Beth

It had been a week since the attack and Beth was finally beginning to relax enough that she didn't jump when someone moved close to her.

She had lied and told them all that she didn't know who had hurt her, that whoever it was had struck her as she walked around the corner of the building and she didn't remember anything after that.

She felt guilty about lying to Rick and Carol, but not as guilty as she would feel if Daryl killed Logan. She shuddered just remembering how he had sounded outside the door that night. She had realized when she woke and could think clearly what it was that Daryl had been screaming about and she couldn't be responsible for someone's death. S

he knew that Rick didn't completely believer her lie but was too much of a gentleman to call her on it.

And she was grateful for that. She had never been a good liar and didn't know if she could hold up under Rick's questions. She owed him so much already and had never even thanked him for saving her.

So things had returned to normal. Or as normal as they could be anyway, now that Daryl's older brother Merle had shown up.

Merle had never been a nice guy but now that he was here with the people he had been so cruel to in Woodbury, he was even nastier than before. He had a snappy comeback for anyone who spoke to him. Except Rick. He hated Rick and never even bothered to speak to him.

But he stayed with Daryl mostly and did his share of the work, doubling the amount of meat coming in from the hunts, so no one bothered him much.

She was sitting at one of the picnic tables out in the yard enjoying the sun when Carol approached her.

"You doing ok today Beth?"

The concern on Carols face made her feel another twinge of guilt but Beth had other things that she needed to ask Carol about so she pushed it away.

"My bruises are about healed but I have something bothering me, ya know, in my head. I was hoping you could help me figure it out."

"I can try honey. What is it?"

"I don't remember anything about the…what happened…until I woke up in the room with you and Maggie. And its been bothering me, not knowing for sure if he…well, if he…

"Raped you?" Carols voice was soft and gentle but the words still made Beth cringe.

"Yes" she whispered.

"Well maybe we can figure it out but you will have to tell me some pretty personal things. You ok with that?"

"Yes, I trust you. You remind me a lot of my mom."

"Oh sweetheart, that's the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time. I think of you like my daughter, too." Carol's eyes shone with unshed tears and Beth knew that she was thinking of her daughter, Sophia, lost to the walkers last year.

"So," Carol continued, "The first thing I need you to tell me is…Are you a virgin? Have you ever had sex with anyone before?"

"NO! I mean, yes, I am a virgin. Oh, Carol, am I still a virgin?" Beth's heart hurt thinking that the one sacred thing that she had left to give to the right person might have been taken from her.

"Of course you are sweetheart. No matter what he may or may not have done to your body, you get to decide when to willingly give yourself to someone and that's what matters the most."

Carol reached across he table and took her hand, looking into her eyes as she spoke.

"Since you had never been with a man before….did your woman parts hurt the next day? Or did you have any blood or pain when you went to the bathroom?"

Beth shook her head slowly, thinking about the question.

"No, I didn't have any pain…down there…just my head and my shoulders, from where I hit the ground when he hit me."

Carols eyes widened "But you said you didn't remember anything…"

"I don't" Beth snapped "I just know you told me Rick picked me up off the ground" She could see that Carol didn't quiet believe the lie but didn't want to push her.

"There was no blood on your legs or panties when I examined you and if you didn't have any pain then I would say that Rick's arrival scared off whoever hurt you before he could do anything more."

Beth's face lit up with her smile and she stood from the table, taking Carol into a big hug.

"Thanks, Mom! You have no idea how much better that makes me feel."

Daryl

Daryl was having a good day. He had spent most of the morning working on a new crib he was building for Judith and was standing guard in the tower now, waiting on Carl to show up for his shift.

His big brother had shown up last week and even though he was being a real pain in the ass to everyone else, Daryl was glad he was back. He hadn't been sure that Merle had survived after the fight at Woodbury and it was good to know that he still had someone who shared his blood in this world.

So things were going pretty good for Daryl right now, nothing to be too upset over.

Except that thing with Beth last week.

When Daryl had returned from his hunt and seen Rick standing outside the kitchen looking almost as bad as he had the day Judith was born he had thought that the walkers must have gotten someone.

"What happened? How'd they get in? thought we had the fence secured?"

"What?" Rick had glanced up at him, eyes tortured. "No, not walkers. Someone else. Someone inside."

"Well are ya gonna tell me or just stand there holding that rag?" Even as the words left his mouth he realized that the 'rag' Rick was holding was a pink shirt.

Just like the one Beth had worn out of the showers last night. His blood ran cold.

"Beth? Something happened to Beth? She alive?"

Rick paused just a second too long for Daryl.

"What happened, Rick?" His voice had raised loud enough that other people were beginning to mill around, trying to hear.

"I found her on the ground out by the garden. Someone had…her clothes were torn and she was bleeding…" he trailed off, clearly not wanting to tell Daryl more.

"Her clothes?" He snatched the shirt out of Rick's hands and held it up, seeing that it was torn in half. "Her clothes were ripped off? She was raped? You telling me some sonofabitch forced himself on her?"

There was no calming Daryl down now, he was shaking with rage.

"Who was it? Who did it, Rick?"

"I don't know. Carol is waiting on her to wake up now. She had a pretty nasty gash on her head and they just got the bleeding to stop but she isn't awake yet."

Daryl screamed then, much like the sound he had made when they found Merle's severed hand on the roof in Atlanta.

"I will find out who did this. And when I do I will kill him! I will gut him like the animal he is!"

The people who had been gradually moving closer to the two men froze, everyone in the room looking around at everyone else, no one saying a word.

"Do you hear me?" Daryl screamed at the crowd. "I will find out who you are!"

He stomped out of the hall, leaving a very quiet, very nervous bunch of people watching him go.