Disclaimer: As always, I don't own the world of TWD, just borrowing its characters for my story.

Thank you for the reviews and my story is still getting followers, which I'm ever so happy about. It really boosts my confidence. Okay, so I left you guys with a cliffhanger. Let's see how Carol reacts to Daryl's announcement to Noah.

6. Revelations

"You see, my woman here… she's pregnant".

She couldn't help the gasp of pure shock that slipped out of her mouth. Carol almost didn't believe what she was hearing. He knew?! And this was how he chose to let her know that he knew? Or maybe he was just bluffing to trick the kid into giving up the crossbow? Daryl turned his head then. He could see the question in her eyes, staring back at him. She looked beyond terrified but he knew what she was asking. Did he really know about the baby? An almost imperceptible nod from him told her what she needed to know. This was not just a ruse, he really did know. Both Carol and Daryl turned their gaze back to the kid. The poor guy's eyes were darting back and forth, looking confused and for the first time he seemed to not know what to do. He'd lowered the rifle a bit. Did he believe them?

"Prove it!" the kid said, the nervousness evident in his tone of voice. "If you're telling the truth and you're not just trying to keep the weapon, then prove it!"

Daryl swore under his breath. How were they supposed to prove it? They couldn't, could they? That's when he heard Carol speak.

"Okay. I'll prove it to you, but I'll have to lower my arms to do that. Is that alright?"

The kid nodded his approval and Carol lowered her hands to the hem of her shirt. Daryl watches with amazement as she grabs hold of the sides of her shirt and pulls it back so that the fabric's pulled taut against her stomach. And now he can clearly see a small bump pushing out. He knew he'd felt something when he'd hugged her in the forest, after Terminus, but he'd been so overcome with emotion that he'd thought nothing of it at the time. But after what Tyreese had told him, it suddenly made sense. When he'd told the kid that Carol was pregnant, he'd taken a risk, as he hadn't been one hundred percent sure, but it was the only thing that fit into the puzzle Carol had laid out for him. And here it was, proof that he'd been right. Daryl saw tears brimming in Carol's eyes and he felt his own eyes tear up. Suddenly he couldn't stop the smile that grazed his lips. Not just the usual smirk, but a full out broad smile. He and Carol were going to have a baby. A tear slipped down Carol's cheek and she returned his smile. God, what a pair they were.

Daryl turned back to the kid. "Proof enough for ya?"

"Yeah" the kid said, nodding. "Alright, you can keep the crossbow, but I'm taking the rifle. I'm sorry I have to do this, but I need protection. I can't let them take me, not again".

This statement confused Daryl and was about to ask the kid what he meant, when the kid spoke up.

"I'm getting out of here now. Don't try and follow me. I won't hesitate to shoot, even if she's pregnant".

They watched the kid backing away, swerving in between the tents. When he reached the farthest end, he turned and ran out the door. The minute he was out of sight, Daryl walked up to Carol and took her in his arms. Carol clung to him and she finally let go of the tears that she'd been trying to hold in. Daryl felt his own tears spilling out. Carol was shaking in his arms and he could hear her mumbling something against the crook of his neck. She was begging him for his forgiveness.

"I'm sorry Daryl, I'm so s-sorry. I d-didn't know how to tell you and I was scared. You don't know… I didn't think… please, I'm so sorry…"

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Sssch, it's alright. You have nothing to be sorry for". Daryl backed up and placed his hands on either side of her face, forcing her to look at him. "Whatever's going on, whatever's happened, we'll get through it, okay?"

Carol searched his eyes. She wanted to believe him, so bad. "You don't understand" she said. "You don't know what I've done. The girls… you don't know. I'm tainted Daryl, I'm no good, this baby won't stand a chance".

"What are you saying Carol? Ya know that's not true!"

"It is. I- I killed Lizzie".

"What?!"

"I- I- don't…" Carol couldn't go on. She broke down in sobs all over again. Daryl pulled her against his chest, rocking her in his arms. Finally, he was beginning to understand that what had happened with the girls was a whole different kind of horrible than he originally thought. He needed to get her calmed down and find out everything that happened after Rick abandoned her.

"Hey, come on. Let's go back to that room and you can tell me all about what happened".

"But, the van..?"

"Ya're more important Carol. That van ain't goin' nowhere and you need to get this off your chest. Come on now".

Squeezing back through the door, they return to the room with the panorama window. Daryl sits Carol down on the sofa before he searches through his pack for some water. He finds the bottle he's looking for and gives it to Carol. "Drink" he says. "Ya know ya need it".

Complying, Carol takes a couple of gulps and hands it back. Daryl sits down next to her and takes her hand, squeezing it slightly. He says nothing, waiting for her to start. She looks lost and just for a moment it's not a grown woman sitting in front of him, but a scared little girl. Then she starts talking and the vision is gone.

"After Rick left me, I drove around for a bit. Found an office building that I stayed in. Thought I could hang out there for a bit, while I figured out what to do. If I should go back or wait for you to find me. Either way, I wasn't going to stay there for long. I never intended on letting you go Daryl. I just didn't know how to approach the situation".

"Why didn't you tell Rick about the baby? He'd never have kicked you out if he'd known".

