⌜ epilogue ⌟

It's been five years since MJ and Jack stopped the outbreak, and just as they planned, everyone showed up at the farm. One by one, the entire group turned up on Hershel's doorstep.

As they slowly reunited, many things came to light, were hashed out, and people made amends for wrongs done during the end of the world. Not all relationships could be salvaged, but as the five years passed, those who ended their time in the apocalypse as enemies have learned to be civil.

Now, every year for every holiday, the group meets on the Greene Farm and celebrates as a family. Most pass without conflict, but not every gathering goes without incident. For the most part, they all manage to get along.

And as some friendships died, other relationships blossomed. The kids grew into teenagers, and the teenagers are becoming adults. Their friendships evolved, though not without complaint from their parents.

And from every New Year's Eve party that carried well into the next day, to each Christmas morning... The group waited for the few that never showed up. Hopeful, then crushed.

MJ and Jack never made their appearance on the farm to join the others, and the angels never answered any of their prayers. The group doesn't know if they're alive, or how they stopped the outbreak from happening. None of them have any answers to ease their fears.

The Winchester's still look for them with the help of anyone that's capable — all of their hunter friends, Daryl and Merle, Rick tried to use his police connections to find anything. They all always came up short. But it also gave them some hope that they were out there somewhere.

There were no bodies in any morgues that fit their description, they were never arrested. But then that begs the question — if they're alive and capable of finding them, why haven't they done it yet?

It's now December 25, 2015, and the group's sitting in Hershel's living room around the giant, green, and elaborately decorated Christmas tree. Hershel and Glenn are passing out the gifts when there's a knock at the front door. Maggie goes to answer it, and she smiles when she sees Dean, Addy, and Dana standing on the porch.

"You guys are just in time. We were about to start presents." The brunette tells them, and then leads them into the house.

"Anything?" Rick asks as he looks at Dean.

"No." He shakes his head, and Rick sighs.

"Alright, who's hungry?" John asks as he walks into the house with Bobby right behind him, both of them carrying multiple boxes of donuts.

"After we open presents." Hershel stops the ones who start to get up. "You all make a mess in here when you try to open them while you eat. Just put them on the table in the dining room." He says, and the two men disappear into the other room.

"Dana." Ellie gets her attention, and she looks at the younger girl. "This one's from me." She says as she tosses her the present.

"As you can tell by the perfectionist wrapping job." Carl teases, and Ellie smacks his arm. He smiles as he looks at the girl sitting beside him, obvious fondness in his blue eyes.

Dana tears the paper open and smiles when she sees the bear inside. Its body is tinted pink and the nose is darker in color. "A teddy bear."

"Maybe don't lose this one?" Ellie says.

"That was Jr.'s fault! He was messing with me while I was packing." She says defensively, and her cousin laughs. "But​ thank you, Peaches. I love it." She tells her, and Ellie smiles at the older girl.

"Hey!" Daryl chuckles as he looks at the football that he just unwrapped.

"I told you, we're gonna get you to play this year." Jr. says as he looks at him.

"Alright." He nods and then tosses the ball to his older brother.

"Hey, not in the house." Maggie says as she walks past them to get to Glenn. He smiles as he leans down and kisses his wife, his hand resting on her pregnant belly.

"I have a surprise for everyone." Bela says, and they all look at her.

"She's been back with her family for over five years. When the hell is she gonna lose the sissy accent?" Dean whispers to his brothers, both of which stifle a laugh.

"Shut up, you ass." She shoots him a dirty look. "Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted... Something turned up on our doorstep this morning. They were a little lost, so we took them in, gave them shelter." She smiles as she turns around and looks toward the staircase.

"We heard there was a party." MJ says as she walks in with Jack right behind her.

"Guy saves the world, and he can't even get an invite?" Jack asks with a smile on his face.

"Jack." Dana barely manages before she sprints forward and nearly knocks him over.

"I missed you too." His smile widens as he wraps his arms tightly around her, steadying them.

MJ looks at her kids. "I was hoping for a little more enthusiasm." She says, and Ellie rushes over with tears in her eyes.

"Where have you been?" The teenager asks as her mom squeezes her.

"We've all been so worried." Jr. says as he joins in the hug.

