**Sorry to have left you all with such a cliffhanger last time but to quote reader OnTheWildside "Danni can't give birth in a paragraph." Have to do the birth justice.

**I will say it again I have the best readers ever. Your reviews and PMs are thought provoking, encouraging, fun and collaborative. You guys send me songs and literary quotes that you relate to the story! You talk about magic and tarot with me. I appreciate every one of you. I feel the same about my silent readers, because if you are still with me here at chapter 47 you are obviously super smart cookies; really special- part of my tribe ;) I know I throw a lot into this story magic, literature, history, mythology, tough emotional stuff…its not for everybody... so I'm really glad you are here! Always love hearing from you.

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Daryl paced, stopping every once in a while to kick the wall. "Where are you? Talk to me, come on!" He couldn't hear her anymore. Danni's voice in his head cut out and he felt powerless and adrift again. I am not supposed to be in a dirty boiler room Merle! Finally, he heard her again in that space in the back of his mind. Boiler room? Daryl knew there was only one at this end of the tombs. He took off down the tunnel to his right.

... ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .

"Merle you goddamned son of a bitch pull yourself together and fucking help me!"

He looked into Danni's terrified eyes and heard her plead, "You are the only one." Her frightened, desperate cry held no anger at the moment. There were very few times in Merle Dixon's life that he felt he ever experienced deja vu, but this was one. Hearing Danni say 'Merle you're the only one who can help me.' She sounds just like my momma did that night...Merle get me to her, it's baby's coming...

"Okay, okay calm yourself its gonna be alright." He was about to leave his post at the door when he heard Daryl's voice from the opposite side. "Danni? Danni! You in here?"

Merle sighed with relief and unbarred the door. "Bout time little brother," he muttered as Daryl rushed past him.

There she was, leaning against the wall, in pain, struggling to breathe. She looked up. "You found me."

"Thought I wouldn't?" He held her shoulders tightly and kissed her forehead. "You okay?"

She shook her head and managed to choke out, "Its time. They're coming."

"Now? Here?" He asked, finally understanding she was in labor. "Are you sure?

"Yes, it's now." She said when she could finally speak again.

"What do I do?" Daryl put his crossbow down and looked plaintively into her eyes, his sweat and dirt streaked face questioning her.

"I don't know," she almost laughed. "I don't fucking know what I'm supposed to do, never mind you." Then she did laugh; she laughed and cried and tried to breathe. "I think I need to lay down. Help me, I need to lay down.'

He lowered her carefully to the floor and she started to breathe in time with the contractions that became stronger by the moment.

"My shoes, my pants, I can't reach."

Daryl pulled those damn sneakers off her feet. "Hate these goddamn shoes. They don't do shit." He turned back toward her when she began to giggle. "What's so funny?"

"That's the first thing you ever said to me. Ever."

He surprised her. "No, it ain't." He grunted dismissively. "First thing I ever said to you was 'I'm usually better at target practice'."

"You really wanna argue now?"

He shook his head still knowing he was right. Those words had ended up bringing him here. They changed the direction of his entire life, damned if he'd forget them. He pulled her leggings down, freeing her for what was to come. He rolled them up and put them under her head.

"Take my shirt," She gasped, "we don't have any towels. Damn it they're all back in the cell block. Fuck it, everything is there. I had it all ready, all-"

"Shhh…. shut up, we're fine." He said, but knew he needed to stop her from panicking so he helped her out of the flannel she wore over a t-shirt. Then he removed his vest and stripped his gray work shirt off. "One for each okay?" He asked throwing the vest back on relieved to see her nod and smile with satisfaction.

"I think I'm 'sposed to push. Help me up a little?" She held her hand out and he pulled her to a sitting position, his palm on her back.

"Or not push? I don't know." She tried to keep inhaling as well as exhaling through the discomfort, holding on to his forearm squeezing tightly.

"You're okay, you can do this." He was worried, but wouldn't let her see it. "Lean back on me." He slid behind her. She sat between his legs her back against his solid chest. She gripped his arms with white knuckles.

