Finally the day of the soiree had come and it had practically been declared some kind of national holiday within the community. The men gathered at Rick's house where Mark worked systematically handling haircuts for some while others took their time shaving. Daryl felt like he'd never fussed so much over his appearance in his life and it left him wondering what the women were doing at Maggie and Glenn's house.

"Ain't never pruned so damn much in my life," Daryl growled, buttoning his shirt and watching while Tyreese tied Glenn's tie for him.

"It's gonna be worth it, man," Tyreese said with a chuckle. "Just think, however pretty we're getting the women are getting three times as pretty. Just stay focused on the prize."

"Ya sure are excited," Daryl said.

"That I am," Tyreese said. "Carol already told me that she thinks her dress is inappropriate, which tells me that it's going to be great."

"'Chonne wouldn't tell me nothin' but hers is nice," Daryl said, "an she ain't gotta wear no high shoes 'cause I ain't gotta wear no noose like you."

Beau came over, standing behind Glenn, his tie in his hands.

"Need help, boy?" Daryl asked. He held his hand out toward Beau.

"Ya can't tie no tie," Beau said. "Ya ain't even got one on."

"Come 'ere an' shut ya mouth, Beau," Daryl said. "I didn't say I can't tie no tie, I said I don't like wearin' the damn things. There's a world a difference."

Beau huffed and reluctantly gave the tie over to Daryl, noticing that Tyreese was circling around helping anyone else that may have difficulty with their own ties.

Daryl tied the tie for Beau and Beau tugged at it with his finger.

"Feels like I can't breathe," Beau protested. Daryl grinned at him in response.

"Now ya understand why the hell I ain't gotta wear one," Daryl said. "What'cha gettin' all gussied up for anyway, boy? I thought you weren't goin' with no one."

Beau continued to tug at the tie until Daryl finally reached up and loosed the knot a little. Beau made a show of choking and swallowing before he finally proclaimed the tie "better."

"I ain't goin' with no one, but that don't mean I don't aim ta turn a head or two," Beau said.

Daryl shook his head and clapped Beau on the shoulder.

"Beau, ain't'cha seen Rick in there gettin' all cleaned up? Now I know you think that you gon' have a chance if ya go showin' off your tail feathers to Sadie, but that's a hen that's good as set. I don't wanta see ya gettin' your feelin's hurt if she don't respond to you like your hopin'," Daryl said.

"Ya don't nothin' no way," Beau protested. "I ain't even said it was Sadie I was tryin' ta get the eye of no way, could be 'Chonne I'm after."

Beau grumbled then and walked off, and Daryl chuckled.

"He's got it bad," Tyreese said, coming up behind Daryl. Daryl chuckled again.

"Oh yeah, he's got it alright," Daryl responded.

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Mark was the first to leave the house. He and Stella had been running back and forth for a while making sure that dinner was going fine. When it was finally time for everyone to leave, though, the men were to leave Rick's house and go and pick up the women, each of which would be waiting at their residence.

"Let's get a move on," Seth called, starting the procession out of the house. Daryl thought it was odd that suddenly he felt nervous. He was thankful that he didn't have a tie on because it was hard enough to breathe without it and he was sure that if he was wearing one he'd nearly be dead by now.

They all came out of the house in a wave. Seth parted first, crossing the street to go and pick up Rachel who was waiting for him. Beau headed for his own house to check on his housemates. Though they had not participated in the festivities thus far, Maggie had made sure that they had clothes in case they should decide to join them, and regardless of their dress they would have to come and eat dinner because only the one meal was available for the evening. The rest of them continued down the street, each parting as they reached the house where the woman they were escorting was waiting for them on the porch. Daryl almost laughed at himself, the closer he got to his house the more nervous he grew, until he almost felt as terrified as he had back when he'd only been imagining how Michonne might react to him expressing any interest in her. What made it worse was that he was walking beside Tyreese, who seemed to be more excited than anything else, not a hint of nerves on his face.

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Beau called through the window announcing his presence to the reclusive people who lived with him. To his surprise, he was greeted when Emma passed him Sam and Jacob through the window. Beau took each of the boys, one at a time. He put Jacob down, but hoisted Sam up onto his hip. A moment later Emma scurried through the window. Beau stood there, examining the three of them. The boys were both wearing suits. Sam's fit, but Jacob's pants were dramatically too short. Emma was wearing a lavender dress. Her wildly short cropped hair coupled with the ruffles of the dress made her look like some kind of fairy to Beau, but he refrained from saying so.

