A/N: Okay, deep breath. I have a bittersweet announcement for all you readers. This is the last chapter of my Walking Dead fanfic. I've taken it as far as I think it could go and anything else would just feel superfluous. On thus plus side (maybe, hopefully) I do plan on writing a sequel sometime in the near future focusing more on some of the other characters, both from the show as well as my O/C's. First I need to figure out what the plot will be. Anyway, thank you all for reading this.

I'd like to give a shout out to all the folks who left their reviews. Thanks to Powergirl24, Rickii101, Lucy Freebird, ErisandDysomnia, Kakashi-luver, Hime4life, ShiveringTree, HoP3Le-2, Solitaire E, constantlylost, TayaHearts, what., summerlover1, Zsra187, dragoness0420, Amanda, Gaga, steampunk1850, and JadeSun12. You guys rock!

So here it is, my feel-good happy ending! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I have yet to be sued for this fanfic, so that's a good sign. The Walking Dead is not my creation.

The night passed without incident and morning arrived. Enough sunlight made it through the opening to illuminate the interior of the former animal den, albeit dimly. Lia cracked open her eyes to find herself staring into Daryl's blue gaze. In the cramped confines of the sleeping bag they shared, she easily felt the unmistakable bulge of his erection against her lower belly. Lia smirked, "How long've you been up?"

Daryl snorted at the pun. "Long a-nuff I was thinkin' of wakin' you." His hand slid from her hip down to her thigh and gave it a squeeze. Lia grinned. Maybe the reasonable course of action would've been to pack up and head for home - everybody was doubtless worried about them - but after the emotional roller-coaster they'd been through, and the situation they were in now, reasonable could take a back seat for a while.

Lia leaned in to kiss him. She'd meant it to be passionate, but it turned into an act of tenderness. Daryl's hand left her thigh to reach up and cup her cheek, his thumb stroking against her golden skin. When they parted, their eyes remained fixed on each other.

"Christ, yer beautiful," Daryl whispered.

"For a half-breed?" Lia teased.

He let out a faint chuckle. "Sure."

She cradled his face in her hands. "And you're handsome."

"For a redneck."

"For anyone." She kissed him softly. "I love you."

Daryl reached down to unfasten Lia's jeans and slid them down her legs. It was awkward, since the single sleeping bag didn't give them much room to maneuver. Lia giggled at their squirming efforts. "Maybe we should unzip the bag."

Daryl grimaced. "Too cold. My balls 'd shrink up inta my stomach."

"Golly, that's a romantic image."

Daryl grinned triumphantly as Lia slid her right leg free of her pants. "Good 'nuff." He freed himself from his own jeans with a little more ease and positioned himself atop her. He didn't rush things, however. His rough hands traced the contours of her face, pausing occasionally to kiss her. He finally grasped her hips, holding her steady as the head of his penis just barely entered her womanhood. "I love ya, too." And with a single thrust he buried his length inside her welcoming heat. Lia moaned and arched beneath him. Daryl kept his thrusts steady, not slow, but not too fast. Lia could feel the familiar tension building inside her, the tingling sensation in her stomach growing stronger with each penetration.

"Daryl," his name came out something like a whimper.

The muscles of his jaws bunched as he fought back a groan. Even now a small part of his mind remained wary enough not to give themselves away with too much noise. A hiss escaped him when Lia bit his shoulder hard enough to leave red marks on his skin. His body reacted by thrusting into her harder. Lia's moans were muffled against his shoulder. She was close, they both were. Their movements quickened without conscious thought. Lia buried her face in the crook of Daryl's neck and let out a stifled cry, her body shaking. Daryl shuddered as her climax triggered his. He squeezed his eyes shut and kept thrusting until it passed, then he rolled off of Lia before he could collapse on top of her. His eyes opened slowly and stared into hers.

Lia smiled and kissed him gently. "I love you."

"Y' said that already," Daryl smirked.

"Well, maybe I like saying it."

His smile softened. "Maybe I like hearin' it." Wasn't like he heard it all that often before he met Lia.

She rested her palm against his cheek. "Then I'll keep saying it 'til you say not to."

They waited until the sweat dried from their skin before getting dressed. Lia packed up the sleeping bag and her backpack, she and Daryl picked up their bows, and they left the den. Lia let Daryl take the lead. She'd gotten so turned around the night before she wasn't sure she could have found her way home. About twenty minutes into their journey Daryl slowed. He indicated an area ahead of them where the trees thinned. "That's where I found th' geeks."

