Luvs2Read: He's not actually immune, but he claims that he don't die. I don't think he's ever claimed to be immune to the walkers, though it was a rumor for a little bit. It's been denied by the writers, though, so, yeah...It sucks, because it would definitely make things a little more interesting, but I don't know if they'll ever make it happen. It didn't in the comics, but walkers weren't much of a problem at the end of the comics by the time Carl's telling his dad's story to his kid...
Ani groaned as Daryl brought in some scrambled eggs and the smell wafted towards her as she sat on the bed with Lou. It smelled like rotters had come into the room, but not just the walkers, but something even worse added to it. There were never any words that she could say that would describe the smell of eggs anymore and she gagged every time she smelled it. Unfortunately for her, though, that was Lou's favorite food and one of the best ways to get protein into their diet when they couldn't hunt. She hated that she couldn't stand the scent of them anymore and the taste wasn't much better at all. To make matters worse, they no longer had ketchup that tasted like ketchup to put on top and the cheese they had wasn't the best on the damn things, either. The only saving grace was the fact that they still had salt thanks to the Oceanside using their resources to evaporate the water and collecting the sea salt that way. It was one of their biggest resources as far as trade went after fish, and Ani was so happy that she didn't have to give that up at least. The only reason she dealt with eating the eggs was because the only other real protein source they had without hunting was fish until they had a steadier supply of chickens old enough for the slaughter.
"I can' wait ta go huntin' again. I am so sick a eggs," she complained.
"You eat this, maybe we'll go out to the log," Daryl tried to compromise.
"Ya know damn well I'm not allowed ta go out a the walls," Ani whined, remembering how Carson had advised she stay as close to Barrington house or the medical trailer as possible.
She was already thirty five weeks and the doctor was worried about when she would go into labor as the babies had changed their positions. Both were facing down and starting to fight to see which would be born first, according to the doctor, and he was sure she would go into labor sooner rather than labor. As such, he didn't want her to do any lifting, with the exception of her son, nor did he want her leaving the Hilltop's premises. He wanted her to be as close to the medical trailer as possible until the babies were born and had basically put her back on bedrest. She was allowed to walk wherever she wanted to, was allowed to go about her usual day, but she couldn't do any bending, any lifting, exercising, running, or anything at all that would cause her stress. He'd even warned her not to allow her blood pressure to rise as that could cause her to go into labor and, once again, sex had been taken off the table. Anything and everything that could cause her to go into early labor was a no-go so that the twins were delivered as close to thirty eight weeks as possible. Neither she nor Daryl minded so much this time around considering the fact that they wouldn't be waiting for over three months but instead just over six weeks depending on when the babies were born.
"Can still go outside and get some sun," he tried as tears started falling from her eyes.
Ani angrily wiped them away and took the plate from him while saying, "Jus' shut the fuck up and feed the boy. I don' want ta be coddled."
"Alright," he said, not wanting to make things worse by pointing out she was just upset because of hormones.
He was pretty happy that, at the very least, she hadn't generally cried over nothing this time around in comparison to when she was pregnant with Lou. Daryl still wouldn't let her around eggs just because he was afraid of another meltdown over her accidentally breaking one. The problem was that the exchange for not crying over small things was that she got angry a hell of a lot easier than she had last time. She was able to handle her emotions better than she had with Lou, but she still had a tendency to explode or start crying randomly. Merle was the only person who got the full extent of her anger, though, and that was one of the reasons he had stayed at the bridge. The only time she hadn't exploded was when people were talking about how Lou was developing differently from Hershel. Daryl was thankful for that because if she had exploded, someone would probably have been killed with how much she had hated that period of time. Choosing to hide behind him and let him handle everything on his own and in his own way had definitely been better than her being thrown out because of her temper.
