Beth was cranky. The cold had started to creep into the days even. Rain had come too. Wind blew, Judith cried but thankfully wasn't getting sick again. Beth made sure to keep her bundled up good and snug.

What made Beth cranky was how she couldn't take a shower when it was really cold. Nobody could. They had to make due with sponging off at the sinks in the women's shower room twice a week when the heater was turned on for an hour on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Beth put the baby into the stroller and took her to the dining room. She knew not all of it was the showers. It was Daryl too. It was Christmas morning and she hadn't seen him in three days. He'd gone hunting with Michonne and not been back all that time.

"What's got you so grouchy?" asked Maggie.

"How long will this hunting trip take?"

At once Beth didn't like the smirk on her sister's face.

"Why are you grinning at me like that?"

"You're scared for Daryl and it's showing up as anger. That's how you're dealing."

"I am not."

"You got a crush."

Beth heaved a sigh and left the table, too annoyed to stick around for Maggie's teasing. She pushed Judith over to Carl and told him to take her until Rick came in from checking the traps. She'd help Karen with chores or maybe help her daddy practice walking on his new prosthetic leg. Anything was better than Maggie's making fun.

Karen was on fence duty. There were six walkers left to kill and then Tyreese and a couple other men, maybe David and Henry, would help him load up the bodies to be taken to the woods for burning. Beth grabbed a sharpened pole and went to help.

"Karen, how did you know you liked Tyreese?"

"I started to hate not having him around. When you like someone you feel a flutter in your chest when you see him, or when you think of him. You miss them when they're gone from you, even if they're just somewhere out of sight but not far away. You like somebody?"

Beth shrugged, embarrassed to admit that maybe Maggie was right. Maybe she did have a crush because Beth missed Daryl something awful. She didn't know how important his visits were to her until they stopped when he left to hunt and look for supplies. It was like the whole world was always taking up every second of their lives but she and Daryl had all these stolen moments when he'd visit. She cherished every single one, too. She wanted more.

"Yeah," answered Beth. "I kinda think I do but I don't know for sure. Is he a good friend and I just like him being around? Or is it more?"

"Don't worry. You'll figure it out."

The walkers were dead and Tyreese and Henry came to collect the bodies.

"Be careful," Karen told him.

Tyreese winked at her. "I will."


Beth was at the barbecue when she heard the familiar rumble of Daryl's bike. The Tucson was behind him, driven by Michonne. It was evening, just getting dark and the stormy sky was gonna pour but Beth didn't care. She hurried over to Daryl and greeted him with a smile. She thought to hug him but then decided that might embarrass him so she held back.

"You was gone a long time."

"Yeah. Big trip."

He looked exhausted but Beth was still hurt when he just got off his bike and started inside, telling her to gather a team to help unload the truck.

"You mad at me?" she asked.

"Nah, just tired."

Then he was gone, heading inside without a look back. Maybe she had a little crush on Daryl but she felt like an idiot thinking he'd look twice at her. She sometimes caught him eyeballing Michonne, or Carol, or some of the other women. He never did her. She thought maybe she was too young and flat-chested to catch his eye.

It took a long time to unload the truck. Every inch of it was packed with supplies. There was canned goods and other food. There was a big buck tied to the roof. Beth was grateful for the diapers and formula for Judith.

Some Christmas, thought Beth.

Rick announced they'd have a dinner since Daryl had snagged two huge turkeys. If nobody got greedy they could all have some meat. With everything inventoried Beth said goodnight to Carol and Maggie and went back to her cell.

She dressed for bed and had a feeling she wouldn't see Daryl because he was tired from such a long run. She peeped into the hall and saw she was alone before she rushed down the hall to his cell. He sat in a chair, leaning forward and checking his crossbow bolts.

"Welcome back."

He grunted by way of greeting. He was moving weird. Stiff.

"You okay? You look stiff."

"I'm old so yeah I'm stiff."

"You ain't old!" she laughed and stepped into his cell. "Let's me help. I used to do this for mama and Maggie when harvest came."

She helped him tug down his vest and then began to knead the muscles in his neck and shoulders. He was knotted up good and proper but after five minutes or so he began to relax and Beth began to hum.

"Whatcha humming?"

"Mine by Taylor Swift. I loved her."

"Sing it," he said.

"You always get this painful look on your face when I sing. Like you got a bad case of gas."

"Nuh-uh," he said, half amused and half annoyed but she sang anyway and kept rubbing his shoulders.

Then he stretched and she saw the muscles in his arms bulge and she felt a flutter. It wasn't the kind of flutter Karen talked about. This flutter was in her nether regions not her chest. Beth didn't usually let herself look at Daryl like that but now she was.

The energy between them changed in the way she was touching him and she knew Daryl felt it too. He looked at her while her fingers went from kneading his muscles to stroking them. She squeezed his shoulders and that flutter got more intense. Daryl wasn't moving anymore. He just sat there and she felt him tensing up again.

"Um, you're better, I guess," she said really softly.

"Yeah," Daryl grunted. He seemed still afraid to move though.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the dinner."

He nodded and Beth left him alone.