"Sometimes good things fall apart, so better things can fall together."

- Jessica Howell

The rest of the group hadn't had it easy either since the farm got overrun. They had been from place to place, from house to house for the last eight months.

Surprisingly, Carol had toughened up during this time. She had lost her husband, her younger daughter, which was a hard blow, and then her other daughter. She was all alone now. She couldn't explain the pain she felt when she didn't see Cecilia among the survivors that made it out of the farm.

She felt hopeless for days, she felt like giving up, she regretted not spending more time with her when Cecilia was alive. Instead she pushed her away and now it was way too late to fix that.

But not matter how much it hurt, she found the strength to move on after Sophia's death and she found the strength to move on after Cecilia's, which was a bit harder because she was the last one of her family that died and she was already grieving Sophia and Ed when it happened, the pain just kind of accumulated.

Almost all of them expected Carol to break apart and give up but it was the opposite. She was tough now, she stood up for herself and she even learnt to shoot, she wasn't that good but she was improving.

Teresa and Oliver took her death really bad. Teresa hadn't known Cecilia for more than two years but their bond was very strong, they shared an apartment and they did almost everything together. Oliver also was very close to her and they felt guilty everyday for not helping her when she needed them the most.

They couldn't explain why they couldn't face her after Sophia died. They didn't know what to do or say to her to make it better, they knew how much Cecilia loved Sophia. They just thought she was going to lose it any day and she did, she wanted to kill herself and it was Glenn and Daryl who convinced her not to do it, people that she met not long ago, that made them feel even worse.

Teresa felt like she didn't deserve to be sad about her because she didn't deserve to be called Cecilia's friend, not after she technically abandoned her.

Things were hard for her and Oliver, they couldn't deal with more problems. They had already too much on their shoulders when Sophia died. They just wanted Carol to step in but she never did and now Cecilia was dead.

Sean was the worst during the first months after the farm incident. He got withdrawn from the group. He had mixed feelings. Their leader had killed his uncle, he was furious about it, he wanted revenge but another part of him knew Rick did what he had to do. A part of him knew his uncle had lost his mind but he couldn't just accept that he was murdered. He tried his best to avoid Rick because he always felt like stabbing him or killing him or at least just punch him whenever he was close to Rick.

He had lost his siblings, his parents, his pets, his girlfriend and friends, and now his uncle was gone too. He was the last one of his family and he felt really lonely now that he was gone.

And on the other hand there was also Cecilia. He had to admit that Cecilia wasn't his type. He was into brunette girls with big brown eyes and he preferred girly, sweet girls, Cecilia wasn't girly or sweet at all, that's for sure. She was tough, she was able to survive and to stand up for herself. If it came to just the two of them, Cecilia would be the one protecting him, not the other way around.

But it didn't take long for Sean to fall for her. She was funny, sarcastic, fearless and bold, but she was also distant, cold and in a way, broken.

Sean remembered when they were dared to kiss back at the CDC, he wasn't that drunk that night and he remembered it perfectly. He always wondered if she remembered it, unlike him, she was really wasted that night. She didn't act awkward or shy around him the next day so he couldn't be sure if she didn't remember or if she just didn't mind.

He was going to tell her his feelings but he never could find a chance. First, they were on the road for days and she wasn't in the same car as him, then she went missing for four days, he thought he was never going to see her again and then she went mad and pushed everybody away, she wasn't even talking or eating and then when she got better she technically followed Daryl everywhere like a lost puppy, he found her and all that but he thought that was just too much. Sean could never find a chance to talk to her and it wasn't the right time to do it either. She had lost her sister days ago, it wouldn't be prudent to ask her out so soon and then she just died.

Sean will always wonder that if she hadn't died, would they have a chance to be together? Did she even like him like he liked her? He would never know.

Cecilia usually kept to herself and she preferred to be alone, except from the people she was close to, like Teresa. It was really hard to get to her but even when she wasn't as friendly or sociable as others, her death created a big void in everyone's hearts. She was very special to the group and very useful. She used to go on every run with Glenn and that's how the two of them got very close.

Glenn never in his life had a best female friend, he had some really good friends thanks to his charismatic personality but all of them were guys. And then he met Cecilia and they clicked almost instantly. Probably it was because when they were away, it was just the two of them and they counted on each other to watch their backs. They had to trust fully on the other.

Carl was another person who truly missed her, even after all this time. She was the only person he could trust with anything. He told her about the walker that killed Dale, told her he stole Daryl's gun. A reason he could trust her was because she was the youngest besides himself and somehow she knew what to do in most situations.

