The first breezes of autumn cool the once-thick summer air, and the wrap-around porch of the great inn at Hillcrest serves as a stage for two weddings. Carson plays best man at both – once to his father Mason, and once to his closet friend Elijah. By the end of the back-to-back weddings, the porch is adorned with wild daisies Judith has scattered with abandon on the planks.

"Enid's young," Carol tells Daryl that night as they stand on the back porch watching the sunset and the stars rise. "But it's probably for the best. They're already having sex. And he's a good boy."

"Ain't a boy," Daryl corrects her. "'S a man. Ain't no boys over fourteen no more."

"So you're telling me Henry's going to be a man in two years?"

He wraps his arms around her from behind and pulls her back against his chest. "Ain't like he's gonna move away from home. But…yeah. Best get use to the idea."

"Well, when he grows up…I can still mother Gracie. And play the cool aunt to H.G. and Little D and Judith."

"'N the new one comin'. Zeke 'n 'Bila's."

Carol rests a hands on the arms that are wrapped around her and looks out at the greening crops and the fall wildflowers that bloom boldly over the Virginia hills – life unconquerable.

[*]

Carol breathes in the scent of Daryl's black leather jacket and savors the feel of the wind teasing the top of her silver hair as they turn on the dirt road that leads to Dead End. In front of them, Rick drives the truck straight past the stop sign. No tires burst, and no guns come out. Maggie rolls down the passenger window to talk to the guards who have rolled the gates wide open, while Ezekiel nods regally to them from the bed of the pick-up.

For the first time, the Hillcrest Council enters the Dead End camp, and they take in the flourishing scene with awe. "'N I thought we done good," Daryl whispers to Carol as they are led up the path that leads to the front stairs of the great house.

"We have," she whispers back, "Given where we started."

They're seated at the dining room table across from Dead End's recently elected Council. "Good day, Councilwoman," Daniel says with a smile to Maggie as he pulls out the chair across from her and sits down.

She chuckles and replies, "Gooday, Councilman. And congratulations on your election."

Rosita sits across from Rick, Colton – with a dimpled smile – from Carol, Dolly across from Rick, and Mateo, one of the supervising field hands, takes the seat opposite Ezekiel. Henrietta Weatherford, like her brother Garrett, decided to step down before the election, and now only two Weatherfords remain on the Council.

There are no lawyers in this world, but the Councils draw up paperwork anyway – a treaty for the common defense, and a trade agreement.

One by one, they sign.

[*]

The deer population, with so few people to cull it, has greatly expanded, and the animals begin to encroach on the crops. It's a nuisance, but it makes for easy hunting, and the smokehouse is soon packed with venison. The crops are fenced in, and they flourish.

When the fall harvest rolls around, and the work is mostly done, Dead End invites all of Hillcrest for a fall festival. Nabila stays behind, feeling tired from her pregnancy, and offers to keep H.G. and Little D with her, to give their parents a little freedom for the revelry. Ezekiel, Aaron, and Jesus also volunteer to keep watch, but the rest of the camp – many for the first time – roll through the gates of Dead End.

The wine flows freely, and there's music and dancing and games. Judith finds herself immediately swept up by a gaggle of children. In the courtyard where the live music plays, Carol talks a reluctant Daryl into dancing with her, but after a while, feeling embarrassed, he pulls away, hovers to the side, and watches her dance alone in the grassy field instead. Colton, who has left his fiddle, sweeps her up into a dance and calls to Daryl, "You snooze, you lose!" h,,

Eventually, Colton's wife cuts in, and Daryl and Carol settle down at one of the tables beneath the reception tent to talk to Dolly and Tara. The two women leave them alone and head for the dance floor themselves.

"That's a bit of a May-September romance," Carol says.

"What?" Daryl asks.

"Tara and Dolly."

Daryl looks confused, glances to the couple dancing, and says, "Ohhhhh. 'S that why Dolly keeps comin' to Hillcrest to check on Nabila even though she ain't due for months?"

Carol laughs and raises her wine to her lips.

Meanwhile, Daniel approaches Maggie at a nearby table and says, "Hello, Councilwoman."

She chuckles and replies, "Hello, Coucnilman."

He runs a hand through his thick hair. "Would you uh…you want to dance with me, maybe?"

Maggie looks down at her prosthetic fook.

Daniel flushes. "Oh, yeah, I'm an idiot."

Maggie smiles. "I wouldn't mind sitting and listening to the music with you though, and maybe having a little of that wine slush punch?"

