Daryl followed Henry to Michonne's house, waving at Lil' Asskicker and RJ as he walked by, seeing them outside playing with their bicycle. He loved those kids, loved being their 'Uncle Daryl', even if they shared no blood. If there was anything that the end of the world had taught him, it was that blood doesn't mean family.

When they reached Michonne's front door, Henry stood at the bottom of the stairs and gestured for Daryl to go in first.

"I'm gonna head back to the infirmary," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck, "-I have a feeling I'm gonna have to drag Lydia away from Beth." Daryl snorted and looked at the boy, pursing his lips to the side and fighting a smile.

"Pro'lly. Can' say I blame her, tho'." And he was being honest, he wasn't particularly pleased with being summoned away from Beth. But he knew it was probably important, and the sooner it was done and over with, the sooner he could go back. It should probably worry him, how much he cares for Beth, but it didn't. It felt…natural. Like an instinct. Don't misunderstand; Daryl worried about all of his family, but it was different with Beth, he wasn't sure how to explain it. Maybe it had something to do with the time they'd spent together on the road, alone.

They had learned a lot about each other in those few days. Or was it weeks? It'd felt like ages, them being on their own. So much had happened in that short time. He had realized that Beth was none of the things he'd originally thought of her. No, she was so much more. She was strong, maybe not so much in the physical sense, but her heart was stronger than any other person's. Thinking about her then, and seeing her now…it made his heart clench. He knew, somewhere deep down, the Beth he remembered and saw in his dreams was still there, hiding beneath her hardened eyes and rough exterior.

He just had to try to bring her back.

There are still good people, Daryl.

Waving goodbye to Henry, Daryl turned towards the stairs and nodded to himself, his mind made up.

He was going to be there for Beth, like she'd been there for him all those years ago.

"Daryl, thanks for coming." Michonne greeted him as soon as he walked through her front door. He grunted in acknowledgement, and nodded his head in greeting to Carol and Ezekiel. Taking a quick glance around the room, he saw that Carol was sitting on a worn, overstuffed chair, Ezekiel resting his weight against the chair's armrest. Michonne had stood up and walked towards him when he came in the house, but she made her way back to her spot on the couch and Daryl followed, sitting on the opposite end. He leaned forward running both hands through his shaggy hair before bringing them to rest between his knees, hands clasped together. Carol spoke first.

"So what do we do?" They all glanced at each other's faces, but the silence in response was long and drawn out. Daryl heaved a sigh, deciding to be the one to respond, but he had a feeling that nobody would like his idea.

"I think we should lay low fer awhile." All heads snapped in his direction, Carol looked like she wanted to protest, but Ezekiel and Michonne appeared more surprised than anything. Why they were surprised, he didn't know nor did he care at the moment.

"Are you serious, Daryl?" Michonne asked, her body angling more towards him while she spoke. He dipped his head in affirmative.

"We just got Beth back, n'she ain't doin' good." He said, his voice strained, "Righ' now, she needs ta recover 'fore we do anythin'."

"How is she though?" Carol questioned, her tone soft and comforting, though right now it did nothing to calm his nerves. He released a breath, shrugging his shoulders.

"She's been through hell. Got too many broken bones, bruises…" Just thinking about the damage done to her made his blood boil all over again, and made him want to get this meeting over with as quick as he could. "-she'll live, but she's gonna be hurtin' fer awhile."

"So, while this Beth recovers," Ezekiel had finally spoke, having been silent for the most part, "-all the communities shall bunker down. Let Alpha have her borders for the time being, but it won't remain as such." Everybody started to nod in agreement, until Carol cleared her throat.

"There's one problem." Her and Ezekiel exchanged a look, and he knew where she was going with this.

"Wha' is it?" She sighed, reaching for her husband's hand before speaking.

"The Kingdom," she began, trying to find the right words, "-the people don't know this, but the Kingdom is falling." Michonne's back tensed, her brow furrowed.

"What do you mean the Kingdom is falling?"

"I mean that the buildings aren't going to last the winter." Daryl and Michonne's eyes grew wide, and Ezekiel inclined his head, whether it was from shame or exhaustion, Daryl couldn't be certain.

"It's true. We've had water pipes bursting daily, two of the buildings have roofs caving in from rot…and for some reason the crops just aren't producing enough food anymore. I…sincerely doubt the Kingdom will make it past the first snow." He said the last sentence so softly, Daryl almost missed it.

