A/N Thank you all so much for following this story. It's been a little tough writing the last chapter. I love this Merle and Beth and Daryl and Michonne so much, and the supporting characters, particularly Edith and all the children. We're stepping into the future a bit, and we'll see if we can't wrap things up for now.

1967

Beth had decided it called for a party, a celebration, and he was happy to go along with most things Beth wanted, especially this.

The U.S. Supreme Court had declared the anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional. It was a huge victory for the civil rights movement and for their family.

They were going to keep the party to just those they considered family, but the family had grown.

Daryl and Michonne and their children were to be the guests of honor.

They had added a daughter to their family, Meredith, just a year after the twins were born, she'd be turning 18 this year.

Michonne had home schooled the children, trying to protect them as much as possible from the hate and violence that had raged through the country. Under her tutelage they'd both excelled.

Like his mother, Ben wanted to be a civil rights attorney, and he wanted to stay in the south. He'd gotten a scholarship to Emory University, right in Atlanta. He had a steady girl, a beautiful young woman who also came from a mix race family, and who also attended law school at Emory.

But Ben wasn't all just academic scholar. Daryl had made sure his son knew how to survive in the woods, and in the city. Dixon men had to be self-reliant. That was just fine with Michonne, Daryl had proven to her over and over again he could take care of his family, no matter what.

Meredith was more of a quiet dreamer. And Meredith loved music. Beth had taught all the children the basics of music and how to play the piano, but Meredith had carried it to a whole new plane. She was now a concert level pianist and had already performed with several world renowned orchestras. She'd been accepted to the Juilliard School, where she had plans to earn a Graduate Degree in Music Composition.

Merle knew Daryl didn't really get it, and Merle didn't really get it, but there was never a daddy more proud than Daryl Dixon. And just like her brother, Daryl had taught Meredith what he knew. She could survive in the woods and she could survive in the city.

Daryl didn't like to admit it to anyone, after all, he'd had a very successful military career and still consulted some secret group over at the Pentagon. But he'd confided in Merle he was almost glad it had been discovered that Ben had some hearing loss. It kept him out of the military and this war going on in Southeast Asia. And in his heart, Daryl knew his son would be treated differently; there was still plenty of prejudice in the ranks.

Edith and George were the other guests of honor at the party. Over the years they'd grown closer and closer to Edith and she was a very important member of their family. A few years ago, George had come to the shop and asked Merle if he had a job for a janitor. Merle didn't really employ a janitor, everyone was responsible for cleaning up after themselves, but he would never turn Edith or George away and had hired the man on the spot, and not once had he had a moments regret.

George, Jr. worked for Merle as well, he'd learned mechanic work from Merle and Axel, and the boy had a real talent for it, but he'd been drafted right out of high school. He went in, served his time, and lost a leg in Viet Nam. He learned to use the prosthetic, one the army gave him, and you couldn't tell much.

As soon as he was released, Merle hired him right back. He was a good mechanic and a good employee. He married a real nice girl who worked over at the post office, her name was Helen, and Edith seemed to think she was something special.

Merle and Beth had no idea when Edith came to work for them that she was only 28 years old. They came to find out, she and George had been married since they were 14. It was obvious that Edith and George were meant to be together, when they looked at each other, there was nothing but love in their eyes.

Edith still worked for them five days a week, even though the children were mostly grown and all of them had plenty of household chores. Merle suspected Beth just liked having Edith there with her, and that was okay with him, whatever made Beth happy made Merle happy.

Rick and Lori would be there, they remained Beth and Merle's closest friends. Merle always had a lot of respect and admiration for Rick and Lori. They'd gone through a terrible time in their marriage but they'd worked it all out, put the family first, and Merle knew they were a happy pair.

Carl had grown into a fine man. He'd gone in the military right out of high school, but rather than wait to be drafted, he joined the Navy. He was an electrician's mate, and when he came out of the Navy he went right to work as an apprentice electrician. He was now a journeyman working for a construction group in town, and saving up money to start his own electrical service company. He planned to be a business owner within the year.

Judith was a beautiful young woman who, after high school, went to business college for bookkeeping. She worked in the clerk's office down at the county building, and she was married to one of Rick's Deputies.

And then there was Maggie and Glenn. They'd long ago mended their fences with Maggie, but still, it had never been the kind of warm, close relationship they had with Daryl and Michonne. Merle knew deep in his heart, he could never completely forgive Maggie for not helping Beth more all those years ago. And it had been years before Merle had even met Glenn.

