Reviews:

DarylDixon'sLover: Beth is an interesting topic for me and I have an idea but I'm not too sure about it yet. Also if I did keep Beth alive would you be interested in having a chapter in her POV? Hmm it could be fun. Thank you for reviewing! XXX

Galwidanatitud: Thank you I quite liked this chapter too! Yeah that was my main concern with bringing Artemis Joelle and Daryl back together too soon and I have read some stories where they have a baby when they meet at Terminus and I think they did it really well I just don't like the idea of Artemis at Terminus so.. Thank you so much for the Review! XXX

TheFaceOfAlison: Yeah I was hoping people would notice those near misses! No it isn't but it's really close by, the place Carol and that end up in is still in the woods and Joelle and that end up in a small neighborhood on the edge, still really close though. If you notice when everyone escapes the prison they all end up in the same general area of one another and that's what I'm playing on at the moment. Thank you so much I've never really written anything like this. I always used to fix problems way too quickly and now I'm starting to make things more realistic which is fun! Thank you so much for your Review! XXX

Belladu57: Thank you so much! I really appreciate it and thank you for taking the time to review! XXX

A/N: Hello Lovelies so this is the chapter for December! I actually wrote it last month but seeing as I didn't have another one lined up I have to save it for this month! Anyway I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to R&R! XXX

Chapter 24

Joelle's POV

The days seemed to meld together following a similar routine, turns out the car was screwed and they still had to walk everywhere. Joelle was nearly sick of the continuous days, doing the same thing day in day out. They would walk for hours, scavenge for supplies, make camp, repeat. They had been quite lucky in terms of supplies and shelter, though walker numbers seemed to be growing larger with each passing day.

Joelle had taken to writing her name alongside Daryl's in the houses they came to, even on the trees they passed. It had been subconscious in the beginning before she realized what she was doing and decided to keep it up. She reasoned that if Daryl saw it, at least he would know she had gotten out, away from the prison, at least she had made it that far. Lucas and Merle didn't say anything about her strange habit of carving her and Daryl's name in the locations they stayed, probably because they knew she wouldn't stop. It didn't matter as long as she felt better after it.

They were walking, like usual, Merle had Artemis while Joelle and Lucas flanked him, keeping Artemis well and truly safe. Two walkers meandered out of the woods; both overly decayed, both reeking to high heaven. Jo heard Artemis whimper in protest as the strong smell assaulted her small nose. Luke and Jo shared a look before both moving in synch, dispatching of the danger quickly.

They moved out the way before the dead weight could fall on them, they had quickly found that the smell of walker blood and just the smell of the dead in general majorly pissed Artemis off, she would whimper and whine until the smell no longer reached her. It was quite cute actually, watching her tiny nose wrinkle in disgust, her eyes would screw shut and she would shake her head in defiance to the smell.

The three adults shared a smile before once again walking in the direction they had been heading.

Daryl's POV

He had been teaching her how to track, per her request, when she stepped on the animal trap and hurt her ankle. Daryl had given her a piggyback ride, it reminded him of when Elle had hurt her ankle and he had piggybacked her though where Joelle was light, Beth was heavier than she looked. He smiled at the memory in spite of himself, he still had seen no sign, not that they had been looking, no they had given up on finding the group.

The house they came to was clean and free of dust, it belonged to a mortician by the looks of things. He wrapped her ankle making sure that it couldn't be further damaged. After they made their way to the kitchen which was completely stocked much to their surprise and joy, they dug in even after noticing that it looked fresh and untouched being someone's stash.

Once the had finished binging on the food for a bit Daryl set up a sound trap as was the usual, making sure no one could sneak up on them. He was sitting in the kitchen when he heard her paying, it wasn't a song he recognized but it sounded nice, he walked silently to the room she was playing in. it was set up like a church the casket ready and waiting. He watched her for a moment, remembering when Joelle used to sing, mostly to Artemis, she had a beautiful voice it was husky and low though he knew her range was amazing. Beth voice was the opposite sweet and high, and even thought the piano sounded slightly out of tune it worked.

