Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead. I don't make any money from this.
AN: Alright folks. The time has come. Thanks to all for your reviews and follows. It makes my lack of sleep worth it. So without further delay, read on and enjoy!
Daryl was wide awake. He had told his brain to shut the fuck up, but it wasn't listening. He was getting married in the morning and he was full of anxiety and excitement and a whole number of other emotions. Right now the main one was loneliness. At Maggie's behest, he was sleeping alone tonight, stretched out on his back on the thin cot in his old cell. He had grown accustomed to sleeping next to her, the heat from her body radiating through him and her fingers locked onto his own. But Maggie had said that her and Carol had things to do in the morning and that she would stay with her through the night. She had even joked that he was free to go sleep with Glenn if he liked. He had quickly shot that down, instead taking his things next door and plopping them down on the floor in frustration. He couldn't be mad though. He had asked for Maggie's help with planning a small wedding in an unbelievably short amount of time, and she had jumped at the challenge. She wouldn't tell him anything, she had just shoved a pile of clothes at him and told him to be in the yard just before noon. He looked over to where the clean black jeans and the white dress shirt hung. He didn't know where she had gotten them, but he was grateful. He didn't own anything nearly as nice, and his only option before would have been a pair of faded, ripped jeans and the shirt he had worn the day he proposed to her. He actually found himself amused at the thought. If someone had told him even a year ago that he would be worrying about what he was going to wear to his wedding, he probably would have shot them in the ass with an arrow. Now here he was, about to become a husband and a father, and it scared the shit out of him. Not because he didn't want it. He had never wanted anything more in his life. But because he wasn't sure he could cut it. He didn't know how to be a husband, his own parents never said more than two words to each other if they weren't yelling. And as for being a father, it was no surprise that his own hadn't given him any ideas as to how to raise a child. But he knew one thing, he loved Carol and he loved their child and he'd spend the rest of his life trying to figure out the rest. He lay there, staring at the bottom of the bunk above him, thinking things over. He had finally started to drift off when the sun began to rise, casting an orange glow over the room. He sat up, stretching as he yawned. He sure as hell wasn't falling asleep now. He quickly dressed in his normal clothes as he made his way down to the kitchen. A few people were already awake, and greeted him warmly as he entered. He grabbed a cup of coffee, not even bothering with sugar or the powdered creamer they had. He downed the hot black liquid in a few gulps, before filling the cup to the brim again and taking a seat next to Lenny. He was in his usual place, cup in front of him and book laid open. Daryl actually wondered if he ever left this chair. Different clothes and the fact that he was always clean would suggest that he did, but still. He was the one constant factor in this room. The old man smiled up at him as he sat down, reaching over to clap him on the arm.
"Big day, son. You excited? I am. Maggie asked me if I could walk Carol down the aisle. I told her I'd be honored. Never had a daughter of my own to do it for, but if I had one I'd want her to be like your gal. She's something special." he said, a proud expression on his wrinkled face.
Daryl was happy that Lenny had been included. He was a friendly old son of bitch, and despite his age, he really just wanted to be useful. He thought about what he had said about Carol and couldn't help but agree. "She is definitely something special, that's for sure. I'm excited. Just kinda nervous. Ain't real good with people, having to stand up there and say vows and all that. Not to mention, all the stuff after the wedding. I'm kinda scared to death." he admitted.
Lenny leaned a bit closer and lowered his voice as he placed his weathered hand on Daryl's arm. "You love her, you gonna protect her?"
Daryl nodded in response.
"Then ain't nothing to be scared of. Marriage and fatherhood, they drop on you suddenly, but they build up after that. You're gonna have good times and bad times, but if the good times are good enough, they make the bad times disappear. You figure it out as you go."
Daryl was reassured by Lenny's words and told him as much. Lenny just shrugged it off.
"Ain't nothing. Like I said, I like you. You remind me of my boy. Told him the same thing the day he got married, 'cept for the fatherhood part. I never did get any grandkids. It's okay though. Didn't have to lose them either. Plenty of little ones around here for me. Keeps me busy."
