Daryl and Carol finished burying Denise. And it was hard and it didn't feel good and the small bottle of whiskey that Daryl had in his pocket really didn't take the edge off of anything. It still hurt and he still felt that it had somehow been his fault. What others said or didn't say really wasn't going to go far in changing Daryl's feelings much right now. There was one person who could usually bring him up and make him see things a bit brighter, well she used to be able to do that. Right now however, even she wasn't going to be able to change his mind much. In fact he was probably going to let her down too.

The house was quiet when he walked in. He wasn't sure anyone was even here. But he knew she was. Somewhere upstairs, he just felt it, felt her. That had been happening more and more recently. He climbed the stairs and looked down the hall. Her bedroom door was open and she was sitting crossed legged in the middle of the bed. She had her old journal in her lap.

"This person doesn't even seem like me. It's like I'm reading a book someone else wrote." Her back was too him, but like him, she seemed to sense his presence.

Daryl stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Beth had that effect on him.

"I'm going out. I'm gonna find him and do what I shoulda done." he said. He saw her body stiffen slightly. And then she took a deep breath.

"Ok." she whispered. He hadn't expected that. He'd come in here expecting a confrontation. Especially after what she had said to Carol. Now he was unsure of what to say or do. She continued to just sit there, looking smaller somehow.

"Ok." he took a step back towards the door and her voice stopped him.

"But Daryl…" she turned on the bed and fixed her big blue eyes on him. She knew this was coming. Even if the rest of the family and community had come to Daryl and told him point blank that he wasn't responsible for Denise he still wouldn't believe it. Not completely. Because that was just how Daryl Dixon worked. You can't fix a thing that is inherently ingrained into who a person is. "I'm going with you." Beth said and she stood up and put her hands on her hips. Her defensive stance. She knew he was going to fight her on this.

"No." That's it. One word. As if what he said was going to be law. She did however see the fear in his eyes and she knew where the "no" was coming from.

"I am going with you." she said it again and this time she stared right at him.

"This is not your deal.." Ok here it was. The argument she had expected him to use, the one he really and truly believed because no one else was responsible for the horrors going on around them and the bad things that happened because of their choices, all of their choices. No one but Daryl. Which was complete bullshit and she was calling him on it.

"Not my deal? Really? Cause I happen to think that it is definitely MY deal, at least partly. This doesn't just involve you and your crossbow Daryl, and a choice you made that may or may not have changed things. You could have killed Dwight. Sure. But who's to say it wouldn't have been someone else with a gun or some other weapon out there today that did the same thing?" Beth tried to keep calm, tried to avoid getting too emotional.

"It wouldn't a happened like that!" His defenses kicked in and he stepped forward into her space.

"You don't know that!" She didn't back down. Why would she? She wasn't afraid of him. Hadn't been for a really long time now. "This is my deal." she pulled her shirt up reveal the bandaged wound. A stab wound from a Savior. She pointed to the bruise under eye, faint, but still there. She held out her arms. "This is my deal because… because he.." Tears filled her eyes now and threatened to fall and she scrubbed them away because she refused to look small and weak in his eyes.

"Don't." Daryl said softly.

"What? Don't say it? You don't want to hear it? They hurt me, humiliated me. He, he raped me." Beth looked straight at Daryl while she said this and kept her chin up. He couldn't take it. He turned away and kicked the door. It came off one of it's hinges and hung there broken. She didn't react, she knew Daryl's rage well. She kept talking. "And there were others, Sherri, she saved me. And Noah.. in the hospital, he took a beating that was meant for me.. And Denise, she was my friend too. And I know she was just in the way. You don't think that I might have also been a target out there? She didn't deserve this, but it's not your fault. It's not my fault. It's just what happened. But I get that sitting here and not doing something, making someone pay for it doesn't work for you. Well it doesn't work for me either and I'm going. If you leave without me I'll follow and I think we are stronger together." She sat back on the bed shaking and he stood by the broken door, head down, fists clenched.

"You gotta do this?" she barely heard him.