Merle paced back and forth trying not to look at them. "I shouldn't be here. But I am…. " He grumbled, sighed and battled with his memories.

"Daryl it hurts….I wanna push, I'm gonna push!"

"Okay, if you think so. I got ya."

"No, don't you be pushing just yet." Merle reluctantly decided to get involved. He strode over to them.

"What?" She looked up at him. Daryl's face was confused as well.

"Not time yet, you could hurt yourself, them too. You two really don't know nothing do you?"

"You do?" Daryl shot back.

"I know a thing or two about a thing or two."

"Bullshit!" Daryl shot back. "Having babies?'

"Hey, I'm still here." Danni interrupted their squabble.

"Look you ain't close enough, ya gotta uh... open up more down there." Merle coughed out for lack of a better term.

"You mean dilate right?" Danni asked remembering something from a book.

"How do you know that?" Daryl asked still in disbelief

"Let's just say this ain't my first time at the rodeo." He answered gruffly and turned back to Danni. "Don't go pushing till the baby's closer almost ready to come out." Danni was floored. There was so much more to Merle than she ever could have imagined. When Daryl looked up, Merle coughed and turned away from the grateful expression on his brother's face.

"Just keep breathing in the mean time. That's all you gotta worry about. I'll tell you when to push, okay queenie." He pulled her down so she was lying more than sitting against Daryl's chest. "You're okay honey." He muttered softly with concern hoping he could remember everything, hoping he could deliver these babies. He was ten years old the last time he'd done it.

She nodded and wanted to thank him but aching burning cramps assaulted her once again.

"Daryl you fucking bastard...this is all your fault!" She tried to stop herself from pushing. "Aaaahhhhh! I can't... I can't ...you did this to me you fucker!"

"Yeah I did. You tell me, go on."

"It's all your fault… I don't wanna do this anymore Daryl, I don't." Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes as she squeezed them shut in reaction to her agony.

"So you're gonna give up?" Daryl challenged.

"Yeah I am. I give up." She leaned back into him breathing hard and fast.

"Slow down queenie slow down that huffing and puffing your liable to pass out." Merle ordered.

"Thought you were tough?" Daryl baited her.

She shook her head, unable to speak.

"Fine give up if you ain't tough enough."

She just breathed again, yelling in pain and the look on her face told him he'd gotten her angry, angry enough. She felt Daryl holding her head trying to calm her. She tried to get comfortable and deal with each contraction one by one by one. Danni kept thinking that there was just no way they could ever get worse. She believed all the muscles in her uterus would just rip in two if the contractions got any harder. Then she felt like she was having one big never-ending contraction that sometimes got worse then got better but never ended. Her uterus was a big knot. Then her hips and back started to ache.

"I feel all this pressure. Merle how long will it be?'

"No telling queenie just hold on, you're doing good."

Danni wanted to push, to do something other than feel her body ripping apart. Why was the body's reaction to pain to hold your breath? Had it been hours? Minutes? Time didn't exist except to feel like this pain would never end. "I thought tattoos hurt bad..." she couldn't laugh. "Daryl I can't! I don't think I can take any more."

He wiped perspiration from her face with his red rag. "You can, I'm here."

"God all I want is to take a fucking bubble bath right now!"

She still said the oddest things.

"Daryl make it stop... please get me out of this, please….I thought I could do it but I can't! I give in... I'm a wimp... I'm weak please…." she was crying and panting the tirade almost unintelligible.

He knew she was in the worst pain of her life and he knew she was doing it for him. For him. She had changed his life. He had been a boy when he'd first met her, a scared, angry, defensive kid. She dragged him, kicking and screaming at first, into manhood. Now he knew he was a man.

"You ain't weak get that straight now. If you were, I wouldn't be here right now. I know I'm not easy to be with, but you never gave up on me." There was so much he wanted to say to her. But he was never good with words, not the way she was, so he just rambled, let out whatever came to him. " I love your crazy talk, all them quotes you say, love it when you sing, love your damn cut-up T-shirts. Love it when you smile. Damn it you ain't like anybody I ever saw before. Hey, you called me a bitch, nobody calls me that. I'll never forget-"

"Cause you called me one first. "

"That was a mistake." He chuckled. "I ain't letting you give up now. You can do this. You made it up that road back to me after the farm burned. You can do this."

