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"Well, your blood pressure has come down to normal levels finally," Carson told them after checking her vitals. "And based on your fundal height, you're about twenty eight weeks now, which is ahead of schedule."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, we don't know exactly when he was conceived and ultrasounds and fundal heights only give rough estimates even when we do. Generally speaking, there's always a plus or minus two weeks when it comes to due dates. The other probable cause is simply that you're gonna have a big baby."

"I mean, I'm short and 'e's tall. Kind a ta be expected, don' ya think?"

"Has the dizziness subsided?" he asked with a shake of his head after having gotten used to Ani's sarcastic remarks over the last month of visits.

"Not yet. Ain' as bad, and ain' gettin' the palpitations, but I still get dizzy standin' up sometimes."

"How frequent would you say that is?"

"Maybe once every couple days," Ani answered, looking over at Daryl, who was just nodding his head in agreement.

"Does it last or is it only for a second?"

"She stands up and it's done after a second," Daryl replied for her. "Doesn't bug her unless she's been layin' down for a long time or hasn't eaten yet."

"You need to make sure she's eating enough food high in iron. While the iron pills worked, we don't have any more of them and I'm still worried your iron might be a bit on the low side considering how often you experience hot and cold flashes. You said you were anemic as a child and always problems with it, right?"

"Born anemic, and yeah," she said. "Been unda control for the most part. First time since the dead a winta when greens were few and even the squirrels got harda ta find. Was able ta get it back unda control afta that, though."

"If that's the case, it's probably just due to the pregnancy. Still, I want you to keep an eye on it, both of you. If the dizziness gets worse or persists for more than a minute, immediately sit or lay down. And if it does, make sure she stays in bed and gets plenty of fluids. And if it gets even worse, get the doctor to set up a blood transfusion. You're a universal donor, right?" he asked Daryl. "You've given her blood before?"

"A couple times, yeah," he answered.

"Good. Best case scenario, it'll stay a little worse than mild and what I would normally expect during a pregnancy for someone with a history of anemia. Worst case scenario, we have to do a transfusion. Either way, I think we can manage it as long as the two of you keep an eye on your symptoms."

"Will do," Ani told him.

"Anything else? Concerns? Questions?"

"Nah. Think ya got everythin' cova'd, Doc. Thanks."

"Happy to help. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few other patients to check on while I'm here."

Carson left the room with Ani closing the door behind him and looking back at Daryl with a smug smile on her face, "Told ya."

"Shut it," he replied, practically sulking in the chair at the fact that she was right.

"Think 'bout it," she said once again as she went to sit on his lap. "I got ta have more blood pumpin' in my body ta help the kiddo get 'is own blood and nutrients and all that shite. A bit a dizziness when I stand up ain' a problem. If it were somethin' that was causin' black spots or heart palpitations, I'd worry. And even if it did, ya don' mind me bein' a vampire."

"More like a damn leech," he said, adjusting so that she could sit easier on his lap.

He placed one hand on her stomach and began rubbing her lower stomach gently, something she moaned in appreciation to. Daryl had started doing it a couple weeks back after he'd felt Lou kick for the first time. He'd come up and held her from behind in the middle of the night when he woke up and found her standing by the crib. She'd had another nightmare about her parents and he was trying to comfort her when he'd felt the bump against his palm. It was the first time he had ever experienced anything like that and had his hands on her stomach as often as he could when they had a minute to just stand. He'd gotten to feel the baby kick a few more times since then and was always trying to, even though he wouldn't admit it. Ani didn't blame him, though, since it was still a new thing for her and every kick she felt herself was indescribable. She loved feeling Lou moving around most of the time, the exceptions being when he would kick her bladder or move the wrong way and send her flying to the closest clear area to puke. There was also the fact that her stomach had started feeling very heavy and his hands softly kneading her bump helped her feel better. Him just being as attentive to her ever since Rick had gone back to Alexandria and Merle had taken up a co-leadership role with them had been making her feel better.

