This is the second part of a 'mini-series' - the first five chapters are called "The Ghost in You" and are posted here as well. None of this will make sense if you haven't read that part first. Just sayin'...

It was night time, and Beth was finally sleeping. Daryl gently extricated his hand from hers, motioned to Maggie who was curled up on Beth's other side that he was stepping out onto the porch, and slid out the door. He wouldn't go too far away, just in case Beth woke up and started to panic again. Truth be told, he don't want to be too far away from her anyway – just having her outside his line of vision was making him tetchy, but he needed to think.

It had been a helluva day, and he didn't see how things were gonna get any better any time soon. When he had realized just how terrified Beth was, he had, in his typical fashion, stood up and carried her into the cabin, curtly telling everyone else to set up the fuckin' parameter, and looking pointedly at Glenn and Maggie so they would know to follow him. Like he could've kept that from happening anyway – there was no way Maggie was going to let Beth go anywhere without any answers.

But she hadn't gotten any. With every question her sister asked, Beth seemed to retreat further into herself. Daryl had finally, as tactfully as he could, told her that maybe she should stop with the badgering Beth. Girl would talk when she was fucking ready, and perhaps Maggie's time would be better spent findin' somethin' for her sister to eat, since Beth wasn't lettin' go of him anytime soon.

Maggie had looked for a minute like she was going to argue with him, but Glenn had lightly touched her back and that had been that: situation diffused. When Maggie had returned to the room some fifteen minutes later, Rick had come with her, Judith in his arms.

Beth had untucked herself enough from his lap to smile and wave at the baby, and had even held her for a while when Rick had offered Judith to her with a smile.

"She's missed you, Beth," Rick had offered when L'il Asskicker had squealed and started babbling happily at the girl, "we all have." He quirked an eyebrow at Daryl when Beth wasn't looking, but Daryl could only shrug.

"Got some tents set up, and a pretty good parameter established, 'cuz I don't think we'll all be able to sleep in here tonight, but I wanted to get Judy warmed up. Can't think all this damp is good for her. Might be able to stay here a day, but we really need to find someplace bigger if we can. And we need more food – want to go out with me later, see what we can scare up?" Rick had asked.

Neither man missed the way Beth tensed up at the suggestion; the way she immediately tucked back into him. Daryl patted her back soothingly. "Think I best stay here today," he'd replied. "But y'could take Carl with you, or Glenn. I bin showin' them some things."

After Rick left with Judith, Maggie and him had managed to coax Beth to eat some dried squirrel jerky and drink some hot tea Maggie'd managed to heat up by sitting a camp mug as close to the fireplace as she dared to. "Gonna need to go on a run and try to find more tea soon," she'd murmured, worry marring her features as she watched Beth drink. "I've been saving the last few bags for when we found you, Bethy."

"Sister was damn near territorial over them," Daryl offered softly. "Wouldn't let no one else near 'em; said they was for you, because they were your favorite. Need to find you some more favorites, I think." He'd been gently running his rough fingers through her dirty hair, working out the snarls as best he could without hurting her, but he was fighting a losing battle.

Maggie, who had crouched down in front of them to watch her sister drink noticed what he'd been doing and frowned. "How about I warm up some water and grab some shampoo and conditioner I've been holding on to and we get you cleaned up, huh? Bet you'd feel a lot better if you were cleaner."

When Beth looked up at him, he'd nodded encouragement. "'S'a good idea," he'd told her. "Then you can get it up in a ponytail with your braid. Feel more like ya'self when that's done, I bet."

Bathing her had been a process. He'd tried to look away when Maggie started removing Beth's filthy shirt, but Beth had pulled away in terror and hadn't calmed down until Daryl had taken over. For a second, he thought Maggie was gonna try to force the issue; but she had merely handed him the shampoo and soap and instructed him on how to work in the conditioner before trying to comb out all the snarls. The sponge bath had been even more difficult. He'd known she'd lost a lot of weight, but seeing the boney knobs of her back and the way her jeans hung off her sharp hip bones had left him gritting his teeth. Maggie hadn't been able to stop her tears, murmuring the entire time, "Oh Bethy, oh my Bethy…"

