Daryl wanted time to pass in a haze. Beth's proximity and steady breath on his neck relaxed his entire body, but a sense of urgency kept him awake. He knew he could be content with that false sense of security and close his eyes if he knew for sure he would only wake up when all was over. The bad thing about happiness – or one of its distant cousins – was that you just could not go back to not knowing what it meant. He was forever haunted by the endless possibilities they could have made happen in that funeral home.

And now they were coming to take Beth away from him… again. He could not afford to think about it, nor could he afford not to. Everyone seemed curious – to put it mildly – about what the hell had happened, and he was torn between acting like nothing had changed ever since the prison, and giving in to the puzzling relief he had felt as soon as he had heard her first sob. The conflict was wearing him down, and he just wanted everyone to back off. Maggie could bounce off the walls some other time, and Rick could huff and puff over the future to someone who cared.

Daryl had lost one of the people he cared about the most once. He was not letting it happen again.

TWD

Everyone had questions, and time was of the essence. As soon as Gareth and the others realized Beth was not coming back, they would be in real danger, if not because they would come into the carbox to retrieve her heavily armed for sure.

Rick coughed. "Not to interrupt the happy reunion, but we gotta think of a plan."

Daryl sighed. "I know." He tightened the grip on Beth's waist. "They ain't gonna take her."

"No." Glenn agreed. "But they're sure gonna try."

"Hmm." Rick mused. "What would be their game? 'Mean, d'we get some kinda leverage now that we've got her, or do they simply want a bigger number on their side?"

Daryl had wondered that himself. Why had they sent her? It had been a long enough time between her kidnapping and their captivity that she had managed to win some of their trust; as battered and bruised as she might have been, she appeared well fed and clean. He ran a hand through her back and she snuggled closer. The blood was still fresh, the wetness dripping all over his fingers. The bastards would pay.

"Dunno. But we ain't gonna bother her with those kinda questions right now. She's hurtin', and it's our job to protect her." His job. It had been his job… and he had failed miserably at it. Perhaps it was the darkness, or the hopelessness of the situation, but the desperation he had felt when they had driven off with her did not even come close to compare with the despair he felt now. He had her back, but on their terms, not his. The group was reunited once again, save for a few people who he hoped would be in a better situation than theirs, but he could not fully enjoy it. Not really.

"I'm with Daryl." Maggie spoke quietly, and Glenn kissed the top of her head audibly. "We don't know what they want with us, but we know we've been treated like shit so far, so we should assume they ain't done any righter by her." Her voice faltered for a bit. "She's a mess, my sweet Beth. And it's all those fuckers' fault."

Daryl heard Michonne move quietly and come near him. "An ambush. We could ambush them." She suggested, shrugging. "We could pretend as if we're holding her hostage, and see where they stand. If they don't care, awesome. If they do, and if they come inside, we should try to jump them. You know, we'd hide strategically and then either kill them or make them hostages."

"That'd have been perfect if we didn't have so much at stake." Rick groaned in frustration. "We can't afford to lose any food rights."

"What d'ya suggest we do, then?" Daryl all but spat. "We can't just give her back. I won't stand for it."

"No-one's saying that, Daryl." Rick assured him, patiently. "We wouldn't risk her life like that, and you know that. But we can't keep her here without a plan and risk everyone's lives – including hers – either. Yeah?"

"Yeah." The redneck assented. He was thankful that Rick was taking his opinion into consideration, and his empathic tone was actually almost reassuring. He knew they were trying not to make assumptions about their time in the woods, and even if they were to ask him what had happened between him and Beth, he would not have known what to answer them.

"I have an idea." Carl said suddenly. "We could talk to them."

"What d'ya mean, son?"

"They kept us here long enough, and they didn't kill us. We've been good, and we didn't rebel. Maybe if we explain Beth's situation, we could even turn it to our favour. Like, you know, you scratch my back and I scratch yours. They let her be here, and we behave. We could even ask them to release us." Carl shrugged. "We don't know for sure they're bad people. There're still good people out there."

Daryl flinched. Hearing the boy's hopefulness reminded him of Beth's incessant, and somewhat cute, blabbering whenever she thought he was losing it. She always found a way to cheer him up somehow, even if by just making herself seem silly. He chuckled as he thought of the time she tripped over her feet and landed with her knees on horse shit… he knew she had been secretly glad he had laughed.

"Eh… it's worth a try. Not as if we've got many options." Daryl agreed.

"You really think that?" Michonne asked, surprised, and he knew she was voicing everyone's incredulity.

He tried to shrug it off. "You have another idea?"

"No… but you're asking us to hope for those assholes cooperation. I just think we should have a plan B."

A fighting plan, he translated. Daryl sighed; he was in no mood to fight. "Whatever. Do what you want. You already know what I think."

