Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Twilight or Walking Dead. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and Robert Kirkman. I do own the rights to the original characters created for the storyline. Please support the official release.
Writer's Notes: Enjoy!
Rick couldn't believe that Bella returned with four children. It was amazing to see kids surviving in this world. The babies were snuggled and sleeping in another room that Hershel got set up for Analise and the three babies. You could tell how tired Annalise was and now she was sleeping peacefully, getting the rest she deserved.
Bella stood in the kitchen, her arms crossed thinking about how they could have missed Annalise and the babies. She almost didn't go to the second floor, but something in her told her she needed to. Rick walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder, breaking her out of her thought bubble. She looked up at Rick. "Hey."
"Annalise and the babies are resting. Are you okay?" Rick asked softly.
Bella nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just amazed. She took care of the babies for three weeks by herself. She needs all the rest in the world right now. We have enough supplies for a little bit for the babies, but we need other things. Cribs or… something. They can't sleep in boxes." She said and sighed. Her head was hurting and so she rubbed her temples a little.
Rick's hands moved over hers, replacing them as he rubbed circles over her temples with his thumbs. "We'll figure it all out. Let me handle the next part okay? Daryl just returned with Jake, Jasper and T Dogg from looking for Sophia. We'll organize a run into the next town to look for baby stuff. Especially clothes since they're just wrapped in blankets and a diaper." He said.
Hershel joined them in the kitchen. "The kids need to stay in the house. It'll be safer for them especially with the rain. You left out earlier before I could talk to you about the permanent solution for you guys."
Bella moved away from Rick and looked at Hershel and nodded. "I agree the children are safer inside."
"You can move the RVs closer to the house. It'll be safer for y'all and have access to the bathrooms and showers." Hershel said with a nod. "Big barn is still off limits, but we're surviving together, so… we'll put our resources together."
Bella smiled at Hershel. "We appreciate it Hershel. Honestly. We're here to pull our own weight."
"Y'all already have. You're worthy people. Anyone who put others before themselves… are good people in my book and you saved my daughter's life. I owe you more than I can offer."
"Hershel, just having a home is plenty. Thank you. We really appreciate it." Bella said and Hershel nodded and left the kitchen.
Bella smiled at Rick. "See." She said and then Rick leaned in and kissed her softly, before leaning back. She smiled up at him. "Thank you."
"For what?"
Bella shrugged. "Just because." She said and then she heard the soft cries of one of the babies, so she moved away from Rick to go get the baby. She picked the baby up and carried it out of the room so it wouldn't wake the others. "Rick, can you get a diaper and wipes please." She said softly and Rick moved to grab a diaper and wipes from the pile that they organized earlier. She carried the baby to the living room and laid it down on the couch and unwrapped the baby. She stuck the pacifier back in it's mouth while she started changing the baby. "Oh, you're a girl." She said with a smile and took the diaper and wipes from Rick and got the baby all changed. The baby girl had bright blue eyes, so light they almost looked like ice and the dark tuffs of hair was curly on her head. She scrunched her legs up when Bella picked her up. Bella smiled at her. "You're beautiful." She murmured and then cradled her and the baby girl nuzzled Bella, spitting the pacifier out. "She's hungry."
Rick smiled and then moved back to the dining room and grabbed a bottle and one of the premade formula bottles and opened it, breaking the seal and then poured it into the baby bottle and shook it a little before bringing it back to Bella. "Here. We don't' have many of the premade formula bottles. We need to find more distilled water somewhere so we can make better bottles for them." He said.
Bella took the bottle and started feeding the baby. "Yeah, distilled water is going to be best to make water." She said and stared at the little face as it suckled the bottle. She thought about the daughter she lost and the son. Her mind went back, flashing back to after her accident.
"I'm so sorry Bells." Charlie's voice was hoarse. "Do you want to hold her?"
