Fire With Fire // D. Dixon

chapter twenty-eight

Rick Grimes had been very protective over Chloe once he knew she was pregnant.

The group had noticed that Rick was watchful of Chloe, even more now than before. They were once again left confused, leaving them to wonder and speculate as to why he was not allowing her to leave the house unaccompanied. Not that she really wanted to leave the house, it was just nice for her to get some fresh air. But she'd only go with her father or Daryl. 

Once Rick knew about Chloe's pregnancy, she knew she had better tell Daryl. She knew he deserved to know that his girlfriend was pregnant with a baby that wasn't his. He'd know that, of course, since they hadn't slept together. She knew he'd know who the father was, but she still hoped he'd stay with her, that he still loved her.

So, the next day she had taken a walk with Daryl to break the news to him. It was better he knew now, rather than later.

"It's a good day for a walk." Daryl spoke first, seeing how tense Chloe was. She walked with her arms crossed, as if she was nervous about something. Daryl knew her body language by now, he knew something was going on.

"Yeah," Chloe looked at the clear blue sky, and then back at Daryl, "It is."

"Ya look like you got somethin' to say...might as well just spit it out now. It'll make ya feel better, whatever it is." Daryl said, stopping for a moment and looking at her. 

"I really don't know how to say this to you...you deserve so much better than this..." Chloe stated, making Daryl frown. What had made her think that? He was confused.

"Say what?" Daryl looked at her, looking for a sign of anything from her. 

"I'm pregnant."

Daryl stopped breathing for a moment, looking at her as she watched him. 

He thought about what she had said. Pregnant, he restated in his head. There was going to be a baby. That baby had a father, the man that had raped her. Daryl felt a wave of anger flood through his veins, knowing that's what had happened...that he had caused this. That man had destroyed her life in more ways that one. She was going to be put through so much trauma dealing with this, he could see the struggles so clearly in his mind. He hated that for Chloe, she had deserved so much better than all of this shit.

He thought about Lori, how she had died giving birth to Judith, remembering that Chloe had been the one to cut her open. He also remembered how hard it was, taking care of a baby in this world, protecting her out on the road. It certainly was not an easy road to take.

"Say something..." Chloe cried, reaching for Daryl's hand. He was pulled out of his thoughts, looking back into her tear-filled eyes.

"It's gonna be okay," Daryl pulled her into a hug, shock still evident on his face, "I'm gonna be right here, every step of the way. You and that baby are gonna be just fine."

"You aren't breaking up with me?" Chloe asked him, wiping her face of tears away as she continued to look at him.

"What? Hell nah," Daryl pulled away, shocked that she would think so little of him, "I love ya, Chloe. You didn't want this...I know that. But I ain't gonna leave ya to handle this on your own. You and that baby are gonna make it, I'll make damn sure of it."

Chloe lunged at him with happy tears spilling down her face, "I'm so happy to hear you say that."

From the house, Rick had spotted the pair in the road. He had watched the last chunk of their interaction, knowing what she had told him. When his eyes met Daryl's, they nodded at each other in understanding. 

They had to protect her. At all costs.

-X-

As Rick, Michonne, Chloe, Maggie, Daryl and Deanna walked along the walls, they had been discussing the security of Alexandria. Or the lack thereof.

"We need a constant patrol along these walls. Not just looking for damage, but signs that anyone climbed in from outside," Deanna looked at Rick confused, "You can move right up the supports. That's what I'd do...People are the real threat now." Rick glanced at Chloe before looking back at Deanna.

"Rick, I know you think that we should all be armed within the walls. I can't do that." Deanna wanted to trust Rick's opinion, but struggled to come to terms with how best to do that.

"That's fine," Rick said, looking around, "You make these changes, we won't need to."

Sasha walked up to the group, "I want to volunteer to be one of the lookouts in the clock tower."

"There are no lookouts in the clock tower." Deanna spoke calmly, but Rick was alerted at that response.

"What?" 

"We saw someone up there earlier." Michonne said, looking at Deanna confused.

"That was an empty rifle my son Spencer put up there. He mans it sometimes, but not often," As she spoke, Rick was growing frustrated, "Look, there hasn't been the need."

"We need a lookout in that tower, right now...24/7." Rick stated, his voice becoming lower. Chloe could see that he was worried. Not having proper protection of this place made them a target.

"It's the only way we'll be able to see if someone's coming at us." Michonne tried to talk some sense into the ex-congresswoman.

"Okay," Deanna sighed, sensing their urgency, "we'll make shifts."

"I'll take those shifts, as many as possible." Sasha says, ready to go right then.

"Me too." Chloe adds, standing next to Sasha. Rick sends his daughter a knowing look, he didn't want her doing anything that could get her hurt. She was pregnant, after all. Nobody knew except Rick and Daryl. For now, that was best.

"Why?"

"Sasha's one of our best shots. She can do it," Maggie spoke, looking at Deanna intently, "And Chloe here is spot on with a sniper rifle. They'll both be a good fit for the job." Chloe smiled at Maggie, appreciating the compliments.

"I'm gonna put Spencer up there today," Deanna spoke, "I'll consider you two being our primary lookouts but I want something in return. Tonight, I'm hosting a welcome for all of you at my home. I want you to be there."

"Why?" Sasha urged. 

"Come tonight," Deanna smiled at the group, "then we'll talk about it."