It's New Year's Eve on the mountain and there is a wedding, a surprise guest, and all sorts of things are happening. There is some smut (generic brand only) so be warned.

Beginnings

The work on the houses at Mountain Top Farms went non-stop for the next few days leading to the New Year. Carol spent most of her day at the new house getting things ready and the rest of the time with Grandma Lydia. The old lady liked to show her the family albums and Carol was finding herself familiar with faces of long dead relatives. Carol was most drawn to her cousins. There had been Patrick Jr., Ashton, Emily, and Jesse. Patrick had been a soldier, Ashton a scholar, and Jesse a vagabond. Patrick and Ashton were both blond with blue eyes. Jesse was biracial and the only child of Catherine McAllister and David Graham. He looked like both his parents. Jesse had his mother's blue eyes and his father's golden brown skin. "One of those cousins of yours in on his way here now," Lydia told her solemnly.

Carol had patted her hand and hoped that it was true. Carol asked, "Why did Grandma Nancy sell the home place?"

Grandma Lydia looked uncomfortable, "No one seemed to want to come back to Adair except Emily and Nancy gave her the land to start their farm years ago. Nancy had the sight and knew that something terrible was going to happen. She was obsessed with preparing for that and she knew her time was running out. These boys showed up one day and wanted to buy the farm and had scads of money to back it up. She made them pay her a fortune for the land because she knew they wouldn't last. They would run out of money and leave before this happened. Nancy believed that all of you might return someday. As she got older her "sight" got stronger and she kept seeing a woman coming home. She saw you Carol and she said that she was going to make sure that your family would have a home on this mountain."

"Grandma Nancy was right; they ran out of money and went home. Why didn't someone else claim it though? I always wondered why it wasn't looted before we got there." Carol had thought that the neighbors would have pilfered through the place. Those locks would not have stopped them from breaking in.

"Nancy visited every house before she died and told them that something terrible was coming. She gave them money to put fences around their houses and to stock up on supplies. Nancy had a flair for the dramatic and she told them that if they went near her old farm to take anything that she would come back to haunt them. They knew she had the sight and they were all a little afraid of her. Nancy had the fences around this place installed before she died. She paid for the ones around Emily's house. Some took the money and didn't prepare and almost every one of them was killed when the turn happened. The ones that survived believed Nancy made some preparations and they were afraid to go up and loot."

Carol thought about her crafty old grandmother. "You mean she took the money for the farm knowing that they would build houses and barns. She took that money and gave it to the rest of the people on the mountain to get ready, and then warned them that she would haunt them if they touched anything on the mountain. What happens when a cousin comes home? Are they going to live with us?"

Lydia shook her head, "Nancy just said that it would work out the way it was supposed to. I own land on this side of the road and when the straggler shows up they can have this farm. There are more farms out from you too. It's an empty world out there. I think the cousin will fit right in here."

There was a photo of the four cousins standing beside an rv in the album. They all looked to be in their early twenties except for Jesse who looked as if he was in high school. Carol looked at them and wondered which was coming home.

TWDTWDTWD

Their food supplies were divided among the four houses according to the number of people living in them. Emily and Brian raised cattle and pigs and shared meat with them. They would make it through the winter but they would be desperate to get crops in next spring. The greenhouse was going to be used to start the seedlings.

Carol noticed that Rachel and Rick seemed to spend a lot of time together. Rachel had grown up on a farm and the two of them were working on getting the greenhouse functioning. Rachel was quiet but she was always working on something that would better their lives. Rachel treated Rick like he was a friend and he treated her the same way. Rick was no longer wearing his wedding ring and he seemed more relaxed to Carol.

Carol and Michonne got their home ready. The house was painted an off white inside and they had plenty of home furnishings. Eugene moved in first to keep an eye on the place. Then Morgan and Michonne moved in and on the last day of the year Carol and Daryl moved in with Alia.

Carol and Emily talked about Grandma Lydia. Carol wanted her to come and live with her on the mountain. They could find room for her and in the spring they were building an addition on to their house. Emily nodded, "I have tried for years to get her to move in with us. Brian has too. We have room for her, but she won't budge. She says that she might move in with me when the "last one" comes home. Grandma Lydia thinks it is Jesse that is coming home. He and Tempy were in love back in the day. They broke up because Tempy takes life seriously and Jesse just wanted to enjoy life. Tempy is Brian's sister and Jesse is my cousin so we tried to stay out of it. Let her be, Carol. She loves you but she is an independent old lady."

