AN: Here we are, another chapter here.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

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Carol pulled on her leather jacket as she walked out of the building. Daryl already had his on. He watched her as she slipped in front of him and walked confidently toward the bike.

He couldn't help but smile to himself.

"Hate it when you gone," Daryl said. "But I love watchin' you walk away."

Carol laughed and looked at him over her shoulder.

"Are you going to feel that way when I'm fat?" She asked.

Daryl walked a little faster to catch up with her.

"I been tryin' to fatten your ass up for a while," he offered. "Who don't like a little meat?"

Carol seemed pleased. Her cheeks blushed with color and she turned to face him as she reached the bike. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. She came without hesitation.

"I didn't know you was gonna leave outta there knocked up," Daryl offered, "or I'da brought the damned truck instead of the bike. I could call somebody to come get us."

"I've been riding on the bike, Daryl," Carol said. "It's safe. I trust you."

"Maybe it's me that don't trust me," Daryl said. "Or it's other assholes I don't trust."

Carol hummed at him and winked her eye.

"Then you'll just ride easy this time," she said.

There was something in her tone of voice—in the way she said it—that made a shiver run up Daryl's spine in the most delicious way possible.

"Cold?" She asked.

Daryl leaned in and kissed her. She kissed him back—slow and satisfied. He lingered there a while.

"No," he said, when the kiss broke. "I ain't cold at all. So damn hot—I damn near don't need this jacket."

"You will on the bike," Carol teased. The nip in the air wasn't at all unbearable, but it could get chilly when they were riding. She furrowed her brow at him. "Can I ask you something?" He hummed at her. "Will you promise to answer me seriously? Tell me the truth?"

Daryl slipped his hands into Carol's back pockets. He held her against him.

"I don't never lie to you," he said. "I ain't lied to you yet."

Carol nodded her head slightly. She was holding his eyes with hers. Her eyes were big, and he could see that there was much more than one question in them—there had to be to make them suddenly look so full of concern.

"Are you sure you're happy?" Carol asked.

Daryl laughed to himself and worked his fingers, bringing her closer against him as he did.

"About what?" He asked.

"Daryl—I'm pregnant," Carol said.

"So they was sayin'," Daryl offered. "You got you a picture in your jacket pocket, don't you? Just to prove it to everyone."

"Are you happy, though?" Carol asked.

Daryl laughed to himself.

"For fuck's sake, Carol," Daryl said. "Ain't that what we went in there for? Ain't we had two dozen conversations about what if it didn't never happen? But it did happen. It's happenin' like—like right fuckin' now. Like right this minute." Daryl moved his hands to separate them and give them a little space. In her jacket pocket, there were some papers. There were some pictures of the baby. She'd tucked them in her inside jacket pocket before they'd ever left the hospital. It was something like six weeks old and it didn't look like a baby at all, but it was there. It had a heartbeat and everything.

In Daryl's jacket pocket, there was a familiar pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He helped himself to one since it was evident that they weren't leaving the parking lot for a minute.

"I know that it's happening," Carol said. "At least—I know that's what they said. To be honest, I don't know that I actually really realize it yet…but what I mean is, did I push you into this?"

Daryl laughed to himself and took a drag off his cigarette as he walked a small circle around the bike. Carol turned her body as he walked, keeping herself facing him so she could watch him.

Someone, driving by, yelled at him. It was something about taking his greasy ass out of there or something. He didn't need to hear it to know he didn't want to hear it. It wasn't one of his brothers and he couldn't give a fuck what the asshole had to say. He told him as much by extending his middle finger in the direction of the truck.

"Fuck you!" He yelled out. He turned back to Carol. "It's you who I oughta be askin' if you're sure you wanna do this. You wanna have a kid with me? So assholes that don't know you can drive by an' call you names?"

"Assholes have been saying things about me for years," Carol said. "Why the hell is she still with him? What's she doing? If it were me…and the list goes on. If being with you is what they're talking about? I'll listen to whatever ignorant shit they have to say all day. But I don't want you to feel like pushed you into this, or trapped you, or…"

Daryl completed his circle quickly, came back around to Carol, and quickly put his finger over her lips to stop her from speaking.

"I'ma say this as plain as I can," Daryl said. "I need you to listen to it, OK? Just nod—don't say nothin'." Carol nodded her head. "I don't know that I know everything right now. What I mean is—they said you pregnant but I'ma need like at least fifteen minutes of quiet to just sit down an' fuckin' think about that. Don't mean that I'ma change my mind—'cause I'm not. I just gotta let it seep into my head or somethin' that it's not like just somethin' we're talkin' about and wonderin' if it could happen. You understand—just nod." Carol smiled against his finger, and Daryl swallowed back his own smile in response, but she nodded. "I'm happy. Real fuckin' happy. And I'ma be like a thousand times happier when you give me that time I was askin' for to sit down and think about this. I'ma be so fuckin' happy I'ma prob'ly run through the streets of Liberty yellin' the damned news out to everyone…but I just need them minutes to get it all in my head."

