My dad and I locked eyes, for a while no one said anything. It had been a long time since the last time I saw him and even longer since we talked. I became sad all over again from that memory. I wonder what he wants?

"Hi." He finally said.

"Hi…" I said quietly.

He seemed to hesitate. "…heard you were back."

He knew I was gone? I wasn't even sure if he had known. I shook the thought and cleared my throat. "Yeah, we just got back yesterday." I crossed my arms in front of me. It's cold out here.

"Were you…on your way somewhere…?" He pointed behind him with his thumb.

"No." I answered too quickly. "No, I wasn't on my way out."

He nodded, then we kind of just awkwardly stood there again. "So…are you okay?"

I became angry right then. Does he care if I'm okay? He ignored me the last time I saw him. It hurt me badly. "What do you want?" I asked him ignoring his question.

He looked a little taken aback. "Just to talk."

I was still angry but it turned more to an annoyed feeling. "Well…let's go inside. It's cold out here." I headed back inside without caring if he followed.

"Okay." I heard him say.

I closed the door as soon as we were both inside. "I just made coffee." I informed him. "You want some?"

"Uh…sure." My dad hesitated. I got us each a cup, then sat down in the living room. "Thanks." He said.

We were quiet again. I wondered if he was ever going to say what he really wanted? I know he didn't walk over just to see if I was okay. My old dad would do that, but I didn't know who this guy was anymore. I never thought he would treat me like that.

"Where's Daryl?" My dad finally spoke.

"He went hunting."

He nodded. There was a brief pause. "So…where'd you guys go?"

"I don't have to tell you that." I shook my head.

"Abby." He said calmly.

I decided to take it down a notch. Even though I'm angry with him and have every right to be, he's still my dad. "…we just went out…there." I shrugged. "I couldn't be here anymore after what happened." I looked down for a minute. "Anyway, I had—we had a pregnancy scare, so we came back." I don't even know why I said that. My dad's eyes widened. "I'm not." I said before he asked anymore questions. "I'm not."

"Oh." He nodded. "Well, are you okay at least?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine. We were both happy about it, especially me." I let out a small laugh. "But we were also kind of depressed about it."

"Huh." My dad said. He put his head down for a moment, then looked back up at me. "Are you happy?"

I gave him a stupid look and kind of huffed with a laugh. "I just told you—

"No." He cut me off. "I mean…are you happy?"

I blinked a few times. I know what he means know. "Oh." I said. "Yeah." I nodded. "Yes, I am. Very happy."

My dad hesitated for a moment after that. "…is he…treating you right?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "He has a name. And yes, he does. You know he does."

My dad nodded, then looked down. I noticed he was looking extra nervous, almost like he was going to throw up. "Abby…" He started to say but trailed off. "I'm sorry." He looked up at me. "I'm so sorry for how I treated you…that day." He swallowed hard. You should be. I thought. I was about to say something smart but decided not to. He seemed like he was getting choked up and his apology seemed genuine. "I came over the one day but you guys were gone. I heard from Devon that you left and said you weren't coming back. I thought about going to look for you but then didn't. I just kept wishing that you'd come back." He wiped a tear away.

Seeing him like that made me feel emotional and I thought about everything that happened with us, which made me more emotional. My lip began to quiver but I tried to hide it. "Well," I started, "you got your wish." I took a sip of my coffee trying to calm down.

"I still don't know how I feel about this whole thing with you and…Daryl." My dad then said. "But if you're happy. I'm happy."

I brightened up at the sound of those words. "Really?" I asked wide-eyed. "Really, daddy?"

He nodded. "I love you."

It felt like a huge weight was lifted off of me and a feeling that I didn't even know how to explain was gone. I put my coffee mug down and put my hand over my dad's hand. I nodded. "And…it's okay. I forgive you." I said. He smiled at me, I smiled back. I was so relieved.

There was a brief pause. "So, you're really happy, huh?" My dad asked me.

"Yeah." I said. "There's not going to be anyone else." I shook my head. "We love each other." I looked down and saw the ring on my finger. I wonder if he noticed? "Speaking of," I held my hand up showing him the ring, "I'm married." I smiled. "Daryl asked me last night and I said yes."

My dad's eyes went wide a little but he still kind of smiled. "My baby girl is married?"

"Yup." I grinned.

He let out a small laugh, then looked down. "Well…I'm happy for you." My dad said and looked back up. "Still wanna kick his ass though."