"Hadn't he? I'm not so sure. Anyway, I didn't see the point. He wouldn't have believed me anyway. I had no idea he was going to leave me until the very last minute of our run and telling him about the baby… he'd just have thought I was trying to get back to the prison".

Daryl nodded. She was right. "I would have come for you Carol. When Rick told me, I was so mad. I was going to confront Tyreese, let him know and see how he'd react. And then I'd play it by ear after that. Either bring you back or leave with you. But I never got that far".

"Yeah. I saw the smoke you know. And I went back, but I was too late. As I stepped out of the car, I saw Tyreese escaping with the girls and I followed them. I was scared he'd found out, but he didn't seem to know, he seemed relieved to see me when I found them. As guilty as I felt, I pulled it together for the girls. We stuck together, following the tracks, not really knowing where to go. We found a small grove. It was nice. We thought of staying there for a while".

She paused, a sad look passing over her features.

"I thought about finding you of course, but I didn't know where to start looking. The grove was a good place to rest and to find our bearings, figure out what to do. Tyreese found out about the baby pretty soon. I told him, saw no point in hiding it, as long as he didn't tell Mika and Lizzie. I didn't think they needed to know. Turns out that was the least of my worries".

"What happened with Lizzie, Carol?"

Looking up at Daryl with tear filled eyes, Carol barely withheld a sob.

"I should have seen it. Should have realized that something wasn't right. I found her outside playing with a walker".

"Playing with it?"

"She was playing catch with it. I killed it and she got furious with me, said I didn't understand. I should have seen it then, but I didn't. She thought the walkers were just sick people, that they weren't dangerous. I don't think she was right in her mind Daryl. I think that she'd been sick even before all this".

The tears were falling freely now and she didn't even try to stop them. She couldn't bear to look at Daryl's face, so she stared at her own hands instead, at his hand holding hers.

"We only left them alone for a moment. We'd gone to get some water and when we came back, Mika was dead. Lizzie had killed her". Daryl let out a small gasp at this. "She wanted her sister to turn, wanted to show us that there wasn't anything dangerous with her. She said she was going to do Judith next. Tyreese got her inside and I made sure that Mika didn't turn. We didn't know what to do Daryl" she said and looked him straight in the eye.

"We couldn't keep her with us, she might try to hurt Judith again. And we couldn't let her loose. I didn't have a choice Daryl".

"But it shouldn't have been you! Tyreese should have done it!"

"He- he wasn't strong enough Daryl. He doesn't have a bad bone in his body, he couldn't do it".

"Doesn't make it right. Shouldn't have been you".

"But I'm the one that did it. Do you see now Daryl, why I shouldn't be this baby's mother? I loose every child put into my care. Sophia, Mika, Lizzie. They're all gone and it's my fault!"

"No!" Daryl said with such force that Carol jumped back a bit on the sofa. He grabbed hold of her arms and moved close to her face. "It's not your fault, what happened with those girls. You didn't know Lizzie was sick. And Sophia was nowhere near your fault. If anything, it was my fault…"

"Oh Daryl, how was it your fault? You didn't lose her".

"And neither did you. She ran from a walker and what happened after that was nature's cruel invention. But I promised ya I'd find her for ya and I didn't. Still hurts when I think about it. That's why I gotta find Beth. She was in my care, and I lost her, so it's my job ta get her back".

"Daryl…" Carol touched his cheek and caressed it, moving up to smooth down his hair. Daryl leaned into her touch, closing her eyes for a moment.

"What a pair we are, huh?"

Opening his eyes again, he stared into hers and he felt like he was staring into her soul right then. Taking her face in his hands, he kissed her, a soft yet passionate kiss filled with everything he felt for this woman in front of him. Pulling back, he saw her eyes were closed, tears sliding down her cheeks. He wiped them away with his thumbs and she opened her eyes, looking back at him.

"Listen to me, Carol. You are not tainted or cursed or whatever it is you think about yourself. You are a strong, gentle and caring woman who's not afraid to do what needs to be done to protect the ones she loves. Our baby will do just fine with you as its mother. Ya kept Judith safe, didn't ya? I know ya'll do the same for out child. Trust me on this".

Carol nodded and smiled. "I trust you and I believe you. And if I do slip up…"

"Ya won't!"

"But if I do, then I know you'll be there to protect him or her. I love you Daryl and I promise I'll stop trying to run away from you. I belong with you Daryl Dixon".

She kissed him and Daryl finally felt that spark that had been missing from his woman. The woman he fell in love with, she was back and she was here with him. He'd be damned if he ever let her go again.

Pulling away from the kiss, Daryl hugged her and whispered in her ear: "I love ya Carol. I know I ain't said it before but I do and I'll make sure I tell ya all the time from now on. I love ya". He could feel Carol smiling against the side of his face. Holding on to her for another minute, he reluctantly let her go and sighed.

"When we get out of here, it's you and I and I don't care who knows. But first we gotta find Beth. What do ya say, are ya ready to take a look at that van?"

Standing up, Carol held out a hand for Daryl to take. "I'm ready. Lead the way, Mr. Dixon".

This was hard to write, but now it's all out there, no more secrets. But their hardship's not over yet. Stay tuned for more chapters. I'm updating as fast as I can. Reviews are gold!