The response to the last chapter blew me away. I was not expecting it and I didn't even know if it would be liked the way I wrote it. So thank you a million times. Your love and support of this story means more to me than I can ever explain. A Daryl/Beth apocalypse date night was requested and I think that's the best idea for the next chapter.

…

Chapter Twenty-One. Bark.

Spencer and Rosita had another baby – a girl. They named her Beatrice, after Rosita's mother, but everyone called her Bee. She was a girl of three with dark hair like her mom and her eyes were curious as she sat at the table in the kitchen across from Rick, silent and studying as he sat across from her. He gave her a small smile, but she had no reaction and just kept staring.

Daryl had told him yesterday. Eli, Aiden and Bee had never see another person who wasn't a part of their family and he and Carl were getting curious looks from all of the kids that morning, ever since they had woken up, and last night, too, at dinner.

"Here, Rick." Beth came and placed a tin cup of steaming water that smelled like flowers down in front of him. "We don't have any coffee, but the tea is good. I promise. I make it myself."

"It smells great. Thank you, Beth," Rick smiled warmly at her.

She gave him a smile and then turned back towards the wood stove in the middle of the room, where she was frying tomato slices in an iron pan. Rick sipped his tea and took a moment to look around the kitchen. He had been so tired and overwhelmed the day before when Daryl and Beth had brought him back here, he had hardly gotten the chance to look at everything. And there was so much to look at.

Bushels of flowers and different sorts of plants he couldn't identify were tied and hung upside down from the ceiling rafters above their heads, drying out. Jars were lined the two shelves on the wall – different flours, honey that glistened as the sun coming through the window hit it, corn kernels, something ground up and yellow that Rick couldn't identify, a thick syrup that almost reminded him of maple syrup, but how the hell had they gotten syrup?, different mushrooms, a jar with a powder that looked like cocoa and another that looked like maybe it was cinnamon and then jars of sugar and salt and pepper.

Nearly everything was made of wood. The walls, the floor, the ceiling, the door and most of the furniture. There were pages ripped from coloring books, colored with colored pencils, hanging on the walls as well as snowflakes, stars and hearts cut out from pieces of construction paper – all crafts from the kids. There were candles, stacks of books, a sewing machine in the corner of the living room, a pile of wood for the fireplace. It seemed as if every available inch in the house was in use and yet, somehow, it all looked clean and organized.

His eyes went back to Bee. She was still watching him.

Rick took another sip of the tea. It was amazing to him that Rosita had been able to have two children – two perfectly healthy children – and she was healthy as well.

Beth set a plate of the tomato slices down on the table and then went to the back door, having been left open to get the gentle breeze that was blowing outside. She didn't shout, but she let out a whistle before returning to the stove. In the same frying pan, she took the eggs that had been brought in that morning and she cracked a few, frying them up, adding a dash of pepper.

"How often do you go on runs?" Rick asked.

Beth kept her eyes on the eggs. "About twice a year. If even that. There are houses and little stores all throughout these mountains. Sometimes, we get lucky. Sometimes, not," she ended with a shrug. "We have most of what we need and what we don't have, we've learned to live without. Someday, there won't be anything left."

Rick didn't say anything to that. That was something he had never wanted to admit to himself. He took another sip of his tea and he watched her as she cooked and moved around the kitchen. This room was obviously her domain.

She was older. Obviously. What had it been since he last saw her? Nine years? Ten? That had been such a horrible day. Hershel and the Governor and the prison being lost and his family running off in all different directions, scattering in the wind. And everything that had come after that… there had been peace. For a little bit. Once they found Alexandria. But that hadn't lasted either. Nothing lasted too long these days.

Except this place. This place had obviously lasted.

Hearing feet scampering, he took a sip of tea and looked to the backdoor as the boys, Aiden and Eli, ran in, pushing one another so they could get in first.

"Boys, manners," Beth said, not turning to look at them but knowing what they were doing anyway. "Get the plates and set the table, Aiden, please. Eli, silverware."

Both boys didn't protest and Aiden took the plates from the counter and Eli, the silverware, and as Aiden set the plates down at each chair at the table, Eli followed after him, putting down a fork and knife at each setting. Rick watched them, feeling amusement pull at the corners of his mouth. This was clearly what they did every morning; one of their chores. Daryl had told him the day before that they all had things they did every day to keep this place going.

Aaron entered next, a bucket in his hand. He set it down on the counter and then took a cup, dipping it in. "Here you go, Bee," he smiled at the girl and handed her a cup of the milk and Bee smiled at him before taking the cup with both hands. It was clearly what she had been waiting for. Her eyes went back to Rick and looked at him from over the rim of her cup as she drank.

