A/N Thank you to all who enjoyed my first attempt, thought I would try another. I do not own any characters from The Walking Dead.

Pulling her coat further around her thin shoulders, and closing the door to her small cottage, she headed out to the snow-covered lane. Smiling to herself she stuck her tongue out, to taste the flakes laughing at how silly she must look, glancing around she giggled. Yesterday her class of 5 year olds had found out how cold snow was, and how much fun it was to play in it. Snowballs fights,with Beth her classroom assistant had her coming home looking like a snowman, finding her boyfriend, of two years, Ed waiting on her doorstep. Her face lit up when she saw him, changing when she saw the look of disgust on his face, which stole her happiness away. No she wouldn't think about the argument they had, he felt disappointed in her, what a pathetic child she was, he explained in great detail what he expected from her as Ed Peletier's girlfriend. One of the top businessmen in Atlanta, tears came to her eyes. Batting them away she wouldn't cry, catching her cheek it still hurt from the tap he had given her. It was the first time he had hit her, full of apology's after, yet leaving her in tears, threatening her with the age-old line of plenty more women who he could go out with, and how lucky she was.

Doing her best to forget the night, she walked to the main road turning the corner she headed towards the small school she worked at. Her car had packed up with the cold weather, personally she thought it wanted to stay at home and build snowman. She laughed, Ed would mock her for even thinking that, yet working with children brought it all out, the snow filled castle's ,fairies and happily ever after. No forget it, he was right she was lucky he chose to go out with her, after all she wasn't anything to look at. Hearing a truck slow down next to her the horn beeped waving her hand she smiled as Herschel, her good neighbour pulled over, another person Ed did not want in her life, or more specifically his eldest daughter Maggie

"Good morning there sweetheart and how are you today?"

"I am good Herschel and how are you and your daughters?"

"We are good, Maggie was wondering if you two are still going out tonight?"

Carol loved Maggie they were almost the same age creeping towards the wrong side of 30, neither married,yet became close when Beth, Herschel's youngest daughter had started at the school with Carol working as her classroom assistant. Maggie was going out with Shane for almost two years, but he dropped her quickly, to take up with Lori, a woman he had been after for years. He had waited patiently until Rick, her husband messed up, then he was in. Maggie cried for weeks, worrying both Carol, Herschel and Beth, more so when she had stopped eating. It was getting easier though for the brunette woman.

"You tell Maggie she isn't getting out of it tonight. I am looking forward to it" Carol smiled, Herschel could see it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"You ok honey?, I don't mean to prey, Beth said there was a lot of shouting coming from your cottage last night"

"Yes, of course , Ed was in a mood"

"Oh honey why do you go out with him?, you can do so much better" seeing her grimace, he knew Ed had been his usual evil self, he just hoped that someone would come along for both Carol and Maggie, love them for who they were.

"Well you jump in here honey and I will run you and Beth to work"

"You don't need to"

"Nonsense, you are not walking in this, It's starting to snow again, I know you girls will have the children playing in the school playground today, I believe your team lost to Beth's two snow balls down" Carol laughed it had been such fun yesterday and in high spirits until Ed had turned up. Was Herschel right could she do better?

"Sophia Ann Dixon get that cute backside down here and get ya breakfast"

"Ok Daddy" placing her favourite hot oats on the table, and warm milk, which at 5 years old she still loved more than anything else, Daryl grabbed his coffee, shit it was hot, he should remember to let it cool before he took that sip. Jemma had always told him that, when he burnt his mouth, he smiled at the thought. Wishing she was still here with them, it had been over two years, since god had taken her from them, and it still hurt. Feeling a pair of skinny arms wrap around his waist he looked down at this beautiful daughter, with her dirty blond hair and bright blue eyes, those she got from him. The gorgeous smile that lit up her face belonged to his wife, Jemma.

