FINALLY! For all of you that were so worried about the kiddo's, here you go. Some Sophia POV. And remember that she was so quiet in the show that it's hard to tell how she really was so she's pretty much an OOC right now. So, here is some more of MY Sophia. I think this is how she could have been if those sadistic evil producers and writers would have let her live! Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoy and this eases some of your frayed nerves =) Make sure you are all caught up! I posted chapter 28 in the wee hours of the morning so make sure you aren't skipping anything!

Chapter Twenty Nine

Sophia grimaced. Her stomach rumbled but she pressed on. She could have sworn that they had circled back around yesterday and was headed back for the road but by nightfall she knew they had done something wrong. It was painfully clear that they had headed further into the woods after they finally lost those Walkers.

It had gotten cold too and Carl and her had had no choice but to turn to one another for heat. That was not something she ever wanted to do again so they trudged quietly through the woods, looking for the road. Curling up in the dirt with a stinky boy was not her idea of fun.

"I'm starvin'." Carl complained.

She rolled her eyes. She had been wearing her backpack when they had escaped the camper but she didn't have much food in it. The food that Jenner had sent for her mom and Daryl was already gone. They had eaten it last night. Now she was down to a few packs of crackers and a couple of bottles of water. They needed to conserve what they had.

"Do you have anymore food in your bag?" he asked after a few more moments of silence.

"We have to save it." She said sternly.

"Save it for what? For when we're hungry? Like we are right now." He grumbled.

She stopped and turned to face him, crossing her arms. "Look, I don't know how long it's going to take Daryl to find us, okay. We don't have enough food to be eating it all up now. We have to think ahead."

He narrowed his eyes and looked down as he dug the toe of his boot into the soft earth. "How do you know Daryl's even comin'. It ain't like your his kid or anything."

She scowled at him. "He's comin' to get me. I don't have to be his kid for him to want me to be safe."

Carl just nodded. "If you say so."

She continued on without another word. She wished Daryl would have taught her a thing or two about the outdoors. She knew there were plenty of things her and Carl could eat but she didn't know what would make them sick or not. He would know that. He knew everything about stuff like that. She missed her mom and then she had to shake that thought away. That was kid stuff and she couldn't act like a little girl right now. Right now she had to be more like Daryl and so she would. Maybe they would find the road soon.

"Maybe my dad will find us." Carl said quietly.

Sophia nodded and offered him a smile. She really did like Rick a lot but she doubted he would be able to find them. Rick wasn't like Daryl.

"So, do you think that Daryl and your mom is going to get married now?" Carl asked.

Sophia barked out a laugh and then quieted herself quickly. "No. I don't think people get married anymore. You need a church and stuff for that. And besides, I don't think Daryl's the type of guy that gets married."

"Why not?"

Sophia just gave him a sideways look and then they both laughed.

"Okay. That was a stupid question."

"I think they love each other though." Sophia said after a while.

"How do you know?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It just seems like they do. They kiss a lot when they think no ones around. He saved her from Ed."

Sophia knew Carl wasn't going to ask her about her calling her father Ed. She had done that in secret for a long time. She hated him. She had hated him for as long as she could remember. Her mom had tried to hide the things he did from her but sometimes it didn't work. She would lay in bed and listen to her mom cry. He wasn't her dad. As far as she was concerned she never had a dad.

She was watching the ground and trying to listen for the sounds of other feet on the dead leaves when suddenly she saw something that made her stop. She threw out her arm causing Carl to bump into it with his chest.

"What?" He asked, looking around.

"Walnuts." She grinned as she looked up. The tree was huge and there were walnuts everywhere. She didn't need Daryl to know that they had hit the jackpot.

"How are we gonna open them?" Carl asked as he started gathering then up and filling up his mostly empty backpack.

Sophia put her hands on her hips and looked around. She saw a few rocks about as big as her fist and she picked them up and knelt down. She cracked open the hard shell between the rocks and then handed the whole thing to Carl who started eating right away.

"This is the best thing I think I've ever eaten." he said with a grin.

Sophia pulled her bag around and dumped out it's contents. Most of it was stuff she didn't need. Books and papers and a few stuffed animals. Nothing that she needed. She put the crackers and the water to the side and dumped the rest out. She started filling the bag with nuts. At least they weren't going to starve. Her and Carl ate enough to make their stomachs stop hurting and then she shoved the rocks into the bag. It was a bit heavier but that was okay. Carl had done the same with his own backpack. She felt herself relax a little. Now food was just one less worry for them.

~H~

Carol could tell he was in pain. She had spent the afternoon in the room with him and he had moved around too much. She could feel that his hands were shaking on her back. "You need to let me get Hershel. You don't have to be in pain. Milton said that there is plenty of medicine. All you have to do is let someone know that you need it."

He blew out a breath and rolled his eyes. "A little pain never killed anybody. I don't need the shit."

Something occurred to her then. Something he had said last night about Merle. "Daryl, you got shot. Taking something for the pain doesn't make you a drug addict."

He seemed surprised that she had figured it out. He sighed and then rolled over onto his back. He had been laying on his good side, facing her, for quite a while and the movement made him wince. "Fine. Go get the old man and have him shoot me up then if that will make you satisfied."

Carol left the room, shutting the door behind her just as Shane and Rick were coming down the hall. She could just tell, by Ricks haggard face and the grim set of Shane's mouth, that they had had no luck in finding the kids. Her heart sank. She hadn't realized how much she had been hoping today would be the day they would bring them back. But now that hope was slipping away that they would bring them back at all.

