A/N: Quick recap - the timeline and events of this story diverged from the show immediately after the first (short) time jump following the defeat of the Saviors. (The second longer time jump didn't happen in this story, at least not as it happened on the show.) They never encountered the Whisperers or Magna's group. Henry, Tara, and Jesus are still alive, but Maggie and Ezekiel are both dead.

[*]

Daryl lunges forward and grabs the face from Sweetheart's hand. "Ain't kelp," he says. "'S a walker skin. What the hell?" He turns over the dry facial skin and finds it half sewn up in the back. "The fuck? 'S like a mask."

Sweetheart bursts into a torrent of tears, maybe because of Daryl's shocked, deep voice, or maybe because of the grotesque mask, or maybe a bit of both. Daryl drops the mask and picks her up. "Yer a'right!" he reassures her. "Baby girl, yer a'right. Yer fine. Look. Daddy's fine. Yer fine."

Sweetheart swallows hard. She looks down at the mask he's dropped. Her little lip trembles like the omen of another impending cry.

"Hey!" Daryl barks. At the sound of her daddy's voice, Sweetheart looks back up and into his eyes. "Told ya," he says more softly. "Yer a'right. Would yer daddy lie to ya?"

Sweetheart's trembling lip stills. She swallows again.

"Yer a'ight," Daryl repeats. "Ain't ya?"

Sweetheart nods.

"Yeah?"

"Weetie ahhh ite."

"Good."

"It's from one of those Skins," Rachel says. "They must have tossed it in the creek, and it floated to the Bay and washed up here."

"Skins?" Daryl asks.

"Cyndie will explain. She wants your council to meet with ours in the morning, before the fair starts, as soon as the other leaders arrive."

[*]

Daryl's annoyed he has to wait until morning to get an explanation for the bizarre mask Sweetheart combed from the beach, but Cyndie doesn't want to have to repeat the same details over and over as the leaders of the communities trickle in. She doesn't want to cause alarm, she says, and there's no immediate threat – "If there was," she assures Daryl, "I wouldn't be proceeding with the fair. Now I have work to do."

Despite Cyndie's assurances, Daryl's anxious and annoyed. He tells Carol what he's found, even though he doesn't want to worry her, because he can't stand keeping it to himself, and she notices he's anxious anyway – with that sixth sense she sense to have about him. He's going to that meeting in the morning, he tells her, even though he's not actually on the Jamestown Council.

"I'm sure no one will boot you out," Carol assures him.

[*]

That evening, about the time when the fish are cooked, the Hilltop contingent filters in – including Jesus and Tara. Jerry and Nabila bring their brood of children, including their latest addition, their one-year-old daughter Jeri. Maggie and Glenn's orphaned son Hershel is with them, too, and Daryl gets down on his knees to embrace the boy he once half-helped to raise. He's become a child of Hilltop now, with mothers in Enid and Nabila and Tara, and fathers in Jesus and Jerry and, when he's visiting Enid, a sort of big brother in Raul.

Carol is happy to see her old right-hand man from the Kingdom and to introduce Jerry to her own daughter. It's not long before the big bearded man is offering Sweetheart piggyback rides, and all the other kids want to join in, too.

Gary and Hershel make fast friends, mainly because Gary offers the older boy not one but two of his prized matchbox cars, and they soon build ramps with old planks of wood against the end of the benches of the picnic table where Daryl and Carol now sit finishing their dinner. For now, they're content to leave Sweetheart to play with her gaggle of new friends under Jerry's supervision as they dine with Shannon and Nabila – who have been as quick as Hershel and Gary to make friends. Tara joins them with a plate of fresh food, and Nabila smiles. "I see you finally escaped the Jamestown veterinarian."

"I don't know how to tell her that just because we're the last two lesbians on earth doesn't mean we have to get together."

"Carolyn?" Shannon asks.

"Sorry," Tara murmurs. "I don't mean to insult any of your people."

"No, I'm just surprised," Shannon assures her. "I thought she said she wasn't interested."

"She sure acts interested," Tara mutters.

"Well, I doubt very much you two are actually the last two lesbians on earth," Shannon tells her. "And people can be flexible when circumstances dictate."

Tara laughs. "Yeah, well, I haven't met anyone that flexible yet."

"Have you introduced yourself to everyone at Oceanside?" Shannon asks. "Because I'm pretty sure I've met at least two lesbians since I've been here."

"Maybe you can lend me your gaydar for the fair tomorrow," Tara tells her.

"You laugh, but I'm very perceptive when it comes to people."

"We hear you lost Aaron to Alexandria?" Carol says.