"I'm on it," Daniel tells her, and immediately disappears to the serving table.

Beyond the tents, Enid leans against the stone wall and watches Elijah dance with a young woman who forcefully snatched him up. Carson settles beside her and hands her a glass of punch.

"Who's that?" she asks him after she sips.

"Garrett's eldest daughter. Carolyn. "

"She's safe, right?" Enid asks. Enid's glad she's locked up Elijah, because all of the teenage girls of Dead End – whether they have boyfriends or husbands or not – have been whispering over the handsome young man.

"Safe?" Carson asks. "Well, let's just say she gets around. And she's a bit of a homewrecker. Not that she'll wreck your home, because, you know…Elijah's a good guy."

Enid's eyebrow shoots up. "What do you mean?"

"Well…she was with Dante. " He nods to the young black man dancing with Carson's girlfriend Elizabeth. "But then she jilted him for another field hand. Then she jilted that man to have an affair with Javier's niece's husband Santiago. When Martina found out, she kicked Santiago's ass to the curb."

"Holy…! What did Javier do?" Enid glances at the man playing guitar with the other musicians.

"He just punched Santiago once and then walked away."

"Hmmm…" Enid eyes Carolyn suspiciously over her punch cup.

"You don't have to worry about Elijah. He's head over heels for you. Must be nice."

"Things not going well with Elizabeth?" Enid asks.

"We broke up. She said she's not that into me. That she said yes to my proposal because I was…you know, she thought I was all there as. But she doesn't really want to marry me and get trapped with me forever."

"Cold." Enid eyes him with concern. "How are you?"

He shrugs. "I was angry at first. Embarrassed. Hurt, I guess. But…truth is, I didn't really love her, not the way you and Elijah love each other, anyway. And she knew it. And, hey…" He smiles. "Now Martina's divorced."

"Do you really want to be the consolation prize? I mean, didn't she already dump you once?"

"Yeah, but…now she's probably got some perspective. And I'm planning to run for Council in two years when it turns over. If I get elected, I bet that will impress her."

Enid shakes her head. "Well, I hope you don't get your heart broken this time. And watch out for Javier."

"Oh, he's not as scary as he looks. And he likes me a hell of a lot better than he likes Santiago."

Elijah finally breaks loose from Carolyn and joins their huddle, looking a little overwhelmed. Enid slips her hand into her husband's back pocket and throws a "hands-off" glance at Carolyn.

Carol, who is watching all this from her table, chuckles, and Daryl asks, "Hell's so funny?"

"Nothing." She slides a hand under the table, sets it on his knee, and squeezes. "I'm just happy."

He grins. "Yeah? 'S been a good harvest, ain't it?"

"It has been a good harvest. All the crops have yielded, here and back at Hillcrest. More than I ever imagined they would."

She looks over at Rick and Michonne dancing cheek to cheek…at Dolly and Tara taking a turn on the grassy floor…at Enid and Elijah talking with Carson…at Mason playing a rolled-out piano while Dianne sits beside him on the bench….at Javier strumming the guitar while Rosita rubs his shoulders from behind…at Maggie and Daniel laughing at the next table…and then at Jerry, who is giving piggy back rides to two kids while two more latch themselves to each of his legs. "But poor Jerry…Is there ever going to be anyone for him?"

Daryl nods toward Morgan, who is showing off his forms with the staff to one of the Dead End field hands. "How come ya ain't never worried 'bout Morgan gettin' laid?"

"Morgan's content to be a lone wolf. But Jerry…" She pouts. "Poor guy."

Daryl shrugs. "Nah. Got 'imself a girl."

"What?"

"Bridget?" He scratches his goatee. "Brittany? Bri maybe? Soemthin' like that. Kind of plump. But ain't bad to look at it."

"Back up," Carol demands. "Who? What? Where?"

"Ya know, me and Jerry and Aaron and Jesus, we went down to trade with Oceanside few weeks ago."

"Yeah….and?"

"Well, Jerry got 'imself a girl. Reckon he'll bring 'er back home with 'em next time we go to trade. If the Council says okay."

Carol shakes her head. "And you didn't think to mention this?"

"Didn't know I was expected to."

She leans in, gives his cheek a peck, and then rests her head on his shoulder. "You know, there's still a lot you have to learn about women and marriage."

"Yeah?" He kisses the top of her head. "Good thing we got years n' years left together so's you can teach me…M'girl."

THE END