"I'm sorry Carol." Rick said sadly. "We're gonna grab something to eat and then head right back out. Glen and T-dog are going too so we can cover more ground. I ain't gonna stop until we have them back."

Carol nodded. "Could you tell Hershel that Daryl needs something for the pain?" She whispered. She was having trouble finding her voice.

Rick looked at her for a long moment. "Sure thing. How is he?"

"He's better. Just as stubborn as he was yesterday."

He touched her face lightly and then walked away. Shane didn't say a word to her.

She slipped back into the room and pressed her back to the door. She had been so sure they would find them. She went to the bed and slipped in next to him, using his outstretched arm for a pillow. She had to keep telling herself that it could be worse. She could have lost them both and she at least had him.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a gruff voice full of dread.

"Rick and Shane are back. They didn't find anything." She said and then she raised her head to look at him. He was staring up at the ceiling. "What if we don't find her?" She whispered.

He didn't move his head but he rolled his eyes over to look at her. "That ain't gonna happen. Soon as I'm able I'm bringin' her ass back. She's smart. Ain't nothin' gonna happen to her." His teeth were clenched.

She nodded and moved her head to his chest. "I just want her back." She whispered.

His arms came around her then and he leaned down to place his lips to the top of her head. "Me too."

~H~

Carl stopped and grabbed Sophia's hand. "Look!" He pointed off to her left.

She peered through the trees. They could make out at least a dozen tents and then she strained her ears and she could hear the sound of men laughing. Something about the sound of them caused her stomach to twist up in knots.

"Let's go." He tried to pull her towards the camp but she jerked her hand out of his and shook her head.

"No way. We don't know those men. We don't know if they are bad or not." Sophia whispered.

"They're not Walkers. We'll have a better chance of finding our parents if they can help." he argued.

"No. we need to get out of here, Carl. Now." She insisted.

He shook his head and glanced longingly towards the camp but then just let her pull him in the opposite direction.

"We need to keep walking as long as we can. I'm not sure what time it is but it's getting late again." She said quietly. She hadn't let go of his hand. She knew she shouldn't be walking through the woods holding hands with a boy but he wasn't just a boy. He was Carl and he was her only friend left, and it felt good to know he was right there. Even if he did really get on her nerves sometimes.

"To bad we don't have a gun, huh? It'd feel a lot safer if we did."

Sophia just shrugged. "You know how to use one?"

He blushed a little and then shook his head. "Well then we wouldn't be too much safer. But when all this is over I'm gonna have Daryl teach me how to use one. Maybe a bow too."

"Wish my dad would teach me that stuff." Carl grumbled.

"If I asked, Daryl would teach us both." Sophia said.

"My mom and dad would probably get pretty mad about that." Carl said with a shake of his head.

"So." She shrugged. "He isn't scared of your dad. He does what he wants and if he wants to teach us to use a gun then that exactly what he's gonna do."

"I don't think he likes me much." Carl muttered.

Sophia laughed quietly. "He's just a little rough around the edges is all. He's the best man I've ever met."

Carl just shook his head. "I think he's okay now. He used to be a real asshole."

Sophia gave him a dangerous look.

"I meant before he started kissing your mom all the time." he smiled and bumped her shoulder with his own causing her to laugh.

"Good save, Grimes."

~H~

Carol sat on the porch steps and watched the sun setting beyond the fields. It was quiet right now. Their group was all together once again. The others had left the highway but they left the kids a message on the windshield of one of the cars along with some food. Carol wasn't expecting them to make it back to the road though. She kept that to herself but that was the way she felt.

She heard the screen door creak open and then footsteps heading towards her. She didn't turn to see who it was. She kept her moist eyes on the horizon until whoever had came out sat down next to her.

"I've always loved it here."

She heard a soft southern drawl and looked over to see Maggie smiling towards the sunset. "It's a beautiful farm. You're daddy is kind to let us stay on for a bit."

"When I was in high school all my friends always talked about the places they'd go and the things they'd do. They couldn't wait to get away from this place I always just wanted to be here with my family. I never had those big city dreams."

There was something soothing in this girls voice. Carol could listen to her talk for hours. But she knew she would have to join in the conversation eventually. She sighed. "I never much cared where I lived. I always just wanted a big family. A husband and lots of kids to take care of. I didn't dream big. My friends used to laugh at me for it."

Maggie stretched her long legs out in front of her and leaned back on her arms. "I don't think that's somethin' to laugh at. I think that sounds like a real nice life."

Carol smiled. "Me too."

"So why did you two only have one? If you don't mind me askin'."

Carol looked back towards the fields. "I decided not to have anymore."

"You got fixed?" Maggie asked, a bit shocked. "But what about all them kids you wanted to have?"

Carol couldn't help but chuckle. She had always hated it when people said that. Like they were a bunch of dogs going off to get spayed. "My husband was a cruel man. I figured protecting one would be hard enough."

"Was? What'd he do, turn over a new leaf? I know he sounded mean as a snake last night."

Carol laughed out right then. Maggie was the second person in the same amount of days to think that Daryl Dixon was her husband. "He's not my husband. And he's got a fowl mouth on him but he's about the sweetest man I've ever known."

Maggie smiled. "I'm sorry. I just assumed cause in between all that cussin' he was worrin' somethin' awful over you."

"He does that." She said softly. "He worries about me while he's got a belly full of lead. See, told you he was sweet."

Maggie grinned. "You're right. But still, that man's mouth can sure cause a girl to blush."

Carol hid a smile. "Don't I know it." She said quietly as that smile broke free and lit up her face.