Daryl was in a deep sleep snuggled almost under the blankets, cuddled up to something warm or some one warm he felt at peace like everything was the way it was supposed to be. Sleeping calmer than he had since he was shot, when he felt it trying to get away from him. He held on tight not wanting to let the feeling go.

'You have to let me go,' A voice whispered, a hand come across his shaking him a little. 'Its ok, I'm not going anywhere, Sophia crying.'

The hell,' Daryl moaned, he could hear a baby crying and tried to shake himself awake. Suddenly remembering where he was and who he was with.

'Fuck, shit, sorry.' He mumbled struggling up out of the blankets looking across at Carol reaching out of the bed to pull the baby into bed with them, helping her root around at her chest. Daryl watched as Sophia found a nipple and started sucking for the milk that she wanted. He shut his eye to block out the light.

'You need anything?' He mumbled. 'A drink? Can I make you a drink or something?'

'Your going to get up to get me a drink?' Carol asked looking at him in wonder.

Daryl looked at her and at the baby with half a sleepy look on his face. 'Don't ya need to keep drinking to make milk for her?'

'Yeah but no one's offered to get me a drink before. Its ok, I have a water bottle there.' She indicated with her head.

'OK, I'm going to take a ...' Daryl stopped talking. 'Use the toilet.'

'Ok, if your getting up can you get me some bars or something to eat?' Carol whispered looking a bit worried that she was asking for something she shouldnt'.

'Ya don't have to be scared of me, I ain't done nothing to ya.' Daryl told her as he rolled out of the bed. 'I'm not going to flip my lid cos ya want to eat something.' He mumbled staggering out of the room still half asleep. Carol heard the toilet flush and the sink water running. She heard him bang into a wall as he moved around the house in the dark, swearing at things.

He come back in bearing a box of bar's a banana and a handful of cookies, and a glass of milk.

'Its all for me.' He teased her shoving a cookie in his mouth watching her from his side of the bed.

Carol looked at him, he then unwrapped a bar and handed it to her, she started to eat it while keeping an eye on Daryl and a eye on Sophia. Daryl crawled back into bed drinking the milk then offering her half of it. Carol took it and drank some.

'Don't drink it all we wont be able to dip our cookies.' Daryl told her.

'Your a big kid you know,' Carol teased him.

'Tired kid, how often does she wake?' He asked.

'Depends. two or three times. Sometimes more sometimes less.' Carol told him. 'Mostly until I met you we slept together. I was stressed, she was stressed. So neither of us got much sleep for the past 3 nights' she's been better.'

'Cos your away from him?' Daryl asked.

'Not walking on egg shells helps me, it helps her, babies pick up on things.' Carol looked at him. 'I've been thinking, I think we, me and Soph will use the money to buy a cheap car and leave. Move away. They won't stop. I can't live like this and you were going to sleep on the couch. We are a burden to everyone.'

'NO!' Daryl almost shouted.

Sophia started to cry and Carol rocked a little to calm her.

'We can't stay here. We can't keep having people baby sit us all day and night till they lose interest. If I take the money and run.' Carol started saying.

'No, No fucken way, its not happening.' Daryl stated reminding himself not to raise his voice. 'Your not going. You can't, what about me? Us?'

'Us? Daryl do you think there's an us?' Carol glanced at him.

'Of course there's a us, I don't know what that is yet, but ya not leaving with Sophia, I'll lock ya in a jail cell if you try.' Daryl looked at her. She knew he was only half joking.

'Carol, ya can't go, what would you do when the money runs out, work with Sophia, who's going to look after her. You be in some cheap motel or flat. Ya can't leave.' Daryl told her, almost pleading with her.

'I can't have people baby sitting me all the time. They won't give up.' Carol told him.

Truth be told she didn't want to go anywhere, she moved Sophia to her other breast and settled her there.

'I don't know what else I can do Daryl. What do you want me to say. Look at me. I'm covered in bruises. I've got a black eye. I just left another man and your in my bed.' Carol spat out at him. 'I don't know what else to do. What do you want me to do?'

'I don't know, I just know this, us, we are a thing. I don't want you to go. Call it fate or whatever, you can't go until we work this out.' Daryl spoke quietly and Carol moved Sophia off her and pulled her top up. She lay her on the bed and changed her bum. Picked her up to cuddle and burp her stroking her little head. Carol settled her back into her little bed then moved out of the bed. Daryl reached out to touch her.

'Where ya going?'

'Toilet, two minutes ok.' Carol whispered ducking away. Daryl lay back on his back listening to Sophia snort and fart. He smirked to himself about a little thing like that making such a big noise. Carol come back in and turned off the little lamp by her bed and climb into the bed.

She moved over and Daryl put his arms' around her. 'What if, what if I move in here? Into Sophia's room. We all know she aint going to sleep in there.' Daryl squeezed her to him. 'What if I move in there like as a flatmate or something until his parents give up then, then we talk about us?'

'I don't know, I don't want you to be put out, and Sophia's not your responsibility anyway.' Carol whispered in the dark willing herself not to cry, she was tired and emotional.

'Shhhhh don't cry, two weeks, then you can rethink the moving thing. Wait give time to heal.' Daryl whispered/

'I'm not crying'

'Oh I think you are, I can help with that.' He pulled her in tight and kissed her gently on the mouth. 'Shhhh now, lets get some sleep before the monster wakes.'

'She's not a monster.'

'She is, you should have heard her burping and farting while you were out of the room. Monster farts.' Daryl chuckled in the dark. Carol tapped his chest for making fun of Sophia.