"So your goin' ta dinner all dolled up, huh?" He asked when she stood and smoothed down her frills.

"Libby said we could," Emma replied, smiling. Beau returned the smile.

"Well ya look real pretty, an' I bet if ya hurry ya can catch Carl. He ain't got no one ta go with him an' ya just about his size. I'll take the boys," Beau said. Emma smiled at him and shot off the porch like a bullet. "Ya comin' Libby? Ya ain't gon' wanta get leftovers if'n it tastes as good as Mark said it do," Beau called back through the window.

Libby appeared a few minutes later and slid through the window, coming to stand in front of Beau on the porch. She'd also opted to wear the dress that Maggie had brought her. It was an ill-fitting green dress. Beau couldn't hide his smile at her.

"What'cha laughin' at?" Libby asked, scrunching her face up.

"Ya look like one a' them little Irish fellas," Beau said. Libby swatted him and yanked Sam from his arms. Beau chuckled.

"Come on, we best get on down there, I wanna see what everyone else looks like," Beau said. He took Jacob's hand and started off the porch with Libby and Sam close behind him.

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As Rick approached Sadie's house she stepped off the porch to meet him. He smiled at her and she returned the gesture.

"Don't you look like a picture?" He said, offering Sadie his arm. She wrapped hers around his.

"Very handsome," she said with a smile.

"Why thank you," Rick said. "Shall we go to dinner?"

Sadie didn't respond, but she did smile and nod. Rick put his right hand over her arm that was looped through his left arm and started in the direction of headquarters with the flood of others.

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"Beth's dress is my favorite so far," Carol said to Michonne, both of them leaning just over the side of the porch to watch everyone else coming. Daryl and Tyreese were taking their time getting there.

"Hers is pretty," Michonne said. "Look at Sadie's though, I didn't think it would look as good as it does, but with her hair done it looks a lot better."

Glenn and Maggie came by their porch then, both almost running. Both of them grinning ear to ear.

"Sexy ladies!" Glenn called, whooping as they went past laughing.

"Would you look at Beau?" Carol said. "He looks like such a man!"

Michonne couldn't help but smile at the boy. He was walking along with Libby who had her youngest cousin hiked up on her hip. Beau was holding the hand of the older boy who stopped from time to time to kick at what one could only presume were loose rocks in the street.

"That he does, but then again, I don't think our Beau is as young as we give him credit for, and judging by that dress, neither is Libby," Michonne said. The girl's dress was ill fitting due to the fact that she hadn't been sized for it with the same careful considerations that Beth had given everyone else's dresses, but she filled it out, there was no doubt about it.

"I'm just happy to see she's not starting a fight with anyone," Carol said. Libby and her gang had yet to fully assimilate to life in the community, but Beau seemed to get along pretty well with them, and therefore everyone left the five of them to their own devices.

Finally Daryl and Tyreese, who had been moving at a snail's pace reached the porch.

"Hello there, ladies," Tyreese said, stepping up to the bottom of the steps.

"Da Da! Hold me!" Judith called, reaching out her arms to Tyreese. Carol and Michonne had found both the girls what had probably been Easter dresses. Judith's was pink and Hope's was yellow. They'd put both the girls' hair up in pigtails. Neither of the girls, however, had seemed to be concerned with a single thing beyond their fascination with the fact that their skirts swirled when they turned, a novelty which had caused both of them to fall at least a half a dozen times since they'd been placed in the dresses.

Tyreese reached out his arms and Judith all bet fell into them.

"Well aren't you pretty, Jude?" Tyreese said. Judith grinned at him.

"My dress is pink," she said. "Hope is lah-llow." Judith pointed at Hope.

"That's right, now let me get a good look at your beautiful Mama here, and let your Uncle Daryl get around here," Tyreese said. He took Carol's hand and she dismounted the porch to join him. They started toward headquarters, leaving Daryl standing at the bottom of the steps, looking up at Michonne with Hope on her hip. Hope was enthralled by Michonne's earrings.

"She likes ya earrings," Daryl said, smiling. He couldn't believe how nervous he was. He felt like he'd never even had a conversation with Michonne before.