"Dad." I smiled. "Everything is fine." I paused. "And…my husband might win that fight." I teased. It was kind of the truth though.

My dad's mouth gapped opened but he still smiled. "What? You bet against your old man? I still got some fight left in me, you know?"

I laughed. "Dad." He's so lame.

He laughed too. "But I need to save that energy for grandchildren." He looked at me and smiled. I smiled back.

"Aw, you're gonna be the best pappy." I suddenly felt excited. My dad's dad was seriously the best person ever! He was my favorite grandpa and my favorite person, next to my dad, of course. "I just hope…that happens one day."

"It will." My dad tried to reassure me. "Sometimes, it takes time."

I looked at him. "Oh my God. We are not having this conversation right now." I laughed.

"Yeah, can I take back what I said?" My dad said awkwardly. We both laughed.

There was a brief pause. "So, I got to talk to you alone, which is good." My dad said. "Now I want to talk to Daryl alone and then both of you together."

I became nervous just then. "Oh." I blinked. "Why do you want to talk to Daryl alone?"

"Just a conversation a dad has with the man that's taking his daughter away." My dad said and shrugged. He said it in a joking way, but I think he was only half joking.

"You're not losing me." I said and gave him a small smile.

"No, not really but in a way, yes, I am." He nodded. "So, I'm gonna talk to him." He folded his arms.

"Dad…" I looked at him seriously. "You didn't bring your gun, did you?" My eyes were wider. He sat up a little and moved his shirt showing me his gun. "Oh my God." I sat back. "You not allowed to hurt my husband." I pointed at him. "And please don't make him uncomfortable." I said. My dad laughed. "You know how Daryl is."

"Baby, don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine." My dad said.

I sighed. "Yeah, well, I'd feel better if you didn't have your gun on you."

He smiled at me. "It stays right here." He patted his side. I shook my head and sighed but then still laughed. He did too.

"You want another cup while we're waiting?" I asked him. "I have no idea when he'll be back."

"Uh…actually, baby. That's okay." My dad said. "I'm gonna head home now. I promised Judith I'd walk her to her friends house once I got back. But why don't you guys come by later so we can talk?" My dad nodded. "That way, you can see Michonne and Judith."

I thought about what he said. That's a great idea. That way, I can give Daryl a heads up and he won't be surprised. "Yeah." I smiled. "Sounds good."

"Okay." My dad said. He was putting his jacket back on. "Speaking of your sister, she's been really upset ever since you left. And she told us what you said to her the last time." He scolded me with his eyes. He didn't have to say anything.

"I know it was awful." I said with my eyes closed. "I'm the older one, I should have been more mature. But I'm gonna fix things with her." I nodded.

"Well, good." My dad gave me another look.

I walked my dad out and stood in the doorway. "Oh, what's a good time for us to come over?" I asked him.

"Abigail, you don't have to come over any certain time. Just come when you want." He gave me a look. "In fact, you can come over anytime you want."

"Okay." I smiled. "Well…bye, dad. I'm glad we talked."

"Me too." He said. He started off the porch.

I suddenly got a strange feeling. "Dad, wait." I called. He stopped and turned around facing me. I made my way up to him and hugged him tightly. He immediately hugged me back. That was the only thing that was missing from our reunion. "I missed you so much." I said. I got tears in my eyes.

"Me too." He said sadly. "And I'm sorry…about everythang." I felt him nod. I just nodded too. My dad planted a kiss on my forehead. Then, he did it a bunch more times. I smiled. I don't care how old I am, he can do that whenever he wants.

We finally let go of each other, I looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you, daddy."

My dad smiled at me for a moment. "No." He eventually said. He touched my cheek and wiped a tear away with him thumb. "Thank you." We both smiled at each other. I watched him walk away. I felt so much better now that we cleared things up.

I had a little over an hour to myself before Daryl got back. "Hi." I greeted him at the door. He gave a "hi" back then we kissed. I hugged him. "I hate when you leave." I said with a laugh.

"Sorry." Daryl said. "I got some squirrel." He gestured to them on his back. "Wanted to get a deer but…"

"That's okay. You got a lot." I smiled.

Daryl and I started taking care of the squirrels almost immediately. "Aw, poor squirrely." I said and petted its head. Daryl snorted. "What?" I looked at him. "It is sad. They're so cute."

