Author's Note: So, here it is, the final chapter. It's taken a little over two years but I got here and it's so terribly bittersweet to say goodbye to this story, but this is where I needed to end it. I want to thank all of those who have bookmarked this story, reviewed, shared with me about your all-night marathon reading sessions and how much you loved Jo, as I have loved her. Of course, Jo and Rick's journey isn't quite over. Not technically, since there will be a sequel, and it will be called "We Can Hope", so keep an eye out for that in either the coming weeks or months. I'm sure on the timeline for starting it yet since there are plotlines to further flesh out.

I will be focusing next on resuming my other story "The World We Live In" as well as beginning a new story, to be (tentatively) named "Roads Not Taken" which picks up at the very beginning of the Walking Dead series. Kinda like going back to basics...

Anywho, with that being said and with not knowing what else I can say, I truly hope you enjoy this final chapter and, as always, please R&R!

xoxo —Holly

"What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." — T. S. Eliot

Three weeks.

That's how long it took before life finally settled down in Alexandria for everyone living there; that included those that had already been residents and those newly arrived from Mount Vernon. For the Mount Vernon transplants, it wasn't just settling into their new homes, but it was also getting to know so many new people that they now interacted with on a regular basis as well as living lives more akin to those they'd been used to living in the old world and not one of them took it for granted. Rick's group knew how easy it was to lose a place they felt was secure so it was very hard to not feel a little on edge at the beginning.

Rick and Jo moved into the house at the end of the road, next door to Shane and Andrea, that very same night all of them arrived, while Karen was still in labor. Because they hadn't unloaded and put together the crib they had brought with them from Mount Vernon and with all the excitement of so many new people around her that night, Rick and Jo had Hope stay with Andrea and Shane, as not to throw too much at her too soon. Sophia and Mika picked their bedrooms; with Sophia opting for the front bedroom upstairs that had the best view of the entire community from their house. That's what the teenager claimed she liked it for, but Jo suspected the girl was thinking more tactically. After everything she'd survived, witnessed and been forced to do—all those things she'd learned and picked up on in order survive in this new world with all the threats out there; Sophia wanted to be able to see what was coming before it got to her so she could prepare for the worst. It was bittersweet realizing that was where Sophia's head was at. Part of Jo was proud that she was thinking ahead and could handle herself and would grow up with a good head on her shoulders, but part of Jo was also sad that Sophia was just at that point where she wasn't young enough to be coddled anymore and couldn't have the childhood she deserved.

Mika, on the other hand, was still just a child; no more than two years away from becoming a teenager. Whereas Sophia had taken a more active role in many situations, like when they were making their way through DC or when they were clearing Mount Vernon of all those walkers, Mika had been held back and kept out of harm's reach. Mika had been afforded the chance to live more naively and not have to experience the same horrors. She was still a child and the new world hadn't broken her just yet. Picking her room came down to simply liking the bed that was already in it and wondering if where would be the perfect place for a dollhouse if one could be found for her somewhere down the line.

Finn took the bedroom downstairs, just off the kitchen, which was technically the master suite, because the en suite bathroom was so large and it had a larger walk-in closet as well. Rick and Jo were more than content with the second larger room in the house, which was upstairs with its own en suite that happened to be considerably smaller. They figured they had the entire house to spread out and make their own, plus they wanted to sleep closer to the children, and Finn deserved his own personal space amidst it all.

That night they barely slept at all.

There were so many things on their minds.

Getting used to sleeping in new beds, in new rooms, felt strange. At some point during the night, Mika ended up coming into Sophia's room to sleep with her; having been so used to sharing not only a room but also a bed for so long. Finn tossed and turned as well, at one point just getting up and walking around the downstairs; opening and closing the fridge, playing with the kitchen faucets and then putting in a disc from the third season of the 1970s Wonder Woman TV series into the DVD player. Rick and Jo were lying awake, making conversation, and just listening to any sounds in the house beyond their bedroom door. They heard Mika leaving her room and they could hear Finn downstairs, but barely. At Mount Vernon they heard every creak of a floorboard or squeak of a door hinge. If someone coughed downstairs, it echoed off the walls and the sound traveled. Sometimes it was just the old mansion itself settling. But this house they were in now was virtually new. Nothing creaked or squeaked, the walls were thicker, and there was nothing to settle.

Except for them.

Eventually sleep did consume them all, and Rick was the first one to rise the following morning. He quietly made his way into his and Jo's bathroom to piss and wash his hands with the door closed as not to wake her. Barefoot and shirtless, he padded out of the bedroom and down the hall to poke his head into Sophia's room, finding both girls still fast asleep and curled up together on Sophia's twin bed; somehow neither one looked like they would fall off. On his way downstairs, Rick paused and just looked around for a moment; taking in how oddly familiar this all felt because it reminded him of when he would rise early in the morning before Lori had to wake up and make sure Carl got ready on time for school. His routine usually meant getting up and starting coffee and then going to grab a shower before Lori, because she took longer and usually ate up most of the hot water.

