Epilogue

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Ten years later

The fences were in need of patching again, but they had everything they needed inside the utility building, so Daryl wasn't too worried about it. He'd fix it after lunch.

Things had been calm recently, which was nice, but they always had a way of picking back up when he least expected it. Winter was turning to spring, so the few walkers still in the area would be wandering around better than before. Most of them had withered away to nothing over the years, so not many managed to make it to the fences in the first place.

The first five years at the prison were the toughest. Even with the pits and spikes, a couple of good-size herds caused some damage to the fence. Then there were the groups of people who tried to come through and take what wasn't theirs.

That happened three times, and each time, he'd taken lives without a second thought.

With all the bad, though, there was good, too.

They'd added to their group, and at one point, D block was full again with families and people looking for safety. No one stayed forever, though. They'd get comfortable in the prison without the immediate threat of walkers constantly and think they had a shot on the outside. Maybe to go north and find a safe zone or to find their families.

At the moment, C block was full with his original group, and D was a quarter full with random survivors who had turned up over the last couple of years. He'd proven himself right the first time they got new people: don't learn their names, don't be their friends. D block people came and went, but C block people were lifers. Or that's what D's called them now.

Daryl wouldn't go back out into the nothingness ever again. Didn't make sense.

A lot of the D block members left in the seventh year at the prison when a convoy of military vehicles drove right up to the gate and an official-looking man stepped out of a truck and told them that the U.S. government was building back up. That the walkers had been defeated.

When Rick had questioned just how they'd done that since eveyone had been infected, the army man stumbled over his explanation, saying that people would still have to take care of their own dead, and that a safe zone was now established in Washington, D.C. Any survivors would be welcomed, but if they wanted to stay where they were, it was fine. They'd be making notes of survivor camps, so they needed to expect a military presence to arrive in a couple of months to make reports to base.

They'd driven off, and no one had ever come back. The people from D who'd left a week later never came back, either.

Beth had told him not to write them off, but Daryl couldn't think of them as anything now but a walker's dinner or a walker themselves.

When they left, it had been hard on her and Odessa. They didn't follow his suggestions, and had made friends with some of the new people. His little girl had cried for days when another little girl named Sam had left with her parents.

He even stopped the dad the night before they left to try to get him to reconsider—just because he didn't like seeing Odessa sad. The man had shrugged and said, "We gotta keep movin'. This isn't a place to build a home."

Daryl stared at him for a moment before turning and going back to the cell he shared with his family. The man had made up his mind, and nothing would change it. He hoped they'd made it to where they were heading.

His group had remained relatively unscathed over the years. There were injuries and sicknesses, but they'd always held their own. Tyreese had lost a few fingers in an accident while fixing the fences, but he was fine now.

Glenn lost almost his entire arm when he got bit, but that time Daryl had been there, prepared and ready, and hacked that bastard off immediately after it happened. He'd lost a lot of blood, but they'd managed to keep his ass alive. Now, Daryl joked with him about it, saying that all the men in their family had lost something. Hershel with his leg gone, Glenn with his arm, and Daryl at the sight he'd lost in his eye.

To his complete disappointment, it never returned after he'd healed, and it started fading more over time. He could see shadows and movement, but he'd learned to not depend upon his left eye for much, especially when he was outside the fence.

"Daddy!" A shrill voice yelled behind him, and he looked over his shoulder toward the sound.

She looked so much like Beth, with the long blonde hair and same smile, but she had his eyes. He was pretty much screwed, too, because she was more stubborn than him and Beth combined, and she was only eleven.

"What're doin', doodlebug?" he asked as she reached him.

"Ugghhh, don't call me that. I'm not a baby." She popped a hand on her hip and jutted her chin out. Instinctively, he leaned away.

"You're my baby girl," he muttered and stared her down. "Why're ya out here?"

"I'm tryin' to help ya. I'm old enough now."

God, she reminded him of Carl when they'd first gotten to the prison. All about helping and pulling his own weight. He grew up way too fast, and Daryl didn't want that for Odessa.

