Chapter Twenty - Merging

Beth stared down at the oatmeal steadily cooling in her bowl. Her stomach protesting even the smell of it, but still she sat there attempting to take a few bites. The kitchen was ominously quiet seeing as the others vacated in the morning. Knowing her mood wasn't all that best after speaking with the 'Dr. Edward's'

"Doctor my ass," Beth mumbled, dropping her spoon as she leaned forward to rest her head in her hands. She didn't need his confirmation that she was pregnant, or even the guessing game he played as he poked and prodded her stomach to give her an estimation of how far long she was.

"I'm not all that sure, mostly dealt with military wounds and the sort, but according to this..." His voice trailed off as he and his medical assistant stared at an open book. "You should be about six weeks. Still in your first trimester," he continued smiling. Like it was the best damn news in the history of the world.

With a groan Beth lifted her head up and stood to throw out her food. Done with the pretense of attempting to eat and deciding that sleep, and maybe a better plan for getting out of here was in order.

"You should really be eating that," a male voice said from the corner. Beth turned to see Jackson giving her a pointed look and Beth turned to continue dumping it out despite his words. "How are you supposed to keep your strength up if you don't eat?" he asked, coming around the counter to stand in front of her.

Beth shrugged. "What strength do I need? Ya'll are holdin me hostage anyways."

"We're not holding you hostage. Just want to make sure you and that baby are taken care of. Is there a crime in that?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest as he stared down at her.

Beth's eyes went wide as she nodded. "Yes, cause it's keepin me from my husband. If I could just get to him..."

Jackson held his hands up, effectively cutting her off as he said, "and do what? Go where? Tell me what you would do once you got to him, still pregnant. Still needing care. Where would you go? Where would you have the baby? On the side of the road?"

Beth shrugged, tears forming in her eyes as she began shaking her head. "The baby might not even make it. The others didn't," she said, choking on her sobs as she brought her hand up to stifle them. "I can't even carry the babies full term, why does it matter if I stay here or not?"

"With that attitude," Jackson said, throwing his hands up in the air. When he looked back her, his expression softened and he took a deep breath. "What would your husband want you to do?"

Beth stared at him, her mouth gaping open, ready with an answer when she stopped, her gaze going distant as she really thought about it. Thought about how Daryl would feel knowing she gave up on their child. Yes, they lost two others, didn't mean he would give up on this one. Just cause. He wouldn't want her to either. So, with a heavy sigh, Beth closed her eyes and said, "He wouldn't want me to chance it. Wouldn't want to lose anyone else if it could be helped."

Jackson nodded. "There you go. That's what you're going to do then."

It wasn't even a question. It was a statement and Beth felt a stone settle in her stomach because she knew he was right. She would stay. She would attempt to have this child. Tears rolled down her cheeks, causing her to close her eyes as she attempted to wipe them away before they were even noticed

Not that it did any good. Jackson noticed everything and it wasn't long before he was pulling her into his arms with a "Shhh, it's okay. It's going to be okay."

Beth didn't know if that was true or not. Didn't even know if this place would last longer than a month before falling like all the others did, but she knew that she had to try. That they had to try and keep this place safe for as long as possible.


Weeks past and the military relinquished control of the Alexandria safe zone to Mr. Monroe and his wife when it became obvious communications weren't coming back up. Not long after talks of building proper walls around the area started up. Plans for a run out to the local mall were discussed in length and Beth looked to Jackson and Theo. Willing them to tell Deana their secret so that they could help.

The fact that neither could be infected through the bites was a definite plus that would help the community, and she urged them to trust Deana at least. The woman was nothing but nice to them. Setting them up in their own housing, and ensuring Beth had everything she needed to get through this pregnancy as smoothly as possible despite the circumstances and so she felt indebted to the woman at the same time she knew she could trust her.

So, it was with a bit of reluctance, and a lot of guilt laid on thick, that Jackson, Theo and Beth found themselves settled in Deana's house. A cup of tea passed between them as they sat in silence for several minutes before Deana asked, "what's this all about?"

Beth cleared her throat, her gaze darting from Deana who sat across from them to Theo and Jackson, who sat next to each other on the couch. "We haven't been completely honest with you," she started, biting her tongue as she realized the words sounded awful out in the open. Inwardly cringing, she pushed to continue before the woman got any real bad idea.

"What I mean is..." Beth tried again as she stared into Deana's confused gaze. "Jackson and Theo don't just have a skin condition, it's more of a..." again the words failed her and she was left with her mouth gaping as she tried to think of the words when Theo leaned forward and said, "we're vampires. Creatures of the night, the living dead, all that jazz."

