10 Years Later

Daryl clutched the coffee mug in his hand as he watched from the back window into the backyard. Outside, were his children and his wife, playing on the swingset he bought them two years before for Christmas.

It was one of his favourite things to do, just watch them. Beth always made sure the kids were happy and entertained, and watching her being such an amazing mom was just the icing on the cake of their lives.

After Beth had told him she was pregnant, he immediately went into protective papa bear mode. He wanted her to be happy and healthy and he literally would do anything for her. He came with her to her first visit with Sasha, the midwife. He was nervous as he had no clue what to expect but Sasha set both him and Beth at ease. When they heard the whoosh of their child's heartbeat for the first time, it was making his dream a reality. Being able to hear how real this baby was, just made his heart burst with joy.

Telling their friends and family about the pregnancy was the best. As much as Daryl hated being the centre of attention, he was just excited about finally getting to be a dad and was bursting at the seams to tell everyone. Because she would be far enough along, they decided to tell everyone at Christmas.

They hosted a Christmas dinner at their house and invited all their closest friends. Daryl made sure tell to Merle at the last possible second, as he still wanted to tell his brother before everyone else, but didn't trust him enough to not blab. Merle was happy for his brother and seemed generally excited about becoming an uncle.

They had purchased a special ornament for their tree, that said Coming Soon with a picture of their ultrasound inside. It would be hard to notice but Beth made sure to add lots of fun bright ornaments to their tree so draw attention. Sure enough, Lori was taking a peek when she saw the ornament and started screaming about babies. Everyone was confused, but once Lori could catch her breath and form the words that Beth and Daryl were expecting, their guests all joined in on the excitement.

Her family was just as special. It was an easy gift and would make sense. When Maggie opened her World's Best Aunt T-shirt on Christmas morning, she was practically crying and hugging her sister as everyone realised what was going on. Hershel managed to grab Daryl in a hug which he returned as Daryl had learned, when Hershel hugged you, you hug him back.

The holidays were filled with excitement over their news and they decided to spend their New Years at home, just the two of them and their cats. As the clock chimed down to midnight, Daryl was rubbing Beth's small baby bump and whispering to Beth how happy he was.

Beth went through the pregnancy like a champ and never suffered from any morning sickness or too much fatigue. She had an exuberant amount of energy in her second trimester which was great because she was really able to help get the bakery working at it's best. She knew she was gonna take a few months off once the baby was born, so she started getting Olivia to meet with clients for big orders and Rosita took over the majority of the baking. Patti was working more and they were going to hire a part-timer to help her out on her days off.

Daryl made sure that between Merle, Gareth and Spencer, the store would run like clockwork without him. He wanted to be at home for a little while after the baby was first born, and then return to work and keep to normal hours. It worked out fine and Gareth was still working at the shop, even though he was done school and was working part-time somewhere else. He enjoyed working there and being friends with the Dixons and he didn't want to change that.

They decided to keep the sex a surprise much to everyone's disappointment. The baby's room was painted a neutral beige and filled with browns, blues and yellows. The baby deer she picked out at the fair was placed on the shelf above the crib where their baby would lay once it was born.

Her labour was long and painful but Beth was determined to get through it without complaint. She and Sasha had practised many breathing techniques and positions for Beth to be in while she was in labour. Once the contractions got to be too much, she moved from home to the clinic where she spend another nineteen hours in labour. Once their son entered the world, Daryl couldn't hold back the tears, even if he tried.

As Beth slept, and he held little Hunter Dixon in his arms, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with love. He knew that falling for Beth had been fast but this was on a completely different level. This was instant and he vowed to give his son the childhood that he never had growing up, and love him more than anyone else possibly could.

Beth took to motherhood as a duck to water, as Daryl had expected. She was a natural with Judith and with Madelyn and it was no brainer that she would be with their own child. Yes she had her moments of panic and overprotectiveness but so did he. Everyone came around to visit and Beth enjoyed having the company, but their absolute favourite moment was lying in bed with Hunter between them. The cats played with his kicking feet, and they were all curled up together, just being a family. It was pure bliss and he wouldn't trade any moment for this one.

Eventually Hunter grew and Beth returned to work. She did the books from home and went to the bakery to work on specialty cakes and desserts. Her business was featured in several magazines, bringing even more visitors to the small town. She and Olivia handled all the orders and cakes, while Rosita thrived in the everyday baking. They were such a well oiled machine that when Beth got pregnant again not two years later, they made it work, just like they did before.

The difference with Beth's second pregnancy was there wasn't one, there were two. It added a lot more stress to her body and she was put on bedrest by her fifth month. Daryl was able to help out a lot as his business was prospering and Merle was happy to take on more of the workload. He was looking to retire in the next year or two and would take on the business now, while Daryl was settling into family life.

Hunter was right in the middle of the terrible twos when his twin sisters came into the world. Annie and Harper Dixon had Daryl wrapped around their tiny little fingers the minute they were born and Daryl knew that he was in trouble. He was suddenly outnumbered in his house by girls, and if they were anything like their mother, he could never say no to them.