Beth didn't know Cecilia for more than two weeks but she got really close to her. It had been so long since Beth didn't see someone close to her age and someone that wasn't a relative. She lost her brother so she knew what Cecilia was going through. They got close really quickly and even when at the end they weren't allowed to be together alone she really cared for Cecilia and actually felt bad that she wanted to convince her to kill themselves together.

She even admitted to everyone she was the one that came up with it and she was the one that got the idea in Cecilia's head. Hershel thought Cecilia was to blame so Beth had to speak forward, she had to tell them, to honour her.

And then there was Daryl as well.

The first month he acted pretty much like he did when Merle was gone. He got back to being his old self, being rude to people and not giving a damn about anyone, pushing them all away. People knew they had gotten really close after he found her in the woods and knew it must be hard for him to feel like he failed to save Sophia and then lose Cecilia as well, so they gave him the space he needed.

But he composed himself, at least just on the outside and kept going with his life. People couldn't tell he was still hurting about her death because he didn't show any sign of it but in the inside, he was a mess.

That girl somehow got to him, slammed his walls down and found a place in his empty heart. He enjoyed her company, he enjoyed to tease her, to listen to her and just to be with her, she was different and now he had no one to talk to, no one to spend his time with like he did with Cecilia and even when he was surrounded by twelve people he felt very lonely.

Only days ago the group had found the perfect place to stay, to settle in. As Daryl and Rick walked on some rails they stumbled upon a prison.

There were walkers but it wasn't impossible, especially when they worked as a team. They killed all the walkers that were outside of the building and for once they could sleep a bit more calmed because of the fences that now surrounded them.

They eventually moved inside and it was a paradise compared to what they had been through in the last months. They had beds, a roof over their heads, and they were safe, at least for the time being, which was more important now that Lori was about to give birth.

Nobody in the group ever dreamt of being in a prison, none of them thought they would be thrilled to be in one but the world had changed and a prison was the safest place they would ever find, well, as soon as there were no more walkers.

But not everything was good news for the group, as they went further inside the prison to clear it out, Hershel got bit in the leg and Rick had to amputate it and due to the blood loss he was in a critical state and they weren't sure if it would work.

And the group soon found out there were more than just walkers inside the walls of the prison. They found five convicts locked inside the cafeteria. They had no idea what had happened to the world because they had been inside the prison all this time. It was quite amazing they survived inside a room for around ten months.

T-Dog, Daryl and Rick agreed to help them clear one block of the prison so they could have it and as they did, it was evident they couldn't kill walkers and they wouldn't last long on their own. One of them, the tallest, got bitten and another one of them kill him without hesitation or emotions, that made Rick more uneasy, he knew this guy meant no good.

And he was right. He ended up killing him only minutes later with a machete. A third guy was able to escape but went straight outside where walkers were around, they just could assume he died.

The other two convicts got the now cleared block and were made to stay there, if they crossed to the group's side they would be killed as well. Rick wasn't willing to take any risk.

As the group gathered around Hershel, who was between life and death, they heard a door creaking, Glenn, who was standing by the door, peeped out to see Carl carrying a big bag in one hand and his gun in the other.

"I thought you were organizing the food," the Korean guy asked Carl.
"Even better," he muttered. "Check it out."

Carl went inside the cell where everyone was to take care of Hershel and make sure he wouldn't die and turn. Carl opened the bag, revealing lots of medical supplies.
"Where did you get this?" his mother asked.

"From the infirmary," Carl told her. "Wasn't much left, but I cleared it out."
"You went by yourself?" Lori asked.

Ever since Cecilia died, Carl didn't have anyone to trust, anyone to go with him, anyone to talk to as he talked to Cecilia and now he wasn't in the best of the terms with both his parents and they weren't in good terms either, it all had gotten so complicated.

"Yeah."
"Are you crazy?" Lori exclaimed, getting upset at his son.

"No big deal, I killed two walkers."
"Do you see this?" Lori asked him, pointing at Hershel's missing leg. "This was with the whole group."
"We needed supplies, so I got them," Carl told her, getting upset.
"I appreciate that, but..."

"Then get off my back!"
"Carl, she's your mother!" Beth exclaimed. "You can't talk to her like that."
"Listen, I think it's great that you want to help..."

Carl couldn't take it anymore, he stormed out of the cell and went to another cell upstairs. Glenn sighed, he knew he had to be close to Hershel in case he died but Carl needed someone right now. Glenn excused himself and went after the young boy. Glenn found him sitting on the floor, with his head buried in his knees and his back against the wall.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"They treat me like a baby," Carl muttered.

