Beth first heard the news of Daryl and Axel's fight from Carl, as she sat in the prison common room with Judith between her legs. Her daddy had allowed her to venture out of her room, so long as she rested her leg. Judith's little face made her feel better anyway, her gummy smile and chubby little cheeks brightened up any room. If Beth was never going to grow up and have babies of her own, then she may as well indulge in the one that was available.

'And a darn cute one you are, too,' she said, tickling Judith's chin.

Carl, garbed in his dad's sheriff hat, had come into the room, and hunched down beside her and his sister. Beth loved the way he was with Judith, he cared for her so well, and loved her so wholeheartedly – it was refreshing to see in a world so full of hate and pain.

'So I just saw my dad,' Carl said, playing with Judith's little fingers, 'he said Daryl and Axel had a fight.'

'What?' Beth said, looking up, 'a fight? When?'

'Couple of hours ago,' Carl said, 'out in the grounds.'

'A fight?' Beth repeated, confused.

'Yeah, a real one.' Carl said. He sounded impressed. 'Daryl hit Axel, several times, and now he's gone.'

'He's gone?' Beth's head was swimming, she shook her head, frowning, 'he hit him?'

'Yup,' Carl nodded, his sheriff hat bobbing, 'Dad had to pull Daryl off of Axel and everything.'

'Why?' Beth gasped, her hand flying to her chest, 'what happened?'

'Dad didn't say,' Carl said, 'but it sounds bad.'

Beth wanted nothing more than to ask Carl to watch Judith and go find someone with more information, but she swallowed the impulse, looking down at the baby in her lap instead. She had seen Daryl that morning, he had seemed fine. She had seen Axel too... where had this come from? What had happened? Worry gnawed at her chest, an indescribable feeling prickling her skin, turning her own saliva bitter in her mouth and her throat dry as she swallowed.

You're being completely ridiculous, she told herself, as a tiny voice at the back of her head whispered she might have had something to do with it, grown men don't fight over girls.

With the help of Maggie, Beth limped her way into the prison canteen that evening to get dinner. She had only been sat with her sister for a minute when Carol sat herself in front of them.

'It's so good to have some fresh veg, isn't it?' she said.

'Mm,' Beth smiled.

'Makes the world feel less awful.' Carol said. 'How is your ankle?'

'It's healing up,' Beth said, 'I can put a lot more pressure on it now.'

'Should be right as reign in a couple o' days,' Maggie said.

'That's good, really good,' Carol said. She took a bite of her dinner and was silent for a while.

'I understand Axel has taken a bit of a liking to you,' she said after a while, her light eyes watching Beth's face.

'Oh,' Beth said, glancing at her sister. 'I don't know. I mean, he's visited me a lot this week, I suppose, he talks to me.'

'Mm, I've seen him a couple of times.' Carol said slowly, moving the peas around on her plate. 'Is he okay with you, though? He's not,' she pulled a face and glanced at Maggie.

'Is this about what happened earlier?' Maggie asked, looking from Beth to Carol, 'the fight?'

'You know about that?' Beth asked, turning to look at her sister.

'Yeah,' Maggie shrugged, 'I heard it from Glen.'

'Sort of,' Carol said, musing for a moment.

'What's any of this got to do with me?' Beth asked. She was trying her best to sound calm, but her voice sounded shaky in her own ears, and her heart was attempting to climb its way up out of her throat.

'Nothing,' Carol smiled, leaning back, 'don't worry about it.'

'Is Beth in trouble?' Maggie asked sternly.

'Not at all,' Carol shook her head, 'I just wanted to make sure she was feeling safe.'

'It's that Axel, isn't it,' Maggie said, scowling, 'I've seen him prowling, I don't trust him.'

'Neither do I,' Carol said seriously, 'and neither does Daryl.'

'That's why they fought?' Beth coughed, then tried to mask it by clearing her throat.

'Daryl said Axel was insinuating...' Carol waved her hand around in a gesture that both girls could guess at. 'He didn't like it. I just wanted to check you were okay. Axel hasn't... done anything to you?'

'No!' Beth gasped, 'no, he's only ever talked to me. No.' she shook her head, 'but he does make me feel a little uncomfortable.' She added.

'You stay away from him,' Maggie said. Her eyes were narrowed.

'I don't think that will be a problem,' Carol smiled, 'I think Daryl saw to that.'

Then the older woman changed the subject, engaging Beth in idle conversation about cooking, in, what Beth assumed was, an attempt to take her mind off of what she had just said. It didn't work though. Beth was shaken. She knew Axel looked at her in that way, had known for some time. But she had always thought he was harmless – sure, it made her a little uneasy knowing he thought about her in that way, but she didn't think he would ever act on it, not with Maggie and her Daddy always so close. This made her think otherwise. If anything, it made her feel worse. And then there was Daryl. He and Axel had physically fought, and she was led to believe it was because of her? It didn't make any sense. She could not place Daryl's supposed protectiveness over her...
Maybe he was just looking for a fight she mused, but the whole ordeal left her feeling queasy, none the less.

Once Maggie had helped her back to her own room and had left her to get ready for bed, Beth made her mind up over a decision that had been nagging at her since Carl had first told her of the fight. So, with extreme patience and effort, so hobbled her way to the cell block in which Axel himself inhabited. It wasn't too far of a walk, but having one less foot than she was used to turned it in to an arduous journey. She was sweating once she reached his cell block, and her heart was hammering in her chest. This was a stupid idea. She had no idea how she was going to introduce herself, how she was going to approach the subject. She felt sick, but the strain in her good leg reminded her of the effort she had just used up to get here, so turning back now seemed futile. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.