He'd kept his touch as gentle and perfunctory as he could, frequently dipping the rag into the warm water to wring out the dirt, trying to keep the anger he was feeling, as his fingers felt every boney ridge, hidden; that was the last thing she had needed. Instead, he had washed away the dirt, helped her peel off her jeans and gently washed her legs and her feet, before murmuring reassurances to Beth as Maggie quickly washed the rest of her. When she was clean, he had helped her slide into a pair of extra track pants Maggie'd had, and one of his flannel shirts he hadn't yet cut the sleeves out of. The track pants had to be rolled several times at the waist and secured with a rope belt to keep them from falling off her, and his shirt looked ridiculous on her, but he could tell being clean made her feel better. She'd smiled widely at the both of them, burrowing her face into the soft flannel of her shoulder. She'd even allowed Maggie to ease a brush through her wet hair, before nimbly braiding it.

When that was done, Daryl had carried her into the bedroom and helped Maggie wrap her in the sleeping bag, assuring Beth he'd still be there when she woke up. She had refused to let go of him, however, so he'd ended up sinking down on the bed with her, holding her and murmuring she was safe, until she'd finally fallen asleep.

~A~A~A~A~

Daryl lights one of his last cigarettes and takes a deep draw from it. His nerves ain't calmed none though, because he's not the only one on the porch. He's trying to figure out what to tell everyone when Abraham breaks the silence.

"Something bad happened to that girl," he offers bluntly.

"That may be so," Rick agrees quietly, "but she's strong. Just needs a little time to feel safe again, and things will get back to normal."

"I know you think that and I feel bad for her, I really do, but I gotta ask – how is finding her gonna affect our mission? You all said we'd head for DC once we found her, and we have – so now what? Don't think she's strong enough to move anywhere anytime soon. Christ, girl looks like a gentle breeze would blow her down! She's gonna drag us all down, because she sure as hell can't contribute to this little merry band we have here. And if you all are focused on protecting and molly-coddling her, who's gonna help me keep Eugene safe?"

Daryl can feel the fury he'd been stifling all day – fury at the people who took Beth away from him and fury at his inability to protect her, but mostly fury at the helplessness he feels now 'cuz he don't know how to help her – percolating hotly just under his skin. "Don't give a rat's ass about keeping yer man safe," he spits out. "He ain't never bin my concern, and ya better watch the next word that comes outta yer mouth, or we're gonna have a problem here."

The larger man frowns at him. "Listen, Romeo…" but before he can get another word out, Daryl jumps him, getting two solid punches in before Rick pulls him away.

"This ain't helping," Rick states, "and no one said anything about giving up on Washington." He looks pointedly at Abraham when he says this. "We said once we found Beth, we'd help you and we'll keep our word. But right now, we don't have a plan, we're low on food and warm clothes, and it's heading into fall. Let's take a couple of days; regroup, see if we can't find a couple of working vehicles and figure out where we're at. We could all use the time – not just Beth."

"She say anything yet," Glenn asks, after Abraham had nodded curtly at Rick and sat back down. Rick's still got a hand on Daryl, gripping his shoulder tightly.

"Not yet," Daryl growls.

"Maybe she just needs time," Carol says, "Maybe it's like what happened back at the farm; shock, you know?"

"Maybe it is," he responds, "but maybe it ain't." He takes another draw off his cigarette, holding the smoke in his lungs as he stares out into the black, before turning back to face them. "I gotta tell y'all now, if she don't want to talk, that's fine. If she don't never talk again, that's fine too. But y'all ain't gonna badger her about it, or look at her strange, or treat her any differently than you ever did before. She don't need that from us. We got her back…I got her back…and that's a goddamn fuckin' miracle in this shitty-ass world. Any a ya make her feel bad, or scared, or like she's somehow different or defective? Ya gonna be dealin' with me. We clear?"

Abraham just sighs and shrugs, but Rick nods for the rest of them. "We're clear, brother. We're clear."

Halo by Abigail Washburn

Dark is the night
Gray is the day
It's cold outside
But his halo lights my way

He says to me
'I wanna light you up,
I wanna light you up,
In the dark and the day.
My halo's bright -
Follow the way'

It's hard to see
It's hard to say
I'm without knowing
But his halo lights my way

The water is wide
This side I can't stay
I don't know where I'm going
But his halo lights my way