All You Leave Behind

by Lynnth2014

Carol's on the run from a mistake in her recent past, but the only place she can go has the man she ran from originally. She had to find somewhere safe for her daughter, and that meant going home, back to her friends and family, back where they would find happiness. But with light, there is always dark, and he was Carol's. He would find them, it was only a matter of time.

34. Cradled In Love

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

––

Daryl noticed a car outside their house after Carol left to pick up Penny. He didn't like the look of it. He flicked the lights off and padded up the stairs, grabbing a bag from the hall closet. He entered his daughter's bedroom; Sophia was stretched out on the bed in her pink stripped pajamas, Dee Dee beside her and Ethan on her stomach. He opened a drawer and filled it with a change of clothes for her and a pair of boots since they were first shoes he saw. He set Bella inside the bag with a hole big enough for her to breathe then he picked up Sophia, tucking Ethan into his pocket.

"Hmm." Sophia groaned. "Five more minutes..."

"No, now." He shook her gently. "Hold onto my neck."

"Why?"

"'Cause I asked you to. As tight as you can."

She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, he unlocked the window and climbed out. She gasped and clung to him like a vine as he did so, and he jumped down when he was two or three feet from the bottom, holding Sophia so she didn't fall. "What's going on, Daddy?"

"Shh." He walked over to the fence. "Trust me, okay?"

She nodded.

"Loosen your grip." She did, and he held her up and lifted her over the fence. "Set your feet on the picnic table." She nodded, and he let her go. "Take this. Be real gentle." He handed the bag over to her then climbed over himself. "No splinters?"

"No." She looked scared and pale. "Where's Mommy?"

"She's fine." He dug the boots out of the bag, Bella glared him for shoving her into a bag and treating her like luggage. She was one sturdy animal. "Put these one. Quick."

She sat down on the table and tugged the boots on, he shouldered the bag and held her hand, helping her off the table. They hurried across the lawn and through the gate and into the next yard. He knew tonight was poker night over at Dawn's—an officer who worked at the high school with Tyreese—and Jeanette was bound to be over there. He needed her to do him a favor.

He knocked on the door, and Dawn opened it. She wore a black t-shirt with jeans, her long chestnut hair down her shoulders, very neat even for a poker game at this time of night. He knew she was very OCD and liked things clean and neat. She was very bossy and by-the-book. He wasn't too fond of her, but she'd never done anything to get on his bad side. "Sorry to interrupt y'all, but I needa see Jeanette."

"She's in the dining room." She nodded her heard toward it.

They went inside, Daryl asked Dawn if Sophia could change in the bathroom. She nodded and showed Sophia the way to the bathroom with the change of clothes Daryl handed to her, and he left to seek out Jeanette in the dining room where they were probably playing. Sophia changed into the pants and t-shirt her dad handed to her, folding her pajamas as best she could then exited the bathroom.

"Hi, cutie." A woman with curly brown hair smiled at her. "My name's Joan. I'm Dawn's girlfriend."

Sophia didn't say anything.

"This is Sophia," Dawn told her. "One of Jeanette's old students."

Joan looked over the little girl's face. "Do you want a brownie?"

Sophia smiled a little. "Yes, please."

Joan held her hand out, Sophia grasped it, and she led her into the living room, handing her a brownie. Sophia thanked her and set her clothes on the couch beside her before accepting the brownie.

"No, no, no," Dawn softly cringed at the thought of brownie crumbs on her sofa. Sophia and Joan turned their eyes on her as she reached out to try and protect her couch; Joan gave her Don't look with her eyes, and she cleared her throat. "Milk?"

"Please, if you have any," Sophia whispered.

"We do." Joan smiled warmly at her then went to retrieve it, grabbing Dawn on the way. "Lighten up. She's a kid. She's obviously scared."

"The last time you told me to light up, I found a drumstick in the couch!"

"That was one time." Joan grabbed a glass and filled it with milk. "Let it go."

Dawn gripped her arm when she went to pass by her. "At least use a coaster."

She smirked and kissed her. "Yes, ma'am."

She smacked Joan's ass. "I'll show you "ma'am"."

She laughed and returned to Sophia, sitting on the couch beside her. "Here, hon."

"Thank you." She smiled.

"You're welcome." She helped herself to a brownie, seeing Dawn twitching in the kitchen, so she picked up a napkin. Happy? she mouthed.

She nodded, putting the milk away as Joan hadn't.

Daryl and Jeanette walked out of the kitchen as Joan let Sophia try one of the peanut butter brownies, Jeanette held Bella in her arms, and Daryl nodded his thanks at her. He spotted Sophia and Dawn's girlfriend on the couch, and he was glad Sophia was smiling. They had to disappear tonight, and since Carol didn't have her phone on her, he couldn't let her know. He just had to trust she would go to Ed, because he was gonna go there too in a few days. He had to get out of Georgia first, make sure these fuckers were off their trail then meet up with Carol.

"Thanks," he murmured to Dawn.

"It's fine. We have enough junk here." She crossed her arms.

"Do you want some chips?" Joan offered.

"Oh, God." Dawn dropped her head onto the counter.

He smirked. "Rain check. We gotta go."

"Aw, okay."

"Finish eatin' that first," Daryl told his daughter. "Slow or you'll get a stomachache."

"I'll wrap some up for you two. We have too many anyhow." Joan hopped up and slid by them to wrap up the brownies and a few cookies.

Sophia finished her milk and offered the last bite of brownie to her dad. "Here."

He reached over and accepted it. "Thanks." He ate it then stuffed her pajamas into the bag.

"For the road." Joan presented him with the baggie of goodies.

"Appreciate it." He set the baggie into the bag on his shoulder. "Y'all take care."

"Don't you want to leave out the front door?" Joan pointed to it; Dawn elbowed her. "I mean, you're welcome. Have a safe trip! Let me babysit sometime!"

"You're twenty-seven," Dawn reminded her. "Calm down."

"I'll remember that for tonight." Joan arched a brow.

"I'm still here," Daryl reminded them, "with my five-year-old."

"She doesn't know what—"

Dawn clamped a hand over her girlfriend's mouth. "Forgive her. She was dropped on her head many times at an early age."

Sophia giggled. "Bye."

They left the house, Dawn moved her hand and eyed the cat in Jeanette's arm, thinking of the fur it would get all over the furniture, and Joan sighed softly.

"What?" Dawn locked the door after them.

"I want a kid."

She took the cat from Jeanette and handed it to Joan. "There."

"We said we'd talk about it."

"Not in front of company."

Daryl shook his head and led Sophia toward the shop in the darkness of the night. He had a car there. It was a piece of shit, but it got him where he needed to be. He would get some money from their emergency account, take Sophia somewhere outside New York then rent a car and drive into the city and purchase a semi-decent burner phone. He had to hope Carol grabbed her phone before she left otherwise his plan to call Carol and find someplace to meet up was useless. He should've left one of those damn cards out, but he was too much of a hurry. Shit. He had to let her know they were safe. He would want to know if it was the other way around.

He knew Sophia was exhausted, and not just because she was yawning and rubbing her eyes. He eventually made her get on his back, and he carried her to the shop. It wasn't really close, but it wasn't too far. He had energy from not doing much that day, so he made it just fine. He buckled Sophia in and covered her up with one of his sweatshirt he'd left here a long time ago. Jacqui had washed it for him, but he forgot about it. It'd keep her warm. He tucked Ethan into her arms before he got into the car and headed toward the airport.

––

Sophia ate her breakfast of eggs, hash browns, bacon and pancakes as if it was the first meal she'd had in ages, and Daryl couldn't help but chuckle at her. She glared at first then she didn't care. They were both starving. The flight was a frigging nightmare, but they'd made it here safely and undetected. They were going to find a hotel to stay at for the night and buy some clothes since he'd gotten coffee spilled on him. Thankfully it was iced coffee, but he still had the stain on his shirt. He'd tossed it in the trash and was now wearing that sweatshirt, his vest in the duffel bag.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" The waitress was about twenty-one or so, and he ignored the look she gave him whenever she asked him that question.

"Some more coffee," he replied. "Another glass of chocolate milk too."

"Coming right up." She smiled at him and walked away.

"When is Mommy coming?" Sophia asked again, finishing off the small stack of pancakes.

"We'll see her real soon," he promised.

"Are we on vacation?" She shifted in her seat. "Is that why Ms. Jeanette has Bella?"

"Yeah." He nodded, taking a bite of his own breakfast.

"I've never been to New York before," Sophia admitted. "Ed has an office here. He would promise we'd vacation here, but he lied."

"I ain't ever been on a vacation before," he confessed.

She smiled then. "I'm glad I get to see with you, Daddy."

He smiled back. "You got pepper in your teeth."

She stuck her tongue out.

"Watch it," he threatened playfully, "I might cut it off."

She closed her mouth and glared.

He laughed. She did have his glare.

