I need to thank Haitus80 out. I had this almost completely written not long after posting the last chapter but stalled out. She helped me work through some things and here we are. Enjoy.
Carol's chest heaved the second she seen her daughter running towards them. Her eyes solely focused on the girl as she moved quicker than Carol ever seen. Her face was distraught and Carol could see tears streaking her face. A smile blazed to life on her face like Carol had never seen before seconds before her voice rang out.
"DAD!" Sophia's voice full of relief echoed.
Carol's eyes widened as Sophia slammed into Daryl wrapping around him like a vine almost taking him to the ground. She watched as Mac and another man balanced him as Sophia held tight to him. Carol felt like she was froze in place viewing everything through a fog. Carol couldn't remember a time when Sophia ever showed so much emotion about anything. The thought was sobering when the emotion in that one word her daughter all but screamed was so thick and that she almost couldn't swallow around it.
Dad….dad….dad….
Carol swallowed finally and felt a hand on her arm and knew immediately it was Andrea. Her daughter was right there but didn't even see her.
"Sophia?"
Carol took a step forward as Sophia's face lifted from Daryl's neck. Her eyes were filled with tears, wide, and full of hope. It broke Carol and she felt all her pent up emotions wash through her as her daughter's feet hit the ground and she slammed into Carol just as she had Daryl. Carol wrapped her arms around her daughter anchoring her in place like she could keep her safe from the world. Safe from everything out there that would ever want to hurt her. Carol was having trouble breathing and the roar of blood in her ears was deafening.
"I knew he would keep his promise." Sophia sobbed into Carol's neck, "I knew he would!"
Carol's eyes were searching for the man she knew Sophia had to be talking about but he was gone. Mac wasn't there either. Instead she was left with the image of Merle looking down the street his face closed off and body stiff. His eyes went to her and he gave her a nod before speaking to Rick and her group.
Carol pulled Sophia back enough to see her face and was surprised to see how much her daughter had grown in the months apart. Her hair was longer and she looked older- stronger. She had a look in her eyes that Carol had never seen before.
"How...how did he find you?" Sophia questioned smiling swiping at her eyes.
She turned her head searching for him and frowned before Merle appeared next to them. Rick and them were now by Carol but Merle ignored them looking directly to Sophia.
"Mac walked him down to Stevens he was hurt and needed to see someone to get checked out." Merle's eyes lifted to Hershel, "I reckon you wanted to be there to discuss it with Steven's so they'll show you where to go."
Sophia's chest was heaving and her eyes were wide. Carol felt a vice like grip tighten around her wrist and then Sophia was storming away dragging Carol with her. She was moving quick and no sooner than she started did Sophia's tears start again.
Carol followed her along not sure where they were going and seen more than a few people looking at her curiously. There was one a dark haired woman watching her intently and Carol raised a brow but seen a sneer much like she seen on Mac grace Sophia's face. Carol couldn't help but to study her daughter and it was a realization that she had nearly missed an entire year of her life. Sophia had grown from a child in that time and was stronger than Carol had ever seen her. She held herself different and with an air around her much like she seen on the brothers.
"Fuck you!"
Carol looked up suddenly seeing a boy not much older than Sophia arguing with someone. Sophia started walking quick and they stopped right at him. The man she met before Mac was standing there with the other man that braced Daryl and the boy was snarling at them. He looked like a younger version of Mac and Daryl and Carol knew instantly that this was the boy she heard Daryl mention before.
"This is bullshit! I want to see him!" His voice was outraged.
Mac's face was closed off and his eyes were blazing, "He don't need a bunch of people on top of him right now while they check him over." Mac's voice was strained. "You know damn well how he is Brian." Mac snapped.
There was a barking voice from inside and Sophia tensed. "Mac…" Her voice was low and his eyes came to her, "Move out of my way."
Carol fully expected him to do the same as he did with the young man but he sighed and looked at Carol before looking at her. "Yeah, yeah alright your mom needs to go in there anyways since she was with him more." Mac grinned suddenly, "Give him hell."
Sophia looked at her a strange expression on her face but the happiness that she was there was clear. Worry was clear though and Carol felt a tightness settle in her chest. Whoever this man was he was clearly important to her daughter. She knew she didn't mishear what she called Daryl and that alone spoke volumes. Sophia never called Ed by such endearments but she felt that for this man. This is the man who saved her daughter Carol reminded herself.
Walking inside Daryl's voice grew louder and Sophia huffed speeding up, "I don't know why he has to be difficult."
Sophia walked in the room and immediately walked right for Daryl. He was setting up in the bed snapping at Stevens and some white haired man she didn't know. Bypassing both Sophia crowded right in on him as he batted away more stuff from Stevens. She felt her mother shadowing her knowing she was unsure of Daryl. Unsure or not she never doubted Daryl for a minute. Sophia wanted to make her understand that he wasn't just some random person. He was so much more than that, he was everything she dreamed Ed would have been when she was still naive.
