Beth sat on the bathroom floor. She had her legs tucked to her chest; her arms were wrapped around them. She tucked her face in behind her knees. Her stomach did another flip and she quickly grabbed onto the edge of the toilet and threw up for the fourth time today. It had started after Daryl left earlier that morning. She had been getting ready to go over to Brenna's when she felt the first wave of nausea. She had let Carol know to pass along the message to Brenna that she wasn't feeling well and then went back and laid on the couch until she felt more coming up. She felt frustrated and tired. She hated being sick and it didn't help that she was all alone for the day. The last time she had gotten this sick was before the walkers and her mother had been there to take care of her and make her feel better. Daryl wasn't going to be home for another few hours and everyone else was out working. She slowly got up off the floor and grabbed the trash can she put a new plastic bag inside it and went to lay down in the bed, keeping the bucket beside her.

She woke up several hours later surprised that she hadn't gotten up to puke once. She heard the door shut from the other room.

"Daryl is that you?"

"Ya," She heard him kicking off his boots. She sat up and felt a tiny bit of the nausea come back. He walked into the doorway, looking dirty from the day. He had started wearing long sleeved shirts now that it was getting much colder and she couldn't help but miss admiring his muscled arms. He came forward to kiss her but she backed away putting her arms up in front of her.

"No don't! I'm sick!"

"Sick with what?" His face instantly changed to a look of concern.

"I was throwing up all morning. I don't wanna get you sick too." He smiled and instead kissed her forehead. "How was your day?"

"Hunted with Damien then helped fix up part of the wall." There was a knock on the door and he went to answer it. Beth heard Lizzie's voice.

"Carol says dinner's ready."

"Alright I'll be over." The door shut and he came back in. "You feel good enough to come over for dinner?" She slowly got up out of bed. She didn't feel sick anymore but knew it wouldn't be a good idea to try and eat a full dinner.

"I'll eat a bit and see how it settles." She followed him down the hallway to Carol's apartment. Tyreese opened the door and let them in. Carol saw her and said

"Feeling any better?"

"A bit," she said, "Got anything light I can eat?"

"You can have some soup and crackers." Beth got herself a bowl and started to cook the soup over the fire. She could feel Carol's gaze on her back. She had a feeling Carol was starting to figure things out about she and Daryl. Maybe it was because she'd noticed the dark hickeys she'd left on his neck last week. She hadn't said anything to him, she had dropped the pan she had been holding when she turned and saw him. She'd also come to see the apartment last week. Beth had been there with Gwen and she had accidentally left a ripped condom wrapper on the coffee table. Again, she hadn't said anything but Beth was pretty sure she'd seen it. She'd been giving her the cold shoulder lately.

By the time the soup was done everyone had sat down to eat. There was a free chair next to Lizzie and Beth took that. She listened to Tyreese talk about fixing the wall with Daryl. She took small bites of the crackers, not wanting to overload her stomach.

"You still don't look so good." Beth realized Carol was talking to her. "You look tired."

"Ya I am." She could still feel Carol's eyes on her and she wanted to sink into the floor and disappear. She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty although she had no reason to. Daryl didn't like Carol; she wasn't driving a wedge between the two in any way. It still made her uncomfortable and she put her spoon down in the now empty bowl and said "Actually, I'm gonna go to bed early. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow." She got up and quickly dropped her bowl in the sink. She passed Daryl and said "See you later."

Daryl remained at the table after Beth left. He saw Carol's stares he knew that she knew something was going on. He knew the truth had to come out eventually. They were getting far too comfortable with each other to keep it a secret. Daryl often forgot that he couldn't kiss her in front of the others and would catch himself before he did so. He helped clean up a bit and then left. He found Beth in bed already. She wasn't asleep but was sitting up and reading. He had grabbed a couple of books for her to read on the last run and she had been enjoying them. She looked up at him and said

"Hey, how was the rest of the night?"

"It was good," he said, "How come you left so quick?"

"I was tired." He smirked and said

"What was the real reason you left, was it cause of Carol watchin' you?" He didn't expect her temper to flare up so quickly but obviously what he had said had really bothered her.

"I said I was tired! Don't you believe me!" He put his hands up defensively and said

"Whoa, calm down sweetheart." That only seemed to make her angrier.

"Don't tell me to calm down! I'll do what I want!" And with that she got out of the bed and stormed off into the living room. He wasn't sure what had just happened. He turned around and followed her. She was lying on the couch, curled into a ball.

"What the hell was all that about?" She didn't answer him. "I think I deserve to know what the hell I did to you! Quit actin' like a brat!"

"I'm not a brat!"

