The bullet shot its way through Dawn's jaw and up into her brain, blasting a hole through the top of her scalp. Dawn fell, her body slumping in on itself before falling backwards in slow motion, hitting the tiled floor with a shock.

Instantly, every person wielding a gun within the room had drawn it, and Daryl had run towards Beth and thrown her behind him. He had his own gun at the ready, trained on every single person before him, his eyes dark and furious beneath his hair, his jaw set, teeth clamped tightly together.

'Hold your fire!' Officer Shepherd yelled. 'It's over! It was just about her!'

Daryl kept his arm out, straight ahead of him.

'Put them down.' Shepherd said.

Slowly, the officers behind her lowered their weapons. Daryl, breathing deeply, kept his up. He looked down at the dead body of the woman, blood pooling from the top of her head and slowly spreading over the tiles. His stomach churned, and slowly, he lowered his own weapon.

Beth looked around Daryl at Dawn, too. Her heart hurt, but she did not feel bad. That took her total up to four.

Beth woke up in the back of a lorry, her body laying across the cold steel of the floor and her head in her sister's lap. Blinking, she looked up at the smiling face of Maggie.

'You're with us,' she said, stroking her sister's blonde hair.

'What happened?' Beth frowned.

'Y'passed out.'

Beth turned towards Daryl's voice, seeing him sitting opposite them, his back against the wall of the lorry. He looked tired and drained, his eyes puffy and his hair limp, crossbow propped up between his open knees, rough hands atop it.

Beth turned back to look up at Maggie.

'You're safe now.' Maggie said softly. 'We got you out.'

'How did you find me?' Beth asked.

'Noah.' Maggie said, nodding to the side of her. Beth looked down to see Noah sitting beside Maggie. He too was watching her with a regarded expression, but he offered her a smile as she looked to him. 'Daryl and I found him in a building here.'

'How did you get to Atlanta?' Beth asked. She sat herself up and pushed herself against the cool metal behind her, facing Daryl, who was still staring at her.

'We followed a car.' Maggie said.

'And -' She frowned. She couldn't quite remember where she had left Maggie, all the days in-between had blurred into one giant mass of hurt and pain. 'And Daryl?'

'We found each other on the road.' Maggie said. 'Then we found Tyreese, Sasha and Carol in a house.'

'When they left us we moved on to the next big town,' Sasha explained. She had been sitting near Daryl, her gun balancing over her drawn knees. 'We found Rick, Carl and Michonne. We told them about you and Rick joined us to Atlanta. It was luck we found Daryl and Maggie again really.'

'We just looked out for a car with a white cross.' Tyreese said. 'We soon crossed paths.'

'And you used her officer's as bait.' Beth said.

Tyreese nodded to her.

'We had to get you back.' Maggie said, wrapping an arm around her little sister and drawing her towards her.

'Where now?' Beth asked, leaning her head on her sister's shoulder. Relief washed over her as she breathed in the familiar scent of her sister, feeling her dark hair tickle her cheek. She had begun to fear she would never get back to her sister, to Daryl, and now suddenly here she was. Safe as she could be right now.

'Back to the town; Rick left Carl and Michonne behind.' Maggie said.

Beth nodded, then yawned. She was exhausted both mentally and physically. She closed her eyes, but the image of Dawn's body laying in a pool of its own blood was burned into her retinas. She opened them again to see Daryl still looking at her. She smiled at him, but he did not return it.

The group reached the town in just over an hour and a half; Rick, who Beth figured was driving, pulled the lorry up to a small house, and once the lorry stopped, Sasha pushed open the back doors and let them all out. With Maggie's help, Beth climbed down from the back and onto a calm, suburban street. She looked around herself, noting the same houses, spread out equal distances from one another, the same front lawns, once green now dead, the same hedges separating each home. Everything looked normal and safe, save the littered dead bodies that punctuated the otherwise average street.

Maggie led Beth into the house, and instantly Carl was upon her. He hugged her tight then stepped back to look at her.

'You look rough,' he said.

