Feeling the heavy weight of the disappointments and horrors of the past lift from his shoulders, and the warmth of acceptance fill his soul, Daryl continued on down the stairs, suddenly excited about the morning and new experiences that were to come.

Reaching the bottom step, he paused for a moment, inhaling deeply in an attempt to calm himself further. Exhaling slowly and squaring his shoulders in resolution, Daryl turned to enter the living room, a flutter of anticipation making itself known deep within.

Slowly entering the room he stopped momentarily, his senses suddenly assaulted by the lights and music and beauty of the festive scene before him. Drinking it in for the second time in as many hours, he raised his eyes to survey the brightly decorated room. The beauty of it all still took his breath away, even having seen it before. It looked like something out of a magazine, or one of those tv shows that portrayed the perfect family celebrating their perfect Christmas. Surveying the room, he took in the happy faces of 'his' family.

With a start—and a sudden rush of warmth—he realized they were all there. Every last one of them. And some of the Alexandrians were even there as well, namely Aaron and Eric. Looking around, he saw the smiles on their faces. Abraham and Eugene. Rosita and Tara. Denise. Glenn and Maggie. Sasha. Father Gabriel. Michonne. Enid. Carl and Judith. Carol. And of course, Rick. The warmth grew and spread throughout his body as he realized they were all there for 'him'. That all of this was for 'him'.

Tentatively, he allowed himself to smile, the sudden realization that he was not defined by his past sweeping through him and almost leaving him breathless. And with that came an unexpected feeling of freedom, as if all the horrors and bad memories of his past were gone, vanished, leaving him a free man at last! He felt lighter than he had in, well, ever as he took a deep breath and prepared to celebrate his first Christmas.

Taking in the festive decorations and his happy friends, he realized they were waiting on his reaction—probably wanting to see if their plan had been a success. Moving his gaze to Carol and then Rick, his heart jumped a bit when he saw the pure, unfiltered happiness shining through in their expressions. Allowing himself the tiniest of smiles, he nodded his head softly, his shaggy brown hair falling to shield his face from those around him, as if he was still afraid to allow those closest to him to really 'see' him for who he was.

Standing there quietly, suddenly unsure of what he was supposed to do, the soft strains of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" playing in the background, he sensed rather than witnessed the movement around him, the excitement in the room palpable. Raising his head just a fraction, he peered through his bangs at the others, shifting from foot to foot to ease the tension that was starting to return.

Just as he was about to address his friends, still unsure of what he was going to say, what was expected of him, they roared, almost in unison, "Merry Christmas, Daryl!"

And again, the tightness and tension rushed from his body as his entire being started to tremble with excitement.

'It's real,' he told himself. 'This is really happening!'

Lifting his head again and shaking it once to remove the hair from his eyes, he allowed the others to see his small smile, proof that their activities were not only welcomed but appreciated. He was filled with gratitude. But, he realized that he still wasn't quite sure what to do, what was expected of him. Shifting to his other foot in an effort to allay another bout of nerves and calm himself, he debated with himself whether he should stay standing where he was or find a seat by one of the others.

Suddenly, before he could make a move, his hand was grasped by another—Carol—who led him over to the only vacant chair in the room, encouraging him to sit. Which he did. Somewhat at a loss, though, he realized that he still really had no idea what he was supposed to do. And he also recognized—for the first time— that there was no shame in saying that…in being transparent about his insecurity and letting the others know.

Clearing his throat quietly, he spoke in his soft, hesitant manner.

"Um….I can't believe y'all did this. For me. Ain't never had no Christmas before."

Looking around the room, unaware of the brilliantly colored lights reflecting in his eyes, causing them to shine a vivid blue, he once again took in the beautifully decorated tree, the stockings hung by the fireplace, the other decorations scattered around the room, and finally, the huge mound of presents under the tree. Realizing the room was silent, even the music becoming even softer in the background, he smiled shyly at his friends once again. His friends who were obviously waiting for him to make the first move—a move which was a mystery to him. It was okay, he told himself. No shame.

"Don't quite know what ta do, ta be honest."

"Daryl, it's Christmas morning so we get to open presents!" Carl almost shouted in excitement, bringing another smile to the hunter's face as he gazed at the teen with affection.

Nodding at the teenager with a smile on her face, Carol looked down at Daryl from her vantage point next to him.

"Yes, presents. And then good food!"

Recognizing that her friend was out of his element and somewhat uncomfortable, she beckoned to Carl to get the process going.

"Carl, why don't you get us started? Do you want to hand out the presents?"

Nodding excitedly, the teen almost leapt out of his chair, diving down to sit on the floor next to the tree. Reaching underneath, he picked up the gaily wrapped package lying on top, smirking at the red, green, and white wrapping paper covered with Santa Clauses. Flipping the tag up, he read the name aloud.

"To: Daryl. From: Santa Claus."

Extending his arm with the gift, Carl handed the present—a small clothing box—to the hunter, who took it tentatively, as if unsure of what came next.

Daryl sat the present on his lap, just staring at it. At the multitude of Santa Clauses with their rosy cheeks and fluffy white beards. At the vibrant red ribbon with the huge—and beautiful—bow. It was almost too beautiful to open. He was hesitant to disturb the beauty of the package. But then, realizing all eyes were on him, he decided to forge ahead, and so hesitantly, began to untie the ribbon.

"You can just rip it…ow," Carl exclaimed as his father jabbed him in the ribs, admonishing him to let their friend take his time and do it his own way.

Gently inserting a finger inside the wrapping paper on the side of the box, Daryl parted it carefully, revealing the white box beneath. Finally, moving the paper to uncover the box, he stopped, the anticipation of what was inside creating a small thrill of excitement deep in his core. This was the first present he'd ever received. The first gift he'd ever opened! Part of him wanted to freeze this moment in time and commemorate it so that this wonderful feeling of anticipation could remain. But, remembering the excitement and eagerness of his friends, he grasped the lid of the box carefully and lifted it up and away, revealing the gift within.