Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and follows, please keep reviewing as it spurs me on I really wanna hear your opinions! Also I apologise for not updating as often as I used to, I've been super busy and I normally only get to write at the weekends, but I'll try harder!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.

Kunfupandalover: I really appreciate your reviews thanks for the encouragement!

Maddy120296: :D!

MAR76: I know, poor baby! It made him realise how much Riley means to him though, so I guess its not a bad thing!

HarleyMastiff82: Aw thank you I don't see Daryl as a jackass at all, he's not like Merle (but even then, I think if Merle was in love he'd be the same!) he really cares about Riley and everything they've been through together has made him realise that! Ahhh will she say yes or no?! I think we know the answer :P

momoXvolturi: I know, right?! Haha I love to keep you in suspense! Thank you so much!

Special thanks to all my new followers and favourites, and also, let me know if you like my Scud story I've posted, I don't seem to be getting many reviews or follows on it, so if you don't like it, I'll delete it! And what are your thoughts on a Boondock Saints and/or a Red Canyon fic? Let me know!

Chapter 21

Riley's heart pounded in her chest as she looked down at the ring, then back up to Daryl.

"Daryl…I…" she stammered. He sighed, his chest falling a little.

"I know…I'm sorry…it was stupid a' me…just ferget I asked ya" he mumbled, going to put the ring in his pocket.

"Yes" she said simply, and his head jerked up to look at her.

"Huh?"

"I said yes. I will marry you" she smiled at him. He grinned back and opened the box, taking the ring out and taking her hand, sliding the ring onto her finger as his own hands shook. Once the ring was in place he kissed her hand softly and then kissed her lips with a little more force. They broke apart, grinning like fools.

"I love ya" he mumbled, stroking her cheek with his thumb

"I love you too" she smiled back, glancing down at her new engagement ring "Daryl its beautiful.."

"Like ya" he let her lie back on his chest again, careful not to let his arm bump her stitches. She winced a little as she sat back. "You honestly like it? Aint it kinda…small?"

"It's perfect" Riley raised her hand up so the diamond caught the light, glimmering gently. "It's exactly the ring I've always wanted"

"Good" he smiled, placing a gentle kiss in her hair and holding her to him. His brain was racing a million miles an hour, swimming with thoughts and mixed emotions. Yeah he was happy, but at the same time he was scared shitless. He didn't know nothing about marriage. His parents weren't a prime example, and Merle had always insisted that marriage was for pussies; that it made you weak and less of a man. Daryl brushed the thoughts of his brother aside as his fingers combed through Riley's hair. All he had to do now was find someway of getting them married. Even if it kills me, he thought.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Riley recovered quickly from her wound, much to the surprise of everyone else, and was up and about the prison in the next few days. The men clapped Daryl on the back and the women cooed over the ring when they broke the news to everyone, and Carl was more interested in the fact that him, Rick and Riley were now 'gunshot buddies'. The group seemed to be more 'together' now, and a lot happier, a lot more at home. Carol would cook dinner every night, and the rest of the women would help her clean up afterwards and do the laundry. Riley tried to help, but Carol insisted that she rest, there would be plenty of time to help when she was fully recovered. By the third day after Riley had been shot, she felt right as rain, and finally Hershel let her go back to sleeping in the cell with Daryl, under the agreement that if she was in pain, or needed help with anything, she wouldn't be stubborn and she would actually tell someone. Daryl settled in the bed next to his fiancée, and wrapped his arms around her as tight as he could. He whispered to her in the dark, telling her he loved her, and he needed her, and she smiled into his chest, eventually falling into the best sleep she had managed to get in a long time. She awoke in the early hours of the next morning; Daryl had rolled over onto his stomach and was snoring something chronic. She rolled over and closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep. And then her stomach flipped and she felt that tell tale feeling of saliva increasing in her mouth. She quickly untangled herself from the sheets and sprinted to the next cell, the one with the toilet, and before she could even kneel down, vomited harshly into the bowl, bringing up what little food she had in her stomach. She threw up twice, before slipping weakly to the floor, leaning her head back against the cool stone wall.

She threw up again at breakfast, the smell of cooking eggs was far too much for her, and the group frowned in concern as she sprinted to the communal bathroom once again. Riley was hugging the porcelain throne, spitting out the last of the bile, when a glass of water was placed by her. She wiped her mouth and looked up; Carol was stood there, sympathetically smiling at her.

"Thank you" Riley mumbled weakly as she sipped cautiously. Carol sat down next to her.