"Yeah, they taste good too." Daryl said. I gave him an annoyed look but then laughed.

There was a brief pause. "So…guess what happened today while you were gone?"

"Hm?" Daryl said without looking up.

"My dad came over." I stated. He looked at me then, I raised my eyebrows at him. "We had a nice chat and…we're good now." I shrugged.

"Really?" He asked me.

"Yup." I nodded. "But, uh…you're probably not gonna like this." I paused. "My dad wants us to come over tonight. Said he wants to talk to you…and then both of us together."

When Daryl looked at me, his eyes were a little wider than before. "He does, huh?" He nodded.

"Yeah." I swallowed. I was feeling nervous because Daryl didn't seem like he wanted to go. I mean…I knew he wouldn't be thrilled about it but I still want him to do this. "It's okay. He's not mad anymore." I shook my head. He made a noise through his nose. "And it would mean a lot to me if you did this." I put my hand on his back.

Daryl was quiet for a minute. "So, you forgave 'im?" He gave me a look.

I blinked a few times in confusion. "Of course, I did. He's my dad."

"Big deal." Daryl snapped, taking me by surprise. "Why the hell would ya do that after what he did to ya?" He seemed angry.

I hesitated. I was feeling sad now because I was happy about my dad and I making up but I didn't think this would happen. He doesn't want to go. "…I just told you." Was my answer to his question. He was glaring, not at me but he was just mad it seemed. "Daryl, what's wrong? Why don't you want to talk to him?"

"Cuz he hurt my girl." Daryl snapped. "You may have forgave 'im but I sure didn't."

Realizing what he just said, I smiled at him even though he wasn't looking at me. I sat on his lap and kissed his cheek. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I said, "it's okay now. Really. I'm fine. Better. I'm glad we made up." I nodded. His expression still looked the same. It's going to take more convincing than just that. I knew what I had to do. "Will you do this? Please? For me?" I smiled sweetly at him.

"Don't-don't do that?" He shook his head.

"Do what?" I smiled innocently. I knew exactly what I was doing.

"That." He said.

"Well…I really want you to go." I did my best to give him puppy dog eyes. "We can all make up and be happy again." I smiled. I pushed his hair back on both sides.

Daryl sighed, then paused for a while. "Alright, if ya really want me to. I'll go."

"Really?" I asked excitedly. "You'll go?" I smiled. He nodded. "Yay!" I grabbed his face and planted a few kisses on his cheek. Then, I rubbed his chin hair with my palm making myself giggle.

Daryl looked annoyed but he couldn't hide his smirk. "Get the hell outta here."

I giggled and got off his lap. "I wanna eat and fuck first though." I stated.

Daryl raised his eyebrows when he looked at me and kind of laughed. "Yes, ma'am."

I licked my front teeth while thinking. "Let's do it in the shower." I blurted out. "I don't care how small it is. I really want to."

Daryl practically slammed me against the wall in the shower, not painfully or anything. I was breathing very heavily as he fucked me hard. He was using the wall to help hold me up, and my arms were wrapped around his neck.

Daryl kissed down my neck and grabbed and slapped my bottom. My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I climaxed. It was hard to hold myself up. I laid my head on his shoulder until he was done.

Daryl kissed me and set me down. I don't even know how I'm standing, my legs kind of feel like jelly. We looked at each other, I smiled. Daryl had his usual intense look. That was one of the best times I think. I knew I would like doing it in the shower. I giggled inside.

"Let's try this again." I said and laughed while grabbing the shampoo. We were going to wash each other first but once Daryl started massaging my scalp while shampooing my hair, it was all down hill from here. I squirted some into the palm of my hand and began washing Daryl's hair. He squinted his eyes like a child making me smile.

I let him wash that out, then I squirted some body wash into my hand and began soaping him up. I started with his arms, then went down to his chest and stomach. "Turn around." I told him, he did. Then, I washed his beautiful back, giving him kisses. I don't care about his scars. If anything, it just makes me love him more. I wanted to kiss every single one of them.

I started to wash his bottom but he pulled forward making me laugh. I guess I caught him off guard. "Alright." Daryl said roughly. "My turn." He grabbed some soap.

"I think you mean my turn." I smiled.

"Nah, I know what I said. I get to touch you now." He said. I laughed. He started with my arms just like I did with him, except he was a little faster than me and not as gentle. That doesn't mean it didn't feel good.

