Ch.13

"We all got here a few days ago. Michonne, Carl, and I were the first. When Maggie got here she made us go to the highway and write that note."

Most everyone had gathered in the dining room. Daryl could tell through the boarded up windows that the sun had set. After the initial reunions Maggie had insisted that she get Daryl and Beth something to eat and drink. Daryl was thankful for her concern, and he could feel his empty stomach beginning to growl, but Beth looked less than enthusiastic, but she followed along without complaint. Now she was sitting at the table, Maggie at her side clutching her hand and refusing to let go, with an untouched plate sitting in front of her, and Daryl was leaning against the wall, his plate of food long gone.

"We were starting to get worried. What took you guys so long?" Rick looked at Daryl.

Daryl had been informed that after they left the prison, Michonne had joined Rick and Carl. Even though Rick was injured, he made a quick recovery and continued heading for the farm. They had run into minimal trouble, just a few walkers here and there, but they had easily been taken down. Now they all wanted to know why it had taken Daryl and Beth so long to join them.

"Ran in to some trouble," he said nonchalantly, hoping they wouldn't try to dig deeper.

"Trouble? What kind?"

"Another group." He looked to Beth, who instantly stiffened by the mention of the group, but nobody else seemed to take notice. He wanted to leave it at that, but he knew by the bug-eyed expressions he wouldn't be so lucky.

"Another group? What happened?" Glenn sounded worried.

"I noticed that we were bein' followed. We started walking, tryin' to lose them, but they crept up on us."

"How many were there?"

"A few, maybe ten, eleven, twelve? Can't remember."

"What happened?"

Daryl's eyes shot to Beth, instantly meeting them. He wanted to tell them, to let them know what those men had done and how dangerous they were, and he knew that that's what he should do. But Beth's eyes were desperately pleading for him not to tell, for him to keep the promise he had made her.

"Not much. We managed to escape unharmed." He saw Beth relax a little, but the fear was still in her eyes.

"Unharmed? Beth, what happened to your cheek?"

In the chaos of their homecoming Maggie had overlooked Beth's cheek, which now looked a hundred times better than it originally had. Maggie's hand had flown to the injured cheek, and she gently turned Beth's face to look at hers so she could get a better look.

"It's nothing," Beth said quietly.

"Beth, that looks horrible!"

If only Maggie knew what the rest of Beth's body looked like. The little bruise and scratches on Beth's cheek were the least of Daryl's concerns when it came to her physical injuries.

"It's nothing, really," Beth said, pushing Maggie's hand away. "It must have happened at the prison."

"Well, it still looks bad. I'm going to have Bob look at it before you go to bed." Maggie got up, finally leaving Beth's side, before she looked down and noticed the full plate. "You should eat, you're too skinny."

As soon as everyone had cleared the room, including Beth, Daryl pulled Rick aside. He had intended to tell him the truth about the men, but abandoned that plan when Beth's face flashed in his mind. He instead decided to ask him the question that had been nagging him since he got here.

"Why's Carol here."

"Tyreese and the kids ran in to her. He was fighting off a pretty large pack of walkers, trying to get the kids somewhere safe, when they bumped into Carol."

"Does he know?"

Rick shook his head yes. "When they made it to the farm I told Tyreese."

"And he's fine with it?"

"No, not at all, but he's dealing with it. She saved them after all. He's been keeping his distance from her, and she's been doing the same to him."

After that Rick left, leaving Daryl in the kitchen alone. The plate of food Maggie had set out for Beth was still at the table; Beth hadn't even tried to make it look like she had eaten anything. Daryl walked over to it and began cleaning it up when he noticed someone standing behind him.

"Hey."

"Hey," Carol said.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing, just wanted to welcome you back." There was a moment of silence and Daryl could hear as she let out a sigh. "Rick tell you?"

"Yeah."

"Are you mad?"

"Don't know."

It was the truth. He didn't know whether he should be mad. She had done what she thought was right, even though it had been horrendously wrong. And when Rick finally told him what had happened and that he had sent Carol on her way, a part of him felt bad for her and he missed her. But now he was confused. Their conversation was quickly brought to an end when Maggie and Glenn entered the room.

"Thanks."

"For what?" Daryl asked, looking at Maggie confused.

"For bringing Beth back to me unharmed. I know she isn't the easiest to put up with at times," she said sarcastically, obviously reminiscing on a happier memory.

He felt her words sting him. She wasn't unharmed. He had brought her back in worse condition than she was when they had left the prison. And now Maggie was thanking him, oblivious to the agony Beth had gone through and was currently in.

"How has she been?" She asked, sitting at the table, Glenn taking the seat beside her. "She hasn't said a word to me about it."

"Alright, I guess, considerin' what happened."

That was an understatement. Daryl was certain that nothing was alright about Beth. She looked horrible, she was barely speaking, and she was basically starving herself. On top of the obvious ailments, she was dealing with emotional trauma that nobody but Daryl knew about.

"Has she said anything about it?"

Daryl shook his head no, because she really hadn't said anything about Hershel. "She's been pretty quiet since the prison; likes to keep to herself."

He saw Maggie open her mouth to speak, but her voice was muffled by the screams piercing the air. Maggie's eyes went wide, not knowing what was happening or where the screams were coming from. Daryl knew all too well who was screaming, and before darting up the stairs, he looked at Maggie.

"Forgot to tell ya, she's been having nightmares."

Maggie didn't know what was happening. It had started out of the blue. The high-pitched screams of terror filled the air, surely waking everyone up. At first she couldn't tell where they were coming from. Was someone outside? And then Daryl spoke hurriedly.

"Forgot to tell ya, she's been having nightmares."

He darted up the stairs, and when Maggie finally put the pieces together she jumped out her chair, Glenn following in her footsteps. When she got to Beth's room she saw Daryl leaning over the bed, Beth thrashing around. She ran to her sister's side but was pushed out of the way.

"Move, you're gonna' scare her."

She watched as he lightly seized her wrists, restraining them at her side. She was expecting him to violently shake her, but he didn't. He went about the ordeal in a calm manner, as if he had done this before.

"Beth, wake up." His words were softly spoken.

Her eyes flashed open, urgently looking around the room, trying to gather her surroundings. Maggie could see the tears starting to build, and she watched as Beth's chest rose and fell in harsh, jagged breaths.

"Beth, it was just another nightmare. You're okay. You're safe."

She was in awe when Daryl pulled Beth closer, cradling her in his arms as she began to cry. They seemed oblivious to anyone else in the room.

"Shhhh, it's okay. No one is going to hurt you."

Maggie stood there, watching as Daryl continued to comfort Beth until her crying stopped. She had never known Daryl to be so tender and caring for anyone else other than Judith. It seemed that his time together with Beth had brought that same attitude out towards her.

"Beth?" Maggie asked, stepping closer. "Beth, are you alright?" She placed her hand on her sister's shoulder, who was still cradled in Daryl's arms, face obscured by his chest.

"I'm fine," she said unconvincingly, voice still wavering.

Beth was breathing heavily, and Maggie wasn't sure if that was from the crying or because she was still scared. She met Daryl's eyes, questioning what this was bout, but he didn't say anything.

Author's Note: I realize that this chapter was a little bland, but I figured it sort of had to be there since everyone would be wondering what happened to Daryl and Beth since their escape from the prison. I promise that the next chapter will be more interesting!

Also, I plan on writing a chapter for "A Fighting Chance" sometime this week before I start writing the next chapter of "Ruined," which you can expect either this weekend or early next week. Sorry for the delayed updating, but these next few weeks are going to be hectic for me.

And, six days until The Walking Dead returns!

Thanks for all of the reviews!