Sorry about the delay but life has been a little crazy. Someone made a minor complaint about the huge amount of OCs in this story and even though I do apologize that you aren't enjoying it, I have to say that I warned you. I only posted this story because of the messages I was receiving from readers that are fans of the OCs. They are sort of the whole point of posting this one. I actually never really had any intentions of posting it at all. But this chapter at least is a little more Caryl-centric so if you're still reading I hope you at least enjoy this chapter a little. Thanks, as always, for reading. It's much appreciated! I'm relieved to say that these last chapters are strictly wrap up! =)

Chapter Forty Seven

For a few days Merle's condition worried Daryl a little. After everything that had gone down inside that building, he was lucky he still had his older brother, but he also knew that it was a small fucking miracle that Merle had been the only one to get hurt at all. Yeah, they had been damn lucky indeed.

When everything had gone down that day, Carol and Sophia had tried to convince Steven that they were the good guys, that Richard was dangerous and vengeful, but the man hadn't believed them until he had seen Richard with a gun to Sam's head. Once he witnessed that, his alliance had shifted and he had agreed to try to do what he could to help them. Richard's other men had been shocked to learn the truth about their leader, and were having a hard time coping now that it was all over and they were actually safe. Daryl felt a little bad about the men that had died thinking they were protecting everyone but there wasn't anything he could do about that. They had rolled the dice themselves, betting on the wrong team. It was sad that they had lost their lives because of it, but that wasn't Daryl's fault, and it sure as hell wasn't his family's fault. Besides, he knew there was at least one that was just as psychotic as Richard.

Now that they were home, and had been home for a little over a week, things were finally starting to settle down. Well, maybe not settle down, exactly, but at least he was getting used to things now. At first he wasn't sure if he ever would, like maybe this was all a big mistake.

They had taken the whole goddamn group back home with them. Of course, everyone was loaded down with supplies, tents, sleeping bags and provisions, and there was a little comfort in knowing that there were strength in numbers, but Daryl didn't like it much. Didn't like that he didn't personally know everyone, didn't like the thought of being forced to trust all these people and sure as hell didn't like the thought of having more mouths to feed. At the moment, after hauling up truckload after truckload of food and water, weapons and everything else they could need for a while, they would be okay. But all of that wouldn't last.

Randy and Odin organized groups that went out in shifts gathering building supplies and they were all working together to try to come up with a plan that suited everyone as far as housing was concerned. At the moment the Dixon property looked like a fucking campground, but that wouldn't do at all. There were families with kids, some much younger than Sam, that needed a decent roof over their heads. The good thing was, other than the Dixon set up, the whole mountain was deserted. And there were more than enough willing men and women to help build. It was just a matter of figuring out where best to do the building.

"You have that look again," Carol said, startling him out of his thoughts.

He dropped the ax, wiped his brow and then hooked a finger into her jeans so he could drag her closer. The small cabin that he had started before leaving was damn near complete. Well, they still had a little ways to go but there were walls and a roof now, which was more than he thought he'd have finished. One of the perks to having a larger group. "What look?" he asked, backing her through the doorway into the dim interior of what would be their home very soon.

She grinned and gripped his forearms. "That squinty eyed look that you get when you're working yourself into a bad mood."

He scoffed, glanced at the doorway to make sure the coast was clear and then lifted her right onto the counter. "Ain't got a look," he grumbled.

She pushed his sweaty hair back from his brow, narrowing her eyes at him. "Yeah, you do. You aren't too hard to figure out."

"Is that right?" he asked, cocking his head to the side and eyeing her mouth.

She nodded. "I think I know you pretty well by now."

"Then what do you think I'm thinkin' now?" he asked.

She grinned at that. "You're thinking... that you wish you were finished with this damn cabin so we could finally haul in that bed and take a much needed break from reality so we can finally break it in."

He chuckled. "You forgettin' who you're talkin' too? Since when do I need a bed for that?"

She used her legs to pull him closer and that was all it took for that spark to ignite, sending that familiar flame through his blood. The woman was like a drug, able to wash his thoughts of any worries, able to sooth the frayed pieces of his mind when he thought about things too hard and drove himself crazy worrying about everything.

It was too easy to get carried away, it seemed to happen every time he kissed her, and now was no different. It didn't seem to matter that it was broad daylight outside, that there were a lot of people meandering around the property or that there wasn't even a proper door fitted to the cabin just yet. As soon as her hands started pushing the vest away from his shoulders, his mind forgot all about the rest of the world, thinking only of the feel of the woman in his arms.

"Gross."

He froze for a moment and then broke the kiss so he could looked over his shoulder towards the opening where he was five fucking minutes away from installing a door. Sophia waved and he had to stave off the urge to flip the girl off. Instead he was adult about it and stepped out from between her mom's legs and snatched his vest off the floor. "Ain't you got better things to do than sneak up on people?" he asked.

She stepped into the room, her eyes taking in the space, lingering on the doorway that would lead her to her own small room. It didn't matter to any of them that the cabin was small. It was better than the shack and it would be fine for the three of them. "Just checking out the progress, and you told me to come down here at noon so I could help you, remember?"

Carol hopped down from the counter, her face flushed from either making out with him or getting caught making out with him by her daughter. It sure as hell wasn't the first time, either. "I forgot about that. That's the whole reason I left June to take inventory on her own. I got... distracted," she muttered.

Sophia smiled. "See. I didn't come all the way down here to interrupt your make out session. I was summoned, by you, to lend a hand. So where do you want me?" She asked, bending over and picking up a hammer. "I'm here to work."