They ate in silence until they were finished and Daryl took the plates back to the kitchen to wash up and try to help a few of the others with some quick tasks. By the time he got back to the room, Ani had fully broken down and was angry crying because she couldn't reach Lou's bunny and couldn't get him to grab it himself. It had fallen just under the crib and was well within his reach as he cried for it and yet he refused to just grab it. She couldn't bend down to get it herself and she couldn't hold him the way she normally would to calm him down with her stomach being so big. He would also kick her belly until he finally quit flailing and she'd had to stop using that technique altogether around the time she hit twenty six weeks. The boy was just like Ani in the fact that he was also much stronger than he should have been when he was upset to the point that it could be difficult to restrain him as he got bigger. Daryl or the bunny, however, usually could call him down just as easily as Ani could by holding him, which was why Daryl immediately swooped down and grabbed the stuffed animal and then Lou in one motion. Ani tried to calm herself down but ended up screaming into a pillow in frustration while Lou held onto his bunny and cried himself.
"What happened?" he said cautiously, not wanting to push the topic but not really being able to help without knowing that.
"He dropped 'is fuckin' rabbit and I couldn' get it for 'im! That's it!" she cried as she did her best to calm down and take deep breaths. "That's all it fuckin' took for 'im ta start cryin' and then he wanted up, and I couldn' fuckin' hold 'im how 'e wanted me to and 'e blew up and I couldn' handle it!"
"Hey, it's okay," Daryl said, sitting down next to her now that Lou was calming down and put his free arm around his wife. "Hasn't happened in a long time, and it's not your fault he didn't want to get it himself. We both know he could've."
"Why the fuck wouldn' 'e, then?!" she shouted, causing Lou to scrunch up his little face and start breathing like he was going to start crying again, which made Ani start sobbing herself. "I'm sorry! Mama's sorry, bug! I'm sorry!"
Daryl sat between the two and sighed, wondering if that was going to be his life from then on with three babies and Ani's emotional states. She wasn't as tearful and weepy when she wasn't pregnant, but she had had a few meltdowns of her own when Lou was worked up. And she always apologized and broke down all over again if Lou got upset and it got even worse because she would doubt herself afterwards. He simply sighed as he bounced Lou on his knee and held his head close to his chest while rubbing her back and unconsciously humming. It worked its magic as both mother and son calmed quicker than they would have if they had been left on their own in their worked up states. Lou was more than ready to get off his lap after only a couple of moments and wiggled down to go over to Catty and simply plopped down and started bouncing his rabbit off of her. Ani smiled at the sight even though she still had silent tears running down her cheeks, her emotions still running high. It would take her a lot longer to calm down than it took Lou because he was easier to distract than Ani was. She would dwell on what went wrong and how she could have done things different to make things better or avoid a meltdown altogether. There was only one way to break her out of it as she stared and that was to try to get her thinking about anything or everything else.
"Which one we gonna give which name?" he asked randomly.
"What?" Ani responded, leaning away from him and looking at him as if he'd suddenly grown a tail.
"The twins, which one are we namin' which?"
"I don' know! Why the fuck are ya bringin' it up now?!"
"Got you to stop cryin'," he shrugged.
"Ya are a fuckin' asshole!" she shouted, getting up in a huff, though it was much less effective to show her anger with the pregnancy.
She was halfway standing up when a wave of pain hit her abdomen and her hand went to his shoulder, his coming up to her sides as he stood himself and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Oh," she groaned, "I think shite's startin'."
"What's starting?"
"Contractions."
"You're in labor?!" Daryl said, his mind going into a panic as he looked from her to Lou to the door wondering what he needed to do first.
"Nah, I don' think so," she sighed as she sat back down and rubbed her stomach. "Think it's ova already. S'pposed ta last for a minute when they're 'bout labor, I think."
"I'm gonna go get Carson, have him take a look at you."
"D, don'," Ani said, reaching out and grabbing his arm from where he had quickly turned to go to the medical trailer. "If it gets worse or keeps happenin', fine. That was jus' a strong one, like what Carson said I'd start feelin' when I'm gettin' close ta labor. Rememba what 'e said? Five minutes apart for one hour and lastin' a minute. That might a lasted thirty seconds. It just hit out a nowhere."
"You sure you're good?" he asked, worry etched all over his face as she smiled up at him.
