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 original characters created for the timeline. Please support the official release.
Writer's Notes: Enjoy!
[October: 7 months post outbreak]
Bella helped with attaching the siding to the room that they built onto the farm house. The back deck off of the kitchen was turned into a larger room that they made for the children. They had bunkbeds for Sophia and Annalise, who were close like sisters now and Annalise referred to Carol as mom and Carol loved it. They assembled three cribs inside the room for Lucy, Chance and Hope. They were seven months old now and they were crawling decently well and laughing and growing. Hope's dark hair was extra curly and her startling blue eyes were so bright. Chance had red hair and blue eyes and he was the chubbiest out of the three babies and Lucy was the more petite one. Her hair was bright blonde, nearly white and her eyes were doe brown. They babbled with each other and they were all sitting pretty decently now without falling over too much. Patricia and Otis were happy to take care of the babies with Beth's help, but Patricia and Otis were never able to have children so they adopted the three babies without hesitation.
Maggie and Glenn were happy together, which wasn't a surprise since the two of them bonded quickly. Jasper was very fond of Carol and he took care of Annalise and Sophia like they were his own daughters. Carol was very fond of Jasper as well and they spent most nights in the same bed, cuddled together.
Paul and Andrea got along pretty good even though they picked at each other, Bella knew better than that. Paul was smitten with Andrea and she thought they suited each other. Jake and Beth were getting closer, which made Daryl more stand offish, but Daryl was six years Beth's senior, and Jake was closer to Beth's age than he was, so he yielded to Jake.
Rick and Bella were doing good. Their open and honest communication is what kept them strong.
Dale and Hershel sat on the porch together in the rocking chairs and just talked about fishing or old baseball games, or their favorite woodworking hobbies.
T-Dawg played football a lot with Carl and even Sophia and Annalise would join in on the game. T- Dogg was Uncle T and everyone loved him.
Everyone meshed well, and everyone was getting along, surviving in this world that wasn't supposed to be survivable.
"Raise your side some." Bella said to Paul as they got the siding put in place and secured. It was the last piece. "Right there." She said and then she shifted on her ladder and clicked the siding into place and Paul snapped his into place.
"Looks good y'all." Maggie said as she stood with her hands perched on her hips looking at the dark blue siding that they put on the extra room.
"Thanks. How's it going on the other side?" Bella asked.
They were building another section onto the house. It was off the living room and they would use the windows to open up the door to other room. It was going to be a little hospital room where they could store all of the medical supplies they had scouted over the last several months. They had monitors and even had a portal x ray machine which would come in handy in the future.
"Daryl and Jake are up on the roof placing the last of the shingles. Glenn and Rick got the side wrapped and the windows in. Just waiting on the siding for that side now." Maggie explained.
Bella climbed down off her ladder and nodded. "Good." She said and looked at her watch. She never went without her watch. It was the only sense of time anymore. "We've got a few hours before sundown. Want help turning the horses in?"
"Nah, Beth and I finished that already with Anna and Sophia's help." Maggie said. "Carol started dinner, Patricia got the potatoes peeled and boiled for some mashed potatoes."
"What do we have left to do with the new greenhouse?"
Maggie shook her head. "Glenn found the sprinklers and heaters we needed at the coop on the last run with Jasper and we have it all ready for fall and winter."
"Anything else left on the list for the day?" Bella asked with a smile.
"Hmm. Eating dinner and getting rest." Maggie put in with a wide smile. "Everyone has worked hard the last few days, it's time to settle down. Rest for a bit."
Bella looked over at Paul and smiled. "Alright, you're done for the day. Go do what you need to do." She said and Paul smiled and trotted off to find Andrea. "I have a planned trip into town tomorrow, looking for seeds right?"
Maggie nodded. "I figured I would go with. Andrea wanted to tag along too. Girls' day out. What do you think?"
Bella smiled as they started walking over to the other side of the house to see the other progress. "Yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun." She stopped and looked up on the roof and saw Daryl and Jake, with Jake shirtless and sweating. Georgia was not kind even in the fall sometimes. It wasn't super-hot outside right now but being on top of a roof and moving around a lot, could get you really hot. "Bring it in boys, we're done for the day. Maggie says we need rest time!" She called up to the roof.
Jake stood, his body glistening, his muscles rippling a little. "Alright. We'll be done in a few." He waved.
Bella smiled and looked at Maggie. "I'll go wash up some." She said and she left Maggie there to make sure the guys listened and came down off the roof. She walked inside and almost ran into Carl. "Whoa bud, where you going?"
