In the two days Rick and Beth spent together, he helped her get everything in order. They cleaned up the house, and Rick stood by Beth when she opened the door to her parent's bedroom, the first time she was in there since the day before the accident.

Beth knew what she had to do. She went into her father's closet, and put all the clothes in black trash bags. She checked all the pockets of each garment, remembering her dad's habit of keeping money in some places. After loading up a dozen bags with all the clothes from his closet, she cleaned out his dresser.

She was a little more emotional when she cleaned out her mother's closet and dresser. Beth decided against keeping certain shirts. She loved her parents, but a clean break was needed. She loved the furniture, and wanted to keep that, but Rick ordered a new mattress set. With new paint and curtains, the room was transformed within a week.

The Wednesday she returned to work, Rick followed her in his cruiser, then walked her and Jo to the office. Rick crouched down and got a hug and a kiss from Jo, before she ran off to her classroom.

Rick opened the door to the office and let Beth walk in before he did. Andrea was standing on one spot, and one could feel the tension in the room. Rick watched as she sign in, then Beth turned to give Rick a hug. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her about a foot in the air. She whispered in his ear "I think a kiss would drive her crazy."

He nodded, and Without missing a beat as he cupped her face in his hands and their lips met, gently at first, then she put just the tip of her tongue in his mouth, and he responded be shoving his tongue into hers, "I gotta stop." He whispered, with a chuckle.

"Have a wonderful day." She said, with a huge smile.

Rick had to turn his back to the women in the office, and held his hat over his groin as he got to his car. Andrea, who was watching Beth the entire time, followed her to her classroom. She asked to speak with her in the hallway.

"Yes, Principal Harrison?"

Andrea just stared at Beth, trying to intimidate her. Andrea finally spoke "You fall or pull a muscle?"

"No, Why?"

"You're walking kinda funny. Is that a new scarf?"

"No, I've worn this before." Beth said, not breaking her stare with her taller boss.

"What happened to your neck?" Andrea said, her face turning red.

Beth flashed the hickey before covering it up, and said "I don't know what you're talking about. If you'll excuse me I have stuff to do."

Just as she started to walk away, Andrea grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. They were nose to nose.

"You fucked him, didn't you?"

"Let go of me" Beth yelled, getting the attention of other teachers who filtered into the hallway.

"You filthy little whore."

Beth tried to free her hand, but Andrea had a tight grip on the young woman. "Let go of me, Andrea."

The slap echoed through the hallway. Other teachers ran to diffuse the situation, and Sasha pulled Beth into the classroom and shut the door. Two teachers forced Andrea back to the office. Beth was on the verge of tears and holding her face. Sasha said that what happened was an assault, and she should press charges. She nodded her head, but her hands were shaking when she called tried to call Rick. Sasha offered to talk, since Beth was on the verge of crying. Rick recognized the number and answered, "Hey baby."

"Hi, um, Rick? Is this Rick?"

"Who's this?"

"This is Sasha, I teach next door to Beth. There was an incident a few minutes ago, and, um, Principal Harrison slapped Beth pretty hard. She's sitting here try not to cry, that's why I'm using her phone. She wanted me to call you."

"Alright. Thanks Sasha." Rick said, as Shane got into the car. He flipped on the lights and sirens, called for backup, and was back at the school within minutes. When he and Shane got to the school they were buzzed in and headed to Beth's room before Amy called their names and said that Beth was in the nurse's room, and pointed pointed to where the room was. Rick knocked on the door as he opened it, and saw Beth holding an icepack to her face. She was shaken, and was determined not to cry. She wouldn't let Andrea see her vulnerable.

"Do you want to press charges?" Rick asked.

"What will happen?

"She'll be arrested for assault, be taken to the police station, have her mug shot taken, and will probably spent a night or two in jail. You could also sue her for assault."

"Will she lose her job?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe." He looked at Jacqui, who was watching with concern. "Miss Jacqui, would you excuse us please?" He looked over at the nurse, who nodded as she left the room.

"What happened?" he asked, with genuine concern.

"She saw this" pointing to her hickey, "and called me a whore for sleeping with you. I called her Andrea, and she just slapped me. What should I do?"