––

Daryl tried to call Carol on their second night—Sophia had drained the battery to the phone he bought, so he had to wait for it to charge enough for him to use it—but she wouldn't pick up. Her phone was probably off or maybe she didn't take it with her. He didn't know. He was tempted to go to Ed's place, but he didn't want Sophia anywhere near that fucker. If he had someone he knew up here, he would ask them to watch her, but he didn't, so he couldn't. All he could and would do was wait. He would try again in the morning. Jesus, he'd already been trying all day, and he was so worried he could barely eat dinner or lunch. Sophia was noticing, and he wanted Sophia to think this trip was a vacation. He didn't want her to know the real reason they were up there, and he and Carol both swore to never involve Sophia in Ed anymore than she already was. He gave her his word, and he was going to keep his word, even if it was killing him. Also because of his vow to keep it from Sophia, he couldn't do anything as thoroughly as he wanted to, like find Ed's office and demand to know where that bastard was. He thought it would be easy. He'd get into the city, and he would contact Carol and they'd meet up. It wasn't easy. He had no fucking clue where Carol was, and he was losing his fucking mind. He'd chew his nails to the skin, and his lips had cuts from chewing so hard. He couldn't relax. He just couldn't. His mind was alive, but...his body was just so damn exhausted.

Since Sophia thought this was a vacation, so she wanted to buy gifts and see the sights and make memories as it was both their first vacation. He didn't mind, because he needed to purchase a burner phone and new clothes, but damn, that girl had too much energy. She wanted to go everywhere and do everything, and he did that while trying to call Carol all damn day. Sadly he thought he almost got her once, but no, it was just a false alarm. He hoped she was all right. It was really eating at him that he couldn't contact her. He might have to go to Ed's office and demand to know where the fuck Ed was and demand they watch his kid.

"Christ." He ran his hand down his face. If he believed in anything, it was Carol being strong enough to stop Ed and return to him. He believed that.

"Daddy?" Sophia murmured sleepily.

"Yeah?"

"Can we get a camera and take pictures tomorrow?" She didn't open her eyes or roll over to look at him. "Please?"

"We'll see."

"Mmm'kay." She exhaled. "I love you, Daddy."

He smiled a little. "I love you too. Get some sleep." He kissed the top of her head and flicked the light off, an unsettling feeling creeping up on him. He was worried about Carol, no matter how much he believe in her. Where the hell was she?

Call me! He was practically willing his phone, seeing it even with the lights off.

– – –

The paramedics rushed Merle down to the ambulance to get him to the hospital, Amy could hear the men coming for Gareth's body; and she sniffed, unable to wiped her nose due to the blood on her hands, and she noticed a chain on his throat. She reached over and tugged on it, seeing Carol's locket. Quickly, she removed it from his neck and fastened it around her own, standing up and going to the front yard to see where they were taking Merle, which hospital.

Amy watched as they loaded Merle up into the back of the van, her entire body numb as a cop guided her toward the paramedic. She didn't have the words to tell him she was fine. She didn't even have the words to tell him what happened. She just kept staring at her bloody hands, feeling the warmth of Merle's blood covering them, even though the blood was cold and drying.

––

"Amy!" Andrea ran over to her, crossing the lobby of the hospital and hugged her little sister. "Oh, thank God, you're okay!"

"Andrea." She buried her face in her sister's shoulder, not caring about the pain in her side.

"Paige?" She pulled back. "Oh, my God, where's Paige?"

"Getting a pop with Penny." She nodded her head toward them. "Did you bring me a change of clothes?"

"Yes." She handed the clothes. "Jeans, a sweater and your tennis shoes."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it." She shouldered the bag. "Watch the girls?"

"Of course." She smiled.

Amy made her way to the bathroom, stepping into a stall and immediately shimming out of her bloody clothes, wincing at the pain in her side. She knew she would get looked at, but she didn't care about herself right now. Merle was in surgery, and she wanted to be with him when he woke up. She wanted to be the first person to see him, and she would be. She could deal with a little pain until then.

She tugged the black jeans Andrea had brought up, biting down on her bottom lip as the pain shot through her, tingling her nerves in such a way that she felt like passing out. She ignored the feeling and removed her bra, finding it, too, had blood on it. She discovered happily that Andrea had brought a bra with her too. She nearly threw up when she had to latch it, and she stopped for a second, taking several deep breaths, trying to make sure her knees wouldn't give out on her, and she swallowed.

"Okay," she told herself. "Okay." She dug out the off white cashmere sweater that definitely didn't belong to her, but she didn't even care. It didn't smell like blood, and it was soft. She cried out softly when she raised her arms, and she decided she would get herself looked at. She was being stupid, and nobody would approve of this, not even Merle. He would probably kick her ass into an exam room and hold her down while the doctors looked at her. He was in surgery, and it was going to take them time to dig out the bullet and repair whatever the hell needed repaired. They were at the hospital anyhow. She didn't need Paige to worry about her mother and father. Paige had enough worries. God, her baby was going to need so much therapy. And she would need therapy too. She...

"No." She shook her head and opened the stall door, gripping the strap to the bag. Not now. She exited the bathroom and she asked Andrea to watch the girls while she went to see a nurse.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

She set the bag down beside her sister, feeling Carol's locket against her skin, almost causing her to shiver. "No! No, I just... I don't know. I may have a broken rib." She braced herself for Andrea's reaction.

"Oh, my God, Amy!" Andrea exclaimed.

"I said may!" Amy shushed her when the girls looked at them. "It's probably nothing, or just bruised, you know? Look, I want to make sure. Just watch the girls, and I will be right back."

Andrea sighed. "You're going to be the death of me!"

"I love you." She walked away.

She sat down beside her niece and crossed her legs. "Maybe I don't want a nephew." She ran a hand through her hair, seeing Paige become a little pale. "Are you okay, Paige?"

She nodded a little, her eyes wide.

"Is this about the man who broke into the house?"

She nodded once more.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," she whispered. "I just wanna forget."

Andrea scooted closer and put her arm around her niece's shoulders, not saying anything.

– – –

Shawn went to see his dad. Sasha was extremely grumpy today, so he left Michonne try and calm her down since when he tried, she slammed the door in his face after breaking his favorite and most expensive camera with impressive strength he didn't ever want to know she had. He tried to talk it out, but that only made it worse. In the end, he wrote her a note and tapped it to the top of her favorite snack and left when Michonne arrived. He needed to talk to someone who wasn't moody or pregnant or hated. Preferably someone who also didn't get a period. That really only left his dad, because Ty and T were busy with the shop.

"Hell... When did you get a cat?" Shawn pointed to the fat kitten in his dad's lap.

"It's not mine, and no cussing in the house." Hershel set his Bible down. "And her name is Bella."

"I was going to say "Hello". The cat threw me off." He took a seat. "Bella. Whose is she?"

"Daryl and Carol's."

"Why did they give you their cat? I thought you didn't like cats. They hiss and scratch and are—Hold up." He shot up. "Aren't you supposed to be with Sophia right now? Holy crowbar, what did I miss?! Where is my niece?! My sister?! My...whatever Daryl is to me?!"

"Calm down." Hershel motioned for him to sit, but he didn't. "Daryl took Sophia out of state, because some men were outside their house. I bet Carol went after them."

"How do you know that?" He eyed his father.

"He told Jeanette the night he left with Sophia, and she dropped Bella off here the other night."

"Okay. Now, "I bet"? "I bet"?! What the hell does that mean, Dad?! Where—where was Daryl going? Or Carol?"

"I don't know. He didn't tell me that. And what did I just tell about cussing in the house?" he scolded.

"Dad, that is so not important right now! Men were stalking Carol's house! Carol, do you remember her? My little sister, your daughter? Hello!" Shawn was screaming, his heart racing.

"I do know. Carol is strong. She's been training with Maggie for this, and I know she'll come back to us. She will." He knew Carol. Carol was smart, resourceful, and she wouldn't do anything stupid. He knew that.

"Oh, chr—cripes." Shawn pinched the bridge of his nose. "I—I'm going to her house. I'll see you when I see you."

"Have a little faith!" Hershel called after him. He knew Carol was going to go to the police. The most danger Carol would probably be in would be going into Ed's house or office wearing a wire or something. He knew Carol would be fine. She wouldn't do anything risky. She was very intelligent. She wouldn't do anything to put herself in danger. She had too much to live for to be irrational about this.

"Yeah, yeah."

Shane drove to her house, seeing Daryl's truck in the driveway, but the sight of it didn't ease the knots in his stomach. He was prepared to kick the door in, but it was unlocked. He rushed inside and found a mess inside. The lump in his throat was practically strangling him now. Oh, shit. Oh, shit! This was bad. This place looked worse than it did when Daryl went on a rampage shortly after Carol forced him to divorce her and left.

He ran upstairs, seeing every room torn apart, and he wondered if someone broke in, but all of Carol's jewelry was still there. His heart was in his stomach, and he ran his hand down his jaw, his blood rushing. "Oh, God." They weren't here when it happened. They weren't here when it happened. Breath, just breath. Or you'll die like a dumbass. Think of the headline. Hell, the twins would laugh their asses off in the womb at that. Christ.

"What the hell happened?" He looked around their bedroom. His niece and Daryl were all right, but what about his baby sister? He didn't like this one bit. He knew Carol was tough, but this... No. He needed to see her, needed to hear her voice. He needed to grab her shoulders and shake her until she got free and slapped the shit out of him from shaking her. Or punch since she knew how to hit now. He just had to find her, whether or not she wanted to be found. He didn't go after her once before and that bastard abused her physically, verbally and sexually. Fuck that. He wasn't going to let that happen again. It was time to do some Nancy Drewing.