She nodded and focused on the end of the pain. It would end; it had to end.

Then Merle said the magic words. "Okay, queenie push!"

She did push.

"Harder than that hon, keep going." Merle coached.

She eventually got the hang of it. In fact once she got going she thought she was a pretty damn good pusher. Daryl held her and comforted her while she got into her rhythm. After a while she was roaring through each contraction, howling like a mama wolf. Surge. Roar. Push. Breathe. Again...again...again... and again...

Danni wondered how much she could take. How much can a body take? She didn't feel like she was making any progress and started crying. "I can't," She wailed. "No more. I can't do it anymore."

"Yeah you can," Daryl said firmly. "You can. You are. You're almost there."

"He's right a little more queenie."

With the next surge, she pushed and the head was out to the ears. Then they waited; and waited. The next contraction seemed an eternity. Finally, she felt it.

"Push!" Merle yelled. With the next contraction, she felt burning. Did that mean that baby is crowning, that the head is almost out? She had to know. She reached down and stared back at Daryl "There's a head there! Right there!"

And there was; Four hours after Daryl found her in the boiler room she was about to give birth.

Daryl felt it too, and his expression was awestruck. "You're almost done!"

"Keep pushing queenie."

His head came out; Ryder had one eye open ready to take a peek at the world around him. Danni gave two more decent pushes to bring the rest of him into this universe. Daryl gently kissed her forehead and moved out from behind her.

"Take him boy, here's you son." Merle handed the infant to Daryl. Danni thought she knew every one of Daryl's facial expressions by heart. She could read him like a book. But this was a page she'd never seen. His proud smile stretched across his face and his eyes sparkled with love. He kept looking at her then back at Ryder with that smug nod he had.

"What about her?" Danni asked suddenly feeling the contractions starting up again.

"She's a coming too, don't worry about that, " Merle assured her.

Daryl slowly sat back down next to Danni with the baby on his chest and started drying him off with her flannel shirt to keep him warm. He didn't cry right away, but he was fine. He sneezed then he started to cry, a good healthy cry.

"Give me your bootlace boy." Merle ordered Daryl. He took the lace and tied it around the umbilical cord. He gestured to Daryl's knife. Daryl pulled it out and cut the cord himself.

Danni looked more exhausted than he'd ever seen her. "Look at him, look at him…" she said softly as if he wasn't real.

"I am." Daryl assured her putting his tiny fingers in hers.

"He's perfect." She whispered.

"Yeah, he is."

Daryl kissed her sweaty forehead and stroked her damp hair while holding their son tightly to his chest, against his beating heart.

"Ready to go again queenie?" Merle asked as the she got closer. Contractions became harder. "Round two."

"Do I have a choice? Ohhh... she wants out she wants out bad!" Danni yelled while pushing. Scout joined her family five minutes later. She did want out.

Until then it had all been personal. Danni realized that until the moment of birth it had been "I" was pregnant, "I" was in labor, and "I" was having these babies. Now here they were: two little beings separate from her. She touched their tiny fingernails and realized these were human beings that she created with Daryl.

Danni laid back exhausted, all her endorphins spent. She looked up to see Daryl holding his twins. They looked so tiny in those big arms. He just pulled them to his chest after staring at them with an expression that Danni could only describe as disbelief mixed with protective love. She heard his heartfelt intake of breath and a sob. He held the babies so close to his face she didn't hear him say 'thank you'. He looked like a proud wolf with his pups, stroking his face against them lovingly, just inhaling them.

"Come here, you guys," Danni said wiping tears from her cheeks. He sat carefully. "Think they're hungry?" He asked.

"Let's find out. I hope I can do this." She pulled up her shirt and laid them on her chest worried about whether they'd take to breastfeeding. After just a couple of minutes, Scout and Ryder lay against her chest, each infant in the curve of an arm feeding contentedly. Daryl was beside her helping hold them in place.

