A/N: I thought I would just point it out here that there is roughly a two week time jump between this chapter and the last. There are quite a few time jumps that will occur later on, but I will point them out so there isn't any confusion.

Chapter 8

Each night had been the same.

Her quietly arrival to the spot where he took watch had become something he expected. At first, he hadn't wanted to assume she was there to jump him, like he wanted to jump her. But now, when he heard her approaching, he knew with out any doubt what she was sneaking over to him for.

After a few sessions of the "meet ups" he began to maneuver her to the cab of his truck. It was safer and he would like to say that that's what led them there, but that would assume he was thinking clearly. If he was being honest though, it was more about getting her alone, and getting her as close to him as he could.

Some nights, when his mouth was trailing down her neck, he found himself wondering how he got here in such a short space of time.

He spent his days wishing he could reach up and drag the sun down, just so he could get some more time with her. The simple kisses and touches that were driving him crazy, were without any doubt, the best part of his day.

As usual the only thing that covered them was the darkness the night brought, but even that was interrupted by the few fires that were still burning in the camp.
It wasn't exactly a private meet-up. It never was. Glenn stood near their tent, to keep an ear out for Sophia and Shane was close by on watch. But it was easy to forget that they weren't alone.

She straddled his lap while her hands rubbed over his neck, into his hair, down his face and on to his shoulders. Never stopping for more than a second. As if her fingers were trying to memorize every bit of him that they could before she had to leave.

Her hands usually stayed above his shoulders, his stayed on her waist and back. He never strayed much from the places she seemed comfortable with. Any time her hands became a little more adventurous, he would follow her lead, and when she pulled hers back, he did the same.

He wanted to take things further, but it was more then obvious that she wasn't ready for that. And that was just fine.
Just being alone with her meant peace, even if it was only for a few minutes. It made the paranoid thoughts in the back of his mind become nothing but a whisper. He could barely hear voice that told him he was going to fuck everything up, or that he wasn't good enough to have it in the first place.

After twenty minutes or so, he could feel her slowing her pace. Her hands were moving more gently over his shoulders than they had seconds before. He knew what it meant.

He followed her lead, letting his palms graze over her back and down to her hips, to where he rested his hands. He enjoyed the last few seconds of her lips pressed to his, before he let his head drop back to watch her.

He watched as she steadied herself and pulled away, unable to take his eyes off her face. There was a light glow from her skin and he could only slightly make out her features as she paused and looked down at him, but it was enough to see the lust that still lingered there.

He reached up and cupped her cheek with his hand, rubbing his thumb over the soft skin.

He had reasoned with himself, that he knew her long enough to want her, to care about her, even long enough to let himself need her. But what he wasn't sure about, was that he had known her long enough to love her.

He looked at her and wondered what would give him the right to feel this way.
Was there an appropriate amount of time that needed to pass?
Did he need to screw around with her first?
Was he meant to wait for her to say it? Would he be allowed to feel like this way if she gave him some kind of permission to?
None of it seemed like enough. None of it seemed like it would make him worthy of being allowed to love someone like her. She was to beautiful, to kind, to warm. To good for him.

He felt like he needed to give her something, something big and valuable, but he didn't have anything to offer.

All he did know, was that he loved her. And the idea of it was horrifying and yet somehow more inviting than anything. It tore at something inside, because he was sure he simply didn't deserve her and sooner or later, she would realize it.

"You ok?" she asked as she studied the worried look on his face.

"I'm just fine"

As he answered, knowing that was very the problem. He was more ok than he had been in a long time, possibly more than he had been in his life. And he didn't know if he could cope with the loss of something so consuming.

There was still the chance that he would fuck it all up and he would have to deal with the aftermath of losing this contentment. And then the knots would return to his stomach, only this time they would twist in place and cement them self into a position that they would never untie from.

The new routine since their arrival at the new camp was much like the one he had at the quarry. Only now he never strayed to far from the camp. The hunting trips, that led him away from the group for the entire day or possibly two, had been put on hold. But he knew that his constant presence at the camp had not gone unnoticed.