He looked through the house, trying to find a note or some papers or even a mention of where they were or where they thought Ed might be. Neither Daryl nor Carol had a laptop, so he couldn't look there. Their bedroom was already so trashed, which made it very fucking difficult to find anything relevant from...well, trash. He didn't want to dig too much in case the police came by and thought he did this, but mostly because of the horrifying lingerie he'd seen in the closet. He never needed to know what his baby sister wore for Daryl. He had a very dirty mind to begin with, and it was betraying him at the sight of the lingerie. He wanted to peel his brain out. Oh, God. He needed therapy. He overwhelmed his brain of thought of his wife.

"Boo!"

"Jesus!" Shawn jolted as his wife laughed at him, and he sent her a glare. "What the hell are you doing here?! You scared the shit out of me!"

"That was the point. I wanted to talk to you, so I called Hershel. He said you came here." She walked into the room. "He explained what happened with Daryl and Sophia, said you were looking for clues? I couldn't resist spooking you; you looked so focused."

"Yes, I was—I am."

"Clues for what? Have you seen this house? You won't find anything useful." She looked over the room, really glad that no one was home when people tore it up. "Carol can handle one jackass."

"Yes, I know. Girl power and all. Whoo." He scanned under the bed and saw a slip of paper with Carol's handwriting on it. "I don't know if it's just one jackass, so I'm going after her."

"Carol's become quite capable, and she'll involve the police, so she'll be fine. They'll be back in no time." He didn't look convinced, and Sasha, as worried for Carol and Daryl and Sophia as she was, knew she had to keep calm. Stress wasn't good for the babies, or for her, so she just had to be calm. She knew they would be fine. Daryl wouldn't let anything happen to her or their child. Shawn knew that too. "You know Daryl would never let anything happen to them, right?"

He just sighed softly, almost inaudibly.

"That's a yes." She smiled a little at him. "Look, I'm going to buy some plates and things for them today. Mom and Michonne and Lori are going to help clean this place up. It's best we just try and move on from it, you know? It's what Carol and Daryl will want when they get back. Clinging to the past doesn't help, so we'll give them a ne—"

He grabbed piece of paper and rose, interrupting her. "Look, I know my sister can handle herself, but I cannot handle losing my sister, because of one asshole who wants my niece! I am going after her to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid! Say, get shot or killed! She's the only blood family I have left." He shook his head. " I mean—"

"I know what you mean, and I get it." She crossed her arms. "You don't want to lose anybody else that you love, but I think you're overreacting. Nothing's happened to prove anybody's been hurt. They just killed a couch, and—"

His phone beeped, and he checked it, finding a text. "Oh, shit!" He ran a hand through his hair.

"What?" She felt her heart skip a beat at his expression, unadulterated stress pouring into her. "Shawn?"

"It's from Mag. Amy was attacked last night, and Merle was shot! Christ, Paige was there, and she saw it!" God, that poor little girl. "I gotta get to the hospital and check on her. Check on them all."

"Oh, God." Sasha closed her eyes and said a prayer for them then looked at her husband. "Wait, I thought you were looking for Carol." He had the attention span of guppy sometimes.

"I am. Maybe Amy knows. They're close."

"What is that? Stop waving it." She snatched the paper he kept gesturing with. "New York? Did she go there?"

He looked at the words written on the paper. "New York? Why the hell not? I'm gonna check with Rick and do some serious pleading, and I might even toss in Michonne being related to Carol by marriage now. Michonne likes Carol anyway, so hopefully it'll work." He took the piece of paper and tossed it onto the floor. "If she did, in fact, go to New York, I'm going after her." He kissed her deeply and set a hand on her belly. "Don't have them without me."

"Uh, Shawn!"

He sighed, shoving his phone into his back pocket. "Fine, but at least let me name my daughter."

"That is not what I meant by that!" She glared. "You can't go to New York!"

He set his hands on her cheeks. "She's my baby sister, Sasha, and I already lost her once. I won't lose her again. I'm going after her this time." He kissed her deeply then placed a kiss to her forehead. "I love you, and I will call you soon."

She sighed. "I love you too. Be careful, please!"

"I will be!"

God, protect them, please, Sasha prayed.

– – –

Carol giggled, feeling the chuckle that Daryl gave against her chest, and she rested her head on his shoulder, her finger slipping through his, and she placed a kiss to his breast. She loved being in his arms. It was the only safe place she had anymore. She could die happily right there of old age with him. She hoped she would too.

"I love you, Daryl Dixon." She didn't move her head, just nuzzled her face into his neck. "I love you more than you can ever know."

"I love you too." He stroked her hair. "Nothing's gonna happened. We'll be just fine."

"If we're together, we'll be more than just fine," she corrected, running her finger across a line on his palm, "we'll be damn near perfect."

He snorted.

"Especially with Sophia." She kissed his neck. "C'mon, we need to get dressed. Sophia's TV show is probably over."

"Lock the door, she'll never know."

She smirked. "I think she'll bang on the door and yell for us if we do that, so get up."

"You gotta get up first. Wrapped around me like a damn vine."

She shifted to straddle him. "All right, I am getting up. Happy?" She kissed his nose and reached for her shirt, pulling it over her torso. "I'm gonna take the first shower, so," she unclasped the necklace he'd just given her and fastened it around his neck, "hold onto my heart for me."

He met her eyes. "Always."

She smiled and kissed him deeply, lacing her fingers through his.

––

Carol felt life and warmth rush back into her, and slowly she began to recognize small sounds, and she felt something underneath her; it was rough and a little uncomfortable. She could hear beeping, someone was talking, and there was a tapping. It sounded like Shawn when he was flipping through a magazine impatiently waiting for something to happen. Her eyes opened to the horrendous lightening of a hospital. She blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the light, a groan passing through her dry lips. She lifted her hand to her cheek. She was alive. This was real. Oh, God. She was alive. Thank God.

"Hey, kid." Shawn smiled at her, taking a hold of her hand.

"Wh—?"

"Hey, easy. Easy." He patted her hand. "I'm gonna get the doctor."

She watched him leave then looked around the room, seeing flowers on the table beside her. She reached over to touch them, but the doctor rushed in and told her to be still. She clenched her jaw as white-hot pain ran through her then noticed the bandage on her shoulder. She remembered getting shot by Ed, and she shuddered slightly.

The doctor filled her in on what happened. The arms of God she felt were actually her big brother's arms; he found her at Ed's house and rushed her to the hospital. The warmth was his jacket wrapping around her. She was just out of it. She must have hit her head when she fell. Gosh, that was a little embarrassing. At least no one will ever know. Unless she talked in her sleep. Oof.

"Here you are, honey." The nurse handed Carol some water once the checkup was over. "Easy, small sips."

"Thank you so much." She took the cup and sipped it, coughing a little as it went down.

"How are you feeling?" She fluffed Carol's pillow.

"Oh, you don't have to do that. I'm all right, really, but thank you."

"Mmm-mm." The woman shook her head. "I'm gonna take good care of you. You're a brave woman."

Carol blushed. "Not really."

The nurse simply smiled. "Brave and modest. You'll make a lovely mother."

"Oh, I don't think I'm the best m—wait, what?" Carol shrieked.

She smiled wider. "You're pregnant."

"Oh, my God!" Carol and Shawn proclaimed at the same time.

"Congratulations. I'll bring you something to eat." She patted Carol's foot then left.

"I'm going to throw up." Carol set the water down on the table beside her. "Oh, God. Oh, my God, I'm pregnant. How did this happen?"

He gave her his you know exactly how, moron look. "Really?"

"I know how it happened, but I don't know how the hell it happened! Holy shit, I'm pregnant. What's Daryl going to think? I mean, he's just—" Her eyes burned. "Daryl..."

"Hey, hey, hey. No tears. He's just fine, Carol. He'll meet us at the airport as soon as you can be released," Shawn told her.

"He—he's alive?" Carol was breathless. "And Sophia?"

He nodded. "They left before the killing of the furniture. We figure the men got pissed that nobody was home and tore the place up. The funeral for the couches will be next Friday; they'll be resting in pieces." Shawn really hoped she wouldn't cry, but she was going to. He could see it, but at least they were happy tears. "Um, the men that broke into your house were arrested last night. They were wanted for something else; the cops didn't tell me. The police were already at Ed's office when they went there to get paid by Ed, unaware that you'd bested him, and they were arrested."

Relief overwhelmed her. It swelled in her chest full to bursting, and she couldn't catch her breath as tears sprang up in her eyes. They were alive. They were here. They came after her, just like Shawn. She wanted to cry and hug Shawn and run to the airport to find Daryl and Sophia. They were okay. Ed was just messing with her. He was most likely just trying to screw with her head, confuse her so that she would make a mistake and then he could subdue her or kill her. She knew Sophia and Daryl were alive. She would've felt it if anything happened to them. In her heart, she would've felt it. Daryl would do anything to protect Sophia, she knew that. She'd always known that. Daryl's a protector, and he always will be.

Shawn handed her a tissue and rubbed her good shoulder, telling her what Daryl had told him when he called, and she sobbed like a baby. Shawn gave her another tissue then another and another and tried to cheer her up. When she settled down, she made a face and asked, "We figure? What does that mean?"