"Well, ya rushin' out if I'm not ain' goin' ta help anythin'," she chuckled. "Goin' ta have ta keep an eye on the time more."
"Are you sure?"
"Ask again and I'm goin' ta do what I started doin' 'fore the pain hit."
"What was that?"
"Gettin' ready ta find somethin' ta knock ya teeth in," she huffed, earning a scoff from Daryl.
"If you actually followed through with that threat, I might take you seriously," he mocked her. "How many times you said you were gonna in the last month? Still have all my teeth."
"Shut up," Ani laughed as Lou walked over to them and offered his bunny to Ani. "Thank ya, bug, but I don' need BunBun. I'm okay now. Sorry for scarin' and worryin' ya," she told him while caressing his head.
He turned to Daryl and held the stuffed rabbit up to him, only to again be denied and then throw the stuffed animal across the room. Ani chastised him for doing that as Daryl went and got it and put it in his crib, causing another fit on Lou's end. The little boy was just not having a good day, which was to be expected since he was going through a growth spurt and teething again. Even though they had an agreement that anything he threw was to be taken away for a set amount of time, Daryl still grabbed the rabbit out and handed it to him. Ani picked him up and started singing his special song while being thankful he wasn't having a real meltdown like he had been before. She was able to hold him and rock him in a way that was comfortable enough for her belly as he rubbed his face against the bunny. By the time he had calmed down, it was pretty obvious that he was on his way out for a nap and fighting it. The adults just chuckled a little bit before they laid down themselves, settling their son between them as they decided to take a nap with him while Catty hopped up on the bed with them. Both of them were tired and Ani was feeling the emotional exhaustion of her own meltdown, so it didn't take that long of a time for them all to fall asleep after they got comfortable. A few hours later, Ani sat up and swung her legs off the bed with a groan as another wave of pain radiated from her back to her abdomen.
"Eitha decide ya goin' ta be born or let me sleep, kids. This is shite," she complained, feeling Daryl rousing behind her.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Anotha contraction. Looks like it's goin' ta be a long labor process this time," she told him over her shoulder.
"Last time wasn't?"
Ani considered it for a few minutes before saying, "Yeah, that was weeks. Damn near goin' inta preterm labor and all that shite. Weeks a fuckin' contractions randomly 'til it wasn' jus' fuckin' random. These are fuckin' weird, though. Like, it's not pain, but so tight. It's like this band puttin' pressure all along 'ere," she said, using her hands to show how her entire lower torso was being affected. "Felt like menstrual cramps with Lou. This feels like I put on a pair a pants that are too tight."
"I'm gonna go tell Carson," Daryl said as he carefully sat up and climbed over Lou, who was still laying in the middle of the bed sleeping. "Might as well make sure he's ready."
"It could take days, Daryl. There's nah reason ta work 'im up jus' 'cause I've had a couple a contractions."
"Don't care," he said, putting on his shoes and standing up. "I'm gonna go tell him. Be back in two minutes."
"Uh-huh," she said as she rolled her eyes and moved to sit back on the bed. Lou woke up with a start as the door clicked close and rolled over to look at her, "Sorry, bug. Did ya daddy wake ya up?"
"Dada?" he asked as he looked around the room.
"He'll be back in a few minutes," Ani assured him. "The babies in momma's belly are goin' ta be born soon. Ya'll get ta say hi."
"Hi, bebe!" Lou shouted at her belly, patting it gently as she laughed.
"That's right, Lou. Hi babies," she repeated slowly so that he could hear the proper way it was said.
"Bebe!" was all he repeated while sitting up.
Ani simply hummed in response and picked up his rabbit and started making him dance in front of him as she began to sing his special song. Lou laughed and clapped some more before grabbing it out of her hand and making happy noises before sticking an ear in his mouth. He moved to climb off the bed and Ani let him do it himself, though kept her hands close to him in case he slipped. It was another thing that Ani and Daryl had talked about when it came to parenting and they had agreed that it was best to let him learn on his own as much as possible. Daryl had said that he'd learned how to do a lot of things on his own and he came out just fine and it wasn't like they weren't going to be there to guide him, which was more than he'd had. Letting him learn to do things like climb and walk and grab things on his own while they kept an eye on him wouldn't kill him. That talk had taken place when Lou was still a baby baby and had just started crawling and Ani had become a helicopter parent for a few weeks. It had taken her a little while to let go and stop jumping every time he did something that she considered dangerous, but the pregnancy had forced her to stop worrying so much. Lou had fallen a couple times trying to climb off their laps or the bed, but he had become pretty good at it after learning to go feet first and wiggle down.