Glenn didn't come into the Southern states because of the anti-miscegenation law. So one summer, Merle and Beth had loaded up all the kids and gone to Michigan to visit. They didn't stay in Maggie and Glenn's home. The couple had no children, by choice, and Merle and Beth didn't think they'd feel comfortable staying there with their large family. A travel agent had gotten them a motel that had a swimming pool and the kids had a great time, and so did Merle and Beth.

Merle liked Glenn, he was a real nice guy. He and Maggie seemed like opposites in every way to Merle, but they got along great and they'd been together a long time.

Glenn was a dentist and they had a real nice house in town. Maggie seemed to mostly be one of those real social housewives, going to lunches, going shopping and playing tennis and golf at the country club. All things Merle didn't think sounded like much of a life. But Maggie seemed happy, and he supposed that was all that counted.

And there was Beth. He loved her more now than he ever had. She was still the most beautiful woman in the world to him, she always would be. She still seemed so young, just a few months shy of 38 years old now. But she looked more like 28. She still had her beautiful long blond hair, and those big blue eyes a man could get lost in, and she was still so tiny. He'd always thought that as she got older her figure would fill out more, but it never had. He didn't mind, he'd always liked bigger women until he met her, but now tiny was perfect for him. Hell, he'd love her any way she was.

She'd done a helluva job rearing a houseful of kids. Not just insisting that they do well in school and mind their manners, but raising them to be good people. She made all of them volunteer at the old folk's home and at the soup kitchen downtown. She wanted them to understand how good they had it, and that not everyone did.

She and Merle knew what it was like to be hungry, they never wanted their children to know.

Tommy had been so special to both of them. He'd always been a quiet boy, but that didn't mean he was sad, in fact, he was one of the most happy and content people Merle had ever known.

He started working for Merle at the shop when he was 12. After school if he didn't have too much homework, and every Saturday morning for a couple of hours.

The shop wasn't open on Saturdays, but Merle had bought an old broken down truck and that's how he taught Tommy everything about engines and repairing them, and how to change a tire, how a dent could be banged out if it wasn't too bad, how to change out windshields, everything.

Tommy paid close attention, he loved the work, and he loved working with his Dad. When they got that truck running like new, Merle taught him to drive it. He was relieved it wasn't nearly as hair-raising teaching Tommy to drive as it had been teaching Beth.

Tommy thought his dad had sold the truck, but Merle kept it stashed away in a storage unit. He'd slip down there once a week when Tommy was busy at school or working in the shop, and he'd drive the thing around to keep it running good. He'd had the upholstery re-done and gotten it a nice paint job. Specialty work they didn't do at the garage.

When Tommy turned 16 he gave it to him for his birthday. Tommy couldn't believe it, he was so thrilled and he couldn't stop thanking his Dad. Merle told him, "Ya worked hard an ya earned it son. I'm so proud of ya."

When Tommy was 18 Merle and Beth told him something they'd only just learned themselves, his last name wasn't Dixon, it was Greene. Apparently the law was you had to be adopted, or a name had to be legally changed.

Merle told him, "I always thought of you as my son. I give ya my name cuz that's what ya were to me, my oldest son, Tommy Dixon. Now it's up ta you. You can use the name Greene if that's what ya want, we're gonna have ta clear up some records and things, but we can do it, or, now that yer 18, we can legally change yer name ta Dixon. You think on it son and let me know what ya wanna do."

Tommy looked at him, "Are you kidding me dad? I don't need to think about it, I'm proud to be your son, proud to be a Dixon. Of course I want to legally change my name."

Beth could see the moisture in Merle's eyes. "We'll get us a lawyer, I'm sure Michonne can find us a good local one, and we'll have the birth certificate changed too. I love ya son."

They rarely embraced anymore, but Tommy put his arms around Merle's shoulders and said, "I love you Dad. You're the best Dad in the world."

Tommy tried to join the Navy out of high school, like Carl did, before the draft got him, but he didn't pass the physical because of his history of rheumatic fever. Secretly, Merle, like Daryl, was relieved.

He stayed working for Merle and Merle was sure there wasn't anything in that garage Tommy couldn't do. Tommy was 23 years old now, and all business.

Merle had bought a second shop a year ago, and put Tommy in charge. Axel had agreed to move to the new shop and be Tommy's lead mechanic. Business had been real good and Merle and Tommy were both happy with the way things were going.