"Well, nobody told the cops back home, and Ed probably wasn't going to pay them until they brought you and Sophia and Daryl in. I'm guessing they were going to demand the money from him, because people are greedy, and they mostly felt they should get paid." He shrugged. "Oh. Don't worry, your house will be as good as new when you return. I promise."

"Yeah, okay. Good, tell me who to thank later." She sniffed then paused. "I'm going to go throw up now."

Shawn waited until Carol came from throwing up and told her what happened in detail now that she wasn't going to burst into tears. Daryl had contacted him an hour or two after Shawn got into the city—Daryl was likely going to ask him to call Karen or somebody to try and help to locate Carol or Ed—and told him he was looking for Carol. They said it at the same time really, but unfortunately Daryl was stuck in traffic outside the city, so Shawn had to look for her himself. He found Ed's office, and a dangerously flirtatious assistant who really needed to stop with the cleavage; he could see the top of a tattoo she had on her... Well, he managed to flirt Ed's address out of her anyhow. Michonne would've killed him, but that didn't matter. He arrived at the house just in time to help his sister, and that's all that mattered.

"Why isn't Daryl coming here?" Carol ate a spoonful of pudding once the story had been told and every detail had been repeated just because Shawn knew they were from Daryl's mouth unlike her.

"Because I didn't tell him you were in the hospital." He braced himself, but she didn't freak out. "We'll tell him in person. He knows Ed's dead and that's that. It's all okay now." He set his hand over hers. "You did it, kid. I'm proud of you."

"Proud of me?" She stared at him, her eyes telling him of her pain. "I killed a man. That's nothing to be proud of."

"You went there without any protection, and you had no intention of killing him. You were just going to walk away, and that's what I'm proud of." He smiled at her. "It's over. All you have to do is talk to the police. They'll be here soon, probably. The nightmare has ended, kid."

She swallowed hard. "No, it's not over. Not just yet."

He frowned.

– – –

Merle woke up with a strong desire for a glass of whiskey. He knew he was in the hospital, and he expected to wake up alone, but there was Amy, gripping his hand in her sleep, and there was Paige, curled up in the seat beside her mom. He smiled to himself. They were there for him. Well, fuck, somebody was there for him, and it wasn't Daryl. Which made him wonder where the hell his baby brother was at a time like this.

He saw the wound on his lower abdomen. "Damn pussy," he murmured about Paul.

Amy stirred, her lips brushing across his hand, and her eyes opened and met his. "Oh, my God." She sat up and smiled. "You're awake."

"You're droolin'."

She blushed and covered her mouth with her hand. "I'm so sorry. Did I drool on you?"

He chuckled, but it turned quickly into a fit of coughs.

"Easy there, Hero-Man." She stood up. "I'll get Dr. Stookey."

"What, no kiss?" he mused.

She stopped then walked over him, searching his eyes, and he narrowed his slightly. She kissed him, caressing his cheek, and she parted his lip, not caring if she had bad morning breath or if he did. He was awake and recovering. She needed this. After the last few nights, she really needed this. God, his mouth felt so good.

Distantly, the device that monitored his heart started to sound as his heartbeat began to steadily increase, and she pulled back, smiling at him and nuzzling her forehead against his. "I'll get the doctor."

"Good idea."

She kissed him once more than called to Bob who was right outside. She excused herself to the bathroom as Bob did his checkup. She took one of the painkillers the doctors gave her, and she fixed her hair and blouse then stepped out of the bathroom, catching the last of the conversation. She woke up her daughter, who was thrilled to see her dad wake.

As soon as Bob left, Amy helped her daughter onto the bed and Paige hugged Merle tightly. He chuckled softly, telling her she was being silly, that he was fine, but he didn't let her go. He was glad she was all right. He'd been worried when that asshole almost got to her. Thankfully he was faster. He knew Amy was injured. He'd seen the way she gripped her side when she excused herself to the bathroom, and he would ask her about it later. For now, he wanted something to eat. Goddamn, he was ravenous.

"Jacqui's going to bring some food for you." Amy was sitting on the bed with him two hours later. She'd gone home—meaning to her parents' house—to shower and brush her teeth. She left Paige with Jacqui, because Paige wanted to help make her dad something to eat, and Andrea was hanging out with Penny at the farm since the house was a bloody mess. Her parents were going to come by the hospital sometime in the next few hours to check in and take her to dinner and get the whole story. She didn't want to leave for hours, but she did need to eat decent food. Only after Merle got his.

"What food?"

"Baked chicken with salad, green beans and red potatoes." She glared slightly at the face he made. "It's healthy, and you need to heal." She set her hand over the wound, not adding any pressure. "You can stay with us when they release you, and I'll take care of you."

"You would?"

She nodded. "I can make you decent dinners and lunches and breakfast with Paige's help, because she'll want to make you food. I can make sure your wound doesn't get infected as well."

"How 'bout baths? They in this deal?" He smirked.

She brushed her fingertip over his abs. "Yes, they are." She lifted her eyes to his then kissed him once.

"C'mere."

She crawled over him, heeding his wound, and she curled up against his good side, his arm around her waist, and she rested her head on his shoulder. She exhaled softly and blinked back tears. "I didn't want to talk about the attack with Paige here, because she's still scared. She'll probably have to go to therapy too. Seeing a dead body and all of that blood..." She shook her head, unable to finish.

"You kept her safe." He reached over and gripped her chin. "You did."

"No, you kept her safe, and I am eternally thankful for you for saving Paige. If you hadn't grabbed her, I know he would've killed her." She gripped his hand and interlocked their fingers. "I don't even want to think about what could've happened if you hadn't come to the house."

"You don't got to, and don't thank me. 'Course I saved her. She's my kid. Our kid," he corrected.

"I know, but I'm still thankful." She wiped at her eyes with her free hand.

He hated to see her in tears, so he tried to make her smile. "How thankful?" he teased. She shifted to look at his face then she reached under the blanket, gripping him through his boxers, and he let out a short chuckle. "Door's unlocked, sugar."

"So?" She ran her thumb up and down his length, her eyes never leaving his. "It doesn't bother me."

"Amy?" a voice called from outside the door.

Oh, shit! She nearly fell off the bed at the sound of her mother's voice. She quickly moved her hand and rested it in her lap. "It's unlocked." She hoped she wasn't blushing. Even if she wasn't, her mom would probably figure out what was going on. She really, really hoped her mom didn't even try to figure out why she was blushing.

The door opened, and Maura walked inside with a gift basket. It was full of nuts and fruits with balloons attached and a plant. Merle looked the woman over and mentally rolled his eyes at the look of her, but he didn't let that show. This was Amy's mother, his daughter's grandmother. They were family because of that little Oops. He would be as respectful as she was.

"You brought him a gift?" Amy slipped off the bed. "You didn't have to."

"Now, don't go puttin' words in my mouth," Merle told her.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"I wanted to. After all, he saved my daughter and granddaughter. I hope you like it." She set the basket on the chair beside his bed. "There's some chocolate, fruits, nuts and jerky inside."

"Mom, there's whiskey in this." Amy peered into the basket. "And two shot glasses."

"That too."

Merle grinned. He liked this woman. "Well, thank you, ma'am."

"You're not drinking this," Amy informed him. "Once you've recovered, yes, but not a second before."

"Amy," Maura chastised. "The man just saved your life and your daughter's life; he deserves the whole damn brewery, but all I could get was one bottle. For now, anyway."

"I'll have to share it with you," Merle told her. "Thank you..Mrs. Horvath."

"No, thank you, and please, call me Maura."

"Well then, thank you, Maura." He smiled a little at the woman.

"So, how are you?" Maura asked. "I'll feel better if I know you're in good hands."

Amy studied the ring on her index finger as a blush crept across her face.

"Well, I am. Got morphine, got my woman, I feel pretty damn good."

Amy peered at him, her lips pulling upward at him saying my woman.

"I'm glad." She turned to Amy. "We'll be back in an hour to pick you up, darling."

Amy nodded. "Thanks." She climbed off the bed and gave her mother a hug. "I'll see you soon."

"Walk me to the elevator?"

"Um, sure." Amy glanced at Merle then followed her mom out. "Did you want to discuss something? Can't it wait until tonight?"

"No, it cannot." She pointed to Merle's room. "Marry that man."

"Excuse me?" Amy blushed brightly. "What?!"

"I saw you two before I entered, all wrapped up in each other. It's obvious you love him and he loves you. He's the father of your child, and he risked his life to protect you both, not to mention he's handsome as hell."

"Oh, my God, Mom!" Amy covered her face with her hands that was burning hot enough to cook a turkey as she went on about Merle's...broad hands and well-built body. "This is worse than you embarrassing me at my eighth grade graduation. You're seriously really killing me." She never wanted to know she and her mom shared the same taste in men. Oh, hell! Was her dad like Merle? Ew, ew. She was going to need so much therapy after this.

"Oh, Amy, don't be childish."

"What's next?" She moved her hands to cross them over her chest. "Tips on how to give you more grandchildren?"

"Well, it helps if you have an orgasm, but I doubt he has a problem with that."

