"She's been here for almost 2 days now."

"No," Rick's tone is firm.

"But Dad," Carl's practically begging him now.

"Did you forget what happened last time? Do you want to get beat up by Maggie, Carl?"

It doesn't take a genius for Beth to figure out what Carl is asking his dad. He wants to know how Beth is alive. She takes a quick glance around the group as they trek steadily onwards to their unknown destination. More than a few of them are staring at her, hastily averting their eyes when she looks their way.

They all want to know.

"It's okay, Rick."

Rick jumps at the sound of Beth's soft voice and a smile tugs at the corners of Beth's lips. He must not have realized that she's been walking behind him for the past mile or so.

"You've got something you want to ask me, Carl?" Beth asks him sweetly. She has no problems telling the curious kid how she survived, but she also wants to see him squirm a little bit.

A hush falls over the group. Any side conversations between the others have stopped and everyone has their attention focused on Beth.

Carl looks decidedly uncomfortable now that the moment has arrived. His eyes keep shifting to Maggie, who looks a little bit like she wants to strangle the boy. Beth shoots her a smile to calm her down just a little bit.

"Um," Carl moves his eyes downward, focusing on the gravel road they've been following, "how did you...you know."

"How did I what?" Carl can't see her because he's looking down, but Beth is pressing her lips together to stop herself from giggling at the boy's awkwardness.

"Survive a bullet through the head." His eyes are trained entirely on the ground as he mutters the last few words.

"Thanks for having the guts to ask, Carl," she says warmly, just to make sure that he knows she isn't angry with him.

Taking a deep breath and making sure that everyone's attention is on her because she definitely does not want to have to repeat herself, Beth launches into the story. She tells them about waking up in the hospital and not knowing where she was, the bullet had robbed her of all memories since watching her father die.

At that, she feels Daryl stiffen beside her.

Hastily, she tells them that the memories came back after some time. She wonders if the others see the way Daryl's shoulders relax at her words or if it's just in her head.

Beth tells them about how Doctor Edwards had explained everything to her. How she'd stabbed Dawn and been shot. How her group had carried her out of the building to give her a proper burial, only to be swarmed by a herd and have to leave her body behind. Then he'd told her about hearing her faint heartbeat and rushing her into life saving surgery.

"I think he talked himself up a lot. I mean, how difficult can brain surgery be anyway?" Beth tries to make a joke to lighten the mood, but it falls flat.

"So they just let you go after you were healed?" Carl is hanging off her every word.

"No. They wanted me to work off my debt, just like the last time."

"How'd you get out then?" Maggie asks.

"Turns out I'm a pretty fast runner."

She tells them about the months she spent by herself. How Daryl's lessons came back to her and kept her alive. She looks over at him as she says that and sees a faint red tinge across his cheeks.

"Did you run into trouble with any other groups?" Rick questions.

"A few times." Beth's tone is sharp, making it clear that she wasn't about to talk about that with the others.

Some things are better kept secret.


"We can't keep sleeping outside with Judy like this. It's too dangerous," says Beth later that afternoon as she bounces the young girl on her knee.

"She needs shelter," Carol nods her agreement, reaching over to tuck a stand of Judith's blonde hair behind her ear.

"She needs a home. We all do," Carl's voice sounds from across the clearing where they're setting up camp for the evening.

There's silence after his words.

He's right. Spending day after day on the road and on the run is no way for Judith to grow up. It's no way for Carl to spend the remainder of his teenage years either.

They can't keep on like this, always a moment or wrong step away from death.

They need to find somewhere they can stay permanently. Somewhere like the prison, but more isolated.

Daryl clears his throat. "We're pretty close to Toccoa. Used to head up that way hunting before this mess began. A few lakes nearby too and, unless walkers started swimming, they're probably still stocked with fish. There'll be some campgrounds around the lakeshore with cabins and the like. Might not be too bad of a place to set up."

The group is slow to express their opinions, considering the options before them. Soon enough though, the group is voicing their approval.

"We'll try and find some vehicles to take us the rest of the way tomorrow then." Rick nods his agreement. "Do you think you could find the way from here, Daryl?"

Beth doesn't wait to hear his answer. She knows that Daryl will be able to get them there with minimal trouble; she has no doubt in his abilities.

Judith babbles some nonsensical words from her position on Beth's lap and she turns her attention back to the young girl. Greedy fingers reach up and Judy tries to stuff some of Beth's blonde hair into her mouth.

"No, no Judy," Beth laughs, "hair is for looking pretty and keeping your head warm, not for eating, silly girl."

Judith claps her hands together and giggles in response

"Soon your hair is going to be long enough for me to braid it. Would you like that, little one?"

"Brainwashing her into your style at a young age, are you?" A teasing voice meets her ears.

"Hey Daryl," Beth smiles at him as he kneels down next to her and Judith.

"I'm about to head out and see if the game is any better up here," he says.

Beth knows this is his way of inviting her along on the hunt without actually saying as much.

"Hang on, just let me pass Judith along to someone else and I'll come with you."

Daryl nods and shifts his weight from foot to foot as he waits for her.

Beth stands up and casts her eyes around the camp, looking for someone to take care of Judy with she hunts for dinner with Daryl. Sasha and Ty are building the fire. Carol and Carl are putting up their few tents. Rick and the others are stringing the noisemakers between the trees and securing the clearing.

"Oh." Beth's shoulder's sag a little bit at her realization. "I guess I'm on Judy duty then."