"Ya got plenty of time for shit like this, girl. Go inside, find Judith, and y'all go read some books or somethin'."

"Don't wanna read," she sassed. "Ain't no use now, anyways."

Daryl shook his head. "Don't let your momma hear ya say that. Just 'cause ya ain't got a real school don't mean ya gotta be stupid."

"Survivin' is more important than readin'."

He thumped the back of her head, and she slapped his hand away. "Ya need to stop hangin' around Carl. Survivin' now ain't what it was when he was your age, ya hear me? Thangs have changed. Ain't as bad now." He shook his head and started walking. "Damn, girl, ya know how to track and hunt. Why the hell ya wanna fix a fence?"

When she was six, he'd gone out, found her a children's compound bow, and taught her how to shoot. She was a better shot than him most days now, especially because of his eye.

It went against everything Beth wanted, to let Odessa and him go outside the fence together and into the woods, but she trusted him and she knew it was going to happen sooner or later.

"Daddy," she said and stuck out her bottom lip. "Please?"

"You're worse than your momma with battin' those eyelashes to get your way."

The resulting smile that crossed Odessa's face transformed her into Beth again. He didn't even know why he bothered putting up a fight when it came to her.

Soon, they'd made it halfway around the prison, and Odessa was dragging behind.

"I don't wanna do this anymore," she said with a sigh.

"We only got a bit further to go," he answered.

They came around a corner to find a walker pressed up against the fence about knee height. His leg collapsed under him at an awkward angle.

"That's sick," Odessa whispered.

"Yeah, well, be glad they're like this now. Ain't had nothin' to eat in so long they're fallin' apart."

Daryl pulled his knife from his belt, crouched down, and ended the walker's life quickly.

"Doesn't that make ya feel bad? Killin' it?" she asked quietly.

"Naw." He shook his head and looked at her. "This ain't a real person. A virus—it's in all of us—infected its brain, and after it died, it restarted thangs. Remember, we told ya about the CDC?"

"I know. I just hate to think we all end up that way."

"Ya won't," he said with conviction.

"What about grandpa?" she asked quietly.

Hershel had been sick on and off the last few weeks, and he knew everyone was worried about what would happened when the day finally came.

"He's stronger than y'all think, 'Dessa. Everyone gets sick sometimes."

"I'm tired," she said, leaning against him.

Daryl moved his bow around to his front and lowered himself a little. "Hop on up."

"Seriously?" she asked, laughing a little.

"Yeah, it's a serious piggyback, doodlebug."

Odessa hopped up, and once she was secure, he started walking, his knees not feeling all that great under the extra weight.

"Why do ya call me that, Daddy?"

He thought for a second and then shrugged. "Don't really know. Just started callin' ya that when ya were about two, and it stuck."

She hummed and then asked, "Why do ya call momma songbird?"

Daryl smiled and looked over his shoulder at her. "'Cause she sings so pretty."

"Why doesn't Jase have a nickname?" she asked, laying her head against his back.

"He does. Can't say it out loud, though," he said and laughed.

Jase was eight and a holy terror. Daryl figured it was true what they said about kids paying you back for all the shit you did as a child. If Odessa was Beth's punishment, that fit. She was strong-willed and could sass back. But Jase was his punishment, and son of a bitch, that boy was going to drive him crazy.

The first thing that Beth had said after he was born was, "Daryl, oh my gosh, he's got your scowl."

And he did. That boy was him made over, and if Odessa had Daryl wrapped around her finger, Beth was useless when it came to Jase. She thought he was precious and mischievous and a mini-Daryl.

Daryl knew what was going on in that little hellion's head, and when there were screams in the laundry room and he had to go remove grass snakes from clothes buckets, he knew immediately who'd caused the problem.

"He's just a boy," Beth said, trying to calm him down.

He'd give her that. He was all boy. Daryl dreaded when he got old enough to use his looks for other purposes, too. Never in his life had Daryl thought he was an attractive man, but he could look at his son and see an air of confidence he'd never possessed. If there were girls in D when he came of age, there'd be a damn riot on their hands because he wouldn't put it past Jase to be a sneaky little shit with the girls.

