I had no intention of being gone this long. But I literally did not stay put once during the entirety of my winter break. I was constantly moving around visiting family, visiting friends - it was exhausting and I hardly had time to write and only uploaded one-shots that had already been pre-written out for months beforehand. So with that being said, I am sorry to everyone for the extremely long wait and I hope everyone had a very happy holidays and New Year :)

This chapters starts out in a very different way than I've ever started a chapter before. It kinda took me by surprise when I started writing it this way, but once my Muse started, she wouldn't stop, so I just went with it. It's also interesting to note - for you guys at least and certainly for me while I was writing it - on who Tessa has direct contact with in the beginning of this chapter, as well as who she refers to frequently in conversation or within her own thoughts. For those of you who enjoy delving deep into characters psyches, your probably gonna think the beginning is a trip.

Another thing that came to my attention, is how many people PM'ed me asking me to not kill off Beth. Point blank, I'm going to not tell you anything, because that would be a spoiler, but what I can say, is that its either going to be Wren or Beth - one of them is going to die. I'm at this point to where I have so many OC characters I'm having to keep track of, as well as original characters, that it's mentally exhausting and I am loathe to add another potential OC to that list. So ONE of them is dying, I can promise you that. Point blank. I'm not changing my mind. Now, as to which one is it, you guys are going to think I'm a bitch, but . . . you'll have to keep reading ;)

HaloHunter89: Jeremy and Daryl majorly clear shit up this chapter, so don't worry - all that love-triangle crap is getting situated and thrown out the door this chapter :)

Sorry for the wait yous guys! Love ya bunches!

- Nagiana


She woke up to fluttering curtains and a warm spring breeze heavy with the scent of honeysuckle and pine from the surrounding forests. She woke up to cool sheets and the bright sun in her eyes and birds singing outside her bedroom window. She woke up to peace.

Letting out a groggy, just-waking-up sound, Tessa took the time to stretch the sleep from her bones. Her eyes stayed closed and she moved onto her stomach, where she pulled her pillow towards her, hugging it to her. She knew Daryl wouldn't be beside her, just like she knew Ethan probably wouldn't be in his room down the hall. Today was the opening day of turkey season – a day – like all the opening hunting days - was a veritable holiday on the Dixon calendar hanging on the fridge. However, the twins were up, and it was their cries coming from down the hallway that had woke up the expectant mother.

Throwing aside the covers, Tessa got to her feet and after grabbing up her robe from the rocking chair sitting in the corner, moved into the hallway. She pulled the ratty terrycloth robe closer around her, before pulling her thick dark hair out of the collar. Padding down the narrow, dimly lit hallway on bare feet, faded pictures and shiny, fresh-from-the-printer pictures in dusty picture frames that hung on the walls, greeted her. Slowly, she felt herself wake up the longer she walked and by the time she reached the door to the twins' nursery, she was pleasantly awake. She ran her fingers through her hair, finger-combing it, and immediately grimaced. She needed a shower - badly - but she could do that once the twins were put down for their nap. That, or Will could watch them while they ate and he read the morning newspaper like he sometimes did.

"Yes, yes, mommy's sorry she's late!" She cooed as she entered the bright nursery, her eyes softening when she set her eyes on her indignantly crying twins'. She moved over to Danny and after pressing a kiss to his cheek (a second one was also quickly placed to Aayla's), lifted him out of the crib. They no doubt needed their diapers changed and despite the screaming of Aayla, the deed would need to be done.

A light chuckling came from the opened doorway that she did not expect. "Need some help there, Tess?"

Eyebrows furrowing in slight confusion, she looked over her shoulder and smiled when she saw Will Dixon standing there. He returned her smile before stepping further into the room and making a beeline for his granddaughter. Aayla beamed and excitingly reached her hands up towards her grandfather. Will returned it as he reached in and picked her up. Placing her on his hip, he bounced her up and down while Tessa continued to stand there and change a burbling Danny's diaper.

"Hey there, beautiful girl! Ya givin' ya momma a hard time for seein' to Danny first, Princess?" He asked, and Tessa gave a laugh.

"You keep calling her that while she grows up, Will, and she really will think she's a Princess!" She quipped, and Will furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.

