After that incredibly emotional and explosive season opener, I need to get to work on this. Notes at the bottom.

"We got out of Terminus and lost track of everyone. There were walkers everywhere so we just ran. It felt like days before we finally got our bearings back. We finally figured out where we were and what direction we needed to go in to get to DC. It took us a few weeks to find a car but when we finally did we drove until we ran out of gas. Everything else we came across was either broken down beyond repair or burnt out. We had no choice but to walk. We found this place a few days ago and decided to stay and rest." Maggie tightened her grip on her sister's hand and wiped at the tears with her other. "I'm so glad we did. Beth, I'm so sorry. I didn't think you made it out."

"Daryl got me out." She didn't go into detail, she didn't need explain anything. She just smiled and looked down at her sister's small bump. "How far along?" She asked quietly. Every eye in the room turned to them. Rick's gaze was intense and painful.

"I think a little over three months, maybe four. I've known for about two. When we were on the run I didn't really think about it." She looked over at Glenn lovingly.

"Are you scared?" Carl was sitting on the floor next to Rick and Judith across from them. Beth winced at the tone of Carl's voice. She knew what he was thinking and where he was going with this.

"I'd be crazy not to be." Maggie whispered. She smiled, despite the situation. "But we're happy it happened. Maybe once we get to DC there will be something there. Doctors. It doesn't have to be like…" She stopped and tears pooled in her eyes.

"Lori." Rick finished for her. Silence hung in the air and the shift in the conversation was incredibly uncomfortable. Abraham and Rosita took that as their opportunity to flee the room to one of the bedrooms down the hall. Carol and Tyreese followed suit shortly after. Bob and Sasha busied themselves in the kitchen and Gabriel pretended not to listen. Eugene and Tara made an excuse to go outside and look for signs of trouble. Normally Daryl would have made that excuse but he stayed in the corner in the shadows watching her. Beth caught his gaze and gave him a soft smile.

"It doesn't have to be like that, Rick." Glenn spoke up for the first time. "We get Eugene to DC and we fix it. Then Judith and the baby have a chance. A life."

Rick started to say something and Beth interrupted him. "We just have to have hope. That's all we can do. This will not do anyone any good." She gave her sister's hand a reassuring squeeze and they smiled at each other. Rick nodded and stood with Judith and motioning for Carl to follow.

"Come on son, we better get some rest." Carl nodded and followed his father down the hall. They were lucky the house was so large. Four bedrooms and a pull out couch in the living room and one in the den off the dining room provided enough space for almost everyone. Maggie gave Beth another hug and pulled her up from the couch.

"You can stay back there with me and Glenn." Maggie offered. Beth laughed.

"No thank you. I don't want to wake up to you two silently fooling around and be in the same bed." Maggie's face turned red.

"I would never!" She said in mock hurt. Daryl's face softened at the sister's banter.

"I'm going to stay out here. It's easier then sneaking around when it's my turn on watch so…" Daryl pushed himself off the wall and headed to the door.

"Speakin' of. I better go get them two in here. Neither of em knows the first thing about looking out for themselves." Daryl muttered and touched Beth's arm as he walked past. "See ya soon." He said without thinking and headed out the door. Maggie gave Beth a skeptical look and told Glenn to meet her in their room. Glenn took the cue and bowed out quietly. Before they could speak the door opened and Eugene and Tara wordlessly shuffled past the sisters and into the den to sleep. Beth smiled at how close the two had become. They were really good friends. Gabriel followed them to the make shift bed he has set up on the floor of the den.

Maggie pulled Beth's attention back to her and quirked an eyebrow at her little sitter. Beth just held her gaze strong and sure.

"What's going on?" Maggie whispered.

"A lot has changed since the prison, Maggie. I'm important to these people now. Daryl taught me how to track and hunt. Michonne jokes that I'm almost better than he is. I take watch, I pull my weight. Carol takes care of Judith for the most part and I'm almost always out with Daryl on scout." She explained, clearly avoiding what Maggie was asking. But it pulled her attention away from the question at hand.

