Gareth had taken Beth back to her room after breakfast in the morning, and told her he'd come by later to get her when he was done with a council meeting he and helping paint maps. She had protested, telling him that she could help paint at least, but he came right back with the argument that yesterday was a big day for her and that she should take it easy.

He'd been looking down at her ankle when he said it; the bandaged was all gross and water stained from the copious amount of showers she'd been taking over the last two days. She had to admit it was a bit sore from all the walking she'd been doing yesterday and agreed to stay behind. Beth wished her ankle would heel so that it could stop being used as an excuse for her not to help and explore more. She remembered after that she'd promised herself that she'd leave when she was heeled though. Terminus was supposed to be temporary.

It made Beth mad at herself for getting sucked in not a two whole days into being at Terminus. She'd liked the idea of making her room homier and went with it. It hadn't been symbolizing her wanting to stay when she picked the painting and dresser out. It just who she was, Beth wanted to be comfortable in the places she was. But this was becoming too comfortable.

Beth shook her head and sat on her bed in a huff, thinking about Terminus and what she should do; going over all the pros and cons. When she couldn't think of it anymore, afraid she might explode, she laid down on her back and counted the ceiling tiles to keep her mind busy.

By the time she'd recounted them all twice Beth could feel her eye lids getting heavier and begging for sleep. One of the pros of Terminus that she'd been thinking about before counting and one of them was that she could fall asleep in a place that was a labyrinth to any outsiders and it was gave her a little sense of security.

. . .

The sound of machine guns firing filled Beth's ears and woke her up not two hours later. She had sat right up and was looking in all directions in her sleepy state trying to figure out what was going on. When she was fully awake and realized it was guns, her immediate thought was that they were under attack and she had to try to help.

But there was no way she could find her way outside, even he she had been taking the time to try to memorize it. She was unarmed and had no idea what was happening. All Beth could do was sit and listen to the endless rat-tat-tat of the guns going off. The last time she heard the sound of machine guns was the attack at the prison, they'd been fired wildly right up until the moment the prison completely fell.

Images of the battle with the Governor started flashing across Beth's eyes every time she blinked the longer she listened to whatever was going over outside. Her eyes would close for a tenth of a second and she'd see the Governor swinging the katana into her father's neck or see Maggie running off the bus to find Glenn. She found herself covering her ears and humming to try to tune it out, but it didn't work. Beth was breathing heavily with panic and confusion. The sound of the guns had triggered something inside her that she couldn't control.

When the firing stopped Beth was in a messy ball, with her knees tucked tightly into her chest, her eyed closed and her hands still pressed firmly against her ears. Her entire body was shaking. She couldn't find it in her to even move from her position on the bed until Gareth came bursting through her door ten minutes later.

Beth lowered her hands and looked up at him as he walked across the room to her with what looked like extreme concern on his face. "Oh thank god you're in here. I thought maybe when you heard the guns you'd try to get out and help…" Gareth had been talking and moving very fast and hadn't seen how pale she was at first, "…what's wrong?"

Even though she was still shaking, Beth manage to untuck her legs from her chest and sit up a bit. She bit her bottom lip, "I'm not weak."

"Beth I didn't say you were," Gareth sat down on the bed closer to Beth than she probably would have allowed if she wasn't feeling this way.

"I'm not weak," Beth repeated herself again and tried swallowing the lump building up in her throat.

"I know you're not weak. No girl that can kill a spider by herself is weak," Gareth smiled at Beth and extended his toward her, setting it lighting around her shoulder to comfort her. Beth laughed a short sort of hallow laugh and then looked at Gareth in the eye. He looked right back at her and they both let a few breathes pass. That's when she broke down.

She'd had her fair share moments where she couldn't hold back the tears, and this was one of those moments. She thought she had been getting stronger, and had been getting a better handle on her emotions. But clearly she'd been wrong.

In that moment she forgot the uncomfortableness he sometimes made her feel and Beth clung to Gareth. She had turned her body into and was almost on his lap sobbing into his shirt. He stroked her hair with his free hand and was maybe saying something soothing, but she couldn't hear him over her own mind. She was screaming at herself in her head to get it together, that Daryl wouldn't want her to cry. But once she started full on crying, she could never stop until she was all dried out.

. . .

Gareth stayed with her until Beth couldn't drop a single tear out of her eye to save her life. At that point his shirt was completely soaks with snot and tears and Beth had made space between them and was staring at it with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," Beth mumbled. She was ashamed of herself.

"For what?" Gareth shrugged his usual shrug and smiled at her like he had before. "There's no shame in crying."

"In a world like this, crying can get you killed," Beth had probably cried more than anyone she had met since the world fell to shit and she knew exactly what she was talking about. Either the killing could be by your own hand or by those who think you're too weak.

"Beth, I hold you that we aren't going to let anything hurt you here," Gareth bravely started to inch his body closer to hers again.

"Then what was that outside?" The last of the sentence came out as a little hiccup.

"People were trying to kill us," Beth made a face at his explanation. He'd just said that she was safe here then said people were trying to kill them? That was the opposite of safe. "But we can get you trained with a gun and you can defend yourself and have your own weapon once you're truly part of Terminus."

"I know how to use a gun. Why were they trying to kill you?"

"Terminus has shelter, it has food and it has water. It's a dream for those who find it. But people can be selfish, Beth. Those people wanted us dead and wanted Terminus for themselves," Gareth ran his fingers through his dirty blonde hair. "But it's not like you can blame them. Everyone wants to do what they think is best for the people they care for. Even if it involves hurting others. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah I do," Beth nodded her head, it's what everyone at the prison was willing to do, and it's what the Governor maybe meant to do. "So where are they?"

"Who?" Gareth blinked at Beth.

"The people that tried to kill you?" Beth wiped her nose with her sleeve, feeling a little back to normal and tired again.

"They're dead," Gareth got up and started heading out, he was catching on that Beth was feeling better. "We had to hurt them for the greater good. I gotta get back out there and start a meeting" Beth got up to see him out. She paused for a moment in the hallways with him.

"Thank you, for coming to check on me, and for staying with me."

"No problem. I'm vouching for you and you're my responsibility," Gareth took a step toward her and they were half a foot apart. "I'll bring you some lunch when the meetings done."

"Sounds good," Beth smiled at Gareth as he started to turn away. But he turned back to her and planted a kiss onto her forehead.

Beth was taken by surprise by his warm lips against her skin, but didn't back away. She had just spent a good while crying and she guessed that maybe he just wanted to reassure her or something, the way a family member right of. It only lasted a quick second and then he disappeared down the dim hallway.

Beth went back into her room and closed the door behind her. She felt a complete new exhaustion from all the crying she had done and she felt the need to wash her face.

While she was rubbing the cloth across her face she added to her pros list how nice of Gareth it was to come bursting into her room just to make sure she was okay. It didn't occur to her until later that the door was locker and that she was supposed to have the only key.

AN: Gareth is so full of shit hey? I know I said two or three chapters but most of you know by now that I am a dirty little liar. Let me know what you think of this chapter and of Gareth. I'm always happy when I get reviews :)

Ahh we're already on chapter 11, where does the time go?