Disclaimer: A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.

THANK YOU TO Nicole137137 for yet another amazing editing job! I apprecaite you letting me bounce ideas off you so much! XOXO

...

A branch slashed across Beth's cheek, but she didn't have time to stop. The mass of groaning bodies chasing them didn't tire. Their decomposing muscles felt no fatigue. Therefore, they had to keep running; keep moving.

"Beth!" Maggie screamed as a walker reached out for her.

Beth threw her arms out, her fingers sinking into the deteriorating flesh until she hit the sternum, keeping the walker's teeth at bay. Another walker was coming up behind her. She could hear the shuffling of its feet. They had no weapons, not even a knife, and no sane person fought off walkers with their bare hands. However, Beth was desperate.

Thinking quickly, knowing she wouldn't be able to hold the walker off of her much longer in her weakened state or without being attacked from behind, she kicked the walker's knee. Biting her lip when she didn't get the result she desired, she kicked again, putting more force behind the motion. There was a sickening crack of bone and cartilage dislodging and the walker fell to its knees. At the same time, Maggie grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the reach of the approaching walker. Then they were running again.

She and Maggie had been cut off from the group. They had been lagging behind, caught up in their own conversation, when they ran into the herd they were forced to go down a different path than everyone else. They had tried to stay parallel with where they had seen everyone else run, but with the chaos the walkers had brought they weren't sure where they had been steered.

"Where the hell did they all come from?" Maggie breathed, shoving a walker out of her path.

"We had a pretty good shoot out the other day. Think they were attracted by it?" Beth wheezed, ducking under a tree limb.

"Maybe," Maggie responded tersely.

They ran into an open area and stood back to back. Beth desperately searched for any sign of where the others had run. They had put a good distance between them and the center of the herd, now only having to deal with the stragglers, but without weapons the walkers were virtually invincible. Beth knew she could stomp their heads in, but that left the issue of getting them on the ground to do so. Maybe with Maggie's help?

"Beth! Maggie!" A voice drifted over the groans of the dead.

"We're here!" Beth yelled as both girls dashed in the direction of the voice.

She spotted Carl using a fallen branch to smash a walker's head. Maggie must have noticed as well because they were both looking to the ground for a sturdy limb to use as a makeshift bat. Finding one she deemed adequate, Beth bent down and grabbed it as she ran by. She glanced back over her shoulder to check on Maggie and Beth's blood ran cold.

Maggie had turned off course to grab a decent sized branch. In stopping she had given a nearby walker time to catch up to her. She was now on her back, tree branch held out in front of her with both hands, acting as a barrier between Maggie and the walker. The limb began cracking in the middle as the walker force itself closer to Maggie. It snarled and snapped at her. With no lips to cover the yellowing teeth, or much of any facial features worth recognizing, Maggie looked like she was going to be devoured by a monster.

"No," Beth breathed and her feet were moving of their own accord.

She dropped her shoulder and barreled into the once-human creature. Her ribs burned from the jarring, but she had been able to get Maggie out of immediate danger. Beth dropped to her knees, the pain making it impossible to stand. She wrapped one arm around her torso, clenching her eyes shut, hoping that the support of her arm would ease the fire under her skin.

She tried to open her eyes and make sure Maggie was able to get up, but the only thing she could see was white, hot pain. A loud banging erupted next to her, followed by a squishing, wet sound and the groaning of the walker was silenced. The eerie stillness remained for a few more moments and then Beth could hear leaves rustling. Steady, even steps approached her.

"Beth…Bethy" Maggie's hesitant voice was enough to make Beth melt.

"I'm…okay…" Beth managed to slur.

"We gotta' get up. Carl and Rick need our help," Maggie's tone was more urgent.

Beth nodded, opening her eyes and letting the world spin around her. After a few moments, the earth stilled and she was able to see clearly. She pushed off of her knees, forcing herself to stand, and looked over to Rick and Carl. The two of them were fending off a few walkers while Daryl and Glenn, still holding the Terminus guard, watched their backs. Beth knew Daryl would drop the man if it meant saving Rick or Carl, but she also knew he was only keeping the man away from the walkers so they could help the captives they left behind.

