Hey guys! So I went to Six Flags over Georgia yesterday and I was with my friend Cristina (who also loves the walking dead) and we were both jumping in our seats. We kept on looking out for a sheriff on his horse and we would bug my Dad about trying to find the group. We're just weird like that i guess, haha! So anyways back to the subject at hand (or steel cast). Thank you so much for all the views, reviews, favorites, and follows! It means a lot so please leave a review! Thanks and as always, happy reading!

Chapter 21: Skin

The day when Daryl left hadn't gone as easily as Brooke originally thought. Dean wanted Daryl and was close to tears and even cried a few times. Brooke would comfort him and he would quiet down after a little. She brought out some toys and began to play with him but he would call for Daryl and of course he wouldn't be there.

"Dean, come on honey!" she told him gently. "Come on, let's teach you how to walk!"

"Da!" he called and she shook her head.

"Daddy's not here right now Dean." She told him and he pouted. "Aw, please don't be like that. I'm here. Momma's here."

"Ma-ma!" he said and crawled over to her. Dean's favorite words were Ma-ma and Da but he had learned how to use other words. He mostly just babbled but he knew people by name. He couldn't clearly say Carol, Carl, or Herschel. He would call Herschel 'Shel' but the older gentleman laughed everytime. "Pooh Beea!" he said and she laughed.

"That's more like it." She smiled. "You want your Pooh Bear?"

"Ya!" he exclaimed and she grabbed it. She handed it to him and he hugged it close to him. He spoke some gibberish and she couldn't understand any of it.

"Come on, let's practice walking." She cooed and grabbed his hands. She pulled him up and his legs moved to keep him up. She walked slowly as she pulled him with her gently. He took a couple of steps before he stumbled but she caught him before he fell. "Oops!" she sang and he giggled. He grabbed at her chin and she laughed. "Let's try again."

"Ya!" he enthused and they repeated the same procedure until he got bored. There was a knock on their door and Brooke picked Dean up. Brooke opened the door and saw Becky standing there. "Hi Aunt Becky!" Dean said sloppily. Becky leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Hey Becky, what's up?" Brooke asked. "Where's Meghan?"

"Andrea's watching her for me." Becky explained. "Andrea said I could use a break since she's such a handful." She patted her stomach.

"Well come in." Brooke told her. "Is everything okay?" Brooke set Dean down in his walker that Daryl had found earlier in a store and he played as he moved around.

"Is it really twins?" Becky asked and Brooke sighed with pursed lips.

"Herschel and I have talked about it and we are like… 95% certain it's twins." Brooke explained. "You were definitely not this big when you were pregnant with Meghan. Heck, I wasn't even that big and I was pregnant with a boy and you know boys cause bigger bellies."

"Brooke, I don't think I can handle two babies at one time." Becky shook her head. "I mean that's two babies! I have to deliver two babies with no numbness! I feel everything twice!"

"I know." Brooke said calmly. She pulled her best friend in for a side hug and Becky rested her head on Brooke's shoulder. Brooke patted her arm.

"How bad did it hurt? You know, without any epidurals or anything like that?" Becky asked.

"Honestly?" Brooke asked.

"Honestly."

"It hurt like hell." She whispered the curse so Dean couldn't hear. "But the pain subsides after everything is done. You recover and your body goes back to normal."

"But Brooke I'm having two babies, will that increase the chance of me and the babies dying?" she asked.

"Becky Tate you listen to me." Brooke began.

"Dixon remember?" Becky joked and Brooke chuckled.

"Becky Dixon, you listen to me." She restarted. "Herschel and I will make sure nothing bad happens to you or the babies. We're gonna get you through it and you'll be the happy mother of three." Becky laughed at the thought of three running around the house.

"Thanks honey." Becky said and hugged Brooke.

"No problem." Brooke replied. "So, have you and Merle discussed any names?"

"If we do have a girl I want to name her Amber." Becky said and there was a sad silence, excluding Dean rolling around the room.

"Do you think she and Eric made it?" Brooke asked and Becky shook her head.

"I don't know but I certainly hope so." Becky replied. "If they did come back it would be like a family reunion." Brooke smirked.

"The three musketeers back together again." Becky and Brooke chuckled sadly at their memories with Amber. "I really hope they made it. Maybe we'll find them one day."

"Maybe they'll stumble upon Woodbury and it'll be like those cheesy movies." Becky quipped and the girls laughed. Dean squeaked and Becky picked him up. "Oh you are getting so big!" she told him. "Yes you are!"

"Becky!" he smiled and she laughed. He spoke some gibberish and the only words the girls could understand were Uncle Mele. He had some trouble with his R's but they were developing pretty well.

"Uncle Merle is out with your Daddy, remember?" Becky told him and he pouted. "I'm guessing he hasn't taken the situation lightly?"

"Um, no." Brooke said and Becky chuckled. "It'll take him a little bit but the men are going out hunting more than just this time. I think he'll get accustomed to it after a little while."

"I bet you don't like that only the men go out huh?" Becky replied with a smirk and Brooke chuckled.

