A/N: First off, I want to mention how insane Season 7's premiere was! It gave me so many different emotions. Secondly, I am pleased to see more people following my story! I will bring up that as I post more chapters, they will be getting a little longer. To me, this one feels a little short so I just wanted to bring that to your guy's attention.

CHAPTER THREE

"Carol and Judith are with you?!" Beth bounced over in front of Tyreese, electrified by the news, "I can't believe it!"

"Yes, but you have to keep quiet," Tyreese asked her calmly, "Don't want any walkers hearing us."

"Sorry," Beth took a breath but her smile remained as she lowered her voice, "It's just—I never expected it. It will be so nice to see them again."

Daryl smirked slightly over Beth's happiness, but his thoughts were filled with uncertainty. She had no idea that Carol was the one who killed Karen and David, and he wondered if Tyreese even knew. Daryl didn't know how to act around this new Carol, and it made him uncomfortable. He could only wait and see how she and Tyreese would interact, and if he wasn't satisfied, he would have to confront Carol himself about the issue. During their walk back, Daryl could feel the searing pain resurfacing all over his body from his bruises and possibly fractured ribs. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he couldn't wait to get back to camp just so he could rest.

"—and you two wouldn't believe the look on Carol's face when she saw you," Tyreese snapped Daryl out of his thoughts as they began to walk once again.

"I'm sure she was surprised," he replied, not knowing what else to say as he felt indifferent in the conversation.

"…and worried," Tyreese finished.

"Probably the same look I'll get when she sees me," Beth piped up with a chuckle, "And Judith… I can't wait to hold her again."

"Well, we're almost there," Tyreese said as he ducked under some branches of a tree, leading the way cautiously, "Won't have to wait much longer."

"How were you able to find us?" Daryl questioned with utmost curiosity.

"We's been followin' the group for a short while, studyin' them to see what kind of people they were. We also thought about stealing their food in the middle of the night because we were desperately hungry, and Judith needed food," Tyreese explained cheerfully, unable to hide the happiness he was feeling from finding his friends, "Bumping into you was happenstance."

By the time they entered the camp, the sun was beginning to set, giving a golden hue through the fog as it slowly rolled away. Specs of particles and tiny bugs were visible in the light, flying carelessly in the air. Carol had Judith bouncing on her hip as she stood, cooing her softly. The baby had been previously crying and was only just beginning to calm down. When Carol heard footsteps nearby, she spun around, already positioning her free hand on the holster of her belt in case it was trouble.

But luckily, it wasn't a walker or a stranger but rather three familiar faces, and she smiled with relief and elation. "Beth!" She called out as they entered the camp, and with no hesitation, the two entered into a hug.

Beth had her right arm around Carol while her left hand was on Judith's head. She could feel herself beginning to cry, so she quickly wiped the tears away when the hug had ended.

"It's so hard to believe that you're here!" Beth said with excitement, too overcome with joy to speak properly. "It's been a long time."

Carol nodded quickly as she too began to choke up a sob, "I know. I couldn't believe it myself when I saw them take you away and had left Daryl in the shape that he was," as she spoke, she placed Judith in Beth's arms and then turned to the redneck, "I've missed you both so much. I've missed everyone."

Daryl tried to fight back the weakness in his heart, but it was too difficult. Despite what Carol had done, he also still missed her, and for a shear moment he had forgotten about the events from the past. When Carol turned to look at him, he reacted instantly and walked straight up to her, hugging her tightly once again as soon as he reached her. It was a wonderful thing to find people from the prison, especially Carol who he had become such close friends with since Sophia's disappearance.

"If it wasn't for you two coming when you did, Beth and I would have both been goners," Daryl finally pulled away after he spoke, sharing glances between Carol and Tyreese. "Thank you."

Beth smiled warmly, feeling ready to cry again as she nodded while hugging Judith in her arms, afraid to let her go in case of losing her. When she found herself glimpsing at Daryl, for only a moment he caught her stare, and just through the look in his eyes Beth knew he was telling her that everything was going to be okay. She had to believe that. As she kissed Judith on the top of her head, Daryl walked over to her and reached out his arms with a playful smirk now plastered on his face, evident that he wanted a turn to hold lil' asskicker.

...