"Do ya got ta go potty?" she asked him, having decided to slowly start potty training him now that he was nearing a year and a half.
The boy didn't say anything, but she took him with her to the bathroom anyway and praised him simply for sitting on the toilet. By the time they got back to the room, Daryl was there and looking somewhat worried until he saw them. Ani didn't even have to explain anything for him to calm down and ask if they wanted to go outside and at least soak up some sun. She readily agreed, even though Daryl didn't want them to go too much further than the picnic tables with her having contractions. It meant that he wanted to go to the one that was closest to the medical trailer and it didn't take a genius to figure it out. While Ani called him dad again for being so over-protective, but she told him it was fine and simply handed Lou over to him. She wasn't quite prepared to walk down the stairs with her son in her arms and her giant stomach causing her balance issues. There was also the fact that it took her longer to go down them and got winded just with nothing but herself to take care of. Ever since they'd come back to the Hilltop, Daryl had been the one to carry him down while also keeping an eye on his wife just in case she stumbled. If Daryl wasn't there, Ani didn't really leave the room unless Maggie or Beth were around to carry him down.
"When're Enid and Sophia comin' back?" she asked Daryl when they got outside.
"Tomorrow. Merle's comin', too," he responded.
"What?! Why?"
"To look after Lou while we're dealin' with the babies bein' born. Sophia's gonna be with us, so's Enid. Merle's the only one able to look after him."
"Oh, yeah. That makes sense. How long's 'e stayin'?"
"Couple weeks. Long enough for you to heal up and us to get used to havin' three around," Daryl told her as he put Lou down and pulled out a smoke. "I gotta go back and help a couple weeks later."
"We're goin', too."
"Like hell you ain't!"
"Daryl," Ani said sternly. "If ya goin' back ta the bridge, me and the boys are comin' with ya. I ain' stayin' 'ere, alone, with two one month olds and an almost two year old! Eitha ya stay 'ere and let whateva happens at the bridge happen without ya there, or ya fuckin' deal with the fuckin' fact that ya aren' leavin' without the rest a us."
"Ania-"
"Fuck nah, Daryl! This ain' a fuckin' negotiation! I ain' fuckin' raisin' three babies by myself while ya out there with tensions risin'! I am not goin' ta argue, compromise, or change my mind 'bout this. If ya goin' back out there, so the fuck are we!"
"What're we gonna do if shit hits the fan?"
"Ya, me, Merle, and Phia will all be out there, 'long with a lot a our friends. First people they'll get out a there will be the four a us and ya know it. I'll have a gun and knives on me at all times. And I promise ta keep ta the same rules as I had when I was comin' out there for the day a couple times a week. Stayin' in our little camp away from the main group and around central command. I won' stray inta the Saviors' area and I'll make damn sure ta keep my mouth shut 'stead a startin' fights. And if the babies ain' with me, they'll be in the medical tent with Enid and Phia and whicheva docta is there," Ani tried to reason before relenting a little bit. "Tell ya what. Ya know what leavin' 'ere ta go back ta the bridge means. That's not up for debate. I ain' raisin' three babies on my own with none a my family 'ere ta help 'cause otha shite needs doin'. But, we don' know if they'll still need ya. We don' know if ya really are goin' ta need ta go back out or if ya can stay back 'ere for a little longa. So, let's hinge it on whetha or not ya go in the first place. Ya go, we all go. Ya stay, we all stay."
"Puttin' on the weight on me," he complained. "Should just stay here."
"Then stay with us."
"Ania-" Daryl groaned, only for her to match his energy and say his name right back with a dark look on her face.
