Disclaimer: Do not own The Walking Dead or any associated characters. Only what happens with them in my head.
Warnings: Language
Authors Note:
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A sigh fell from her lips as she glanced over to the warrior woman. It'd been two days since Carol's arrival and Beth was beginning to grow weary of her constant shadow. To the best of her knowledge the only one who seemed happy about Carol's appearance withing Terminus was Lizzie, even Mika had seemed semi hesitant. Of course, the younger girl also loved Carol beyond a shadow of a doubt so it didn't take long for her to warm up to the woman once more.
Beth hadn't even run across Carol, save for the day of her arrival. Of course, it probably helped that she had a bodyguard at all times. When it was Daryl she didn't mind it so much, but when anyone else began following her around it could become quite irritating. So far Maggie had tailed her, Glenn had tailed her and Tyreese had even followed her around this morning. It was now Michonne's turn. How the group had worked out a schedule for it, she wasn't sure, but it seemed as though they merely switched places without a word.
One minute Tyreese had been walking behind her and the next she knew he was gone and Michonne stood in his place. At least Michonne was more likely to talk to her. Tyreese had simply followed her around in a bad mood. While she knew she should be with Sammi, learning something, Beth wanted to check on others, see how things were going. Perhaps there was a small part of her that wanted to run across Carol, if only to show the woman that she couldn't get to her.
Everything seemed to be running smoothly. The farm was quiet, a few people here and there seemed to be pulling weeds but for the most part it appeared empty. The windmill spun slowly in the slight breeze that danced through the air. There wasn't much work to be done within. Beth briefly pondered baking bread, if they had the wheat for it that is. A soft sigh fell from her lips as she rubbed one hand across her stomach.
"You alright?" Michonne asked, startling the girl from her day dream of fresh baked, warm bread with melting butter on top.
Beth quickly nodded and smile. "I miss biscuits." She voiced.
The woman's brows furrowed slightly as a smile began on her lips. "Biscuits?"
"Mm," she hummed with a nod of her head. "Right out of the oven, covered in butter." Michonne simply smiled at her. The warrior was probably attributing it to a pregnancy craving, Beth frowned. The 'what I miss' game was much more interesting with Daryl. The two were silent as they walked along toward the production of the tunnel. "Michonne?" She asked now, shifting her gaze toward the taller woman. Much like Daryl used to do, she nodded and grunted quietly to show she was listening while her gaze danced around. "What did you do.. before all this?" Beth had wondered about it for a long time.
It didn't help that, like Daryl, Michonne was very secretive of her past. She played so many things close to the vest, worried about letting people in. In many ways Michonne and Daryl were alike. The woman didn't answer right away, opting for a little silence as she looked around. Beth considered pestering her but quickly assumed that if she were patient, as she had had to be with Daryl, she might gain some answers. After close to three minutes the woman spoke. "I dealt with antiquities. Things that were rare and beautiful. Typically something in art. I found things for museums and galleries. Made quite a bit of money in it, too."
Beth couldn't help but to grin at this information. She would have assumed that Michonne was a secret agent or something. "So, how did you learn to use the sword?" She asked now.
The warrior laughed softly and reached back to touch the handle of her Katana. Her shoulders shrugged up briefly as she recounted the moment she'd picked it up. "I actually didn't have a clue as to how to use it. Everything sort of fell and I was supposed to be delivering it to a collector in Maine.. I had it, I used it. Didn't take much practice to learn how to swing something sharp."
The two fell silent for a moment, Beth recalling when she'd first picked up a gun, a knife, the crossbow. Each had felt so heavy in her thin hands but after enough practice she was skilled with all of them. No where near as much as some of those around her but enough to keep herself safe for a short time. Beth knew that she couldn't survive alone. Daryl, Rick, Michonne and Carol could. Maggie had told her that if it weren't for Sasha and Bob she never would have made it to Terminus.
Pushing thoughts of being alone from her head, the blonde sighed quietly as they closed in on the tunnel. All the dirt that they'd dug up to form the tunnel was being piled beside the farm, Beth still wasn't sure of it's purpose but assumed that someone would have a good idea for it at some point. A group of four men that she recognized as Albert (short and thin, mid thirties, balding but with black hair and dark blue eyes), Calvin (tall and broad shouldered with dark skin, black hair and dark eyes), Jordan (medium height and no real build to speak of, blonde hair and green eyes) and Stefan (tall with olive skin and dark hair) were nailing and bolting logs together. She assumed it would be used as a bit of a trap door to keep the walkers out.
She'd met each of them while working with Sammi, the Hispanic woman tended to walk around town just to check on people throughout the day. She was generally concerned with everyone around her and Beth was certain that was one of the main reasons she connected so well with her. "How's it going?" She asked the group of men.
