So now that I put my note on my other story I will be focusing all my heart and mind on this! And I hope I can get this up before the big game! And thank you for the new reviews, follows, and favorites! It makes my day seeing those when I wake up in the morning. And I'm setting a word limit for myself for each chapter because my hand hurt like hell after each chapter and the last like ten chapters have been over 4000 words and I need to calm my fingers down. So my min. is 3000 words and my maximum is 3800 because I need to calm down my mind and space out my chapters XD
Ok, now that THAT's done, This chapter is going to be time later. The group has definitely adjusted to the campus and gotten used to life there. Also, more people have found the campus and have gotten used to it. Some more reunions. In probably a few chapters is when some drama will come into the picture. But this chapter is defiantly going to be a very lovey/family /friendly chapter. And I'm excited to write it! On with the story!
Eight Months Later
Laughter echoed throughout the forest as Aria ran on the ground as fast as she could, crunching on leaves and snapping twigs that were strewn all over the place. A smile that reached her eyes was placed on her face as she ran from spot to stop, trying to find the little kids that were hiding from her. And she wasn't the only teenager searching, all the others were too.
This was a game that they played. Aria had found an open clearing with the kids one day and they had started this. It was like hide and seek, but instead of staying in one area, they would run around in circles and try to confuse the teenagers. And half the time they did confuse the teenagers. But sooner or later they would find them and then they would head back.
The little kids weren't out there unprotected though. You could say that school started up again…but not in the way that had math and science and English and all that. All the kids and even some young adults had an hour to two hours a day to train and learn how to defend themselves. The little kids simply learned how to us a gun and a knife so they could find something to protect themselves with, taught basic survival skills.
As for the older kids, teenagers, and young adults, they were taught not only how to use a gun and knives, but to use other weapons as well. Some kids even took up the bow and arrow, mostly girls surprisingly. Aria stuck with a smaller crossbow she had found on a raid one day, but a lot of others used knives, machetes, bows, rifles, anything that they could use to kill the fuckers that wanted to eat them.
Hunter had even taught the kids how to take out the part of the guns that made the sound. Their guns were completely silent now and didn't make a sound.
The kids had become like family. Scarlett had become close friends with a little girl names Sammy, who Layla and Drake had found out on a run one day. The two would often be seen playing and drawing together in the library or practicing together. The kids had gotten used to the feel of the gun in their hands as well. They did not even show a sight of fear in holding the gun and didn't even flinch when the gun was fired. They were used to it now.
But that didn't stop the kids from being, well, kids. They had a rec center that a lot of them flocked to. They would play all sorts of games and would play on the fields. There was a beach a few miles down the road surprisingly, and they had gone there when the weather had started to get warmer. There was even an indoor pool in the rec center.
The teens spread themselves out throughout the college. They had gotten a lot of the buildings working. Most of the girls would flock to one of the library's and talk and laugh, while the boys would head to one of the areas to play some sort of game. But either or, they would eventually all gather back and talk.
The campus had turned into a home.
Something that none of the kids or adults really knew would happen in this world.
"Scarlett!" Aria yells through the forest, listening to the laughter. It was slowly driving her crazy that she couldn't find these kids this time! They were getting too good at this game. "Hunter!" she yells, laughing at herself. She runs further into the woods and almost crashes down onto the ground when she smashes into an object.
It's hands reach out to steady her and she looks up, smiling at Carl. Aria had found out that he was only a few months younger than her, and now he was sixteen too. Both babysitted the kids, and she saw him around his little sister all the time, who was now a year old and could walk.
"Who are you looking for?" she asks quickly, glancing around her. He sighs.
"Billy!" he replies, and she could tell he was frustrated. Billy was just as good of a hider as Scarlett was. The two were the best at this game.
"Scarlett AND Hunter," she replies. He cringes.
"Oh, I feel bad for you," he chuckles. She rolls her eyes.
"Please do," she mumbles. All of a sudden Lizzie comes smashing through the bushes and she smiels at the two. "You?"
