AN: Here we are, another chapter.

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

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"I can hold them?" Sophia asked.

The babies, in the remarkably short time that she'd known them, already promised to bring Sophia out of her shell more than anything else she'd experienced so far. Though she retreated, often, into herself, she was willing to speak and communicate for interaction with the tiny infants that she clearly found fascinating.

"Gotta be careful, OK?" Daryl asked.

Sophia nodded at him and held her arms out.

"Be careful," Carol said as Daryl lifted the baby boy from the basket of his mother's arms. "Support his head, Daryl."

"I got his head, it's OK."

"Help Sophia…"

"We're gonna be OK," Daryl said in the most soothing tone he could. "He ain't gonna lose his head, Mama."

"It can break his neck if you don't support his head, Daryl…" Carol said, visibly tensing up. "Please…"

"Shhhh…shhh…I got him, Carol. He's OK. Everyone's OK," Daryl said to soothe her. There was no need to soothe the wholly unbothered infant. He was so full, at this point, that he was practically like a little four-pound tick. His expression, when he bothered to open his eyes, made it look like he'd spent half of this first day of his life sucking on a whiskey bottle instead of his mother's tit.

Daryl eased the baby into Sophia's waiting arms and, to ease Carol's mind, he held his hands in such a position so that he could be sure that the baby boy's head was well-supported and comfortably positioned.

Carol watched them like a hawk, clutching the baby she'd been allowed to retain, and finally she settled into her pillows. Not even the pain medicine that was meant to render her downright goofy could take the edge off of the protectiveness she felt right now. She and her babies had both been threatened—or at least they'd perceived a threat, if there was no real threat—and she would need time to overcome that.

For that reason, Daryl had brought Sophia into the bedroom instead of daring to take the infants away from Carol for a tour of the house. As a family, they could camp in the bedroom together for as long Carol needed to feel secure and to get the rest that she needed to recover from bringing the little things into the world.

"Boy?" Sophia asked.

"He's the boy," Daryl confirmed. "Your brother."

Sophia smiled. She looked enamored of the tiny ball of baby.

"Brother," she said.

"Brother," Daryl repeated. "Brothers are a pain in the ass sometimes, but—they pretty good to have, too." Sophia tried to pull the baby away from him, perhaps to take him to some corner of the mattress and examine him in private, but Daryl didn't let her. "Nah," he scolded gently. "We gonna stay right here with the babies. Right here with your Ma. We ain't takin' 'em off nowhere. Not today. You understand?"

"I can hold him," Sophia scolded back, her forehead wrinkling.

"You can hold him just like this? You can't let his head sag not even a quarter inch—you hear me? You hold him just like this so he's OK."

"I can hold him," Sophia confirmed.

Daryl moved his hands. For a few moments, he hovered close to her. It became clear, though, that she had a great deal of interest in keeping her baby brother safe and happy. She didn't let him move at all from the position in which he was now dozing—milk-drunk and wholly contented. "Name?" She asked, moving her whole upper body as she gently rocked herself and the baby back and forth.

"Justice," Daryl said. "We gonna call him—Justice. Might be the only way we get a lil' bit of it around here. Your sister? She's Hope."

"They're good names."

Daryl and Sophia both turned toward the voice. It was Alice, standing in the bedroom doorway. She smiled at them, reassuringly. She was dressed in pajamas, and the couch was all made up for her to stay for the night and keep an eye on Carol and the babies.

"I'm sorry to intrude," she said sincerely. "I wanted to get Mama one more round and have a quick check over things before I let her get all tucked into bed."

Daryl retrieved the baby from Sophia's arms. She didn't fight him. She handed the baby over without complaint and slipped out of the room, walking around Alice to get to the doorway. She didn't mind Alice, but she preferred not to be in the room when Alice was examining Carol or the babies in any way. She would, Daryl knew, go to the kitchen and make herself a snack from their supplies. Daryl moved over on the bed to make room for the doctor as she came in, bringing with her the few items that she needed.

"I'm getting you another dose of antibiotics," she said, giving Carol what she wanted her to have via her IV. "And a little more pain medication to top you off."

"I don't need it," Carol said.

"The reason you think you don't need it because you've had it," Alice said. "I'm coming back in a couple minutes to take this IV out, so I won't give you anymore, after that, unless you ask for it. But you're taking this and you're getting some sleep when the babies will sleep."

"Where do we put 'em to sleep?" Daryl asked.

"Those cribs we got for them won't work?" Alice asked. "Mama—I know you don't want me to, but I want to change the bandage on those stitches. Tomorrow, you'll let them get a little more air while you're reclining in bed, OK?"

Daryl didn't catch Alice's eyes again until she'd changed Carol's bandage and examined Hope at Carol's request, declaring her still just as perfect as she'd been earlier. Then, to satisfy Carol's need for reassurance over the perfection of both of their little ones, Alice had reached for Justice.

"Them cribs is in the other room, Alice," Daryl said.

For a moment, her dark eyes held his. A little crease of question or concern ran down between her brows. Then, she nuzzled the baby boy's forehead and smiled.

"I think I get it," she said. "We should've had a bassinet or something brought in, but we didn't. So—in the meantime—do you think you and me could wrestle one of those cribs in here? The babies will be fine to sleep together for now."