"Wow. Beth, that is wonderful." Maggie was truly proud of her baby sister. Her stance was tighter and she seemed to be listening to everything. She could see the difference after the first hour with her. "I'm glad Daryl was able to take care of you and help you."

"He did his best. He doesn't think it was enough. But when Father Gabriel took me and Daryl and I finally found each other again he knew what he needed to do."

"Wait, you were kidnapped?" Maggie almost screeched again.

"Yes, but Gabriel thought he was saving me. Daryl looked for me for close to a month. We found each other in a little cabin not much different from this one. It was the three of us for months until Rick and the rest stumbled upon us one night. I was on watch and Daryl was still awake. I heard them before he did." Beth was proud of herself for how far she had come.

"Wow." Maggie whispered again. Beth nodded in agreement.

"You better get some rest. Bob and Sasha will want the couch soon. I'm just going to lay here until Daryl's watch is over." Maggie just nodded and headed down the hallway. Once she was gone Sasha walked in and began to pull out the bed.

"You'll have to tell her at some point." Sasha said, her eyes never falling from her task.

"I know. But it's not about me tonight. This is about us. Our family is finally whole again. We haven't lost anyone since daddy. I don't want to discuss more than what has to be. Not tonight." Beth turned to look out the window and watched the silhouette of Daryl perched on the railing of the porch.

"I never told you sorry for your father. He was a great man." Sasha stopped and Beth could see her walk up behind her in the reflection of the glass.

"He was."

"He would be proud of you." Bob chimed in and Beth felt herself smile again.

"I know." She turned to the two and just regarded them for a moment. "He'd be proud of us all." They nodded and turned to their bed and laid down. Beth waited until their breathing evened out before she ventured out of the cabin.

"Hey." He turned his head to her as she stepped up beside him. "How ya doin'?"

"I can't believe this luck. Everyone is back together."

"Ya nervous?" He reached out and took his hand in hers. She didn't respond. She didn't have to. He knew she was. "We can change our luck." He pulled her closer to him and dropped his legs so she could stand between them.

"How?" Her voice was as soft as the wind and he could see the fear.

"I thought you'd tell me. Ya always talk about hope. Got me believin' it too." He brought his hand up and cupped her cheek.

"Oh yeah, I forgot." She smirked. "We'll be fine." She sounded surer this time. He nodded and pulled her to him. His lips claimed hers and Beth forgot her fear immediately. She pulled her arms up around him and slipped her tongue out to touch his lips. He moaned and opened his mouth to her. They could get lost like this and they both knew it. Daryl pulled away and kissed her forehead.

"Got a job ta do." He muttered regretfully. She nodded and stepped back from his embrace. She pulled out her gun and walked over to the far corner of the porch, her eyes alert as she scanned the forest.

"They've been here a few days. Maybe we can stay here a few as well. I wouldn't mind stealing a bed. Abraham and Rosita are next on watch." Beth has their 'schedule' memorized.

"We're close to Washington. Don't think they'll wanna stay again." Beth's shoulders slumped and Daryl regretted taking something so simple from her. "Cover me for a few minutes." Beth nodded without question as Daryl jumped down and headed into the cabin. She scanned the tree line over and over again hearing nothing and seeing nothing. She turned back to the other side of the porch to do the same when Abraham and Rosita came out of the cabin. Beth gave them a questioning look.

"Trading watch. Daryl came in and cockblo-" Rosita punched him in the arm.

"What the dick means to say is that you've have an emotional day. Daryl's waiting for ya in the back. We should have thought of it first." She smiled and pushed Beth into the house. Beth shrugged and went to find Daryl. There was no way she was turning down the chance to sleep in a bed even if it did mean that the other two didn't get one. There were times, she had accepted long ago, that she needed to be selfish for a change. She pushed open the door to find Daryl sitting on the edge of the bed biting his lip nervously. Without hesitation she walked over and turned his head up to hers and brought her lips down to his. The kiss was simple, short, and tender.

