Beth Greene was goddamn fucking lucky to be alive.

She wound up passing out from exhaustion, and Daryl had carried her back to the Kingdom, only to load a caravan and immediately turn back around and leave, their next destination being Alexandria. As soon as they had gotten there and through the gates, he and Siddiq headed directly for the infirmary, Beth still unconscious in Daryl's arms. Siddiq had made him wait outside while he examined all of her injuries.

He had no idea exactly how much time had passed, but the sun had gone down and the moon was high in the sky before Siddiq reopened the door, allowing Daryl back in to see Beth. He stopped him though, before he could cross the threshold. Siddiq wanted him to be prepared for what he was about to see.

"She has three broken ribs; her spinal cord is severely bruised, I'm honestly shocked she didn't fracture it. The left side of her face…she has a cracked cheekbone and her eye is still swollen, there's bruising too. She also seems to be recovering from a concussion, although I believe that was from a different altercation. Not to mention numerous cuts; a large laceration on her right arm and swelling on her ankle…there's a good chance that it's broken but I can't be certain without an x-ray. She's pretty much covered in bruises." Daryl was glaring at the ground, his anger growing the longer Siddiq talked.

"She gon' live?" The black-haired man sighed and rubbed his forehead, his own injuries aching.

"She will, yes. But only if she takes it easy for at least six to eight weeks. Those ribs need time to heal; if she's not careful she could puncture one of her lungs. If that happens…" He didn't bother finishing the thought, the message was clear to Daryl; Beth needed time to heal and recover before she was able to do much of anything. He clapped a hand on Siddiq's shoulder and grunted his thanks, walking away from him and into the infirmary.

He found Beth asleep on a cot, a flickering candle on the small table beside her casting a soft glow against her features. Siddiq had wiped the blood and grime from her face and arms, most likely so that none of her cuts got infected. Her right arm was wrapped in a clean strip of gauze, and there were small butterfly bandages all over her body. She had long, dark, ugly bruises around her neck…she'd been choked, he realized. Just knowing that made the rage bubble up inside him, but he forced it down. There was nothing he could do about it right now. He heard Siddiq step up beside him, and he glanced at him before returning his attention back to Beth's beaten form.

"I gave her a sedative, just so she can get a good night's rest. When she wakes up, she's going to be hurting a lot. There's medicinal herbs beside her bed, just mix it in some water and have her drink it, should help with the pain." Daryl merely nodded his thanks, unable to speak or look away from Beth. Siddiq watched him for a moment; it was obvious to him that he cared for the blonde, probably more than he even realized himself.

"She saved us, back in that barn. She did. She killed all of the guards on her own, then she gave us a chance to escape when Alpha and the rest of the Whisperers showed up. It's not her fault they didn't make it. Make sure she knows that." Siddiq didn't need to elaborate on who 'they' were, Daryl knew. The ones they'd lost.

Siddiq bid Daryl goodnight, heading out of the room and towards the staircase; his own quarters being upstairs. He listened to him going up the staircase, waiting for the sound of his door shutting before stepping closer to Beth. There was a chair against the wall, and Daryl carried it over to her bedside, collapsing on to the seat. He was completely drained. The last 48 hours have been mentally and physically exhausting, and all he wanted was to get a couple hours of sleep. He wasn't totally certain he'd be able to though, at least not until Beth opened her eyes.

Scooting the chair closer to the side of the bed, Daryl double checked the room around him, as if somebody might jump out of the shadows, even though he knew he was alone with her. Slowly and with some hesitancy, he leaned forward and rested his arms on the mattress, clasping one of Beth's hands between his own. He watched her face, watched her chest as she breathed in and out. Sighing to himself, he closed his eyes and held her hand close to his forehead.

"Bes' wake up, girl." He rumbled, turning his head to look at her again. "Jus' gotcha back. So ya bes' open yer eyes soon." Ignoring the lump in his throat, Daryl laid her hand back down and then laid his head on top of his arms, the exhaustion overwhelming. He'd just close his eyes for a few minutes, then he'd wake up and watch over her some more.

Just a few minutes…

Beth was jerked from her sleep by a large clatter. Blinking her eyes, she could see that it was now dark outside. Sitting up slowly, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and listened for whatever had made the noise that woke her up. That's when she heard it.