He stayed close enough that he could still hear the slight buzzing of the voices and with the knowledge that he could return in minutes, if he had reasons to believe something was wrong.

The problem with the new routine, was that he wasn't able to bring back anything substantial. He could round up something to add to dinner, but it wasn't enough. Their supplies were running low and though he'd heard that a group would be going out to scavenge what they could, he knew he would also have to begin the long hunting trips so he could contribute more.

He collected up his crossbow and scanned the camp for Carol, as he did each afternoon. He didn't have to approach her or explain where he was going, he simply made eye contact with her and gave her a nod. That was enough to let he know that he was leaving, but wouldn't be long, or far away.

As he steeped away from the tent he looked to the usual spots where he would find Carol, but before his eyes settled on her - they found her daughter first.

Carl had been with her only moments before, but now she was alone, flicking through the pages of a book. Her free hand plucked at the few remaining threads that covered her knee and he struggled not to roll his eyes.
The camp was busy and the quiet girl seemed to get lost in the scenery as everyone went about their business. The only people who seemed to have their eyes on her was Ed and himself.

Ed leaned into a tree while he had a smoke, his eyes were fixed on the kids back. It was more then enough to make Daryl's skin crawl.
He watched as Ed rolled on his heels, moving towards Sophia. There was enough space between them, that Ed would have to take more then a few dozen steps before he reached her. But it still made his breath hitch and his heart suddenly race.

"Sophia"

The kids head snapped up, curiously looking at him. Her name fell out of his mouth before he had a chance to consider what he was doing.
He didn't know if Ed was heading over to her or not, but he wasn't going to stand around waiting to see.

"Can ya-… give me a hand"

She didn't seem to need any more than that. Sophia jumped to her feet and dusted herself off before making her way over to him.

The lanky kid made him nervous as always, even as she walked over he noticed her checking around for danger and rubbing her arm anxiously.

She always looked at him cautiously, as if she thought he was mad at her. Wondering if she actually thought that, only made him even more uncomfortable. But none of that made him nearly as nervous as the thought of leaving her alone.

He slung his crossbow on his back, as the girl reached his side.
He glanced back in Ed's direction, noticing he had stopped in his tracks. There was no way of telling if he had interrupted Ed before he could reach Sophia, or if he was just pissed because he always seemed pissed when Sophia followed around after Daryl. Either way, he didn't really care. He needed to go and check the snares and he wanted to do that knowing that both Carol and Sophia were safe.

Carol had smiled at him and waved Sophia off, before they left the camp.
They weren't going far away, but he still didn't understand how she always seemed so confident in his ability to watch out for the kid. She didn't even question him.

There were very few hours in the day when he didn't have Sophia following him around. She ate breakfast, lunch and dinner with him, got water with him, she collected firewood with him, she hung around while he helped Carol with dinner.

There were really only three times a day when he was assured that she wouldn't be stepping on the backs of his heels. In the mornings, Lori sat both the kids down and attempted to school them, then in the early afternoon Sophia and Carl usually retreated to the clearing to play. Then there was the time that he spent hunting down game in the surrounding area, while checking the snares. That was usually the time he spent without hearing her lingering behind him. Only now he had basically dragged her along with him, because he didn't feel comfortable leaving her behind.

He could have sent her to go and sit with Carol while she worked, but he wasn't sure if that would make things worse with Ed.
Right now, Ed was directing his anger at him and he was fine with that.
It could appear to Ed, that it was Daryl's fault that he wasn't allowed to be near Sophia. He worked as a body guard for the girl, but sending her to Carol could ruin the conclusion that he was sure Ed had come to.

"You don't really need help do you?" Sophia asked quietly as he released the rabbits corpse from the snare.

He looked up at her and examined her face.

The kid wasn't stupid and she spent enough time scanning the area around her to know when she was being watched and judging by the bothersome look on her face, she knew exactly why he had brought her along.

He shrugged as he stood back up and stuffed the rabbit into his pack with the other.