"Go," Beth whispered, "I'm comin'."

Maggie didn't wait to be told twice. Beth followed behind, catching sight of Sasha and Bob helping Rosita and Abraham protect Eugene. Michonne was a few yards past them.

"We gotta' run," Rick yelled as he struck the only walker left close enough to cause harm.

Beth groaned internally. She could barely walk at the moment, much less run. All she could focus on was talking one more step; keeping one foot in front of the other. Her ribs ached. She wasn't sure if jarring them like she had when he rushed that walker had done more damage or aggravated the injuries she already had.

Coming toward her she saw brown shoes, following them up to equally brown pants, and continuing until she met stark blue. She looked around him to see that Maggie had taken his place shouldering their semi-conscious hostage. The conflict with the walkers had brought the man out of his obliviousness.

"What're you doin'?" Beth was confused.

"We gotta' get a move on and you're just gonna' slow us down," Daryl remarked, looping on arm around her waist and bringing her arm closest to him to wrap around his shoulder.

Beth was hit with a sense of déjà vu, however, there were two stark differences. The first was the winter months that had separated them and the second being her ankle wasn't her debilitating injury. Knowing that Daryl was more concerned with the situation they were in and not exactly angry with her, Beth let his snide remark slide.

"What tha' hell were you thinkin'? Gettin' so far behind like that," Daryl grumbled as he helped her catch up with the group.

"What?" Beth turned to glare at him.

"You and Maggie. Both ah' y'all back there gossipin' instead of paying attention t'what's goin' on around you," Daryl sneered.

"He's just lashing out. He's pissed we don't have weapons. He's mad that yet another opportunity for sanctuary has blown up in our faces. He's taking it out on you because he knows you'll understand he's just venting and won't hold him accountable for any of the stupid things he's sayin'," Beth chanted to herself, droning out Daryl's rant. It was, however, taking immeasurable strength not to blow up right back at him.

"…you're smarter'n that," she caught the tail end of his tirade.

Beth clenched her teeth. Clearly her prior assumption had been incorrect; Daryl was livid with her as well. He was saying these things to hurt her; a punishment of sorts. She wasn't going to rise to his bait and say something she would later regret, no matter how much he pissed her off.

Daryl quieted down, wearing a scowl, as they caught up with everyone. There were more walkers coming after them, deviating from the main herd, attracted by the commotion they had made fighting off the ones they had run into cutting through the woods. The walkers were slow and as long as the group kept moving, the corpses would lose their scent and chase the next thing that caught their attention.

They kept the railroad tracks in sight, hoping to warn off anyone else looking for sanctuary, but they otherwise traveled in silence. Beth hadn't spoken since she'd questioned Daryl, and he hadn't so much as looked at her since, but the tension between them was suffocating. She wasn't going to pretend that she hadn't gotten caught up in her conversations with Maggie, expecting their walk to be a peaceful stroll through the woods, but he hadn't been on top of his game either. Daryl was always the first to notice when things weren't right and for some reason, today, that hadn't happened.

They had been walking for at least an hour, more or less, and the pain in her ribs had finally becoming an uncomfortable twinge. The longer she accepted Daryl's help walking, the more asphyxiated she felt. She kept replaying the harsh things he had said to her in her head until she couldn't handle being near him anymore. If she didn't create space, and soon, she was going to end up blurting something out and causing a scene.

She pulled her arm from his grasp over his shoulder, using her other hand to remove his grip around her hip, "I'm fine. I can walk on my on now. Thanks."

She hadn't meant to sound as curt as her words had come out, but she decided he deserved a little of the fire roiling within her.

"You sure 'bout that?" His tone came out neutral, but to Beth he might as well have been calling her frail.

"I said I'm fine," Beth bit back.

She didn't stay close long enough for him to make another remark, she didn't glance over her shoulder as she walked away, and instead she walked straight over to Maggie and pointedly made herself pretend that Daryl Dixon didn't matter. He had called her out on breaking one of the rules he'd taught her, always be aware of your surroundings, and as much as she was angry with him, she was most upset at herself.