"Sammy!" she pants, leaning on her knees. Lizzie had just turned thirteen a month ago in July. "And Mika," she says, leaning back up to make eye contact. "Have any of you seen them?" Both shake there head.
"Sorry, Liz," Aria says.
"Dang it," she mumbles, looking up in the trees. "Where the hell have they gone?" she whines, looking around, hearing the laughter. "I can hear them but I can't see them at all!" she groans. Aria sees a tinsy bit of movement to her right and she turns her head sharply.
"We need to split up if we're going to find them! I just saw something!" The other two nod and they go their separate ways, while Aria looks to the bush. She runs to it and sees nothing behind it, but only to her left sees Hunter running as fast as he possibly could. "Ha!" she yells, chasing after him. They were one step closer to finishing this game.
"Look at all of them," Aria says later on when they had found the kids. She was now sitting on the very same rock she had found Carl and Rick on with Carl, watching the kids play on the ground below. Lizzie was with Mika and she was teaching her how to shoot the gun a bit more properly. Lizzie had become a very good person when it came to teaching the smaller kids what they didn't really get. She was very smart. "It feels so nice to watch the kids play and just be kids."
"When this whole thing started, it seemed almost impossible to really be a kid. Now, it seems almost normal in this world," Carl states. Aria laughs.
"Because it IS normal! Kids are supposed to have fun and play and just be free. It seems hard because of everything that's happened in the past couple years, but it's possible. And they survive, just look at the little kids below us." He chuckles, leaning a little bit over the edge.
"All I see is a bunch of dirt on the kids faces," he replies. She rolls her eyes and playfully smacks the back of his head.
"You're impossible," she says, leaning against the rock. He laughs and turns to Aria.
"You know when your mom's due?" he asks. She shrugs her shoulder.
"You're guess is as good as mine. But I will say that it might be soon. She's gotten big." When her mother had told her they would be having ANOTHER kid, in her mind she thought 'way to go, you didn't use protection,' but on the outside she was happy, and she had to admit, she was thankful to be having another little brother or sister to torture like she did to Scarlett and Hunter. It had been eight months since the announcement, and she was ready to pop.
"I wonder if it's going to be a boy or a girl. What do you want it to be?" he asks. She shrugs her shoulders.
"I've experienced having both a brother and a sister now, so to be true, I kind of want a girl because Hunter is so bloody messy!" He chuckles slightly. "But either way, I'll be happy. Gives me more people to drive crazy other then my mom and dad." She picks at her tank top that was sticking to her body. "God, I can't believe it's August and we're down here in plain sunlight. This is retarded," she mumbles.
"I thought you likes being out here with the kids?" he chuckles. She rolls her eyes.
"Not in freaking 100 degree weather," she replies. "Hey, I heard that Layla and Drake are planning a little dance for the teens. You know, like homecoming dance style in the stadium. Just for shit's sake." He raises an eyebrow.
"Really?" he chuckles. She nods, turning back to the kids and keeping an eye on her brother and sister playing near the small stream.
"Yeah. I think a few girls are crushing on you," she remarks. He snorts.
"Please," he replies. She shoulder bumps him and chuckles.
"I'm serious! I saw Nellie and Jayda looking at you the other day, and I heard Jayda say to Nellie that she would give anything to see how you kiss." He burst out laughing, his body shaking.
"I've never even kissed anyone before!" he replies, still laughing. She shrugs her shoulders and looks back to him.
"Apparently she thinks you have. But what do you say? If this happens will you take her?" He shakes his head.
"Heck no," he replies. "I'm not into dances that much." Aria snorts.
"That's what my dad said before he met my mom. Years later he dances with her every single time they went out." Carl rolls his eyes.
"Your parents have known each other for over twenty years now! He feels comfortable around her. Me? Not so much." She rolls her eyes at him, causing him to snicker.
"What about me? Would you dance with me?" she asks. He nods like it's the most obvious thing in the world.