"Extra set of eyes never hurt"

Sophia nodded, but he could tell she didn't accept his answer.

She didn't ask anymore questions or speak another word, she simply followed him quietly, as he was used to her doing.

The rhythm of her feet treading the dirt continued on without interruption until they arrived back on the outskirts of the camp.
He turned back to her when he couldn't hear her light footsteps anymore and found her wide eyes looking up at him.

When he looked around and caught Ed's annoyed eyes fixed on Sophia, he knew why she had stopped. But there was nothing he could really do about it. He had no intention of leaving the kid alone if he thought she wasn't safe and Ed would just have to suck it up and get used to it. That was all he could hope for, that Ed would move the fuck on. Or that he would meet his demise on one of the trips he took to scavenge for food and supplies.

"It's alright. C'mon" he mumbled, waiting for her to take a step before he turned to walk back to their tent.

He heard her quicken her pace until she was by his side, so close that her elbow was bumping into him as they walked.

Ed's eyes were locked on them as they approached. He wondered for a moment how he would be able to fight with the kid so close. He hoped she had the mind to get out of the way if anything happened.

Ed's outrage seemed to be rising to the surface as he and Sophia got to their tent, making Daryl pause and wonder what was about to happen.

Suddenly, the canteen Ed was gripping was suddenly tossed to the ground.

He heard Sophia's sharp intake of breath and felt her grab at his shirt and attempt to yank him in front of her.

It took the kid a second to realize that Ed was leaving and not coming at them. But in that moment, he knew exactly what the tensed tiny digits that were hanging onto him reminded him off.

He had flashes of watching his own hands do the same thing. He remembered grabbing a hold of Merle, as if he was a shield. And he remembered the feeling he had when Merle was gone and he had nothing to hold onto anymore.

Even as her fingers untangled themselves from the fistful of fabric, he was still stunned by the concept. He was a shield to her,he knew that, he'd always known that. What he couldn't figure out was why Sophia knowing that irritated him.
Nothing had changed, he'd protect her from anything and everything, that's what he had signed up for.

So didn't know why bothered him that she knew that.

"He's a fuckin lunatic."

She could tell that Daryl needed to get this of his chest. He needed to off load his frustrations and as far as she could tell he didn't have anywhere else to that.

Maybe once this had been Merle's job. Maybe Merle had let his brother blow off steam by listening to whatever was on his mind. But now Merle was gone, possibly dead, and as far as she could tell Daryl didn't really talk to anyone else.

He spoke to people, she had seen that. He spoke to Shane, Rick, T-dog and Glenn. But she had never seen him offer more then a few words, before he decided he had said enough.

"He's known for his temper, not his patients." She added, urging him to continue.
She could see that he was getting frustrated and that he was angry, but other then giving him an ear to complain to, she didn't really have much to offer.

"He's known for havin a damn screw loose." Daryl grumbled as he passed her the tray that held the rabbits she was going to add to the stew.
She kept working while he got to his feet and looked over to where Sophia and Carl were playing, as he did every few minutes. She heard him mumble something but didn't catch the words.

"Maybe I should talk to Rick again. Or Shane? He seems like he might actually give a shit" He said while leaning into the table alongside her, lowing his voice so that anyone near by didn't hear their conversation.

"There's nothing they can do Daryl. You said it yourself, even if they kick him out, it might not be a safest plan. Who knows what he could do."
He folded his arms and looked back over to where Sophia was before offering a grunt, rather then responding.

She knew that Sophia spent a large portion of her day with Daryl, while she went about the chores she had assigned herself to. She had offered to keep Sophia with her more often, but Daryl had told her that he didn't mind Sophia following him around. Daryl had told her that Sophia didn't bother him or pester him, she listened to him and she did as she was asked, so he didn't see any harm in having her with him.

She hadn't pressed the matter and she was quietly happy that he felt they way he did.

