Note: On a side note, I love how Chan looks like he's in some kind of hair commercial in that GIF lol. Oops...I just killed the mood of the whole chapter, I'm sure haha XD Okay, anyway, enjoy! ^_^

I sucked in a breath as I heard Carl come in the door downstairs, my head snapping up at the sound.

"Angel! I'm home!" he called up the stairs and I could feel my heartbeat quicken in my chest, my stomach dropping to my feet.

What would Carl say? What would he think? We were still teenagers! We'd grown up so much - the both of us in this post-apocalyptic world we'd been forced to live in. But we were still so young. As the tears filled my eyes, I glanced down at the diamond ring on my finger and took in a deep breath.

But it was different. I knew it would be different this time. Owen loved me and I'd never forget that. But he wasn't the father type. He never could have been - even if he had lived to see his little girl. Although I knew he would have loved her with all his heart just like I did.

And besides, I knew what I was getting myself into this time, too. And I couldn't be happier that I was pregnant...with Carl's baby. I didn't realize I had slid my hand over my stomach once more until Carl was standing in the doorway to our bedroom, his eyes locking onto my lone figure sitting on the bed. Wordlessly, I removed my hand and shot him a small smile in greeting. His eye watched me intently and he tilted his head to the side, his sheriff's hat shifting slightly on his head. But thank goodness, he seemed not to notice where I'd had my hand.

"You alright? You were just sitting there, staring into space," he said, his voice turning from serious and concerned to a hint of teasing in his tone.

I nodded, rolling my eyes playful as I got up off the bed and came to stand in front of me. I locked my hands around his neck as his went to my waist, holding me so close that I felt his warm breath on my face, our noses almost touching.

"I'm fine. Really. I was just thinking," I shrugged but he narrowed his eye, unconvinced.

"About what?" he asked, his deep voice soothing me completely as he brushed a strand of hair out of my face.

I almost told him then and there. In retrospect, maybe I should have but instead, I bit my tongue and forced a smile. Now wasn't the time. Not yet.

"I was just...thinking about how much of a family we've become over these past few months," I told him, the words not a complete lie as they flew out of my mouth, "You, me, and Winnie,"

He smiled at the mention of her and his blue orb lit up, fingers caressing my hips gently. She was his little sunshine. I was glad she had him, too. He'd be the only "father" she'd ever remember in her life.

"We have, haven't we?" he nodded, his smile growing wider if that were even possible as his hand took mine, index finger tracing patterns across the clear-cut diamond ring, "And soon it'll be official, Dixon. Or should I say, Grimes?"

I blushed hard and glanced down at my shoes in embarrassment, only to have two fingers push my chin back up to meet his ocean-blue gaze.

"You know I love you, right? Every single part," he said softly, making me shiver both from his words and touch.

Tears pricked my brown eyes at his declaration, always sincere and honest were his words. Carl Grimes had changed a lot in my life. And not just this new development - I'd opened up to him like no one else in my life before he came along. He knew everything about me but still, he stayed. If possible, he loved me ever the more for it. In my own mind, he should have left me a long time ago. But he'd never given up on me. Not once.

And in that one blissful, intimate moment, I realized that it would be okay. That all my fears were invalid. We were young but we could do it - we could raise a child. After all, we were already raising Winnie together. And Carl loved my daughter with all his heart. Just like he'd love this baby growing inside me.

I took a deep breath then, ready to tell him everything just as he tilted his head to the side in slight confusion. But all of a sudden, the front door downstairs opened, hitting the wall with a loud bang.

Rick's voice shouted up to us loudly, "Guys, we have a problem!"