This news brought a whole new mess of problems, and unlike the Whisperers, this couldn't wait to be solved. They needed to come up with a plan, and it needed done as soon as possible.

"So we pack up the Kingdom, take them to Hilltop or Alexandria. And we do it soon." Michonne stated, her voice firm.

"Sounds like tha's tha only thing we can do." Daryl looked away from Michonne and to Ezekiel. "Where do ya wanna take yer people?" The salt-and-peppered dreadlocked man looked to his Queen, though she hated the term, and asked her what she wanted to do. Carol closed her eyes and squeezed Ezekiel's hand.

"I hate to say this, but I think we need to go to Hilltop." She answered, her voice growing more confident as she spoke. "Tara is dead," she choked a little on the words, still not believing what had happened, "-which means Hilltop has no leader. It was bad enough when they had no soldiers, but now they're completely defenseless. We need to go there, keep the people safe. Hilltop is the only one of the communities with the acreage to support the extra numbers. We go there."

Nobody could argue with Carol's logic, everything she'd said was true. Hilltop was currently unprotected, and that was where the Whisperers had first shown up. Sending the Kingdom's people to live there was the safest and most rational decision. The four spoke about the minor details; who would be guarding the caravans as they traveled, how long it would take to prepare, and when they would actually execute the plan.

The conversation ceased when there was a knock on Michonne's front door. She walked over, opening the door to reveal Henry on the other side. She gestured him in, asking if everything was alright.

"Everything's fine. Lydia sent me." He was looking to Daryl while he spoke. "She wanted me to let you know that Beth fell back asleep. Whatever medicine Siddiq gave her knocked her out." Henry limped towards a wooden chair that was pushed against the wall, dropping into the seat. His leg was hurting him a bit after all the excessive running around.

"A'right, thanks fer lettin' me know. She say anythin' else?" Henry assumed Daryl was talking about Beth, so he shook his head 'no'.

"Lydia said she'd stay with her while she was sleeping, so you don't have to rush back, in case you have other stuff that needs to be done." Daryl snorted, besides this meeting, he had nothing else to do. He technically wasn't a resident of Alexandria anymore, so it's not like he had daily chores or whatever. Although, he could probably take the time to go and check up on Aaron, see how he's doing. He took Jesus' death pretty hard. His train of thought was interrupted when Carol spoke up again.

"When can I see her?" Daryl turned his head towards his oldest friend, noticing that her eyes were trained on him, her face concerned. It was obvious who she was referring to; she wanted to see Beth.

"Give 'er a day or two, least long enough till she can stay awake fer more than an hour." Carol's shoulders sagged, but she nodded nonetheless. He couldn't blame her for being a bit disappointed, her first-time seeing Beth again had been at the border of Alpha's land. Obviously, her mind was focused on other issues at the time. Daryl rubbed the back of his neck and moved to stand up.

"If we're done here, I'm gonna go see Aaron fer a bit." Michonne dipped her head in understanding, and everybody in the room began to leave. He hugged Carol and Michonne, shook Ezekiel's hand, then patted Henry on the shoulder, speaking to him before leaving.

"If ya head back over ta see Lydia, let 'er know I'll be back in a bit. If Beth wakes up, come find me." Henry promised he would do just that, and with a final wave, Daryl walked out of Michonne's house, his head down as he started to trudge up the street in the direction of Aaron's house. He hadn't made it far when a small, high-pitched voice called out to him.

"Uncle Daryl!" Daryl stopped and turned around, seeing Lil' Asskicker running his direction. His lip quirked up when she reached him, her father's tattered Sheriff's hat atop her head. Seeing it always made him miss his brother.

Wish you were here, Rick. Lil' Asskicker is livin' up ta her name.

"Whassup, kid?" He asked, his tone soft as he looked down at the little brunette.

"I heard you and my Mom talkin' about somebody named Beth," He snorted, more like you was eavesdroppin', "-is she from another community?" Daryl regarded the girl in front of him, smart beyond her years, and way too curious for her own good. Should he tell her the truth? Tell her that Beth was the one who took care of her as a baby, before Michonne came along. Tell her that Beth loved her as if she'd birthed the little girl herself.

Or should he come up with an excuse as to who Beth was? Tell her she's just somebody they'd met in the past, but never knew very well.

Problem was, Lil' Asskicker was a smart kid. She'd probably be able to tell if he was bullshitting her.