Voices.

Heart thundering behind her ribs, she bolted out of Daryl's bunk, immediately going for her weapons bag. She moved as silently as possible, reaching into the bag and pulling out the handgun, tucking it in the back of her pants before reaching back in and pulling out the rifle and a couple shells. Slipping on her boots, she stuck her knife in its usual hiding place and went to stand. She didn't leave the cell, instead she listened closely, trying to determine what the voices were saying.

"Man, I'm tellin' ya! I saw somebody walk in here earlier, straight through all of 'em freaks outside." A nasally voice said, that Beth was certain belonged to a man. She heard somebody coughing, and she didn't like how close they sounded.

"I think yer just full of shit, Art. Why the fuck would somebody fight their way through all that shit out there? Ain't nothin' useful in here." She could hear somebody agreeing with whoever had just spoke, and Beth counted at least three separate voices, all male.

Fuck.

"Nah, they didn't fight! Just walked right through 'em! The freaks didn't even notice. Hell, I almost missed 'em, but they moved too much like the livin' to be dead." Beth mentally cursed herself, annoyed that it hadn't even occurred to her that somebody might've seen her. She should've waited until dark. Stupid, stupid mistake. She heard the voices grow closer, and she peeked out of the cell, seeing flashlights shining into the cell block. Instantly she was thankful she had locked herself in earlier that day, taking the only other set of keys with her.

Now she just had to figure out what her next move would be.

"This place is locked up, Dude." The third voice said, shaking the cellblock door that Beth had locked. "Whoever Art claims to have seen is long gone now." Good, let them think there was nobody here, maybe they would leave and she'd have an opportunity to escape. But luck was not on her side tonight.

"Well block off the exit, we'll camp here for the night." The one with the deep voice, Dude, had decided. She figured he must be the one in charge. Cursing softly under her breath, Beth stepped backwards into Daryl's old cell, trying to decide her best course of action. She had a few options.

The first, she waits until they fall asleep, then attempts to sneak around them and out the door, letting them live to see another day and giving her the chance to escape. But this plan was severely flawed. Too many things could go wrong. One of them could be on watch while the others sleep, or they could wake up when she's trying to sneak out, and she didn't even want to think about what they'd do to her. She couldn't trust any strangers, not when she was on her own and had no help.

The next plan was to sneak out of the cellblock and through the other door, but that meant she'd be going into the tombs. And she had no idea if the rest of the prison was overrun, plus it was the middle of the night, so visibility would be pretty much zero. She did have a flashlight, but did she really want to waste the battery power? Not like she'd have much of a choice, considering her only other option was to fight her way out, and Beth wasn't sure she was strong enough to kill three men.

She figured her best chance would be the tombs, but she didn't like her odds. She sat down on the floor in the middle of the cell, listening to the men talk and joke with one another. She knew there was a slim chance that they weren't bad people, but after her experience at Grady, she wasn't willing to take the risk. So she sat there, rifle across her lap, cocked and ready to fire if she needed it.

Beth wasn't sure how much time had passed, but when she heard snores coming from the other room, she guessed now was as good a time as any to get out. Slowly, she crawled towards her bags, feeling around and making sure she had everything she'd need. When she stood up, she reached up to Daryl's top bunk and grabbed a couple more of his shirts, telling herself she'd need the comfort they provided, tossing them into one of her bags and zipping it shut as quietly as she could. Lifting her bags, she put the pack on her back and the duffel bag over her shoulder. She had put the rifle away, in favor of her axe, but kept the handgun tucked into the back of her jeans. Just in case.

Taking a few deep breaths, in through her nose and out through her mouth, Beth tiptoed out of the cell, crossing the perch and slowly going down the metal stairs, being careful not to make too much noise. The last thing she wanted was a confrontation with these strangers. Reaching the bottom floor, she turned to face the common room for the cellblock, where the men were snoring, completely unaware of her presence. As curious as she was to go and see how many of them there actually were and if they were all sleeping, she knew it wasn't worth the risk. Forcing herself to turn back towards the other door to the cellblock. She put a hand to her side, triple checking that the key ring was still hanging off her belt loop. Unclipping the ring, she walked slowly to the door, listening for anything on the other side before finding the correct key to unlock it. She turned it, flinching when the lock made an audible click, glancing over her shoulder to make sure nobody had heard her.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, she pulled the door open, knowing there was no way to avoid the creak and groan as it opened. She slipped through the crack, pulling it shut behind her and making sure she didn't forget the keys. Digging her flashlight out, she clicked it on and held it up in front of her face, axe held tightly in her other hand. She began to make her way down the dark corridors, listening closely for any groans or snarls that would indicate a walker was nearby.