Jordan looked up and offered a smile to the women. "A'ight, I guess. Should have it done by tomorrow." The man said, his accent reminding Beth of the ones she'd heard on television from Brooklyn. She'd never really asked most people what they had been like before all of this, Beth preferred to stick close to those she knew.
After a short conversation with the men she and Michonne moved along. "Should probably get you to Sammi." The elder woman stated as they walked. The blonde nodded in agreement and rubbed at her stomach once more when the baby began tossing and turning inside her, sending little flutters and cramps through her at the same time. A frown tugged her lips before looking away from her stomach when Michonne's hand clamped down on her shoulder.
The warrior woman gently pulled Beth away from the wall and slightly behind her, her dark eyes focused upward. The girl's gaze snapped toward the top of the wall where Carol stood with her back to them. When they were out of earshot Beth felt herself let go. "Conrad put her on guard duty!? He seriously put a crossbow and gun into her hands?!" She raged in a whisper.
Michonne frowned and glanced back, noting that the silver-haired woman he still not noticed them or she was appearing not to anyway. "I didn't know." Of course, she was now planning a talk with the man. She had to wonder if Daryl knew, he'd worked the wall yesterday and was currently on the wall now. He had to know. Without giving the girl time to finish her angry tirade the warrior quickly led her to the doctors quarters. "Sammi?" She called as they opened the door.
"We're back here." They heard the woman's voice behind the low counter. Protectively Michonne stepped in front of the blonde as she walked slowly toward the back. Moments later and Carl's head popped up, grinning broadly.
"Beth, come on." He waved her over, still grinning as he disappeared from view. Curiosity got the better of both women as they walked around the counter to find Carl and Sammi playing a game of Uno. "You're in next deal, Beth. Michonne, want to play?" He asked, glancing up toward the dark-skinned woman. "Bet you a Snickers I'll beat you."
Michonne's love of chocolate intrigued her but she knew there were more pressing matters. "Maybe later, kid." She responded and winked down at him.
Beth had never seen the woman smile as much as she did around Carl and Rick, she couldn't help but to wonder if there were something between the two older people. If there were, they both kept it very secretive. Beth settled carefully onto the floor beside Sammi, watching the two play back and forth.
"I'm kicking Sammi's butt.." Carl claimed with a grin as he slapped down a Draw Four.
"Oh, two games." Sammi stated and smiled while shaking her head.
Carl turned his dark eyes toward Beth and snickered. He lowered his voice to a whisper, "yeah, out of three." Beth couldn't help but to laugh softly while leaning back and watching the two play.
–
Daryl let out a low sigh as he leaned back on the post attached to his platform, his dark eyes surveying the land around them. It'd been quiet today, more so than it had been in weeks. There wasn't a walker or even a deer on the horizon. Once he'd thought he'd seen something move in the tall grass but upon careful scrutiny it had turned out to be little more than a car, buried beneath the ever growing grass. It'd been easier at the start of all this, to see something coming across a flat expanse of land. Now with the over grown grass and fields it was particularly difficult to tell if there were a walker or just a piece of garbage.
A hand raised to rake back through his dark hair before turning his gaze to his left. Down the wall a little way he spotted Conrad, slowly making his rounds and checking on everyone, beside Rosie. The girl was always easily told by the mess of red curls that surrounded her head. Even when she pulled them back they formed a ball behind her head. Daryl was reminded of when Sasha would pull hers back.
Speaking of the slim woman, she was down the wall on the other side of Rosie, holding a standard bow in her hand. She wasn't the best shot, but she was getting better and that was what really mattered. He couldn't tell who was on Sasha's other side so pulled his gaze away and looked to the right. Tyreese had come on a couple of hours before. While the man was virtually useless with long range weapons he was a brute and a force to be reckoned with when it came to melee. Conrad had confided before that he'd been hesitant about allowing Tyreese on the wall, typically favoring anyone who could shoot something, but the large man looked as though he could handle just about anything.
Daryl wasn't about to disagree. On the other side of the large black male he saw Gavin. The man had his arms crossed over his chest, bow over his shoulder, while he watched the land. Overall it was a relatively boring day. Nothing interesting seemed to be happening and Daryl couldn't say he minded. Especially when he wasn't really at his best. He'd had the nightmare again last night..three nights in a row, the same horrid dream. It was keeping him from sleeping. While he hadn't seen Carol since her arrival he knew what the woman was up to.
Daryl wasn't all that close with anyone in Terminus but Maggie was loved by everyone. With only a couple of questions to the right people she knew everything that Carol was doing and when it was being done. She gladly accepted the task of keeping him informed.
So when the hushed voice spoke, and nearly startled him off the podium, he wasn't surprised by the information. "Conrad's allowed Carol in the guard?" Michonne asked, still standing on the ladder.