Tara sighs. "Yeah. But thankfully Enid's stepped up. Jesus and I couldn't handle the Hilltop alone."

"What happened?" Carol's not interested in the gossip. She's disturbed by the break-up. Jesus and Aaron have been together longer than she and Daryl have. She thought of them as a near sure thing.

"Sometimes relationships fall apart," Tara says. "People drift apart, they get too caught up in their own worries, they squabble, they don't make time for each other, things implode."

Carol glances at Daryl and then returns her attention to Tara. "That just doesn't make sense."

"Or, hell, maybe the sex wasn't good," Tara says. "I don't know. I didn't ask. Aaron just handed me his resignation, packed up his things and Gracie, and moved to Alexandria. Alexandria was always his home, anyway. He only settled at the Hilltop for Jesus."

[*]

Carol tucks an exhausted Sweetheart into the bed of one of the spare rooms in Dianne's cabin. Daryl kisses her forehead. He double checks his knapsack, and Carol follows him out of the bedroom and then the front door, where she kisses him goodnight. He's having a camp out with Hershel and Gary in a tent they're pitching on the shore. There will be a campfire and scary stories and matchbox car races in the sand and other manly things. "You're a good godfather," she tells him.

"Just wish Judith and RJ were here already," he says. "But I guess Little Ass Kicker's probably gettin' too old to camp with boys."

Carol snorts. "I don't think you have to worry about the co-ed thing just yet. Maybe when Hershel and Garry are 13 and 14 and she's 15." She rests a hand on his hip. The flames of tiki torches flicker in the brackish Bay air outside a few of the cabins and along the path to Henry's new pub. Sounds of laughter and merriment and live music drift down toward them, and Carol is sure Henry was right – he'll make quite the profit tonight. "It's weird, isn't it? About Aaron and Jesus?"

"Guess."

"Did Aaron say anything to you?"

"Ain't here yet. Alexandria'll get here in the mornin'."

"I meant in a letter, or something. Doesn't he write you?"

"Sometimes. Not 'bout that."

Carol sighs. "They were together longer than us."

Her worry must be apparent in her voice, because Daryl puts a palm against her cheek and says a soft, "Hey. Hey. No they ain't been."

"They have."

"I mean…yeah. They been knockin' boots longer 'n us. But us? We been together since the start. Always been there for each other. Just took us a little longer to figure out the boot knockin' part."

Carol chuckles. She puts a hand over his hand on her cheek. She turns her head slightly to kiss his palm. "Yeah," she agrees quietly.

"Love ya, Beautiful," he whispers.

"I love you too, Pookie."

Daryl leans in to kiss her. When he pulls away, he half growls, "Behave while 'm gone."

"Nothing to worry about." Dianne is booting Gunther out for a few hours. He'll probably hang out at Henry's pub and drink herbal tea and make new friends and play cards with Mitch or chess with Linda. Shannon's coming over to the cabin, and so is Tara, Enid, and Rosita. Nabila was invited, but the kids have wiped her out, and she just wants to turn in early. The women will be hanging out together in the living room and sharing a small mason jar of Candy shine Gunther purchased from the tavern and gifted to Dianne. "Just us chickens."

"Yeah. 'S what 'm afraid of."

"Don't worry. I always tell them how good you are in bed."

Daryl flushes. "Stahp."

Carol chuckles and kisses his nose. "Have a good time with your godsons."

[*]

"Candy has done a surprisingly good job with this!" Shannon declares as she passes the mason jar of Candy shine to Tara, who takes a small sip and passes it to Carol, who takes a very small sip because she's already had that one glass of wine at Henry's pub this afternoon, and she doesn't want to be too indulgent. The women sit on the circular rug on the floor of Dianne's living room, the fire crackling in the fireplace nearby. Rosita sips next, and then passes the jar to Enid, who passes it to Dianne without drinking. Dianne has a far bigger sip than expected.

"Whoa, slow down there, chugger," Rosita says. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Gunther took me on a romantic picnic for dinner," Dianne mutters. "In a secluded spot along the beach. Candlelight and pork steaks and fresh vegetables he brought from Jamestown."

"Oh, how terrible," Shannon says. "I always hate it when Garland takes me on romantic picnics."

Tara laughs.

"Yeah, I'm not seeing the problem here," Enid admits.

"It was such a big show." Dianne passes the mason jar back to Shannon. "I thought he was going to propose. And he just…didn't."

"Do you want him to propose?" Rosita asks. "Rumor in Alexandria is you shot him down."

"That's the word on the streets of Hilltop, too," Enid says.

"I didn't know the Hilltop had streets," Rosita says.

