Orange, red, and purple hues tinted the pine wall Beth was facing as her eyes began to slowly flutter open to another day. Instinctively, she tenderly placed a hand on the baby tucked beside her. Like all newborns, Hershey had woke several times throughout the night but Beth did not mind. She took nothing for granted anymore. His cries were proof that he was alive and healthy. The young mother was just thankful that she was around to care for and love him.
The tiny blonde laid in their small little bed encased by a pair of strong arms that clung to her protectively, even as the owner of them slept. Steady warmth from his breath ticked the delicate skin on her neck. Throughout the night, Daryl woke with a start the second either of them stirred, instantly ready to rip apart anything that might be a threat for his family. However, the only assistance required from him thus far involved fetching something she needed or assisting with a diaper change. Nevertheless, he was awake anytime they were. However, like the baby that laid on the other side of her, Daryl was still sound asleep and Beth was determined to keep it that way as long as possible. So she just laid as still as she could and inhaled his scent, savoring each rhythmic beat of his heart against her back.
Beth would never understand how she – of all people – ever got so lucky as to earn such love and devotion from a man like Daryl Dixon. What they had was something that she never could have imagined, even in her wildest girly fantasy. It was stronger than any bond she ever read about in a classic novel or watched in some silly fictional movie. No, this was the stuff of ancient myths and medieval legends. Feelings so strong that they could never be properly put into words or even severed with death. Perhaps she was being silly? Maybe everyone thought that way when they were truly in love? Regardless, it was pure and good. He was here beside her and she was there beside him. It was the only thing that mattered at the moment.
The soft sighs and low snores of their company - sleeping not too far away -also filled the room. Soon they would be leaving. When exactly? No one really knew for sure but it was only a matter of days. For the past week, Daryl and Abraham had been busy gathering supplies and double checking routes. All the last minute preparations one could think of for a long journey. Beth wasn't sure what they would actually find in Washington but hoped it was something – even if it turned out not to be their original quest. She suspected that they already found a lot along the way.
Abraham invited for them to join. Said that they would be an asset despite having a newborn baby in tow. Even offered to wait a few more weeks until Beth was completely healed but Daryl refused saying that there was no way he was taking his family from the safety of the lookout until the baby was older and stronger. The blonde had been relieved. Though she loved these people with all her heart and had a really hard time believing that she would never see them again, Beth did not want to leave Georgia yet. Not while the rest of their family were still out there somewhere.
The baby stirred beside her and the mom knew it would not be long until he woke up wanting his morning meal. She caressed his soft body, settling him back into slumber, though she knew it would only be for a few more minutes. She wanted her husband to sleep as long as possible. It became apparent that her efforts were futile though, when the warm breath on her neck was replaced by tender kisses.
"Is he awake?" Daryl breathed into her ear before taking the lobe into his mouth. Beth shivered from the touch even though her battered body was nowhere ready to resume any sort of carnal relations.
"No, but soon," she whispered into the crisp morning dawn.
The arms around her tightened their embrace. Across the room a slight cough broke the silence.
"I guess Abe plans on leaving this morning," he informed her quietly. "They were talking about it last night."
"Well, he's been anxious to go. I will miss having the company," she replied back with a sigh.
"Are you disappointed that we are not going?" Daryl asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
"No, they have their mission and we still have ours," she reassured. "I know that the rest of our family is out there somewhere but maybe one day our paths will cross with them again."
"I'm sorry Rosita has to leave, though," he said as he placed his chin on her shoulder. "It seems like you need her at the moment with your own sister not being around and all."
Beth glanced back at her husband and raised her eyebrows. Apparently, he had picked up on all the girl time happening lately. She could not help but chuckle at the thought.
"I will miss Rosita," she admitted. "But I know for a fact that Maggie is alive and we will find her."
"A fact, huh?" he asked. There was something strange in his voice that she could not quite decipher.
The baby beside her began to wiggle. Turning his head from side to side, Hershey let out a small girgle before sticking his fingers into his mouth. Beth carefully scooped him up before he woke the others and quietly turned to face Daryl. After the baby latched on to her breast, she peered back up at him. For a moment, her husband held his breath as he gazed at her, seemly mesmerized before quickly coming to his senses.
"It's a long story but I know Maggie is alive," she whispered into the darkness not breaking eye contact or the invisible current of electricity that always connected them.
"I know," he breathed causing Beth to blink in surprise. "Some of them at least. I found a camp yesterday when I was out with Abraham. It was months old though."
"How do you know it was them?" she replied, shocked and taken aback by this new revelation.
"Because my poncho was there," he answered, staring at her intently like he was trying to gauge her reaction. "With the blood stains still on it. Someone must have grabbed it before we all scattered and it had to be someone from Cell Block C."
