This is a just a little bonus chapter for a couple of readers who felt I left a plot point dangling.

Pennies from Heaven

So when you hear it thunder
Don't run under a tree
There'll be pennies from Heaven
For you and me

Trade them for a package of
Sunshine and flowers
If you want the things you love
You must have showers

So when you hear it thunder
Don't run under a tree
There'll be pennies from Heaven
For you and me

-music by Arthur Johnston and words by Johnny Burke.

February 26

"Are you still sure about this?" Hershel asked, steering the car into the parking space in front of the big brick building in downtown Atlanta.

"If I'm starting over I want it to include me giving back to someone who really needs it." Ellie said, taking his hand when he finished parking and looked over at her.

"It's a lot—on top of movin' back to Senoy and the boy just being born and...well..." Hershel actually blushed a little.

"And us?" Ellie smiled over at him. She hadn't ever thought she'd find love again, especially at this age, but like it was the most natural thing in the world, she and he had just been right. That feeling when you're with someone that everything is how and where it's supposed to be.

Maggie had been more enthusiastic about the match than Beth, the younger girl's memories of her mother more recent and fraught. Having already lost two wives, one to childbirth and one to cancer, Hershel himself was a bit gun shy about starting a relationship as well. It was Daryl and Carol who had, in separate talks with the couple, urged them to stop wasting time wondering if it was a good idea and just get to it. Callie was in agreement, but Merle was still on the fence. Having just gotten his momma back he was leery of sharing her with anyone if truth be told.

They decided that Ellie would move home, but were keeping the beach house as a summer vacation spot for the whole family to use.

"Like I said, it's a lot of changes for you in a pretty short amount of time." Hershel repeated.

Ellie tugged him forward and kissed him lingeringly, making him sigh and brush a kiss to her forehead before leaning back into his seat.

"You know I'm pretty flexible." She winked and he snorted at her double entendre.

"Been awhile since you had a full house." Hershel said, giving her hand a squeeze and then releasing it so he could open the car door and get out.

Ellie and he met at the front of the car and they walked up to the front door of the Atlanta Child Protective Services building.

"I miss it." Ellie said, smiling up at him. "I miss having Callie underfoot. My sons grew up without me—your girls are almost out of the house—Beth will be off to college next year."

"Daughters..." Hershel sighed, "Enough to make you lose your mind...Daryl's lucky he got a son first time out."

Young Travis Richard Grimes, "TR" was the apple of his Grandpa and Grandmas' eyes, with Papa Hershel not far behind. Between him and Judith, the Grimes' place was baby central. Maggie and Glenn looked like they were heading in the same direction, announcing their engagement and even Michonne and Andrea were discussing it.

"We've raised three daughters between us." Ellie said, "I think we can handle one more."

"It's up to her now." Hershel nodded, holding the door open for her.

They went to the main reception desk and identified themselves and the reason for their visit. Shown to the office of the case worker they'd met with previously, Mary, a middle aged woman with her dark hair down the side in one long plait, they entered and sat in two of three chairs arrayed in front of her desk.

"So good to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Greene." the woman said warmly. "How are your son and daughter-in-law? It was such a pleasure to meet them at the home visit."

"Carol and Daryl are doing well—our grandson is two months old tomorrow." Ellie said proudly.

"How wonderful! " Mary beamed, nodding. "Such kind people."

"Can we—is she—can we see her now?" Ellie asked, her patience being tested.

"You understand, I will admit to some trepidation at this placement in light of your family's previous relationship with the child's father." Mary said carefully.

"She needs a home—a place to feel safe." Hershel said, "We can give her that."

"Let me finish Mr. Greene." Mary said, holding up her hand. "Your willingness to take the time necessary to go through the extensive counseling session period with her and to involve your extended family as well was a great plus in your favor."

Ellie and Hershel exchanged a hopeful look.

"We've agreed with the judge that you should have a three month trial foster care period and then we will reevaluate your petition for adoption. Her father's parental rights have been terminated by court order, effective at that time." What went without saying is that when Blake was executed, the girl would become a ward of the state regardless. She had no other relatives.

