A/N: Hello all! Here is chapter 9! I am hoping some of you don't hate me because of last chapter. Deaths are going to be a part of my story as well, though I'm still deciding on how often that will be. My main focus though is of course Beth and Daryl and their relationship that is slowly blooming. I'd like to thank those who have been patient thus far, as I never liked the idea of rushing into such a powerful romance between two characters that I love. Future chapters will be well worth the wait! On a side note, I made a music video of Beth and Daryl yesterday and uploaded it to YouTube in case anyone wanted to see it. I can't post the link on here unfortunately, but just search "Beth and Daryl Stand By You" and it should be the first one on the list. You'll know it's the right one because it'll say it was posted by Brandie. Thanks!

CHAPTER NINE

Hillsborough

Beth and the rest of the group awoke early in the morning to the sound of rain pounding heavily on the roof of the old cabin. It appeared that the autumn weather had finally arrived. Sasha and Bob were awake but sluggish after having taken the early morning shift of keeping watch while Glenn stayed up parts of the night keeping Tara, who was appearing worse as each hour past, company so she was not alone. He felt she was his responsibility considering that the two of them had been through a lot together for such a short period of time. Maggie had been completely sympathetic with the whole situation.

Once they were all fully conscious, Rick wasted no time organizing everyone and preparing to leave for Washington. Everybody worked diligently as they loaded all of the food and supplies into the bus. Abraham, who was carefully scanning a road map with Eugene, announced that the drive to DC from their location east of Athens, GA; would take roughly 9 hours. That was not including any of the stops they would undoubtedly make on the way.

Beth thought quietly to herself as Abraham spoke, realizing that this would be the first time she ever left Georgia and it would most likely be permanent. Seeing as her family lived and worked hard on the farm, they never had time for vacations or extravagant trips. Not that this trip was extravagant, but the idea made her enthusiastic and also melancholy all at the same time. No one seemed all too thrilled about the 9 hour drive, especially as they didn't have enough gas for the entire trip, but the idea that Eugene knew the cure to the ever growing infection made it much more worth it. Of course, there was the added bonus that DC was hopefully a refuge for them all. After Terminus, Beth learned not to get her hopes up.

Once everything was packed up and everyone was ready to go, Rick made a quick head count as the group climbed into the bus. Tara argued with Glenn about not joining them on the beginning of their journey as she believed it would be easier if she stayed behind, but he was eventually able to persuade her in coming along; as it should be.

Beth was one of the first to enter the bus, and she quickly selected a seat close to the rear as she enjoyed watching the scenery through the back window. Then suddenly, she felt someone plunk down beside her and she glanced over to see who it was. Beth had hoped it was Daryl, but it disappointedly turned out to be Noah. She couldn't blame him as Beth was the only one out of the group to actually notice him besides maybe Glenn who had already taken a seat beside Maggie, and Abraham who took the wheel of the bus.

Beth gave Noah a weak smile as they caught each other's eyes just before taking a glimpse at the few seats a head of her to the right. Past Bob and Sasha sat Daryl who ended up sitting down beside Carol. He happened to already be giving Beth a side glance, and it was obvious by the look on his face that he was not pleased about Noah getting to her first. All Beth could give in response was a shrug.

"I hope you don't mind?" Noah asked as the engine from the bus roared to life.

"No, not at all," Beth answered considerately, wondering if perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea to have a fresh face to converse with. Looking back at Daryl, she noticed he was now engaged in a conversation with Carl and Michonne, who both seemed to be chuckling at something that Rick had said.

Beth sighed. This was going to be a long drive.

. . .

During their journey on the road, the blonde had learned from Noah that before Terminus, he came from Grady Memorial Hospital located in Atlanta which became occupied by numerous members of the law enforcement. He was covered in napalm burns when they found him and took him in, but murdered his father when they decided he would not be a good asset to their team. They cured Noah, but in return he had to work off his debt for the resources invested in keeping him alive at the hospital. He eventually escaped which proved to be strenuous on him, and ultimately met up with the people at Terminus. Beth was completely appalled, but happy that he was now finally with people he could trust. She also shared some stories with him about the prison, but when it came to talking about her father, she just couldn't utter the words.

