AN: Well, I have no excuse. Good ol' Daydreamer123 sent me a PM asking how things were coming along and I was like, it hasn't been that long, it's been-crap. nearly a month. Whoops! So here's my latest offering. Lots of action in this chapter, and some surprises at the end!

Warnings: hinted at graphic childbirth.

Chapter Fifteen

Introducing a group of inmates to both his and Shane's groups went better than Rick would have guessed. There was no angry outcry of 'get rid of them!' which he half expected from the other members of Shane's group, given Shane's glowering at Rick from the corner. Instead there was just wariness. Even Merle seemed amused with the whole situation and was taking pleasure from Shane's foul mood. Merle had only made two racist jokes since finding the prisoners, and that seemed like a record for the redneck. Beth looked upset, and Rick vowed to himself to reassure her the second he had a moment.

But Rick didn't get a chance, instead he spent the next several hours helping clear out Cellblock B. At first Rick had wanted to put them in D, it was the furthest away, but Morgan pointed out that keeping them closer would be better so they could easily keep an eye on them and watch for suspicious activities. Plus, they still had their watch schedule and agreed that the prisoners would not get shifts until they had proven themselves.

So Rick spent his afternoon dragging bodies out of the newest cellblock and watching Tyreese play catch with Duane and Carl out in the grassy yard. Rick wanted badly to join them, to hear his son laugh and cheer as he caught a pass. But Rick had a responsibility to keep this place safe, and he would do everything in his power to do so.

Rick, Daryl and T-Dog left the three prisoners to their new block after the last body was dragged out, silent and desolate as it was. Rick was very glad their group was large enough that their cellblock did not have the same suffocating feeling as the one they had just left.

"Thanks for earlier today," Rick said to Daryl as the three of them trudged back to block C. Normally Rick would have patted him on the shoulder or arm but given how tight Daryl held himself Rick was pretty sure it would not be appreciated. Daryl only looked at Rick with a confused frown. "With Tomas?" Rick reminded, Daryl's arrow might have saved Rick's life.

"Don' mention it," Daryl mumbled before picking up his pace and leaving Rick and T-Dog behind.

"He's cuddly," Rick joked to T-Dog.

T-Dog snorted, "The cuddliest. He's not like Merle, Merle is loud and obnoxious and wants to be the center of attention but Daryl rather just slink around in the background." T-Dog shrugged. He didn't seem like he had made an effort to get to know the Dixons, and given Merle's blatant racism it was easy to see why.

Rick nodded and they continued in silence. He waved to Michonne perched in the watchtower and she raised a hand in response. The sun was starting to set, burning its last strength before it would disappear and Rick did not want to think about how hot it was going to be in another month or so. "Rick," a voice hailed from the shade offered by the prison walls. Hershel Greene.

Rick managed not to sigh, all he wanted to do was wash up and then fall into a bunk, preferably one with Beth in it. "Hey, thanks for all your help today," Rick said to T-Dog as he clapped him on the shoulder. T-Dog nodded and grinned before heading back for the prison while Rick headed over to Hershel. "Hershel," Rick greeted. This was his first conversation with the man, so Rick had no idea what to expect. Was it about his relationship with Beth? Or something else? Rick had a feeling that he wasn't going to like this conversation no matter the topic given Hershel's stern frown.

"I saw you with my daughter this morning," Hershel began. Rick put every ounce he had into keeping a blank poker face. He had a feeling that if Hershel had really seen him and his daughter this morning, Beth panting and hiding her cries in a pillow while Rick had his fingers inside her, he would have been greeted with a punch in the face. "I appreciate that you took care of my daughter this past year, kept her safe. But she has her family now, and you have yours. I know she thinks she's in love with you, but this needs to stop. You need stop taking advantage of my Beth. You have your wife and son now."

Rick let out a slow breath to keep his calm and hide the fury that washed through him at the accusation of taking advantage of Beth. He needed to keep his calm for this conversation. This was Beth's father, of course he didn't like their relationship. "I understand that you had two wives-" Rick could tell Hershel wanted to protest but Rick held up his hand, "Let me finish. Maggie's mother died, you mourned, you met Beth's mother and married her. What would you do if Maggie's mother walked back through your door?"