Merle wasn't the greatest leader as far as maintaining a direction in which to go and making rational decisions, especially when angered, but he was excellent at following orders. Daryl and Ani would give him tasks they needed completed in the Sanctuary and he would make sure they got done. It reminded Ani of how Rick had been more her spokesperson rather than a full leader for a long time, before he started making choices for everyone on his own. There were fewer instances of Negan's influence being brought up and Rick's presence at the Sanctuary was no longer needed. He was still making rounds to all the settlements in order to make sure everyone had what they needed and keep the original members of their group informed about the others. Maggie was also having a little boy and Sasha and Abraham were still doing escorts to make sure people could travel safely between communities. Carol and Ezekiel were together, too, which Ani had seen from a mile away, especially with how much she cared for Henry, his adopted son. Sophia was still going back and forth between the communities as well, though she was planning on staying the winter at the Sanctuary so she could be there for Ani when she got further along. Beth was going with her, as well, starting to take up a role similar to Ani's as far as talking to people and help solve conflicts with words and understanding.

All in all, life had settled down after two months of peace and a lot of promises from the Saviors to help with getting some things built before winter hit. The Hilltop needed a barn so that they had somewhere to put the animals and Alexandria's houses needed to finish being repaired. Maggie was loath to accept help from the Saviors, but when they arrived with a letter from Ani letting her know they were similar to Aiden, workers and not soldiers, good with their hands and knowledgeable in their trades, she granted them entrance until the structures were complete. Carson admitted on his next visit to the Sanctuary that Maggie had been less than keen and had a couple extra people on watch. Aiden had convinced her that they were good people, but Ani admitted she was happier that Maggie was being safe than have something happen that put her in danger. Maggie straight up refused to go to the Sanctuary, though, and she didn't even bother trying to hide her contempt for Alexandria. She was an amazing leader, though, and Carson said that many of the people were still thanking her for helping them learn how to fight. Enid was also getting thanked a lot, though for an entirely different reason that Sophia was a direct cause of. Things between the two girls had settled down when Sophia went to the Hilltop to learn how to be a midwife from Carson and the older teen had asked her to help her learn more about herbs. They had bonded over that and the last time Carl had come to the Sanctuary, he said it felt weird to see the two of them being friends.

On that front, part of the reason Sophia was staying at the Sanctuary for the winter was because the last time Merle had gone with her to Alexandria for their visits, he'd found the two in a compromising position. It didn't matter how much they had tried to explain that they were just talking, that it was just a kiss, that nothing really happened, the old redneck had grabbed Carl by the scruff and dragged him all the way to his dad. None of the adults had been particularly ready to deal with teenage romance or wanted to breech the topic of sex between the two. It was really awkward and when Ani was asked to do it and reminded that she had already talked to them about it once, she had protested hard. Talking about it as a joke and to see their hilarious and grossed out reactions was completely different from having to have a serious conversation about sex and safety measures, especially when they didn't have birth control. She didn't understand why Rick couldn't talk to his own son about it instead of wanting to pawn it off on her to begin with and told him as much. Ani could talk to Sophia just fine and teach her some ways that women could potentially keep from getting pregnant or try for a pregnancy and what it all means. But they both were smart enough to know what would happen if they weren't careful in the way of having helped raise Judith and watching Ani and Maggie go through their pregnancies on top of what had happened to Lori. In the end, she forced Rick to at least be in the room while she embarrassed them and herself while they groaned and hid their red faces. They continued to swear that Merle had overreacted and that they really had only just shared a kiss when he walked in. Both parents laughed heartily when they were told that the two of them had been talking about what fruits they missed the most and went into detail about the conversation. Either they were telling the truth or they had concocted such an elaborate lie and were so good at acting that it was believable to the point that Ani wasn't sure she cared either way.

"What's on the agenda for the rest a taday, again?" she asked Daryl.

"Frankie and her crew are gonna be gettin' some more stuff canned. Gotta help Jackson and Jerry finish with the windows. Almost got them done. Check on Regina and George's group outside and how far those beds are comin' along."