'So do you,' Beth smiled, but his eye was healing well, and he could now open it fully.

'Welcome home, kid.' Michonne said, placing one hand on her shoulder. Beth smiled.

Maggie led her to a sofa and made her sit down as Rick brought her a bottle of water and some pudding. Beth thanked him, and drank, but she didn't feel up to eating yet. Rick sat himself in the armchair adjacent to her.

'Thanks for coming to get me.' Beth said to him.

Rick shook his head.

'It was Daryl – Daryl's plan. I just stepped in to do the talking.'

Beth glanced over her shoulder, over to where Daryl was standing with his back against the wall. He lowered his eyes to the floor.

'What was that place?' Carol asked her softly.

'A hospital run by corrupt officers.' Beth said. 'The people they saved became their wards – and the wards did as they were told, kept the officers happy.'

Rick nodded slowly and Maggie wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders.

'But you're out now,' she said. 'You're safe.'

Beth nodded, but she knew no matter how far she got from the place, she would never really be rid of it. The stitches across her cheek were likely to scar, but it was the memories that would leave the most painful scars.

'Is there anything I can change in to?' Beth asked the room, her eyes lowering to her soiled shirt.

'There's some clean clothes upstairs,' Michonne said, 'I can take you.'

Beth nodded and pushed herself back up from the sofa, ignoring her shaky legs. She followed Michonne out from the sitting room and up the stairs, her thighs aching at each one she stepped on to. There were quiet murmurs from the room she had just left, but she decided not to listen to them, her brain too tired to care.

The house they were in was small, but it was well kept, and Michonne led her up the carpeted stairs to a small landing which had three doors leading off of it, with one window letting in the evening light.

Michonne opened the door to a master bedroom, the bed-frame missing both its mattress and its blankets. She went to the drawer and rifled through some clothing that lay folded on top of it. She offered a shirt out to Beth; it was a white man's shirt, but Beth took it, grateful.

'Are there any trousers?' She asked.

'What's wrong with yours?' Michonne asked, sweeping her dark eyes over Beth's denim jeans.

'Uh, nothing,' Beth said. 'I was just wondering.'

Michonne nodded, then she looked Beth over from head to toe.

'Whatever happened to you in that place, whatever they did to you, it's in the past now. You can move on.' She said.

Beth's eyebrows rose in surprise; she had not expected Michonne to have said anything to her. She looked into the deep, dark, sullen eyes of the woman before her, and she smiled.

'Yeah.' She said. 'Thank you.'

'I will wait outside.' Michonne said, and she headed towards the door.

Once the door was shut behind her, Beth pulled off her old, rancid top and threw it to the floor, relived at getting the dried blood and sweat and mud from her body. She shrugged the new shirt on over her shoulders; the fabric was soft and cool, and it felt nice against her hot body. She pushed her arms into the sleeves, which hung below her hands, and looked down at her bare belly as she moved to do up the buttons. Beth fished the photo of the scan from her bra and looked at it. It was all she had now as a reminder to the hospital, to the past week from hell.

She sighed, and sat down on the bed frame. Part of her wanted to tear the photo into pieces, and toss it to the wind, but it was likely to be the only photo she ever had of her child – if her child was even still in there after everything she had been through.

'You still hanging in there, little'un?' she asked softly.

She sat staring at the photo for some time. What would her baby think of her, she wondered? She was a killer now, there was no denying it. This wasn't an accident, a death by proxy, this was cold blooded murder. Dawn's smirk as she looked at Noah, knowing exactly what she was saying, had sent Beth over the edge. She had killed three people and it was all because of her, taking her out would end it. It had ended it. It was over, she was back with her family, she was safe.

'Beth?' Maggie pushed the bedroom door open and Beth jumped to her feet, instantly hiding the photo behind her back.

'Are you okay? You've been while.' Maggie said. 'What's happened? What are you doing?'

She frowned at her little sister, who was standing there, staring at her, her shirt still undone. Maggie walked over to her and gently took each section of the shirt and pulled it together. Her knuckles brushed against Beth's lower stomach and Beth jumped back.