Daryl had seen him before, surrounded by the children in the group, telling them stories about his farm, and the animals, and the funny things his own son had done as a child. Daryl smiled as he realized that his own child would soon be among them. He thanked Lenny for the talk, standing up to place his now drained coffee cup in the sink. Rick and Glenn walked in then, moving over to him when they saw that he was already up.
"Mornin' Daryl." Rick said as he grabbed his own coffee. "Today's the day. The day Carol makes an honest man out of you. Still can't quite believe it actually. Who'd have thought that the angry redneck, who threw a string of squirrels at me the day we met, could be tamed. I don't know what she did to you, but it worked."
Glenn chimed in. "I know what she did to him." he said, a goofy smile on his face.
Daryl tried his best to look menacing as he responded to the young man's words. "Watch it Glenn, just cause I'm getting married, don't mean I can't stomp your ass if I really want to." he said, half serious, half joking.
Glenn just laughed. "Be my guest. I'll warn you though, if you do that, you're going to have to deal with Maggie. I don't know if it's hormones or what, but she is scary as hell lately. I stole a bite of fish off her plate the other day, and I thought she was going to stab me with her fork."
Daryl and Rick couldn't help it, they both cracked up.
Glenn glared at them. "It isn't funny. She's going to kill me before she has our kid, I know it. She came barging in our cell a little while ago, told me to get my ass out of bed and get outside to set up the folding chairs she found in one of the storage rooms. She was gone before I even had a chance to argue. Funny this is, she'll be yelling at me one second and kissing me the next. What the hell is wrong with pregnant women?"
Daryl and Rick exchanged a knowing look. Rick had grown more accepting of Lori's loss and it no longer pained him to talk about her. He reached over to pat Glenn on the back. "They are wonderful and they are insane. Good luck man."
Rick took his leave, telling them that he had guard duty, but that he would see them this afternoon.
Glenn drained his cup of coffee quickly, dropping the mug in the sink with a clatter. He looked at Daryl, eyebrows raised. "So, I know it's your wedding day and all, but you think you might be up to a little biter removal. There's about a half dozen of them scattered along the fence. Maggie told me to take care of them, but I think we both know that's kind of your area of expertise."
Daryl agreed and told Glenn he'd be right out. He ran back to his old cell to collect his crossbow, slowing down as he passed by the cell he shared with Carol. He could hear voices from behind the curtain, Maggie, Beth, and Carol. He listened for a minute, not able to make out much of what they said until he heard a loud ouch, Carol's voice. He was about to swing the curtain open when the sound of laughter stopped him. He heard Carol speak again, her tone not threatened or pained, but happy. "Maggie, if you keep pulling on my hair like that, I'm going to be walking down the aisle bald headed."
He left them then, making his way down to the yard where he spotted Glenn setting up small rows of plastic folding chairs on the grass. It was a beautiful day, not a single cloud in the blue sky and the sun shining. Thankfully, it hadn't gotten too hot yet as he set about his task. He stepped outside the gates, banging the butt of his bow against the fence as he tried to draw the walkers to him. They heard the noise and slowly shambled towards it. They took no notice of each other as they started to fall, one by one as Daryl fired bolt after bolt into their brains. He had dispatched them easily, and as he scanned the area to make sure there were none he missed, he heard a groan come from behind him. Without missing a beat, he spun around and fired an arrow straight through the geek's skull. He stepped on it's head to retrieve the arrow, pulling it out with a sharp tug as he spoke. "Not today, fucker. I got somethin' I gotta do."
After retrieving all of his arrows, he dragged the bodies into a pile near the tree line, making sure they were concealed by a few fallen tree branches. He usually tried to burn them as soon as he could, but he doubted that the smell of burning death was what Maggie had in mind for the wedding. Once he had finished with the chore, he headed back in the gate, walking over to where Glenn had just finished his own. He was surprised to see Maggie running over to them. She looked at the chairs, satisfied that they were the way she wanted. When she looked at Daryl however, her expression became one of disapproval.