"Herschel said If I use a pillow it'll be easier." She adjusted to the feeling and realized it wasn't as scary as she'd expected. "These two little munchkins caused so much difficulty for all those months." She laughed.

As if on cue, Scout pulled away from the nipple and began crying, wailing like a little banshee. Danni couldn't get her to take the nipple again. "She's gonna be trouble I just know it," she said, with a wry smile. "Look out world. Nan would say 'that one suffers from a double dose of original sin."

"I got her." Daryl held his baby girl and looked into her eyes. "Hey, sweetheart. I got ya." She stared back at him with matching cobalt intensity and her cries ceased. He was beaming with pride when he looked over at Danni.

"C'mon you two, we best get back, before we lose our chance." Merle announced after checking the hallway to make sure it was still clear of Walkers.

Danni held Ryder close to her chest keeping him as warm as she could. She was stiff and sore and walking was difficult but she focused on getting them home to their blankets, clothes and makeshift cribs. Daryl carried Scout in one arm and had his crossbow in the other. They followed Merle out into the now empty concrete passageway.

Danni saw spots darting back and forth but attributed it to the dusky lighting in the tombs. She stumbled.

"You okay?" Daryl asked as she steadied herself.

"I just got dizzy. Hey, can you take her for a second."

"You mean him, don't ya?"

"Whatever…" she sounded confused. She handed him Ryder then leaned forward trying to catch her breath and quell her light-headedness.

Daryl shouting "Hold up Merle!" was the last thing Danni heard before she lost consciousness and fell to the cement floor in the tombs.

... ... ... .. .. ..

Silence resounded in the cell block when the Dixons entered. Merle holding the two newborns and Daryl carrying Danni.

"Where's the doc?" Merle shouted as they rushed in. "We need the doc!"

"Herschel!" Rick called out and headed straight to Daryl. He did a double take at the babies.

"They're fine, good I think," Daryl said, "but its Danni. She just passed out. She was good one minute, the next just-"

"Get her to my cell!" Herschel ordered. All the medical supplies were there. "Carol, Lori check out those babies for me!"

After getting her vitals, Herschel looked up to see the entire group gathered at the door of the cell. "My best guess is that she 's in hemorrhagic shock. She must be bleeding internally. Her blood pressure is low." Herschel said re-checking her pulse and putting his stethoscope back on her to her chest added, "Rapid heart rate. She's cold, we need more blankets."

Maggie nodded solemnly then she and Glenn went to gather as many as they could. The atmosphere's tension stemmed from the dichotomous situation of new life represented by two crying newborns and their mother lying in a coma possibly close to death.

Herschel looked at Daryl. "I'm not going to lie to you son, this is a life-threatening condition. If she loses more than 20 percent of her body's blood or fluid supply, it becomes impossible for the heart to pump enough blood to her body. Her heart is already struggling."

"Can you do something? You gotta do something." Daryl's hoarse voice broke and he felt his world crumbling beneath his boots like the earth was swallowing up everything he had. He narrowed his desperate eyes at Herschel. "Please," escaped his lips.

"I can put her on IV fluids. Thank God we found them in the infirmary. I don't know where she's bleeding, or how much. I am not equipped for exploratory surgery. I 'm sorry. We'll treat her the best we can. Could be it clots on its own in time, but I just don't know."

Herschel set up her IV line. It was all he could do. Daryl wouldn't leave her side. "The babies?" Daryl finally asked Herschel as he once again checked her pulse.

'They're fine. Carol and Lori have them. Both healthy."

Daryl nodded, relieved. I can't … not now..."

Herschel nodded. "They 're in good hands. My Bethy's there too. The best with babies. Good thing you and Danni picked up the formula on that run awhile back."

"Yeah she thought of everything, in case something went wrong and she couldn't feed…" he stopped realizing what he was saying.

"Well, I'll right out here. Call me if anything happens."

