AN: Well, this is it. It was time to draw this part to a close and end this piece of the journey. I thank you all for reading!

For the last time in this story, here's another chapter! I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

"Real romantic last night we havin', ain't it 'Chonne?" Daryl asked from where he lie in the bed, distanced from Michonne by Hope's limp body.

Michonne lie on her back, probably uncomfortable but not saying anything about it, with Zeb draped across her.

"I don't know," she said. "I think it's pretty romantic…"

She smiled and Daryl couldn't stop himself from reaching over the natural border that had formed between them in the bed and touching her cheek with his fingers before he slid his hand down, his finger curling for just a second under her chin.

"That's my smile," he said, offering her a smile of his own. "Must mean it's so."

The group had decided to leave a little earlier than they'd originally planned. Since Muh's passing, the community had felt different. It had felt ready for them to leave, and they'd all surprised themselves because they all felt ready to leave too…as thought their feet, so long planted in one place, were itching for the road and the ground they had to cover before they could find the place they dreamed about, assuming it existed anywhere outside their dreams.

And the weather was mild enough, though still cold and not spring by any stretch of the imagination, that they felt they could travel without risking freezing to death. The still lingering chill, they figured, would be in their favor when it came to keeping Walkers at manageable levels and the food they'd waste waiting for the weather to change fit neatly into their wagons.

So they'd decided to bundle up and use extra blankets for the pack animals, and set out, though a little early, on the road that they hoped would lead them "home"…wherever their "home" ended up being.

As the day they planned to leave had drawn nearer, they'd all grown to express a certain level of excitement, oddly tinted by a level of melancholy.

They were leaving behind so much of their lives, it seemed…all in hope of something better. And all of them hoped that they weren't betting on fool's gold while they simultaneously believed that the better days than even they could imagine awaited them on the other side of a trip that they could only see drawn out on a map.

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Daryl walked around, checking the wagons for the fourth time to make sure that nothing looked loose, out of place, or anything like a threat now that they were proudly rolled and lined up like something from a Western movie in the road outside of the community, the horses and mules that would pull them shifting their weight in such a way they seemed to be bubbling over with the excitement that was leaking out of each and every traveler as they scrambled about and hurried to get into position and to get ready for the big move.

Glenn would drive the front wagon, Libby would drive the middle one, and Beau would drive the last one, hanging back just enough from the front two to have a good range to turn the whole thing if he needed to, their locations all strategically thought out ahead of time.

The other travelers, anyone not driving or riding for a reason, would walk the vast majority of the trip which would necessarily make for slow travel, but Daryl imagined it would be slow and steady travel that would, just as assuredly as it got the tortoise across the finish line, get them to their destination.

Daryl stopped by Glenn's wagon and took a moment to tease his friend who was sitting proudly yet slightly relaxed, the reins in his hand and the map they were following weighted down at his side, waiting for the direction that it was time for him to lead them on.

"Look like a regular cowboy!" Daryl called up to him.

Glenn chuckled and shook his head, but didn't respond with any other action besides switching the hands that held the reins.

"Damn Asian leading the pack, ain't no tellin' where the hell we're liable to end up!" Daryl declared, laughing low in his throat.

"I thought we would take the scenic route," Glenn said. "See some things we haven't seen before…"

Daryl nodded his head.

"I imagine we gonna do that alright," Daryl said. "Best get the best look you can, though. After we get where we going, I ain't movin' no more!"

Glenn laughed low enough that it was only a visible laugh and not one that Daryl could hear carrying over all the noise happening around him and nodded his head.

"That makes two of us at least," Glenn said.

Daryl walked on, then down the line, stopping a moment to check on Libby and to make sure the harnesses that the animals she would drive were fitting securely.

Then he moved farther down the line to Beau's wagon where he found Michonne standing, having obviously already helped to load up the majority of the children in anticipation of the start of the trip. He walked up behind her, putting his hand on her shoulder, and she dipped back, twisting something like a cat, and quickly nuzzled her body against him, the warmth contrasting sharply to the cold of the air, before she placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Michonne glanced over, while Daryl stood behind her waiting for everyone to finish all their last minute preparations and actions, toward the community for one last look. From where she stood she could just barely make out the house that she'd called home for all this time.