So Beth pushed thoughts of Daryl aside, needing time to clear her head and get herself back to thinking rationally. When she had cooled off she would go apologize and tell him he was right, but for the time being she needed to remove his constant presence from her mind.

...

It was nightfall. They had traveled most of the day, trying to find a decent place with ample coverage, close to the tracks, and not too far from Terminus. The stars twinkled above, barely visible through the trees, giving the only light available to illuminate the dark. They hadn't come across any more walkers since the herd earlier. Beth assumed that any nearby walkers had been attracted to the sounds from Terminus and that they probably wouldn't run into anymore unless they traveled farther out. Not that she was complaining, but the stillness of the woods bothered her almost more than knowing when walkers were nearby.

Beth lay on her back, counting the stars, trying to will herself to sleep. Most everyone, save two people on guard duty, were trying to catch up on much needed rest. They had nothing to use to set up a perimeter, one small pocketknife and a few sticks to kill walkers, and the clothes on their backs. She wasn't sure how much luck everyone else was having, but sleep just wasn't going to come to her.

She tried to blame her inability to relax on their situation, that she didn't have her security blanket she had come to rely on; her crossbow, but it came down to that she was just being stubborn. She felt guilty about how she'd snapped at Daryl, even if he had been unnecessarily irritable with her, but she knew she was to blame. She couldn't have stopped the walkers, but if she had been paying more attention she could have reacted quicker and kept her and Maggie from getting separated, however brief it had been.

It was her stubborn pride getting in the way. She had never been a vain person; always doing what was right, but for whatever reason she didn't want to seem weak in front of Daryl. Then again, her daddy had always told her that it takes a bigger person to admit they were wrong.
Sighing heavily, sitting up from where she lay close to Maggie, who was blissfully asleep snuggled up to Glenn, Beth looked around their camp. Sasha and Bob were sitting back to back, keeping watch, and everyone else lay scattered on the ground. Rick, Carl and Michonne, although Michonne lay a greater distance away than Rick and Carl, were a few feet away from her.

Abraham and Eugene lay sprawled out across from the fire, Tara and Rosita talking quietly close by, but she didn't see Daryl anywhere. Beth got up quietly and made her way to Sasha. She gave a small wave to Tara, who had lifted her head to see if there was a disturbance, and crouched in front of Sasha.

"You seen Daryl?" Beth whispered.

"Yeah, he walked that way a few minutes ago. Guess he couldn't sleep either," Sasha gave a sad smile, "Probably checkin' to make sure nothings out there."

Beth nodded, not wanting to wake anyone lucky enough to have fallen asleep with their conversation, and tiptoed in the direction Sasha had indicated. She couldn't see his tracks in the dark and knew how light Daryl could be on his feet. If he didn't want her to find him, she wouldn't.

There was no campfire for Beth to gauge how far she had ventured from the group. She had counted fifty steps and decided that was far enough. She stood still, listening for anything that might give Daryl away, while also making sure nothing snuck up on her.

There was complete silence.

Beth breathed, taking in the fragrance of the woods, and realized she was more at peace standing here than she had been all day. She felt more in her element out here. It was almost laughable. All the months she had spent on her own, wishing for company, and she found the most solace in her solitude.

There was a sound to her left and Beth's reflexes took over. When she spotted a familiar figure emerging from the dark shadows of the trees she allowed herself to relax. He hadn't said anything, but with the way he kept glancing up at her from under his shaggy bangs, Beth knew she wasn't the only one who had something they wanted to say.

"Hey," she started quietly.

"Hey," he echoed.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Beth eased into the conversation.

"Nah. Too much on my mind," Daryl replied.

"Yeah…" Beth nodded. She knew they were dancing around the subject, but she wasn't ready to shatter the small bit of peace she had just found.

"Where's yer' weapon?" Daryl looked her over.

"In Terminus," Beth couldn't help but remark.

"Smartass," Daryl smirked, "You know what I meant."

"If you're referrin' to the tree branch I had earlier, I dropped it before you decided I needed help walkin'," Beth answered truthfully.