Bella sobbed and nodded and then she watched her father leave and return with the nurse who pushed the small bassinet into the room. The tiny life that was inside her was now no more. The nurse handed her the bundle. Her daughter, so tiny she could fit in the palm of your hand. Less than a pound. Bella sobbed as she clutched her bundled daughter. "I'm s-s-s-orry." She sobbed, tears flooding her cheeks. "I love you." She managed to get out.
Her mind flashed back again.
"Push Bella." Doctor Heidi Lopez said to her. Bella pushed. She was twenty years old and bringing a child into the world alone. "Push again."
Bella screamed, pushing with all she could until she felt the pressure, and then the relief. She relaxed, laying back more. "Doctor Lopez."
"Hold on Bella." Heidi said and rubbed and patted the baby, trying to rub life into it.
"He's not crying." Bella cried. "It's too early for him to be here." She was only thirty weeks pregnant when she went into spontaneous labor so fast they couldn't stop it.
Heidi kept trying and even tried CPR but the baby just wouldn't breath and it's heart wouldn't beat. "Bella…I'm sorry."
"No." Bella sobbed, closing her eyes. "Whyyyy." She moaned out, the pain of losing another child filling her.
"Bella?" Rick was knelt down, looking up at her.
Bella blinked a few times, feeling the tears on her face. She propped the bottle and then she wiped her face. "Um. I'm okay."
"You were crying Bella." Rick said, his brows knitted together. "Something is wrong. Is the baby okay?"
"She's fine." Bella sniffed again. "Um. Take her." She said and pushed the baby into Rick's hands. "I need air." She said and got up and left Rick there with the baby girl before he could say anything else. Bella stopped on the porch, wiping her face some more, trying to get the tears to just stop. Daryl found her like that and he was alarmed.
"Bella, what's wrong? What happened?" Daryl went to her immediately, his hands on her arm.
Bella shook her head. "Nothing is wrong. I'm just tired." She sniffed and wiped at her face. "Um. Can you see if Beth will watch over the babies please." She said and moved away from Daryl to go back towards the camp.
Daryl frowned and watched her leave abruptly. He walked inside the house and found Rick feeding one of the babies. "Is Bella okay?"
"No. I don't think she is." Rick said as he swayed with the baby while he fed it. "She spaced out and then started crying. Did Glenn say anything about what happened at the hospital?"
"Yeah, he said it was horrifying. The pediatric floor. So many children dead… walking around. They had to uh…"
Rick closed his eyes and sighed. "Damn."
"Yeah. She might be handling it her own way."
Rick opened his eyes and looked down at the baby. It had stopped drinking and was sleeping now. He too removed the bottle and then looked at Daryl. "Keep an eye on her. I'm going to go lay the baby down and check on Carl."
Daryl nodded. "I'll watch her." He said and then he walked towards the kitchen and found Beth in the kitchen with Patricia and Maggie. "Oh, um. Bella wanted to know if you'll look in on the babies." He said to Beth.
Beth was the youngest daughter of Hershel. She was eighteen and was petite, blonde hair and blue eyes. She blushed a little, a little shier than her sisters. "Yes, I'll look in on them." She spoke, her southern accent thicker than Maggie's.
Daryl just nodded. "Thanks." He said and left the kitchen and walked back outside, and trotted down the little stairs and headed back towards the camp.
Bella sat at the table in the RV, thinking about her past. Sometimes it was hard for her to break away from all her thoughts and memories.
"I'm sorry Bells." Charlie's voice was soft, calming. He arrived stateside right after Bella gave birth to her stillborn son. No one should ever feel that pain and his little girl had experienced it for the second time. The second time because of that bastard Edward.
Bella's eyes were red from crying so much. "I'm not meant to be a mother." She croaked.
"Don't say that. One day you will meet the man you're meant to be with and he will shower you with children." Charlie reassured her.
"I have Lupus dad. Pregnancy is hard." Bella said and wiped her face. "I did everything right."
"I know sweetheart." Charlie said softly.
