I wasn't expecting for the there to be a second part but this idea came to me a few days ago and I just had to write it down! I hope you all enjoy!

In the morning, Carl was gone.

No one could find him in the house and Carol and Daryl's peaceful slumber was shattered at the sound of Rick's panicked shouts. Carol had been the first to jump out of bed and search for her boots. Daryl, on the other hand, remained lying on the mattress and tiredly rubbed his eyes.

"Why can't that boy just stay in the damn house?" He grumbled and with a great amount of effort, he climbed to the edge of the bed and sought out his own pair of boots.

Carol just shook her head affectionately at him and opened the door. She was shocked when Rick instantly appeared, hair looking more frazzled than normal and a panicked look in his eye. "I can't find him anywhere. I woke up this morning and saw that he was gone along with his gun and hat. Do you think...?" He ran a hand through his hair. Rick had just gotten his daughter back and now, he had lost his son.

"Don't worry," Carol placed a hand on his shoulder, which visible erased the tension that had sprung between the two. "We'll find him." It was almost like how it had been before Rick had banished her. Almost.

Daryl joined them shortly when they all convened in the living room. From the look on his face, Carol could tell he wasn't happy and knew that his plans on going on that supply run would be postponed until Carl was found.

"He must have slipped out when I was in the back of the house," Michonne said.

"Why would he just leave without saying anything to anyone?" Tyreese asked. Out of everyone there, he was the person who knew the boy the least and didn't understand the things Carl did or said.

"I don't know, but we all need to separate to find him." The cop still in Rick began to talk. "We'll meet back here in an hour. Hopefully..." He took a deep breath then and the strong leader facade started to crack. "We'll find him safe and...alive."

Tyreese opted to stay behind with Judith and the four of them walked out of the house to go their separate ways. Michonne and Rick were no nonsense and had walked their different ways without another word. Carol and Daryl lagged a little behind.

"When we find that boy I'm goin' to kick his ass," Daryl grumbled before kissing Carol quickly and heading in a different direction than Michonne and Rick. Carol could only watch him go with a smile.

Carol had a feeling that Carl hadn't run away for good. Deep down she knew the boy had needed to get away for one reason or other and she had a feeling of where to find him. With one last glance in the direction Daryl had gone off in, she began to head back towards the playground.

Carol found Carl sitting at one of the benches overlooking the playground equipment. The sheriff hate now rested just above his ears and no longer fell over them. He was slowly becoming a man.

"Knew I'd find you down here," Carol said softly and took a seat to the young Grimes. The boy jumped at her sudden appearance but otherwise didn't move to say anything.

"You know, you have your dad worried sick when he woke up to find you gone. Everyone is out looking for you, right now." Carol continued to speak. "You can't be running off like that without telling anyone, Carl."

"I needed to be alone," Carl finally said and looked up at her, blue eyes squinting in the morning sun.

"I can understand that."

"So much has happened since the prison..."

"I know."

"I just needed to get away from my dad for a bit. I didn't mean to make everyone worry."

Carol scooted closer to him on the bench, but didn't touch him. "It's okay, Carl. We all need some time to ourselves once in awhile."

Carl just nodded and went back to looking over at the playground. There was a look of longing in his eyes and Carol smiled.

"Go on," she said.

Carl looked at her with confusion. "Go on and what?"

"Play. I see you eyeing the swings. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Carl hesitated a moment before standing up. "Come with me." He looked down at her; a slight smile curved the corners of his mouth.

"I think I'm a little too old for swings, Carl." Carol quickly blinked back a few tears, hoping that the boy hadn't noticed them. When Carl had asked her to come join him, she was immediately reminded of Sophia and how she'd do the same thing.

"You went down the slide with Judith, you can swing with me." He grabbed her hand, tugged and pulled her to the swings with him. Carl took one and motioned for Carol to take the one beside him. She rolled her eyes and sat down.

"I feel silly," she admitted.

"No, one's around, Carol." Carl said and began to pump his legs. "I bet I can go the highest!"

Instantly, Carol no longer felt silly and she began to pump her own legs. "You're on!"

An hour later, Daryl, Rick and Michonne met up at the meeting place with no Carl.

"Fuck," Daryl cursed. "Where's Carol?" It was way to soon to have lost her, again.

Rick ran a hand through his hair at the realization that they were now missing two members of their group. "Do you think she might have gone back to the house?" He knew the answer to the question but had wanted to voice it anyway.