Daryl felt surreal sitting beside her. How could everything have gone to shit so fast? His sorrow was tinged with anger, as always. It was easier to be angry. He fell on his knees beside her bed and grabbed her limp hand. He started speaking softly but soon his voice rose. "Don't leave me, not now! You can't go now...we been through too much we… dammit Danni, you made me care about you. You can't go making me love you then just take off!" After he'd finished shouting, he leaned his upper body onto hers resting his head on her chest, letting tears silently stream, soaking into her t-shirt and the blankets. He couldn't smell her, the honeysuckle was gone. "Dammit, where are you?"

... ... ... ...

"He won't leave her." Herschel explained to Rick the following morning as they sat at the common table keeping an eye on Daryl's vigil.

"What do you think?" Rick asked.

Herschel shook his head. "I don't know but it doesn't look good. She's getting weaker, still breathing shallowly, low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and weak pulse. No, change. Soon her body will go into shock from the blood loss. That causes organ failure. If that happens, she can't last much longer. I'm sorry Rick."

"You mean..." He shook his head, feeling a stagnant weight in his chest. "You did all you could, I know. It's just, to lose someone else is-"

"Say it, Rick, it's not just someone else, its Danni. This is gonna be devastating for all of us."

"And Daryl, how is he gonna handle it?"

"He's a father now Rick, he'll stand up, he's got his babies to think of."

Rick nodded.

... ... ... ... ...

"You should talk to her." Sophia startled Daryl as he sat by Danni's side in the candle light.

"Why's that?" He asked the little girl.

"Because she can hear you. She's still in there."

Daryl huffed, not seeing the point.

"It will help." Sophia summed up. She kissed Danni on the cheek and spoke to her. "The babies are so cute. They hardly cry at all. The look like Daryl, it's silly. When you wake up, you'll see." She stood and turned to Daryl. "She can hear us." She said and left.

He shifted in his chair. After a few minutes, he rasped "Sophia says you can hear me. Dunno bout that but...what the hell...I miss you." He turned self-consciously looking behind him, to make sure he was alone. "The troublemakers are waiting on you. They need you. Hell, I need you." He cleared his throat. "Beth's real good with them. But..she ain't you. They need their momma Danni."

He fished in his pocket for a small stone. "Got this from that pile of rocks you was making stuff with, remember? Jewelry? With the kids. The day with Ed. When I bent down to get my knife, I saw this and picked it up. You never noticed. I keep it with me all the time. Man, I never told you, but that day changed my whole life. I'll never forget how I felt, how you made me feel." He held up the jagged green stone and gazed at its rough beauty and thought of her eyes.

"Hey, little brother." Merle interrupted his reverie.

'What are you doing here?" Daryl asked not turning around.

"Checking on you."

Daryl grunted.

"Look she's either gonna pull through or she ain't. No sure way to know. But what is a sure thing is you got two kids who need ya and need ya now."

"If that's 'sposed to make me feel better, it don't."

"Trying to get you to man up. Show me I'm wrong about you not being daddy material."

Daryl shook his head, his eyes never leaving Danni.

"Queenie'd want ya to know that right? She 'd want you taking care of those rugrats."

Daryl sighed and finally turned to Merle. "Why'd you do it? Save Danni, the babies...you never done nothing like that before in your whole life."

Merle shook his head. "I wanted to give you a chance. maybe make up for some of the times I wasn't there."

"Never told me how you knew what you were doing." Daryl said,

"I know cause it's what I done for you."

"What? "You were only ten years old when I was born."

"Look, I never told you this; momma didn't want ya to know so she always said you was born in the county hospital."

"I wasn't?"

"The night you was coming into this world the old man was on a real bad tear and wouldn't take momma to the hospital. He didn't care if either of you lived or died. Probably wanted you to die. Bastard. I was gonna drive her, but he hid the keys to the truck. So she had me get her to Birdie, Bridie or Brigit can't remember the lady's name."

"Who was she?"

"This lady was like one of them magic grannies that lived up the hill."

"Mom didn't know them."

"She did. Things were different before you was born. Anyway every summer this lady and her relations would come down and set up a camp over past the holler. The'd do odd jobs and work construction on the new buildings going up on the highway. Momma spent time with them. She learned stuff from this Brigid. Got pretty close to her. Now that I think about it, right after you was born or the year after, they stopped coming down."