"Daryl, what the heck happened to you? You're filthy and you smell like death. Get your butt inside and get cleaned up. You better be sparkling by the time you come back out. God, you're getting married today." she said, throwing up her hands in exasperation.
Daryl looked at Glenn, who had a small smirk on his face. The younger man muttered under his breath. "Told you."
Daryl did as he was told, heading back for the prison. He heard Maggie call behind him, telling him he better not take a peek at Carol or he was going to have to deal with her. When he entered the kitchen, he saw Hershel motion him over. He made his way to the doctor, sitting down next to him as he could see that the man had something to say. Hershel leaned in, keeping his tone hushed.
"Daryl, you're getting married today and after some thought, I just wanted to let you know that I'm lifting some of the restrictions from Carol. If you two want to have, you know, a honeymoon, then I don't see the harm. She's only a week away from her due date and the worst that could happen at this point is the onset of labor."
He tried not to show it, but he was fucking thrilled. He couldn't wait to tell Carol. On second thought, maybe he wouldn't tell her until tonight. That would almost be romantic, wouldn't it? He quietly thanked Hershel, not noticing the blush in the older man's cheeks as he left the room.
He stood to leave, smelling the Turkey that was already cooking. Beth had really stepped up when it had come to taking care of the cooking, and when she had heard that they were going to be having a wedding, she had asked Carl if he could find her a turkey. He had, really becoming quite the skilled hunter, and she had even given him a small peck on the cheek in gratitude. She now had it roasting, and though she didn't have the things needed for a real feast, she did have some fresh vegetables from their garden, and had made a large salad. She had even come across a few boxes of instant cake mix and canned icing, salvaged in their last food run. She had prepared them as best as she could, substituting powered eggs and water for the fresh ones. She had been pretty proud of herself when she had seen her finished product, a three tiered square cake, covered in thick white frosting. She had even stuck a few daisies around the base. It was her wedding present to the woman who had become like a second mother to her and the man who had protected them all without question.
Daryl had noticed her efforts and made his way over to where she now stood by the stove. He thanked her, genuinely touched that she had gone to so much trouble. She just smiled her sweet smile and went back to her work.
He finally made his way back to his old cell, fighting the temptation to check on Carol. He grabbed his clean clothes and headed for the shower. He lingered under the cold spray, having scrubbed himself clean. The cold water felt good on his hot skin. He could feel the anxiety building in his chest. It was almost time. Reluctantly, he turned off the water and stepped from the stall. He dressed himself in the clothes that Maggie had given him, and after taking the time to make sure his now way too long hair was in some kind of order, he made his way back through the prison. When he entered the common room, he saw that the members of the group were slowly making their way outside, He could see that everyone had made an attempt to be presentable, the children even cleaned up and dressed in their nicest clothes. It actually made him smile a bit, thinking that this was what Carol deserved. He followed outside and was quickly pulled aside by Maggie, who he had to admit looked pretty in the soft yellow dress she wore. He was about to ask her where it had come from, when she had shoved him forward, telling him to get his butt up by Glenn and stay there. He obliged her and walked over to where Glenn and Hershel stood at the front of the aisle. Glenn looked sheepishly at him as he took his position beside them.
"So, I guess I'm your best man. Maggie made me get dressed up and told me if I left this spot she was gonna kick my ass. You okay with this? I could get Rick if you wanted."
Daryl glanced sideways at Glenn. "It's fine. You're my friend too, same as him."
Glenn didn't say anything, just nodded as they stood there, watching the members of the group as they sat down.
