**I do not own these main characters, nor their beginning stories. Just a Walking Dead playing out how I wanted the series to go :)

A/N: I do NOT have a Beta yet for this story, so it's just me editing myself. Which can always be interesting. Please be kind, yet constructive! Enjoy!

Chapter 1:

I would be lying if I said that I hadn't noticed him before. How could I not? The prison itself was pretty close quarters, and then with the addition of the Woodbury folk, I felt like I got to know everyone a lot more than I had planned.

But he seemed to still keep his distance. I don't know how, but he was just a shadow. One of the outsiders. Always there with Rick, or murmuring with Carol but other than that, he escaped somewhere that put him away from the crowd. I wanted to know that place, because that would mean privacy. Quiet. Stillness. Just him and I. Maybe then we could actually have a conversation that was longer than six sentences.

Until then, I would just continue watching him from the corner of my eye every time he made his appearances. I could see his angel wings like they were the light of God, pick them out of a crowd of one million, easy.

I went by Rick's cell at seven in the morning, and lightly knocked on the bars in mock courtesy. I tucked my hands behind my back and smiled softly as Rick laughed.

"Mornin', Beth. Ready to be my life saver again today?" He said as he lifted Judith out of her make shift bassinet, kissing her head softly.

"Always, Rick. She's what makes my day interestin'." I reach for Judith and whisper into her small tuft of hair. "Isn't that right, sweet baby?"

Rick crossed his arms and smirked at our interaction. I saw his eyes flash behind me to the front of his cell and I turned slightly to acknowledge whoever it was. I felt my torso tighten at the sight of him, leaning against the cell door, readjusting his crossbow over his shoulder.

"Mornin', Daryl." I said to him, a little quieter than I had aimed for. He nodded slightly but then walked up to Judith and offered his finger to her greedy fist.

"Hi there Lil' Ass Kicker. Keep it under control today." He murmured, like it was a conversation literally between him and Judith only. The attention he gave her was undoubtedly part of why I couldn't keep my eyes off of him when he was around with her. "Ready, Rick?" He took back his finger and looked up to Rick.

"Sure am," Rick responded quickly and reached down to put his belt on and fit his pistol into the holster. "'Preciate it, Beth."

"Of course." I responded, hoping that my speaking again would bring Daryl's eyes towards me but they didn't. He was headed out of the cell with Rick following after him. They turned the corner and were gone. I sighed and bounced Judith on my hip and walked out after them.

A little while later I was playing with Judith next to Carl under an overhang out in the courtyard, as I bounced her on my knee I heard a shout.

"Beth, do you mind helping us out down here?" I heard Sasha yell out, I glanced up to her voice and saw that she was needing help down by the fence. They had a slightly build up of walkers so I handed Judith off with Carl who was sitting next to me reading a comic.

"I can go help them, you can stay with Judith." Carl stated, puffing his chest a little and setting his comic down. But he still reached for his sister as he said it.

"Nah, don't worry 'bout it." I smiled. "I can help Sasha out, no problem." I pulled the knife from my boot and headed towards Sasha.

I never liked it. The killing part. There was no confusion as to whether they were human lives anymore. That's not what bothered me. It was the actual shoving a weapon into a human body skull that still bothered me. Or even shooting them in the face, a little less full frontal contact. There was always a small bump that appeared the moment before killing at the bottom of my throat and it went away afterwards. I tried extremely hard to make sure there was no hesitation in my actions, though. I was already trying to break out from Maggie's shadow, and I know Daddy sure didn't help by still treating me like his baby girl. I couldn't let anyone realize that I was weak in this way, I had to be able to work for the group.

After there was a pile of walkers, I wiped my knife blade on the grass and stuck back in my boot. I waved to Sasha and headed back up to the overhang where Carl and Judith had been left. However, when I looked up there they were both gone and I stopped walking. Confused as to where to go look for them, I decided not to. I had full faith in Carl to take care of Judith, I was sure that he must have just taken her indoors away from the heat to play with her. I wandered the courtyard for a bit, making casual conversation with some people who were out and about.

I laid down on the picnic table and stretched out, it was mid afternoon and the sun felt good on my skin. I took a deep breath and before I knew it I was deep in a nap. I felt a jab in my arm and opened my eyes quickly, my arms instinctively covering my face.

"Where's the beach, sleepin' beauty." Daryl growled, standing over me. I felt my cheeks blush as I stared up at him. My eyes squinted in sun and I raised my hand to cover the sun. Daryl shifted his body and then my whole face was in the shade.

"Thanks." I murmured to him and let my arms fall. I peeked up at him again and smirked, he was still staring at me, not saying a word. "Daryl?"

"Hm?"

"Do ya need somethin'?" I couldn't help but smirk because I knew he wasn't going to like getting caught in a conversation. He cleared his throat and shifted his weight, he revealed a pillow case that clearly had things shoved in it.

"I got some stuff. Fer Lil' Ass Kicker, I mean." He added the last part quickly after the first sentence, as if to make sure I wasn't to confuse who the gifts were for. I sat up and scooted over on the picnic table, giving him space to sit down. Instead, he set the bag down for me to inspect. I quickly skirted through the bag, seeing some beaten up stuffed animals and even a bib that had a sun with a face on it.

"This is real nice, Daryl. Where'd ya find it?"

"The run earlier this week, I kept fergettin' to give it to ya. Didn't want to be draggin' it around the whole damn prison trying to track ya down." He crossed his arms, and his brow furrowed.

"You're the one who disappears, not me." I quip at him, but feel my mouth turn up in a teasing way. "Never even see ya anymore unless Rick's 'round."

"Humph. Well, the point is that she's got some new things fer herself. I already ran the bib and toys under hot water. They been air dryin' and should be good as they're gonna get." He walked off before I could make a comment on his thoughtfulness.

I watched him walk away, watched the wings swish slightly back and forth on his back. He walked into the prison, probably to disappear for awhile. I shook my head and smiled at the thought. I grabbed the bag of goodies for Judith and set off to find the Grimes children. Maybe Judith wasn't gonna be the only thing that kept my days interesting anymore…