The truth was, she felt like Sophia was safer with Daryl then she was with her.
He was stronger, quicker and much more vigilant then she was.
She also thought that during the times when Ed seemed to be getting angered by the new arrangements, he would have had no problem approaching her. But he seemed to be intimidated by Daryl and obviously thought twice before acting on what ever was stirring inside of him.
And if Ed did decide to approach her, she would prefer to know that her daughter was somewhere safe.

"He ain't done nothing while we were gone? Didn't say nothin to ya?" Daryl questioned, misreading the expression she knew she was wearing.

She look over to him a smiled, how could she not. She'd never really had anyone so concerned about her well being or her feelings.

"He didn't say anything to me. He hasn't said a word to me in weeks. It's been nice"

Daryl nodded and his face softened.

He looked satisfied with her answer, it seemed like maybe it had eased his frustrations slightly.

"Still wanna head down there tomorrow?" he asked, craning his neck to look into the pot, before settling back into the table that he was almost sitting on.

"If you don't mind"

Daryl shook his head and shrugged lightly."Nah, I don't mind. If you can squeeze it in, I'm happy to take ya"

"Squeeze it in?" she echoed while searching the table.

Daryl chuckled lightly and looked down over his shoulder at the table."Busy. Always busy." he said as he snatched up the can opener she had been looking for and passed it to her.
He raised his brow as she took the can opener, as if he was proving his point. She couldn't even have a proper conversation about being busy, because she was to busy.

"I'm just doing my part" she pressed as she began twisting open the can.
"Your part" he nodded while rolling his eyes in her direction. "Maybe a few other peoples to"

Daryl had voiced to her, more then once, that he wanted her to delegate some of the chores she did to other people, because he thought she did to much, much more then he had noticed the other people in the group doing. But she had always brushed him off and told him not to worry about it, because she didn't mind.
She was used to doing more then the people around her and she was used to doing it without complaints. A decade of being Ed's wife had taught her as much.

Daryl, Shane and Glenn were on watch through the night. Andrea, T-dog and Rick took over for them in the early hours of the morning, then Dale filled in the gaps though the day. As far as she was concerned they were doing their part.

Amy tried to help but Carol found that the girl, more often then not, got distracted. Lori spent a some time with the children in the mornings and then usually was there to help clean up after meals, but it was more then obvious that Lori was also quite distracted.

She never pushed Lori to help out more. She was mostly waiting Lori out, to see if Lori was going to admit that she was pregnant.
She wasn't sure if anyone else knew and Lori was definitely trying to hide it. But she couldn't hide it from Carol. She had just watched Lori enough to know that the signs were all there.

That left her and Jaqui to bare the brunt of the chores, but unlike Carol, Jaqui was not going to run herself ragged when she could see that no one else was putting in as much effort. She often joked to Carol that if she stopped caring about getting everything done, then maybe some of the others would start to care.
But it just wasn't how Carol was programmed. If something needed to be done, she would rather just get it done then be concerned about the injustice of her having to do it.

There was a small little window of time, long after dinner and right before Carol decided that it was time to take Sophia to bed, where Sophia would come close to crawling over Carol completely.

Sophia spent her evenings by the fire with him and Carol, usually with something to occupy herself, until she decided that she simply wanted to curl up on her mother like a cat.
For the most part he pretended to ignore it, because he didn't want to interrupt the nightly ritual.

He had no memory of ever draping over his own mother the way Sophia hung herself over Carol, and maybe that was why he engrossed in the action.

Carol didn't just welcome the girl into her arms, she encouraged it. She was just as happy for the quiet moment with her daughter as Sophia was.

From what he could tell, Carol had a never ending supply of affection to dish out and she seemed to hand it out without much thought.

He knew eventually Carol would take the kid to bed. Not long after, he would leave them to go on watch, just as soon as he noticed Shane and Glenn make the move to start the rounds. Then later Carol would join him and he would take a break from starring into the darkness and crawl into the cab of his truck with her. Though the affection she gave to him was obviously different from the kind she offered Sophia, he still marveled that she had it to give. A part of him waited for her to be tapped out, that she would have to run dry and have nothing to offer him.
He didn't quite understand how she could be so warm, when she had been through things that worked to make you cold. He guessed it was just in her nature and it wasn't in his.

