Beth came to in a room she knew she recognised, but could not place at first. She looked around herself, taking in the paintings and the artwork of the walls. Panicking, she sat up, her head spinning.

'Hey, hey, you're okay,' Jessie smiled. Beth sighed in relief - it was not Pete. The older woman was sitting on a wooden chair pulled up beside her, a glass of water in her hand. 'How are you feeling?' She asked, her voice soft and caring, as she looked at Beth through her gentle brown eyes.

'My head hurts,' Beth grumbled, placing a hand to her temple. 'What happened?'

'You fainted.'

Beth turned her head to see Maggie sat on the other sofa, leaning forward in her seat, her dark eyes concerned as she looked across to her little sister.

Beth racked her brain for a moment before realisation kicked in, hitting her like a smack to the stomach.

'Where's Daryl?' she asked quickly.

'Both Daryl and Pete are with Rick,' Jessie said quietly.

'Rick?' Beth questioned; she was having trouble placing everyone.

'Rick pried Daryl from Pete and took them both away,' Maggie said. 'Jessie picked you up and brought you here, then she called for me.'

'How did Rick-' Beth frowned.

'Not much gets past Constable Grimes,' Jessie smiled.

Beth took a deep breath, steadying herself as tendrils of understanding took place.

'What happened today, Beth?' Maggie asked, glancing slightly at Jessie as she spoke.

Beth looked up at Jessie, not wanting to upset or hurt her by relaying the days events. But Jessie was smiling a sad, knowing smile that told Beth she understood more than she was saying. Beth searched the woman's face for a moment, her eyes landing on a light bruise just below her right eye – she had clearly tried to cover it with make up, but it was still visible.

'Pete had been drinking,' Beth said slowly; Jessie lowered her eyes to her lap, but she nodded, her light blonde hair bobbing about her cheeks. 'He said some things to me Daryl didn't like. Daryl reacted.'

Maggie sighed.

'I'm so sorry, Beth,' Jessie said slowly, glancing up at the young girl who lay on her sofa. 'We had a fight last night, and my husband – he sometimes turns to drink.'

'Hey,' Maggie said sternly. 'You've got nothing to be sorry for. Your husbands actions don't reflect on you.'

Jessie smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.

'Is he okay though?' Beth asked; she fully believed Pete deserved to be hit, but she did not want him hurt.

Jessie shrugged.

'Don't worry about him now,' she said, 'what about you?'

Beth checked herself over, inwardly searching for any pain, and finding that aside from a headache, there was none.

'I think I'm alright,' Beth said.

'You know,' Jessie said, sitting back in her chair and balancing the glass of water on her lap, 'I was eighteen when I fell pregnant with Ron. I struggled a lot, with the pregnancy and the thought of it.'

Beth and Maggie exchanged a look. Maggie shook her head, which Beth understood to mean she had not told her. Beth sighed.

'How did you know?' She asked.

Jessie smiled.

'You were dizzy here before and you fainted again today,' she said, 'I used to come over dizzy and faint in my own pregnancies – both of them.' Jessie glanced across to Maggie. 'And I suppose it's not so noticeable to those who are always around you, but there's a hint of a bump under that shirt.'

Beth blushed. Her hands found their way down to her stomach, cupping her growing belly. Was it really so obvious?

'Does everyone know?' she asked quietly.

Jessie shook her head with a smile.

'I don't think so,' she said, 'people round here aren't quite so intuitive.'

Beth smiled down at her belly with a sigh.

'So,' Jessie said, glancing to Maggie as she spoke, 'is Carl the father?'

Beth looked up so quickly she hurt her neck.

'Carl?' she asked, shocked.

'Is he not your boyfriend?' Jessie frowned, looking a little unsure of herself.

'No!' Beth laughed.

'Oh,' Jessie's hazel eyes were wide and innocent. 'I just assumed, you're with him a lot and he's your age, give or take.'

Beth raised her eyebrows – she guessed that made sense. Is that what everyone thought? That she and Carl were a couple? He was a good friend but the thought of that - it was laughable.

'Uh, no,' she said, 'it isn't Carl's.'

Jessie nodded slowly, her light eyes on Beth. Beth sighed - she could tell the woman was curious, and rightly so, but she was too polite to ask straight out.

'It's Daryl's,' she said.

Jessie blinked.

'Daryl,' she said. 'Daryl Dixon?'

'Yeah.' Beth bit her lower lip.

Jessie looked to Maggie.

Maggie just shook her head.

'Don't look at me,' she sighed, 'I stopped fighting it.'