"Well, yeah, because I like you a lot and-wait, that didn't come out right, I mean-oh," he stutters when she sees Aria's raised eyebrow at his comment. "I didn't mean it like-" She laughs.
"It's fine Carl," she chuckles. He was fun to squirm around.
Anna opened her eyes to the bright sunlight in the bedroom she and Daryl had. She looks around her and smiles, seeing Daryl still fast asleep, his eyes twitching slightly under his eyelids. She knew he was dreaming. It still amazed her how peaceful he looked when he slept compared to when he was awake. It felt nice to see this every once and a while.
She feels his arms wrapped tightly around her, and slowly reaches down to feel one of his hands resting on her extended stomach. She smiles wider and leans up, intending to peck his lips just simply, but was surprised when he started to kiss back. She smirks and wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her, if he wasn't already as close as he could be.
When he pulls back, his eyes are open and she could still see bits of sleep in them. "Now that's a way to be woken up," he says, pulling back a bit to look at her. She laughs.
"Yeah, I guess it is. You've done it for me so I might as well do it for you," she replies, pecking his lips once more. "I thought that I could return the favor," she chuckles. He smirks at her.
"Consider it returned. But it would be nice to be woken up like that every morning." She shrugs her shoulders.
"I could try, but it's very rare I wake up before you." He shrugs his shoulders and kisses her again, this time a bit more heated.
"Ya could do that while I'm awake," he muses. She raises an eyebrow.
"Then what's the-you're impossible," she chuckles, leaning against him slightly. She feels him chuckle against him and she smiles. Suddenly, she feels something down below her and she smiles. She takes his hand and looks up at him, glee written all over her face. "I felt the baby kick," she says happily.
She moves his hand down towards her stomach and places it over where she felt the kick. When it happens again, he grins. "Well, I'll be damned," he snickers. "Something tells me you're gonne be climber," he talks to the stomach, making her laugh. "Just like your mama. Be climbing up trees and impossible to get ya down."
"You always got me down, though," she comments to him. He chuckles and leans back up, pecking her lips again.
"Ya were still a pain in my ass to get down," he chuckles. She smiles and gets up from her bed, throwing on a shirt and walking into the living room of their apartment.
The family of five-soon to be six-was actually moved to another vacant apartment so they could have more room for the incoming child. And it was what Anna thought was one of the biggest apartments in the campus.
It must have been home to eight students during college. There were four bedroom that could fit two people in each. Obviously Daryl and Anna had one to their selves. Anna and Aria had their own room that they shared. Aria had even taken the initiative and found paint, painting it a soft purple color that both girl could agree on. They had definitely made the room their own. Aria even had her own desk that she would paint on, and most of her sketches and paintings littered the walls, like they had been at the prison. It reminded her of good times and meeting all the people that she considered family.
Then there was Hunter. The boy was now nine, and he had his own room, of course. His room was a simple green that was there before they came, It was a nice room, that actually had a comfy bed. He had littered his walls with sketches and posters he had found. One of the posters that he had was a giant Batman poster that covered the back of his door. He had been his favorite superhero when he was younger. He had all his weapons on the desk. Like his older sister, he had a small crossbow that fit him. He had been getting really good, especially since his father had been teaching him. He had his pistols and his knives that her mother had taught him with. He was getting really good at those as well. He had even commented that he would be as good as his sister with the crossbow, to which he received a smack to the head from said sister.
The last room was now littered with baby supplies. There was a small crib that was prepared to hold the newborn when it came into the world. There were new baby clothes ready to be put on and little toys. The room was a bright white. Aria and the kids had even picked out their own toys to put in the room for their new sibling. They were very excited to see the new human that would waddle it's little way into their life.
"Daryl, I'm heading down to the campus center to help Layla!" Anna yells from the kitchen, grabbing a quick slice of toast from the small toaster they had. She knew that Layla needed her help today in the kitchen to help prepare the food for the small dance they were going to have in a few days. The kids didn't even know.
