This is going to be a little different. I decided to do something outside my comfort zone. This is set two years after what happened in chapter Ninety Three. I basically focused on four people throughout the story. Daryl, Carol, Merle and Sophia. So I wanted to do the same for this but I wanted to go a little deeper into what they were thinking. So I did this in first person. I bounced the idea around in my head for a while and a friend said to run with it and so I did. I know there are people out there that don't like first person stories but I thought that for this, it was the right call. Some of it is a little fluffy but I have promised several people a happy ending with rainbows and glitter and unicorns and... No really, it ain't that bad. But I think they've earned a happy ending. Especially Merle :) Because I love him and he deserves it. I'm super nervous about this so if you hate it then be gentle!

Epilogue

Two Years Gone...

Daryl

Nothin' about my old life could have prepared me for this. Nothin'. Everything was ass backwards and I still wasn't used to the way things were now. I hardly recognized that person I had been. That boy was gone. Sometimes when I stared at my reflection in the mirror I expected to see a new face. A man as different on the outside as I felt on the inside. But it was always just me. Looking back with the same blue eyes I had always met in the mirror.

I was about to jump down from the wall when Martinez poked his head up over the edge and then pulled himself the rest of the way up. I made sure to give him the shittiest look I could muster before I greeted him. "Bout fuckin time, pussy." I made sure to keep my voice low.

"Fuck you, Dixon," was his response. I expected it.

It took a lot but I forced back a smile. "Try not to go to sleep this time, asshole. You know Rick and Merle both woulda thrown your ass outta town if they woulda been the ones that caught you last time."

Martinez had the good sense to look embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at my boots. "Man, that wasn't my fault. We haven't seen a Walker in months. I'm startin' to think that maybe it's over."

I tried to not let his words bother me. Why the fuck should they? If the Walkers were gone then we didn't have shit to worry about anymore. But the truth was, I liked my life here. It was better than anything I had ever imagined. For myself anyway. The thought of things changing really pissed me off. Made me nervous. There wasn't nothin' worse than a nervous, pissed off Dixon. I glared at him for a second before responding. "You know it ain't the Walkers we gotta worry about. The livin' is the problem. Has been since the day we got here."

"You're right. That was pretty stupid." He admitted.

I gave him one last look before I jumped down. It was nearly dusk and I was more than ready to get my ass home. Usually the wall wasn't as boring as it had been today but Merle was out huntin' and he was my partner. Workin' the wall alone was a real son of a bitch. A man should never have to be so damn bored. It didn't much matter anyway since nothin' ever seemed to happen anymore. I didn't even ask Martinez where the hell Red was. They were suppose to be on night shift together.

I adjusted my bow and then stomped towards the house. My house. I couldn't help but think back to the house I was raised in. It wasn't home. I had hated the place. I didn't know if I hated it more than Merle did but I hated it all the same. I had never had much experience with things like this. Things like having a home and having a family. It was still fucked up sometimes. Sometimes I felt suffocated. Even now, two years later I felt like bolting sometimes because there was no way, not in my mind, that I could hold all this down. It didn't seem like there was any way I could really be the man that these people needed me to be. It was scary as fuck. But then, when shit got to me really bad, the responsibility got too heavy and it damn near kept me from catching my breath, she'd be there. One look at her and shit shifted in my head. I'd do what I needed to do for her. Carol deserved better than some redneck coward. I would be anything she needed me to be.

Most of us had moved out of the building that we had stayed in when we first arrived in Woodbury. Michonne had stayed and a few others but all of the original group moved on to some of the bigger houses further down Main Street. The Quarry group was what everyone else called us.

I was almost to the house when I saw someone stalking towards me. I had just thought earlier that there wasn't anything worse than an angry Dixon. Well, there was one thing that trumped me or my brother. That was an angry Sophia.

I felt that familiar dread settlin' in my stomach as she came closer. She was just a few days short of her fifteenth Birthday and it seemed like over the past six months she had gone from bein' a scrawny kid to bein' a full grown woman. And I fuckin' hated it. It was bad enough that I had to spend every spare minute I had watchin' Carl around her. Now every boy in the damn town turned their heads to watch her every time she walked by. Most of the time I bit my tongue. Other times I bit their heads off. The only boy around that seemed to be indifferent to the changes in her was Duane.

She looked pissed. Her fists were clenched and she was scowling. She had started to look a lot like her momma but when she was like this people swore that she had to be mine.

"Where the hell is he?" She barked when she finally got close enough for me to hear her.

"Who?" I knew who she was talkin' about. There was only one person in the world that made her that mad. Carl Grimes.

"You know who. Carl!" She nearly yelled and I held up my hands and hid a smirk. Nothin' made me happier than when she was pissed at that boy.

"What'd he do now?" I asked, still tryin' to hide the fact that her bein' pissed at him just made my night.

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared past me. She didn't look me in the eye so I knew it was somethin' that she didn't want me to know. I could feel the muscle in my jaw start to twitch when I clenched my teeth. What had Carl done that was so bad that she didn't want me to know about? What had her this pissed off?

"Sophia." I growled.

She rolled her eyes and finally looked at me. "I'm surprised you hadn't already heard. Trey had to go to Hershel because of him."

Trey. That was one kid I couldn't stand. Carl pissed me off but Carl was different. Carl had proven himself as far as I was concerned. I didn't think I would ever really like him just because I knew what was coming between the two of them and it made me want to break the little fuckers neck. She was always gonna be a little girl to me, but not to him. The little bastard. But I had to secretly cheer him on for the Trey incident, whatever it could have been. "What'd he do?"

She huffed. "He hit him. Damn near took the boys fool head off!"

I waited for her to tell me why but it didn't look like she was gonna willingly let go of any details. So I asked the obvious. "Why?"

Even in the dim light I could see her face grow hot and she looked down for a few seconds before looking back up. Still not making eye contact. "He kinda slapped me." She said quietly. I almost didn't hear her. I wished I hadn't.

"What the fuck did you just say?" I was tryin' hard not to let myself get too pissed but that wasn't easy. I'd play it cool in front of her and then when I saw the little shit I could beat his head in myself.

"He wasn't being serious." She muttered.

I studied her face but didn't see any kind of mark on her. I was scowling. I could feel it. "Where'd he slap you at?" I growled.

She looked past me once more, eyes scanning ahead for any sign of Carl. She sighed heavily and then dropped her arms to her side. "The diner. We were at the diner."

"That ain't what I was askin' girl and you know it." I snapped and then saw the anger come alive once more in her eyes.

"On the ass. I walked by and he slapped me on the ass and made some rude comment and before I could even tell him where to go Carl had him on the floor. I think he broke his nose. Duane pulled him off and then Rick showed up and then before I knew it he was gone. But now I'm gonna kick his ass. It wasn't none of his business and you all know that I can take care of myself. I learned from you. I don't need nobody fighting for me."

