AN: Here we are, the final chapter! If you missed the previous chapter, please make sure that you read it before you read this one.
I hope you enjoy! Please don't forget to let me know what you think!
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
"Where the hell you at, boy?" Merle called out.
"Go the fuck away, Merle," Daryl responded. He was on his porch, with a Ziploc bag of rolled cigarettes and half a desire for something that took the edge off far better than a cigarette.
Merle laughed at Daryl's response and bounded up the porch steps. Without Daryl's invitation, he sat down in the chair next to Daryl, took his baggie of cigarettes to fish one out, and then struggled a moment with his lighter. Daryl sighed, flicked his own lighter, and leaned over to light is brother's cigarette.
"Obliged," Merle said around the cigarette. "I sent your lil' woman to my house with Andrea for a while. Figured you an' me oughta talk hombre to fuckin' hombre."
"To be honest, Merle, I don't really want to talk," Daryl said. "There ain't shit to say no way."
"Got someone takin' them newcomers to a cabin. I'm pretty sure the old man's gonna want his own place before too long—hell, might even find him a friend or two. That lady, Gretchen-What'sHerFace? She ain't too damn much younger'n he is. I bet she don't think she's outta his league. Got survival skills. Provider an' shit. Kept his family from starvin' to death despite Officer Friendly's best efforts to make sure every damn person got wiped off the face of the damn planet 'fore he did. She could do worse as far as keepin' company goes."
"That's great, Merle," Daryl offered. "Why don't'cha go set that up and leave my ass alone?"
Merle laughed and rocked himself in the chair.
"Boy—you sure got a couple damn thorns jammed in both your ass cheeks," Merle mused. "If it makes you feel better, the old man told Glenn he ought to have enough sense to keep his damn mouth shut where shit don't concern him."
"That don't sound like Hershel," Daryl offered.
"I mighta added my own flavor to it," Merle said, "but the point remains the same, brother." Daryl didn't bother saying anything. Merle hummed to himself and kept rocking his chair with his foot. "What made you lie, Daryl?"
"Didn't mean to," Daryl said. "We got here—we didn't know what the hell this was or who the hell we were gonna meet. T-Dog lied first. After that…"
"Once you start lyin', it gets damn hard to stop," Merle said. "I reckon I had some suspicions. Didn't figure you would be hooked up with a sweet lil' woman like that an' be so fuckin' clueless that her bein' good an' pregnant could slip by you. Not for like too damn long, at least. I mean at first, they know 'fore you do, and it can be real hard to tell the difference between she's carryin' a little extra weight and she's carryin' your kid, but…"
"Rick was starvin' her to death," Daryl said. "Workin' her to death. Takin' food out her mouth an' puttin' it right into Lori's. When I found out she was pregnant? I couldn't stand it, Merle. He'd done cost her Sophia in a way…leavin' her on her own like he did, when he shoulda just stayed with her. I couldn't let him take Rose, too."
"Maybe he's gettin' his damned comeuppance for everyone he's fucked over now," Merle mused. "Nobody to do his dirty work. Nobody to control. Boss around. Be judge and jury over. Maybe he's fuckin' roastin' on a spit in hell right now…you think?" Daryl shrugged his shoulders. "You love the hell outta that woman. Anybody that ain't damned blind can see it. She loves you, too."
"Guess everybody knows now that—Rose ain't really mine," Daryl said. "It was Ed that put her in Carol's belly. It weren't me."
"Hell—I suspected it, but I knew that shit the first time I laid eyes on her. Even though Avery looks so damned much like Andrea you'd think my ass weren't hardly involved in gettin' her here, there's a lil' bit of Dixon there, too. I remembered enough of what Carol's dickhead husband looked like to know there weren't no Dixon in that baby."
"You sayin' you knew it all along, but you ain't said shit 'til now?"
"I know how to keep your secrets, brother," Merle offered. "Besides—didn't figure it mattered. You was happy. Carol was happy. Rose sure as shit was happy. What the hell would we be talkin' about any damn way? Some fuckin' jizz? Your ass knows as good as I do that it takes more'n layin' down with a woman to make a Daddy that's worth havin'. Rose's got her a Daddy that's worth havin'. Who the hell cares who fucked her Ma to make her happen? Tell you fuckin' what—we'll just sit on this shit for a while and, when Rose can talk, we'll give her the chance to say who the hell her Daddy is. Settle that shit once and for all based on who the hell she names."
"Ain't the point…"
"It's the whole damn point, boy," Merle responded sharply.
"People are gonna know she ain't mine," Daryl said.
"And? Any damn one of 'em with any sense is gonna shut the fuck up about it an' be glad you willin' to be a good ass Daddy to that little girl. And any of 'em have some damn problem knowin' what the hell they ought to say and ought not to say? Send 'em to me an' I'll send 'em to Alice with a damn reason to get they jaws wired shut."
"I love her. Wish she was mine."
"You show you love her more 'cause she ain't yours, truth be told," Merle said. "Any asshole worth his salt is gonna love the kid he knows he made. It's a bigger ass man that loves the kid he knows that someone else made."
