Chapter Nine

The night had remained awkward, mainly because Beth had no desire at all to make any of them feel better. She purposefully kept herself busy with her people and pointedly ignored Maggie when she tried to talk to her and as soon as they were done eating she instructed the others to sleep.

"I'll keep watch." Beth instructed before stepping away from the fire once again, bow in hand.

"Beth." Morgan sighed. "Please rest. I'll take watch."

"You can both rest, I'll watch." Daryl said, pretty sure that Beth wouldn't feel comfortable unless her or maybe Rick was watching over them.

"Thanks." Beth said with a smile before she settled in next to Annie.

Daryl woke everyone a few hours later as agreed and the new, rather large, group set out East. Rick had briefly explained about the herd and left no room for argument when he told them what was going to happen next.

Carl was the first one to approach Beth, he'd handed Judy to Tyreese, noticing that Beth seemed to be shying away from his baby sister.

"Hey Beth." He greeted with a wide smile. Annie, who had been walking next to Beth like her own personal body guard smiled at the boy before speeding up to join Noah.

"Hey Carl." Beth replied. "I didn't get chance to say last night but I'm so glad you made it out of the prison. I knew you would though, you're pretty tough."

"Thanks, you too." Carl said with a laugh. "I really missed you."

"I missed you too Carl, a lot. It just didn't feel like the end of the world without you."

"Noah and Annie seem cool." He said, unsure if he should be bringing up anything to do with Beth's time apart from the family.

"They are. I think you'll really like Noah, he's big into comics. Fair warning though, Annie takes no shit so don't even think of talking back or giving her cheek."

"Thanks for the heads up! Hey, I wanted to ask, please don't get mad." Carl pleaded and Beth couldn't help but think oh here we go. "Morgan seems better than last time I saw him but is he, well is he sane again now or?" Beth couldn't help bursting out into laughter.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't have brought him with me if I didn't trust him, especially when I realised Judy was with you." Beth assured him and Carl smiled in relief.

"Just wanted to check. You've not held Judy yet, did you want to? You know you don't have to ask." Carl added gently, showing a high level of emotional maturity for a teenage boy.

"I do, I really do but it's been so long." Beth confided with a sigh. "I look different and she's so young she won't remember me at all now. I just don't know if I can handle her being scared of me. I'm totally willing to have to earn her trust and get to know her all over again but I just. Well I don't know if I can handle that just yet."

"I get it. But I'm sure she'll remember you." Carl didn't give her chance to back away, he strode over to Ty, collected his sister and marched right back to Beth. "Be brave, she loves you." He said sternly before thrusting the baby into her arms.

It was instinctual, the way her arms opened to receive the infant. Judith started to fuss almost immediately and Beth didn't even think, she was already bouncing the little girl on her hip as she started to hum her favourite tune. Judith settled straight away and burrowed her head into the crook of Beth's neck. She tried to quell the whimper in her throat, tried to will her eyes to remain dry but it was impossible so instead she pulled her little girl closer and buried her face in her soft wispy hair.

"Oh sweet girl I missed you." She whispered. "I missed you so much you have no idea. I swear I'm never leaving you again, do you hear that Judy? I promise. I love you so much, so so much." Openly sobbing now Beth was overcome with emotion for this tiny human in her arms.

Beth realised that everyone was staring, a lot of her family had tears in their eyes but she was acutely aware that she was also amongst strangers that she had not made up her mind about. She turned away to hide her tears and Daryl caught on.

"Give them some space, good lord." He lashed out and most people scurried away. The only people remaining were ones he didn't think Beth would mind seeing her like this so he let them stay. "You ok Beth?"

"Daryl, I have Judith back. I'm fantastic." She laughed. "Oh, and I told you so."

"What?"

"I realised I hadn't said it yet, so I'm fixing that. I told you so." At Daryl's blank expression Beth rolled her eyes and elaborated. "I told you we'd find them, you were all grumpy and said we wouldn't and now look at us. So, I told you so. Really Dixon, you should just get used to it now, I'm always right."

"Pshaw, you're something else Greene." He grumbled before softening. "But I'll give you this one. You were right, I just needed a little faith." The smile that bloomed on her face made the embarrassment of what he just said worth it.

x-x-x

A couple of hours after dawn Rick decided they'd gone far enough and there was a farm house in the distance he thought might be a good place to grab some rest for a couple of days. He called the group to a stop and told everyone his intention. It didn't go unnoticed that Beth's people all looked to her before agreeing with Ricks plan. Beth nodded discreetly before vocally lending Rick her support.

