top story: Yeah, I know damn well I didn't wait the six weeks...ROFLMAO! XD

Queen21: Thank you...^_^

DarkWorld67: The Queen has definitely resumed her reign.

"You don't have the right!" Sophia's voice rang out throughout the hallway, causing Ani to stick her head out her door.

"You bet your bottom dollar I damn well do, missy!" Merle's voice rang right back.

"You can't control my life!"

"How much you wanna bet?"

"I hate you!"

"Feelin's mutual right now, girly!"

"Go fuck yours-"

"What the fuck is goin' on 'ere?!" Ani shouted over the two quarreling Dixons, irritation written all over her face at the fact that her nap had been ruined by them.

"Ask your adopted daughter, why don't ya?" Merle said smugly, looking down at Sophia. "Go on. Tell 'er. I bet she'll be just as pissed."

"What happened? What'd ya do?" Ani asked Sophia.

"I didn't do anyth-"

"Bullshit! Tell her the truth!"

"I didn't!"

"Oh-ho-ho!" Merle laughed sarcastically. "So, I didn't catch you red handed with a dick in your hands!"

Ani couldn't help but burst out laughing as she realized what had happened and what their fight was over. It didn't help any when they both gave her incredulous looks and Sophia yelled 'mom' as if she was horrified at the fact that she was laughing. She tried to stop laughing, but every time she breathed and tried to look at them, she started right back up. Every time she looked at their faces, all she could see was the horror and shock that both of them must have felt during the incident. Ani was clutching her sides and barely able to breathe from laughing so hard at the picture in her head. It had never been hard for her to come up pictures based on a few words and what Merle had said certainly made one pop up faster than a snap of her finger. Sophia staring at Merle in shock and horror while Merle stared at the two teens in shock and anger. Ani wondered whether or not it had been just Merle or if Rick or Michonne had also walked in on the scene. Carl must have had the shock of his life and been more embarrassed than anyone else based on Merle's words and that image made her laugh even more. It was horrible for her to think about and she was slightly disgusted at herself for the image that had gotten stuck in her head, but that didn't matter any.

"Will you take this shit more seriously?!" Merle shouted at her. "This little hussy was alone with her little boy toy and who knows what they would've gotten up to if they hadn't been interrupted!"

"Come on, Merle, they're damn near fifteen! I know damn well ya weren' nah holy virgin at that age! Hell, did ya even make it ta twelve years old?" Ani asked through giggles.

"That's why I ain't lettin' her go back to Alexandria!" he shouted. "I know what teen boys are like and I'll be damned if that fuckin' boy touchin' on our girl!"

"You're not the boss of me!" Sophia shouted at him. "You can't stop me from goin' and we didn't even do anythin'!"

"You were gonna!"

"We weren't gonna have sex!"

"You were still gonna do somethin'!" Merle shouted back at her before turning towards Ani. "Will you be serious for once?!"

"Oh, come on! This is funny shite!" she defended. "What, exactly, was goin' on? Nuh-uh! Not ya," she told Merle. "I want ta hear from ya," she said pointing at Sophia.

Sophia had the decency to look sheepish and looked down while fiddling with her fingers, "We were...me and Carl...we...He...We were just tryin' somethin' new! We weren't gonna go all the way or anythin'! I just...wanted to see it," she whispered at the end.

"Did ya get a good 'nough look?" Ani laughed.

"She had the damn thing in her hands and was-"

"Givin' 'im a handy?" she asked, interrupting Merle.

"Damn right she was!"

"Dude, she's fifteen. And they've known each otha longa than D and I have propally."

"So you're fine with all this?!"

"I'm not goin' ta sit there and act like two fifteen year olds aren' goin' ta get up ta shite," Ani told him. "I've had the talk with both a 'em, and a handy's a handy, it ain' shite compared ta what ya got up ta at that age. I mean, ya had already been locked up twice, drinkin' and smokin', startin' ya druggie phase, and gettin' inta fights left and right. How many girls ya banged by then? It was a hell a a lot more'n jus' givin' 'er boyfriend a half a year, who's been 'er best friend for damn near three, a handy. But! Seriously, Phia. If ya goin' ta do shite like that, make sure ya be smart about it. We don' have protection against pregnancy anymore and I don' want ya gettin' pregnant 'fore ya ready. It fuckin' sucks and ya body ain' even fully developed. Ya get pregnant now, ya could suffa from cmplications for the rest a ya life. So don' start somethin' ya can' finish with jus' ya hands for now. Or ya mouth," she shrugged, both her and Merle snorting at the disgusted look on Sophia's face.