He sighed heavily and gave them both a small shove towards the porch. "Let's get to work then."

He really couldn't wait until this place was finally done. A little privacy would do him a whole hell of a lot of good.

~H~

"I told you I was fine," Merle muttered for the seventh time. The woman hadn't said much but he could see it in her eyes that she was worried. That was all she had done since he had woken up was worry.

"I know," she said, keeping pace with him as he trudged up the path.

"Good. Quit lookin' at me like that then."

"Like what?" she asked casually.

"Like you're waitin' for me to faint or somethin'." Truth was, he was slightly winded already and his shoulder was throbbing with every heartbeat but he'd be damned if he'd admit any of that to her or to anyone else.

She didn't reply but her lips tightened and she stared straight ahead.

There was a decent flat spot a little ways up the mountain that they, and five others, were checking out today. He knew that, even with all the extra hands, there was no way they would get any real homes built before winter but so far no one seemed to mind putting up some temporary homes until spring. The only thing the newcomers seemed to care about at all was that they were relatively safe up here and there was some sort of hope for a future. Anymore, that was all a person could ask for.

He hadn't had a say in the decision to bring the people up here to begin with and he was still a little pissed off about it. He had been out cold from blood loss from the bullet he had taken in the damn shoulder and hadn't came too until after they had hauled his ass back up the mountain. June and Katherine had forced him to stay in bed for the first three days but on the fourth he had risked June's wrath and gotten his ass out of the cabin. Not far, of course, but the walls had been closing in on him and he had needed out. If the women had had it their way, he would never get out of that damn bed.

He had to admit, even though he hated it, that he tired a little easier, and he wasn't anywhere close back to his old self, but he wasn't going to admit any of that to Katherine. He didn't need her shooting him any of her know it all looks.

"How's the kid holdin' up?" he asked, just to keep the subject off himself for once.

Katherine looked over briefly and he knew that she knew he was changing the subject. "She's good. She likes having other kids around and so do I. It's good for her. The one you need to be worried about is Piper," she added.

"Piper?" he asked, frowning. "Ain't nothin' wrong with Piper. Sure, she's a little off, but we all went through a lot of shit."

Katherine shrugged. "I think it's something else. More than just what happened down there. I think you should probably talk to her. She isn't herself."

Merle huffed out a breath. "No."

She paused. "What do you mean no?"

He kept walking so she had to get moving again to keep up with him. The others were even further back, somehow knowing to keep their distance from him, since he didn't want them here anyway. "I mean just that. No. We both know what her fuckin' problem is and I ain't havin' no goddamn heart to heart with my kid about no goddamn boy issues. So, no. Fuck no."

"Fine," she said tightly. "Then I'll talk to her."

"Good."

She muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like asshole but he didn't care. He had enough on his plate. Teenage boy drama was definitely on the back burner. Besides, Piper keeping her distance from that kid was a good thing. Sure, he had saved her life and Merle would always be indebted to him for that, but he didn't want Piper anywhere near the kid. Whatever was going on there, Merle considered it for the best.

~H~

Carol stood on the small porch and stared out into the encroaching gloom. With the help of several other grateful men that now called the mountain home, the cabin was finally fit to sleep in, which Carol hadn't thought would be possible for at least another few days. There were still plenty to do, but the construction was done and that in itself was amazing. Now they could move on to the next one, which was going to be for Merle and, Carol had a nagging suspicion, Katherine. And the girls, of course.

She smiled to herself, taking a deep breath, savoring the mountain air, the cleanest air she had ever had the pleasure of breathing. She startled at the sound of boots behind her but before she could turn a pair of strong arms slid around her waist and instantly she relaxed into the familiar warmth.

"Well, it's finally set up and I hate to be the bearer of bad news but a King size may not have been very practical on your part."

She grinned and then covered his hands with her own. "Oh really?"

He nodded and then rested his chin on her shoulder. "Yeah. There's enough space to open the bedroom door but that's about it. The whole room is basically one big ass bed. I told you I wasn't gonna spend too much time makin' this place some sort of palace. A full size would have done fine."

"You'll change your mind about that by dawn," she said casually.

A few silent beats passed and then she felt a quiet laugh rumble through his chest. "I guess if you put it that way, I changed my mind already. Good call, woman." He backed up a few feet, dragging her with him and then he sat down in one of the two chairs that they had salvaged. She was sitting sideways on his lap, her legs danging over one arm of the chair.

"Are you still upset. About all the new people I mean?" she asked, not really wanting to ruin his good mood but needing to know.

He sighed heavily, leaning his head back and staring up at the porch ceiling for a few long moments. "Pros and cons, ya know? It's more people to worry about, to feed and clothe. Then again, it's more eyes, more guns in more hands. We're able to send scouts out now, just cause there's enough of us."

"That's a really good way to look at it. I think the more time everyone spends up here, the more they realize that this is a fresh start to a good life. I think that will be incentive enough for all of them to fight hard to keep it. We'll grow food. Maybe we can even get us some livestock up here. Organize hunting parties for when meat gets low. I know you worry but I think this is really gonna work. Just because we all want it to so badly."

His fingertips trailed down her arm, leaving goose bumps on her skin. "You're probably right. Where's Sophia?"

She looked up at him, her brow raised. "She's with the others. She won't be in till late."

He nodded, his expression unreadable and then out of nowhere he stood up quickly, causing her to cry out in surprise because he picked her right up with him. He headed inside and she found herself laughing.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" she asked as he kicked the door closed and sat her down on her feet.

"You tired?" he asked, gripping her hips and walking her backwards across the room.

"No," she grinned.

"Good. Let's go to bed."