He put Maggie and Glenn's boy to shame. Their son Tyler was about a year older than Jase. She lost two babies before one finally stuck. Maggie'd had a hard pregnancy and was bedridden for nearly all of it. They'd tried to have another one after his birth, but they hadn't been able to and didn't figure they ever would.

Tyler was quiet and cautious. He looked like Glenn, but had Maggie's temper when provoked. He and Jase were attached at the hip, and he hoped Tyler would be able to put a damper on Jase's more adventurous ideas when they got older.

When they got to B block, he unlocked the door and let Odessa inside. "Ya tell your momma that I'll be up in a bit. Gotta go talk to Rick."

Odessa nodded and yawned.

He just shook his head and locked the door behind her. He'd never understand why she'd wake up so early to try and find him. When he was a kid, all he did was sleep late.

A few minutes later, he found Rick sitting out in the yard on one of the picnic tables. He'd changed a lot over the years. Like Daryl, he was grayer than anything else, but he'd become more calculating, too.

He and Michonne were still very much together, but they'd never had any children. The two Rick had kept their hands full as it was. Carl was in his twenties, and he'd caused some issues a couple of years earlier when he knocked up some girl in D. Her parents made her leave the baby, and they took off about five months after she gave birth. Carl had been angry and lashed out a lot. He didn't know what to do with a kid, and neither did anyone else. Formula wasn't an option anymore and it wasn't like they had milk. They didn't even have any other women who were nursing babies.

The little thing almost died before she started taking the bottles of broth. Even then they weren't sure how she'd digest it.

Her name was Lori, and she was about a year old.

Rick had problems calling her that and had taken to calling her L.G. Daryl called her that, too, out of solidarity to his brother. He couldn't imagine how he felt dealing with all that and then taking care of Judith, who, as she got older, looked more and more like Shane than Rick.

Judith was Odessa's best friend, and neither of them knew what had happened between Lori and Shane. And while Carl hadn't known when it was happening, he quickly picked up on it one day when Judith smirked up at him and looked like Shane's double.

He'd confronted Rick about it, but Rick had told him that it wasn't any of his business. That just confirmed Carl's suspicions and made things worse. That was when Carl started calling his daughter L.G., too.

"Whatcha doin' this mornin'?" Rick asked as he sat down beside him on the bench seat.

"Checkin' the fence. Gotta spot that needs fixin', and I killed a walker at the back of A."

"Really?" Rick turned and looked at him, shocked at the news.

"Yeah, but it was bad. Legs pretty much gone. Didn't even growl."

"Huh." He looked down at the ground. "Can't believe we've made it this far, ya know?"

Daryl grunted in response.

"We've come a long way."

"Got a long way to go, too," Daryl answered.

"Yeah."

They looked over the yard as the sun rose a little higher in the sky. Daryl knew that Beth would be up and getting Jase dressed and then going down to start breakfast. If he wanted to catch her alone for a few seconds, now would be the time.

"Gonna go find Beth," he said, standing up.

Rick nodded and stood up. "Gonna go find Michonne. Talk to her about L.G."

"What's wrong with the baby?" Daryl asked, pausing.

"Nothin'. Just Carl ain't really doin' much, ya know? Don't know how to fix it. Mika's been takin' care of her most of the time. She sleeps in her cell."

Daryl nodded. He knew Mika had taken charge of the baby, despite Carol telling her she was too young to get caught up with things like that. Mika was nineteen and perfectly capable. She was also in love with Carl and had been for as long as Daryl could remember. It was a damn shame Carl seemed to look right past her. Daryl figured Carol just really didn't want to see Mika's heart broken down the road, and that's why she put up such a fuss about it.

He shrugged, saying, "Don't really know what ya can do. Boy's gotta figure it out on his own."

"Yeah. Just feel like this is all my fault."

