AN: Here we go, another little chapter here.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

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Things were tense in the camp, to say the least. They were tense, too, for a number of reasons, though Daryl wouldn't pretend to know all of them. He was observant enough, though, to put his finger on a few of them.

Alice had listened to him and Merle both and the discussion that had unfolded between them, hiding away like children who'd done something wrong behind the parked vehicles, had been nothing more than speculation on all their parts, but they were doing everything they could to figure out the nature of the beasts that they were running from…the beasts that were pursuing them to prey on them in their sleep.

Alice agreed with them. The Walkers were hunting them. It wasn't that they tripped upon the Walkers so much as that the Walkers might not be entirely attuned to them and the ones that seemed lost or seemed to simply be wandering were searching for a scent, or a sight, or maybe a noise.

There was no telling how strong their senses were, but they all believed their senses to be present.

All of them agreed, as well, that the Walkers were probable "pack animals" by chance or by choice. It could be that they were dumb enough to simply follow after each other because they couldn't reason anything else. It could be that they were smart enough to think there was power and success in numbers, or it could simply be something that was hotwired into their brains…however their brains might be wired now.

Alice believed that the brains of the Walkers only slightly resembled the brains of the humans, but she had little to go on. She'd had some conversation with Jenner where he'd told her the basic "drive" to eat that Walkers had, nothing else really being a capability for them, but she wasn't entirely sure she believed that to be all that Walkers were capable of. It was, clearly, the most obvious thing that they spent their time doing.

And they all agreed, unanimously, that sitting still was the worst thing that they could do…at least out in the open.

It was fine to go to an army camp. It was fine to go anywhere, really, but the important thing was that they not spend too much time milling about with nothing to protect them. They were vulnerable and the three of them had known that for a while. That's why they always slept in the truck. That was why they always kept moving. They'd already figured this out, even in the most basic form, and it seemed that they were the only ones to have even entertained the idea that staying long term, in such a large group, in the middle of nowhere might not be the best choice they could make.

So Alice had taken it up with Rick and Shane. She'd presented everything they'd talked about, apparently, as a combination of what Jenner had told her, what her impressive degree allowed her to figure out, and what "good common sense" told her that they should consider.

She'd apparently gotten to them by stressing the danger that Lori and Carl were in, ignoring that everyone else was in danger too, because Lori and Carl were clearly the only important members of this group. Everyone else was simply secondary at best.

So Daryl could attribute some of the tension in the air to Rick and Shane's discussions, after dismissing the brunette, about where they would go and how they would proceed from here in the morning, but there was something else there too.

There was something else going on between the two men and it was enough to make him uncomfortable, even a good distance away from them.

Rick was married to Lori, but Shane had been fucking Lori. They both had a "claim" to the woman, or believed they did, and it was obvious that some kind of pissing contest was in the brewing.

It seemed to Daryl that Lori was oblivious to it. Either she was oblivious to it or she didn't care. Either way, he'd decided that he wasn't too fond of the fact that she wasn't making any kind of move to quell the flickering flames of envy in the two men. If it blew up, and it would blow up, then it was likely to cause a world of shit for everyone around.

Daryl sat, eating his portion of the stew that Carol had served to him, and kept his eyes flicking around the group that was visible in the failing light of day.

Rick and Shane, Lori and Carl…some kind of conversation and awkwardness taking place there. Jacqui, T-Dog, and Dale sitting almost hip to hip, their eyes flicking around as much as Daryl's…quiet conversation passing between them. Glenn eating stew and leaning close to the small flames of the fire as he looked at a map that he carried around with him. Carol serving everyone, refilling bowls and plates and offering smiles and conversation like it was her job to be the servant of the group. Merle and Andrea sitting off to the side, together, no words passing between them. Alice…alone, not too far from Daryl…watching everyone with pretty serious intent as she ate.

And at Daryl's side sat Carol's daughter, quiet and studying her food, so that he could make sure that nothing happened to her if something were to happen to their camp while they were eating and Carol might not be able to reach the girl.

Daryl didn't know how to have a conversation with the girl, though, so he kept the guarded silence. It was Sophia that broke it, actually, sliding her body closer to his, the sound of her pants scraping on the dirt catching his attention, and then speaking to him in something barely above a whisper.

"Why did you kill my dad?" Sophia asked.

And Daryl felt his stomach churned because it wasn't the kind of conversation he would have ever expected to have with a ten year old girl.

He looked toward Carol for help, but she hadn't heard the question and was busy, unaware of the fact that Sophia was even talking to Daryl.

He cleared his throat.

"I didn't kill him," Daryl said. "Woulda…but didn't. Merle was the one who done it."

