.
Carol dropped her hand away and Daryl backed up a step. Carol's face was flushed and he could feel that his was too. What the fuck? It wasn't like they'd got caught making out. This thought made his face grow even more red.
"Lets go." He grumbled as he picked up a few jugs. Sophia did the same and took off after him towards the path.
Neither of them said anything until they were about half way down. And of course it was the kid that had something to say.
"I saw you and mom earlier. In the woods." She said casually.
Daryl tensed. He hadn't heard anyone else around but then again he was pretty preoccupied. "You sneak around a lot?" He asked.
She shook her head. "No sir, but you looked pretty mad and I was worried about my mom."
He snorted. "I wouldn't ever hurt your mom kid. She's a lot tougher than she looks."
Sophia glanced up at him and frowned. "I know that now. You care about my mom."
This caused him to stop and turn to her. "No I don't." He scoffed.
She didn't look like she believed him and her next words proved it. "Yes you do. I see the way your always watching her. And you do things for her. And sometimes you even smile at her. And you don't smile. Ever."
He gave her the dirtiest look he could muster. "I don't care about your mom."
"I heard you in the woods. You care about my mom. And I saw her. I saw what my dad did to her." Her voice was thick now and she swallowed loudly, trying to regain her tough girl composure.
Daryl really did want to kick his ass then. He'd forgotten about that. When he had tried to make Carol look at what that bastard had done to her the girl must have seen it too. How could he have been so stupid?
He started walking again and she hurried to keep pace with him. "My moms been acting different since she's been talking to you. I think you're good for her. A lot better than that Shane guy."
Daryl stopped again. At this rate he wouldn't ever make it to the water before dark. "What are you doin' kid? Shoppin' around for a new daddy or somethin'?"
He knew it was a mean thing to say but he couldn't help it. She was starting to get on his nerves. But his words didn't dissuade her. She just shook her head. "No. I don't need a new dad. I'm just curious about you two, that's all."
He started walking once again. "There ain't no us two when it comes to me and your momma, kid. We talk is all. Grown ass people are allowed to talk to one another without anything coming of it."
"Well that's a real shame, Mr. Dixon because I think Shane is a little more interested in my mom than you are and I really don't like that guy very much."
Daryl almost stopped again but he kept going. "If Shane is interested in your momma and your momma is interested back then what the hell does that have to do with me?" He couldn't believe he was having this conversation with this kid. He'd never heard the skinny little brat say more than two words in the weeks they had been here and now she wouldn't shut her trap. And she was talking crazy just like her damn momma. "And quit callin' me Mr. Dixon. It sounds stupid."
She nodded but kept on with her rambling. "So, do you think she means it? Do you really think she will finally stop letting my dad do those things to her?"
He sighed. "I hope so."
"Me too." She muttered and then was thankfully quiet for the rest of the trip down. When they made their way to the waters edge they saw Andrea and Amy in a boat out in the middle of the water. Sophia stopped in her tracks, almost causing Daryl to collide with her, when she spotted Ed sitting on a boulder smoking.
Ed seemed to have seen them at the same time and stood up. Daryl gave Sophia a small shove towards the water. "Just fill up those jugs, kid. He ain't gonna do a thing to you." He said in a low voice.
Ed didn't make a move at first. He just stood there watching, his face set in an angry mask.
Sophia was back to her silent self as she filled up two of the jugs. She kept glancing fearfully over her shoulder as Ed watched the two of them.
"You're alright." Daryl reassured her.
She nodded but that scared look never left her face. For some reason that really pissed Daryl off. A kid shouldn't have to worry about the things that this girl did. Her own dad shouldn't be the cause of that look on her face. He felt the familiar weight of the crossbow on his back and wondered for just a second how much bullshit he would have to deal with if he just turned around and shot the sick son of a bitch in the head. Then this girl wouldn't have to worry anymore and Carol would really be free of him for good.
"Sophia!" Ed called as they stood back up with their full jugs.
Sophia looked up at Daryl instead of at Ed.
"Get your ass over here, girl. You hear me!" Ed bellowed.
Daryl sat the jugs back down and faced Ed. "She's busy, dumb ass." He called back and then Sophia ducked behind him, like she could hide from the other man.
"That's my kid. You run off to the woods and do what you want with that dumb ass woman of mine, but that's my daughter, and you ain't got no business with her." He took a few steps closer.
"Ed, you stay the hell back from the kid. There ain't nobody down here that can stop me from beatin' you to death and that's exactly what's gonna happen to your fat ass if you come near her."
Ed stopped. He was a woman beater, not a fighter. He watched as Daryl handed Sophia one of the water jugs and then took the other three himself. They took off towards the path and Ed let them go just like Daryl knew the coward would.