He enjoyed the stillness and the quiet of mornings before anyone else awoke. The peace of a brand new day was like a crisp autumn day. There was nothing else like it. And now, in this new house, with an entirely new family, it felt like this had always been his life. Of course, he knew, once he stepped outside the house, the rest of the world would come crashing back in and he'd have to face the craziness of the day before.

Stepping into the kitchen, Rick immediately spotted Finn's feet hanging over the edge of the couch in the living room; having fallen asleep with the TV still on, judging by how the Wonder Woman DVD menu was still running. Walking into the living room, Rick looked around for the remote and turned the DVD off once the remote was found on the floor below the couch; probably from falling out of Finn's hand at some point. The sudden cease of low noise coming from the TV entered into Finn's consciousness and he woke with a start. Lifting his head, he looked around to remember where he was and then nodded at Rick when he realized his brother-in-law was standing there. Both men greeted each other with a casual "good morning" and then made small talk while Finn continued to full wake up and Rick went about looking through the cupboards for some coffee.

After the coffee was made and the brothers-in-law were enjoying their first cup of the beverage in months, that was actually fresh and not instant, the rest of the house seemed to come alive as everyone else began to wake up.

The first thing Jo wanted to know was if either Rick or Finn had heard anything about Karen and if her baby had been born. Forgoing breakfast and opting for only tea, Jo poured it into a travel mug and left the house and made a beeline for the infirmary where she found Tara sitting on the front porch with Alexandria's doctor, Denise Cloyd. After an exchange of pleasantries, Jo got to the heart of the matter an asked about Karen and received big smiles from both women.

Just after four that morning, Karen had finally given birth to her son; a bouncing baby boy that weighed in at eight pounds and nine ounces. Karen and Tyreese had chosen to name their son Isaac Richard Williams, whose middle name was in honor of Rick, and Rick was beyond honored when he found out and even more so when he and Jo were asked to be Isaac's godparents; to take care of him as one of their own should something ever happen to them. Although Rick and Jo were adamant that Isaac wouldn't lose his parents for many years to come, they still agreed to the request made of them without a second thought.

The rest of the day was spent bringing the rest of their belongings into their new homes. Denise had offered to be roommates with Tara; the two of them clearly having hit it off with each other right away. Morgan and Michonne moved into one of the smaller homes that had been brought into the community when the walls to Alexandria had been expanded months before. Daryl and Merle moved into the extra bedrooms in the house that Eugene had been living in by himself and barely a day into that living situation and it looked like it wouldn't work well for long merely because of how Merle was. Eugene seemed incredibly introverted who liked his personal space whereas Merle was very extroverted and didn't know the meaning of personal space. As for Tyreese, Karen and now Isaac, once they were ready, the house across the street from both Rick and Jo's house as well as Shane and Andrea's, and also the Anderson home, but faced the pond, was available to them. It had sat empty since the walls had come down and the walkers made their way inside the community. The house had been previously occupied by Shelly Neudermeyer and her family. When her family was attacked and killed by walkers, and after the walkers had all been eventually done away with, Shelly couldn't bring herself to live in the same house anymore and instead moved into one of the townhouses lived in by other women who were single and lost their families or had been turned into widows before and after the apocalypse.

Jesus had gone back to Hilltop with Aaron and the rest of their people who had made the trek to Alexandria, except for Dr. Harlan Carson who was going to stay the week to make sure Karen and Isaac were doing okay, as well as offer his services to any women in need of a proper examination, since he was an OB-GYN, after all. That night, with crib from Mount Vernon put together by Finn in what would be Hope's bedroom in their new house, Hope stayed with them that night and it went thankfully quite well. She didn't fuss too much when she was put to bed and slept straight through the night.

The day after that, Rick made the dreaded trip back to Mount Vernon with Daryl at his side to give the bad news about José to Lewis and Barb, primarily. It was those two, after all, that saw their fallen friend more as family than the others. Since Mike and Ryan had lived with José for months with Lewis and Barb before Rick found them in that McMansion, father and son took the news to heart but seemed to except it and were just grateful no one else had died and that Karen had given birth to a healthy son. They all planned to make the visit to Alexandria fairly soon to see the place, but wanted to wait until once Jo had also given birth so they could see both babies and would only have to make the one trip for a while. Part of the reasoning was to wait out the threat of other possible attacks from outposts that hadn't gotten the memo or did and weren't willing to go down without a fight.

At the end of the first week in Alexandria, King Ezekiel himself paid the community a visit with several of his "knights" to discuss how all the communities would be going forward together with trade and with how they would quell any rumblings of dissention within the newly Negan-free Sanctuary and its outposts. Jesus and Aaron arrived a few days after that to discuss the same thing but it was Dwight, Gavin and Laura arriving from the Sanctuary that both put most of Alexandria on edge because of the past dealings with the Saviors, but also got the ball finally moving with squashing the unrest with the outposts.

Unsurprisingly, change from the old ways to the new ways at the Sanctuary hadn't happened overnight and there had been quite a bit in-fighting amongst its residents; those who had been afforded more perks because of being a soldier of Negan's not acclimating as well to pulling their equal weight versus those who had been so used to being at the bottom of the barrel, so to speak, and now didn't have do more grunt work for less, especially since they now had equal rights to medicine and medical treatment from the other Dr. Carson—Harlan's older brother. Fortunately, any attempts at uprisings against the new way of life were prevented by the majority who agreed with and preferred the new way of life.

