A/N Thank you all so much! I appreciate you. We can't have a war every chapter, so let's see how we do trying to settle back in at home.

Home at Last

"Mama?" the boy says the word and Beth's eyes go right to Daryl's eyes, and she could swear his are saying, "trust me." Beth looks at the little boy in her husband's arms and she's powerless to do anything except reach her arms out, say "Yes, I'm Mama," then ask, "Is it okay if I hold you?"

Daryl hands the child to her and she smiles, "It's very nice to see you, Jamie. Did you have a good trip up the mountain?"

"I throwed up."

"I can understand why, it's very rough and bouncy, isn't it?"

He's obviously distracted and anxious about something as his little hands pat her cheeks, then he says, "Der's a doggie."

"Oh yes, the dog. His name is Jack and I know he's going to like having you to play with. Can I just get a nice hug before I put you down?" Beth and the little boy hug and she's delighted with how such a tiny guy gives such a strong hug. She keeps her promise and sets him on his feet, "Thank you. Now go have fun."

That's when Merle steps in. Right now there's nothing the man wants more than to spend this time with his wife. He needs to make sure she's okay, and that their home is okay. They need to talk about what the fuck happened down the mountain, and what the fuck happened here. For now though, he's got to jump in so his brother and sister in law can sort out their situation. He smiles when he offers, "C'mon Jamie, I want ya ta meet my wife, your Aunt Frankie, then we're gonna play with the dog and we gotta see if we can get these ducks back in the pen where they belong. Don't that sound fun?"

"Yessir!"

"Atta boy, c'mon then." Daryl nods a thank you to his brother and Merle waves a hand back at him. They both know Daryl has a lot to explain. You don't just come home with a spare kid.

Beth looks at her husband and the man can't help the happy and relieved smile on his face, or the words he whispers, "Jamie's already likin' it here. "From there his full focus is on her. He's looking at her so intently as he takes her in his arms, "Beth, I shouldn't have left ya here. I know it was fuckin' wrong. I'm so sorry. Did them bastards hurt ya, lady?"

She assures him, "Daryl, you don't have to be sorry. As I recall, I was the one who wanted to stay. I insisted on staying, and I'm still glad that I did. Aside from being filthy, vitamin D deficient, having been scared to death and worried I'd never see you again, I'm doing fine. And no, they didn't get a chance to hurt us, they didn't find us until just minutes before you got here."

"Thank God," he draws her closer and they hold each other tighter, then he rests his big open palm gently on her tummy and asks, "How about the baby, is everythin' okay?"

"Yes, I'm sure it is. I haven't had any pain, or cramping or bleeding. I haven't even had any morning sickness. I'm sure all is well."

He holds her tighter, "Thank God. I'm sorry lady, so fuckin' sorry. I wanna hear everythin' that happened."

His apologies and the feel of his powerful arms around her are wonderful and all, but Beth's got a very big question she needs to have answered, and now that Jamie's out of earshot she asks her husband, "Is Jamie your child Daryl?" For all Beth knows he could have spent time with a woman down the mountain before the world ended, and that woman could have had a child.

His brow furrows in confusion, until it dawns on him what she's getting at, "If ya mean did I come by him the natural way, with a woman, no. I found him just as we were leavin' Woodbury."

He tells her how strong the feeling he had was, how it almost overwhelmed him. It told him he had to take one last look around Woodbury, before they returned to the prison, "As I's walkin' down the sidewalk I heard whimperin'. At first, I was sure it was a puppy and I was kinda excited. I ain't seen one of them in a long time. Then I came to him and, well, ya know, it wasn't a puppy at all. It was a little boy all alone."

"He had hisself all pushed back in a dark doorway and he was cryin'. Maybe I shoulda just grabbed hold of him and run him over ta where Rick n them were gettin' ready ta move out. I coulda handed him ta one a them and forgot about it, but I didn't. I couldn't. Somethin'…it was you Beth, you were the somethin' that was making me stop and think about the poor little fella. I knew if you was there you'd talk ta him real nice and try'n comfort him, and I'll be damned if that wasn't what I tried ta do."

