Okay I know you all have been enjoying to loving fluff but things are about to take a turn for the worse, I wish I could say it's only going to be for one chapter then things work out but that just isn't the case, things are going to get a bit violent and dark (not to dark) but I post warnings as necessary. WARNING: Violence.

A huge thank you to my beta Jaded79 for going over this chapter for me and to all of you for reading my story. Really nervous about this chapter so please let me know your thoughts.

Chapter 17

What goes up must always come down.

It had been three weeks since Daryl had proposed to Carol and life was pretty good. There had been no walker attacks, no trouble, the baby was doing well and Carol was happy which of course made Daryl happy. But it was time for another supply run and Rick and Daryl were arguing with Carol and Lori as to why they couldn't come.

"Daryl you promised, the next trip you promised I could come," she reminded him.

"That was before I found out you were pregnant woman," he snapped.

"You're being unreasonable," she snapped back at him shaking her head and trying, but failing, not to get annoyed.

"No, you're being unreasonable," he replied. "Why can't you just listen to me for once and let me keep you safe." She instantly felt bad at his words knowing he was just worried.

"Daryl, I'll be fine and you will be right there with me to keep me safe, I'll bring my bow and knife and if anything goes wrong I will run and hide like a big wuss, I promise." She smiled placing her hands flat on his chest, standing on her tippy toes to press her lips gently to his and kissing him softly. "Please?," she sighed into his mouth but he suddenly jerked back.

"You're not going to bloody trick me again woman, the answer is no," he snapped gruffly.

"Damn it Daryl!" He almost laughed hysterically when she stomped her foot onto the ground like a child chucking a tantrum.

"Look, we just want to pick out some things for the babies," Lori piped up. "I don't see what the big deal is."

"The big deal is you are both pregnant – you, heavily, Lori, and you don't move as fast as you used to," Rick replied.

"Are you calling me fat?," she snapped at him.

"No, not fat just very pregnant," Rick tried his best to explain. "Why can't you just let us guys get the baby stuff?"

"Because you're male and we want certain things for the babies," Lori sighed knowing she was going to have to reveal the whole truth and hoping Carol wouldn't get mad at her. "And Carol wants to look for a wedding dress."

"Lori!" Carol hissed shooting her an angry glare.

"Sorry," she sighed feeling bad for breaking her friend's trust.

"I thought you decided to wear that white pants and jacket Andrea said you could borrow?" Daryl asked surprised she would keep this from him.

"Daryl, my first wedding I wore a white pants suit and I got married in a registry office, this time I'm getting married in a prison, I would at least like to have a proper wedding dress this time," she whispered feeling tears burn her eyes. He sighed grabbing her hands.

"Alright you can come but you're to do exactly what I say and stay within my sight at all times, got it?" She jumped up and down excited, wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling over at Lori.

"I promise," she whispered into his shoulder.

They left the prison an hour later, the woman were clearly excited at the idea of getting some baby stuff together and Carol was glowing and practically bouncing around in her seat next to Daryl at the idea of picking out a wedding dress.

They had set the date to be married for two weeks from now, nothing over the top, just a small ceremony in the garden. Hershel would marry them, Carol had asked Andrea to be her maid of honour, Daryl had asked Rick to be his best man, and T-Dog had offered to walk her down the aisle.

Andrea and T-dog had stayed behind at the prison to watch over Maggie, Glen, Beth and Hershel, while Rick, Lori, Carl, Carol, Daryl and Michonne went on the supply run. The men didn't mind Carl coming along and he had become very good and was finally doing as he was told. Plus Rick had made a habit of making sure Carl was always with him and not Lori; truth was things between Rick and Lori were not good and while they hadn't announced it, Carol was near certain they were now separated.

They decided to go to the same town they had gone to on their first trip; they knew it had everything they were looking for and aside from the herd that had blown through on their first day there; it had been fairly trouble free. Pulling up, they all got out of the cars, weapons in their hands just in case.

"Okay Carl you can come with me and Daryl, Lori and Carol you go with Michonne and find that wedding dress," Rick ordered.

"No, Carol stays with me," Daryl said stepping forward.

"Daryl, its fine I'm just going to find the perfect dress and then we'll meet at the baby store… besides we are more than safe with Michonne," Carol reassured him.