At the beginning of week two in Alexandria, the teams were agreed upon for who would be going on the so-called "peacekeeping missions." From Alexandria it was Rick, Shane, Daryl, Michonne, Tobin and Aiden. From Hilltop it was Jesus, Aaron, Wesley and Eduardo. From the Kingdom it was King Ezekiel, Richard, Alvaro, Jenny and Jerry. Then, from the Sanctuary it was Dwight, Laura, Gavin, Gary and Mark. The vehicles they would be traveling in were outfitted with spare panels from Alexandria's wall expansion; welded to or drilled into one side of the vehicles to act as an added barrier against any possible gunfire while they were inside the vehicles should the outposts shoot first and ask questions later or just shoot anyway. Though, with twenty people banded together from four different communities, and armed heavily, the "Peacekeepers" were definitely intimidating.

Dwight took lead most times. Though, depending on the particular outpost and who those particular Saviors were more familiar with, sometimes Gavin, Laura or Gary approached first.

Among all the outposts, only one actually fought back and even then they didn't fight back well, primarily because they were outnumbered, twenty to eight. It had been an outpost originally led by Donna, the redhead Jo had slain in Negan's suite. Word had traveled back to them that Paula had been killed and that Negan was dead and while they had been lying restlessly in wait for what to do next, they hadn't actually prepared themselves for what they would do next. Their first reaction was to fight; to seek retribution and kill everyone they could. In the end that skirmish, however, four of those eight Saviors wound up dead and another two only sustained minor wounds. As for the Peacekeepers, only Wesley was injured but Mark was killed after taking a gunshot to the chest and bleeding out.

The four survivors from the outpost surrendered. The Peacekeepers decided that each community would take one of the survivors back to their own community; choosing instead so-called "rehabilitation" over any sort of imprisonment for how they fought back against the new world order.

They wanted to change the world for the better and what better way to do that than immersion into the new way; to show these feisty Saviors how the world could and would be.

The two critically wounded Saviors were taken to either the Sanctuary or the Kingdom, simply because their doctors could treat them better than either Harlan could at Hilltop or Denise could at Alexandria. Mount Vernon was left out of the mix because there was only a few of them there now. As for Alexandria, the Savior brought back with them was a young brunette woman in her late 20s or early 30s named Michelle, but preferred to be called Chelle. Although she was brought there to live as part of their community, she was initially kept under locked up in a basement apartment of one of the townhouses at night, during the day she always had a chaperone and she wasn't allowed a weapon of any sort.

Then, just like that, it was week three in Alexandria for Rick's group since they had moved in.

It was a Friday.

In Alexandria keeping track of the passage of time had been easy because Deanna and her family had been there since the absolute beginning so they were never in the position of losing track. When the calendar for the first year of the apocalypse came to an end, they drew up calendars for the next year and now, although it was only about two years since the apocalypse began, they were on the third calendar year and it was currently Friday, the 18th of May, 2012.

After three weeks of settling in for the Mount Vernon transplants, all residents getting used to the population change and the tentatively successful subduing of any and all unrest among the outposts, Deanna had called for a community meeting in the church where she announced two things.

Firstly, she and Reg would be hosting a party at their house to finally welcome all the newcomers and for both old and new residents to get to know each other better, if they hadn't already. There would be drinks, finger foods and music and it was promised to be a grand time. Secondly, there was the announcement that Deanna was asking Rick to be Alexandria's second constable. With a growing population and the fact that both Rick and Shane had worked together for years as sheriff deputies in back in King County, Georgia before the old world came to an end, and with how Rick was already a highly respected leader within his group from Mount Vernon, it only made sense to place him into this new position. Rick hadn't been expecting this and was actually looking forward to not having to be in much of a leadership role anymore, but the leadership role always seemed to be thrust upon him no matter what he did or didn't do. With so many suddenly on him, being put on the spot like that, and with so many of those people he already knew and trusted him to maintain their safety, it was difficult to say no.

So he didn't.

That afternoon, Sophia helped Jo give Hope a bath while Rick took his first unofficial patrol alongside Shane inside the community and outside its walls to check the perimeters. While he was checking in with those on guard duty, Jo was giving Hope an early dinner and then grabbing a shower. By the time Rick was making his way home, Jo was in their bedroom, wearing only her underwear with her arms folded atop her immensely bulbous stomach and scowling down at the dress laid out upon the bed before her. All the while her blonde hair clung damply down her back, between her shoulder blades.

"Who pissed in your coffee?" Rick asked with a slight chuckle as he walked into their bedroom and quickly closed the door behind him when he realized how underdressed she was.

"I can't wear that dress."

"Why not? Not to sound like an asshole, but if Olivia can fit into it, so can you," he reasoned. "Plus, it's gotta be more comfortable than trying to wiggle into those maternity jeans you've been wearing that are about a size too small."

"No, it's not any of that," Jo replied. "I haven't shaved my legs in forever and I can't do it anymore."