"Looks good, a group of us should head in and clear the place, the others can wait here and look after Judy." Beth suggested. Rick couldn't fault her plan so nodded in confirmation and started picking people.

"Daryl, Michonne, stick to the trees and work your way round the back, Glenn, Abe, you're both with me in the front. Carl, look after your sister." Rick hesitated. "Beth?"

"I'll take the front with you. Noah, Annie, stay with Carl and Judy. Morgan, you want to be our last chance?"

"No problem." Morgan disappeared into the forest surrounding them.

"Where's he going?" Rick asked.

"He's going to watch from a distance, if this is a trap he'll be out there to try and save our asses. See, he's our last chance guy." At Rick's baffled look she shrugged. "We had a lot of time to talk strategy while I tracked you all over Georgia." Beth explained dryly.

"Well all right then. Let's get this done."

Beth didn't particularly like leaving her group behind, it felt strange to be heading into potential danger with her brother in law, a complete stranger and then Rick Grimes who had been a sort of protector figure to her ever since she had met him. She hung back slightly to give her a chance to see how her family interacted with this new person.

Rick gave Glenn the signal and he knocked on the door while Rick, Abe and Beth held their weapons ready. Beth had an arrow on the string and also a knife held in the same hand.

Nothing knocked back and upon Rick's second signal Glenn cautiously opened the door. Rick and Abe went into the dark interior of the house, followed by Beth and finally Glenn. They split up to clear the house, Beth heading upstairs immediately. She'd noticed that all the upstairs windows had their curtains drawn and it gave her the feeling that something was off.

While on the landing, staring around at five closed doors she heard someone coming up the stairs. She nodded in greeting when Michonne appeared and the older woman nodded back. Beth gestured to one of the doors and Michonne nodded again, Beth opened the door and Michonne stepped inside silently. The room was empty and so the women carried on down the hall until only one room remained. Beth grabbed Michonne's wrist before they could open the door.

"I've got this horrible feeling we're going to find something horrific in this room."

"Me too. Someone was holed up in here after the turn. Do you want to wait and get the others?"

"Hell no, just think we should be extra careful with this one." Beth shot back, slightly offended by Michonne's suggestion.

"Good." Michonne responded with a beaming grin.

They entered the room carefully to find no less than five walkers stuck in the confined space, both women had to work really hard to not be distracted by the crib in the corner of the room and the long dead toddler inside it.

"Shit. Hallway." Michonne instructed and Beth nodded, there wasn't enough space to fight.

They stepped back, Beth kicking back one of the walkers whilst they did so and together they killed each walker as it stumbled from the room.

"Nicely done." Michonne complimented as the last walker fell and the others joined them on the landing, drawn upstairs by the commotion.

"That's nothing, you should see me with a bow." Beth sassed with a grin.

"Should you be fighting hand to hand?" Daryl asked Beth who took in a great lungful of air to start ranting at him. Daryl had the sense to cut her off before she could even start. "Just didn't think you'd want that Annie woman all pissed at you again. Chick's scary."

"Shit." Beth cursed. "Ok if anyone asks Michonne did all the killing and if any of you rat me out to Annie I will kick your ass." Beth threatened. Glenn held his hands up in surrender, he would have agreed to anything Beth demanded in that moment, still deeply guilty for everything that had happened. The others soon nodded their agreement and the group made their way downstairs to collect the others and bring them to the house.

"Is your back ok?" Michonne asked Beth quietly as they trailed at the back of the group. Beth tensed. "You don't want to talk about it? Fine, I respect that. But I'm not going to let you suffer in silence because you might get mad at me for asking, ok?"

"Ok." Beth reluctantly agreed. "It'll be fine. I hate to say it but I think I just need to take it easy for a few days, no fighting, no hunting, just stay still and let it heal."

"I think you're probably right. Do you think that you should get Bob to have a look?"

"Probably. I don't know if I can though. I haven't decided if I want people to see or not." Beth admitted. She noticed that Daryl was hanging back slightly and she had a suspicion he was listening in. For whatever reason she didn't mind his eavesdropping and continued. "On the one hand, it's a mess. A few days after it happened I suck away while the others were sleeping to look. They're ugly, especially now because they've raw. No point denying that and I'll be honest, the first glimpse I got made me feel sick. I only looked for like half a second before I had to look away. Then I looked again and I don't know, it was still pretty disgusting but I felt kind of proud too. Like look what I fucking survived, you know. Does that make any sense?"

