They were both quiet when they woke up the next morning. Beth silently cooked breakfast while Daryl cleaned off some of his arrows. She wanted to talk about the pregnancy and more about what they were going to do about it. He had seemed alright with it last night but now she was standing there, waiting for him to say something about it. Did he really expect things to go on as normal? She couldn't stand it anymore and turned around to face him.

"What are we gonna do?" He looked up at her.

"I thought we decided this last night."

"No I mean about the others."

"They don't need to know anythin' yet."

"When are we gonna tell them then? They're gonna find out eventually."

"I know," he said, "I just need some more time."

"Time for what?"

"Time to let this all sink in before I have to go face Carol." Beth understood what he meant and let the subject drop. She finished up cooking, gave Daryl a plate and sat down to eat with him. She tried to push the nausea back and take small bites of her food.

"Today when you go out visit that bookstore again, this time pick me up some baby books."

"You were great takin' care of asskicker what more do you need ta know?"

"Taking care of a baby and carrying one in your body for nine months are two totally different things."

Daryl finished first and started to get his things together. She could still see the shock and stiffness in the way he was moving. On his way out he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. She twisted around, grabbed him by the front of the shirt and pulled him in for a real kiss which he passionately returned. She looked him in the eyes and said

"Stop being so down about this, we'll get through it just fine. We love each other, we'll make it. It may seem bad now but it'll get better, I promise." She was relieved to see a smile spread across his face.

"I do love you, I'm gonna try 'n do my best to protect you." He paused for a moment and then said "And the baby." She couldn't help but grin and pull him in for another kiss. It quickly grew heated and she could feel him running his hands up under her shirt. He wasted no time in picking her up and carrying her back to the bedroom. He set her down and out of habit reached over to the nightstand to grab a condom. Instead he knocked them onto the floor and said

"Won't be needin' those anymore." She slid out from under him and quickly positioned herself on top. She could feel his erection through his pants and slowly started to grind on it. "You're gonna be the fuckin' death of me." She giggled and teasingly took off her shirt and bra. He slipped off his vest and she quickly got to work on the buttons on the front of his shirt. He was about to toss the vest to the floor but she grabbed it from him. Smirking she put the vest on. He watched her with wide eyes and said "You look so fuckin' good in that baby girl." She giggled and lightly claws at his shoulders and chest, leaving red streaks. She leaned over and started leaving a trail of kisses down in his chest. As she made her way to his lower stomach she undid his belt and began to slowly stroke him. He let out a low guttural groan that made her shiver in satisfaction. She loved hearing what she did to him. She took him in her mouth and began to move up and down. He grabbed the back of her head and gently began to control her movements, his face contorted with pleasure. When she had him close to the edge she released him and watched him reach out for her in sexual frustration. She quickly took off her pants and moved closer and then sat down onto him, gasping at the feeling of him filling her up. Sex with him was something she'd never get tired of. He grabbed her hips as she began to move and helped her pick up a steady rhythm that had him moaning her name over and over. As the pace got faster his grip tightened and she felt the overwhelming pleasure begin to build. She came first, yelling out Daryl's name in ecstasy.

When they were done she rolled over and lay next to him, still wearing his vest and trying to catch her breath. Without saying a word he rolled over and pulled her into his chest.

"Let's jus' stay here all day." She laughed and said

"We can't, I have to go take care of Gwen and you said you were gonna get me those vitamins."

"Oh ya." Sarcastically she said

"Unless you'd prefer me to get them myself."

"No you ain't doin' anythin' besides watchin' Gwen." She smiled at his overprotectiveness and said

"Yes sir." He quickly got dressed again and looked at her for the vest back. He held out his hand waiting for her to hand it to him. Playfully she shoke her head and said "Na-uh I'm keeping this for the day." He rolled his eyes and said

"Fine, you look damn sexy in it anyway." She followed him out into the kitchen in nothing but panties and his vest.