"Thank you." She breathed against his cheek and pulled away and pulled at her dirt covered clothes to get into bed. His eyes followed her hands and watched with lust filled hunger as more and more skin was exposed to him. He'd seen this before but something felt different now. When she was down to just a tank top and underwear she glanced up at him. "You going to stare at me all night or are you going to join me?" Her voice sounded sultry to his ears. Without another thought he rid himself of his jeans, vest, and long sleeve button up shirt. He climbed into bed next to her and she quickly slid to his side.

Daryl's body stilled and he suddenly didn't know what to do with his hands. She ran a hand over his chest and up his neck and he finally decided to put one hand on her back and one on her hip.

"Still nothing up here?" Her eyes were playful and wild as she tapped his forehead and he laughed at how her question sounded.

"Ya callin' me dumb?" He tried to sound hurt but couldn't. She laughed this time. "Na, nothin' up there but me." He finally answered.

"Good." She pulled her body the rest of the way up his and brought her mouth to the corner of his. He turned his head slightly and captured her mouth with his. He heard her moan as he worked his lips over hers greedily. Her hands found their way into his hair and when he felt her tug gently he also felt his control falter. Giving over to touch and instinct, he rolled her over on her back and his body rested on top of hers, pinning her beneath him. He pulled his mouth from hers and looked into her eyes. Her expression was calm and content but her eyes held the truth. She wanted this, she was ready for this. She felt whole again and needed this.

No words were spoken as he ran his mouth down her neck and to her collarbone just above the cleavage of her top. She arched her back into his mouth and sighed in response. His hands went to the hem of her tank top and his palms ran up her flat stomach lifting the fabric with it. She arched again to help him remove the shirt. Once the fabric has been discarded his mouth began a slow and tortuous trail to her breasts.

As his mouth closed in around its target he heard her moan softly and felt her nails grip at his shirt. He desperately wanted to remove the barrier but left it for the time being as he explored and savored each moment with her like this. Her skin was like silk and he couldn't stop his travels across her body if he wanted to. As he worked over her breast his right hand made its way down her stomach and he felt her tense for a moment. He stopped and looked up at her.

"Ya ok?" His breath was ragged and she looked terrified. "Beth, talk to me." She hushed him with her hand on his mouth.

"Someone's out there." He only took a moment to look over at the open bedroom window before he trusted her words completely and quickly dressed and threw her clothes to her. His crossbow was over his shoulder and before she could get her sweater and jeans back on he was at the window looking out.

"What'd ya hear?"

"Sticks breakin'. I heard it once and thought it was nothing. Maybe Abe or Rosita but then there were more and it sounded too far away. They wouldn't go that far from the cabin." Beth was now fully dressed and standing next to Daryl with her gun drawn.

They stood in silence listening to the still of the night. After a few minutes Daryl began to relax. "Nothin' out there. Come on, let's get some sleep." Daryl was, to say the least, frustrated by the unwelcomed distraction but when their lives were on the line, he'd prefer being alert to being sated any day. And they weren't technically safe right now. This isn't what they had agreed to so many months ago. But here he was about to throw caution into the wind and give in to her. To them.

Just as he kicked his boots off he heard another snap. And then another. Beth was still by the window studying the woods and he heard her small gasp. He barely registered the words.

Her voice with soft and harsh, quiet and loud, all at once. "It's a herd. Coming this way!"

I really really really really hope ya'll don't want to kill me after that chapter. But too much luck has been had and that's just not the way of the world in The Walking Dead. Sorry to leave with a cliff like that. I'm going to work on the next chapter tonight and some tomorrow so hopefully it won't be weeks before the next one. To be honest I had no idea I was going to do that. I just sat down to write and this is what happened. Eep!