Chapter Ten

"Are we friends, Michonne?" I asked the dark-skinned woman beside be, as we cooked. Michonne had taken over from Bo since her disappearance; something we had chosen not to speak about. The woman in question glanced up from her work, meeting my gaze briefly, before carrying on. I noticed a small smile on her face, one I hadn't seen before, and it made me frown slightly.

"You're a pain in the backside, ask far too many questions and have a temper that could outmatch mine any day. But," She paused and shrugged in an apparent offhanded manner, which I smirked at. "I supposed I could call you my friend." I nodded once, feeling warm from her words. Friends weren't exactly common anymore, it seemed.

"Back at you with all your mystical, deep nonsense." This earned me a half-hearted glare, which I couldn't help but chuckle at. Our exchange was far too familiar and passive as I had grown strangely used to the woman's company after all that time. It made me forget about the horrors I had seen and the questions I wanted answering. Michonne had a way of making you forget everything for a moment and yet could easily ground you back into reality with a few simple words.

"Have you spoken to your sister yet?" Michonne asked. I sighed deeply.

"Nope." I gritted, avoiding her gaze and looking down at my work.

It had been over a month now and still only a handful or words had been passed between Jessica and myself. Laurent had begun to get edgy and continued to pass between the pair of us, urging us to talk. Though we shared the same stubbornness and both had refused the old man. The problem was, I had Michonne aswell as Laurent, who was equally as pushy but a lot more sneaky about it.

"You should."

"I don't see why. She's made her choice."

"And what would you do if perhaps tomorrow something happened and you would never see your sister again? Without ever speaking to her or making things right between the pair of you?" Michonne challenged evenly, making me scowl at her. She shrugged at my expression as I thought over her comments. "It's a plausible possibility and you know it."

"I'll think about it." I muttered and she nodded her approval.

"Good, because after you do, we have other things to discuss." I frowned at this, raising an eyebrow in question. My curiosity was peaked.

"What sort of things?" I asked, suspicious. Michonne smirked and leaned closer, subtly gesturing for me to do the same. I glanced around and gathered it was due to the fact there were others close by, so I did the same. Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke, though I still heard it clearly;

"Our escape."

The silence in the air was broken only by Sophia gasps and timid sniffs. She still clung to Daryl like he was her only lifeline and the man still did not respond to her hug. His gaze was rigid and unsure as he stared down at the girl who was sure making use of his shirt as a tissue for her tears. It seemed pretty clear that Daryl wasn't used to this sort of contact, as his expression just appeared baffled and hesitant. He made no move to push her away though, merely let her use him until she was done.

When she did pull away, I saw her wipe her cheeks to clean the tears quickly before smiling at Daryl though her tear-glazed eyes. The hunter returned the smile with one of his own, though his was small and barely there. It was still there though, and he was there too. I knew it was enough for Sophia.

"I'm sorry, Mr Dixon, for ruining your shirt." She said, timidly. Sophia took a few steps back away from the man to give him some space and Daryl coughed to clear his throat. I watched as the man scratched the back of his head, his movements slightly awkward. Sophia didn't appear to notice.

"Don't worry 'bout it, Kid. 'Nd ya can cut the 'mister' crap. I always tell ya just to call me Daryl." He muttered, hitching his crossbow onto his shoulder to hang by its strap. Apparently I wasn't a danger to him anymore it seemed. He met my gaze and nodded once before crouching down in front of Sophia. "Your momma's been worried sick, we all 'ave." Sophia nodded, bowing her head.

"I shouldn't have run away, I should have stayed where Mr Grimes told me to. I'm sorry." Tears ran down her face again and I remained back, letting them have their reunion and feeling my stomach drop at the sight of Sophia crying. It was like when I had first met her and she would not stop sobbing, it was a heart-wrenching sight. Daryl grimaced at the sight of her crying and glanced about awkwardly.