"He was cold and wanted his coat, and then he started huggin' on me. I felt bad for him but we had ta go. He pointed at the door of the place and we went in. I seen right away it was some kinda orphanage, and his coat was there. There was a lotta other coats too, I brought some. I also got his clothes, he don't have much, and a extra pair a shoes that I knew was too big, but I thought he might grow into em. I got other stuff too, baby things. There was baskets a that stuff. The whole time I just kept tellin' him everythin' was gonna be okay."

"I never planned for it ta be more than that, not then anyway. I thought I'd just hang with him til he calmed down. It ended up that me, him and Merle was on the road together for two days. He sat so close ta me, but I thought once he saw all them other kids at the prison and he had a real meal in him, he'd be happy ta stay there. The thing was though, he didn't want nuthin' ta do with them other kids, he only wanted ta hang with me."

"I'm tellin' ya lady, the guy was stuck on me like glue. I couldn't leave his sight for a second, shit, he even got in the shower with me, then we dressed together, and we ate together, and he insisted on sleepin' in the bed with me." They both smile at that.

"In the mornin' when it was time for me n Merle ta go Jamie started cryin', he wanted ta come with me, and dammit, I didn't wanna leave him. I couldn't Beth. I knew I loved him and I knew I had ta take him with me."

"I'm sorry for surprisin' ya this way. I knew it was wrong ta just spring him on ya, but I didn't know what ta do. I couldn't call ya so we could talk it over, and I couldn't leave him either. I ain't expectin' you ta be the one ta take care of him. I know it's alotta work n stuff and I'll do it all, you won't have to. I promise. I don't want Jamie ta be a burden on ya."

Beth can see he's struggling with his feelings and with guilt, she doesn't want that, "That little boy is not a burden Daryl and I'm not angry, in fact I'm proud of you. You followed your heart." She squeezes his hand while she lets him know, "I'm pretty sure I already love him myself." She smiles and asks, "I do have a question though, where did he get the idea to call us Mama and Daddy?"

His tension has eased with her acceptance, and the question makes him smile as he remembers the scene, "That was all Merle's doin'. He told Jamie that I'm his Daddy now and that you're his Mama. He also told him you're real pretty and nice and that ya know how ta cook."

She can't help laughing at the picture she has in her head of that exchange, "Well I guess I'll have to thank Merle for the compliment. For now, thank you for bringing me the gift of a sweet little boy, and Daryl, you will not be raising him alone, you and I will raise him together. We are his Mama and Daddy and we do everything together."

He's getting choked up and he can't have that, not right now. He should be giving all of his attention to her. Shit, she's been up here taking care of some kind of nasty business for two weeks, while he's been gone, and fuck, there's so much to do.

First things first, "I don't want all these dead bodies around Jamie," then he points, "Lemme move em over there in that little clearing. I'll get em in a pile and set fire to em."

She agrees, "Good idea, I can help. I need to move around after five days of sitting huddled in that cellar."

He stops and his fingers thread through her hair, then he kisses her deeply and when he draws away he reminds her, "I appreciate that ya wanna help me drag bodies, but ya can't. Ya got a baby comin' Beth, you can't be doin' this kinda work, and look at them boys, they ain't lightweights."

"Oh my gawd, you're right and I know that. I don't think my brain is working yet. I'll just walk with you while you drag bodies, how's that?"

"Sounds like a party, let's get it done while Merle, Jack and the ducks keep Jamie entertained."

As he works he tells her the story of the first trip to the construction yard. It's an abbreviated Cliff's Notes version, until he gets to the part about the trip back. She gasps when he tells her about the cage filled with walkers they discovered. She's truly horrified by the idea this governor person had. Then he tells her about running into Dale and she starts to cry, "Oh my goodness Daryl, I mean what are the odds? This is so wonderful and I'm so happy for you and for him. I can't wait to meet him."

"Yeah, I'ma try'n get him up here this summer."

"Oh good."