'Uhuhh,' a voice grunted from within. Steadying herself, Beth entered the little room.

'Beth!' Axel's voice reached her surprised, as he sat himself up on his bed, 'what're you doing here, little lady?'

'I heard about the fight,' she said, lingering in the doorway.
'Huh,' Axel grunted, 'some fight, pretty one sided.'

As Beth's eyes adjusted to the surrounding darkness of the room, she saw the state of Axel's face. Both his eyes had swollen into purple, bruised mounds of tender flesh, forcing his eyes into angry red slits. His jaw was bruised, his lip cut in several places, dried patches of blood still visible in his beard and moustache.

'You look awful!' she gasped.

'Thanks,' he muttered, 'I been better.'

'I'm sorry this happened to you,' she said honestly. Axel smiled, or attempted to smile; his eyes almost disappeared entirely beneath the bruises, his lips cracking more as they stretched. His face appeared twisted into a grimace of pain as opposed to a smile of pleasure.

'Makes it worth it to hear ya say that,' he said.

'What happened, Axel?' Beth asked.

'He flew at me,' Axel said, 'that damn hillbilly. Hit me again and again, I had no time to defend myself, to fight back.'

Beth scowled, feeling more and more uncomfortable.

'Why?' she breathed.

'He got defensive, or jealous, I suppose,' Axel said, puffing out a breath through his torn up lips.

'How do you mean?' Beth asked, anxious.

Axel sighed and leant his head back against his propped up pillows.
'I approached him to apologize for my earlier behaviour which I believe he found distasteful,' he said.

'What behaviour?' Beth frowned, 'what do you mean?'

'I had taken an interest in you, little lady,' Axel smiled, 'and I believed he was upset about that, due to your previously established connections. So I went to say sorry, say I meant no harm, would never step on another man's toes.'

'I – I don't understand what you mean,' Beth said.

'He claimed so too,' Axel sighed, 'but he soon turned defensive when I suggested maybe I could pursue my interests after all, blackened my face and damn near killed me.'

Beth stood in the door way, trying to take in what Axel was saying. She rubbed her own lips, confused and concerned.

'Where did he go, after?' Beth asked in an almost whisper.

'He left,' Axel said simply.

'But where? Is he coming back?'

Axel let out a gruff laugh, then winced at the pain it evidently caused him.

'You think he wont come back for you?' he said, 'no man is crazy stupid enough to leave a girl like you behind.'

Beth stood there in a stunned silence while Axel sighed.

'I – I should go,' she stammered.

'Uhuh,' Axel said, closing his eyes. Beth stayed, watching him, for a little while, then slowly turned and limped her way out.

As she made her way, slowly, down the dark corridor, her hands holding onto the wall for balance, she felt even more confused than she had earlier. Her plan had been to seek out Axel for answers, but he had only thrown up more questions. Daryl had been defending her, that was for sure, but Axel's claim that it was because he liked her himself – well, that was absurd. There were no previously established connections between them – they had spoken a few times, barely anything, and certainly nothing serious. Beth was warming to him, was beginning to see him as a good man, but there was nothing more than that. She hoped Daryl was growing to like her, too, but she had no preconceptions to anything more than a simple liking. She doubted even a friendship would grow between them; they were too different.

'Hey -' the soft voice of Rick caused Beth to stop where she was, inwardly cursing. What was it with people sneaking up on her lately? Was it too much to ask to be left alone? Rick caught up with her and wrapped his arm around her, forcing her to put her own arm around his strong shoulders.

'What're you doing out here alone?' he asked as he helped her away from the wall, 'if your father could see you using that ankle without support...'

'I was...' she trailed off, unsure of what to say.

'You were talking to Axel, weren't you.' Rick said. It wasn't a question. Beth sighed, then, defeated. She nodded.

'I thought as much,' Rick said, but he didn't sound angry, 'you're a stubborn girl, no wonder Carl has taken a shining to you. You want to know about the fight.'

'I do,' Beth said.

'It was about you,' Rick said.

His honesty was one of the main features Beth appreciated in Rick; he didn't sugar coat things or leave things left unsaid. No matter how hard or how painful something was, he said it anyway. It was comforting in a way, knowing that what you got with Rick was real, was genuine. He didn't pass her off as some kid, pretending like she didn't matter, or didn't understand.

'Axel's been paying too much attention to you, it's concerned a few of us,' he said, 'I'm sure you knew that.'

Beth nodded.

'Daryl didn't like that. He was looking out for you. He's a good man, under all that grime and anger.' He glanced down at Beth, offering her a smile. 'He didn't go about it in the best way, no,' he continued, 'but he had good intentions. Axel isn't a bad man, I don't think, but I don't trust him. And I don't think you should, either.'

'What about Daryl,' Beth asked, 'I saw what he did to Axel's face.'

'I trust him.' Rick said simply.

Beth nodded. She did too. And a part of her felt a little grateful that he had taken an interest in her well-being, in her safety.

'Where is he?' she asked.

'He went outside,' Rick said, 'but he'll be back.'

'Are you sure?' Beth asked.

Rick looked down at her, and for a moment, Beth thought she saw something on his face, in the twinkle in his eye.

'Yeah.' he said.