Rick shifted his gaze down to her legs and could only barely make out any hair on them because of how fair it all was. Looking back up at her face, he smirked and then curled his finger at her. "C'mere."

Without another word, Rick led Jo into their small en suite bathroom. Closing both the seat and the lid to the toilet, he gestured for her to sit down and then grabbed for the can of shaving cream and the razor he'd been given from the pantry not long after they'd moved in and that he hadn't actually used yet. With a small smile, Jo watched as Rick sat beside her on the ledge of the tub and lifted one of her legs up to rest across his knees. Silently, he uncapped the can and sprayed the shaving cream along the first leg and gingerly lathered it up before going about gently shaving it; front and back, just above the knee. Using an already damp washcloth from the shower she'd taken recently, Rick wiped away the residue and touched up spots he'd missed before repeating the process with the second leg.

"Thank you," Jo muttered appreciatively.

"It was nothing."

"Everything you do is something," she insisted.

Rick looked up and held her gaze; giving a slight shrug. Holding onto her leg still, Rick lifted it up a bit and then he leaned down to meet it halfway before placing a kiss upon her kneecap. "Smooth as a baby's bottom now. Happy?"

"Very." With a grin she added, "How could I ever repay you?"

"Oh, I can think of a few ways."

"I'm sure you can."

"Well, since you're clearly on the same wavelength as me, you can see it from my perspective that the baby is gonna be here in about a week, give or take, and it'll be at least a couple months before either of us will have the energy for extracurricular activities."

Jo giggled. "Extracurricular activities?"

Rick shrugged. "Thought it sounded a bit more interesting than just 'fucking'."

"I'm fine with just fucking, and if we are then we're doing it my way."

"Oh?"

Raising an eyebrow, Rick watched the way Jo pulled herself up and then mimicked his gesture of curling her finger so that he would follow her this time. As he stood up and did just that, he watched as she walked up to their bed and picked up Olivia's dress that she was borrowing for the party and tossed it aside onto the floor. When she climbed up onto the bed, she knelt facing the headboard and then grabbed onto it.

"Minx," he muttered with an impish grin, before climbing up onto the bed after her.

Again, neither spoke.

Rick simply unzipped his pants and pushed them halfway down his thighs. Reaching out, he pushed her damp hair off her back, falling forward over her shoulders, as he placed his hands upon her back; massaging it from her shoulder blades down to her hips where he used his thumbs to draw circles around the dimples above her ass. Slowly then, he hooked his fingers into her underwear and pulled it down over her hips and ass so that it came to rest mid-thigh on her as his pants did on him. With one hand on his shaft, he leaned forward slightly to reach around and rub her slowly with the pads of his index and middle fingers to get them both of their bodies more quickly into the mood.

At the first sound of an initial sigh of contentment escaping Jo's lips, Rick removed his fingers from her front and gripped her hip as he guided himself to her entrance. Moving both his hands onto her hips, he slowly pulled her back onto him as he pushed forward rather leisurely and then just holding her in that position for a moment. Then, he nearly pulled out all the way just as slowly before pushing in again, this time a hair faster and harder.

"I'm not gonna break and you're not gonna hurt the baby," Jo mumbled, dipping her head down. "You don't need to be so gentle."

"I'm just trying to make the most of it. If I go to quick, it'll be over too quick."

"Well, we do have Deanna's party to get—ungh…" she cut herself off as she emitted a moan due to the way he suddenly angled himself with that next thrust.

"We can be fashionably late," Rick insisted.

Tightening her grip on the headboard, Jo outstretched her arms as she pushed back against him and let out a soft mewl of pleasure when he began to thrust more deeply bust still a bit on the languid side.

"Dammit, Rick," she whined.

He chuckled and leaned forward, placing a trail of kisses along her back. "Fine," he sighed in response.

Leaning up straighter, he gripped her hips a bit more tightly and finally picked up the pace; thrusting fast and deep before leaning forward once more but only to reach his hand around to her front again and roll her clit roughly between his fingers.

"C'mon, baby," he grunted, sweat beginning to bead along his hairline as their bodies rocked back and forth together. "C'mon."

A few more thrusts later mixed with that hip swivel she loved so much, Jo was starting to see stars as the beginnings of her orgasm arrived. Even though Rick orgasmed before she did, he was ever the gentleman to ride it out until she came. When she did and her body shook around him, he slipped out of her and fell back onto the mattress completely spent while she curled up on her side beside him.

"I think I'm too worn out to go to that party now," Rick muttered with a laugh.

"Unh-uh, not after you shaved my legs and I can show them off without embarrassment."

Sitting up slightly, Rick slapped her thigh and ran his hand down her leg; enjoying how smooth it felt. "You mean my legs," he teased; sitting up further so he could lean down and kiss her shin. Off Jo's giggle, Rick sank back onto the mattress again and let out a contented sigh. "Do we really gotta go to this party?"

"Yes," she replied without hesitation.

Rick sighed once more. "Ugh, fine."

