The red Georgia clay slid through Beth's hands as she covered the seeds she just planted with the dirt. Judith sat beside her on a blanket busy stacking cups. The baby was dressed all snug in a heavy sleeper, sweater, and bonnet. The air had grown colder as a front had been passing through over the last week. Now was the time to plant the cool weather vegetables.

They did not let Beth do much digging these days with her expecting and all, but she was still able to help Rick and Carl plant the tiny seeds in the long trench that they made.

"Pretty soon we will have lettuce again," Carl said while Beth covered the last seed with dirt. The blonde looked up at the kid and smiled. She knew that he liked how they were now able to eat more normal food. "Believe it or not, I have really missed salad."

"It would have been great with that Pizza last night." Beth agreed.

The milking had improved so much that Carol was able to take a bit left over after the kids drank their glass each day and make simple cheese. Using herbs and tomatoes from their now flourishing gardens, the older woman also created sauce. Sourdough starter allowed them the ability to have crust along with other types of breads. It had been heaven to have pizza again. Something that the survivors had never dreamed possible.

Carl grinned from ear to ear. For the first time in a long time, he was actually starting to seem like a kid again. The turn had made him grow up way to fast, forcing him to do and experience things that no one should have to.

For the last week they had been planting new crops. Her daddy said that the lettuce, mustard, peas, spinach, carrots, and cabbage needed to go into the grown now. Beth had said a silent prayer thanking God that they lived in Georgia with a nearly year-round growing season. Any frost would be light and they would watch the sky in order to guard the young plants with plastic against any unusual thin layers of snow.

"Well, we are done with the lettuce!" she said cheerfully rising to her feet and gathering up Judith. "All that is left is the cabbage."

"I have to go help my Dad clean the pig pen." Carl said rather unenthusiastic. "We have the row over there ready for it if you want to finish that up."

"No problem," Beth replied as she grabbed Judy's cups and blanket off the ground. "I should have it done by the time you all finish."

The young woman watched the teen walk off toward the small pig farm in the distance. As much as she loved Carl, it was nice to have a rare moment alone.

Beth walked over to the row where the cabbage was going to be planted and settled Judy on the blanket. Coming to her knees, the young woman began to sprinkle the tiny seeds into the trench, letting her mind wander.

It was three weeks since Beth became Mrs. Daryl Dixon and had her husband not been on a run, the hunter probably would have been nervously hovering over his wife. The blonde was positive that he would not be thrilled about her news of being back in the fields after what previously happened the last time she was out here.

Beth shuddered at the thought of seeing that walker almost snatch up Judith. She could not help but to look around at the fences despite being confident they were now safe.

Turned out that the "overnight build up" really had been a small herd that stumbled across their home. They had gotten through the first barrier after a section gave way. The fence crew were able to quickly patch the fence with the help of Daryl, Sasha, Tyreese, and Bob who had just returned from the run. However, about ten walkers had gotten through in the process and ruined a third of the potato crop. None of them realized that the young woman and Judith were harvesting in the fields until they noticed Beth fighting off them off with the spade. The story went that Daryl climbed over the barbed wire that separated them in about a second and killed that last monster just as it went to bite Beth.

The men replaced the damaged section and reinforced the rest of the outer fence the following day. Now wood spikes guarded the entire perimeter.

"Babababa" Judith babbled banging her cups together and interrupting Beth's thoughts and quickly brought her back to the present.

"It's almost time for your nap pumpkin!" Beth told her. "As soon as mama is done, I will turn you over to Auntie Maggie and she is going to lay down with you today."

"Mags….Mags" the baby continued before returning her interest back to the cups. Beth noticed Judith's eyes getting very droopy.

Maggie was staying behind from the runs more and more it seemed. She claimed it was to better organize the fence patrol but Beth suspected that Glen was having something to do with it. The blonde knew that ever since they escaped being held prisoner at Woodbury, her brother-in-law was less than enthusiastic about his wife leaving the safety of the prison. The younger sister overheard them fighting about it for months and agreed with Glen - though she would never let Maggie know that! Beth wanted her to be safe.