Bella swallowed. "His name is Kenneth Charles Swan." She said. "I'm having him creamated like his sister Hannah." She said and wiped her face again. "Um. I need to just get back to my normal life. Finish school. Edward is locked up now so I can not be afraid of the dark again."
Edward was finally locked up after this second offense, but Charlie knew that Edward would serve only six months and be out again, but he didn't tell his daughter that. "Okay. We'll make sure life gets back to normal." He said with a nod.
Bella's memories shifted to her time spent overseas in Afghanistan.
"We're taking heavy fire!" Jasper yelled into the radio. "Charlie seven Foxtrot, requesting immediate exfil!"
The radio crackled. "NO can do Charlie seven Foxtrot. Incoming sky booms. Seak shelter now." The voice over the radio said.
"Fuck." Jasper cursed. "Swan, Lahote! Get cover now!" He yelled and Bella and Paul fell back, running through the harsh sand and heat of Afghanistan to find the deepest ditch they could find to shelter in as they heard the jets overhead.
The ground thundered as bombs dropped on the hotspot. They were ambushed and most of their unit were dead but the three of them.
Bella's ears rung from the bombs dropping and the explosions being too close. Jasper covered Bella with his body as the last bomb hit a little too close.
After the dust settled, Jasper shifted, his breathing labored. "Bella, are you good?"
Bella nodded, sitting up and looking over at Paul who gave a thumbs up. "Major, our area is compromised, they're not going to send in backup to retrieve us. We have to hike back to Greenswan overlook." She shouted, mostly because her hearing was still a little compromised.
Jasper nodded, looking around. "Right. Alright, let's get moving. We need to make it back carefully and hopefully we don't get spotted by-" he cut off when a shot pierced his shoulder and he went down groaning in pain.
"Jasper!" Bella yelled and then spun, her rifle out as she looked for the source of the shot. She fired when she saw movement, but they were being overtaken quickly.
"Bella!" Jasper waved a hand in front of Bella's face.
Bella shook her head and looked up at Jasper. "What?"
"You zoned out again. What's going on in there?" Jasper asked as he sat down in front of her.
"Just uh… flashbacks to Afghanistan." Bella said.
Jasper frowned. "You're still haunted by that?"
"Of course I am." Bella blew out a breath. "Um. What time is it?"
"Four. Daryl is cooking deer right now. He shot a deer about two hours ago and he's got it processed with Paul and Jake's help."
"What about the search for Sophia?" Bella asked, frowning.
Jasper was quiet a moment. He reached for Bella's hand and took it in his. "Carol… called off the search."
"What? We can't stop looking for her. She's just a little girl."
"Bella it has been nearly two weeks." Jasper said softly. "Carol… wants to put a memorial together."
Bella stood, taking her hand out of Jasper's. "No, we can't give up. Jasper, we can't give up she's still out there I know it! I should be out there looking for her."
"Bella, we're worn out. We've covered every bit of that forest. She's not there. She's-"
"No." Bella cut him off and grabbed her crossbow. "I'm going to look for her. I'm not sitting here another minute." She said and stormed off. She left the camp quickly making Jasper cuss.
"Fuck." Jasper kicked the tire on the RV. He looked at Carol when she walked over. "I'm sorry." He apologized. His temper got the best of him just now and he hated for someone to see him lose his calm.
Carol swallowed. "It's okay. Where's Bella?"
"She's… doing another sweep through the woods… for Sophia." Jasper said and sighed.
"She'll get hurt. She needs to come back."
Jasper shook his head. "No. Leave her. She's being stubborn right now." He said. "Listen, um, Daryl is cooking the deer or getting it put on the makeshift grill. Do you want to see about those potatoes that Hershel gave us. Maybe we can have some potatoes with the deer."
Carol nodded. It was Jasper's way of keeping her occupied so she wouldn't sit and cry. "Sure." She said and then went to help Daryl.
Jasper looked off at the tiny dot that was Bella moving through the field into the woods. "Dammit Bella." He muttered.
