Hello there folks! I finally have another chapter up for you! Yippee! Sorry it was a little longer wait than you're used to... It's spring on the farm, and I had to do TAXES. Yuck! Anyway, I'll try to be a little faster with the next chapter, but I can't make any promises. This is really probably about how long updates will generally take me. I'm sure I can make it faster if I get a lot of reviews though...

Thanks to those of you that added me to your alerts, and those of you that are reading this in general. I would love to hear from you all, and find out what you guys think. It really helps me write this when I know what you guys like. Thanks for being there!

Guest: As always, thank you for your review! You always leave such wonderful reviews, and they never fail to make my day! I'm glad you liked the description of the big camp, as well as the bit from Beth's POV. I think she will be getting more page space as I continue this story, so it's nice to hear that she is enjoyable to read. There will be a little romantic conflict I suppose, but like I said, I have that all worked out in my little head. Have no fear. Thanks again for your reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Have a great day!

guest: Thanks for the review! I hope you continue to enjoy this story, and that you will share your thoughts with me again!

Ashley: I'm sorry I didn't write you a note on the last chapter! Hope this makes up for it! Thanks for your review, and I hope I can keep this story good enough that you continue to love it!

Oh, I realized that I have never put a disclaimer on this story, so here it is: I do not own any of the characters, plots, or places from The Walking Dead. All those belong to AMC, Robert Kirkman, and the rest of the gang. I am not making any money from this story, and I'm only writing this for entertainment. All original characters and plots do belong to me. Thank you.

So, here we go with chapter eight! Hope you guys enjoy it!

Chapter Eight – Black Balloon

Comin' down the world turned over, And angels fall without you there, And I go on as you get colder, All because I'm, Comin' down the years turn over, And angels fall without you there, And I'll go on and I'll lead you home and, All because I'm, All because I'm, And I'll become, What you became to me

- Goo Goo Dolls

"So wha's the plan of attack?" Daryl's voice was gruff and impatient, as they crouched in the brush at the edge of the creek 200 yards from the large farm house. Emma turned to him, and saw that he was checking over his chosen weapons, a hard expression on his dirty face.

She released a long, weary breath, and touched her hand to his, stilling his movement. "There is no plan of attack. This is a negotiation, not a war. We're going to knock on the front door, and you're going to follow my lead." She paused to make sure he was paying attention, then continued. "Whatever I say or do you need to just go with it. Can you do that?"

She stared into his blue eyes, and could see his suspicion and confusion. After a moment he looked away from her and jerked his head in a short nod. "As long as you get her out a' there safe, ya do what ya want."

She turned away from him, and set her bow on the ground next to the pack. "Okay, then leave your shotgun, and bow here." She pulled her holster off, and handed him the gun that had been in it. "You can have this, but tuck it somewhere that it won't be seen. You can keep your knife visible though."

She saw him stiffen at her orders, but he did as she said. "I don' like this." He said gruffly.

"I don't either, but we can't do this with force. The only reason I'm letting you take those weapons is in case you can't get back here for these and you need to fight biters on the way back to camp."

He grunted and slipped the .45 into the back of his pants, just like she had her .38. "Okay, let's do this before it gets totally dark."

She led the way out of the brush and into the small meadow, her footsteps nearly silent on the dry grass. She was filled with tension, though her body didn't show it. She knew there were a great number of things that could go wrong with her plan, but she also knew that they couldn't just go in guns blazing. There were too many innocent lives at risk in that scenario, even if the only person they harmed was Solomon. All those women and children counted on him to provide for them, and they would be lost without him. Not to mention that most of them would most likely try to kill them for harming their protector. She just hoped that they had gotten there fast enough to stop the brainwashing the girl was most likely receiving.

When they got to the door Daryl reached out and knocked loudly. Emma turned to him and gave him a hard look, which he returned tenfold. She knew this was important to him, but he needed to get himself under control before he made things worse than they already were. "I said for you to follow my lead. You got that?"

He only grunted at her, but took a step back from the door. She waited a moment, and when no one had responded to his knock, she tried again. They only had to wait a moment, and the woman of the house opened the door, a cold look on her face.