"Look, you know if I didn't have Dean I would go help out in a heartbeat." Brooke said. "Daryl and I get results when we go hunting together. I'm just happy that I'm still working and not sitting around the house all day."

"Oh, me too honey." Becky replied and Dean pushed away from Becky to go to his mother. Brooke kissed his forehead as she held him. "When the babies are born Carol is going to help take over the store until I can come back. I have been thinking about quitting work though. Especially now that I may have three kids in my house."

"Hey, no one is blaming you." Brooke replied. "It's hard work keeping a store and raising kids."

"But heck Mrs. Gina did it, why can't I?" Becky replied with a confident stance and Brooke laughed.

"Yeah, that's true." Brooke replied with a smile.

Two days later:

Brooke was out at the park with Dean when the town was having a little get together. Carl was chasing Sophia around while Lori talked to Carol and Maggie. Brooke saw Carl wave to Beth and Beth giggled. Andrea, Michonne, and Brooke were sitting together and saw the interactions between the thirteen year old and the seventeen year old. Dean was hanging out with T-Dog and T-Dog would always be able to make Dean laugh so hard he could barely breathe. The three women gave a look of curiosity to each other and laughed.

"Hey Rick, come here!" Brooke called as Rick walked past her.

"What's up?"

"What's going on between Beth and Carl?" Brooke asked with a cheeky grin.

"He has a little crush on her." Rick scratched the back of his head while Brooke laughed. "He's liked her since the prison actually."

"Doesn't he know she can drive?" she asked and he chuckled.

"That maybe why he likes her." Brooke laughed and T-Dog came back over with Dean. "Hey Teddy, hey bud!"

"Teddy go bye-bye!" Dean said as he pushed himself towards Brooke.

"Leaving so soon?" she asked.

"Yeah, I've actually gotta get ready." He told her.

"For what?" Rick asked.

"I have a date tonight." T-Dog replied.

"What?" Brooke asked excitedly. "With who?" T-Dog looked over at Michonne and Brooke's jaw dropped. "No way!"

"This will be our first official date." T-Dog shrugged and Brooke congratulated him. Dean looked around and Brooke kissed his cheek. He pointed over at the gate.

"You wanna go there?" she asked.

"Yes!" he replied and she stood up.

"Well Teddy good luck on your date tonight." Brooke said.

"Thanks Little Walsh." He said and walked away.

"I'm just going to go over to the gate with Dean." She told Rick and he nodded. She walked over and Dean pointed out some things that interested him. "You want to walk a little?"

"Ya Momma!" he said excitedly. She set him down and bent down. She took a hold of his sides from behind as he stumbled along. They heard a noise approaching the town and they both looked to the outside of the wall. A vehicle came up and Wes jumped out first. Brooke flashed a smile. She called for all the families to come and they ran towards the gate. Well, except Becky who couldn't really run. The gate opened and Meghan ran to Merle. Daryl jumped out of the car and Dean yelled excitedly. Dean started to stumble towards him with Brooke still holding him. Daryl bent to his knees and held his hands out towards his son. Dean moved a little faster and Brooke let him free. Dean fell into Daryl who swooped him into the air and kissed his cheek.

"Hey bud! I missed you!" he told him.

"Da!" Brooke smiled at her boys and walked over to Daryl. Daryl hugged Brooke and kissed her sweetly.

"I'm so glad you're safe." She told him.

"I'm glad to be back. I love you." He told her.

"I love you too." She replied. They pulled away and Dean still clung to his father. "Did y'all catch a lot?"

"Yeah actually." He said. "We went in groups of two and were able to catch a lot of squirrel, rabbit, and deer."

"That's wonderful!" Brooke enthused. "I'll help carry some stuff in. You're probably tired." She kissed his cheek and walked to the back of the car. Some other people came out to help including Lori, Rick, and Carl. Rick was holding Sophia as Lori helped unload the back as well as Carl. Dean babbled to Daryl and he pretended to understand everything he was saying. Dean would reach for the crossbow on Daryl's back.

"Uh-uh Dean." Daryl warned. "I'll teach you how to use a cross bow when you're older."

"Bow." Dean profiled and Daryl nodded.

"Very good Dean. That's a bow." Dean smiled at his father. He had started to develop some teeth and Daryl couldn't believe how fast he was growing.

"Lori!" he heard Brooke cry out.

"Brooke no!" Lori cried. Daryl heard a gunshot and he ran with Dean to the back of the truck. Daryl saw that Carl had his gun drawn and it had recently been fired. Daryl saw Lori clinging to Rick and Carl as well as a dead walker next to Brooke in a pool of blood.

"Ma-ma!" Dean cried. Daryl went over to Brooke.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Daryl…" she said weakly. Daryl froze as he saw her arm. It wasn't walker blood on the ground, it was Brooke's. There were four large gashes starting from her upper bicep to her wrist from the right side of her right arm. She was losing so much blood and began to pale. Daryl handed Dean to Lori and picked Brooke up. He saw a large amount of skin under the walker's nails. Brooke had been scratched.