Pushing herself to sit up, Jo scooted toward the edge of the bed and when she stood up she waddled into the bathroom with her underwear still halfway down her thigh. Closing the door behind her, Rick could soon here the toilet flushing followed by the sound of the sink's faucet running. When she reemerged into the bedroom, her underwear was pulled all the way up and the only other thing she had on at the moment was a knowing smile.

"What?" he wondered, sitting up again.

"Nothing."

"Bullshit."

Jo shrugged. "Just thinking happy thoughts, I guess."

Rick snorted and sent her a mocking look. "Yeah, okay, Tinkerbell."

Stepping forward, Jo grabbed a pillow off the bed and went to smack Rick with it, but he caught it with both hands and used it to pull her closer so he could slap her ass.

After a slight squeal, she gave him a playful shove to his shoulder. "Go take a shower already," she commanded. "There's a fine line between being fashionably late and just being an asshole."

With a sly smile, Rick got up and attempted to slap her ass again, but this time she was quick to react and stepped out of the way; instead using the pillow to hit him across his back as he sauntered off into the bathroom without bothering to close the door as he went to start his shower. Separated by being in two different rooms, Jo took that time to return her focus to getting ready for the party. First, she stared down at where she'd tossed Olivia's dress, which had a slightly higher waist and a skirt that belled out enough to accommodate Jo's stomach. She just hoped it wouldn't be too tight on her stomach and allowed her some movement.

Rubbing her stomach, she looked down at it and bit her bottom lip as a familiar feeling washed over her and brought a smile to her face. "Soon."

Rick and Jo arrived to the party an hour later and weren't actually fashionably late at all. There were plenty late arrived to the Monroe townhouse well after them. So the adults could enjoy themselves, Sophia and another orphaned teen girl, a brunette named Enid, offered to stay at Rick and Jo's house to keep an eye on the younger kids—Mika, Luke, and Sam Anderson—while primarily babysitting Hope and three-week-old Isaac; the latter due to it being Karen's first attempt to finally leave the house since giving birth and to experience being a regular adult again and not just a mom. However, the entire time she was at the party, Karen kept worrying if Isaac was okay and it took, Tyreese, Jo, Rick and even Deanna to assure her that all would be okay. This kind of worry was common for new mommies but she didn't have to ruin her night.

While Jo still couldn't partake in any drinking, it didn't deter her from having some genuine fun, because very soon she would be cooped up indoors for a while once she gave birth again. This night was going to be her last hurrah, so to speak, and it turns out she wasn't alone in not being the only adult not drinking because Karen was still nursing and didn't want to get Isaac drunk via breastmilk and a few other Alexandrians were former alcoholics who had stopped drinking in the old world and somehow had the willpower to not let the new world turn them to drink again.

For a most part it was a rather fantastic evening. There was awkwardness, of course; most from Mount Vernon just weren't used to this level of social gathering anymore. There was electricity, air conditioning which helped keep the temperature down within the house with all the extra bodies creating extra body heat, cold drinks were being served with ice cubes, an array of finger foods and other potluck dishes brought by other guests were there for consumption and music played from the stereo while people chatted about seemingly normal topics, laughed and even danced a little. The other amount of awkwardness came from Abraham arriving with Savior transplant Chelle; whom Abraham was acting as chaperone of for the night so they could immerse her more into how society could be and show her life could be kinder when they all came together.

It wasn't a surprise that most people kept their distance from Chelle like she were a leper and talked about her in hushed tones behind her back while offering strained but polite smiles when she walked past. But Chelle actually seemed to be doing rather okay. As the night wore on she seemed more comfortable in her own skin and around the others; even going as far as to initiate small talk.

"What happened to your finger?" Jo asked, eventually sidling up beside Chelle.

The brunette looked down at her hand and then up at Jo with mild surprise; most likely she hadn't been expecting anyone to initiate conversation with her or be so forthright instead of talking about bullshit like the weather or trying out new recipes from the rations they got from the pantry.

"I stole gas from the Sanctuary to find my boyfriend."

"Did you find him?"

Chelle shook her head. "No. Him and his group left our outpost a few months ago on a run, but they never came back. I went to the Sanctuary to ask for help rounding up a search party." Chelle bowed her head and sighed. "Negan said, and I quote, 'the Dick Brigade probably got served up as a meal for some dead fuckers and are now the dead Dick Brigade.'"

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry. About whatever happened to your boyfriend, that is," Jo remarked. "Losing someone you love isn't ever easy. You'd think nowadays we'd all be used to it by now and get over it faster, but we don't."

Chelle shrugged as she cast a sideways glance at Jo, while nursing an iced tea since she was also not allowed to drink alcohol on top of going anywhere unsupervised or handle a weapon. "I've been paying close attention to everyone tonight and in the days that I've been here. One topic of interest keeps making its rounds; that you're the one that killed Negan and brought the Sanctuary down to its knees. Is that true?"

Jo remained silent for a moment, catching Rick's eye briefly across the room before staring back at Chelle with little to no expression. "What if it is?"

"Then…then I'd say…holy shit. That you're badass. You did what a lot of people only thought about doing, and that includes some Saviors I know…knew." Chelle smirked slightly. "I thought about it once or twice, but it's not like I was ever in a position to do anything about it."