"We have to be careful, we have to go in groups, Carl," Glenn told the young boy as he sat next to him.

"Nobody would have gone with me and besides I didn't want anyone to go with me."

"Why not?"

"Be-because..." Carl stuttered, and Glenn could see Carl's bright blue eyes filling with tears. "Because that spot was for Cecilia and only for her."

Glenn took a deep breath and put an arm around the boy, rubbing his back. Carl wiped away a tear quickly so Glenn wouldn't see it, but he did.

"She told me one day that I could trust her and that we always would be a team. She made me promise her I would never go alone and no matter where I wanted to go, she would go with me," Carl said. "That night, the night the herd destroyed the farm, I was running into the woods to look for my dad, she caught me and instead of bringing me back like anyone would have done, she went with me, she stuck to her promise."

"I miss her too, Carl," Glenn admitted. "She was my best friend, I only knew her for about two months or three but that was enough, you know? I got attached to her."

"She was like my big sister," Carl said with a faint smile. "Sometimes annoying but she always had my back. It's my fault she's dead."

"Don't say that, Carl. It's not true."

"If I wouldn't have gone after my father she wouldn't have left the house and she would have been able to escape with us."

"Anything could have happened, this is not your fault."
"If she would have been here, she would have gone with me to the infirmary and... and I wouldn't feel so alone."

"But you are not alone," Glenn told him. "You have all of us, your parents, Maggie, Beth, me, everyone."

"I feel like I'm alone," Carl whispered. "My parents... they are not even talking to each other. My dad is so busy being the leader he has forgotten he has a son and my mum... don't even get me started on her. All I know is that I really wish Cici would be here right now. I need her so much."

"These are difficult times, Carl. You mum and dad love you more than anything, they are just trying to keep us all alive and about Cici, I know. Do you know how many times I have wanted to have someone to talk to? About bad things or good things, I wish she could be here too. She would love to hear I found myself a girlfriend, that we are steady now and stuff. We will never forget her, Carl. And we have to be careful, so we can honour her. We can't be reckless, okay?"

"I just – I just hope she didn't suffer, you know? Or that she didn't turn, that would be awful." Glenn said nothing, he couldn't assure the boy that Cecilia didn't suffer or that she wasn't a walker now. "I was thinking about naming the baby Sophia or Cecilia or Sophia Cecilia if it's a girl."

"That would be nice," Glenn told him.

Glenn then patted his back before standing up and walking towards the door, but he stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the brunet boy. "Thanks by the way, for the medicine. We really needed all that." Carl said nothing but he smiled at Glenn.

Later that day, Hershel did wake up. He didn't die and became a walker. What Rick did actually worked and helped to save the old man's life.

It had been a few days since Hershel woke up. He had made a really good recovery so far. They even got him some crutches so he could walk. He was still weak due to the blood loss but he was a strong man and he was willing to do it.

Hershel grabbed the crutches and with the help of Beth and Lori he stood up. The two of them helped him walk through the prison until they got to the door. Lori wasn't too sure about it but Hershel insisted he could do it, so they allowed him to go outside.

The grounds of the prison and the block they were staying in now was free of bodies. The group had worked together to gather all the bodies out of the prison. It was hard and exhausting and it took more than a whole day but they did it.

"You cleared all those bodies out?" Hershel asked as he walked outside with Lori and Beth at each side of him, Carl and Teresa were also making him company. "It's starting to look like a place we could really live in."
"Hey, you watch your step," Lori told him. "Last thing we need is you falling."
"You're doing great, Daddy," Beth told him with a smile.
"Ready to race, Hershel?" Carl asked the old man.

"Give me another day," he told Carl. "I'll take you on." Carl chuckled at him and Beth smiled.

The rest of the group smiled as they saw Hershel out of bed and alright. Their hearts filled with happiness as they saw they weren't going to lose another member of their group and that he was actually very optimistic about it, even when he didn't have a leg anymore.

But of course, in this new world things can't be calm and good for long. As people were admiring Hershel's will and perseverance, a group of walkers went their way, directly where Lori, Carl, Beth and Hershel were.
"Walkers!" Carl shouted as he turned around and saw them. "Look out!"

Lori took out a small pistol and started to shoot the walkers that were closer to them, while the rest of the group had spotted them and were running towards them.

"Get out! Get out of there! No! Lori!" Rick yelled as he ran to them, desperate to get to them in time.

Teresa, Maggie, T-Dog and Carol were closer to them and got there first. They started to shoot the walkers but they were too many. Carl also helped. He had gotten extremely accurate and most of the time he kept calmed, which helped in how of a good shot he was.