"How dare you. My situation was completely different."

"Was it? Lori thought I was dead. I thought Lori lost to me. I mourned and I moved on. I appreciate your concern for Beth, but I would never take advantage of her. Nor am I getting back with Lori. She and I have both moved on. And I am not leaving Beth. I'm sorry if you don't approve but that's how it is." Rick held his gaze steady against Hershel's. Rick could tell Hershel wanted to argue but didn't know what to say. So Rick nodded and stalked off.

Rick walked back into the prison and as soon as he entered the common area outside the rows of cells he felt every eye in the room stare at him. Beth's sister Maggie was doing her best to set Rick on fire with a glare alone, and the looks ranged from Maggie's fire and brimstone to the oldest Dixon's lecherous grin. So they all knew, Rick guessed. Beth was missing from the room, so Rick just nodded at the room and continued towards the cells.

Beth was in Rick's cell. She had her back to the bars, sitting on the bottom bunk and furiously scribbling away in her journal. Rick paused as he entered. Rick had a feeling that he missed something big today while in the bowels of the prison. Beth had been upset earlier, he had assumed that it was because of the prisoners he had brought into the mix but now, after Hershel's chat and the skunk eye he had just received from the peanut gallery, he suspected it was their relationship giving her a hard time. Or rather, others were giving her a hard time about their relationship. Rick just wanted Beth to be happy and to have a reason to smile. If he was no longer making her happy then he would let her go, as much as he loathed the idea. But Beth deserved the best, and he understood that he was far from the best.

"Rough day?" Rick asked gently when he finally moved further into the cell. Beth startled at his voice but her face lit up when she realized it was him. Rick felt the weight that had just settled on his shoulders lift.

"Nothing I can't handle," Beth replied as she tugged him to sit beside her and they both adjusted until their backs were against the cement wall.

"You're tougher than me then," Rick joked as he settled his arm around her.

"You do not smell good," Beth wrinkled her cute, little nose and Rick couldn't resist placing a light kiss on the tip.

"Sorry, I'll go wash up," Rick said as he pulled back.

"No! Don't leave. Not yet," Beth clutched at his arm and Rick relaxed back against the wall again.

"I'm guessing your day was as eventful as mine?" Rick wasn't never good at starting conversations, he had no idea how to get Beth to open up to him. Luckily, Beth only needed the barest prompting.

"I'd rather have been out there with those three prisoners than in here with them," Beth gestured in the direction of the gathered group.

"There were five prisoners. Two of them…didn' want to make nice," Rick told her with a grimace. He didn't enjoy killing, but he wasn't distressed about their deaths.

"Are you okay?" Beth asked with wide eyes, she started looking him over and running a hand along his chest.

"I'm fine. What happened with you today?"

Beth sighed before starting, "Maggie and my dad thought that we were… that you were protectin' me in exchange for sex. And of course I got angry and told them that you and I are in a real relationship and they didn't react well. It's like they can't accept that I'm not the same girl anymore. I can tell they've both changed, why can't they see I have too?" Beth ended in frustration.

"Hey, we'll show 'em and prove 'em wrong, right?"

Beth gave Rick a look of complete adoration that squeezed Rick's chest. His noble thoughts of earlier came back to him and he shook his head ruefully. He wasn't noble, he thought as he leaned down to kiss Beth. He didn't think he'd ever be able to let her go.

Being alone with Lori was unnerving, to say the least. Beth had been at the prison for nearly a week now and this was the first time she and Lori found themselves together without anyone else as a buffer. Beth tried to take slow, deep breaths to keep herself calm. How had this happened? She had been with Big Tiny, he was claiming he had a great recipe to show Beth next time she was on dinner duty as he helped with the laundry, along with Andrea and Lori. T-Dog had called Andrea away, and the blonde had looked relieved to leave, she apparently was not a fan of domestic work. Not long after, Big Tiny stepped away, heading back to the prison to find another string or wire to use as a laundry line. Beth liked Big Tiny, he had been waxing about his mother and her recipes and how there was no better cook in Georgia than his mama. The atmosphere had been so easy so Beth hadn't thought twice about Big Tiny trundling off until she realized it was just her and Lori. Lori didn't say anything to Beth, or even acknowledge her existence, Lori just kept up with hanging clothes as if Beth wasn't even a few feet from her.