"Yeah, fasta we can get those ready, fasta we can get some some a the seedlin's Rick and Maggie have so they can go ta root ova the winta. At least, I hope they will. Maggie said it don' always happen, but it'll make our lives a hell a a lot easia than havin' ta sow the seeds."

"Right," Daryl told her. "We've got a lot to do to get ready for the cold."

"I'm not lookin' forward ta the cold."

"I know. You've said it a thousand times."

"Well, can ya blame me? Ya rememba how fuckin' bad I was shakin' last winta? And we were in fuckin' Georgia! It gets so much colda up 'ere in the north. We could be snowed in! I don' want ta deal with it," she whined.

"I can keep you warm," he suggested.

"Oh, I know ya can," Ani replied with a seductive smile, turning in his lap.

Daryl had come to know that look well and moved his hands to her hips to hold onto her as she straddled him. She had become damn near insatiable over the last couple weeks and was constantly trying to initiate sex. He didn't mind, though, and responded in kind when she leaned in for a passionate kiss as her hands moved up his chest. One of his hands tangled in her wild hair while their tongues battled for dominance the more heated the kiss got. They moved in unison, grinding against each other as Ani's hands found the top button of Daryl's shirt. She barely managed to get the buttons undone without tearing the shirt open with how fast she was trying to go just so that she could feel his skin. As soon as she got to the bottom, she raked her hands back up and over his shoulders, sliding it down his arms as he leaned forward and helped her finish taking it off. His hands moved to grip her ass just before he broke the kiss, making her sit up on her knees so that he could get to her neck. She began panting as he kissed and sucked from her jaw all the way down to start of her cleavage. She moaned when his tongue dipped between her breasts and leaned her head back to give him more room. He leaned back long enough to rip her shirt off before he started attacking her chest while her hands were buried in his hair. He couldn't hold her as close to him as he'd like when he worked his way back up to give her a searing kiss, but it didn't stop him from gripping her under her thighs and standing up to take her to the bed.

He carefully laid her down with one knee between her legs while he slowly broke the kiss once again to move down her body. Her breasts had grown so much more sensitive the further along she had gotten in her pregnancy and Daryl used that to his advantage. He kneaded one with his hand and took the other nipple in his mouth to suck on, wrapping his tongue around it while lightly biting it. She mewled as she gripped his bicep and pulled at his hair while doing her best to arch her back so her chest was pressed further into his mouth. Her stomach made it harder for her to, though, and he moved on faster than she would have liked because of it. The trail of kisses and licks he left down her stomach burned her all the more with how attentive he was with her stomach. It was always soft and gentle and really slowed them down while driving her crazy all at the same time. He was very careful and affectionate as he moved down her, only to become sensual again when he reached her hips. He stood up and stared down at her while taking her pants off slowly, taking in her flushed cheeks and blown pupils and smirking at her.

Ani watched her husband lift her leg and kiss the inside of her ankle with his eyes locked on hers still with that devilish smirk of his still shining in his eyes. He trailed his lips and tongue up her leg until he was on his knees in front of her and kissing the inside of her thigh. His breath was teasing her core as he lowered her leg to his shoulder and placed one more kiss on her thigh before taking the flat of his tongue and licking her from opening to clit. Ani cried out both in surprise and pleasure even though she had been expecting it while clutching the sheets and his hair. Daryl wasted no time in teasing her clit, rolling it between his teeth as she writhed beneath him. He kept one arm locked around her thigh and hip and forced her to stay open for him while freeing his other hand. Her grip tightened and pulled at his hair when he inserted two and curled them inside to stroke just the right spot that had her juices flowing even more. She was moaning and trying to get closer and away at the same time as her sensitive nub was made even more so by his tongue and fingers. Daryl knew how powerful his touch had become and how many times she could cum before she became overstimulated and needed to catch her breath. He continued to tease her, adding another finger and using his thumb to tease her nub while he showered kisses along the inside of her thighs. Ani was begging Daryl to give her more, to stop teasing her, to impale her, anything but continue to toy with her clit.