"We found this bunker in Kansas. We needed to be somewhere safe for awhile, and it was the only place we could go." She pulls back and studies their faces. "God, look at you two. I can't believe how grown up you both are." She says with tears in her dark eyes.

Matt walks over and he looks down at his ex-wife. "I told you I needed you. Do you have any idea how hard it is to watch two kids?" He asks, and she chuckles as he wipes tears from her cheeks.

"We needed to prepare." She tells him.

"Prepare for what?" Dean asks, but then they're interrupted.

"Mom?" Jack walks forward until he's standing directly in front of Kelly.

The brunette smiles as she looks up at her son. "Oh my God." Kelly mutters. "Look at you. You're so big. And so handsome." She says, and he hugs her.

MJ smiles as she watches them, then she looks back at her older brother. "Lucifer made it pretty clear that he had no plans of staying in the cage. So, we had to make sure that we were ready if he does escape. We needed Jack to be stronger than he was the first time, and he is now. It took a long time, partially because he gets distracted easily—"

"Hey, it's not my fault that they're cute, and my teachers suck." Jack argues as he looks at her.

"You're such a child." She shakes her head, and he shrugs.

"I mean, technically—"

"Oh, don't give me that technically bullshit again. The only thing childlike about you is that you have the attention span of a freaking gnat. I mean, you've got facial hair for Christ's sake. And don't even get me started on why I'm never again waking your ass up in the morning." She says, and they all hear laughter coming from upstairs. "Oh, great, the peanut gallery's putting their two cents in. I swear, you three drive me bat shit crazy."

"What the hell is going on, Marie? What took you guys so long getting back here?" John questions, and MJ smiles as she looks at her dad and then turns to the staircase.

"Alright, you guys can unleash the little terrors!" She calls, and then they hear the pitter-patter of two small sets of feet.

"Come here, you little rugrat." Jack quickly moves toward the entrance and scoops up one of the twins. "And, yes, I know what a rugrat is." He says as he looks at Dean.

"One of his many distractions." MJ says as she picks up the other. "Oh, dear God, you weigh a ton."

"No, I don't, Mommy." She says as Gabriel and Cas walk into the room.

"You two knew where they were this whole time?" Dean questions as he looks between the two angels.

"They needed to remain hidden." Castiel tells him. "They have people hunting them — demons that want them dead."

"I'd like to see them try." Jack says, and MJ smiles as she looks at them. "Ow! You little—"

"Eric." MJ looks at him. "What have I told you about hitting?"

"That it's a good..." The kid looks at one of the angels behind him.

"Defense." Gabriel finishes for him, and MJ turns around and punches him. "Ow!"

"What? I'm defending my parenting methods." She says. "Stop telling the twins that it's okay to hit Jack."

"You're no fun."

"His name's Eric?" John asks, and his daughter looks at him.

"I know that you and I don't see eye-to-eye on... Well, let's face it, most things." The brunette says, and he nods. "But I wouldn't be who I am without the choices that you've made. And apparently I'm a part of the team that saved the world, so clearly you went right somewhere."

"You wanna see something cool?" Jack asks, and they all look back at him. "Eric, where's Uncle Dean?" He asks, and the little boy in his arms points at Dean.

"Another one of Jack's distractions — of one the few that I approved of and took part in." MJ tells them. "Mama, where's your sister?"

The tiny blonde points at the seventeen-year-old who's watching the whole thing, mesmerized by her little siblings. "Ellie." She smiles.

"Who'd you get your hair color from?"

"Gramma." She points at Mary, making the older woman smile.

"Where's Uncle Glenn?" Jack asks, and Eric points at him. "Where's Aunt Carol?"

"I talked to Chuck a few years ago." MJ says, regaining their attention. "He gave me this ridiculously confusing explanation about how we remember the apocalypse when no one else does. The best that I could make of it... Those two selves — pre and post apocalypse — they kind of fused together and became one, whereas everyone else simply rewound in time. Our minds and our bodies are still...half what they were then. If you can follow that, like I said — confusing."

"That's why we have our memories from then?" Dean asks, and she nods.

"And scars that we got from things that took place after the outbreak." Hershel says. "I have a thin scar on my leg where Rick cut it off after I was bitten." He tells her.