"I'll keep them close," Michonne promised. Daryl sighed, nodded before giving her a quick kiss and then following Carl and Rick across the street.

Carol couldn't choose, there were just so many and they were all so stunning; but then she saw it, a beautiful long, flowing, white wedding dress, soft silk underneath but beautiful lace over the top. A long train, strapless with a blue satin sash under the bust that wrapped around and flowed down the back.

"This is it, this is the one," she announced grabbing it off the rack.

"It's beautiful Carol, and I just saw the perfect shoes for it," Lori said disappearing for a moment before returning with a pair of red high heels.

"Oh Lori, they are perfect," she gasped touching them. They giggled as they left the store so distracted by their find that they didn't notice four strange cars parked outside. Carol placed the dress on the back seat of the car with the shoes. Shutting the car door, she turned to head across the street but stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed both Michonne and Lori were being held by two strange men who had knives to their necks.

"Lori," she whispered, hot burning fear slamming through her body. It was like everything moved in slow motion; she went from seeing just the two men holding her friends to having it turn to about twenty men, half of them with walkers held tightly on the ends of animal poles like the one Hershel used to use on the farm to put the walkers in the barn.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" She watched as a man stepped out of a black SUV, he was clearly their leader; they all seemed to cower in fear of him. "And what is your name sweetheart?," he asked moving closer to Carol. She was about to answer when Daryl and Rick came out of the baby shop, gun and bow raised, but the man was quick, grabbing Carol and placing a knife to her neck using her as a shield.

"Let her fucking go!," Daryl hissed.

"This one yours, is she?," the man chuckled "She is quite a fine thing, I intend to have lots of fun with her. I'm the Governor by the way," he smiled grasping her breast roughly, making her want to scream in pain as his fingers dug into her tender flesh, but she bit her lip forcing herself to stay quiet.

She was watching Lori closely; she could see the woman trembling in fear as the man that held her kept running the blade of his knife over her large baby bump. Carol looked at Michonne who looked down at the knife that was strapped to Carol's side; they nodded agreeing and moved fast.

Carol stomped onto the man's foot, and then elbowed him hard in the ribs, smiling in satisfaction when she heard the unmistakable sound of a rib cracking, running full speed she pulled out her knife.

"Lori, drop!," she yelled over the noise of the fighting going on behind her. Lori pushed the man's hand away dropping to the ground and scurrying away as Carol jumped on Lori's attacker thrusting her knife into his neck without hesitation. She was about to jump up and help the others when she was jerked back by the hair and pulled to her feet. She turned seeing Michonne was on the ground bleeding, and Daryl, Rick and Lori were being held at bay by the pet walkers.

"You stupid bitch," the Governor hissed, punching her hard in the stomach and then back-handing her, laughing as she fell to the ground. She heard Daryl's screams when she was knocked down knowing he must be thinking what she was. "No not my baby!" her mind cried hoping it was okay.

"Now you boys have two choices you can take the pregnant whore and the child I know you hid upstairs…" he started laughing when one of his men brought Carl out who was kicking around trying to break free, "and we keep these two."

"Never going to fucking happen!" Daryl hissed.

"Then you all die, how about the boy goes first." He nodded at his men who started dragging Carl to the hungry walkers, screaming in terror.

"No please, no!" Carl screamed.

"Wait stop!" Both Rick and Daryl yelled, stepping forward. Rick looked at Daryl, eyes pleading with him; he couldn't watch his son be ripped apart by walkers. Daryl knew what he had to do; he looked up at Carol, his eyes begging her to understand, to forgive him.

"Daryl, no," she whispered, reading his eyes. She knew he truly had no choice but she couldn't stop the feeling of betrayal that burned through her, consuming her.

"I will find you, I promise," he told her, the Governor laughing as Rick grabbed him dragging him away from the group. "I won't stop looking till I find you," he yelled as Rick shoved him in the car. She watched in disbelief as the man she loved and the people she trusted left her and Michonne behind.

"He will never find you," the Governor whispered into her ear sending chills down her spine, "and even if he does, it will be too late, I have big plans for you." He laughed in her ear as they forced her and Michonne into their cars and drove them in the opposite direction of the prison.