Lia nodded. Though she knew he'd taken care of the walkers, she still tightened her grip on her bow. She and Daryl continued at a more cautious pace. It wasn't long before they came across the first frozen corpse. It lay mostly buried in the snow, its head and right arm the only things showing. Its gnarled fingers were curled into claws, its head flattened, bone splinters jutting out from mangled flesh. Daryl passed it with hardly a glance. Lia looked down at it somberly, then followed after him. One corpse became five, then a dozen, then more than either living person cared to count. At their densest, stepping on them was almost unavoidable. Lia winced each time she heard the twig-like crunch when her shoe came down on something she knew damn well wasn't a stick. She let out a sigh of relief when it was just normal packed earth beneath her soles once again.

They walked in silence. It felt like old times, when Daryl was teaching Lia how to hunt. Minus the sexual tension, she thought with a grin. Daryl glanced back at her and his mouth quirked in a smile that told her he was thinking along the same lines. A surge of warmth flooded her. She was so grateful to have him back, that he was coming home with her.

It was strange, but the journey back seemed to go faster than leaving did. Maybe it was because they had a destination rather than wandering aimlessly. Or maybe because they were both so eager to reach home. Their pace quickened as the terrain became more familiar. Lia resisted the urge to drop all caution and run the rest of the way. As it was, they came within sight of the building well before the sun was due to set. There were figures milling around outside. Some of them broke away from the group and hurried towards Daryl and Lia. One of them soon raced ahead of the others, even though it was the smallest. Short legs moved in a blur. Lia and Daryl hurried to meet the approaching figure. Lia dropped to one knee and held her arms out, and Sally rushed into them with enough force to nearly knock them both over.

"Oh, sweetheart," Lia hugged the girl tightly, tears of regret stinging her eyes, "I'm so sorry. We'll never run off like that again, I promise."

Daryl crouched beside them, uncertain. Seeing him, Sally broke away from Lia and went to embrace him with equal force. Daryl a tightness in his chest as the child trembled against him. He stood, holding Sally in his arms. Lia straightened beside him and put her arms around them both.

The rest of the group caught up at that moment. Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, Lori, Andrea, and Nana, along with a gaggle of kids elated by their return.

"Damn, man," T-Dog huffed, "Doncha know there's better ways t' get your woman's attention than runnin' off? Why not scrounge up a box of chocolates or get her a diamond necklace. Hell, get her ten diamond necklaces. Them thing's 're just lying around these days."

Daryl smiled, but for once didn't offer a snarky comeback.

Nana stepped forward to embrace him, then Lia, then she fixed him with a stern glare. "I trust there won't be any more of this foolishness?"

Daryl shook his head. "No, ma'am."

"Then come inside. It's freezing and you both look like you could use a hot meal."

"Forget the meal," Lia said, "How 'bout a hot bath?"

The old woman smirked. "You know where the tub is."

As they went indoors children clambered around them, their voices drowning each other out with questions and exclamations of relief. Daryl was surprised to discover they seemed just as excited to see him as they were to see Lia. Even more of a shock was having the adults welcome him home and not utter a word of reprimand for his earlier behavior. Even Shane, standing a little ways off with his arm around Marilyn's slim waist, smiled and nodded to him, acting as if their confrontation had never happened. This behavior left Daryl feeling confused and a little guilty, but he also felt more accepted than he ever had before. He met Lia's gaze and saw in her faint smile the same acceptance of him, his flaws as well as his virtues. This was home. This was family. He was a fool for not having seen it before. For keeping everyone at arm's length, even Lia in some ways. Daryl realized then that he didn't want to be the loner anymore.

He and Lia ate, then carried a couple of pails of heated water upstairs to wash off the grime they'd accumulated during their time out in the woods. Neither one of them had the energy to wait for a full bath. After they bathed, they went to their room and crawled under the covers of their bed, even though it was still daylight outside. They needed to rest after all they'd been through. The others would respect that and give them their privacy.

Daryl spooned himself against Lia's back and nuzzled her shoulder. Her night clothes and skin smelled of soap, and beneath that, her own warm scent. She'd undone all her braids and the loose strands of hair felt as soft as silk as he ran his fingers through them. Lia sighed at his touch.

The door slowly opened with a faint creak. Both adults' eyes flew open just as Sally crept into the room. Lia chuckled and Daryl rolled his eyes in feigned exasperation. "Well, c'mon in if yer comin'," he said, beckoning with one hand.

Sally beamed and toddled over to them. She snuggled under the blankets, curled up against Lia's stomach. Daryl draped his arm over Lia's waist, hugging both her and the girl close to him. He sighed in contentment, his eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted off to sleep with his family.

The rest of the winter passed without much excitement, good or bad. Spring arrived in a riot of color, new shoots pushing through cracked pavement, trees and bushes bursting into flower, animals and walkers returning to life (or semi-life). The walkers' numbers were greatly reduced after the harsh season. Those that remained were frailer than ever, stick figures covered in moldy rags. They were easy to avoid and easy to kill.