Beth, when she couldn't take the silence anymore, finally blurted out, "Rick didn't take advantage of me." It was a popular theory among the newcomers, one that Beth was eager to quash.

Lori snorted and didn't look over at Beth while she replied, "I know. Rick a seducer?" She gave the clothes in front of her a wry look. "Rick is so oblivious with women. After weeks of flirting I had to ask him out."

"It took me months," Beth smiled and replied before she could sensor herself. "He, um, we spent a lot of time lookin' for you and Carl. We met some bad people out there," Beth's fingers ran through her hair, seeking out the spot where her head had bled from after her encounter with Ben even though the bump was long gone. "And it was eatin' at him, all the things that could have happened. Especially when we found this girl—walker—about Carl's age. I just… I did my best to take care of him."

"I bet you did," Lori muttered. She immediately looked guilty, "Sorry. I'm grateful. I'm glad Rick was with good people." Lori grimaced, Beth wondered if it was killing her to be civil, until Lori's hands flew to her stomach.

"Are you all right?"

"It's fine, I've had some pain all day and—oh!" Lori grimaced again and groaned through gritted teeth. Beth's mind blanked for a moment in panic, before she rushed to Lori's side and then steered her to the nearby bench. Rick, Glenn, Andrea and T-Dog were far out in the yards loading walker corpses into the back of one of the trucks to burn away from the prison. Shane was in the guard tower but facing the opposite direction. Michonne was in the shade against the building cleaning her blade.

"Michonne!" Beth called frantically, "I think Lori's in labor!"

Michonne was on her feet before Beth finished and quickly crossed the courtyard to them. Lori was breathing as if in pain. "Go get Hershel," Michonne ordered and Beth took off back into the prison.

Time passed in a blur, Hershel hurrying into the courtyard, a group moving Lori back into the prison, Andrea looking pale but determined as she assisted Hershel, Sasha stepping in to offer what first aide she knew. They were planning on doing a C-section on Lori and Beth felt sick with dizziness at the thought. She grabbed Duane, Carl was plastered to his mother's side and his previous anger at his mother seemed forgotten. She dragged Duane out into the yard for fresh air, Duane had a queasy look on his face so Beth ruled out any vigorous activities. Rick was in the guard tower, he had taken up the watch after Shane had panicked over Lori, so Beth and Duane head up to join him. Soon Morgan and Oscar joined them. The guard tower became a haven of sorts for those that wanted to avoid the bedlam inside the prison. They mostly stayed silent, no one knowing what to say, and Beth leaned against Rick with one of his arms anchoring her to his side while he kept a stern eye on the horizon.

The sun was starting to dip in the sky when Carl burst through the door, the banging sound of the heavy door against the wall drawing their attention right before Carl hollered, "I have a baby sister!" Morgan offered to stay in the tower on watch and the rest of them headed back to the prison. Carl seemed exuberant, so that spoke well of Lori's condition.

Maggie was holding the tiny infant in the common area, with Merle, of all people, hovered off her shoulder making faces at the bundle in Maggie's arms. Sasha looked ready to pass out sitting at one of the tables as Beth approached her. "Is Lori…?" Beth couldn't even finish her question.

Sasha nodded, "She's okay. For now. She's in rough shape though. Hershel and Andrea are still with her. Shane too." Beth let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Carl and Duane were crowding Maggie, and Carl was half cooing at his sister, half filling Rick in on details.

Duane interrupted with a, "aren't babies supposed to be cute?" which earned him a light smack on the back of his head from Michonne. The atmosphere was light and festive, Big Tiny was putting out a meal to celebrate, and Beth felt herself relaxing and smiling as she watched everyone celebrate the birth of a baby. She felt that things were turning around, civilization could exist again. Her hope for the future had never been stronger.

Sasha slept for ten hours straight when she finally crashed on her bunk. It was the heaviest she had slept since life had still been normal in Jacksonville. Thankfully her dreams hadn't been filled with memories of Lori's screams as she was cut open under Hershel's precise eye.