"What are you doing here, Emma? Bringing a man to our home, no less…"

Emma had been hoping that Eve wouldn't be the one to answer the door. The older woman rather detested her, for a multitude of reasons. Though the main reason was probably the fact that her husband had wanted Emma more than any other woman he had come across over the years, and he had made it plainly clear that Eve would lose her place as first wife to Emma. That hadn't happened of course, because Emma had booked it out of there at her first opportunity. She wasn't sure if that had pleased or infuriated the older woman. Based on the look on Eve's face, it hadn't made her very happy.

Emma straightened herself, and forced calm into her voice, "We are here to collect this man's wife. Solomon took her." She saw Daryl stiffen out of the corner of her eye, and briefly admonished herself for not telling him that little part of the plan.

"We don't have his wife. You're mistaken." Eve moved to close the door on them, but Daryl moved faster, and jammed his foot in the threshold.

"That car parked on the side a' the house is the one that took her. I know she's in there, woman." His voice was little more than a low growl, but Emma knew that Eve had clearly heard every word of it. Her face had gone pale and her eyes jerked to the left for an instant. Then the woman stepped back and opened the door, inviting them in with her hand.

"I assure you that if your wife is here, she was taken without the knowledge of her prior marriage." They followed Eve into the sitting room and found more women than Emma had expected. Solomon had only had five wives during the short time she spent with him, but now it looked like there were eight. At least there were eight in that room; there could have been more in other parts of the house. Eve turned back to Daryl, and swept her hand toward the other women. "Is your wife here?"

Daryl looked the woman hard in the eyes, but Emma could see that hopelessness was trying to fill him. "Naw."

Emma was about to apologize for interrupting their evening, but she was stopped by a pretty, young blonde racing into the room. "Daryl!" she shouted in a breathless voice, as she launched herself into his arms. Emma saw Daryl stiffen for a moment, and then his arms went around her thin body and hugged her back for a long moment. Then he gently set her on her feet beside him, and swiftly pushed her small body behind his own when Solomon entered the room.

Emma hadn't seen him approaching, but was unsurprised to see him. That girl had made quite a racket with her excitement. Not that Emma could blame her; she would have been equally enthusiastic if anyone had come for her when she was in that position.

Solomon moved to stand next to Eve, a dark expression on his face. "What's going on here Eve?"

Emma didn't allow the woman time to answer the question with her own twisted version of the story. "Solomon, we came to collect this man's wife. You took her from the funeral home, and now we are taking her back."

His eyes left Beth and Daryl, and focused on her instead. His hard stare made her want to slink into the shadows, but she stood tall and met his gaze with calm eyes. "What an unfortunate mistake… Had this woman told me that she was married I would not have taken her for my own. Unfortunately, I have already performed the ceremony, and she is married to me now."

Daryl felt like he had run a marathon, and emotionally he supposed he had. He had gone from nervous anxiety, to confusion, to hopelessness, to overwhelming joy and relief, and now he was back to nervous anxiety. All in less than five minutes. Now his head was spinning, and he felt like he might be sick. He had always been ill equipped to handle emotional turmoil, but he didn't think anyone could handle what he had just gone through and feel okay about it.

Squirrel stood to his left and one step ahead of him, while Beth stayed behind him and slightly to his right. Her hand rested softly on his bicep, and he could feel the slight trembling of her fingers. Or at least he thought it was her; it felt like his whole body was shaking, so maybe it was actually him. He couldn't even begin to put his relief into words. He had found her, and though she didn't exactly seem well she did appear to be physically alright. He hadn't gotten to look at her for long before pushing her safely behind his body, but it had been long enough to see her bright blue eyes swimming with happy tears, and her brilliant smile.

He heard the large, older man speak, but at first the words didn't sink into his head. When they did he wished they hadn't. He could only imagine what kind of ceremony this freak would use to claim that he was married to Beth. And while he was on the subject of marriage… where on earth had Squirrel come up with the idea that he was married to Beth? Sure, he had feelin's for the girl, but he didn't really know what they meant. Hell, they hadn't ever even kissed. Yeah, he'd thought about it, but thinkin' 'bout kissin' a girl and bein' married to 'er were pretty far apart.

He was shaken from his thoughts by Squirrel shifting forward slightly, and cocking her head to the side to study the man before them. Her voice was low, and carried a lot of emotion when she spoke. "You know, I think I remember something in the bible about not coveting another man's wife. Am I remembering incorrectly?"