"It ain't. Ya didn't make the decisions that led to her bein' here. Hell, it ain't even your fault about Judith. You're just the one still around to deal with the fallout."

Rick sighed heavily. "Wish it were easier."

"I hear that. Give Jase about ten years and you'll be talkin' me down from the ledge."

"Ya think we'll be here in ten years?"

Daryl shrugged. "If not here, we'll be somewhere together. Don't ever see us partin' ways, ya know? Even if those military guys somehow make it back our way. I think the world we knew is over. I don't mind livin' and dyin' here."

He turned and started back for B block, leaving Rick to think about what he'd said. He walked up the stairs to their cell—the same one they'd shared for the last decade—and heard Beth let out a frustrated groan.

"Jase Augustus Dixon, if ya don't get your little butt over here right now, I'm gonna beat you, child!"

The delighted laughter let him know that Jase was not threatened one lick by what his momma had said. Soon as he crossed the door, though, Jase dropped from between the top bunk and the bars and looked like a perfect angel.

"Mornin'," Daryl said, staring at his youngest.

"Mornin', Daddy," Jase said and smirked. Daryl looked at Beth and smirked, too.

"Lord help me," she sighed, looking at the ceiling. "It's like God pressed repeat."

Daryl laughed quietly and sat on the edge of the bed. "Get your clothes on, boy. Can't go runnin' 'round naked."

"Don't like 'em," Jase replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Didn't ask if ya liked 'em," Daryl replied as he pulled off his vest and jacket. He'd gotten a little walker blood on his shirt and wanted to change, so he pulled off his button-up and reached over to get a new one.

"Daddy, how'd your back get all scratched up again?"

Years ago, Daryl would have flinched, but now he just smiled and pulled on another shirt. "I'll answer ya when ya get dressed."

Both his kids had asked about his back at some point when they were small, but he'd just shrugged them off, preferring to change the subject. They just took him as he was. Daddy always had scars and tattoos on his back. It was just the way things were. It was the first time Jase had asked in a very long time, so he pulled up his pants and tugged on a plain T-shirt as quickly as he could and then looked over at his daddy expectantly.

"Wrestlin' a cougar," Daryl said with a straight face.

Jase's eyes widened, and he looked at Beth to confirm. "Your daddy's a tough man," she answered.

"I'm gonna go tell Tyler," he said and ran out of the room.

When he was far enough away, Beth closed the curtain and straddled Daryl's lap. Ignoring the interaction before—even still, she never pushed him on things like that—she said, "Odessa tells me there was a walker."

"Yeah."

"She worries me with how she wants to be a part of everythin'."

Daryl shrugged. "I'll keep an eye on her."

Beth rolled her eyes at his joke and kissed him softly before laying her head on his chest.

Daryl looked around the room. It had changed a lot over the last few years. Across the room, they'd removed the bottom bunk and put a twin mattress on the bottom for Odessa. They'd tried to put another twin mattress on the floor for Jase when he was about five, but he insisted on sleeping on the top bunk. With a few screws and pipes, Daryl created a railing to keep him from falling off in his sleep.

He didn't think that he and Beth would ever feel safe enough to let them sleep in their own cell before they were a lot older. Even then, he'd probably still check on them nightly. Hell, they still locked the cell door every night as it was.

"What are your plans for the day?" she asked softly.

"Fix the fence later then nothin'. Might go out huntin'."

She hummed quietly then said, "Ya know what today is, right?" The little press of her hips into his lap made him perk up immediately.

"The day you're gonna finally kill me? Damn, woman," he whispered, holding her hips.

Her eyes lit up and she grinned. "It's library day with Sasha. So we have thirty minutes of privacy right before lunch time."

Daryl shook his head. "How the hell did I forget about that? That's tha best day of my week."

"You're gettin' old and forgetful."

"Watch your mouth, sunshine," he said teasingly.

She began to kiss his jaw and then down his neck until she was kneeling between his legs.

"Why don't ya watch it for me?"

Of course, the moment she touched his dick, high-pitched screams started coming at them and Beth hopped up, straightening her already fixed clothes.

