No one had ever said that Tara was shy. She had a way of taking charge of situations even when she had to bluff her way through them, and she never hesitated in telling it how it was, in her opinion anyway. She didn't like lying to people, however, and in some situations she had learned that it was better to keep silent and let the others do the talking. In those situations she liked to have an idea of the goal they were pursuing though, or whatever plan they were following so that she didn't mess it up somehow.

When it came to her personal interactions she was a little more cautious. It was bad to flirt with a girl without knowing whether that girl might be receptive, as she learned quickly at the Police Academy. It was bad to make assumptions and not communicate clearly about relationship boundaries, as she learned after her first girlfriend assumed they had an open relationship. It was bad to put things on hold and not talk about them, when you might not have that much time together, as she had learned with Alisha. So she was trying to figure out how to talk to Beth and at the same time hoping that it wouldn't be necessary.

They had walked around three blocks already, waving at the people who were sitting out on porches or were in yards along the way. It was getting dark, but the people of Alexandria didn't seem to fear it. Tara wondered how many of them had ever faced a walker, or even seen one. Being out in the dark made her nervous, even with the walls that surrounded the community. She squeezed Beth's hand and got a smile in return. Beth was always smiling, even after losing so much and experiencing so much pain. It was one of the things that drew people to her, Tara thought.

"I wonder when it will be safe to go back." They hadn't eaten anything for dinner. Most of the group were going to have something at the party, and Tara and Beth had been distracted by other things before Sasha and then Michonne had returned. "Maybe we could go to the party still?"

Beth shook her head, "It should be safe to go back soon, or we could go to the second house. We left some supplies there too, remember, to keep up appearances. I bet there is soup or some of that canned corned beef hash over there."

"Good idea." They rounded another block and almost ran into someone in the dark. This street had fewer lights on, and they were all wearing dark clothes. Tara tensed as hands reached out to steady her shoulders, but she relaxed as she saw that it was Daryl.

"What're you doing out here in the dark? Shouldn't you be inside somewhere?" Daryl looked past them, up the block, and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked like he wanted to get away from them quickly.

"Just walking. Why are you out here all alone?" Beth asked politely, but her attention was focused on him like a hawk and he avoided her gaze.

"Just heading home. You seen Carol or Rick?"

Tara looked at both of them and grinned, "This is like a really bad inquisition. No one ever just asks what they want to know. Weren't you at the party, Daryl? Carol and Rick were both going to be there, but we skipped it. We were about to go back to one of the houses." She shrugged, ignoring the narrowed looks she was getting from both of them.

"Skipped the party too, had dinner with Aaron and Eric instead." Daryl glanced at the two of them then, staring at their joined hands for a moment. He was heading back to the houses too, but it was clear in his stance that he didn't want to walk back with the two of them.

"Well, we were going to walk another block before heading back, so see ya later." Tara gently tugged on Beth's hand and they both smiled at Daryl as he shook his head at them, and then turned to continue walking.

Beth waited until they were to the next corner before glancing over her shoulder. The dark had already swallowed Daryl's form, so she couldn't see how far he was from them. "That was weird."

"Probably best not to think about it too much. If he has something to share he will, later." Tara was glad that the next corner showed more people outside again, in brightly lit yards. They were closer to Deanna's house and the part now, and it showed by how many people were milling around in yards, holding plates of food and chatting. She saw Rosita and Abraham sitting on a porch with bottles of beer, and was almost tempted to ask if there were more. They waved and kept walking though.

"Shall we go back?" Beth let go of Tara's hand, taking her arm instead so that they were entwined. "I think I could eat a horse, but don't tell anyone. They might actually offer that here."

Tara laughed, "I doubt it, but you never know." She hesitated as they made their way past the people milling about the yards, "Carol said something this morning that started me thinking."

Beth looked at her, frowning as she tried to remember what had been discussed that morning. "About what?"

"She said that maybe it was time for us to start using both houses, and that we could pick out rooms. There aren't enough rooms for everyone to have a single, so it would sort of be like living in dorms, but we would have a little more privacy." Tara hesitated again. "I was wondering if you'd want to share a room with me."

"Yes!" Beth flushed, "I mean, sure."

Tara stopped at the darkened corner again, looking at Beth with a serious expression. "I wish that things were like they had been before, because we would have dated for months before moving in together like this, and it makes me feel a little awkward about what to do sometimes. I don't have much more experience than you do, not really."

Beth nodded, "I know, but we can figure things out between us. It's a little fast, but sometimes that works for people too. It's not like I'm going to jump you in the middle of the night, or that you'd do something like that to me." She shrugged and slid her hand along Tara's arm, "I trust you, and we can take things slow."

"I had another concern as well." Tara bit her lip, stopping herself from smiling, "Do we want to be in the same house as your sister and Glenn or the other house?"

"The other house. I love my sister, but I'd rather not have to run into the two of them in the hall every morning and hear their innuendo, or hear them through the walls." Beth laughed, "I'm sure they would feel the same way. I think we should be in whatever house Sasha is not living in as well, considering what just happened."

"Agreed." They started walking again. "I hope that whatever Michonne was going to say to her gets through though. I like Sasha, and I want her to like me. She's one of our best shots, and someone we've been able to count on for the good of the group. I have to hope that she works out whatever is going on in her head." Tara shrugged, and put her arm around Beth's back, as they approached the darkened house.

"Let's wait until later to find out how that talk went. Right now I just want dinner." Beth pulled away, running up the steps and flinging open the door. She flicked the lights on as she made her way to the kitchen, and Tara shook her head, following.