"Why did Merle kill him?" Sophia asked.

Daryl cleared his throat again against the feeling that he was choking.

"He was hurtin' ya Ma an' you," Daryl said. "He ain't had no right ta do that an' he weren't gonna stop."

Daryl paused, sought help with eyes again that didn't come, and then regarded Sophia.

She was maybe ten, maybe twelve…he didn't know what girls looked like when they were growing up. She was awkward and made almost entirely of elbows, or so it seemed to him. She was staring at him intently and waiting for more information. This conversation was serious to her. It was something that she was determined to have an answer on…and it was something that she deserved to have an answer on. Maybe it was wrong to discuss these things with her, but Daryl figured she was old enough to know some of the harsher realities of life. Goodness knows he'd been younger than her when he'd first become aware of some of the bad truths.

"Listen, kid, he weren't gonna stop an' it was gonna get worse," Daryl said. "Maybe it was wrong, but…weren't gonna tolerate it. I'm sorry ya lost ya old man, but I ain't sorry for what the hell my brother done. I'da done it myself if I'da had the gun an' the balls."

"I'm not," Sophia said after a moment.

"What?" Daryl asked.

"I'm not sorry that you killed him. Or…that Merle killed him," Sophia said. "I'm not sorry he's gone."

Daryl nodded.

He could understand that sentiment too. Maybe Sophia was more aware of the harsh realities of life than even he gave her credit for.

"I'm sorry you had ta know him," Daryl commented. Maybe that was more along the lines of what he really meant anyway.

Sophia hummed at him and thanked him quietly.

"Do you like my Mama?" Sophia asked.

Daryl sat there a moment and looked toward Carol. She was standing, on the other side of the fire, wiping at sweat with the sleeve of her shirt and glancing from person to person…she was checking to see if anyone needed anything. She was eating, if her activity could even be called that, while she stood in between tasks.

"Yeah," Daryl said. "Yeah…I like ya Ma."

Sophia nodded.

"She likes you too," Sophia said.

Daryl snorted at her response. He guessed that maybe Carol did like him. He'd always seen that kind of thing as complicated, but it was even more complicated now that they were essentially putting almost all of their effort in simply surviving to see the sun come up.

But there had to be something that was better, right? Even if they simply adjusted to this life and that's all there was to it, there had to come a time when the survival seemed easier and it started to give way to something that resembled living more.

And maybe…if that were the case…it wouldn't be objectionable to spend that time living with someone he liked, and someone who liked him.

"I reckon maybe she does," Daryl responded quietly, draining the last of his water bottle. "That bother you?"

Sophia hummed at him and then shook her head.

"Nah," she responded. "It doesn't bother me. I guess you're...you'd be nice to her, right? I mean because you like her?"

Daryl chuckled again to himself.

Maybe things were only so very complicated to him because he was an adult and worried about so much more than kids seemed to worry about. Or…maybe removing Ed from the equation had simply removed a lot of what this kid worried about. It was hard to tell.

"Yeah," Daryl commented. "I'ma try ta be nice to her."

Sophia slid a little closer to him and he wondered if she was getting cold. No matter how hot the days might be, it was somewhat chilled at night. It seemed to even be colder at night than it once had been. It could be the changing of the seasons coming, perhaps, or it might be the fact that they were slowly becoming adapted to life without the artificial temperature control that they'd encountered nearly every day before…they were becoming more sensitive to nature and the way things really were.

"You cold?" Daryl asked.

Sophia hummed again. Daryl looked around, but he wasn't wearing anything that he could put on.

"Got a jacket in the truck," he said. "You want it?"

"I'm going to the RV," Sophia said. "I have a sweater in there."

Daryl nodded at her.

He shifted around got up. Sophia got to her feet.

"I'll walk ya over there," he said.

Sophia walked across the little area where they were camping and Daryl watched her speak to Carol. He saw Carol glance at him, probably with Sophia's words that he was walking her to the RV and she smiled softly at him and nodded. Then he watched her catch Sophia in a tight embrace and then kiss the girl, lingering there a moment, on the forehead.

Then Sophia trotted back across the space and went right past him as though she simply expected him to follow. And if that's what she expected, then she was right. He followed her to the door of the RV and opened it, waiting on her to pass inside. Then he went in after and offered to light a lamp for her so that she wasn't sitting in the darkness. She thanked him when he lit the space and then he chewed at his thumb because he wasn't certain how to take his leave.

Finally he took it with a nod in her direction and started out the door.

"Daryl!" Sophia called, getting his attention. He stopped and turned to see what she might need. "I like you too," she offered quietly.

Daryl smiled to himself.

"Yeah," he said. "Like ya too."