"Naw, no she won'. She'll be trompin' off in the woods with me and her deddy and her big brother as soon as she can be taught how to shoot a gun, you tell ya momma tha'!" He spoke and Tessa shot him a teasingly reprimanding look.

"Yes, well, you have a point, I guess. So yeah, keep calling her 'Princess'. Maybe then she'll let mommy dress her up in pink camo instead of regular camo." She grinned and Will shared her grin before Tessa nodded. "But anyway, yes, she had been giving her mommy a very hard time. That girl's gonna have a set of lungs on her, you mark my words, Will Dixon!" She told him, and Will chuckled as she glanced at him. "Can you watch 'em for me while they eat? I really gotta take a shower." She spoke while wrinkling her nose, and Will sent her an apologetic look.

"Sorry, darlin', but I can'. Gotta set off for work in a minute. Jus' thought I'd step on inside and say goodbye to the lil'uns before I left." He told her and she sent him an alarmed look.

"You're working this early?"

He nodded. "Not my favorite hour, but guess I can' complain, eh? Helps puts food on the table that isn' brought back from the woods, tha's for sure," He gave her a look of interest. "Speakin' of the woods - Dar and Ethan in 'em?" Tessa grinned and nodded.

"What do you think? Opening day of any hunting season is a huge thing in this household. Ethan took the day out of school and I've no doubt they're gonna end up bringing home a bird or two." Will nodded.

"Hate to not be able to go with 'em, but . . ." He trailed off and she nodded as she finished with Danny and picked him up, where she placed him on the floor. He made an immediate beeline for his line of trucks over by the toy chest, and Will easily passed her Aayla now that it was her turn to get changed.

"You have to work. And it's not deer season . . ." She spoke with a grin and he returned her grin with a smile and a nod.

"Right. I'll be back for lunch, though, if tha's okay with ya." He told her and she nodded.

"Of course it is. That's the time when I'll be expecting the boys back, too," She sent him a smile. "So I'll make sure lunch is ready and put out." She told him and he smiled and nodded as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

"Ya tha best thing tha' ever happened to this family, Tess, I swear to God!" He spoke and she sent him another smile as he moved for the door, his boots resounding against the hardwood floor as he moved. She furrowed her eyebrows and turned around though, interrupting him when he was right at the door.

"Hey, you heard from Merle in a while?" She asked, and Will turned around to face her, his hand on the door-frame. His brow furrowed again as he thought.

"He's, uh . . . last time I heard, he was workin' up on one of those oil rigs out in Oklahoma. Doubt he's still workin', though, what with those constant drug troubles of his and everythin', but . . ." He heaved a sigh and shrugged. "If he was back in jail, we'd know 'bout it. At the least, he'd want us to drive out there and post bail for him." He spoke, bitterly, and Tessa gave a smile and a nod.

"Yeah . . . yeah, thanks, I was just wondering." She spoke, her voice quiet, and Will gave her one last smile and rapped his knuckles on the wooden door frame before finally leaving. His boots echoed rather comfortably off of the wood flooring of the hallway, and eventually, the reassuring creaking of the stairs. She returned to Aayla and quickly finished changing her before scooping her up. Moving over to Danny, she bent and scooped him up as well, the little baby giving a sound of protest as his mother unceremoniously ripped him away from his toys. "Shush now, baby boy, we gotta get you your breakfast! How you supposed to go all day till lunch and then your nap without breakfast?" She asked, and Danny replied with a whole flurry of baby language that had Tessa smiling from ear-to-ear. She felt Aayla's hand fist in her hair and pressed a loving kiss to her daughter's forehead as she tromped down the stairs to the living room. The entire house was bathed in that beautiful Southern summer light, and she couldn't help but feel bright and cheery as she moved into the kitchen. Placing the twins into their respective highchairs, she quickly moved over to the cabinets. Opening one, she withdrew the baby cereal before moving to another one and withdrawing two plastic bowls. Making the cereal with formula, she quickly mixed them with the baby spoons before moving over to them. Sitting down in front of them, she began feeding her twins.

She chattered endlessly about anything for that half hour – about going to the grocery store that afternoon and having to call Lori later to see if they were still on with Maggie, Carol and Michonne with their lunch date tomorrow. She smiled and asked them if she should also set up a play-date with Judith and they answered her in that same nonsensical baby language that told Tessa she indeed had a yes.