She watched as Maggie made her way out of the gates, one of the last to leave for having stopped to say a special goodbye to Beth, and headed toward the wagon with Lela so that she could pass her inside to the nice little den that had been built for their tinier travelers to move along in comfort and peace.

Rick had followed Maggie out and Michonne watched as he replaced the padlock on the gates, dropping the key without a word into his pocket.

"Locking the gates?" Michonne asked to no one in particular, but knowing that Daryl would hear her and likely reply…which he did.

"Figured we'd lock her up," he said. "That way…anybody else come along looking for shelter like we did…maybe they can put the place to use…maybe it'll be good for 'em like it was for us."

Michonne didn't respond, but she nodded her head.

Maybe he was right. Maybe the community would one day offer to another group the same kind of chance that it had given to all of them.

Michonne sucked in a breath and turned her head at the sound of Carol's voice, asking for help, and she reached out, smiling at Carol and taking Isaac out of her arms, cuddling the sleeping baby next to her chest in his oversized bundle of blankets while Carol got situated next to Beau at the front of the wagon. Michonne passed Isaac up to her then, and Carol got him adjusted to rest next to her for the trip.

"Keep him fed," Michonne said. "We don't want any incidents if they can be avoided."

Carol smiled down at her and nodded.

"I will…" she said. "Be careful?"

Michonne chuckled lightly.

"Always," she remarked.

"Drive easy, Beau," Michonne heard Daryl say. "You carryin' all the important shit."

Michonne smiled to herself because Beau was driving the wagon, the last in the line, that was loaded with all of the children…and it was true. His was the wagon that carried the most important cargo. Anything else they had could be replaced.

"Remember," Daryl said. "There's trouble, you light out in the other direction…get as far away as ya can…we'll find ya…just get 'em outta the way."

Beau smiled at Daryl and nodded.

"Yessir!" He declared. "I got it…we ready ta go yet?"

"Almost," Daryl said. "Everybody looks like they 'bout in place…we'll go on until just before dark…give us time to break camp before night."

Michonne turned quickly, then, catching Daryl by the shoulders and kissing him, seeing immediately by the look on his face that she'd surprised him with the sudden and unannounced affection, and she smiled as she backed away from him.

He smiled back, the crooked smile that curled only one corner of his mouth.

"What was that for?" He asked.

Michonne smiled again.

"It was to last you until the next stop," Michonne said, having already taken well enough inventory of their travelling companions to know that all they lacked to get moving was the command to be given.

"Where you goin'?" Daryl asked, raising an eyebrow at Michonne.

She smiled again and gestured toward the front of the line with her head, already knowing that Daryl was planned to be bringing up the rear with Rick and Sadie…but she'd never agreed on staying in any given position.

"I'll see you at the next stop, Dixon," Michonne teased, walking toward the front.

"Wait, you ain't walkin' back here with me?" Daryl called quickly.

Michonne smiled and bit the end of her tongue between her teeth quickly as she shook her head.

"Back there the scenery never changes," she commented.

Daryl smirked.

"I like it," he said. "Getta look at'cha ass all the way there…"

"Enjoy the view, then!" Michonne teased as she turned and hopped as quickly as she could to the front, giving the command to start the party lurching forward and refusing to turn back for so much as a glance at the home they were leaving behind.

She wasn't looking behind her, she was only going to look forward, confident that she had no reason to look behind her. There were enough people that she trusted who had her back, literally and figuratively, and life was about moving forward.

To whatever future there might be for all of them.

111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

AN: So I would like to thank all of you who have hung with me through this story. It has been quite the adventure for me with a few bumps in the road, but I'm thrilled to have reached the point that I had planned for it.

I know it's not the best fic in the world, but it was my very first introduction into fanfic writing and except for the bumps along the road, I've enjoyed it.

I do have two others (sequels of sorts) that I've been planning for this one. The first I may start writing as soon as I get a whim to start putting it together. It will be called "Long Way 'Round" and it'll pick up down the road a little while from this. I plan for it to be much like this one in that it will be whole group involvement, including hopefully more perspectives and such from the other group members. I don't know when I'll start on it, and I'm sure it won't be a "constant update" fic, but I'm feeling like I do want to continue on with what I had planned, so I'm sure I'll be starting on it before too very long. If you think you would enjoy it, then I invite you to join me on that journey as well. If not, no hard feelings and I thank you for having come this far.

I hope you enjoyed this fic for what it's worth. Thanks for reading!