This is a slower chapter, but we are nearing the end now! Thank you to those who are still with me!
The first few days after the final battle were the hardest, as everyone from each community adjusted to their new reality, and took stock of their losses. Those who had lost loved ones took the time to mourn and grieve, whilst everyone else took the time to recover.
The Hilltop, bar Gregory, did everything they could to accommodate their new members; the make-shift prison pen came up fast, and The Saviours were kept separate but not uncomfortable. The rooms in the main house filled up fast, with families taking up most of them. The outside area Beth came to see as her temporary home also grew, as over time people sought out accommodation; shelters and shipping containers were sourced from the outside, as well as tents and tarps. Jessie and Ron took one of the trailers, and they seemed as happy as they could be in the circumstances. Jessie had seemed to take Marie under her wing, and so her and Frankie also moved into the trailer with Jessie and her son; their marriage to Negan had not been a true one, but there was a certain solidarity between women who had survived abusive husbands.
As time moved on around them, The Hiltop grew busier and busier; a lot of the Alexandrian's, including Daryl, spent a great deal of time away as they worked hard to clear and rebuild what was left of Alexandria after the attack. Rick was certain they could rebuild and recover, and move back within time. Beth was unsure how she felt about this herself – she had grown to see Alexandria as her home, but the place held so many bad memories for her now. The past few months had been hard on them all, and Alexandria had faced most of those difficulties. She understood the need for another community and place for people, but she was unsure whether she would be able to settle there again.
The allotment grew too, with extra hands to help out – Beth even busied herself there on days she felt she could. Tom was always infectiously happy, and seemed genuinely glad of the extra help. Despite the extra people and mouths to feed, he always found something for them to take away – especially whenever Marie visited with her. His eyes seemed to sparkle whenever she was around.
Beth met King Ezekiel too; he visited perhaps a week after the battle, laden with supplies for them all. He claimed he now had too much for his own people, now that Negan no longer took half. He was a strange, theatrical man, but his eyes were kind and his people seemed to love him, and Beth found herself soft on him too. As did Carol, she noted on one of his visits.
Life was not easy, and it had not been kind to them, but they worked on making it better. It was heart-warming to see the communities come together to held rebuild a life after the dark months. Within time, things settled, and Beth found she could breath a little easier again. What they had lost had not been forgotten, but there was no use in dwelling on the past. To do so would be to lose oneself in it, and Beth could not afford to do that. Whether she liked it or not, the future was coming, and with it a new start for them all – one wrapped up in parenthood. Her body reminded her of this impending truth daily, as her bump seemed to shift and grow with every day, and her back ached.
She wanted to do as much as she could whilst she could, but as the days grew into weeks, she found it harder and harder to. The baby was big within her now, and it would often jam a foot into her ribs, occasionally pressing hard against her skin.
Maggie cried out in shock the first time she saw the perfect outline of a whole foot jabbing out the side of Beth's stomach. It was a weird thing to see, she had to admit, as she cried real tears of laughter at the horror on her sister's face.
–
'I don't want to go.' Beth groaned, leaning back in her seat. 'It's hot and I feel so fat and slow today.'
Maggie rolled her eyes.
'Come on.' She said. 'Jessie had to really sweet talk Gregory to let her use the lounge.'
'For sweet tea?' Beth scowled.
Maggie shrugged.
'Yeah, for sweet tea.' She said. 'It's been a hard couple of weeks on everyone. She wanted to do something nice.'
'You go without me.' Beth sighed, rubbing her hands over her bulging stomach as the baby inside fidgeted.
'I'll use the time to sleep.'
Maggie pouted, looking down at where her sister sat.
'You know you won't be able to go to things so easily when the baby is here' she said.
'I won't be able to sleep so easily, either.' Beth retorted, but she sighed, already feeling herself giving in to her sisters large brown eyes.
With a heavy sigh, she heaved herself up and out of the seat and wobbled a little on swollen feet.
Maggie grinned.
She pushed open the door to the trailer and Beth followed, albeit a little reluctantly. The energy she had felt the past few weeks was rapidly decreasing, and as the southern weather grew hotter, she found life a little harder. They had all been cramped together in The Hilltop for a little over a month now, and whilst Beth understood Jessie's desire to do something nice and bring the communities together, she really did just want to sleep. Daryl was away a lot of the time, helping the others clear out and rebuild Alexandria, and as time ticked by, Beth became more and more aware that at some point, this baby was going to be born.