"She's like her Daddy," Michonne said. "She likes anything that's shiny." Michonne stood there for a moment smiling at Daryl. "You look very handsome, Daryl. I like your haircut."

"Thanks," Daryl mumbled. He felt like he was being suffocated by his tie, but then he remembered that he wasn't wearing one.

Michonne smiled again and started down the steps. Daryl reached a hand up to help her. When she was standing on the ground in front of him she passed him Hope who smiled at him and accepted a kiss on the cheek, returning it for Daryl.

"Aren't you going to say anything to me, Daryl? You're going to make me feel self-conscious," Michonne said after a moment.

"Ya look real pretty, 'Chonne," Daryl said. "I reckon I was right."

"Right about what?" Michonne asked.

"I said you was gonna be the prettiest one out here, an' I reckon I was right," Daryl responded.

Michonne leaned in and kissed Daryl.

"And I'm lucky enough to be going to dinner with the most handsome man out here," she said. Daryl blushed, but smiled at her.

"I like your dress," Daryl said.

Michonne looked at it. It was a fairly plain dress composed of several pastel colors. It was the kind of thing that she might have worn before to a nice dinner, that much was true, and she'd found a nice flower clip to pull her dreads up with, but she wasn't nearly as well dressed as some of the women who looked more like they were going to prom or to a black tie affair.

"It's simple, Daryl," Michonne said.

"So am I," Daryl said.

Michonne grinned at him and kissed him again, this time holding it for longer than the kiss before.

"Ya can't be doin' that before dinner, 'Chonne or we ain't gonna enjoy none of the party 'cause I'm gon' be too focused on gettin' ya back home," Daryl said.

Michonne smiled and offered Daryl her arm on the side where he wasn't carrying Hope.

"Then shall we get going?" Michonne asked.

"You know what, 'Chonne?" Daryl said, just before they started walking.

"What, Daryl?" Michonne asked. He looped his arm in hers and started in the direction that most everyone had already travelled.

"I wish we still had us cameras, 'cause I sure reckon tonight would be a nice picture to put in my book," he said.

Michonne sighed a little.

"I guess that's why we have memories, Daryl," she said. "Come on, let's go eat and get a good look at everyone else!"

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After dinner everyone gathered in the street area outside of headquarters. Mark and Stella had kept the fire burning from dinner and built it up just a little to keep the area lit for when dark started to fall around them. Everyone had enjoyed dinner, and it was a novelty to see everyone looking clean and well put together these days when it had been ages since any of them had thought of exercising any kind of vanity such as the perfumes and other personal touches that had been put together for the evening. It was an evening of whimsy, no doubt, but it was something special that all of them enjoyed in their own way.

After dinner, Mark surprised the group by producing a guitar that Glenn had found for him. He professed that he would play, and if she knew the songs, his beautiful companion Stella would sing for them.

"You can play the guitar?" Carol scoffed at Mark when he produced it, inviting everyone to turn the street directly into headquarters into a bonfire lit dance floor.

"Of course I can play the guitar. Like me, however, it may be a little out of tune," Mark said, fiddling with the strings. "OK, everyone, I'll take requests, but my knowledge is pretty limited. I might not know anything that the youngsters know, but I think I can take a few of us back to our high school days for a bit."

And so Mark played the guitar, and even when Stella didn't know the words, she hummed and tried to accompany him, both of them simply enjoying the task of trying to entertain the others. Everyone danced, whether alone or accompanied. It was such a novelty that no one wanted to miss the opportunity whether they felt confident in their skills or not. Daryl was one of the few that hesitated at first, but Michonne wasn't going to let him get away with sitting out the only dance they were likely to attend.

"Come on, Daryl," she protested, "dance with me."

"Can't dance," Daryl replied. He looked around at everyone else, and the more he watched them, the more nervous he grew. Some of them were pulled close to one another, swaying back and forth, others had more elaborate steps to their swaying.

"And Mark can't play," Michonne responded, "but it doesn't matter. What matters is that we're dancing together. No one else cares what we look like."

Daryl protested once or twice more.

"Daryl," Michonne said, obviously beginning to lose her cool, "I want to dance, and if you don't dance with me I'm going to start to believe that you're ashamed of me," she whispered in a gruff tone. Daryl glanced around again.

"It ain't you, 'Chonne. I ain't never danced and I ain't no good at it!" Daryl protested.

