"Oh God, I think we made it," Carol said, looking at Tyreese with a nervous, but excited smile. He gazed back at her with a similar look. They both had so much invested in this moment. She reached for his hand, knowing that he was praying to find Sasha as hard as she was praying to find Daryl. And there was obviously the hope they both had to return Judith to her family.

Carol knew that they had travelled much slower than the others. If everyone had seen the signs and started immediately towards Terminus she figured the three of them were at least a full week behind, if not more. The stop and tragedy at the Grove had obviously slowed them, and working with a baby's schedule as well.

Carol gave his hand a squeeze. "She's going to be here. She survived, I know it," she said encouragingly. Tyreese offered her a smile and squeezed her hand back.

Tyreese tried to comfort her as well, "If anyone survived the attack it's Daryl. And we know he would be just fine out in the woods." Carol gave him a look of thanks. Once again, he was putting his own feelings for her aside to talk about the man that truly had her heart.

Carol lifted Judith from Ty's arms and gave her a hug. "Let's go find your daddy." The emerged from the forest and started to walk towards the gates.

"Carol? Tyreese? Oh my god, Dad, Dad, come here quick," a familiar voice yelled from the other side of the gate. Carol felt tears welling up in her eyes when she realized it was Carl manning the gate. Michonne was there as well. They opened the gates as Rick came running. He froze and looked at her holding Judith. Even when the gates were open Rick didn't move. He put out an arm to hold Carl back and Carol felt her stomach turn over. She assumed with everything they had been through he would at least be open to discussing her becoming part of the group again.

"Judith?" he whispered, his face contorting with emotion. All off a sudden Rick came running towards her. Carol wasn't sure what was going on until he wrapped her in a hug, Judith between them. "Thank you, thank you for saving her. I owe you everything," Rick mumbled into her ear.

Carol returned his hug. "Actually Tyreese saved her," Carol said gently. "I came back Rick, I saw the end…" He drew back as she spoke and Carol released Judith into his arms. "I met up with Tyreese and the kids…" her voice trailed off and a lump rose in her throat thinking about Lizzie and Mika.

"The kids?" Rick was confused, looking around to see if he was missing anyone. Tyreese caught his eye and shook his head gravely, as if to say it wasn't the time. Rick understood.

"But without Carol, there's no way I would have made it here with a baby," Tyreese offered, changing the subject slightly. "She's amazing. She's the only one that could get Judith to stop crying, every time," he grinned.

Rick hugged Judith, pressing his cheek to hers. "I owe you both," he said. "We do," Rick added, pulling Carl into his family hug. "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart." He handed Judith to Carl, who was anxiously waiting to hold his sister. They laughed as Judith kissed her bother full on the mouth.

As the first reunion calmed down a bit Carol's heart started pounding, she needed to know. "Rick, is he… Daryl?" was all she could get out.

Rick grinned at her. "He's here. Sasha too," he looked at Tyreese. "I can take you to Sasha, but Daryl isn't physically here, right now."

Carol felt her heart sink. Knowing that Daryl was there had elated her and her cheeks were wet with tears. But the tears fell faster as she waited for an explanation. "Michonne, take Tyreese to find Sasha. Carl, go with them. Maggie will want to see Judith and you can introduce your sister to the others."

Carol gave Tyreese a quick hug. "I'm so happy for you," she whispered. "Go find her," she shooed him. Carol watched them leave and then looked to Rick for more information on Daryl.

"He's okay. But you know Daryl. He was upset about what I did and not being able to find you. And he escaped with Beth but she was kidnapped and no one has seen her since. He feels a sense of responsibility for losing her. And he just…" Rick paused. "He's not himself without you. I should have seen it before, but I didn't." Carol felt her chest tighten with his words. "He needs you Carol. If I had known that I would have done things differently." Carol assumed that was about all the apology she was going to get, but Rick kept talking. "I'm sorry. I made a bad decision. And it wasn't even my decision to make. Can you forgive me?" Carol didn't know what to say. She simply nodded. "Daryl should be back soon, tomorrow maybe. The day after at the latest. He's hunting to clear his mind. And honestly, I think he's searching for you. He may have given up on ever finding Beth, but he will never give up on finding you. It would break him completely."

