A/N: This is it, I suppose! The Epilogue is up. I hope you've enjoyed following their story and thank you so much to all of you who took the time to review and those that have been with this story since the beginning! Thank you! :)

Epilogue:

Their trip to Alexandria took longer and was more tiring than she had expected. Perhaps it was because the mood of the group was so low and tense and nobody was certain if they were being led into another trap.

Carol remembered feeling anxious at the sight of the giant walls once they all filed out of the various vehicles, as if the structure that was meant to keep them safe was more threatening and confining.

When meeting the first people of Alexandria she clung to the persona she had formed at the initial encounter with Aaron and Eric until the smile hurt her face. At least when she was asked to hand over Tyreese's machine gun she didn't have to make herself grimace in pain; the weapon grazing her injured shoulder-blade did it by itself.

Normalcy came like a shock to the system. Big, safe houses, the freedom to walk a number of steps without fearing an attack, warm water and soft beds…they were all so unfamiliar. What she was supposed to enjoy and revel in made her feel anything but relaxed. The shower she took because it was impossible to remember what it felt like to be clean, but the bed she resisted and instead joined the others on the floor of the house they shared. Funny how something that had been deemed unusual in a previous life could be transformed to feel much more comfortable now.

She didn't see very much of Daryl and that she regretted. He was distrustful of everything and preferred keeping to himself while Carol and Rick were distrustful as well but chose to be practical and stick to their personas.

She didn't like it when Daryl left Alexandria with Aaron and she liked it even less when – a couple of weeks and a surprising twist later – he volunteered to become a new recruiter. She understood his desire to be away from the group and together with a man instead who wasn't likely to ask a lot of questions. But she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to their relationship and why he wasn't talking to her.

As the days went by and there was still no sign of either man's return, she found a way to persuade Sasha to share watch with her. The solitude on the walls helped clear her head that had otherwise been buzzing with questions, plans and memories until late at night.

The hours ticked by day after day until finally the long awaited sound of Daryl's new motorbike sounded. She sat up straighter, her back stiff and aching from its permanent rest against the wooden chair she had taken along to the tower. The gun between her legs threatened to slip but she grasped it just in time and bent forward.

Both men appeared to be unharmed which was a relief. She lifted one hand in a friendly wave that would've gone unseen in the dark unless you knew to look for it and she was certain that Daryl did. She saw the corner of his mouth tug into a smile and peace overcame her while she turned toward Alexandria and called: "Open the gates! They're back!"

Sasha reacted without hesitation and let them in. The sound of the motorbike died down and then the gate slammed shut again. Carol turned back the other way and tried to recapture the trail of thought she'd previously been following.

"Thought I'd see Sasha up here." His voice took her by surprise; she'd expected him to report to Deanna first.

She looked at him while he sank down on the floor by her side and noticed how exhausted he was.

"Why don't you go shower and rest?" she asked, while he continued staring into the dark.

"No point," he shrugged, "might as well spend time with you instead."

"I'm flattered," she commented dryly but grinned at him when he finally tilted his head to look at her somewhat guiltily.

She lowered herself onto the floor as well and brushed a few strands of matted down hair out of his face. Seeing his eyes drift shut and his body relax was the greatest gift he could give her.

"Do you think about her? Dream about her?" she asked eventually, not needing to say Beth's name.

"Mmh…" he hummed and slowly nodded as if struggling with this realization.

"You couldn't have stopped it even if you had been there."

"I'll always wonder," he shrugged again and she nodded.

"Of course. It's a part of you now but you'll learn how to carry it with you."

"Have you?" he questioned.

Melancholy whispered across her face and lingered in the corners of her mouth.

"Some days I have…some days I haven't. I feel it, that's what Tyreese said, and maybe that's what's most important. But letting her…letting them go is just as important. We are the living and it is our task to find the balance."

He hummed lowly and she knew that she had reached him, but she also knew that it was time to ease off now.

"I miss you." She offered instead and his lips grazed her temple.

"'m right here…"

"You know what I mean…it's different with the group…with the community…"

"Don't change how I feel about ya." He said carefully and she smiled.

"No, I suppose it doesn't."

A comfortable silence fell between them and Carol savoured it, eventually scooting closer to rest her head on his shoulder.

"I'd like to think Sophia, Mika and Lizzie are somewhere together…playing, running, being free."

"Beth was always free…freer and lighter than most of us." He voiced, wrapping an arm around her.

She smiled while both warmth and the sting of loss reverberated through her body.

Little blonde girls with flowers in their hair twirling around in the grass, their joy shining through, blocking out the horrors of the monsters they'd become. This was how they'd be remembered.