"Of course it does." Michonne encouraged.

"My other scars, especially the ones on my face, I've accepted. I even kind of like them now because again they show that I fought to be here but when I first got a proper look at them, once all the dust had settled after Grady, it was a shock. I remember that first look I got at them, of myself since it had all happened and I thought I looked like a killer. Then I realised I was one so it made sense that my face matched."

"You look like a badass." Michonne assured. "Whatever you decide we'll support you. If you decide you never want to show anyone then that's fine, I'll personally kill anyone who looks. If you decide to cut the back out of every top you own and wear them like the badge of honour they are then that's fine too, but maybe a little impractical for the end of the world."

Beth laughed and grabbed Michonne's hand, she gave it a quick squeeze and on impulse kissed the samurai on the cheek. "Thanks." She said with a smile as close to her old one as she had managed to get in a long time.

"House is clear, let's go get settled in." Rick announced once they reached the group who were waiting anxiously for the verdict.

"Annie, can you signal Morgan?" Beth asked and Annie nodded before whistling a low birdcall. The answering birdcall soon followed and Morgan appeared not long after. "Find anything interesting out there?"

"No walkers, spotted a few squirrels but that's it." Morgan reported and Beth nodded.

"Good. We'll have to clear some bodies from the house but it's safe." Beth reported back.

Once the group arrived at the house they were quick to get to work making it liveable again. A few of them headed upstairs to deal with the bodies while the others started searching for anything useful, mainly food.

"Annie, can you take watch?" Beth asked.

"Sure. Once we're all settled I can head out to try gather some edibles." She suggested.

"Sounds good, Noah can go with you, just stay within sight, were in a new area and I don't want to take any chances."

"Of course."

Beth went to go help with the search and drifted to Daryl's side as a safe option of companion. It also helped he was heading to the basement and Beth was feeling sick of her family's eyes constantly following her. He greeted her with a half smile and grunt which made Beth smile as they began rummaging through the basement together.

"You good?" Daryl asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah I guess." Beth replied, caught a little off guard by the question. "What do you mean?"

"I know it's a lot, being back with everyone." Daryl said, not looking up from the box he was rifling. "Saw you speaking to Michonne."

"Just saw?" She teased lightly.

"Sorry, didn't mean to listen in." Daryl apologised, the tips of his ears reddening. Beth waved away his apology.

"If I really minded you listening I'd have called you on it." She assured. "Michonne is the only one apart from Carl that isn't acting weird around me. Everyone else is walking on eggshells or looking at me like I've come back from the dead. In a good way." She added as an afterthought.

"It was a shock. They didn't expect for you to walk right into their camp like that. Surprised me too." He went quiet but Beth knew he wasn't finished so she stayed quiet too. "Most of them know they did wrong. They feel guilty. You've changed as well, not in a bad way, just different and they don't know how to act around you now."

"You seem fine." Beth replied somewhat petulantly.

"Only 'cause I saw it before, after the prison." Daryl countered. "Can't say I handled it better than any of them back then."

"That's true." Beth agreed with a laugh. "It was nice, talking to Michonne, hell it was nice clearing the house with her. I didn't really speak to her much in the prison but she was always kind to me. It was nice holding Judith again too, and chatting to Carl. I really am happy to be back with everyone. I know it might not seem like it to everyone but I am."

"I know. I think most of them can see it too. Don't worry about the others, it'll all work out."

"So optimistic." She commented cheekily.

"Shut up." He said gruffly. "You should speak to Carol, just when you get a chance. She tried to come with me to find you. Helped when I started to think I wouldn't find you."

"She did?"

"Yeah. I never doubted you were out there but it started to feel like I'd looked everywhere. Not hard enough apparently." He finished bitterly. Beth rolled her eyes before clipping him round the back of the head.

"Shut up. I'm glad you didn't find me in that forest, I'm kind of pissed that you even went to Grady. It could have been dangerous."

"You saying you wouldn't have gone looking for me if I was gone and you had a lead like that Greene?"

"Again, shut up. You know I would. I know I can't be mad about it but still. Let's not worry about not finding me, look, I'm found!"

"You are." Daryl visibly swallowed before continuing. "I don't think I said before but, you did good Greene, real good." Beth beamed at him.