'Fighting... so it's a... it's a thing?' Jessie frowned.

'Yeah,' Beth sighed, 'it's a thing.'

'Isn't he... a little old?' she frowned.

Beth couldn't help but smile at that, amused at the incredulity in Jessie's tone.

'Yeah,' she shrugged, 'he's a little old.'

'He's pretty old,' Maggie nodded.

'I can't – how does that work?' Jessie asked.

Beth just smiled, she felt a little weird talking about it.

'Yeah it's weird,' Maggie said to Jessie.

'It's not that weird,' Beth said.

'It's pretty weird,' Jessie smiled.

Beth couldn't help but laugh at that.

'Okay, maybe.' She sighed with a slight laugh.

'Does he know?' Jessie asked.

'Yeah,' Beth said, and Maggie let out a deep sigh. 'He knows.'

'You told him,' Maggie said, speaking as though a great weight had been lifted. 'How did he take it?'

'Uh,' Beth spun herself around so that she was sitting on the sofa normally, placing her feet on the floor. 'Not well at first,' she said with a slight smile. 'But he's on board now.'

Maggie nodded slowly, and Beth guessed she would want to talk to her more later.

'So, how far gone are you?' Jessie asked.

'About fifteen, maybe sixteen weeks I think,' Beth said.

'Well, then,' Jessie smiled, clapping her hands together, 'congratulations.

Beth grinned – that was the first time anyone had congratulated her on it, and it felt good.

'Thanks,' she smiled.

Whilst Beth came to terms with everything that had just transpired, Daryl stamped down the front steps of their house, leaving both Rick and Pete inside, wiping blood away from his nose on the back of his hand; he was still angry – angry with Pete, but also angry with himself for not noticing Beth's plight. He made his way to Jessie's now, his fists balled and his blue eyes dark.

The loud pounding on the door startled all three women within, making them all look across at the door, then around at each other with widened eyes. Maggie looked to Jessie, noticing the sheen of fear she was trying to hide, and took a deep breath.

'I'll see who it is,' she said, standing up. If it was Pete, there was no way he was getting in this house.

Bracing herself, she pulled open the door, only to find Daryl on the doorstep.

'Where's Beth?' He said gruffly.

'She's in here!' Maggie exclaimed, a tad shocked.

Daryl pushed past her and into the room, storming across the sitting room as Maggie sarcastically said 'come on in!' He headed for Beth, and crouched down before her so that they were eye level, and placed both his large hands either side of her head. He held her like that, their eyes locked on one another, for several moments, as the two of them seemed to connect through nothing more than looks, the intensity they shared with their eyes saying more than they ever could with words.

Beth sighed.

Daryl leant in and placed his forehead against hers, and Beth closed her eyes, appreciating the warmth of his body on hers.

'I'm okay,' she whispered.

Daryl nodded against her, his own breath warm and comforting against her face. He took his hands away from her and moved back, pushing himself up until he was standing. He turned towards Jessie then, who was still standing nearby, and had been watching their exchange with a strange fascination.

'Thanks for taking her in,' he said to her, and Jessie found herself a little taken aback, having never actually spoken to the surly redneck, only knowing him from afar as he skulked around looking moody.

'No thanks to you,' Maggie said; she had come to stand beside the sofa Beth was still sat on, and was looking at Daryl through steely eyes. 'She don't need no stress like that.'

Daryl looked down at his boots.

'She hit her head pretty hard. She needs bed rest and looking after.'

'S'why you're gonna need to keep an eye on her,' Daryl said, looking back up at Beth's older sister. 'I said t'Aaron I'd go out w'him tomorrow.'

'Tomorrow?' Beth asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

'Yeah,' Daryl said. 'Jus' a couple o'days t'scout out the area.'

Beth pursed her lips. She had resigned herself to not argue with him, knowing this was something he needed to do, but it was hard to swallow.

She nodded.

'Alright,' she said. 'Until tomorrow, then.'

Daryl smiled down at her, and Beth grinned back. She didn't think she would ever get used to that smile.

Jessie led them all to the front door; she seemed quiet, and a little pensive as she said her goodbyes, and Beth could only guess at what she was thinking, but she guessed it had something to do with her own husband.

'You know,' Maggie said slowly, as the three of them stood on the front porch, with Jessie inside, looking small suddenly as she stood alone, 'you could come stay at ours for a little while.'

Jessie smiled.

'No,' she sighed, 'this is my house. My childrens house. No one is going to make me leave.'

She raised her chin, and Beth felt a swell of pride for her new found friend – a swell she believed Maggie felt too, from the way she nodded.