Ani wasn't about to let him leave her at the Hilltop with three babies a month after they were born, especially when everyone else would probably still be at the bridge. She knew that there would be risks associated with it, but it had only taken her about a month to get into a good routine with Lou that kept him from doing more than fussing. She was sure that she would be able to get the twins on a schedule in that time frame, too, especially since she knew what she was doing to an extent. While having two at once was new, the same basic principles she'd used with Lou could be used for the twins, too. Daryl didn't have to be happy about the fact that she was offering him an ultimatum of what was going to happen. He needed to realize that she would need him more than ever when the twins were born and Lou wouldn't get as much attention from her. She would need him to help the boy adjust by giving him attention when she couldn't because she was busy with the twins. She would need him to help with the twins when Lou needed a little extra attention from her to help his mental and emotional health. While she understood every worry and concern Daryl could have about her and the boys being out there, she wasn't going to change her mind about following him.
Daryl was angry as he watched her glaring at him and was trying to figure out why she would even think it would be alright to bring their sons out there when they were babies. Sure, Lou had been out there for a bit, but Lou didn't make too much noise and knew when to be quiet. Babies didn't, and cried for anything and everything and sometimes even cried for no good reason at all no matter how much was done to comfort them. He knew Ani knew that and knew that she had to have thought about that and the fact that they weren't going to be behind walls at the bridge. On top of that, the feud that had been going on with the Saviors most likely wouldn't be settled before the month after the babies were born. What if things got worse and they actually managed to get a hold of some guns and started shooting up the place? Or what if they rioted and started a giant brawl; how would they get their kids out of that hell hole without them getting hurt? How were they supposed to keep their kids safe when that place was the most hostile area to be at? Daryl knew that Ani had to have thought of all of that and couldn't comprehend why she would still tell him that she wasn't staying at the Hilltop without him.
"It ain't happenin'," he told her angrily.
"Then ya ain' leavin'," she stated plainly.
"They're gonna need hands to get the work done. They're havin' problems gettin' it done to begin with and barely had the start of the bottom up when we left! Makin' the boards and shit took too damn long and we need it done before the rainy season hits!"
"Then we're all be there ta help keep things up ta snuff."
"It's not happenin', Ania!" Daryl growled at her, only for her to meet him with a steely glare that felt like a slap of cold water.
"Ya really goin' ta leave me with three kids, one a which is used ta bein' the only child, two a which are goin' ta need a lot a attention, all alone ta try ta figya it out on my own? Are ya really goin' ta do that ta me? Ta Lou? The boys? Are ya really goin' ta do that?" Ani said steadily as she stared him down, his face slowly turning to shocked and then contemplative as she continued. "Are ya willin' ta risk what that'll do ta us? Ta me and the kids? Are you goin' ta be able ta deal with not bein' 'round 'em? Ta be able ta work and concentrate knowin' there could be three Dixon boys cryin' and needin' somethin' and their momma is jus' as distressed? Ya've seen how I did with Lou, stepped up and are beyond the level-headed and betta parent. And Lou, 'e's become a hell a a lot more attached ta ya. What's it goin' ta do ta 'im with ya leavin' again when 'e's gotten used ta sleepin' on ya every mornin'? What's it goin' ta do ta 'im when the twins need me and somethin' happens and I can' give 'em all attention? Or when I'm feedin' the twins and Lou needs food or somethin', too? Everyone we know, except for Mags, is at the damn bridge. Everyone we trust. Everyone who can step up and help with Lou without forcin' 'im ta let othas hold 'im and play with 'im. We agreed, Daryl, agreed, that we wouldn' do that shite. That we wouldn' force 'im ta interact with othas 'til 'e was a little olda and started tryin' ta do it 'imself. Ya know how much it fucked me up and ya didn' have a lot a good times bein' forced ta spend time with Merle's friends. I ain' doin' it. So, ya can eitha go ta the bridge and help 'em out while still bein' there as a fatha, or ya can fuckin' stay 'ere and be a fatha and a hunta. But it ain' goin' any otha way!"
