you'll still be standing next to me

Beth awoke to a tickling on her face, blinking rapidly and finding darkness. As her eyes adjusted, she realized Daryl was standing beside her bed and leaning down over her, and it was his facial hair tickling her. He was planting soft kisses on her cheek and whispering quietly to wake her up.

"...You gonna wake up?" His voice was breathy and sleepy and she could smell the soap and hints of leather still on his skin.

She hummed sleepily and reached up to wrap an arm around his neck. "Is it time t'get up?"

"Nah – I fell asleep with Mal," he whispered, leaning in closer and nudging her side. "We still got a couple hours 'fore he'll be up."

Beth didn't glance at the clock. She closed her eyes again and scooted over, making room for Daryl. He crawled into bed beside her and slipped beneath the covers. Without hesitation, he wrapped an arm around her and she cuddled in close against his side. He was warm and sturdy, and she was drifting back to sleep within seconds as he kissed the top of her head and stroked her arm with his fingertips.

"I missed you," she mumbled against his chest, half-asleep.

She heard him whisper, "Missed you, too." Then she slipped back into unconsciousness.

Daylight arrived silently. She dozed dreamlessly until Daryl's voice was in her ear again, whispering while his lips lightly kissed her neck and his facial hair tickled her. She hummed out in acknowledgement before opening her eyes, wrapping her arm tighter around Daryl's middle.

"C'mon, babe, the kid's gonna be up any minute," he whispered, kissing her neck again.

Beth opened her eyes hesitantly and groaned, seeing Daryl first and then the clock behind him that read 6:42. She sighed and laid her head back down on his chest, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"I'll make breakfast – you want pancakes?" He asked, rubbing her arm absent-mindedly.

She nodded against him and yawned. "Sure."

Daryl nudged her lightly and she rolled over to free him. He leaned in and planted a light kiss on her lips before getting out of bed and briefly stretching. Then he grabbed his shirt and pajama pants from the floor and slipped them on, heading to the bedroom door and peeking out into the hallway. He glanced back at Beth.

"I'll get the food ready, but I can't promise the boy won't come in here ta see if yer up," he said with a smirk.

"I'm up, I'm up," Beth grumbled, but gave Daryl a sleepy smile just before he turned and left the bedroom.

She lay in bed and listened to the sound of Daryl rummaging around in the kitchen for a few moments before reaching over and grabbing her phone off the charger. Still blinking the sleep out of her eyes, Beth unlocked the screen and found no notifications, but she knew she'd be seeing Clem and Carol and everyone else in a few short hours. She routinely checked the news sites, starting with national first and gradually making her way to Georgia and Atlanta. To her relief, she found no new updates and no sign of a particularly piqued interested in her family's case. To her disappointment, the headline with her name in it was still displayed on the front page, even though it was off to the side and slowly getting moved down the list.

Out of curiosity, Beth went to Google and typed in her own name. The results proved to be no worse than she expected: the first on the list were the reports about her family and the big bust, followed by the article from Jenny Jones. The rest were results about the other Beth Greene's in the country. It was the slightest bit relieving to know that there weren't any other news stations picking up on her case, although she was still confident in her decision to keep her real name a secret.

Before her thoughts could drift off to other, more troubled, places, Beth set her phone down and got out of bed, stretching and yawning. She gathered up an outfit from the dresser drawers and a fresh pad from the pack on the nightstand, then headed out to the hallway and toward the bathroom, shutting the bedroom door tightly behind her. Daryl glanced back at her from where he stood at the counter in the kitchen and they nodded at each other in acknowledgment before she disappeared behind the bathroom door.

Beth showered, grateful to finally wash any remaining hints of the doctor's office from her skin. She dressed in a comfortable outfit for class – soft leggings and a baggy shirt, like usual – and brushed her teeth and hair. The bleeding and cramping seemed to be lightening up, though her breasts were still a bit sore. She told herself a little exercise would probably do some good and gathered up her dirty clothes to return to her bedroom.