The group had been on the road for about five hours until they reached Hillsborough, North Carolina; with a gas tank that was now close to empty. Abraham exhaled frustratingly as he slid his fingers through the red waves of his hair, right after parking the bus on the side of the road outside of town. It was around 12:30 in the afternoon, and the rain had tapered off into a light sprinkle.

"We're low on fuel," Abraham announced matter-of-factly as he looked over his shoulder to glance at everyone behind him. "I say we enter Hillsborough and look for some gas to liven this bastard up. Maybe we should look for some medical supplies too, just in case."

"I agree," Ricked piped up. "We should take a group and scout out the area."

"And if we don't find any?" Maggie questioned with a flicker of unmistakable worry in her tone, wondering if there was a plan B.

Abraham shrugged as he stood up on his feet. "Then we'll search the next town. I made sure we had enough gas to take us a little farther in case we don't get lucky."

Beth felt anxious as she drummed her fingers against her thigh, knowing full well that she was going to join said group into the town no matter what station she was given. Whether that reason is because she knew Daryl would certainly be going or because she just needed to stretch her legs, it didn't matter; her mind was made up.

"We need some people to stay on the bus to take care of Judith and Tara, and watch over the supplies," Rick proceeded to explain as he, too, stood up beside Abraham. Without overthinking too much about it, he began creating the two groups. "Carol, Michonne, Noah, Sasha, Bob, Daryl and Abraham will come with me and look for fuel; the rest will stay here. Is everyone else okay with that?"

Beth was the only one who stood in protest, and if it wasn't for Judith she figured Carl would have too. "I'm going," she argued, not about to tolerate a no for an answer.

Heads turned to the back of the bus, and Maggie frowned. She didn't know why her younger sister suddenly wanted to start going out on dangerous missions, and she didn't like it. However, Beth was old enough to decide on her own, and Maggie knew that she wouldn't listen to any of her objections. As much as she wanted to stick with Glenn and take care of Tara, she decided that this time she would come along and watch over her sister, especially after learning about Beth risking her life for a bag of food.

"If my sister is goin', so am I," Maggie countered as her eye's locked with Beth's.

"Alright, I won't protest," Rick replied with an amused smile, although after what Beth pulled on their last trip, he would have preferred it if she stayed on the bus for her own safety.

"Rosita, you stay here and make sure Eugene stays unharmed," Abraham instructed, and she replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Why do you have to be so useless when it comes to protecting yourself?" Rosita crossed her arms as she glared at Eugene. The tone in her voice was stricken with disappointment and aggravation.

Eugene shrugged as he eyed her back with a vacant expression, hardly offended by her remark. "It's not my job. My job it is to make—"

"Alright, enough!" Abraham blurted out in annoyance, stopping the argument that was beginning to transpire. "Let's head out before I lose any more of my patience."

As Rick's group began making their way towards the door after saying their goodbyes, Tara stopped them at the front seat where she sat. "Hey, I want fist pumps." Her voice was fragile but she unsteadily raised her forearm with her fist clenched, and a slight smile creased her lips.

One by one, the group obliged with smiles in return, and their knuckles lightly pounded hers as they walked down the steps. Beth wondered if this was her last farewell, and she had the sudden urge to give Tara a hug, but everyone was moving too quickly for her and before she knew it, she was outside. Beth had to get the image of Tara out of her mind so she could properly concentrate on their mission, so she forced herself to forget; at least for the time being. They figured they'd be out for a while—unless by some sheer luck they happened to find gasoline almost instantly—so they made sure to grab some water as well as a crowbar, some tubing and a gas can to siphon the fuel from an abandoned car.

They began cautiously walking down the road with their weapons drawn. Maggie made a point to stay by Beth's side, and she knew why. Though she wanted to prove her worth to the group, she knew she couldn't blame her older sister for being over protected. Besides, having Maggie by her side gave her a sense of comfort. Sasha, Bob, Carol and Noah kept a few paces behind Beth and Maggie, while Daryl led the group beside Michonne, Rick and Abraham several feet ahead.

"I know why you decided to come along," Beth blurted out, but low enough so only she could hear.

Maggie glanced at the blonde, uncertain about how her sister would react. "Was I that obvious?"

"I appreciate you worryin' for me, but I want you t'know that I've grown up since the prison. I'm not the same Beth you used to know," she explained sternly, hoping her older sister would understand.