"Ple...please, Daddy, I can'...I can'...Please," she begged with tears in her eyes from cumming yet again, the pleasure truly overwhelming and causing her nerves to feel on fire. "Please, Daddy D...I need...I need ya cock. Please?"

"You want it that bad, huh, baby girl?" he asked, standing up and looking down at her, his own shaft pulsing with need.

"Please?"

Daryl rubbed her juices on his cock and brought her feet up onto the bed, giving him wide access to her core. He wasted no time in aligning himself and shoving all the way in, tip to balls, making them both hiss at the feel. He bent down to capture her lips in a gentle kiss while moving slowly inside her before standing back up. Holding onto her knees to keep them where they were, he started thrusting harder as her back arched off the bed and her hands gripped the sheets above her head. The position they were in made him hit the back of her walls and made them convulse around him. Ani could barely handle the sensation as her voice echoed around them while begging Daryl to move faster. He couldn't even if he wanted to, though, with how soft she had become in pregnancy and how wet she was from his previous treatment of her. If he changed the pace, he would almost immediately blow his load because of how good she felt and how much she was squeezing against his shaft. He pulled out and bent down to kiss her again, taking her ankle in his hand and moving her leg in a way that told her to turn over. Forcing her to stand at the edge of the bed so he could bend over her, he thrust back into her while biting her shoulder. One hand went to knead her breast when he started moving with a harder thrust than before. Her walls began to squeeze around him and Daryl could feel his balls tightening as his own orgasm inched closer. His breath in her ear only made her clamp down on him even more as she practically screamed his name. Daryl's own guttural moan escaped him as he released his seed inside her, both their legs shaking from the force of their orgasms.

Ani moaned again when she felt him pull out and moved to lay more on the bed while he flopped down beside her. She knew she couldn't keep him in bed all day, though she definitely wished that she could. The days had been getting colder and they needed to get the barriers up so that they were less exposed to the elements. Daryl's heat when she was tucked under his arm had been one of the few things that kept her warm during the day. At night, she almost always had to kick off the covers and then put them back on because she was perpetually too hot and too cold at the same time. They had both taken to sleeping naked just to try to combat the heat she gave off while they were sleeping. She wasn't a fan of the constant switching between needing to cuddle up to him to get warm and needing to move to the other side of the bed to cool off. Daryl didn't seem overly fond of the situation, either, because he had gotten used to sleeping with her in his arms and now she was pulling away from him several times a night. He knew it was because of the pregnancy and that she couldn't exactly help the changes in her body temperature, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Neither of them did and they both had complained to Carson about her issues with it only to find out that that, not only was it natural during pregnancy, but made even worse by her anemia. Even with her iron good, there would be side effects and the fact that she always had problems with getting sick when she was too hot or shaking so bad it hurt when too cold made it inevitable that she would have the issues. Her morning sickness had backed off, at least, and the only other symptoms she was having that was difficult to deal with was her nightmares. While she hated having to pee every five minutes it seemed, she was more than willing to deal with that in exchange for feeling Lou kick.

"Gotta get goin'," Daryl said with a sigh.

"Don' want ya ta," she whined with a smile, snuggling up to his shoulder and kissing it.

"You got five minutes, then I gotta get goin'. Don't need Merle barging in here again."

Ani groaned at that, remembering how the man had barged in last week when Daryl was between her legs, "I'll kill 'im if 'e does."

"Not if I get to him first," he said, slapping a hand down on her thigh and sitting up. "You gonna get a nap before you go help Frankie and them?"

Sighing and thinking about it, Ani nodded her head and told him, "I think that'd be a good idea. Don' need ta be dealin' with hot glass and shite while dead on my feet."

"Good."

~x~

"I can't believe we got in trouble," Carl told Sophia as they walked hand in hand around the outside of the Sanctuary. "I mean, it's not like we were even really touching. It was just a kiss."

"At least you didn't have to sit and listen to Ani talk about periods and how to track them and ovulation and pregnancy. It was so embarrassing!" Sophia complained. "I mean, I get it, I gotta know that stuff, but still!"