Sasha didn't have an appetite for food, but she still forced herself to eat whatever Tyreese handed to her when dropped herself next to him at one of the tables in the communal area.

"How you feelin'?" Rick asked as he sat across from her and Tyreese. He had his serious game face on, which helped Sasha feel more awake.

"I'm great," she replied. And really, she hadn't just had a baby cut out of her so she had to be doing great.

Rick nodded, "They're organizin' a run, Hershel wants some baby formula to help supplement Lori." Rick looked awkward and Sasha had to wonder how surreal this was for him. Hershel had mentioned yesterday that he was worried about Lori producing enough milk with how skinny she was and that trauma her body had just gone through. "Glenn and Maggie are going so far. Do you think you're up to joining them?" Sasha could tell that Rick wanted to go, but with so many unknown people now it was better for him to stay.

"I'll go," Sasha nodded. She really could use a change of scenery anyway. The voices echoing off the concrete walls reminded her of Lori's pained screams.

Sasha may have felt cooped up in the prison but the moment the gates shut behind the Suburban Sasha felt like she should have stayed at the prison. Maggie turned in her seat to glower at Sasha, "So, you just let Rick and Beth get together?"

"Let?" Sasha shook her head and rolled her eyes at Maggie's disgruntled expression. "Look, I get it, sometimes Tyreese looks at me and still sees the eight year old that played tee-ball and captured grasshoppers. But Beth has grown up. I'm sorry you weren't around to see it."

Maggie's disgruntled expression didn't let up and Sasha knew it was a trait that ran in the family. Beth was usually sweet as pie but could be stubborn as a mule when the occasion arose. "Maybe instead of bein' pissed you should be grateful that your sister found someone that would do anything for her. Including going back to your farm and to bury your family."

"What?" Maggie asked in shock.

Sasha hadn't been around yet for Beth's macabre birthday present but Beth told her how cathartic it had been to bury her mother and brother when she thought all her family lost to her. "I don't know all the details since Tyreese and I weren't part of the group yet, but I know that you guys were keeping your walker family in the barn. Beth wanted a funeral for 'em and so Rick gave her a funeral."

Maggie looked shocked, the silence stretched on long enough for Glenn to glance at her worryingly. Sasha took it that Maggie stunned to silence was a rare occurrence.

They stayed in silence until Glenn pulled the suburban up in front of a small strip mall. They did a quick sweep of the area, and Sasha was impressed with their thoroughness. Once the coast was clear and the two lingering walkers had been taken care of, the atmosphere eased with Glenn's jokes and his light flirting with Maggie.

The trip went smoothly, up until the end when they were loading up their find and a voice rang out: "Oh my goodness gracious! Hello there!" Sasha was still in the store but she heard the sweet voice and saw Glenn and Maggie pause in loading supplies into the back of the Suburban. The voice sounded harmless and she could see Glenn and Maggie relax but Sasha drew her gun anyway.

"Wait, Carol?" Glenn voice was full of surprise.

"Glenn?" The voice responded.

Sasha stepped out of the store gun drawn. "Stop right there and put your hands in the air."

"Sasha, stop! I know this woman," Glenn tried to appease Sasha but Sasha recognized this woman too. This was now the third time she had been seen by Sasha or Rick.

"People change," Sasha said, aim steady. The grey-haired woman held up her hands with a smile. She was doing a good job to present an innocent front, but Sasha had watched this woman bark orders at men twice her size and they were followed without hesitation. Suzy homemaker wouldn't be able to command those men without respect.

"Carol, it's so good to see you! We were so worried about you." Glenn moved to approach the woman that he somehow knew but Sasha barked, "Glenn, stop. How do you know this woman?"

"It's okay Glenn, your friend is just being smart," the woman—Carol—smiled at Sasha.

"You can't be too careful these days. People you think are your friends will turn your back on you without warning," A new voice joined from behind Sasha and she heard the unmistakable noise of a gun cocking.

Sasha slowly lowered her gun and turned to face the newcomer. She knew this man too, and he did not look happy to see her but she greeted him anyway, "Hey Allen."

AN: *cue dramatic music*

Review please? :3