"Mom! That's gross!"

"Oi, starts with a handy. Hell, I started with way more'n that when D and I first got tagetha. Had ta drink jus' ta try givin' 'im head. But that don' mean ya should move fast. It's fine ta experiment, but know when it's goin' too far. Know when it's gone far enough. And then stop 'fore it goes fartha. I've already told ya ta be careful."

"That's your lecture to her?!" Merle cried angrily.

"Ya realize that the more ya tell a kid not ta do somethin', the more they want ta do it, right? And the more ya try ta crack down and get 'em not ta do somethin', the betta they'll get at hidin' the fact that they're doin' it? Betta ta jus' be there for 'em and let them be 'emselves while guidin' 'em towards the right decision and not forcin' 'em ta make the choices ya want 'em ta. I ain' goin' ta fault 'er for bein' a growin' woman wantin' ta learn shite that is normal for 'er ta learn at 'er age. Ain' nothin' wrong with it and ain' nothin' I do otha than keep tryin' ta teach 'er how ta be safe 'bout it. That's what ya should be doin', too, ratha than try ta act like ya have the right ta control 'er every move. Ya can' stop 'er from growin' up. Ya can only help 'er make good decisions."

~x~

"He's pretty big. Sophia was always so tiny. Smaller than Judith," Carol told Ani as they sat in the Rec Room of the Sanctuary.

"Yeah. He keeps growin' and growin'. I hate it and love it all at once. Can' believe 'e's already two and a half months old," she responded. "How's Maggie doin'? Heard she gave birth ta Hershel a few days 'fore ya ended up there."

"She's doing well. She got a second degree tear while pushing Hershel out, so she's taking it slow."

"What?! A fuckin' tear?! Ya mean she tore 'er nethas open givin' birth?!"

"Yeah. I'm surprised you didn't have one. A seven pound baby with how small you are? I had a tear and Sophia was only a little over six. Hershel was around seven and a half."

"Ain' that saprisin', bein' honest. Glenn might a been short, 'least ta me, but Maggie's pretty tall, again, 'least ta me."

"Did you know that Tara and Beth are dating?" Carol asked Ani, the younger girl looking at her with a shocked expression before a smile cracked on her face.

"That's fuckin' awesome! How're Sasha and Abe doin'?"

"They're fine. Just fine. Apparently, they had another pregnancy scare, though."

"Again? That's, like, the second time in six months! I thought Abe didn' want kids in all this?"

"They're pulling a you and Daryl; if it happens, it happens. Sasha isn't looking forward to birthing a child if they do after helping Maggie deliver Hershel."

"Yeah, deliverin' was absolutely shite. It was so fuckin' hard and painful. But it was worth it. Holdin' Lou aftawards, watchin' 'im as 'e learns ta smile and hold 'is head up. All that pain was worth it."

"Would you do it again? Have another child?"

"If it happens, it happens. Can' say I wouldn' mind it, but I'm still gettin' used ta Lou, so we'll see," Ani told her. "I can' say anythin' with certainty right now otha than if it happens, it happens. Can' 'xcatly stop it from happenin' anymore, 'less I want ta become a celibate wife, and that ain' fuckin' happenin'. Nah fuckin' way, nah fuckin' how!"

Carol laughed at her and commented, "You've never been one not to speak your mind."

"Nope," Ani said, popping the 'p'. "I couldn' even if I wanted ta. Which is why ya almost got ya lights knocked out a few weeks ago."

"Well, to be fair, I did deserve that. I should've asked if you needed help or advice and known you knew what you were doing with herbs. You always have."

"Nah shite, Sherlock," she chuckled.