"Ain't no need for that." He sighed. "No point 'pologising for nothin' either. You're safe 'nd that's all that matters."

"Are the others okay?" She asked quickly. Something in Daryl's expression tensed slightly and his jaw tightened for the briefest of moments. Sophia didn't seem to notice it, but I did. I said nothing.

"Everyone's fine." He replied, stiffly. "Just worried about you 'tis all."

"We've been trying to find you." Sophia pushed, glancing back at me. I smiled weakly at her and she continued. "We did! We've been hiking through the woods for so long. We've even had to sleep in trees." This made Daryl's lips tug upwards slightly.

"I was right 'bout ya being a monkey after all." He murmured, making Sophia's eyes light up. I gathered it was some apparent joke between them and smiled slightly to myself. "I knew we'd find ya, kept tellin' the others so. You're a strong little lass."

"Ruby looked after me!" She interjected quickly, glancing back at me and sending me a tearful grin. I returned it weakly again and continued to say nothing. "She saved me from the walkers and took care of me. She promised that we'd find you all again, and we have!" Daryl's eyes met mine again as he studied me briefly before turning back to Sophia and nodding slowly.

"She's a very nice lady." He murmured, something that made me raise an eyebrow. Sophia nodded frantically in agreement.

"And she can come back with us, right?" She urged, failing yet again to see the way Daryl's expression tightened at her words. He inhaled deeply before standing up and tugging at his crossbow strap. There was a pause before Daryl glanced at me for a moment before shrugging.

"I can take ya back to the others." He began, eyes glancing between Sophia and I, though I knew he was talking directly to me. "I'll take ya to Rick. If ya wanna stay, you're gonna have to talk to him 'bout it first." I swallowed hard, studying Sophia in silence before sighing.

"If it's too much trouble, then you won't have to. Toby and I will go on alone, you can take Sophia back to your others without me." I told the man, earnestly. This only made him hold my gaze with a frown and it was Sophia who turned to look at me with a frantic expression.

"No!" She cried. "You're coming with us!" She glanced back at Daryl briefly before turning back to me. "You have to! I don't want you to be alone. Mr Grimes will let you stay, I know he will. He's a good man and my momma won't let you go out on your own again. Please, come back with us!"

"Sophia, I don't want to intrude." I tried to convince the girl, patiently. "We did it though, we found your family and that's all that matters." She shook her head, not listening to my words.

"You're coming with us!" Her tone was so forceful that I was taken back with surprise. Daryl made a humming sound that sounded liked a chuckle, a small smirk on his lips.

"Looks like the little lady has spoken." He murmured, folding his arms across his chest. Sophia turned on him.

"She can come with us, right?" She demanded. He raised an eyebrow at her tone and shrugged.

"Like I said, it's for Rick to decide if she can stay." He replied, looking at me. "But ya can come with us back now and meet the others." He let out a heavy sigh and glanced around the area before continuing. "It's the least I can do for what ya done for Sophia." The girl in question gave the hunter a triumphant grin and I knew she had won. I met her gaze with a raised eyebrow, which she returned with an expression that said; no arguments. I chuckled.

"You've become a right little madam, haven't you?" I muttered, earning myself a grin. "Not sure your momma is going to be pleased with this new attitude we're returning you back to her with. She'll think I'm a bad influence."

A few days after Michonne and my conversation during cooking duty, Jessica approached me with an expression that I couldn't quite place. I glanced up from my work by the fire and I subtly noticed Michonne sliver away back to her own tent as she saw my sister approaching, to give us privacy no doubt. I raised an eyebrow at my sister as she stood in front of me, an awkward look in her eye.

"Hi?" I said, hesitantly. I expected a forceful rant to be thrown at me and I was surprised when Jessica smiled weakly, taking a seat beside me.

"Hello." She greeted, quietly, avoiding my gaze. I didn't say anything, allowing Jessica to process her thoughts before finally talking to me again. "I'm an ass." I snorted.

"I know that." I retorted, half-heartedly.