"Damnit Beth. This ain't no fuckin' amusement park," Daryl approached her.

"I know that!" Beth's voice rose an octave, "But you're being a hypocrite!"

"How so?" Daryl glared at her.

"You don't have one either!" Beth gestured at him with her hand.

"Don't gimme' that bullshit. You know good and well that I can take care'ah myself," Daryl snubbed her.

"So can I!" Beth was growing frustrated.

"I didn't say ya' couldn't," Daryl growled back.

"But you're implyin' it," Beth sighed.

Daryl narrowed his eyes at her. Clearly he was still just as annoyed with her as she was him. Unless Beth calmed down, they weren't going to resolve anything and she wasn't going to hold her breath thinking Daryl would approach her first to work things out.

"What'cha come out here for girl?" Daryl took a step back, creating space between them.

"I came out to find you," Beth crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well ya' did so why don't you go on an' scurry back to camp," Daryl flicked his wrist a couple of times towards the general direction of their group.

It was Beth's turn to glare. Taking a deep breath, she decided to follow the advice her daddy had given her, "Look…I'm sorry for not paying more attention earlier. It was stupid-"

"Damn right it was!" Daryl interrupted her.

Beth ignored him and continued, "-and I'll be more careful from now on."

Daryl grunted a reply.

"I dunno why you're so pissy about it anyway. Everything turned out fine," Beth huffed.

"Pissy? You think I was pissy?" Daryl accentuated the word.

"I think you're pissy about a lotta' things," Beth didn't back down.

"I ain't pissy 'bout nothin'," Daryl retraced his steps, his chest bumping into Beth's arms.

"Then why're you actin' this way?" Beth uncrossed her arms, standing toe-to-toe with the angry Dixon.

Daryl didn't reply. He just stood there, staring down at her, and Beth furrowed her brows.

"I'unno," he grunted, shrugging his shoulders.

It was the same default evasion he had used when they were sitting at the dining table in the mortuary. Beth hadn't let him shut her out then and she wasn't going to let him do it in this instance either.

"Don't "I'unno"," she pressed, copying his shrug, "Talk to me."

Daryl dropped his head, his hands settled on his hips, and he took several deep breaths. Beth waited. He was working out how he wanted to word his answer so she would patiently wait until he knew what he wanted to say.

"We coulda' died," Daryl said softly, "in Terminus."

"But we got out," Beth's eyes softened.

"We lost all our shit," Daryl looked off into the distance, eyes sharp, and jaw clenched.

"And we'll get it back," Beth searched his profile.

"You hurt yourself tryin' t'help me," Daryl finally looked back down at her.

Beth was confused for a moment. When had she tried to help him? They hadn't needed each other's help until earlier today, but she had been with Maggie. The only time she'd gotten herself hurt trying to help him was when Joe's men had been trying to kill Rick.

Realization overtook her features. He felt guilty. Her injuries from being shoved into the vehicle had been healing and then earlier happened and any progress she had made crumbled the moment she shoved the walker off Maggie.

"And I'd do it again without a second thought," Beth replied sincerely.

Daryl searched her eyes and then looked away, "Don't do somethin' like that again. Not for me."
Beth sighed, annoyed with his lack in sense of self-worth, "I'm sorry Daryl, but you don't get to make those decisions. I do."

He cut his eyes to her, but didn't turn to fully stare at her. He was chewing on the inside of his cheek, fighting some internal battle that Beth couldn't identify.

"You're worth fighting for Daryl," Beth grabbed his wrists still propped on his waist and brought them forward. He didn't fight her, but he refused to look at her. Unperturbed by this Beth continued, "I'd risk my life to save you just like I know you'd do the same for me. That's what trust is."

"You trust me," Daryl's rough voice made the phrase sound like more of a statement than question.

"With my life," Beth smiled.

"You shouldn't," Daryl met her gaze.

"That's also my decision," Beth countered.

"I couldn't save Merle…couldn't save your dad…I let you get taken off by some crazy bastard…I was concentratin' too much on tha' guy we's carryin' instead of around us. Let them walkers get the jump on us.I sure as hell don't deserve your trust," Daryl listed off each situation coldly.