Ani was finally able to feel more relaxed around Carol, even though it had taken yet another fight between her and Daryl around the time Lou was six weeks old. The poor boy had gotten sick and Carol had offered unsolicited advice on what to do to help him get better when Ani was already feeling like she wasn't doing enough. It had ranged from coddling and comforting to feeding more and all sorts of things that Ani had already been trying just to keep him soothed. Carol had been vehemently against Ani using the herbal remedies she'd been using to treat Lou's symptoms; tinctures that used echinacea, chamomile, and licorice to soothe the cough, stuffiness, and fever and the mullein flower oil she rubbed on his chest to help with congestion. She'd also tried to tell Ani how giving those things to the baby was going to hinder his ability to fight off infection in the future while toting how she'd only given Sophia Motrin. Daryl had tried to defend Carol after he'd found Ani screaming at her to get out of their room and to go to hell, only to be told off himself for defending another woman without even knowing why they were arguing again. When he did find out, even he was a bit miffed at Carol for acting like Ani didn't know what she was doing when she'd been the one to treat Judith since the prison. Ani was no doctor and never claimed to be, but she understood well enough which herbs to use for what symptoms to be able to help keep people healthy and had told Carol off for that himself. Carol had actually apologized and admitted that she was out of line for it and had been thinking about her own experiences in the world from before, not what worked for the world as it was. Ani had been the one to treat Judith's cold after the Pete debacle and the realization that Alexandria didn't have any children's or infant's medicine and Carol had forgotten about that. The apology had gone a long way to helping Ani view Carol as nothing more than Daryl's clueless friend and had even invoked an apology from herself for going off how she did. It had ended with the result of the two of them being able to talk about parenting somewhat openly and, slowly, Ani was beginning to think that they might be able to become friends in the future.

"How's Henry been doin'?"

"He's great. He's been learning about the boiler system from Chad and practicing with that stick. He's getting good at both."

"What 'bout Ezekiel? Ya went back ta the Kingdom for 'im and Henry, right? Anythin' more develop?"

"We...uh...we went on a date," Carol told her awkwardly.

"How'd it go?"

"It went fine. Well, actually. We've decided to start dating. It's a bit...odd; dating at my age. But he's so sweet and charming and charasmatic that it makes it hard to say no."

"Is 'e makin' ya happy?"

"I think so. I haven't felt like this in a long time."

"Not even with Tobin?"

"It was different with Tobin. I was just pretending and when I started thinking it wasn't just pretend, I left. I don't want to run away from Ezekiel. I'm scared, but I want to try."

"Good. Ya deserve ta be happy."

"I'm surprised you think that with everything that's happened between the two of us."

"Ya ain' my favorite person by far, Cars, but that don' mean I don' think ya should be happy or that I don' think we can work our way ta friendship. I mean, ya didn' even come ta find me ta see where D is. Ya jus' wanted ta talk. That's a good step in the right direction, don' ya think?"

"Maybe. How's Sophia been doing?"

"Good. Got caught tryin' ta give Carl a handy a few weeks ago, but it could a been worse. Could a been caught doin' drugs or havin' sex."

"God, she's only fifteen!"

"And? Ya weren' curious what a guy's pecka looked like at that age?" Ani asked, snorting a laugh at Carol's horrified face. "Damn, sorry, forgot. Ya were in Catholic school back then, weren' ya?"

"Yes! I didn't even have a boyfriend at that age! Neither did you!"

"Nah, but I was watchin' porn."

"Ani!"

"What? I was livin' with a nineteen year old that had a boyfriend and askin' questions was somethin' I didn' know how not ta do when she'd start talkin' 'bout stuff with 'er otha friends 'round me. Lead to a lot a awkward convastions 'bout sex and boys and also lead me inta drinkin' liquor. 'Sides, good little Catholic woman had a vibrator, didn' she?" Ani said cheekily.

"That! That was...God, you really do know how to make someone uncomfortable, don't you?" Carol replied, the two women looking at each other before sharing a laugh. "Ed was never very good in bed. I had to hide it really well, though."

"Bet Zeke's diffarent," she replied, smiling at Carol's look. "Bet 'e actually cares 'bout how ya feel before, durin', and afta. Ed neva would a, and Tobin was neva one ta take the lead, not really. Man was a good'un, but a bit meek."

"Ezekiel definitely is different. I never thought I'd be with someone who cared about my needs so much, let alone paid attention to what I was doing. He's the one that convinced me to stay near the Kingdom when I just wanted to disappear. 'Never bullshit a bullshitter' is what he told me."