There was a whole lot I wanted to say. But I surprised us both when I simply nodded. Of course, when I got a hold of that little ass slapping piece of shit I was gonna break more than his nose, I was gonna break his neck. But I wasn't gonna tell her that. She was mad enough for the both of us at the moment. So all I did was nod.

She frowned. "You don't have anything to say about that?" She eyed me suspiciously.

"I don't spose I do." I muttered as I shoved my shaking hands into my pockets.

She surprised me then by throwing her arms around my neck. I hugged her back, forcing my hands to unclench. She knew I was pissed. "I'll be home soon. As soon as I kick Carl's ass." She smiled and then kissed me on the cheek. "I love you, dad."

"Don't be too late." I grumbled.

She just grinned at me over her shoulder and took off. I almost felt bad for Carl. He'd done a good thing. But kicking that kids ass was my job, not his. Trey was eighteen now. He was old enough to get his ass kicked by a man. Hell, even though Carl was still a few months younger than Sophia he was big enough to take on Trey. I think he may have even gotten to be an inch or so taller than me. And we always had him doin' grunt work so the bastard had started to fill out too. Wasn't nothin' scrawny about that boy. But still. The Trey situation was mine. Not his. I didn't give a shit how big he was.

When I finally made it home I was eager to get inside. The living room was dark, which I expected, but there was light coming from the kitchen. She was standing in front of the sink, her back to me. The twins were right there at her feet, toddling around and chewing on some plastic toy rings that someone had brought over for them.

They both looked up and saw me at the same time. Shawn was a little smaller than his brother. And a little more shy too. The other boy, who they had named after Daryl himself, was a lot like Merle. He was pretty fearless for a little shit. They were both a little over a year old. Little Daryl, which is what everybody else called him even though I thought it was stupid, came at me at a dead run but then fell on his ass when his sock covered feet slipped on the tile.

"Damn." The little boy muttered as he tried to stand back up. I picked him up before he could right himself, the kid grinned and smacked me in the forehead.

"You little shit." I grabbed him by the ankles and then held him upside down, causing him to laugh.

Carol spun around. "Daryl, don't do that! You're gonna drop him on his head!"

"Pfft! If the boys anything like his daddy then all's it'll do is damage the floor."

She plucked the boy from me, as usual, and sat him back down on the floor next to his brother, who was eying me with a scowl.

"Where the hell is their momma at?" I asked as soon as she raised back up.

Carol rolled her eyes. "She's helping her daddy. Apparently Carl caused some drama a little while ago. She dropped them off with me since Merle is still out."

"He'll be in soon." I said as I took her in for a second.

"I know." She smiled. "I don't mind watching them anyway. Maggie needs a break sometimes.

I agreed. The poor girl was starting to get big again. I never thought she'd recover from being pregnant with the boys but she had. Hershel was pretty sure that this time there was only one. And Maggie was banking on it being a girl. She seemed to like being pregnant. And I was pretty damn sure that Merle like getting her that way. Better Merle than me. I had Sophia to raise as it was. I didn't hate babies or anything but I didn't want one.

I was pretty sure Carol was sad that she couldn't have anymore but I thought maybe that was because deep down she figured I would want one of my own. I might have missed out on the first twelve years of her life but that little girl was just as much mine as she was Carol's. When I looked at her I saw her momma, I never saw Ed. And every now and then she would get this look in her eye, especially when she was pissed off about somethin' or when she was in the middle of one her fits and I would see myself.

The way she watched other people, figurin' them out before ever talkin' to them, that was me. The way she refused to take any shit off of anybody, no matter if she was in the wrong or not, that was me too. And definitely the way she refused to let this world tear her down, I think that was an equal part me and her momma. Nope. I didn't need no squawlin' ass diaper fillin' babies. I had my damn hands full enough. And I doubted I would have felt any different if we had really lost Sophia. She wasn't somethin' that coulda been replaced. I'd have never done that.

She fixed me a plate and then headed off to the shower, leavin' me to keep an eye on the hellions. I had to leave my food twice to break up a fight. They acted like me and Merle. I couldn't help but laugh cause Shawn would usually get the better of his brother despite the size difference.

Maggie came and picked them up before Carol was even out of the shower. That was a good thing. I took the stairs two at a time but it was too late. She was coming out of the bathroom before I had a chance to get to the shower. Lucky me, though, all she was wearing was a towel.

"What are you doing?" She grinned and backed away towards the bedroom door as I advanced on her.

It didn't matter that she'd been mine for over two years. I should have been desensitized by now. But I wasn't. Not at all. I figured I would still want her, with every cell in my body, until I was dead.

Her back hit the bedroom door. Our bedroom door.

"Daryl, the boys..."

"Are gone." I grinned.

"But Sophia..."

"Is out kickin' Carl's ass."

I reached for the doorknob and then she finally grinned. "You're worse than your brother, you know that?"

I had to laugh as I pushed her into the room and then kicked the door shut. It was dark but I had made this trek plenty enough times to know exactly where the hell everything was. "Merle ain't got shit on me, woman."

She pushed the hair back from my face. It was long now but I didn't care. I liked it because she liked it. "I really doubt he does." She laughed softly right before I claimed her mouth.

My heart was hammering in my chest the way it always did when I kissed her. Or when she kissed me. Or when I thought about kissing her. I tossed the towel to the side and then pulled away long enough to get my shirt off before finding her mouth again.

I was a man living in a walled town, sometimes surrounded by the walking dead, always watching for the murderous living, never knowing what was going to come at us from all sides. And I was happy. I wouldn't trade any of it for anything.

I grinned against her mouth when her hands made their way to the button of my pants. Yeah, this was about as perfect as it could get. I was a lucky man. Life was fuckin' great.

Two years gone...

Sophia

I usually didn't like to be out after dark alone. It wasn't that I was afraid to be but it was smarter to keep your ass in the house when the sun went down. Just because I wasn't really afraid of the danger out there didn't mean I was stupid enough to invite it in. I had lived through enough of that for a few lifetimes. But there was no way that shit head was getting away with this. How dare he act that way! I should've calmed down, but there was going to be none of that.

I hesitated outside of his house. I knew that Rick had probably sent him home but I couldn't be sure that is where he went. I had already checked everywhere else he could have been so he must have listened to his dad for once.

I wasn't about to knock on the door. It was hard to tell when Judith would be asleep and I wasn't going to face the wrath of Lori if I knocked and woke her up.

I walked around to the back of the house. I would go in the same way I usually did. The light was on in his room. His bedroom, of course, was on the second floor but that wasn't a problem. I climbed the tree that I had been climbing for nearly two years now and made my way across the large limb that would take me straight to the window. The coward better not have locked me out either. He did that when he knew I was really pissed and if he knew me, which he did better than anyone, then he would know that I was beyond pissed at this point.