When she emerged from the bathroom, Malachi was standing in the kitchen in his pajamas, chatting away to Daryl. She slipped past unnoticed and dumped her dirty clothes in her bedroom, then shut the bedroom door and stepped into the kitchen. The toddler turned around and smiled when he spotted her, his blond hair still messy from sleep.

"Goo' morning, Rosie," he said, rushing over and wrapping his arms around her legs.

"Good morning," she smiled down at him, then leaned down and returned the hug. "Did you sleep okay?"

Malachi shook his head and his smile faded. "No, I had a – I had a bad dweam."

"Oh, that sucks," Beth said, frowning and then putting on a reassuring smile. "But it wasn't real. Are you ready for pancakes?"

He grinned again and nodded with enthusiasm. "Yeah! And bacon!"

Beth chuckled and stood back up, holding out her hand for Mal to take. He did, and she began leading him toward the dining table. "C'mon, let's help Dad set up for breakfast."

She glanced at Daryl and realized he'd been watching them over his shoulder with a small smile. When his eyes met hers, he quickly looked back to his cooking.

Beth and Malachi set the table together, and by the time Beth had poured herself a cup of coffee, Daryl was setting up his son's plate and helping him with his napkin, juice, and silverware. They all sat down at the table together to plates of pancakes and bacon and glasses of juice, or cups of coffee. Despite the early hour of the morning, Malachi was eagerly chatting and asking his father questions. Daryl took hearty sips of coffee and continuously urged his son to focus on getting the sticky pancakes into his mouth. Beth watched with an amused smile while she ate her own breakfast and sipped coffee.

There was no point in washing or dressing the toddler before breakfast, and that proved to be true when his plate was clear but his face and hands were covered in syrup. Daryl cleaned up the table, then took Malachi back to the bathroom to clean him up and get him dressed for the day. Beth listened to their voices drifting down the hall while she did the dishes and tidied the kitchen, sipping on her second cup of coffee. The nausea she'd grown so used to dreading was nowhere to be found, and for the first time all week, she felt awake and prepared by eight in the morning. She slipped into her bedroom and took her daily antibiotic, absent-mindedly stuffing it back down into the sock she kept it hidden inside.

Beth had sat down on the couch to watch TV, her half-full mug sitting on the coffee table, when the boys emerged from the hall. They were both dressed and cleaned up, their bedheads gone. Malachi was carrying an armful of toys from his bedroom and eagerly plopped down on the living room floor with them, laying them out before rushing to his toy box to grab more.

"Thought you wanted ta watch Paw Patrol?" Daryl asked, pausing beside the dining table and watching his son spread out an array of toys.

"Oh – I do," Mal said, glancing at the TV distractedly.

"You watchin' this?" Daryl asked, looking to Beth and gesturing toward the TV.

She looked up at Daryl from where she sat on the couch and shook her head. He reached out and grabbed the remote from where it sat on the coffee table, switching the channel to the dog cartoon Beth had seen on Carol's TV a couple of days ago.

"Alrigh', you got about a half hour 'fore we gotta leave for class," Daryl said.

"Okay," Malachi nodded, but he was staring at the TV screen while holding a pair of dolls in his hands, way too preoccupied to respond to his dad.

Daryl nodded to Beth and she raised her eyebrows expectantly, then he gestured toward the hallway. She stood and followed him, unsure of what he wanted exactly. However, she quickly figured it out when they stopped just far enough down the hall that Malachi couldn't see them from where he sat in the living room, and Daryl wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pulled her in. She looked up at him with surprise but didn't pull away when he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, closing her eyes and kissing him back eagerly. She hadn't noticed her own feet carrying her forward until she realized she was pressed up against him, head tilted back and stomach fluttering wildly.

He finally pulled away a few inches and gazed down at Beth, glancing at her lips. He muttered sheepishly, "Sorry, I didn't know when we'd get another chance today an' I couldn't wait."

Beth smirked up at him. "Couldn't?"

He licked his lips and smirked back. "Didn't wanna."

She leaned in and captured his mouth in another hungry kiss, wrapping her arms around his middle this time and pulling him back in. He tasted like pancakes, bacon, and coffee, with a hint of mouthwash. A small part of her was disappointed that they couldn't really do anything more than kiss for the time being. But she tried not to let it show, even though she could sense that Daryl was thinking something similar. It wasn't like they'd have time to sneak away from Malachi anyway, and they both knew that.