The elder Greene sister was watching Judith this afternoon because Beth was meeting Carol in the infirmary for her first pregnancy exam. Her daddy decided that his daughter and other ladies who might find themselves in the same condition, would be more comfortable if the older woman was doing the examining instead of him. Therefore, it was agreed upon that Hershel would train Carol how to be a mid-wife. Beth was going to be her Guiney pig.

The young woman agreed with the idea, secretly relieved that her daddy would not be seeing places he hadn't since his daughter was a child, but also because it made perfect sense! Maggie also had dropped hints lately about wanting a child one day and there were many other women at the prison of child-bearing age.

Daryl did not liked it though and pretty much threw a fit at first! However, after Hershel had explained to him that he would be right there the entire pregnancy, her husband calmed down a bit. Beth could not figure out what all the fuss was over.

The thing was that her Daddy had never even actually delivered a baby before either – at least a human one! People tended to forget he was a vet.

Never less, the blonde had no doubt that the old man would know how to birth the child and could show Carol as well. She just hoped it would be nothing like when the calf was born!

Since Beth only had sex one night in her whole life, it was pretty easy to calculate how far along she was. That made predicting when the little bundle of Dixon might arrive a whole lot easier too. It also allowed Carol the opportunity to learn the symptoms and measurements by tracking along in the pregnancy book.

Things had settled down a lot since Beth and Daryl's shocking mistake was made public and quickly corrected by the marriage. Glen was still having a lot of fun teasing her husband about it though. Word was getting around to some of the others at the prison. Sometimes, they whispered and glanced as she walked by but Beth tried not to pay attention.

The couple even began to settle into some sort of routine. Sharing the same space was only somewhat awkward now. A couple of days after they got married, Beth got tired of seeing his stupid trash bag and finally decided to put Daryl's stuff into her wardrobe since it was obvious he would be staying. It wasn't like he had much anyway.

It still felt ridiculous that Daryl Dixon lived with all her girly things but the new bride reckoned it was the man's own fault since he insisted on getting married in the first place. He was the one who brought her back all that stuff anyway! It also did not deter him from giving her things now.

A couple of nights after they were married, the blonde was startled awake by Daryl dragging a crib across the concrete floor. He placed the baby bed in the previously bare corner.

It was the most beautiful crib that Beth ever laid eyes on! Oval in shape, a yellow lace dust ruffle hanged from the white wooden bed and little pale animals decorated the attached mobile. Inside was satin matching yellow sheets and a lacy white quilt.

Not realizing that his wife was awake, the hunter stepped back to admire his work.

"Oh my! Where did you find that?" Beth squealed, causing Daryl to literally jump.

"Damn woman! You scared the hell out of me!" he chastened before walking toward the bed where she laid.

Motioning his arm in the direction of the crib in the corner Daryl informed her, "I found it in this house I was raiding and figured you might want it for the baby. You usually like of that kind of stuff!"

"It's gorgeous Daryl!" She exclaimed jumping up to examine it. Her husband grinned his typical half smile seeming to be pleased that she approved.

Running her hands over the rails and touching the plush bedding, Beth could not help but picture her new baby laying in it. She wondered for a second if the child inside her was a little girl or boy.

Seemingly mesmerized, Daryl silently watched her examine the bed a moment before asking, "Think it will do?"

"Of course!" she happily replied. "It is perfect!"

Beth was so excited Daryl had thought to bring the crib back that she immediately rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck! Feeling the hunter stiffen, the blonde realized what she had done but decided not to care. He was her husband after all! So what if she embraced him?

Awkwardly, he reached up to her side and tried to hug her back. Beth could not help but wonder for a minute how this man ever managed to get her pregnant. It must have been the Jack.

"So you really do like it?" he asked her tenderly.