Daryl was getting nervous. Really nervous. Like in high school, when he'd had to stand up in front of the class and speak. He felt sick to his stomach. He knew everyone sitting before him, and while he had grown more comfortable with them one on one, the thought of all of their eyes on him as he stood there and promised his life to Carol, it was almost enough to make him puke. He stared straight ahead, trying not to think about it. He was so focused on suppressing his fear that he didn't notice the quiet music that Beth began to play on her guitar, he didn't notice the way that everyone had turned their heads. Didn't notice Maggie walking down the aisle, carrying a bunch of daisies. He couldn't see anything until he saw her, walking towards him, Lenny on one side of her and Rick on the other. Everything else faded away. She was absolutely beautiful. She was smiling, her face framed by her curls, some of which had been braided up away from her face, small wildflowers woven into the strands. She was wearing a white dress, a thin lace sheath that tied at her neck, gathering under her breasts, draping over her belly and coming to rest just below her feet, revealing her bare toes. He couldn't breathe, she looked like an angel, and he still couldn't believe she was his. He finally took a breath as he felt her hand touch his and their eyes meet. They turned to face Hershel, the kind old doctor having volunteered to do the ceremony for them.
He began. "Friends and family, we are here today to join Daryl and Carol in marriage. They have asked me to keep this short and I will, but before we get to their vows, I would just like to say one thing. We all know what this world has become. Long gone are the trivial concerns of yesterday. We live lives of survival now. Of instinct. But days like today remind me of one thing. Our humanity. If two people can find love amidst the horrors of our world, then I have hope for us all."
He asked them to face each other. They did, their gazes locked on one another as they repeated the vows that Hershel spoke. Love, Honor, Cherish, and added by them, Protect. Til death do them part. It was time for the rings. Do you take, For better or worse, in sickness and health, as long as you both shall live? They had agreed, slipping the rings given to them by Glenn and Maggie on each other's fingers. It was done. Hershel pronounced them man and wife, and the only thing Daryl could see was her. He stepped forward, placing his hand on her cheek as he kissed her, the first kiss of the rest of their lives.
Applause broke out among the group. The couple was swarmed by their friends, hugs and kisses being given to Carol, and handshakes and congratulations given to him. The crown had begun to disperse after a few minutes, heading inside for their makeshift reception. Daryl and Carol found themselves alone. He turned to face her, his eyes brighter, and bluer and clearer than she had ever seen them. He leaned in to kiss her again, not sweetly like he had at the altar, but deeply, passionately, like he was trying to make his lips say all the things he couldn't. When he pulled away, she had the most beautiful smile on her face, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head on his chest. "I love you, Daryl Dixon."
"I love you too, Carol Dixon." he said, the sound of his name on hers almost bringing a tear to his eye.
They slowly walked together, hand in hand, towards the prison. She stopped for a moment, pressing her hand against her stomach, a slightly pained look on her face.
"Are you okay?" he asked, placing his hand over her hand.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Little man just gave me a good kick, that's all."
He turned to face her, dropping to his knees as he pressed a kiss to her stomach, to his baby. "You need to stop kicking your mama. It's her special day, and I don't want her hurting for it." he spoke softly. As if obeying his command, the baby stopped kicking.
Carol looked at him as he rose back up to stand before her. She kissed him softly, pulling back and smiling. "Already a good daddy, and he isn't even born yet."
They made their way into the kitchen, finding their friends all seated, waiting for them. Maggie had gotten to the kitchen as well, and there were bouquets of wildflowers on each of the tables, not in fancy vases but in mason jars. It smelled fantastic and Carol actually started to cry a little when she saw the food spread out on a table by the stove. She almost died when she saw that at the end of the makeshift buffet was a cake. An actual, honest to god wedding cake. She saw Beth standing by the table, getting ready to serve everyone. She pulled Daryl along with her as she made her way over to the young girl. "Beth, I can't thank you enough for this. You've already had to take on so much because of me, I don't know how you managed to do all this. Thank you sweetie. I love you, you know that." she said, pulling her in for a hug. Beth just smiled when Carol released her.
"I was happy to do it Carol. You two take care of all of us. I wanted to return the favor. Now, since you two are the guests of honor, you get to eat first."