The man – she'd referred to him as Solomon he thought – chuckled slightly and shook his head. "No, you remember correctly, but that no longer applies in this world. Especially if the man leaves his wife to die." He turned to Daryl with a look of utter contempt on his face. It was an expression that Daryl knew well from his past, and it made his veins burn with rage. Then his eyes darkened slightly and he looked back at Squirrel. "She was at my old home, and she was about to be taken down by a bunch of biters. I did what I had to in order to protect her. Why was she alone?"

Daryl saw Squirrel open her mouth to reply, but he cut her off. "We. We were at the funeral home. I was right behind 'er. I know ya heard me yellin' for 'er while you drove away in such a hurry."

Solomon smirked at him, "I have no idea what you're talkin' about, son. She was alone." His voice sounded sure and sincere, but his eyes held the truth. He had known Daryl was there; he just didn't care.

Daryl jerked forward, his hand on the buck knife at his waist, but Squirrel reached her hand out and pushed back on his chest. "Well, it seems this is all just a misunderstanding. No harm done. We'll just take her with us, and all will be forgiven."

Solomon shook his head, and looked truly sorry, "That isn't possible. I put that ring on her finger in the sight of God, and you know He wouldn't take kindly to me just letting her walk away. She is obviously a strong survivor, and the children she will bear can repopulate this world in His image." He paused and smiled warmly at them all, a disquieting glint in his eyes. "I can't just let her walk away. Not without something in return…"

Daryl glanced at Squirrel to judge her reaction so he could figure out what the hell the guy was goin' on about now. When he saw her face pale and her features freeze up he figured it all out. She had known what was goin' to happen all along. That was why she had said he wouldn't get Beth without her help, and why she had been so adamant about him just 'followin' her lead'. She had known that big, old creep would demand an exchange. She had made sure they would all have a safe place to go, and then she had led him here to get his girl. All without a care for herself. He admired her for the selfless act, but he also wanted to deck her. This was not how his group worked; they didn't leave people behind.

He reached back into the waistband of his pants and pulled the gun out, raising his hand and aiming it at Solomon's head. Then he heard the sound of at least six guns cocking simultaneously, and Squirrel had her hand on his arm, forcing him to lower the pistol. He turned his eyes to hers and saw she had her eyebrow cocked at him, and a half smile on her face. "This is following my lead, huh?"

He glared at her and growled, "It was a dumb lead, girl."

She just shrugged and looked behind him at Beth. "Honey, come 'ere." He felt Beth tentatively step to his side, and he wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulders. "I need that ring you have on." She looked up at him for conformation, and when he nodded she pulled the thin band off her finger and handed it to Squirrel.

He watched Squirrel turn back to the intimidating man, a look of resignation on her face. "I will stay so she can go. Is that an agreeable trade?"

Solomon grinned widely, and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a masculine voice at the back of the room.

"This is wrong, Father."

A few of the women swiveled their heads around, no longer aiming their guns at the trio, though Solomon, and the oldest woman kept their eyes on Squirrel like she was a carnival prize. Solomon's voice was cold and hard when he spoke, though he still didn't look behind him. "This isn't your concern Isiah. Go back to the barn where you belong."

"This is my concern. What you're doing isn't right. You always said this life was right, that it was best in the eyes of God, and I believed you. You said it was only right when it was entered into by adults that agreed with the principle and wanted to live this life, though. Neither of those women fit the bill." Daryl finally spotted the man that was talking as he finished his little speech. He was tall and built like a brick shit house. Daryl could see instantly that he was Solomon's son, since they had the same face and build, but the young man had sandy hair, instead of the dark gray mop of his father and his face was far more open.

The older woman beside Solomon finally turned her head to the young man, an icy glare on her face. "You shut your mouth and get back out to the barn, before your father decides to send you off."

At this, Isiah laughed heartily, "He can't do that. If he does who do you think will keep you all safe, huh? Who do you think is responsible for keeping you alive this long? Not him, that's for sure."

Daryl was completely distracted by the argument going on between the bizarre family, and was shocked when he felt Squirrel gently pushing on his chest with her back. She had backed into him, and was trying to cautiously direct him toward the door. Beth was still clinging to his arm like a life raft, and she easily moved with him as he backed away from the people in the room. All eyes were currently focused on the young man or their patriarch and no one even noticed that they were moving toward the door.