That had Daryl stopping to think about everything for a few minutes, Ani going from staring him down to watching Lou as he played with his rabbit in the grass. If he was being honest with himself, he hadn't even thought about any of that and had jumped right to the danger that was them being there. She was right that she would need help with the twins and Lou to make sure they all got the attention they needed. It would also cause a huge change in their son's routine if he left after a month and left them at the Hilltop on top of the already huge change his brothers would bring. And Ani; she would need the extra emotional support while she was breastfeeding and unable to get regular sleep that would allow her mental state to be stable. He'd seen it with Lou, and while she was very careful about how she acted around Lou, she would still have breakdowns and cry her eyes out several times a week when he was a newborn. She had had her own meltdown earlier that day just because she couldn't help their son due to her big belly which had also caused him to meltdown. He knew she had thought of the dangers of being at the bridge, but he had failed to think about the risks of leaving her alone. There was nothing he could say at that moment as he was filled with conflicting emotions over the entire situation and being unable to figure out what was the right choice.
He hadn't been lying when he said that they were trying to get the bridge up and finished as fast as possible. Eugene was already fearing how slow lumber production had been and the fact that they only had so many months to get it finished. It'd already been going on for about seven and they had barely been a quarter of the actual structure built with how long it had taken to cut down trees and make the damn boards. Having to strip each tree of their bark, cut them to the proper length and thickness, and then sand each board by hand took more time than any of them had been expecting. The process had been slowed even more by trees that looked healthy being rotted inside and not being able to use them, wasting all the time they'd taken to fell the thing to begin with. They had tried ransacking warehouses and tool depots, but all the wood that had been in those places had either been warped by the weather or rotted by leaking rooves. Daryl knew that his presence wouldn't help them get the bridge done any faster and didn't really want to go back out there if it meant his family being there. The problem was that he felt obligated to help finish the project whether or not he wanted to help even if it meant all of them at the tent. Carol had taken over for the Sanctuary and Rick had made it clear that they needed all the hands they could get to work on the bridge. His hands were just as tied as Ani had felt hers had been when she'd started coming out to try to smooth things over for the worst of the problems.
"How much you figure out already?" he asked, though his voice was tight and harsh.
"'Bout what?"
"How you'd manage it. Havin' them out there with us. Ain't like I'm always gonna be right there to help," Daryl pointed out.
"Nah, but someone will be. I can hand the twins off ta someone else if Lou needs me right that second or I can have someone run ta get ya, or Merle, or Phia. Even Carl or Carol. Someone I trust will be there, and ya won' be an hours' ride away."
"How plannin' on keepin' an eye on Lou and the twins?"
"Like I said, I'll prolly have the twins strapped ta me a lot, keep 'em on my back or chest. Lou can stay in the pack and play if I'm in the main hub and run 'round if I'm in our camp. Ya know damn well Merle ain' movin' towards the rest and that 'e's goin' ta turn inta a grumpy fuckin' ovabearin' bastard the minute we get there and prolly will stand guard ova it. It's already one a 'is jobs out there, so we'll jus' make it 'is permanent job and keep 'im 'round the boys. It'll keep everyone else from tryin' ta pull shite usin' 'em and also keep an extra set a vigilant eyes on the guns."
"What if they're cryin' or havin' a meltdown? What're you gonna do then?" he challenged, not at all happy how much she already had figured out nor that it all made enough sense to work.
"Ain' goin' ta be much more ruckus than what the saws and hammas and everythin' make. And, by then, we'll know how fussy they can be, or should know ta an extent. Lou didn' start havin' breakdowns 'til 'e was startin' ta crawl. The bridge'll be done long 'fore that. And, even if it isn', it'll be winta, and we'll know how ta manage it betta and I'll be in a betta mental state ta deal with it if ya go back ta the bridge. We'll have a hell a a lot more time ta figya things out then, too. Hell, maybe by then, we won' even be 'ere. Maybe we'll have gone and found or built a place in the woods."
"You still on about that?"
