As much as I love the idea of Carol bearing Daryl a son, this is a more likely scenario.

Disclaimer: Not mine!

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Chapter Fifty-Two: And When the Mourning Comes

She should have known there was no such thing as happily ever after.

Carol sat on her bunk, her knees together and her head cradled in her hands. The last few months had been going so well. The group had left the prison and settled on a large farm on the outskirts of Georgia. The men had been able to gather material and build several smaller houses on the property, giving everyone just enough room to be comfortable. Rick, Michonne, Carl and Judith shared the upstairs of the farmhouse while Hershel, Glenn, Maggie and Beth shared the downstairs. There were three smaller houses built on the property and shared by the residents of Woodbury. Then there was a small cabin situated at the edge of the property that was shared by Carol and Daryl. She wasn't sure exactly when they became an item; it simply happened like a force of nature. In a way they had always been an item. Now it was out there for everyone to see.

Three months ago, Carol had found out she was pregnant. Daryl had panicked when he first found out, but after going on a long hunting trip, he came back ready to accept this massive shift between the two of them. He made sure Carol ate before anyone else and when he left the farm, he made sure someone was with her at all times. He was adapting quickly, and now it was all falling apart again.

A few feet away, her blood soaked underwear was on the floor. Her abdomen cramped as she leaned forward and cried again. She had been pregnant so many times before Sophia that she lost count. She always figured she lost them because of the violence she suffered at Ed's hands. Daryl had never raised a cruel hand to her and yet she had still lost this baby, too.

A sob shook her thin body. She was underweight and their world was a cruel one, but she had been happier and safer than she ever was with Ed. So why was this happening? Why had she lost this baby?

How was this fair?

Sick to her stomach, Carol curled up on the bed Daryl had hand-crafted for them and buried her face in his pillow. He would be home soon and she would have to tell him their baby was dead. Would he be relieved? Would he finally snap and disappear for good? The thought of losing him made it hard for her to breathe. She gripped his pillow and sobbed into the soft material.

She was a fool to think there was such a thing as happily ever after.

The End.