Then he gets to the part about the first battle. The clearing of the cage and how he, Merle, Rick and the prison team managed to put them all down, with the help of a lot of dynamite and some strategically placed catapults.

"Oh my gosh Daryl, as gross as that must have been to see, you had some really good ideas, dynamite and catapults." She walks closer to him and standing on her toes she puts an arm across his shoulders and smiles, "I always knew I married a genius."

He turns red but he's laughing when he admonishes, "Go on now, I got bodies ta burn." It doesn't take him long to drag the bodies where he wanted them, then Daryl uses as little of their precious gas supply as possible to get the flames going, while muttering, "Burn ya dirty bastards."

He shakes it off, takes his wife's hand and says, "A'ight, let's go home and see what's left, ya ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, but you keep talking. I want to hear the rest of the story."

"Yes Ma'am," and as they walk toward their cabin a couple of family members come into view. It's Merle and Jamie just stepping out of the cabin carrying Merle and Frankie's mattress, well Jamie may not really be carrying it, but Merle's got him thinking he is. The boy is keeping step with his uncle and his arms are in the air, so that his fingertips are barely grazing the mattress. Good job Merle.

Before entering their home, Daryl and Beth breathe deeply as they try to prepare themselves for the worst, he turns the nob on the door and they walk in. The cabin is not at all how they left it, to say the least. Every dish is dirty, every mug and glass, every pot, every pan and every utensil. Many, many food jars have been opened, and all of the dirty things have just been piled on the small counter, in the sink, and on the table, even on the floor.

There are messes everywhere, but the couple is relieved that, although there's a big mess, the intruders did not do any real damage. Thank God they were apparently at least smart enough to realize they might want to stay in the place.

The first thing Beth and Daryl do is put clean bedding on their obviously slept in bed. Beth's just talking to herself when she mumbles, "I'll be doing laundry tomorrow."

Daryl responds, "I'll be helping, and over there, where Merle and Frankie's bed was, I'ma be bringin' in Jamie's mattress. I got sheets, blankets, and even a pillow for him too. The mattress will have ta just set on the floor for now, but I'll build a frame for it in the next few days. It won't take up as much room as Merle's either."

"Oh, okay, maybe you can put drawers at the bottom, like you did with ours. We're going to need that storage. I'll make him a cute quilt too. For now, I'm anxious to hear the rest of your story, so keep talking."

Daryl's still telling the tale of the fierce and bloody battle to defeat the governor and his army as the couple moves on and begins cleaning the bathroom. Daryl lights a fire in the woodstove, and finally, with the bathroom done, and with him still relaying the story, they begin working together to get all the dirty dishes washed, dried and put away, then Daryl says, "You sit a minute while I get the fire goin' a little hotter. It's gonna be cold tonight." He opens the woodstove door and shakes his head, "Them dumbasses didn't clean even bother ta clean the fire box. Tomorrow's gettin' busier n busier."

When he finally sits Beth takes his hand across the table, "We'll get it all done, we've already made a huge start." She gives his hand a squeeze and smiles, "Just think Daryl, over what will be a very short nine month period, we're going from no children to two children. We'll be stacked to the ceiling in here."

He smiles too, "That's what I's thinkin' and that's why me, Jamie n Merle went back ta the construction yard after we left the prison for home. We've got us a flatbed trailer loaded with a bobcat for snow plowin', and a whole lotta buildin' materials. We're gonna be addin' on ta this place and Merle's place too. Hold onta your hat lady, it's gonna be a busy spring, summer and fall. Now tell me what the hell happened here?"

She's still smiling at him when she asks, "Do we know any other way than busy? As for my story, well for now let's just say I had a plan in case any bad guys showed up, and it was real good that I did. I'll tell you all about it after Jamie goes to bed tonight. Oh, and I'm going to want you to wash my hair for me too, but for now can we please go get our boy?"

He's all smiles, "Shit lady, is it any wonder why I love ya like I do? How the fuck did a dumbass like me get so lucky?"