"So we can take her today? To stay?" Ellie said, her eyes tearing up. They'd been allowed to bring the little girl to the farm for day visits and one overnight in the two months, easing her into the idea. The first time she'd been overjoyed to be reunited with Maggie and Hershel, who she remembered, but was very shy with them. By the time she'd had to leave after the third visit last week, she'd cried and clung to them when she'd had to say goodbye.

It was Sasha who had brought their attention to the situation. Before and during her time testifying in her father's trial, Penny Blake had been kept in protective custody at a safe house. After the trial, she had undergone more extensive counseling for the abuse she had suffered. The criminal investigation had revealed that the girl's mother must have discovered what was going on and she'd been silenced in an arranged "accident." Penny had been seven.

Finding someone willing to foster or adopt the girl had proven difficult. She was emotionally and psychologically scarred by the abuse and there were questions about her stability. She was fearful around most men, but needed to have a positive male presence in her life to counter what had been done to her by her father and others.

At first Daryl and Carol had discussed taking her in, but with the new baby and Daryl's school, it wasn't really feasible. They'd talked about it at family Christmas and Ellie, an abuse survivor like her sons and daughter-in-law, had been touched by the story. When her relationship with Hershel culminated in a small church wedding at the end of January, they'd decided to seek custody of the little girl.

Mary pushed a button on her phone and picked it up.

"You can bring her in now."

A minute of two later the office door opened and Penny came in, all excitement to see them.

"Papa Hershel! Momma Ellie!" the little girl cried and rushed forward. She was wearing sneakers, jeans and a pink Hello Kitty sweater. Her hair was in a slightly askew high pony including braids, a hairstyle similar to one Beth had recently been affecting. Another worker came in carrying a suitcase and a back pack, setting them on the floor by the door. Penny looked at the bags and then quickly back to Mary.

"I can still stay overnight, right?" Penny asked hopefully.

"You're coming home with us sweetheart, if that's what you want." Ellie said, blinking back tears.

"Like a forever home?" Penny asked, looking back and forth between Mary and the Greenes. "Like when I came to your cages and picked Butter out with Maggie so he could be my cat?"

"If it all goes the way we want it to, yes." Hershel told her. "But only if that's what you want too."

"And I'd be your little girl then?" Penny asked hesitantly, hopefully.

"Our little Penny from Heaven." Hershel smiled. Beth had used the old standard as a lullaby for her when she'd stayed with them and the child had made her sing it over and over, fascinated that there was a song about her.

"Beth and Maggie will be my sisters!" Penny said, looking dazed with joy.

"That's right, sweetheart." Ellie said, nodding. "And Daryl and Merle? They'll be your big brothers."

Penny's eyes got bigger at that and frowned a little.

"But they're good guys—Daryl got a baby with Miss Carol and he'd never hurt it." Penny said solemnly.

During an earlier visit she and Carol had a long discussion about babies and how to care for them. The little girl had been anxious when she'd seen Daryl taking TR away from Carol after a feeding, to walk around and burp him. She'd had to assure Penny that he would bring the baby back unharmed. It made them all realize she must have witnessed some deeply disturbing things in her short life.

"That's right." Ellie assured her. "Big brothers protect little sisters."

"And Merle looks scary, but he isn't really." Penny said. "He's going to take me for a ride on his motorcycle when the weather gets warm again."

Both Merle and Daryl were good with the girl, very patient, as was Carl, who was happy to have someone close to his own age around to play with, though never unsupervised. Children who had been sexually abused sometimes had certain inappropriate behaviors "normalized" and were unaware they were socially unacceptable or unnecessary.

The only one that had shown up so far with Penny was when Hershel had tucked her into bed the first night she'd stayed over at the farm. She'd been put in the small guest room with a twin bed and she asked Hershel how he would fit in it too, starting to cry with anxiety as she asked. She'd accepted him as a father figure and assumed that meant he'd be sleeping with her, just as Blake had done.

Ellie, standing behind Hershel, had diffused the situation by gently saying Hershel slept with her and so Penny and Butter could have a bed all to themselves.

Identifying such possible triggers was something they were all working on with the therapists.

"Well, I think if you're ready to go Miss Penny, that's it for our part." Mary said cheerfully, standing up and walking around the desk.