It was further in the evening when they put Judith to sleep, and the rabbit which had been cooked over the fire had now been eaten. It wasn't necessarily satisfying as they had to share it between the four of them, but it was enough to sustain them until morning. Beth made a point of filling up a basin of water by a creek before dinner, and then boiling it over the fire. Throughout the evening Daryl was curious about her undertakings, but was too tired and sore to bother asking. However, when the cold air of the evening arrived which inevitably chilled the water that was recently boiled; Beth grabbed a rag and drenched it in the bowl. This made Daryl curious again as she sat down beside him by the fire.

"What are you doin'?" He finally asked as he watched her intently.

"You have a cut above your eyebrow and your eye looks pretty ugly—" Beth started, but was quickly interrupted by Daryl's sarcasm.

"Thanks."

Beth breathed, ignoring his comment, "I figured I would try and take the swellin' down."

Daryl shrugged, appreciating it but he knew it wasn't necessary, "You don't need t'do that."

Beth caught his eye and gave him a solemn look, "I know, but I want to."

There was a silence between them as Daryl didn't know what else to say. He wasn't surprised by Beth's act of kindness because that's just who she was. So instead of declining the help, he accepted it with a quick nod, and the smile that suddenly appeared on her face warmed him up in a way he couldn't quite understand. Daryl was pleased to see that he made her smile, even if it was something as simple as letting her help mend the array of cuts and bruises that covered his face. Allowing her to forget the dangers that lurked outside their camp was worth the attention she was giving him, despite the fact that it made him slightly uncomfortable.

Beth felt victorious as she knew he didn't normally let people tend to his wounds, not if they weren't entirely serious. She admitted to herself that she did have a plan up her sleeve. She wanted to find an excuse to get closer to him, but the reasons behind it were unclear. As she gently patted his bruises with the cold water, he made a point to avoid eye contact which only made her smile longer. But as time went on and Daryl became more comfortable and relaxed behind the soft patting of the cloth, his eyes inadvertently lifted up slowly, tracing her jaw line up to her lips, nose and then to her eyes.

"What?" Beth breathed with a slight chuckle.

He shrugged again as he pulled away from their eye contact, looking back down at his hands. "Nothin'."

"It sure looked like a somethin'," Beth chuckled again.

"I was just thinkin' how I could teach you to use that bow we picked up," Daryl lied in order to change the subject, pointing at the weapon leaning against the rest of their supplies. It was apparent that he wanted to hide whatever he was actually thinking about.

Beth shook her head and her features wrinkled with repulsion. "I don't wanna touch anythin' that reminds me of them."

Daryl frowned for a moment, realizing that the situation affected her more than he predicted. Sure, he knew that what she experienced was scary and life threatening, but unfortunately they had been dealing with those kinds of experiences since the apocalypse started. "Look Beth, a weapon is an inanimate object, nothin' more. We've taken countless of weapons from our enemies in order to survive, so why is this any different?"

Beth shrugged as she kept her eyes on her hands, then at the red marks around her wrists from the rope that had once tied them together. "I felt very vulnerable. I had never myself experienced something so awful at the hands of another human being."

Daryl grunted. "Join the club."

"That's not funny," Beth shot Daryl an irritated glare before looking back down at her wrists when she didn't get a retort.

The redneck gave another frown, instantly regretting what he said and feeling terrible for being so insensitive. Daryl followed her eyes, noticing how poorly her wrists looked. He instantly grabbed the cloth she had previously used on him, and soaked it in the cold water. Moments later, and to Beth's amazement, he carefully took her hands into his and began dabbing the cloth on her sores. "I'm sorry, Beth. If you don't wanna to use the bow, that's fine. I jus' thought that with me using the crossbow and you the bow, we'd make quite the team."

A smile creased Beth's lips slightly as goosebumps rose upon her skin from his gentle touch. "Well, when you put it that way…" she replied, but her voice wandered as her thoughts traced back to the hunting shop. "I wanted to say sorry for not havin' the strength to fight them off with you. I coulda done somethin', but I just stood there while you were beaten—"

"Beth," Daryl interrupted reassuringly, stopping her before she could continue, "You're bein' too hard on yerself. What could you have done? There was six of em and two of us, and you were trapped in that man's arms. Don't go thinking this is yer fault," he referred to himself and his wounds.

Beth sighed, but silence followed. She wondered if perhaps he was right. Without warning, she slowly twisted her hand around and intertwined her fingers with Daryl's. She half expected him to let go and give her a stern look that said "what the hell are you doing?", but unpredictably he only tightened his hold.

