AN: Here we are, another chapter here.

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

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

"Sweetheart—don't forget your cake layers," Carol said. "You need to get them out and let them cool."

Sophia grabbed the mitt she was using and removed the cake layers from the oven. While she prepared them for cooling, Carol continued scraping the potatoes and cutting them into chunks for the pot she'd use to cook them.

"I wish Daddy had picked something more exciting," Sophia said.

Carol laughed to herself.

"Strawberry cake is one of his favorite things," Carol said. "I don't think he knows of too many cakes that are more exciting. What did you want him to ask you to fix?"

"Something challenging," Sophia said. "Something that says—baby."

"What kind of cake says 'baby'?" Carol asked.

"I don't know that either, Mama," Sophia admitted. "When's he getting back?"

"I don't know," Carol said. "He shouldn't be gone too long. He had to take the little ones by the Greene place and pick up the extra strawberries. He should've been home by now." Carol felt her stomach flip in response to the thought. "I hope something hasn't happened."

Sophia, who had always seemed to be pretty in-tune with Carol's emotions, stopped with the cakes and came over, placing her hand flat on Carol's back.

"He's fine, Mama," Sophia said, even though she had no way of knowing that any more than Carol did. "You know how the Greenes can be. He's probably caught up talking to Mr. Hershel and that's what's taking so long."

Carol smiled at Sophia.

"You're right," she said. "He's probably just talking and—he's gotten tied up there. I hope he remembers that everyone's coming, though. He needs to be home in time for us to get those strawberries on the cake."

"He won't forget his cake," Sophia said with a laugh. "You want me to put the chicken in now?"

Carol considered it a moment, but finally she nodded.

"Yes, I think it'll be fine," Carol said. "We want it to have time to cool. We don't want anyone complaining that they burned themselves on the meal. It would be better to have it a little too cool than a little too warm."

Sophia moved the chicken to the oven and came over to the sink to wash her hands. This was her meal and Carol was mostly acting as her sous-chef. She was reminding her of what needed to be done. She was helping her keep track of things and make sure that the timing was right for preparing things. She was peeling and cutting things that Sophia asked her to prepare for her, but she was letting Sophia handle most of the meal herself so that she could take the praise for it when it was given.

"Did you hear about Angela Martin?" Carol asked. "The girl you went to school with?"

Sophia hummed.

"Angie? I remember her," Sophia said. "I haven't seen her since we graduated."

"She got married," Carol said. "I see her mother at church sometimes. I wouldn't say we're friends, but I hear things now and again about her."

"I wouldn't say too many people around here are friends with anyone else," Sophia said.

"Sophia," Carol offered, warning her daughter about her tone. Sophia sighed.

"Sorry, Mama," Sophia said. "It's just that—everyone is so quick to judge everyone else. And it's always been that way. It was that way when I was in school. It's been that way since I can remember."

"Nobody's perfect," Carol offered. "Not even me. Or you, for that matter." Carol smiled to herself. "Though I do believe you're closer than anyone else I know."

Sophia offered Carol a kiss on the cheek.

"I believe that's everything," Sophia said. "The potatoes need to go on to boil. Then I'll mash them when they're ready. Everything will be cooled down to the point that even uncle Merle can't complain about the meal. I've just got to keep an eye on the chicken and put the cake together once it cools."

"The potatoes are ready," Carol said. "I've just got to put the water in and put it on the stove."

"I've got that, Mama," Sophia said, practically pushing Carol out of the way. "What were you going to tell me about Angela? She got married?"

"She got married," Carol echoed. "I didn't know the boy. Some boy she met somewhere. He's not from here. She's moving to where he's from. But her mother was saying that they've been married just a little over five months and she's already expecting. Can you believe that? Barely married and already..."

Carol let her words trail off. She heard Sophia laugh quietly from where she was situating the pot on the stove while Carol cleaned up the scraps from the potatoes and washed out the sink.

"I hear a little bit of bitterness in that, Mama," Sophia said. "Maybe some jealousy?"