Every nerve in Beth's body seemed to tingle as the reality of what Daryl just told her began to sink in. For a moment it was like she couldn't breathe. Even though she knew some most likely would have made it, the blonde was almost in disbelief. It had to really be Daryl's poncho if the blood was still there. It was stained by her after that night which now seemed so long ago. The night she became pregnant with baby Hershey. Somebody from their family really was out there somewhere!
But then another thought crossed her mind. One that made her narrow her brow at her husband in both confusion and anger.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded. "You know, like yesterday when you got back!"
Daryl's eyes fell from hers and began to study the pattern on the quit before looking back at his wife once more.
"I didn't know how," he whispered finally. "I was going to but I had a hard time wrapping my mind around it myself and didn't want to just blurt something like that out of nowhere. What was I supposed to say? By the way, I found evidence of our long lost family out there today? You know? The ones that we thought were dead? It appears that they were alive after all. Well, months ago at least."
Beth swallowed hard before exhaling a long sigh.
"Daryl, if they made it past all the bullets and walkers, chances are they are still alive right now," she insisted with a huff.
"I know," he agreed quietly.
"Well, who do you think it could have been?" she asked. "Who would have thought to grab the poncho?"
"Not sure," Daryl replied. "It was in our cell so whoever it was went there looking for something. I'm not trying to get your hopes up but my guess is either Glenn or Maggie. They were probably searching for you. But the reason I think they are still alive is because it was more than one person. By the looks of it there were at least six or seven in that camp. They stand a better chance in a group."
"Why would they have left it?" she wondered out loud. "Surely, a poncho would have been useful on the road."
"I think it was a sign for us, Beth," he whispered. "They left it there knowing that if we were alive and found it, we would know it was them."
A broad smile filled the young woman's face. 'Of course they would,' she thought to herself. The others would have worried for them too, especially with Beth being pregnant and all. A thousand thoughts started feeling her head at once.
"How far away was it?" she asked excitingly while she shifted Hershey to her other breast. The baby fussed in protest for a minute before latching on to her nipple. "Was there any indication where they might have went?"
"Beth, any tracks would be long gone after all this time," Daryl warned. "The camp was about 20 miles north from here but they could be anywhere now. The only reason I found it at all is because they wanted me to. They purposely left stuff a certain way."
"But they could come back, right?" Beth replied hopefully. "What if they do? We have to leave them some kind of sign or something."
Daryl studied her a minute before the corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk.
"I already did," he informed her with a chuckle. "I marked the poncho with the symbol I used when we went on runs and left it there. If they come back, they will see it and know it had to be me. I also marked a few random trees around the general area. No one else will have a clue what it means."
"Oh," Beth responded sheepishly. She could not believe that only a few months ago some of the others were just 20 miles away. They had searched for their family for months after finding the lookout. In fact it had to be right around the same time but they still never found them. "But the markings are 20 miles away, right? How will they ever find us? Maybe we should leave a trail back here to the lookout?"
"NO," Daryl boomed, startling the nursing baby between them and causing someone on the floor to stir. Beth quickly calmed Hershey before looking back up at her husband in confusion.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because they might not be the only people wandering around out there," he hissed back at her. "We could unintentionally lead someone not so friendly here."
Beth flopped her head onto her pillow in frustration. Daryl was right. Creating a trail back to them was not too smart of an idea. The blonde wanted to see her family again. Maggie was out there somewhere probably worried sick about her. But even more than all that, she had to know what happened to Judith one way or another. The mom glanced down at the baby at her bosom as a single tear made its way slowly down her cheek. She loved Hershey with every ounce of her being but no child could ever replace another. It just didn't work like that. His presence reminded her even more that a piece of her heart was left somewhere back at that prison. Maybe, it always would be? Regardless, knowing would allow her to finally start to move on for her son's sake.
"Hey," Daryl said gently, wiping away the tear while reading her thoughts. "If they are out there, there's a good chance she is out there too. They got to our cell, right? Well, that means they were able to make it back inside the prison where she was."
Beth peered up threw her wet lashes at her husband who was now hovering over her. It was the first time he acknowledged her pain over not finding Judith. The man had been in love with the child too. Truth be told, he was the reason Judy had even survived after taking action when Rick wasn't capable. Maybe that was one of the reasons he had a hard time holding out hope? Maybe it was easier emotionally to just protect what he had at the moment?
"I think it was Maggie that grabbed the poncho," she declared with a sniffle. Daryl looked back at her with a perplexed expression.
"What makes you so sure?" he asked.
"Because when I almost died, I seen my daddy and he told me that she was still alive."