AN: In the episode 'Clear,' Morgan clearly ran into some unsavory individuals during his tenure at Rick's hometown. I tried to show a bit of what that could have been in this chapter.

Warnings: Violence. Inching closer to some Brick.

Chapter Five

Being on the road was wearing on them all, but no one complained, not even young Duane. Morgan was the first to finally say something to Rick, one night while he thought Beth and Duane were already asleep. Beth had her back to Rick and Morgan so they couldn't see that she was awake, the four of them always shared whatever space they were staying in for the night. Beth honestly didn't mind the lack of privacy, she had tried once to sleep by herself but every noise had her twitching in paranoia.

Beth was currently going over her mental catalog of their inventory. It was an exercise she did to help herself fall asleep. Morgan's quiet tone interrupted her thoughts, "Rick, we need to find a place to settle down. It's too dangerous by ourselves always on the road. I know you miss your wife and son, I know. But we can't keep this up forever."

"Morgan, it's just the two of us, Beth and Duane are still kids-" Beth tried not to react being called a kid by Rick. She was seventeen now, hardly a kid. But at the same time she knew what Rick meant, Beth still wasn't comfortable killing walkers. She was perfectly capable, but she still didn't like the idea of killing, but of course she would do what was necessary to protect her group. "-there have to be more people out there, people we can trust."

"There are people out there, sure, but who says we won't run into more people like those Philly boys?" Morgan brought up one of Beth's biggest fears. She had a recurring nightmare that she and Jimmy had run into Dave's group instead of Rick. She never screamed or tossed about when she had a nightmare, she'd just wake up tense and in a cold sweat with her heart pounding. Usually the sight of Rick or Duane would calm her down, they all slept close to each other especially now with the cold weather. If Rick was asleep Beth would normally scoot as close as she dared to him to seek comfort.

"What if we run into more people like those Philly boys and there's more than two? We were lucky then. Who says we'll be so lucky the next time?" Beth shivered involuntarily at the thought of her nightmare still coming true.

"Rick, I got an idea, and I think it's one you'll like." Beth assumed Rick must have nodded because Morgan continued on, "We should go back to your hometown in King County. When we were there the walkers weren't that numerous, nothing compared to some of the herds we've seen. And wandering blindly around Georgia isn't going to find your family. They could go back."

Rick was silent for a long time, but finally Rick quietly responded, "Alright. It's a good plan."

Beth was afraid they others might be able to hear her heartbeat with how strong it was pounding. They were going to return to Rick's hometown. She couldn't believe how selfish she was being, but the thought of Rick reuniting with his wife made her sick. Would she be pushed to the side and forgotten about? Rick wasn't even hers, he treated her well but platonic and yet here she was jealous of Rick's wife. What was wrong with her?

She tried to steady her breathing as Rick settled into the blanket beside her. He was a few feet away but Beth could still feel his presence against her back. She wondered what Rick would do, if she rolled over and curled into his side. She didn't think he would push her away, but would he pat her on the head like a child or would he gently tell her his wife was the only woman for him? Could Rick Grimes ever see her as a young woman and let her seek comfort in him or vice versa? Beth did her best to ignore her thoughts and think of the inventory again as she slowly drifted off into an anxious sleep.

Rick surveyed the main street of the town he grew up in. Something seemed off. He wasn't sure if it was the juxtaposition of his memories of Before with the current ghost town state or if something was actually wrong. Duane called it 'Rick's spidy-senses' whenever Rick had a bad feeling about a place but Rick knew it had more to do with his years as a cop.

The town looked much like they had left it when Morgan and Duane had packed up and joined him on his trek to Atlanta. They were starting with the sheriff's office again, they were hopeful the water would still be running, Beth especially. Rick couldn't help but smile at the memory of Beth's happy expression at the thought of a shower. Duane had been telling her about his first adventure in King County and Beth's face had looked blissful at the thought of washing her hair. Beth was such a good sport. Rick couldn't imagine many teenage girls being so accepting of their situation but Beth never grumbled about the lack of beauty products or clean clothes. Not that it stopped her from getting excited when they found a house with clothes in Beth's size. And Rick would do just about anything to see her light up.

Just two days ago Rick had led Beth into a walk-in closet of a high school girl, judging by the cheerleader uniform and boyband posters. Beth had laughed and pretended to be on a shopping spree and they playfully debated the practicality of killing walkers in a homecoming dress. Rick had almost let her take the purple taffeta creation but they had limited space. Beth hadn't asked to take it with them but Rick could see the longing in her eyes. Rick wanted to give her a normal life and provide her everything she wanted. Beth kept Rick grounded and gave him a purpose. Morgan and Duane didn't need Rick, not like Beth needed him, needed someone that always had her as their first priority. His protectiveness over Beth was different than what he felt for Duane or Morgan, and Rick dreaded what that could possibly mean. Usually when his thoughts strayed on Beth too long he would throw himself into some physically demanding task to distract himself.

"Rick?" Morgan's quiet, questioning tone pulled Rick from his thoughts. Rick surveyed the ground around the station, Leon's decaying corpse was still where Rick had shot him and there were no additional bodies.