"You sure as hell actin' like one!" He felt his anger building as she continued to ignore him. The fight was totally irrational and he was wondering what the hell was going on with her. He'd never seen her act this way to anyone. It's like someone had flipped a switch. The words were out of his mouth before he could control himself. He was never any good with controlling his temper, he thought he'd put a cap on it at the prison but her unreasonableness was making it hard. "Knew you were too young and immature for me." He could almost feel the hurt omitting from her. He didn't want to see the look on her face, he regretted saying it almost immediately after but he hadn't calmed down enough yet to give in and be the one to apologize. She was acting like a fucking psycho.

Beth lay on the couch, tears still streaming down her face. It had been an hour since Daryl had stormed off into the bedroom and slammed the door. She didn't know how to explain the argument. What the hell was wrong with her? She had felt an unreasonable sensitivity towards what he had said about Carol despite the fact he was right. There had been no reason for her to flip out on him like that but she had felt so overwhelmingly angry, and she had no idea why. She couldn't lie there any longer and think about it. She felt far too embarrassed to go in and try to apologize; besides he'd said the five words that she had been afraid to hear since they'd started sleeping together. You're too young for me. What if he had been playing her the whole time? Her mind was like a whirlwind, traveling faster than she could keep up with it. What was going on? Her face felt hot and she went to the bathroom to throw some water on it to cool off. As she turned the faucet on and looked down she saw the box of tampons behind the toilet. She hadn't even of thought about the possibility of being pregnant. But when she remembered that she was supposed to get her period last week it all seemed to fall into place. It had been about six weeks since she took that pill. She had been eating pretty regularly. Back when they had been on the run before finding the prison her cycle was often messed up because of the lack of food and nutrition. She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked absolutely exhausted; she wasn't in the right mental state to be thinking about this right now. She'd sleep on it and if she was still sick in the morning she'd take a test.

She woke up at the crack of dawn. She knew she was gonna be sick and leapt of the couch and ran for to the bathroom. When she was done she sat on the bathroom floor and cried. It was the confirmation she needed. She was almost certain there'd be a pink plus sign on that test if she took it. Options ran through her head. Even if abortion was a possible option she wouldn't do that. She believed that life began at conception. She jumped a mile when she heard someone open the door. She looked up to see Daryl standing there.

"Still sick?" She wanted to ask him why he even cared after last night but just looked up at him, feeling miserable. "Sorry about last night." And with that he grabbed his crossbow and went out the door. She knew he wasn't good with words, she should have said something to keep him there but she didn't know what to say. Her mind was completely scrambled but she couldn't mope on the bathroom floor forever. Trying to push back the nausea she got up and cleaned herself up so she looked somewhat presentable. Then she put on her coat and went outside. She pulled the hood over her head so no one would try and stop to talk to her. It felt like forever before she reached the town square. She went into the main store, still keeping her head down. She only looked up once she was in the aisle. She grabbed the box she was looking for and left the store, walking as fast as possible back to the apartment. She ran into the bathroom and tore open the box taking out the plastic stick. She knew the sooner she did it the sooner it would all be over.

When she was done she sat outside the bathroom, waiting the two minutes. It would explain the mood swings, sickness and exhaustion. If it was positive she knew she'd have to leave. She couldn't do this to Daryl. She remembered his words about not wanting to ever be a father. Although they were both at fault she couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed. She had looked at the pregnant girls at school and turned her nose up, thinking about how much they probably slept around. The fact that it was the apocalypse just made it worse. The two minutes was up and she stood up off the couch. Her legs felt wobbly as she walked towards the door. She looked down to see that her suspicions had been correct.

It didn't take her long to quickly pack a bag. All she took were a few changes of clothes, her handgun, a knife, matches and some food. She left the town through the exit near the garden. By the time Daryl got home she'd be long gone. He could try and track her so she had to move fast. She couldn't believe this was happening. While she had faced the reality of being pregnant she still wasn't grasping the fact that in nine months she'd have a kid, Daryl's kid. Two years ago if someone had told her she'd be falling in love with the rough redneck she would have laughed. She remembered being scared of him when she first saw him. He'd been so mean looking. The thought of him made her heart ache.

Daryl returned to the apartment a few hours later. He still felt terrible about last night. She had been acting unreasonable but he should have controlled himself better. While he had been on the hunt with Damian he had spotted a bed of pink flowers and decided to get Beth some. When Damian asked him about them he grumbled about how he needed to make up with his girlfriend. He teased him all the way home about it but Daryl's mind was only on Beth. If chocolate was still available he'd have gotten her some of that but he was sure whatever he found in the stores would be stale. He walked up to the apartment and opened the door.