"Well, he was right 'bout that. Ya can' play pretend and go unnoticed when in the face a someone who's always pretendin'. It jus' don' work like that."

"Is that how you could call him out so easily?"

"Yes, and nah. His speech patterns, the way 'e carried 'imself, it was all an act ya see on stage, but 'is eyes always gave 'im away. They were too emotional for the stoic presence 'e tried ta give off. Still are. That's how I knew 'e cared 'bout ya 'fore ya went afta Henry. Ya bringin' the boy back jus' cinched it."

"You know, I have you and Sophia to thank for that. In a way, at least."

"Eh?"

"She talked to me after we got back, when she told me to be a good mom for Henry, and how you chewed me out the day before. I was able to let go of a lot of the things in my past that I had been holding onto. A lot of the pain, a lot of the torment and anger at myself for not being enough. I hated you for it for a while," Carol told her, looking at Lou as he waved the rattle in his hand around a bit, smiling at the boy. "I thought you were trying to take everything from me and leave me with nothing and no one. Like you were trying to prove you could get whatever you wanted, but that wasn't it at all. You were just better for them than I was, and I couldn't accept that until I could."

"And now ya got the people who ya are betta for, and ya helpin' 'em be betta people."

"Yeah. I like it. I never really felt like I could do anything for Sophia, never really tried bein' anything other than what was expected. I don't have to be anything else for Henry. I just have to be there. Sophia needed more than that. She needed a mother who could protect her, defend her, and stand up for her. I couldn't do that with Ed around and by the time I could, she already had a mom doin' it all for her, and that wasn't me. You're a good mom, you really are. To her, to Lou. Hell, I'd dare even say to Merle," she said, both women cracking up at the statement, not realizing that the eldest Dixon was walking into the room.

"What's so funny?" Merle asked, the women looking at him, then at each other, then back to him only to burst out laughing all over again. "This the reaction I'm gonna get every time I walk into a room with your ass in it?"

"Nah," Ani said through her laughs. "Nah, ya jus' comin' in at the wrong time."

"Well, now ain't the damn time to be cluckin' around like some spring chicken. Fred, Nick, and Joe are at it again," he told her. "Daryl's tryinna keep it civil, but it's gettin' pretty damn heated pretty damn fast. Might want to head down to the Big Room to get it taken care of."

"What're they fightin' ova this time?" Ani asked as she stood up, following Merle through the Sanctuary.

"Found another one of those damn Negan signs and-"

"For fucks sake! The man's fuckin' gone and ain' eva fuckin' comin' back! How much ya want ta bet it was Fred!"

"Let me fuckin' finish before you get your panties in a bunch!" Merle shot at her. "It wasn't just a Negan sign. Joe's refusin' to let it get cleaned up and Fred's goin' on 'bout how Negan'll come back while Nick's pissed and yellin' at 'em both. It's startin' a damn riot down there."

"Cars, go find Phia and send 'er ta mine and D's room. Merle, take Lou back ta our room and stay there 'til Phia gets there-"

"I could stay with him," Carol suggested, a shiver of anxiety going right up Ani's spine.

"Nah offense, Cars, but I don' trust anyone but D, Phia, and Merle with 'im jus' yet. Sorry, but 'e don' know ya and I don' know how 'e'd react ta bein' left alone with a stranga. I ain' ready for that yet and ain' doin' it. Jus' go find Phia, okay?"

"Fine," Carol said, veering off to go do her task.

"You sure you wanna go down into that shit storm alone?" Merle asked her as she carefully handed him her child. "It's gonna get messy."

"Hey, I'm good at cleanin' up messes," Ani said with a shrug. "So long's a fist or a foot is needed, anyway. Been wantin' ta kick Nick's ass since 'e got caught writin' that shite the first time."

"Just do yourself a favor and be careful about it. That man's got it out for you and my baby brother."