"Outside to make sure the chickens are up in the coop." Carl said with a smile.
"Alright, make it fast, Patricia is making dinner with Carol." Bella said and patted his back, before watching him run off outside. It was days like this that made Bella think that this world could change and that things could get better.
October nights were colder now, but Bella liked the cold far more than she liked the heat. She climbed up in the RV and went to the back. This was Rick and Bella's room and where all their stuff was, including their gear they used for their runs away from the farm and for their gear they used around the farm. She felt a little off today. Felt a little more fatigued than normal, but her Lupus was controlled now so she was sure it was just her working hard the last week on the house. She pulled her shirt off and then went to remove her bra when the tingling pain shot through her breast. She frowned and left her bra on, pondering the soreness in her breast. "Shit." She said after a moment. She moved towards the bathroom on the RV. It wasn't super small, but it was smaller than the bathroom in the house. They had the RV hooked up to the septic tank after much configuration so there could be a working bathroom here. She squatted and looked in the cabinet under the sink and she sighed. She stood and moved back to the bedroom part and pulled her shirt back on, before she picked up her belt with her gear on it and walked back off the RV.
The moon was high full and round in the sky, so it was brighter outside than normal. She walked the short distance to the house and walked back inside. Rick was smiling in the dining room, talking with Paul and Jasper about something, so Bella slipped towards the bathroom. She walked inside and closed the door behind her. She blew out a breath and then locked the door. She moved to the vanity and opened the cabinet door and looked inside. There were stashes of pregnancy tests. Maggie and Glenn really did clean out the pharmacy that one day and all of the boxes were stored under there. She took out a test and read the instructions on it carefully before she took it. She was nervous. Rick was more worried about this happening than she was. She hadn't had a period in nearly five months, but that wasn't unusual. Only once in a while she had a period. She was thirty-two and five failed pregnancies. This wasn't going to be good if she was. Three minutes passed by and the digital screen on the pregnancy test was blatant. She was pregnant.
Bella sat on the toilet, with the lid down and stared at the pregnancy test. This was happening. She was pregnant. She had no way of knowing how far along. Rick was careful most of the time, but she was the culprit for the other times. She was careless, like the rest of her life. She ran a hand over her braided hair. What was she going to do?
There was a knock on the door. "Bella? Are you in here?" Rick's voice called out.
"Yeah." Bella said and then stood, shoving the test in her side pocket on her pants. She flushed the toilet and ran the water, washing her hands. She dried them on a towel and then she opened the door and looked at Rick. "Hey."
Rick smiled at her. "All the kids are in bed. Jasper and Paul said you, Maggie and Andrea are going out tomorrow on an all girls run." He said and leaned in and kissed her.
Bella kissed him back. "Yeah. It's gonna be fun." She said with a smile and moved past him from the bathroom. "I'm going to get rest before we head out." She said and took his hand in hers. "Coming?"
Rick smiled and followed her out. "Of course." He said and moved with her outside and inside the RV. He closed the door behind them and then he pulled her against him, his hands on her waist, as he kissed her. "It's been a few days." He murmured against her lips, as his hands unfastened her belt that held her gear and set it on the table, before he unfastened his.
Bella smiled and backed towards the bedroom. "It has." She agreed. "We've been busy with the house renovations."
"We have. But… it's still a little early. Let me… take care of you baby." Rick said, his voice dropping, seductive. He pulled his shirt off and walked towards her. Bella smiled, she loved it when he was like this. It made her heart throb harder and made her wetter too, two things that were still happening right now. She sat on the bed and leaned back and let Rick take her clothes off. His hands moved up her legs, caressing her gently, and his mouth tasted her skin over her thigh. This was a rare occurrence for both of them. Everything was always so fast, but once in a while they went slow and right now her brain and thoughts were melting and all she felt was Rick's hands on her body, playing with her clit, his tongue lapping at her folds, sending spiraling pleasure through her body, wrecking her from head to toe.
"Rick!" Bella gasped as she felt her body shudder with a feeling she's never felt and she gushed out as she orgasmed. "Oh god."
Rick continued on, pushing her more and more, riding the pleasure until he shifted, sliding up to let his cock have a taste too. He slid into her tight, moist space and thrust deep and slow, reaching new depths.
"Rick!" She moaned again as she felt the same tingling passion of pleasure and she exploded around him again. "Oh my god!" She moaned as her body vibrated.