Seemed she still had a little luck on her side, because the corridor was clear of any dead. Now moving at a quick pace, she followed the spray-painted arrow on the walls, knowing eventually she'd find a way out. Her heart was still pounding away in her chest, steady as a drum. Hair plastered to her sweat-covered neck; she recognized the area surrounding her as the library corridor. The library had windows. They used to be barred, but Rick and Daryl had made it a point to remove them off a couple, in case of an emergency and it was the only way out. She was thankful they had thought that far ahead, because it would now serve as her escape route.

Pushing open the doors to the library, she shone her flashlight around the room, relieved it was empty. Closing the door behind her, she pushed a heavy bookshelf across the carpet and in front of the door, barricading herself in the room. She strode towards the nearest window that was free of bars and dropped her bags on the ground. Glancing around the room, she noticed a table a few feet away. She was going to need it; the window was just a little too high for her to climb out. Walking over to the table, she pushed it as hard as she could, heaving a little as it went. Damn thing was heavier than it looked. That was good though, it meant it'd be able to hold her weight.

Once the table was directly beneath the window, she hefted her bags back onto her person and climbed on top of the surface. The window was an old-fashioned crank one, and she used her axe to cut the screen open, ripping it out of the frame after she'd cranked the glass pane open as far as it would go. Pulling herself up, she looked outside at the ground below, taking note of the random walkers that were nearest to her. The closest bunch were at least ten yards away, so she'd have to be quick when she hit the ground. Hefting her bags through the window, she tried to drop them as softly as she could, wanting to draw as little attention to herself as possible. Pulling herself up the rest of the way, she angled her torso out of the window, gripping the framing above her. She lifted both her legs through and sat on the brick edging on the outer part, taking a deep breath before counting to three. When she reached three, Beth pushed her body away from the ledge, letting her weight collapse beneath her. She managed to avoid injuring either of her ankles, which was a relief. She skinned her knees, but she'd live. It was time to move though, because the walkers had noticed her when she jumped from the window and were ambling in her direction.

Standing up, she collected her bags and gripped her axe and flashlight, striking down any walkers that got too close. She trekked across the small field in the back of the prison, heading directly for the small hole in the fence that had been haphazardly patched. Ducking through the metal wire, she finally allowed herself to relax, but only for a moment.

She got to live another day, as did the guys inside the prison. As to who was luckier in that sense, Beth didn't know.

She supposed anybody who got that chance was blessed, or as blessed as you could be today.

The first thing Beth noticed as she drifted into consciousness was the pain. Everything hurt, her entire body felt like it was broken and put back together with Elmer's glue. She groaned softly as she forced her eyes open, taking in the bright rays of sunlight that filled the room.

The second thing she noticed was that her left hand was stuck firmly in somebody else's grasp. Turning her head, she spotted a mop of dark-brown hair on top of tan arms, and her heart stuttered.

"Daryl?" She rasped, her throat dry from lack-of use. Daryl must've sensed her waking, because his head shot up at a surprising speed. He rubbed his eyes, still leaning his elbows on the mattress before glancing at Beth's face. He did a double-take when he realized she must have been the reason he woke up.

"Beth." The way he said her name gave her chills, and not the bad kind. She gave him a weak smile, every muscle in her face protesting. She went to speak, but instead started coughing, her throat feeling worse than sandpaper. Daryl stood, reaching for the glass of water by her bed and holding it to her lips. She took a couple glugs, wanting to down the entire glass.