Jo shrugged; neither confirming nor denying what she did.

"How did you do it?" Chelle asked, going on the correct assumption that was responsible.

Considering her answer, Jo smiled and opted for mystery. "Why don't you come up with your own theories? Build up my legend."

Without another word, Jo walked away from Chelle; leaving her a bit more curious than she already was. Amused by this, Jo continued through the crowd of guests and slipped over to where Rick stood in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room.

"What were you talking to Michelle about?" Rick inquired.

"Oh, you know, girl things."

Rick scoffed. "Yeah right."

Jo simply shrugged and began rubbing her stomach.

"How're you feeling?" he continued, looking down at her hands.

"Like I'm about to burst."

"Let me know if this gets to be too much for you. When you're starting to feel tired, we'll leave. You shouldn't be on your feet for too long right now as it is, so close to the end."

"Mmhmm," Jo nodded, biting her lips together and then ducking out of the dining room and out into the hallway. "Oh, here we go."

"Jo?"

Jo turned to see that Rick had followed her and was looking at her quizzically. "Yeah?"

"You okay? Do you wanna go home?"

Shaking her head, Jo flashed a smile at him, but that smile suddenly faded and gave way instead to a look of surprise. "Oh shit."

Rick knitted his brow together. "What? What's wrong?"

Jo looked down and hiked up the skirt to her dress a little bit and focused on her legs; more importantly on the warm liquid running down from the inside of her thighs from the apex of her legs. Looking back up at Rick, she began to frown.

Following her gaze down, Rick lifted her dress a bit more and noticed what she noticed. With his blue eyes widening, he looked her in the eye. "Now?"

Jo nodded. "Yep."

Rick laughed and then sighed. "This had to happen now, before Harlan returned from Hilltop?"

"It's not like I planned it like this," Jo replied. "Go grab Denise. I'm gonna go clean up a bit in the bathroom."

Rick hesitated. "Will you be okay if I leave you for a minute?"

Shooting him a withering look, she rolled her eyes and walked off to the half bath off the hallway.

This is it, she thought. Here she comes.

Thirty minutes later saw Jo in the same private room in the downstairs of the infirmary that Karen had been in three weeks prior; now wearing nothing more than a typical hospital gown. Since her water had broken, contractions had quickly increased with the intensity of pain and seemed to be arriving at a faster rate than the first time Jo was pregnant and in labor with Hope fifteen months ago. What made this time much easier were several things. For starters, there was no group of walkers outside the door trying to get inside the room to eat them, there was an actual doctor to deliver the baby in a better environment, and Rick was with her again, except this time he sat behind her with his legs propped up on either side of her while she gripped his kneecaps and he wrapped his arms just under her breasts.

Calmly, Rick whispered words of encouragement in her ear well before it was even time to push even though it's all her body craved at the moment. However, as Denise had informed, she wasn't dilated enough yet so pushing was a no-go.

Instead of walkers outside the room, there were some of their friends; either in the infirmary or literally outside on the porch. Karen and Tyreese had left the party to retrieve Isaac from Sophia's care and informed the teen girl of what was going on with Jo. Excited and nervous about this, Sophia became antsy just waiting there at home so Enid told her she would stay with the other kids so Sophia could go to the infirmary to see how things were progressing. When she arrived a couple minutes later, Denise was still closed up in the private room with both Jo and Rick and had to get the update that nothing had happened yet from Andrea.

Over the next hour, some friends left and others arrived to take their place for simple curiosity's sake. After all this was an exciting time, not just for the parents, but for all of Alexandria, too. While Hope had been the youngest person in the community for a long while and had been the first baby ever to live inside the walls, Isaac was had been the first person born there. Now Rick and Jo's new daughter would be born there, a mere three weeks later.

In a world full of constant death and dying, so much new life was this amazing breath of fresh air.

Instead of mourning the end of lives, they were actually able to celebrate the beginning of lives.

Doors had closed and now others were opening because with new life came new possibilities; that this terrible, new world really didn't have to be so bad and it could get better.

Eventually, it was time to push.

Those that were waiting just beyond the threshold that was the door leading into the private room knew it was time simply because that's when Jo began to cry out in extreme pain. It began about a half hour after midnight and lasted off and on for only twenty.

And then, all at once Jo's wails of pain had ceased.

Following a heavy silence that hung in the air like a dark rain cloud, a different wailing began.

The sudden, infantile caterwauling broke through that rain cloud, parting it like rays of sun and those inside and outside the infirmary that were in close enough range to hear turned in the direction of the sound with bright smiles.

No one's smiles were as bright as Rick's and Jo's, though.

Leaning tiredly back against Rick's chest, Jo was overcome with perfect joy and love for her newborn daughter whom she held in her arms while Rick looked over her shoulder, down at their daughter; so completely filled with wonder.

"She looks like Carl when he was born," he commented; thinking fondly back on his first child and doing so for the first time without sadness laced in with the thought. "He screwed up his face the same exact way; always looked like he'd just eaten a lemon."

Jo chuckled, softly running the pad of her index finger along her daughter's nose, lips and chin. "Must be a Grimes thing then."

"Must be."