Maggie parted her lips with a sigh, "I wondered that, seeing as you were alone with Daryl for so long. You are my family though, so it's only normal to be concerned."

"I know, and I thank you for that. I guess I'm just tryin' to find my own way and I've been having mixed feelings about a lot of things," Beth replied as she watched Daryl walking casually ahead of them.

"Well," Maggie said with a smile as she wrapped her arm around Beth's shoulders. "You know I'm here if you ever need to talk."

Beth looked up at her sister and smirked admiringly while placing her left arm around the middle of Maggie's back. "Thanks sis."

"We're almost there," Abraham proclaimed behind his shoulder, catching the rest of the groups attention.

Trees surrounded both sides of them, but in the distance Beth could see a couple buildings poking through the tops of the branches to their left. They reached a short bridge that sat lonesome atop a creek, and the very moment they made it to the other side, a walker fumbled out of the treeline. It instantly began snarling at the display of meat in front of it, and it headed straight towards them.

"I got it," Daryl declared as he didn't hesitate to unsheathe his blade.

The walker immediately sought to grab the brunette's chest, but Daryl was too swift for it. He darted away from its grab and side-stepped behind the walker before piercing the back of its skull. Its arms limped to its sides and tumbled to the ground when its knees gave in. When he turned around, Daryl's eyes instantly fell to Beth. He thought about the conversation they had last night as he could not seem to shake it out of his head all morning.

It bothered Daryl that Beth didn't make an attempt to pay much attention to him throughout the day, but it annoyed him even more that it affected him in the way that it had. Even though he wanted the space from her, Daryl did not expect her to actually keep her distance, especially in the company of this new Noah character. Usually she would have confronted him by now or at least say something that would lessen the space between them. As much as he tried to avoid it, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

Thinking about it, he realized how trivial it was despite the fact that Noah seemed to be attracted to the blonde. Delving into a darker part of his mind, he wondered if perhaps the kid was better suited for her since their age matched perfectly. Going on this trip to find gasoline and medical supplies was his best bet at avoiding any more emotions for the next while, as fidgeting on the bus for so many hours played tricks on his mind. It didn't help that Beth decided to tag along with them. Daryl revelled in doing the dirty work if it meant taking his irrational thoughts off of her.

When they finally entered Hillsborough, it appeared to be a quaint small town, or at least it used to be. Its architecture seemed to be a couple centuries old as various buildings were made purely of brick, and Beth could only imagine how beautiful it was when it was kept up. The colorful scarlet leaves of autumn brightened up the dank and grey surroundings of the town. She visualized Hillsborough to have been dynamic, filled with laughs and live music in the streets. It was definitely the sort of town that would organize festivals or farm markets during the summer, welcoming all sorts of travellers. However, all of that imagery was quickly destroyed by the walkers that rambled senselessly around town, and Hillsborough unraveled back into its uprooted self; gradually taken over by nature and the dead.

There were quite a few walkers scattered along the main road which was covered in cracks and weeds, and the group would have to make quick work of them before they could search the perimeter properly. Rick figured that their best bet would be to disperse and take down the dead silently but swiftly in case any more showed up and the road got too crowded.

In a matter of seconds, the group spilt up and rushed to their objectives. Daryl used his crossbow, preferring to exterminate from afar and took down several walkers near the fire department across the street. Rick used his hatchet, hacking the skulls and virtually splitting them in two as thick, dark blood spewed from their brains. With her katana in hand, Michonne meandered around a few walkers, slicing their heads off one by one as she sprinted past them. She made killing walkers look too easy.

Beth took out her stainless steel Browning hunting knife from the leather holster that she obtained from Daryl a while back. Though the others in the group saw these walkers as a hindrance, Beth took this as her chance to shine. Daryl taught her a lot when they travelled alone together, and so she wanted to put that into good use. With a quick glance, she spotted a lone walker not too far away, so she darted over to it without hesitation. She took it down swiftly; right in the temple as it was the easiest part of the head to slice through before charging to the next one, and then the one after that.

In the distance, Beth spotted another walking gradually shuffling its way towards Daryl who was completely oblivious to it. It must have come from around the back of the Courthouse, but the redneck was too busy aiming at the walkers in front of him and not paying attention to the danger that lurked from behind. Beth's heart instantly raced violently as her feet moved forward before she could even think.