It took them less than 30 seconds to cross the short distance, and then Daryl felt the wood at his back and reached behind him searching for the handle. The moment he found it he twisted it open and shoved Beth out the door, following close behind her. He reached for Squirrel's hand as he spun out the door, and was confused by the tingle that went up his arm at the contact.

Then they were racing across the meadow, Beth's hand in his left and Squirrel's in his right. He was half dragging them because he was running so fast. He knew neither girl could keep up with him, but he forced them to anyway. He heard gunshots, but didn't feel anything hit him, nor did he feel the girls falter, so he kept on until they reached the brush that would conceal them. Then he shoved Beth to the ground, and dropped on top of her to protect her from any bullets that might be headed their way.

He saw Squirrel crawling through the bushes, and briefly thought that they should follow her. Then just as he was getting Beth up to go after her, she reappeared with their pack and the weapons. He swiftly pulled the shotgun out, and turned toward the house. Her hand shot out and shoved the barrel down to the ground. "No shooting. Let's go!" she hissed at him.

He was going to argue with her, but she already had Beth's hand, and was dragging her toward the creek as fast as she could. Beth looked back at him with fear and desperation in her eyes, so he just growled and went after them.

Squirrel was right, they had to get Beth to safety. He could come back and kill that son of a bitch later, but right now he needed to focus on what was most important to him. Beth.

It was pitch black, and Beth couldn't see more than ten feet in front of her. She had her hand tightly wrapped around Daryl's as he led her through the underbrush. It felt like they had been walking for days, but she knew it had really only been a few hours. She realized that the few days of down time in the funeral home, and then at the farm house, had already made her soft. She'd spent weeks running with Daryl and by the time they had made it to their supposed sanctuary it had seemed perfectly normal to run or walk all day, but now only a few hours of walking and jogging had exhausted her.

She decided it was the silence that was getting to her, or maybe the woman that was walking behind then. The woman hadn't said a word to her since they were in the house, and she really didn't know what to think about her. Daryl had given her a quick rundown of what had happened after she was taken, but she felt like there was a lot missing from that story. All she knew was that Daryl had run into this woman, and she had helped him find Rick, Michonne and Carl, and those three were waiting for them at some treehouse mansion.

She decided that she needed to know more, and she broke the heavy silence. "So…" she trailed off, not entirely sure where she had planned on taking her line of thought.

Daryl squeezed her hand, and started moving a little faster. "I looked for ya. Ya know that right?"

She tightened her grip on his hand and smiled at him, though she doubted he could see her. "I knew you would come." she lied. She hadn't actually thought he would be able to find her, at least until the moment she heard the knock on the door. She had truly lost all hope for a few days in that place. It was all back now that she was free though, so she didn't think she needed to tell him that.

"I wouldn'ta without her." He jerked his thumb behind them, pointing at the woman following them a short distance back. Beth thought it seemed like she didn't really want to be with them, but she didn't have anywhere else to be. She glanced behind her to see the woman scanning the forest around them, an arrow notched in her bow. She pulled her eyes back to the area in front of them, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that they were talking about her. "What's 'er deal? She seems kinda weird."

She felt, more than saw Daryl shrug. "I dunno, she's been living alone in the woods for a while. Seems like a pretty good person ta me."

Beth's steps faltered for a moment. "What? Daryl Dixon thinks someone he doesn't know is a good person? You went from saying everyone is dead, to thinking there really are good people left in the world. How could that be?" She was teasing him, and she thought they both knew it. She had been fully aware of what he wouldn't say that night in the kitchen, she just wanted him to say it.

He only shrugged and held her hand tighter. He still wouldn't tell her what she wanted to hear. She sighed a little, "Fine… don' say nothin'."

"Yer a smart girl, figure it out."

She felt a smile tugging at her lips, and she knew that things were going to get better for her now. It would only be a matter of time before she and Daryl kissed, she just knew it.

Emma walked a safe distance behind the happy couple, carefully watching for any signs of biters or Solomon's family pursuing them. That man intervening had been an unexpected stroke of luck. She had no idea where he had come from, but he had given them the distraction they needed for all of them to get away. She was truly thankful for that. In spite of that she knew she wouldn't be able to let her guard down until they crossed the river into her territory, and that wouldn't be until nearly daybreak. Of course then she would have a whole new kind of discomfort to deal with. One that she wasn't entirely sure how she would settle down.

