A/N (Famous words) Sorry for the wait…

So we sort of just jump right in during this chapter, enjoy. I hope…

Beth tucked her knees against her chest as she looked into the side mirror of Dales R.V at the glorified traffic jam. In reality, it was she guessed, since the line of vehicles hadn't moved in over four hours. It didn't seem realistic. Any of this frankly, and Beth didn't believe it until two of them had ambushed then the night before. Dead people who weren't actually dead, or were but were somehow up and walking again with a desire to rip the living apart. The thought actually made her want to laugh, because if she had said that a few weeks ago everyone would have called her crazy and locked her in the wacky shack. If it were under different circumstances she totally would laugh, but it really wasn't a time for laughter.

Beth was surprised by the number of people who actually listened to the broadcasts and piled onto the highways trying to get a spot at the refugee camps in the city. Beth sighed as she passed Amy and Andrea who were playing a game of cards at the table. Beth gave them a small smile making her way out of the R.V to see what was going on. They had picked up Andrea and Amy a few days back, their car had broken down and Dale had kindly offered to give them a lift. When word that they had a refugee center in the city Maggie, Glenn, and Beth had stuck with Dale being he was alone after the passing of his wife. Maggie had been handling the paperwork at Dales shop for over a few years now and they were close with him, they were family pretty much. They got especially close after what happened with him she didn't like to say his name or even think it; Dale had cared about him a lot as well.

Beth ruffled Carl's hair as she passed him and Sophia as they played a board game on the tailgate of Carol and Ed's Cherokee. They had met them a few days back as well. Shane and Lori and her son Carl, as well as Carol and Ed and their daughter Sophia, they had been all traveling in sort of a small caravan since the traffic had been so backed up. They were sort of like traveling neighbors. Shane seemed okay as well as Lori, Beth wasn't too sure about Ed or Carol though they kept to themselves and Carol was very shy. Carl had taken a liking to Beth instantly though, constantly chatting her up and telling her stories. In all honesty she didn't mind she had always liked kids, she even thought of becoming a music teacher before everything had happened years ago…

Beth spotted Maggie talking to Lori while Glenn and Dale were looking under the hood of the R.V. Lori smiled at her as she approached and Maggie turned to face her.

"Hey Bethy, did you eat something yet?" Beth smiled at her mother hen behavior, if you asked Beth though she was just sort of bossy. She smirked at the thought.

"Yes Maggie I had some soup. Ya know I am twenty eight years old I do know how to feed myself…" Beth dramatized.

Lori chuckled while Maggie rolled her eyes. Beth looked up seeing the last of the sun disappearing, the sky fading into dark blues and black. People starting to prepare and set up camp on the road for the night, tents being set up in between cars and lanterns set out. The noise of what sounded like a large plane brought her out of her observing as well as getting the attention of everyone else.

From where Beth was standing she could finally see what had gotten everybody's attention, Shane and Lori headed into the woods trying to get a better view of the city as well as some others and some people even standing on their cars. Beth gasped when the loud explosion resonated in the still night air.

"Oh my god." Maggie breathed. Curses and cries from others surrounding her as well.

They were bombing the city. All hope that this madness would end, was being destroyed right in front of them. Everyone watched as the city burned. It had been overrun; there was no refuge in Atlanta anymore. There was nothing.

Beth knew they needed to go and get as far away from here as possible everyone needed to if they knew what was good for them, but yet no one did. They all sat and watched as their last hoped burned to ashes, red and orange flames lighting up the night sky. Their world ending right before them…

XXXXTWDXXXX

It was about a few weeks after they had bombed the city; the group had found an off service road that led to a quarry. Everyone had agreed it was the safest choice right now; the caravan had grown a bit since they had decided to stay there. Shane would go to the highway to check the place out or scavenge and would sometimes find people passing by and if they were okay he would invite them back to camp. They had a pretty good little community going at the moment; everyone pitched in contributed what skills they had. Glenn was the guy who always went into the city for supplies, Maggie absolutely hated it but every once in a while she got to go with him. This of course made Beth a nervous wreck, but they were both quick on their feet and seemed to always get the job done. They had always been such a good team, in a way Beth envied that.

Beth always felt like she was sort of third wheeling if she hung around them too much. Which sounded so dumb because who cared about that stuff now, at least she was still alive, not that she didn't miss having close friends? She had made friends with Amy who was a few years younger than her but Amy was also very close with her sister Andrea and she wasn't Beth's favorite. Andrea always seemed really high on herself and Beth didn't particularly like to hang around her. Beth did get along with Lori as well and was currently hanging clothes on the line with her and Carol when they heard Shane arriving, he was supposed to be scavenging the highway and getting water. Beth noticed he wasn't alone though in the distance there was a blue pickup and a motorcycle following behind him. They were too far away for anyone to see anything yet, but they were most likely new arrivals Shane had discovered on the highway.

"Looks like newcomers…" Lori stated as she finished hanging one of the last shirts.

Lori went to greet Shane while Beth grabbed a bottle of water taking a much needed sip, the heat was almost unbearable right now and it didn't help there was no air conditioning anymore…Guess that's what happens when the world ends. Carl came running over to Beth showing her a caterpillar he had caught to which she admired like it was the coolest thing she had ever laid eyes on. Carl's attention turned towards Shane's arrival and the new people.