Rick leaned up, looking down at her face and the surprise that she held when her body yielded more, shuddering and constricting around him as he thrust. He picked up his pace, but he kept his angle and continued to plunge inside her. She was wet, wetter than she had ever been before and it was making it hard for him to contain control and when he felt himself give, he sank his hips against her, emptying out inside her, his cock pulsing with a new sensitivity. They were both breathing heavy in the end and both speechless.
After a few minutes, Rick managed to shift, moving in the bed and pulling Bella against him. "My god Bella."
"I don't know… I don't know what…."Bella was still a loss for words. "That was just."
"Really amazing and different." Rick said and then Bella leaned up to look down at him. "What?"
"I have never… experienced that… I've never cum so much in my life. Jesus Rick, you've been holding back."
Rick laughed and reached up and moved the hair out of her face. "No, I haven't. I haven't done anything different than I usually do. Baby, we just… figured out something different." He said and then she leaned down and kissed him.
Bella smiled when she leaned back, biting her lip. "Would you believe me if I told you I am unbelievably horny right now?"
"Oh I would believe it. You are insatiable sometimes." Rick said and then kissed her. "Mmm. Do you want more of this…"he murmured against her lips as his hand traveled down, his fingers circling over her clit. Bella purred, nuzzling Rick. "And this." He murmured, dipping his fingers inside her.
Bella moaned a little then Rick moved her unto her back and his mouth went to her throat as his hand played.
"And this…"He whispered as his mouth trailed down, his tongue flicking over her wet, swollen cunt, while his fingers plunged inside, hitting the spot that made her gush out earlier.
"Oh god." Bella gasped as she came instantly. "Rick!" She moaned.
Rick smiled as his tongue continued to swirl, sending her body tingling. He moved his fingers again, curving as he thrust them inside her and she gushed again. He leaned up, his hands gentle now. "Damn baby. You are really really wet." He commented and that made him harder. He moved to push his cock inside her. The sensitivity of their last go was still there and he groaned as he felt her warmth. Bella moved her legs, shifting her hips to his and it seated him into the perfect spot, the tip of his cock resting on that instant orgasm button.
Bella moaned. "God Rick!" She gasped out and he thrust a few times and she came again. It was different for Bella feeling like this, it was a pleasure that she had never felt before and she chased it. After a while, Rick had to put her on her knees so he could regain his stamina and he entered her from behind and that angle was better than the first time. He saw her cum around his cock, the way he thrust in and out of her, made this entire experience hotter, and wetter. He felt his cock swell tight inside her and he wanted to pull out or he told himself that, but he just couldn't stop and he pushed inside her and released. He moaned as she moaned, his breathing a little erratic and his body actually accumulating sweat just like hers. He took a moment before he disengaged and she collapsed to the bed. He wasn't far behind her, laying on the bed next to her, his mind reeling from the experience.
After a few long moments Bella got up off the bed and she rushed to the bathroom. He heard her throw up and that had him frowning. He sat up, feeling a little weak from having sex twice in a row, but he gained his legs under him to go to the bathroom to help her. "Baby, are you okay?"
Throwing up brought Bella back to the reality that she was pregnant and for a moment she forgot. She leaned back and Rick turned on the sink and wet a rag and handed it to her. She took it to wipe her face. She felt like the nausea passed and then Rick helped her up. They were both naked still and she moved, brushing past him to find some clothes to pull on. Rick looked at her back. He had seen the scars before, from shrapnel that was still in her body. She was silent right now, which worried him.
"Baby, talk to me. What's going on?" Rick asked gently.
Bella pulled on her pants, the same pants from earlier and the she found her sports bra and pulled it on. She turned and looked at Rick. "Um. Okay." She breathed out. "I'm okay. The nausea passed."
"Is your Lupus flaring up again?" Rick asked and grabbed his own pants and pulled them on.
"No. No I'm okay." Bella said and closed her eyes and reached into her side pocket on her pants and pulled the pregnancy test out and handed it to him. "I found out tonight." She said.
Rick took the pregnancy test and looked at it. It said pregnant on the little square screen. "You're pregnant." He said, and ran a hand over his face and looked at her. "Bella…"
"I know." Bella said. "I know." She blew out a breath. "Um. We have the portable ultrasound, I'll have Jasper take a look and see um… I'm sorry. You… you were worried about this and I just." She shook her head.
Rick went to her, his hands moving over her arms. "I love you." He murmured. "I am only worried about your health. That is all I have ever worried about baby. I want what you want always." He reassured her.
Bella nodded. "I haven't had a period in nearly five months Rick. I don't… think I've felt any different until now, but if my medical knowledge isn't failing me, I can show symptoms at any point. Each of my pregnancies were different. The last two, I honestly had no symptoms at all."