Beth gaped at him, her eyes wide as she looked from Theo's unapologetic "what?" look to Jackson's head coming to rest in his hands as he shook his head and then to Deana's shocked face. If anything was worse, it was the shock that swept over the older woman before she clamped her mouth shut and nodded. "Okay," she said slowly, not really looking at them as she brought her hands up. Obviously at a lost for what to say.

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but then again the zombies were an insane idea six months ago, and look at us," Beth said, waving around the room. Meaning to indicate the whole situation she found herself in the and was happy to hear the woman chuckle.

"Too true," Deana muttered, clapping her hands together. "But vampires?"

Beth nodded, pulling on Theo's arm to get the man to stand. "Truly, vampires. They've really been around for ages, and not just that, but there's better news here." She pulled on Theo's shirt, prodding him to show her his shoulder where there was still a scar of the walker bite. As Theo pulled his shirt up, and Deana moved closer Beth continued, "Not only are they stronger, faster, but they're immune to everything. Including the walker bite."

Deana studied the mark, her fingers coming up to run across the raised edges before looking at Jackson and Theo. "How?"

Both shrugged, none of them having come up with an explanation for why the bite didn't affect them. "Maybe something to do with our immune systems. We never get sick. Aids, Cancer. It don't touch us. We even age really slow, making us look nearly immortal, and it's because of the vampire virus."

"Virus?" Deana asked, confusion once again lacing her tone as she looked to Beth for a simpler explanation.

"Yes, a guy I worked with long ago explained it as a mutation in the genes that happens once a person's been infected by either a bite or injection," Beth explained, her hand waving at Deana in the process. "Much like how the walker infection is passed, only they don't die and become mindless, flesh eating dead."

"You never told me you worked with someone prior to us," Jackson said, turning the conversation onto Beth for the moment.

The girl shrugged. "I hunted with Blade for a little while. Why do you think I wasn't surprised to find out you were, you," she said. Jackson gaped at her as Theo laughed.

"Blades a myth, some lunatic probably just told you that was his name just to sound cool."

"No," Beth insisted, forgetting about Deana for the moment as she looked to Theo in disbelief. "Blade is real. He introduced me to the vampire world, and that's how I met my husband."

"But I thought you met him before..." Jackson started, looking even more confused.

Beth cut him off. Waving her hand as she said, "okay, let's not make it any more confusing and just get back on topic." Turning back to Deana to find the woman with a slightly confused glare on her face. "Point is, we can help. Theo and Jackson can help fight off the walkers without fear of being turned into one of them..."

"Provided we have the right protection, we can still be ripped to shreds and it takes a long time to heal when you have a big gaping hole in your chest," Jackson said, once again cutting off Beth and this time leaving Deana with a disgusted look on her face.

"Right, well..." Deana started, taking a deep breath and turning away from them. "I guess I don't see the harm. You seem like decent people."

Beth nodded. "We are. We really are and we just want to help. Whatever way possible."

Deana nodded at her, a smile appearing on her face for the first time since their conversation started. "I know. I guess if you have a way to go into the sunlight and help then yes. We will take whatever help we can get. Just don't go around telling people what you are. Might scare them, a little."

They nodded, Jackson mumbling, "understandable," as he stepped forward to shake Deana's hand. The woman was hesitant at first, her smile faltering before she sucked in a breath and took first his hand and then Jackson's.

As they backed away, she stopped with a simple, "oh," causing them all to turn and look at her as she continued, "don't go around feeding off anyone either." The smile on her face told them it was supposed to be a joke, but again, her smile faltered as the three of them looked at one another.

"You haven't fed off anyone, have you?" she asked, uncertainty creeping into her tone.

"No, no, no, just..." Jackson started, trailing off as he looked at his brother. "We are going to have to find a blood bank somewhere, while on a run, " he explained. "We can go on our own, won't have to bother anyone, but we do need the blood to survive," he added when Deana's eyes went wide and she was once again gaping at them and Beth, who merely stood cause honestly what else was a person suppose to add to that.

Deana took in a deep breath and said, "well, as long as no one is harmed."

The trio simply nodded, giving her half smiles as the two men tucked their hands in their pockets as Beth raised her shoulders up and said, "Okay then. Night." and together the three of them walked out of Deana's house.

Remaining silent until they were a good block away and Theo said, "well, I think that went well. Don't you?"

"Yeah, great," Jackson replied, the sarcasm heavy in his tone as the three of them started laughing. Stifled, and then steadily louder until they were standing on top of their front porch steps.

Lucinda stood there with one eyebrow raised. "What is so funny?"

Jackson shook his head, coming up to kiss his wife on the forehead and reply, "Just got back from Deana's. It went well."

Lucinda gave him a pointed look that said she didn't believe, but didn't bother to call him out on either as the four of them stepped into the house, and Beth was able to saddle up to her own room and collapse for the night.