"I have a scar on my wrist." Merle adds as he holds up his previously severed hand.

"That's how Judith's here." Rick gets MJ's attention. "She came back the same as we did, she just didn't have a previous body to combine with." He says, and she nods.

"That's exactly it." MJ says. "But when I came back, I came back with more than just a few extra scars."

"Meaning what exactly?" Sam asks, and his sister smiles.

"Hey, munchkins." She says, and the twins both look at her. "Where's Daddy?" She asks, and everyone stares wide-eyed when they both point at Daryl.

"Daddy!" The little blonde in MJ's arms squeals, and she scrunches her nose when the pitch hurts her ears.

Merle laughs. "Well, would you look at that? I didn't know you had it in you, little brother." He pats Daryl's shoulder, and MJ rolls her dark eyes.

Daryl walks through all of the crumpled up wrapping paper until he's standing in front of the two girls. He looks from the little blonde to her mom.

"I know that you have every right to be angry that it's taken this long for you to meet them, but they know damn near everything about you that I do." She tells him. "Mama, what's on the back of Daddy's vest?"

"Angel wings." She smiles.

"And why's that?" Gabriel asks.

"Because Daddy's a badass!" Eric yells, and his mom laughs as she turns to look at the angel.

"Yeah, I know all about your little lessons with the twins, you jerk. But​ don't worry, I fixed it." She tells him, and he glares at her.

"Mommy says she likes your voice."

Daryl looks back at his daughter, and MJ smiles. "Daryl, this is Darcy." She says, and he smiles as he looks at her. "And this is Eric." She adds as Jack moves closer to them with their son. "They were born June 2, 2011. And they've been waiting a long time to finally meet you."

"Can I..." He holds his hands out, and MJ lets their daughter go from her arms to his.

Jack then passes Eric to MJ before looking over at the angels. "Did I see donuts in the other room?" Gabriel asks, and everyone in the living room moves to the dining area, leaving the twins and their parents alone.

"So, are you mad?" MJ asks, and Daryl looks from Darcy to her.

"Naw." He shakes his head. "It's hard to stay mad at a face like yours." He says, and she chuckles as she looks down for a second.

"Mommy?" Eric gets her attention, and she looks back at him. "Do we get to stay with Daddy now?" He asks.

"If that's what he wants." She says, and then looks up at Daryl.

"I ain't ever letting you three out of my sight." He says, and a wide smile spreads across MJ's face as he reaches out with his free hand and pulls her into his side.

"Can we have donuts?" Darcy asks, and her parents look at her.

"Of course." MJ says as she sets Eric on his feet. "Go find your brother." She says, and the twins take off in search of Jack.

"I'm a dad now." Daryl says, and she looks up at him again.

"Merry Christmas." She says, and he chuckles as his gaze returns to the brunette.

His arm tightens around her, and she takes a deep breath as she lets her hands settle on his sides; they're now standing chest to chest. "I never even considered starting my own family before. Didn't have a good father myself, so..." He shrugs, shaking his head.

"Well, lucky for us, I have prior experience with raising kids. Although, Matt's side of the family seemed to tame the Winchester in Jr. and Ellie. I'm thinking Dixon and Winchester may have the opposite effect."

"Definitely sounds like my kids then." Daryl says, and she smiles as he then leans down and rests his forehead against hers.

"Tough exterior, with a heart of gold on the inside." She hums, and the corners of his lips twitch upward. "Sounds exactly right."

"It's been a long five years."

"You think it was long for you?" She raises her eyebrows as she pulls back so that she can see his face again. "Gabriel has the mentality of a twelve-year-old, and Cas barely has a sense of humor." She tells him, and he chuckles. "I'll tell you what though, those kids made it a lot easier to handle... And harder." She adds, and he nods.

"Well, you got me to help now." He tells her.

"For as long as you'll keep me." She smiles as she reaches up and rests her hand on the side of his face. "You have no idea how much I've missed you, Ponch."

Daryl smiles at the old nickname. "I have some idea." He starts to lean down, and her eyes fall shut as she waits for his lips to meet hers.

"I have, like​, a hundred questions!" Dean yells from the other room, and Addy smacks him, telling him to shut up.