He coughed alerting her to his presence, she jumped not having heard his silent approach. "Ah the place's nailed up tight." He laid his crossbow on the couch, "all the way in to the front door."

Beth nodded and watched as he jumped up onto the open casket, "What are you doing?" she asked shaking her head slightly at his antics, smiling all the while.

He sighed in relief, "this is th' comfiest bed I've had in years," he explained while laying back onto the bed.

"Really?" Beth said disbelieving of what he said.

"I ain't kidding," he sighed again, before looking at her, "why don't cha go ahead and keep playin'? Play some more." She looked at him, "keep singing." His eyes were soft and calm, looking at her in a way he never had, and it was similar to how he looked at Joelle, yet not nearly the same.

She smiled shyly before she spoke, "I thought my singing annoyed you."

"There ain't no juice box though," he said back cheekily and she smiled before turning back to the piano and resuming her singing. Daryl laid there watching her for a second before staring at the ceiling.

The night was peaceful and Daryl slept comfortably in the casket much to Beth's disbelief. The morning came quickly and Daryl joked when he found Beth moving extremely slowly to the kitchen.

He picked her up, bridal style, and carried her to the kitchen even with her protests, "I'm going as fast as I can ," she smiled at him.

"Yeah," was his only reply as he kicked the door open, she giggled as he gently placed her in a chair, "there you go."

They had gotten closer since last night and Daryl felt more comfortable with her than anyone else besides Joelle. Beth seemed to be warming up to him as well especially since that night in the shack out in the woods.

Daryl huffed before sitting down himself, "alright, let's eat."

They began to eat when the sound traps when off, Daryl looked at Beth before tell her to stay where she was. Grabbing his crossbow he quickly walked to the front door. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see a dirty mutt standing their panting slightly, "it's just a damn dog." He yelled back at Beth.

"He wouldn't come in," Beth's voice startled him slightly as he was expecting her to be in the kitchen like he said.

"I told you to stay back," he grumbled at her.

"Yeah but, Daryl you said there was a dog," she smiled at him.

"Maybe he'll come back round," he gently touched her shoulder and led her back to the kitchen, "C'mon."

They didn't do much they day bit sit around, Beth played some more and Daryl listened. When it got dark, Daryl once again carried a giggling Beth to the kitchen all the while smiling.

They were sitting there eating when Beth pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. He looked at her questioningly, "I'm going to leave a thank you note," she explained.

"Why?" he asked still eating.

She looked over at him, "for when they come back… If they come back… Even if they're not coming back I'm still going to say thanks. "

Daryl didn't reply immediately, he just sat there thinking for a moment. He'd seen no sign of Elle, he didn't even know if she'd gotten out. He didn't know if she was alive, he didn't know if his daughter was alive.

"Maybe you don't have to leave that," he looked at her and she looked right back, her gaze questioning. "Maybe we stick around here for a while," he explained still spooning food into his mouth. "They come back, we'll just make it work, I mean they may be nuts but maybe they'll be alright."

She smiled at him, "see you do still think there are good people around," he shrugged and she laughed. "Well what changed your mind?"

He looked at her and smiled slightly, "you know."

"What?" she asked still unsure of what he meant.

Daryl looked at her not sure of how to put his thoughts into words he mumbled a shrug and she laughed at him telling him not to, she wanted a serious answer, "what changed your mind?"

He looked at her again, and she saw it, the thing that changed his mind, "oh," she said sadly, stupidly thinking it had been her that had changed his mind but it wasn't. He had given up on the others.

The mutt from before barked breaking up the bleak conversation and Daryl left muttering about giving it one more chance. He didn't look when he opened the door, which turned out to be a massive mistake. A small herd of walkers had followed the dog and been drawn by the light and they were at the door. He yelled for Beth to run before slamming his back against the door, trying to shut it but a number of dead limbs were in the way. Beth chucked Daryl his crossbow before following his orders and running out of the room and towards the back door.

He led the walkers into the mortician's room killing them one by one with a pair of scissors. Once they were all dead he fetched his crossbow and ran out of the house. He made it out just in time to watch Beth get taken but a car with a white cross on the back. He chased the car as far as he could, even when it was completely out of sight.

