A/N: Sorry for the horribly long delay between chapters. Thanks for the reviews and to those who have added this to their alerts/favorites!
Beth collapsed onto the sofa and kicked her shoes off. It had been a week of non-stop work. She didn't feel right doing all of this work for people who she barely knew and hadn't decided if she could trust.
"She said a week, right?" she asked Daryl as she fell over and buried her head in one of the throw pillows at the end of the sofa.
"Yeah." he groaned as he sank into one of the side chairs, putting his feet up on the coffee table. "A week of doin' their dirty work."
"What will they be able to tell from us clipping hedges?" she asked, stretching out.
"If we're dumb enough to do a bunch of busy work while they spy on us." he rubbed the back of his neck. "Try not to get that damn thing all sweaty." he stretched his leg out and lightly kicked her arm. "That's where I sleep, remember?"
"Sorry." she sat up. Honestly, she hadn't thought about that, she was just so tired.
"I'm gonna clean up and then start supper." Carol said as she patted Beth on the shoulder. "You feel up to helpin'?"
"Sure." Beth sighed. "Might be the last meal we have here." she whispered to Daryl as she struggled to her feet.
"Not so sure it won't be our last meal period, girl." he replied as he watched her leave.
"Please don't be sayin' that." Rick groaned as he entered the room.
"They've got us doin' all this dumb ass busy work while they watch us." Daryl shrugged. "I'm still not sold on this place. I know you want a safe place for your wife to drop that baby, but somethin' about this place ain't right."
Rick was about to reply when a knock came at the door. He fixed Daryl with a look that told the other man that they'd discuss this later and moved to answer the knock.
"Hi." Christie said as the door opened. "Can I come in?" she asked.
"It's more your place than ours." Rick moved aside and motioned for her to come in.
"That's why I'm here." she replied, digging her hands into her jeans pockets. "Can you get everyone down here?" she asked.
"You about to throw us out?" Daryl asked, hoping her answer would be yes.
"I know you don't like it here." she said quietly as she took a seat in the chair across from him. "You don't hide it very well, but just know that I want to help."
"Uh huh." he sat back as Carol and Beth came into the room.
"Good news or bad?" Carol asked.
"Let's just wait for everyone." Christie craned her neck to see if the rest of the group was coming. When they had all gathered she took a deep breath. "I heard your little talk." she said to Rick, looking back and forth between he and Daryl. "And he's right."
"He was?" Rick asked. "About the busy work, or about you not being trustworthy?"
"The busy work." she assured them. "The first week or two is an opportunity for those in charge to spy on newcomers." she freely admitted, not mincing her words. "It's a chance to see who is willing to pitch and help and who's going to do nothing but complain the whole time and cause trouble." her eyes went to Carl. "But, even with a few hiccups, Reichert wants to offer you a place here, if you still want it."
Daryl and Beth exchanged a quick, uneasy glance as they waited for Rick to accept. They knew he would. Everyone knew he would. He had one thing on his mind and that was keeping Lori safe and in once place while she was pregnant.
"If we stay, do we still have to do the stupid yard work?" Carl asked, Lori elbowing him slightly, giving him a warning look.
"That depends." Christie smiled. "If you choose to stay, most of you will head to the firing range so you can be tested to see how well you know and handle weapons."
"Most?" Lori asked.
"Carl would be given the option of joining a group of kids, most of which are roughly his age, to take lessons..."
"I know how to use a gun." he was insulted at the insinuation that he'd need lessons.
"You're a child." Christie reminded him. "We want to make sure you know all there is to know."
"Why not Beth?" he asked.
"She's not a child." Christie took a deep breath, she could feel a headache starting. "If she fails her assessment, then she'll join a group to learn how to use different weapons, too."
Beth knew she would be joining that group. She was hopeless with weapons so far. She had little practice with them and they still made her nervous.
"What if I don't wanna join the kiddy group?" Carl asked, feeling like challenging her at every turn.
"Then you join the old folks who take care of the yards." she smiled sweetly. "The yard work isn't done on a rota by everyone. Those too weak or old, or unable to get permission to use weapons get to do that. Most of the old people seem to enjoy it."
"Dad!"
"I need to talk things over with everyone." Rick could feel Daryl's gaze burning into him.