While, he was washing my back, he moved his hands in front of me and kind of played with my breasts. My breathing quickened. Then, he moved down to my sex. I gasped. It was feeling too good and I was getting turned on again. I couldn't take it anymore. I spun around and kissed him on the lips. Then, I was "slammed" against the wall again for round two.

Way later, we were sitting at the table eating our squirrel stew that I made. Well…you know, Daryl caught them so I cooked them. We were eating in our underwear. It was my idea. Hehe.

"Yer a damn good cook, woman." Daryl said with a mouthful of food.

I smiled. "Ya like it?"

"Yeah." He was like really going into his food.

I smiled again. "Guess you worked up quite an appetite in there, huh?" I teased him.

"Hell yeah. Thought we was never gettin' outta there."

I laughed pretty hard at that. It was true, after all. I dipped some bread in my stew, then ate it. "I love bread." I said out loud.

"I love you." Daryl said. I smiled at him. He grabbed my face and kissed my cheek a bunch of times while he still had food in his mouth. I giggled.

"Ew." I wiped where he just kissed me. "You got stuff on my face." I still laughed though. Suddenly, he leaned back over and licked my face taking me by surprise. "Ew, Daryl. I can't believe you just did that."

"I can." He said without looking at me. "You taste as good as yer food." He lifted the bowl and started drinking the broth. I smiled at him.

"Well, I'm gonna go get ready." I stood up and kissed the top of his head as I walked by.

"Hi." I said as my dad opened the door for us.

"Hi, baby." He smiled at me. Then, he looked around at Daryl and gave him a more serious look. "Daryl."

"Hey." Daryl said quietly. We stood there for a minute.

"Well, come inside." My dad stepped back so we could go in. I saw Michonne standing there at the counter.

"Hi." I said to her and smiled.

"Heyyy!" She said happily. We hugged tightly, then she surprised me by kissing my head. I smiled. Her and Daryl also hugged briefly. "So, how are you guys?"

I glanced at Daryl. "We're good." He answered for the both of us and put his arm around me.

"Well, it's good to have you back." Michonne smiled. I smiled back at her, then we kind of just stood there. This is awkward. I thought.

"So, where's Judith?" I asked.

"In her room." Michonne said, she was a little more serious when she said that.

"I'll go see her." I said.

"Yeah." My dad said. "While you're doing that, why don't me and Daryl step out for a minute." He kind of clapped Daryl on his shoulder. I watched him walk outside, leaving the door open. Daryl gave me a look. I just shrugged. He went out there, then I walked into my old room. I sure hope they don't get into a fight.

Judith was laying on her bed facing away from me. "Hey, kid." I said. "You asleep?"

She rolled over and looked at me. "Abby? You're back?" She sat up in her bed wide-eyed.

"Yup." I smiled. She just sat there and looked at me. "Well, gimme a hug." I said. She got up and came over to me. We hugged tightly and I pulled her onto my lap.

"You're not mad at me no more?" She asked innocently.

"I never was." I cocked an eyebrow. "But…I am sorry about what I said to you." I nodded. "You're my baby sister and my best friend. I love you." I smiled. She smiled back. I decided to give her a little kiss on her head.

Just then, I looked out the window and I could see my dad and Daryl on the porch talking. I got an idea. "Come on." I lifted my sister off my lap. "Let's eavesdrop." I said.

"What's that mean?"

"It means, let's listen in on their conversation." I raised my eyebrows and cracked the window.

"Okay!" Judith said excitedly. She sat on the bed next to me. I started listening to my dad and Daryl talk. I was so curious as to what he was going to say to Daryl.

"…I'm gonna be honest," my dad started, I didn't know how long they were talking before this, "when I found out that day…and even a few days after…I wanted to knock your teeth out." I gasped inside and widened my eyes. "But Michonne and Abby made me realize it was different than what I thought. And I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but she seems happy and that's all I want." My dad paused. "Do you love my daughter, Daryl." My eyes went even wider.

"Yeah." Daryl said. "I do."

They kind of just stared at each other for a while. I saw my dad nod once at Daryl. "Well, I know I can trust you and I can rely on you to keep her safe and to take care of her, but…if you ever hurt her, I will kill you." My dad said seriously. Dad? I wondered how serious he really was.

"Ya mean…how you hurt her?" Daryl said roughly. I almost laughed, I was surprised he even said that. He got you there, Rick.