"Thanks Dixon. You were a good teacher. It's funny, while I was out there so many little things happened that I wanted to tell you about. Like the first time I caught dinner with my new bow and I just thought to myself 'if Daryl could see me now'. You were the only member of our family that I knew for sure was still out there, the last person I saw before I was suddenly alone and God, I missed you." She said with a little laugh, eyes going a misty. "I just really fucking missed you Daryl."

"Well good, 'cause you 'aint getting rid of me again." He grunted and Beth laughed even more, slinging an arm around his shoulder even though he was a good head taller than her. She squeezed his shoulders tightly, ignoring the slight stinging in her back.

"Then we're in agreement." She let her arm drop back to her side before glancing around with a sigh. "This is all just junk. How does someone living out in the middle of nowhere like this have nothing useful in his or her basement? Not even one single fishing rod or camp stove. Useless."

"Make a complaint in the guest book." Daryl sassed and Beth rolled her eyes again.

"Did you know you're a bit of an asshole Daryl?" She asked innocently, he smirked back.

"One or two people might have mentioned it. Pretty sure you did actually."

"Probably. Come on let's see if anyone found food."

They emerged from the basement together into an awkward atmosphere upstairs. Beth grumbled under her breath, wishing everyone would at least try to act normal. In the tense, almost silent kitchen their entry did not go unnoticed and Beth felt Daryl pull away.

"I'm going hunting, didn't find nothing in the basement." Daryl informed before striding out the back door.

"I'm heading out too, before I choke on all this awkward." Beth said sarcastically.

"I thought you said you were going to take it easy?" Michonne pointed out annoyingly. Beth stopped and tried to think of some excuse as to why she just had to leave. She couldn't think of one and sighed.

"Fine. But know I'm not happy about it."

"Noted." Michonne said with a grin. "Me and Carl were going to go check the shed, want to come? If not Ty is upstairs with Judy."

"I'll come check the shed then might go hang out with Judy for a while."

Beth felt better as soon as they walked outside and she soon found her place with Michonne and Carl, joking back and forth with them as they picked their way through the packed shed. Still, it couldn't last forever, it was temporary reprieve and soon she was back in the house feeling a now familiar weight settle on her chest. It wasn't long before the awkwardness became too much and Beth escaped outside once more to sit on the steps and do some weapon maintenance, cleaning all her knives before sharpening them as well as checking through all of her remaining arrows.

The next time Beth looked up from her task night was falling and a noise had disturbed the almost meditative state she had fallen into. A figure had stepped from the trees and Beth could tell it was Daryl with supper slung over his shoulders. She stood and walked over to greet him, happy he was back before true dark settled.

"Good hunting I see." She commented in place of a hello.

"This poor fuck was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Daryl grunted, handing over his cross bow to Beth's waiting hand. "Thanks."

"Fair warning, last time I was inside it still felt like there was a ticking time bomb in the room. Thanks for abandoning me earlier by the way, real nice." Daryl smirked unapologetically and Beth continued. "I've been outside all afternoon to avoid it."

"Ever think that maybe you're the ticking time bomb?"

"What?" Beth asked, almost offended.

"Maybe they're waiting for you to explode. You haven't really yelled yet, I think they were all expecting it and then it never happened."

"Really? I kind of felt like I'd yelled."

"Not really, not like I've seen you yell before."

"Well I'm sure that can be arranged."

"S'long as it's not aimed at me." Daryl smirked. "I need to skin this before I head in."

Beth reluctantly headed inside to let everyone know he was back. There was a flurry of activity for the next hour and half as the meat was cooked, watches were arranged and everyone settled in for the night. In what felt like no time at all Beth was perched on a counter top beside Daryl and Annie as somehow the entire group fit into the kitchen. Once again the silence that fell over the space was tense and Beth could feel a good old fashioned rage brewing. Seemed like Daryl was right, a good yelling at was what these people needed.

"Right, well I'll just go ahead and say it then." Abe declared after about ten minutes of awkward silence. "We've lost a lot of time, we need to get back on the road to DC." That was it, Beth could almost hear the timer ringing on that ticking time bomb and she was about to deliver one hell of an explosion.

"Oh yeah, the mysterious DC trip." She said casually. "So, is someone going to fill me in on what was so important that my whole family was going to abandon me for?" The words were harsh, but it was the delivery that had most people in the room flinching. In that moment Beth was all sugary sweetness and southern charm.

No one said a word. Rick looked like he was going to but when faced with Beth's expectant stare the words died in his throat. Abe looked around at them all and rolled his eyes.