Carol walked through the new house on New Year's Eve. It was warm with the wood furnace and there was enough electricity to run the refrigerator and some lights. Elijah and Glenn were working on a wood gas generator for more electricity but this would do for now. The weather that had been sunny and bright for days had begun to deteriorate this afternoon.

Elijah and Beth were getting married in the white frame church on the hill this afternoon and Emily and Brian were hosting a reception at their house. Carol went to check on Alia who was going to be the ring bearer. She was dressed in a red velvet dress with white tights and looked particularly adorable. Daryl handed Carol a hair brush, "Finish her hair and I'll go change clothes". Carol was already dressed in a red dress with a pearl necklace and earrings that had been a Christmas present from Daryl and she took over the job of corralling Alia's curly hair. Michonne peeked in, "Let me do that". She grabbed a comb and the brush and tamed Alia's hair.

Carol looked at Michonne, "Nice dress". Michonne was wearing a sexy black dress with lots of gold jewelry. "Subtle".

Michonne snickered, "You look… matronly".

"I am the Matron of Honor. It goes with the territory. Daryl loves it." Carol liked the dress too.

"Of course, Daryl does. You look like Martha Stewart. I suspect that Daryl has a secret thing for her. Do you all ever play some pretend games about her?" Michonne liked to tease Carol a little. Alia had wandered over to her computer but she never missed anything so she had to keep it clean.

Carol just smiled, "Daryl does love Martha Stewart." She gave her wicked grin to Michonne and in a surprisingly good imitation of Martha Stewart said, "Pretending. It's a good thing".

Michonne snorted with laughter, "Girl, go on with your bad self. Let's go watch these two children sign themselves up to an anachronistic contract. Promising to love someone forever?"

Alia looked up, "Mommy and Daddy will love each other forever, Right, Mommy?"

Carol picked up Alia and kissed her, "Forever and ever and I'll love you at least that long. Don't listen to Aunt Michonne. Her dress is too tight and it's making her cranky".

Michonne took Alia from Carol, "You are the most beautiful ring bearer I have ever seen. Your mother has already loved your Daddy forever or maybe it just seemed that way".

Morgan called, "Let's go, Michonne".

Daryl, Morgan, and Eugene were waiting in the great room. They drove over together in a light rain. The church was decorated with red bows. The ceremony was simple. Beth had chosen Daryl to be the one who walked her down the aisle. Carol to be her Matron of Honor and Maggie to be her only bridesmaid. Daryl would take the place of her dad today, Carol was like a mother to her, and Maggie was her only living blood relative.

They had chosen traditional vows and Beth looked beautiful, Elijah looked happy, and Alia looked enchanting. Daryl thought that the Matron of Honor looked hot. Glenn took lots of photographs and before long they were at Emily's house toasting the bride. It was all very sweet. Maggie had cried all through the ceremony and most of the reception but stopped crying to hear Glenn's best man toast. "Let's raise our glasses tonight to celebrate a new marriage and a new beginning for all of us. Hershel would have loved you, Elijah. You are exactly the kind of man that he wanted for Beth. Let us all resolve to enjoy our lives and not be afraid to seize happiness when it comes our way." They all toasted Beth and Elijah. Carl looked a little down for a while but soon he and Arya disappeared. Carol saw them go outside, but figured the rain would drive them back in before long. Emily had her eye on them too.

Carl and Arya took a seat on the swing on the front porch, "It was a nice wedding, " she commented.

Carl hummed, "If you like weddings it was nice". He had crushed on Beth forever but she was always out of reach. He liked Elijah though. Carl cast a look at Arya; she was beautiful with black hair and blue eyes. She smiled at him and he had managed to sneak out with a bottle and he held it up. "Wanta a drink?"

Arya's big blue eyes went round, "You have a whole bottle of wine. My mother made that by the way and she'll probably count the bottles."

Carl took a drink of the rich red wine, "It's great, your mom did good." He waved the bottle around to entice her, "Wanta drink?"