When they were done and had eaten their fill, she gently cleaned them up with a wet rag before picking them up and placing them among their toys in the living room. Tessa put it at the top of her to-do list that morning to organize the kitchen cabinets considering she hadn't done that in an age, and could manage to also keep a good eye on the twins from the kitchen. Danny glanced back and forth between his toys and his mother as she turned and moved off, unsure on which one he wanted. The separation phase had hit Danny a little bit harder than it had Aayla, so he was a little more reluctant to leave anyone in his family for long. He had a special eye for Maggie, though, and whenever the younger woman was over, he constantly wanted to be held and fawned over by her. If her and Ethan were in the room together, though . . . one could almost see the gears turning in Danny's head over which person he wanted to devote his attentions to. Already, Tessa could tell that Danny would grow to idolize his older brother.

Aayla, who had the fierce independence of her father and grandfather, was a little more okay with being separated from her family. As long as she had something to occupy her time with and taking into consideration that Daryl or Will would not suddenly walk through the door, she was very adept at entertaining herself at that age. It surprised Tessa, in fact, on how independent her daughter was at eight months old compared to her brother. She would definitely be the loner like Daryl and Will.

Moving into the kitchen once she was properly satisfied that her children were occupied by their toys, she began opening the cabinets when something on the fridge caught her eye. It was a note, hastily written in Daryl's partially illegible scrawl but Tessa took pride in knowing she could decipher her husband's handwriting . . . sometimes.

Lori called and wants you to call her back; somethin about how Carl was caught into a fight at school the other day and won - I don't know. If that's the case, I don't know why she's complainin – I'd be happy knowin my son could fight instead of knowin how to lose. Anyway, call her, see what's up and me and Ethan will be back around lunch, hopefully with some birds. Anythin but tuna salad? Please?

Love you.

Tessa let out a laugh as she pulled down the note and crumpled it up, where she then threw it into the trash. Daryl and his tendency to ramble while writing notes – it was a quirk that she found positively adorable. And while normally, she would have made tuna salad to spite him (or just to jerk his chain – she liked doing that occasionally too) she wasn't exactly in the mood for tuna salad, too. In fact, just the thought of the food made her stomach roil and she wanted to avoid that. This pregnancy had been free of morning sickness and she wanted to keep it that way.

She ended up getting the entirety of the kitchen cabinets reorganized before settling down to make lunch instead. She ended up making sandwiches instead, and true to their words, Will and his son and grandson drove up right at the same time around lunch. She looked out the window and couldn't help but allow a grin to spread across her face. Standing outside exchanging pleasantries were two other men – one lanky and one muscled, one tattooed and the other bearded. She rolled her eyes and continued to grin as she opened the door and stood out on the front porch.

"Daryl Dixon, now what have I told you about bringing home strays you picked up off the street?" She asked, and immediately, Daryl shared a grin with his two friends.

"I didn' pick 'em up, babydoll, they jus' happened to be walkin' alongside the road when me and Ethan were comin' back!" He winked and she rolled her eyes as he moved up the porch to her and brought her into a hug. She felt his lips press to her forehead before she recoiled slightly so that they could meet her lips. His hand appeared on her stomach as he pressed a chaste but loving kiss to her lips. They then broke apart, he shot her a grin that was reminiscent of the devil himself, and then slapped her lightly on the ass before moving into the house. "Hope ya made enough for company!" He called back rather cheerfully over the squeaking and banging shut of the screen door, and Tessa grinned and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I suppose I did!" She called back before placing her eyes onto the two men making their ways up to her. Will and Ethan passed by first and she shared a smile with the Dixon patriarch before placing a hand on Ethan's shoulder, causing him to come to a stop beside her. She smiled.

"I got a text from Wren. She can be on over around five for dinner if that's okay with you." She told him and her son immediately brightened before nodding.

"Yeah, sure, that's great! I'll text her and let her know." He told her and she smiled.

"You bring me back a couple of birds?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, they're pretty big ones. You won't be disappointed." He told her and she nodded and told him good before allowing him to continue on into the house. It was then that she found herself standing face-to-face with Rick Grimes and Jeremy Roth. She gave them each a stern look.