Carol swallowed. She knew Sophia was right. Her daughter was often right, and she was quite blunt, about things like that.

"I don't mean to be," Carol said. "It just—sometimes it almost makes me sick to hear those things. You know? It just seems so unfair."

"I understand, Mama," Sophia agreed. "There were things I wanted for you so badly that I would feel the same way to hear people talking about them. They're not necessarily what I want for myself. At least not right away, but for you?" She paused a moment and came over, catching Carol's shoulder as Carol ran her hands under the flowing water from the faucet. Sophia handed her the towel that she could use to dry her hands. "Did you forget, Mama, what this dinner is all about?"

Carol couldn't help but smile at her daughter's expression.

"To be honest," Carol responded, "I do keep forgetting. I keep feeling like it can't possibly be true. I keep waiting to find out that it isn't true. That the doctor was wrong or something. I keep waiting to find out what's going to happen or how things are going to change."

"I can tell you what's going to happen, Mama," Sophia said. She moved around Carol and gently touched her hand to Carol's stomach. She smiled at her. "You're gonna tell everyone tonight that we're welcoming another member to our family. And when it's time? That's exactly what we'll do."

Carol smiled at her daughter and pulled her into a hug. She kissed Sophia's cheek and held her daughter against her.

"I love you, sweetheart," Carol said.

"I love you too, Mama," Sophia responded.

"I'm sorry that—I never got to do these things with you. Before you were born. When you were so small. I never got to know you," Carol said.

Sophia shushed her.

"It doesn't matter, Mama," Sophia assured Carol. "We have each other now and that's all that matters. Please don't get sad before dinner? I want it to be special. I don't want you to be sad."

Carol pulled away from her daughter and quickly swallowed down the emotion that was building in her throat. She nodded at Sophia and forced a smile that would eventually turn into a sincere smile.

"I won't be sad," Carol said. "I promise. I'm not sad. I'm—happy. I guess I just wish that..."

Sophia shook her head at Carol and Carol accepted it for what it meant.

"Do you want to put the kettle on?" Carol asked. "Have some tea while we wait for everything to finish? Then I can help you decorate the cake. Your Daddy should be home by then with the strawberries."

Sophia smiled genuinely at Carol.

"I'd love to have some tea," Sophia said. "But I'm still not letting you do the cake. This is your dinner, too, Mama. My treat. I'm doing the work."

111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

"I know I'm late," Daryl said even as he got out of the car and pulled his purchases out with him. "But I got caught up at the Greene's and I thought I was never gonna get out of there. I almost thought they were gonna keep me until it was time to just bring the kids back home with me."

Carol and Sophia were sitting on the porch when Daryl got to the house. There was still a little time before they expected their few guests, but he could assume that the meal was prepared or at least dreadfully close to it. At this hour, they would be missing only the finishing touches on anything.

Neither of them scolded him for his tardiness, and he saw the smile on Carol's face when he pulled the flowers out of the car and closed the door.

Daryl walked the short distance to the porch, mounted the steps, and offered the strawberries in Sophia's direction.

"I got you just what you asked for," Daryl said. "And—I got you this."

He separated out the small bundle of three flowers and offered those over to his daughter. She beamed at him and hit her feet. She planted a kiss on his cheek and wrapped her arms around his neck to squeeze him, flowers in one hand and strawberries grasped in the other. The look on her face was well worth what he paid for the simple flowers.

"Thank you, Daddy!" Sophia declared.

"I figured it was kinda like a birthday to you," Daryl said. "Since you always was wishin' your Mama would be expecting on your birthday. Thought you might like some flowers."

"They're beautiful, Daddy," Sophia assured him, standing back to admire her flowers. "I better put them in some water before they wilt. And I have to get these strawberries on the cake."

"There's a few new dresses for you," Carol said, "in my sewing room. I was trying out some patterns. You need to try them on for the fit, but if they're right—I'm sure there's something you might like for this evening."