"Cock-blockin' little bastards," he muttered, and Beth slapped his shoulder playfully.

"They're birth control."

"Can't get knocked up from swallowin', anyway."

Beth laughed loudly and placed her hand on her chest. "Be still my heart."

At that moment, Tyler and Jase ran through the curtain and skidded to a stop in front of Daryl.

"Uncle Glenn said daddy's tellin' tha truth, and Tyler wants to see 'em, too!"

Beth shot Daryl a look that told him all he had to do was say the word, and she'd put an end to this. He just shrugged and pulled his shirt over his head as he turned around.

Life was too short, and he'd come too far, to let his back bring him down anymore.

"Cool," Tyler whispered. "Uncle Daryl, you've got to be one of the strongest people here."

"Your old man's pretty tough," Daryl said as he pulled his shirt down. "Your granddaddy is, too. Y'all run on and talk to him about his leg."

Without a second glance, they were off. They knew the story of Hershel's leg, but it was about time they heard all the gruesome details, and Hershel was a hell of a storyteller.

"You're so good with them," Beth told him with a grin on her face. "Couldn't have picked a better man to have babies with."

"Well, I played hard to get as long as I could before I finally just gave in."

Beth bit her lip and walked toward him. "Am I your first choice?" she asked.

"For what?" he asked, completely forgetting what they were talking about because she licked her bottom lip and stared at his zipper.

"Havin' your babies," she said softly.

"Didn't even know I wanted 'em until I held 'Dessa," he answered truthfully. "So, yeah, you're my first and only choice. My children were bound to be demons, so they needed a touch of angel to make 'em bearable."

Beth stood in front of him and laughed, her cheeks tinged light pink. "Who knew that once I got ya talkin', ya'd say some of the corniest thangs."

"I didn't." He gripped her hips and pulled her to him. "I think we should go inspect tha bathroom. Ya look like ya wanna swallow my dick right now, and I'm all for that."

"You're still so crude, though," she said and started walking out the cell door toward the bathroom.

"Call it like I see it," he said, following after her.

Just as she was about to slip inside the door, she met his eyes and smirked. "Never said ya were wrong. Just said ya were crude."

"Fuckin' yes," he mumbled and shut the door behind them.

When he turned around, he saw that Beth had pulled a towel over and was kneeling on it. She didn't waste any time unbuckling his belt and sliding his pants down a little. "Lock tha door," she whispered before she licked around the tip of his dick.

His hand fumbled with the lock, turning it finally, and then settled into her hair. Years had definitely passed, and he couldn't go for as long as he once could, but he sure as hell didn't have trouble pitching a tent in his jeans when Beth gave him a certain look.

Daryl leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "Damn, woman, just like that." He groaned softly, pushing her further down. She hummed around him and made his balls tense up.

Lately, she'd been ready to go all the damn time, and he was trying desperately to keep up. He definitely wasn't complaining. If he couldn't get it back up, and she still wanted more, he sit her on the counter and lick her pussy until she was pushing him away.

He made sure that she left that bathroom satisfied as hell after they got to sneak away.

"I'm gonna come soon," he said as he visualized the last time he ate her out on that counter. Flushed all the way down her neck and covering her tits. "Real soon." He clenched his jaw.

She just moved faster, taking her hand to jack what part of his dick didn't fit in her mouth.

"Fuck yes, baby." He tangled his fingers deeper into her hair and thrust against her. He was flying, and his vision blacked a little in his good eye. His woman could suck dick.

"Just wanna go to sleep now," he mumbled.

"That's not unusual." Beth laughed and stood up, wiping her bottom lip with her index finger. She looked fucking sinful with her lips all swollen and red. "What are ya starin' at?"

"You," he whispered and pulled her to him, trying to kiss her.

"Ummm, I just had your come in my mouth." She pulled away.

"I don't give a shit," he said, pulling her back. "Watched you pop out a kid. If I was gonna run away from fuckin' around with ya, it have been after ya had Jase. Now, kiss me."