When he met her eyes she huffed at him, "They're trying to help you why are you being an asshole?"
"Sophia!" Carol admonished.
Sophia looked at her mother raising a brow and shrugged, "What he is!"
Daryl stared her down but Sophia didn't back down from him. Instead she crowded him further climbing up next to him and give her best doe eyed expression. She watched his face soften but it wasn't enough. Stevens walked a bit away from them leaving Carol there while the old man spoke to the doctor. Sophia really looked at him and it made her feel horrible for whatever he went through.
"I thought you were dead you know." Sophia's voice was soft, "Brian and me stayed on that wall waiting the entire time."
Daryl made a noise in his throat and snatched what Steven's was offering taking dry. He shot her a look but she grinned at him. He was pale and she could see the sweat making his shirt cling to him and she bit her lip. He had his shirt unbuttoned like he had started to take it off and Sophia grimaced when she seen the fark bruising on his body. Mac was right when he said he wasn't feeling good and Merle was too. She felt her heart race and her anxiety climb up.
Looking over at Stevens she swallowed, "What's wrong with him?"
Stevens met her eyes and gave her a kind smile, "I'm working to see honey. We need the room though."
Sophia huffed and glared at Daryl. "Stop being a stubborn ass and let them help you. You look like crap."
Daryl shot her a look but she seen a smirk fighting to break loose on his face. "Still a fuckin' peach aren't you."
Sophia grinned at him and shrugged sliding off the bed. She was forcing her face to be calm when she felt anything but seeing him hurt like this. "Of course, someone around here has to be."
Throwing her arms around him again but being gentler she hugged him tight his arm coming around her. He was tense and she let him go slipping over to her mother. She met her mother's eyes seeing her studying them.
Carol smiled at her and nodded, "I'll be out in just a minute honey I need to tell them about what all we done for him."
Sophia walked back outside and swallowed hard. Mac wasn't there but Brian was. His legs were dangling from the tree that dotted the sidewalk. Walking to him and looking up he was kicked back leaning against the tree his eyes down the road.
"He okay?"
"Looks like shit." Sophia muttered. "Come down."
"Climb up." He retorted, "Your moms group are here...well some I guess. I'm not impressed." His voice was strained. "My dad said Merle knocked one on his ass."
Sophia grinned and looked down the road before jumping up and catching the limb. He grabbed her hand and pulled her the rest of the way up. He shifted over a limb giving her the one he was perched on. When Sophia got her first look at him she could see the strain in his face and frowned. Brian wasn't one to let things bother him and Daryl was here now so she didn't understand his look.
"You okay?"
He looked over at her his eyes the same as his father's and uncle's. "Are you?"
Sophia shook her head feeling her emotions start to take over. Swiping at her eyes, "He could've died out there!"
"But you got your mom back now." His voice was distant and he looked away. "It's what you wanted. Daryl always held true to his promises- I told you."
Sophia pursed her lips as he vaulted from the tree leaving her behind. She swung down quickly refusing to let him get away. Something was wrong and she didn't know what. His words stung for some reason and she didn't like the way he spoke like he was saying goodbye to her.
"Are you mad?"
Brian ignored her and she grit her teeth and picked up the rock next to her. Slinging it at him she hit him in the back and he stalled turning to look at her over his shoulder. He glared at her, "Did you just fuckin' hit me with a goddamn rock?"
"Oh look it knows how to use words!" Sophia snapped crossing her arms over her chest. Her stance mirrored Daryl in every way as she stared him down.
Brian rounded on her and stalked towards her looking every bit like his dad. Raising her chin she glared at him not a bit afraid. She'd put him on his ass if he wasn't careful. Daryl showed her more than a enough to hold her own against this ass. He taught her to not take shit off anyone and that included Brian.
"What the fuck is your problem?" Brian snarled.
"YOU!" Sophia hissed, "I'm having a family crisis and you won't even look at me!"
Brian snorted, "Don't throw shit at me like a bitch."
"Don't be a jerk and I wont."
Brian glared at her but she seen his eyes soften. She was flustered and didn't know how to feel. She had her mother back and was more excited then she knew any person had the right to be. But then she knew her mother was going to question her about Daryl. Her mother never trusted men but Daryl was her dad, period. She needed her to understand and she needed Brian to have her back while everyone else looked at her like she was a science project.
"It'll work out." His voice was gruff.
Sophia nodded but hiccuped and he sighed looking at her, "What if it don't?"
"Then make it." He eyed her, "Since I've known you I haven't seen you act like a baby so don't start now. Make them understand."
