Beth went to bed early that night. The day had been long and overwhelming and it felt amazing to lay back into the soft bed, something she hadn't felt in ages. Sure the prisons had had cots but they had been lumpy and stiff. She had left Daryl in the kitchen, sharpening his knives and Carol had been reading a book on the couch. She kept the door halfway open to let some light in. She shut her eyes and tried to get some sleep. It didn't last long. She couldn't help but listen into Daryl's and Carol's conversation. It was about Karen and Dave.

"I'm still findin' it hard to believe you were the one to kill the two of them." She heard Carol sigh and say

"I had to protect the prison as best I could."

"It didn' work," said Daryl, "People just kept gettin' sicker." Beth could hear the bothered tone in his voice. She knew he didn't like it. Even if Carol had opened her arms to them she knew he was still disturbed by what she had done. She smiled to herself. She was getting good at reading him through his expressions and voice.

"I know," said Carol, "But I had to do something." Daryl didn't answer. Beth slowly pushed the covers back and crept to the door. She looked out of the crack and saw them. Daryl was still standing at the counter and Carol had moved to stand next to him. She smiled and said "Do you forgive me pookie?" Daryl didn't look up at her. He looked like he was lost in thought. All he did was grunt back to her. She must have taken it as a yes because she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm headed to bed now; I'll see you in the morning." It took a minute for Beth to come out of the jealous trance she was in. When she saw Carol walking towards the room she dashed back to the bed. Carol entered the room just as Beth had pulled the covers back over her. She heard her shut the bedroom door and start changing into pajamas. She kept her eyes shut tight, not moving a muscle. Why was she so jealous? She knew that Carol had been into Daryl, it was no secret. But how did Daryl feel about her? And more importantly, how did she herself feel about Daryl? She felt Carol quietly get into bed next to her. She felt her lean over and press a light kiss on her temple.

"Goodnight Bethy," she said, "Sweet dreams." It didn't help Beth's confusion. Carol was like a mother to her. She loved her and cared for her. She had been her guide and confidant. She had told her nearly everything, except for her confusion over Daryl. She could never tell her that. It would drive a wedge between them.


The next morning Beth woke up to a wonderful breakfast again. Carol smiled at her when she walked out. This time Daryl was sitting at the table and eating.

"Morning," she said, "Beacon and eggs again." Beth felt her stomach growl and she said

"I haven't had anything so good or filling in a long time." She saw Daryl look up at her in mock anger and say

"What about my squirrels and deer?" She smiled and said

"They were good but this really hits the spot." She sat down next to him.

"It's also good for you," said Carol, scooping the beacon off the pan and onto a plate. "Put some meat on your bones." Beth had lost a good amount of weight since the start of the apocalypse. She could see her ribs and her hip bones. Stress and lack of food had thrown her body cycle way off. Caol finished cooking and came to join them at the table. "You know they're going on a big run today," she said to Daryl, "You should join them."

"Maybe," he said, leaning back into his chair.


Daryl had given in and gone on the run with the other men. It was just she and Carol left in the apartment. Beth was getting dressed, happy to finally have a mirror to look at herself in. She found herself worrying about how her hair looked, trying to make her clothes look as neat as possible despite all the dirt and holes in it. What was wrong with her? She hadn't cared so much about appearance after the start of the apocalypse.

"You wanna come visit a friend with me?" Carol stood in the doorway of the bedroom. Beth turned around quickly, not wanting her to see her fixing herself up.

"Sure," she said with a smile.

"She just had a baby," said Carol, "She'll be happy to have visitors."

Her friend's house was just across the street. When Beth walked in she could hear a baby crying in the background. Carol called out

"Brenna it's just me." A woman appeared in the doorway of the kitchen holding a small bundle. She could hear the baby still letting out small cries. The woman was pretty but she looked tired. Her blonde hair looked unkempt, there were bags under her eyes and her voice cracked with exhaustion as she spoke.

"Oh great to see you Carol," Carol went forward and gave her a light hug.

"How's she doing," said Carol, smiling down at the baby.

"She's doing great," said Brenna, "But I on the other hand wish I could get some sleep, been up all night with her." Beth approached the woman slowly and looked down at the baby. She was adorable. She had wide blue eyes, a small tuft of strawberry blonde hair and round chubby cheeks. She stopped fussing and looked up at her. Carol introduced her

"This is Beth," Brenna smiled at her and said

"I think she likes you," She felt a painful stab in her chest as she remembered Judith. She reached out for the baby and Carol gave her over. Beth felt tears well up in her eyes as the baby reached out at her with her tiny hands. Carol must have noticed because she put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in. Beth looked up at Brenna and said

"What's her name?"