There was a brief pause while they stared at each other again. "You know, Daryl," my dad started, "you don't know how shitty I've felt since then." He paused again. "She's my baby girl. You'd understand if you had a daughter of your own."

"Hm." Judith said. "Boring." She walked back over to her bed and started doing something.

"But…if she's happy, I'm happy." My dad said. "And she seems happy so…" He trailed off. "I'm gonna ask you now, are we good?"

There was a brief pause, I held my breath the whole time. "Yeah." Daryl finally said. I exhaled in relief and saw them shake hands. I smiled at that image.

"One more thing," my dad started, "Abby is smart but…she's still young." He nodded his head. "And she has confidence in situations that…I don't think she can always handle, which worries me." He put his head down. What is he talking about? Deep down, I knew but I didn't want to admit it. "What I'm trying to say is…she still needs guidance. You know what I mean?" My dad leaned forward a little.

Daryl nodded. "Yeah, I get it." He paused. "But she can also handle herself." He let out a small laugh just then, almost as if he remembered something specifically. "She's small but she sure can fight."

My dad smiled and raised his eyebrows. "That she can. And good." He gave Daryl a look. I smiled and blushed at the two of them praising me. "Still," my dad sighed, "you know what I mean. Sooner or later, she's going to come across someone that's stronger. Bigger. She can't always handle herself. She thinks she can but she can't."

"Alright." Daryl said quickly. It was like he wanted to change the subject. "I'll keep her safe. Ain't a problem." He nodded. I sighed. I knew where he was coming from though.

My dad nodded back. "Okay. Let's…get Abby out here so I can talk to both of you."

I gasped and moved from my spot, quickly looking around the room to find something to make it look like I was occupied. I picked up one of Judith's books and sat on the bed looking at the pictures. There was a knock at the door, then it opened. "Abby?" My dad said.

Looking up at him from the book like I hadn't heard a thing, I said, "oh, hi, daddy." I smiled sweetly.

He smirked at me, I know he could see right through me. "Come on out here." He gestured. I put the book down and stood up, following him out. He put his hand on my back and rubbed quickly.

I smiled at Daryl and sat next to him on the porch, then grabbed his hand. My dad closed the sliding glass door, then sighed. He stood there with his hands on his hips. "So…here's what I have to say to you two, and I'm just going to say it and be completely honest." He looked at us seriously and took a step closer. "This, your relationship, all of that still makes me uncomfortable." He started. I cleared my throat and slowly pulled my hand out of Daryl's and sat up more straight. "It's all still new to me and it's going to take a long time for me to get used to it." He nodded. He looked at me. "But…Abby, I know you're not a kid anymore." My face flushed a little. "And I'll accept your relationship, or at least try to." I smiled and was about to say something but my dad spoke first. "But remember what I said. Uncomfortable. Not used to this." He waved his hands. "Please respect that."

"We will." I said and smiled. Daryl and I glanced at each other. "We will." I said again.

My dad nodded. "Good." He finally said.

Daryl and I stayed for a little longer, then decided to head home because it was getting late. We said bye to Michonne and Judith. My dad walked us out.

"It's dark and cold." My dad said. "You guys want a ride?"

I glanced at Daryl before answering. "No, that's okay. We can walk. We'll be fine." I smiled. "Thanks, though."

My dad nodded, then looked at Daryl. "Take care of my baby girl." He gave him a serious look.

"Don't plan on doin' nothin' else." Daryl said, he sounded completely serious. I blushed from the two of them talking about me. They shared a look, then shook hands. My dad looked at me next.

I smiled. "Bye, daddy." We hugged.

"Bye, sweetheart." He kissed my temple. We stopped hugging but he kept his arms around me. "And just because you're married now," he started to say, my smile faded because I got nervous about what he was going to say, "don't think that you can't come over anymore. I wanna see you at least once a week." He sounded so serious that I had to laugh.

"Okay." I said with a laugh. "I'll come over all the time." I rolled my eyes.

"You better." My dad was serious.

I thought of an idea right then. "We'll go on a run together soon." I nodded.

He nodded back. "Sounds good." We hugged again briefly and I kissed his cheek.

"Alright, it's cold out here." Daryl said. "Let me take my girl home." He looked at me. I smiled.

"Hey, she was my girl first." My dad said. I blushed again but still smiled. That may be true, dad, but I'm Daryl's girl now.