Okay, before you guys start panicking, the poll is still open (I double-checked, it is now located on my profile) so you guys hustle and get your little butts over to my profile and vote! I'm not gonna be able to deliver Season 3 to you guys until you do, which means that this story is on a temporary hiatus until I get more votes i.e more feedback from my fans on where this story should go! SO, until I have enough votes, I wrote this little "epilogue" you could say, that kinda bridges the gap between them leaving the farm and them showing up in Spring at the rundown house in the first episode of Season 3. I'm also introducing some pretty important OCs, so please, pay attention! There is also a little bit of Tessa/Daryl fluff in this chapter too, so you anti-fluff people have been warned!

So, without further ado, please, read, REVIEW (I am on review withdrawals, guys!) and then get your asses over to my profile and vote! Please? :(

HaloHunter89 - Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do - mold Ethan into a little miniature Daryl. I think its kinda cute :)

And as always, thank you HermioneandMarcus for reviewing and your continued patronage :)

- Nagiana

PS - Have I mentioned that this is also probably my favorite chapter that I have written?


Favorite Line(s):

"Good Lord, tha' kid needs to calm down some!" He muttered and Tessa grinned and laughed as she glanced up at him.

"She was fine until you stepped in the room!" She told him and Daryl returned the laugh with a twinkling look.

"Well I know I'm pretty fabulous, but he can get over it! He's gonna have to deal with ma ass for quite a long time – he better hurry up and get used to me!"

Early to Mid-Winter

Somewhere in Eastern Georgia . . .

Tessa shivered violently as one of her arms moved to wrap more snugly around Daryl's waist while the other curled around her growing stomach in-between them. The engine of Merle's bike – the bike that was still going strong, even then and in such frigid weather – hummed comfortingly beneath her and she could almost feel Daryl's heartbeat beneath his heavy jacket and his leathers. She heard Maggie's SUV and Rick's truck running behind them over the rushing of the cold wind and noticed that the sun had almost began its descent over the horizon. They would need to be finding shelter soon.

They heard the roaring of an engine and watched as Rick's truck turned into the parallel lane and then sped up to them. The window rolled down and Rick leaned on his arm on the open window for a moment. "Hey, there's an abandoned hotel a few miles up. We're gonna stop there for the night, okay?" He called to them and Daryl silently nodded as Rick slowed in order to fall back in line, his window quickly rolling back up as he did so. Daryl heaved a sigh as Tessa shivered again. There was heat in the cars but they used it sparingly because of the scarcity of fuel. They didn't have any heat on the bike and Tessa had to admit that sometimes it sucked – bad. But then she thought of the abandoned hotel they were now driving towards and her heart warmed somewhat. No electricity meant absolutely no heat but a hotel also meant plenty of blankets if they hadn't all been looted yet . . . and even then, she'd give anything for heat but she'd also take the chance of possibly having a million threadbare blankets at her disposal too.

"Guess we got tha choice between stayin' at a Best Western or a Holiday Inn tonight, babydoll!" Daryl yelled back at her and Tessa's eyes squinted against the cold wind as she took in the faded green road side on the side of the road that listed the two hotel chains underneath the bold white lettering, 'Hotels'. She grinned and shook her head.

"You know me, Daryl - I only sleep at Holiday Inns. They have the least amount of walkers on vacation – something having to do with their rates, I think?" She replied and could hear Daryl let out a bark of a laugh as they turned off on the exit, slowing down when they came to a particularly tight cluster of cars clogging the turnpike. After carefully navigating between them, finding a path for the SUV and truck as they did so, they finally turned into the Holiday Inn's parking lot (the Best Western being deemed too rundown and unstable).

After stopping the cars and quickly unloading their stuff, they managed to find an unlocked door leading into the hotel. They quickly moved to the lobby and after making a quick sweep to make sure there were no walkers on the first floor (shockingly) they regrouped in the lobby. Rick nodded as he gestured down each of the corridors, heaving a weary sigh as he did so. "I suppose any room is up for grabs, but stick close to the lobby, okay? Cluster the rooms together too and don't spread out. We don't know if there are any walkers on the above floors or if we are completely alone too." Everyone nodded as they went their separate ways, Tessa's arm moving around Ethan's shoulders as they immediately moved off to seek a room.