"Gwen." Beth felt the motherly instinct take over as it had with Judith. She was nervous to ask Brenna. She had just met her.

"You know," she said, "You look really tired, if you want I could help you out with her." Hoping she would say yes she continued. "I used to take care of a little girl back where I came from until-" Beth couldn't continue, she knew she'd break down if she did. Carol finished for her.

"Beth did a great job with all the kids, especially the baby. She's a natural at being a mother." Beth expected Brenna to refuse. With the world they lived in Beth would understand if she didn't want her baby in the hands of someone else. She looked up and was surprised to see Brenna smiling.

"I would love that."


Daryl sat in the back of the pickup truck with five other men. Another empty truck drove behind them to carry the animals they killed. They had left the boundaries of the town twenty minutes ago.

"Where are we goin'?" he asked, looking at the man sitting next to him.

"We have a place we like to hunt at; we always bring home a big catch." The farther away they got the more annoyed he was getting. He didn't want to be too far away from Beth. When the truck finally came to a halt he was the first up and on the ground. They were told to meet back at the truck in two hours and split up in groups of two. Daryl would have preferred to work alone. He was paired with the man who had talked to him in the truck.

"You new around here?" he asked, walking up beside him.

"Ya," he said "Got here two days ago."

"You like it so far?" Daryl grunted and said

"Not really sure," There was silence between them as they continued to walk deeper into the woods. He looked over at the man. He was tall; dark skinned and had a scar down the left side of his face. He had a hat on that looked military. He looked trustworthy enough.

"So what's the deal with this place," he said, "Is it safe or what? Does that guy Richard keep his word?"

"I've been here since he started the place up, he's a great guy, and without him we would have never prospered like we did. We haven't had a breach of the walls in a long time," he paused and then said "Probably been over a year now." Daryl couldn't help but be impressed. Maybe it wouldn't be such a terrible place to stay after all. "I'm Damian," said the man. He slowly let his guard down and said

"Daryl."

"You like to hunt?"

"That's my job," he said, "I'm a tracker."

"Good," said Damien, "We need as many of those as we can get."


Beth sat on the floor of Carol's living room. She watched as Gwen played happily with a rattle. She had brought the baby over to Carol's to let Brenna get some much needed sleep. Carol stood at the kitchen counter watching her.

"It was nice of you to take her," she said, "Brenna hasn't had much rest since she got here."

"How come," said Beth, not sure if she wanted to hear another tragic story.

"She came here a couple of months ago alone. Her husband had been killed and she had been running for miles. Luckily she and the baby were both ok but she's been in a bad state ever since." Beth tickled Gwen lightly on the stomach, getting the baby to laugh.

"I just miss Judy so much."

"She could be alive out there," said Carol, "You never saw her get attacked; she could have easily been picked up by somebody." Beth tried to find comfort in Carol's words. But she knew people had depended on her to take care of Judith. "I have to go help with errands," said Carol, "Are you ok here by yourself?"

"Ya I'll be fine." She heard Carol leave. Brenna had written Beth a brief schedule of Gwen's sleeping and eating habits. And according to the paper it was almost nap time. She looked around for something that could be used as a substitute for a crib. She found a cardboard box and started putting blankets in it. Then she started to rock the baby to sleep. She held Gwen at her shoulder, and started to sing. Her voice echoed through the apartment, soothing not only the baby but herself. She had just tucked her in when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it to see Steve standing there.

"Oh hey," she said, "What's up."

"I heard you singing," he said "I live a couple doors down and thought I'd come see you." Beth smiled and let him in. "It sounded great by the way."

"Thanks," she said, feeling her face heat up in a blush, "I was just putting the baby to bed."

"You have a baby?!" he said, sounding shocked. She laughed and said

"No I'm just taking care of her for someone."

"So is it just you here?" he asked.

"For now," she said, "Carol's gone out to do some errands and Daryl went hunting."

"Daryl?"

"He's the guy who was calling to me yesterday."


Daryl aimed his crossbow at the unsuspecting deer. He made sure he was perfectly on target before pulling the trigger. The arrow impaled the deer in its neck and it fell over. He sat up, feeling triumphant.