"The ultrasound will help. We'll…"
"Go now. Jasper is awake and I just… we need to know right?"
Rick's hands moved over her body, over her belly. She was thin like normal, but he felt the slight bulge there. "I feel it. Here." He moved her hand over her belly.
Bella frowned. "Why haven't I noticed…"
"I don't know." Rick murmured. "Let's go get Jasper." He said, his blue eyes settling on hers. "I love you."
"I love you too." Bella said and leaned in and kissed him. She was nervous, not wanting to believe this was happening, but it was. She moved away, grabbed her shirt and then pushed her boots on and Rick stooped to tied her laces, before he grabbed his own shirt and pulled it on and then his boots before he walked with her out of the RV and back inside to the house.
Jasper was on the porch sitting by himself carving something with his knife. He looked up at Bella and Rick when they walked up on the porch. "I want you both to know, neither of you are quiet." He said, leaning back in the rocking chair.
Bella laughed a little. "Yeah, I can… be loud." She said but her smile faltered a little. "We need you."
Jasper raised a brow. "I'm happily committed to Carol." He pointed out.
Bella smacked at him and Jasper smiled. "I'm being serious."
Jasper got to his feet. "What's up?"
"We need you to do… an ultrasound." Bella said.
Jasper's brows went up. "Are you serious?"
"We're serious." Rick said. "Please?"
Jasper nodded. "Yeah, yeah, let's get you checked out." He said and opened the front door and Bella walked inside with Rick behind her.
Everyone was mostly sleeping, or at least trying to, so they silently walked into the room that Carl had used during his recovery. That was where they stored the other medical machines while the other room was being built. Jasper grabbed the case and opened it and it folded out and he hit a few things and it turned on.
"Lay on the bed." Jasper patted the bed and Bella got on the bed and lay down. Rick helped prop her up with the pillows before he shut the door quietly.
Jasper got the wand out and he lifted Bella's shirt and unfastened her belt to shift her pants. He put the could wand with the jelly on her lower belly and watched the screen as he swirled the wand. "You're lucky that my specialty before the army was OB." He said with a smile.
"I know." Bella said and waited while Jasper looked around for a heartbeat and baby.
"Here we are." Jasper said and hit some keys on the keyboard and did some measuring and then hit another key and then they heard the heartbeat through the small speaker. It wasn't loud, but it was a portable ultrasound machine so there was only so much it could do. "Pretty strong heartbeat Bella." He said. "156." He said and moved the wand a little more. "Measuring 17 weeks with a little girl." He said and Rick looked over Jasper's shoulder at the screen.
"She's okay?"
"Baby is perfect." Jasper said with a nod. "There's a lot of scarring here," Jasper motioned to the screen. "but it's not blocking anything or affecting anything. Everything else is pretty normal looking, healthy." He said and looked at Bella. "Bella, don't freak out. I know that look."
Bella closed her eyes. "Something bad will happen Jasper, it always does."
"Look." He shifted the screen so she could see. Bella opened her eyes and looked at the screen. The image of her baby was on the screen and she felt tears instantly. "That is your baby. A little girl. There is no doubt… she is healthy. You are healthy." He said. "The last two pregnancies miscarried before ten weeks. This is the farthest you've gone since Kenneth." He reassured her.
Bella blew out a breath. "My body is hostile Jasper."
"You don't have a hostile uterus. You have Lupus, your body will be weaker than most but you have settled the last flareup and you're in remission from that. We have medicines and vitamins. We'll make sure you stay healthy."
"You can't go tomorrow on the run with Maggie and Andrea." Rick stated.
Bella sighed. She knew that she wouldn't be able to do any runs for a while. "Okay." She didn't fight them.
Rick felt relief when she didn't fight them on wanting to do runs. "Thank you Jasper."
"Yeah, anytime." Jasper said and then switched the machine off. "Rest, fluids and eat Bella. You know what vitamins you need to be taking. We'll keep checking on the baby every week okay?"
Bella nodded and then Rick helped her sit up in the bed. "I had the placental abruption at thirty weeks with Kenneth, what if-"
"We're not going to talk about what ifs." Jasper said. "You are healthy. The baby is healthy. I promise you that everything looks normal so far." He reassured her again.
Rick took Bella's hand in his. "Baby, we will get through this. I promise you, we can do this."
Bella looked at Rick. She wanted to believe him and for now she nodded, trying to take the first step to believing that she could do this. That she could carry a baby to term.