He gave as good as he got while he was with her in his truck, but there was no denying that it was something that he was still struggling to be comfortable with.
It wasn't that he ever disliked the way she touched him or looked at him, it just felt like something foreign to him. But each night it got easier to accept with out any thought.

As Sophia's body started to slump lifelessly, Carol turned her head towards his and smiled lightly.
"See you in a bit?"
He nodded and returned the smile, offering a goodnight to Sophia while her mother began directing her towards the tent.
He could never hear exactly what it was that Carol told Sophia each night when they were in the tent, but he always heard the soft murmurs from Carol and sometimes light giggles from Sophia.
He couldn't understand how Carol could ever think she was a bad mother when she was the best he had seen.

People often took a pot of warm water into their tents to wash up, but it was never quite enough to satisfy Carol.

He had offered, weeks ago, and she had accepted, that he keep an eye out for her and Sophia while they wash up down at the stream. It wasn't something they did daily, only when Carol had told him she felt disgusting.

She didn't smell bad to him, she didn't look like she was any worse for wear. He figured it was mostly in her head and she needed to soak her self from head to toe, to erase the idea that she was covered in an invisible muck.

He would do a check of the water, to make sure nothing had wondered in there that might be dangerous. Luckily the water was clear to the bottom and it was easy to see if any walkers had made their way in.

When that was done he got out of their hair and gave them as much space as he felt was safe to give them.
He stood with his back to the stream, giving them as much privacy as he could. Carol kept a close eye on the spots he couldn't see while he watched the area that surrounded him.

He could hear Carol and Sophia talking, occasionally splashing that was followed by a quick burst of laughter. There was no denying that both Carol and Sophia were happier away from the camp. Or, more to the truth, when they were away from Ed.

What he had noticed more and more as time passed, was that when they were happy - he was pretty damn happy himself. Because if they were cheery or even content, it was a pretty good indication that he was doing a decent job, that he was doing what the hell he had set out to do. And maybe that was why he felt like such a failure when they were obviously unhappy.

"We're done" Carol announced. He turned to give her nod, just to let her know that he had heard her, but kept looking around while he waited on them.
They both made their way over to the truck. Carol followed closely behind Sophia, still attempting to dry the girls hair, though it seemed plenty dry to him.

He sucked down the last few drags of his smoke and inched his way over to the drivers side while Carol continued fussing over Sophia.

"Can I ride in there?" Sophia questioned him, eyeing the back of the truck while Carol finished ruffling the girls head with a towel.

"The tray?" he guessed, not sure if he understood her.

Sophia nodded, her eyes still looking at the dirty space in the back of his truck. "Yeah. The tray"

"Why?" he asked, creasing his brow as he wondered if there was some reason she thought it needed to be done.

"Might be fun" Sophia pondered with a slight shrug.

He chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Hell, how bout I strap ya to the roof."

Sophia's eyes looked from the roof to him, in a moment of serious contemplation, before her nose scrunched up at him.

He turned his head to Carol, finding her biting her lip to stop herself from laughing. "Got enough rope back there. You want me to tie ya down to the hood"

Carol laughed and shook her head. The idea he had conjured seemed to be enough to pull a small giggle from Sophia too, but when he looked back to her he had only just caught what was left of it.

"You could just say no" Sophia said, trying to feign annoyance with him.

He nodded.

"No" he added clearly while grabbing a hold of her and lifting her into the truck. He had seen the kid trying to climb in without his assistance and he was sure she would eventually hurt herself if he didn't help her along.

As they piled into the truck they grew quiet once more.

He wished, as he always did when they left the stream, that he had the ability to split himself into ten people. Then he could drive all ten versions of himself right passed the camp and not look back,

There would be enough of them to make it on their own.

Then he wouldn't have to know that their whole demeanor would change when he eventually took them back to the presence of a man that had the ability to darken their moods, without any effort on his part.