I woke up early the next morning and went out to the gates but didn't see Daryl anywhere. My dad and Daphne were coming in from the morning milking, and I walked with them to my parents' house. Rick was talking with Jake on the porch and shook his head when he saw me. "I haven't seen him," he said before I could ask.

My dad put an arm around my shoulders. "Come talk to your mother," he said. "He'll be here when he's ready, I'm sure." I let him lead me in the house, where my mother wrapped me up in a big hug and handed me a cup of strong black tea with a splash of milk and sweetener. "We can't get it as easily as we used to so we use it sparingly, but I suspect you haven't had your morning cuppa in a long time," she said with a smile. I breathed in the fragrant steam and savored every sip. I used to drink at least four cups a day, always preferring it to coffee to boost my energy.

We ate breakfast, thick slices of toasted bread and butter, and scrambled eggs, and my dad offered to give everyone a tour of the property. My husband was headed to the vineyard to do some pruning and my kids and their cousins skipped along with the group, showing us all their favorite animals and where they practiced with slingshots or were building a fish trap.

When we'd finished the tour, my brother showed us the platform they'd set up between the shed and the wall, where someone could keep a lookout. Things had calmed down recently, but for a while, there were a lot of people looking to start trouble or rob a farm like theirs, in addition to the occasional walker, and they'd had to be vigilant and build the wall along the exposed side of the property. Most people around knew that they were well-armed and capable, but knowing who was coming down the road was important. They almost never saw walkers anymore, which I was still having a hard time getting used to.

I climbed up to the platform and looked across the street, where my grandfather used to live, close enough for my parents to keep an eye on him but far enough that he had some independence. He'd passed away just a few months after the infection began, due to a lack of medical care for his heart issues, and the house was still vacant. My dad was discussing the possibility of using it for our group, but it desperately needed to be cleaned out, as he'd become a bit of a hoarder toward the end.

"I'm pretty sure there are whole rooms full of paperwork and books," my dad was saying, "but it's a well-built house, and would give you a place to start, anyway," when I saw Daryl's familiar profile at the end of the road. The anxiety at the pit of my stomach eased slightly, and I jumped down and ran for the gate.

I hurried up the road to meet him, and he slowed somewhat as I approached. His face was guarded, giving away nothing, but I didn't care. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my face into his shirt, breathing him in. "You didn't have to go," I said, lifting my head to look him in the eye.

He chewed on the inside of his lip, which I noticed was bruised from where I'd bitten him, and shrugged. "Seemed like ya needed time to get reacquainted without any more awkwardness," he said quietly, and I slipped my hand into his. "Well, gear yourself up for awkward because I don't think we can get around it," I warned him. "But they all genuinely want to meet you. They know I wouldn't be here without you. And Raph isn't here at the moment, so that can wait."

Daryl relaxed slightly and nodded, walking beside me toward the farm, but pulled his hand from mine and I knew he was nervous. It was, undoubtedly, awkward as we made our way to the gate where most of the family had now gathered, and I was glad Raph wasn't there yet. My father walked forward and grasped Daryl's hand, introducing himself and thanking him for taking me in and keeping me safe, followed by the rest of the adults.

Daryl, never good with compliments, frowned and just muttered, "yeah, wasn' a big deal' until Rick finally spoke up. "Daryl is definitely to thank for keeping Ana alive, especially at the beginning, but the truth is that we all saved each other more than once," he said. "Without Ana we wouldn't have made it through that second winter, when there were fewer things to scavenge. She had the whole farming and food preservation operation figured out, and she's a wealth of knowledge about herbs and natural remedies. Honestly, we're all in debt to each other, and now to you for taking us in. And," he said with a grin, "Daryl's gonna bolt if you keep making a fuss over him."

"Okay, okay," my mother said, pulling the gate shut. "Let's get him inside and fed, and then Ana can show him around while the rest of you take a look at Grandpa's house." Daryl followed her into the house, and she set him up with a bowl of leftover soup while I took his bag into the guest room.

After he'd eaten and had a chance to wash up, we walked out toward the edge of the property where the creek ran, and as we crossed through the fields I pointed out the different houses and who lived in them and gave him a recap of what my dad had shown us that morning. He listened without comment, but as we got to the creek we heard the kids' voices and he slowed up. "Hang on," he said, tugging my hand so I came to a stop. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and looked down at me through the shaggy hair falling in his eyes.

"Jus' tell me honestly," he said, "how this is gonna go. If there's even a little part a you that thinks ya could get yer family back the way it used to be, I need ta leave and let you do that. I need you to be happy no matter what, even if it means leavin'."