"That gate is open!" T-Dog exclaimed, finding where the walkers had come in. T-Dog and Carol ran to the gate to close it and stop more walkers to pass through it.

"Lori! Here! Come on!" Maggie exclaimed. She, Lori and Carl ran behind a door and went inside the prison. Teresa, Beth and Hershel had gotten behind a fenced door on the other side. Teresa kept shooting at walkers to protect the three of them since Hershel could barely walk with the crutches and Beth didn't have a gun.

Rick, Daryl, Sean, Oliver and Glenn kept running to help them. They went through the last gate, leaving it open in the rush, therefore not locking the two convicts again, who were locked there earlier that day when they refused to back to their block because they couldn't take it anymore.

T-Dog rushed to get the gate closed and as he did he got bit in the right shoulder, he managed to get it off of him and killed the walker but the damage was done. He and Carol hurried inside another part of the prison.

Oliver, Daryl, Rick Sean and Glenn finally made it. They started shooting and they killed all the walkers there when an alarm went off. Rick shot the speakers and went straight to the convicts, who could have opened the gates? For now they were the main suspects of this chaos.

"It has to be the backup generators," Oscar, the dark-skinned convict, exclaimed to Rick, referring to the alarm.
"Well, how do you turn those on?"

"There's three that's connected to a diesel tank, okay? Each one controls a certain part of the prison.
The hatch shut them all off when the prison was overrun."
"Can someone open up the main gates electronically with full power?"

"I only went in a few days. I guess it might be possible."
"Come with us!" Rick exclaimed as he pulled the man's shirt and pulled him with him.

Rick, Glenn, Oliver, Daryl, Oscar and Axel, the blond convict with a weird moustache, ran into the prison. First they had to kill the walkers that were inside and look for Lori, Maggie and Carl but they couldn't find them.

Inside the prison, Maggie, Lori were going back to their cells when some walkers were coming from there. They had no choice but to venture further into the prison. As they kept walking, Lori started to get contractions. She stopped, yelled out and leaned against the wall for support.

"Can you keep up?" Maggie asked her.

"Something's not right," Lori said.
"Are you bit?" Carl asked quickly, fearing the worst.

"No, no, no. I think the baby's coming."
Right at that moment some more walkers were going towards them. Carl led the way with his gun raised, while Maggie put her arm around Lori to help her walk.

Walkers were coming from every way so they had to go into one little room, closing the door behind them. Once inside, Lori held on to a chain as another contraction hit her.

"Lori, let's lay you down," Maggie said.
"No, the baby's coming now," Lori muttered.
"We have to get back to our cell block to have Hershel help," Carl exclaimed.
"We can't risk getting caught out there," Maggie told him. "You're going need to give birth to this baby here."

As another contraction hit Lori, Maggie took Lori's jeans off and laid her down. Carl was in shock and scared and didn't know what to do.
"You're going need to help deliver your brother or sister, you up for it?" Maggie told him. "I'm going to see if you're dilated."

"Do you know how?" Carl exclaimed.

"Dad taught me, but trust me, it's my first time." Maggie tried to do the test but she wasn't sure.
"I can't tell," Maggie told Lori.
"I gotta push."
Lori stood up with some help as she panted heavily. Lori pushed a few times, Carl was petrified in one spot and Maggie rubbed Lori's back and tried to tell her things to keep her going until she noticed something was wrong.
"Lori, don't push – stop! Something's wrong!"

Lori was bleeding. Maggie helped her lie down again, Carl finally reacted and went to kneel next to his mother.
"Mum? Mum, look at me, look at me! Keep your eyes open!" Carl exclaimed at her, noticing she was giving up.
"We have to get you back to Dad," Maggie said.
"I'm not going to make it," Lori said in a very faint voice.
"Lori, with all this blood, I don't even think you're fully dilated yet," Maggie exclaimed, freaking out. "No amount of pushing is going to help."
"I know what it means, and I'm not losing my baby," Lori whispered. "You've gotta cut me open."
"No. I can't."
"You don't have a choice."
"I'll go for help," Carl exclaimed as he stood up and started to head for the door but Lori stopped him.
"Look, Carol is the one that practiced that. Dad only taught me the steps, Lori. I have no anaesthetic, no equipment..."

"Carl has a knife," Lori pointed out.
"You won't survive," Maggie told her firmly.
"My baby has to survive, please. My baby. For all of us, please, Maggie! Please!" Lori shouted, raising her voice for the first time, Maggie just weakly shook her head. "Please."
Maggie slowly raised Lori's shirt to expose her belly and the faint scar of the C-section she got with Carl, who by now was back next to his mother.
"You see my old C-section scar?"