So, he opted to evade the question entirely.

"Ain't sumthin' fer ya ta worry 'bout, kid." He said in a firm voice, leaving no room for questions. Judith raised an eyebrow, as if to say if you won't tell me I'll figure it out myself, and he almost laughed at her stubbornness. He decided to change tactics, sinking down to her level to look her in the eye.

"Need ya ta do sumthin' fer me. S'a big job, think ya can handle it?" Her eyes lit up at the opportunity to do a favor for him. Uncle Daryl never asked favors from her, so she obviously jumped at the chance.

"Anything, just name it!" He gave a small smile at her eagerness.

"I need ya ta keep an eye on things here fer me and yer Ma," Judith furrowed her brow, her head tilting in confusion while Daryl went on to explain what he was saying. "-Tha Hilltop n' tha Kingdom need our help, so we both gotta go. But tha' lady ya asked me 'bout? She's hurt, real bad. She's gonna need somebody ta take care of 'er while I'm gone, a friend. Think ya can manage tha'?" Doubt filled the little girl's face, and she pursed her lips.

"But anybody can do that, Uncle Daryl. Why do I have to do it?" She tucked her hands in her jean pockets, the action reminding him of Carl when he was a kid.

"Cause yer Lil' Asskicker, n' I bet she'd like ta meet ya." A tiny smile made its way on her face.

"Really?" Daryl nodded, confirming what he'd said. He reached out and rubber her arm before standing upright.

"Why don'cha go n' see yer Ma, she's prolly lookin' fer ya." That was a lie, but he didn't bother feeling guilty. He needed to go see Aaron quick before heading back to the infirmary to check on Beth.

"Okay, can I come over to Siddiq's later?" Daryl shook his head, giving her the same reason he gave to Carol earlier. She acquiesced to his words, before running to her house. He watched her scamper away, shaking his head as he spun on his heel and continued on his way.

He only had to walk a few minutes before he reached Aaron's front door, the house the same one he'd lived in when Daryl and his family first walked through the gates of Alexandria. Taking a deep breath, he rolled his shoulders and trudged up the front steps, knocking on the door three times and waiting.

Daryl didn't have to wait for somebody to answer for long, and Aaron's daughter, Gracie, opened the front and looked up at him with a big smile. It's funny, Daryl wasn't sure he'd ever get used to little kids not being afraid of him.

"Hi Daryl!" Daryl offered the little blonde a small smile.

"Hey, kid. Yer Daddy home?" She nodded her head, turning her torso away from him and shouting for her Dad. She then ran away from the door after saying goodbye to him, leaving it wide open. Daryl chuckled at her; Aaron definitely had his hands full with her sometimes. When Aaron's figure filled the space of the doorway, he nodded his head in greeting.

"Daryl. Something I can do for you?" Daryl shook his head 'no', before clearing his throat and speaking.

"Just came ta see how yer doin'. I know ya been havin' a hard time since Jesus…" He trailed off, unsure how sensitive the topic was to the man, and not wanting to cause him any unnecessary pain. Aaron turned to glance in the house, then looked back to Daryl and tilting his head in the direction of his front steps, pulling the door shut behind him as he stepped out of the house. They sat down side by side on Aaron's front steps, Daryl leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees, as usual. He heard Aaron release a heavy sigh.

"I'm holding up, I guess." He scratched the back of his head, trying to find the words to explain how he was feeling. "I know it hasn't been long since he died, but…we don't get to mourn. Not like we used to, not in this world."

"Tha's bullshit, man." Daryl growled, turning his head to look at the other man. "You were tha person closest ta him, yer allowed ta mourn, allowed ta be upset n' shit." He looked away, watching some people a few yards away milling about, doing their daily jobs. "Hell, I'm upset. Jesus was one'a tha good ones. He didn't deserve ta die like tha'." Daryl felt Aaron put a hand on his shoulder, attempting to offer him some comfort, but it made him feel worse. He was supposed to be comforting Aaron, not the other way around!

"You were close to him, too. If it weren't for you and Rick, we never would have met Jesus, or the Hilltop. We probably wouldn't have all of this." He gestured to the community around them. Daryl snorted, remembering just how they had first met Jesus.