"Daryl please, I've asked you before, don't call yourself names, and especially don't talk about yourself that way in front of our son. Now c'mon, let's go get him and his things. I want him to start feeling like this is home."

00

Daryl shakes his brother's hand and looks to both Merle and Frankie when he says, "Hey, thanks for havin' him over. Me n Beth, we needed a little time."

They find themselves talking in code again and Merle asks, "Yeah, well I figured it'd be a lot for the missus ta digest. How ya doin' with it Beth?"

"I'm happy, I feel blessed with this opportunity to give innocence a home."

Daryl's holding one of Jamie's hands and Beth's holding the other as they make the short walk to the cabin together, with Jack following close behind. As they enter Daryl tells the little boy, "This is it son, this is home."

Jamie doesn't say anything but he's round-eyed as he takes his Daddy's hand and slowly walks around the place. Beth points out, "This is your bed Jamie, and there's Jack's bed, he gets to sleep right in front of the fire, and this is Mama and Daddy's bed." That's when she realizes, "We're going to have to make you a chair for sitting in front of the fire with us at night."

His look is very serious when he tells her, "I'na seep in your bed."

She smiles, "Jamie, honey, you have your own bed, but I tell you what. When you get in your bed at night, I'll lay down next to you and tell you a story while you're falling asleep."

The boy doesn't seem convinced that's a good idea, but Daryl is, "That sounds fun, don't it? I wanna be there too."

Beth smiles, "Oh good, it will be the whole family. For now, how about dinner? I'm starving!"

"I'n hungy."

Daryl lays a hand on the little guy's shoulder and says, "I'm hungry too. Jamie, come on in the bathroom with Daddy n wash your hands, then we can eat."

Beth's smiling to herself, oh my, Daryl already has this Daddy business figured out.

It's an easy meal for tonight, some stew they canned this past fall and the last of the pears. There are oatmeal cookies for dessert, Daryl brought them home from the prison, "No raisins in em, but they ain't bad."

They've always used their milk sparingly, but Beth pours a small cup for Jamie, "If you're still thirsty we have plenty of water."

After dinner Jamie and Daryl go into the bathroom for a serious sponge bath while Beth washes up the dishes. Then, while Daryl gets Jamie ready for bed and takes Jack out, Beth takes her turn in the bathroom.

There isn't going to be any sitting in front of the fire tonight, they're all exhausted. It's bedtime, but before Jamie gets under the covers Beth says, "Here, let's get on our knees and say a prayer." That's something Daryl never thought of, but yeah, she was raised that way so it makes sense. Besides, it won't hurt the boy to believe in something that gives him hope.

They squish onto the little bed, one parent on either side of the child, and there are lots of kisses and hugs, then they all hold hands while Beth begins her story, "Once upon a time there was a little girl named Goldilocks who lived at the edge of the woods…" That's as far as she gets before Jamie is sound asleep. They lay with him a few more minutes, smiling at each other while they make sure he stays asleep, then they quietly slip off the bed.

She starts toward the kitchen and Daryl takes her in his arms, whispering, "Ya sure it's not too cold ta get your hair washed?"

"No, I mean yes, you're right, it's probably too cold and we're both way too tired, but if I don't get it washed I'll be so miserable. I can't stand it another minute. Please Daryl?"

"Well yeah, sure. I said I would," then he smiles and cups her breast, "Besides, I like what it does to ya when ya get a little cold, and maybe you'll let me warm ya up after."

"Oh I'm sure I'll need plenty of warming up, and there's no one I want warming me up except you."

"It's my job and I ain't complainin', but ya know, after I finish my chores, the washin' and the warmin' you up, you've still got a story ta tell me lady."

"If you get me warm enough I will."

He laughs, "Always the last word. That's okay, I like a challenge."

He doesn't just wash her hair, neither of them want to deal with all of her wet hair in bed, they've made that mistake. So, when he's done washing it, Daryl towel dries her hair as well as he's able, and then puts in in a single braid, "There ya go lady, ya look real pretty."

"And clean, that's the best part."

