A/N: YAY! Update number 2 this week!

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Companion song: "My House"- Kacey Musgraves

Disclaimer: I do not own or have any rights to the characters/plot of TWD series. I am just a fan exploring the marvelous, macabre world Robert Kirkman created.

Enjoy! And please review before you leave!

/

Chapter 11: Lucky

Months passed easily with Morgan by her side. They had learned how to interact harmoniously, when to talk, when not to talk and perhaps most importantly, how to communicate without talking. He was a gentle soul but it was clear that he had a dark past. Beth knew that he had lost a son and a wife after the turn, but he didn't tell her the details and she didn't ask. Morgan was a man who learned from the past and then let it go instead of dwelling on it. It actually soothed Beth in a way, his tendency to focus on the present and the future. Neither of their pasts mattered and it wasn't a huge point of discussion between them, so she did not stress about being unable to remember hers.

He was tracking a group that was supposed to be going to Washington D.C., which he explained had been the capital of their country before the turn. Morgan taught her a lot, about the current world and, if she asked, about the world before. She was grateful for his patience and willingness to teach her things. He planned to drop her off with her friends in Richmond and then proceed to DC.

But neither place held anything for them.

Thanks to the use of several maps they found in gas stations, they were able to find the neighborhood in Richmond that Kyle said her friend Noah was going to. The outside walls had been smashed and the houses already cleared of everything except dusty clothes and rotting corpses. She felt disappointment at finding the place empty, but she couldn't be too upset about not finding people she didn't even remember. Since she had no other leads on her own family, she continued with Morgan to the capital.

That city had been a terrible maze of huge, white marble buildings that stood unscathed surrounded by chaos and destruction. Morgan had reasoned that the sturdy marble buildings used to hold historical artifacts. Now, every time they knocked on the doors the only greeting was snarling from decaying walkers. There were some underground tunnel systems that Morgan knew about, explaining that his brother had worked in the government and he "didn't exactly follow the non-disclosure agreements." They checked these but only found empty cavernous passageways. Morgan briefly considered setting up a permanent camp for them here but decided against it for numerous reasons: he was slightly claustrophobic and didn't want to permanently live underground like rats, he also didn't like the lack of visibility and lastly the maze of tunnels was too complex and too massive for the two of them to protect. There was some evidence of camps that had been set up within the city after the turn, but nothing lasted. After spending several weeks combing every inch of the city in blazing summer heat, they found nothing of the group Morgan was searching for.

In the end, they were both left disappointed and without families.

/

The time continued to pass as they bounced from place to place, staying in some places for only a few hours and others for a few weeks. Her hope was dwindling, and she suspected that Morgan's was too.

One morning as fall began to make the air crisper, she woke up earlier than usual because of the cold chill and found him crying on the front steps of the house they were in. She considered just pretending that she hadn't seen him, he obviously wanted to hide this moment of weakness from her. Instead, she quietly walked out onto the porch and wrapped him in a hug. She wasn't even going to ask what Morgan was crying about, she just wanted him to know that she was there, that they were in this together.

"Rick was my last hope. When I was at my lowest, I'd completely lost my mind, he found me and pulled me back outta that stupor. Shoulda gone with him that day! But I was too damn stupid… too busy living in the past and couldn't bring myself ta leave the place where I lost Duane," his eyes flashed with self-loathing at this.

She didn't know what to say, so she remained silent.

"I dunno what to do now, Beth. Tracked him across the country, just a step behind him for so long. Now, I'm not sure if I've just been following a ghost. If I made it all up," his voice drifted off but Beth could tell he wasn't finished. So she waited patiently next to him, huddled in her jacket on the porch, watching the sunrise.