Rosita and Spencer entered through the backdoor next, Spencer wearing his white undershirt and Rosita holding his plaid shirt in her hands.

"Seriously?" She was asking him with a frown on her face. "You have to stop. It's not like I can drive to Jo-Ann's for more fabric to make you another shirt."

"It was an accident," Spencer said as he went to the table and picking Bee up, he sat down in the chair and settled her in his lap.

"That's your excuse for everything," Rosita said, heading into the living room for her sewing basket.

"Just with the kids," Spencer grinned at her and she rolled her eyes.

Anna and Mulligan came in as Beth was putting down a plate of fried eggs. Beth didn't say anything, but she just gave Mulligan a look as he sat down at the table. She stood there with a raised eyebrow and Mulligan sat there, staring at her, and it seemed to go one for at least a minute until with a heavy sigh, Mulligan stood up again and went to the sink where Anna already was, washing her hands, to wash his, too.

Beth returned to the stove to fry up the rest of the eggs. Rick sat in his chair and sipped his tea and watched it all.

This was a family; a well-oiled machine that had gotten that way from years of being together and having only each other to work with and depend on and build a life together. The first time he met Rosita, they had been in that storage crate at Terminus and he had known immediately that she had been one tough girl. And Aaron and Spencer had both been at Alexandria and Aaron had been nice, but Rick had gotten the idea that he had been weak and Spencer had definitely been weak and sheltered. He never would have guessed that these three – of all of those in Alexandria – would band together and leave and still be together after all of these years. And for them to meet up with Daryl and Beth of all people…

It was incredible and unbelievable all at the same time.

They had really made something for themselves up here.

After the prison, there had been such chaos. He had been with Carl and he had no idea where anyone else was. He had thought Judith had died; that everyone had. Finding Michonne had been a miracle and then finding almost everyone else…

Rick shouldn't have stopped looking. He knew Daryl. Daryl was like his brother and he should have known that Daryl had gotten out of the prison, alive. He should have known that nothing would have been able to kill Daryl. And Rick felt guilty for feeling surprise at Beth having made it this long; and being the woman in front of him now, clearly strong and important to this family and their survival.

Beth set the other plate of eggs down and she sat down, but no one made a move to take the eggs or tomatoes onto their plates yet. It was only when Daryl came in and sat down in the last empty chair did they all begin serving themselves.

"Should I get Carl?" Rick asked as Rosita slid two tomato slices onto his plate.

"Let 'im sleep," Daryl was the one to say. "We've got a long day ahead of us and he should get his rest while he can get it."

Rick nodded and began eating his breakfast. They had chickens in Alexandria. Eggs was one of their main payments to Negan every week, and the people in Alexandria were able to eat plenty of eggs. And yet, there was something about these. Perhaps because he hadn't eaten any in nearly a week. He was starving. When he finished three tomato slices and his two eggs, Aaron, sitting next to him, scooped two more eggs and one more tomato slice onto his plate.

"Yes," Aaron said when he saw Rick about to protest.

"I'm okay," Rick said anyway with a shake of his head, about to push his plate away.

"We've got plenty," Daryl grunted.

Eli was sitting on his knee, leaving the one other chair at the table empty for when Carl did wake up, and like Bee, Eli was watching Rick as Eli drank his own cup of milk; as if Rick was the most interesting thing they had ever seen. It was amazing to him that these kids had never seen someone outside of who sat at this table. Was it really that possible to be that secluded in this world?

We've got plenty.

Rick admitted that he wasn't used to that. So much of the past few years had been about rationing. They had food, yes, and got to eat every day, but half of their food went to Negan and his group and what was left over had to be divided between everyone else who lived in Alexandria. They did their best. They had the chickens and eggs and they grew as many vegetables as they could, but the past couple of years, they hadn't gotten as much rain as they had hoped.

He was almost intimidated by the food in front of him on the table.

"I'm going to make you corncakes to take with you so you have something to eat this afternoon while you're hunting," Beth spoke up and Rick lifted his eyes from his plate to look at her, sitting across from him. She spoke with a gentle smile; as if she could peer into his mind right now and read his thoughts. "I make them with honey and lavender. Is that alright?"

Rick managed his own small smile. "That sounds great, Beth. Thanks." He paused. "I've never had a corncake before."

"You'll love 'em!" Eli exclaimed. "Mama makes the best corncakes."

"You'd eat the dirt if we'd let you," Daryl said, keeping an arm around Eli's middle as he leaned in closer to his plate to finish up his eggs.

"You saying my corncakes taste like dirt?" Beth asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Daryl didn't say anything; just gave her a smile and kept eating.