'Pete can spend a couple of nights in the surgery.' Jessie said.

Maggie nodded.

'Right,' Daryl said, rolling his shoulders slightly, 'Come here.'

Before Beth could question him, he had swept her up into his arms, bridal style. She gasped out a laugh as he adjusted her.

'Daryl!' She cried. 'I can walk!'

'Nah,' Daryl shook his head as he stepped down from the front porch, 'Y'passed out.'

'What about you?' Beth asked, 'aren't you hurt?'

Daryl smirked.

'Nah,' he said, 'Not even sure this is my blood.'

Beth laughed, then threw her arm around his neck, and allowed herself to be taken home.

–

Beth slept well that night, snuggled up close with Daryl. As the morning broke, Daryl woke her to let her know he was leaving. Beth had not expected him to do so, but she was pleased that he had. He leant down and kissed her sweetly and Beth felt a little better about him leaving, so long as he promised to come back soon - which he did, meaning she could snuggle back down with less fear.

She woke again, fully, a few hours later, and the knowledge that Daryl had gone weighed heavy on her heart. She rolled around the bed for a while, taking in the space, until she grew restless and sad, so she got up to seek out her sister. Her jeans were becoming difficult to do up, and her breasts were beginning to swell over her bra, so she set off with the intention of forcing Maggie to take her out.

Maggie sighed, putting down her mug of coffee.

'Stay in bed today, rest up, and we'll go out tomorrow,' she sighed, knowing there was no way Beth was going to give it up. Beth pursed her lips, but she agreed, and so spent the rest of the day in her own bed idly dozing and staring at the ceiling, waiting until she had rested the appropriate amount of time in her sisters eyes until she could get moving again.

–

Beth was up, showered and dressed in record time the next day, waiting down at the breakfast bar for her sister to show. Maggie rocked up a little later, and sighed audibly when she saw Beth.

'We still doing this then?' She sighed.

Beth nodded.

'Shopping could still be fun in the apocalypse,' she smiled.

Maggie just rolled her eyes.

'Alright,' she said, 'but Glen is coming with us.'

Beth shrugged, that was fine by her.

'I was thinking of asking Jessie,' she said, 'she's had two children, she might be able to help.'

Maggie pulled a face; she wasn't sure herself. Jessie was not experienced with the outside world, she might just be more of a hindrance, another person to watch. But Beth was looking at her with such hopeful eyes, she couldn't say no. She nodded.

'I'll be ready soon, go ask her and meet us by the cars,' she said, with the air of a mother who had lost the will to fight.

Jessie looked tired as she opened the door to Beth, and Beth felt a pang of sympathy. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and her eyes looked dark and a little puffy. She smiled at Beth, though, nonetheless.

'Hey,' Beth said cheerily, 'I'm heading outside the walls to find a clothing store, things aren't fitting me so well now. I'd like you to come help me.'

Jessie's eyebrows rose in surprise.

'Me?' she asked, her brows lowering back into a frown. 'I don't know anything about the outside. I don't think I'll be of any help. I-'

'Maggie and Glen are coming,' Beth said. 'It'll be a simple in and out.'

Jessie bit her lip.

'You can't live your life behind walls,' Beth said softly.

Jessie sighed; she seemed torn.

'This is all new to me,' Beth pushed gently, placing a hand on her stomach. 'I could do with some advice.'

Jessie looked at her, unsure. Then she nodded, and a small smile appeared on her face.

'Alright,' she sighed, 'let me get my shoes on.'

Maggie and Glen were already waiting by the car, and Beth could see they were locked in conversation. From Glen's face, it seemed serious, for he was looking at Maggie with a face of incredulity.

'Hey,' Beth said as she approached.

Both Maggie and Glen turned to look at her, and Maggie greeted them.

'There's a large clothing store a couple of miles west of here,' she said, opening up a map to show them. 'It's been hit pretty badly but it's probably our best bet.'

Beth nodded.

'Alright,' she said. 'Let's get going.'

Jessie seemed nervous on the ride out, and Beth couldn't blame her; she sat in the back with Beth, but she spent most of the time looking out of the window, her brown eyes fearful as they swept the passing horizons. The further they got from Alexandria, the more obvious it became that the world was no longer theirs. Alexandria had been set a ways from everything else so that it had the room to expand, but outside of it were small clusters of towns of houses and shops, all of which had slowly been taken back over by nature – and the dead.

Jessie was clearly uncomfortable with the dead. She flinched whenever they passed one, but also seemed oddly fascinated by them, looking after them long after they had passed.