"Now don't make this an everyday thing you guys, you hear me? I don't wanna get angry phone calls from Rosita and Lori complaining about how their husbands never come home from lunch and can always be found on my front porch in my own misbegotten husband's shadow." She told them and the two men grinned before forcing themselves to solemnly nod their heads.

"Yes, of course, Tess – just a onetime thing, I swear." Rick answered her, and Tessa sent him a smile before gesturing inside.

"Well come on in, I guess. Food ain't gonna eat itself." She spoke before accepting a light hug from both men. She followed them inside and saw the two Dixon men sitting at the table while the third was rifling around in the fridge. Will withdrew seconds later with the case of coke in his hand that had been place there the day before, before returning to the table. Ethan was sitting there with Danny in his lap while Daryl held Aayla in his. Tessa stopped for a moment, feeling her breath catch in her throat, and marveled for a moment over how this was the single most perfect picture of her life - her vision of a perfect life for her. The only thing missing was Michonne, Evan, Glenn, Hershel, Carol, Lori, Maggie, Beth and Carl. If she would have had those nine other people here, the picture would be complete for her.

Oh well . . . there was always Christmas and Thanksgiving she had to look forward to.

Eventually, Tessa uprooted her feet from their places on the floor, and took her seat beside Daryl. Aayla and Danny both were busy talking to the men whose laps they had claimed, in a flurry of baby language laced intermittently with 'da-da', 'ma-ma' and 'Etan'. It was very cute, and the two Dixons couldn't help but grin hopeless grins at the sounds coming forth from their daughter and son's mouth.

"Pretty amazing day so far, wouldn't you say so?" Tessa spoke rather brightly, and suddenly, Daryl turned a sad look onto her. Immediately, the smile disappeared from her face. "Daryl, what is it?"

"Dammit – ya have to wake up, Tess."

Tessa shook her head in bewilderment. "What do you -?"

"Wake up, Tess. Tess . . ."


"Tess, wake up!"

Tessa became immediately aware of a hard floor lying uncomfortably underneath her instead of the soft mattress she had woken up on not mere hours before. She became aware of someone shaking her, as well, and when she eventually opened her eyes, it was to find everyone gazing at her with uneasy looks on their faces. Michonne and Evan were holding the twins while Maggie and Sam were stooped down beside her, looks of worry on their faces that immediately gave way into a look of relief that they shared when they saw she was indeed awake.

"Oh, thank God!" Maggie murmured and Sam nodded in agreement as they carefully helped her sit up. Her hand appeared at her head and she gingerly rubbed at the knot there.

"What happened?"

Sam and Maggie glanced around at the others, that same cloud of uneasiness descending upon them again. "What do you remember happening?" Michonne asked, and Tessa sat there and thought for a moment as she gazed around herself at their surroundings. Wood floor, metal walls . . . then everything came rushing back to her. She fought the urge to release a moan of disappointment, as well as the welling of tears in her eyes. How could her scumbag mind honestly show herself something as beautiful as what she had just dreamed, knowing that she would wake up and see this? For a moment, her heart broke and it broke hard.

"We . . . we were going to fight back, but they . . . they opened a hatch in the top and dropped in a . . . a . . ."

"Flash bang." Abraham quietly supplied for her and she nodded before shaking her head. With Maggie and Sam's help, she slowly got to her feet but made no move to take one of her twins back. She was still too shaky on her feet to feel comfortable holding one of her kids.

"I don't, I . . . I think I passed out?" She asked, a question mark at the end of the sentence and Maggie nodded.

"You landed pretty hard but thankfully, Michonne managed to get Aayla out of your arms before you hit the floor." Tessa sent her friend a grateful look and Michonne returned it with a weak smile as Sam spoke:

"We thought you might have sustained a concussion. You scared us pretty badly." He spoke and Tessa nodded as Maggie shook her head.

"And with you being pregnant, we . . . we really, really don't want to take any chances with you!" Tessa smiled and gave Maggie's hand a reassuring squeeze before she moved to cross her arms in front of her chest. She began shivering.

"Ethan . . . Daryl, Rick, Glenn . . . Jeremy, Bob – they took 'em all, didn't they?" She asked, and they again exchanged looks before nodding.

"Yeah. They did." Sam spoke, his voice turning quiet, and it was then that Tessa released a deep breath and a nod.

