Home

We only rested for a few minutes.

Daryl wasn't taking any chances - not when the psychopaths from the Covenant could be following us. He was running on fumes - anyone could see that - he'd taken a bad beating, but he didn't say a word about it. The only sign was the quiet wince when he lifted me again, the subtle tensing of his jaw whenever he adjusted his grip. His body was screaming, but he wasn't listening.

Carl kept offering. "Let me carry her for a bit, man. You're hurt."

But Daryl wouldn't let go of me for a second. He didn't even answer, just kept moving forward with me in his arms, like if he handed me off, I might disappear.

I hated being this weak, needing to be carried. My leg seared with every jostle, but it was the shame more than the pain that got to me. I wasn't used to being the one who needed saving.

We weren't running anymore, not exactly, but our pace was constant - urgent. No wasted steps. No wasted time. I stayed quiet. It wasn't even a decision. My throat felt tight, like my body hadn't caught up with the fact that this was real. That I was out. That Daryl had me.

I was going home. To our babies.

Daryl didn't talk unless it was necessary - quick directions or murmured instructions to Carl to cover our trail when the terrain got trickier and he couldn't do it while he carried me. But he spoke to me in his own language: pressing his face into my hair when he had the chance, brushing soft kisses to my temple, squeezing me so tight it felt like I was the only thing holding him together.

He kept glancing at Agatha, though. I didn't miss it. He didn't trust her. Not completely.

The sun was rising by the time we'd put enough distance between us and the Covenant to trust they weren't following. My eyes stung from the light, my body felt like it had been through a grinder.

We passed a cabin tucked between the trees. Carl motioned to it. "He helped us before. Maybe he'd let us rest?"

Daryl shook his head. "We keep movin'."

I didn't ask. There'd be time for stories later. Right now, we just needed to keep going.

It was late in the afternoon when we came to an old building - rusted out and skeletal, probably once a factory. Metal siding peeled off like dead skin, and vines had clawed their way across its sides. Carl scouted ahead, then waved us over.

"It's clear."

Finally, even Daryl relented. His legs trembled a little when he stepped inside. He needed to rest, too.

He lowered me down gently onto a pile of old shipping blankets tucked near a wall. Concrete pressed cold against my back through the thin material, but I barely noticed. He pressed a kiss to my head, breathing me in like I was oxygen.

"Gonna check the perimeter," he murmured. "Be right back."

Then he looked at Carl - no words needed. Watch her.

Carl nodded.

Agatha dropped beside me with a quiet thud, arms hugging her knees to her chest.

"Thank you," I said softly. "You did it."

She nodded, but something in her face twisted.

"You okay?"

"Yeah... just weird, being out here again. It's been a long time."

"Yeah?"

She sighed. "Yeah."

I didn't push. Instead, I smirked. "Could you help me pee? Or did you think your bathroom assistance duties were over?"

Her laugh was strained but real. "Sure."

Carl politely turned away as Agatha helped me hobble behind a row of rusted shelving. My body protested every step, but I managed. Barely.

By the time we shuffled back, Daryl was returning. His expression softened when he saw me, but the worry never left his eyes.

"All good?" Carl asked.

Daryl gave a curt nod.

"I'll take first watch," Carl offered.

Daryl nodded again, slower this time.

Usually, he would've insisted he do it. But not now. Not after everything. He wasn't ready to leave my side for more than a breath.

Agatha followed Carl out with a quiet offer to keep him company.

And then it was just Daryl and me.

He sat with his back against the wall, legs stretched out, and adjusted me in his lap. I curled against him like a child, draped across him while he held me so tightly I could barely move. Like if he let go, I'd vanish.

I couldn't stop shaking. Even in his arms. Even now.

I couldn't stop feeling everything at once. Relief. Gratitude. Shame. Love. Guilt. My heart was beating so fast it felt like it might crack open.

Daryl leaned his head back, his arms still around me, and let out a slow breath. I felt it in my hair.

"The Whisperers?" I asked finally, my voice small.