Beth bit her bottom lip before she stood on her tiptoes, taking her hands and running them up his arms, to his shoulders, and then curling in the short hair on his neck. The resulting kiss made his knees weaker, and he didn't know that was possible. He walked her back and sat her on the counter, sucking on her bottom lip, kissing over her jaw and then down her neck.

He started moving his hand up her thigh, and she parted her legs for him, her shorts offering him perfect access.

"Ya wet?" he asked, rubbing her panties, knowing the answer.

"God, yes." She moaned when he moved the panties aside.

"I fuckin' knew it. Can smell ya." He bit her shoulder, and she tilted her hips towards his hand.

Just as he was about to sink his finger into her, the door burst open and Jase yelled, "I knew I could do it!" Daryl figured he and Beth looked like deer caught in headlights because they froze in place. "Why's your hand in Momma's pants?"

"Christ Almighty, ya little shit!" Daryl jumped back and yanked his hands in the air.

"That's a bad word," Jase said and smiled sweetly.

"Yeah, well, breakin' and enterin's a crime. Door was locked for a reason." Daryl slammed the door and leaned against it while his son pushed against it with all his might. "Go on outside, and we'll practice with sister's bow, okay?"

"Hell yes!" Jase yelled, and they could hear his steps as he ran away.

"You're gonna have to do somethin' with his language, Daryl," Beth said as she slid off the counter.

"Get your ass back up there."

"Moment's long gone." She laughed and closed her eyes. "We've got to find somethin' to put against tha door, too."

Daryl nodded, ran his hands through his hair, and tugged. "I'm gonna get ya later," he said quietly. He reached out and grabbed her, dragging her to him and kissing her hard. "Love ya."

"Love ya, too." She smiled up at him and sighed.

They left the bathroom, parting ways outside the kitchen. It didn't take Daryl long to find Jase, who'd already set up the target and was shifting restlessly from foot to foot.

"You taught 'Dessa to shoot when she was six. Why'd ya wait so long to teach me?" he asked as soon as Daryl was close enough.

"'Cause ya jack around too much," he said, taking the bow from his son's hand. "Looks good, little man. Show me what ya got."

Jase smirked and took the bow back before turning to the side. Daryl watched him load the bow, hold his fingers correctly, pull back, aim, and then let the arrow go with a fluid motion that made him seem like a natural.

"How long ya been sneakin' out here with your sister?" Daryl asked quietly, and Jase's face paled. "Ain't no use in lyin'."

Jase toed the ground. "Not too long. Just wanna be prepared, ya know. Take care of Momma," he said and looked up at his daddy through his lashes.

Daryl shook his head and tried to hold in a laugh. "Your momma can handle herself." Then he scrubbed a hand over his jaw. "Guess I need to go lookin' for a bow of your own."

Jase hollered, "Hell yeah, dad!" and jumped up and down in front of him.

Daryl reached out and laid a heavy hand on his shoulder. "You're gonna have to stop that shit around your momma, ya hear me? She don't like ya cursin'."

"Yes, sir," Jase said but couldn't contain his smile.

Daryl took a few steps back. "Keep on practicin'. You're good, but we still got a ways to go."

He spent the rest of the morning giving Jase little pointers here and there but mostly watching his eyes light up when he hit the target dead on. Odessa joined them and impressed him more than he could say.

Somehow, he'd help raise two kids who were smart, strong, and capable. Everything he'd never been as a kid. He felt so much pride as he watched them, and he finally accepted that there had never been anything wrong with him. His parents were the ones who were fucked.

"So Jase is really good," Beth's voice made him turn his head to his right.

"Yeah," he said quietly. Daryl wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him until she was leaning her head against his chest.

"Shoulda known. He's gonna be just like you."

"He's gonna be better," Daryl said and nodded. "They both are."

Didn't matter what came their way next, whether it be moving or fixing that fucking fence again for the hundredth time, Daryl felt an odd calm settle over him.

Things might get hard, but they were going to be okay.