They found their room by the emerald green colored and moss-covered pool and by all estimation it seemed like one of the cleaner ones too, if not extremely dusty. After placing his bags on one of the beds, Ethan left the room to go check on the others, Daryl watching him go as he threw his and Tessa's bags on the other bed. Tessa was shivering as she quickly unzipped her bag and withdrew another jacket, where she pulled it on. It was as she expected – it was freezing in the hotel but after moving over to the nearby closest and opening it, Daryl immediately grinned and tossed a glance her way.

"Yup, there's practically a fuckin' goldmine of blankets in tha closest! Not-to-mention we've got tha other rooms too in case ya want to engulf me in a damn sauna tonight!" He told her and Tessa grinned as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Thank God, 'cause I'm freezing!" She told him and Daryl nodded in agreement as he withdrew the entire stack and after halving it and placing one half on Ethan's bed, moved to place the other half on their bed. They were thick blankets, not exactly made of the expensive stuff but not exactly airline material either. She gazed at them longingly for a moment and he gave her another glance.

"How are ya doin', babydoll? Are ya fuckin' freezin' yet?"

Tessa tried to grin and laugh but neither was going to happen, so she simply nodded her head instead. "I can't . . . I can't feel my face from riding on the back of that bike all damn day, so what do you think?" She told him teasingly and Daryl chuckled as he returned to their bags. He started shifting through them in search of his pistol and when he found it, he checked the chamber and made sure it was loaded and the safety was on before he gently set it down on the dusty bedside table sitting between the two double beds. He shook his head in playful bemusement.

"I keep tellin' ya tha' ya need to ride in one of tha cars with tha others from now on, babydoll, especially in ya current state -!"

"Yeah, and leave your ass at the mercy of Carol? Fuck that up the ass!" She muttered with slight condescension as she turned her gaze elsewhere, lest he see the scowl that had appeared on her face. She could see Daryl grin through the slight gloom as he let out a bark of a laugh. He had indeed seen the scowl.

"Ya still don' trust her none?" Tessa scoffed.

"After that shit she said at camp a few months back when we first left the farm? Fuck no - I trust her just about as much as I need to!" She told him before she shook her head. Daryl took a seat beside her on the bed as she continued: "I'm smart enough to know that she's probably going to be the one that is going to help deliver our baby, Daryl, since we no longer have Patricia with us. So until then, I have to bridle my tongue somewhat. I still didn't appreciate the way she called you Rick's 'henchman', though."

"Well then, why didn' ya say anythin'? Doesn' seem like ya to jus' take tha' layin' down." He asked her and Tessa shot him a glare.

"Like I said Daryl, if she wasn't going to be the one helping Hershel deliver our baby, then you're damn right I would have said something! But since she is . . ." She trailed off as her body tensed then. She rolled her eyes as she settled a hand on her stomach, where she let out a grimace. Daryl nodded as his eyes flickered to hers.

"He's been active all day, hasn' he?" He asked and Tessa grinned and glanced at him, where he immediately returned the grin. It was a game they would often play, switching back and forth between 'he' and 'she' whenever they would talk about his child that she was carrying. They wouldn't know the sex of the baby until it was born in three months, so until then, they could at least have some fun with it. She nodded.

"She loves it when we ride on the bike. She kicks and shifts up a storm whenever we do and it's been going on all Goddamn day too! She also makes it almost impossible for me to get even the lightest shuteye!" She told him and then grimaced again as the baby kicked her in the side before settling down on her bladder. She rolled her eyes as her hand moved to her side and pressed gently, trying to get it to move. Of course it stubbornly stayed in the same place and she gave up with a defeated sigh as she leaned back on the bed, her hand moving to the place it had been earlier, when she first sat down. Her baby loved to constantly sit on her bladder, making her bathroom breaks very frequent, much to the chagrin and the slight irritation of the others. However, it was something that Lori understood quite well as well and even though her baby was nowhere near as active as hers was.