"You know, when I was pregnant with Sophia, the smell of eggs got to me too" the older woman said softly "It got so bad that Ed actually had to cook his own breakfast" she chuckled lightly and Riley smiled weakly back. Carol placed a hand on Riley's hot shoulder. "Sweetheart, forgive me if I'm overstepping here, but..I do the laundry, I notice when some of the women…are caught out by that time of the month…I've noticied you haven't for a while now, and you haven't asked me for a tampon or anything either…how long has it been since you had a period?"

Riley swallowed hard. She hadn't even thought about that stuff, yeah, she'd missed her last two periods, but she thought it was just from losing so much weight…that could stop them, right? And she and Daryl had been using protect….fuck. No they hadn't. She'd taken the last of her pills at the farm…meaning to ask Maggie for some more, but then they had to leave and the thought kind of..slipped her mind.

"Oh shit" she whispered quietly, her hand moving down to her stomach and clutching it slightly. Her eyes were wide with panic as she looked up at Carol. "Carol…"

"Oh honey" Carol wrapped her arms around the young woman, holding her tightly as she sobbed. "It's okay…it's okay…we all make mistakes"

"W-what am I gonna do?! I-I-I cant have a baby! D-Daryl.."

"Daryl will support you whatever you do" Carol told her firmly "I can see that without even asking. We'll all help you, okay? But you don't know for sure…I think Lori might have a leftover test from the farm, I'll get it for you, okay? You take it and then we go from there"

Riley sniffed, wiping her eyes. She nodded and Carol helped her up from the floor. She paced in the bathroom nervously, waiting for the older woman to return with the test. When she did, Riley's heart thudded in her chest as she went into a toilet stall. She returned with the test, and waited.

Positive.

Oooooooooooooo

The Georgia sunlight beamed down on the prison yard as Riley made her way across it. She approached Daryl, placing a hand on his back, stroking the tattered wings on his vest.

"I need to talk to you" she said quietly after he'd kissed her. He'd opened his mouth to respond when Beth's scream pierced the air. Riley and Daryl whirled around and stares in shock as a herd of walkers shuffled into the courtyard.

"What the hell?!" Daryl bellowed, drawing his bow "Get inside, we can talk later"

"But Daryl I can fight!" she protested

"No! I almost lost you a few days ago, I aint goin' through that again!" he roared over his shoulder, as he, Rick and Glenn raced forward, guns drawn. Carol and T sprinted over to reseal the gate, Beth and Hershel sealed themselves in a fenced in entryway, and Maggie grabbed the Jersey girl's arm, pulling her inside with her, Carl and Lori. They raced through the prison, heading towards their cell block, but Carl stopped the women as he spotted a group of walkers nearby.

"Back up!" he whispered and they nodded, doubling back and entering the dark corridors. Lori let out a yell and doubled over. Riley rushed to her friend's side.

"What is it?!" she panicked, noticing Lori clutching her stomach and a wetness seeping through the older woman's pants.

"The baby..it's coming!" Lori yelled and Riley looked at Maggie, who returned her panicked look. Lori screamed in pain again as her son looked around in a panic.

"In here!" he called, opening a door, and Maggie and Riley supported Lori and helped her into the room. Carl blocked the door from the oncoming walkers, and rushed down the stairs. Riley bit her lip as she looked around the boiler room, leading Lori down the stairs. Once on the lower ground, Riley and Maggie laid Lori on the floor, the older woman sobbing and sweating in pain. Maggie undid Lori's pants.

"What are you doing?!" Carl gasped in shock, looking down at his mother

"She's gonna have to deliver this baby, now!" Maggie answered

"Here?!" Riley gasped

"We don't have a choice." Maggie answered, throwing Lori's pants aside. "Lori, you need to push, okay?"

Lori nodded, and Riley grasped her hand as she gritted her teeth and pushed downwards, screeching in agony. Riley encouraged her friend as best she could, but inside she was terrified. Maggie told Lori to stop pushing, a panicked look on her face.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?!" Riley demanded, and Maggie lifted her hands up; they were covered in blood.

"She's haemorrhaging" Maggie said in a shaky voice

"What do we do?!"

"I…I don't know" the country girl whispered as she looked down at Lori. She was losing blood fast.

"I'm..I'm not losing my baby" Lori wheezed "You have to cut me open"

"No!" Riley insisted "Lori, you'll die!"

"Do it" she said firmly to Maggie, who nodded weakly. Riley moved out of the way so Lori could say her goodbyes to her son, and she and Maggie fought back tears. Lori then pulled Riley close. "You are gonna be okay…do you hear me?"