"That green one she made is nice," Daryl said. "You gonna like it. I liked it. It's got one of the kinda flouncy skirts."

Sophia thanked her mother for the dresses she hadn't seen yet—something she could almost always count on acquiring any time she came home—and she slipped inside with her flowers and the strawberries that were meant to decorate the cake that she'd baked.

Daryl looked at Carol, who was still sitting in the swing, and she smiled at him.

"Are those for me?" Carol asked, gesturing toward the flowers that Daryl was still holding. He smiled at her and nodded his head as he offered the flowers in her direction. She moved to get up and he quickly shook his head at her.

"No need to get up," Daryl said. "I'm comin' to you."

Daryl sat down on the swing where his daughter had been sitting a few moments before and passed the flowers over to Carol. She took them and smelled them, burying half her face in the bouquet.

"They're beautiful, Daryl," Carol said.

"Not nearly beautiful enough for you," Daryl said. "But they were some of the nicest that they had."

"You didn't have to bring me flowers," Carol said.

"Not every day we get to tell my brother and his wife and a couple of our closest friends that you're expecting," Daryl said. "Felt to me like the kinda thing that called for flowers."

Carol leaned toward him and offered him her lips. That kind of offer was one that he never refused. He smiled at her when she pulled away from him and raised his eyebrows in her direction.

"If I can expect that kinda payment, I'll bring you flowers most every day," Daryl offered.

Carol sucked her teeth at him and playfully swatted him.

"It was sweet of you to bring me flowers," Carol said. "I'll put them on the table for tonight so everyone can enjoy them. You're sure that Merle and Andrea are coming?"

Daryl hummed and nodded.

"Got someone to sit with the boys," Daryl said. "If they hadn't already got someone they might pass on it, but Merle ain't gonna waste money. Alice and Melodye said they're comin' too. We'll have a full table. I don't think none of 'em suspect what it's about, neither."

"Why would they?" Carol asked. "It seems impossible. I don't even believe it."

"Believe it," Daryl said. "At least they gonna be surprised, though."

"If your brother says something, don't let it get to you, OK?" Carol said. "At least not at the table. Not where Sophia can see. I just—know that he can sometimes upset you and I don't want you to be upset about it tonight. Sophia's so excited and—she's asked me to not get upset about anything and..."

Daryl laughed to himself and shook his head.

"I ain't gonna get upset," Daryl said. "He's welcome to say what he wants to say. If he shows out, I'll just show him out the door. That's all there is to it."

"Please don't make a scene and ruin dinner," Carol said.

"If he's showin' out, it'll only improve dinner to remove him from the room," Daryl said. "Still, I hope he's got enough respect to act like he ought to. Maybe it ain't no big deal to him to have a kid on the way—Andrea's been steady poppin' 'em out for years—but it's a big deal to me. It's a big deal to you. We got three, but this one's—it's comin' a whole different way."

"I don't want to make a big deal about that, either," Carol said. "At least—not with Jack and June around. I don't want them to think that this baby is more important."

"Not more important," Daryl said, catching Carol's hand in his. "Never more important. Just different. An' if they ask? Yeah—it's different. Each and every one of our kids has come into our lives different. They're all special. This one gets to be just as special as everybody else. And tonight—everybody better at least pretend they know how special it is."

Carol laughed quietly. She squeezed Daryl's hand.

"Just don't be upset if they don't react like it's as special to them as it is to us," Carol said.

"That goes for you too," Daryl offered in response.

Carol nodded her acceptance.

"I have to go change," she said. "Freshen up a little."

"You look beautiful just like you are," Daryl said.

Carol smiled at him and offered him another quick kiss.

"I'll lay out a shirt for you," Carol said. "Something nice. Maybe that pretty blue one you got for Easter last year."

"We're really goin' all out," Daryl commented.

"It's not every night," Carol said with a hint of teasing in her tone, "that you get the opportunity to tell your brother that—he's not the only one who can bring a Dixon into the world."