And then she couldn't help but wonder… if Clem had picked up on Daryl's subtle signs and the little hints of his and Beth's relationship over the last two weeks, even when Beth couldn't, then what would the others inevitably pick up on?

Beth, Daryl, and Malachi arrived at the gym at half-past nine, like usual. There had been traces of fog lingering in the morning air, but it seemed to have all disappeared by the time they'd walked through the East Village, and the air was nippy but quickly warming up as the sun rose higher in the sky. Beth took Mal off to the side to help him take off his bag and set out his toys and coloring books while Daryl walked around the room and unrolled the mats. He'd only gotten three mats laid out before the front door opened and Carol entered, closely followed by Sophia, a tall, white guy that could only be Tobin, and another girl who looked to be around Sophia's age – as well as the spitting image of the tall man.

Daryl stopped what he was doing and brushed off his hands to head over and meet the group by the door. Beth made sure Malachi was occupied with a coloring page before stepping away to join the group, as well. As she approached, she saw that Tobin and what could only be his daughter had arrived wearing old T-shirts, sweatpants, and tennis shoes, prepared for class. They were looking at Daryl, shaking his hand in greeting while Carol made introductions before turning to look at Beth when she walked up.

"Oh, and this is Rosie," Carol introduced, gesturing to Beth as she spoke to Tobin. She turned to Beth and gestured to the tall man and his daughter, "Rosie, this is Tobin and his daughter, Charlie."

Tobin was a few inches taller than Daryl and looked to be in his late thirties or early forties, with brown hair and hazel eyes and a soft, warm smile. He reached out a hand and Beth took it, shaking it in greeting and giving him a polite smile. "Nice t'meet you."

"You, too," Tobin smiled, but his brow was furrowing just the slightest bit as he gazed into Beth's eyes, and she could see him studying her face – as if he were trying to place it to a memory. Then they were withdrawing their hands and he was glancing back at Carol, an odd look on his face that made Beth feel uneasy.

She could feel her cheeks warming up and she quickly turned to his daughter, who was a little taller than Sophia and had the same brown hair, hazel eyes, and pale skin as Tobin. Her hair was long and tied up in a ponytail, but she had a baby face despite her height. Charlie returned Beth's awkward, polite smile with one of her own and waved briefly instead of shaking hands. Beth waved back and nodded with pursed lips, looking away sheepishly.

She avoided looking back to Tobin, even though she wanted to study his face, too, or ask him if he was somehow from Georgia, like Carol and Daryl. Her heart was beating faster than usual. The last thing she needed right now was some random guy recognizing her by chance. But how could he possibly know her? She was certain she'd never seen him before in her life. And she didn't look nearly enough like anyone else in her family to be confused for one of them – if this guy somehow knew them, that is. But she couldn't even hear a southern accent in his voice.

I'm just being paranoid, she assured herself, taking a deep breath in through her nostrils while she stood aside and watched the others continuing to interact. He doesn't recognize me – that's not possible. He would've said something by now.

"And that's Malachi," Carol leaned closer to Tobin and pointed to the toddler sitting on the other side of the gym, coloring enthusiastically with two crayons at the same time.

"He's a li'l occupied," Daryl mumbled, gazing over at his son with a small smirk.

"That's okay, we'll have plenty of time after class," Carol said, smiling as she gazed around at the small group.

"Oh, no – I wanna meet him!" Tobin assured her with a smile, glancing at Daryl. "I've heard so much about him."

Carol blushed and Daryl shrugged with a sheepish smile. Sophia tapped Carol's arm to whisper something before she and Charlie walked off toward the lockers to finish getting ready for class. Carol smiled and looked from Tobin to Daryl, then nodded.

"He's all jacked up on pancakes so he might talk yer ear off," Daryl explained as the four of them walked together to where Malachi was sitting.