Daryl nodded softly, shifting his gaze over toward the woman. "Maggie told me this mornin'. She was s'posed to find you all, too." He told her with a low sigh.
"I haven't seen her, I've been with Beth."
Daryl stifled a yawn behind his hand as he readjusted his position. He glanced out toward the fields once more to check for walkers before turning back toward the pretty woman at his side. "How's she doin'?" He asked.
Michonne shook her head, resting her arms against the top of the ladder and laying her head on them so she didn't have to move. "Seems fine. Little worried and stressed, but that's to be expected with everything."
"Yeah.." he grunted and frowned, turning his gaze down the wall. He'd been searching to see if he could spot Carol, but Conrad must have been smart enough to keep them separated. Good thing too, because Daryl wasn't sure he could keep his trigger happy finger from firing off a bolt or two. "Been thinkin'," he began, shifting to look at the woman a little more closely while lowering his voice. Neither of them needed someone else to hear this conversation. It could turn things really ugly really fast.
"About?" Michonne prompted, arching her brows slightly. She shifted herself a little higher on the ladder to be closer to him as he spoke.
Daryl frowned, contemplating what he was about to say. It worried him that he could think like this about another person but at the same time with everything that Carol had done he couldn't find it within himself to feel too sorry. "A way to get rid've 'er."
The woman's brows nearly vanished into her hairline as she turned her gaze around, making sure no one was remotely nearby. "You'd get kicked out!" She whispered harshly. Michonne looked worried and curious all at once.
A tiny smirk formed on the rednecks lips as he looked back to her. For a short time he said nothing, though the warrior didn't seem to be catching on. She simply assumed he was crazy and wanted to get kicked out. "I only get the boot if it happens in Terminus." He clarified.
Michonne blinked in confusion, glancing around a moment before recognition hit. "Carol needs to go on a run."
Again, Daryl smiled and nodded once. "Exactly. One she doesn't come back from."
Michonne frowned softly as she thought about it. The run would mean that either she, Daryl, Tyreese or Rick would need to go because they would need to be the ones to do it. Daryl wasn't able to leave thanks to Beth's pleading. Besides, she doubted that Conrad would allow Carol and Daryl on a run together this soon anyway. Rick was still having a bit of difficulty walking and if it came down to it ran the risk of being overwhelmed by walkers and/or Carol. Tyreese was fueled with rage and while that could get the job done it could also expose them.
If this were to be done it would need done in secret. No one could know. Carol would just be another person lost to the walkers. It would require planning and talking to certain people. Only certain people could even be on the run otherwise it could compromise everything. "I'll figure out when Conrad is sending out the next group. Maybe he can talk Carol into going."
The warrior began to descend the ladder but Daryl's hand shot out to grip her wrist. "He can't know you want her to go." He voiced quietly.
Michonne smiled cockily, "trust me. He won't know that I had anything to do with it." Again, she'd begun making her way down but stopped herself. Her dark eyes danced over Daryl's face for a moment, then she spoke in a low voice. "We need to talk to Rick about this."
Daryl nodded softly in agreement and couldn't help but to be glad that Michonne was on his side of this. She was the perfect ally. Michonne was smart and strong. She could easily take out a group of walkers without aide and she was one of the most loyal people he'd ever met. The warrior woman was protective and witty and Daryl honestly didn't know how the whole group had survived so long without her.
While she was a perfect ally, Michonne could be a menacing enemy. He'd learned that through her talks of the Governor. How desperately the woman had wanted him dead and she would have gone to any lengths to do it. Of course, a good part of that was because the woman had killed Andrea and everyone knew just how close Michonne and Andrea had been. Now the woman was being protective. And to protect anyone from someone like Carol, usually extreme measures were meant.
Daryl shook his head as he watched the woman walk away from the wall, making it look as though she'd just come to check in rather than plot other humans demise. He had to wonder how thinking it through with Michonne like that made him any better than Carol. He was still planning another persons death, he was still thinking of ways to do it and he had a justification. Was his reasoning so different from Carol's? She'd tried to kill Beth because she loved him. He was now thinking of killing Carol because he loved Beth.
How was that much different? Sure, there was a baby in the mix on his side but did that really make as big of a difference. His motives were simple: Protect Beth and the baby. Revenge for nearly tearing his world apart. Protect his sanity. Daryl knew that if Beth was ripped away from him his sanity would easily follow. Never before had a woman taken complete control of his actions before. Never before had he really had to think of someone else when he made a choice.
Now, it was his every thought. Every time there was a decision to be made, Daryl had to consider how it would affect Beth. It was ridiculous, really. A sigh slipped out as he looked back over the fields while leaning back against the pole, fighting not to drift off to sleep under the heat of the summer sun and the exhaustion from not sleeping much lately.
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