Daryl smiled as he slid his hand to cup her cheek and then turned her towards him, where he pressed his lips to hers in a gentle, loving kiss. She returned the kiss and when they broke apart, he nuzzled her. "I'm jus' happy tha' it's movin' – tha' it's safe . . .!" He whispered to her and she immediately couldn't help but nod in agreement. After their conversation at the campsite after Rick had told them that they were all infected, it had become an almost unspoken agreement between them never to bring such things up again. And rarely they did, however, occasionally it did happen and it was often enough to ruin both of their days or nights, depending on when it was brought up. Tessa sighed and shook her head, though, as she gently tried to pull herself out of Daryl's grasp. However, he wasn't letting her go and she turned a slightly incredulous look onto him.

"Daryl, we should go see if the others need our help with something . . .!"

"I know, Tess, I know, jus' . . . let me hold ya for a minute, okay? I haven' done it in a long time and I feel like we both need it!" He told her and Tessa nodded and allowed him to take her in his arms. He pulled her against him and she tucked her head into the crook of his neck as his hand settled on her still shifting stomach. She grimaced again but his warm hand on her belly seemed to settle their baby down slightly and it was then that they sat there for a moment, in complete silence, just relishing being alone in each other's company for once. Since they had been forced to leave the farm and start their near constant movement, they could hardly find time for each other. Every camp they pitched every night oftentimes entailed everyone sleeping together grouped around the campfire for as much warmth as they could muster, with the customary two people awake on watch. Understandably, it made alone time near impossible and while they made sure to touch and kiss whenever they could, sex had become a damn near Herculean feat! However, quite frankly, they were both so exhausted at the end of every day, that they were afraid it wouldn't nearly be as satisfactory as it had been before!

Tessa couldn't help but let out a contented sigh then as she felt herself relax the longer they sat there. She chuckled as a small grin appeared on her face. "You do realize that you hold me every night when we sleep, and that there's not a damn thing that I can do to prevent it, right?" She reminded him and Daryl returned the chuckle along with a nod.

"Yeah . . . yeah I know tha', but . . ." He trailed off then before sighing and starting anew. "I'd have to be a blind dumbass not to notice how distant Rick and Lori have become since we left tha farm and I jus' . . . I want to make sure tha' we don' ever become like tha', ya know? And if preventin' tha' entails me holdin' ya for jus' five minutes every day to make sure tha' ya know tha' I love ya, then so be it. Hopefully, though, it'll sometimes be longer than jus' five minutes, but still . . .!" He trailed off again with a chuckle before immediately noticing that Tessa's mannerisms had become somewhat somber.

"Rick knows that the baby is not his, Daryl," She told him, her voice becoming quiet. "He knows the baby is Shane's and Lori knows it as well. They might not admit it, but they both know it deep down inside. And then Lori sees how we act around each other and then she sees how Rick acts around her, which is the complete opposite and she . . . she can't understand that the reason is because Rick knows that the baby is not his! There is absolutely no doubt in your mind that you are our baby's father, Daryl, but Rick, though . . ." She trailed off then and they entered another deep silence for a moment before Daryl heaved a sigh and gave her a slight, loving squeeze.

"And thank God tha' I don' have to worry 'bout ma own child's paternity!" He told her before shaking his head. "I can' even begin to understand how Rick feels 'bout this whole thing!" Tessa nodded her head in agreement and opened her mouth to reply to him, however, they were interrupted by a quiet knock on their open door. They broke apart and turned to the door, only to see a softly smiling Ethan standing in the threshold.

"Sorry to interrupt ya guys' in ya scant alone time, but Rick wants us to go hunt before it gets too dark. We're runnin' low on meat." He told them and Daryl nodded as he pecked Tessa one last on the lips before gently but reluctantly disentangling himself from her, where he got to his feet.

"Ya gonna be alright?" He asked her, his voice laced with concern, and she smiled lovingly and nodded as he took her hands and helped her to her feet as well.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll probably be in the lobby with the others until you return, so don't worry about me!" Her palms flattened out on his chest and she stood up on her tiptoes in order to kiss him deeper. She broke apart moments later and resettled back on her feet. "Return quickly, though. I want to eat and then I want to go to bed – I'm exhausted and so are you two!" She told them sternly after casting them both cursory, stern glares and they sighed good-naturedly and nodded as she followed them from the room.

