Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Walking Dead.

Heart Song

Chapter 1

Am I really doing this? Oh God, what if this is a mistake? I didn't think this through. Well, it's too late, now. It's done.

Carol glanced around nervously, pressing her knees together awkwardly despite the fact that she was lying back and her feet were up in the stirrups. She was lying at a downward angle, and the doctor had promised to be right back. It had been at least thirteen minutes, judging by the ticking seconds Carol had counted in time with her anxious heart.

She was honestly having trouble remembering exactly how she'd gotten herself into this situation, but in reality, she truly had thought about it for a long while before actually deciding to go through with it. She just couldn't believe the day had finally arrived.

Here she was, lying under a thin, cold gown that did little to cover much of anything, and she'd just been filled to the brim with a stranger's sperm. It hadn't been the most awkward situation she'd ever been in, but it certainly ranked pretty high. Still, as she looked up at the chipped nail polish on her toes, she bit her lip and tried to remind herself that this was the best thing she was ever going to do with her life.

The door opened, and Carol recoiled, slamming her thighs together as her ankle slammed hard against one of the stirrups. She cried out in pain and sat up, and the doctor glanced at her sympathetically from the door.

"Am I done here?" she asked nervously, tugging at her gown, trying desperately to get it to cover her knees, despite the fact that it was beginning to sag low at her shoulders.

"All done. Now I don't want you to be discouraged if it doesn't take. Aaron and Eric have made it clear that money's not the issue."

"I know," Carol said quietly. "I hate for them to put so much into this with such small chance of it actually happening the first time, you know?" Dr. Green smiled at her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I have a good feeling. This is such a kind thing to do, Carol." Carol fidgeted on the table and shivered. "Do you have any questions?"

"Um…I don't think so. Well, I guess…I mean, what happens if it doesn't take? I mean, what's the timeline here?"

"We'll wait until your next cycle and try again," Dr. Green replied with an understanding nod. "If you choose to do that, of course."

"Of course." She cleared her throat. "How soon should I take a pregnancy test?"

"I always advise my patients to wait at least two weeks. In that time, I would suggest to go ahead and start taking vitamins, refrain from smoking or drinking."

"So basically, you want me to pretend like I'm pregnant already?"

"Just make healthy choices," Dr. Green chuckled. "How've you been Carol?"

"Oh, I'm alright," she said quietly, picking at the hem of her gown. "I'm just a little in shock, I guess. I honestly still can't believe this is happening. But Aaron and Eric…they've been there for me through so much. And I know they'll be amazing parents." She felt that familiar wave of sadness wash over her, and she bit back a little sob.

"I never got the chance to tell you how sorry I was for the loss of your girl. I know this can't have been an easy choice to make."

"Sophia would've been six this month." She smiled sadly and ran her fingers through her short, auburn hair. "I didn't make this decision lightly. Aaron and Eric were there for me at my lowest. I want to do this for them." She wiped at her eyes.

The truth was, they had never actually asked her. They'd been talking about starting a family for a long while, and given Carol's own loss, asking her had never been in the equation. But she'd seen them go through the excruciating search for a surrogate, only to be let down each time. And on the first anniversary of Sophia's death, she'd made a choice. She was going to bring a new life into this world, a life that would be so loved and so wanted, and she was going to give her friends the greatest gift she could think of.

To say they'd been stunned was an understatement. Many tears and glasses of wine had been shared, and they'd waited several months before deciding to put a plan in motion. Now, here she was, sitting in a doctor's office, hoping she was knocked up with a stranger's sperm, because more than anything, she wanted to do something for the friends that had seen her through her darkest days.

"I know we've all sat down and talked about this," Dr. Green said quietly, "but you're certain this is what you want?"

"It's a little late to ask that now, isn't it?" she said with a little smile. "Yes, it's what I want. I'm just scared. But I want this. I want to do this for them." She wiped at her eyes.