Daryl shrugs. "Tomorrow then. Besides, this little tyke will be big enough to come along soon enough anyway." Daryl reaches out and ruffles Judith's hair.

Judy responds by blowing a raspberry in his direction and then bursting out into giggles.

Beth laughs. "I think that means she agrees with you." She pauses, "You'll be okay by yourself?"

"Of course," Daryl makes to leave, but he turns around at the last moment and gently tugs on the strand of hair that Judy had pulled out of Beth's braid, "I'm always okay, you know that."

He leaves quickly after that, not meeting Beth's eyes.


"He should be back by now, don't you think?" Beth tries to keep her voice calm and her eyes trained on the fire. She doesn't want to betray just how nervous she is thinking by glancing at the tree line every few seconds.

Daryl should have been back before sunset.

Sunset had been almost an hour ago.

"He's probably just tracking something," Rick dismisses, "nothing to worry about."

But Beth is worried. She's fraught with nervousness. What if something had happened to him? Something that could have been avoided if only she had gone with him on the hunt.

Beth remembers being back on her family's farm, back when she didn't really know Daryl. Back then, he had just been the man who lived on the edge of the farm and never spoke to her. She remembered him looking for that little girl and coming back from his search with an arrow sticking out of her torso.

What if something like that had happened again? Only what if it was worse this time and he couldn't walk? What if he's currently lying out in the woods, unable to get back to her, just waiting for the closest walker to stumble across him.

But then her thoughts are interrupted by the sounds of their noisemakers and a figure staggering into the clearing.

Without really thinking, Beth thrusts Judith towards whoever is sitting next to her. Once she can feel that Carl has a solid grip on the small child, she takes off running towards the figure.

"Beth?" Daryl's voice sounds wrong as she runs towards him.

As she gets closer, she can see the blood oozing out of a gash on his forehead glistening in the moonlight.

"Daryl!" She exclaims, immediately moving forward to support him when she sees just how unsteady he is on his feet. "What happened?"

"Damn rock fell on me on the way back. Must have passed out for awhile." Daryl explains as Rick runs up and supports him on the other side.

It worries Beth how quickly he accepts help from the two of them to walk to the fire. She knows he would normally put up a fight; it shows her just how unsteady he must be feeling.

Once they have him settled by the fire and Sasha is tending to his wound with their sparse stash of medical supplies, Daryl speaks up again.

"I know I missed dinner, but I found us some meat." He tosses out a few squirrels and a rabbit that he had clipped to his belt that Beth and Rick had somehow missed.

"Only you would almost get killed and still somehow manage to bring back dinner." Beth shakes her head fondly, able to see a little more humour in the situation now that she knows Daryl is safe and not in danger.

She tries not to think about what the level of worry she felt for him might mean.

Just as she tries to ignore the heat in her stomach when he turns his eyes to hers.


"I thought Michonne took your guard shift?" Beth whispers as she sits down next to Daryl while everyone else is asleep.

"She did. She's over there." He points across camp, where Beth can see another figure sitting against a tree, facing away from them.

"What are you doing up then?"

"Could ask you the same thing."

Beth shrugs. "Just couldn't sleep."

Daryl nods and they rest in the sounds of the night for a few minutes.

But then Beth feels the words bubbling up inside of her and she just can't stop them.

"I thought you weren't coming back," she whispers, continuing when she feels him shifting beside her to look her way. "I thought something horrible had happened to you and that it was all my fault because I hadn't gone with you."

"Wasn't your fault, Beth," he reassures her.

"I know, but what if something had happened to you, Daryl? What if you hadn't come back?"

Daryl is quiet for a minute, "Beth, if that happens -"

She tries to cut him off, to tell him that it won't happen because she just won't allow it, but he doesn't let her.

"No Beth, listen. If that happens, you'll be safe with the group. Rick'll look after you. He'll keep you safe."

"I don't care about being safe, Daryl."

"Should be the only thing you care about," he snorts, "You should care about getting through this mess alive."

"You just don't get it, do you?" Beth shakes her head, smiling ever so slightly.

She can see the question reflected in his eyes in the silver moonlight.

Beth doesn't know how to answer it, so instead she just leans in and presses her lips to his.

Her heart hammers against her chest, terrified and humiliated when he doesn't respond.

But then, just as she is about to pull away and stammer out an apology, his lips move under hers.

And then his hands are on her arms, tugging her gently closer to him, deepening the kiss.

She can see the expression on his face when she pulls back slightly to catch her breath. Beth can practically read the thoughts that are running through his mind at a breaking speed as if they were written clearly on his face. She knows that when he sees his hands in the moonlight, darkened with dirt and grime and dried blood, against her pale skin, he sees something ugly.

He sees himself dirtying and ruining something incredibly pure.

But she doesn't see that. She could never see that.

She sees beauty in the contrast.

"Don't think those thoughts," she murmurs, pushing a loose strand of hair out of his eyes.

He looks like he wants to say something, but no words come.

Beth wishes she could let him see through her eyes. She wishes he could understand what she sees when he touches her.

She sees art in the slight trail of dirt that his fingertips leave on her skin as he caresses her arm so gently. She wants him to paint on the rest of her body like a canvas.

She looks at him like he is an artist and she wants to be his masterpiece.

She leans in and catches his lips again.

Author's Note: What did you guys think of the new episode? I won't post anything on here in case anyone hasn't seen it yet, but come chat with me over on tumblr about it (fireandflood)! Thanks for all your support, lovelies. It honestly makes my day whenever I see feedback on this! You guys rock!