"Fuckin' coincidence, s'all it was. Tha' jackass stole our truck! He was a fuckin' prick then, lucky I didn' kill 'im myself." Aaron started to laugh, remembering the day Rick and Daryl had walked in with the man, tied up and knocked out. Daryl let out a soft breath of laughter, reminiscing on the past as well. He stopped laughing though when he heard Aaron's laugh become a choked sob, and his head snapped to look at him. The man's head was hanging, and he was using his good hand to cover his face, but Daryl could see his shoulders shake slightly, and he was lost for a moment as to what he should do now. He let instinct take over, and he threw an arm over Aaron's shoulders, pulling him into his side in a hug, letting the man cry.

They'd been friends for years, seen so much shit together. Aaron had helped him get through a lot of bad times, now it was Daryl's turn to do the same for him.

They sat there for what seemed like ages, until Aaron had gotten all the emotion out of his system, and he slowly pulled away from Daryl, rubbing his face in mild embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, man. I know you're not a fan of affection." Daryl rolled his eyes at him, deciding to tell him the same thing somebody else had told him, so many years ago.

"Yer ma brother, man. Think I can handle a couple hugs, every now n' then. But don' get used ta it!" Aaron snorted, wiping his eyes and looking at Daryl, his expression unreadable.

"Thank you." He said, and Daryl felt his ears turning red. He hated when people thanked him for doing stuff, made him so uncomfortable, and damn it, Aaron knew that!

"S'nothin'." Aaron knew he felt awkward, and didn't bother trying to argue with the man. He was more stubborn than a damn bull. But there was one thing that he was curious about.

"So…that girl in the infirmary, Beth?" Immediately, Daryl's back stiffened and his cheeks burned red, and it took everything in Aaron's power to keep a straight face.

"How'd ya know about 'er, bein' there?" Now it was Aaron's turn to roll his eyes, his expression seeming to speak for itself, how do you think?

"Michonne stopped by late last night, told me everything that had happened." He answered, heaving a sigh before continuing, "But I don't wanna talk about all the bad shit. Tell me about Beth."

"Ain't nothin' ta tell." He snorted, glancing at Daryl out of the corner of his eye.

"Bullshit, Daryl. Tell me." Daryl slowly breathed in through his nose and out of his mouth, trying to figure out what to say. Giving in, he decided to start after the prison.

"Ya 'member when ya found us?" At Aaron's nod, he continued, "-Well, we'd been through some shit, happened a couple weeks 'fore we met ya. Lost good people. Beth…she was one a 'em. Er…thought she was." He glanced at the man sitting beside him, noticing his confused expression, and Daryl rubbed the back of his neck. "When our ol' home, tha prison, fell…me n' Beth got out, together. N' it was just us fer awhile. Then one nigh', we got swarmed by walkers. I told 'er to run ahead o' me, that I'd catch up ta 'er."

"And what happened?" Aaron questioned, his head turned towards Daryl. Exhaling slowly, he continued, hating that he struggled to get the words out.

"She was taken, by some assholes in a hospital. I lost 'er trail, got mixed up wit' some bad folks. Found Rick n' tha others. We went ta tha' fuckin' hospital ta get 'er. And she…" He choked on the words, his frustration over the events still persistent. "-she fuckin' turned back 'round and stabbed tha leader wit' a pair a scissors. And tha' bitch shot 'er, righ' in tha fuckin' head."

Aaron's eyes were wide in shock. Beth had been shot in the head, and she was still alive? That was a fucking miracle. He was drawn from his thoughts as Daryl continued to speak.

"She was dead. I fuckin' checked! There was so much blood…" Daryl's eyes started to burn at the memory of her lifeless form, blonde locks drenched in blood all over that linoleum hospital floor. He tried to swallow down the lump in his throat. "We didn' get ta bury 'er. Fuckin' walkers swarmed us. So we locked 'er body in a trunk and left. Just…fuckin' left 'er there." Daryl grit his teeth, putting his head in his hands, unable to say anymore.

Aaron's eyes were still wide in shock at what had happened to the girl that was currently in the infirmary. By all logic, she shouldn't be alive. And yet, somehow, she was breathing. He blood was still flowing through her veins. That was nothing short of a miracle.

"Daryl, if you had buried her, she probably would be dead." Daryl's head snapped up to look at him, his face mildly shocked, and Aaron kept going. "Really, you putting her in that trunk probably saved her life. At the very least, it gave her a fighting chance. If you'd buried her, she would have suffocated and really died. But because you didn't, she's here now. She's alive, right now." His face was one of disbelief, and Aaron almost wanted to smack him upside the head. Daryl would never believe he was a good guy; never believe he'd do anything right.