The window slid open easily and I climbed in. He was lying across his bed, arms folded under his head. He watched me for a few seconds and then he frowned and rolled his eyes when I crossed my arms over my chest. He gave me that "here we go again" look that he knew I hated.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I whispered as harshly as I could.

He sat up and swung his long legs over the side of his bed. He had hit a growth spurt a while back ago and sometimes I wondered if he was ever going to stop growing. At almost fifteen he was as tall as the men. For the last few months Daryl hadn't even had to look down to glare at him.

"You just want me to stand around and watch some guy treat you like that?" He asked.

I scowled down at him. "No. I expect you to at least give me a chance to stick up for myself. You didn't have to go and break his nose! I could have broken his nose on my own."

He sighed and then stood up. Now I had to look up at him, which I didn't like. "I wasn't thinkin'." He grumbled.

"Pfft. You never do." I scoffed.

"Really?" he growled. "Fine. Next time some creep tries to feel up on your ass I'll take a seat and watch. If it's that big of a deal." He took a step closer. "And you heard what he said!"

"Are you forgetting something here, Carl?"

"What's that? That you're overly dramatic?" He sneered.

"No, you idiot! It's my ass. And I can handle myself."

We stood there for a long time just staring at each other. He was so damn frustrating! Every time he did something stupid he was able to turn it all around so I looked like the jerk.

Finally he shrugged. "You're right. It's your ass. Sorry I thought that the guy was out of line. Next time I'll mind my own business and let you handle everything. God knows if I don't then I'll never hear the end of it."

What a jackass! I wasn't finished bitching him out but I was about finished for now. All he was doing was making it worse and I didn't even want to look at him anymore. "Screw you, Carl." I snapped and then spun on my heel. I was about to crawl back out onto the limb but a pair of strong hands had me by the waist and pulled me back in. He had me lifted off the ground and then he turned away from the window before he set me on my feet again.

I spun around just as he slid the window shut. "What in the hell do you think you're doing? Are you outta your damn mind?" I snapped. I wanted to hit him. I really wanted to hit him. Right in the face.

"No. But I am about tired of your shit." He said calmly as he leaned against the window sill.

My chin dropped but I quickly righted myself, shutting my mouth and planting my hands on my hips. "Move." I said, mustering the most menacing voice I could.

He leaned into my face, eyes flashing. "No. You do this every time. You get pissed off and you give me a bunch of shit and then you storm off before I can even say anything. So no. Not this time, little girl. You'll stay right here until we get past this. And let's see if we can do it without you throwing a damn temper tantrum."

My mouth nearly fell open again but I caught myself. Was he serious? "Do you honestly think I wont kick your ass?" I fumed.

"I think you'll try." He smirked.

That smirk did it for me. I swung right at his face but my fist never connected. He caught my wrist, surprisingly fast. He shook his head, still smirking.

"You're gonna listen, Sophia. God, why don't you ever listen to anything I try to tell you?" He let go of my wrist then and I stepped away.

"Fine. Talk." I took another step back, planting my hands on my hips again.

"I really am sorry for not letting you handle that jerk, okay? I knew you could do it. I just got pissed off."

His eyes searched mine for a few long seconds and I was really starting to feel bad for giving him so much crap. Not just about this either. I was always giving him crap, no matter what he did. I never acted that way with Duane. It was just always Carl. Which was weird because Carl was the one that I was closest too.

"Well, it was still stupid. It wasn't like he was slapping your ass." I was losing steam and he could see it.

I expected him to laugh or at least crack a smile, he didn't do either. He just kept on staring at me with those ultra blue eyes until all I wanted to do was look away. But I couldn't.

"Do you have any idea how much I care about you? How much I've always cared about you? Because sometimes I don't think you see it at all."

His words caught me off guard and suddenly my mind went back to a time I usually tried hard not to remember. After that psycho had killed me it had been Carl who brought me back. He saved my life. And like that wasn't enough, every night after that I was plagued with nightmares that had me waking up screaming. That first time he had been there. He had stayed with me so I could sleep. Of course, Daryl had banned him from my room after that. And for a week straight, I would wake up at least twice a night, screaming.

After the seventh night Daryl had actually walked to Carl's house, explained to Rick what was going on, and had gotten the boy out of bed. He had trudged over, in the dark, just so he could sleep, sitting up on the couch so I could curl up next to him and sleep without the nightmares. And as long as he was there, I didn't dream at all. For six months he slept on the couch at my house until I didn't need him anymore.

"I know you care, Carl." I whispered. All the fight in me was gone now. I even felt guilty for coming here in the first place.

He shook his head and then, to my surprise, grabbed both my hands and pulled me closer. That used to be something we did all the time. I wasn't sure when that had stopped but it had become too awkward. I think maybe we had stopped holding hands once his voice changed and I grew boobs but I wasn't positive. "I don't think you do." He whispered.

"Carl, I would be really stupid to not know that you care after everything we've been through together." I shrugged. "It's me and you. That's how it's always been."

He dropped my hands suddenly and it was strange how disappointed that made me feel, until they went to my waist. What the hell was he doing? Suddenly the room felt too small. I almost felt like a trapped animal. I was much too hot in here and it was becoming hard to breath.

I didn't realize that my hands had moved to his forearms until I was feeling my nails digging into his flesh. I relaxed my grip but he tightened his. Why was he still looking at me like that?

"I know you're gonna think this is stupid, and you can tell me that it is if you want too. I'm actually kinda expectin' it. But we've had a hard life. We've been forced into situations that people twice our age wouldn't have been able to cope with. You've died, I watched you die, we've killed, we've fought and we've won and we've done all that crazy shit together. I don't care how many years we've been alive, what matters is what we've survived. We ain't kids. We ain't stupid. We've been adults for a long time now. Do you understand what I'm tryin' to say? At all?"

His eyes were wide, almost pleading with me to understand where he was going and a part of me did but I was too scared to push past all the confusion that was suddenly clouding my thoughts. I wanted to look away but I couldn't. I wanted to bolt out of the room but I didn't.

"Do you?" He pressed.

I shook my head. It was the only response I was going to be able to give him at the moment. I came here looking for a fight. I wasn't ready for any of this. But he was. How long had I known this was coming? Did I ever expect it not to come? I wasn't sure what to do. I was suppose to be the one that acted like the grown up. But right then I felt like a kid. My heart was beating too fast and I was sure he could hear it in the quiet of the room.

"You're gonna make me say it aren't you?" The corner of his mouth pulled up and one of his hands slid under my hair and onto the nape of my neck.