"Yeah, my dad just said not make you angry or else he would let you beat me up."

"I'd say I wouldn't, but I probably would," Sophia joked. "I'd hate to lose my best friend and have to beat him to a pulp."

They both laughed and walked over to where the Saviors were starting to build the raised beds and bring in soil from the construction site Alexandria got the grates for the wall from. Sophia was well-known by this time and was greeted by a lot of the people working, Carl and her joining in on the activities. While they joked around and talked to the others, they kept gravitating towards each other and acting like a couple of lovestruck puppies when Merle walked out onto the landing of the stairs. He'd been keeping a close eye on the two teens since he caught them on the boy's bed behind closed doors. It might very well have been an innocent interaction and just an innocent kiss, but Merle was no fool when it came to being a teen. An innocent little kiss could become a hell of a lot more in a short period of time when it came to teenagers and their hormones. He'd had enough interactions as a teen alone to last a lifetime and never once had slowed down as an adult until the dead started eating the living. As long as it had a skirt, he'd chase any woman just to get a piece of tail and satisfy his own urges as often as he could. Merle didn't even care where it'd happen or how often he broke up a relationship way back then. There wasn't much of a choice but to calm down now, though, because there was no way to keep from knocking a girl up and it was bad enough dealing with Ani's mood swings. If he had to deal with a woman of his own having a kid, he was pretty sure he'd go crazy, especially with how close of an eye he had to keep on the other lovebirds. They were working shoulder to shoulder down at the beds, probably using it as an excuse to stay close to each other. Whatever they were talking about, they either didn't want anyone to know or was just be kept between them with how close they'd lean together as they spoke. It was beyond annoying to Merle that he had been forced to put space between his little siblings and now he'd have to do it with the kids.

"You sure got your work cut out for you," Abraham said as he came out, lighting a cigar and standing with the old soldier to smoke. "Ani havin' a bun in the oven. Sophia and Carl gettin' together. Kinda makes you wonder what else life's gonna throw at you."

"Hopefully nothin'," Merle admitted. "Damn if all this shit ain't hard enough. Don't know how they done it."

"It ain't easy to lead."

"Hell, I ain't leadin' anything. Ani and Daryl still do all that. I just follow orders and order others around. Ain't much different than bein' in the military, 'cept I ain't gonna get put away for knocking an asshole's teeth out."

"It is easier, though. Simpler. Used to be all about the mission before Eugene dropped the bomb and you and that girl stopped me from killin' him," Abraham said, remembering just how close he was to actually murdering the lying asshole. "Now...hell, it's gettin' easier to live a civilian life with Sasha keepin' me in line. Woman can give me a look and set me straight."

"Yeah. You should see the death glare Ani'll give us when she's pissed. Swear she could put you six feet under."

"Yeah. Scared the shit out of me yesterday when Sasha and Ani got pissed."

"Should've known not to touch Ani's snacks. Woman only eats pickles and squirrels. What made you think it'd be alright to eat a pickle?"

"It was one damn pickle," Abraham said harshly.

"And she's got one hell of a right hook," Merle shot back, motioning to the man's shiner. "Shoulda kept your mouth shut when she bitched you out about it."

"That's true. I shoved a damn elephant's foot in my mouth tellin' her to get over it," he chuckled. "Hell, I don't know what I was thinking. Just wanted a damn pickle."

"Well, don't take one near Ani. And don't tell a pregnant lady to stop bein' a damn bitch over her food. 'Specially not around the woman you're tryin' to knock up yourself."

"True. But I don't think you got time to worry about my freckled ass," Abraham said, pointing down at the courtyard.

"Oh, hell," Merle said before he began storming down the stairs.