"Go home and rest. Put your feet up and just try not to think about it." Carol nodded in agreement, despite the fact that she knew that it was going to be absolutely impossible not to think about it.

...

Carol Peletier had never been alone in her life. She'd gotten married right out of high school. She'd gotten pregnant during her first year of college. She and Ed had divorced by the time Sophia was three, but she'd still had her little girl. And then time had been stolen from her and her girl, and Sophia had died a few months before her fifth birthday. It had been an accident, but it had taken Carol a long time to forgive herself.

She had normally driven Sophia to school, but the little girl insisted on letting the big bus pick her up. The pre-school bus made its usual rounds, often skipping the Peletier residence, because Carol opted to drive instead. But at Sophia's insistence, Carol had finally allowed her to ride with her schoolmates, only for the bus to be hit by a drunk driver that very morning. Sophia and a little boy from her class had been killed instantly, and the responsible party was now just a year into a ten year prison sentence.

Losing Sophia had been the worst thing she had ever experienced, and she still ached daily when she remembered the last time she saw her little girl, grinning so wide from the bus window, waving excitedly as she stuck her tongue out from the gap her missing two front teeth made.

So when Carol walked through the front door of the house that afternoon and saw Sophia's jacket still hanging on the hook by the door, she put her hand on her stomach, feeling that overwhelming urge to cry washing over her again.

Deciding to be a surrogate hadn't been an easy decision, but doing something beautiful for her friends had been. Maybe it wouldn't work out. Maybe it wasn't meant to work out. But whatever happened, she felt a sense of peace in knowing she'd taken a step at trying to find a place in this world again.

It had been a tough year, to say the least, but she'd gotten through her darkest time. She remembered waking up in the hospital a few days after Sophia's funeral. Holding one hand had been Eric. Aaron had held her other, and they'd sat with her and let her cry until the tears had run dry.

Now she was venturing out again, finding joy in spending time with friends, in taking long drives, in getting back into her work at the children's hospital where she was a secretary. On the weekends, she volunteered by reading to the children in the cancer ward, finding joy in their laughter when she'd always do the voices for each character in a unique way. Somehow, being near them, letting their laughter fill her heart, made her feel closer to Sophia, as if Sophia were somehow still with her.

But she was still alone. She'd thought about adopting, but each time she thought of it, she thought of Sophia's sweet, hazel eyes and her silky brown hair, and she felt the pain of losing that little girl all over again. She couldn't even consider ever having to go through something like that again.

Yet, here she was, volunteering to carry someone else's child, only to have to give that child up at the end of nine long months. Perhaps it didn't make much sense, but it was a kind thing to do. A good thing. She could give a child a life, and when it was all over with, she could look back and say that she did something good with her life, even if she couldn't have the same happiness she'd had when she'd been a mother herself.

Something good had to happen. It was time. And she needed this for Aaron and Eric, for herself, for this baby. Whatever happened next, it was time to start living again.

...

Six hours earlier

"You one hundred percent do not have to go through with this," Eric offered, pulling his arms around Carol's shoulders.

"I one hundred percent have made up my mind," Carol replied, hugging him tight as she stepped through the door of their two-story home. Aaron came walking out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

"Did he tell you you don't have to do it? Because you really don't."

"Shush," Carol insisted, hugging Aaron carefully to avoid spilling the coffee. "I'm doing this. We're doing this." She took a deep, shaking breath, and Aaron raised an eyebrow.

"You're scared."

"Of course I am. Aren't you? I mean, this is a big deal," Carol replied quietly. She smiled a little. "I loved being pregnant. Ok, I hated it a little bit, but after Sophia was born, it was worth every minute. I mean, you two are going to make amazing parents, you know that?"

"Well, Eric will. I'm pretty sure I've never changed a diaper in my entire life. I've actually made efforts to avoid holding babies, changing diapers, basically doing anything that would involve interacting with an infant." Carol smirked at that.

"You'll be great," Carol promised. She bit her lip nervously. "So where is he?"