Daryl was trying to shoulder the blame of everything bad that happened as if he was personally responsible for them. Beth didn't like it. None of those things were Daryl's fault. If he continued blaming himself for every little thing that went wrong he was going to blame himself right into the ground.

"Bullshit," Beth bellowed, "That's total bullshit and you know it!"

"Ain't bullshit. Name one thing I done right!" Daryl's body went rigid as his temper rose once more.

"I survived because of you," Beth blurted out.

Daryl's eyes expressed confusion while his shoulders stayed taunt. She hadn't meant to be so straightforward, but the words had already been spoken and it was the truth. If it hadn't been for Daryl taking the time to teach her some basic tracking, setting simple traps, and how to use and maintain a crossbow, Beth highly doubted she would be having this conversation with Daryl.

"Judith," her breath hitched, "Judith survived as long as she did because you made sure she always had formula. You were in the group that went into an infested veterinary college and brought back medicine that saved countless lives in the prison. Carol…whenever she needed you, you were there. Rick depends on you, trusts you. My daddy believed in you."

Daryl's gaze bore into her own. His lips were pressed into a firm line, but his expression was otherwise unreadable.

"You're only responsible for your own actions Daryl. You can't control what other people do," Beth finished.

"I was jus' doin' what needed t'be done. I never asked for nobody to look t'me for answers," Daryl said quietly, dropping his head to look to the side.

"That may be true, but regardless whether you think so or not, people see what kind of person you are," Beth replied with a smile, tightening her hold on his wrists.

"And what kinda' person's that?" Daryl mocked.

Beth smiled wider, not letting his sarcasm get to her, "A good one."

Daryl took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. Beth could literally see the weight lifting from his shoulders. She trailed her fingers down his wrists, into his palms, and laced her fingers within his. His fingers curled around her much smaller hands and Beth knew they were okay. All was forgiven. Everything that had been bottled up and festering was out in the open.

"How ya' holdin' up?" Beth asked, staring at his busted lip.

"I'm alright. No worse for wear," Daryl answered, "How's your head?"

"It's better. Haven't had a headache since we were runnin' earlier. My ribs are a little sore though," she didn't bother trying to deny her pain. Daryl would notice the stiffness in her stride whether she wanted him to or not.

"Rick's plannin' on us staying round here ah' day or two. You be sure and rest while you can," Daryl said sternly.

Beth wiggled her fingers in his grasp, unable to resist the chance to tease him, "Yes sir, Mr. Dixon."

"Don't start that shit again," Daryl huffed at her, but Beth caught his smirk.

Beth felt more at ease. She felt her muscles turning to jelly as the tension left her body. If she hadn't been so stubborn and talked to Daryl earlier, like she had planned, before everyone settled down for the night then she might have actually gotten to sleep. Her dreams still plagued her; the sad smile of her father, trying to escape from a confined space, and infant screams of Judith.

"I'm gonna' talk to Rick tomorrow," Beth suddenly announced.

"'Bout what?" Daryl inquired.

"Judith," was her one word answer.

She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his sternum. She let go of his hands to wrap her arms around his waist. Daryl may not have been one for physical contact, but Beth was. Every once in a while she just needed a hug. She needed human contact. Even if Daryl didn't reciprocate it, she liked to think that sometimes he appreciated her giving hugs as much as she appreciated him letting her.

"I just want to know if…" Beth trailed off.

Warm hands wrapped around the back of her arms. It was the most Daryl ever did when she hugged him, but it was enough for Beth.

"She whadn't yours," Daryl tried to reason.

"She was though. I might not have given birth to her, but she was mine," Beth felt her cheeks heating up, "Rick may not have gotten her out, but maybe…maybe he saw someone else take her? She was with Lizzie and Mika last I saw her. Maybe they got out with someone?"

Daryl just nodded. She could read his thoughts, "Don't get your hopes up," but she appreciated that he kept it to himself.

She lifted her head and stared up at him, "I'm gonna' go try and get some sleep. You comin'?"