MJ sighs as she reluctantly pulls away from Daryl. "Come on. I think I have some explaining to do." The brunette says before walking into the dining room with him following right behind her.

"I knew you and Dixon had a thing for each other." Shane says, and MJ looks over at him.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be too proud of yourself if I were you." She says. "You also thought that Rick was cheating on Lori with me."

He nods. "Not my finest moment."

"Did you have any moments that we could consider even decent?"

"He's half of what gave us Judith." Jr. says, and Sophia nudges him, causing him to look over at her. "What? She's a funny kid. I like having her around." He says, and she shakes her head at him.

"Sharp as a tack, kid." Rick chuckles as he stands up and walks over to MJ. "He must've learned that from you." He says, and she nods.

"Probably." She agrees, and he smiles as he hugs her.

"It's damn good to see you, kid." He says, and she smiles.

"It's good to see you too, brother."

"Now, come tell us how you two stopped the outbreak."

They walk over to the table and each find a seat. MJ looks at Jack, and he nods, so she takes a deep breath. "Believe it not, it wasn't angels or demons who started it like I thought. It was humans." She tells them.

"Really?" Ellen asks, and she nods.

"The C.D.C. in Atlanta was working on a weaponized virus that was supposed to be used on enemy forces in the event that we ever came under attack. They clearly had no idea what exactly they had created." She begins her story. "There was an accident in the lab and one of their people became infected with the virus. It soon became airborne and spread rapidly. They had no cure and no means to stop it. That was the beginning."

"And that's what we stopped." Jack tells them. "Though, not without a little help."

"We snuck into the C.D.C., but before we could make it to the lab, we got stopped. When we couldn't give an I.D.... Well, things quickly went from bad to worse." She shakes her head. "But then this voice stopped their security, and over came a familiar face."

"Dr. Edwin Jenner." He says. "He remembered us, and he knew that there had to be a reason that we were there."

"So, he said that we were with him, and there was just some mix up. It took a little convincing, but he got the others to leave us alone." She continues. "We told him what was going on, and he went to the lab. It was Jenner who destroyed the virus."

"He got us out of there, and then Gabriel and Cas showed up." Jack says. "They told us that Lucifer and Michael were back in the cage, and we needed to be ready for the possibility of them ever escaping again."

"You know the rest." MJ takes a deep breath as she looks around. "It's been a long time coming, but we're all together now. And we don't have to worry about the outbreak ever again. We're safe, from walkers at least."

"And I say we play some football to celebrate." T-Dog says, and he's met with a lot of cheers.

After breakfast, everyone heads outside to do their own thing and have some fun. Dale walks over to MJ on the porch, she's smiling as she watches Daryl run around with the twins. They're trying to incorporate the kids into the game for a little while.

"I knew I was right about you." Dale says, and she looks at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I knew that you were good people. I'm sorry that I gave you such a hard time." He says, and she shakes her head.

"Never apologize for standing up for what you believe is right." She tells him. "Especially to me. I always liked that you were so outspoken." She says, and he smiles​.

"Thank you for giving us all a second chance." He says, and she nods.

"Thank you for being one of the people who actually deserves it. You never lost sight of who you were. I really respect that."

"I appreciate that." He smiles. "I'm gonna go see if Hershel needs help inside."

"It's good to see everyone we lost, ain't it?" Daryl asks as he walks up the porch steps.

"I'm glad that everyone is actually back." She tells him. "I gotta admit, I had my doubts. I wasn't sure what we'd find when we got here." She says, and he nods.

"Yeah, I was the same."

"Marie." John walks up behind his daughter, and her head hangs.

"They just can't leave me alone long enough to let me kiss you." She grumbles, and Daryl chuckles as he looks down at her.

"I just wanted to tell you... I am so proud of you." He starts, and she looks up at her father. "You went through hell, and you still managed to save the whole world." He says, and she smiles.

"Thank you, Dad." She says, and he hugs her, pressing a quick kiss to the top of her head.

John walks over to the others then, and MJ smiles when she sees her brothers. They're each with their significant others — Addy, Jess, and Beth. They all look so happy together.

"Hey, Adam!" MJ calls, and he looks over at her. "Don't think I've forgotten my promise!"

