Lori waited anxiously in the station wagon, her feet dangling out of the passenger door where she sat sideways on the seat. Peering further out of the car, she looked anxiously at the large double doors on the small white house where her husband and son had gone inside. Sighing, she leaned into the back of her seat, lying against the headrest to close her eyes for a few moments.

She'd slept a bit in the car, but they hadn't stopped for days and she was itching to crawl out of her aching, exhausted body. Her back ached miserably and her ankles were the size of baseballs. Sighing again, she forced herself to open her eyes and get up, grimacing as her feet protested her added weight. The small house looked promising enough as she inspected its simple clapboard siding and single-hung windows. Beth and Carol had even collected their blankets, seemingly also hopeful that they would be able to stay in one place for just long enough to stretch out and sleep.

Masking her discomfort with a carefully placed smile, Lori joined them at the back of the car, taking a moment to rub the young girl's arm affectionately. Beth returned her gesture with a one-sided smile, lowering her head to rest her cheek on Lori's shoulder for a moment.

"I'll bet they'll have a mattress or two in there," she announced thoughtfully, her blue eyes flicking to Lori's rounded belly, her mouth settling into a serious line. "We'll drag 'em down into the livingroom."

Catching the shift in the girl's mood, Lori sighed and nodded, stepping around her to collect her bag and blankets from the trunk. She hated that people we so on edge about the baby's impending birth – she was as anxious as anyone else in the waiting game, but she was just as frustrated with being a constant burden and source of worry for the others. She did her best to alleviate their apprehension by keeping her chin up and her concerns to herself, but it was hard to hide her expanded middle that everyone seemed to be eyeing with a sense of foreboding.

Lori reached for Carl's sleeping bag but was stopped by Beth's hand on her arm. Taking a calming breath, she released the strap and picked up just her own and a pink, knitted blanket, trying to keep her expression neutral.

A high whistle caught her attention, and she, with Carol and Beth, turned to see Rick in the now open doorway. Lori closed the trunk and followed the other two inside, glancing nervously around for any Walkers in the area. They seemed to be in the clear for now, but she knew that they were in the periphery of a small herd. Lugging her things, she climbed the stairs to the porch, eyeing the whitewash that cracked and peeled away from the surface of the door. She imagined the house had been in cosmetic disrepair long before the world had gone to hell.

Her husband greeted her at the door, his mouth twisting into a barely-there smile as she passed him to enter a front hall, her mouth settling into a grimace at the sight of the bodies that had been dumped at the foot of a set of stairs. She followed Beth into a den with a large fireplace against one wall, still scanning the quarters. Lori wrinkled her nose at a water-damaged couch and dropped her blankets onto the floor instead, hoping that Beth was right about those mattresses.

The house creaked around them, as though protesting being disturbed after so long. She spotted her son as he passed the open doorway and breathed a sigh of relief, happy that he looked okay. She hated that he had taken to putting himself in danger with the others, volunteering more and more often to join Rick. She'd had a lot to say about it in the beginning, but her resolve had been worn down over the winter as he'd grown colder and more distant towards her.

She'd tried talking to him but he would barely acknowledge her most days. His behaviour cut her deeply and she knew that Rick was aware of it. Her husband had tried on many occasions to talk to him too on her behalf, but he'd only managed to drive a wedge between himself and the boy. Lori had her suspicions that his attitude had something to do with Shane, but it was hard to really know without any kind of communication on his part.

Lowering her chin, she opened the pink blanket so she would have something to kneel on. She felt something touch her arm and she looked to her left to find Carol holding out an opened jar of peanut butter in her direction, a plastic spoon shoved inside. The smell of the food instantly made her stomach cramp with the hunger that she had grown too accustomed to, but she shook her head, resisting the offering. "I'll wait for everyone else," she insisted softly, curling her hand around the curve of her belly where the baby had begun to shift sluggishly, its feet finding her lower ribs.

"Lori," Carol breathed, almost in exasperation, holding the jar out further. "You need you eat," she maintained sternly, lifting her chin, challenging Lori to argue.

At the gesture Lori took the offered food, pursing her lips, partly in frustration but more so in admiration; Carol had changed a lot since their meeting almost a year before. She'd transformed from a timid woman to a determined and confident fighter who was a force to be reckoned with. At Lori's resignation, however, the older woman's face lifted into an impish grin demonstrating her chagrin.

"Don't be so smug," Lori griped with a half-hearted whisper, eating a mouthful of peanut butter. Her mouth watered like a tap as she chewed the paste and the baby squirmed again, its head grinding against her pelvic bone as it stretched in its confined quarters. Wincing and depositing the spoon back into the jar, she wrapped her arm around her belly, her palm pressing down on the painful spot to try to reposition the baby's head.