They took a few hearty drinks and settled in on the swing. Carl thought it was time for him to make his move and he kissed Arya and she kissed him back. They both sat back in the swing for a minute and before Carl could kiss her again Arya stood up and went to the edge of the porch. The gate had a light over it and a man stood there. "Arya, let me in," he called.

The girl was off the porch and running for the gate before Carl could stop her. He took off after her making sure that he had his knife with him. Arya unlocked the gate and let in the stranger who promptly hugged her.

"Drinking and making out on the porch, Arya McKenzie I am proud of you but your mother will ground for life. Introduce me to your teenage swain before he stabs me with that knife". Carl could see that the man was in his thirties and had dark skin.

"Uncle Jesse, this is Carl Grimes and he lives up on Mountain Top Farm with his father and a whole bunch of people including your cousin Carol. Carl, this is the literal and proverbial black sheep of the family Jesse McAllister-Graham. He is my mother's cousin and I haven't seen him since Grandma Nancy's funeral four years ago."

Jesse shook Carl hand and they went toward the house, "What in the world is going on? Is Grandma Lydia here? I went by her house and it was dark in there."

Arya answered, "She's here. We're hosting a wedding reception and so is Tempy. She lives with us".

Jesse let out a breath, "Temperance is alive? She was working in Charlotte when this happened."

"She was here on vacation and never left." Arya figured that with Jesse showing up her mother would be too distracted to notice her.

Jesse held the door for his niece and stopped Carl, "Better sneak that bottle back in. I know how to make a grand entrance and no one will notice". Carl nodded.

Jesse came into the house and the party went silent. Grandma Lydia and Emily came running toward him and he hugged them both. Brian and John were right behind them.

Carol recognized the handsome stranger as her long lost cousin Jesse. Grandma Lydia and Emily were crying and kissing him. Brian and John were bear hugging him. He finally got free and his eyes swept the crowd and Carol figured that he was looking for Tempy. Jesse looked at her for a moment, "Grandma Nancy?" and then he shook his head, "You have to the longest lost cousin, Carol". He came toward her and hugged her, "I hope you are as glad to be home as I am". He released her and looked past her to see Brian's sister Tempy come in from the kitchen.

They stared at each other for a few seconds and then Tempy smiled, "Jesse, I am glad that you finally made it home."

Jesse smiled back, "I am happy to be home". They had parted ways seven years ago and not on good terms, but he would never love anyone like he loved Temperance McKenzie.

The party continued on. The bouquet was caught by Rachel who had been talking to Tempy about farming and completely ignoring the activity around them. Tempy had a doctorate in biochemistry but she was now a farmer. Rick got the garter and the happy couple left with most of the crowd.

Jesse met Daryl, Alia, Michonne, and Morgan and he said all the right things but his mind was on Temperance. She had disappeared into the kitchen and stayed there. Grandma Lydia was looking tired and Jesse knew he should take her home. Jesse told John that he would be ready to go in a minute and went in search of Temperance.

She was wiping the counters down, "How many times did you wipe those down to avoid coming out?" He asked. "I am going to go with Grandma Lydia, but before I go and because it is New Year's Eve," he moved closer and kissed her, "Happy New Year, Temperance". He went back to the main room and John drove Grandma Lydia and Jesse home in the rain.

That night Carol put Alia to bed in her new room. Daryl came in and sat by the bed while Carol read her a story. Alia kissed them goodnight and asked that they leave the door open.

Everyone was trying to stay awake until twelve o'clock to usher a new year. Eugene gave up at ten thirty and went to bed. Everyone had changed back to everyday clothes. They didn't have watches set up. There was an elaborate mix of security lights and alarms to warn them of danger. They had a fence around the houses that would stop walkers and no one ever slept all that deeply anyway.

Daryl poured everyone a glass of wine and they toasted the New Year. It was eleven o'clock. Morgan said, "Its twelve o'clock in Nova Scotia". Carol counted down, "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, Happy New Year". They hugged and kissed each other good night. Michonne and Morgan went upstairs and Carol checked on Alia who was asleep.

Daryl was waiting for her, "Are you tired? You looked beautiful in that dress".

Carol laughed, "Michonne said I looked matronly, I do want to brush my teeth." She went into the bathroom and washed her face and brushed her teeth. She put on a silk kimono and came out to find Daryl coming back into the room, "She is still asleep."