It took awhile, but they managed to get a routine down and Daryl returned to work, with Beth going in once a week, once the girls were about three months old. It was hard. Sometimes they both just needed to take a walk around the block to catch a break, but they did their best and the kids flourished. Hunter didn't like having to split his parents attention with his little sisters, but his auntie Lori was more than happy to swoop in and bring him over to play with Judy when she wasn't in school.

With their businesses under control, Daryl and Beth were still able to spend as much time with their children as they could. They even spent the next few years working a few days a week and going on adventures.

Hunter wanted to be just like his dad and they would camp out in the backyard. Harper joined them once she was old enough, Annie, not one who enjoyed bugs or camping, stayed inside with her mother. If they were looking to pass their businesses down to their children, it seemed they would have that. Hunter loved everything about hunting and camping and dressing his father's kills never fazed him.

Beth had a shadow in the kitchen, named Annie. She followed her mother around, mixed the ingredients and licked the spoon. It was her favourite place to be, and if they didn't force her down for a nap, she'd be found fast asleep mid day, on the kitchen floor.

Harper shared interests with both her siblings but also did her own thing. She loved playing and acting things out with her dolls and toys. She would make elaborate plays for her parents to watch and was just generally outgoing and extroverted. What that meant for her future, who knew, but Beth and Daryl were glad that she was finding her own way.

The years passed, the kids started school and Beth and Daryl were able to spend more time at work. Merle had retired and was still living in Woodbury. He traveled on his bike during the summer and in the winter, and would continue to go hunting for the shop. Through all the years that Joe, Martinez and Len had gone hunting with Merle, they learned quite a bit and took over that part for Daryl. He still went out occasionally, in more recent years, bringing out Hunter for the day, but it was the other three who did most of the work.

Maggie and Glenn had another baby, somewhere between Hunter and the twins. Another little girl they named Maisie. Beth and Maggie were happy that their children were so close in age and got along great when they were able to get together. It wasn't often but they made sure to get together a couple times a year, the holidays and for a few weeks in the summer. They were family and they wanted their children to grow up knowing that.

They lost Hershel two years earlier, another heart attack. His old age was playing a factor and how weak he had gotten in the years leading up to it. It was hard on Beth, losing her father, as it was on Daryl was well. Hershel was such a positive father figure in his life, better than anything his father ever was to him and he missed him dearly. Daryl packed up his family and they stayed on the farm for a week, so that they could all grieve together and be a family.

Shawn never married and he was happy with his work on the base. There were a couple girls through the years but he enjoyed just being an uncle. He came to visit Woodbury at least once a year and any holiday he could get out for. He made sure to video chat with his sisters as much as possible and so the kids would recognize him. It worked for him and his family respected all the work he did for his country.

Things had been wonderful in the past ten years. Meeting Beth was the best thing that ever happened to him, and his life was complete. He was nearing fifty now and had three children under the age of ten. He had a beautiful wife who still made him feel like a teenage boy at night when they were alone in their bed. He worried with their age difference, he would lose his sexual appetite, but to this day, they never had a problem with that. Were they still having sex? Absolutely. Was it as often as they used to? Hell no! But it didn't matter. She still looked at him with the same gleam in her eye as she did when they first started dating.

Finishing his coffee, he came outside and was immediately bombarded by a little girl running into his body and attaching herself to his leg.

"Daddy, play hide and seek with us!" Annie exclaimed, as he picked her up in his arms.

"Well you guys go hide and mommy and me will find you," he said. The kids all screamed and started running in different directions around the backyard. Daryl just zeroed in on Beth and walked right up to her.

"Smooth. How much time we got?"

"Bout ten seconds."

"Better make them count then," she winked. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly, enjoying the moment of intimacy between his wife and him. Apparently it took longer than the ten seconds he originally estimated, because they heard Hunter yell out.

"Dad, stop being gross. Come find us!"

"Ready or not, here we come," Beth exclaimed, pushing away from her husband but expecting him to follow her. Daryl just smiled as he watched her look around for the kids. He remembered her first coming to the town of Woodbury and how shocked he was by her beauty and personality. Her bakery was exactly what this town needed but she was exactly what he needed. She was the sweetest surprise he could have ever hoped for.

And there you go. The end. I'm super sad now but I just wanted to say the biggest thanks to everyone out there who followed along with me during this journey. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I loved writing this.

Thank you to Brandy and Carla for everything. They helped mold this story to what it was and let me bounce all my ideas off of them. They listen to me complain about writer's blocks and help me push through. Thank you ladies! I dedicate this story to you two and the lovely ladies in Bethylville.

Keep following my other story, On The Road, which I'm co-writing with Brandy. We're really getting into the thick of things in there so you don't want to miss out on that.

There is no sequel planned out, but never say never. I do wish to continue writing, so maybe something will come up eventually.

Thanks again everyone and leave a review with any last thoughts!