AN: Okay, so I've been considering all of my options for where to go with this story…and I know that if I'm ever gonna get anything done on anything else, I have to get this one finished. For example, since I haven't updated my Boondock Saints stories recently, I should be working on those…but no. This one and 'Keepin' Secrets' are distracting me. I'll be trying to come up with ideas for those and I'll get them for this or 'Keepin' Secrets' and I'm just like "Ugh!"…so I came up with most of the ending for this while I was running the mile today in p.e. (AWFUL!). So here goes, this is the beginning of the end. Oh, and I'm not quite sure the time frame on how far along Lily was before so I'm just gonna go with three months…

*6 months later*

So much had happened in the past six months. Judith was nearly a year old, Maggie and Glenn had gotten married-well as married as they could be, Rose and Merle's strange relationship actually became something good for the both of them, Rose became a little less shy, and Merle actually held his tongue when he should, and Mason did recover. He hopped around the island on the crutches Daryl had used when his ankle was broke and made do. He was lucky to be alive so he was grateful for what he had. As for Lily and Daryl, they weren't a perfect couple. They'd argue at times, mostly about stupid pointless stuff, but they'd make up by the end of the day.

Carl turned fourteen around the same time Emily turned eight and they had a joint birthday party for the two, cake and everything. Everybody had a job in their small community. Daryl would take Carl out into the wooded side of the island and see what they could find. The two actually grew pretty close, which kind of surprised the people who had been with the group in the beginning. Daryl had changed so much since then. Nobody would've seen him as a kid person, but he was better with the children then almost anybody else in the group.

Carl loved hanging out with Daryl, they may not have talked much when they'd go into the forest but that's the way Carl liked. Since, his relationship with Rick wasn't too great after everything that had happened, Daryl had almost been like a father figure to him. He looked up to the man and wanted to be like him someday. Carl especially loved going and staying at the guest house and staying the night. Lily, and her ever growing belly, would cook a meal, a lot of times fish, and she, Daryl, Emily, and Carl would all eat together at the table like a real family. He missed that from before the world ended. Tonight just happened to be one of those nights. Carl was helping Emily set the wooden dining table. Daryl had yet to come in the house and Lily was still finishing up the dinner.

"Carl! Emie!" she called.

"Lily?" Carl replied back as he and Emily shared a look, they walked into the kitchen together.

"What's the matter mommy?" Emily asked carefully as she stepped further into the kitchen.

"Don't step-"

"Ew! My foot's wet!" the raven haired girl exclaimed.

"Carl, can you go get Dr. John?" Lily ignored her almost daughter and turned to the older boy.

"Of course," he was off.

"Emie, I need you to go get your daddy…he needs to be here."

"Is the baby coming?" Lily just nodded as Emily ran off too.

"Daddy!" Emily called as she ran out onto the sandy beach. Daryl was standing on the smaller dock they'd built by the guest house, pulling in the small row boat.

"Whut is it?"

"Mommy's having the baby!"

Daryl quickly tied the boat to the dock before taking off toward the house. He almost literally ran into John at the front door.

"What's happened?" John asked.

"Dunno. Em jus' came an' got me."

They got Lily set up in her and Daryl's bedroom, the contractions had already started and she was in severe pain.

"It's not gonna be much longer," you're already about seven centimeters dilated," John told Lily. She nodded and he turned to Daryl. "You're gonna have to leave like now."

"Fuck no," Daryl replied and glared at the man, pissed that he'd even ask something like that.

"If you see this…it'll ruin sex for you," John said plainly.

"Dar," Lily reached out and touched Daryl's arm. "Please…just for a little bit."

"Fine," he sighed.

"Thank you, and remember our promise…"

"I love yew," he kissed her forehead and headed for the door.

"I love you too," she replied.

Daryl paced nervously through the hallway. their promise. More like the promise she made him make…he was more afraid of that than anything.

Lily and Daryl laid in bed together in their traditional way, her head on his chest, with his arms around her waist.

"I want you to promise me something," she said, using his chest to push her up. She stared into his eyes for a brief moment.

"Whut?" he tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Promise me…if it comes down to it…you save the baby. If it's one or the other, you save our baby, Daryl. It's a miracle I got pregnant in the first place…this baby is suppose to be in this world for some reason. Understand?"

"No. I'm not promisin' ya that."

"Yes you are," she said.

"No! I can't do this witout ya. I need ya too much."

"Daryl…"

"Don' 'Daryl' me! Yer the one that tol' me I couldn' go nowhere 'cause ya needed me here. An' I can't ask the same thing?"

"No you can't. This is something different…Our baby has to live…please promise me…" tears started to roll down her cheeks. She couldn't imagine the thought of her kid dying in place of her.

"Fine…" he gave. He didn't want to. He couldn't lose her, not now not ever.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Daryl…I need you," John called from within the room. Daryl's heart quickened as he stepped into the room. He had a bad feeling about this…hopefully they'd catch a break and he wouldn't need to carry out his promise. A struggled cry came from the bundle in Lily's arms. He saw her in the bed cradling the small baby wrapped in a white blanket.

"We have a son," she smiled lightly as she handed the baby off to Daryl. The baby was so tiny…he had Lily's freckles, but other than that, he was almost the spitting image of Daryl. His eyes, his dark hair, he even had the same birth mark above the left side of his lip.

"What do ya 'posse we name 'im?"

"How about-" Lily's eyes suddenly closed.

"Whut's goin' on?" Daryl asked nervously. John made his was to the girl in the bed.

"Um…"

AN: I hate to do that to y'all but…I just simply had to! Hopefully I get to post the next chapter soon…Let me know what you thought of this one in a *cough* *cough* review. I love, love, love, to get reviews, as y'all probably know. And, I love the word y'all for some reason…just noticed I used it three times in this AN…anyway thanks for reading!