Sophia kept glancing behind them, that fearful look causing Daryl to grind his teeth together.
"You just keep walkin' kid. And maybe you should keep your ass close for the rest of the day. He ain't gonna forget about this."
She nodded and walked with him in silence. He almost wished that she would start her chatter again. At least that had kept that look off her face.
"And I don't think you gotta worry bout Shane. Your momma's way to smart to fall for some playboy like him." He elbowed her and smiled.
She smiled back and switched the jug to her other hand. "I know." She sighed. "Everyone knows about him and Carl's mom anyway. Well, everyone but Carl and Rick."
"What?" Daryl couldn't keep the shock out of his voice.
"I'm pretty quiet. That means I listen better than some people do. I've known about it from the start. I saw them. I was looking for Carl in the woods and then there they were. They were..." She wrinkled her nose and her face turned a bright shade of red.
"Man. You should really stay out of them woods kid." He shook his head, embarrassed himself.
"So. What exactly do you and my mom do when you're down there at night?" She asked suddenly, catching him off guard.
He frowned. How the hell did she know about that? And then he felt his own face redden when he thought about what must have brought that question on.
"Nothin'. We talk. How did you know about that?"
"I heard you guys talking before. And I heard you in the woods, remember?" She glanced up at him. "So, you're meeting her there tonight, huh?"
Daryl groaned. Had he really just been wishing this kid would talk? He shook his head. "Shut up." He grumbled.
She smiled again but this time she did keep her mouth shut.
~H~
Carol was pacing. She was nervous. She never should have sent Sophia off with Daryl. What if Ed found them and did something to Daryl and was already gone with her daughter. It was taking a lot longer than she thought it would.
Just then she saw them round the bend. Sophia was actually smiling but Daryl's face was ten different shades of red. She hurried over to them and took the jug from Sophia. "Did you two have fun?" She asked, clearly relieved.
Daryl grunted. "Ed was down there but he didn't try anything."
"He did too. He tried to get me to go to him but then Mr... I mean, Daryl threatened to kill him so he left us alone."
Carol groaned. She should have expected as much. Daryl wasn't the type to hold back, even when there were young ears present. "Well, that's good. I guess. Thank you, Daryl."
"I'm going to go find Carl now." Sophia said as she was about to run off.
"Hey," Daryl called after her. She turned giving him a curious look.
"Remember what I said, okay? Keep your ass close."
She grinned and nodded and then took off.
"What was that all about?" Carol asked as she watched her daughter stop to talk to Rick and Carl.
He shrugged and took off back towards his camp. "Ed was pretty pissed. I told her to stay close in case he tried somethin'."
Carol was speechless. This man was much much more complex than people gave him credit for. She never thought he would ever express any concern for her, and now he was trying to look out for Sophia too. "You don't have to do that, you know?"
He sat the water down close to his fire and looked up. "Don't have to do what?"
"You don't have to watch out for her. I can do that."
"Like you watch out for yourself?" He said, a little more harshly than usual.
She crossed her arms. "I'm really trying here, Daryl." She said quietly. And she was. And she didn't know why she so desperately wanted him to believe that. She had done more today than she ever had her entire marriage and she was proud of herself. And she did it because of him. She wasn't sure why but it was true. He made her want to change.
He knelt down and threw a few more logs onto the fire and then pulled over a heavy iron pot. He finally looked up when he realized she wasn't going anywhere. He nodded and then looked away. "I know. Your doin' pretty good." He looked back up. "But it ain't in my nature to cut people slack. You could always do better."
She smiled. "I'll take what I can get. Coming from you that's actually pretty flattering."
He shook his head but she could see a smile of his own creeping along his lips.
"So, I guess I need to go find something to do." She said, stalling. She really liked spending time with Daryl. He was pretty fun to try to figure out.
He just nodded and continued on with preparing his pot of water.
"So..."
He looked up and actually laughed a little. "What the hell, woman? Spit it out."
"So, I'll see you later?" She felt so so stupid right now. She didn't know what was wrong with her.
"Carol, we live in the same camp. Chances are, we'll run into each other again eventually."
He was teasing her and it wasn't helping a bit. "I meant tonight. Since it's our last night here. I thought maybe," She was stumbling over her words and felt herself flush, "I thought that maybe we could..."
"You wanna walk with me tonight?" He shut his mouth quickly as soon as the words were out and then she watched a flush of his own creep up his face.
"Yes." And that was all she said before she turned around and hurried away. She thought she heard him mutter something to himself but she didn't stick around to ask him what he said. She felt like a real idiot. She felt as stupid as Ed always implied she was. Hadn't she decided earlier that she was going to try to avoid Daryl Dixon? That he was his own brand of trouble? And now she felt her pulse quicken at the thought of getting to be with him alone later. Jesus, she was a mess.