Things changed. Relationships progressed. Marilyn discovered that she was pregnant. Even though she said he didn't have to, Shane insisted on marrying her, or at least exchanging vows in front of everyone. Dale was asked to conduct the impromptu ceremony, since in many ways he was the most spiritual among the group, and greatly respected as well. Instead of exchanging rings, Dale lightly bound the couple's hands together with a cord. He explained that this was how marriages were forged in ancient times and was the origin of the phrase "tying the knot." It felt right to do it this way. The world was starting over and many of the old ways would make their comeback in this budding new society.

The ceremony was conducted outside and everyone turned out to witness it. Daryl noticed Lia surreptitiously wiping her eyes and nudged her with his elbow. "Ain't like Marilyn doesn't know what she's gettin' into."

Lia punched his arm. "That's not why I'm crying!" she laughed, "I'm happy for them."

"What is it with chicks cryin' at weddings?"

"What is it with guys acting like it's no big deal?"

"'Cuz it ain't," he said, indicating the happy couple sharing their first kiss as man and wife, "Th' important stuff's already happened. Shane 'n' Marilyn decided they wanna spend the rest o' their lives together. All this's just pretty words 'n' puttin' on a show. It don't make any difference if they do this or not."

The corner of Lia's mouth quirked. "Guess this means you're not gonna propose anytime soon."

Daryl looked at her, his expression serious. "I will if it really matters t' you."

Lia smiled and linked arms with him. "It doesn't. Like you said, the important stuff's already happened."

The ceremony over, everyone headed for the folding tables that had been set out earlier and loaded with a variety of food Nana and her kitchen helpers had spent the entire morning preparing. Lia watched as Marco and Jessie walked by with baby Aidan waddling between them on unsteady legs.

"Those two have been spending a lot of time together."

Daryl pretended to misunderstand. "Marco 'n' Aidan? Kid's always spendin' time with the baby. He's like a damn mother hen."

Lia rolled her eyes. "I meant Marco and Jessie."

He shrugged. "'Bout the right age fer that, I guess."

She groaned, "I really hope those talks we had about being careful sank in."

"You worry too much," he put his arm around her, "They'll be alright. I mean, they might fool around, but I don't think he's gonna knock her up 'r anything."

Lia threw him an exasperated look. "Was that your way of reassuring me? 'Cause you suck at it."

He grinned and gave her a squeeze. "Relax. They're smart kids. Y' don't hafta worry 'bout 'em all the time."

"I can't help it. Apparently worrying's what mothers do. And let's face it, that's what I am. I even worry about you and you're an adult...technically."

Daryl laughed.

A short distance away, Rick and Lori chatted with Glenn, Carol, and T-Dog. Lori absently rubbed her stomach, a recent habit she started once her condition was known. Marilyn wasn't the only one who was expecting. Carl was elated at the thought of becoming an older brother. Rick was just happy to be focusing on life rather than survival.

Carol stood a little closer to Glenn than she did the others. So far, the relationship between her and the young Korean hadn't progressed beyond friendship. Her experiences with Ed left her wary of anything more. But she was getting better, her confidence and inner strength were growing over time. If Glenn was patient and didn't push it, she might come to view him as something more than a friend in time, or not. So far, he seemed content to wait and see.

As for T-Dog, he was content to let fate decide whatever lay in store for him. There were still survivors out there in search of a safe haven. Someday they might come here, and maybe there would be a woman among them who was right for him. After witnessing Shane and Daryl finding their matches in this all-but-dead world, T-Dog no longer worried about the possibility of dying alone.

Dale, Andrea, and Nana chatted together near one of the tables. Dale had his arm around Andrea's waist and she leaned against him. Kids of varying ages and histories ate and talked and laughed and played. The horrors they'd all survived were fading into memory. Everyone took their cue from the changing season, life was continuing. Someday the walkers would rot away to nothing. Someday the buildings in the empty cities would crumble, and the abandoned cars rust away. Someday the world before the walker epidemic would be the stuff of myths and dusty history. And all of it was starting here.

Lia waved her hand in front of Daryl's face. "Hey. Where'd you go?"

Daryl blinked out of his reverie and smiled at her. "Nowhere. Why would I wanna go anywhere but here?"

"I can't imagine," Lia rested her head against his shoulder.

Sally ran over to them, her mouth smeared with whatever treats she'd eaten. Daryl picked the little girl up, Lia wiped her mouth with a napkin and kissed her cheek. "Hey, sweetie," she said, falling into their newest game, "What's my name?"

Sally beamed. "Mommy!"

"And what's my name?" Daryl asked, waiting for that familiar ache in his chest when she turned her shining eyes on him.

"Daddy!"

They were the only words she spoke so far, but they told Daryl and Lia everything they needed to know.