You're home...

The fire danced with the cool night air, casting wavering shadows on the nearby trees. Her family was settled in a loose circle, clustered in discreet units around the clearing. It seemed like a hundred lifetimes had passed since Terminus even though it had only been hours.

Glenn and Maggie were a tangle a limbs across the clearing, bundled in a rough wool blanket they'd scrounged from the shack. The new girl, Tara, sat a short distance from the pair with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her dark eyes stared into the flames, haunted and red rimmed with exhaustion.

Judith whined fitfully when she didn't find her bottle where she left it. Small fists flailed and another muted cry split the darkness. Neither Carl or Rick moved so Carol pushed herself to her feet and headed toward the girl. She was brought up short when another pair of hands lifted Judith and rubbed her back soothingly. She was further surprised to hear quiet humming and to see the shadowed form sway from side to side as they rocked the baby.

"My girl?" Carol questioned softly.

"Did you hear some of the stuff Beth sang to her?" Michonne returned, her mouth quirking into a smile even as she continued rocking. "Said she sung what she liked instead of the usual stuff. Figured I'd keep with tradition."

Carol returned the smile with a wistful one of her own. "Sophia's favorite was that old one by the Byrds. We must have listened to it a thousand times. She never grew tired of it."

"He loved Twilight Time." Michonne's face grew pensive as she looked up at the sky, the tiniest thread of sadness giving her voice a rough edge. "You know it? The one by the…"

"The Platters," Carol finished. "It's one of my favorites too."

The two shared a look of understanding and acknowledgement. "You should get some sleep," Michonne jerked her chin toward the abandoned bedroll. "You look awful."

Running her fingers tiredly through her hair, Carol huffed out a laugh. "I feel awful. Let me know if you need any help. She waited for an answering nod before surrendering to the demands of her tired body. "Who's got watch?" She turned back to the still swaying pair, biting back a smile at the image they presented.

"Tyreese spelled off Abraham about an hour ago. Daryl took over for Rick." She paused as her gaze skipped over the camp. "And Bob. We should be alright. Go on and get some sleep."

Carol waved the order away as she sidled back to her blanket. Her eyes burned and her muscles ached from the miles long march. She went to lay down but at the last moment, scooped up her threadbare quilt and walked quickly toward the distant treeline. That's where he would be, where the woods grew thick and dark enough to blot out the moon.

Ten yards was enough to render the firelight useless. The blackness wrapped around her, dry leaves rustling underfoot as she moved. At fifty yards, small bushes and shrubs made snares for unwary feet. At a hundred yards, she stopped and looked around warily, knowing that there were worse things out there than gopher holes or fallen limbs.

"Have you lost your damned mind," a furious hiss came suddenly out of the night. "You know better than to be wandering around." He materialized from a patch of shadows right in front of her, crossbow bumping against his back as he moved.

"I was looking for you," she confided as he reached her, his hooded blue eyes taking inventory of her features. "Can't sleep and didn't want to wake the others."

He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity before taking her hand and leading her a short way into the woods. He unslung his bow and propped it up beside him then sat down with his back against the trunk. Her eyes widened as he grasped her hips and pulled her down with him. Daryl took the blanket from her limp fingers, folded it double and slung it around her shoulders. Satisfied that she would be warm, he settled her into the curve of his body, her head resting on his shoulder and hips bracketed by his legs. "Go to sleep," he ordered, his gaze sweeping the forest around them for the slightest hint of movement.

She knew it would be pointless to argue. He was hellbent on taking care of her since she'd found them after the escape. She nuzzled into the warm hollow of his throat and heard him swallow as she finally relaxed against him. His heart thumped under her ear in a steady rhythm, almost as soothing as the gentle fingers moving through her hair. "Go to sleep," the words came just at the edge of consciousness . "I got you, sweetheart. You're home."