Tobin chuckled and Beth gazed at him from her peripherals, trying to study the profile of his face and rack her brain for any trace of recognition. But even as he talked, telling Daryl some story about how his daughter was a hellion as a toddler, Beth couldn't recall ever seeing this man or hearing him speak before. The name didn't even ring a bell, as she'd never known anyone named Tobin, as far as she could remember. And he was odd – well, maybe not really, but he was odd to Beth. He was large and intimidating, in a way, but his voice was gentle and calming, and he had quite possibly the softest eyes Beth had ever seen on a man. Except maybe her daddy.

When they approached Malachi, she stood near him, watching with a small smile as Carol got his attention and formally introduced him to Tobin.

"Woah – yer tall!" Malachi marveled, gazing up at Tobin from where he sat with a coloring book and a handful of crayons.

Tobin chuckled and leaned down to get closer to the toddler's level, smiling at him warmly. Despite the way he'd looked at Beth, she couldn't help but feel that this man was almost no threat. And if he was, he was only a threat to her.

"What d'we say when we meet somebody new?" Daryl urged from where he stood next to Tobin.

Malachi glanced at his dad, then back to Tobin, smiling. "Oh – nice ta meet you!"

"It's very nice to meet you, too, Malachi," Tobin said, gazing down at the toddler. "Carol's told me a lot about you!"

"Well, it's all true," Mal said, completely serious.

The adults laughed, Beth covering her mouth as she giggled. Mal looked around at them with a big smile, even though it was obvious he didn't understand why they were laughing.

"Are – are you gonna, um, are you – you staying for Dad's class?" He asked loudly, staring up at Tobin, still clearly amazed at the older man's height.

Tobin nodded. "Yes, I am! Maybe we can hang out afterward, with Dad?"

Mal nodded and grinned. "Yeah!"

The sound of the front door opening made everyone turn their heads and look to see Tara and Rosita arriving, Clementine and Enid trailing behind them. Tobin stood up and stepped back from Malachi, closer to Carol.

"Oh – the girls are here," Carol said with an excited smile, touching Tobin's arm.

"Perfect, I'll go introduce myself and Chuck," Tobin said, turning and giving her a smile before walking off toward the group of girls that were heading toward the lockers.

Daryl reached down and ruffled Malachi's hair before following after Tobin, and just as Carol moved to walk with him and Beth was about to follow, she felt a small hang grabbing at her leg. Beth looked down and saw Malachi gazing up at her with big, blue eyes, crayons clutched in his hands.

"Rosie – look," he said, gesturing to the open page in his coloring book.

Beth stopped and leaned down to give him attention and take a couple of crayons he was holding out for her, spotting Carol pausing and turning back in the corner of her eye. Then Carol was standing next to them, and Beth looked up from where she was squatting beside the toddler. The older woman was gazing at the group across the gym, watching Tobin interact with Rosita, Tara, and Daryl.

"He's nice, huh?" She asked quietly, looking to Beth.

Beth glanced over her shoulder at the group, then back to Carol, nodding. She stood up, still clutching the crayons in her hands while Mal colored feverishly below her. "Yeah – really nice. Does Sophia like him?"

Carol gave a small smile and nodded. "Thankfully, yes. So far, anyway. We all went to breakfast before class. It was a… really good morning."

"Wow, that's a great sign," Beth smiled, fiddling with Malachi's crayons absent-mindedly. Then she paused and, attempting to sound as casual as possible, asked, "Where'd you say he's from again?"

"I didn't," Carol answered with the slightest narrowing of her eyes. "But I think he grew up in Virginia. He and Charlie have lived here since she was born. Why?"

Beth shrugged, cheeks growing warm. She looked down at the crayons in her hands and mumbled, "Jus' wondering."

She could feel Carol's eyes on her, though. The older woman said, a little more quietly, "He's not from Georgia – or Alabama. Or the south, in general… You don't have t'worry."

Beth scoffed almost smugly and looked up to meet Carol's eyes, hoping her face was as convincing as her voice. "I'm not. I was jus' curious."

Carol pursed her lips and nodded, eyes boring into Beth's.

Beth swallowed and muttered more quietly, "No way he could know me, anyhow."