I wasn't expecting him to say anything. I was expecting him to do something. My hand let go of his arm and came up to clutch the charm at the end of that necklace he had gotten for me what seemed like twenty years ago. It was a nervous habit. Any time I felt the least bit nervous I would play with that charm. It made me feel better.

"I love you." He whispered, still not taking his eyes off mine.

My hand stilled on the charm as my stomach hit my feet. My heart started beating even faster than it had before and my breath was suddenly stuck in my throat. Had he really just said that? And how had I gotten so much closer to him. He was still sitting on the edge of the windowsill, I was still standing in front of him. But now he was close enough for the hand that was on my waist to slide around until it rested at the small of my back. I still hadn't said anything. What was I suppose to say? People our age didn't feel things like that. Did they? But hadn't it been years now since I figured that what I felt for him was, indeed, love? I had even talked to my mom about it but she hadn't been much help. My mom sometimes still thought in terms of how things used to be. Not how things were now.

I smoothed the charm between my fingers but it was bringing me no comfort now. I was standing there like an idiot. I had no idea what to say to this boy. Even though I knew what I felt. It was almost like voicing it would break some sort of spell. It was something I had kept to myself for a very long time and telling him something like that now would change everything. But he already had changed everything. Hadn't he?

I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. That was something I had gotten from Daryl. It was usually calming. Nothing was calming at the moment.

"Are you gonna say somethin'?" He asked in a whisper so quiet that I barely even heard him.

"What am I suppose to say?" I breathed. My voice was almost nothing at this point.

He moved his face until it was very close to mine and then he shrugged. "Tell me I'm an idiot. Call me a dumb jackass for sayin' somethin' so stupid. Tell me that you don't feel the same way and that I would have to be delusional to think that I could love you when you're so much older and wiser than me. By a whole twelve weeks." He smirked at that. "Or you can just tell me you love me back."

"We're just kids." I whispered.

He shook his head slowly. "We ain't been just kids since before Daryl found us in the woods. That's no excuse. Think of a better one. You ain't gotta let me down easy. Channel your inner Dixon, girl. I'm a lot bigger now so I can handle it."

Channel my inner Dixon. I could do that. I could kick the shit out of him. I could call him every low down name in the book. I could scream and yell and throw a fit. I could even try to put my fist through the wall. It was good advice. I channeled my inner Dixon and decided that whatever I did next, I was gonna do it like a champ. So I followed my instincts just like Daryl would do when he found himself in a jam. He'd told me before, when shit got real, act, don't think.

And so I acted, like a champ. I grabbed him by the back of the head and pulled his face towards me without thinking about it at all and crushed my lips to his. I had absolutely no idea what the hell I was doing but I figured I was doing an okay job when he started kissing me back. His hands went around my waist, pulling me those last few inches, mine slid around his neck.

I couldn't tell who's heart was pounding faster but I could feel his through both of our shirts and I was sure he could feel mine. His lips were soft and felt like they were the perfect match for my own. My eyes were closed and the blood rushing in my ears was blotting out any other sound other than our breathing. I was about to pull away when I felt his hands touch the skin of my back but I didn't have time.

"Carl!"

I spun around at the sound of Lori's strained shriek. I had spun so quickly that Carl hadn't even had time to drop his hands and now they were pressed against my stomach. I pushed his hands away and brought my fingers to my lips. They felt hot. Lori looked like she was being strangled but Rick, who was standing right behind behind her, looked as though he were trying to hide a smile.

"Sophia! Out!" Lori yelled.

I nodded and was about to bolt but Carl's hand on mine stopped me.

"Lori, it's fine. It was bound to happen." Rick said as he tried to sooth his distraught wife. I was still too dumbfounded to pull my hand out of Carl's grasp.

"Fine? This is not fine, Rick! He's a little boy!" Lori roared.

"Lori, he ain't a little boy." Rick said gently.

They heard wailing coming from down the hall and Lori cursed under her breath. "You handle this, Rick." She said with an angry finger pointed in his face.

Rick nodded and then watched her storm off down the hall. He didn't turn back towards us until we all heard the door slam. My face was flaming. I could feel it and the fact that I had somehow, unknowingly, twined my fingers through Carl's wasn't helping matters. Rick studied us for a few long seconds and then he almost smiled. "Five minutes. I'll come back in five minutes and you best be down that tree and headed home Sophia."

"Can I walk her? It's dark out there." Carl asked hopefully.

Rick chewed his lip for a second but then nodded. "Might as well enjoy it while it lasts. Daryl's gonna hear about this in the mornin'."

"Oh God." I moaned.

Rick chuckled and then shut the door.

I was still standing there, pressed against his back, holding his hand. I wasn't sure what to do. I couldn't believe I had done that. My lips were still tingling, my head still clouded, my heart still racing but I didn't know if I should turn around. I finally decided to stop being a coward. I knew he hadn't expected me to do that. Hell, I hadn't expected me to do that. But it was done and now I had to face the consequences. I took a deep breath and then turned to face him.

As soon as I did he was kissing me again. More boldly this time than the last. I lost myself for a few long seconds but then I pulled away.

"I should go." I whispered. "I don't need Daryl lookin' for me. Tomorrow's gonna be bad. I think he might finally kill you."

He shook his head and I noticed that his hands lingered on my back. "He wont. He'll want too but he wont. Ever since that night with Philip he's different."

"We were all different after that night." I said in voice that shook slightly.

"Yeah, but he's different with me. He knew all this was coming." His eyes met mine once more. "Everybody did but you." He looked towards the door and shrugged. "And maybe my mom."

I groaned. I would never be able to look at either of his parents again.

He twined his fingers through mine once more and pulled me towards the door.

"Carl, there is no way I'm walking out your front door. I don't wanna see your mom. Like, ever again."

He rolled his eyes and went to the window, sliding it open silently. "You first."

As soon as we hit the sidewalk his hand found mine again but he didn't say a word. I was glad because I had no idea what the hell to say to him. What did all of this even mean? Was he my boyfriend now? Carl? We were constantly fighting. He was always doing something to piss me off, most of the time on purpose. But he was usually the first thing I thought about when I woke up in the morning and the last thing I thought about before I went to sleep at night. He was always there when I needed someone. He was the only person in the world I would let see me cry. There had been so many nights that I had crept through his window and sobbed like a kid into his chest. And he never mocked me for it. He never thought I was weak for it. He was just there for me. I trusted him more than anyone else in the world.

We stopped outside of my house. It was dark so they had went to bed without waiting up for me. I was glad. But now I was starting to feel really stupid just standing there holding his hand in the dark. It wasn't like there were any street lights or anything.

"I'll see ya tomorrow." He muttered.

"Yeah."

Neither one of made a move to let go of the others hand.

"So, you're not still mad? About Trey?" he asked as he moved so he was standing in front of me.

I laughed. "I forgot about that, actually."