'Have you had much dealing with walkers?' Maggie asked her, turning around from her front seat to look at her.

Jessie shook her head.

'We found Alexandria pretty early on,' she said, 'we've avoided the worst of it.'

'You're lucky,' Maggie said.

'Yeah,' Jessie said softly.

The mall, once they found it, was small, and it looked pretty worse for wear. The front doors were shuttered off, but after some searching, they found a back entrance, which led them through into a utility room.

With slow, deliberate steps, the four of them made their way through the back rooms until they pushed through into the corridor that separated the back offices to the main floor.

'Alright,' Glen said, 'stick together. We don't know what its going to be like behind this door.'

'Do you think there will be many of the dead?' Jessie asked, her voice shaking a little.

Glen nodded.

'Probably,' he said.

'The front is shuttered off, so it could mean none got in – or it could mean a load are trapped in,' Maggie said.

Jessie nodded.

'We do a sweep first,' Glen said, 'see what we're up against.'

'Alright,' Beth said, and the four of them looked across at one another, knowing there was no going back. Beth took a deep breath. It was time to go.

The inside was dark, so dark that at first Beth saw nothing. She flicked on her flash light and shone it about herself, letting her eyes adjust. They had stepped out into a long corridor, broken up either side by different shops, some of which had the shutters firmly down.

'We leave those,' Glen said, shining his own torch to one of the shuttered fronts. 'Don't want to make more trouble for ourselves.'

As they moved through the darkened corridor, Beth could hear slow, steady noises coming from within several of the shops. She looked to Jessie, who's face was pale.

'Ahead,' Maggie said.

Beth shone her lights before her, spotting two walkers making their way towards her. She tightened her grip on her knife, nodding to herself – it had been some time since she had taken on the dead.

Jessie hung back as Glen and Maggie took the two on, taking them down with ease. The noise of the first two only drew out more, and as Beth looked around, shining her light at every open door she could, she realised there were more dead than they had hoped for.

'It might be a gun thing, guys!' she called.

'Last resort!' Glen called back.

'Stay by me,' Beth said to Jessie, who nodded fervently.

They made their way up slowly, taking on the walkers as they appeared. Beth was able to hit one with her knife, but the time it took only allowed more to advance on her.

She pulled the gun she had brought with her from its holster and aimed it, shaking slightly. She was better in close combat than she was with a gun, but time just wasn't on her side here.

She took a deep breath, remembering way back to the shooting lessons Daryl had given her, and fired.

The small corridor became rife with the sound of gunfire, as one by one they took down the walkers. Beth kept her hand steady, her breathing calm, and shot away.

Then it was over; she looked around herself, taking in the sight of the dead as they now lay across the floor. She nodded to herself.

'Did we get them all?' Jessie asked, breathless and shaken.

Beth looked around, and slowly lowered her gun.

'I think so,' she said.

'We shouldn't take too long,' Maggie said as she stepped her way around the dead to her sister, 'the gunfire might have attracted more outside.'

Jessie swallowed.

'Pick a store, Beth,' Maggie said.

Beth looked around, moving up and down slightly, shining her light across the store fronts. She pushed ahead, moving closer to the closed off entry way.

'Here,' she said, shining her torch up to the name of the store. By a stroke of luck, there was a mother and baby store – but it was shuttered off.

'It's shuttered,' Maggie said, coming to stand beside her sister.

'Can we get them up?' Beth asked; the front was covered by perforated steel shutters, but Beth could see the store through them – it was in good shape.

Glen came beside them, his hands on his hips.

'It's locked in place mechanically,' he said, 'but it should have an overriding key switch.'

'Here?' Jessie asked, pointing to a small box close to the floor beside the shutters.

Glen came and crouched down beside it.

'Yeah,' he said. 'We can pick it.'

It took some time, and some swearing on Glen's behalf, but eventually it clicked, and with some effort, they were able to push and roll the shutters up. The glass door behind it was locked as well, but glass was not a problem for them. After some brute force, the four of them picked their way through the now broken door and into the store beyond.

Beth looked around her, trying to take everything in. Her heart was pounding.

'So,' Glen said, blushing a little as he looked at Beth, 'maternity.'

'Yeah,' Beth said.

'Maggie said – I mean Maggie told me – before we came out-'

'That I'm pregnant,' Beth said. 'Yeah.'

Glen let out a sigh of relief.

'Yeah,' he said.

Beth couldn't help but smile at his awkwardness.

'It's alright,' she laughed, 'you don't have to talk about it.'

'It's just – weird,' he admitted. 'But congrats, though.'