Rick couldn't help but watch them. What he had said to Daryl yesterday was the truth. He wouldn't have thought so, but something about Daryl and Beth just made sense. There was a level of comfort and love there that Rick couldn't remember ever seeing from Daryl before.

"You're not gonna make jus' them corncakes, are you?" Mulligan asked with a frown.

"No, Mulligan. I'll make you some, too," Beth replied.

Rick looked to the man, Mulligan, who he had met yesterday. He seemed nice enough. He had given up his bed so he and Carl had a place to sleep while he stretched himself out in the barn with the animals. When Rick had thanked him, Mulligan had just shrugged and said it didn't matter to him where he laid his head.

More than that though, this was his home and he had opened it up for the others to come and stay with him and live here. Daryl had explained it shortly to him yesterday as they had walked back from where they had first run into Eli. Mulligan had let them stay in the first place mainly because of Beth's cooking. That had only piqued Rick's interest. He didn't know she knew how to cook; especially do it so well where it could convince a stranger to share his home.

They all turned their heads when they heard a floorboard creak and Carl shuffled out of the bedroom.

"Sorry," he said once he saw them all sitting at the table, eating.

He sat down in the empty chair next to Anna and Rick and Daryl both noticed the way that Anna scooted a little bit away from him, as if she was uncertain of the young man. Spencer took Carl's empty plate in front of him and gave him the rest of the eggs and tomato slices. He also poured him a cup of milk.

"Thanks," Carl said, picking up his fork and digging in immediately.

"About this Negan fellow…" Mulligan began to speak.

"Not at the table," Rosita was the one to interrupt him with a sharp look before glancing towards the kids. She was sewing the tear in Spencer's shirt and she bit off the string with her teeth, probably with more force than necessary, but the topic of Negan definitely wasn't her favorite and she never wanted to hear his name again.

Rick didn't blame her. He wasn't comfortable talking about Negan in front of any of them. He'd rather just sit here and drink his tea and watch everything around him. It was amazing to him and he admitted that he was slightly envious of it all. Ever since he woke up in that hospital room so long ago, he had never known such peace as Daryl clearly had on this mountain with the rest of his family.

He wished it was possible that he and Carl could just stay here with them, but that wasn't an option to even think about. Not when the rest of his family was still back in Alexandria, all waiting for him to get back.

…

Beth sat on their bed, watching Daryl at their dresser, packing his pack to take with him. Outside the window that their bed was against, she could look down and see Eli, he and Aiden helping Aaron in the garden that morning, pulling weeds. She watched for a moment before turning her head back, looking at Daryl once more.

"You will come back, right?" She asked before she could stop herself. "You'll hunt them down a turkey or a deer and then you'll come back, won't you?"

Daryl stopped and looked at her. "Where the hell you think I'm goin'?"

"Back with them. To Virginia," she said and she didn't realize how scared she felt all of a sudden until she felt the knot in her stomach and identified it as such.

"I ain't leavin' these mountains," Daryl said. He shoved a pair of socks into his pack to take – just in case he needed them – and he then came and sat down next to Beth on the bed, his hand sliding to rest on her thigh. "Why you think I would?" He asked.

"Because Rick obviously needs your help," she said. "He doesn't even look the same…" she trailed off with a shake of her head.

She thought of the confident leader from the farm and at the prison – before Lori. But even after that, his strength always was able to break through no matter how hard he tried to keep it hidden. The man who had sat at their table that morning had clearly been broken down for the past few years and it broke her heart.

"Rick said they got a truck. I guess these guys, Negan and whatever the hell his group is called, is able to make gas from corn or somethin'. They gave Rick a truck and told 'im not to come back empty-handed. I ain't lettin' him."

Beth swallowed and nodded and she couldn't move her eyes away from him.

Daryl leaned in and rested his forehead to hers and Beth exhaled a breath she had been holding. He didn't say anything else and Beth honestly just wanted the silence; the chance to sit with him and feel him before he left. Would Negan be satisfied with a couple of turkeys or a wild boar or elk? Or would Rick return with this meat and Negan would want him to constantly go and bring more back?

This man who had beaten Glenn to death and had killed Maggie, Beth had never even seen this man's face and she was completely terrified of him. She wasn't naïve and living up here, she hadn't forgotten just how terrible the people left in the world had gotten. Just because she didn't see anyone anymore mean she had forgotten. She had told Daryl there were still good people. Mulligan was proof of that. But there were also awful people and just hearing Negan's name, it gave her chills.

She lifted her head from Daryl's and looked around their home. Their tree house. It was an octagon shape with hers and Daryl's bed in an alcove on one side and around on the other side, Eli had his little bed in another alcove. It was a hodgepodge of different woods from the different houses Daryl had torn apart in order to build theirs. He had gotten a desk for her so she could sit and write in her journal and there was an old wood stove to keep them warm in the winter. There was a tin can built into their wall that connected to another can in the cabin with a string so they could communicate with the others in the cabin if they didn't want to come down.

