Daryl sputtered, looking at her like she'd grown a second head. Anger, rational and otherwise, bubbled up from his stomach, bile churning as the fire set his insides to a boil. After everything – everything! – she was just going to walk away? Did she not understand how much he'd beaten himself up over this? Did she not remember the time they spent together? She'd told him that he was going to miss her when she was gone, and he had. Did the same not apply to her?

Hurt.

That irrational anger in his chest, squeezing his heart until it twisted and surged painfully against his ribcage. It was hurt. Pain and rejection.

"The hell y'ain't!" he yelled, taking a menacing step towards her. Her hand still gripped the knife tightly, balanced and ready if she needed it, but he wasn't scared of no damn knife and he sure as hell wasn't scared of Beth Greene. Especially not the new model Beth Greene that stood before him, 'cause this wasn't his girl. He growled as she stood defiant with blue eyes blazing. "Don' make me toss y'over my shoulder and haul yer ass back, 'cause I will."

A staring match ensued, neither one willing to budge, though he could see the tremors in her body. He knew her enough even still to know that she was unsteady, wavering and unsure. There was a wild look to her eyes and he kept a close watch on her knife wielding hand. It struck him then that he didn't trust her and the realization felt like a kick to the gut. He wanted to drop to his knees and beg the real Beth Greene to show her face so he could let himself off the hook of being the reason she had been gone. And he felt responsible for the strange girl standing before him now. If only he'd just let the dumb mutt die.

She had yet to speak, her eyes resting mostly on him, narrowed in a fixed glare, but he could see the way she was taking in her surroundings. She was looking for an easy out because she didn't intend to go willingly.

He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, stringing along a slew of curse words and under breath mumblings about how she was still so damn stubborn. At least that hadn't changed. It hadn't been much of an endearing quality even back then, but now it was downright annoying.

But before he lost his temper with the ghost of his Beth, he tried one last approach. He let his crossbow hang at his back, sliding his knife back into its sheath and holding his hands up in surrender. His treads were light and nonthreatening, leaving a wide berth between them as if the proximity might scare her away. "Maggie's back at camp," he said quietly, his voice gruff and as sensitive as was possible for the scruffy man. Maybe he could appeal to her with that angle. Surely even this wild Beth had to still hold that love for her sister. She was, after all, the only living family she had left. "Judith too. She's prob'ly 'bout three now. Maybe even more 'an 'at. You sayin' you wanna leave all that behind?"

The grip on her knife tightened, he noted, knuckles white with the pressure. She was shivering now, wild blue eyes glossy and he thought maybe he'd hit her where it hurt. He realized only then that she hadn't had a way of knowing that Judith had made it out of the prison with the rest of them. "Tyreese had her all along," he explained, voice just as low as it had been a moment before. He thought maybe he was getting somewhere with it, or at the very least buying time until Rick and Michonne could get there, so he continued. "Took care of her 'til we all met up in Terminus. Place was a shit hole, kept us locked up like cattle. Woulda slaughtered us like it too, but we got out and we been lookin' for you." He paused, dark blue hues sweeping across her features, taking in her subtle breaths and movements. She still stood ramrod straight, but she didn't look as defiant as she had only moments before. He was wearing her down. "And now yer sayin' y'ain't comin' back with us?"

She snapped back to attention then, his gruff voice growing accusing and throwing her back on the defensive. He could see the threat of the tears and he wanted to push her just a little bit further, sure that when he broke through that threshold, it would be Beth – the real Beth – on the other side.

"I ain't the same girl you been lookin' for," she said finally, squaring her shoulders and jutting her chin out like some child with a superiority complex.

"Well if that ain't the truest damn thing you said all day. Don't change the fact that yer still Beth Greene and you still got family about a hundred steps 'at way." He nodded his head in the direction of the camp and he could see the way Beth twitched, half of her almost desperate to look while the other clung to the idea that she had a choice in the matter.

There wasn't a chance to say anything else as the twigs snapped behind them and they both swung, weapons readied as at least four shadowed figures made their way through the clearing. Daryl took a protective step in front of Beth, an old habit that he still apparently had.