"You haven't been in three months," Tara tells her. "We do now. Well, one street, really, that leads from the west site to the east site. It's a fenced-in street. A tunnel almost. If tunnels had no tops. More of a walkway, really. Broad enough for horse and cart, though."

"I didn't shoot him down," Dianne insists. "I told him to give us some time to date a little longer, and give me some time to think about it, and then ask me again in November, if we were still together."

"And you're still together," Rosita observes.

"It's not my place to say," Shannon tells her, "but I think you wounded his pride a little bit. I wouldn't count on another proposal. This might have to go down Saddie Hawkins style."

"What's Saddie Hawkins style?" Enid asks.

"Saddie Hawkins was a dance," Carol explains to her. "In the old world, at schools. The girls asked the boys."

"Your school didn't have one?" Shannon asks.

Enid shrugs. "I never made it past 8th grade."

"I'm not asking Gunther to marry me," Dianne says. "That's not how that works."

"I never pegged you for a traditional kind of woman," Carol admits.

"Just because I'm a knight doesn't mean I don't want to be romanced like a lady."

"Sounds like you were romanced like a lady last night," Shannon says. "Look, I've known Gunther for five years. My husband's known him for seven. He's a little gun shy when it comes to women, after what he went through with his first wife and his…uh…last girlfriend. That's all. He may not put himself out there again. Not like that. But he loves you. That much is as plain as a neon sign."

Dianne's clearly uncomfortable with her own admissions, and says, "Enough about me. Who are you hooking up with this year Rosita?"

"Maybe Lieutenant Alvarado if Michonne's done with him."

Enid lets out an "Ooooh."

Tara shakes her head. " I would not cross Michonne if I were you."

"I said if Michonne's done with him. And only if. She's been vague about him."

Carol has the mason jar now. She circles it and watches the liquid ripple and thinks about that skin mask Daryl found. She looks up at Dianne, and thinks it can't be too big a deal, if the woman is more worried about absent proposals than whatever freaks might have made that thing.

[*]

Aaron is the first Alexandrian to ride through the front gate of Oceanside the next morning, with Gracie between his legs. When he dismounts, Daryl offers him a manly handshake, and Aaron jerks him forward into a back slapping embrace. As he does so, Gracie runs off to join some Oceanside kids, and Aaron lets her go. Daryl doesn't ask about Jesus. He just says, "'M buyin' tonight, after the fair, at Henry's."

"Sounds like a good plan to me."

Cyndie, who has strolled forward to greet him, asks, "Are Michonne and Father Gabriel going to be here soon?"

"Michonne and the kids and the rest of our fairgoers are less than thirty minutes behind me. Gabe's not going to make it this year. He's in charge back home."

"Well, I want you and Michonne and Rosita at Henry's in an hour. We're having a meeting of the leaders."

"Before the fair starts?" Aaron asks. "I thought we were going to do the big ticket trade haggling after – "

"- We are. But there's something else we have to address first. Welcome to Oceanside. It's good to have you."

When she walks on Aaron turns quizzically to Daryl. "What's all that about?"

"She's gonna 'splain why m'daughter found a mask made of dry walker face on the shore yesterday."

"What now?"

"Yeah. 'S what I said. Guess we'll know soon."

"Speaking of your daughter…I'd like to finally meet her. Gracie would, too."

Daryl jerks his head toward the cabins. "C'mon then."

[*]

When Daryl and Carol hear that Michonne is arriving, they head toward the gates of Oceanside. Lieutenant Alvarado is at the horses almost the moment rolls in. Judith jumps straight off the back of the cart and then helps her little brother RJ down. The Lieutenant offers her hand to help Michonne step down. He presses a tentative kiss to her cheek. She shifts her head and lets him kiss her lips.

Alvarado smiles. "So, not tired of me yet?"

"Not just yet," Michonne teases.

Judith, who has come around from the back of the cart, looks up at the lieutenant with a somewhat sour expression on her face.

"You want one to?" The lieutenant squats down, kisses her on the cheek, and Judith rears back.

"Ewww!" she wipes her cheek clean to the sound of Michonne's low chuckle. "Only Uncle Daryl gets to do that," Judith insists, and runs to Daryl on the docks, but comes to a tapered stop when she sees Sweetheart in his arms. "That's your kid?"

"'S my kid," Daryl agrees, and lets Sweetheart down.

Judith regards her warily for a moment. She's been the apple of her Uncle Daryl's eye for so long, she's clearly not sure about this interloper. But then she declares, "Okay. She's cute." She holds out her hand to the toddler. "Come on, kid. I'll show you the ropes."

Sweetheart peers suspiciously at Judith's outstretched hand, but then puts her own hand in the other girl's. "Wopes!"