She had only opened up the main gathering room at the big camp, knowing that would be enough for the trio of survivors if they got there before she did. When she got back she would have to open the dorms, and make sure everyone was happily settled in. She wasn't sure why that bothered her so much, she just knew that it did. She shook her head forcefully, trying to remove the thoughts of her old group. Deep down she knew that she was simply afraid these people would turn out the same way. That the truth would come out, and they would be horrible people with sick ideas for how to survive. Just like her old group.

She focused on the two people in front of her to take her mind off the old hurt that still plagued her. They had been talking for the last few minutes, though she couldn't quite hear what they were saying. Beth's voice was soft, and didn't carry well, and Daryl really wasn't talking all that much. He seemed to simply grunt every few minutes to let the young woman know he was listening.

She hadn't been sure what their relationship was when she and Daryl first set out to find her, though she'd had her suspicions. Now that she had seen them together she knew those suspicions were correct. They were obviously in some kind of relationship with one another, and for some odd reason that knowledge made Emma jealous.

She figured it was the fact that they shared such easy intimacy that made her feel that way, but she wasn't entirely sure that was all it was. Sure, she'd had a crush on him for a couple years after he sent her out that window, but that foolish infatuation had passed years ago. She hadn't felt any sort of fluttering in her silly stomach when he first woke up in her camp, nor had she during their walk to the big camp. She had however felt something pass between them when she got out of the shower when they were there. She had seen the way he looked at her, and the way he swallowed thickly, before closing his eyes. At the time it hadn't totally made sense to her, but now it did. He was attached to another woman, and he didn't want to like what he saw.

She sighed, and whispered softly to herself, "She's one lucky girl…" Where that had come from she had no idea. She really didn't know if the girl was lucky to have Daryl, or not. Of course she was definitely lucky to have someone so devoted to her in this world, and she was lucky to have someone to lean on – as she currently was leaning her head on Daryl's broad shoulder – but Emma had no idea what kind of man he really was. For all she knew he was an abusive bastard that treated the girl like crap. Deep down she knew that wasn't the case, but she held onto it in order to quell the rising tide of jealousy within her.

They kept walking for another hour or so, the night getting slightly brighter at the clouds moved out of the sky above them. She took a moment to really study the pair in front of her. They had gone quiet, and were walking more slowly now. Beth's head still rested on Daryl's shoulder, and now he had his arm around her waist. Emma could tell the girl was tired, and that he was trying to help her move forward.

Mentally she was comparing herself to the younger woman, and she felt like she was no competition for the younger woman. Beth had blonde hair that shone silver in the faint moonlight, where Emma had hair that looked more like faintly rusted cast iron. Stephen had always told her it was a beautiful color, but she thought of junk cars when she saw it in the mirror. Beth was taller than her by a few inches and had the body of a track star; lean muscle with a few soft, feminine curves where it counted. Emma was short by anyone's standards, at only 5'2", and she had a body that would most likely become very rotund if there was enough food to sustain it.

Emma vaguely remembered her grandmother; a woman with a great big belly and a soft lap. Her hair had been coal black up until the day she died at 68, and her face had retained a sort of majestic beauty until that day as well. That woman had been the first person to call her Squirrel, saying that it was her Comanche name. Emma knew that she had gotten a lot of her looks form her mother's mother. Their cheekbones were the same, as were their wide, brown eyes. She could remember looking up into her grandmother's wrinkled eyes as she listened to the stories about Coyote, Owl, Eagle, and Prairie Dog. They had seemed so real coming from her grandma's full lips.

She had lost herself in memories of the woman that had been a big part of her life until she was 14. Until the night when her father had brutally murdered her mother and then slit her grandmother's throat. Nothing had been okay after that night, not for a long time anyway. Not until she got away from Georgia and found herself on her journey across the country.

She nearly crashed into Daryl, as she hadn't notice they had stopped due to her preoccupation with her memories. He was lifting Beth into his arms, her eyes already closed. "She okay?" she questioned softly.

Daryl nodded his head, "Yeah, she's jus' tired."

"Prolly hasn't slept good in a while."

Daryl only nodded and started walking again. Emma fell back behind him, taking her position as protector once more. She suddenly felt a stab of pride, it felt good to be responsible to other's safety again. It had been too long.

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