Three against the world

6

I woke up an hour before sunrise the next morning and walked into the woods after gearing up, I wanted to be alone after Sophia, I blamed myself but who wouldn't? I had her and failed to protect her. After finding some small game- a few squirrels and an owl I found a spot by a tree and peed on the stick. I let the stick sit while I walked back to come, no use sitting around for three minutes waiting for it anything could happen just like I thought it was positive, I buried the stick on the property line and walked back to the group. "Mornin'" Maggie greeted me when I got there "I got food" I healed up the small game, hunting didn't bother me just the smell of it cooking. Daryl got to skinning them right away, Maggie stared me down and I gave her a slight nod and she smiled, glenn whispered something to her and she nodded.

I was taking a nap under one of the many trees on the property everyone was fine and we were safe for the moment besides it's not like my boys would let me do any hard work, my stitches were still healing from my fall "Mom" I cracked my eyes open and smiled at Carl "yeah hun?" he healed out his wrist "what does this mean" I looked at it, one of his marks was a rainbow and it was grey Sophia "oh honey" he looked a little sad do I tell him it might just make it worse "let's go find your dad" he nodded and we walked off hand in hand, Rick was on the deck talking to Hershel "Rick!" he smiled at us and came running over "one-second hon" I pulled Rick aside to talk to him privately "what's wrong"

"One of Carl's soulmarks is grey" his eyes were sad, "I think it was Sophia, it lines up" he nodded "Do we tell him?'' I shrugged looking at Merle teaching Carl how to sharpen a knife "I don't know," I told him. Rick walked off to talk to Carl while I went back to the tree and tried to nap, with my nightmares and night watch I didn't sleep much.

It was just after lunch when I went to find Rick and Daryl around a cooking pot, that's nasty it took everything in me not to be sick. "Hey, let's go for a walk. '' I held my hands out so neither one of them could reject. Daryl on my right and Rick on my left I led them a bit away from the house "soo, I have some news' ' I let go of their hands to face them. They shared a confused look, "I'm pregnant" Surprise, happiness, and then anger spread on their face "How could you" Rick's jaw was clenched and his fists clenched that's not what I expected "What do you mean How Rick" I crossed my arms and looked at him "we haven't exactly been careful after we found each other, it takes two to do the devil's tango, it's just as much both of your faults as it is mine" Daryl was the first to walk off he was stoic as ever but his eyes had a small time to them "we can't have this baby, not in this world" rick ran his hand through his hair and walked off, we tried all the time before the world went to shit, I thought he would be happy

I walked off too, I found a small river in the woods at the back of the greens property. Was it smart to come out here myself? Probably not. But I needed a minute "You okay?" Beth softly smiled and sat beside me "I get this is a stressful situation but I thought-'' I sighed "You thought they'd be happy" I nodded as she finished my sentence "My mama said there was still a chance I'd get a mark" she looked at her wrists sadly "well good thing about that is you don't have to sit and watch as they turn grey before you met them"

"Didn't think of that" We watched the sunset over the field "With the state of the world I think the marks are a curse more than a blessing. I know it souls bad for me to say cause I got both of mine but, sometimes I think they would be better off if they didn't live in this world" I saw the judgment in both eyes, most people that didn't have souls marks saw them as a blessing, not a curse "I don't want them to suffer, go hungry. I don't want Carl to not feel safe in his own bed. "There was a long moment of silence between us.

"I get it, I do I heard Maggie say the same thing to Daddy, she didn't think these things were dead when it first happened, she ran into one of them before any of us did" The sun just finished setting when Beth walked back home. Herschel didn't like the girls out past dark understandably. I took my time walking back I hoped that the boys would be asleep by the time I got there or one of them would be on the watch.

Daryl set up his tent over an old fire pit and Rick and Carl were already asleep when I got back with the tent door closed. It looks like it's just me tonight. I checked the door and it was locked so I couldn't go in the house. At least the deck is covered. Using my pack as a pillow I put on my stained army coat and got comfortable. Not the first time I slept outside and it won't be the last.

3rd pov

Maggie was the first one up and sat on the porch with a hot cup of coffee, she had placed a warm blanket on top of y/n "Mornin'" Daryl greeted her, Maggie rolled her eyes at him "I do something" Daryl was confused, maggies been nothing but nicer to him since he's got here. she pointed to a sleeping y/n "You made your pregnant wife sleep out in the cold last night" his eyes softened when he saw her lying next to the house "Next time the two of you are mad at her, at least leave her a tent" the screen door clacked against its frame when maggie walked inside. Daryl felt bad, he never dreamed of finding his mates let alone starting a family with them, he didn't know how to react other than walking away. Daryl was not a man who expressed his emotions.

Rick walked past the house and saw Daryl bent down to y/n. She sat upon a shrugged Daryl's arm off her shoulder. the first thing he thought was that something was wrong so he ran up to them "What's wrong, are you ok?"

y/n pov

"I'm fine" I got up and pushed them off, "going hunting" I mumbled, and walked towards the woods, slinging my pack over my shoulder. "You can't go out there by yourself!'' Rick called out to her and Daryl grabbed his crossbow off the deck and followed after me. I wasn't in the mood to talk to him at the moment. If they can ignore me I can ignore them.

We ended up getting a few rabbits after pausing several times to puke my guts up "Ye ok?" I just hummed in a monotone and carried on walking back to camp. We got close enough to smell Carol cooking the meat I caught the day before she was trying to take her mind off of Sophia, poor woman. I shoved my squirrel's rope into Daryl's chest and ran off to puke again. "I don't remember it being this bad," I mumbled and wiped my chin. "Here" Glenn handed me a glass of water, "she told you" he nodded "She also told me bout this morning" Great "it's fine Glenn" he crossed his arms "It's not fine, someone needs to take care of you if they won't I will" I smiled at him "thanks pretty boy"

"Thought you forgot about that" glenn smiled "Didn't want Maggie to think I was taking you away from her" I ruffled his hair "I won't" Both of us jumped "Jesus Maggie" she smiled and handed me a plate of fruits "don't scare us like that" both of us looked at her offended "how long have you two known each other?" she looked at uys "few months, why" i shrugged when glenn looked at me "the way you act though yall might have known each other before" i looked at glenn and I'm sure my expression of confusion matched his "yall act the same people pick up on their friends mannerisms when they've known each other a while" i nodded "well, we have been kidnapped together"

"Held at gunpoint" glenn counted on two fingers "Oh and there was that one time when that group of men tried- to", Maggie cut me off "alright aright I get it" She chuckled and walked off, I slapped Glenn's hand away from my sliced strawberry "I love you pretty boy but never take food away from a pregnant lady" he rolled his eyes and I walked away popping a grape in my mouth "where did she even get grapes, they don't have vines on the farm" glenn laughed at my outburst