"Yes, mother!" The two Dixons chimed in unison and Tessa rolled her eyes good-naturedly as they went their separate ways. Tessa moved towards the lobby and the others while Ethan and Daryl moved towards the door that led to the cold outside world, Daryl and her throwing lingering glanced at each other over their shoulders. She doubted they would find much game in this weather but they always ended up surprising her and everyone else.

The others had managed to start a fire in the lobby by the time she joined them, and it was already roaring and boisterous by the time she took a seat in-between Lori and Maggie. "Are Daryl and Ethan out hunting?" Lori asked her and Tessa nodded.

"Yeah, they should be back in half an hour or so, knowing this weather. Where's Rick and T-Dog?"

"They're with Glenn making sure the other floors are clear too." Maggie told her and she nodded again as they turned back to watch the fire. It left just them three sitting there with Carl, Carol, Beth and Hershel and they all sat in a semi-awkward silence for a moment before Tessa grimaced again, her hand reflexively flying to her side. Hershel immediately tensed up as did everyone else there, his eyebrows furrowing in immediate concern.

"Are you alright?" He asked and Tessa nodded and waved away his concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. She's been active all damn day with her kicking and her near constant shifting. It can just be alarming sometimes if I'm not expecting them." She laughed and Hershel nodded, calming slightly as Lori remained tensed beside her.

"Have you experienced any Braxton-Hicks yet?" He asked, and Tessa nodded.

"Yeah, a couple started last night, when we were all asleep. They've been coming occasionally since last month but they never get too bad; completely manageable, in fact. They did wake Daryl up and he had a little mini freak-out session but I could handle that as well." She assured him without another slight laugh and Hershel nodded again, his eyes moving onto Lori then. The woman sitting beside her remained slightly tensed and she purposefully avoided the old man's gaze. Tessa knew it was because Lori fully suspected her baby of being dead. While Tessa had felt her baby move within her as early as three months, Lori had yet to feel anything and it was already six months into their pregnancies.

"Can I feel it?" Carl asked, interest appearing on his face then. Tessa smiled and nodded as she gestured for him to settle beside her, Maggie immediately shifting aside to make room. Carl scrambled to sit beside her and she took his head and slowly moved it to where the baby's kicks could be felt the most. An immediate grin spread across his face when he felt the tiny movements against his palm.

"Do they hurt at all? They seem like they would hurt a little." He asked and Tessa grinned and gave a half-shrug, remembering how Daryl had asked that very same question seemingly so long ago but with infinitely more concern lacing his tone.

"Not really, but like I said, they can be alarming if I'm not prepared for them," Her eyes turned onto Beth's then watching with a slight interest as well, and she smiled. "You want to feel too, honey?" She asked her and Beth's eyes immediately lit up. She nodded and after giving Hershel a glance that he returned with a soft nod and an even softer smile, she got her feet and moved closer to her as well. Carl's hand voluntarily left her as Tessa gently took up Beth's and then placed it in the same spot. Beth jumped slightly and let out a tiny little 'Oh!' when she felt the movement and everyone grinned and gave little laughs at the young girl's reaction.

"I've never felt a baby kick before!" She explained slightly in awe as she glanced up at her and Tessa laughed.

"Then I'm honored to be your first!" She told her and Beth returned the laugh. They sat there for a moment, Tessa gently shifting Beth, Carl and occasionally Maggie's hand in order to follow the movements of her baby and not one of them noticed when Rick, Glenn and T-Dog returned. Glenn returned to Maggie's side, a grin appearing on his face when he saw what they were doing, and T-Dog moved to place their weapons on the nearby front counter.

"Daryl and Ethan should be back any minute. We passed them going out and they said they'd be back in a few. They had already bagged themselves some rabbits and a squirrel or two." T-Dog told them and Lori nodded as she got to her feet and headed over to the bags in order to get their cooking and eating utensils ready, as well as whatever else they would need to prepare and eat the catch that night. Maggie quickly got to her feet and moved to help the older woman as Tessa remained where she was with Carl and Beth who were still sitting there in slight awe. Rick's eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion as he moved to lean his rifle up against the nearby wall.

"What are you guys doing?" He asked and Carl immediately turned a bright gaze onto his father.