"Exactly," Carol said, one eyebrow arched. Then she looked away and seemed to shrug it off, leaning down and giving Mal a kiss on his forehead before she headed off to join the group near the lockers.

Suddenly, hiding the truth about her relationship with Daryl had become one of Beth's smallest problems.

She watched from afar as Carol joined the others and they all exchanged smiles, glancing in her direction a time or two. She could see the quizzical look on Clem's face, but Beth turned away and leaned down to see what Malachi was doing with his coloring book. He was drawing a rather intricate monster, though, and no longer seemed to care that Beth was hovering over him.

She kept her body turned toward the toddler and away from the group while she pulled out her phone and quickly brought up the news sites. Something about Tobin's expression and the tone in Carol's voice had left Beth uneasy beyond words, and she needed to assure herself that this stranger wasn't recognizing her from some new report that might've popped up that morning. However, it only took about a minute for her to realize that there was no update on her family's case, and no sign that any photos of her had been posted since the two Georgia news stations had included them in their articles – which were all pushed back several pages by now.

Beth felt like there was something she was missing but couldn't identify it at the moment. For now, she was assured that her story hadn't gone national and she wasn't an easily recognizable face. Like Carol had said, Tobin wasn't even from the south. Beth pushed away the nagging worry and resisted the urge to leave and go back to the apartment – that would only make her seem more suspicious, after all.

Then again, she knew that continuing to act like a sketched-out, paranoid freak would make her appear way more suspicious than anything. Especially to the group of people that had come to know "Rosie" over the last two-and-a-half weeks. And what if Carol was offended that Beth would think her new love interest might have anything to do with Beth's past? She reminded herself to apologize later for being so nosy about Tobin's history.

She shook her head and locked her phone, stuffing it back into her pocket. The front door was opening again and more people were arriving for class. She ruffled Mal's hair and reminded him to behave before she walked off toward the others by the lockers.

Clementine, Tara, Rosita, and Enid greeted Beth happily, asking her how she'd been since the party. Beth smiled and assured them all she was fine before asking what was new with them. Daryl stood a few feet away with Carol and Tobin, talking and laughing. Beth slipped off her shoes and set her things near the lockers with the other girls' stuff. A few more people entered the gym, the room beginning to fill up. Rosita gestured for them all to take their spots and start stretching, and the others agreed.

"You gonna take it easy today?" Clem asked Beth quietly as they took spots next to each other with Enid on Clem's other side and Rosita and Tara standing a few feet in front of them.

Beth nodded and put on a smile. "Yeah, but I'll be fine. Jus' gotta make sure I stretch – I barely moved this past week."

They chuckled lightly together. Rosita and Tara turned to face the younger girls, leaning towards them as they stretched.

"We're gonna do lunch again after class," Rosita said, loud enough for the four other girls to hear her over the hum of conversation in the small gym. "You guys wanna come?"

Beth looked to Clem, eyebrows raised. But Clem was looking back at her with an expectant gaze.

The tawny-skinned girl shrugged and looked back to Rosita and Tara. "Well, I don't have anything better to do."

Beth nodded and looked to the older girls, as well. "Sounds fun to me."

Something about being around the other girls had made her feel a little more secure again. The urge to flee back into hiding had left her for the moment, and spending a little time listening in on the other girls' gossip sounded like a good alternative to going home and worrying. Besides, she could always change her mind and bail. There was always a way out.

Daryl and Carol had taken their places at the front of the class while Tobin, Sophia, and Charlie stood nearby in the front row. Beth kept glancing at Tobin, but he seemed totally focused on Carol and Daryl and wasn't paying her any mind. She assured herself that was a good sign.

Her muscles thanked her for stretching them out, and when class began, she attentively watched Daryl and Carol from where she stood, tuning out the whispers and giggles from the girls around her. For a second, she wondered what Tara and Rosita thought was so funny, or what Clem and Enid were whispering about. But only because that small, paranoid part of her feared it had something to do with her. Even though they weren't even looking at her and she knew better than that.

Beth practiced last week's lesson with Clem, though they admittedly half-assed it in their attempts to be more careful. When a cramp ran through Beth's lower abdomen, she called for a break and took a seat while people continued practicing around her. Clem made sure she was okay before turning and joining Enid and Enid's partner with their revision.