The main house wasn't far from where Beth and her sister were staying, but it took them longer than usual to make the walk across the grass, and Beth was a little breathless by the time they got there.
Beth heard the voices as they stepped into the lobby; she recognised some of the voices, and was surprised to hear it sounded busy. Jessie really had put the word out about this damn sweet tea. She was already sweating as she waddled over the threshold.
She glanced at her sister, who was grinning again.
Before she could say anything, Maggie had led her through to the lounge, where she was greeted by the vast majority of the women who currently resided at The Hilltop - original hill top residents and Alexandrian's alike. She was even surprised to see a few Saviour faces, sat around with Marie and Frankie. Frankie had given them both the news of Amber once things had quietened down a little, and they had all shed a tear for the young woman who had never lived to see Negan fall. As for Sherry or Tanya, neither knew of their whereabouts, but Beth opted to hope they had gotten out, and far away. If they ever crossed paths again, Beth would be glad to offer them a place in her home – wherever that might end up – but she doubted that would happen.
Jessie made her way over to the two sisters with a huge smile and pulled Beth into a brief hug.
'Welcome to your baby shower!' She said.
Beth looked at her for a moment, then to her sister, who she know understood knew entirely about this whole thing.
'Just for some sweet tea, huh?' She said.
Maggie gestured over to the table, where a pretty impressive spread lay out.
'There is sweet tea' she said.
There was also an array of sandwiches, cakes, biscuits and what looked like cold pasta too, and Beth laughed lightly.
'Did you do all this?' She asked Jessie, raising one brow.
'Everyone chipped in a little' Jessie said.
Beth looked around the room at the faces watching her, some she knew better than others, and felt a surge of gratitude for them all.
'It's been a hard few weeks.' Jessie said, repeating what Maggie had said earlier, as she led Beth over to one of the ornate sofas. 'We thought it would be good to do something nice. Good for everyone.'
As Beth sat with a huff, she noticed the home made decorations, too, and her heart swelled. Tiny bottles cut from paper littered the surface of the table and blue and pick bunting ran around the edge, seemingly hand sewn together. Beth was almost certain she had Jessie to thank for that.
'We've all been trying to pick up a few things whenever we've gone out.' Tara said, leaning forward to speak to Beth. 'There isn't a great deal of choice, of course. But you'll be surprised at some of the things you can find.'
Beth found her hand on her heart as the women around her began to pull our various items - some wrapped in paper, some even placed in little bags. One by one they handed them over to her, and Beth spent some time opening up and looking through an assortment of squirrelled gifts. Most of these came from the women who had known her longest, such as pacifiers from Tara, baby-grows from Michonne and even a hanging mobile from Carol. Beth knew they must have gone out to find these gifts specifially, and she was overcome with the level of love these women had shown.
Jessie, a little sheepishly, presented her with a painting she has created herself.
'I wanted something beautiful for the baby to look at' she said as Beth took it in. 'The world out there can be so ugly.'
Many of Jessie's paintings had been abstract colours that had grown worryingly dark after the death of her son and husband, but this one was beautiful. Bright colours swept over a soft landscape of hills and trees that almost reminded Beth of her home on the farm. She felt a little choked up as she thanked her.
Maggie, some how, had found a working instant camera, and she handed it over to Beth with great pride.
'I know we need to take each day at a time and live in the moment now,' she said. 'But I thought you might like to capture some shots as your baby grows.'
'I would' Beth said, her voice shaky as she took the little grey camera in unsteady hands. 'Thank you.'
Once the gifts had been presented, Jessie produced a basket of fabric. She laid it out in the middle of the room.
'I thought it would be a nice idea if we were to all decorate a square of fabric each, then we can sew them all together into a single blanket. We have plenty of sewing supplies here.'
The women in the room murmured their agreement as Beth beamed. A home made blanket, crafted and created by all of the women who would know and love and help raise her baby in this new, large and loving community. It was all she could hope to ask for.
She was handed her own white square and held it for a while in her hands, unsure. Women around her chatted and laughed as they set to making their own designs - some generic flowers or birds or just colours for the less artistic and some more personal - and thought hard.
She wanted this blanket to be special, and for her baby to know they were loved, but she was at a bit of a loss. She had never been particularly creative.
'Don't think too hard about it.' Marie said softly. 'Just do whatever comes to mind.'
'What're you doing?' Beth asked, leaning over to see, but Marie snatched her own piece of fabric our of sight.