"I liked it better when they didn't know," Daryl said. "When they thought she was mine."
"Every damn one of 'em with an ounce of sense knows she still is yours," Merle said. "Ain't a damn thing changed. Unless—you decided you don't want her no more."
"Shut the fuck up, Merle," Daryl snapped. Merle laughed to himself.
"You got a fine wife, Daryl," Merle said. "And a pretty ass lil' daughter that looks just like her Ma—with big ass blue eyes an' some strawberry blonde curls for days. You better stop mopin' around here an' start trainin' and shit. Lift some weights, brother. Before you know it, her ass is gonna be a teenager an' you gonna be beatin' the boys off her."
Daryl laughed for the first time since he'd left everyone behind. He lit another cigarette for himself, and he passed a lit one to Merle without waiting for his brother to ask.
"You don't think Avery's gonna cause you grief, too? She's a pretty little girl. Green-eyed blonde and all."
Merle laughed to himself. He hummed.
"You can be damned sure I'ma make sure every damn one of the lil'—probably half-fuckin' Chinese assholes knows I'm good with a knife," Merle said with a snort.
"He's Korean," Daryl offered. Merle laughed.
"Whatever."
11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
Daryl knew what Carol was doing, but he still appreciated her concern and her efforts.
In the aftermath of Glenn's declaration that it was impossible that Daryl could be the biological father of Rose, neither Daryl nor Carol had denied that, in fact, Rose was Ed's biological child—but that didn't matter to them, not as far as their little family was concerned.
There were a few people who whispered and watched them for a few days after that—gossip, after all, was limited in the community and entertainment could be hard to come by—but, overall, people seemed to simply not care that much and to move past it fairly quickly.
As it turned out, it didn't really matter all that much to anyone.
Still, Carol had been like a balm to Daryl's feelings. Any hurt he felt over not being Rose's biological father, she soothed almost constantly. She reminded him at every turn, with genuine and practically palpable affection in her voice, that he was a good man, and he was the best Daddy. He was Rose's Daddy. And Rose loved him dearly. Biology, after all, didn't mean a single thing to Rose. All she knew, and all she cared about, was love. And, even at her age, Rose knew a thing or two about love.
Rose showed her love with sloppy kisses, wet raspberries, and loud, cackling laughter that made anyone who overheard her laugh because they simply had no other choice. She showed her love with nuzzles and headbutts, and with the sweet humming songs she sang to Daryl at night while he rocked her and slow danced her around the house because it was her favorite way to fall asleep after she got her belly full of her Mama's milk. Rose showed love with crinkled-nose smiles, and growls, and by following Daryl around, crawling as fast as she could, as he moved from one space to another in the house taking care of tasks that needed to be done. She showed love by playing with him on the pallet in the living room floor while Carol bathed, and by still sleeping on his chest, even though arms and legs were starting to grow long enough that they hung much farther down his sides, now, than they had when she'd been little more than a handful of sweetness, balled up in his hands and lulled to sleep by the sound of his heart beating.
Daryl told Rose that he loved her with every bit of his heart that was left over from what he'd given her Mama and that, no matter what might come in the future, or who might come into their lives, she'd always be his second love—Carol reserving a spot that was all her own—and his love for her would always be extra special and super-concentrated as, he promised her, a Daddy's love should be. And when he whispered these things to her while he tucked her into her crib, she'd flutter her sleepy little eyelashes at him and listen contently to his promises…sealing the repeated conversation, almost always, with a satisfied and sleepy sigh that Daryl was certain was Rose's promise that she would always love him back, and she would always keep his secrets.
One night, Carol greeted Daryl as he came back into their bedroom and slipped under the covers after unceremoniously shucking off his pajamas so that they could enjoy the "you and me" time that they were allowed only in the few hours when Rose slept. Daryl pulled Carol close to him and kissed her, squeezing her just enough to enjoy the feeling of her body in his arms, and to drink in the reminder to himself that she would always be there—she'd promised him that, and he believed her.
"Just you an' me, woman," he said. "She's out like a light."
Carol's hands were cool on the sides of Daryl's face as she held him. She gently caressed the hair near his temple—short since she'd recently taken a pair of clippers to his hair when he'd complained about how hot it seemed to be getting when he was outside working. Carol liked caressing the shorter hair, just long enough on top, she said, to really tug well when the loving was good, and Daryl liked how much he enjoyed her liking it.
"You are—such—a good Daddy," Carol breathed out after a kiss broke.
"It's OK," Daryl assured her. "You don't gotta keep tellin' me all the time. I ain't upset no more. It's just a thing. But me an' Rose understand it and, no matter what the hell anybody else might think? I'm her Daddy."
"You are," Carol said, smiling softly at Daryl. "You—absolutely—absolutely are her Daddy."
"So, you don't gotta keep tellin' me like you're scared I don't know," Daryl assured her.
Carol kept smiling at him, lovingly caressing his face as she snuggled close to him in the bed.
"Well—I'm glad that's settled," Carol said.