"Easy, girl." He commanded, his voice soft. Grabbing a pillow off another bed, he helped her sit up some and stuck the pillow behind her head, propping her body up more. She winced as she moved, her ribs hurting like hell. Daryl seemed to notice as well, because he was reaching for some dried plants that were on the table beside her. "Siddiq lef' some medicine fer ya. Said ya'd be hurtin' whenev'r ya woke up." He was mostly mumbling to himself, but she heard everything he was saying. She watched as he dropped the powder, which she now knew was medicinal herbs, into the glass of water and held it to her lips again. She took the glass from him this time though, wanting to do it herself. She plugged her nose and downed the remaining water, not wanting to taste the bitterness more than necessary.

"Thanks." She murmured, her voice a bit hoarse. Daryl just nodded in response, moving to sit back down beside her. She studied him for a moment, unsure what to say. He beat her to it, though.

"Wha' happened?" She tried to take a deep breath, but her ribs prevented it. Closing her eyes, she recalled the events that happened at the barn and prior.

"Alpha happened." She began, trying to organize her thoughts. "She said she had a job for me, wanted me at the barn to help Beta with something. Said some shit about 'stakin' a claim on our land'…I didn't understand what she meant until I saw the stakes in the ground, didn't even realize what she had planned for all of your people that were in that fuckin' barn…" Beth blinked her eyes, trying to fight off the tears, "-I was too fuckin' stupid to realize it then, even though it was so obvious." Her voice cracked, and Daryl felt his heart crack some under the weight of the guilt that he could see her carrying. "I knew she would probably kill them, but I thought she'd try and negotiate their release like she did with Lydia. Guess that just shows how fuckin' naïve I've been." She growled, more to herself than to Daryl. She was so angry with herself, that was obvious.

"S'not yer fault, Beth." She snorted in disagreement, but he pressed on. "S'not. Not even close. Ya saved 'em, even if they didn' all get away. Ya did yer bes', girl." Daryl knew he sucked at comforting others, but with Beth he felt like he had to at least try. She'd just had the absolute shit kicked out of her, and she knew she hadn't managed to save everybody. The guilt was probably eating her alive.

"My best wasn't good enough." She mumbled, looking away from Daryl. She felt so horrible. This was all her fault. Those people had died because of her failure.

"Beth, knock it off." Daryl growled, glaring at her through his bangs. She snapped her head in his direction, eyes wide at hostility. "It ain' yer fault. None of it. So stop blamin' yerself fer shit ya can't control." She had no idea how to respond to that, the words were escaping her. The tears she'd fought so hard to prevent started to fall from her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, her lip quivering. "I'm so sorry, Daryl." Beth had no clue what exactly she was apologizing for. Whether it was because of the people that had died, or the fact that she had done everything she could and still failed, she didn't know. Her mind was all muddled and her entire existence was pained.

Daryl gripped her hand tight, offering her what little comfort he could. He knew she was going to need time to heal from this, physically and emotionally. All he could do right now was be there for her and let her have moments like this; where she could cry and feel the emotions she's been pushing away for who-knows how long. Neither one decided to mention the strange show of affection that Beth had expressed when she saw him in the field, how she had grabbed him so close that Daryl thought, only for a moment, that she was going to kiss him.

Wouldn't that have been a mess to deal with.

The silence that filled the room was broken when the door burst open, and they both turned at the sound of footsteps, seeing Lydia rushing into the room with Henry close behind. Her eyes immediately found Beth's, and she rushed over to her side.

"I heard what happened! Are you okay?" She breathed, standing on the other side of Beth and putting her hands on her face, checking every mark on her face. Her brow scrunched together when she saw the blonde wince in pain from the jerking motions. "Delta?" She questioned when Beth didn't answer right away.

Beth internally cringed at the name, no longer appreciating what it once stood for.

"Beth." Lydia gave her a confused look, and she began to elaborate. "Call me Beth. I'm not Delta, not anymore." The younger girl gave her a small smile, nodding her head in acceptance. Lydia squeezed her free hand and spoke.

"Okay, Beth."

Henry, who had been standing off to the side, finally moved closer, limping as he went. Clearing his throat, he approached Daryl.

"My Mom and Dad are looking for you, Michonne too. I told them I'd find you." Daryl raised his head to look at the boy, sighing as he moved to stand up, his muscles stiff from the lack of movement. Beth turned to look at him, a slight frown on her face.