It was their home. Daryl had built it. And it was absolutely perfect.

Beth wanted to spend the rest of her life here, with Daryl and with their son.

"Hey," Daryl said quietly and his hand lifted to the side of her face. Beth turned her head back to look at him. "I'm gonna do anythin' I can to help Rick. But I ain't leavin' you and Eli and these mountains to do it."

Beth swallowed and nodded and with her hands on his cheeks, she kissed him.

…

"Still walk like a damn buffalo," Daryl grumbled and Rick actually felt himself grin as they walked side by side, following the slope down.

The view was breathtaking to say the least – trees and sky stretching as far as his eye could reach. And it was quiet. Just birds and wind and the occasional scamper of a some small animal he couldn't see. It was no wonder why Daryl had come up here. And Rick hated himself for not thinking of it himself and his family years earlier.

Carl walked ahead of them, looking down at the ground, studying it, and then looking around to make sure a walker wasn't coming their way.

"He's got Judith," Rick said suddenly and Daryl had been looking down at the ground, trying to pick up the trail of anything, but at Rick's words, his head jerked up and he looked at the man beside him. Rick swallowed, looking ahead so he didn't have to look at Daryl's face and his reaction when he told him this. "It happened after Glenn. I was… like how I was after Lori. Negan came to Alexandria for his first payment and… and he took her. Thought she'd be better off, being raised by somehow who could keep her safe."

Rick swallowed again and Daryl felt his fingers tighten around his crossbow. He could just imagine how awful it was – seeing Glenn being beat to death in front of them – but Daryl couldn't imagine himself letting someone just take his kid.

Thinking of Eli now and anyone putting their hands on him, Daryl had killed people before and he wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who even thought of taking him away from him and Beth.

"He's nice to her and he's got people to take care of her and I get to see her," Rick said. "But I do whatever he wants because I don't know what he'll do to her if I don't." He exhaled a sigh. "I can just guess what you're thinking right now."

Daryl shrugged his shoulders. "Ain't thinkin' anythin'," he responded. He definitely wasn't thinking about Lil' Asskicker and the last time he saw her, she was little enough to be cradled in his arms.

"Yes, you are," Rick guessed correctly. He was quiet for a moment. "I'm not the same," he then said in a quiet voice.

Daryl thought that over for a moment. "None of us are," he then said.

Carl turned then and looked at them. "Can we eat?" He asked.

"You just ate a few hours ago," Rick reminded him, but Daryl was already taking the pack off from his back.

"'s a'right," he said. "Beth packed plenty." He set the pack down and opened it up, pulling out a plastic container. "We'll save the corncakes for later. Have some of this." He pulled the lid back, revealing strips of tree bark. He smirked a little when he saw Carl's unsure look at the sight. "Trus' me on this. She boils it and sprinkles it with cinnamon. 's one of our favorite things to eat. Better than a candy bar."

Carl smirked at that and then reached in, taking a strip out. Both Daryl and Rick watched as he took his first bite. After a moment of chewing and thinking, he then gave a nod. "It's good," he decided.

Rick and Daryl helped themselves to their own strips.

They were quiet for a few minutes, eating and looking at the landscape.

"How'd Beth even know how to do this?" Carl asked after finishing one and taking another. He looked to Rick. "That could have been something we could have used."

Daryl shrugged. "Read and experimented and figured out what worked."

"I can't wait to try the corncakes," Carl said.

Daryl nodded. "You're gonna love 'em as much as tree bark."

Carl smiled at that and despite the eye patch and his now tall height, Daryl was reminded of the little kid at the farm, always trying to act so tough and grown up. He had driven Daryl crazy back then and would have given him a swift smack on the butt if he had any right whatsoever to and if he thought it would help Carl from always wandering away in the middle of a damn apocalypse.

But that was so long ago and Carl was a man now. Daryl almost hated that he had missed it and hadn't been with them this whole time, but he hoped that Eli never had to grow up in the ways that Carl clearly had.

"Thanks for doing all of this," Rick said.

Daryl looked at him and it didn't matter that so many years had passed or that they had all changed so much.

He simply nodded. "'s what we do."

Daryl packed the bark back up and put it back into the pack before slinging it onto his back again. He picked the crossbow back up and they began walking again. His eyes studied the ground, trying to find the tracks of something they could hunt down and the sooner, the better.

It was amazing to him that he was hunting with Rick at his side again – almost unbelievable – but Rick had a home to get back to and so did Daryl.

…

Thank you so much for reading and please take a moment to leave me a comment!