TWD

They had decided upon Carl's idea, while Rick, Michonne and Sasha devised a plan in case all that talking backfired on them. It would not be long before their captors made their appearance, so they thought they would at least eat the food Beth had brought them.

"Hmm… where do y'all think they found hotdogs?" Carl asked with his mouth full.

"No idea, kid." Sasha shook her head. "What's even weirder is why they would give them to us. I mean, its meat. It can't have been easy to get."

"Yeah." Rick concurred. "Something doesn't make sense. But right now, our best chance is if we overlook the tiny flaws in their story and try to get out of this maddening box. Out there we'll have more of a fighting chance."

Everyone agreed and finished eating in silence.

With their stomachs full, they waited for Gareth. Daryl had eaten as much as he could, though his stomach was tied in tiny knots, and his brain was all over the place with possible endings to the impending negotiation. Were he to need to fight them off Beth, it would not be much help that she was currently occupying his lap; it limited his range of movements. On the other hand, there was no way he was letting her out of his sight – touch? – for a second.

"I think I hear someone." Maggie murmured, her ear glued to the wall.

"Yeah, it's definitely someone." Glenn confirmed.

"Everyone knows what to do?"

Everyone mumbled in agreement, and the atmosphere changed, dripping with an anxiety so thick it could have been severed with a kitchen knife. Daryl could sense Rick hugging Carl protectively, and Glenn and Maggie scooting closer to one another. Bob's heavy breathing matched Sasha's nervous foot-tapping. Something, good or bad, was about to happen, and there was close to nothing they could do to avoid it. Daryl felt Beth stir and mumble something incomprehensible.

"Hey, sleepyhead." He managed, squinting towards the door in anticipation.

"Hmm… hey, Daryl." She grabbed his vest and tried to stretch without moving from his arms. "I… uhm… I gotta tell ya something."

The redneck shook his head. "Not now, girl. Right now you just stay put. Those bastards're comin' over, and I just-"

She gasped and backed away from his arms, her hands trembling. Everyone was startled by her sudden sobs, and Daryl felt as helpless as ever. "Don't let'em…"

"We're keepin' you here, Beth. I promise-" Daryl tried to calm her down, but she just grew even more restless.

"They're gonna take me away. I couldn't run, Daryl…" She cried. "I had to lie, and they kept me. I had to lie."

"Lie? What d'ya do, Beth?" He got a hold of one of her hands and grasped it clumsily. She was spinning out of control, and he needed her to calm down. They could not see her like that, or they would never allow for her to stay with the group.

"They… they don't want m- men. They j- just keep the strong ones. They want g- girls." She sobbed. "They'll want y- you, Maggie… and Sasha. They're c- creatin' a community here. And they want… babies." She cried softer now, her whole body apparently giving up into Daryl's once again.

Rick and Maggie gasped in sheer terror, and Daryl knew what must have gone through their minds. He collected himself, because he knew Beth needed him to keep a cool head. "Beth… honey… did they do anythin' to ya?" He pursed his lips to keep the furious tone from invading his calm one.

"Hm hm…" She shook her head. "They, uhm… they tried." Everyone inhaled sharply, and Glenn had to hold Maggie in her place. Daryl punched the wall and Beth flinched. "They kept t- tryin', and tryin'… I fought them the b- best I could."

"Good girl. Good girl." Daryl released a breath he never even knew he was holding.

"I… I knew they wouldn't q- quit. So I lied." Beth sobbed. "I lied. It bought me some t- time."

They heard angry steps coming their way. Suddenly they were torn between hearing Beth's story, and sticking with the plan, and they knew they did not have much time. Who were they about to try to befriend? Angry voices were coming closer by the second, and Beth sat back in Daryl's lap, her eyes wide from fear, her nails digging into his palms.

"What did you tell them, sweetie?" Maggie pressed gently.

Beth hid further in Daryl's embrace. "I… I told them I was already pregnant." She announced, her voice dry from any emotion. "So there's no point in trying. They'll never let me stay. I'm theirs now. They'll be coming for the girls next."

The door slammed open, and three large figures appeared. Everyone closed their eyes to hide from the light; apparently it was close to noon, for the sun shone bright enough to give them headaches.

"Well, well…" A bearded man with a Texas accent snickered. "You seem to have something of ours."

The three of them walked confidently towards Daryl and Beth, guns raised at the both of them and at Rick. "You ain't gonna take her." Rick warned them menacingly.

"You're not really in a position to argue." Gareth smirked.

"But I am." Daryl spoke up, redirecting everyone's attention to him. Wrapping Beth in an even tighter hug, to which she responded with an feverish sigh of contentment. He wondered if she was aware of what was happening. "My family's not goin' anywhere."

Gareth's look of surprise mirrored that of everyone else's. "So you're the father."

A/N: Eheh, what did you think? I wasn't initially going in this direction, but it occurred to me as I read all the Terminus theories. Review, please?