'You'll see at the end.' she said.
Beth laughed, but sat back in defeat.
Carol handed her a fresh glass of tea, which she took gratefully, thinking as she drank. The tattoo on her wrist caught her eye as she lowered the glass. She smiled. That was where this had all began, wasn't it? Daryl. Daryl outside, teaching her how to hunt, how to hold his crossbow, how to aim, how to survive, how to live and ultimately how to love. Those first few weeks felt like a millennium ago now, as the product of their love grew bigger everyday in front of her, but they would never lose that raw intensity she remembered so well. Everything had been so bright, so earnest back then. Stolen looks, the brush of his fingers against hers, a whirlwind of feeling as they both realised and understood their connection.
She laughed to herself as she thought back to those days, those secretive, illicit days in the prison, where everything was hidden and new. What would either of them have thought back then if they had been shown the image Beth saw now - sat in the overly grand room of an old stately house as women wove and sewed a blanket for their baby. Their baby. It was surreal, to say the least. But exciting, too, she thought, as she picked up her square and began to sew.
The rest of the afternoon passed in idle chatter and consumption of treats. Beth knew the dangers of eating for two would have on her waistline but food was so often a scarcity now and these women had gone to the trouble to provide it - who was she to turn that down?
–
As the afternoon drew on and the sun began its way back down towards the horizon, the women of the room began to filter out. They said their goodbyes and wished Beth love and luck, and Beth was so full of love (and sandwiches) by the end she thought she would burst.
'Jessie, thank you for today.' She said, pulling her friend to the side as the room began to clear.
Jessie tried to wave her away with a smile, but Beth held firm.
'I really mean that. I will always remember today. It was really special. When we get back to Alexandria, I know I'll always be able to count on you.'
Jessie smiled, but something in her eyes gave Beth pause.
'I'm glad you enjoyed it' she smiled. 'I really wanted to do something to pay you back for everything you've done for me. You've been a really amazing friend to me, Beth. A better one than I deserve, really'
'Of course not' Beth laughed. 'I could only ever be as good a friend to you as you are to me'
Jessie sighed.
'I might as well tell you now.' She said, and her hands played with the empty glass in her hands. 'I'm not going back to Alexandria. I'm going to stay here in The Hilltop.'
Beth looked at her. It was a hard blow to take - Jessie had grown to become one of her closest friends, someone she relied on. She would miss her greatly, especially once the baby was born. But she understood. Even with Alexandria rebuilt, the memories it held were rife. Jessie had lost her son within those walls, and then her husband. The memories were especially bitter for her.
Beth nodded.
'Alright.' She said. 'You'll come and visit though, right? And I'll come here too. Once the babies born.'
Jessie smiled then, the relief evident in her eyes.
'Of course.' She said.
Beth pulled the older woman into a slightly awkward hug – everything she did now felt awkward with the baby in the way. She looked forward to the days when she could pass the weight off to someone else and be free to move around and sit down without a great deal of effort.
'There's something else I need to show you, before you go.' Jessie said as they parted.
Beth looked at her.
'You've already done so much.' She said. 'What else could there be?'
Jessie just chuckled; she held out an arm for Beth to take.
'Come on.' She said. 'I'll show you.'
She took Beth back out into the hallway, with Maggie following behind. They headed out into the afternoon sun, walking across the grass and through the people milling around – some of whom had just left the house and Beth's surprise baby shower. Other's paused to wipe dust and sweat from their faces and waved their hello's.
Jessie took Beth over to the trailers and tents, a little behind Beth's own to where Jessie's was. Beth expected her to take her to the door, but instead she pulled her gently over to the side of it. Beth found herself frowning, confused as Jessie took her around the edge – she did not know what she had expected, but it definitely had not been Daryl.
He chucked the still smoking end of a cigarette down onto the grass and crushed it under his boot as they approached, pushing himself up from the wall he had been leaning on.
God, Beth could see him every single day of her life, but coming across him like this, smouldering in the afternoon sun, still did something untold to her.
He turned to her and his face was serious. Beth started to worry as Jessie gently let go of her arm – Daryl held out a hand, which Beth took.
'How was yer shower?' He asked her.
Beth laughed lightly.
'You knew.' She said, grinning up into his face.
'You aint get nothing past me, girl.' He smiled. 'I got somethin' for yer.'
Beth frowned as he gently took her over to something she had not noticed until now – so drawn to Daryl as she always was. She gasped as he stopped, her free hand flying to her mouth.
