It was a pleasant morning for early January near Atlanta. The snow had all but melted, and Beth smiled as she drove Jo to school. She didn't care if she saw Andrea. There was a part of her that wanted to see Andrea.

When she signed in at the office, Amy was the first to notice the diamond on her finger. Jacqui was the first to give a congratulatory hug, and the other administrators and teachers who were in the office said they were happy for her. She was bombarded with questions…Amy asked about the wedding plans, if it'll be a big ceremony and it will be in the springtime.

Beth smiled so much her cheeks hurt. She described Rick's midnight proposal, and how neither one wants to have a big ceremony. The service will be just Katie and Michael, Shane, and a few other close friends. She'd like a romantic Valentines evening service.

Jacqui snickered and asked "Why so soon…are you pregnant?"

Beth bit her lip and broke eye contact, which gave the ladies the answer they were looking for.

Amy ignored the incoming phone calls, Jacqui dropped her paperwork on the desk and Tara ran from her desk to swarm Beth with hugs and kisses. They didn't notice Andrea had walked in, and was staring at the women in the center of the commotion.

Rick Grimes walked out of the coffee shop on the corner, hot steaming cup of black coffee all but burning his hands. He felt the sting, realized he should have gotten one of those pointless sleeves, then shrugged it off and kept walking. Most days he appreciated his life, realized how truly blessed he was. He had a Beth and Jo, a good job, financial freedom, a beautiful home and the love of an amazing woman. Nobody could possibly ask for more than that.

He walked over to Shane's side of the cruiser and handed his long time friend one cup, then walked around to the driver's side and got in.

"I'm happy for you, brother."

"Thanks." Rick said with a smile. "I'm just worried Andrea will say anything to her. I told Beth to record any conversation that we could use for harassment. "

"Blame it on my teenage brain, but I can't believe I ever got my dick near her."

Rick chuckled. "You and half of Atlanta. No tread left on those tires."

"How many cats do you think she has?" Shane laughed.

"Guessing twenty. Doesn't make up for being alone. And I'll bet all twenty are alcoholics."

Shane's laughed boomed throughout the cruiser.

"How many try to run away every time she opens the door?"

"Probably the same who try to kill her in her sleep."

"You locked and loaded at home?"

"Damn right. Gonna get Beth a few dogs. She stays up all night when I work the graveyard shift, just like Lo.. Just like Lori did."

"You doin' alright?" Shane asked.

Rick was silent for a while, before saying "I miss 'em. Everyday. But it's different now."

The two longtime friends carried on like children about their former classmate.

The radio crackled, reporting an assault at Valley View Elementary. Rick's sixth sense told him that Beth was in trouble. It was her first day back after getting engaged.

He almost dropped his cup of coffee as he flipped on the lights and sirens, called for backup, and sped to the school.

Rick's heart sank when he saw an ambulance outside the school. He threw the car in park and ran into the school.

Andrea was sitting in the middle of the lobby, with the coach of the baseball team, Merle Dixon, making sure she didn't move. Rick glared at her, and saw the scratches on her face and a clump of blonde hair on the floor.

He ran into the office and saw Beth, his love, his second chance at life. Jacqui had her left hand in a bowl of ice. Beth was teary, emotional, until she saw Rick. Seeing her protector appear made the emotions of being attacked bubble out. She covered her scratched and tear streaked face with her right hand and started softly crying. Rick bent down and folded her into his arms. She melted into his arms while Jacqui told her about what happened.

"Andrea saw the engagement ring and flipped out. Tara told her to back off because Beth's pregnant, and she tried to rip the ring off Beth's hand. It looks like she has at least two broken fingers. Gotta hand it to Beth, though, she got in quite a few punches of her own."

"Okay, Andrea has seen the last of this school. I'll make sure of that. She's gonna serve time."

Jacqui hid a smile. Amy, who witnessed the relationship with her sister and parents implode, wanted to distance herself from her sister. Amy lived in a very small apartment with two roommates. She already thought ahead and pictured moving into Andrea's condo when she was in jail. There was no sisterly bond. Andrea didn't just burn bridges…she napalmed them.

Shane drove Andrea to the county lockup while Rick went with Beth to the hospital. They took care of her when they x-rayed her hand, since she was pregnant. After her two broken fingers were wrapped up, Rick wanted her to have an ultrasound to make sure the baby was okay. Dr. Ross nodded, and Beth was taken to the sonogram room. The nurse squirted the warm gel on her belly before applying the sensor. Rick was sitting right next to her, holding her hand tightly.

"There's you baby." Rosita, the nurse said, happily. "Strong heartbeat. It looks like you're about eight weeks along. Did the docs clear you?"

"Yes." Rick answered for her.

"Well, everything on this end look perfect." She pressed a few buttons, then bent down and pulled up a strip of black and white images, which she handed to Beth. "Baby's first picture." She said, with a smile.

"Can you tell if it's a boy or girl?" Rick asked.

"No, not at this point. Probably another six weeks, and then you'll know."

When they got home, Rick wanted to say a few things that he's been putting off. He sat with her on the couch, and rubbed her back.

"Baby, I've been looking at the numbers. This house is paid for, so there's no mortgage. We can look into a realtor to help sell most of the land. I know a few attorneys who will make sure we'll still have privacy. I'm going to sell my house. With the life insurance money I got in the settlement, and the money you got, and with selling the animals and farm stuff, we have a lot of money in the bank. If we sell that land, we could be looking at six figures. You have very precious cargo on board," He said, as he rubbed her belly. "I know you love teaching, but you can take time off. You said you wanted to stay home with the kids anyway, and that can start now. I can't have anything happen to you, baby. Especially now." He swallowed a sob and wiped away a few pesky tears.

Beth's green eyes sparkled and her small smile turned into an ear to ear grin.

"Yes!" She said, enthusiastically.

Rick sighed in relief and wrapped his arms around his love.