Hershel felt worn and defeated when he finally arrived home. It was one of the rare times that Beth had even stepped out of her bedroom since her birthday. "Daddy, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Bethy," he said. "I was with Rick, meeting an old friend of his. We thought he would be the one..."

She already knew the answer but she still risked asking. "What did he say?"

"He said 'no'. I'm sorry. I tried my best." Hershel tried to held back tears as he realized that this could be Beth's final night in this house...his final night with his youngest daughter."

...

Daryl had been in a foul mood ever since he found those papers on his porch. He figured he ought to go into town to check on the whereabouts of his brother. But town was his least favorite place to be. He only made brief appearances to drop off animals skins and meat he hunted for trade, and that in itself was rare because he would hunt most of those things for himself. Most of the time he traded with the communities, it was in exchange for gas or booze. He found himself at the Walker Patrol post.

"Daryl?"

"Any news on my brother, Grimes?"

"He robbed a few houses about a week ago. Luckily no one was hurt but he could be doing hard time in Woodbury for a while."

Daryl then dropped some papers on Rick's desk. "That old man you brought to my place left this. I don't think he's gettin' the point."

"Oh I think he does," said Rick. "I told him to leave those papers there with you."

"You what?"

"We were hoping you'd change your mind."

"Hell to that." He turned to walk out the door but Rick still called out to him. "Have you heard what they've been doing to the women who aren't complying with the law? It's a lot worst than what your brother is dealing with right now."

Daryl stopped. In truth he had heard rumblings, only because this wasn't Merle's first troubles with the Governor and Merle was usually full of wild stories about the corrupted capital of Woodbury but in this apocalyptic age, he would take his brother's word for close to fact. He had no idea how Merle was able to get in and out of that place so often when many were taken their for their crimes and never got out. Likely, he got his freedom doing some of the Governor's dirty work.

"I owe everything to Hershel," said Rick. "He's a good man and his daughters...they don't deserve that kind of fate. You should be lucky your brother's stay at Woodbury is just temporary."

Daryl slammed the door but instead of being on the other side of it, he was still in the room with Rick.

...

The next day, Maggie and Glenn arrived on the farm. They knew the day that the census takers would come was fast approaching and they felt they had to be there. Two cars arrived later that afternoon. They bore a Woodbury emblem on the car doors. Two men came out of one car. From the other car was a man that none of the family had expected to see.

"Maggie, take Beth into the house."

"But dad..."

"Please, just do it."

Maggie led Beth back into the house while Hershel stepped off his front porch to confront the arriving men. "Governor, I'm surprised to see you."

"You were practically pleading when you came to see me, Hershel. But laws are laws for a reason and I'm here to make sure they're followed. So, has your daughter found someone to sign the contract with?"

Hershel couldn't hide the truth from a government official. That usually resulted in a death sentence. "No...she hasn't."

"Then I'm afraid, she'll have to come with us."

"She just needs more time. I'll give you anything you want. 90% of my crops..."

The Governor shook his head. "Now you're resorting to bribery? I feel your pain, Hershel. I use to have a daughter myself but the law still stands. Martinez, Shumpert..."

The two men walked by Hershel but as they approached the front porch, someone had stepped out of the house brandishing a shotgun. "You're not coming in here!"

"Maggie!"

"Maggie, no!" Both Beth and Glenn ran outside trying to hold Maggie back as she aimed the shotgun at the two men. "Beth, get back. You're not going anywhere."

Martinez and Shumpert quickly pulled out their guns aiming them at Maggie. "Miss, what you're doing is an arrest-able offense," said the Governor. "You don't wanna do anything stupid."

"Try me."

The situation was getting too intense. Beth pleaded to her sister. "Maggie, please! I'll go with them. Just don't do this."

"I'd listen to her if I were you," said the Governor.

"Just shut up!"

"Put down your weapon!"

The shouting continued until a bang silenced everyone. At first it seemed like someone's weapon had fired. But no triggers were pulled. Everyone could hear a low rumbling sound that seemed to be getting closer to the farm. They turned to see a motorcycle heading towards their direction. As it got closer Hershel was surprised to see that the driver was the same man that he and Rick had visited the day before.

Daryl pulled up to where the standoff was taking place. "Sorry I'm late," he said. "Walker troubles." He got off the bike, and ignoring most of the people there, went up to Maggie as he carried some crumpled papers in his hand. "You Beth?"

"No." Maggie pointed past Daryl. "She is."

When Daryl turned around, he was shocked by what he saw. God, she was so young, practically a kid, and surely half his age at most. She had to have been fresh of 18 or else the law would not have applied to her. And nobody warned him, even informed him of this. At least now, he understood why Hershel and Rick were so desperate, why they even came to him in the first place.

After he handed Beth the papers, there was no turning back.

"Well, I guess everything is working out," said the Governor. "As soon as you sign those, I can notarize it and make it official. Then you two can be on your way out."

"Beth," said Hershel with a heavy heart. "You should sign that inside, and get your things."

The Governor and his cronies seemed impatient wanting the situation to be done and over with. But it was Daryl who spoke up. "Take your time."

Maggie and Beth went back into the house. Beth smoothed out the crumpled sheets of paper. She hoped this day would never have to come. The hand which held a pen was shaking for a long time as she looked over the papers again. It was still the same law. She would have to leave the farm...she would have to live with a man she just met, and she would still have to give him a child in about a year. It didn't make it any better that where she was supposed to sign, her name was already printed there, like the sentence had already been given out. She then look over at the other signature...it was poorly scribbled like a preschooler had sign it, but she could make out the name 'Daryl Dixon' above a line that stated 'proprietor'.

The tears came flowing then. For Maggie and Glenn it was a happy occasion regardless of what the law wanted of them but for Beth, she was basically signing away to be someone else's property. She quickly completed her signature on the paper and then broke down.

Maggie had been behind her and she embraced her sister. "Hey...we'll see each other again, okay?" But Beth had a hard time believing that. Maggie then helped her pack some of her clothes. Then they stepped outside, where everyone was still waiting. Beth hugged her father. "I love you, daddy."

The papers were handed over to the Governor and he notarized them. Daryl was surprisingly patient as he watched Beth say goodbye to her family. When she was inside he and Hershel talked. Hopefully Hershel would make a trip out to visit Beth and her new home soon, but Daryl already knew that she wasn't going to be comfortable with where he was taking her. Her family's farmhouse was a mansion compared to his meager rotting shack.

The Governor and his mean didn't leave until Beth finally got on the bike with Daryl, carrying her bag over her shoulder. She couldn't bear to look back at the farm she could no longer call home.