"I'd press charges. Whatever happens, she'll deserve it. It's not your problem."

"Alright...I'll do it."

He nodded and kissed her forehead before leaving the room. Jacqui was standing outside the door, and he asked her to keep an eye on her. He asked Shane to go talk to their former friend.

Shane walked to Andrea's office and asked Bassett to leave.

"What the fuck is going on, Andrea."

"Principal Ha..."

"Shut the fuck up. What's wrong with you?"

"Do you know what's sick, Shane...that little problem we had in high school. If we went through with that, the kid would be almost her age."

"Well, we dodged that bullet. Better not to have anything to tie us together. Rick is finally happy. You don't know about the ocean of shit he had to go through. Leave Beth alone."

Rick opened the door to Andrea's office and said Beth was pressing charges. Shane nodded, and told Andrea to put her hands behind her back, as he started to handcuff her. He smirked as he read her the Miranda rights, while leading her to the door, then stopped, in the middle office. Amy was embarrassed about what her sister had done, and he was sure Jacqui was filming the incident using her phone, but he didn't care. Across the hallway from the office was the cafeteria, which was filled with fifth and sixth graders, all armed with cell phones.

"Can you make them stop? Please, Shane, make them stop recording."

"Nope." He chuckled as stood for just a moment in the hallway, making everyone see what was happening. He took his sweet time, then he led Andrea to the police car.

Rick insisted on calling the paramedics to check out Beth, and when they gave her a clean bill of health she was given the rest of the day off, and had to go to the police station to make a formal statement. When Beth got home, she was able to clean the house some more. She got a text from Rick saying he has to go to his shrink, but he'll be home later.

Andrea was arrested, and was Abe to post her own bail.

Hershel was a "packrat," and Beth went through boxes of trash bags, filling each one with miscellaneous things her father was unwilling to get rid of over the years. They were separated into piles, Goodwill and trash, and only a handful of things she kept. It felt cathartic to get rid of things from the past. She moved her clothes, and some of Maggie's, into her mother's closet and dresser, and at Sasha's urging, she used the internet to shop for new clothes, sexy undergarments for Rick to see, and new shoes. Every day she came home to a Kohl's, Macys or Dillard's package waiting for her at the door.

Rick showed her how to balance a checkbook and pay bills online. The money she made from the sale of the farm equipment, everything but the lawnmower, was put into her savings. There were less things around the house, and the animals were all sold, so she was able to sleep later. Her health improved, and she was able to focus more attention on Jo. Rick went with her to Jo's doctor appointment, when she was formally diagnosed with autism. Beth was obviously upset, but Rick immediately started to look into special schools. With the money Beth now had in savings, she was able to pay someone to come to the house a few evenings a week to work with her.

One concern Rick had was the car Beth drove. It was a sixteen year old Chevy, which she kept because it belonged to her sister. Rick urged her to think about getting something safer. He mind was racing when he brought up the idea of a minivan. It would be easier for transport Jo, and up to date with airbags and other safety features. Beth agreed, and Rick helped her negotiate a good price on a new van.

"I haven't see you this happy. Ever." Michonne told Rick.

"I feel like I'm alive again. I've read the books about moving on, and you almost haveta have a rebound fling before the real thing, but that's not me. When I'm with her, it's hard to explain, but I feel okay again. The first time I brought her to my home I felt like I was running around on Lori, but it was different. She was looking at the pictures, and was okay."

"Rick, your first few visits here, you were a mess. But I believe that no matter how much emotional pain someone is in, there is something in you that stronger than the pain. You can see it in the eyes who have held onto their dignity in the midst of adversity. The thing with grief is that there is no timeline. There are no quick fixes or an outline I can give to you that ties everything up in a neat bow. When you grieve someone, you grieve not only the person, but the future dreams and plans you had. But you've done a lot of work through your grief."

"It's still there, sometimes." He said, quietly.

"Of course it is. You never 'get over' grief. You just make room for it. Your first few visits I could feel the pain. The broken emotions. It was razor sharp and all consuming. But now, and in the future, it will whisper in the background while your life continues. Make a life with Beth, but never forget what you had with Lori."