"He? Oh! He." Eric cleared his throat. "He's on his way. He's psyching himself out, you know?"

"Let me guess, he's going to get the 'you don't have to do this if you really don't want to' talk, too."

"Already gave it to him twice this morning on the phone," Aaron grinned. "You're amazing. I mean, you have the oven and egg, and all we need is the, well, you know." Months ago, they'd both been informed they were infertile. Aaron had a slightly higher sperm count than Aaron, but that wasn't saying much. So they'd decided that if and when they ever decided to have a child, a sperm donor would be the better option. And thankfully, they hadn't had to look far.

"You two are going to make a gorgeous baby," Eric pointed out. "And we are so grateful. Leave it to us to be the most infertile dads on the planet."

"You guys are amazing," Carol smiled. "You're going to be great dads." Aaron and Eric glanced at one another, before Aaron cleared his throat.

"Can we ask you something? A favor? I mean, besides the huge favor of actually bearing out child."

"Alright," Carol said slowly.

"I know we talked about you being Auntie Carol, about you being there to help out, because of course you'll be there. But we were thinking…well, we want this baby to know who you are. To know that you're its mother. I know losing Sophia was…unbearable. I can't even imagine." Aaron shifted slightly in his seat. "We don't want you to just be Auntie Carol. We'd be honored if you'd just be 'mom.'" Carol's breath hitched in her throat, and she felt the tears prickle in her eyes.

"I don't…you…I don't know what to say." She felt the ache in her heart again, and she shook her head. "I don't know. I…"

"You don't have to. I mean, you can be whoever you want. You can be as involved as you want. But you mean so much to us, and we want this baby to know how much love was put into getting it here." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You don't have to decide right away. We just wanted to let you know. This thing you're doing for us…it's amazing, Carol."

"And we know how much you were hurting after Sophia. We miss her, too," Eric said softly. "And I wish there was something we could do to repay the favor you're doing for us."

"You really don't have to do anything," Carol murmured. "I offered. I want to do this. I want you guys to have a family. And I just…I don't need you to do anything for me, because I promise you, whether I'm mom or Aunt Carol or just a family friend, I will be happy knowing you are both happy and that this baby is happy." She chuckled then and brushed the tears from her eyes. "Look at us talking like the baby's already here."

The rumble of a motor interrupted them all from thought, and Eric stepped over to the window to peek out.

"Oh, look. There's the man of the hour." Carol felt the anxiety coil tightly in her chest, and she wondered what in the hell was wrong with herself. Yeah, they were going to be making a baby together, but that didn't mean it was going to be anything else. Still, it didn't stop her from feeling like she was about to meet somebody who was going to be a very important part of her life, regardless of whether or not that was the truth.

Swallowing hard, she felt Aaron's fingers curl around her own.

"You ok, sweetie?"

"I'm nervous," she chuckled. "I mean, I guess this guy's gonna be the father of our kid. Your kid. Shit. I don't…"

"It's ok," Aaron chuckled, kissing her hand. "Just breathe." Carol nodded quickly and followed Aaron to the door. Coming up the path wearing a leather jacket and carrying a pair of sunglasses in one hand was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. Rugged but gorgeous with hair that swept down into his eyes and stubble on his chin. She could already smell his cologne when the breeze swept it up the path, and she shivered the second his blue eyes settled on hers.

"Hey, guys," he said with an awkward nod. "Guess today's the big day?"

"Thanks for coming," Aaron offered, giving him a handshake. Both men paused and smirked at one another, and Eric rolled his eyes.

"Nice choice of phrasing, babe." Daryl stepped past Aaron, eyes still on Carol, and he reached out to shake her hand.

"You Carol?"

"Yeah," she said with a smile, feeling the heat flood her cheeks when a grin pulled at the side of his mouth. "And you must be…um…wait, I don't think I caught your name."

"I'm Daryl Dixon," he said with a nod. "Guess this means we're makin' a baby today."