He laughed with me. "I guess that's a good thing."

"You're mom is gonna nail the window shut." I said with a sigh. I finally looked up at him and smiled just as he bent down and kissed me lightly, almost shyly.

"There's always your window." he said with a sly look as he raised back up.

"Yeah, I'm sure Daryl would react way better than your mom did." I said dryly.

"Carl!" Lori called from down the street, causing us both to jump.

He cursed under his breath as he glared over my head towards his moms voice. "I better go." He mumbled, finally dropping my hand.

I nodded, hating that he was leaving and then feeling stupid that I suddenly felt that way. He got about two feet away before I mustered up the nerve. "Carl." I whispered, thinking he wouldn't even hear me. But he stopped and then turned, eying me with a smile.

"I love you too, ya know. I kinda have for years now." I was still whispering but he must have heard me because in two long strides he was once more right in front of me, one hand on my hip and the other tangled up in my hair. He kissed me just like I had kissed him before.

It didn't really matter that we were probably gonna have a really rough time figuring all this out. And it didn't matter that neither of us knew what the hell the future could possibly hold for us. Hell, at the moment, it didn't even matter that Daryl was probably going to kill him in the morning. What mattered was the fact that it felt right. Like I was right where I needed to be. And no matter what I faced, I wouldn't ever have to face it alone because this stupid boy was always gonna be right there with me through it all. I was still Sophia. He was still Carl. And I never thought I would say it after everything we'd been through. Never thought I would feel it at the end of the world, but life was really good. When he pulled away he grinned like a moron and then his mouth was on mine once more, it wasn't going to take us long at all to figure this whole kissing thing out. Did I mention that life was good? That was the understatement of the apocalypse. Life was fuckin' great.

Two years gone...

Merle

I wasn't too sure what time it was when I got back. Martinez opened the gate for me and then helped move the carcasses inside the diner where all the food was stored. We hung them in the freezer. Three large bucks and a good sized doe. I probably shoulda cleaned them first but I was beat. I missed my boys and Maggie somethin' awful.

Right before I started up the sidewalk to the house I sensed someone behind me. I spun around and was greeted by Duane and his shit eatin' grin. The little bastard wasn't all that little anymore. At sixteen he was about three inches taller than me now. But he was still a bean pole. He threw an arm over my shoulders.

"You're getting' slow old man." He laughed as we made our way up the steps.

"You're just too goddamn skinny to make any noise ya little fucker." I was probably tellin' the truth. I wasn't too worried though. He was gonna fill out eventually. "Where's your daddy?"

Duane rolled his eyes. "Out. He's been sneakin' around with that damn woman a year now. You'd think they would cut the shit, ya know?"

I couldn't help but laugh. Morgan and Michonne had been messin' around for a while now. Everybody knew it but neither of them would admit a damn thing. It was pretty sad. They coulda just moved in together and got it on whenever they wanted. It wasn't like Duane wasn't always over here to begin with. Hell, the boy had his own fuckin' room.

"You think Maggie cooked anything? I'm starved." He asked as we headed into the house.

The living room was empty except for the toys strewn out all over the floor. "Boy, you're damn near grown, get your ass your own supper. And pick this shit up for Maggie, these boys are runnin' her ragged."

Duane just nodded and got to work. Sometimes I didn't know what me and Maggie would do without that kid. Made me glad that his daddy was sneakin' around with Michonne. Not that I just wanted him around for the help. He was like my own in a lot of ways. Before comin' here he had been my responsibility and I hadn't realized it at the time but I'd loved the kid. Still did, but he wouldn't ever hear it. Hell, he figured that he hadn't kicked his ass yet, that was sayin' a lot.

Maggie wasn't in the kitchen but I could hear her voice comin' from the bathroom at the end of the hall. I flinched a little at how tired she really sounded. I shouldn't have been gone so long or I should have made sure I told Duane to stick around and help her out. Little Daryl was a fuckin' hellion and Shawn wouldn't hesitate to knock the shit out of his brother when he got out of hand. It was hard to believe they wasn't but fourteen months old.

There she was, bent over the tub, both boys grinnin' like fools with their hair a soapy mess. They noticed me before she did and their grins got bigger. She knew then that I was behind her. She turned her head and smiled herself.

"Ya need some help?" Damn, I shoulda stayed with her. She looked like she always had. Fuckin' unbelievable, but she looked like she needed to get off her feet.

"I woulda had this done sooner but daddy needed some help." She said with a sigh. "Trey came in with a broken nose."

I couldn't even try to hide the smile. "Sophia?"

Maggie rinsed the boys hair out and shook her head. "Carl."

I laughed. I was wonderin' when that kid was gonna start throwin' his weight around. Fuckin' boy's already as big as Daryl. He didn't just grow up like Duane did, that kid grew out too. He was gonna be a bull. I liked that too cause if anybody fucked around with Sophia Carl was gonna hurt'em. "What'd the guy do to piss Carl off?"

I didn't really like that look she was givin' me. Like she was wanderin' how much to say. She finally just shook her head and sighed. "Some of the kids were hangin' out in the diner. Sophia walked by and Trey slapped her on the ass and said some pretty rude stuff."

I clenched my teeth and took a few deep breaths before I said anything. "The fuck did he say to her?" I didn't give a fuck that she was fifteen, or damn near it, that little mother fucker was eighteen now. And I was really considerin' feedin' him his teeth.

"Duane said that he asked her when she was gonna let him try out that new body of hers."

I didn't want her to know how mad I was. I didn't want her to stress herself out over me. But I was gonna fuck that little son of a bitch up the first chance I got. I knew this shit was gonna happen. I'd been worried about it for months now. That girl went from kid to grown in a matter of weeks. That's what it seemed like anyway. I felt bad for Daryl. But at least she had Carl around. That counted for somethin'. Obviously.

"Well, at least she's got Carl to have her back." I muttered as she handed me a drippin' Shawn draped in towel. She sat Little Daryl down on the floor to dry him off but the little mean ass took off down the hall at a dead run, naked as the day he was born.

"I got it!" Duane yelled down the hall.

Duane had the boy subdued, diapered and dressed before I could even get Shawn to be still long enough to find him somethin' to sleep in. But after all that hectic shit it hadn't taken either of the boys long to fall asleep. I stayed in the room for a while, watchin'em. I still had a hard time believin' I was anybody's daddy. But Maggie had been right that night that she was usin' that as a way to keep me from killin' that sick bastard. I didn't believe it but somehow she'd just known. Leave it to me to knock the girl up the very first time I could give it to her right.

When she finally told me that it was true. That I was gonna be daddy I think I may have pissed myself. I can't much remember. I had a few panic attacks that I was sure was gonna kill me. I left the house. Fuck, I left the whole goddamn town! I was scared. I was fuckin' terrified.