Bella trekked through the woods. She had already killed a dozen walkers on her journey. The sun was going down, but she didn't care. She came to the church and she stopped. It was run down, older and looked like it wasn't in commission anymore. This was close to where Carl was shot. They never got the chance to search this area again because it was assumed that Rick and her didn't find anything. She went inside the church and looked at the old wooden pews. She sat down, just looking around her. The large cross up on the wall at the front. "Why…" She murmured. She questioned everything. Why was Sophia missing for so long. Why the world went to shit. Why she was damaged the way she was. "The world is fucked dad." She spoke outloud. She was used to being able to talk to her dad when she needed him but since the world threw up on itself, she hadn't heard his voice and she was sure that he was gone with the rest of the world. "I lost a little girl. Sophia." She said, her voice tight. "I don't know how much more I can keep going dad." She said in almost a whisper. "I'm letting a lot of people down."
"Bella?" A tiny voice called.
Bella's eyes went wide. "Sophia!" She called out.
Sophia emerged from a small door in the floor. "Bella! It's you!" She rushed to Bella and Bella grabbed Sophia up and hugged her tight, tears flooding down her face.
"You're alive." Bella breathed and she petted Sophia's matted hair. "You're okay." Her heart was stammering hard in her chest. "Let's get you back to your mommy." She murmured.
"It's getting dark." Sophia said, her voice worried.
Bella looked around. "Okay, we'll stay here for the night and then we'll go back in the morning." She said. "Where have you been staying?"
"Under the floor." Sophia said and grabbed Bella's hand and showed her. Bella walked down the little steps under the floor. There was food stored down there and it looked like a cellar.
Bella frowned. "Someone put this here." She murmured.
Sophia nodded. "The food isn't expired. I think this church was still being used until the dead started walking." She explained.
Bella nodded and then reached up and closed the door and flipped on her light and Sophia turned on the lantern. "You've been staying here for almost two weeks. Did you not hear us calling?"
Sophia shook head. "No. It's muffled down here. I heard a gunshot… I'm not sure how long ago, but then it's been just shuffling feet. I think the dead. They are out there. I haven't left the church. I was too afraid." She said, her voice cracking a little.
Bella ran a hand over Sophia's back. "That's okay. You did good. Hunkering down until we found you." She said with a nod. "Let's sleep and get back early okay?" She said and Sophia nodded.
Rick paced, angry that Bella took off into the woods. It was five in the morning now and he wanted to go out after her, but Jasper and Daryl stopped him. "Why did you let her go off on her own like that?"
"Calm down Rick." Jasper said. "Bella does what the fuck she wants. Sometimes it's best to give her space. I've known her for years. She needs time to process what is happening. Right now she is blaming herself for Sophia."
"I don't care. She's been gone all night. Something could have happened to her. It's not safe out there by ourselves anymore and you let her leave." Rick's voice was full of irritation.
Jasper narrowed his eyes. "Bella is capable of handling herself. I would have gone after her if I felt she couldn't."
"She's sick right now." Rick motioned with his hand, his voice raised. "She is not her full strength. You know better."
"I know my soldier and I-"
"This isn't the god damn Army Jasper." Rick cursed at him.
"Let's calm down." Daryl said, trying to mediate.
Jasper crossed his arms. "You may not know this about me, but I do fucking care." He said sarcastically. "I will go out after her in the next two hours if she doesn't come back. She's smart, resourceful and she won't put herself in a situation where she can't get out of. I have known her for years Rick. Years. I know things about her that no one else knows and I'll be damned if I stand here and let you yell at me because you're pissed off she didn't tell you she was running off. You're not her father. You're not-"
"You better chose your words carefully."
"Or what? You're going to hit me?" Jasper asked, raising a brow.
Daryl shook his head and looked off towards the field. "No fucking way." He said and then rushed down off the porch and it caught Rick and Jasper's attention. Bella was moving across the field carrying something. Jasper and Rick rushed off the porch too and ran towards the field after Daryl.