"Are—are my ears bleeding? I think my brain is melting out of my ears too." She swallowed the urge to vomit and cringed. "An hour, please go now. I love you, but I can't look at you right now."

She laughed. "Take care of him, darling."

She shuddered and went back to the room, cringing slightly before closing the door. "I'm disturbed."

Merle was munching on the jerky. "Why?"

"You don't wanna know." She shook her head. "I wonder how long until we can—"

"I'd risk it now," he interrupted her.

"Cute. I was going to say, I wonder how long until we can go back home. The place is going to be a mess and Andrea's sending a cleaner over sometime. We're going to stay with our parents until it's clean. I just hope it's clean before you're released."

"I stand by my statement."

"I bet you do." She scanned the contents of the basket. "I think she made this herself."

"That's good, ain't it? Means she likes me."

"Mom likes most people." She leaned against the bed. "It's Dad who you have to worry about. He never got to protect me from boys and sex, so he'll probably try now. He already hates you, because he thinks you took my virginity."

"Might as well have."

"Excuse me?" Her brows shot up. "What did you just say?"

"No offense, Am, but you weren't all that experienced. At first, anyway."

"Well, I learned from you, and you've been with how much of this state?" She saw his eyes flash, and she knew he didn't like that type of teasing. It was weird. He did before. What changed? "I just meant—"

"I know what you meant," he grumbled.

A beat.

"Can I ask you something about that night?" she whispered, not sure if she wanted to know.

"What 'bout it?" His eyes bored into hers as he chewed on a bite of jerky.

"That last time...did we... Did you...make love to me?" She could barely meet his eyes.

He chewed for a long time on that bite of jerky. "Yeah..."

"So...do you love me?"

Color crossed his cheeks, and she wished she had a camera, because it was probably the first and last time Merle Dixon blushed. "I do."

She smiled. "I love you too."

"Yeah, I know. Kept screamin' it at me, remember?" He was back to normal so quick. "Only took me gettin' shot."

"If I were you, I would watch how you talk to me. Otherwise, you'll have a very unpleasant stay here." She smirked. "I'll see you tonight."

"Where're you goin'?"

"To get your dinner." She kissed him. "Don't drink that whiskey, please. You don't need it."

He smirked. "Be careful out there."

She nodded. "You too. No harassing the nurses."

"We'll see."

She smiled. "We will."

– – –

"All right, I ran from my hotel because I couldn't get a taxi, and I haven't had coffee nor have I had anything to eat, so I'm exhausted and starving and hoping this was worth it." Shawn adjusted his collar. "What's up, kid?"

"I got a sonogram." She turned it over for him to see. "Look."

He climbed onto the bed and took the sonogram. "Carol, I love you, but I hate you too." He looked it over. "It's a peanut. Yay." He flopped back onto her legs and rested the picture over his eyes, groaning and catching his breath. "God, I need coffee."

She laughed. "Well, at least you can drink coffee." She sighed. "I want to go home."

He blew at the picture until it was off his eyes. "Let's go. AMA."

"You are the champion of bad ideas." She plucked the sonogram off his forehead. "Let's do it."

He pointed to the bag he'd dropped in the doorway. "I brought you some clothes."

"Jeans?"

"I think so. I went into some frilly place and gave the woman your size then let her find you something." He rolled off the bed. "I told her your style."

"And my style is?"

"Anything comfortable, at least for right now." He picked up the bag and dropped it at her feet. "All right, we have this." He held up a navy blue blouse, setting it on the bed. "And some black jeans." He tossed them beside the shirt. "I bought you some new boots too." He pulled the box out. "There's underclothes in here too."

"Thank you."

"If you need help, let me know. I don't want you to strain yourself." He pointed to hall. "I'm gonna talk to the doctor."

She nodded. "Thanks."

"I wasn't going to lose you again," he told her, "not to Ed."

"You're going to make me cry."

"Well, you used all the tissue, and I don't want snot on my sleeves, so...you look fat."

She laughed. "Get outta my room, jerk!" She watched him leave then slid off the bed. She pulled out the underclothes and found a brush inside the bag, both tooth and hair. She washed her face and scrubbed the grime off her teeth then dressed. She avoided using her right shoulder as much as possible, but she was right-handed, and she kept having to check herself. It was maddening, but she was adjusting. She had two places to visit before she saw her family again.

––

Carol wanted to pay her respects to the woman who didn't survive Ed's twisted version of a relationship. She and Shawn had spent some time working on the recording Samantha had left for her family, and Carol wanted to make sure the family got it. The police had spoken to them, no doubt, as Ed's black book reached them, and Carol knew their wounds were bleeding again. She wanted to give them Samantha's words to help heal them. She just hoped they'd let her.

Shawn waited on the steps as Carol knocked on the door to the North's house. After flirting with one of the officers, she managed to sneak a peek at the address on the file that was lying open on his desk. She was nervous, but it had to be done.

The door opened to a gray-haired man with sad emerald eyes. He looked her over and his mouth fell open as tears rose up in his eyes. "Forgive me." He waved a hand to his eyes. "You looked just like my departed daughter, young lady."

"I know." She smiled at him a little. "My name is Carol Greene. I know you probably heard my name mentioned when the police came to tell you the truth about Samantha's suicide."

He nodded. "You were married to the man who took my little girl."

"I know Ed has caused you and your family unspeakable pain, but if you would let me in, I would like to speak with you. Please, it's important."

He glanced down at Shawn. "Is that your brother?"

"Yeah, that's Shawn, my older brother."

"Well, get him and come on inside. I just made some biscuits, and it would be awfully rude of me to make a pregnant woman stand in the doorway to my home and talk to me."

"How do you know I'm pregnant?"

"You've got that glow about you."

Exchanging a glance when Mr. North's back was turned, Shawn gave his sister a nod, and she returned it. Shawn and Carol walked into the house after him, he showed them to the kitchen and offered them a biscuit; Carol declined, but Shawn accepted two. The man gave them a glass of juice each and sat down, folding his arms over the table and looked at the young woman who resembled his daughter so.

"What do you want to discuss?"

"First, I want to give my condolences." She gave him a sympathetic smile. "I've lost a child too. I know how this feels."

"So young too." He blinked back tears and swallowed hard. "After losing my Mary to cancer when Sami was ten, I made a promise to protect her and Donny—that's her brother—for the rest of my life." His shoulders shook and he covered his mouth with his hand.

Carol set her hand on his arm and squeezed it consolingly.

Shawn didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything. He stopped eating, because it seemed really rude, and he wasn't hungry anymore anyway. He rested his hands in his lap and looked at his sister then Mr. North.

"When they told me my little girl had killed herself, I knew—I knew—that bastard had something to do with it." He inhaled sharply. "My little girl was strong and loved life. It nearly killed her to—to..."

"To abort her child," Carol finished.

"She wanted to keep it," his voice was low, "but I knew the risks, so did she. All the doctors told her she shouldn't have children, because of her chronic kidney condition, so we agreed to abort the baby. I think she hated me for that, but I couldn't lose her. I just couldn't."

"She wasn't mad at you in the end," Carol whispered. "She loved you."

He looked at her. "How could you possibly know that? How do you know any of this?"

She met his eyes. "Ed abused me the same way he abused Samantha, only I had a choice to leave, but fool that I was, I didn't, not for a long time." She felt Shawn's hand touched her hand lightly, encouraging her. "I left him, but things happened, and I had to go back to him again. When I did, I came across a book. He had a recorder inside, and she left something for you, Donny and her grandmother." She reached into her pocket and pulled the flash drive out. "She wanted to make sure you got this, and I wanted to make sure too, so here."

He eyed it for a long time then closed his fingers around it. "Well, thank you, Carol."

"You're welcome." She rose. "We have a flight to catch, and I'll leave you listen to that. Have a good day, Mr. North." She started for the door with Shawn.

"It's Alex." He caught up to them before they left. "May I ask one thing?"

"Yes?"

"That baby... It isn't his, is it?"

"God, no!" She probably looked as disgusted as she sounded. "This baby is my boyfriend's."

He nodded. "Good. I'm glad you got away from that son of a bitch." Swallowing his anger at a man who no longer lived, he smiled. "Thank you again."

"Your daughter was a fighter," Carol told him, "right up until the end."

Tears appeared once more. "I never doubted that."

Carol smiled. "Goodbye, Alex."

They left the house, Carol was feeling really good, but they had one last stop before they headed home. They went to the cemetery where Nora Samantha North was buried, Shawn said a prayer for her, and Carol set a bouquet on her grave. She removed the necklace Daryl had given her and bent down, setting it on the soil. On the other side of the gem was an engraved Cherokee rose, and since Carol couldn't give her a real one, she would give her this one. It was full of love and would never wither.

She fastened the chain back onto her neck after making sure the heart was safely tucked into the grass. "I will never forget you," Carol whispered, feeling a connection to the woman who lost her life too young. "Rest now, it's over."

––

"Any pain?" Shawn asked, adjusting their one bag on his shoulder in the airport.

She nodded. "I'll managed."

"Don't push yourself, kid."

"Shawn, I'll be fine. All I need is for my—"

"Mommy! Mommy!"

Carol inhaled sharply at the name and voice. She turned on her heel, and Sophia ran over to her; Carol dropped to her knees to greet her, and Sophia hugged her tightly. "Oh, my baby." Carol kissed her cheek. "Oh, Sophia!"