"Look little lady, they didn't want to leave you but they had to. You want to know what was so important? How about a damn cure! I mean sweet Jesus no offence but that's just a little bit more important that one little girl! It's more important than any one person. My mission is to get that weird little man to DC, then he can share the cure and get on mass producing that shit, we can flip the switch and put things back to how they should be." The more Abe spoke the more incredulous Beth became. By the time he'd finished his explanation her mouth was actually hanging open.

Beth looked around the room, most people avoided her stare but none more so than the 'scientist'. Beth couldn't contain it, she started laughing, tears streaming, stomach clenching laughter.

"Oh my God." She finally managed to say, still wiping her tears away a few awkward minutes later. "And you're all believing this shit?" Her laughter died very suddenly. "You." She said coldly, eyes locking with the scientists. "You have a cure?"

"Y-Yes Ma'am." He stuttered.

"Liar." She snarled. "You have nothing, it's written all over your damn face."

"That would be most incorrect. I have been in contact with the last surviving portion of the government in DC and it is imperative we get there as soon as poss-"

"Bullshit." Beth cut him off. "If you have a cure then what is it?"

"That information is classified."

"Bullshit!" She yelled again, throwing her empty plate across the room. "The cure, is it a chemical compound or did you grow it in a lab? How's it going to be dispatched, pill or injection? And 'flip a switch'? Are you honestly going to sit there and try to tell us that you're going to cure the walkers? You're going to reverse the effects of decomposition? Really?"

"Well, that's all on a need to know basis." Eugene was sweating now, his face was beet red and his eyes were flitting around the room like kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Well science guy, I need to fucking know." Beth said coldly, eyes narrowed. She started to stalk closer to him. "Don't think for a second that ginger prick can protect you. If you think that I'm about to let my people, my fucking family risk their lives for you over some bullshit promise of a classified cure you are deluded. Now tell. The FUCKING. TRUTH!" She spat and every single person in that room, including Noah, Annie, Morgan and Daryl looked at her as if they were seeing a completely different person.

"I lied!" Eugene broke. Shocked silence fell. "I am weak but I'm smart and I could pass for a scientist so I surrounded myself with strong people and gave them a mission. There's no cure. Please don't kill me."

"Honestly." Beth said, once again calm now that her point had been proven. "I wouldn't waste my energy."

It was only Daryl grabbing the top of her arm and pulling her out of the way that saved Beth from being bowled over by the furious red headed freight train that ploughed into Eugene. Abe's fists dealt blow after blow to the fake scientists face as dishes went flying, chairs got knocked over and mayhem erupted.

"Fuck this." Daryl muttered before pulling Beth out of the room with him.

Once in the hallway Daryl hastily let go of Beth. The two of them stood in silence, neither sure what to say.

"Sorry." Beth eventually stated.

"For what?"

"Losing it in there. Or did you miss that part?" Beth was looking the Daryl incredulously.

"Nah I saw. Don't have to be sorry for it though, you only said what needed saying. Besides it's my fault, I said they needed to be yelled at."

"I just get so angry." Beth said quietly, eyes locked on the floor. "It builds and then I can't let it go I have to use it. So I either throw it at someone like I did today or I let it eat at me and then I make stupid decisions and before you know it I'm even madder than before but this time I'm just mad at me."

"Now that's a play straight from the Dixon handbook." Daryl commented with a smirk. Beth rolled her eyes but smiled none the less. "One hunting trip with Merle he pissed me off so bad I stormed away from camp in the middle of the night. Walked for miles before I'd calmed down enough to head back, only as soon as I decided to set off back to camp I was lost. I was also ten years old and had nothing on me apart from the knife I was sharpening when Merle started to needle at me."

"Did Merle find you?" Beth asked.

"No." Daryl snorted. "Bastard didn't even come looking for me. Finally stumbled back into camp a couple of hours after sun rise, Merle was passed out next to the dead fire. He'd just kept drinking the night away while I froze my ass off in the woods stumbling round in the dark."

"I'll make you a deal then. You stop me from making stupid decisions when I'm angry and I'll come chasing you when you storm away from camp because someone's pissed you off. Kay?"

"Sure. Just give me a warning if you're going to start swinging."

"I guess that's fair." Beth agreed. "Sounds quieter in there now, think we should go see?"

"I'll do it if you want."

"I have to face them sometime. Besides I'm due an apology for them wanting to leave me without even checking to make sure the cure was real."

The kitchen had cleared out a little since Beth and Daryl had left but there was still a degree of awkwardness when they walked back in. Rick was talking quietly to Michonne while Carl was sat at the table entertaining Judith. Carol, Tyreese and Sasha were there too.