"There's a story, real famous before the turn, called 'Inferno' written by a man named Dante hundreds of years ago. The story is about a man who is on a tour of the nine levels of hell—it's all about poetic justice and gettin' what's comin' to ya. And he has this spiritual, ghostly guide, Virgil, who patiently teaches him about the hell that they're passing through," his eyes were far away, but suddenly the darkness melted from them as he looked over at Beth. "I used to think it was all a metaphor but some days, I'm scared that its nonfiction and I'm livin' it. Wonder if you're my supernatural guide through hell on earth. I've seen how you're not afraid of this world—you're not scared of the walkers or of the idea that we might be the last living souls on the planet—don't see how that's even possible! Makes me think you are my guiding angel. Then… other days, I'm afraid this is just me losin' my damn marbles again. Wish we could find Rick and he could pull me back to sanity…"

These ramblings on the porch didn't frighten her exactly, but it did make her nervous. Morgan had lived a full life before the turn—he had explained a bit about what it was like back then; having lots of people around, electricity and all the other 'normal' things. But what Beth thought was the most significant thing missing from his life before was his family. Just because he lost his son, didn't mean he wasn't a father anymore. Only now he was a father without a son to care for. Beth never asked for Morgan's help with anything or allowed herself to rely on him because she knew how easy it was for people to get ripped away from you in this world. Kyle had literally been ripped from her grasp by the hands of death.

But maybe, she had been wrong. Maybe Morgan needed to feel needed. He needed to have a purpose in order to keep going.

To keep living, she corrected herself.

She had been keeping him at a distance for months to protect both of them from getting hurt by the other's inevitable death… but she realized now how wrong she had been.

Pushing him away made them weaker.

It made them less human and more like the walkers that stumbled aimlessly around just going through the motions to survive.

So she vowed then and there to let Morgan into her family that she didn't even fully know. She needed to help guide him out of the darkness he had fallen into and she knew exactly how to do it. He was a father and he needed a fatherly task.

"I'd really like to read that Inferno book," she said in as light of a tone as she could muster considering the desolate nature of Morgan's thoughts. "Do ya think you could teach me to read?" she asked as she brightly over at him.

The shadows lifted from his face at this question and lines around his mouth carved into his skin when he smiled back at her.

"I'd be honored to, lil' Lady."

Everything changed from that day on.

Morgan obviously loved being able to teach Beth things. So he taught her to read—first by reading books to her and eventually helping her to read them on her own. They gathered books from every house they scavenged, seeking books like they sought food or medical supplies. However, unlike most things, books were easy to find. Beth grabbed all she could; soaking up all the knowledge that she felt had been stripped away from her when her memory disappeared.

Eventually, they found a working car and Morgan also taught her how to drive. It was exhilarating to move so quickly, to zoom across the road at a pace that would have been unthinkable on foot.

Morgan's eyes became distant during her first driving lesson and Beth gently laid her hand over his, not paying too much attention to the road since it was a completely empty stretch of highway.

"Never got ta teach Duane how to drive. It's kinda a right-of-passage, a dad teachin' his kid ta drive..."

"I'm sorry Morgan," she murmured softly.

There is no real way to comfort a parent who lost a child. Parents were never meant to outlive their children, it wasn't the natural order of the things.

There were no words that made it all right.

"I'm happy I got ta teach you though…" he smiled.

"Me too! I wonder if that kinda makes ya my dad," she peeked over at him out of the corner of her eye as she said this.

His smiled broadened, the white of his teeth contrasting with his dark skin "Guess it kinda does …"

/

They used the car to drive to the coast, hoping that the water would provide some protection on one side at least. Many of the houses on the coast were large and insulated against the noise and the cold, which made it a perfect place for them to stay for the winter. So they set up a semi-permanent camp at one of the medium size houses towards the top of a hill. Morgan set up booby traps for both humans and walkers and Beth regularly went in the surrounding forest to hunt. She had gotten good with the bow, easily taking down animals with a swift shot to the eye, same as the walkers. But as winter progressed and snow fell nightly, it became harder to find prey and they became nervous about leaving tracks in the white powder. The only plus side to the winter was that it seemed to slow down the walkers, the ice and snow made them clumsier, more likely lose their footing and fall.

One bitingly cold day, Morgan and Beth were trudging through white powder that reached up to Beth's thigh. Live prey had been scarce and they needed to search the houses in the next neighborhood to find food. After a few hours of searching, they had a full pack of canned food. But there was one more house Beth wanted to do… something about the house seemed to call out to her. Morgan strode up the front porch steps and pounded on the door while Beth stood in front of the house, surveying the street with her bow at the ready and watching Morgan's back—their normal protocol.

There was movement under the porch.

Beth whipped her arrow towards the spot where she saw movement. Morgan noticed her quick change in demeanor and he froze, waiting for her signal. She crept forward, weapon still poised as she crouched down into the snow. In the tiny space covered by the wooden planks that stretched around the house she saw a little, furry puppy.

Her heart melted at the sight of the tiny creature curled up in a ball. She motioned Morgan over so he could watch her back while she shimmied under the porch to get the puppy. Beth unzipped her jacket and tucked the cold puppy against her chest to keep him warm.

"Where do you think he came from?" she wondered aloud as she stared at the little nose now poking out of her jacket.

"I dunno Beth… but we can't keep him. We barely have enough to feed ourselves," he hesitated, clearly torn between wanting to help and not wanting to get attached to another, fragile creature in such a cruel world.

Beth found the puppy's tracks and they followed them back through the snow to find a macabre scene at the edge of the forest. The snow was stained red. Three walkers were chewing on something furry that Beth did not want to inspect. She shot all three of them in the head and Morgan was chivalrous enough to retrieve her arrows for her.

"We've gotta keep him, he's just a puppy and he doesn't stand a chance without us," she pleaded but Morgan still looked worried. If she raised the puppy, he was worried that Beth would be heartbroken when it died.

"He lost his family too. He's one of us Morgan. All life is precious." She smiled up at him, using his own words against him and he caved. Morgan nodded at her as his face softened in a smile looking at the little brown and black fur ball snuggled against Beth.

Beth had slept with the puppy on her chest, it seemed to calm him down and it kept the both of them warm. Morgan determined that the pup was likely a mix of German Shepard and Husky. He described those breeds as: loyal, smart, strong, and hard working.

"And this lil' guy happens to also be pretty damn lucky to have been found by you," he said the next day. Her eyes lit up at Morgan's words.

"That's perfect! We'll call 'im Lucky," she stated with finality.

/

They left the coast a few months later when the snow melted. Without the ice slowing them down, the constant loud, crashing waves actually attracted the brainless monsters so there was an endless stream of walkers that ambled around the neighborhood.

So they were on the move again. This time, both Beth and Morgan got to teach the puppy various tricks. Although, he didn't need training for everything. Lucky never barked, it seemed to be on pure instinct that he knew to be as quiet as possible, and he was able to feed himself sometimes. Beth had seen him snatch more birds out of the air in midflight. Lucky was growing up faster than a weed in an untended garden.

/

Quickly, all three of them had become irrevocably attached.

Over a year had passed since Morgan first found Beth in the forest, she only knew this because the heat of summer returned. Some days, Beth became depressed over the fact that none of her memories had returned. Glimpses still came to her via familiar voices in her mind, moments of déjà vu, or the dreams of ghosts that she could hardly remember in the morning. Lucky and Morgan always managed to pull her out of her funk by reminding her that she was fortunate for what she had now.

There was a creeping sensation of waiting for the other shoe to fall. It had been so long since anything bad happened that Beth seemed to be counting down the days until there was another accident.

She was right.

In mid summer, water became a limited resource again and the little family was constantly going on runs to find drinkable water. They were staying in a large cabin a little ways up a mountain range that Morgan called "The Appalachians." Most of the streams they had come across had run dry but there was a meager river still flowing less than a mile from their place. It was very secluded out here so they decided to stay for a while.

"I'll check the traps, hunt and fill the water bottles at the stream. Be back before sunset."

"Silent, secure and side-by-side," he stated and patted her shoulder. She nodded with a smile before walking out the door with her bow in her hand. They always said this before they separated from one another. It was the "Three S" rules they lived by: move silently, always stay safe and never leave the other behind.

Beth enjoyed living in the woods, it made hunting easier and it meant better sight lines. Lucky liked it too. He had grown to be over 60 pounds with tons of dark fur and bright blue eyes and he bounded happily through the trees while sniffing the trails of prey on the ground. She didn't worry about him because the dog was an excellent tracker and he also knew how to stay well away from walkers—he could smell them before they could smell him so he was an outstanding companion in this world.

Beth shot several squirrels, one bird and caught a rabbit in one of the snares she had set up the day before. She always set up the traps far away from their house in case the trapped prey attracted walkers or people saw the man-made wire loops. The sun was already beginning its quick descent when she picked up on some unusual tracks. She had never seen them before and followed the imprints for a while before remembering the animal they belonged to.

A bear.

Morgan had found an amazing book in a library a few months ago that had the footprints of hundreds of different animals. Beth was curious to see a bear in person, but the logical side of her reminded her that they could be dangerous, although she doubted bears were more dangerous than walkers. Beth, drenched in sweat from hunting all day in the summer's heat, looked over at the sun's position. It was probably only 2 hours until sunset so she needed to get to the stream and get back to the cabin before Morgan worried about her.

As the blonde worked her way back towards the direction of the stream, she realized just how far she had been tracking that bear. She had gone much further southeast than ever before and it took longer than she wanted to get back to the stream near their cabin. The sky was already turning orange when she reached it, bending over to splash herself with the cool, clear water.

All of a sudden she saw a bush rustle across the bank.

Her muscles tensed and her hands flew towards her bow next to her.

But it was just Lucky that came leaping out of the shrub, splashing through the water and licking her in the face. She set up the water bottles to fill upstream as Lucky lapped water and cooled himself by laying his belly directly in the water. After a few minutes, Lucky took off into the forest again to chase a rabbit that skirted by further downstream.

It was definitely past the time that Beth told Morgan she would be back. He was probably pacing around the cabin, frantic. She hated to worry him and she would undoubtedly get a lecture about safety when she got back.

Just as she zipped up her pack containing several full water bottles and her kills from the day, she heard a crunch of leaves behind her. The noise of the water splashing over the rocks had muffled the sound and now whatever was back there was close, very close. She considered scrambling up a tree but she knew she wouldn't make it and the bank of the stream was too exposed.

There was nowhere to hide. So she would have to fight. Two men came into view from the west, illuminated from behind by the last hints of the sun below the horizon. The blonde stood her ground, weapon already poised at the strangers before they realized she was there.

"Oh shit!" exclaimed the man on the right, stunned when he caught sight of her. He had a tattoo of some type of robot on his neck, and red hair that stuck out in every direction. His hand twitched for his gun in the holster but as his eyes surveyed the small blonde, he visibly relaxed.

Good. He's not very smart. She thought instantly, seeing how he was underestimating her already.

"Came for water and we found a damn angel, Jerry. It's like losing a quarter and finding a $20," said the second man to his companion. This man had to be over a foot taller than Beth and he had sandy brown hair tucked under a cap. He was smarter, Beth noted as she saw how his hand stayed firmly planted on the handle of the Colt tucked into her belt.

Beth hadn't said anything. Her head was completely clear and heart rate was even while she considered her options. She wanted to wait and see what they would do next. They hadn't done anything to show if they were dangerous or innocuous yet.

The taller man, seeing that she hadn't loosened her grip on her bow, gave a small shrug. And walked over towards the stream, still giving her a wide berth. He knelt over, cupped his hands in the cool water, drinking several handfuls and splashing some on his face before standing up and facing her again.

"Sorry, haven't found water in two days. Couldn't resist it anymore," he sighed contentedly. "We're being rude, forgot about manners about the same time that dead people starting munching on the living. I'm Michael, that's Jerry," he nodded in the direction of the heavier-set red head.

Michael leaned easily against a tree and he let out a quiet chuckle.

"You're about the quietest lady I've ever met, most women won't stop jabbering." Jerry guffawed at Michael's joke.

"If you want to be left alone we'll just fill our bottles and go."

Michael had no accent, just like Kyle and Dr. Edwards, and she wondered where he was from. It was strange for her to hear a voice without an accent since she had only heard Morgan and her own for such a long time.

No alarm bells were going off in her head, she wasn't scared of these men so she decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. She released the tension on the bowstring and lowered her weapon.

"I'm Beth. Y'all have a camp set up nearby?" she questioned. They didn't have large packs on their backs, only weapons and water bottles, so she assumed that they had set their stuff down at a camp before they came to the stream.

"Sure do. Another twelve men up at the top of the ridge waiting for the water, we drew the short straws," the red head answered. "What's your set up like? You could come back with us, I'm sure the guys would be happy to accommodate one more."

Michael shot a glare over at Jerry at this. He had given up too much information, their camp's location and the number in their group, and this girl had only told them their name. And suddenly, Beth's guard was back up. A total of 14 people, all men, and just miles away from their cabin… she didn't like it. However, she didn't want them to know she was onto them so she maintained her casual demeanor as she tried to come up with a plan. If she kept her cool, she might be able to walk away unscathed.

"That'd be very kind of y'all, been on my own for a while so it'd be nice ta getta real night's sleep again…" she smiled gratefully. "Left the rest of my stuff up a tree a few miles back, should get that before I turn in, just in case we gotta run in mornin'."

She figured it was safer to lie and tell them that she was alone, better than having them try to hunt down Morgan. It was dark out now, the stars beginning to pepper the dark sky and she knew he must be frantic by now, she said she would be back over an hour ago. If she could just get away from these two she could run back to the cabin and Morgan and her could disappear into the night. Beth put as much confidence in her steps as she backed away from the pair, trying not to appear like a mouse being pushed into a corner by a snake.

Michael, the sharper of the two, has shoved his cap in the back of his belt and was now staring at her with a keen spark in his green eyes.

"We'll escort you Goldilocks. Wouldn't be very chivalrous of us to let a young woman traipse through the woods alone at night." She didn't like hearing him use a nickname for her, like they were friends. Michael shoved off the tree he'd been propped against and started closing the gap between them as if to walk with her. Jerry was still filling up bottles in the river and seemed completely unconcerned about the prospect of her leaving.

"That really ain't necessary. Like I said, I've been on my own for a while in these woods. I know them real well so I'll be fine," her voice sounded false. Michael, now towering over her, was mirroring her steps as she continued away from them. Her heart was pounding in her chest, adrenaline already pumping through her veins as she prepared to run as soon as she got out of their sight line.

"Besides I'm sure you're tired from trekkin' up the mountain all day! You deserve some time to rest and fill up your bottles." this seemed to appease them both. Her telling them that they deserved relaxation. "Meet you back here in a bit."

His eyes flicked from her face to something beyond her head for only a fraction of a second. She knew it couldn't be a walker behind her since she hadn't heard any footsteps or growling. It must be someone else from her group, someone trying to stay quiet.

Shit, now I'm outnumbered and surrounded.

"All right then, sweetheart," she hated this nickname even more and the dark glint in Michael's eyes contradicted the warm smile on his lips.

In her peripheral vision, she saw Jerry's head and eyes flick to something behind her back too and a smug smile tugged at his lips.

She whistled loudly. The noise would certainly attract any walkers nearby, but she would deal with them when they arrived. It was more important that Lucky heard her, as she knew he would. Just as the tune left her lips, she heard a twig snap behind her and felt a sickening impact with the side of her head.

And then, all she saw was black as her eyes fluttered closed.

/

A/N: **runs away and hides after another cliffhanger**

Next chapter: Shit goes down and we finally fully understand the extent of Beth's brain injury!

Following chapter: Beth and Daryl meet!

If I get to 110 reviews this week I will update twice again so PLEASE review/ follow/favorite before you leave!