Daryl turned looking at the girl following him and scowled. Sophia shot him a broad innocent smile making her eyes seem larger than they were as she looked up at him batting her eyelashes just enough. Daryl's scowl deepened and that innocent look started to glow making him want to shake her. Sophia was hard headed, more hard headed then Mac's fucking son and that was saying something. He had told her to keep her ass inside those gates but sure enough she had managed to slip out at the last minute trailing him far enough back that the noise of the men on watch covered her movements.

"So you going to teach me how to hunt?" Sophia looked around.

Daryl grit his teeth and let his eyes lock on hers, "No."

Her face faltered losing her smile, "You're mad."

Daryl turned fully towards her and directed her more into the thicker part of the woods. Sophia walked silently her shoulders slumping and her walk turning defeated. He knew she was upset. Hell he was upset and he had every goddamn reason to be. He had every intention of teaching her how to hunt - it'd help her in the long run of taking care of herself. Right now though he was having trouble seeing beyond the red of her sneaking out.

"You're fuckin' right I am." He snapped.

Sophia flinched slightly at the voice and hew as reminded of her words about her father. He wanted to feel guilty for making that reaction surface in her but he was so mad. She could have gotten hurt. Around Woodbury wasn't walker free. It wasn't safe outside the walls and she could have gotten bitten.

Daryl raised his bow as Sophia kept her head down and dropped the walker that had been ambling towards them. She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and taking him for granted being there. She wasn't being smart.

"This is why I'm not showing you." He stopped and waited on her. Sophia turned slowly looking at him her eyes watering slightly. She had shame written on her face and her lip trembled in the face of his anger. "You needed discipline and awareness for hunting before the world went to shit and even more so now!" Daryl stormed forward ripping the bolt from the head of the walker he'd dropped and turned looking at her, "You didn't even see this dead bastard! Where is your head?"

Sophia's eyes went to it and then him, "I just want to stay with you."

"I know you do, and you will Sophia." His voice softened walking to her, "I promise I'm not leaving you behind. I made that promise and I meant it."

Sophia wiped at her eyes and nodded, "I know I should have listened but Brian goes out those gates with you and Mac all the time and I'm left waiting. My mom was all I had Daryl and we don't know...I don't know if I'll ever see her again."

Daryl went to his knees in front of her grabbing her shoulders making her look at him head on. Her little body was so small in his large presence, "I'll never stop looking for her for you."

Sophia studied him for a minute her eyes bright and pensive and sparking, "She would like you."

Daryl shook his head but didn't say anything as they moved around. He was making her study game trails as they moved. He wasn't going to get anything to take back today and he couldn't go out looking like he wanted with her with him. He didn't want to have to watch her and his own back out there and chance her getting hurt or lost. He wouldn't take that unnecessary risk with her.

Her words about her mother kept coming back to him and each time she smiled at him. All her unease from his anger had dissolved leaving her with a wide smile that made her nose crinkle and her eyes to brighten even more. Did she look like her mother? Is this what Carol looked like? Or did Sophia take after her father? She never said one way or another. Daryl had a lot of worries where Carol was concerned actually but he never voiced them. Neither of his brothers were the best sounding boards when it came to shit like this and would only say shit to him to piss him off. But it was there and her words only made those thoughts run even wilder and deeper through him.

There it was though with him. He didn't want every night new woman thing his brothers were always going for. Hell Mac was hung up on Hannah since the day he met her but refused to acknowledge it most days. She had broke his heart so he fucked everything that would spread its legs for him after that. Merle was just a whore period. It was untelling how many kids in truth he really had out there. Then there was Daryl himself. He was awkward with women, he wasn't sure what the hell to say to them and generally ended up insulting them.

It was always better to just get the fuck away from them. He preferred being alone anyways. So why was Sophia's words bothering him so much? Carol. He'd heard countless stories about this woman and how nice she was. How warm she seemed and then there was him. An asshole redneck with a tendency to make people feel like shit in a matter of minutes without even trying. Carol would take one look at him like most people did and think that he was a dangerous hardened criminal or some fucking shit like that. He was the man though who had saved her little girl out those woods but he doubted he'd be seen as much. No that woman was going to take one look at him and that was going to be all she wrote. He knew his standoffish personality wasn't going to help with that either, especially if Mac or Merle were with him when he found her.

But Daryl would pick up the broken pieces of this world for Sophia if not for anything else. He'd keep her safe until the day came he ever was able to find her mother. Then he wasn't so sure how things would play out. Swallowing Daryl's eyes went back to the girl and he made another silent promise to make sure she was prepared for whatever was out there. If it ever did come that she left them he wanted her to be able to take care of herself out there and not need to depend on others.

"Keep up Daryl." Sophia smiled at him.

Daryl chuckled and picked his pace up to his usual speed and watched her struggle to keep his pace. She was panting but pushing herself. "Sophia."

She looked over at him her face serious instantly at his tone. She figured him out quick and acted accordingly something he could appreciate, "Yeah?"

"I want you to listen to me and listen carefully." He stopped as they neared back to Woodbury. "Never slip out again. Unless I take you out you keep your ass in those gates. Never again. You could have gotten killed or got me killed trying to get to you if something had happened to you." His voice was low, it help no anger but she hunched up as he scolded her. "I want to trust you but when you do shit like this I can't, I want to teach you like we did Brian but when you pull shit like this I refuse. You need to be able to listen before you can ever learn."

Sophia nodded and brought her hand up to her mouth chewing her thumb. Daryl raised his brow seeing his own nervous tick mirrored in her now. She was starting to do things like him. "I promise-"

"Don't make me a promise little girl." Daryl ordered, "You show me."