Hungry and exhausted he collapsed at a crossroad, not knowing which way to turn. Beth was gone and he couldn't save her. Just like Joelle, just like Artemis. He wasn't strong enough to keep her safe. He didn't know if he could go on by himself, being alone wasn't a good thing, especially in a world like this. He had needed Elle, she had saved him for his demons, from turning into someone like his father. Once he had lost her, Beth had helped his keep his sanity, making sure he didn't lose his mind like he would have had he been alone.

Joelle's POV

They were once again walking in the middle of a road, moving through a small deserted town. Artemis was in Merle's arms giggling softly at his antics. Maybe they were all distracted by Artemis being cute, maybe they were all too exhausted or maybe the walkers had been silent. They didn't notice them, hadn't seen or heard any sign that they were there. One minute the town was clearer than the cloudless sky, the next they were surrounded by a hoard of the undead.

Joelle shared a frantic glance with her brothers before pushing Merle through the only gap she could see in the barrier of walkers. "Take her and run! Run, please keep her safe," Joelle begged as she forced her brother to run.

Merle hesitated for a second before sprinting away from them, slicing at walkers that were too close as he did so. A small group moved to follow him as the rest focused on their meal at hand.

Lucas and Joelle stood back to back fighting of the walkers one by one, while slowly moving in the opposite direction that Merle had run. She didn't think about the fact that her only connections to Daryl were now far away from her, didn't think about the fact that her infant daughter was now in the hands of her brother. She didn't think about the chances of ever seeing Artemis again were slim to none, she didn't think about the fact that she could be dead in the next few minutes.

Her hunting knife was driven into countless skulls as she fought for her life, for Lucas's life, for Artemis. She fought for everyone she prayed had made it out alive, for her husband. Cold walker blood was splashed over her, arms reached out trying to peel and scratch the flesh from her bones, but she wouldn't let them, she slaughtered them, with her brother by her side, she killed them, as many as possible.

Another fell with a thump and Joelle grabbed Lucas's arm and ran, pulling him through the small gap in the herd she had created, they dodged and skipped around grabbing hands, sprinting to the forest edge. They ran together making sure never to stray. The walkers scattered out behind them like hunting dogs on the scent of prey. Joelle ran, short wheezing breaths passing through her teeth, pulling as much oxygen as possible into her burning lungs. Her muscles were on fire as they burst through the tree line, the lactic acid buildup nearly too much for her to push through.

Once they had made it far enough away, once they had made their way into an abandoned house they collapsed, against unbelievable odds they had survived. She checked herself, making sure she had no bites or scratches, Lucas did the same. They smiled in relief when they realized they had made it. They got up slowly before moving throughout the house, making sure it was clear and that there were no hidden dangers. Joelle thought back trying to remember how long they had been fighting for their lives, running for their lives but found it was murky hidden beneath a veil of rage and helplessness.

She didn't talk, didn't say a word as they went to sleep for the night. What was the point, she had nothing to say, that and if she opened her locked lips she knew she would lose all her control and burst into tears. It was like every one of her loved ones were being taken from her, one by one, two by two, they were disappearing without a trace and it was slowly chipping away at her sanity.

Joelle barely slept that night, the memory of Merle having to run with her daughter constantly playing in the back of her mind, it was as if it were on a never ending reel, destined to drive her insane.

A/N: Yes I know this is another chapter in which they are separated and no closer to finding one another! Oh shit Joelle just lost Artemis! WTF! What is going to happen now that there is no baby or Merle to remind her of Daryl! Joelle's sanity is slipping so is Daryl's which I find most agreeable due to their current situation! If you have any questions regarding this chapter or future chapters feel free to drop a Review or PM me! Gigantic thank you to those who followed and favourited this story it is amazing! Huge, gigantic massive hug, kisses and thank yous to those who reviewed, you guys are absolutely amazing and I love you! I think my author notes are getting longer with each chapter… Anyway R&R I love you all! XXX