"I shouldn't have been so arrogant and rude." I glanced up at her and shrugged.

"We're sisters, we fight." I muttered. She frowned slightly. "It's always been like this. Just because the world's ended doesn't mean the normality of our relationship has."

"You've been spending far too much time with that Michonne." Jessica said, eyes narrowing slightly before sighing. "I am sorry for what I said and for not telling you. Though I'm not sorry for what I did, or am doing." I didn't bother holding back the grimace and remained gazing as the bile rose in my throat.

"You understand why I was acting like I was though, don't you?" I urged, hoping she at least had enough sense to know what she was doing was wrong. "You know what those men have done and are doing to the other women?"

"Philip won't hurt me." Jessica said, evenly, making me turn to her with wide eyes. I snorted at her expression.

"Philip? Wow, I haven't even met the man and you're already on first name basis. Suppose you're more than just first name basis though." I trailed off, catching Jessica's frown directed in my direction.

"What do you mean, you haven't met him?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. "He's told me he's met you." I stared at her in confusion. Had I met the infamous 'boss' already? Surely I hadn't, as no one had introduced me to him and no one had introduced themselves as him. I thought I had caught sight of him briefly from across camp, hanging around with Laurent occasionally, but usually just set eyes on the horrible man I had met on laundry duty that day.

"Name."

"Ruby."

"You're the older one?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." He nodded once before smirking again. "You be a good girl now, we wouldn't want anything to-" A pause. "Happen to you or your sister."

I frowned for a moment, before taking in Jessica's confused expression. The pieces fit into my head all of a sudden and I jumped to my feet when I realised.

"Him?" I cried. "He's 'the boss'?" I was talking more to myself as Jessica hadn't a clue what I was on about. "But I- he-" Jessica raised an eyebrow at me.

"So, you have met him?" She muttered, and I glared at her.

"I know that there are scarcely few living men in the world anymore, but did you really have to choose him?" Jessica was on her feet, matching my glare.

"You don't know anything about him!" She cried back. I snorted.

"And do you?" I challenged. "Have you not seen what the men do to us women whenever they please? You've seen what they've done to Sarah, to Clare. What makes you think he's any different?"

"I just know." She spat. I chuckled without humour.

"What a pathetically childish answer." I tittered, stepping closer to my sister so I was right in her face. "And what about Bo?" Her eyes narrowed with angry confusion.

"What about her?" She demanded through gritted teeth. "Why would I care about some random old lady?" I shook my head, backing away and befounded that she even had to ask me that question. Her voice was now stronger and I glanced back over my shoulder to the figure behind me. Michonne stood in the shadows, watching the exchange silently. The dark-skinned woman stepped forward, her eyes trained on my sister with an unfathomable expression. She treaded carefully, working her way around the fire with slow steps, each making my sister glare harder. Suddenly Michonne was by her side and Jessica couldn't help but take a step back.

"Did your boyfriend not tell you?" Michonne asked, evenly, making Jessica turn to her with a confused scowl. "I hardly believe that. You're ignoring everything around you because you think that's what'll keep you safe." She took one more step towards Jessica, though this time my sister didn't move. There was something in Jessica's expression that made her hold her gaze with Michonne. "You're selfish, Jessica, but I don't believe for one minute that you weren't curious about what happened to that woman."

"I'm not selfish-"

"But you sit there unbothered about how the women in this camp are treated?" Michonne hissed back, sneering at the woman before her. "You disgust me." Jessica scoffed, opening her mouth to speak but Michonne kept on talking. "Bo was beaten to death. Punished because she tried to escape this place. Your boyfriend ordered for those men to torture that poor, old woman until she was weak and then they humiliated her some more by having their way with her. Then of course, the boss had to have his fix too." Michonne eyed Jessica with a disbelieving stare while Jessica's eyes widened. "He beat her until she was dead and even afterwards he didn't stop. He carried on because he liked it. He gets off on the violence and the act of terrorising others."

