Late

She was having a slight panic attack as she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. She was late, but she'd contributed that to their poor diet and stress. Now she knew what was wrong. She was pregnant. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem. They had a good doctor that had come from Woodbury, so giving birth wasn't a problem anymore. There were a few women who'd had babies since coming to the prison. The problem was that she didn't know who the father was. Two and a half months ago she'd slept with Daryl, he'd taken her innocence from her, and she loved him. But, they were keeping their relationship a secret, and Zach had been pressuring her more and more. She knew it would look suspicious if she didn't sleep with him, people would start to wonder what was going on. Daryl knew about it, he didn't like it, but he understood why she'd done it.

But now…what the hell was she going to do. She slowly stood up from where she was crouched over from behind the wall and wiped her forehead. She looked around to make sure that no one had seen her. She needed to tell Daryl before the whole prison knew she was pregnant and didn't know who her baby was going to call daddy. She found him, talking with Rick and Carl in the field. Rick and Carl gave her a strange look as she walked up. "Daryl, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

"Yeah." He said goodbye to Rick and Carl and followed her to a more private area. "What's going on?" he asked, crossing his arms.

Beth bit her lip and wrung her hands. "I'm pregnant," she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

He leaned back against the wall. "Thought that would make you happy."

Tears welled in her eyes. "I don't know whose it is." She looked up at him, shaking. She didn't want him to hate her, she loved him.

He looked at her for a minute and she could see the anger in his eyes. But then it faded, understanding taking its place. "Because of Zach." She nodded her head. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Daryl shook his head and pulled her into him. "What am I going to do?"

He kissed her head and sighed again. "I guess we need to tell everyone. There's a council meeting in about ten minutes. We'll tell them then." He pulled back and looked at her. "I'll tell Rick I want him there," he sighed "tell Zach to be there too."

Beth nodded shakily and went to find Zach as Daryl headed back to the fields to get Rick. When they were all around the table the council met at, Beth couldn't stop biting her lip. "I take it there's a reason Beth and Zach are here?" Hershel asked, eyeing his youngest carefully.

Daryl stood up and walked over to Beth, looking Hershel in the eye. "Beth and I are…we've been together for a while."

Zach looked at them and opened his mouth but after a look from Michonne he stopped and backed off. "How long has this been going on?" Rick asked.

"A few months." Beth bit her lip, looking down. "I'm pregnant." She wouldn't look at her father. She couldn't. "But…" She couldn't bring herself to say it.

Thankfully, Daryl did. "She didn't want people to get suspicious, so she slept with Zach. She doesn't know who the father is." A quietness set in as they all let that sink in.

Zach couldn't help himself this time. "So let me get this straight. You got yourself knocked up, and you don't know if it's mine or Daryl's?" Beth nodded her head slowly. "You fucking slut."

Daryl punched him, sending him back into the wall. "Boy, you're here as a courtesy but you ever talk to her like that again, I'll do worse than punch you."

Beth put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back as Zach got up and left the room. She tried to keep the tears in, but she knew Zach was right. She never should have slept with him.

…

Beth was shaking as her baby cried. Maggie was wrapping it in a blanket. She was having a near panic attack as she thought about who it was going to like. She didn't want her baby to be Zach's. "It's a girl," Maggie told her as she gently put the baby in her arms.

Beth stared down at her and when she saw the dark shade of the tiny hairs on her head and those startling baby blues, she knew it was Daryl's. Tears fell from her eyes as Maggie let Daryl in. He had been standing outside with Zach, both waiting to see who was called in. He nearly ran to her, falling to his knees beside the bed and stared down at the baby girl in her arms. "She's yours," Beth told him, tears falling from her eyes as she rocked her and looked up at him. "Look at her eyes and hair, there's no way she's Zach's."

He kissed her head and stared at their baby. "Knew she would be." He held her close. She just smiled as they stared at the baby in her arms.