Summary: After the Battle of Terminus, and everyone is finally reunited, Beth has an idea about what to do with this place that saw so much suffering. Will Daryl support her or not?
A/N: Maggie will be thrilled to learn that her sister is, in fact, still alive, but I think she might be a little concerned about Beth's new-found love of moonshine, arson, and shooting a crossbow! (slight Bethyl, if you see it that way, otherwise it's just a friendship story)
...
After Terminus
After a running battle that had lasted most of the day, finally the gates were secured and most of the old railroad buildings were cleared. The group was gathered by the gardens near the inner gate. They'd decided to set up camp there for the night, building a small fire for warmth.
Everyone was still reeling from the events of the day, what they'd discovered, what they'd lost.
Carl sat between Carol and Michonne, cradling his baby sister sleeping in his arms, almost afraid to take his eyes off her. Rick knelt by the fire, poking a couple scavenged potatoes onto the coals. Tyrese, Sasha, Glenn and Abraham had taken up watch, on the look-out for any returning cultists.
The others were mostly quiet, slowly unrolling their blankets. Maggie sat next to her sister, arm around her back, head resting tiredly on Beth's shoulder.
Beth glanced at Daryl sitting beside her, staring into the low fire. He'd clearly taken a beating sometime before he found her. There was still blood on his face and his eye would probably be swollen in the morning.
Beth watched the fire for a few minutes, a thoughtful look coming across her face. Then she raised her head to see the building across the small yard from them, where they'd found…well, what they'd found. The cultists' handiwork.
"I know what we should do," Beth said.
Daryl didn't even have to look up. He could hear the mischievous grin in her voice.
"We should bu-"
"Beth, no," Daryl cut her off.
"But Daryl," she pleaded, "Even if we stay here, it's not like we can go in there again. Why shouldn't we just-"
"Am I missing something here?" Maggie asked, now looking between her sister's determined expression and Daryl shaking his head.
Daryl waved his arm in the general direction of the Terminus buildings, as if that would explain everything, and answered Beth, "See, look how close that warehouse is, then them other buildings too. You light one up, get a nice westerly wind blowing, and it'll spread faster than you can spit."
"Fine," Beth sighed, "If you say so."
By now Rick was looking over at them to, wondering if he should be concerned about this particular train of conversation.
"Girl, you can't solve every problem with arson," Daryl told Beth.
"I know that," Beth replied simply, favoring him with a smile that seemed to say, 'I know what you went through to find me and I'm glad you're here.'
The smallest smile tugged at Daryl's mouth as he turned back to stare into the fire again and Maggie could have sworn that she heard him mutter, "Moonshine, neither."
Maggie exchanged a perplexed look with Rick, who just gave a small shrug and went back to tending the roasting vegetables.
Oh, her little sister definitely had some explaining to do!