"Be safe," she said, leaning up and kissing him on the cheek.

"Always am." He turned to leave but stopped and then looked back to her. "And I really am happy 'bout the baby Beth." With that he opened the door and headed out.

Beth was ready to go to Gwen's a half an hour later. She wore Daryl's vest over a long sleeved shirt, feeling a weird sense of pride. She remembered all the girls in school who had football boyfriends liked to wear their jerseys. She had never understood why until now. As she was heading down the stairs the door at the bottom opened and Carol appeared. She had completely forgot about what she would think if she saw her with the vest. She froze in her tracks. Carol looked up at her and said

"Oh hey Beth, headed over to Brenna's?"

"Ya," she said, turning her back slightly to the wall, hoping Carol wouldn't notice. When she passed by she thought she was in the clear and hurried down the steps. When she reached the bottom she heard Carol call out to her.

"Beth," She closed her eyes, and quickly turned around.

"Yes," She kept an innocent smile on her face.

"Is that Daryl's jacket?" She didn't know what to say. She awkwardly stood there for a couple more seconds and then said

"Umm ya, he uh lended it to me for the day cause….." She paused, searching for an excuse. "Cause I said I was cold." She knew it sounded stupid. Daryl's jacket was sleeveless and didn't provide a whole lot of warmth.

"Oh," she said, nodding "Well that was a very brotherly thing of him to do for you." Beth almost burst out laughing but held her tongue. She wouldn't talk back to her; she still wanted to remain on friendly terms with Carol despite everything that had been happening. She just smiled and walked out the door.

Daryl busted open the pharmacy doors and walked inside, his crossbow raised in case of any walkers.

"Why are we here again dude?" Damian followed behind him.

"I need to get some meds."

"You don't look very sick to me."

"I ain't the one needin' 'em."

"Your girlfriend sick?"

"Ya," he said, not wanting to go into detail. He moved down the aisle looking for the vitamins. Never in his life did he think he'd be looking for prenatal pills for his girlfriend. He found what he was looking for. There were five bottles left and he quickly swiped them all into his bag, not sure on how many Beth needed. He wasn't aware on Damian standing behind him. He reached out and snatched a bottle from Daryl's hands.

"Prenatal vitamins?" There was no hiding it now. He knew Damian was trustworthy. He didn't know Carol so there was nothing to worry about. He took them back and tossed them in his bag. "You're having a baby?"

"Don't say anythin' to anyone."

"I won't," said Damian, "Why is it a secret?"

"It's complicated," he said, walking back out the door. "We gotta make a stop at the bookstore next." They went across the town and Daryl went into the little bookshop. Damian waited outside and kept watch. It was a small store and it wasn't hard for him to find the section of baby books. He wasn't exactly sure what Beth was looking for. There were a good amount of them. He grabbed a few of the bigger ones, hoping they'd hold the most information.

Beth sat on the carpeted floor and played with Gwen. Brenna was still there and getting ready to go out and do laundry. Beth knew she shouldn't ask, she knew she wouldn't like the answer but she did anyway.

"What was it like having her?" Brenna turned away from what she was doing and said

"Giving birth?"

"Ya, there's no equipment like there used to be."

"Well I can't compare the experience to what it was like in the old world since I never had a baby then but I'm not gonna lie to you I was pretty terrified."

"Why?"

"Well not just about the birth. The entire time I was pregnant I knew so many things could go wrong. If the baby died inside of me it wouldn't just be a stillbirth or a miscarriage it would come back and eat me."

"Eat you?" With a face of disgust Brenna said

"Gut me from the inside out." Beth felt her heart stop but let Brenna continue talking. "When it came time to have her I was worried something would go wrong and I'd have to have a c-section which obviously I would die from." Beth thought about Lori and what had happened with her. "I knew if anything went wrong I was a goner. And don't even get me started on the pain." Beth felt dizzy. "Hurt like hell. You don't know pain until you've given birth naturally." Her vision was now clouded by black spots.