"Okay. We'll just have to wait for them for come get us." She spoke and immediately, everyone pinned her with a bewildered look.

"Tess . . . we don't know where they are!" Maggie spoke and Tessa shook her head.

"Doesn't matter. They ain't gonna die – that's not an option for them – not after we just reunited with everyone. Or . . . close to everyone, anyway. Daryl and Ethan are gonna come back for me and the kids, Rick's gonna come back for Michonne and Carl, Jeremy for Evan and Rosita . . . it's going to happen!" She spoke before shaking her head again. "I refuse to give up on that hope. Right now, I fucking refuse it!" She turned around then and shook her head. "I. Refuse. To believe. That they could die."

It was then that they heard the explosion that seemed to rattle the entire world. The people huddled in the cattle car immediately froze when the earth to shake around them, and when it was done, they all shared looks of bewilderment. "What was that?" Rosita asked, and Abraham moved over to the slats in-between the doors, where he tried desperately to peer outside but to no avail. His teeth grit.

"What the Hell is going on out there?" He growled, and Tessa couldn't help but smile.

"They're coming for us."


"He normally like this?"

Daryl glanced at Jeremy as they quickly worked together to undo Ethan's bonds. The kid was lying as still as he could but they could tell he was quickly starting to get antsy and/or starting to feel claustrophobic. Daryl glanced over his shoulder at Rick before giving a shrug.

"Uh . . . not . . . normally." He spoke, rather hesitantly, and Jeremy gave a laugh.

"Regardless of whenever he started acting like that, he just saved our asses by staking those two guys. Remind me to thank him later." He told him, and Daryl glanced at him before nodding. They worked in silence for a moment before Jeremy let out a laugh. "So . . . how many times did you punch Sam when you first met him?"

Daryl gave a laugh of his own and shook his head. "Too many damn times to count, man!" Jeremy nodded as he grew closer and closer to undoing the bonds tying Ethan's legs together.

"Yeah, when I first . . . met him, we had an altercation too," He shook his head and grinned. "I swear, Daryl, for a guy who can't back his shit up -"

"He certainly talks a lot of shit?" Daryl finished for him with a look of amusement, and Jeremy nodded.

"Exactly!"

Daryl shook his head. "I don' know, man . . . he's gotten better. There was a while there that we jus' . . . couldn' back away from each other's throats but towards the end of our stint in the prison, we were gettin' more used to each other." They both had finished with Ethan bonds by then and both stretched down hands towards him to help him up. After grasping both of them, they hefted him to his feet, both men slapping him on the shoulder at the same time when he had righted himself. The identical movement caused both men to immediately cross gazes and it was then that Ethan slowly nodded.

"I'm, uh . . . gonna go help Glenn and Rick." He spoke, wishing to avoid any potential confrontations that might arise at that moment, and both men nodded as Ethan darted away and as Daryl and Jeremy moved to face each other. Jeremy gingerly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Look, I'm just gonna get this all out in the open so we can get out of here more smoothly - I'm not Sam. I know when I can't win something and even if I could, I . . . I don't want her back anymore. I have my own girl that I'm happy with and Tess, she's quite clearly happy with you and who the fuck am I to break that shit up?" Daryl silently nodded, his face expressionless but in his eyes, Jeremy noticed a flicker of respect there. He continued: "And Ethan ain't mine and at this time in my life, I ain't gonna claim him. I know Sam probably came in here immediately wanting to butt heads with you over how your raising him, but from what I've seen so far, you've done a damn fine job of it given the circumstances and even if I could object in any way – and I can't! – you won't hear a thing from me."

Daryl nodded, trying his damndest to give off a nonchalant air although it was pretty apparent he liked Jeremy a great deal more than he ever liked Sam. "Okay. Looks like we ain' gonna have no problems then. I'm glad. Sam was more than enough for me." He spoke, and Jeremy smiled and nodded as they reached forward and clasped hands.

"Friends?" Jeremy asked, and Daryl let out a snort of laughter. He shook his head as he grinned.

"Man, you know what my wife's hoo-ha looks like! Let's start with 'acquaintances' and work our way up from there." He spoke and Jeremy let out a bark of a laugh.

"Yeah, let's do that. Lot less awkward that way."