"Daryl," Michonne argued, "Sadie is dancing with Rick and she can't even hear the music. I don't care how bad or how good you are, just follow my lead and you'll be fine."

Finally Daryl had given in. He was stiff at first, afraid that everyone would be watching him and judging him for his inability to sway gracefully around the asphalt dance floor that was provided to them, but eventually he loosened up when he realized that really and truly no one was paying him any attention.

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As the evening drew on, one by one people started saying their goodbyes. Each couple left walking a little closer than they had come to dinner. Michonne kept casting glances over to the side where Beau was dancing with the girls, Hope having obviously gone to sleep on his shoulder, but Judith still twirling about, though with a little less enthusiasm than she had earlier. Michonne snuggled into Daryl, his arms wrapped around her. They weren't so much dancing any longer as they were merely swaying in place, much like the other couples that were left.

Finally, when she'd had about all her feet could stand, Michonne pulled away from Daryl slightly.

"Somethin' wrong, 'Chonne?" Daryl asked, not wanting to admit that he hated for the dancing to end once it had begun.

"I think I'm ready to go home, Mr. Dixon," Michonne said, leaning up on her toes a little to kiss him. Daryl smiled at her.

"OK, Mrs. Dixon, I reckon we can go if you're ready," he said. "I wanta get home 'fore Tyreese an' Carol call it a night anyway."

Michonne smiled at him and watched as he went to collect Hope from Beau.

"Get Judith too," Michonne said. "We'll put her down for Carol."

As Daryl walked back to meet her with Hope against his shoulder and Judith holding to his finger, Michonne waved at Carol, signaling that they had the child. Carol waved back, quickly replacing her arm around Tyreese.

Michonne and Daryl headed to their house, anxious to call it a night and spend a little alone time together.

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Rick walked Sadie home. They were one of the final couples to leave. Mark and Stella stayed behind with Beau and a couple of the others to make sure the fire was out and everything was set for bed.

When they reached the porch, Rick walked up to the door with Sadie.

"Well goodnight," Rick said. "It was nice."

"Thank you," Sadie said. "It was nice, I had fun."

Rick stood there a moment awkwardly as if he didn't know if he should try to kiss her goodnight or not. Finally he made the move to do so and Sadie turned her cheek to him. Rick smiled at her after he'd kissed her cheek.

"You won't give an inch, will you?" He asked. Sadie smiled again and made a face at him as though she were deep in thought, pretending to scratch her chin.

"I think I gave an inch or two," she said finally.

"How do you figure?" Rick asked. "You won't even let me kiss you goodnight!" Sadie smiled again in response.

"But I didn't say anything to you when we were dancing and you didn't keep your hands where a gentleman should," she said, raising her eyebrows.

Rick grinned and shrugged.

"Natural hand placement?" He said. Sadie cocked an eyebrow at him and then smiled.

"I'm too short for that," she said. "Goodnight, Rick."

"Goodnight, Sadie," Rick said. He turned and dismounted the steps, stopping at the bottom to watch her disappear through the door.

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"Maggie and Mark did a great job," Michonne said to Daryl when they finally had the girls down and retired to their room. Neither of them had made a move to undress yet, each taking just another moment to admire the other.

"It was a right nice party," Daryl said.

Michonne smiled and walked over to him, fumbling a little with the collar of the button down blue shirt that he was wearing under his jacket.

"I think you like to dance more than you let on, Mr. Dixon," Michonne said, teasingly. Daryl grinned.

"I reckon it weren't as bad as I thought it would be," Daryl responded. "Helps that I had me a pretty woman to be dancing with."

Michonne put her head against Daryl's chest and he wrapped his arms around her again, swaying a moment as they had outside.

"It was a good night, Daryl," Michonne said.

"It was, you're right," Daryl said. "We could do it again, ya know? Everyone seemed to like it a whole lot."

"You mean you'd want to do it again? After all the fuss you made about it?" Michonne asked, incredulous.

Daryl chuckled.

"If'n I get to see you all prettied up like you was tonight, I'd do it again, 'Chonne," Daryl responded. "Now come on, let's get outta these clothes. I got some other moves I'd like to show ya."

Michonne laughed.

"More dance moves?" She asked, raising her eyebrow. Daryl moved around behind her and unzipped her dress.

"Somethin' like that," Daryl said, "we just gon' be doin' a different kinda dancin'."