"Tessa's baby is moving somethin' fierce! We've been sitting here feeling it for a few minutes now – it's awesome!" He told him and Beth nodded in agreement as she glanced over her shoulder at him. Tessa grinned and laughed at the young boy and girl's enthusiasm and Rick nodded in understanding, his face becoming its usual expressionless self. Tessa nodded in agreement as she turned a slightly excited gaze onto him.

"You want to feel too? Hell, she's been moving enough today for everyone!" She asked with a light laugh and a look of slight surprise appeared on his face at her question. It quickly disappeared though and he nodded silently as Tessa got to her feet, Beth and Carl moving quickly out of the way as she approached him. Coming to a stop once she was in front of him, she took his hand and moved to gently press it at the spot where the baby's kicks were now focused. She heard his sharp intake of breath and immediately let out a grin. "She loves it when I'm riding behind Daryl on the bike. It seems like we got us a little bike rider here – another Dixon trait, it seems like!" She laughed and Rick's eyebrows furrowed in slightly confusion.

"'She'? I thought it was a 'he'? Daryl was calling it a 'he' a few hours ago." He spoke and Tessa laughed again as she moved his hand to follow the baby's movements.

"It's a game we play. Since we're actually not going to know the sex of the baby until the birth, we call it whatever we want to call it, depending on what we want at the time. It seems like Daryl's on a 'boy' phase again."

"Watch you have twins, Tess!" Beth grinned from over at her place where Tessa had left her and Carl. "Won't that just be magical?" Tessa grinned and scoffed as Rick's other hand moved to join the one already on her stomach. She tossed a grin over her shoulder at the young girl.

"Yeah, it'll be something all right!" She replied with a chuckle. "Although something tells me that Daryl would have a heart attack if I delivered him twins!" The rest of them broke out into laughter then too, including Rick.

"Yeah, Daryl's a pretty lucky guy . . ." He spoke, his voice quiet so that only she could hear, it seemed, and Tessa suddenly felt her breath catch in her throat. She turned a stricken gaze behind her over her shoulder and the expressionless, slightly wide-eyed look on Lori's face as she gazed at them sent chills of an undefinable emotion down Tessa's back. When she turned back to face Rick she suddenly found that his hands on her stomach made her feel grossly uncomfortable and she swallowed hard and nodded.

"Don't worry Rick - he knows that luck has nothing to do with how much I love him." She told him and Rick's eyes flickered up to hers before his hands left her. Rick wasn't a stupid man and he had grown slightly more paranoid ever since Shane. He knew a warning tone when he heard it and when he gazed at Tessa's expressionless face before shifting his eyes onto Lori still standing in something of a numb shock behind them at the front counter, he understood just why she had included that warning tone in her voice.

Rick swallowed hard and nodded as he buried his hands in the back pockets of his jeans, his eyes averting away from his wife's and her best friend that was still standing in front of him. He glanced at her, however, when he heard the door open behind them and then heard the twin bootfalls of the two Dixons that immediately entered. When he saw the immediate grin that spread across Tessa's face and the love that filled her eyes when she saw Daryl – the undisputed father of her baby – Rick knew, with absolute certainty, that he had absolutely no right feeling what he did for her.


"My God, baby, that was so good!" Tessa sighed with a grin and Daryl grinned as well as the others still grouped around the lobby fire, nodded in agreement. T-Dog shook his head in slight incredulity.

"She's right, man. Ya know how to cook a damn good rabbit, Dixon, I gotta say!" He spoke and Daryl couldn't help but laugh as he gave him a nod of thanks. He allowed Tessa to slump even more against him and when his hand settled on her stomach, he immediately felt a pronounced kick against his palm. He gave a grin and rolled his eyes.

"Good Lord, tha' kid needs to calm down some!" He muttered and Tessa grinned and laughed as she glanced up at him.

"She was fine until you stepped in the room!" She told him and Daryl returned the laugh with a twinkling look.

"Well I know I'm pretty fabulous, but he can get over it! He's gonna have to deal with ma ass for quite a long time – he better hurry up and get used to me!" The others only shook their heads good-naturedly, long used to this little game the two of them were fond of playing with each other. Maggie gave them a soft look.

"So Daryl, what do you hope it really is?" She asked him with a grin and Daryl gave a shrug.