Rick nodded, the off feeling still in his gut, "looks okay." Rick led the other three into the building, it looked the same as last time they were here and a quick sweep of the building showed the coast was still clear.

Beth hovered over Rick's shoulder in the locker room as Rick turned on a showerhead. The pipes groaned and sputtered for a moment but then water poured out of the faucet. Beth whooped and gave Rick a quick, squeezing hug. The water wasn't clear at first, but a few moments of running water turned the water clear again.

Beth stuck her hand into the freezing stream and yelped. Rick couldn't help but chuckle. "I don't even care," Beth shook her head, her beaming smile making Rick's heart take on a funny beat that he did his best to ignore.

"Ladies first," Rick gestured towards the water. "I'll be right outside." Beth nodded as Rick looked around the locker room one last time for any potential threats before heading out the door.

Fifteen minutes later the water was still running and Beth was singing a song Rick recognized as a country song Lori used to listen to. Rick was content listening to her sweet voice and he felt so relaxed that he would probably have fallen asleep against the wall if Morgan and Duane hadn't approached him. Morgan looked worried while Duane seemed oblivious to his dad's distress.

"Is she still showering?" Duane asked in exasperation.

As if on cue the water shut off and Rick grinned down at Duane, "Shouldn't be too much longer now." Whatever was bugging Morgan he didn't say anything, not until the three of them had showered and Rick took the time to shave. Duane was on the far side of the locker room when Morgan finally leaned in and told Rick quietly, "the armory has been emptied."

Morgan kept Beth and Duane distracted as Rick went to check it out. The metal cage door was wide open and the shelves were bare. Rick paused to pick up a single stray bullet. They didn't need the weapons, although more ammo couldn't have hurt. Rick had taken less than half of the supplies in the armory so that meant that someone out there had most of those weapons. Rick's uneasy feeling came back in full strength. Was it someone he knew from the force, perhaps Shane or Lambert? Or someone worse, someone like Tony or Dave?

Rick was hesitant to explore the town given his uneasy feeling and the missing armaments but Morgan's idea to stay in King County was a solid plan. They split into pairs as they explored the main street area, Duane with Morgan and Beth with Rick as usual. There weren't any stray walkers in sight but there were plenty of unmoving corpses, someone had definitely been through and probably testing out their newly obtained weapons from the sheriff's office. Rick didn't want Beth stumbling into trouble, not that he had any plans to let her out of his sight. "Beth, we may not be the only living people here. Keep a careful eye out," he warned. Beth nodded, eyes wide. She gripped her knife in her hand a little tighter.

Their sweep of the town went without a hitch until the very end. They had just met up with Morgan and Duane again inside the flower shop at the end of the street when a scream pierced the air. Rick was at door in an instant looking for the source. He didn't want to just charge out into a possible herd of walkers and then doom the four of them. Morgan was a few steps behind him waiting for his cue.

It didn't take long to find the origin of the scream; a woman, dirty and worn looking, was in the middle of the street begging with three men that stood around her. Before Rick could act one of the men shot the woman in the head. "Shit," Rick cursed and hastily backed away. "Look for a back door." Rick hissed and Morgan was already on it, Duane on his heels while Beth hesitated and looked at him, eyes wide with fear.

"I saw movement at that shop, I knew that bitch was lying when she said she was alone!" A voice rang out from one of the men.

Rick cursed. One of them had spotted him at the door. They only had a moment, Morgan and Duane were already in the back hall but Beth was still with him. "Beth, go with Morgan," Rick ordered in a whisper.

"I'm not leaving you," Beth looked angry at Rick's order.

Rick didn't have time to argue he could hear approaching footsteps, he grabbed Beth's arm and propelled her back behind the counter, as he growled "Beth, I can't lose you. You hear me?" Beth nodded mutely and stayed hidden as Rick rushed back to the windows. Rick grabbed an empty low, metal display rack and tossed it through the window. Glass shattered and rained down on the approaching men giving Rick an advantage as he launched himself out the window into the oncoming men.

Beth stayed down as she heard the glass shatter. Her heart was pounding as she listened to cursing and yelling and the sounds of fighting. Rick said he couldn't lose her, but Beth knew for a fact that she couldn't handle another loss in her life. She wouldn't survive if Rick was taken away from her. But she didn't know how to fight, and while she was decent at killing walkers she didn't think she had the capacity to kill a living human being. She then remembered there was a pile of two by fours and plywood next to front windows. The owner had probably intended to board up the windows of the shop but never got the chance.

A gunshot rang out, Rick must have killed one of the men because an unfamiliar voice yelled, "You sonuvabitch! I'll kill you!" She chanced a quick peek around the counter and couldn't see the men or Rick. She ran to the window scooping up a two by four along the way and paused for a second to take in the sight of two of the unknown men on the ground, unmoving, but the third was standing over Rick with his gun pointed at Rick.

Beth didn't hesitate and leaped out the window. She swung the piece of wood like a bat and cracked it over man's head. The blow knocked him to his knees and Rick dove at him. The man rolled and they grappled with each other for the upper hand. Beth hopped back anxiously, she didn't think she could get a clear swing at the man without hitting Rick and she also didn't want them to knock into her. Rick managed to slam the man's head against the concrete sidewalk and the man finally went limp.