"I'll be righ' back." She moved to protest, not wanting to be left out of whatever was going on, but Daryl beat her to it. "When I ge' back, let ya know everythin' they say. I promise." Huffing in annoyance, Beth accepted that she'd have to stay behind, trusting Daryl to keep her informed. Her and Lydia watched him leave with Henry, waiting until they heard the door close before facing each other. Lydia's face was rigid, and Beth could probably guess what she was going to say.

"What did my Mother do?" She asked, although her tone left little room for question, she wanted to know everything. Beth released a small sigh, sinking down farther into the bed. She was already exhausted, and she hadn't been awake for more than twenty minutes. But she would fight the urge to sleep long enough to explain things to Lydia. She owed the girl that much.

"Alpha's losin' it, Lydia." She hissed, her face serious. "She snuck into the festival and kidnapped a bunch of people. I disobeyed her orders and went to the barn, you know the one," Lydia dipped her head in confirmation, and Beth continued, "-and there were a couple guards outside, plus a few more inside. They're the reason I look like this-for the most part. I killed them, and when I got inside, there were people bound and gagged, Henry included." Lydia's nostrils flared hearing Henry's name, and the rage she felt was barely containable. Alpha knew what Henry meant to her, she wasn't stupid. He was taken on purpose, the others may have been at random, but he sure as shit was not.

"I untied him and then we got the rest unbound together…but Alpha and Beta showed up with more of the Whisperers. I told them all to run and tried to distract them and give myself a chance to escape too." Reliving the memories again made her nostrils burn and her eyes well with tears, but she willed it away. "Beta followed me, tackled me to the ground and almost killed me, he was choking me so hard. Henry saved my life. We got away together." Beth debated on whether or not to include the small altercation she'd had with Alpha right before she ran, even though she knew Lydia would probably want to know what was said between them.

"What happened to Beta? I thought he was already dead?" She asked suddenly, bringing Beth from her thoughts.

"You know Beta. You seriously believed falling down an elevator shaft would kill him?" Beth gave the teen a dubious expression, to which the girl rolled her eyes and sighed. "He's not dead. Henry did manage to knock him out though. And I may have taken a chunk out of his neck." Lydia gave her a bewildered expression, and Beth could only shrug, unsure how to explain that she had bit him as hard as she could. It was a strange decision on her part, and one she would prefer to never have to make again.

"So you got there, let everybody out, but they didn't all get away." She wasn't asking, leading Beth to assume that Henry must have informed her of what happened when they reached Alpha's boundary. She didn't bother answering, there wasn't a point. Lydia knew people had died, and confirming what she already knew wouldn't change anything. Wouldn't change the fact that she could've done better, could've saved them all if she had been quicker. "It's not your fault, just so you know." She didn't reply, not in the mood to have this conversation. Instead, she asked Lydia to help her lay back down, fatigue quickly taking over. She hissed in pain trying to hold her weight up while Lydia pulled the extra pillow out from behind her. She put her hands on Beth's back and helped her to lay down, being careful of her injuries.

When she was as comfortable as she could be, given the situation, Lydia walked around to the chair beside her bed. Beth was mildly relieved that the medicine Daryl had given her seemed to be working, but she was extremely tired now and she didn't think she could fight it much longer. Tilting her head in Lydia's direction, she gave her a regretful smile.

"Sorry, I don't think I can stay awake." Lydia snorted and rolled her eyes, a grin on her face. Scooting the chair closer, she reached up and held Beth's hand, and Beth squeezed her palm in response.

"I'm really glad you're okay, Beth." She gave the young girl a sleepy smile, her eyelids fluttering as she tried to look at her and reply, but Lydia just shook her head. "Get some sleep, I'll let Daryl know that you're resting." Beth barely even nodded, letting her head roll back to face the ceiling.

"Love you, kid." She mumbled, her eyes closing. She just managed to catch what Lydia said before sleep claimed her.

"Love you too."

And she was back in the darkness of slumber.

A/N: Bit of a filler chapter, I'm sorry! I wanted to have this out days ago, but life got in the way, as it tends to do! I'm going to try and have another chapter out by the end of the week. In the meantime, please read and review, let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is welcome as well!

-Taylor Catherine