Sophia nodded just as the door opened and her mother stepped out shielding her eyes. She smiled towards Sophia and she smiled back. Brian nodded to her and he inclined his head at Sophia. Sophia hugged Brian and he growled trying to untangle her from him but she just grinned knowing how much like Daryl he was. Stepping back he shook his head at her but didn't say anything about it.
"I'm going to glare at a closer range at these fuck faces."
Sophia grinned and watched him walk away as her mother came over to her. Sophia smiled at her again but felt Brian's words like a hot poker. Sophia grabbed her mother's wrist when she seen Karen walking towards her and sneered at the woman. Tugging her arm she started pulling her towards her house and Carol fell in step with her easily. Karen was toxic and she didn't want to expose her mother to this woman. It was bad enough she hounded Daryl like what Mac like to call a bitch in heat. She didn't need her sneering and spreading rumors about her mother in hopes that someone would pay attention to her decrepit ass.
"Sophia darlin' I just heard about your dad!" Karen's hand went to her chest, "Is there anything he needs?"
Carol wasn't moving next to her and Sophia glared at the woman, "He needs you to stay the hell away from him."
Karen's face changed instantly but Sophia didn't stop. "Did you forget what he told you about me? About how you need to leave me the hell alone and stay away from me? I could remind him maybe he should have that talk again."
"Come on mom." Sophia's voice was strong and held a warning. She wasn't sure what she meant such words to mean to the other woman but all the same she needed to back off. Karen glared at her but Sophia was walking again and Carol followed after her, "Who was that?"
"Town trollop." Sophia missed the face her mother made at her words.
Sophia walked into the house and smiled at the familiar smell of Daryl that still clung to the place. It calmed her. It always had since the day he saved her and she figured it always wood. To her Daryl wasn't just a man that happened upon her.
"Sophia whose house are we in?"
Sophia looked over at her and set on the couch, "Mine." She made a face, "Well mine and Daryl's."
Carol studied her taking a seat next to her. "You called him dad…"
Sophia nodded sharply, "He's everything a father is supposed to be. He's everything I deserved and everything Ed never was."
Carol sucked in a breath at her words, "You're very close."
"He made me a promise the moment he met me mom." Sophia looked up at her tears in her eyes, "He told me he'd never stop looking for you because I deserved to have my mom."
Carol pulled Sophia into her chest as her daughter's eyes watered. Sobs wracked her and instead of being scared like she had before when she was around her mother and got emotional, she let it go. She didn't have Ed looming over her and if Daryl had been there he'd comforted her this she knew. He'd done it. Any time she ever needed him he'd been there. When she had nightmares he was there staying up with her until she fell asleep. She woke up more times then she could count sleeping against his chest while he set up his head tilted back knocked out in the most uncomfortable position she'd seen. He never walked away from her or dismissed her words like she was a child. He'd kept her safe and made her feel like she mattered.
"I was so scared I'd never see you again." Sophia mumbled.
Carol's hand was carding through her hair, "I'm so sorry this happened."
Sophia pulled back and shook her head looking up at her mother. She needed her to understand something. "I'm not. I'm not at all."
Carol made a face that was close to hurt but Sophia pushed on.
"When Ed was still around I only had you. I only had you and nothing else mom and I was scared to even breathe. I was scared of everything and that is why I ran that day. When he found me out there he didn't just save me from the walkers after me he saved me from being that scared little girl." Sophia blew out a breath, "He kept me alive, he kept me safe and he made me feel like I finally had a family. I missed you every step and I wished like hell you were there with me but I got him mom. I got a dad finally and two obnoxious uncles, Brian, and Martinez and the rest of them. I got a real family and they've done everything they could for me."
Sophia stared at her hands in her lap, "Daryl went out every chance he got when he we got here searching for you. He worked hard to find you and here you are. We waited at that car for what felt like days and when no one came we had to move on. He had his brother's waiting on him. Mac was trying to get to his son and Daryl couldn't stay there. He took me mom and made that promise and here you are." Sophia was silent for a moment but looked up at her mother, "He was all that I had."
Carol swallowed visibly and Sophia studied her, "I don't want you to hate him. I don't want you to be scared like you were with Ed. Daryl is a good man mama…."
Carol nodded tears pricking her eyes. "I've never heard you speak so much at once."
"I'm not scared anymore." Her voice was strong. "Daryl taught me that too."
Sophia snuggled into her mother causing her fall back against the cushions. Carol wrapped her arm around her and started talking low to her. Sophia yawned and Carol laughed lightly above her.
"I'll never be able to truly thank him then." Carol whispered into her hair.
Sophia smiled into her shouldered, "Daryl don't like thanks or attention really."
Both of them were silent and Sophia felt her eyes closing. Yawning again she snuggled more into her mother and let sleep pull her under. She fell asleep listening to soft words spoken from her mother. Carol talked to her until Sophia finally drifted off to those words and soft hands soothing her.