Ani just hummed in acknowledgment of what he'd said and walked off, hearing Lou start to cry in his uncle's arms but not wanting to take him with her. She knew she was going to need both hands and probably would need to either fight, defend, or detain. Fred had been causing problems, along with Jared and Joe, ever since they'd been put in charge of the Sanctuary. The three of them had been Wade's biggest supporters, and, while Wade had left and eventually apologized for his hand in things, they had continued refusing to accept that things had changed. They still believed in Negan's way and had been told more than once to stop trying to take things from those who used to be workers. While they would play nice for a time, one of the three, usually Fred or Joe, would start stirring the pot the minute things started settling down. After Lou's birth, things had settled hard and fast when Janice had wound up being sent to the Kingdom while still recovering, where she was forced to adhere to a strict schedule. It seemed that, because things had become so quiet, Fred and Joe decided that it was time to stir the pot once again.

When she walked out onto the catwalk above the factory floor, she was dumbfounded by what she saw. Ani had expected that there would be a crowd and that everyone would have been standing around watching. What she hadn't expected was to find her husband in the middle of a brawl with Fred and Joe and Nick fighting a couple more of the Negan sympathizers. She bolted down the catwalk and the stairs and practically launched herself at two of the others who were trying to attack Daryl from behind. Every bit of anger she was still holding onto towards Negan and his followers came out in a flurry of punches, kicks, and combinations. One man received an uppercut followed by a superman punch to his sternum, sending him to the ground without being able to breathe. Another received an elbow to his nose, breaking it in the process, before a roundhouse kick connected to his temple and dropped him like a sack of potatoes. A cobra strike to the another's windpipe followed up with She lost complete control after she saw Bobby, who had been trying to keep others back, yowling and swiping at everyone that came near her, get kicked in her side and go flying. By the time the movement had stopped and Daryl's voice could be heard over the rushing of blood in her ears, Ani was standing in the middle of no less than eight guys and three women, all of which were bruised and bloodied on the ground. Rather than caring about them, she called for the twins, watching as Catty cautiously came out from the crowd and Bobby hobbled towards her. She carefully checked the fully grown bobcat for injuries and determined that she'd had her ribs bruised, but it didn't feel as though anything was broke or dislocated.

Picking her up, Ani turned to the others in the room and spoke loudly, "I don' give two shites what side ya on, but if ya goin' ta stay in the fuckin' Sanctuary, a riot like this ain' fuckin' happenin' again, got it? We got too many people and too many innocents 'round ta sit there and act like a fuckin' pack a animals!"

"You were the wildest animal of the damn bunch!" Nick shouted at her, only for her to shoot him a look that dared him to interrupt her again.

"That's why I can fuckin' tell ya what the fuck ta do! 'Cause I got the balls, the brains, and the brawn ta fuckin' make a threat and keep it! If ya want a fuckin' place 'ere, if ya fuckin' don' want ta hit the fuckin' road, straighten the fuck up! Ya really like Negan? Ya really want 'im ta come back? Ya still want ta follow that fucktard?! Then ya can follow 'im right inta a fuckin' lifetime incarceration! I'm done with these fuckin' fights and arguments for so fuckin' long! Ya don' like how things are goin' 'ere at the Sanctuary? Get the fuck out! Let the people who want ta fuckin' live live in fuckin' peace! This shite is fuckin' done and fuckin' ova with! Ya don' want ta fuckin' live in peace?! Hit the fuckin' road! Ya ain' goin' ta find any otha place that will tolerate this shite!"

"Wade went to Alexandria," Joe countered. "You sent Janice to the Kingdom. You ain't gonna do shit except send us somewhere else."

"Nah, see, I sent Janice ta what's essentially a bootcamp ta correct 'er constantly tryin' ta fuck everythin' and anythin' unda the sun, 'specially those already taken. Wade was given a choice, leave or die, and Rick took 'im with 'im back ta Alexandria. I didn' fuckin' give two shites what happened ta 'im," Ani told him in total disdain. "That shite ain' happenin' from now on. Ya want ta start shite? My blades and a shite ton a guns will escort ya asses out ta the fuckin' boonies and leave ya in the middle a the fuckin' woods with only 'nough fuckin' goods ta last a few days and knife. I ain' fuckin' givin' ya anymore chances. Nick, Joe, Jared, Marcus, Shirly, Mia, Damien, Luke, Mike, and Jake! Ya on ya last fuckin' chance! One more toe out a line, and ya ass is goin' ta be gone! Straighten ya shite up, or face the fuckin' walkas and weatha without a fuckin' home! Capiche?!"