"Mommy." Sophia smiled widely. "I missed you so much, Mommy!"

"I missed you too." Carol stroked her hair.

"Hey, easy, munchkin." Shawn bent down. "Easy, she's hurt."

Sophia pulled back and stuck her tongue out at him. "You're rude."

"You're rude," Shawn shot back. "Sticking your tongue out at me, glaring at me. I got no hug."

Sophia didn't move from her mother's arms.

"That's just fine. I'll remember this on Christmas."

"I'm just kidding." Sophia hugged him.

Carol laughed and looked over as Daryl made his way through the crowd, having a harder time getting over to her than the short five-year-old who could walk through legs and thin spaces. She rose as he stopped in front of her, and she studied him. He was in good shape. He was wearing his leather vest with a black button-down and black jeans, same brown boots. It was Daryl, all Daryl. Her eyes burned, and she wrapped her arms around his waist.

He buried his face in her hair, his arms moving around her shoulders, and he kissed the top of her head. "Oh, God." She was small and firm in his arms. He was worried he wouldn't be able to do this ever again when Shawn called him that third time. He was foolish. Of course he would be able to do this again and probably for the rest of his life. It was Carol; she always came back to him. "I love you," he whispered into her ear, his grip tightening, and Carol softly cried out in pain.

"Hey, watch the shoulder wound." Shawn held Sophia. "Oh, and she's pregnant, by the way. Congrats."

"Shawn!" Carol growled.

"What?" he defended. "I didn't even get a heads up, so why should he?"

"Pregnant?" Sophia's brows furrowed. "Like the bunny in class?"

"Sort of." Carol rested her head on Daryl's chest. "In nine months, you'll have a baby brother or sister."

She gasped. "Oh, my gosh, yay! I want a baby brother!"

"It doesn't work like that, munchkin." Shawn adjusted her. "Maybe she'll give you two siblings."

"You know what, go get me an apple juice and shut up," Carol demanded teasingly.

He stuck his tongue out and carried Sophia off to purchase a juice for them.

"You're pregnant?" Daryl pulled her back, holding her at arm's length. "How—how long have you known? After what happened—is the baby okay? Are you okay?"

"I didn't know until the nurse told me," she confessed. "I threw up a few times, but I thought it was just nerves and revulsion. Clearly, I was wrong. And I am okay, so is the baby."

"Your shoulder? Shawn mentioned your shoulder."

"I was shot."

His face grew dark. "That bastard shot you?"

"Yes, but now that bastard is dead, and I'm alive and forming life now as we speak, so please, let it go. He isn't worth any of our thoughts."

He gripped her arms tenderly, dropping his forehead to hers, and he exhaled roughly. "All right, no more thoughts on Ed." He kissed her once, very brief, because he didn't want to get people's attention, but at the feel of her mouth, he couldn't pull away. He wrapped one arm around her waist and cupped her cheek with the other, savoring the taste of her lips. God damn, he'd missed her.

Carol broke the kiss and rested her forehead on his collarbone. "Jesus, Daryl."

He would've chuckled, but he didn't have the air to spare.

"Let's go home."

"Yeah."

She slipped her fingers through his and kissed him once more.

"Here, tongue this." Shawn handed her a bottle of apple juice.

"Shawn Tanner Greene, I am this close to making your children fatherless." She snatched the bottle and glowered at him.

"We have a flight to catch, so we'll finish this back home. I'd hate to start a screaming match in the middle of the airport in a different state. Your ass will be yelled at when we land in Georgia," he assured her. "Don't ever use that word, Sophia."

"Give me my child." Carol stuffed the bottle into her purse and held her arms out.

"Do you want me or your mommy?" Shawn asked Sophia.

"You," Sophia replied.

"Ha ha!" Shawn grinned. "Besides, injured."

"You bought her candy, didn't you?"

"We really should be going." He turned and walked away.

"That's a yes." Daryl took her hand and followed after him.

– – –

"Dad. Dad. Dad. Dad. Dad!" Amy tried to stop him by blocking the door to Merle's room with her body. Their evening had gone so well. They talked about the attack, Amy told them about what happened with Merle and with Gareth, and Allen seemed impressed at Merle for saving someone other than himself. Amy knew her father had heard a lot of different things about Merle, and she knew Allen Horvath was never very fond of changing his set opinion of someone. It was one of his many flaws. "This isn't necessary."

Paige looked between her grandfather and mother. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Amy's eyes never left her father's. "Don't do this. Please, Dad, you promised. He saved us—"

"Amy, I love you, but you need to let me speak to this man, especially if you and he are going to start a relationship." He wasn't backing down. "Move aside, please."

She let out a defeated sigh and moved aside. "We'll wait out here then. No yelling."

He entered the door and closed the door.

"Don't eavesdrop," Maura scolded her daughter, "it's rude."

"Oh, it's Dad!" Amy softly hissed, bending down and adjusting her skirt, pressing her ear to the door. "He used to do this to us when Andrea and I were in school and had friends over." Mostly when they were mad at him, and they didn't tell them how they were. He was so annoying some days.

"Amy." Andrea chuckled. "You're being ridiculous."

"Shh, I can't hear."

Inside the room, Allen sat down in the chair by Merle's bed, and Merle eyed the man. He didn't know who he was, but by the eye color and the glaring look of hate, he assumed this wheezer was Amy's old man. He wore a suit, probably for their dinner, but he'd lost the tie. He still looked like a jackass, and Merle knew this wasn't going to end well; he was never parent-material, and he did violate his youngest. This would be interesting.

"So, you're Merle Dixon." Allen studied him. "I've heard quite a lot about you."

"I'm sure you have."

"Hmm." He ran his eyes over Merle's face and gave a head shake. "I can honestly say, I haven't slightest idea why my daughter is so fond of you."

Merle bitterly smirked, but held his tongue.

"I'm Allen Horvath, but I'm sure you've worked that out for yourself." He rubbed his palms together. "I've been spending many years wondering what manner of men my daughter had come in contact with: abusive men, drug dealers, rapists... The list goes on, but it seems she managed to find all of them in one man. It's sadly impressive."

"Excuse me?" Merle hissed.

"You used my little girl for sex," Allen spat, "swayed her consent with drugs and alcohol. You've hit her too, I've no doubt. Maybe it was once, and maybe it was an accident, but you hit her. Instead if seeing her as who she was—a lost little girl who needed to be brought home—you just...took her out and introduced into your hell. You put her at risk!"

"I didn't do nothin' to or with Amy without her consent," Merle corrected. "Most of the time, it was her idea."

"I'm sure." Allen was bitter and glaring daggers at Merle. "Tell me something. That first time...was that her idea too?" His eyes burned into Merle. "Hmm? Or was it some agreement? She keeps your bed warm, and you let her stay? Is that how it was?"

Merle clenched his jaw.

"Answer me."

"It was my idea, but it wasn't so she would stay. I wanted her gone; it was you and yours that drove her to stay with me."

"You were just going to throw her out? She was a child!" His voice was soft, but his tone was spitting nails. "You were well-connected; you must have known we were looking for her, so you tell me why you never brought her home."

"Because she didn't want to return to y'all and your bullshit."

"That's bullshit. Tell me why for nearly six years I had to worry about my daughter, about what might happen to her, what she might have done to herself." He watched as Merle clenched his jaw, not going to speak. "You never respected her, therefore I can never respect you. You are by far the lowest human being I've ever met."

"I don't need your respect," Merle informed him. "I don't give two shits what you think 'bout me, 'cause at the end of the day, only one opinion matters."

"And whose opinion is that?"

"My kid's."

"My granddaughter has no opinion of you," Allen told him. "You're just a man who knocked her mother up and left."

"Get your ass out of my room."

He rose. "The next time you try and force my daughter to do anything, I'll have your ass thrown in prison for a very long time."

"Enough!" Amy barged into the room. "Dad, that was utterly unnecessary! No, don't you dare talk to him like that! He is the best man I met when I was away, the very best!" She held a hand up when Merle tried to speak. "Without him, I would've dead! I would've starved to death or would've been raped and beaten. Merle protected me, kept me fed and taken care of, so you need to show him respect!"

"Amy—"

"No, Mom." She looked at her father, her eyes burning. "If you don't accept Merle into the family, I can't be around you or let you be around our child."

Allen didn't react in any way. "You'd do that for him?"

"Yes."

"Because you're in love with him or because you feel obligated to be with him as he saved your life and the life of your child?"

"Because I love him," she hissed. "He's the only thing that's ever been right in my life before I had Paige. He's the only person who's ever seen me for who I am, not who I should be. So, either you make an effort to get to know him and respect him or...you'll really lose me this time."

Allen inhaled then nodded.

Maura and Andrea stood in the doorway with Penny and Paige behind them, Amy waited for her father to say something, and Merle just rubbed the headache Allen had given him away. In the end, Allen didn't say anything. He gave Amy a brisk kiss on the cheek before she jerked away then left with his wife and eldest daughter, taking Penny back with them since neither Phillip nor Carol had contacted them yet. Paige hovered in the doorway, very pale, very silent, and she lowered her eyes to the floor.