"You don't have to believe me, Daryl. But it's true." Aaron looked down at his old wristwatch that still worked, by some small miracle. "I gotta get going, I need to drop Gracie off with Michonne and head to the guard towers, I'm on duty in twenty minutes." Daryl nodded, and they both went to stand up, Aaron pulling him in for a tight hug.

"Thanks for stopping by." He mumbled, pulling away to see Daryl dip his head in acknowledgment. Before he could leave, he stopped him once more. "Don't blame yourself for things you can't control, Daryl. It doesn't do anybody any good, especially the ones closest to you."

Daryl almost laughed at the irony in that statement. Hadn't he just said almost the exact same words to Beth? But instead of acknowledging Aaron's words directly, he waved goodbye to him and started back in the direction of the infirmary, itching to see Beth with his own eyes now, after having to relive that nightmare of a story. He wasn't sure he'd ever get used to the fact that she was alive, he'd been living with her ghost for so long.

Deep down, Daryl knew that Aaron was right. Didn't mean he had to like it, though. Drowning out the sounds of Alexandria, he focused on the thumps of his boots on the old asphalt. Being around Beth brought back so many memories, so many feelings that had been left unanswered and forgotten. He had pretty much given up any ideas, however small they may have been, the moment that bullet went through her skull. For him, it was something akin to the death of innocence, because that was what Beth had been. She'd been an innocent, something rare and good in this shithole of a world they all resided in. And no, he didn't mean the innocence you associate with a child. No, she was something else entirely. Beth was somebody who had witnessed the changes to their world, knew how terrible it could be, but she still looked toward a better future. She refused to believe that there were no more good people. She had told Daryl that he was one of the good ones, which he'd completely disregarded at the time.

Looking back, he wondered if she still believed any of it? Or had the world been so cruel to her in the years since they'd lost each other that she had given up? The thought of her losing the one thing she believed in, more than anything else, made his heart hurt almost as much as when he'd thought he lost her.

Shaking himself from his contemplations, he glanced up at the infirmary, standing on the sidewalk. He had so many things he wanted to ask her, so many things he wanted to say. And now he'd get that chance. When she was better and things had died down some, they were going to have a long chat, alone. He wished he could say everything he wanted to now, but there were still things that needed to be done first.

But he'd get his chance.

Daryl walked up the steps, the thud of his boots echoing in his ears. He walked into the infirmary as quietly as he could, spotting Lydia leaning back in the chair he'd occupied the night prior. She raised her gaze to meet his, and she stood up, walking towards him.

"Why don'cha go see Henry?" When she was about to protest, he stopped her. "I'll let ya know when she wakes up again. Pro'lly gonna be awhile." Lydia looked back to Beth's sleeping form, her gaze hesitant when she turned to Daryl again.

"Promise you'll tell me?" His lip quirked up, he seemed to be making a lot of those today.

"Promise. Get goin', go rest." She let out a soft breath, spinning on her heel and striding towards Beth's bedside again. She leaned over and kissed her on the forehead before leaving, saying goodbye to Daryl on her way out. When she was gone, he dragged his feet a little as he made his way to the wooden chair, dropping his weight down onto it. He was already exhausted, and it'd only been a couple hours since he'd left Beth's side. Sliding his boots off, he lifted his feet and propped them on the end of her bed. He almost groaned in relief as he stretched his body out, attempting to get comfortable.

Daryl took one last glance at Beth's soft features, looking more peaceful than she had since she first took off the mask. His chat with Aaron had left him with a lot of different emotions swirling in his gut, and looking at Beth now had them spinning like a tornado. But for now, it was time to get some rest, however small it may be. He'd talk with her later, when they were both awake.

He'd get his chance, he knew it.

A/N: I'm back! Sorry for my absence, you know how it goes. Life gets in the way of things, plus writer's block can be a serious bitch! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review and let me know your thoughts! Constructive criticism is welcome, as always! Also, in one of the upcoming chapters there will be a slight time jump,but nothing too drastic!

-Taylor Catherine

Side note: Who else watches The 100 and was absolutely dying of happiness that Bob Morley and Eliza Taylor actually got married?! My ship has sailed and my inner fangirl has been doing her happy dance all weekend!