"Brigid was alone when me and Momma showed up that night, so she put me to work helping her birth ya. Made me learn it, boy. I'll never forget it little brother. Good thing too by the looks of you two yesterday."

"So you mean you-"

"Yeah, I did. I saved your ass then and I just saved my niece and nephews asses too, didn't I? We're family and kin stand by each other. So you git your goddamn sorry, pitiful self up upstairs and start being a daddy. Now!"

Daryl looked at Danni, then back at his brother. "She said forever."

Merle stiffened. "She shoulda' known better." He said gruffly, hiding the pain he felt for his brother.

"I'll stay with her. You g'wan now."

Daryl reluctantly exited the cell and headed upstairs to his children. Merle walked closer to Danni's unconscious form. "Damn don't you think of dying on him queenie, I'll fucking kill you first, hear me?" He sat and put his head in his hands.

... ... ... .. .. ..

The way he gently cradled the infant was so natural; like he'd done it a million times before. When Beth handed him the bottle, he seemed to know exactly how to hold Scout so that she'd take it.

"You're so good at that." Beth complimented. "Merle is too. You two must have had lots of kids in your family."

"Merle? Guess he helped out with me."

Although the baby was swaddled in a blanket, warm against the cell block's constant chill, an overprotective Daryl insisted on wrapping one of his flannel shirts around her too.

"You like that, huh?" he asked with tenderness as the baby sucked contentedly on the bottle. Pacing back and forth slowly, he wore an expectant, proud yet strained smile. "Like that, little troublemaker?" He was conflicted. He couldn't get Danni out of his head. But the little girl in his arms depended on him. He'd never let her down. "You like that sweetheart? Yeah, course you do. Daddy's got ya, I got ya." She's gonna be a daddy's girl. He heard Danni. "Yeah, that's my little girl, there you go." He handed her to Beth, who placed Scout securely back in her mail bin. Then he tenderly took Ryder from his bin and he started to cry loudly.

"You miss your momma don't you?" Daryl asked over the cries. "I know you do. Come on little man. I got ya. I miss her too, but we're gonna be okay until she's here. She'll be here soon." Daryl said trying to soothe his crying son, as well as himself.

As night fell, Daryl decided to take Ryder and Scout down to Danni to sit with him so they'd be there when she woke up. She'd like that. He sat beside Danni, holding both infants closely as they slept; a tiny head on each of his shoulders. If he weren't so overwhelmed by his emotions, he would have thought more about Merle's story. Brigid. Nah, couldn't be.

"See, here she is, here's your momma." He whispered. He watched his wife's eyes moving and twitching of her lids. Where are you? Somewhere he couldn't go.

... ... ... ... .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .

Danni felt cool, soft smooth hands on her forehead, pushing her hair aside. Lily of the Valley filled the air around her and she felt at peace. She kneeled at the foot of Brigid's rocking chair, leaning her head on her nan's lap as she did when she was a little girl. it was always the safest she ever felt. Early summer breezes warmed her and Danni smelled freshly cut grass and faintly heard children's laughter as her cousins played in the yard on the side of the house. Nana Brigid's voice had the lilting musical quality that made her seem to sing the story she told.

…"Finn wandered to other places and worked for other people. But always there was a curiosity about him. Often the sons of Morna nearly caught up with him. Finn finally went out to the country to do a bit of thinking. 'I have learned to hunt. I am a chess player whom none can beat. I can fight. But I do not know poetry, and perhaps it is time I learned the songs and poems of Ireland. I have heard that Finnegas is the best teacher in Ireland and that he lives by himself at the River Boyne. I will go to him and ask to be his student!"

The older woman sighed to signify the end. "To be continued."

"One more please, you skipped Sadhbh, my favorite."

"Enough storytelling for one afternoon, leanbh, my child."