Merle had hired a young woman named Amelia to work in the office at the new shop. She was a real pretty little redhead and damn, she and Tommy had fallen hard for each other right away. There was going to be a wedding this spring and Merle and Beth were overjoyed.

Suzy? Well, damn that little gal looked exactly like her Mama, and her personality was like Beth's. She was sweet as could be, but she had a little fire to her for sure.

After high school she'd gone to business college and studied bookkeeping and general office. And she'd done something that had surprised almost no one in town, she'd started dating Carl Grimes. Some folks thought Merle would be upset because Carl was 10 years older than Suzy, but hell Merle was 12 years older than Beth, and he didn't see a problem with the age difference.

They'd been married six months now and they had a plan, as soon as they were able to buy that electrical business, Suzy would quit working for that manufacturing company, and run the office at Grimes Electrical Service.

The weekend before Suzy and Carl had married, Carl, Tommy and Merle had worked on the apartment, turned that living room he'd made into a sewing room, back into a living room, and Suzy and Carl were living in the apartment out back while they saved their money.

The twins were a pair for sure. They were both blue-eyed blonds, but Katie was even tinier than Beth, and Charlie on the other hand was bigger than Merle. They'd been best of friends since the day they were born and Merle got a kick out of the way they took care of each other. Thank God they'd been easy, hadn't caused their Mama much trouble when they were little, and they both did real well in school. They were studious types.

They'd graduated from high school last spring and Katie was in nursing school. Charlie was going to college at University of Georgia. From there he wanted to go to The Medical College of Georgia in Augusta and become a doctor. The twins planned to open their own Medical Office right here in town someday. Merle had no doubt they'd accomplish their goals.

And then there was Daryl. The twins had just started first grade when they'd discovered Beth was pregnant again. Neither one of them could figure out how that happened, they'd been so careful after the twins.

Beth decided it was meant to be and that was that. He thought she'd be upset, but he swore it was her happiest pregnancy. She was healthy, she slept well, and the other children were beside themselves with excitement.

When the boy was was born Beth had insisted he would be named Daryl, and she was not hearing anything else. "Merle, your brother has been so important in our lives, from stepping in when you were hurt, to taking care of that big problem that came to town, and finding me and bringing me home. I want us to honor him in this way. I'm firm on this Merle."

And he'd smiled and assured her, "I got no problem with that Beth. Ain't no one better to name a child for than Daryl."

He was 12 years old now, and it was almost eerie, the boy had an uncanny resemblance to Daryl. It wasn't just his steel blue eyes, or his square jaw, it was the personality. He was intense. He had that tough Dixon exterior, but hiding under that was a certain sweetness and vulnerability, he became almost consumed by the things he loved, and even though he was the youngest, he was so protective of his family. Like Tommy he was interested in learning everything he could about mechanics, but it was also nearly impossible to keep him out of the woods. Merle had no idea what Daryl would decide to do when he got a little older, but he figured it didn't much matter, whatever it was, Merle was sure he was going to succeed.

xxxx

It was the night before the big party and Merle and Beth were in the living room discussing it, she was so excited, and truth was, so was he. The people they loved would all be with them in their home, what could possibly be better than that? And they had a victory to celebrate. He knew it was just the first step in what would be a long battle, but it was a start.

She came to sit in his lap, and he never stopped loving that. "Merle, I can't believe how blessed we've been. We have such a wonderful family and friends. You're a loving husband Merle who has given me such beautiful children and such a happy life. I don't know what more I could ask for, I love you so much Merle, and I thank God every day for the apartment out back. It brought me to you."

"Ah little darlin', I'm the lucky one here. Yer stuck with a 50 year old man and I got me a beautiful young wife, the mother of my children who puts up with my ornery ways. I never even wanted ta get married before I met ya, but the minute I saw you ya had my heart. I couldn't love ya any more than I do right at this moment Beth, you're the best thing that ever came into my life. I thank God every day that I decided to turn an old building on the back of the property into an apartment. Best decision I ever made."

And about that time young Daryl walked in the room, he stared at them with those piercing eyes, and said, "It's like a dang romance novel." And then he smiled that little half smile, you know, just like his Uncle Daryl.

A/N And no, young Daryl is NOT Daryl's child, just a newer version of Daryl. You guys have been a great group, and I thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed this wrap up of our story. If you want more Merle and Beth, please check my fic Moonshine Romance, I think you might like it. Again, thank you so much for reading, please leave a review xo