She turned toward the room's entryway when her son came in, his hands full. Carl dropped onto his knees beside Beth and placed two cans on the dusty floor, then reached in his bag for the can opener. Lori did a double take at the label, frowning at the image of a fluffy Pomeranian. Her mouth watered as nausea swept over her when Carl pierced the lid, filling the room with the smell of processed dog food. Crossing her arms over her flipping stomach, she turned her face away from the acrid smell, doing her best to mask her disgust. She was downright queasy at even the thought of eating the dog food. She glanced around to see that her son had the rest of the room's attention, too, except for Daryl who was still plucking feathers out of an owl, its body stiff in his hands, its exposed flesh puckered and raw. That image was equally nauseating.

She looked to the floor, debating on if she should say anything to Carl, but she feared making things worse for her already fragile relationship with her son. The decision was made for her when she saw movement in her periphery; looking up, she saw Rick walking over to where Carl was peeling back the tin lid. When her husband reached their son he bent down and snatched up the open dog food can. Lori winced at the roughness of his gesture - she knew how frustrated he was, but it wouldn't help to take it out on Carl.

"We're not animals, son; we can't eat this," Rick said as he walked back to the fireplace and tossed the can into it. She glanced over at Carl to see his head and expression downcast.

"Thanks for trying, love," she spoke up, hoping to cheer him up a little.

She didn't have a chance to find out if it worked as the moment was interrupted by T-Dog's whispered "Psst". They all turned to see him motion to the window, already getting up from his seat. Without even being able to see outside Lori knew what he was indicating: Walkers were close, so it was time to run again. Lori groaned inwardly, quickly gathering her things just like the rest of the group. Another place filled with promises that it was unable to deliver.

Naturally, she was the last one to get her things ready to go. Between the size of her belly and the extra weight, she wasn't moving so swiftly anymore. Rick stopped in front of her, his face a mixture of urgency and amusement as extended his hand. Lori gratefully accepted the boost, but was sure to give him an exasperated look for good measure. She didn't want him thinking that he had to coddle her, especially when there were other priories.

Her husband gave her a knowing look before he let go of her hand and gestured toward the back of the house where everyone else was exiting. She fell in line in front of Carol and Beth who were waiting for her by the back door that led out to an overgrown path. The three women reached the car and waited a few seconds for Rick to catch up. Lori checked to make sure Carl had gotten in a car safely, noting that he had climbed into the pick up with T, as he had been doing a lot lately. She was pleased that he had made a friend in the older man, but was also disappointed that he continually rejected her and Rick.

With everyone piled in their respective vehicles they were on their way once again.

XXXX

Lori had started to dose in the car when she was startled awake by the sound of doors slamming. She opened her eyes to see that their convoy had stopped on the highway, and everyone was getting out. Pushing her side open she attempted to follow them, but as stopped when Carol walked up, grabbing hold of the door.

"Keep resting," the older woman told her. "We're just going to have a quick meeting to come up with a better plan."

Lori nodded and watched Carol walk back up to the rest of the group. She would have protested and insist that she join in, but she was still incredibly groggy so she opted to follow her friend's instructions and stay in the car. Looking out into the distance, she wondered if there was truly anywhere out there for them to find safety. She was beginning to accept the fact that she would probably have to give birth in a ditch. Possibly in the car, if she was lucky – but most likely near a ditch.

Turning her head, she caught her husband looking away from her. She watched curiously as Hershel approached him, to speak privately, she assumed. As she watched the older man put his hand on Rick's shoulder before walking away she got the sinking feeling that they were talking about the very same thing she was just thinking. Daryl said something to Rick before the latter started walking back toward the car.

He poked his head in the open drivers side, his forearm braced against the wheel. "Hey, you're awake."

"Yeah, somethin' about car doors slamming that will do that," she chuckled, reaching out to take Rick's hand.

Her husband smiled sheepishly in return, stroking her extended fingers. "Sorry. We're taking a bit of a break. Some are gettin' water and Daryl wants to hunt for more food. I'm gonna join him. We won't be long."

Lori nodded, smirking at his tone, almost like checking that it was okay. It reminded her of the old days, when he would check in with her before going out with Shane and the other guys after work.

"Okay, be safe," she replied as Rick looked down the road both ways, probably checking for Walkers, then fixed his eyes back on her. "Yeah, you too. Don't go off on your own or anything, okay?"

She rolled her eyes but indulged him with a smile. "Hey, I may be tired of being coddled, but I'm not stupid."

"Of course," he replied, leaning into the car to kiss her fingers before dropping her hand and running off to follow Daryl who had nearly left him behind, his retreating back just visible inside of the tree line.

Seeing that they would be stopped for a while, she decided to get out of the car and stretch her legs a bit. Her lower extremities had gone numb as they did often after sitting for long periods at this stage of her pregnancy. She clumsily heaved one tingling leg out and was working on the other, groaning at the uncomfortable sensation of blood returning to her feet. The door creaked as Carl stepped around it, reaching out to grab her arm that she had on the side of the car, bracing herself to stand. He took her hand with both of his and helped bear some of her weight as she got to her feet.