Not a second later Morgan came around the corner of the building, his rifle aimed and ready. He surveyed the scene, Beth was still clutching the board and Rick was breathing heavily and kneeling on the third man's chest. "There could be more of them, we should get moving," Morgan suggested.

Beth dropped the board, the clattering louder than she anticipated. Rick unsteadily got to his feet and Beth rushed to help him stay steady. One of the men had gotten in a few punches on Rick and his nose was already swelling. "You good?" Morgan asked.

Rick nodded but wrapped an arm around Beth's shoulders to help steady himself. "If there's more of them they heard the extra shot and will come lookin'," Rick agreed.

Duane was just around the corner of the flower shop with the bat gripped tightly in his hands. The four of them quickly retreated back to the vehicles at the sheriff's office. Rick told Morgan to lead and Morgan nodded in agreement before they separated into the Jeep and truck.

They drove in a tense silence for a few miles, Beth was constantly checking behind them for anyone following them but no other vehicles came into sight. "Thank you," Rick's voice breaking the silence startled Beth. "But don't you dare put yourself into danger again." Rick glanced over at her, his expression resolute.

Beth stood her ground though, "That's a two way street. I can't lose you either." Beth glared back at Rick.

Rick shook his head but didn't reply. Instead he took her hand and squeezed it tight. His hand was rough but warm and the touch sent her heart into overdrive, but this time it wasn't in fear. She squeezed back but Rick didn't pull his hand away. Not until over an hour later when Morgan pulled off the road to stop for the night.

It was another month before they again met other survivors; another long month of exploring small towns and farms, and looking for people or a place to stay long-term. They were slowly but surely trekking south, combing the area and avoiding a giant herd that seemed to block any movements west. They were nearing the Florida border, much to Rick's chagrin.

They were in another small town, empty like so many others except for walkers. Beth and Duane were having target practice, Rick was supervising and Morgan was sharpening their supply of weapons (an axe, a machete, and a couple of fierce hunting knives). The truck and jeep were parked in the middle of the main street. There was a small group of extremely decomposed walkers that was wandering through, only about ten walkers, so Rick was using it as an opportunity for Duane and Beth to do target practice. He did have a hand resting on his Python and he was scanning regularly to make sure no walkers were sneaking up on them.

Duane has put down four walkers with shots to the head, only one of his shots had missed the head, while Beth had only taken down three and had missed no shots. Rick was telling her to shoot while she exhaled to help keep her aim steady when a shout startled them all. Beth's shot went way off, shattering a storefront window. They all turned to face a man jogging towards them from in between two buildings and he was waving his arms. Morgan was instantly on guard, he quickly had his rifle aimed at the newcomer while Rick drew his Python and efficiently finished off the three remaining straggling walkers.

"Hey there! Hi! Don't shoot!" The man was wearing a beanie, had a scruffy beard, and skin as dark as Morgan's and he held up both hands to show he was unarmed minus the hammer tucked into his belt.

Beth nervously stepped behind Rick and pulled Duane to her side protectively. The man was smiling a genial, genuine smile but Beth knew now to err on the side of caution. "Hello," Rick nodded in greeting. Morgan stayed silent and kept his gun aimed.

"We heard the shots, we thought someone might be in trouble, and then I saw you were…practicing. We haven't seen living people since we left Florida." The man shook his head and smiled. "My name is Tyreese."

"Tyreese? My name is Rick. Sorry for the caution but if you don't try anything we won't either." Tyreese nodded in understanding and Rick continued, "Did you say 'we'?"

"Yeah, c'mon on out, guys." Tyreese called over his shoulder. Two women, one man and a teenage boy around Beth's age walked slowly out of the alley Tyreese had exited earlier. "This is my sister, Sasha, and that's Allen, his wife Donna and their son, Ben. And we mean you no harm. We're just glad to see other people!"

Rick nodded in greeting, "As I said, I'm Rick, Mr. Cautious here is Morgan, and this is Beth and Duane." Beth didn't like how this Ben kid was eyeing her, but she supposed he hadn't seen someone his own age in a long time. "Where you folks headed?" Rick asked.

Tyreese shook his head, "Nowhere specific. Just looking for a safe place and other survivors."

"And none of you are bit? Scratched? Running a fever?" Morgan asked. The five of them shook their heads and Morgan slowly lowered his rifle. Rick was studying the group intently and an awkward silence descended.

Tyreese's sister was the first to break it, "Well, I think this calls for a celebration. And I've just the thing," she paused to root through her bag and Beth noticed both Morgan and Rick tense until Sasha triumphantly held up her prize: A slightly squashed box of moon pies. Duane whooped in excitement. Beth couldn't help but laugh herself. But she was truly happy to see Rick relax and crack a smile. They didn't know anything about these people but Beth could feel it, that they had finally found good people.

AN: Have they though? :3 I'm pretty excited for the next two chapters, its why I wrote this fic.

Review please!