...

Beth wasn't sure how long they stood there, the Greene family together once again, wrapped up in each other's embrace but it wasn't long before she realized that there was an audience. And sure, she was mad, so mad that her family had given up on her and of course she wanted to confront them about it but she knew now was not the time. Now, she had her Daddy in arm's reach and Maggie clinging to her side and as she glanced around at all the faces staring back at her - some looking confused and others looking genuinely happy, big smiles on their faces, some a mixture of both - she couldn't help but notice that beside the people already in front of her, no one else looked familiar.

It was that realization that had her pulling away - though not far - and Maggie took a step away, wiping at her face and sniffling and Beth was thankful that she had finally stopped crying. She looks down at her Daddy who has tears on his face and a smile that she had only dreamed of seeing again these past few months and she gave him her own sad smile.

"Patricia and Otis?" she whispers in question. "Jimmy?"

Hershel just shakes his head and Beth nods. She was sad of course but if she were being honest, she had already lost them a long time ago and having it confirmed now, well it wasn't that hard to digest. Jimmy had been her boyfriend and sure she cared about him but she knew that the only reason they had been together so long was because the world turned to shit and she had loved Otis and Patricia like they were her aunt and uncle, they had been a part of the family for just as long as she had but they weren't her real family. They weren't the faces she saw when she went to sleep at night. She saw her Mama and Shawn more than she saw them and she had already known they were gone.

She had left the farm that day thinking that the family and friends in her barn were just sick, that one day a cure would come around and they would be a complete family again but it didn't take long once she was out on her own, fighting for her life to realize that her Daddy had been horribly mistaken. Her Mama and brother had been dead since the moment they had to be placed in that barn, away from the rest of them. She had grieved for that loss a few times out there on her own but that was a long time ago and she now knew that people dying, it was unfortunately a common thing now.

The sound of someone clearing their throat had Beth turning around to see a man standing behind them. His stance seemed casual as he placed his hands on his hips but Beth got the feeling that he had some power here. His face was hard to read but he had kind eyes and a small smile on his lips as he glanced at Maggie and Hershel before his eyes fell on her, his gaze curious as he takes in her appearance.

"Rick," Hershel speaks up behind her. "This is my youngest daughter Beth."

Rick grins then, taking a few steps toward her and holding his hand out and Beth had to remind herself that she could trust these people - it was clear her Daddy did and her Daddy was no fool.

"Nice to meet ya Beth. I'm Rick Grimes. I've heard quite a bit about you." he says and Beth tentatively places her hand in his as they shake.

"Hello," she says, giving him a small smile.

"How?" Beth hears Maggie whisper beside her and she looks over to see Maggie staring at her in wonder, shaking her head slightly. "Beth how did you make it out there? By yourself?"

Beth shifts on her feet, suddenly feeling all the eyes and ears in the room on her. She shrugs her shoulders and bites her lip, wondering just how she could answer that question.

"I just did," she finally says, taking in a deep breath. "I didn't have any other choice. I had to find you guys."

"How did you find us?" A voice speaks up and Beth looks behind Rick to see a skinny brunette walking up toward them and Beth nearly flinches in shock when she sees the woman's large belly. "I'm Lori, by the way, Rick's wife."

"I didn't," she answers, looking around the room until she finds Daryl leaning against the wall, standing next to the grey haired woman she met earlier. "I found Daryl." she says then and she can't help the small laugh that bubbles out at the end of her sentence.

"Well that musta been terrifying."

This time Beth looks over to see an Asian man come up and stand next to Maggie and he runs his hand down her arm until Maggie turns her own hand and their fingers lock together and Beth tilts her head slightly at the gesture, wondering what kind of relationship the two shared.

"Ay, watch it," Daryl speaks up and he gives a glare toward the other man who just grins.

There is suddenly a loud crash behind them and Beth jumps, flinching away from Maggie's hand as she reaches out to her and she sees a heavyset black man coming from a small room beside the cafeteria, looking sheepishly down at the metal bowl he had just dropped against the concrete floor but Beth doesn't really see that. She isn't in the prison anymore, surrounded by her family and people she doesn't have to fear.

Instead she is in a dark, rundown gas station, her hand clutching her knife and her chest heaving as she tries desperately to quiet her pants of breath. She flinches with each item the man is flinging off the shelves, laughing as his voice gets louder and louder, closer and closer and she presses herself further against the wall behind her.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are."

His voice is taunting and she feels tears well in her eyes but she just brings her knife closer to her chest, biting her lip and nearly holding her breath.

"Why'd ya run girl? Thought we was havin' fun. But don't you worry girlie..."

There is one more loud crash before the station suddenly goes quiet and Beth can't help but wish she could stop the beating of her heart because it is pounding so loud right now she is sure he can hear it.

"I like it better when you scream."