She handed them each a plate, pointing them towards the table that Maggie had set up for them. They sat down, digging into their meals as everyone else moved up to get served. It was perfect. No one was thinking about walkers, or work, or any of the other concerns that filled their days. They were simply being happy, eating and talking and celebrating. They had cut the cake, Daryl turning bright red as Carol had squished a small piece against his lips, stretching up to kiss him. He couldn't even help himself when he leaned down to lick away a bit of icing that had smeared under her lip. He didn't care who saw. She was his wife now, and if he wanted to kiss her like that in front of everyone he was going to. They could hear the ooohhh's coming from the group, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Nothing but each other.
The sun had begun to set, their small party having stretched far past the afternoon. A few people remained in the room, calling out well wishes as Daryl and Carol began the walk back to their cell. Carol had sat down on the edge of the bed as soon as they entered, exhausted by the day's events after having been cooped up for so long. She was exhausted, but unbelievably happy. She found that Daryl was looking at her, an expression on his face that she had never seen before. "Whatcha thinking?" she asked as he came to sit beside her.
He wrapped his arm around her, sighing as she laid her head on his shoulder. "I was thinking that I ain't never been happier than I am right now. This all feels more real now, you know. You and me, we're married. In a couple of days, we're gonna meet that little boy. I just never thought my life would turn out like this. I never thought I was worth nothing. And now, I have things I never even imagined I would want. I just wanted to thank you for that."
"Nothing to thank me for. You deserve so much more than you think you do. I love you."
He turned, kissing her on the forehead. "I love you too, more than I ever thought I could."
He had gotten so caught up in the day, that he had nearly forgotten the conversation he'd had with Hershel this morning. He looked at Carol, grinning as he told her the good news. "Hershel told me this morning, that if we wanted… a honeymoon , that it was okay. Said the worst that'd happen would be jump starting your labor a bit."
Carol was grinnging from ear to ear as she heard the words. "You mean, we can…?"
He nodded, and that was all she needed. She practically pounced on him, as fast as a woman in her condition could. She attacked his lips furiously with her own, all of her pent up sexual frustration pouring over him. He had actually laughed when she had pulled his shirt from him, nearly popping some of the buttons off as she struggled to free him of the garment. Once it was gone, he helped her untie the neck of her dress before swiftly pulling it over her head. Soon they lay together, completely bare, exploring each other with hands and lips. They didn't know where to go from here. Her belly didn't allow much freedom, and he was trying to figure out how to do this. They had both started to laugh as they realized the awkward situation they found themselves in. They finally found a position that worked, him kneeling between her legs as she lifted them and pressed her feet to his chest, keeping any pressure from her bump. He had entered her slowly, one hand moving to play with her clit as he picked up his pace, pulling back and entering her again and again, harder and deeper, her moans driving him as he rubbed his thumb against her until he felt her nearing her end. They never broke eye contact as they both found their release. Daryl was sweaty and panting as he pulled himself from her heat and moved to lay next to her, pulling her into his arms. She was breathing heavily as well, laying her head on his chest as she snuggled tighter into his grasp. They were happy and completely sated. The only words they could manage were "I love you" as exhaustion washed over them and they fell asleep.
A few hours had passed, the pair still wrapped in each other's arms in a peaceful slumber when Daryl awoke to the sound of soft whimpers coming from his bride. He whispered her name, and too his surprise, her eyes opened right up. She had been awake already. "Carol, are you okay? Is the baby kicking again?"
She shook her head, pain visible on her face. "I don't think so. I think I just had a contraction. Daryl, I think it's time. I think this baby is ready to be born."
Daryl could't find any words. He had known this was coming, Hershel even having warned him that sex could trigger it. But right now, he was completely unprepared. It didn't matter though. Their son was coming tonight.
Thanks for reading. I hope everyone enjoyed that chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Next chapter up soon. Please review, I need my fix.