Beth nodded. "Yes! It doesn't even matter if the baby is a boy or girl." Daryl's wife raised her head and gazed up into his eyes despite the ever-present electrical current radiating out of them.

"So I did something good?" he asked with a shit eating grin as he brushed an unruly strand of hair away from her face.

"Of course!" she confirmed beaming back at him.

Finally, Beth lowered her arms and got back in bed. He plopped down in his chair and spent the rest of the night excitingly telling the story about how he came upon the crib.

While no one's ever accused Daryl Dixon of being gentle, he had been very tender toward Beth ever since the night of the argument. The hunter surprised her the next morning after waking her with a soft kiss on the cheek. Beth wondered how long he was hovering over the bed trying to work up the nerve. "Mm' sorry that you had to marry an asshole!" he mumbled. She just nodded her head in response.

The first week of matrimony he slept in the brown chair covered in a tan wool blanket.

However, one night the temperature dropped causing Beth to lay shivering under the covers with her teeth chattering. The blonde did not think she had ever been more chilled in her life!

"Your lips are blue!" Daryl gasped in alarm when he seen her. He was coming into the cell after cleaning up.

"I'll be alright." she replied back through gritted teeth. "My bloods just got to get thicker is all." Her teeth were having a difficult time stopping the chatter enough to talk.

"Blood thicker, huh?" he replied inquisitively but Beth did not even try to respond.

Daryl walked over to his chair and grabbed his wool blanket and threw it over her.

You can't do that!" she began to chasten him. "You will freeze!"

"I'm fine." was his mumbled response but Beth was not going to drop it.

"You will not be fine when you get sick!" she continued frustrated.

"Beth, I said I was fine so just drop it," he retorted in a tone matching his annoyance with her.

Beth abruptly turned onto her side toward the door and let out a sigh in defeat. She could not understand why the man was being so stubborn. Then the young woman had a thought.

After a few minutes, Beth quietly said in a little voice, "Daryl, I'm still cold."

It wasn't a complete lie. She really was still shivering in the darkness under the covers despite being a little warmer.

She thought she heard him mumble some rather explicit words under his breath before getting up and walking towards the bed.

Daryl slowly climbed in just inches from her back and reached out with shaky hands. Then he pulled her spine against him until she felt his breath on the back of her neck. Beth instantly warmed up.

After that Daryl slept beside his wife every night. Eventually they got use to the close contact and it became another part of their routine. When he did not have watch, the hunter normally came to bed shortly after her. Beth would usually lay on her husband's chest listening to his heart beat while telling him about things she had done that day. The young woman loved those moments.

Yet, Daryl never tried to collect on his side of the marriage bargain and that bothered the hell out of Beth – even if it made things much easier on her emotions and body.

In fact, things were pretty much like they always were with the exception that people now expected the pair to be hanging out all the time and of course the fact that the couple slept in the same bed together.

Still Beth could not shake the feeling that they were simply playing house. She did not really feel married at all.

At first Beth thought that perhaps pregnancy was a turn off but it did not seem to be phasing Daryl when he was asleep. Several times throughout the night, she would wake up to a hardness pressing against her body. His hands would be placed in locations that would have been deemed scandalous only a few weeks before. The young bride just pretended that she did not notice.

Once the strap on her tank fell from her shoulder and the man looked at the thing like it was on fire until she pulled it up!

Besides, she was only 14 weeks pregnant so it was not like Beth was that big yet.

However, Beth knew her husband had a lot of demons keeping him from consciously touching his wife that way again. The biggest elephant in the room being the sight that caused him to run off the woods all those weeks ago.

It would not surprise Beth if Daryl never touched her like that again for the rest of their lives.

A tired cry rung out and brought the young woman back to reality. Judith was exhausted and ready for her nap. Beth was relieved when she realized how close to the end of the row she was. She quickly finished up, covered the seeds, and gathered up the baby and her things.

The blonde was glad that she was finishing her planting earlier than she had originally anticipated. Now she had time to get a quick shower before meeting Carol.