He gave a soft grunt. "Left soon as ya were gone. Didn't wait to see how it all fell... Alexandria was headin' back from the Kingdom. Merle and Annie were takin' the kids. They wouldn't cross Whisperer land. Knew they'd be safe."

"Did you see the kids? Before you left?"

"Mhmh... Didn't want 'em thinkin' we'd just left 'em."

"Were they okay? What did you tell them?"

"That ya hurt yur leg. Needed help gettin' back. Said Merle'd take care of 'em until we got home."

I nodded slowly.

Then my mind went somewhere else.

"Carol? After..."

I couldn't finish.

Daryl's jaw clenched.

"We found Alpha's border," he said quietly. "She put their heads on pikes."

I froze.

He swallowed. "Henry's..."

"Fuck." I blinked hard, my heart breaking for Carol, Ezekiel, the other families. "Did she see?"

He nodded gravely. "I felt sick leavin' her after. But I needed to-" His voice broke off.

I touched his face gently. "She would've understood."

Daryl didn't answer. His eyes dropped to the floor. We sat like that for a while, wrapped in each other, surrounded by silence and shadows.

Then he whispered, barely loud enough to hear, "M'sorry I left ya. Never shoulda."

My heart stung like he'd sliced it open.

"No," I said desperately, voice cracking. "Don't you dare. I'm the one who-" I shook my head. "I made you go. I lied about the kids."

"Don't matter," he said, like that was irrelevant.

"I told you our kids were in danger," I cut him off. "You didn't have a choice... that's why I said it... I knew it was the only way."

He shook his head. "I left ya."

"If the herd got you..." I whispered. "They'd lose both of us. I knew I'd bleed out if you carried me. I've no idea how the crazy people managed it."

"Worst thing I ever did in my whole damn life," he said, even quieter as he ran a hand through my hair. "Leavin' ya there."

His voice broke on the last word. I pulled back to look at him, his eyes were swimming, but he tried to blink the emotion away.

I cupped his face, forcing him to look at me. "Daryl, I needed you to go. To be safe. I pointed a goddamn gun at you for God's sake... You only did what I begged you to do. Those babies are the only thing in the world you'd protect over me - as you should - and I knew that. Please... Please don't blame yourself."

He stared at me, eyes still glistening with tears he wouldn't let fall, and nodded slowly. It was probably just to appease me - Daryl carried guilt like a ball and chain - but it was something.

"How did you know..? That I wasn't..."

He shrugged, titling his head so he could kiss my hand as it rested on his face. "Dunno. Just did... Could feel ya."

"I was gonna get out. As soon as I could walk, I was coming home."

He smirked just the tiniest bit. "I know. But I didn't wanna wait that long."

I chuckled for the first time since the Kingdom fair, not able to take my eyes off him.

"So, how much longer have I got to wait before you kiss me?"

It turned out, not long at all. Instead of answering, he smiled, then pulled my face to his and seared the most intense kiss of my life into my soul. His mouth was delicate at first, like he was cautious of letting himself believe he was really kissing me again, but his lips soon pushed harder, his hand grasping my hair as his tongue reacquainted with my own. It made my legs feel weaker than my broken femur did. The kiss lasted an eternity and a second all at once, when I finally pulled back a fraction - reluctant but on the brink of suffocation - he didn't let my face move more than a few inches from his.

"I love ya so much." He whispered. "I can't believe yur here. Can't believe I'm takin' ya home."

"I can't believe I'm going home, either." I breathed back, still breathless from our kiss. "I love you."

He was supposed to be resting, it wouldn't be too long before Carl would need to swap shifts to get some sleep himself, we were all exhausted, but I already knew Daryl wouldn't let slumber take him, not until he'd got me home. I, however, couldn't keep my eyes open. It wasn't even the exhaustion pulling me under - it was being here, safe in my husband's arms, knowing we'd been reuniting with Briar and Sawyer soon, that made me finally relax for the first time since this all started. I nuzzled into Daryl's chest, enjoying the feeling of his nose pressed against my hair as I drifted off.