"Could I have a drink?" she said, grabbing onto the couch and pulling herself up.

"Ya sure," said Brenna, looking concerned. "You ok?"

"Ya, just a little dehydrated I think." Beth felt like crying. Why did she think she could handle this? She had pushed the memories of Lori from her head, not wanting to face the reality of what could happen. She let go of the couch and tried to take a few steps but soon her vision was completely clouded over and she felt herself falling forward before she lost all consciousness.

She woke up in a bed. She recognized the hospital instantly from the other times she'd been in there.

"Beth?" she heard a woman's voice from nearby. She turned her head to see Carol sitting there.

"What happened?"

"You took a nasty fall at Brenna's, said you were dehydrated and fainted in the living room."

"Oh ya," she said, "Am I gonna be ok?"

"Ya," said Carol, "Just need to drink lots of water and get some rest." She held out a glass of water and Beth took it and gulped it down, her mouth feeling completely dry. The doors on the other side of the room swung open and Daryl came bursting through. He saw her lying in the bed and hurried over.

"What happened?!" She could see the fear flash in his eyes.

"I fainted," said Beth, "Dehydration I guess." Both of them knew that wasn't the truth.

"Are you ok? You didn't get hurt or nuthin'?"

"No." She desperately wished Carol would leave them alone so she could tell Daryl how scared she was. She didn't want to wait any longer and said

"Can I just go lay in my own bed, why do I have to be here?" Carol smiled and said

"You should get some more water in you before you move around much." She was scared, tired, nauseous and she had zero emotional self control left. Raising her voice she said

"I'm not a china doll! I can make it across the street!" She threw the covers back and got up, not looking at either of them as she walked by.

Once she was back in the apartment she lay first face, crying into her pillow. What was she going to do? Use a fucking coat hanger? She'd never felt more trapped in her life. She heard the door open and heard Daryl's voice.

"Hey what the hell was that all about? What's goin' on?" She had completely lost it.

"I'm gonna fucking die! I know it I'm gonna get eaten!" He came over and grabbed her wrist and tried to turn her over, but she resisted. "I'm gonna end up like Lori!"

"Hey listen to me!" She finally let him turn her over onto her back. "I'm not gonna let anythin' happen to you." She shoke her head and said

"You have no control over this; I could die at any moment!" She grew even more hysterical. "I'M GONNA BE GUTTED!" She felt him get onto the bed behind her and pull her into a tight hug. "It's gonna be painful and slow. I just know it."

"Nuthin's gonna happen to you."

"How do you know?"

"'Cause women used to give birth all the time without medical help."

"Ya but if they had a miscarriage it didn't mean that their own kid was gonna eat them alive." She turned to see him smiling at her. He put a hand on her still flat stomach and said

"That baby is a Dixon, it'll survive." She couldn't help but crack a smile. "Take these." He handed her a pill bottle. She unscrewed the top and swallowed the pills. "How come you're so scared all the sudden?"

"Brenna was telling me about how it was when she had Gwen and how painful it was."

"You'll make it through," he said, leaning against the headboard. "You'll see that baby 'n you'll forget all 'bout the pain." He had never said anything so comforting to her and she turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. He rubbed her back and said "I'll be here the whole time with you." She buried her face into his neck and said

"Don't leave me."

"Never."

Once they had both calmed down Daryl brought in the books he'd picked up from the store.

"I didn't know what really to get so I just grabbed the biggest ones, figured they'd have all the info you need." There were five in all and Beth couldn't have been happier. The last one was a big book of baby names. She picked it up and started flipping through. "Figured you'd want that one too." She picked up the first book which was a detailed walk through of every week. He turned to leave and she said

"Hey where are you going?" She picked up a book and tossed it to him. "Get reading, this is your kid too." He rolled his eyes at her and said

"Ya whatever." Five minutes later she snuck out of bed and peeked out the door and saw him sitting at the couch reading the book. With a smile she went back to the bed to read her own.