"I don' care what it is as long as it's born safe and sound and Tessa is too at tha end of it all." He replied and Maggie nodded in expectant approval.

"Well, yes, that's a given – that's always been a given with you! But if you had a choice, what would you want?" She asked him again and he sat there for a moment, thinking. It was a long enough moment that even Tessa moved to turn a look of interest up to him.

"Well, speakin' tha' I already got me a good-fer-nothin' son," He tossed Ethan a grin and wink then - a grin and a wink that the thirteen-year-old immediately replied with a sarcastic yet playful roll of his eyes and a middle finger. Tessa threw him a glare of death and Ethan immediately backtracked, redness filling his face as Daryl grinned and laughed and returned to Maggie's question. "Then, usin' tha' logic, I suppose if I had to choose, then I'd want a girl," He gave Tessa a wink too. "Though, I prolly couldn' complain with a son either, now could I?"

Tessa grinned and opened her mouth to reply, however, they were interrupted by a crash coming from the next room. Everyone immediately jumped into awareness before freezing, Rick, Daryl, T-Dog and Ethan lunging for their weapons as their eyes pinned on the general direction that sound had come from. They watched the darkened hallway like hound dogs, just waiting for a half-decayed walker to come lumbering out. When the sound didn't come again, just a tiny clatter that signaled something glass hitting the floor and shattering, Rick and Daryl exchanged a long look.

"What do ya think is it?" Daryl asked him, his tone hushed, and Rick shrugged before nodding in the direction. Daryl nodded as him and Rick got to their feet and after gesturing for everyone to stay put, moved to swiftly investigate the source of the noise, Rick's machete and Daryl's crossbow at the ready.

Everyone there held their breath as the two men moved to investigate but immediately jumped up and ran to see what was going on when they heard Daryl let out an alarmed, cursing shout that was quickly accompanied by the clanging and dropping of various tables and chairs, as well as the stomping of booted feet against the carpet of the room as a scuffle quickly ensued.

"Rick, what is going on -?"

Lori abruptly came to a stop when they walked into the room, right when Daryl finally managed to throw someone off of him. The person rolled lithely to his feet and came up with a gun pointed dead-bang between Rick's eyes. The sheriff immediately froze, his hands quickly shooting up in an act of surrender as a young girl, no more than Carl and Ethan's age, came running the room from an opened door on the other side, a frightened look appearing on her face.

"Seth, Seth – what's going on?" She demanded and the figure, who must be this Seth person she was referring to, kept his face expressionless as he continued to pin his eyes and his gun on Rick.

"Take it easy kid . . . ain' anythin' gotta be done brashly . . ." Daryl spoke, his crossbow trained on the person as well and the guy glanced down at the girl that was now clinging to his side before he returned his gaze to Rick. He arched a lightly condescending brow.

"Take it easy? You guys are the ones that moved in next door without telling us. The least ya guys could have done was come over with a pie and introduce yourselves once you had made yourselves at home!" He returned and while Tessa saw Rick's jaw harden in irritation, she could see that Daryl was forcing himself from smiling.

"We didn't know anyone was here when we first arrived." Rick told him and the guy grinned and laughed. He seemed young too, not nearly old enough to be the girl's father but not young enough to be her boyfriend either. He seemed around Beth's age, maybe a couple of years older, so logically, he had to be her older brother. He gave a flippant shrug.

"Well now ya do, okay? Now get the fuck out!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, we ain't going anywhere! We've already settled in -!"

"There's a Best Western next door – maybe they've got some vacancies." The guy calmly interrupted Rick, his pistol still trained coolly onto him. This wasn't just some kid with an itchy trigger finger. This kid knew what he was doing.

"Now kid, come on, don't be hasty -!" It was T-Dog that spoke this time but they all came to an abrupt stop when Tessa, eyes wide with shock, gently pushed her way to the forefront of the group. Seth, alarmed, immediately cocked the pistol as his bright blue eyes settled onto her.

"Stay back – I will pull the trigger - don't think I won't!" She shook her head.

"No you won't . . ."

"Who says I won't?" He demanded angrily and Tessa shook her head and let out an incredulous laugh.

"How about your mother's best friend, Seth? Will you shoot her in cold blood?"