It took only a moment longer before he could see that Rick and Michonne had finally found them. He could hear a sharp intake of breath behind him and as he peered around their quickly gaining forms, he could see two more figures. One was holding the other by the shoulders and it was obvious they shook and wriggled desperately, trying to free themselves from the confines of the hold. It was only a moment later that their faces came into view and he understood the gasp that had sounded from behind him.

"Beth?" The voice was breathless and ragged, thick with tears. Maggie fought against the hold on Glenn who let his hands drop to his sides easily now. They were all looking at Beth like they'd never seen anything like her before and for a reason unbeknownst to Daryl, it sent a prickling down his neck, hackles raised and annoyed as he took a protective step closer to Beth. He didn't even have to know this body snatcher Beth to know that she would hate the way they were all looking at her, like she was some kind of zoo animal. He bristled and as Maggie took long, desperate steps towards Beth, Daryl held up his hand. "Now wait a minu-"

Maggie was paying him no mind as she stalked past him, running towards Beth who seemed as frozen in place as the others. Her eyes snapped to Maggie just as she threw her arms around her shoulders and a strangled cry erupted from Beth's throat, hands shaking as she tried to throw her off. "Don't touch me!" she shrieked, shrinking away and pushing herself backwards to regain some distance.

Maggie fell backwards, off kilter from the shove. No one moved as Beth gulped mouthfuls of air and Daryl could see from where he stood how pale she'd gone, the tears she probably hadn't even noticed slipped down her cheeks. Maggie sat, stunned, until Glenn was at her side, helping her up. Glenn whispered in her ear, but she fought against him, crying about how this wasn't right, that was her sister.

Daryl stole a glance at Beth who was backed against a tree, chest rising and falling shallow and rapid. She was shaking and he caught a glimpse of Old Beth and a surge of need to protect her had him standing between her and Maggie. The older Greene's eyes narrowed, wet streaks paving salty trails down her cheeks. "She's been through a lot, more 'an we know. Let's give 'er some time to adjust."

"She's my sister!" Maggie argued, halfheartedly fighting against Glenn's grip on her. Beth hadn't made much of a noise, but he could still hear her breathing; the panicked kind and damn if it didn't transport him to a time when he'd felt weak and helpless. Suddenly, he prickled as a thought settled around him. What the hell happened to her?

"Jus' back up, alrigh'? Give her a minute." Rick and Michonne had kept their distance, Rick's face pulled into a look of concern for the New Beth that stood in front of them, all of them wearing the same alarmed look on their face at her outburst.

With a hand pressed against her heart and her breathing slowly returning to normal, Daryl watched as Beth looked up to study them all as they studied her. Her eyes narrowed as she used the tree at her back as a brace to stand herself up. On wobbly legs she stood in front of them and she looked so much smaller than she had only a few minutes ago when she'd been sassing him and telling him all the things she wasn't gonna do. Her glare moved to Daryl and Daryl alone and when she spoke her voice was shaky. "Why couldn't you just let me go?"

The question hit him like a train, ran him down where he stood and stole the air from his lungs. "Wasn't an option," he said with a shrug, eyes on her shoes and not on her face. He kicked at the dirt with the toe of his boot, uneasiness settling down around him. How could she not want this? How could she not want to be back with her family? It didn't make sense to him. Shit wasn't adding up and he chanced a glance at Beth again only to realize she was steeling herself desperately against the tears swimming in her eyes, threatening to fall and ruin the facade of being strong and independent. That irrational anger was back, bubbling up from his chest and exploding through his mouth before he'd had the chance to think it through. "Fine then! Ya wanna go? Git! Go on, girl, git outta here! Don't need y'anyway! Though we was yer family, but since we ain't..." He waved his hand in the air dismissively, ignoring the pointed stares from the group as he stalked off through the trees, turning his back on the lot of them.

A/N: Please remember to review, let me know what you thought. We're getting there, I promise!