"I missed you so much Nana," Danni held tight around Brigid's waist. "I don't want to leave you. Every day is so hard and I'm so scared all the time. We have to fight these monsters and sometimes we have no food, and there's another group, they're going to attack us. Please just let me stay." At that moment, Danni wanted to be a child. She wanted stay here in the endless summer of her Nana and her cousins and Tara. Stories, games, lessons, doting aunties and protective uncles; maybe this time her dad would come. The summers with the clan were her heaven. She was free from worry and responsibility.

"I'm tired Nan I don't want to fight anymore. You don't know what its like. I want to stay with you." Dann was overcome with Brigid's warmth, love, and energy. Lily of the Valley assaulted her senses hijacking her. "This was all I ever wanted growing up, to be here with you forever."

"And abandon your man, your family? You don't mean it darlin'. You're talking like a child, not the woman you are now."

"But-"

"Hush and listen here, why do ye think I gave him to you? The wee babies too? Don't ye see, you were born to fight. You will face the biggest battle of your life, but I sent you in ready. Trust me darlin'."

"I'm scared. But I don't let them see it. I try to be brave."

"Now, now A stór... my treasure." She paused and tilted Danni's head up to look in her eyes. "Are you happy with him?"

"What?"

"Does he make you happy lass?"

"Who?"

"Who else?" She laughed, her voice lilting sing-song. "I gave him to you, you know. To love you and take care of you."

"Stop teasing me Nana." Danni blushed. "You really did know about him?"

"I gave you those dreams, dearie."

Danni blushed again.

"I told you when you were oh ...thirteen years old to be patient for you would meet the right man; a good man. I'm after arranging it for you darlin'."

"What?"

"That's right, You were due something good in your life lass. That mam of yours being not the full shilling." She shook her head. "So was your man due for that matter. He deserves you. You can thank me now darlin'. She smiled her sly grin.

"Nan, how…how did you-"

"Don't be rude."

"Thank you Nana. But I don't understand-"

Brigid waved her hand to say enough of that for now. Danni laid her head down on Brigid's lap again and sighed. "It's so beautiful here."

"Mmm hmm. So you wanna stay here with me and leave your man."

"No. I miss him. I miss him so much. He's my life, the babies, they're my life. You're right. I can't stay."

"That's my girl."

"So send me back I'm ready."

Danni opened her eyes to find herself still seated by her Nana's lap. Weird. Brigid became stone-faced and concerned. "I guess It's not that simple darlin'."

"Isn't this a dream? Wake me up."

She shook her head. "Not this time."

Danni had never seen her Nan look thrown for a loop, but she saw it now.

"You mean you can't...you can't send me back to them?"

"I didn't say I couldn't, look who you're asking dearie. I said it's not so easy, that's all."

"Why?"

"Donn." Brigid said quietly. "The Dark One, Lord of the Dead. This has to do with your body. You suffered an injury, a physical injury dear. Ther's more to it than just waking from a dream, love."

"I'm ...dead? I can't be. Daryl needs me. I have to get to my babies. My babies! Nan I can't be!" Just like the dark druid kept Sadhbh from Fionn, was all Danni could think of.

"You're in between worlds."

"There has to be something I can do Nana. There is right?"

"There's always something to do. If you're willing to trust and do what I say."

"I am and I'll do anything, anything. Get me back to them!"

... ... ... .. . .. .. .. .. .

The babies slept soundly wrapped in blankets in the bins on the floor next to Daryl's chair. He was impressed that Sophia and Carl had come up with such a practical solution to the crib issue. He sat on the bed with Danni and held the green stone. It was warm in his clenched palm. He leaned and dropped his head so his mouth was against her ear and hoarsely whispered "I love you Danni. I'd be nothing without you hear me? You're my best friend. I know I used to dream about you and musta always loved you. So just come on back."

Suddenly Danni let out a harsh breath and her body started to seize.

"Herschel!" Daryl called while trying to hold her down. The next instant she stiffened and went limp. When he put his head on her chest, he couldn't feel her heart beating. "Danni, no…"

"I'm sorry, Mo shíorghrá" My eternal love" her voice echoed in his head.

"Naw, naw...you can't be….No!" Daryl's voice broke and kept trying to feel a pulse that wasn't there.