"I'm still waiting!" He calls back, and she laughs.

"This was so worth it — the risk." The brunette says as she looks up at Daryl. "For all of us to be together again, to finally be happy."

"I'm just glad to have you back." He tells her.

MJ smiles as she closes the distance between them and wraps her arms around his neck. He smiles as his hands settle on her hips. "How happy?" She asks, and he leans down and presses a soft kiss to her lips. "I'll show you how happy I am to see you tonight." She whispers, and he clears his throat as he lifts his head.

"Alright, that's enough outta you." Daryl says, and she chuckles when she sees the pink tint to his cheeks as he looks over her head.

"God, I missed you." She smiles up at him for a moment longer before looking out at their family — not just the twins, but everyone that they met that have become more than just their friends.

"I missed you too." He rests his hand on the small of her back as his gaze returns to her.

"So, Rick and Michonne, huh?" MJ asks as she looks up at him, and Daryl nods.

"Yeah, he and Lori got divorced pretty soon after we got back. And Michonne ended things with her boyfriend or husband — I'm not too sure on that. Rick started helping her with her son, and they eventually got together."

"I'm not sure I would've expected that." She says, and he shrugs. "And Lori is..."

"She's on her own. I think she wanted to take some time to herself after everything that happened. Carl and Judith live with her, and Rick lives nearby." He tells her.

"What about Shane? Are he and Rick still partners?" She asks, and he shakes his head.

"No, Shane doesn't even live in the same area anymore. He moved closer to Andrea, but they're close enough to Lori and Rick that he can still see Judith regularly."

"Shane and Andrea?"

He chuckles at her surprise. "Yup."

"It's better than the Governor, I guess." She shrugs. "What else have I missed?"

"Jr. and Sophia started datin' — they're both pretty smitten." He tells her.

"I didn't even recognize Sophia at first." She says, and he nods.

"Yeah, she looks a lot different than when she was twelve." He agrees. "And then there's Ellie and Carl, but I don't think that that's much of a surprise."

"No." She shakes her head, chuckling.

"Matt and Jo are engaged." He tells her, and she smiles. "Rick talked to Axel and Oscar — they remember everything too. They're gonna get clean when they get out and find us eventually."

"That's good." She nods. "Hey, how's Carol doing? You and Merle got her and Sophia away from that prick she was with, right?"

"Oh, yeah." He nods. "Merle kicked his ass real good when we got there. Then Shane arrested Ed — it was his last run he made before he asked to be reassigned. That sumbitch is in prison for a good stint, and he ain't allowed near Carol and Sophia when he gets out."

"Merle and Shane to Carol's rescue — can't say I'd have figured it'd be them." She says, and he smirks.

"Oh, you should talk to Rick later, ask him to take you to see Morgan, Jenny, and Duane. I bet they want to see you." He says, and she smiles again.

"I'd love that." She nods as she looks out at everybody again.

A figure in the distance catches her attention, and she stands up straight. MJ strains to see the man better. She can make out the scruffy facial hair and the short, brown curls on top of his head. He has a smile on his face as he watches the group.

"What's wrong?" Daryl asks, and she looks up at him.

"Uh..." She looks back, but the man's not there anymore. "I thought I saw... You know what, it doesn't matter." She shakes her head, turning back to him.

He nods as he looks down at her. "Have I mentioned that I like your hair longer?" He asks, and she shakes her head. "Well, I do. And I definitely prefer the brown to the blonde."

"Thank you." She says, and he smiles.

He brushes her hair out of her face and then leans down to kiss her again. She closes her eyes and smiles as she kisses him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. His arms tighten around her waist, and he holds her close.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Darcy yells, and they both turn to look at the kids.

Dana, Jack, Jr., Sophia, Carl, and Ellie walk over with the twins and Michonne's son; they all seem just as happy as all the others.

"Dana got me a soccer ball for Christmas a couple years ago." Jr. says as he looks up at his mother. "I think that'll be easier for the kids while the others play their football game. You wanna play with us?"

"Hell yeah." Daryl nods, excited to spend more time with the twins, and MJ smiles.

"Let's play." The brunette says, and then they quickly make their way down the porch.

The End.

(made by -novxscomet)