~

When I woke, Daryl wasn't there. I panicked at first, my heart instantly pounding, jolting with fear that I'd imagined being back with him - that I hadn't got out. It was only when I realized the weight of his vest draped over me, and caught site of both Carl and Agatha sleeping on either side of me that I realized he'd just not wanted to wake me when he took over watch.

I heard the quiet shuffle of fabric and the subtle shift of Carl's weight as he stirred.

I turned my head toward him and waited for his eyes to flicker open before I whispered, "Hey..."

His lashes blinked against the dim light. "Hey."

"Thank you," I told him, throat tight. "For helping him find me... I've got so many questions, I don't even know where to start."

He gave a small smile, half-worn and a little crooked. "It's a long story," he said simply. "But when Daryl ran into me at the river, I saw the state he was in. Knew I had to help."

I stared at the cracked concrete wall, my eyes burning. "How was he?" I asked. "While you were trying to find me."

Carl hesitated, and that pause said more than his words ever could.

"A mess," he said finally. "I won't lie. Always seemed like he was one breath away from the edge. But he wouldn't let himself go over. Said he couldn't. Not with you out there. Not with the kids waiting for him to bring you home."

My chest ached so sharply I had to close my eyes. God, Daryl. The thought of him hurting like that, holding himself together for me, for them... it was unbearable.

"Yeah," I said, the word catching in my throat. "He'd have found it tough... leaving them. He's such a good dad... Just like yours."

Carl smiled, but there was pain stitched behind it. I saw it in the way his gaze drifted to the floor, unfocused.

"Always knew he would be," he murmured. Then, softer still, "He felt like he abandoned them. But he needed to bring you home. That was all he saw. Just... gettin' you back to them."

A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it. I wiped it away quickly, like that might keep the rest at bay. The ache in my chest wouldn't leave.

I cleared my throat and asked, "You coming back with us? To Alexandria?"

Carl looked at the floor for a moment, his expression unreadable.

"Maybe it's time to come home," he said.

"Maybe it is..."

Agatha shifted beside us, rousing. Carl leaned back on his hands and pushed himself up with a grunt.

"I'll let Daryl know we're all awake," he said, and padded quietly toward the exit.

It took hours to get back to the car, and every step we took made me wonder how long the journey had been for Daryl and Carl when they were tracking me. When every shadow could've been the end, when hope was so thin it must've felt like glass underfoot.

By the time we saw the car through the trees, Daryl was swaying from exhaustion. I could feel it in the slump of his shoulders, the way his knees buckled slightly when he finally lowered me into the back seat. Carl climbed into the driver's side while Agatha settled into the passenger seat, silent.

It was at that moment that we heard the scamper of paws and barking. I turned my head, confused, but Carl had already clambered back out of the car, beaming from ear to ear.

"Dog!" he exclaimed. "Good boy! As if you came back here!"

I looked to Daryl, confused.

"Carl has a dog..." he smiled. "Named Dog."

I laughed and shook my head.

Carl loaded the pooch into the trunk and climbed back in.

Daryl slid in beside me and pulled me straight back into his arms like he didn't know how to stop, simultaneously trying to dodge licks from Dog, whose head protruded excitedly from the trunk.

Daryl's lips pressed against my temple as Carl started the engine.

"We'll see 'em soon," he whispered.

My arms wrapped around him tight. "I can't wait."

"Me neither," he said, and I felt him smiling against me.

I pulled back and studied his face. The bruises. The bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in an eternity.

"Sleep... please," I whispered, brushing my thumb across the stubble on his jaw.

For once, he didn't argue. He eased down slowly, resting his head in my lap, one hand still gripping my leg like he needed to hold on.

I combed my fingers through his hair. His breathing slowed, deepened - within minutes, he was asleep - but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. Not with the rise and fall of his chest warming my thighs, not with the weight of him finally real in my arms.