"Daddy, you burnt your lip again didn't you? Mummy said to always wait awhile"

"I know baby, but mummy isn't here to remind me and I guess I forget" he ruffled her hair as she sat down a the table her face all glowing

"Daddy after breakfast, can I play in the snow, can I please Daddy?" his heart melted, she had never seen snow, it was many of first's for them lately and he wished with all his heart that Jemma was with them seeing it all.

"Mummy is watching us daddy, she looks after us" he turned to look out of the window hiding the tears that would fall if he wasn't careful. He had learned over the last few years to hide his grief, mourn when he was alone, he wouldn't allow his daughter to see how badly the death of her mummy effected him. Most nights he woke up in a cold sweet, reaching for her, others wanting to just throw himself off the balcony and end it all. Today he was having a bad day he could feel it, didn't help with the cold, his shoulder played up in this weather. At almost 40 years old, he was thinking of slowing down, his job was becoming more dangerous, he had Sophia to think off now, she had already lost one parent to the job, she wouldn't lose two.

"I know pumpkin, I know" casting his eyes over the snow-covered hill's he heard the dogs barking near the gate, his peace was about to be disturbed. He had been in the new home for two days, they had at least given him some space before they descended. Unlocking the door, he checked the fire was starting to burn nicely in the front room, turning towards the kitchen he felt the cold from the outside whoosh in followed by the loudest high pitch scream, he heard in his life.

"Uncle Merle, Aunty Andrea!" watching Sophia launch herself from the chair, he watched as she got wrapped up in a large hug, seeing the happiness on both his daughters face, his brothers and sister-in-law he knew he had made the right move. After isolating himself and Sophia from the world after Jemma's death, he had finally brought them out into the living, into a safe family environment.

"Oh Daryl come here" Andrea pulled him into a tight hug

"Hi Andrea" he loved his sister-in-law, she was the best thing that had ever happened to his brother.

"It is so good to see you both, Merle finally convinced you to move here, be part of a family?"

"Seems the best idea for Sophia, she needs family now" he mumbled his shoulder shrugging as he looked at Merle. Waiting for what he was unsure,.

"Glad ya have brother, good to have ya back Time to move forward bro let it go" Seeing the nod from his lil brother, it would take time, for them all to forgive and forget. Accepting the coffee, Merle sat down on the nearest stool at the breakfast bar, watching Sophia gulp her milk down.

"I'm starting at school today Aunty Andrea"

"oh sweetheart you will love it,I think you will be in Carol's class, Ms Greene is her classroom assistant. Beth is her name, I went to school with her older sister Maggie, she loves Carol and the children are great" Sophia looked down at her plate, her teeth biting into her lip, looking at her daddy, he was leaning back against the kitchen sink, his thumb in his mouth biting. Her mummy always told her he did this when he was thinking or nervous. Then she looked at Her Uncle Merle she had missed him so much when they moved away for a while, afraid to voice her fears, she looked back at the table.

"You ok Sophia?" Andrea had not missed a thing, the little girl was screaming out for someone to take the pain of losing her mummy away. She knew full well the Dixon brothers found emotional stuff hard, their lives had been shit with the upbringing they had. Daryl bless him did his best, but a child needed a woman's love

"Will they like me?" her words spoke so softly, yet every adult in the room had their heart-broken by the words that had just come out of her mouth. Daryl felt his breath catch, he couldn't breathe, his poor baby worried they wouldn't like her. How could they not, she was precious

"They will love ya darlin, and if they don't ya send them to Uncle Merle" doing his best to cheer her up, he could see the fear on his brothers face, and for good reason. Years ago both himself and Daryl were well-known for kicking up hell, and in a small town like theirs just on the outskirts of Atlanta, some people never forgot.

Even though both Dixon's were well-respected in their chosen career, there were still some that would not let the past go, both shared the look, they had a job to do, take down The Governor and his group, anyway they could, for he was the one responsible for the way things had turned out. More so for a little five-year old losing her mummy.