The next couple of weeks were extremely awkward with Carol around. Beth liked stealing his jacket and didn't hesitate to wear it around. They needed to figure out at some point what was going on, especially that within a few weeks she'd be showing. Thank god it was getting cold out, she could try and hide with sweaters but that wouldn't work forever.

It was dinner time and Daryl wasn't home yet. She couldn't help but worry about him. She wouldn't let herself think about what might happen if he was to disappear. The door opened and he walked through, sweaty but unscathed. She got up and said

"Where have you been? I'm starving!" He looked amused at her reaction and said

"Spent some more time huntin'. If we're gonna stay here I should pitch in a whole lot more." The nausea had been replaced by cravings and hunger. Beth found herself getting territorial over food which Daryl found hilarious. She'd almost stabbed his hand yesterday with her fork when he'd reached over to take a piece of meat on her plate. "How are you doin'?"

"I'm good," she said smiling. He had been really all over her lately about how she was feeling and the baby. She couldn't help but admit she loved it. As soon as he cleaned up they were out the door. Carol, Tyreese and Lizzie were already sitting at the table.

"Thought you guys weren't gonna show," said Carol, "There's plates on the counter." They got food and sat down. Beth couldn't help but dig in. "I even have a little treat we can all share tonight." She reached behind her into a drawer and pulled out a bottle of red wine. "Well everyone except you." She turned to Lizzie who said

"Come on can I just have a little!"

"We'll see," said Carol, pouring herself a glass. She then poured two for Tyreese and Daryl. She looked up at Beth and with a challenging look said

"You seem so hungry lately maybe you'll want a drink to go with it." Beth bit her lip, feeling the pressure. She couldn't drink alcohol.

"I'm fine," she said shyly declining her offer.

"Aw come on," said Carol with a smirk, "Just a little won't hurt." Beth felt herself go stiff. Did she know? She couldn't possibly? She wasn't showing at all yet.

"No really," she said, "I'll pass." There was a look of pleasure on Carol's face as she went capped the bottle and put it back in the drawer.

She watched them all get drunk over the next two hours. Lizzie had gone to bed and she was left alone, now the only sober one. They got louder and louder the more they drank. She suddenly felt like a little kid again, watching all the adults drink while she just sat and watched. Daryl was talking loudly about when they had first reached the prison a long time ago. Beth tried to tune it out and considered going back over to the apartment. She watched Carol stand up and sit down in Daryl's lap, who to her relief, got up and forced Carol to stand back up. She saw the look of disappointment on her face. Making his away around the table to her he said

"Well better head back, c'mon sweetheart let's go." He grabbed her hand and gently pulled her to her feet. She could see the lust in his eyes. Before she could step away he pulled her to his chest and whispered in her ear "Let's go back 'n have some fun." She would have given into him and gone along with his seduction if it wasn't for the fact Tyreese and Carol were both watching them. But it was too late. He buried his face into her neck and she could feel his lips start to attack her neck. Red as a tomato she said

"Well, see you guys tomorrow." She pushed him as quickly as she could out the door. As soon as they were in the apartment he had her against the wall and had somehow ripped her shirt and bra off. He was sucking on one her nipples which felt ten times better then it usually did considering how sensitive they'd become. She couldn't help but loudly moan his name as he ravished her against the wall. Little did they know, Carol sat on the other side of the door, listening to everything.

Thanks electrickpanda, K. Lynn Perks, DarylDixon'sLover, and Caitiann for commenting :)

I'm trying to kind of move things along for the next few chapters by doing a few small time jumps because there's a much bigger part of Beth and Daryl's story coming later I'd rather take more time to tell and I need to keep it in sync with the girls story rather than dragging it out here.

Thanks for reading :) You guys are the best!