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He rose from his seat. Oak on oak, protesting against the gentle force of the back of his legs pushing against the seat of the chair could be heard easily over the quite drone of the buoyant voices being emitted from the small gathering of people. The voices faded, disappearing into the dark edges of the town hall room, chased there by the light of what must have been a hundred candles set up on and just beyond the long table they'd all sat at. He cleared his throat, regarding each of those smiling faces in turn, eventually settling on the faces of two individuals sat at the head of that table. He reached down for his glass of wine, raising it aloft in their direction, while truly unable to contain the smile on his face.
"We're in for it now," came from the woman sat at the head of the table. It was faux muffled, facetious, and said with a bright, honest smile. The man next to her let out a quiet snort, and chuckles came from the rest of the gathering, sharing her sentiments along with the laughter. The man with the with the wine glass just nodded and smiled, allowing the jab, and the quite drew over the family sat around the long table once again. He cleared his throat.
"With as many turns as my life has taken in the past, what? God, I don't even know how many years, at this point... How old are you now, Judith?"
The teen merely smiled, rolling her away from her father, poking absently at the plate in front of her with her fork.
"Longer than she's even been on this earth," he continued quietly, "...Longer than I knew them, honestly. Yeah. Carol and Daryl have been part of my family even before I had ever met them. Before I'd even been aware of their existence, fate saw fit to trap them on I-75 South, just north of Atlanta, a few car lengths away from each other, my wife, Lori, our son, Carl, and a few others that ended up being part of this family, as well. They all suck together during The Turn, at fate's direction. Fed and kept each other safe for weeks before I managed to find them... They helped keep my son safe with their presence, their kindness, & their humanity when I wasn't able to be there.
... And they ended up helping me do that, and so much more, for years afterwards. For that, I am forever grateful to these two people, who have become my brother and sister."
There was a pause. He looked down at the table, voice made thick and gravely with emotion. He tapped his knuckles upon the hardwood of the table, a means of distraction for himself, by which he would attempt to reign in the tears that wanted to make their way past his eyelids. A short beat later, he began again.
"...Fate, in addition to allowing these two wonderful people to become my family, also allowed them to find each other. There is no doubt in my mind that their presence in my life just ended up being an incredibly fortunate accident. The real plan, all along had to have been you both finding each other. That's, if I heard the story correctly, how all of it started in the first place. With Carol taking it upon herself to get out of her Jeep and walk just a bit up ahead to see if she could see what was causing the traffic snarl, and Daryl, in the pickup truck where'd she'd stopped, commenting-"
"Ain't nothin' to see but that the truck driver's ass crack every time he gets out to stretch, lady!" Carol interrupts, jokingly imitating Daryl's thick Georgia drawl. The room swelled with quiet laughter. Embarrassed, but fully owning up to it, Daryl nodded as he dipped his head to hide his red face.
"So charming." She teased Daryl, smiling as she pushed a small strand of his hair that managed to make its out back into his eyes as he'd combed it out and slicked it back a bit. Rick laughed.
"It all started with that pick up line," Rick shook his head, laughing. Daryl groaned, the others laughed again before settling.
"And so, over the next few years, making it, day to day was the priority. And then, once we were safe for a while, they both started to grow and change. You both were strong from the beginning, but... This world has its way of ruining people. Brining out the worst in them. We've all seen that, over and over. But the two of you... It made you the strongest and best of all of us... Carol and Daryl needed time to become who they are today before this," he gestured to them at his right, "...could happen."
"A few more years passed... Things happened. People got in the way. We found some new family members, lost others. A lot of others. I was lost, myself, for a while..."
Rick felt a hand snake into his. He looked down to see Michonne, there was smile on her lips. He squeezed her hand before continuing on once again.
"And those others... They should all be here for this", he said.
"They are," Daryl voiced steadfastly, his arm making its way around Carol's white clad shoulder. Rick nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.
"They are."
He looked around the room once again. He could feel the sadness welling up in him once more at the thought of them all. Especially Carol's children and his own son, Carl. He Everyone grew quiet, an unspoken moment of silence falling upon the room. As happy as this day was, there was still the smallest but of sadness that would always color any bright spot in a mournful shade of grey. After a few heavy beats, Rick cleared the melancholy from his throat.
"They'd all be so happy that you both FINALLY went ahead and got this over with," he finally sputtered a sharp laugh out. It was contagious. It broke over the entire the gathering.
"These two are the only two in the world that would have danced around each other this long. More strongly willed than fate herself. Both of them. We all knew, from real early on that you both had...something. It was a deeper connection than I think most people, past or present ever get to experience. I've never seen a... connection, a friendship, or a love that came so naturally to any two people. Ever. Likely won't again. And as frustrated with the both of you as I am for waiting so damn long... I'm happy you waited long enough for me to finally be able to see this, at the same time."
He raised the glass high in their direction again, gesturing for the others to raise theirs alike.
"I love you both. To Daryl and Carol!"
A small choir of voices offering their congratulatory praises to the couple rang out over the room. Rick moved from his spot down the table to his right to meet Carol in an embrace, reaching past her to pull Daryl in as well. When they all pulled apart, Rick looked it over the room. Newer faces mingled with familiar ones. Carol, Daryl, Michonne, Judith, RJ, Lydia, Aaron, Gracie, Gabriel, Maggie, Herschel Jr., Rosita, Eugene, Stephanie, Jerry, Nabila, Yumiko, Kelly, Alden.... A few more.
Carol and Daryl were never the type to make a big show of things. They could have easily made a big event of their day, by they wanted just their closest friends there. They wanted it short, simple, and done at night so as not to have anyone make a big fuss.
When Carol married Ezekiel, no one had known until after. She kept it quiet. That wasn't for Ezekiel's lack of trying to make it into a grand affair. She wouldn't have it because that wasn't her. She just didn't want a ceremony at all. Turns out she never really had one with Ed, either. She got pregnant with Sophia after a few months and Ed demanded the just go to the courthouse and "get it over with".
And Daryl... Daryl always flew under the radar. But they'd decided, together, that they did want a small ceremony for the family. When Michonne showed up a week ago with Rick, like two ghosts they never dreamed of seeing again, Daryl finally decided it was time. They'd already been together for a few years at this point, but he'd been trying to work up the courage to ask her to make it official for a while.
So he'd asked her and she'd said yes, of course. He found some rings and told her to find a dress. There'd been one that had someone had incidentally found on a run years ago that had sat at the town market storage forever. It was vintage, flowy, and fit like it had been made for her.
So as Rick looked out around the room, Carol in her white dress and Daryl all in black, hair fixed like he'd never seen, he was reminded of a dream he'd once had. A dream in which all his beloved friends were gathered around a table, enjoying a meal together. He didn't know the reason for the occasion. It was just a good dream. But now, today, he was thankful he was able to be part of something so peaceful and joyous as that dreamscape from all those years ago. And he could think of no better reason to celebrate, than the wedding of the two people he'd known longer than anyone left on this earth; His best friends, Daryl and Carol Dixon.