Looking up from their daughter and over her shoulder to Rick, Jo smirked. "When she starts squinting her eyes and tilting her head from side to side there'll be no doubting she's yours."

Rick simply smiled happily in return; almost oblivious to the fact that Denise had left them in the room to give them a little bit of privacy. He was just too caught up in the wonder in his newborn daughter. And, although, he loved all his daughters with all his heart and would give his life for them in a heartbeat, this was his flesh and blood. She was his only child biologically related to him as well as Carl. If something happened to her, and she need a blood transfusion like he had done for Carl after he'd been shot, Rick could do that for her. Since Jo had the same blood type as Rick, there was that added bonus of never wondering which one of them could safely donate to her. There was also the simple lure of the fact that while he'd had a biological son, this was the first time he had a biological daughter; something that, all those years with Lori, he never thought he'd have.

But here she was; yawning, trying to move her face toward her parents' voice and attempt to open her eyes while still looking like she'd just sucked on a lemon.

She was perfect.

She was also still nameless.

Soon Denise came back in with a smile and commented how more friends of Rick and Jo had seemed to be gathering outside to extend their well wishes to the "kinda sorta new parents" and sneak a peek at the new baby, but that she had advised them all to hold off until morning. Jo and baby would need rest soon after everything they'd physically just been through; giving birth and being born, respectively. Also, it just so happened that it was time for the baby's first feeding and although it had been over a year since she'd last done it, breastfeeding was akin to riding a bike for Jo and she was able to do it with more ease this time. What helped was this child seemed to take to her tit without issue like Hope had. She really was Rick's kid, because Rick had no issues with her breasts either.

That night, Rick stayed at the Infirmary; sleeping on the twin bed out in main room which was typically used for anyone who was wounded or sick, and convalescing. He didn't want to go home just yet; at least not until Harlan arrived from Hilltop to sign off on Jo being okay to go home and Denise assured him she didn't mind if he hung around for however long that might be. Denise and Tara were living together in the Infirmary and it seemed a relationship was beginning to form there, so if Tara was comfortable with Rick around, then Tara was, too.

Throughout the night, the baby was awake several times. Only when it was clear that she needed a feeding did anyone wake Jo. For the other moments, when she restless or cold or just wanted attention, then the latter is what was given to her by Rick, Tara or Denise.

Well after daybreak was when the baby had her first bowel movement and Rick was more than ready to do the honors of changing her. Around the same time, Jo had woken up and, with assistance from Rick, because she was still sore, went to the bathroom and showered; borrowing some clothes from Tara to wear until she could get her own things from home to wear. After eating her own breakfast and then breastfeeding the baby again, there came a knock at the front door to the Infirmary.

In walked both Sophia and Mika, along with Shane and Andrea who had brought Hope with them. As they were all introduced to the new baby, they were all also surprised to learn she didn't have a name yet; although Rick and Jo alluded to having an idea in their head.

After only an hour, the first group of visitors left and more were starting to show up. However, Sophia still hanging around and wanted some alone time to visit with her adoptive parents and new stepsister without anyone else around. Jo was sitting up in bed with Rick sitting at her feet; both facing Sophia who was seated comfortably in the chair that was pulled up beside the bed, where she was expertly cradling the baby in her arms.

"So, what's the name you've been thinking about giving her?" the teen asked, just staring down at her littlest sister.

Jo smirked, taking lead off a nod from Rick. "Well, with Hope, her middle name was given in honor of Dale, for how he sacrificed his life to help save everyone in C Block the day Hope was born, which was when he died," she began, noting how Sophia seemed to give a nod of acknowledgment as she recalled the events of that day. "So, Rick and I thought we'd sort of continue that tradition in naming our new baby in honor of not just one but two people who gave their lives for the sake of everyone else. The name is both already an actual name and not something we just made up by combining two names, but that's kinda what it is, too."

Sophia looked up curiously at both her parents.

"Laurel," Rick announced. "Equal parts Lori and Carol."

"After my mom?" Sophia questioned with a glimmer of a tear in her eye.

Rick nodded. "Yeah."

"Lori gave up her life to save mine, to save all of us," Jo remarked; the horribly sad memory creating a slight ache in her chest. "Your mother did the same for you and, in doing so, all of us. So, Lori…Carol…Laurel. Also, in ancient Roman times, laurel wreath was a symbol of success and peace, and I'd say that the issue with the Saviors has been successful and all these communities are—hopefully—entering a time of peace. The name just feels too perfect."

Sophia agreed with a nod. "Laurel Grimes. I like it." Then, she asked, "What about a middle name?"

Jo shrugged. "We hadn't really thought on that."

Studying the way Sophia furrowed her brow in thought, Rick raised an eyebrow curiously at her. "Why? You have a suggestion?"

"Maybe."

Rick smirked. "Well," he gestured to her. "Let's hear it."

Licking her lips, Sophia looked down at Laurel and smiled a small smile. "Andrea."

"Andrea?" Rick repeated.