"I'll give you a couple of hours, eat, talk things over and come find me when you have an answer." she got to her feet. "You know which is my house, right?" she asked.
"Yeah." he nodded.
"I'll see myself out." she gave a quick wave and was gone.
"I don't like it." Carl said as they sat around the dining room table, discussing their next move over dinner.
"You don't like it because they want you to join the children's group." Carol said as she couldn't help but laugh at the boy. She herself was on the fence about staying. She liked the security, but she also knew that some of their group wasn't comfortable there.
"I know how to use a gun."
"You'd join the kid's group, end of discussion." Rick said, giving his wife and son a look that told them that was no room for argument on that subject.
"I still don't like it." Daryl pushed his plate of rice away, unable to eat while they were talking. "Somethin's not right here."
"You keep sayin' that." T-Dog shook his head. "You still haven't told us what that somethin' is though."
"I can't put my damn finger on it..."
"I want to stay." Lori spoke up. "I may not like everyone here, but, it's getting harder for me go for long periods of time. It's gonna get harder still the further along in the pregnancy I get."
"It is nice to be sleepin' in a real bed." Maggie piped in.
"And not having walkers breathing down your neck every two seconds." Glenn added.
Beth started clearing dishes silently. She knew they would be staying. She and Daryl were the only ones who didn't feel things were right there. They'd been taking votes on things that affected them as a group, and they were outnumbered.
"What do you think, Bethy?" Hershel asked as Beth returned to grab everyone's glasses from the table.
"Whatever you want to do, daddy." she smiled sweetly. "I'll be there."
Daryl fixed her with a look that made her shiver and she quickly headed into the kitchen to deposit the glasses in the sink. Christie had said they could leave when they wanted, but that would mean only she and Daryl would want to move on and she couldn't force herself to leave her father and sister. She had to admit that she barely knew him, and his rough attitude made her nervous. She didn't think he'd ever do anything to harm her, she just didn't think they'd get on well on their own, away from everyone else.
She looked out through the pass-thru between the kitchen and dining room and saw that most of them were nodding in agreement, Daryl getting to his feet and heading out into the backyard, fixed her with another look as he passed through. They were staying. That was that. She hoped that they weren't making a huge mistake. She hoped that her gut feeling was wrong.
"Why didn't you speak up, girl?" Daryl asked as he suddenly appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Your daddy asked you and yet you kept your mouth shut."
She stared at him in surprise. She hadn't been able to sleep and had come down for a drink. She assumed he was asleep on the sofa and hadn't heard him moving around at all. "I-I didn't see how it would do any good." she answered finally, her voice catching in her throat as she spoke.
"You didn't?" he leaned against the door frame and stared at her. "You're his girl, wouldn't he listen to you?"
"It still wouldn't have been enough votes to sway anything." she stared intently at the glass she held in her hands, noticing the water dance around in ripples as her hands shook.
"Doesn't matter." he shook his head. "If someone asks your opinion, you give it." He had never paid that much attention to her before, but now he realized how meek she was. It annoyed him slightly as he felt it would have helped to have another voice speaking out against staying. But it also bothered him because he saw her meekness as a weakness. You had to be strong to survive in this world, even inside these walls. Especially inside these walls, he thought.
"Sorry." she quickly drained the rest of her water and set the glass down in the sink.
"Just keep your eyes open and your ear to the ground, first sign of anything weird, you let someone know." he turned and left the room, heading back to the sofa to try to get some sleep. The thought of anyone testing him on his knowledge of weapons and how to use them annoyed him to no end. It was what he had to do though. Sure, he could leave, but that group of people had become important to him and he was going to make sure no one did them any harm. He had to stay to watch after them. They were all he had left, though he would not admit that to any of them.
"Good night." Beth whispered as she walked through on her way back up to her own room.
"Uh huh." he muttered as he turned onto his side, still angry at the youngest Greene girl.
Beth stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked into the dark living room and felt as though she'd let him down. She had wanted to speak up, but didn't see the point in it. So, as usual, she'd held her tongue. Most of the group was happy with the decision, and she hoped that her staying quiet wouldn't become a huge regret on her part. She silently made her way up to her room and tried her hardest to get some rest.