"Beth?" It was quiet and Daryl knew she wasn't there. He set the flowers in a cup of water and then looked around the apartment, trying to figure where she could have gone. He figured she was probably feeling better and headed across the street to see Gwen but her bag full of babysitting supplies still sat in the corner of their bedroom. Instead her backpack was missing which she hadn't used since they'd been on the road. The closet doors were wide open and a few hangers were empty. He went back into the living room and pulled open the drawer on the coffee table where she usually kept her gun and knife. They weren't there either. He was starting to have a bad feeling about the whole thing. He continued to look around the apartment but found nothing else out of the ordinary. The last place he looked was the bathroom. He saw the clue he needed on the floor. It was a torn box. He picked it up and read the label. He crushed the box in his hand, understanding what had happened. He tossed the box into the trash and spotted the stick at the bottom. The pink plus sign was there, facing up at him. The world suddenly seemed to sink away and he leaned against the wall, running his hands down his face. He didn't know what to think. He couldn't help but feel slightly angry at himself. He'd done this to the both of them. If he had been thinking with his brain rather than his dick that night things would be different. At the same time he couldn't help but feel a small glimmer of hope and happiness, something he didn't quite understand yet. But overall he was afraid. Not only because Beth had run off but because of how badly things could turn out. He couldn't help but think about Lori. He saw the fear in her eyes every day. She'd wake up every day knowing that the baby could die inside of her and eat from the inside out. Her worst fears had come true and she'd died giving birth. What if that was Beth? He would never forgive himself. He had to find her and bring her back. He snapped into action and hurried out the door. In the hallway he passed Tyreese who noticed his troubled expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Nuthin', just goin' out for a bit, won't be around for dinner."

He had no idea where to start once he reached the road outside. He knew she wouldn't have been able to leave through either of the main gates. He knew of two other places she could have used. There was a small entrance over the garden and another by the town square. The town square was closest so he went there first. There were no recent tracks that led in or out of the small gateway so he headed up to the garden. He immediately picked up on her trail. He slipped through and started to follow her footprints into the woods. The thought that she could already be dead intruded his mind. It made him want to break down.

Beth sat underneath an overhang of rock eating the jerky she'd brought with her. As time went on it got colder and she was chilled to the bone. She wished she had a brought a blanket. When she had finished her jerky she drank a few sips from her water bottle. She'd have to save it up until she could find more fresh water. It was still light out but by the next hour it'd be dark. She'd stay there for the night. The only problem would be keeping herself entertained all night. She'd have to stay awake to stay alert for walkers but the fatigue was already starting to shroud her mind. She sat there for twenty more minutes watching the sun sink beneath the trees. She heard approaching footsteps. Grabbing her gun and knife she was ready to fight. As the footsteps grew closer she realized that it didn't sound like a walker. She still didn't feel any less concerned. She remained under the rock, hoping she wouldn't be spotted by whomever was passing by. The footsteps stopped above. Suddenly a pair of feet jumped down in front of her. When she saw the angel vest she knew it was Daryl. Before he could turn around she darted out past him, moving as fast as her feet would carry her. She felt his arms grab her waist and pull her backwards.

"No let me go!" She kicked and punched at his body as he pulled her to him. It didn't seem to have any effect so she gave up and slumped in exhaustion. He turned her around so that she was facing him. She expected he'd look angry but instead all she saw in his blue eyes was pure concern. She just wanted to get away from here. Maybe throw herself over the edge of a cliff. He pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and when they broke apart he talked low into her ear.

"Don't you ever fuckin' leave me again. I can't lose you."

"You don't understand," she said, "I have to leave, if you knew why you'd want me to go too."

"I know why," he said, "I saw the test in the bathroom."

"What should we do?" She held her breath, waiting for his answer.

"Well tomorrow I can get you some of them vitamin pills that Lori took when she was pregnant, 'n then we should probably-"

"You don't wanna get rid of it?"

"No," he said, "I love you Beth, it's my kid 'n I wanna be there. Can't be afraid to live life." She couldn't help but smile. She jumped into his arms and said

"I love you too."

When they got back Beth ate a proper dinner and then headed straight to bed. Daryl couldn't sleep and he sat up watching her sleep. He didn't want to scare her and tell her how nervous he was about the whole thing. She was already under enough stress. He couldn't remind her just yet about what had happened to Lori. He had told her the truth about wanting the baby but he did still have doubts. There was not much they could do about it. He loved her and he was going to have to accept that he was going to be a dad. He had told himself that having kids just weren't ever going to be on the table. He'd grown up and seen how dysfunctional all of the families around him were, including his own. He knew he would never lay a hand on a child like his dad had done to him but he couldn't help but feel afraid he'd fuck up. He'd do something wrong and drive away his wife and children. He was going to have to suck it up and deal with it now, try his best to do things right. The world was fucked up and he'd protect Beth with his life but he knew there were some things he couldn't control. As he lay back on his pillow he couldn't get the memory of a bloody Maggie walking out the prison with Judith in her arms out of his head.

Thanks electrickpanda and daywalker28 for reviewing :) So the truth finally is out! Tell me what you think.

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