"I do."

"Get yer stuff and let's go." he still didn't face her. He couldn't. Not yet. Everything she said. He felt it. But he couldn't let go of the guilt. He hadn't mastered that yet. He didn't know how he was supposed to just calmly sit back and plan out some elaborate attack when he couldn't get the images out of his head. Sofia, Hershel, Denise and Dwight and his damn crossbow, the shooting at Grady. But most of all, leaving Beth behind for a monster, this monster who didn't deserve to live for a number of reasons. The main one being the image that he hadn't fully let himself imagine, couldn't imagine or he'd be no good for anyone or anything. They weren't so different. She needed to face her demons too. And he had to let her.

They were taking the motorcycle part of the way. It would be faster. They hadn't said much since the conversation in Beth's room. There really wasn't much to say. Beth knew Daryl didn't want to her to come. He wanted her to stay here where she was safe. She got more than got that. She didn't want him to go either. But they both had their reasons and for each of them that was all that mattered right now. No one else knew they were going. At least not yet. It wasn't a secret. Everyone would know soon enough. They rolled up to the gate. Rosita was on watch and she just stared at them. Daryl got off the bike and pulled the gate open.

"Daryl what are you doing?" Rosita asked. Daryl didn't respond and pulled the gate open. Beth saw Sasha on the wall. Abraham was walking in that direction. She didn't know where everyone else was, but if they didn't hurry up they were going to have to explain themselves and it wouldn't be good.

"Beth?" Rosita looked at her. Beth just shook her head. There was nothing she could say that would make this sound like a good plan. It's not the best plan. She knows that and Daryl knows it too. That doesn't change anything. Daryl climbed back on the bike and they rode out. Beth glanced back over her shoulder and saw Glenn and Michonne at the gate with Rosita. Now they knew.

Daryl drove back to the clearing where everything had happened with Denise. He hid the bike in the bushes while Beth looked around. She figured they were going to go in the direction that Dwight and the other Savior had took off in. The bodies of the dead Saviors were still lying there. Or what was left of them. Walkers heard the gunfire and had come even before they'd left the clearing. There weren't any here now. Beth pointed in the direction she remembered Dwight heading and looked at Daryl. He nodded back at her and motioned for her to come to him.

"Stay close to me. If we have to split up make sure we keep each other insight." Daryl watched Beth's face. She nodded when he told her what he wanted. She would listen to him and he'd try and do whatever kept them safe, her safe. He stepped in close to her and cupped his hand behind her head. Leaning down he kissed her, gently at first and then a little harder and she moaned softly in the back of her throat. He ended the kiss and kept his forehead pressed against hers. He didn't have any words for what he was feeling so he just looked into her eyes and hoped that, like with the time at the funeral home, she knew what he was trying to tell her. A rustle in the bushes broke the spell. It came from behind them. The both pulled their guns and turned around.

"Daryl! Beth!" It was Glenn, followed by Michonne and Rosita. Daryl stood stiffly waiting for them.

"What are you doing Daryl?" Glenn asked him.

"You shouldn't be here." Daryl said.

"Do you think this is your fault?" Glenn asked.

"I'm gonna do what I should've done. For her." Daryl said turning away.

"She's gone! You're doing this for yourself!" Glenn accused him.

"I don't give a shit." Daryl growls and started walking away.

"And you brought Beth out here with you?" Glenn looked at Beth. That stops Daryl in his tracks.

"He didn't bring me. He can't stop me." Beth said and she turned and followed Daryl.

"It's gonna go wrong out there." Glenn said shaking his head. He followed Daryl. "Come back with us. We need to get back there and figure this out from home. Our home. We need you and everyone back there needs us right now." Glenn said.

Daryl turned and looked at Glenn and Michonne. These people were his family. That girl behind him. This was his world, but someone had threatened that, had even taken something, someone from them. And he couldn't just let that go.