"Lori…I-"

"Ssh. Your baby…you're gonna have a a boy…I can feel it." Lori smiled weakly at the younger woman "And you and Daryl…the baby…you're all gonna be fine. He'll look like Daryl, but he'll have your eyes, I just know it" she whispered and Riley hugged her tightly, not even bothering to question how she knew about the baby, and placed a kiss to Lori's clammy forehead. "Look after Carl and my baby…and tell Rick I love him and I'm sorry"

Riley bit her lip and nodded, wiping her eyes and clutching Lori's hand as Maggie cut her open. Lori screamed and then passed out. Maggie scooped the baby out and wrapped it in a towel, passing it to Riley.

"it's a girl…"

Riley's hands shook as she took the infant, and sighed in relief as its cry echoed through the boiler room. Riley had never held a baby before but this felt…natural. Normal. Riley got up and immediately took the baby away from her mother, who Riley knew was dead now, blood pouring from her stomach.

"We can just leave her here" Carl's voice broke through the silence "She'll turn"

Maggie and Riley looked at each other, and Maggie held out her hand, motioning for Carl's gun. "No" he whispered "I'll do it"

"Carl…" Riley breathed, rocking the baby in her arms.

"Go!" he cried and Maggie and Riley moved towards the exit to give him some privacy. They both jumped a little at the gunshot, and Carl pushed past them, heading out of the room. They made their way in silence through the corridors, and back out into the courtyard. Baby Girl began crying again as they emerged into the sunlight, the others all turning around in shock. Rick's eyes wander to Carl, to the baby, and then to the other grief stricken women. He collapses in grief as the realization washed over him. Riley handed the baby to Beth, her knees feeling weak as Daryl wrapped his arms around her, and she sobbed into his chest, her hand gripping her own stomach. Daryl whispered to her that T and Carol both didn't make it, and she cried harder, her knees giving out and leaning completely on Daryl. He hushed her, told her it was gonna be okay, and that he loved her, and he was proud of her. Rick roared in anger, grabbing his axe and striding into the prison. No-one followed him. Hershel examined the baby, determining that she was healthy.

"She'll need formula, and everything else that we don't have" he said gently to the group.

"I'll go" Daryl said, and Maggie volunteered to go with him. He kissed Riley gently before leaving. The rest of the group made their way inside, leaving Riley alone. Her hands were trembling as she sat on a bench, her head in her hands. Was she going to die giving birth too? Could she do this? Could Daryl do this? Did he even want a baby? Her mind was swimming with questions as she placed her elbows on the table of the bench and sobbed silently. The loss of her friends and the confusion and terror or the pregnancy was too much. Hershel, Glenn, Axel and Oscar dug three graves in the grass, and Glenn glanced over at Riley, who was now watching them through the fence, her face pale and worn. He gave her a small wave, and she simply turned and walked back inside, no emotion on her face whatsoever. He sighed and glanced back down at the graves.

Oooooooooooooo

Night had fallen by the time Daryl and Maggie returned to the prison, with all the baby supplies. Rick was nowhere to be found and Riley, Glenn, Hershel, Axel, Oscar and Beth watched as Carl cradled his baby sister for the first time. Her cries echoed around the cell block as Carl shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to do. Riley sat at the small table and watched, her hand resting on her stomach, absent mindedly stroking it over the fabric of her shirt, even though there was no bump. Daryl and Maggie entered the cell block and Riley got up, walking over to Daryl and wrapping her arms around his neck, holding him close.

"Hey" he mumbled

"I missed you" she whispered back, pulling away and kissing his looked over to Carl, who was still struggling to hush the baby, and he smiled at Riley, before walking over and taking the baby from Carl. Everyone looked on confused and Riley felt her heart practically melt as Daryl took a bottle from Beth and began to feed the baby. She was immediately quiet.

"Yeah..you like that? Huh?" he tilted her up towards him "Lil' Ass Kicker?" he grinned as he looked around the group "Right?"

The group, including Riley, laughed softly and agreed with him. Riley watched Daryl with the baby, unable to take her eyes off of him and a weight lifted from her shoulders. He was a natural. Watching him with the baby was…amazing. This was a side of Daryl that even she hadn't seen before.

"Lil Ass Kicker…you like that, huh? You like that, sweethear'?" he cooed as the baby's eyes began to droop. He passed her back to Beth once she'd finished the bottle, and everyone turned in for the night. Daryl laced his fingers with Riley's. "You wan'd to talk?"

Riley swallowed. Too much had happened today, she couldn't burden him with this. Not yet. Especially after Lori…

"It wasn't important" she gave him her best smile and kissed his lips. "let's go to bed"

Daryl frowned and then nodded, and the pair ascended the stairs, entering their cell and climbing into bed. Daryl dropped off to sleep quickly, but Riley lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling, her hands resting on her stomach. "It's gonna be okay" she whispered in the darkness.