"Thank you Miss Mary." Penny said, politely holding out her hand, one of the oddly formal behaviors she'd been taught as courtesy to adults.

Mary shook it and then the girl, too exuberant to remain so subdued, rushed to Ellie and practically tackle hugged her.

Laughing, Ellie hugged her back, lifting her up and then Penny reached her arms out to Hershel to include him in the embrace, showing him such trust it made everyone in the room tear up.

Greene Farm

"Is that them?" Carl asked, hopping back on forth, trying to peer out the porch door window.

"Not yet—now you need to calm down, boy or you'll scare the little bit when she does arrive." Merle chided, "Why don't you go find that old yeller eyed beast she calls a cat and have him out here so's she can see him when she comes in?"

"Good idea Uncle Merle!" Carl said, running off into the other room lickety split.

"Told you not to call me that!" Merle yelled after him, sounding pissed off, but he couldn't hide his grin.

"I saw that." Carol said, smiling knowingly and coming closer so she could hand him his littlest nephew.

Merle took the gurgling little boy and deftly tucked him in close to his body with one arm and then took hold of Carol's shoulder so he could reel her in for a kiss on the cheek.

"What was that for?" Carol asked him. It wasn't like her brother-in-law to be so demonstrative.

"This is all you, you know. This family..." Merle said, giving her shoulder a squeeze before releasing her. He waved his hand in a little gesture encompassing the people arrayed in the living room and kitchen waiting Ellie and Hershel's return with Penny.

Beth was teasing Glenn, who was up on a ladder trying hang a homemade banner that read: "Welcome Penny!" and was decorated with shiny new copper pennies. Sasha, Lori and Maggie were in the kitchen working on lunch while Rick and Daryl were supposed to be setting the table, but had to break away from that to get Judith who was crying when she realized TR wasn't beside her in the playpen any more.

"Me?" Carol asked.

"Daryl's the key for all this n' you're the one who unlocked him." Merle explained. "You hadn't come along and made him see what he was missin' we'd still both be under Tom's thumb; you'd never have known what happened to your girl; Daryl wouldn't know Travis was his pa; our Momma would still be gone, Hershel'd be alone and this little girl we're welcoming to the family would still be in the hands of that fucker Blake. Hell, even old Glenn over there probably be sittin' home alone on Saturday night instead a getting' some from the farmer's daughter."

"Merle!" Carol swatted at him playfully for the last bit, but was touched by the rest. Making such a difference in the lives of the people she loved was a bit overwhelming to think about.

Daryl walked over to them holding Judith who was still upset about her missing cousin. He brought her close enough so she could see him, but she reached out her little hands, not happy until she had a hold on his little sweater. She hadn't been so clingy the last time they'd visited, about a month ago, showing how quickly they were becoming aware of the world around them.

"This woman done turned us into a couple a nannies, bro! Do we even possess a set a' balls between the two of us anymore?" Merle said in mock disgust.

Daryl responded by chuckling.

"She can turn me any which way but loose, right sweetheart?" he said and then leaned over and gave her a long slow deep kiss until Judith protested with a squeal because he'd drifted too far away from Merle and TR.

"They're here!" Carl yelled, racing past them with a very annoyed cat in his arms.

"Guess it's time to go greet the new addition to the family." Merle said, handing TR back over to Carol and heading off after the boy.

"You sure you're okay with this?" Daryl asked Carol, narrowing his eyes and tilting his head as he gazed at her.

"Somehow it makes it feel like closure for Sophia...I couldn't save her, but we could help the little girl who was there when she died. Hopefully help her come back from what Blake did to her and all the others...what they tried to do to Sophia." Carol said, smiling somewhat wistfully. "I think she'd like that."

Daryl nodded thoughtfully, chewing on his lower lip a little as he looked at his wife holding their son, at their family all around them, knowing that even after all they'd been through and all the good things in their lives now that it was the one wound to her heart that never would completely heal.

Carol returned his gaze, seeing the understanding there and took his hand, thankful; leading him to what came next.

Okay? Everyone feel better now? I do.

Thanks for all of your interest in this story.

I have parts of my other WIPs on here in progress & will write when RL lets me!