"Naw, you told us to meet here and she'd meet us here unless she ran into trouble." Daryl began to pace.

"She has her gun. We would have heard a gunshot if she was in trouble," Michonne spoke up softly.

"She wouldn't risk the noise. Not with Lil' Asskicker around." Daryl knew Carol well and knew that she wouldn't do something that cause Judith or Carl to be put into danger. She loved those kids as if they were her own. "Now, come one. I ain't goin' to leave her out here somewhere." Daryl began to take off in the direction he had seen Carol go off in when they'd gone their separate ways. Rick and Michonne followed close behind.

As they continued to walk, the three froze when they heard laughter. Just like they had done the previous day, but instead of a baby's happy squeals, it was a boy's, or young man's. Rick knew that laugh anywhere, even though he hadn't heard it in so long and was off running. Daryl wasn't far behind and he had a smile on his face. It looked like Carol had worked her magic again.

"I am way too old for this!" Carol complained as she struggled to go across the money bars. She was too tall and had to bend her knees so that her feet wouldn't drag across the ground. Carl had cleared them only seconds before and was now watching her and laughing.

"Come on, Carol. You're almost there."

"Definitely going to feel this is in the morning," she muttered to herself as she crossed the last bar and plopped back to earth. Her hands were already burning and her arms felt stretched. However, she wasn't given a moment of reprieve before Carl was grabbing her arm again and tugging her towards the same spirally slide she had gone down with Judith the day before.

"One more thing and then we can head back, okay?" The sheriff's hat was slightly askew on his head as he looked over his shoulder to look at her.

From the position of the sun, Carol knew that they had been running around on the playground for more than an hour and everyone would have met up at their meeting spot already, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. Carl needed this time to just be a kid again and if he wanted to stay there all day with her going down slides and climbing on the monkey bars, then she would.

When Carl reached the top of the ladder, he looked down to make sure that Carol was following him. "I use to go down these backwards," he announced when was at the top with him.

"Then go ahead and go down backwards." She motioned for him to turn around and sit. "Just be careful when you get to the end. I don't want to bring you back to your dad with a bruised tailbone."

Carl just rolled his eyes and pushed himself down. Carol watched his descent and muffled a laugh when he took a tumble off the end. He was back on his feet in seconds, wiping the seat of his pants and wincing.

"Told you!" She said with a smug grin.

Carl scowled and picked up his hat, which had fallen when he had dipped off the edge of the slide. "Your turn, Carol!"

"All right, all right." Carol scooted across the metal on her butt until she reached the plastic of the slide and slid down. But when she reached the bottom, she saw that Carl was watching her and was looking off to the side. Just like Tyreese had done the day before. She sighed. Was this going to happen every time she'd go down a slide?

Instead of hearing the crashing as someone ran through the woods, Carol saw that Daryl, Michonne and Rick were standing nearby, watching them.

"I think I'm in trouble," Carl said out of the corner of his mouth as he looked over at his dad. Rick was fixing his son with a glare, but Carol saw the way his eyes had softened and knew that he wasn't really angry with Carl.

"Having fun?" Daryl smirked and approached her.

"Carl made me go down," Carol stood up with the help of Daryl's offered hand.

"Did he make you do the monkey bars, too?" Daryl's eyes twinkled.

Carol's mouth opened in shock. "You saw that? But I didn't see you guys."

"Cuz we were in the woods. Rick wanted to come out right away but I made him wait a little while." His head dipped a little in embarrassment. "Liked watchin' you laugh." The last part had been mumbled, but Carol had heard every word. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

"So," Daryl said into the crook of her neck. "Ready to go on that run?"

Later that evening, everyone gathered in the living room and feasted on the canned goods Daryl and Carol had brought back from their run. When they had returned, Michonne had given them a knowing look and Daryl had flushed a deep red while Carol hid her face in his arm.

"About time." Was all she had said before taking the box of food from Daryl's hands and took it to the kitchen.

Carl sat close to her as they ate. "Thanks for earlier, Carol. I needed that."

"I know you did and you're welcome." In truth, she had needed it, too.

"I'm really glad you're back."

Carol looked over his hat and made eye contact with Daryl briefly, who had heard their conversation, and looked back down at the boy. "Me too, Carl. Me too."

Now, it's officially complete! :) And for all you who are waiting for updates on my other stories, today is my last day of school so hopefully updates will be coming more often!

Thanks for reading!