"I can't." Shouldering his bow again he left them behind. He was doing this. He looked at Beth and wanted to force her to go back with them too, but he knew she wouldn't listen. He walked by her and nodded. Beth looked over her shoulder at Glenn, Michonne and Rosita. She swallowed hard. And when she made eye contact with Glenn she lowered her head. Then she turned and followed Daryl into the forest.

They continued on in silence for what felt like forever to Beth. But she didn't say anything. There wasn't anything to say. She knew he would have liked to send her back with the others. She appreciated that he hadn't even tried. The circled around some dense bushes and Daryl stopped and listened, getting a sense of their surroundings. He handed Beth a water bottle. She drank deeply not realizing until right then that she was thirsty. Daryl turned suddenly to his right and listened closely. Beth stashed the bottle in her bag and silently made her way behind him when he motioned to her. Using the trees as coverage they slowly made their way to what did sound like voices to Beth now. As they got closer Beth could make out darker shadows among the trees. And then they were close enough to see Glenn, Michonne and Rosita tied up and gagged. Glenn had seen them too and was shaking his head vehemently. Daryl raised a finger to his lips to keep them quiet and heard footsteps that weren't Beth's behind them. Beth heard it too and she quickly turned to find them surrounded by Saviors. She reached for her pistol, but was knocked off her feet as a shot rang out. The wind knocked out her she couldn't even scream and her eyes widened in terror when blood sprayed the ground beside her. Daryl dropped to his knees beside her.

"You'll be alright." Dwight said and he reached for Daryl's arm to hold him up.

"Man this little bitch was with us. She came from the hospital! She's with them!" A big bald savior kicked Beth in her side. She moaned softly.

Daryl growled and tried reaching out for her. But his shoulder was on fire and he was having a hard time focusing.

"This yer girl? She's pretty. Maybe I'll take her back with me!" the big guy said. He reached down and Grabbed Beth's jacket and pulled her up.

"Nope. I owe Daryl one. Kinda screwed him over a time or two. Let her go." Dwight said. The big guy did so reluctantly pushing Beth back down on the ground. She scrambled through the dirt and fallen leaves over to Daryl. She didn't say anything, just let her hands search. His right shoulder was covered in blood. She tugged her hoodie off, hiccuping the screams she was holding back. She held the sweatshirt to the gunshot wound, applying pressure.

"It's a shoulder wound. Not fatal. I'm under strict orders to bring him back alive." Dwight laughed. Beth glared up at him. "We got a party to go to ladies and gentlemen. And your host is Negan."

The Saviors loaded them into a van that was further back through the trees on a road they hadn't even noticed. Dwight tossed a blanket to Beth.

"Here cover him up. We don't want him going into shock." Beth grabbed the blanket and gently slipped it around Daryl's shoulders. She looked him in the eyes. He was hurting, she could see it and her heart ached. Her body was tense with unspent adrenaline. She kept the sweatshirt pressed tightly to his shoulder.

"Sit. By me. Don't move." his breathing was labored. So he must have noticed her eyes searching for something, anything, a weapon. But even she knew it was futile and she let herself breathe out, shuddering. Dwight and the big guy were the only ones in the van with them. The others had motorcycles. The big guy crawled in back and pushed Beth forward and attempted to tie her hands up and put a gag around her mouth.

"He's gonna bleed out. You don't want him dead you need to wrap that wound with something." Beth said through gritted teeth as the guy attempted to gag her. She wasn't sure this was really true. The bleeding had slowed considerably. It had actually almost stopped. But if they were going to restrict her from helping Daryl she would lie to make sure they did whatever was needed to keep him alive.

"Wrap it. He needs to be alive." Dwight said from the front seat. The big guy did what Dwight told him to and then he left Daryl alone. Beth had tried her best to keep the tears from falling, but sitting here now, helpless, with Daryl bleeding and the others tied up, they softly fell. Mostly in anger and frustration. She rocked back and forth. She felt his hand cover her bound hands and she let her head hang. The van started moving and a walkie talkie crackled. Muffled voices and then Dwight's reply.

"Yeah, we got 'em. We're on our way."