Maggie scowled.

'Beth?' She asked.

Taking a deep breath, Beth took the photo from behind her back, and held it out to her sister in a shaking hand, as her heart beat fervently against her ribcage. Gingerly, Maggie took the piece of paper, and turned it over in her hand. She frowned down at the photo, her face confused, her dark brows knitted together over her brown eyes. Then she turned those brown eyes back up at Beth, her brow furrowed deeply, her dark eyes searching her sister's light ones.

'Where did you get this?' She asked.

'At the hospital.' Beth breathed.

'Why?' Maggie asked.

Beth bit the inside of her cheek, feeling the heat spread through her face as her heart continued to go crazy.

'It's mine,' she said. 'It's my scan.'

Maggie just looked at her, her eyes vacant. Beth sighed.

'I'm pregnant.' She said. '

Maggie stared at her for a long time, until her brows slowly unfolded and her eyebrows rose in astonishment. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. She looked back down at the scan, really seeing it this time, then back up at Beth.

'What.' Was all she said.

Beth took her sister's hands and held the scan up to her face, making her look at it. She gently pointed to the picture.

'This is my baby,' she said. 'I'm pregnant Maggie.'

'How -' Maggie stammered. 'The hospital -'

'Before then,' Beth sighed. She stepped back and opened her shirt to reveal her small belly. Maggie stared at it, shaking her head.

'It's Daryl's.' Beth said.

'Daryl.' Maggie breathed.

She looked down again at the scan, swallowing several deep gulps.

'You're pregnant.' She said.

'Yes.'

'By Daryl.'

'Yes.'

'You're -' Maggie looked up at her sister, her mouth a small, shocked 'o', her eyes wide. 'You're pregnant.'

'Yes.' Beth breathed.

Beth watched as Maggie closed her mouth, her eyes narrowing.

'I'm gonna kill him.' She said.

'No!' Beth reached out and grabbed her sister's arm before she could go any where. 'No you can't say anything! He doesn't know!'

'Beth,' Maggie whined, grimacing.

'It isn't his fault – you can't blame Daryl. Accident's happen.' Beth said.

'Oh Beth!' Maggie pulled her arm from her sister's grip, then she hit her across the arm. 'You idiot!'

'It was an accident,' Beth winced, rubbing her arm and frowning.

'Oh my god what are we going to do – what are you going to do?' Maggie cried, putting her hands to her face.

'There's not much I can do.' Beth said. 'Keep it.'

'Keep it?' Maggie whispered. 'You – keep it?'

'Uh huh.' Beth nodded. 'I have to.'

'You don't have to,' Maggie shook her head.

'I want to.'

'You want to.'

'Yeah.'

'Man,' Maggie breathed. 'You've got to tell him. Are you going to tell him? You've got to -'

Beth shook her head, her eyes wide.

'I haven't had a chance to speak to him, I will when the time is right. Please don't say anything to him -'

'I wont,' Maggie shook her head. 'Dammit Beth you're so difficult. Why do you always have to be so difficult?'

'It's good to see you, too.' Beth smiled.

Maggie cried an exasperated oh, then pulled Beth into a tight hug.

'You're a nightmare.' She whispered into her sister's unruly hair.

Beth wound her arms around her sister, grateful for the embrace. She agreed wholeheartedly with Maggie, she was a nightmare.

The two sisters made their way back downstairs and to the sitting room, where the rest of their group were held up. The room was small, with one sofa and one chair, and it felt crammed. Beth stood in the doorway, her hands folded across her chest, gazing around at the people before her.