"Nice shot," said Damien, hoisting his own catch over his shoulder. Daryl went over to where the deer had fallen and found it dead. He tied it up by the back hooves and picked it up. It was a big buck with huge antlers and despite his strength it was going to be hard to carry all the way back. Damien had his own deer to worry about it. "We better head back." The two men walked in the direction they had come. It wasn't too hard to move through the forest, the men had cleared several paths. Daryl noticed something he hadn't seen when they had walked in. A road off to the right. He saw something else. He wasn't sure if he was hallucinating. He walked towards it, leaving Damien confused. It was a motorcycle. Not his motorcycle but it was better than nothing. It stood up straight on its kick-stand.

"What are you doing?" said Damien, coming out of the woods after him.

"Gonna take this back with us too." He went around the other side to see that the keys were still in the ignition. It was like God had left it there for him to find.

When he rode back in it was around dinner time and he was hungry. He felt so free and alive riding on a motorcycle. He thought he'd never get the chance to again. He rode through the gates and followed the truck towards the main kitchen where all the meals were prepared. It was attached to the cafeteria area where they ate. He helped them take the days catch off the truck and then got back on his motorcycle. Damien walked up before he could leave.

"We'll be going on another run the day after tomorrow, you coming with us?" Daryl nodded and said

"I'll be there."

When he got back to the apartment he put the motorcycle in the alleyway next to the building and went inside. As he was approaching the door to the apartment he heard a laugh. It was Beth. Maybe Carol was with her? He opened the door and felt his blood boil. Beth and Steve were sitting on the couch together. Beth turned and saw him standing there. She looked shocked like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I n an angry tone he said

"What are you two doin'?!"

"Just hanging out," said Beth, "Do you have a problem?" All thoughts of not wanting to upset her left his mind.

"Ya I do," Before he could continue a sharp cry broke the air. It was a baby's cry. For a brief second he thought maybe it was Judith, maybe Beth had somehow her. It was coming from Carol's bedroom.

"Look Beth I think I better go," said Steve, casting a frightened glance over at Daryl, "I'll see you around." Beth said goodbye and was up in an instant and in the bedroom. Daryl followed her and stood in the doorway she leaned over and picked up the baby out of a box. The baby calmed down instantly. She walked over to him and Daryl got a good look at the baby. Not Judith. She put the baby back in the crib and then turned to face him. He didn't have much time for disappointment as she snapped at him.

"What the hell was that?!" she said, her face twisted in anger.

"That kid clearly wants one thing from you." He was pissing her off even more.

"He's a nice guy," said Beth, "And what do you care?" He didn't answer her and said

"Fuckin' prick has no right to come in here and try to take advantage of you! Just wants to get his dick wet."


"You have no right to tell me what to do!" She was completely enraged now. She wanted to say something that would bother him as much as he was bothering her. She smiled and said "And what does it matter, maybe I just want one thing too." She had gotten the reaction she wanted. His face turned red with fury. She walked past him back into the kitchen. She felt him grab her arm. "Let me go!" She turned to look at him. His green eyes were narrowed at her.

"I ain't gonna let you do that."

"Why do you care?!" she yelled, "It's none of your business!" Suddenly Carol walked in. Daryl let go of her arm and stood up straight again. Still angry and slightly embarrassed she went back into the bedroom to get Gwen.


That night was awkward. It was clear they had been arguing but Carol didn't bring it up. Beth had brought Gwen back to Brenna and now they were all eating dinner at the table. They would finish off the meat he had cut up in the apartment and then start to eat down in the café.

"So whose baby is that?" said Daryl, looking at Carol, avoiding Beth's gaze. He wanted to act like he was still mad. He didn't want to be the one to apologize first. Truthfully, he wanted to take her into his arms and tell her he was sorry. To tell her that the only reason he had been so angry was because he hated seeing her with another guy.

"She's the daughter of a friend," said Carol, "She's been having a tough time taking care of her herself so Beth volunteered to help out." It was just like his Beth to do something so sweet. He looked back down at his food and continued to eat. A moment later Beth had finished eating. She got up and cleaned her plate off and then went into the bedroom, shutting the door. Carol looked over at him and said

"What'd you do?"

"I walked in and she had that boy in here with 'er."

"You've gotta let her branch out and meet new people," said Carol, "I know you want what you think is best for her." He felt her put his hand over his and say "See you'd make a good father figure." Daryl cringed at the word. He didn't want to tell her that he wasn't being protective like a father but out of jealousy.

Thanks everyone for the reviews and support :) The map of the girls path through Nebraska is now up. I also did a cover photo for this story which is posted on my profile as well. Editing pictures and photoshop is not my specialty but I thought it came out pretty good.