I stood on my toes and laced my fingers around the back of his neck. "Not a single cell in my body wants you to leave or wants to rekindle something with Raph. I barely slept last night because you weren't here, and I was terrified you wouldn't show up this morning. I can't tell you how it's all going to go, but my kids know that things will be different, and Raph says he is grateful that you got me home, and he'll accept this even if it's difficult."

I tried to pull his head down toward me and after a moment he gave in, leaning in to kiss me softly. I slid my hands up his chest, grounded by his steady presence, and he deepened the kiss until we heard a twig crack behind us. We turned around to find my kids and their cousins, ranging in age from two to fourteen, watching us with slightly disgusted expressions.

"Well," I said. "I guess now is when you meet the kids. This is Luke and Lucy, whom you spoke with on the phone ages ago, and their cousins Sammi, Jonathan and Louisa, who are Daphne and Sarah's kids, and Mason, who is Jenny's son." Daryl nodded toward my kids, and Lucy stepped forward.

"Thanks for keeping my mom safe, but no thanks for stealing her from my dad," she said bluntly. "Lucy!" I admonished her, "We've talked about this. That's not the appropriate way to talk to Daryl - you can be upset, but you talk to me about it."

She ignored me, staring daggers at him, and Daryl stared right back, sizing her up and realizing she wasn't going to give him a break. "S'okay," he said gruffly to her. "Don' need ya ta like me, long as yer nice to yer mama." She took a small step back, hands on her hips, but let it go for the moment.

Luke, who was at the awkward early preteen stage, reached out his hand to shake Daryl's, and said solemnly, "Thanks for keeping your promise." Daryl nodded and shook his hand, and then Luke's eyes fell to the weapon slung across his shoulders. "Can I shoot your bow?" he asked excitedly, and Daryl almost smiled. "Not righ' now, but I'll show ya later if yer mom says it's okay," he promised, and Luke ran back toward the creek with Mason to find stones for their slingshots, awkwardness forgotten.

We walked back to the gate, to join the others at my grandfather's old house, and Daryl looked over his shoulder where Lucy was still watching us, hands on her hips. "She always that direct?"

I sighed, "Yes, since she was a toddler. She just doesn't feel the need to tiptoe over other people's feelings, and lets hers run wild, enough to smack her brother or cousins on occasion. Sometimes that kind of fierceness is a good thing, when she needs to stick up for herself or others, and sometimes it needs to be tempered. She's feeling defensive of her daddy, I think, and I can't blame her too much for it. But it'll mean a lot of long conversations for the two of us as I help her work through it, and she'll probably be pretty icy toward you, at best."

He looked down at me walking next to him and bumped me gently with his elbow. "Kinda reminds me a you, when ya got pissed and decked Andrea," he said with a grin, and then turned more serious. "Yer a good mom," he said quietly. "I knew ya would be, but . . . it's good to see ya with them."

My grandfather's house was, as promised, full of stuff, but there would be plenty of room once we got things cleared out, and there were some outbuildings that could hold things temporarily. We managed to get the living room and kitchen emptied, which meant that everyone could sleep there, rather than at my parents' house, though we'd all be crammed in together.

We were in the midst of carting boxes of old records and paperwork to the garage when I saw Raph coming down the road on his bike. Bikes were apparently the main way to get around if you needed to go further than a short walk, and he'd taken one up to the vineyard. He saw us working at the house, but he didn't come over and I knew he was delaying the inevitable awkward conversation with Daryl.

When it was dinnertime, we washed up and headed across the street. The rest of the group headed indoors, but Daryl started to walk toward the barn, and I caught his sleeve, confused, before I saw Raph standing there, clearly waiting to talk to him. I hesitated, unsure of whether I was supposed to stay, but Daryl pushed me toward the house. I slipped inside and peeked shamelessly through the front window to watch their conversation.

Daryl approached Raph slowly, but Raph stuck out his hand, and Daryl shook it. I could see Raph talking and Daryl nod, but I couldn't read his lips. Raph stuffed his hands in his front pockets, and Daryl crossed his arms, and I chewed my lip nervously. Daryl was clearly uncomfortable here, and I hoped he wouldn't lose his temper if Raph said something insulting. After few minutes, Raph rubbed his hands over his face, shook his head, and then headed for his house, rather than my parents', and Daryl walked slowly to where I waited inside.

I heard a heavy exhale next to me and realized Jenny had been spying on them too. "That could have been worse", she said, smiling encouragingly, and I had to agree. If Daryl could hold his temper, Raph would probably behave himself and we could get through this.