Well over a month and half after arriving at Alexandria the walls are up, mostly. A day and night crew work tirelessly to surround the area, and create a safer space for its residence. A herd has been seen by a few scouts the day before, and they knew that the walls would be the only thing that would keep them safe.

Beth sighs a breath of relief to see the metal walls up and surrounding them. A sense of security, washing over even as a vision of the prison floats through her mind, one walkers swarming in because a mad man with a tank ran over their fences. Sighing, she rubs at her forehead. An ever growing headache forming that hasn't relinquished its control since early afternoon.

"You okay?" Jessica asks as she steps near her, her own eyes going toward the walls that were just being completed.

"Fine, just got a headache is all," Beth replied, giving the woman a reassuring smile. Jessica smiles as she runs a hand across Beth's shoulders and directs her toward the house.

"Why don't you go rest," she suggests, giving Beth a slight nudge toward their house.

Taking a step back, Beth turns back around. "I don't need rest. Honest, I'll be fine."

"Go," Jessica urges, pointing toward their home. "You don't need to be straining yourself anyways. Remember what Dr. Edwards said..."

"Oh, Dr. Edwards. That man don't know what the hell he's talkin about," Beth snaps, waving her hands at the woman. She mistrusted him from the start, and every time she goes to see him, he only makes her skin crawl more. Honestly, she'd rather put up with the snobby medical assistant then him.

"Z," Jessica began, almost glaring at her as, again, she pointed toward their home. "Go rest."

"Fine," Beth snaps back, punctuating the words as she takes a step back to head toward the house. She really didn't feel like she needed rest. Just a large aspirin and something to drink. 'That would do the trick,' Beth thought as she climbed the stairs to her room.

As she reached the top, a sharp jab from the ever growing headache make her stumble, causing her to fling her hands out to brace herself against the wall before she slowly lowers herself down,. Her hands flying to her head where the pressure just seems to continually build.

Slowly, she closes her eyes. Taking a deep breath and resting her head against the wall. Nearly falling asleep as the images come. Where she's back on the farm, her daddy and the rest are stepping out to confront a new group of people. Daryl's there, riding up on his bike with no care in the world that it's the apocalypse and that the walkers are drawn to the noise.

Dale and Carol step out of the RV, Dale with his rifle slung over one shoulder, looking to them for answers on their friends and Carol with a small blonde girl clinging to her side. A doll wrapped up in her arms, and the most scared look on her face that Beth ever saw. Without hesitating, Beth pulls from Jimmy's hold and goes to the small girl.

Kneeling down to her height she asks, "hey, you look like you could use something to eat."

The girl looks back to Carol, her eyes growing bigger as the woman nods. "She could, yes. We were hiding from a herd when she took off into the forest. Just found her last night and..." her words trail off without needing any more explanation and Beth smiles at the small girl.

"Bet that was scary, huh?"

The girl nods in confirmation, her arms clutching even more tightly to the doll in her arms. "C'mon. We can get you cleaned up and some food in your stomach. How's a peanut butter sandwich sound?"

The girl nods again, still not saying a word though her eyes light up at the sound of a peanut butter sandwich, and she looks to Carol and manages to peep out, "momma?"

"Go on," Carol confirms and Beth stands up, reaching out her hand to the small girl. The girl takes it, hesitantly, but firm as she allows Beth to lead her into the house. She passes the doubtful looks from her father and Maggie, and watches as Patricia steps to Carol and says, "why don't you come with us. It'll be alright."

The others slowly follow along after that, finding Rick and Lorie in the living room where the pause to ask about Carl still lying on the bed while Beth continues to lead the small girl into the kitchen, and proceeds to make her a sandwich while the girl sits at the table. Still silent and small looking. When she places the plate in front of the girl, she sits next to her. Watching as she tears a piece off and slowly eats it.

Doing the same for a few more bites before Beth feels comfortable to ask, "what is your name?"

"Sophia," the girl replies as she stuffs another piece of sandwich into her mouth.

Beth smiles, "that sounds like a beautiful name."

"Thank you," the girl squeaks out, looking up when footsteps enter the room and she notices Carol step in. "How's Carl?"

"Fine, sweetie, he's doing fine," Carol replies, her own hesitant smile on her face as she comes to sit with the daughter. Beth grins at the two of them as she stands up. Realizing that they need a moment together as mother and daughter when Jimmy steps into the kitchen from the back porch and nods toward the barn.

Beth shakes her head, her eyes squeezing shut as the headache dulls down and she's able to open her eyes to someone shaking her. A slow but steady, "Z" pulling her back to her present reality to find two pairs of eyes staring at her.

"Z?" Lucinda says again, pulling her further from the strange dream, memory, whatever it was as she looks up at the people surrounding her. "You okay."