"I can't," Maggie cried.
"You can. You have to. Carl?" Lori muttered, turning to look at her boy. "Baby, I don't want you to be scared, okay? This is what I want. This is right. Now you... you take care of your daddy for me, all right? And your little brother or sister, you take care..."

"You don't have to do this," Carl cried, interrupting her.
"You're going to be fine. You are going to beat this world. I know you will," Lori told him, finding strength deep inside of her. "You are smart, and you are strong, and you are so brave, and I love you."
"I love you too," Carl said as tears rolled down his face.
"You gotta do what's right, baby. You promise me, you'll always do what's right. It's so easy to do the wrong thing in this world. So don't, so if it feels wrong, don't do it, all right? If it feels easy don't do it. Don't let the world spoil you. You're so good," Lori told him as she brought her hand up and caressed Carl's cheek. "You're my sweet boy. The best thing I ever did and I love you!"

During her whole speech, Lori kept strong but at the last part her voice broke and she broke down. She pulled Carl into her arms and hugged him as tight as she could, Carl did the same, wrapping his arms around his mother's neck as he cried. Maggie also wept, seeing mother and son sharing their last hug.
"I love you. You're my sweet, sweet boy. I love you." Lori squeezed him tight, kissed his check before she pulled away. "Maggie, when this is over, you're going to have to...You have to do it. It can't be Rick."
Carl shakily handed the knife to Maggie, who just as shakily gripped it but then composed herself for the baby's sake. She muttered a "I'm sorry," to Lori before pressing the knife against Lori's stomach and cutting her open.

Lori's screams were something horrible to hear and almost unbearable. Carl lost it and started to shout at Maggie but Maggie kept calm, giving him instructions. Soon, Lori went unconscious due to the big amount of pain she was feeling.

"I see it. I see the ears. I'm going pull it out," Maggie said to Carl, who kept crying and barely listened to Maggie. "I can't tell if this is the arm or the leg."
Maggie finally pulled the baby out and held it. It wasn't crying and Maggie wasn't sure if the baby was breathing. She delicately patted the baby's chest to reanimate it and then turned it around so she could patted its back, as soon as she did, the baby cried.

Carl took off his jacket quickly and handed it to Maggie, who wrapped the baby in it after she cut the umbilical cord.
"We have to go," Maggie said as she stood up.
"We can't just leave her here," Carl exclaimed. "She'll turn."
"Carl!"

"She's my mum!"
Maggie just walked as she held the baby tightly against her chest. Carl felt the world beneath him shattering as he realized he had to do it. He took his pistol in his hand and turned to look at where his mother lied. Carl fell down next to her and hugged her one last time, then he stood up, he pointed at her head and with a very deep breath and a few tears he pulled the trigger.

As soon as the bullet flew out of the pistol, his emotions went with it. He felt numb, absolutely and completely numb. He walked away quickly, passing Maggie. No more tears fell from his eyes, not in that moment at least, he was emotionless.

Outside of the prison, Rick was determined to find his family. Hershel, Beth, the two convicts, Glenn, Daryl, Teresa, Oliver and Sean were there.

"We're going back!" Rick told them as soon as he realized Lori and Carl weren't there. "Daryl and Glenn, you come with..."

Rick was interrupted by the sound of a baby crying, he turned around quickly to see Maggie holding a newborn baby, her hands were bloody. Carl was behind her, his head down, not even once he looked up to see Rick, who slowly approached them, letting drop the axe he was holding. Maggie tried to tell him something but she couldn't stop crying.

"Where... where is she? Where is she?" Rick asked.

Maggie said nothing. Rick was walking past Maggie when Maggie tried to stop him, putting a hand on his biceps, holding the baby with her other hand.

"No, Rick, no!"

That's when Rick lost it. He started to cry. Rick wiped some tears away and then put his hands on his hips and then turned to look at his son and bent to be at Carl's level.
"No! No!" he cried. Carl didn't look at him because he knew he would lose it again if he did, his numbness was washing away and all he was starting to feel were little stabs in his heart that every time hurt more and more. "No! No! No!"

Rick straightened up and took some steps away as he kept crying. He eventually collapsed to the floor, he put his hands over his face as he kept crying. He had never felt such a pain like this, never. The love of his life was death, gone. And he wasn't there for her.

Did you suspect Sean might have feelings for Cecilia? What do you think about him liking her?

Hope that you like the chapter even when it was mostly a filler. Cecilia's in the other chapter :)