"Daryl!" She yelled fearfully as she practically leapt on the walker which nearly bit his neck.

Daryl spun around, startled by the blonde's shriek when she called out his name. Terror instantly clouded all other emotions as he witnessed Beth hit the ground with a walker snarling beneath her. He was ready to grab the thing by its shoulders and wrench it off of her, but what looked to be a struggle turned out to be a victory as the blonde pierced the walker on the top of its head. Maggie had already bolted to Beth's side, wide eyed and alert.

"Phew," The blonde exclaimed within her heavy breathing as she shoved the body off of her, and Daryl took out his hand to help her up.

As she stood and rubbed the mud off of her jeans, she glimpsed around quickly to notice that she had caught everyone's attention after they had finished slaying all of the walkers. At first they appeared concerned, but then all started laughing cheerfully once Daryl pulled Beth into a playful hug. Beth began chuckling as the redneck lifted her off the ground and spun her around.

"Put me down!" Beth breathed, finding it difficult to speak through the exhilaration of practically saving his life, and the fact that the air waves in her lungs were getting pressured between his body and his arms.

Once Daryl settled her feet back to the ground, he spoke with a smirk creasing his lips. "Thanks for watching my back, Beth."

Beth grinned widely at his remark as Sasha gave her a gentle pat on the back. Rick smiled as he stationed his hands on his hips, realizing that he underestimated her capabilities. To him Beth was always the caregiver of the group; someone who constantly stayed behind and watched over Judith or the camp. However, he now saw that she was much more than that. Beth was a fighter; one that wasn't afraid of getting dirty if it came down to it.

Abraham seemed mildly amused as he didn't quite understand the merit of the situation, and was eager to start looking for gasoline and supplies. "Alright ladies and gents, let's get a move on," the red head proclaimed, not aiming to be rude but still exhibited his impatience in the tone of his voice.

Moments later, the group gathered their composure as they began their search for fuel. Along the way, they found a pharmacy that had unfortunately been ransacked. The place was a mess with shelves that had been toppled over, and the random products that remained were scattered on the floor. Bob was able to find a couple of bottles of pain medications, Band-Aids and even snuck a box of condoms—almost. Abraham happened to catch a glimpse of him grabbing it and teased him long enough until Sasha began enquiring them about what was going on. It even initiated curiosity out of Beth and Michonne, but it was apparent that they weren't going to disclose what they were talking about.

After leaving the pharmacy, they checked quite a few more vehicles that turned out to be empty, but eventually found a Ford pick-up with almost a full tank. Beth, Maggie and Noah shared some water together as Daryl and Abraham siphoned the fuel into a gas can. Carol was scanning the area a few feet away from the rest of the group, watching for any walkers that might come too close. However, what she didn't expect was the sight of a man and a woman running along the wall of a church and then out of sight behind a historical museum.

"There are people over there!" Carol uttered harshly to the group, not wanting to put too much attention onto them so yelled in a quieter tone. Everyone stopped what they were doing to draw out their weapons from the sudden, ominous danger that lurked in the town.

"How many?" Was Rick's first question, his voice was deep and angered as he aimed his Colt Python around the vicinity.

"I just saw two," Carol replied, not taking her eyes off of the museum in case she happened to see movement. However, there were just too many trees blocking her view.

"Did they see us?" Rick interrogated further with more impatience then before.

Carol shrugged, not quite remembering. "We're a big group standing in the middle of the road. I'd say they would have to be pretty blind if they didn't notice us."

"There could be more," Michonne warned as she cautiously walked to Carol's side, followed by Rick and the others. "Should we follow them?"

"Those pricks could ambush us at any moment. I say we follow em," Abraham said as his eyes glistened with enthusiasm and bloodlust, and Rick nodded in agreement.

Beth would have preferred to just grab the can of gas and vacate the area, but her fellow group members seemed to have different ideas. The first thought that came to her mind was that it was a ruse, a lure to get her and the others to follow them into a trap. However, she had to remind herself that even though they have had a lot of run-ins with corrupted people; it didn't mean that everyone was bad. Besides, if these strangers had happened to be ruthless and cruel, the last thing they should be doing is leading them to the bus. Beth couldn't blame Rick for agreeing with Abraham's idea in order to keep his children safe.