The kids thought they were being sneaky, helping out with making the raised beds and getting him to lower his guard. If it hadn't have been for Abraham cutting their conversation short, the little assholes would have made it around the trailer that was still out there to hide from prying eyes. While he knew damn well he couldn't keep them apart at all times, he sure as hell could keep a close eye on them when he could. Abraham and Sasha had arrived with Sophia, Carl, Carson, and Rick, who was making his rounds to the communities, the day before last and were planning on heading out again later that day. Merle was bound and determined to keep the two teens within eyesight until the Grimes' left and went back to Alexandria. It'd be another two weeks before they'd be back and he'd have to worry about any shenanigans happening between Carl and Sophia. They had known each other for two years and had pulled a lot of stupid stunts over that time frame that could have gotten them killed. Now, it felt like they were trying to pull an all new set of stunts that were going to land them in a whole hell of a lot of trouble if they weren't careful. He didn't care if Ani said it was more his own past clouding his judgement of what they were doing or whether or not it was true. There was no way he was letting his kid get into trouble with a boy, even one he knew was a good kid.

"Ok, but when should we do it?" he heard Sophia ask, seeing red as he stopped in his tracks to listen.

"Maybe the next time me and my dad come out?" Carl answered.

"Think they'll like it?" Sophia responded, thoroughly confusing Merle.

"Well, you said Beth was in on it and helping us get some fruit. Wasn't your mo-Carol, also helping with bringing in some pomegranates?"

"Those and nectarines, yeah."

"Okay. Aaron said he found a few supplies when he went scavenging and can add some stuff, too. Said he managed to find some candy, too."

"How are we going to get the others there?"

"I don't know. That's your job. I mean, Beth's supposed to tell Abraham and the others at the Hilltop, I've got Alexandria, and you're supposed to get Ani, Daryl, and Merle there. Have you talked to Eugene and Jerry?"

"Not yet. I don't want Eugene to ruin the surprise."

"And what surprise would that be, huh?" Merle asked as he stepped around the corner, shocking the teens who then started stuttering and trying to come up with excuses. "Now you tell me the truth, or I tell Ani you're hidin' somethin' and she gets it out of you. Spill."

Sophia and Carl shared a glance before she slumped her shoulders in defeat and sighed, "We're trying to throw Maggie and Ani a baby shower."

"Say what now?" he asked, even more confused than he was about the fact that they had, in fact, been talking about fruits that day in Alexandria.

"A baby shower," Sophia repeated, a 'duh' implied at the end. "You know, where you give things to pregnant women."

"Yeah, I know what the hell a baby shower is. How the hell are you planning it?"

"When we were at the Hilltop and then with dad going everywhere, it was easy to get things put in place. And it doesn't take long to get to either place," Carl said. "We just wanted to do something nice. Something like what they used to do."

"Like the weddin' at the prison. We really haven't done anythin' since then," Sophia told him. "We just didn't want anyone tellin' them and we only really got to talking about it the last week I was at the Hilltop. And we didn't want anyone overhearin' us talkin' about it and it gettin' back to Ani."

"Let me get this straight, all this sneakin' around, actin' like you're gettin' all busy and shit, and you're just planning on giving the girls a party?"

"Pretty much," Sophia said at the same time as Carl said, "Yeah."

"Huh," Merle said as he thought about what they were doing. "Guess I can go huntin' 'fore it comes up. Get some fresh squirrel, maybe a rabbit or two for Maggie. But no more sneakin' off, you hear? Already got two women crazy. Don't need a young'un gettin' knocked up, too."

The look of horror and disgust he got from both of them almost made him burst into laughter as Sophia said, "You're so gross! Why would you say that, Pops?!"

"What's wrong with you?" Carl followed up.

"Hell, I don't know kid."

"You smoke," Sophia answered.

"You sleep around a lot," Carl said right after.

"You got anger issues."

"You start a lot of fights."

"You ask stupid questions."

"You don't think before you speak."

"You snore! It's like a chainsaw! I can hear it through the walls! The cement walls!" Sophia complained.

"Why you little shits! Get your punk asses inside 'fore I beat 'em black and blue. Little fuckin' pricks," Merle grumbled, pushing the laughing teens back towards the Sanctuary and bitching all the way.