Daryl nodded, and Alice smiled broadly. She placed the baby boy back in Carol's arms and reassured her, once more, that everyone looked just perfect. All they needed was exactly what they were already getting and, perhaps, a touch more rest for Mama.

Daryl and Alice managed to move one of the cribs out of the nursery and into the bedroom. After some debate, they placed it on Carol's side of the bed.

Daryl made sure that Sophia brushed her teeth, had a story read to her to help with her language skills and socialization, and got settled into her bed. He followed Alice back into his bedroom where she took the IV from Carol and bandaged up her hand for the night. Then, Daryl walked Alice back into the living room, and he made sure that Alice had everything she needed for her night on the couch. Finally, he returned to the bedroom.

"They all topped off?" Daryl asked about the sleeping infants.

Carol hummed in the affirmative and leaned to plant a gentle kiss on Justice's head.

"Then, it's time to put the babies in their crib," Daryl offered.

"It's too big," Carol said. "They're too small to go in there. They'll get hurt, Daryl."

"It's a pen made especially for keepin' babies in," Daryl said. "Safe and snug an' sleepin' good. That's what they make these for, Carol. Just for that very purpose. Besides—they don't hardly move except for to stretch a lil' bit. Mostly they just sleep and wiggle. They ain't goin' nowhere."

"What if it scares them?" Carol asked. "What if—they feel like they're alone again like they were at that place. Like someone took them away from us?"

As if to illustrate her very real concern, Carol closed her eyes and lovingly kissed Hope's head.

Both babies were full. Both babies were sleeping—at least for a few minutes—and despite the pain medication, Carol hadn't really rested since they'd gotten home.

"If they get scared," Daryl offered, "then I promise you that I'ma rescue 'em immediately outta this crib. OK? And—if it was you who was to get scared, Carol? I'll still rescue 'em. Just to make you feel better. But they gotta rest some, and they gotta learn what it's like to lay down in that crib and get a little nap. And you gotta rest. You gotta build your strength up so you're ready to take care of 'em. It's gonna be a lot of work bein' Mama around here."

Carol nodded at him. She was so tired that her eyelids, and the area beneath her eyes, as well, were purple.

"They're perfect," she said.

"They are," Daryl said. He tested her hold on Justice. She let him have the boy, and he sniffed the baby quickly to assure himself that he was clean, fed, and ready to sleep in his crib for probably ten whole minutes. "They gonna be perfect when they wake up needin' you to feed 'em again in like twenty minutes, too." He picked up the baby girl and Carol's hand trailed after her like she might try to snatch back her babies. She pulled her hands back, though. Daryl sniffed Hope and, satisfied that she was as settled as she would be, too, he put her in the crib. "They need—blankets or anything?"

"No!" Carol said quickly. "No—no…Daryl, they might suffocate."

"No blankets," he said. "Got it. Look—see? You can see 'em right there through the bars. You can see they sleepin' and they ain't goin' nowhere." At the side of the bed, Daryl leaned and kissed Carol. She kissed him back. The kiss was weak. She was tired. She needed to sleep. Daryl kissed one purple eyelid, and then another. "What I want you watchin', though, is the inside of them eyelids."

Daryl stripped out of his clothing, down to his underwear. He switched off the overhead light, and decided to leave the small lamp on his bedside table burning so that they weren't in absolute darkness. Carol could still see the babies, and Daryl thought that was probably important.

Daryl eased into bed, slid over, and touched Carol's shoulder.

"Would it hurt you if I was to—put my arm around you? Hug up against you?"

Carol smiled at him. She looked so tired that he almost hurt for her.

"There isn't much I want more," she offered. "Except—maybe a kiss?"

Daryl smiled at her. He kissed her, and she made it worthwhile this time. She put, probably, most of the energy she had left into the kiss. She practically collapsed into the pillow when she pulled out of the kiss and got comfortable again with a sigh, facing the crib where the infants slept.

Daryl wrapped his arm around her and hugged against her. It had been one of the longest days—or stretch of days, since he really wasn't sure how long this period that he'd perceived as a day had actually lasted—that he could recall.

It had been, all at once, one of the worst and most terrifying days of his life, and one of the most beautiful and most wonderful.

Snuggled against Carol, breathing in her scent from the back of her neck, Daryl could already feel differences in her body—his arm no longer rested over a belly full of babies, and she was wearing something absorbent and bulky, like a diaper, to help guard against bleeding as her body healed from the hard work it had done. Daryl could feel it against his legs where his body curved with hers.

And Daryl had never in his life felt quite as absolutely grateful as he did at this moment. Sophia was well and, having seen her baby siblings, she'd made some great strides almost instantly—the draw of them was a wonderful motivation for her. They had two beautiful, healthy babies, and the government—though they had threatened them for their research—had let them keep them. Carol was healthy, albeit exhausted, and she would fully recover.

And it seemed to Daryl, that the weight of his arm across her and the comfort of his closeness, was just what Carol needed to rest a little. He heard her breathing even out. He heard the light snore that she couldn't deny—the snore that got worse when she was as absolutely exhausted as she was now.

Daryl was needed—necessary—to the whole of his family. And his family, at this moment was whole, and well, and safe.

And he had a determination now that was far stronger than it ever had been before. He would do whatever he had to do to make sure that they stayed just that way.