Beth nods, her hands rubbing at her eyes to adjust to the different lighting and help seep some of the pain from the still pounding headache. "Fine," she mumbles, frowning as she opens her eye and tries to figure out what just happened.

"What happened?" Jackson asks, pulling her attention to him as she continued to frown. Vividly seeing the little girl, Sophia, in her mind as she looked to Carol and said, "momma?"

"Changes, I think," she says, replaying the newly formed memory in her mind yet again. From the beginning when she noticed Daryl to the moment her and Jimmy head out back.

"Changes?" Jackson asks, confused by her statement. Now it's his turn to give Beth a confused stare as she continues thinking about what just happened. How it happened. Why it happened before it dawned on her.

"Changes. He's changing the past, the present, whatever it is. He's changing it," she explains, her eyes darting back and forth as again she replays the newly formed memory. Now cemented in her mind so that she could focus on the small things. Like the glower that she receives from Daryl the moment he pulls up to the farm, and spots her, the younger her, talking to Sophia, and the confusion written on his face as he move to the back of the group.

"Who?" Jackson asks, shaking her for a more definite answer.

"My husband. He's meeting the younger me, and he's changing things." She looked at them, her own small group huddled around her. Hoping they understood, but knowing there was no way for them to understand. She barely understood how it was happening herself. How these memories were warping themselves inside her mind.

"That's not good," Jackson said, shaking his head as he rested his head in his hands.

"Could be," Beth argued, looking at him. Almost wanting to argue with the man that not all changes could be bad.

"Not always," he replied, giving her a long stare before looking at his wife. "First rule we vampires learn. Stay out of history, don't influence politics, wars, or any major events happening now."

"Stay invisible." Beth looked at him, their eyes meeting for a moment as he nodded his head. "I have. I just mentioned a thing or two." Beth's eyes darted to the floor, not able to look at Jackson as the man gave her a half grin. After a moment, Beth looked back up at him, returning his smile before allowing them to help her off the floor. Heading toward her room, Beth closed the door. Still feeling sick from the new memories swarming in her mind. Hoping some actual rest would help ease the memories still forming in her mind.

For the next week and a half the headaches continue. Not the stabbing pain that formed on the first day Daryl and them appeared on the farm, but still there. Plaguing the Alexandrian Beth as the Georgia Beth got glimpses of a small blonde girl running around her farm. Sitting with her mama, laughing with Carl. Catching her and Jimmy in the stables one night before running off in the direction of Daryl's tent with a smile on her face.

Those reformed memories of Daryl made her smile the most. Thinking about the curiousness of his glances, no matter how subtle they might be. Smiling whenever there was that hint of jealousy in his eyes at the sight of her and Jimmy together. The best being that he still impaled himself on his own arrow while out hunting, and Andrea still shot him, thinking he was a walker. Beth sat there smiling at that one as her younger self served him lunch, remembering the first time she saw him lying on her brother's bed, and noticing the way he distanced himself from her. It confused her younger self, but amused Alexandrian Beth to no end whenever the memories would form into her mind.

All of it merged together, night after night, until one afternoon while she was sitting in her own living room. Reading a book and another sharp pain shot through her head, causing her to sit up and clutch at her hair.

The sound of a gunshot ringing loud and clear through her head just as the sight of the small group huddled outside; Rick, Shane, Daryl. All of them rushing into the woods and out of sight while she and her sister clung to each other. Their hands twirling together until Carol and Lorie rushed out of the house and down to the woods saying, "the kids are gone."

A strange sort of feeling swelled up in Beth. Like watching a film already knowing what happened, but just waiting for it to be confirmed. The men came out of the forest some time later. Daryl holding a small bundle in his arms as Rick dragged another small figure, whom Beth assumed to be Carl, by the scruff of his neck and Beth felt her stomach drop. Her breathing becoming rapid as Daryl drew closer with Sophia in his arms. The girl lying limp in his embrace with blood covering the side of her neck, and Carol's screams shot through her mind as the woman fell to her knees. The inevitable forming before Beth's eyes as she sat motionless, and useless in Alexandria at the same time the younger Beth could only stand there. In shock at the sight before her.

Someone jarred her, brushing her forward, causing the memory to break and Lucinda to come into focus. Her hands on either side of her face and Jessica next to her with her hands on her shoulder. Both women giving her pleading looks and all Alexandrian Beth could do was shake her head mumbling, "She's dead. She died anyways, she's dead."

The two women glanced at each other, confused as to what Beth was talking about as she rested her head on Jessica's shoulder. Fresh tears forming in her eyes as she sobbed over a young girl that she barely knew. Her heart breaking for the mother who lost her baby girl, and the man that found said child.


Did some small time jumps here, and next chapter probably going to have bigger time jump. So be prepared, but I do hope you enjoyed it.