"Cool a motorcycle…" Carl awed at the piece of machinery which was now parked and missing its rider. The new arrivals were out of sight from where they were standing at the moment though, probably talking to Shane and Lori. They were sort of the king and queen of camp.

"We should go meet the new people! I wanna show Shane my caterpillar too." Carl rambled.

"Okay kiddo, come on." Beth ruffled his hair and followed him.

As they rounding one of the vehicles Beth could hear voices and she stopped dead in her tracks. Her lungs quit working and her entire body felt numb, like she couldn't move even if she tried. Carl turned around looking at her oddly as to why the sudden stop; she knew she had to be as white as a ghost. She could here Carl asking if she was alright faintly but the only thing her hearing honed in on was the voice on the other side of the R.V. She knew the voice anywhere. It used to be her favorite sound in the entire world. The one that comforted her and kept her sane, but also the one that haunted her as she tried to fall asleep at night. You'd think eventually you'd forget after so many years, but here she was gasping for air to fill her lungs because she was having trouble breathing at the sound.

There was no way. No way in hell. It couldn't be. She was dreaming. Beth dug her fingernails into her palms trying to bring herself out of it. Wake up, wake up, wake up. Beth faintly heard Carl crying out for his mother. 'Mom! Mom, there's something wrong with Beth!' Then other voices and she dared to look up and she felt sick. Her stomach dropped and she felt dizzy and like her throat was closing up all too quickly.

She wasn't dreaming.

They locked eyes for what felt like an eternity. Blue on blue. Recognition and pain and about a million other emotions flashing in them. Both unaware that everyone around them was watching them like they were crazy, but eventually realizing the situation that they knew each other. Where was Maggie? I need Maggie .She needed something to pull her back.It was Dales voice that broke through though as he rounded the R.V.

"Oh my god..." His voice sounded as shell shocked as Beth felt.

"Daryl…"

That did for her, her resolve broke. His name. Oh god this was real. She let out a breath that was something between a gasp and a broken cry as unshed tears filled her eyes. She didn't know what to do. They were still looking at each other and Beth felt so many things at the same time she felt like she was actually going to be sick. She wanted to scream and cry and smile. This scenario had played over in her head a million times but never like this. She wanted to hold him but also had a part of her that wanted to slap him. Everything was contradicting itself and her mind was a mess and she still hadn't moved a muscle.

He hadn't spoke yet either. Daryl didn't know if he could. There she was, he wanted to drop to his knees and praise to whatever god or higher power there was. She was alive. Beth was alive. He opened his mouth to say something, anything. Nothing came out. So he took a step, a very small one but at the moment felt momentous. The second he did though she was gone. She bolted and he swore his heart broke all over again, more painful than the last.

Beth ran, she didn't know exactly where or how far she had so far. It could have been a 100ft it could have been a mile…At this point she was having a terrible time trying to get any air into her lungs. She collapsed against a tree probably scraping her back on the bark but not noticing as she tried to even her breathing. Once she got her breath under control she cried. Hard. She hadn't cried that hard since her mom and brother died. Seeing him again was like a punch in the face. It hurt so goddamn bad and she wanted to just kill him for the pain he had caused her, for lying to her and betraying her. But what were the chances. The chance she would see him again, especially in the world they had now. Without even having to search, he was just there. Alive and breathing right in front of her.

She wanted to hate him. She did, for what he had put her through. She could never hate him though. That was the whole problem, she loved him. She was in love with him. Beth didn't think that could ever change. First love dies hard, right? For years she tried to move on and convince herself that she hated is guts and she could find someone so much better. She had tried meeting other guys but it never went any further than coffee or lunch, there was too much hurt and she couldn't get herself to open up again. Daryl had wrecked her. So what did she do now?

Eventually Beth cried herself out and stood up thanking god that no walkers had wandered upon her, and decided she had to make her way back to camp. The sun was getting low in the sky and she certainly didn't want to be out in the woods, alone in the dark. Finding her way back to camp was a bit tricky and she hated that she had been so reckless to not watch where she had been going earlier. Maggie practically ambushed her as she emerged from the woods; obviously she knew what was going on.

"Beth…Thank god." Her voice was relieved but gentle as she stood in front of Beth pulling a leaf out of her hair.

"I was about ready to send a search party." Maggie smoothed the rest of her hair down a bit. Beth could only imagine what she looked like after crying for so long and running through the woods but at this point her head was killing her and she just wanted to lie down.

Beth sniffed as Maggie looked her with a strong look of sympathy.

"Why don't you go lay down and I'll bring you something to eat okay?"

"M'not hungry." Beth mumbled shuffling to her tent.

She didn't dare look around, she could already feel eyes on her and she didn't want to know if a pair of them were his. Then a thought struck her and suddenly she was terrified, even after telling herself she should hate him… What if he had left? He wouldn't do that right? Not without at least… What was going to happen? It was making her headache worse just trying to think about it so she slipped inside her tent and drifted sleep quickly after exhausting herself from crying for so long. She just wanted to shut her mind off.

A/N Well then. Please review saying what you think? What would you do if you were Beth?