Sophia met his eyes taking his challenge and nodded. They walked in silence until the large gates came into view. The gates swung wide and Daryl's eyes darkened seeing Merle's scowl slam into place and lock onto Sophia. He stood waiting on the pair of them. Sophia stepped into Daryl's side almost molding to him and his hand grasped her shoulder.

"You told me she wasn't going with you today, that if you took anyone it'd be Brian or Mac." Merle snarled. "Did she take off without you knowing?"

Daryl cocked a brow and felt Sophia tense next to him her little body feeling like granite. Merle's temper scared her at times. Even when it wasn't directed at her, he could imagine her father must have been loud and aggressive with her mother.

"I knew where she was." Daryl snarled.

Merle raised a brow at him and shook his head, "Dary-"

"Did you fuckin' hear me?" Daryl snapped stepping forward leaving Sophia just behind him, "My responsibility and I knew where she was, she was never out of MY fuckin' sight."

Merle nodded but his eyes never left her. Sophia trailed after him all the way to the house where Mac was kicked back on the steps laughing at Brian. As soon as they seen the pair of them both of them were up. Mac was like always a ball of energy that was already draining him and Brian was just like his dad.

"See anything?" Brian asked excitedly.

"Kill anything?" Mac circled questioning.

"Find anything?" Brian prodded.

"Why are you two so quiet?" Mac snapped.

"What the fuck?" Daryl mumbled.

"Bitch." Brian growled at Sophia as she ignored him.

"Fuck you Jerk." Sophia snapped storming away from Brian.

Daryl's eyes shot to Sophia as she glared at Brian. Brian had a broad smile on his face at her cussing at him in front of his dad and Daryl. Sophia's face flushed instantly and she looked sheepishly.

Mac broke the silence,"That's what I'm sayin' don't know where he gets being a mouthy jerk from."

Brian made an annoyed noise in his throat,"Mom calls you mouthy."

Daryl groaned and Mac waggled his eyebrows at Daryl,"Your mom knows what she's talkin' about." Brian made a face getting what he said and stormed off.

Daryl look at the boy and Mac and just blew out a breath following Sophia in the house. She was going up the steps shedding her packs as she went dropping them for him to pick up. He snorted and tossed it all into his bedroom copying her and shedding the excess weight and supplies. It wasn't long before Sophia was there at his door wide eyed and then walking right in.

"I wanna learn to shoot." She climbed up on his bed setting cross ways from him.

Daryl chuckled, "Would it be easier to tell me what you don't want to learn?"

"Maybe." Sophia huffed, "Are Hannah and Mac together?"

Daryl chewed his lip and chuckled, "Yeah something like that."

"Brian has all his family then?" Sophia looked out the window, "He gets to have his dad and mom, you and Merle too."

Daryl looked over at her, "You know you have us all."

Sophia nodded and smiled, "I do, but I want my mom like he has Hannah and Mac."

Daryl raised a brow trying to figure her out but his head was starting to hurt. Surely to fucking god she wasn't talking about relationship wise cause he'd wreck that shit. Daryl wasn't a ladies man and he knew it. He knew it all to well. He was no smooth talker or some sexed up jackass like his brothers. Sure it felt good to get that release but there was more important shit to him than getting that. Shrugging and forcing the thought from his mind.

"Gonna get your draw length." Daryl spoke low as he listened to the house and the noise outside. "Get a target set up."

"A bow?"

Daryl nodded, "Teach you how to make your own arrows...when bullets are gone, they're gone. But you'll always be able to make your own arrows and it's silent."

Sophia smiled and stretched on his bed dragging his pillow into his chest yawning, "I'll be a good shot in no time."

Daryl just nodded as he cleaned his bow. Her breathing evened out and deepened as she fell asleep. His eyes went to her and he smirked seeing her knocked out her face slack with sleep.

Mac appeared not soon after but his usual loud ass was silent seeing her knocked out. He leaned against the bed from the floor his head laying back on the bed watching the Daryl.

"She snuck out didn't she?"

Daryl gave a sharp nod, "Yup."

"She was pissed at Brian when he kept talking about the deer you and him had got." Mac smiled, "She don't like being left behind but she don't like the thought of you not coming back."

"She don't want to be alone again." Daryl shrugged.

"More than that and you know it." Mac growled, "We'd never leave her alone, she knows that."

Daryl smirked and looked at Mac, "How pissed was Merle?"

"He was bitchy but I think Brian singing to him to ran him away earlier."

Daryl chuckled and shook his head, "I know."

"Good cause if your ass does something stupid and gets hurt I aint being the one to tell her cause she's gonna lose it." Mac snapped, "She looks at you the way she should have been able to look at her own dad."

Daryl met his eyes. Eyes that were exactly the same and swallowed. Mac wasn't joking at all with him and he wasn't giving Daryl a chance to refuse the thought. All of them pushed him and he just nodded again. His eyes went to the little girl sleeping quietly and chuckled when she started rolling in her sleep and almost kicked Mac.

"So I need to talk to you later." Mac rose to his feet a new look over taking his face. "I need you to get Sophia to distract Brian and Hannah..."

Daryl looked up at him his bow sliding from his lap as he raised his brow. He turned lifting Sophia easily and Mac started out the door and both walked in her room. Mac jerked her blankets down the flannel of Daryl's she had worn she he first found her spilling to the ground. Mac tossed it on the bed and Daryl laid her down. Mac covered her watching as she got comfortable.

Door clicking shut behind him, "How long till you need me?"

Mac looked outside and back to him, "Few hours, just at sundown."

Daryl nodded and they parted ways.