The voice is right next to her, it's toxic stench dripping across her skin and when she feels a cold, rough hand grab her arm she lets out her breath in a high pitched scream, falling right into his trap.

"Beth!"

She jerks at the sound of Maggie's voice and even though she is back in the prison she still snatches her arm away from her sister and she stumbles back, her hand immediately going for her knife but before she can reach it another hand reaches out and grabs her wrist, the grip strong and warm and she quickly looks over to see Daryl standing next to her, his eyes imploring her own as he takes a step closer toward her, his hand giving her wrist a small squeeze before he leans in toward her, the fabric of his flannel rubbing up against her arm.

"You're a'right." he whispers and she nods her head, trying to calm the gasps that were escaping out of her throat.

"Bethy?"

She looks over at the sound of her Daddy's voice and that's when she sees the worried looks that everyone is giving her.

"I'm sorry," she gasps out, taking a deep breath to try and stop the way her chest is heaving as she tries to push the dark memories away and when she catches the slight whiff of cigarette smoke she finally feels herself relax. "I'm okay, I'm sorry. I'm okay."

"When was the last time you had a decent meal?"

Beth could just kiss Lori with the way the woman butts right in, not leaving any room to talk about her panic attack and even though she can tell her Daddy and Maggie are just seeming to realize that she isn't that same little girl they last saw on the farm, she doesn't want them to ask questions and she doesn't want to talk about it and so when she just gives Lori a shrug, shaking her head slightly she is thankful when the woman flutters about, waving her hands around like this is the worst news she has ever heard and it's like something shifts then, like the world is right again in this prison where she has found her family and for the first time in a long time, she can suddenly breathe again.

There was a time once where Beth could never be quiet in a crowd. She always liked to weave her way into conversations and be in the middle of everything going on and up until she got separated from her sister in a botched run to town and Beth can't even remember what exactly it was that they even went there for - probably something stupid she is sure but back then, they didn't realize just how dangerous the world was.

Now though, Beth likes to be quiet, to sit off toward the side and watch the people around her, study them. She watches as lunch is served all around and even though she pretests when she sees the large serving Carol had given her - to which the woman just smiled and walked away, ignoring her completely in a "this isn't even an argument" kind of way - she eats greedily. She eats in silence and she watches in silence and she is so quiet that she isn't surprised no one has noticed that she has moved to one of the farther tables - at least until Maggie comes and plops herself down across from her and Beth's eyes narrow slightly before she catches herself and she sits up, returning the smile that Maggie is giving her.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Maggie asks after a moment of shared silence between the two sisters and Beth feels herself stiffen.

Did she want to talk about what? There were so many things Beth wanted to talk about, most of them being how in the hell they could have just written her off as dead, going so far as have a grave for her without the proof of her dead body.

"No," she mutters, looking back down at the bowl of rice in front of her, suddenly not as hungry as she thought.

"Beth," she starts but Beth quickly shakes her head, bringing her hand up.

"Just, not right now, alright Maggie?" she says then and if Maggie notices that the exhaustion and hesitation in her voice is just an act, she doesn't mention it.

"I'm glad you're here," Maggie says then, her voice low and quiet and Beth looks up and she swears she sees guilt in her eyes.

"Me too," Beth answers truthfully because no matter how upset she was over her families actions, the truth of the matter was tonight she would be sleeping in a safe place with her sister and father just in arm's reach.

"I'm gonna find 'em ya know, I will." she tells him, narrowing her eyes at him as he cleans his knife.

"You keep tellin' yourself that darlin'," he drawls, not looking at her.

"I will," she repeats, her voice firm. "I'll find 'em and then we'll finally all be safe together."

He snorts. "Findin' your family don't mean shit, girl. It ain't gonna make ya magically safe neither. Ain't no place in this world is ever gonna be safe, no matter who ya got watchin' your ass."

"Beth, did ya hear what I said?"

Beth blinks as she looks up at Maggie who is watching her with a confused expression.

"Sorry," she mutters, rubbing at her eye. "I'm just pretty tired."

"Well, once we're done here we can go and get ya some clean clothes and then I'll take ya down to the showers, no offense but ya kinda stink." Maggie smirks as she wrinkles her nose and just as Beth is about to respond back with a sassy comment of her own it suddenly registers what Maggie has said.

"Showers?" she asks skeptically and her voice hopeful.

Maggie grins. "Yep. It ain't even that cold either."

Beth smiles then and she would have been happy to spend the rest of her dinner dreaming about actually being clean for the first time in who knows how long but then she looks over and sees her Daddy hobble in the cafeteria - and she realizes she still hasn't found out what happened to his leg - and Rick and Daryl are following behind him and she notices a shift in the atmosphere, almost as if someone had flipped a switch from casual to serious and she turns in her seat to face the three of them fully when they stop in the front of the room.