Without warning he lifts her in his arms, carrying her to their bed, "Enough talk for now, I got a job ta do. Let's get ya warmed up."

It's been a while, they've missed each other and each other's bodies and they take their time under the covers, reacquainting themselves with every inch of each other. Even though they're pretty sure a bomb going off couldn't wake up their sleeping boy, they do their best to be as quiet as they can.

Man, they've missed laying in their bed together, holding each other close after they make love. Right now, they're making up for that as much as they can, both of them smiling and happily content. Still, as soon as Daryl has caught his breath he asks, "Okay lady, I gotta know. What the fuck happened here?"

She softly sighs as her story begins, "That first night you were gone I barely slept. I just laid here thinking about you, thinking about our baby to come, and then I started thinking about how vulnerable me and Frankie and our babies were. Anyone who might be able to get by the booby traps could walk right in here and do whatever they wanted to us."

"I wondered and wondered, what I could do to keep us safe, then I remembered something I thought of the first time I saw the cellar, if a person didn't know right where that cellar is, they'd never find it. It's almost the perfect hiding place. The only real problems I could see are the cold and the dark."

"I didn't want to worry Frankie, so I didn't mention a thing about it to her, but the next morning I started getting it ready. I took lots of those old camping blankets you have and some quilts down there too because I knew it was going to be cold. When I was satisfied I had enough for us and for Jack, I started on water. I made so many trips with jugs of water. I was lucky though, the food was already there, for us and for Jack. As it turned out, some of the ducks came with us and there was plenty for them too."

"I also knew there would be a problem with the bathroom situation. That could get nasty. Then I thought about the composting toilet and I knew a bucket and sawdust would work for a temporary situation. So, I had 10 gallon buckets with lids, and those lids were a godsend. There was a bucket for Jack and one for Frankie and I. Poor Jack, he was hating pooping inside, I didn't blame him. I didn't like what we were having to do either, but it saved us."

She can't help noticing that as she's talking his hold on her is getting tighter and tighter, and she realizes the thought of her going through all that is bothering him, a lot. He asks, "So when these assholes showed up, how'd ya mange ta get everyone down here?"

"The noise they made was what gave them away and gave us time. I heard them, they were somewhere on the mountain but not here yet. I knew it wasn't you because the engine noise was all wrong. I woke up Frankie, grabbed the guns from next to the door, and told Jack to come with me. Once I got them inside the cellar I could still hear the vehicles but they weren't that close yet, so I took the time and convinced a few of the ducks to come too. Once we were all safely in the cellar I rewarded Jack with a piece of jerky and the ducks with peas."

He has to smile at that, "You n them damn ducks."

"You're just jealous because I love them so much and I get a lot of happiness from them. Plus, we sure eat well thanks to Daisy and her friends."

He snorts, "Yeah we do."

She burrows into him, "There's a lot of cleaning and straightening to do in the cellar from our stay there. I'll take care of that tomorrow. I've also got some ideas about how to fix it up and make it a little nicer, just in case Frankie and the kids, and me and the animals have to hide down there again."

"Ya won't hafta cuz I ain't ever leavin' ya again."

"You're going to have to Daryl. You can't be dragging me and two kids with you every time you go down the mountain, and you're going to have to go down the mountain after some things, it's just the way it is. We'll need those fruits and vegetables until our own start growing, and whatever other food and fuel you can find. We're going to need shoes for the kids and books and games and a million other things. It will be okay though, we'll be okay because we're going to make sure that if anyone comes on this property, they won't find us. We'll be safe and waiting for you when you get home."

His heart hurts from the thought of leaving them here alone, but he makes a little joke to ease the heaviness of her words, "I'ma pay that damn bear ta patrol the place."

Beth smiles, "I'm pretty sure he already thinks that's his job."

00

A/N There's always so much for them to do and so much to think about. Please leave a comment. The chapter photo is on my tumblr blogs, gneebee and bethylmethbrick, please have a look. I'll be back next week with more of The Man on The Mountain, I hope to see you here too. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee