Special thanks to all those who reviewed!

When Rick woke up, it was because a blonde ponytail was once again tickling his nose. He sniffed it away, and took in his surroundings. He would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised to find himself more than a little wrapped around Beth Greene. His arms were around her waist, and somehow their legs had ended up intertwined. Rick sat up quickly, and took a moment to decide if he should be disgusted with himself. He knew it was completely innocent, and it was a tiny-ass bed, so he decided to give himself a pass this time. His bedmate was still blissfully asleep, her hair mussed and forming a small halo around her head. Her mouth was just slightly agape, and her hands lay softly underneath her pillow. Rick hesitated to wake her, but knew they needed to hit the road as soon as they could. Rick disentangled himself from her, and gently shook her shoulder.

"Beth." He whispered softly, "Beth we need to go." Beth sat up gently and stretched her arms out behind her, nearly hitting Rick in the face. Her blue eyes popped open and she turned to smile at him brightly.

"Good Morning!" she chirped, as she hopped out of bed and began to gather her things.

Rick looked at her, mouth agape, and laughed, "Good Lord, you wake up like a Disney Princess. Are birds and small woodland creatures about to come fix your hair?"

"What's wrong with my hair?" Beth frowned for show, and smoothed her hair back. She turned and stuck out her tongue at Rick. "Oh wow, your face looks a ton better." She said in awe, as she moved closer to inspect it.

"Thanks a lot." Rick retorted, giving her a small grin. Beth responded, with a small slap to his knee.

"Shut up, you knew what I meant. The swelling has gone down. How are your shoulders feeling?"

Rick moved his arms in small backwards circles, testing them out. "Fine, not too sore at all today, actually. Maybe this trip won't be so bad." The reminder of the difficult day before them sobered up the banter they were exchanging. Rick was almost afraid to leave. He was afraid he would reach the grocery store, and Carl and Michonne would be long gone. Or worse. A dark shadow descended over Rick's visage, and he stood up. "We need to get moving." He said solemnly.

To Beth's credit, she could take a hint. She simply nodded and began filling their pack for the day. They didn't have much; in fact they were hoping to fill up at this grocery store. They needed basic things, like food, and hopefully some medicine. The only things the cabin had held were a pot, a few matches, a couple of glass bottles, and an empty backpack.

Rick stood and stretched his atrophied muscles. It had only been a few days, but he knew this hike was going to be hard on his body. He was thinking it was about 8 miles away, which wasn't too bad by foot, but it wasn't exactly easy for his recovering body either. He pulled on his boots, and his old familiar holster, and looked to Beth.

"You ready?" he asked, turning to face her. Beth however was standing very still and white, staring at Judith's carrier. Rick knew what she was thinking, because now he was thinking the same thing. He couldn't bear to leave it here, but it was completely impractical to carry with them today. It would be nothing but a burden. Rick moved quietly over to Beth, and gently placed both of his hands on her shoulders.

"Beth." His words implored her to look him in the eyes. When she didn't respond, he gently lifted her chin up so they were face to face. Beth's eyes were glazed and looking past him. "Beth," he said again, and her eyes seemed to focus a little more on his. "Beth I promise you, we're gonna come back for it." She nodded solemnly.

"Promise?" she whispered, her voice meek and soft.

"Promise."

/

Beth was walking intentionally behind Rick. He was moving okay, not much limping, but still very slowly. Still, she had this horrible mental image of him tripping and turning his ankle, or falling and hurting his incredibly bruised hand. Every now and then she would see him stutter step a little, and she would rush behind him. Beth rolled her eyes at herself. It's not like she could catch him if he fell; she wasn't sure what her big plan was.

They had walked a fair amount of the way in silence. She could tell Rick was frustrated that they weren't moving faster; that they had even waited this long to even go to the store. His face was set in a look of furious determination, and she was beginning to worry about him.

"It's not your fault, y'know." Beth gingerly stated, trying to gauge his response. Rick stopped moving for the first time since they had left the cabin, and she caught up to his side quickly.

Rick sighed heavily, and held out his hands despondently. "Which thing are you talkin' about?" he asked her quietly. Beth's eyes grew large- she had only meant he couldn't help that he was passed out the last few days, and that meant they were only getting started now. Beth grabbed his wrist gently, and turned to face him on the road.

"Rick Grimes, NONE of this is your fault. What are you talkin' about?" she probed.

Rick pulled away from her touch and threw his hands up in the air. "Oh I don't know, Beth!" he snapped, his eyes going wild. "What hasn't been my fault? I should have killed the governor the first time I saw him. Our home would still be safe. I'd have my son with me. Judy would still be alive! Your dad… "Rick trailed off. Beth looked at him, and saw the pain in his eyes, but was too shocked at how quickly her innocuous question had gotten out of hand to say anything. Rick looked down, and Beth saw the tears starting to form on his cheeks, and heard the sob in his throat.

"It's been like this since the beginning. It's my fault the quarry got attacked. It's my fault about Shane and Lori. It's my fault we went to the CDC instead of the army base. It's my fault Sophia got lost. It's my fault Carl was shot. It's my fault the farm was over-run. It's my fault Lori and T-Dog died." Rick sobbed. "and Dale… and Merle, Andrea…" Beth stood in astonishment as she watched these emotions consume Rick. She saw him wipe his eyes, and ask her quietly- "What about you, Beth? How many of your family have I killed? How many? How badly have I ruined your life? What's the running count on the Greene family? Otis, Patricia, Jimmy… now Hershel." Rick finished, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm.

Beth walked towards him slowly, not wanting to upset him any further. "I don't… I don't blame you Rick. Never have." She said meekly, reaching up to move his hand away from his bruised face. "You did the best you could. Everybody knows that."

Rick stared at her with an intense gaze, and chuckled ruefully. "Do they, Beth?"

"I do." She said gently. Still, Beth knew what he meant. Rick was always questioned at every turn. Even when he finally decided to step back from leadership, and focus on farming the prison, people still gave him grief for that, and tried to get him to lead again. And in the end, the prison still fell; people still died. "In, this world, Rick, there is no right answer. And you can't blame yourself." Beth sighed, and pulled Rick gingerly into a hug. She felt Rick bury his face in her shoulder, and wrap his immense arms around her as he cried. Beth whispered to him gently, "It's okay… I know he was like a father to you too. I know we will both miss him." Tears formed in her eyes as well, and they stood sharing their pain for several minutes.

Beth was trying to not be overwhelmed with her emotions towards the loss of her father. She was putting it on the back burner for now; she had to. Once they found Michonne, and Carl, and then hopefully Maggie, they could all grieve together. But right now they had to all come together again, as a family. And, clearly, right now Rick needed her.

Finally Rick pulled back from her and cleared his throat. He smiled hesitantly at her, and took a deep breath. "How is it that I'm the one crying like a teenager, and you're comforting me?" he asked with a smile.

Beth returned his smile, and wiped her own eyes. "I guess not everyone can be as mature as me."

/

They were almost there. As they grew closer, the embarrassment of crying like a 4 year old on Beth's shoulder was starting to dissipate, and the anticipation was taking over. Rick was pushing through the pain he felt though his body (that he was trying desperately to hide from Beth) and starting to move much faster down the road. Beth was still walking quietly behind him. Every now and then Rick looked over his shoulder to make sure she was keeping up, and she was always right there, half a step away, and smiling at him.

He needed to find Michonne and Carl, and he needed to do it now. But he was glad he got out with Beth; she got him safe, and she had provided a certain amount of support that he wasn't sure he would have gotten from anyone else. Hell, Rick didn't even know he was carrying around all of this hurt on his shoulders, and somehow she'd already managed to take a little of it from him. It was a wonderful, if not surprising, feeling. Rick didn't depend on other people emotionally. The last time he'd tried to do that was with Lori, and well, she didn't respond exactly the way he would have preferred. He had opened up somewhat to Hershel, it was only fitting in Rick's mind that his daughter be there to help him now.

"Rick?" the small voice came in a whisper behind him. Rick turned to face Beth.

"Do you think, after we get Carl and Michonne, we could try and find Daryl and Maggie next?" she asked softly. It bothered Rick that Beth felt like she had to ask permission to find her sister.

"Of course, Beth. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm obsessed with getting to Carl and Michonne. I just think I know where they are. I have to try. Do you have any leads on Maggie or Daryl?" he asked her in his most composed voice. Rick worried that Beth now thought he was an emotional time-bomb and that she now needed to walk on eggshells around him. Yes, he carried a lot of pain, but anyone who had made it this far did. He could deal with it, thanks in no small part to Beth's support. He made a mental note to thank her for that later.

She shook her head sadly. "No clue," She answered honestly, "But I was thinkin' if we could find Daryl he could help us track her and the others."

"That's a good idea." Rick answered her honestly. "Maybe Michonne and Carl would know where to find him." Beth smiled gently, and the two began to walk next to each other in silence as they rapidly approached the store.

They were about to turn down the street to final street, and Rick stopped and turned to Beth. "Beth. No matter what happens in there, we stick together. You don't leave me, I don't leave you. Got it?" he stared at her hard, so she would know he wasn't fooling around. Rick had high hopes for how this could go, but he had been through crap too often to take any chances. Beth nodded solemnly, as the two made their final approach.

When they turned the corner and the local food store was finally in front of him, Rick's heart sank. There were small fires all around the store. Windows were smashed in, and the dead roamed freely. Rick heard Beth gasp behind him, and he pulled her flush with him. "We stay together." He reminded her.

Beth pulled out her knife, while Rick pulled out his Colt. Beth put down two walkers that had noticed them, and the pair ducked behind a long abandoned gas station next to the store.

"Rick," Beth whispered to him, "That window, on the side of the store? There aren't as many walkers around it. We could crawl in." Rick smiled at her presence of mind. He knew people had avoided taking Beth on runs thinking she was too weak and easily scared. How wrong they had been.

He nodded his assent to her, and before he could stop her, she whispered, "Cover me" and had begun sneaking her way to the window, taking down the few surrounding walkers blocking their path. She waved him over, and he rolled his eyes. He rushed up next to her, and whispered harshly "We. Stay. Together."

Ignoring him completely, Beth whispered in his ear, "The window is higher than I thought. Can you give me a boost?" Rick nodded and locked his fingers together. Beth grabbed the ledge of the window, and Rick lifted her up towards it. His hand ghosted her legs to make sure she got there without falling. To his surprise, she was able to balance with one leg in his hand, and use the other to kick the broken glass out of her way. When she finally landed on the ledge, she looked at him, and whispered, "Cheerleading. Yay!" and reached down a hand for him. She braced herself against the brick frame, and Rick scaled the wall easily.

"You're going to have to lower me down." She murmured, and Rick braced himself against the frame as she had done just a moment ago. Beth grabbed his hands tightly, and turned backwards as he lowered her through the broken window. She landed gently with a soft thud.

Rick turned around one more time to make sure they had remained undetected. No walkers were headed their way, luckily. Rick turned to jump down the window, and at that moment, he heard Beth scream.

A/N: I feel like I need to warn you that in the upcoming chapters there will be some, uh... artistic license taken with a few of the characters. You may not love it, but that's okay. Its already a Brick story, I'm expecting a little hate. But I hope you like it, or at least appreciate it. Thank you again to those who review! It always makes my day!