Carol realized she was crying again when Rick hugged her. "Does Tyreese know?" he asked, referring to the murders.

"Yes," Carol finally spoke. "Can we sit somewhere and talk?" Rick locked up the gates and they found a place nearby to sit. He had sent everyone else off, so Rick had to stay guard. Carol explained everything that had happened with Lizzie and Mika. Rick took her hand and held it for comfort as she talked.

When she was finished he spoke softly, "I owe you even more. You really did save Judith's life, even after the attack." Carol leaned against him. She was thankful that her relationship with Rick was repaired. They had always had a connection and had offered each other comfort in times of need in the past. "I'm glad things with Tyreese worked out," Rick said.

"He really is something special," Carol replied, wistfully. "I've never met anyone so selfless and kind hearted."

Rick studied her face, "Do you… you don't? The two of you?" Rick was trying to ask if they had feelings for each other.

Carol shook her head. "I love him, of course I do, but I'm in love with…" her voice trailed off, it didn't feel right saying it to anyone else before Daryl even knew the truth.

Rick nodded, once again he understood. "He needs you Carol. I can't wait until he gets back and sees you here."

Carol couldn't wait either. Literally. She wanted to bolt, right that second and take off to look for him. Instead she asked Rick to explain Terminus, to distract her for a while. It was a long and dangerous story and Carol realized that everyone she had found could just have easily been dead. Terminus was a dark and scary place. The group had been trapped in a train car but under Rick's lead they were able to escape and launch a counter attack. They had taken over Terminus, removed the threats and the few residents that were left were locked up until they were sure they could be trusted. They had won Terminus, and once again they had a home.

Not long after Rick finished his story Maggie and Glenn came running towards them. Carol stood and was enveloped in a huge hug between the two of them. "I'm so happy you're safe," Glenn said. "We know everything. Rick told us and we all know you did it to try and save us. Rick knows he was wrong to banish you," Glenn added, shooting Rick a look. Carol was so afraid it was going to be awkward to rejoin the group, but she realized quickly that this was her family and they loved her unconditionally.

Maggie and Glenn offered to watch the gate for a bit while Rick introduced her to the new group members and then spend some more time with his daughter. Carol was introduced to Eugene, Rosita, Tara and Abraham. She immediately took a liking to the big red head. He was interesting. He looked tough, but Carol had a feeling he was a lot like Tyreese. His girlfriend Rosita seemed sweet, yet Carol knew she could hold her own. Eugene was an interesting character. Rick filled her in on their mission to get Eugene to Washington. They were thinking of leaving soon, but were hoping more people would show up at Terminus that would be interested in joining their mission. Tara seemed a bit shy, but Carol was confident that they would be friends in time.

Later Carol found Tyreese, Sasha and Bob and shared a smile with Ty noticing she had been right about Sasha and Bob. Eventually Carol and Tyreese were taken on a tour and given their own rooms. Rick put her right beside Daryl, who in true Daryl style, had taken a room off on his own, away from everyone else. Tyreese was closer to the group, not far from Sasha.

After dinner Carol talked to Rick. "Maybe Tyreese and I could take the first watch tonight? Might as well get into the swing of things around here right away," she said. Rick was on board with the idea and her and Tyreese relieved Michonne and Abraham later that night.

As soon as the others were out of sight Carol looked at Tyreese. "I'm leaving," she said. "I'm going to try to find him." She had brought a back pack with her, but kept it small hoping no one would find it odd and ask questions. Tyreese looked at her with sadness yet understanding. "I had to be on watch with you because I knew no one else would let me go. You're the only one that knows and believes I can look after myself."

Tyreese nodded at her and pulled her into a hug. "Be careful and good luck," he said. "If you don't find him, just come back. He'll be back, Rick said so."

Carol nodded and Tyreese opened the gate for her. "Thank you," she whispered before taking off into the night.

She had no idea what direction to go in, but assumed if Daryl was hunting that he was likely in the woods. And since they hadn't run into him in the woods to the north she opted for the woods to the south. Carol started to run. She knew she couldn't keep up the pace for long, but she had such a need to find him that she had to move fast. It had been a long time since she was able to move so quickly, without the baby. Once she was a distance from Terminus she started to pay more attention to her surroundings. She had a flashlight in her pack that she'd been saving for a while. The batteries were brand new and would last a few hours at least.