Daryl pushed off his sleeping pants, "I think matronly is hot". He waggled his eyebrows at her. "It's very warm in here." He settled on the bed, "Just go ahead and take off that gown and come over here and some me some hot matronly love".

Carol was glad that she had had two glasses of wine. She let the robe fall down and stood at the foot of the bed wearing only her pearl necklace. Daryl's eyes lit up and another part of his anatomy showed its appreciation by standing at attention. "Hot matronly love, it is a very good thing," he said.

Carol turned the lights down but not completely off. "Will you love me forever and ever?"

Daryl said, "Longer than that".

Carol sat down beside him. He laughed, "Don't forget rule number one."

"What is rule number one?" Carol was leaning over Daryl and the pearls were touching his chest. She kissed him and he rewarded her with a deeper kiss but pulled back for a bit, "Rule number one is to not get in a hurry".

Carol kissed him again, "Sounds good to me."

TWDTWDTWD

Elijah was following Daryl's game plan. He and Beth were having a glass of wine by the fireplace. (one glass and no more). They were kissing (lots of tongue but not down her throat). He was touching her above the waist (don't get in a hurry).

Elijah had followed Daryl's instructions. He had almost ignored the masturbation in the bathroom but he took one look at his overexcited cock and went for it.

Beth was feeling the effects of the wine enough so that she wasn't as nervous as she thought she would be. Elijah kept talking to her and making sure she was comfortable. He didn't seem to be in a hurry at all. He had taken off his shirt and she found herself rubbing and kissing him in places that felt good when he touched her.

"Are you ready to lie down on the bed?" Elijah asked and she nodded. He picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. He had on a pair of sleeping pants and he decided to pull them off.

Beth pulled off her nightgown and one look at her completely naked body proved Daryl's theory that he would be ready for action. Elijah remembered rule one. He kissed her and slid close to her and allowed one hand between her legs. Elijah realized that rule one was a lot more difficult that it sounded. He closed his eyes and imagined an angry Daryl whipping his ass. He smiled at Beth and they kissed some more and he sucked her nipples a little harder than before and he could definitely feel wetness on the hand that was seeking entrance.

He decided to follow Daryl's recommended course and explored the area for a while. He found the clit by luck and by Beth's reaction to touching her there. Elijah kissed his way down to between her legs, gently pushed her legs a part, and used his mouth and his tongue on her until she climaxed. Then he asked permission to enter her and she nodded and Elijah knew that rule number one was now almost impossible but there was that image of an angry Daryl with his crossbow that helped a little. He lined himself up with her and pushed in gently and asked her to push back. Beth did and then he held himself back from thrusting too fast until she whispered "Faster".

Elijah finished and fell back on the bed. Beth was staring at the ceiling. He had left a light on in the other room and he could see her flushed face. "Was it alright?" he ventured.

Beth waved her hand weakly, "Oh, my God yes. That was amazing. I thought you told me that you had never been with anyone."

Elijah said, "I just didn't get in a hurry". He was still wound up and wondered if he could have another glass of wine. "Do you want something to drink?"

Beth said, "I am thirsty. Why don't we go back and sit in front of the fire and drink another glass of wine".

Elijah looked out the window in the living room and saw that it was snowing. He opened the door and they stood side by side looking at the snow. It had begun to gather on the deck and he walked out and looked up at the sky. "Come on, it's beautiful", he urged. Beth stepped out and the snow wasn't all that cold. The sky was a whirling swirly mass of snowflakes falling down.

Beth laughed, "You do know that we are naked right?"

"Like Adam and Eve. Not a fig leaf in sight." He tossed a snowball at her and they stood for a few moments watching the snow. "Better go inside and warm up".

They sat by the fire and drank one more glass of wine and then went back to bed. It was a very good thing to be with the one you love on a snowy winter's night.

AN

Daryl in Beth's wedding as the father who gives her away. Yay. Don't fret, I won't write anymore sex scenes for Beth. I don't dislike her but I just don't want her with Daryl.

I loved Jesse and he always shows up in my stories.

Martha Stewart used to say "It's a very good thing " on her television show. So I used it several times.

One of my great great grandmothers was named Temperance. The names Lydia, Nancy, and Emily are all names of great grandmothers. In fact, one was named Nancy McAllister.

I would love a review. So if you're reading will you let me know?