He moved his finger, already dreading a little the protests that might follow. Carol simply smiled at him for a moment, though.

"Can I speak yet?" She asked.

"As long as you don't ask me again if I'm happy or if I'm sure I'm happy," Daryl said. "And—just so you know, them minutes don't count into the minutes I'm gonna need to absorb everything."

Carol laughed to herself.

"You can have all the time you need," Carol said. "We really shouldn't say anything to anyone for at least another month and a half."

Daryl furrowed his brow. He finished off his cigarette and flicked the butt off into the parking lot.

"Why the hell not?" He asked. "We oughta tell 'em right away."

"Babies don't always make it," Carol said.

"He said it looks good," Daryl said. "You look good."

"But these things still happen," Carol said. "Sometimes—it's just one of those shitty things that happens in life and your baby just—doesn't make it."

Daryl laughed to himself.

"I know plenty about shitty things, Carol," he said. He could feel his muscles tensing. He could feel the irritation—or was it anger? It rose up inside of him without warning and without explanation. "You don't gotta tell me about shitty things." He stopped. He checked himself. He wasn't mad at her and he didn't understand, entirely, why he suddenly felt a little angry. "I'm sorry," he said.

"It's OK," Carol said. "It's just—we should wait until I'm farther along. Until it's more likely that the baby will be fine."

"That don't make no sense," Daryl said. "Why the hell wouldn't we tell everyone? Just 'cause somethin' might happen. It might happen every day. Same for any of us. Don't make sense not to tell everybody."

"You tell them and then something happens," Carol said. "And then you have to go around and tell them all that something happened. You have to go through that hurt of—saying it to everyone who knew you were pregnant."

"And if they don't know, you still gonna feel it," Daryl said. "You gonna feel it if somethin' was to happen, even if you kept it to yourself entirely. Hell—at least if you tell everybody you give it a life. A real life. A whole fuckin' family that knows it's there."

"And if something happens?" Carol asked.

Daryl shrugged his shoulder.

"Then you give it a whole fuckin' family that wishes to hell it weren't gone," Daryl said. "But remembers that it was there to begin with."

"You want to tell everyone?" Carol asked.

"You want me to be happy," Daryl said. "You want me to be excited about the fact that we're havin' a baby together, don't you?"

Carol nodded.

"Of course, I do," she said.

"Then you gotta let me do it my way," Daryl said. "You can't tell me that we got this big news and expect me to be excited about it, and happy about it, and everything else, and then expect me to just—not say anything about it until it's supposed to be OK to say it."

"Fine," Carol said. "You can say—whatever you want. To whoever you want. Whenever you're ready."

Daryl stared at her.

"You mean that?" He asked. "Or that's a fine like—I'ma say it's fine, but then I'm not gonna talk to you for like a month if you do it?"

Carol laughed to herself.

"Have I ever done that?" She asked. "Told you something was fine to—to hold it against you if you took me at my word?" Daryl shook his head at her. "I've never lied to you, either."

"Some women do that," Daryl offered.

"And some men would've slapped me in the face when we got out here for not having told them I was pregnant before we got in there so they had to be surprised or something," Carol said with a shrug.

"Weren't like you knew," Daryl said. "Not that—I don't mean that I woulda given a shit either way…just…"

"I know what you mean," Carol said. Daryl felt a slight rush of thankfulness that he didn't have to try to explain the thought that he'd had. "My point is that I'm not lying to you. If you want to tell, Daryl, we'll tell. We'll tell right now. As soon as you want. I do want you to be happy. And I want you to be excited. And I want you to share the news with whoever you want to share it with…however and whenever you want to share it."

"I want you to be happy too, though," Daryl said. "I don't want it just to be my way or the highway."

Carol laughed quietly.

"If you're happy, I'm going to be happy. No matter what. You'll make sure of that."

Daryl's heartbeat picked up speed at her words. He reached out his hand and brushed his knuckles against her cheek.

"I want you to marry me," he said.

"I will," Carol assured him. "When I have the papers."

Daryl nodded his head.

"Maybe we—plan it ahead of time. So as soon as them papers get in your hand, we're ready. Unless…you don't wanna do that."

"I would marry you right now," Carol said. "Right here in the parking lot with nobody to see but—but that asshole that thinks we're up to something and ought to leave."

"Maybe they'll be a few more there," Daryl said. "But—not that asshole. Family. Still—I don't wanna wait too long. Don't want my kid bein' a bastard."

"Don't worry about that," Carol said. "You just—worry about how, and when, you want to tell everyone."

Daryl nodded his head.

"Just let me think on it," he said. He reached and handed her the helmet that belonged to her and she slipped it on as he took his place on the bike.

"You've got all the time you need," she offered, slipping in behind him.