Rick was sitting in the arm chair, his head leant back, his eyes closed. Beth could see the rings around his eyes and noticed the length of his beard; he looked older and harrowed, his curly hair growing its way down the back of his neck. Judith was on his lap, turning over a doll in her small hands. She looked good; there were no cuts or bruises on her and Beth's heart lightened to see so. She seemed content on her daddy's lap, unfazed by the world around her. Carl was sitting on the arm of the chair, cleaning the barrel of his gun. He too looked older, and Beth wondered what had happened to him whilst he had been on the road. It had only been a week or so, perhaps two, but it felt like she had not seen these people in a long time. There was a slight bump in his nose from where it had broken, but it seemed to have healed well. His cheek was still slightly sunken and there were still nasty yellow bruises beneath his eyes, and the left one was still red and puffy, but he looked better than the last time Beth had seen him.

He glanced up as Beth looked at him, and offered her a small smile. Beth gave him one back.

Michonne was sitting on the far end of the sofa, closest to Rick, her jacket off and her legs stretched out onto the carpet before her, ankles crossed. There were several small cuts over her face which looked to Beth like shrapnel wounds, but other than that she looked okay. Carol sat beside her, her grey hair longer than Beth had ever seen it, but she too looked okay. She had not been at the prison when the Governor hit, so she seemed wound free.

Tyreese and Sasha both took place on the double mattress that lay in the middle of the floor, the one Beth guessed was from the bed upstairs. There was another mattress, a single, just behind the sofa. Sasha was laying on her back, her knees bent, her boots on the carpet just off of the mattress. Her eyes were closed and her hands were folded on her chest, but Beth believed she was awake. Her brother sat at the other end of the mattress, pulling faces to Judith who was now looking at him with her wide eyes. He had taken his signature beanie off, and it lay on the mattress beside him.

Noah was there too, standing a little off from the others. The bruises Dawn had given him were still there, and Beth could see standing was a little painful for him, but she knew he would not have asked to sit down, especially as Maggie limped her own way to the space on the sofa beside Carol.

Daryl was pacing the room away from them. Behind the sofa where there was space, he was walking up and down, his eyes on the floor. Beth watched him for a moment; he had been weird since they got here.

'Can I go outside?' Beth asked her sister, who had just sat down with a groan, her hand pressed flat against her chest.

Maggie frowned at her.

'Why?' She asked. 'Come and sit down. There's a space for you here.'

'I need some fresh air.' Beth said. 'It's stuffy in here – and I feel sick.'

Maggie pursed her lips.

'She'll be alright.' Rick said from his chair. 'It's pretty clear out there. We ain't had no trouble.'

Maggie sighed.

'Here,' she said, taking a knife from holster and holding it out to Beth. 'This is yours.'

'You found this?' Beth asked in awe, taking the knife from her sister and inspecting it.

Maggie nodded.

'I wont be long.' Beth said. She kept the knife in her hand and headed out, back through the hallway and out onto the porch, checking the street was clear before she closed the door behind her.

The daylight was slowly fading to an orange glow as Beth walked across the dying grass to stand near the side-walk that ran perpendicular to the houses. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared down the road, the lorry they had arrived in parked at a slight angle to the left of her.

She breathed in a long sigh, feeling the cool air fill her lungs; it felt good to get out in the open, she had been too shut off at Grady. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought of that place, thought of what she had done.

Beth heard the front door open and close behind her and the footsteps descend the steps and head onto the grass, but she did not look round. Instead she just rubbed her hands against her arms and waited.

'Y'shouldn't be out here.'

Daryl's voice did not surprise her; she knew it had been him.

'I'm fine.' She said.

There was silence between them for a while, and Beth began to feel like the back of her neck was burning. On a sigh, she turned to look at him.

'What is it, Daryl?' She asked him. 'I've seen the way you've been looking at me. What's the matter, what's on your mind?'

Daryl looked across at her through his hair, his eyes narrowed behind the shield he created with it. He held his crossbow in one hand, which hung low beside his calves, and Beth saw the way his fingers twitched on his empty hand.

'Y'killed tha' woman.' He said quietly. 'Shot her.'

'Yeah.' Beth said.

Daryl shook his head lightly, but Beth caught the action. She saw the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed.

'Why?'

'You're judging me.' Beth said. 'You've killed people but you're judging me.'

'Tha's me.' Daryl said. 'It ain't you. Y'told me y'could never do that. Wha' happened to that? T'that girl?'