When I had came back she had been sittin' on the steps waitin' on me knowin' I wasn't gonna stay gone. I felt like such a shit head that I damn near fell all over myself apologizin'. Course I was covered in Walker goo and stunk to high heaven. She'd just smiled at me like she always did and told me it was alright so long as I didn't plan on leavin' her over it. Like I could leave her. Dumb girl. I had gotten over it pretty quick. Accepted it. Hell, I even looked forward to it. But then she just kept getting' bigger and bigger and then I got scared to death all over again. Twins. Son of a bitch. But after a while I was okay with that too.

Then one night she wakes me up out of a dead ass sleep and tells me she wants more. More! Like the world wasn't crazy enough with four Dixon boys walkin' it. She said she wanted a girl. Before I could argue she had me half stupid and then I said fuck it and enjoyed the ride. If she wanted babies I'd give'em to her. Now that we were here it wasn't a huge deal.

When I finally left the boys room she was already getting ready for bed. She looked like she really needed some rest. I was a dick for goin' on that huntin' trip but now that game was comin' back in and we had so many mouths to feed it was just smart to keep the freezer full. Nobody had seen a Walker in a long time. Nobody knew if it was because they had all dropped dead or if they migrated, but either way, they needed to keep everything stocked.

"How ya feelin'?" I asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed.

"Tired." She smiled. "Your boys are bad."

I couldn't help but laugh. "If you knew that then how come you got to itchin' for more?"

She shrugged. "I figure eventually I'll get one as sweet as me."

I made a face. "Them boys are sweet. Sometimes."

She was quiet for a while but she looked thoughtful, maybe even a little worried. "I think you might need to keep an eye on your brother for the next few days." She said after he had his boots off.

I frowned. "What would I need to do that for?"

She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Well, Lori came over a few minutes ago."

I waited for her to say something else but she just stood there. "Well, I'll be sure to make sure he's alright. God knows Lori Grimes visitin' you would upset the hell outta my baby brother." I shot her a sarcastic smile.

"She came to borrow some diapers. Anyway, she was really upset."

I looked at her like she was crazy. What the hell was she tryin' to say? "That bitch is always upset."

"Be nice."

"No".

"Anyway, she said that she went up to talk to Carl tonight after he got in that fight with Trey and when she went into his room..."

I could feel the frown morphing into a scowl on my face. "Spit it out, darlin'."

"Well, she said that Carl and Sophia were all over each other. Like... kissin'."

Oh shit. This was what Daryl had spent the last few years waitin' on. His little girl, lip lockin' with the Sheriffs boy. Maybe he really would need to keep an eye on him. Damn, he sure hoped that's all they'd been doin'. "What are the chances that Ol' Lady Grimes will keep this shit to herself?"

The look she gave me confirmed how stupid that question really was. The whole town probably knew about now and the bitch probably made it a point to act like it was all Sophia's doin'.

"I don't guess I would worry about it too much. You know how stuff like that is. It's big news for a few days and then everyone gets over it pretty fast." She said as she stretched.

I couldn't help but eye the slight bulge. I never thought there was anything attractive about a pregnant woman before. I kind of always thought it was gross. Some guys were into that shit. I wasn't one of'em. Not until now, anyway. Maybe it was cause I knew that it was my kid growin' in there. Or it could have been the simple fact that it was Maggie and at this point I wouldn't have given a fuck if her hair fell out and she grew a third arm outta her ass. I loved her for a lot of reasons.

It wasn't like when we'd first met. When we first met I wanted to fuck her because she was hot. Now I wanted to fuck her because she was hot and because I loved her. I told her that once. She'd laughed like I'd told some brilliant joke. I was actually tryin' my hand at some romance. I guessed I just didn't have much of a knack for it. Didn't matter, though. She knew all about how I was when she first met me to begin with.

I had her lay down while I got myself a shower. I didn't figure she would still be awake when I was done but she was laying there, grinning like a mad woman. "I'm glad you're home." She stretched again.

I didn't understand how she looked so good wearing my old shirts but she did. She could have had a closet full of lace and silk and I'd never think none of it would be as sexy as an oversized black t-shirt. "I wasn't gone long."

"Not long is still too long." She said quietly.

"I'm gonna stop goin' at all." I muttered as I crawled in next to her.

This had her frowning. "You like it, Merle. I don't want you to stop doin' what you like just cause of me."

"You're runnin' yourself ragged girl. Them other men can do the huntin'. I need to be here." I mumbled as I reached for the lamp.

"It ain't about needin' so much, Merle. It's about wantin' and I ain't wantin' you to stop doin' things you like just so you can try to baby me. I don't need that and neither do you. I'm the one that was hell bent on another baby."

"I didn't put up much of a fight." I laughed and then rolled over so I could face her. I flattened my hand over her stomach and sighed. Her hand covered mine like it always did.

She laughed, causing the baby to move under my palm. Nobody knew it but her but I was completely fuckin' fascinated by all this shit. It was almost like a man going his whole life unable to see and then he wakes up one day with working eyes. Everything becoming clear and in focus. I was still the same man I had been, I had just needed a little help peeling off the layers of armor I had built up. Sometimes I would find the old me rearing up. I would find myself ready to rip somebody's throat out when they pissed me off. Sometimes I would even say I was goin' on a huntin' trip just so I could go bludgeon a few Walkers to blow off some steam. Yeah, I was the same man. Just not as quick to dismiss the good shit.

It moved once more, pulling me out of my thoughts. When she was pregnant the first time I had kept my hands to himself. I was scared to death. I acted like an indifferent jackass. Until she went to sleep anyway. Then I would sneak and put my hand on her and every time I would feel one of the boys move I would get this weird feeling in my stomach. I had never seen them. Didn't know them from Adam. But I had already loved them to the point of pain. After they were born that feeling just grew until sometimes I couldn't even think about how much I loved them cause the ache it caused was much too intense. I figured that's how a daddy was spose to feel. A good one anyhow. And that's what I was gonna be.

It wasn't any different with this one. It did make it harder for me to think about my own folks. Sick sadistic mother fuckers. From the very first second the girl told me I had done knocked her up, all bets were off. Oh, sure, I had thrown a goddamn idiot fit, but not a second after she told me that she had my kid growin' inside her, I realized that there wasn't a damn thing I would ever do to hurt it.

I wasn't afraid to kill. I even had to admit that a fucked up part of me liked it. A lot. But I wouldn't have just killed for them. I woulda done anything I had to do to keep them safe. But me and Daryl hadn't have that. Never. Just each other.

That was one of the reason for my fear. The reason I never wanted to have any kids. I didn't wanna be like them. Like my own folks. I was afraid that I wouldn't have it in me to give a fuck about my own kids. I was afraid that I was too hard and would end up hurtin' them the way that my own folks had hurt me and my brother. But it didn't take me long to realize that I was Merle mother fuckin' Dixon and I was my own goddamn man. I wasn't my daddy. Maggie wasn't my momma, and my kids was gonna be just fine.