~

The journey back to Alexandria took ten hours or so. Carl stopped a few times to scavenge gas from hollowed-out shells of forgotten cars, never finding much. Somehow, it wasn't until we were just a few miles from home that the engine finally gave up.

Daryl didn't hesitate. He simply lifted me into his arms again, like I was weightless, like nothing could stop him now.

Carl walked beside us, coaxing a nervous Agatha along while Dog trotted beside him. "They'll understand," he kept saying. "You saved all of us. We'll vouch for you, every last one of us."

She nodded, pale and silent, her eyes darting nervously around the trees.

But mine were fixed forward, locked on the invisible point just beyond the horizon.

And then... the walls came into view.

Massive, familiar, solid.

My heart pounded so loud I could barely hear anything else. I couldn't believe I was about to see Briar and Sawyer.

"They're in there," I breathed, trembling in Daryl's arms.

"Yeah," he said, grinning, eyes locked on mine. "They are."

As we approached, voices called out from the guard posts above.

"Holy shit, she's alive!"

"No way!"

"He fuckin' did it!"

The gates creaked open, and we were immediately swallowed by a tide of people - Rosita, Aaron Gabriel, Eugene, Siddiq, Michonne, Judith everyone. Hands clapped Daryl's back. Voices overlapped with questions, relief, disbelief.

But he barely stopped. Hardly even glanced up.

He just kept walking, eyes locked on the end of the street, as the attention drifted to Carl's return and Agatha's introduction.

I gripped Daryl's shirt tighter as we headed toward Merle and Annie's house. My whole body was shaking, vibrating with anticipation and fear and joy. I didn't know what I'd say. What if they'd grown without me? What if I'd missed too much?

But then - there they were.

Turning the corner at a full sprint.

Briar's dark curls flying behind her like a flag in the wind. Sawyer's little legs pumping hard, his voice yelling, "Mommy! Daddy!" even before we could see his face.

And Merle - just behind them, eyes wide and shining.

My mouth opened in a sob I couldn't stop. Daryl's arms tightened instinctively as both kids flung themselves toward us.

Briar was first, climbing up Daryl's side like she was scaling a mountain, wrapping her arms around both our necks.

Sawyer wrapped his arms around Daryl's waist, face buried in his side.

"I got ya," Daryl rasped, kissing Briar's temple, then leaning down to do the same to Sawyer's head. "I got ya. We're back."

I reached out with everything I had, pressing my forehead to Briar's, my hand cupping the back of Sawyer's neck. Tears soaked my cheeks, but I didn't care. I needed to feel them. I needed to know this was real.

Sawyer pulled back just slightly, tilting his head at me with a straight face.

"Did you and Daddy have a good vacation, Mommy?"

I laughed through the sob that burst out of me, and even Daryl let out a wheezing chuckle.

"Uh, yeah... We did, son." Daryl spluttered.

"I missed you both so much," I whispered. "I thought about you every single day."

"We missed you more," Briar said fiercely, hugging tighter like she was scared to let go.

Daryl slowly lowered us both onto Merle's porch as we reached it, helping me into a sitting position so I could keep them close. My legs ached from stillness, but I didn't care. All I could do was drink in their faces. Their warmth. Their smell.

And then Merle knelt down beside Daryl and pulled him into a tight, silent hug, thumping his back hard. No jokes. No sass. Just raw relief.

Then he turned and did the same to me, one arm around my shoulders, the other cradling the back of my head as he whispered, "Yur home, girl. Yur home."

"I am," I whispered, voice breaking. "We are."

When Merle pulled back, Briar's face lit up.

"Oh! Oh!" she said, bouncing on her heels. "We have a new cousin!"

Daryl blinked, grinning in realization. "Yeah?"

Merle snorted. "Yeah... Someone ya gotta meet."

He stood up, grinning. "C'mon. Kiddo's probably wakin' up right now."

Daryl helped me to my feet, bracing my weight, his arm locked around my waist. We stood together, our children in front of us, Alexandria around us.

The nightmare was over.

We were home.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! 😁