"Carol and I have been meaning to talk to you both about something," Tyreese began as he walked over to them, watching the two with curiosity and abruptly ending their current conversation.

Daryl regarded the other man, feeling relieved by the disruption but also annoyed at the same time. He tossed the cloth back into the water and casually placed his hand back to his side.

"We've found a sign some ways down the tracks," Carol continued as she cleared her throat, sitting across from them on a log, "A sign that told us there was a sanctuary. It's at a Terminus."

"A sanctuary?" Beth asked with full attention, already feeling elated, "Do you think there are still people there?"

"We don't know for sure, but Carol and I were planning on headin' there to find out," Tyreese replied earnestly.

Daryl's first instinct was to believe it was a dangerous idea, but the thought of Beth's words repeated in his head. 'There are still good people Daryl.' At this point he wanted to agree with what she said, despite having just dealt with Joe and his group. Perhaps there was still good people out there, but that didn't mean he couldn't be cautious.

"Alright, Terminus it is," Daryl sighed, kicking the dirt under his feet, knowing that his answer would please Beth.

"Really? You're not at all concerned that it could be a set up?" Carol's confusion strung deep within her words, expecting a different answer from her friend.

"Maybe it could be, but like Tyreese said, we won't know unless we find out. We'll just have to be cautious is all," The roughness in Daryl's voice hung in the air as silence settled between them.

Carol paused in thought until she finally accepted his answer. "Okay, we'll head out at first light."

Suddenly, a spark from the fire belted up and lit a reflection in Beth's eyes just as an idea rushed to her mind, causing her to straighten her back abruptly. "What if there are others from the prison there?"

Daryl cocked his head at her as Carol and Tyreese looked at each other. This was certainly something that had entered their minds, but as much as they wanted to believe it, they knew the chances of that were very slim.

"Perhaps…" Carol drummed her fingers on her knee, "But we can't be certain. It's best not to get our hopes up."

Beth nodded as she looked down to her feet. She lifted an eyebrow as her unblinking eyes stared in thought. Within all odds, they found Carol, Tyreese and Judith, so who's to say they wouldn't find the others? It was wishful thinking and Carol was right—the idea of ever finding her sister, her brother-in-law, or anyone one else was unlikely, and she had to keep it that way for her own sake.

Unexpectedly, she felt Daryl's arm stretch around her back as his forearm reached up towards the middle of her shoulder blades. His fingers lightly traced circles around the base of her neck, and it snapped her out of her thoughts. He could sense her sorrow, but it was easy to detect. When she looked at him, he kept his eyes directed on the camp fire, trying his hardest not to look her way. On instinct, she bravely inched closer until their legs touched, and she leaned onto his side and settled her head in the crook of his neck.

Daryl froze for only a moment until he decided to wrap his right arm around her waist, encouraging the embrace. The strands of her blond hair tickled his face, but it didn't bother him. He was content, just like at the funeral home when he would lie down and listen to her playing the piano while she'd sing different songs. Although this specific situation had never happened before and it made him feel a little awkward, it was also calming.

As the fire began to dwindle down, Beth had fallen asleep on him, and Daryl found that the only ones who were left awake were him and Carol. He figured this was his moment to talk to her privately as he never had the chance to do it earlier. Carefully, Daryl lifted Beth up slightly as he moved himself out of his spot, and gently laid her down on the blanket beneath them. As he stood and began walking towards Carol, it had caught her attention immediately.

"Still awake?" Carol asked thoughtfully, but a smirk appeared on her lips.

Daryl grunted slightly as he leaned against a tree beside her, "Can't sleep." He had wondered if Carol had thought anything of this new closeness between him and Beth. Daryl didn't even know what it was even if she questioned him; all he knew was that he relished it.

"Well I'm not going to ask you to take watch because you need the rest. I can just imagine how sore you're feeling right now," Carol explained as she stared at him peculiarly. His attitude and gestures were not as she remembered them to be. Something was wrong.

"I'm alright. Nothin' I haven't felt before," Daryl shrugged, not making complete eye contact with her. He was trying to figure out how to bring up such a delicate topic about Karen and David without sounding like a complete asshole.

"Okay, something is up. What is it?" Carol enquired, her voice now bursting with concern and impatience.

Daryl looked at her hesitantly then, surprised by how well she read him. His once elusive disposition was starting to fail him. Either that or she was beginning to know him too well. However, his need to just get it off the table increased more and more with each passing moment, so he decided to just come out with it. "Does Tyreese know what you did?" He whispered, but the coarseness in his voice made his question sound sharper than intended.