Daryl pulled her closer to him, shifting her body gently on the mattress. He let his hand trail down her body, over her nightgown, sliding over each hill and valley of her form. She closed her eyes, for a moment, and savored the touch like a cat enjoying a hand lovingly stroking its fur.
Daryl kissed her and turned her body, rolling her onto her back as he followed her. Leaning over her, he covered her mouth with a hungry kiss and she teased him with her tongue before she bit his lip in response.
Daryl slipped his hand down and, finding she had no underwear on, he smiled at her as he teased her with his fingers. She was wet. This hadn't come as any surprise to her.
"You was ready an' willin' to take advantage of our me an' you time, weren't you?"
"Mmmm," Carol hummed, smiling at him. She tossed her head back with his teasing, and then brought her eyes back to face him. "I was—hoping to talk to you, actually, first…"
Daryl stopped. Immediately, he moved his hand from between her legs, and he shifted his weight to put himself back beside her, rather than hovering over her.
"Somethin' wrong?" Daryl asked.
"No," Carol said. "In fact—I think, maybe, something is very, very right. But—I don't really think this is me and you time."
"Rose is asleep," Daryl said.
Carol nodded.
"But—I don't think the it's just the two of us, Daryl."
Daryl furrowed his brow at her in question, even as his gut began to knot up inside him as, slowly, his brain began to believe that it understood.
"What're you talkin' about?" Daryl asked, deciding to err on the side of caution and not to get his hopes up too high.
"I've been looking for the right time to tell you," Carol said. "I wanted to be sure. I didn't want to get your hopes up and just be wrong. But then—I knew you were struggling with things about Rose, and I didn't want to complicate your feelings."
"You been keepin' secrets from me?"
"Just one little one," Carol said. She put on her best concerned face, like she feared he might be mad, but her smile broke through. "Just—for a little while. I didn't figure it out myself, at first, but…this one's probably been there about nine or ten weeks."
Daryl's heart pounded. His stomach twisted and untwisted like it was trying to wring itself out.
"Just—to be fuckin' sure, Carol…you talkin' about what the hell I think you're talkin' about?"
"You're such a good Daddy," Carol said. "To Rose. Her little brother or sister is pretty lucky to get to be born into this family."
Daryl swallowed.
"A baby?" He asked. Carol nodded. "You sure?"
"I waited to be sure," Carol said. "Only Alice knows, and I'm sorry, but…I wanted to talk to her, to be sure before I told you and, well, doctor-patient confidentiality means she can keep a secret."
"It's OK?"
"So far, so good," Carol said. "But—if you want? We could go talk to her together in the morning. You could ask all the questions you want."
Daryl couldn't think of a response. He couldn't find a single word that expressed any of the thoughts pinballing through his mind. So, instead of speaking, he kissed Carol hard, and she returned the kiss with warm enthusiasm. He let his hand drift down to find the soft skin of her tummy—skin she complained about for showing evidence of having done this before. Now, somewhere deep beneath his fingertips and napping in that soft, safe place she made for it, where its sisters had slept and grown before, was another little baby.
"Does this mean you're happy?" Carol asked when the kiss broke, her breathing a little ragged from the air the kiss had denied her.
"I love you so damned much," Daryl said.
Carol laughed quietly.
"I love you so damned much," she echoed, practically growling out the words. "Come here and—let me show you how much. Or—are you mad at me for not telling you right away?"
"At least to hell you ain't waited as damn long as you did with Rose," Daryl said. He wasn't feeling mad about anything. In fact, he was feeling so happy that he was practically dizzy. He moved himself back over Carol, and she readjusted her body, clearly seeking a comfortable position for what they both knew was coming—sweet, fun, love-making to celebrate the little life that they'd managed to make together.
"Are you—ready to share our secret with everyone else tomorrow?" Carol asked, rubbing her hands down Daryl's sides and across his back.
"We're gonna tell everybody that's got ears to hear it," Daryl said. "But we got time, right? Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe—just for now—we keep it between us? Enjoy it just a little…just me an' you? I kinda like us havin' a secret."
"OK," Carol agreed. She leaned up and kissed Daryl. This time, the electricity from the kiss seemed to jolt through his body. Carol's hands on his back pulled his waist toward her, and she rose up to meet him, introducing relatively innocent friction that felt anything but innocent at the moment.
"OK…" Daryl breathed out, dropping his hand to rub her again, making sure that she would be ready to welcome him without any discomfort on her part.
"I know one thing that's not a secret," Carol teased, spreading her legs to very obviously give him better access.
"What's that?" He asked, finding the spot he knew gave her the most pleasure when he teased it.
"I love you," Carol said. "Forever."
Daryl laughed to himself. He kissed her while he continued his work, pleased as she wriggled beneath him, overcome with her enjoyment of his efforts.
"I feel the same damn way," he assured her. "But that ain't no secret at all."
111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
AN: Well, I've finally finished the story that was meant to be a one shot (or, at most, a two- or three-chapter fic). I hope you've enjoyed it, and I thank you for sticking with me for so long!
Please don't forget to let me know what you think, and I hope to see you soon on another story!