Beth catches Daryl's eyes as he leans back against the wall, crossing one leg in front of the other and he seems surprised when she doesn't immediately look away. After a moment she gives him a faint smile, trying to express her gratitude for the way he was able to help her calm down earlier and she tries not to think of what could have happened if he hadn't of stepped in when he did - she very nearly pulled a knife on her own sister. He nods his head at her, barely a move of his chin but she sees it and she isn't sure why she feels such a pull toward this man who was still more a stranger to her than a friend but she has also learned that these days, finding someone whom you can trust - no matter how little you know about them - is a very rare thing and shouldn't be questioned.

"Alright," Rick speaks up, his voice full of authority and Beth concludes that her early assumption had been right and Rick was this group's leader. "We've held off as long as we can but now that we've got most of the prison secure we really need to make a run. Daryl said he spotted some places that might be promising on his last hunt but we still need a few more volunteers."

A few people raise their hands and Beth hears Maggie sigh when the Asian guy - who had introduced himself as Glenn - is one to do so and Beth is once again reminded that she still has so much to ask her sister. Her Daddy speaks up then, mentioning that with Lori being so close to delivering that the most important things the group should be looking out for is medical supplies and before she realizes it Beth is placing her hand in the air.

"I'd like to help," she says and she ignores all the looks of surprise that come her way - everyone except for Daryl, who Beth is pretty sure has a small smirk on his lips, is looking at her like she has just told them she thinks the world is flat and even though she feels the need to shift away from their gaze she keeps her shoulders steady.

"I'm quick and light on my feet and I've pretty much been around everywhere. I might even be able to lead ya to some places I know haven't been ransacked too much."

"You sure you're up for this Beth?" Rick asks her, his eyebrows rising in concern. "You've been out there awhile and you certainly don't have nothing to prove."

Before Beth can even get a word in Maggie is speaking up, her voice holding that older sister tone that Beth had hated before all this and now it just made her furious.

"Beth you can't."

"Why not?" she asks, cocking her head to the side and giving Maggie a look, a look that certainly matched her stubborn attitude. "And don't you give me this bullshit on how it's dangerous or how I just found you again because believe me, I know. I've been out there on my own, searching for you. I can do this and you ain't gonna stop me."

"Fine. Then I'm going with ya." Maggie argues, raising her eyebrows in a challenge.

"No you're not," Beth responds. "If you go out there with me you're gonna be so focused on tryin' to protect me that you won't be thinkin' straight. It'll be a risk and I ain't a kid no more Maggie, I don't need anyone lookin' out for me."

"That's enough girls."

Both of the sisters glance over at Hershel who is giving them an exasperated look.

"Daddy you can't honestly think this is a good idea," Maggie says and Beth has to bite her lip.

"Beth can make her own decisions Maggie, just like you can, she's right on that and she certainly has a point. She seems to have been taking care of her self pretty well without you protectin' her."

"But Daddy!"

"Maggie stop!" Beth nearly shouts. "I'm going and you can't stop me!" she states and then looks over at Rick who surprisingly seems to have found this whole exchange amusing. "If it's alright with Rick of course," she adds then, suddenly remembering that he had never given her an answer before Maggie butted in.

Ricks puts his hands up, shaking his head. "I'll be stayin' here with Lori, just in case anythin' happens. Daryl is taking the lead on this run, if he's okay with ya comin' along, I don't mind none."

Instead of glancing over at Daryl, like she can feel everyone else doing she drops her gaze down in front of her because while Daryl has seen that she can handle herself he has also seen how easily she can snap, not to mention her and her sister just fought like a couple of kids and now she is feeling real silly for thinking that going on this run would be a good idea because like Rick said, she didn't have anything to prove - at least not in her opinion - but that didn't mean she still didn't want to show these people that she wasn't just another dead girl. She can carry her weight and help out around this prison, even if no one is expecting her to.

She suddenly feels his gaze on her though and she finally looks up, immediately locking in on those stormy blues and she bites her lip.

Finally he speaks up, his rough voice carrying across the space between them.

"She already had my back once, wouldn't mind her havin' it again," Daryl shrugs and looks back at Rick, keeping the answer as simple as that and Beth grins.

Ricks nods his head and they continue to discuss the run and she is trying to pay attention but she can feel the way Maggie is glaring at her and when she finally caves and looks over at her, she is surprised that she looks more sad than anything.

"You've changed." she says quietly, frowning as her eyebrows furrow, almost as if she is seeing her for the first time and Beth finds herself frowning as well.

"Who hasn't?"

...

This stupid chapter brought to you by redbull and cigarettes and maybe a few too many cookies (which btw, I do not recommend as part of a healthy diet) and so I apologize if this isn't the best quality but after starting and deleting this chapter three times already, I have concluded that this is the best it is going to get so please don't be too harsh...next chapter will be better, I promise! It will be Daryl's POV (which always seems to be easier for me to write) and there will also be more Beth/Daryl moments, yay! :)