'She got burned away in there.' Beth said, narrowing her eyes across at the man she loved. She was angry; he was stood there, feet from her, judging her. 'You don't know what it was like in there. You don't know what she did, what she made me do.'

'She give you them cuts?' Daryl asked as he nodded towards her.

Beth touched her cheek, feeling the stitches there, then refolded her arms. She must have looked awful.

'Yes.' She said.

'She beat you.' Daryl said.

'That's not all she did.' Beth said. 'Not all she allowed. They used me in there, used me for their own dirty work, leaving me with the memories, with the feelings.'

Her voice had risen as she spoke and her chest was heaving. Daryl was watching her.

'The doctor who patched me up, he was one of the good guys, a friend to me. Or so I thought.' Beth said. 'He had me give a patient the wrong medicine on purpose, let me think I had made the mistake and killed an innocent man. I stood by helpless and watched as he fitted and died. Another man tried to rape me like he had raped another girl – leading her to suicide – I had to protect myself. I smashed a glass over his head and walked away as he was eaten alive. I walked away and closed the door as he screamed. And screamed. I can still hear those screams.'

She was breathing heavily now, her anger at the situation manifesting itself in sweat and an increased heart rate as her hands balled into fists.

'And then another man attacked me and Dawn, Dawn got me to push him down the elevator, let me stand there as I watched him fall to his death.'

Her eyes kept sharply on Daryl, Beth strode across the damp grass until she was a foot away from him.

'But it was Noah that got me.' She said, her chest heaving. 'She told me he would be back, that they never make it far. And then she was right, he came back, and she looked at me as I hugged him – right at me. Something snapped.'

Daryl swallowed.

'I was naïve when I woke up there, but she broke me. My slate was clean before I got there, but now it isn't. She muddied my slate for her own gains, and shooting her may not have cleaned it, but it ended it. I don't want to kill, I never want to have to do it again, but I don't regret what I did. I had to.'

Beth took a deep breath.

'I had to.' She closed her eyes. 'She hurt me, she'd hit me whenever things didn't go her way but I could take that. I could take the blows I could even live with the blood on my slate, but I couldn't let her take Noah back.'

Slowly, Daryl raised his head, raising his chin.

'I'm sorry she did tha' t'you.' He said softly.

Beth looked at him, her breathing evening.

'Me too.' She said.

'I should'n'a judged ya. Jus' shocked me, how cold yer were. Weren't like th'Beth I knew.'

'I'm still me. Just stronger.' Beth said.

'Killin' don'make ya strong.' Daryl said.

Slowly, Beth shook her head.

'I had to.' She said.

Daryl moved towards her then, his boots crunching over the dying grass, and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her back and drew her into him, feeling her small body warm against him. He breathed in her scent.

'I'm sorry she hurt you,' he said. 'M sorry y'had to do what y'had to do.'

Beth nodded against his chest.

'Y'wont have t'do it ever again.' He said.

Beth twisted her head up, leaning her chin against his chest and looking up into his face. Daryl took one hand from her back and gently stroked the calloused pad of his thumb over her cheek, just below the stitches. It broke his heart to see her face so battered, not just across her cheek but her forehead too, along with the bruises beneath her eye and across her brow. He hated that woman for inflicting the damage to her, and he hated himself for abandoning her to it.

Seeing Beth kill had shocked him, it had changed his view of her and upset things. She had been so cool and collected, so unemotional about taking a life, that it had surprised him. It upset him to know she had been led to such actions, that that place had forced her into that position. As he leant his chin atop her head, he promised himself that he would never let her go again, never let her do anything like that again. He would keep her safe. Safe, warm and happy.

'C'mon,' Daryl said, 'let's get indoors.'

Beth stood on her tip-toes to press her lips against his stubbly cheek.

'I missed you so bad, Daryl Dixon.' She breathed.

Daryl tightened his hands against her lower back, stroking circles against her shirt with his thumb.

'I missed you too, girl.' He murmured.