Layla, Maggie and Anna had become close enough to be thought of as sisters in the time they had been together at the campus. They all drove each other crazy, but loved each other enough to take a bullet for them if the time came. Layla was positively bouncing off the walls the moment Anna walked in. She raises an eyebrow. "Why are you so happy?" she asks curiously.
"Something tells me she had a little fun last night," Maggie says to her. Glenn had somehow found the campus a few months back, and he was ok. He and Maggie had had a joyful reunion, and ever since then, Maggie was so much more happier and open then she had been when she wasn't with Glenn. Anna liked Glenn too. He was funny, when he wanted to be, but also very caring and sweet. She could defiantly see him as one of her friends that she probably would have had back in high school.
"Oh really?" she chuckles at Layla. Layla blushes and looks down at the plate she was scrubbing.
"I didn't do that with him!" she insists. Maggie and Anna raise an eyebrow and look at each other with a sly look on their faces. Then they look back at her and Layla sighs. "Ok, fine, me and Drake did have a little fun last night." Anna snickers and Maggie just rolls her eyes, walking over to her side.
"It's fine to share details about that, Lay'" she remarks. "Anna's proof of that," she gestures to her stomach. Anna glares at her playfully and sticks out her tongue.
"Yeah, I am!" she chuckles. "I have to say though, I am ready for it to pop out," she chuckles. Both girls nod.
"Good. Then we can get you back to work on killing all those walkers," Maggie comments. Anna smiles and takes one of her dishes.
"And there's something else I should tell you guys!" Layla says excitedly. Maggie and Anna look at her expectedly and Layla holds out her hand. Anna smiles. There was a ring. "He asked me to marry him!" she squeals in excitement. Both girls smile at her.
"It's about time," Anna mumbles. "I'm so happy for you though. You and Drake belong together," she muses, placing her plate down on the table. When she starts to retract her hand, she stops moving for a second. Maggie sees this and rushes over to her.
"Anna? Are you alright?" she asks concerned. Anna nods shakily.
"Yup…but I think my water just broke."
Three hours later and a lot of grueling pain, but worth it, Anna was in an infirmary bed, dazed, but awake, and looking lovingly down at her new born. A boy. Daryl got his wish. The first thing she noticed about the little bundle was that he had his father's strikingly blue eyes, and then noticed he had his mothers dark brown hair. Born with a full head of hair, just like she had been. She prayed that it didn't fall of like other babies hair has.
"I can't believe this," she mumbles to the little boy. "Another Dixon boy. This is going to be fun," she chuckles. The baby was fast asleep. She sees the door open in front of her and smiles. Here comes the family.
"A boy?" Aria asks quietly, coming over to her mother's side. Anna nods and hands her the baby, to which she takes gratefully and smiles at him. "He's adorable," she laughs quietly, showing him to the other two siblings who were too young to really hold the baby carefully.
"He looks like daddy," Scarlett says, looking up at Daryl. He smiles down at her and nods.
"Yeah, he does," he agrees, sitting next to Anna and kissing her on the lips lovingly.
"We have four kids," she mouths to Daryl. He nods.
"I know," he says amazed. Hunter looks up at them.
"What are we naming him?" he asks. Anna looks at Daryl.
"I don't know, actually. Been so busy I haven't really thought about names lately." She thinks for a moment. A name pops into her head. "How about Ethan?" she asks, thinking of one of her friends back in college. He had been the reason she got onto Broadway. "That name always sounded nice to me."
"I like it," Aria comments, looking back down at the baby boy with a smile on her face.
"Ethan Dixon…has a ring to it," Daryl says, chuckling a little. Anna does as well. It did have a ring.
Aw, little family moments like that make me smile and feel all good inside. And they had the baby! Little Ethan! And we had a little flirty moment between Carl and Aria, I love writing for those two XD I'm so happy I wrote this chapter, been waiting to. Thanks for reading and REVIEW! Hope you enjoyed! : ) And I just found out Ethan means 'strong' I pick the perfect names XD