Just for something to do Beth walked over and picked Judith from her spot on the table and rested her on her lap as she sat down. Daryl took the seat next to her and watched as Rick prepared himself to say something.

"Bob's fixing up Eugene, Abe stormed off and Rostia's gone to bring him back." Rick informed them. Daryl refrained from telling him they didn't care.

"I guess we'll need a new plan then." Beth stated, pulling funny faces at the giggling toddler in her arms. "Where's Annie and the others?"

"They've gone up to their room, said they've saved you a space and asked that you go check in with them when you get back."

"There's no way Annie worded that as a request." Beth shot back with a smirk.

"It was more of an order." Rick admitted.

"Sorry for killing the cure." Beth said when it looked like silence would fall again.

"You can't kill what was never real." Rick answered. "I'm just sorry that we didn't question it more. If we had maybe you would have caught up with us quicker."

"Don't worry about it. You just wanted something to be hopeful about again. Anyway, I can't help but feel like things happened the way they had to. If I'd never been taken in the first place I'd have never met Noah and Annie, the cops at the hospital would still be hurting people. We'd have never been there to save Morgan. Who knows, if we hadn't taken out the Savages they would have killed more people, maybe one day they'd have expanded and caught up with you. What's done is done so we should move on and if everyone could stop being so awkward around me that would be great." Beth didn't look up from Judith's smiling little face.

"I think we can do that." Michonne said supportively.

"Where do you think we should go Beth?" Carl asked.

"I've not really thought about it, I was pretty focussed on finding you. I guess we do what we've always done, try to find some place that's at least safer than being out on the road and just try to keep on living. There are more people out there, yeah I seem to keep running into the bad ones but there have to be some good ones left. It'll all work out." Beth said confidently.

"Beth?" Sasha said softly, a look of intense guilt on her face. "I'm sorry, for being willing to leave you behind. It was selfish and wrong and I hope you can forgive me for that."

"Nothing to forgive, you did what you thought was right at the time. I appreciate the apology though. Honestly no hard feelings." Beth assured her, deciding it was easier to just let it go.

"I don't think Abe and Rosita will make it back tonight, I'm going to turn in and I guess we'll be back to planning at breakfast." Ty declared.

"I'm going to do a quick perimeter check before I head up." Carol announced.

"I'll come with you." Beth offered hastily, wanting to avoid the upcoming conversation with Annie.

"Who's on watch?" Daryl asked.

"Maggie and Glenn are on the roof and Tara is out on the front porch." Rick said, eyes flicking to Beth as he said her sister's name. Beth didn't react.

"Then I'll sit out back." Daryl said before walking back out into the night.

"Carl, let's go put Judith to bed." Michonne instructed and Carl left the table with no complaint and a now rather hyper Judith.

"Thanks Beth." Carl sassed as he wrestled with the excited toddler.

"My pleasure." She sassed back before also leaving the house with Carol.

The two women strolled along at a leisurely pace, eyes scanning the shadows. The silence between them was comfortable and Beth took the opportunity to study the older woman. To compare the Carol who had first arrived on her Daddy's farm with the one walking beside her now was like comparing a warm summers night with a stormy winter one. Generally the same but worlds apart.

"Everybody changes." Beth whispered. At Carol's questioning look Beth went on. "Sorry, it just hit me. You're so different to when I first met you." Beth laughed and gestured at herself. "And I mean come on, I don't even feel like the same person anymore. Guess that's the apocalypse."

"No, that's life." Carol corrected. "Even before the world ended."

"I guess you're right. Carol I just wanted to say thanks; for not giving up on me. Daryl mentioned that you had wanted to go with him when he set out looking for me. I really appreciate it."

"You don't have to thank me for that sweetie. I hated the thought of you out there alone. Daryl was sure you were alive so I was too." Carol sent her a very sly look. "He was terribly worried for you."

"Let's not." Beth said quickly.

"I've never seen him so surly and irritable. And that's saying something I've known that man for a long time now." Carol kept teasing.

"Ok now you've pushed it too far, there's no way Daryl could have been more surly than normal, it's physically impossible." Beth quipped, trying to move the conversation on.

"I'd even use the word broody." Carol had a full grin on her face and Beth was very aware of her cheeks heating in the darkness.

"I'll leave you to the walkers, I'm not bluffing."

"Ok, ok." Carol eased off with a laugh. "We'll talk about it later."

Beth's groan echoed into the night.