I was just about asleep when I heard a familiar sound. An obnoxious bangin' on the wall to our bedroom. Maggie groaned and was about to get up but I held her down with my hand.

"I got it." I grumbled into her hair.

"I love you. Even if your son is just as wild as you are." She laughed.

"You better. And I think he acts more like you." I kissed her and then crawled my sorry ass outta the bed. Just as I expected when I turned the light on there was my boy, beatin' on the wall with a plastic truck. They didn't cry much. None lately, but he had to get our attention somehow. I probably shoulda took the damn toy away and made him go back to sleep but I wasn't tired anymore. Shawn, who we named after Maggie's brother, was still laying in his bed but he wasn't asleep either. He looked annoyed, like he usually did at his brothers antics. They were so much like me and Daryl I couldn't help but laugh.

I lifted them out of their beds and set them both on the floor. Duane stuck his head in just then.

"You need any help?" He asked. He must have been bored cause he sounded almost hopeful.

I shook my head and picked up the toy box. Both of the boy grinned then, knowin' exactly what I was about to do, then I dumped every damn toy they owned onto the floor. "Just another night in the Dixon house, son. Might as well get your ass over here and join us."

Duane sat next to me with his back against the wall as the boys dove in for a late night of fuckin' their room up. This happened all the time. Me and Duane would clean up their shit once they played themselves out and then when I had to make rounds at daybreak and Duane would have to go to school, they would be so worn out they would sleep in long enough for Maggie to get some extra hours of sleep in herself.

She never knew why they always slept so much better when I was home. Me and Duane never said a word to her about what had turned in to a nightly ritual. She would probably say we needed our sleep too.

Me and Duane watched them, laughin' at their antics and talkin' about whatever happened to come up while we waited for them to wear themselves out. The house was quiet. I never would have pictured myself in a place like this or with a life like this. Never saw the appeal. I had to get here to realize that this was what I had always wanted. I was always just too goddamn stubborn to admit it. Too chicken shit to pursue it. To broken to believe I deserved it.

I couldn't help but smile. Sittin' here with my three boys while my girls slept on in the other room, as fucked up and crazy as it sounded, life was pretty good. Shit, who was I kiddin'? Life was fuckin' great. Took my simple minded ass long enough.

Two years gone...

Carol

I wasn't sure what woke me up. I usually never woke up in the middle of the night. Not anymore. I tried to go back to sleep but it was eluding me. I figured I could go downstairs and sit on the porch. It was still warm enough for that and I wanted to enjoy it while the weather held. It was unseasonably warm. Some called it Indian Summer. Now days, in this house, it was called a 'fuckin' break'. I smiled in the dark.

I tried to move as slowly as possible but as soon as I moved enough to not be pressed up against his chest he woke up and yanked me back to where I had been. I couldn't hide my quiet laughter.

"Tryin' to sneak off in the middle of the night, woman? You should know better by now."

"I can't sleep." I whispered. I tried to move away once more but he had a firm grip around my waist, my back pressed against his bare chest.

"You shoulda said somethin' then." He muttered into my ear causing every muscle in me to tremble a little.

"I was going to go outside for a while. Enjoy the warm air while it lasts. I don't think I can go back to sleep." I tried once more to get away but when his calloused fingers traced lightly down my hip I froze and my breath caught. I covered his hand with my own and then brought it up, kissing his scarred knuckles lightly. "I need to go check to see if Sophia is back yet."

"That's fightin' dirty." He chuckled into my shoulder but he gave me a gentle shove. "Go on then." He sighed.

"You're so deprived." I teased and he rolled onto his back and slung his arm across his eyes.

"Shut up." He was grinning, I could see it even in the darkness of the bedroom.

I slipped on a long sleeved t-shirt and some flannel pajama bottoms before sliding back across the bed to kiss him. It was just a peck but then his arms came around me and jerked me down until I was on top of him. I wriggled to try to free myself and I struggled to hush my own laughter but his arms were stronger so I finally stilled against him.

I never could get over this mans drive. He was insatiable. I used to read about men like that in the old romance novel's I had kept hidden from Ed. But I thought they were just figments of the imaginations of lonely women. As I finally gave in and let my hands run up his hard chest and then over the muscles in his strong arms I knew, as I had known that very first mind blowing time on the farm, that men like that were very real and I had one of them who was always ready and willing.

"You sure you wanna go?" he asked in a husky voice.

I kissed him softly and smiled. "No. But I'm sure I need too. You never know. You say she went to kick his ass. But what if she did and now they're making up?"

"Jesus, Carol." he dropped his arms to his side. "You know how to kill a mood, ya know that?"

I had to just shrug. "It's true. But I promise, I'll be back and I'll take care of you."

"Go on, then." He said again, sounding as petulant as ever.

I hurried out after that, afraid that if I stayed then I really wouldn't leave that bed, or more like, leave the man in the bed. I made my way silently to Sophia's door and peaked in. I had been so sure that she would be there that I had to do a double take when I saw that her bed was still made. She hadn't came home yet. Shit!

I shut her door and then crept past our bedroom door. I wasn't about to get Daryl up yet. I would just go down to Rick's and make her come home before Daryl even knew she was gone. And then I was going to chew the girl out. Daryl was better than he had been but he was filled with a world of new worries now that Sophia was older. I wouldn't tell him unless I didn't have a choice.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs I was surprised to see light coming in from the kitchen. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I made my way through the downstairs. What would that crazy girl be doing in the kitchen this late. It was obvious she hadn't been to bed yet.

She was sitting there at the kitchen table. Her hair had lightened up a lot since she spent so much time outside and she had the blonde locks pulled back in a ponytail, her blue eyes were staring off at nothing and she seemed to be nervously working on her thumbnail. Another bad habit she had learned from Daryl.

"Sophia?" I said as gently as I could but she still jumped at the sudden sound.

When she spotted me in the doorway she gave me a sheepish smile. "Hi." She said before she began working on her nail again.

"You haven't even been to bed yet?" I said as I poured us both a glass of water.

"I've been down here. I wasn't tired." She muttered.

When I turned around she was glancing nervously towards the doorway. I knew what she was waiting for and it made me wander why she would be waiting for him.

"He's asleep." I smiled as I offered her the glass.

She seemed to be relieved and I watched her closely as I took the seat across from her. "What happened?" I asked after just a few long seconds. I knew something had happened. She never acted like this and it was more than just her fight with Carl because that happened all the time. It was more strange for the two of them to not fight.

She shrugged. Nothin' really."