Amy scoffed and shook her head, as if to shake off what just happened. "So, how are you feeling tonight?" She walked over to his bed.

"Been better, been worse too."

She sat down. "Paige has something to show you."

"You got somethin' for me?"

She looked up and nodded then walked around to where her mom was, Amy picked her up and set her on her lap, and Paige reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a green gem, a jasper. She held her hand out to her dad. "I found it at Grandma and Grandpa's. It's really pretty."

He looked over the jasper. "Yeah, it is."

"It's reminds me of Mommy's eyes," Paige looked back at her mom and gave her a smile then turned back to her dad, "and it's kinda scratched and bumpy, and that reminded me of you." Her eyes moved to the scar on his side.

Amy rested her chin on Paige's head. "Paige, honey—"

"No, it's okay," Paige cut in. "I like them."

"You gonna name 'em too?" Merle ran his finger over the jasper.

"I can."

"No, I think we're good on not naming them, but you are a sweetie." Amy kissed her daughter's cheek. "So, tell Dad what you did today."

"Oh, yeah!" Paige smiled brightly. "Grandma and Grandpa took me and Penny to this really pretty house, and there was a room full of toys! It was so cool! There were dresses and dolls and tons and tons of video games and stuff!"

Merle listened to his daughter go on and on about her day, but all he could think about was the word 'Dad' coming out of Amy's mouth in a good way, in a happy tone, for the first time ever possibly. He didn't know what to think. He knew their relationship was something more now. He was thirty-one going on thirty-two, so the girlfriend-boyfriend didn't seem just right. He didn't know what they were, other than in a relationship. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but he would do it right. He would get sober for Paige, for Amy, for Daryl, and for himself. No more slip ups. He was officially a dad now, and he needed to set a damn good example for his little girl.

Once Paige's story was over, Amy went to buy them something to drink, and Merle began to ask Paige about herself: what she liked to do, what was her favorite song, favorite band, favorite subject in school. He wanted to know. Part of him wanted to know her better than Felix ever would, show that twiggy bastard who was the better father.

"I like dark purple." She picked out cashews in the assorted nuts Maura had given him. "And teal. What about you?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Don't really matter."

"Oh, come on. You have to have a favorite color!" She ate two cashews. "Mommy likes white and silver."

He pressed his lips together and thought for a moment. "I dunno. Grey or black."

"Those are kinda the same color."

"You asked."

She chewed on her bottom lip. "What's your favorite season?"

"Huntin' season."

She glared, but didn't press. "I love fall. All the pretty colors and foods! And Halloween! Oh, my gosh, I love Halloween!"

He chuckled at her expression. "All the free candy?"

She nodded. "And dressing up! I went as Reid the year before last, and—"

"Who?"

"From Criminal Minds," Amy answered, handing Paige the root beer. "That crime about about serial killers and profilers."

"You let her watch that shit?" His voice was soft so Paige wouldn't hear him cuss.

"I don't let her do anything. She creeps into my room, and I play it from time to time when I can't sleep." She shrugged and crossed her legs after sitting down. "No harm done. She like the process of how they single out the unsub, not the killing itself."

"What else do you let her watch?"

"Don't fight," Paige begged before her mom could speak. "Please, don't fight."

"We're not fighting," Amy assured her with a smile. "He's just judging me and my parenting abilities."

"With good reason," he murmured.

"What was that?" She arched a brow.

"Mommy!" Paige begged. "Dad, stop it!"

"This year," Amy changed the subject, "we will be going as Katniss and Prim. It's from The Hunger Games. I just have to figure out how I'm going to braid that mess of curls." She was just saying that to tease Paige. She loved to tease her about her hair. One day when Paige was older, that wouldn't be a joke.

"They're not that bad, Mommy." Paige rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I'll remember that when you're sixteen and have broken your fiftieth hairbrush," Amy grumbled. "Not that bad, psh. I'm the one who does your hair, so of course you'd say that."

"What's your favorite song?" Merle asked his daughter.

She shrugged. "I don't have one."

"How can you not?"

"I just don't." She had more cashews.

Merle turned to Amy. "None?"

"She likes classical music," Amy offered. "Some country, a little pop. I don't know where she gets that from to be honest." She reached over and helped herself to the pecans.

"Hmm, okay then." He picked at the assorted nuts, finding a few almonds. "How 'bout candy? What's your favorite candy car?"

– – –

As the night went on, Paige passed out in the chair beside the bed, sleeping like a rock surprisingly, and Amy moved onto the bed with Merle. They were watching some sport, and Amy became a little restless. She shifted beside him, her hand on his bare chest, and her eyes met his Adam's apple. She kissed his throat, not really interested in the sport that was playing on the TV. She ran her hand down his chest, he stopped paying attention to the game when her hand slipped into his boxers, and he hissed out a breath when her delicate fingers wrapped around him.

"Shhh," she whispered by his ear. "We really don't want to wake Paige."

He gave a barely noticeable nod.

She watched his face as she worked him, taking pleasure in the low groans in his throat and the way his body reacted to her. She'd done this for him twice before—once one purpose, the other out of spite—and she pressed a kiss to his jaw, and she moved up further to steals his moans. She wanted to do something for him, not as a thank you, but to show him how much he meant to her, and since he was injured, she couldn't fully show him just yet.

She watched him come, kissing him to the muffle the moan, and she smiled against his mouth.

"Jesus."

"Just me," she mused.

"Give me a warnin' next time."

"Trust me, next time, you'll definitely see me coming."

––

Daryl felt Carol's head on his shoulder, he looked down as she began to fall asleep, and he kissed her forehead. His eyes fell to her belly, imagining how she looked when she was pregnant with Ethan, and he couldn't help but smile. They were going to have a baby. He would have a chance to help teach the little thing how to walk and talk. He wasn't sure if he wanted to change the baby's diaper or not, but he would, especially if Carol went hateful and made him. She wasn't a morning person, and now she wouldn't have coffee. This would be a long nine months.

Arriving at the airport back in Georgia, Daryl went to get their luggage while Shawn called Hershel and Sasha to let them know they were back, and Carol made sure her shoulder wasn't bleeding again. She'd scared some of the passengers when it began to bleed and one of the flight attendance gave her a first aid kit, and Daryl cleaned it and bandaged it for her. It wasn't infected, so that was good.

"Oh...my...God." Shawn's face drained of all color, and he dropped his phone. "Oh, my God!"

"What?" Carol set a hand on his arm. "Shawn?"

"Sash—Sasha's—" he stammered, ghost-white now.

"What? Is she all right? Are the twins all right?"

"The—She—Oh, my God."

Sophia picked up the phone and looked over the text. It read: IN LABOR! She held the screen up to let her mom know what it said.

"Oh, my God!" Carol took the phone from her daughter and texted back. "We need to get to the hospital! Shawn, breathe."

"What's wrong?" Daryl hurried over. "I heard you mention the hospital."

"The twins are coming!" She gripped Shawn's arm. "Walk, Shawn, remember? One foot then the other. C'mon."

"Wait, hold on." He pulled his arm back. "I—I need—stuff! I have things—items at the house that I need! Umm, take a taxi to the hospital and stay with her for me. Carol, promise me!" His eyes were wide and pleading. "Please!"

"All right." She nodded. "All right, but hurry."

"Thank you!" He hugged her lightly then ran out of the airport at top speed.

"I'm probably going to regret this." She sighed and turned to Daryl and Sophia, taking Shawn's phone. "Do we have a car here?"

"Yeah."

"Good, because I have to help Sasha through labor until Shawn shows up, and the sooner we get there, the better." She had a feeling this wasn't going to go well with Sasha.

– – –

"Where the hell is Shawn?!" Sasha barked at Carol when she entered the room, riding out a contraction.

"He's on his way." She gave a smile to Jacqui. "He had to...pick up some...things. I don't know what, but we will be here for you until he comes, and he will be here soon. I promise."

She groaned and exhaled. "Great, just what I wanted to hear."

"Well, Beth and Maggie are here." Carol closed the space between them. "And Dad and Daryl and Sophia. Michonne and Ty are on the way, though Michonne might not make it before the twins are born."

"Where's my Dad?" Sasha looked from Carol to her mom. "Mom?"

"I'll go call him, honey." She rubbed Sasha's arm then exited the room.

"So...how are you doing?" Carol gripped her hand.

"Please, ask me anything but that."

"What am I going to be calling my nephew and niece?"

"I don't know what the hell Shawn has come up with for our daughter, but I am naming our son—Aah!" She clenched her jaw, her grip tightening immensely on Carol's hand.

"Just breathe. Shawn will be here soon, I know it."

––

"I hate waitin'." Beth paced the waiting area. "Why can't we go in?"

"Because Sasha doesn't need us crowdin' around her." Maggie flipped through a magazine. "And you're annoyin' on a good day."

"What?" Beth turned.

She smiled. "Sit down and look at a magazine or somethin'."

She sighed and took a seat. "Shawn ain't even here. Why would he ever miss the birth of his children?"

"They're not born yet." Maggie turned the page to the magazine. "He's probably getting somethings for them. You know how he is."

"He's bein' a jerk. Sasha needs him, and all she has is her mom."

"For now, all she has is Carol." Jacqui walked through, going to the parking lot to call T.