In front of her was a beautifully carved baby's crib; the wood was dark and smooth, polished down but with the grains of the wood still evident in each pane. Beth let go of Daryl's hand and gently ran her hands along the top of it, lost for words. It had been put together perfectly, and it felt sturdy beneath her hands. A new born would look tiny in it, but there was plenty of room to grow. It was perfect.
She turned to stare at Daryl, wide eyed.
'Did you do this?' She asked, her voice breaking.
Daryl was worrying at his lip as he watched her; he shrugged.
'I had some help.' He said.
Beth's eyes wandered over to Jessie behind him, who was watching them both with a soft smile on her face.
'Jessie?' Beth asked softly.
'Barely.' Jessie said. 'It was all Daryl's idea. He did all the hard work. I just guided him a little.'
Beth felt her breath hitch as a sob threatened to escape her chest. She didn't know what to say.
'Do you like it?' Daryl asked, frowning.
'Oh, Daryl.' Beth sighed, tears spilling over the edge of her eyes. 'I love it. It's perfect. Thank you.'
He let her embrace him, her arms tight around his waist. The he held her back, and she felt him laugh lightly against her.
'I can't believe you did this.' She said, her voice muffled against his chest. 'When did you find the time.'
'I made the time.' Daryl shrugged. 'Aint havin' my kid sleep in no damn box.'
Beth laughed, drawing away and looking up into his gorgeous, earnest face. How had she gotten so lucky?
'I love you.' She said.
Daryl looked at her for a moment, then he gently moved an errant strand of her blonde hair back from her face.
'I love you too, girl.' He said.
–
It was a few evenings later when Rick gathered them all on the green in front of the house; there were bonfires, and a general good atmosphere amongst the people. It was a very warm evening, and Beth was sitting on the floor, her legs stretched out in front of her. She tapped Maggie on the arm as she felt her baby fidget.
'What?' Maggie asked.
Beth lifted her top to reveal her stomach, which was moving around like it was full of liquid. Maggie pulled a face, but gently leant over to press a hand to the soft flesh.
'Not long now.' She grinned. 'They're getting impatient.'
'I know.' Beth laughed.
Suddenly a little foot popped up at the very top of her stomach, and Maggie gasped, taking her hand away for a moment.
'They've twisted!' She cried.
'Yeah.' Beth said softly; she had noticed the way her stomach had started to shift downwards the last few days, and she had already seen – and felt – the feet at he top.
'You're not going to have that baby tonight, are you?' Tom asked. He was sitting across from them with Marie on a fallen log, grinning.
Beth laughed.
'Maybe.' She shrugged.
Rick called for their attention then, and the talk around them died down. Beth pulled her top back down.
Rick cleared his throat.
'It's good to see so many of you here.' He said, his voice carrying well over the crowd. 'These past weeks – its been great to see everyone coming together. That is what this new world needs. '
Beth smiled across at Tom and Marie, who were smiling at each other.
'Hilltop, you have been very kind to us in our hour of need. We will always remember that. This will be a partnership for life.' Rick said. 'But as for now – I'm pleased to say we have rebuilt enough of Alexandria to head back. Head home.'
The silence remained for a beat, then people began to talk. Beth looked at her sister, then Daryl. Daryl was sat a little way from her on his own tree stump, picking at the skin around his nails. He had been working flat out with Rick over at Alexandria, but he had not given her any inkling that it was so close to being ready.
'Soon, we can begin to return home.' Rick said once the noise had quietened down a little. 'Those who wish to.'
Beth looked around, seeing if she could see Jessie – but her friend seemed to be missing, or sitting somewhere out of sight. Rick's words struck a chord with her though – how many others would not be returning?
Maggie leant across and bumped her shoulder into Beth's.
'Good timing.' Maggie said, nodding down at Beth's stomach. Beth placed a hand on it as the baby shifted again; they seemed to agree.
They sat around for a little longer, until the ache in Beth's back forced her to retire. She guessed the next few days would be pretty full on.
'I've got a few things t'settle up.' Daryl said roughly as they walked slowly back to their trailer. 'But we can make our move in the next few days.'
Beth swallowed.
Daryl looked at her in the dusk, his eyes searching hers.
'You doin' okay?' He asked.
'Yeah.' Beth sighed. How could she tell him she was worried about returning to their home? It was just nerves. 'So, a couple of days?'
'Yeah.' He said. 'Two, maybe three.'
Beth nodded.