Beth had spotted Daryl on the other side of the large group of people a few moments prior but had tried, for the most part, to keep her eyes to herself. As she sat on the mat and gazed around at the others in class practicing their moves, though, she realized he was nowhere to be found. Then he appeared beside her, and he was squatting down to get closer.

"Oh – hey," she smiled, surprised by his appearance.

His brow was furrowed. "You alrigh'?"

She nodded. "Yeah, just takin' a rest before we move on."

"Sure you wanna finish the lesson?" Daryl asked quietly, glancing at the other girls briefly.

"I'm fine, really," Beth smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about me, it ain't that serious."

He was looking her up and down, still expressing concern. He nodded feebly and mumbled, "If you say so. Don't push yerself t'keep up, I'll be watchin' ya."

Beth rolled her eyes playfully but smiled at him, maybe a little more flirtatiously than she'd intended. Then she joked, "Sure thing, Teach."

Daryl smirked and shook his head, standing up and giving her a lingering look before he walked away to check on a nearby group that seemed to be struggling. She watched him go but quickly tore her eyes away, glancing at Clem and the others to check if they'd seen the exchange. No one else was paying attention except Rosita, who glanced away when Beth's eyes met hers and didn't look back as she smiled knowingly.

The rest of class went on without incident. Beth practiced a few moves and paid close attention to Daryl and Carol's lesson, but refrained herself from getting too sweaty or out-of-breath. Her cramps eventually faded away, though, and she noticed Daryl eyeing her from afar when he made his rounds after the demonstration. When he got closer, she flashed him a big smile and saw his cheeks turn pink before he turned and headed toward another group of people. She realized afterward that Clem had witnessed the scene, but her expression was quizzical and Beth merely shrugged it off before looking away as if nothing had happened. Clem turned back to Enid and seemed to forget about it.

By the time Daryl and Carol were bidding everyone goodbye and promising to see them all next Saturday, Beth was half-listening to the other girls quietly chatting about their lunch plans. The class began to break apart and pack up their things, the front door opening once more as people slowly filtered out. Beth trailed after the other girls to the lockers, where she put her shoes back on and stuffed her phone into her pocket. She spotted Carol, Tobin, and Daryl standing around Malachi, interacting with the toddler. Tobin still wasn't looking at her, at least that she'd noticed, and she was feeling a little more sure that her paranoia had been kicking in earlier.

Before she could give it much more thought, Rosita's voice was in her ear.

"You comin', chica?" She asked.

Beth turned and saw Rosita's and Clem's expectant faces. She nodded. "Yeah, we goin' now?"

Clem nodded and gestured for Beth to come along as she, Rosita, Tara, and Enid began moving toward the front door.

"Oh – hold on, I jus' gotta let Daryl know," Beth said, glancing back to where Daryl stood at the other side of the gym.

Rosita paused and furrowed her brow. "You got a key, right? What's he care?"

Beth froze and shrugged, biting the inside of her cheek. "Well, yeah, I jus' – wanted t'let him know…"

"He'll figure it out," Clem said, but Beth could see a knowing smirk tugging at the corner of her lip. "You don't need permission, do you?"

Beth momentarily narrowed her eyes at Clem but tried to wipe it off quickly, shrugging and attempting to appear as indifferent as possible. "No – I guess it's just… force'a habit. Let's go."

That statement brought out a slightly concerned appearance in Rosita's eyes and a somewhat apologetic expression on Clem's face, but the girls nodded and gestured for Beth to join them as they headed for the front door. She followed, slipping her sunglasses on as Tara and Enid led the group through the door first.

Before she stepped outside, though, she took one last look over her shoulder and saw Daryl glancing in her direction as he stood with Carol, Tobin, Malachi, and the preteen girls. She was too far away to tell, and the sunglasses made it hard to see, but she could've sworn he was furrowing his brow and giving her a look of bewilderment as she strolled out the door and down the sidewalk.

to be continued…

A/N: What does Tobin know...? ;)