"You got it?" he asked, knocking the brim of his hat up as he swiped his hair out of his eyes.

Lori smiled, her heart fluttering at the small moment of sweetness and care that her boy was showing to her.

She nodded in answer to his question. "Yeah, your little brother or sister is just gettin' real heavy, makes it hard to get around."

Carl's eyes moved down to watch her distended belly. As if the baby realized they had an audience, it started to stretch, as much as it could within the small amount of space that was left. She too looked down to see what she figured to be an elbow roll under the surface of her shirt, causing Carl to take a surprised step back.

"Whoa, what was that?" he wondered aloud.

Lori chuckled. "Most likely an elbow, the baby is stretching."

She could see the fascination and curiosity in his face so she decided to try her luck. "Want to feel?" she offered, leaning back against the car to give him his space while he made his decision.

He looked back up at her face, hesitating for a moment before shrugging, "Uh, I guess."

Delighted that he hadn't pushed her away yet, Lori smiled, reaching for her son's hand to place it on the spot where she'd last felt movement. She pressed on his hand to prompt the baby and sure enough they received a firm push back. Watching her son's face carefully, she could tell he was fighting a smile or laugh.

Instead, he kept a straight face, removing his hand from under hers. "That's pretty cool," he said simply, resting his hand on the butt of his gun.

"Yeah, it is," Lori agreed. She reached toward him to stroke his hair but he ducked out of reach.

"I gotta go back to keeping watch."

Lori sighed in disappointment. "Okay, honey." Small victories still counted in her book, and she really hoped that after the baby was born he would come around even more. She thought back to how excited he'd seemed about being a big brother the night he'd found out she was pregnant, and despite his moodiness, she suspected he still felt the same.

Walking the length of the line of cars, back and forth, she rubbing her hand in circles over her belly and hummed, keeping her voice low enough that the others wouldn't hear. The baby had gone still, thankfully, and she hoped it was this easy to put him or her to sleep once outside of the womb. She heard rustling in the trees and turned to find Rick and Daryl jogging back.

"We need to get the others back now," her husband began, causing her belly to flutter with nerves as she tried to look behind them to see if Walkers were coming, but the end of his sentence changed that. "We found a place to settle."

XXXX

Lori set her bag down on the floor in the cell at the far end of the block – further away from her son than she liked, but the four cells between them were either already occupied or too disgusting to fathom sleeping in.

Rubbing her hands over her face she stared at the bunk, both disgusted and eager to crawl onto the mattress and sleep for a week.

Footsteps on the metal overpass caught her attention and she turned to find her husband in the doorway, leaning against the iron frame. Offering him a small smile she turned her attention back to the bed. "It's a little narrow," she breathed, smoothing her hand over her belly to make her point.

Rick laughed, sliding into the spot between her and wall, his hands weaving around her waist to join hers, resting over their baby. "I'll suck in," he offered, pressing a kiss to her shoulder before dropping his chin to rest on it.

Lori rolled her eyes and positioned her cheek against his. "Maybe you can take the top bunk," she suggested. "You're exhausted and the last thing you need…" She trailed off and her eyes fluttered closed as raw heat swept over her when he placed a trail of kisses over her shoulder and up the column of her neck until he found her ear with his teeth. Groaning, she tilted her head back, leaning into his chest. "Baby…"

His laugh was a hot swift breath against her jaw, a low chuckle that only served to turn her on more. "I like the bump," he informed her, slowly turning her around to face him, his middle pressed against hers. "It means we have to get extra close."

Lori lifted an eyebrow and dropped her chin, her eyes finding the very lack of distance that he'd been referring to. She smiled softly, nodding at his words, her heart fluttering. "Well, we aren't keeping it," she told him sternly, looking up at his face.

Rick's chest dipped as he exhaled a laugh, and then grew serious as he reached for the unbuttoned front of her shirt. He eased the fabric back off her shoulders before tossing it onto the top bunk. They worked together to make the bed, using his sleeping bag as a sheet and her knitted blanket to cover themselves. In the dying light they slipped their pants off, leaving only their underwear and shirts before they crawled into bed, Rick on the inside against the wall, Lori on the outside, her back to his chest.

"This isn't so bad," her husband assessed, slipping his hand under her head to support her it.

In spite of everything they'd gone through they had come out on the other side – a little tarnished, a little scratched, and a little worse for wear. But they were together and they'd found a home to keep their family safe.

Lori nodded in agreement, her eyes already closing of their own volition. Yawning, she snuggled into the mattress and gave in to sleep, peace overcoming her.

I'd like to know if you'd be open
To starting over from scratch
I'd like to know if you'd be open
To giving me a second chance

End.