"Yeah," Sophia confirmed, looking back up at both adults. "I mean, if you want to keep with the theme of honoring people who did so much for you, Andrea took care of Hope with Shane. She protected her and fed her and kept her warm. She loved her and was raising her as her own and would've continued to do so if we'd never showed up. Andrea was gave herself to being a mother to Hope. If there was ever a way to thank her for all she did, I'd say this would be it."

Rick and Jo looked at each other, considering Sophia's suggestion.

"Laurel Andrea Grimes?" Jo said out loud. With a smile, she shared a nod with her husband. "I like how it sounds. Rolls well off the tongue."

"There's just one other thing," Rick commented, sharing a knowing look with Jo before they both shifted their gazes back upon both the teen and their newborn. "We're gonna ask Daryl to be Laurel's godfather, but we'd like you to be her godmother."

Sophia was instantly surprised. "Me? But I'm not even a grown-up."

"You will be in a few short years."

"With how well you used to take care of Hope at the prison and even now how well you are with Laurel, plus you and Daryl were our only witnesses on the road when we married each other; it makes the most sense to us," Jo clarified.

Sophia practically beamed at the honor bestowed upon her. "Okay. I'll be her godmother and the best big sister. And, if something ever happened to both of you, I would take care of her like my own but hopefully nothing like that happens for a very long time or ever."

"Sounds good to me," Jo quipped.

Looking up at Rick, Jo reached her hand out and smiled when he took it and gave it a squeeze. After he mouthed to her that he loved her and she reciprocated the sentiment, they returned their focus to their eldest and youngest daughters.

Their thoughts began to swirl with all the possibilities life held for them and their children now; how they would work to help rebuild the world for them and make it somewhere they could all thrive.

This would be where their story truly started.

This was how their lives would begin.

Everything was going to change.

Twenty-one years later…

Although the sun hadn't completely set below the horizon, the quarter moon and a few stars were already visible in the sky. Combined with a breeze that was neither warm nor cold and carried with it the scent of distant magnolias, the world held an almost ethereal quality to it.

Throughout the slightly weathered streets of Alexandria, all was quiet since most had retired to the safety and comfort of their homes or guard posts for the evening, but there was one person who refused to move from the same spot where she had been sitting for a few hours now.

Her hair was long and blonde and cascaded down her back; only occasionally ruffled by that slight breeze. Her posture was slouched and her calloused fingers as she absentmindedly played with a tiny twig. Her breathing was steady although it seemed to go back and forth between being shallow and deep. While she appeared calm and stone-faced on the outside, on the inside she was a raging sea of pain, grief and anger. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, but tears hadn't fallen since she'd first sat down where she was a few hours before. There didn't seem to be any more tears left in her to shed. She was sure her tear ducts had run dry.

Before her was Alexandria's second graveyard, which had been created years before when room ran out in the first graveyard. Each grave was marked the same, with identical planks but with different names of those who had passed. Most graves were old and the ground settled with newly grown grass over them, but there were a few fresh graves which had been dug and filled with the recently deceased that very day.

"Hey," a man's voice muttered from behind the blonde.

With a sigh, she acknowledged who it was with a slight look over her shoulder. "Hey," she repeated.

"It's getting dark."

"I'm aware."

"You should come inside now, have something to eat, grab a hot shower."

"I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten since this morning, babe. You gotta have some—"

"I said I'm not hungry," she snapped.

The man clenched his jaw, but nodded solemnly; understanding that she was grieving and trying to process what she had just lost.

The people she had just lost.

"Will you at least come inside?" he pleaded.

The blonde sighed. "Okay," she agreed after a moment.

Taking a step forward, the man held out his hand to her and waited for her to accept it as she got up to her feet. Once she was standing, though, she took her hand back and wiped the back of her pants off. She shared a brief gaze with the man, frowned an expressionless frown and then glanced back down at the wooden grave markers.

"I don't mean to sound like an asshole, but they wouldn't want you to hover at their graves like this."

"Chet—" the blonde began to argue.

"I get your pain. I do. But you're not alone in it," the man — Chet — insisted. "Your family is suffering the same and they need you right now. They need you so all of you can get through this together."

She sighed and looked at Chet with tears somehow finding their way back to her eyes again. "I'm not sad. I'm angry. I want to cause pain."

Chet placed a hand on the small of her back. "I know. And you'll get your chance, but you can't be reckless about it. We can only go forward with clear heads. I mean, I know coming from me that sounds ridiculous, but it's what we gotta do. Clearer heads prevail."

"My head is clear," she insisted.

"Yeah, I don't think it is."

"Chet."

"Hope."

The blonde glared at him with wet blue eyes.

Hope Dale Grimes, in all her twenty-two year old splendor, stood there with balled fists at her sides as she looked away from Chet and once more to the graves of all her friends and family that had perished over the last two decades.

Directly in front of them both were the two fresh graves she'd been sitting in front of for hours.

The graves of her parents, Rick and Joanna Grimes.

"Their deaths weren't accidents," Hope all but growled, "and I won't let those responsible go unpunished. And those responsible better get ready for a fight 'cause I'm bringing a war to their door."

"I know you're angry," Chet started to say, soothingly.

"Oh, you think this is angry?" Hope chuckled, narrowing her gaze and leaning closer to him. "I haven't even begun to get angry."