Carol was taken aback, unable to speak for what felt like several seconds until she finally regained her composure. "I guess Rick told you?"

"Yeah, he did. He told a few of us but never got the chance to tell Tyreese before the prison was blown up by the shit faced Governor and his lackeys," Daryl spoke with anger when he mentioned their previous antagonist.

Carol eyed the ground as she briefly nodded, accepting the rage that was brewing inside of her friend. When she finally looked at Daryl, she replied to his question, "Yes, Tyreese knows. I told him a couple nights ago. He said he forgives me."

Daryl was a little shocked as he did not expect the answer she gave him, but it allowed an instant sense of relief as far as Tyreese was concerned. However, there was one more thing he needed to know that was still itching harshly beneath his skin. "Rick said you did it for us. What does that mean?"

Carol sighed, wishing not to speak about it but she knew he wouldn't stop asking until an answer was given. "Karen and David were the first ones to get sick after Patrick. I thought that maybe by executing them and burning their bodies it might stop the sickness from spreading. It was something I knew I had to do to try and keep everyone else safe. I didn't want to; you have to know that…"

Daryl fell silent for a few moments, finding the explanation difficult to hear. However, he was glad she had a plausible reason for it and it wasn't just because she went crazy. "I found it hard to believe Rick when he first told me. Thought that maybe you were jus' coverin' for someone."

"No. I am the one who has to bear the guilt, nobody else," Her voice was grave as she hung her head low, knowing she would have to keep this with her for the rest of her life.

Daryl remembered back to when Rick said that Carol had no guilt in what she did, but he wondered now if maybe that had changed. It must have, otherwise she wouldn't have used that word. He trusted Carol too much to think any differently. Without speaking, Daryl lifted himself off the tree and put a hand on her shoulder, consoling her as best he could. Carol placed her hand on his, no longer able to hold back a sob. The moment her first tear fell, Carol turned directly to face him and then pulled him into a hug. They stood there for several seconds until Carol let go, finally able to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

"I'll take watch," Daryl whispered, relieving her from her post.

Carol instantly shook her head. "No, you had a hard day and you need your rest to heal. I'll stay awake."

"I'm not tired," Daryl protested sharply as he took a quick, protective glimpse at Beth.

Carol smiled, realizing why he was so eager, and lowered her tone to a whisper, "Don't worry, I'll make sure she's safe, but you need the rest."

He shot Carol a glance, and almost felt a flush of embarrassment. Daryl was glad that the darkness covered the crimson that burned on his cheeks.

His instant response afterwards was a 'humph,' but he quickly shook it off and accepted her request. However, a part of him was relieved at the idea of lying down and going to sleep, as much as he hated to admit it. Without another word, Daryl left her side back towards the fire that was now only burning inside the coals. He stood there silently, watching Beth sleeping peacefully on the blanket. As he eyed around the rest of the camp, he spotted another empty blanket which was for either him or Carol.

Daryl sighed in thought, unsure of which route to take, but at the last moment he decided it was best to sleep on his own blanket. In the end it made more sense, but as he lied there by himself, he stole a few glances at Beth from time to time realizing that she was shivering. It bothered him that he didn't have the guts to move over beside her and keep her warm, and because of that he found it difficult to fall asleep. But then another thought came to his attention, and he decided to just go with it as his own mind games were making him irritated.

Daryl stood up clumsily, staggered by the throbbing pain but tried his hardest to disregard it, and took the sheet from underneath him and crouched over beside her. Without hesitation, he pulled it over her carefully, trying his best not to wake her. Beth slurred for only a moment, but remained asleep. When he finished his task, he lied down a couple feet away from her, giving enough respect of her space but remained close enough where he was still on her blanket. After several minutes he realized that she had stopped shivering. This satisfied him enough where he was finally able to close his eyes and fall asleep.

Carol had happened to witness the kind gesture of Daryl's, and she smiled to herself. She couldn't quite understand how such an unlikely pair had formed, but she figured that their time alone was all that they needed. After all, opposites do attract, and Beth was good for him despite the age difference. She wondered if they were even aware of the relationship that was forming between them, and as an outsider looking in, it was unmistakably obvious. Carol couldn't help but feel a small pang of envy, but she would let it go as she was content with having such a close friend like Daryl. She was happy for them, truly.