"Come on," she heard Daryl whisper to her supportively as he lightly touched the middle of her back to push her along. Of course, the blonde readily obliged.

They moved quickly in the direction of the man and woman, watching all sides of them warily in case anything else jumped out. They moved north of the museum but eventually caught sight of the duo once again, sprinting across the road towards a car garage. They knew they were being pursued, and Beth noticed a worried look on the woman's face as she glanced behind her shoulders in their direction, hand-in-hand with the man leading the way. It was then that the blonde realized these people were not a threat.

Then after a couple minutes of chasing and Beth's group reaching closer to the duo, they fell upon a dead end in an ally way, and the two abruptly stopped in exhaustion, admitting defeat. "Please, please don't harm us," the man pleaded as he placed the woman behind him. "We're just trying to find our daughter."

Rick and the others halted several feet away, their weapons still drawn in defense mode. The couple looked to be in their early 50's as grey ribbons were strewn amongst the brown strands of their hair. Streams of wrinkles marked the bottom of their eyes and around their apprehensive frowns as they clutched on to each other. It was evident that these people were not prepared to deal with Beth's group, or any group for that matter.

Rick slowly put down his weapon, as he too saw the innocence in their eyes. "My name is Rick," he introduced himself and the others, and then waited for their names to be shared.

The man hesitated for a moment, seeming to be uncomfortable even with the weapons being put away, but proceeded to finish the introduction. "I'm Greg, and this is Hannah."

Beth took a few steps forward beside Rick with her sister in toe, hoping that her face would be a lot less intimidating for them. "You said you were lookin' for your daughter?"

Hannah nodded as she slowly let go of Greg. "She left on a supply run several weeks ago with a few others…but never returned. My husband and I decided to leave Washington and search all the major towns, but we're so far out now that we're starting to lose hope. We lost two others that wanted to help." The woman's eyes began watering up with tears as she explained their situation with a trembling voice.

"You live in Washington?" Abraham asked as his face lit up with anticipation.

"Well, not quite. We live somewhere near there though. Washington was just to give you an idea of how far we've come," Greg clarified as the tone in his voice was less anxious than before.

"We're sorry about your daughter," Carol said in a soft, empathetic tone. "But could you tell us about DC? We're lookin' to find refuge there."

Both Hannah and Greg glanced at each other in a way that they knew what the other was thinking, and by the looks on their faces, they were going to give bad news.

"DC has long since been overrun by the dead…" Greg replied gloomily as he shook his head. "You won't find refuge there."

"You have to be mistaken!" Abraham bellowed out angrily, suspecting that the man might be lying. Instantly, all of his hopes began to crumble.

Greg lifted up his hands, hoping that the gesture would calm the red head down and urge him to back off. "I'm sorry, but I'm not mistaken. DC is gone."

Abraham spun on his heels and walked a few feet away until finally stopping in the middle of the street. He glared up into the grey sky, groaning in disappointment and looking as though he were going to blow up at any moment. The others lowered their heads, wondering what to do next or even if they should believe Greg. However, Beth knew it to be true. In fact she expected it, and by the look on Daryl's face it seemed as though he predicted it too.

Hannah observed the group curiously as remorse struck her, hating to be the bearer of bad news. It was evident by their expressions, especially the tall man with red hair, that they had high hopes for DC and understood all too well what these people were feeling. She decided she had to speak up.

"I'm sorry about DC, truly I am," the woman began, and everyone's attention fell to her. "If you like, my husband and I can give you the name of our home; where we came from."

Greg shot his wife an anxious glare, "Are you sure you want to do that? We don't know these people."

"Please…" Sasha implored, not waiting to see what her fellow companions thought. "We're tired of always being on the move. All we've had is bad luck."

Greg glanced at Sasha, then at the others and eventually to Rick. Drawing out a sigh, he looked back at his wife. "Alright, go ahead."

Hannah turned back towards Beth's group and took a deep breath before she spoke. "I need you all to promise that you won't harm this place. The people who live there are good people, most of them haven't even experienced life outside the walls."

Rick nodded slowly, seeming skeptical about the whole idea but decided to go along with it for the time being. "We promise. We aren't the kind of people who just destroy. We're just tryin' to survive, just like you."

Hannah let out a weary smile, hoping that her intuition to trust them would not fail her.