"Is it such a bad thing that I don' want ta deal with anythin' ta do with the communities anymore? I'm ova it. I'm sick a the games and powa plays and bein' made ta feel like we owe shite ta people. Ya can' tell me that ya ain' sick a it or don' feel used at times," Ani told him truthfully.
"Yeah, it don't feel great. But it's better than bein' alone," Daryl countered. "Havin' walls and havin' a safe place for family. That counts for somethin'."
"Not when it means havin' ta be apart as a family," Ani countered. "Not when it means havin' people force ya inta situations ya ain' comfortable in. I'd ratha jus' be out there with all a us. Things weren' easy durin' the first winta, movin' 'round and learnin' how ta live with shite as it was. But, ya and I, we can make it work out there, even with our kids. And ya know Merle would go with us."
"What about Phia?"
"She's old 'nough ta decide where she wants ta live. And Carl and 'er are really close and really gettin' along. Soon 'nough, they'll be livin' tagetha and gettin' married 'emselves. We don' have ta stay jus' for 'er. Jus' got ta make sure we visit. She's goin' ta be livin' 'er own life even more'n she already has been. Hell, look where she's been the last few months! She ain' been 'ere at the Hilltop unless it's ta resupply the medicine at the bridge. And ya told me that Carl was in 'er tent half the nights, too. Ya really think they ain' foolin' 'round?"
"That how it gonna go when our kids get older, too? Cut 'em loose as soon as they start livin' on their own."
"It ain' fuckin' cuttin' 'er lose, Daryl!" Ani seethed. "Would ya have wanted ta live with ya parents foreva? Are ya goin' ta force 'em ta be little kids foreva? At some point, cuttin' the cord has ta happen, and it's easy ta do that with Phia jus' 'cause she's already been livin' life on 'er own all this time, jus' with us guidin' 'er. She's damn near seventeen, now. We have ta let 'er fly. Doesn' mean I ain' goin' ta be there ta catch 'er if she falls. And for our kids, well, I hope nothin' happens ta make it ta where they have ta live through a war or their homes bein' destroyed or havin' ta fight in a war as kids. They're also goin' ta grow up in this time, knowin' how ta savive on their own jus' 'cause they have ta learn how. It's not the same. 'Sides, we're talkin' 'bout a hypothetical."
"Are we, though?" he asked, hopping onto the picnic table and sitting down on the table part, his leg brushing against her shoulder as he spoke. "Kinda sounds like we're makin' a plan."
"Maybe it is, but not one that's serious 'nough ta actually worry 'bout," Ani told him before sighing and leaning against him. "Betta ta be safe and have a plan and not need it than need a plan and not have it."
Daryl thought about things for a few minutes and about what life would look like in the woods, something he'd thought about more than once. She was right that they could make it work and that Merle would be more than willing to go with them. He might even like living in the woods more than he did being around everyone else with how much he complained. They'd been on the run all winter that first year with Lori being pregnant and had been on the run less than six months later with baby Judith. Food wouldn't be as hard to find if they were out there because they could hunt and trade with the settlements if need be. They could also stay at a settlement during the winter if they didn't have some kind of shelter of their own before it hit. He had a few ideas of how to build one, whether they built it into the ground or found a cave and fortified it into a home. It wasn't like they couldn't grow and preserve their own food if they did decide to live in the woods, either. Being out there with Ani, the boys, and Merle wouldn't be much different than how he and Merle had lived for a long time, just without liquor or beer. Daryl didn't like the thought of the walkers out there, but if anything in the last several months had been an example, most of the walkers had grouped up and moved in herds now. The ones that didn't weren't enough to overrun a camp easily if there were even a couple of competent fighters in the group.
"Maybe," Daryl started, his look of contemplation as Ani looked up at him letting her know he was at least going to think about everything she'd put to him, "maybe, if I do gotta go back out to the bridge. Maybe we see how it goes."
"How what goes?" she asked, wanting him to be completely clear.
"Livin' in the woods. Enough people are out there, so, I guess it'll be safe enough. But you gotta promise me a bunch of shit if you want to make it work."
"Like what?"
"Don't know yet. But when I figure it out, I'll tell you."