Sophia was drawling in the sketchbook that was propped up on her legs, and she kept wondering about her mom being pregnant. She wanted to ask her dad about it, but he was trying to get Uncle Shawn to get to the hospital right now. She looked at her aunts and pressed her lips together. Auntie Beth was a nurse, so she would be able to answer her questions. She waited a few minutes then started to ask, but Maggie accidentally cut her off.

"Where's Daddy?" Maggie checked her watch. "He said he would be here by now."

"He just called." Daryl walked back into the hospital. "He's droppin' the cat back at our house then he's comin'."

"And Shawn?" Beth pressed.

"Well, he's...doin' somethin'." He sat down. "He didn't pick up."

"Oh, God." Beth groaned. "Sasha's goin' to kill him!"

"Ain't much we can do." He shrugged a shoulder and glanced over as Jacqui returned. "Where's T?"

"On the way now. His phone died, so he never got our message. I called the shop, and he's leaving now." She shook her head. "If only my son-in-law had as much sense."

"He'll be here," Daryl assured her. "He will."

"Shawn ain't the best under pressure, but he's reliable," Maggie chimed in.

"Do you think we can get him to pick up some coffees?" Beth asked, and they sent her a glare. "What? We've been with his wife for hours, and he hasn't been here at all! I just want some coffee. And a bear claw."

"A cheese danish," Maggie sighed, suddenly hungry. "And ice cold milk."

Daryl smiled a little when Sophia's stomach growled, and he chuckled. "Fine, I'll go and get some food. Is that what y'all want: a danish, bear claw, milk and coffee?"

"Yes." Beth smiled thankfully at him.

"Thanks." Maggie smiled.

"Sophia?" He stood up.

"Powered doughnuts and chocolate milk, please." She set her colored pencil down.

"Jacqui?"

"Just coffee. My regular, honey." She rubbed her temple.

"What about Mommy?" Sophia titled her head. "The baby needs food too, right?"

"Baby?" Beth looked at her niece then Daryl. "Carol's—Carol's pregnant?"

Daryl closed his eyes and groaned softly.

"Sorry, Daddy." Sophia lowered her eyes to the floor. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He opened his eyes. "Yes, she's pregnant, and I know what she'll want to eat."

"Hey, I'll go with you." Beth hopped up. "That's a lotta stuff to carry and all, so I'll lend my hands. Besides, I'm not needed here."

Maggie ran her tongue over her teeth, eyes narrowed as they left the hospital, and she glanced at Jacqui. "I don't think her hands are all she's lendin'."

Jacqui smirked. "I'm a little busy planning my son-in-law's murder if he doesn't show up soon to think about Daryl." She returned to her daughter's room. "T is on his way."

"And Shawn?"

"Pending." She took her daughter's hand.

"Oh, God." She groaned and gripped Carol's shirt, yanking her down to her face. "If your dumbass brother doesn't get here to see our twins born, I'm going to strangle him with the umbilical cord!"

"Okay." Carol pried her hand off. "Just...breathe. In and out. Pretend I'm Shawn! I can...try to be him. What—what would Shawn do?"

She covered her face with her hands. "If you start singing Push It by Salt-n-Pepa when I give birth, I kick your ass!"

"Shawn was going to sing Push It as you gave birth?" Carol gaped. "Why am I surprised? It's Shawn."

Jacqui hid her smile as another contraction coursed through Sasha. If Shawn didn't get here, they would all gang up and kill him.

––

"So..." Beth leaned against the counter as Daryl prepared Jacqui's regular. "Was it planned?"

"No." He made sure the lid was in place and grabbed two bottles of milk both chocolate and regular, and he stuffed them into the bag. "Glenn's bringin' the bear claw and doughnuts and cheese Danish with him fresh from the bakery, so go grab a blueberry bagel from the back. I gotta make...my coffee." He really just didn't want to answer any more questions. She'd been slamming him with questions since they left.

She stepped into the back and grabbed a baggie for the bagel, pulling one out. She set the baggie on the counter and closed the bag with the cold drinks inside of it. "Does this mean y'all are gettin' married?"

"Look, Beth, all I know is people back at the hospital are hungry." He met her big, green eyes. "I'm already a dad, and I've been a husband; right now all I am is a guy gettin' food, so stop with the damn questions! Carol and I haven't even gotten a chance to talk 'bout it."

"But do you wanna get married?" She searched his eyes.

"Christ, yes! Yes, I want to marry Carol. She's the only woman who's ever loved all of me, and who I... There just ain't nobody else. There, are you happy now?"

She smiled. "Very. Let's go, Mr. Greene."

He glared, gathering the coffees and fitting them into a holder.

"So, I'm the godmother, right?" she asked on their way out.

He opened the door. "Do you have an off switch? Or should I grab some tape?"

She smirked. "Just answer me, and we'll be good. I'll be quiet."

"No."

She scoffed. "Why not?"

"I answered."

She glared and followed him to the car. "Jerk."

––

Carol joined her family, smiling at her dad and at Sasha's and nodding. She took a seat beside Daryl, crossing her legs and noticing Beth and Maggie looking at her. She narrowed her eyes and turned to Daryl, but in ran Shawn and stole their attention.

"Where?" He was panting.

"What the hell kept you?" T-dog growled.

"She's fully dilated," Carol replied, rising again and rushing him to the room. "Wait, you can't take this with you."

"Oh, right here." He removed the bag and handed it to her. "Don't open that! I need the contents in perfect condition."

"Fine, but hurry!" She watched him disappear, and she smiled, thankful he'd made it in time. She turned and headed back to the others, taking a seat and tucking the bag in the spare room between her and the arm of the chair. She moved hair out of her face and glanced at her sisters, who immediately looked away. "Okay, what the hell is going on? Do I have something on my face?"

Daryl tipped his coffee back and turned away as she looked from Beth to Maggie to Hershel and then to him. She held a finger at him. "You." She shot up. "Daryl, damn it! We were going to wait!"

He pointed to the cup as to why he wasn't replying.

She plopped back into the seat and crossed her arms. "Today's supposed to be about the twins."

"And it is!" Maggie smiled. "But still, you're pregnant! That's amazin'!"

"How far along are you?" Beth moved beside her. "When did you find out?"

She rubbed her temples. "Okay, please stop talking about it. Please! Tonight is about the babies."

"Then we'll have a big party with only family to celebrate, and you can tell us all about it!" Beth suggested. "Please?"

"And about the sudden disappearance you three did," T-dog added.

Carol lowered her hands to her lap. "I'd rather not talk about that."

Hershel saw the tears in Carol's eyes. "Then we won't. You don't have to tell us anything, Rosy."

"Thanks, Daddy." She gave him a small smile, and Daryl set his hand over hers. "I'm still mad you told."

"I spilled the beans," Sophia confessed. "I'm so sorry, Mommy! I didn't mean to! I didn't know it was a secret!"

"Don't be upset, baby. It's all right. I'm not mad at you; you didn't know."

She nodded.

There was a moment of silence then Beth broke it.

"When did you find out? Was it on purpose?" She crossed her legs and leaned into Carol's seat. "Seriously, how far along are you?"

Carol pulled Daryl's arm closer and buried her face in his shoulder. "Make her stop," she whined.

"We could be here for more hours," Maggie supported Beth. "Just give us some information."

She lifted her head. "Information?"

"Just like teeny, tiny tidbits," Beth begged then said, "I will never have children of my own, and Maggie and Glenn ain't havin' any kids anytime soon, and I'm really, really bored!"

Carol exhaled a little.

"Was it on purpose?" Hershel probed.

"Daddy!" She laughed though. "Fine. I cave. I'll tell you, but after, pretend I didn't say anything."

"After the millions of questions Beth will come up with, we'll have twins to fight over," Glenn told her, "so don't worry about that."

Carol smirked. "No, it wasn't on purpose. I'm about three or four weeks. Um, I don't really remember. It's been a long couple of days, so I'll have to get back to you all on that."

"What do you guys want?" Ty asked.

"Umm," Carol glanced at Daryl, "I want a little boy."

"And you, Daryl?" Jacqui took a seat beside her husband, joining the conversation.

"Don't matter." He shrugged. "Just want it to be healthy."

"And it will be." Maggie pointed to Beth. "She'll be on Carol's ass all day, every day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks—Beth will be there like white on rice."

"And I can help with morning sickness." Beth met her older sister's eyes. "I've been readin' about pregnancy since I was sixteen, plus it was practically my major in college, so I can help with it."

Carol gripped her sister's hand. "Good to know."

Beth smiled. "I'm here for you, just ask."

Daryl cleared his throat, and they laughed.

"Sorry, Daryl, but babies and stuff—that's my turf, so...back off, they're mine." She wrapped her arms around Carol and hugged her. "Congratulations!"

"Okay, okay, the twins. Can we please focus on them?"

"Just one more minute." Maggie joined the hug.

"Guys, cut it out!" Carol squirmed.

That made Sophia, Glenn, Hershel, Jacqui, T and Ty pile on, and Daryl chuckled, seeing only Carol's hand waving from the arms, and Lilly started snickering at the sight when she walked by, hiding her laughs behind her clipboard, going to get another patient. They were certainly home now. It felt good, and it would all work out. Everything would work out.