I could feel the frown on my face but she didn't go on. "Sophia, is this about that stuff that Trey said to you? Is that bothering you?" I asked as gently as I could even though at this point I was ready go break the boys nose myself.

She looked at me and shook her head. "Nah, nothing like that. I don't care what that jerk says. He's been saying crap to me for years."

"Yeah, but nothing like that." I said, as casually as I could.

"Carl just freaked me out mom. It isn't something you gotta worry about."

She sounded annoyed and this time I was pretty sure she was annoyed at me and not Carl.

"Well, I guess if if you don't want to talk to me about it then I can go wake..."

"No!" She hissed and I couldn't help but smile as she glanced nervously at the doorway.

"Then talk." I ordered. I usually didn't try to pry to much when it came to her. I remembered being a teenager and there wasn't anything more annoying than a parent that tried to get in your business all the time. But something was really bothering her and I wanted to know what the hell it was because if this Trey kid really had bothered her this much I was definitely going to have Daryl go after him. Law was different here. There were a lot of times that problems were solved with fists. It was how things had to be. And Daryl would be thrilled. He hated the kid.

"Carl told me he loved me." She blurted and then started chewing her other nail.

I was pretty stunned. I never would have guessed that one. He didn't seem like the type to say something like that. But then again I had to think about Daryl. He had said it and he was less likely to say it than Carl was.

I sighed. I had been expecting something and now something was finally here. Daryl's demon. The thing that bothered him the most was rearing it's ugly head and all either of them could do was hope that he was able to deal with it like an adult. "And what did you say?" I asked. Not voicing my thoughts out loud.

She shrugged. "Nothin' at first."

I felt one eyebrow raise speculatively. "At first?"

She nodded. "Look mom. I'm sure you are all going to hear about it tomorrow. I'm going to go on to bed. Expect Daryl to have one of his fits." She got up from her chair and before I could even think of something else to say she kissed my forehead and hurried out of the room.

I sat there for a few more minutes to process what she had said. She must have had a positive reaction if we were looking at this from Carl's perspective. If it was something that was going to cause Daryl to have a fit then something happened and whatever happened was something that was seen by someone other than Duane.

I rinsed out our glasses and turned out the lights behind me. I wasn't really in the mood to sit outside anymore. Daryl was going to have a really bad day. He needed me now, maybe there was something I could do to ease some of his tension.

I slipped into our room silently, knowing he would hear me anyway if he was still awake. He didn't seem to be. He was lying on his stomach with the pillow over his head, blankets only pulled up to his waist. I could have stood there and admired the view for hours but I didn't. I took off the pajama bottoms and crawled back into bed. I didn't lay down next to him the way I normally did. I kept crawling until I was straddling his hips.

He pulled the pillow off his head and then craned his neck to look back at me. His hair was in his face but I could still see the grin. I dug the heels of my hands onto his lower back and he groaned. I worked on him for a long time. Not rushing and not letting myself get too worked up. I tried anyway. His muscles were tense and I wasn't planning on stopping until that tension was gone. Even though there was another kind of tension growing in myself.

When I finally made my way up to his neck I was breathing heavily.

"You tryin' to kill me, woman?" He grunted and then rolled over, hands going straight to my hips.

I shoved his hands away and moved down, taking the blanket with me. My eyes flicked up and I knew he was watching me so I brought my mouth down just where his thigh met his hip and just barely grazed my lips over the skin there. The steady rise and fall of his chest became faster as I continued on, purposely ignoring the parts of him that I knew he wanted me to put my mouth on.

He finally, probably out of sheer frustration, tried to guide my head over with his hand but I grabbed the hand and looked up, shaking my head. He blew out a heavy breath and glared at me. He did things like this to me all the time. It was my turn. See how he liked getting teased half to death.

He was about to pull the hand away but I held onto it and then sucked two fingers into my mouth, down to the last knuckle. He made a whimpering sound in the back of his throat and it was amazing what a turn on it was to know that someone wanted you so bad.

"Goddamn it, Carol. You gotta do somethin'. Please." His voice cracked on that last word and I laughed. That was the wrong thing to do. He sat up, grabbed my hands and yanked me up so my face was next to his. He didn't give me time to move before he slammed me onto my back and then he was grinning down at me.

"You never let me have any fun, Dixon." I sighed but it turned into another laugh when he grabbed my hands and pinned them above my head. The laugh was cut off when his lips assaulted mine greedily.

I was bracing myself for him. I always did that and was never prepared for how good he felt. No matter how many times this happened, and this happened a lot, it was always shocking. A part of me knew that it wasn't just the physical aspect of it, but the way we connected on every other level also. I was never able to articulate it right, even in my own mind, but it was there. Something bigger than me and him and sex and love and life and loss. Pain didn't exist here. It was it's own place, and it was only ours. Some strange place filled with a fire that didn't burn us, where time didn't matter and where past and future were things unknown.

And I had found it all in him. At the edge of Armageddon. And there wasn't anything I would take for what I had. Because here, in this place, I was Carol Dixon. And life was fuckin' great.

So there you have it. Life is fuckin' great. Haha. I'm really sad this is over but I have a little more in me, I believe. I know that this went much much further than I ever thought it would. I could have written three stories with the material I have in this one. But I'm glad I did it this way. I guess that's what made this story so much fun to write. The kids, the Caryl, the Merlie... Fun stuff. If I have the time to write it and you all have the time to read it then why the hell not just go with it? There are a few of you out there that have been a big help to me, not just with this story but the first one too and to you, much much love. I would have never gotten to this point if it weren't for some really supportive reviewers ;)

Axelrocks, if it wasn't for you, there would be no story. It is that simple. SO thank you for the late nights and always having my back! I love you!

HGRHfan35, you have gotten me out of the writers dumps more times than you probably realize ;) You are brilliant and awesome and your dog is beautiful!

Green Owl, Ahhh, my grammatical conscience! Your reviews made me smile! Sometimes they made me blush. They always made me happy ;)

Yazzy x, you are always sweet and always kind and I hope you never change!

halodoll89, I am thrilled with my sister for turning you on to this story. I ALWAYS look forward to your reviews! I hope Merle's happy ending made you happy too =)

BLucy, I'm glad I was able to keep you on your toes! You are too sweet!

Brooklyn'sRoisinDubh, It has been a real pleasure getting to know you! I love your reviews and it's been a great ride =)

itsi3, the excitement you show in your reviews always makes me that much more excited to write! So, thank you for that!

rlmn, I'm happy that you are happy with this story! Hopefully I'll see you around for the next one ;)

Tigerlily xoxo, I'm glad you finally got yourself caught up! Good luck with your new story and thanks for always reviewing no matter what chapter you were on!

I know I've left people out! But these are the names I usually see every day so I remembered them off the top of my head! But EVERY one of you that review are appreciated! Thank you!