"Yeah. I'll be back in a bit. Gonna' stay here ah' few more minutes," Daryl murmured, letting go of her arms.

"Alright. Goodnight Daryl," Beth gave a small smile while turning to leave.

She walked a few steps when she heard Daryl's smooth voice call out to her, "Night Beth."

...

She had managed to get a few hours of sleep. It was nothing like the forty-eight hours she wished she could have slept, but it was enough that she didn't feel so bone tired as she had the day before. Maggie and Glenn had taken over for Sasha and Bob when she'd gotten back to camp. Maggie had given her a questioning look, but otherwise left Beth alone to sleep.

After a brief meeting on how they should go about trying to get information out of their captive, Daryl and Michonne volunteered to act as interrogators, Beth sought out Rick. He was sitting on the ground, on the edge of camp closest to the railroad tracks, using his dulling pocketknife to sharpen the end of a few tree limbs.

"Hey," Beth smiled, squatting in front of him as he worked.

"Well hey Beth," he looked up to her, "everythin' alright?"

"Yeah. I was just hopin' I could talk to you about somethin'," Beth responded.

"Course. What's on yer' mind?" Rick stood, dusting off the seat of his pants.

Beth rose to stand beside him, "It's about Judith."

Rick froze, then dropped his gaze to his feet and nodded a few times.

"I was just hopin'…I mean…do you know what…" Beth was unsure of her words.
Rick shook his head, "I found her car seat."

Beth stopped breathing.

"It had blood all over it," he mumbled.

"Was she…" Beth whispered.

"She whadn't in it. Carl and I…we didn't see her anywhere. We just ran. We didn't look back. Jus'…kept runnin'," Rick's voice wavered, "We couldn't look for her. I tried, but I had to keep Carl safe…"

"I'm so sorry," Beth's voice broke, "I didn't get on the bus. I went to look for the kids, look for Jude, but I couldn't find them anywhere. Daryl found me and we just couldn't look anymore."

"It's not your fault Beth," Rick looked up into the sky, "I failed her."

"We both did," Beth accepted, blinking back tears.

They stood there in silence; their misery keeping each other company. Beth wished for Judith to have had a fulfilling life, finding love, having kids, growing old, but she knew that the little girl had been spared so much misery. As much as Beth wanted those things, in their world now, they were just pretty thoughts and fairytales.

There was a sound in the distance, two voices from what she could tell, and she immediately crouched down. Rick was motioning to everyone to get down and be quiet.

"They're talking so it can't be walkers," Beth whispered.

"Whoever they are, they need to be told to steer clear of Terminus," Rick added.

Beth crept forward, earning a hissing rendition of her name from Maggie, but she ignored her. She used the base of a tree to shield her from sight, peeking around to see exactly how many people they were going to be dealing with.

Beth could see a large black man, wearing a navy beanie. He was conversing with a short woman. She had short peppered hair, slim frame, and nodding to whatever the man had said.
Beth couldn't breathe. There on the woman's hip was a tuft of ginger-brown hair, blue eyes, and four chubby appendages. Beth was moving before she could work out exactly what she was seeing. She hurdled through the trees, practically tripping over her feet to the bottom of the small incline that led to the tracks below.

"Beth?" The woman gasped, staring wide-eyed when Beth finally reached the middle of the tracks.

The voice was all Beth needed to hear to know she wasn't hallucinating. She crashed into the woman's expectant arms and laughed as the tears ran down her face.

"Have some faith Bethy," her father's words filled her thoughts.

A/N: So! I've decided that I'm going to start updating on Sunday's! Then it's as if we're waiting for the Walking Dead show to air! Lol. Plus it's easier for me to get writing done here and there during the week, Nicole137137 to edit over the weekend, and update on Sunday. It gives me a set deadline rather than just "I'll upload once a week." It's more than likely be Sunday evenings too.

This is probably my most favorite chapter to date! Was super excited writing this and got it typed in literally less than 24 hours! Let me know what you guys think and leave me some feedback!

To all my mom readers out there...HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Treat yourself to something nice and I hope this chapter brings you a small escape! XOXO