Carol started to search for any sign that someone had been through the area. Broken twigs, tracks, anything. She really didn't know what she was looking for, that was Daryl's thing, but she was trying. Eventually she found what she assumed was an old fire pit. It renewed her sense of hope. It could have been from anyone but her heart wanted to believe it had been his.

It was getting late and Carol was starting to slow down. She heard a sound and drew her knife. She wanted it to be Daryl, but it was just a lone walker and she put it down quickly, hoping there were no others. She considered making her own fire and taking a break for a bit but decided to push on a little longer. Carol bent over and shone her light on something that caught her attention on the ground when all of a sudden she was attacked from behind. She grunted as she hit the ground and the flashlight flew out of her hands. Carol struggled for her knife, but she was pinned and couldn't move.

Her captor got to the flashlight first and shone it in her face. Carol squeezed her eyes closed as a voice rang in her ears, "Carol? Holy fuck, is that really you?"

Suddenly the weight lifted off her and she was pulled to her feet. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought she was going to pass out. Carol knew that voice. It was the only voice she had been wanting to hear for weeks. "Daryl," she said softly, reaching out to find his face. Her eyes were still adjusting to the dark again after having the light shone in them. But she knew just by feel that it really was him. He leaned into her touch and Carol started to cry. She had dreamed about him every night. She had hoped and prayed for this moment and finally it was here.

"I missed you," was the only thing she could think to say, as she placed her other hand on his face, cupping it. The moon was bright enough that she could see his eyes. There was a slight glisten there, the closest Daryl would get to happy tears she was sure.

Daryl didn't say anything at first, but he slipped the flashlight into his back pocket then placed a hand on the small of her back and drew her closer. With the other hand he brushed away a couple stray tears on her cheeks. "I was looking for you," he said finally.

"I know," she laughed. "Rick told me and now I'm looking for you."

"You found me," Daryl replied.

Carol shook her head, "No, you found me. You always do." She couldn't hold back any longer, Carol needed to find out if he really did feel the same way. She pulled his face closer to hers and kissed him softly. Carol was shocked at the urgency in which he returned the kiss but it told her everything she needed to know. His tongue found its way into her mouth and she met it eagerly with her own. Carol gasped as he pulled her tighter against him, crushing her with his strong arms.

They kissed like they had been waiting their entire lives for each other and Carol was pretty sure she truly had been saving everything for him. It was better than anything she had dreamt about. Better than she could have imagined or expected. As the kiss continued she let her mind wander to the possibility of more. She wanted him so badly. Carol was more than willing to be pressed up against a tree and fucked if that's what he wanted. She reached for the front of his pants, indicating her interest, and elicited a low groan from somewhere deep inside him.

Daryl slipped a hand between them and reached for her breast, squeezing it gently and Carol sighed into his mouth. Everything had been building to this moment. Her desire to see him again, to find him, the dreams she endured every time she closed her eyes, the love that was inside her just for him… it all built up to an incredible amount of lust that she couldn't possibly hope to control. Carol knew it was the same for him. He wanted her like he had never wanted anything before.

Carol reached for the button on his pants and Daryl pulled away. "Not here," he said breathlessly. "There are walkers all over, it's too dangerous." He kissed her again, as if he was compelled to. "I can't lose you again."

"Do you know the way back, in the dark?" she asked.

"Yup, and we can sneak in through the back," he replied, holding up a key attached to a chain around his neck.

"What are we waiting for then?" Carol replied with a giggle. She couldn't remember a time she was so happy. She had no idea how he was going to react to her kiss or her touch but she couldn't have hoped for a better reaction. Their time apart and desperate need to find each other had made it very easy for him to finally give in to her. Daryl had never dealt well with touch or affection from what she had seen in the past. But tonight he was allowing and offering both. It was going to be a night that neither would forget.

Daryl picked up a rabbit off the ground and handed it to her to carry. He took the flashlight out of his pocket and turned it on. When he reached for her hand Carol realized why she needed to carry the rabbit. He gave her a tug and they took off into the night, urgently trying to get to a safe place where they could finally be together.