"You're lying." Jessica breathed, suddenly. Michonne shook her head.

"I watched him do it." Was her answer to that. Nothing was spoken for a moment, as both women merely stared at one another. I stood back, unsure of what to do or say. I waited on edge to see what Jessica would say to this, maybe she would see some sense now in what she was doing. But my prayers weren't answered as Jessica suddenly staggered away from Michonne, eyeing her with terrified eyes before quickly turning on her heels and running away. I stood back and watched her leave.

I had to climb back up the tree again to retrieve our bags once Daryl said that we would be moving rather than spending the night there. Sophia had been given back Eliza and was now clutching it with so much force, it was unbelievable. She remained beside Toby, between myself up the tree and Daryl who was waiting for me to get back down, his eyes scanning the area for any walkers.

Once I had retrieved the bags and jumped back down, I hoisted one up onto my shoulders, before Sophia scuttled forward to collect the other. She prepared to put it onto her back, before a hand reached forward and swiped it from her. I glanced up to see Daryl hauling the bag into his back, before repositioning his crossbow again and glancing down at Sophia.

"Don't need you strainin' too much, Kid." He muttered, smirking at Sophia's glaring. "Ya momma won't be pleased if I return ya back to her with broken back."

"I've carried that bag for two weeks and I haven't broken anything." Sophia argued and I smiled slightly at the pointless argument. Daryl just smirked wider.

"Now, I'm not so surprised it's taken ya so long to reach that creek. This bag weighs a God damn ton. It's probably been weighin' ya down!" He hoisted his strap up again and I snorted.

"And that's the lighter one." I told him, watching as he raised an eyebrow. He studied me up and down for a moment in silence.

"Ya wanna swap?" He suggested suddenly, gesturing to the bags. I was taken back for a few moments, but gathered myself quickly and shook my head.

"I'm fine." Daryl didn't push it further, merely nodded and glanced around the immediate area.

"We keep movin' 'nd we should hopefully be able to reach the farm before nightfall." He explained, glancing at each of us in turn. "I came here by horse but I dunno where the damn thing ran off to so we're on foot for the rest of the way back. That means no rest stops or piss breaks or any of that bullshit." I glared at him, while Sophia frowned.

"Horse? Farm?" She asked, voice hopeful. Daryl smiled slightly and nodded.

"Ya gonna love it, Kid."

(Author's Note): A quick update, I know. But I had a feeling that I might not be able to update so quickly next time, so I thought I'd put up the next chapter written. It's a short one, but I decided it was a decent enough cut off point.

Again, I'm still hesitant about my portrayal of Daryl. I'm glad that he seemed alright in the previous chapter (thanks to your responses), but this one I'm still unsure. I suppose he a little nicer, but like I said last time; he's just found Sophia and before that he wasn't that much of a jerk, so I guess that's why he's a little softer than normal at the moment. If people don't like this portrayl, please say and I'll up his stubbornness for the next chapter. ;)

Thanks for all your kind reviews and I'm loving all your guess work! I'm glad you seemed to be enjoying the old group's interjections too, as I thought they might be more of an annoyance to the main story than enjoyment. Hopefully that back storyline isn't too cliche or over-used either. I'm sorry if it is.

A few questions though; what would you all like to see in the next upcoming chapters? Would you want there to be conflict in camp over Ruby's arrival? How do you think they'll react to Sophia's appearance? And particular tension or spite towards Ruby from any of the canon characters? How would you like her and Daryl's relationship to progress - if you even want it to? And what do you think Daryl will do now he's found Sophia; will be go back to his old selfish ways or perhaps remain in the group's circle? And what will happen to Sophia's and Ruby's relationship when they find the others? - a 'few' questions probably isn't the correct word ;) I'd just love to know what you lovely people want so I could inncorporate it into my story!

Thanks again to all your reviews and fingers crossed I'll have the next update up by the end of the week!