"Bella!" Daryl called out and Carol stood from the camp fire to look at what the commotion was. Carol saw Bella carrying a bundle, the dark blonde hair was matted but the clothes the bundle was wearing was Sophia's.
"Sophia!" Carol cried out and started running.
Bella let Sophia down to her feet and Sophia started running towards Carol.
"Mommy!" Sophia cried out as she ran, throwing herself into Carol's arms and the two were sobbing as they went to the ground, hugging each other tight.
Bella's breathing was labored. She carried Sophia for miles through the terrain. Daryl stopped short to go to Carol and Sophia on the ground and Rick made it to Bella before Jasper did, being the faster runner.
Rick's arms enveloped Bella, holding her against him and then he was kissing her, his hands moving up to frame her face. "You're okay." He breathed out in between their kissing.
Bella leaned against Rick heavily. "I'm about to pass out Rick." She said and then she blacked out and Rick took on her full weight, swinging her up in his arms.
"Jasper, she passed out." Rick yelled and ran with Bella back towards the farmhouse with Jasper following. Rick took her inside to the living room and lay her on the couch. Jasper brushed past Rick, pushing him to the side and he took Bella's pulse and found it weak.
"Shit." Jasper moved, ripping open the front of Bella's shirt and looked for any signs of trauma and saw the large bruise forming on her ribcage. "She busted a rib." He said and ran his hand over her rib and felt for the crack. "There. Rick get the ace bandages and lidocaine." He ordered.
Rick moved silently, going into the dining room, almost colliding with Hershel. "Hershel."
"Is Bella okay?" Hershel asked, worried.
"Jasper said she cracked a rib as he grabbed what Jasper was wanting from the stash in the dining room. "She brought Sophia back."
"She found the little girl?" Hershel was surprised.
Rick nodded and rushed the supplies back to Jasper. Jasper was doing a different kind of chest compressions that Rick wasn't familiar with. "What's wrong?"
"Her heart is out of sync." Jasper said as he compressed her chest. "Hershel, get the defibrillator." He said and Hershel moved out of the room to get the defibrillator that Bella had brought back from the hospital. He brought it back and Jasper stopped compressing to put the pads on Bella's chest in different spots and then he dialed the machine up and it made a whining noise and then he made sure no one was touching Bella and hit a button and it shocked her.
Bella groaned out in pain, sucking in a deep breath. "Fuck Jasper." She said, her face red. "Get the fucking paddles off of me." She cussed and pulled at the pads.
Jasper's hands assessed her, helping pull the pads off and he checked her pulse. "Shut the fuck up." He growled at her. "Your heart went out of sync I shocked it back into rhythm." He muttered.
"Hurts like a bitch." Bella growled back and slapped at his hands.
"Bella, I am about to punch you and knock your ass out if you don't let me do my job." Jasper said, his face serious as he stared at her.
Bella sighed, the throbbing pain in her head making her more annoyed at the moment. "Fuck you." She said, but she stopped fighting him. Her eyes fell on Rick's. "Rick… I-"
"Don't." Rick shook his head. "I can't." He said and walked away, trying to not let anyone see him cry.
Bella sighed and looked back at Jasper. "I cracked my rib. Sliding down a rough incline. But I caught Sophia before she could get hurt." She relayed.
Jasper nodded and then covered her side in the lidocaine cream and then started wrapping her side. "Hows the shrapnel in your back. Giving you problems?" He asked.
Bella nodded. "Yeah, it's painful." She admitted. "Sophia kept herself alive. She was at the church around where Carl was shot. She was right there Jazz." She said, her voice breaking and she started crying.
Jasper finished wrapping her side, then he reached up and wiped her tears off her face. "Shhh." He murmured and then shifted, leaning her up so he could sit on the couch and hold her. "It's okay." He murmured again and she sobbed some more. He sat there and held her while she let it all out.