'Thanks,' Beth chuckled.

'I'm going to go check out what else there is in here,' he said then, 'see what we can take back.'

'Good idea,' Beth said, acknowledging that he was a little out of his comfort zone here. Men, she thought with a sigh.

Glen nodded, then slowly backed his way out and into the corridor again.

Beth looked around at both her sister and Jessie.

'Where do we start?' She asked sheepishly.

'Bras,' Jessie said, matter of fact, 'you're gonna need bras.'

Beth nodded, feeling a weird heat move up her neck and to her face.

'Are you planning to breast feed?' Jessie asked.

Beth looked at Maggie. She had no idea.

Jessie laughed.

'Either way, you're gonna want a maternity bra.'

The three of them spent some time finding the corrects bras before moving onto clothing – Beth was shocked to discover there were so many options. Jeans with a stretch stomach! She had been worried her clothing would become impractical dresses, but here she was faced with the reality of jeans and leggings. It made her feel a lot better about the future.

'You know,' Maggie said after they had filled their bags with stretchy and loose clothing, 'while we're here we should shop for baby.'

Beth swallowed; there was something weird about that.

'I can just use Judith's old clothes,' she said.

'What if it's a boy?' Maggie asked.

'A lot of Judith's baby clothes are unisex,' Beth said.

'This is your first baby,' Jessie said, 'don't you want to chose?'

Beth bit her lip. Dressing herself was different, she was herself, living in her own body, a body she could see and feel every day – picking out clothes for a baby was a whole other matter. It was surreal, yet becoming real. She swallowed past a lump in her throat.

'Oh look,' Maggie cooed, 'tiny jeans!'

Beth took them from her sister in shaking hands, and ran her thumb over the stretchy fabric. It was hard to imagine a small person in them. Jessie held up a small top above them with a smile, creating a little outfit.

Beth stared at it. Could her baby be in that one day?

Maggie handed her a soft white baby grow. Beth felt the smooth texture of it, reveling in just how tiny it was. It was adorable. Beth smiled.

What would her baby look like, she wondered, as she gazed down at the tiny item in her hands. Would it be blonde like her, or dark like Daryl? It's eyes would be blue, she thought, but who's shape would they be? Would it be a mini her or a mini Daryl, or a perfect mixture of both.

Beth took a deep breath, realising the swell of emotion within her was threatening to over spill and out of her eyes.

'Put them in the bag,' Jessie said softly. Beth nodded.

They spent some more time going around the small store, taking any thing they thought they might need – blankets, dummies, booties, even a teddy.

Beth felt a little giddy as they left the store, her head light and her backpack full. Her heart was fluttering, and she kept rubbing her belly through her shirt, losing herself in the months that were to come.

As they left through the shop, Jessie let out a choked gasp, wrought with the sound of air being torn from her lungs.

Beth turned quickly to see a lone walker had appeared out of no where from within the shop and grabbed Jessie's bag, pulling her back before she was able to duck out of the glass door.

Beth went for her knife, but Jessie shrugged off her bag, stepping out of the walker's grip. She grabbed her own knife and plunged it into the walker's chest.

Beth went to shout 'the head!' but Jessie had pulled her knife back out and with a grunt, plunged it in to the head of the walker as it lunged for her again.

The walker went limp, its mouth hanging open, then fell backward, hitting the floor, its head bouncing against the linoleum.

Jessie took a deep, shuddering breath.

'Are you okay?' Beth asked quietly.

Jessie nodded.

'It must have worked its way out from the back,' Maggie said.

'Look,' Jessie said quietly, pointing down at the now dead body.

Beth looked to where Jessie was pointing, spotting the name badge on the chest of the walker.

'Polly,' she said.

'She must have been here since the beginning,' Jessie said, looking to Beth, her eyes soft with a tender sadness, juxtaposed against the blood that had splattered across her cheeks. 'Probably locked herself in for safety and died in here.'

'Poor thing.' Maggie grimaced.

'She must have worked here,' Maggie said.

Beth nodded.

'Thanks, Polly,' she said. 'Thanks for the stuff.'

Maggie wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulder.

'Ready to go?' she asked.

Beth nodded. It was time to get out of this dark place and head back home, laden with their findings. They stepped away from Polly, ready to move away from the morbid past and look to the future, which, in Beth's eyes, was just as terrifying, but, she thought, as she lifted her backpack onto her arm, a little exciting, too.

Thanks to everyone who is still reading and reviewing this! I am having a slight writers block at the moment, and I am curious as to what you guys think, or what you would like to see happen or even just little chapter ideas or prompts!