A/N Hello again, and thank you so much for coming back for more of Love's Long Road. We have a LOT going on this chapter, and I hope you enjoy it.

00

Their day out is ending on a high note and Daryl and Beth are enjoying an uneventful ride back to the prison. Her mind is on their new furniture and how nice she's going to fix up their room. It won't feel like prison at all. Daryl's just happy she's happy, he spends a lot of hours worrying about not being able to give her the things he believes she deserves to have, but man, they scored today.

He's also looking forward to their late evening drinking party. He can't quite imagine what kind of drunk Beth will be. Happy? Tearful? Looking for a fight? He'll find out soon, and that thought has him pressing on the accelerator a little harder until, in the early evening light he notices them just off the side of the road. Two more soldiers. These two are heading toward the prison from the opposite direction the others were. Fuck these guys.

"Get down Beth, now! I'm about ta get ta the bottom a this bullshit." When he's within twenty feet of them he's slamming on the brakes and jumping out of the big pickup, crossbow at the ready. He doesn't bother to look them over or strike up a conversation, nothing. He simply shoots an arrow into the head of the one closest to him. The other reaches for his gun, but he's not fast enough. Daryl shoots an arrow into his leg and the soldier falls to the pavement.

Daryl hollers out to her, "Beth, in the toolbox, bring me duct tape," as he's rushing over to the guy, quickly kicking the dropped gun out of the soldier's reach. The guy is built, he's muscular and strong and Daryl discovers he still has plenty of fight in him. They wrestle, rolling around on the asphalt until Daryl finally gets the upper hand, and the soldier is lying on his belly with Daryl's knee pressing into the small of his back.

Daryl grabs his wrists and Beth, having already guessed what her job is, hands him a long piece of the tape. Daryl secures the fellow's wrists, then his ankles and finally covers his eyes with the tape. There's no reason to go easy on him.

Daryl grabs him firmly by the upper arm and yanks him up, ordering "Get on your feet soldier boy, we're goin' for a little ride."

The noise and commotion of the scrimmage has drawn the interest of two undead who emerge from the woods just as Daryl is half-lifting half-pushing the soldier into the bed of the pickup.

Beth doesn't want to fire her pistol; the noise might bring more walkers. Instead, she nocks an arrow, managing to hit one of them in the head and the creature is down for good. Her second attempt hits the other in it's shoulder and she rushes the walker and pushes the blade of her knife into its head.

By then Daryl has the soldier in the pickup bed and Beth asks him, "Are you going to bury the other one?"

"Nah, I'm done with that. I'ma let whoever's in charge a these assholes see what happens when they fuck with us."

Beth's stomach is in a knot all the way back. Will this stuff ever end? Will there ever be a day when she and Daryl can just enjoy each other and a little bit of peace? It doesn't seem so and she vows to herself, she will do her best to appreciate every minute of happiness they can possibly squeeze out of whatever time they have.

Once they're back at the prison Tyrese takes charge of the prisoner, half-dragging half-carrying him in the infirmary, and Rick sends T-Dog and Glenn up to the guard towers to be on the lookout for more of these guys. Maggie grabs her gun and goes with Glenn.

Rick makes it clear to all, "From here on out we have lookouts in the towers 24 hours a day."

Rick and Oscar help Dale get Hershel to the infirmary to exam and treat the prisoner's wound; while Daryl tells the guy how it's going to be, "You're about ta get what ya wanted, a chance ta see the inside a the prison. The doc here is gonna take care a your wound, then ya get your very own jail cell."

While Herschel is tending to the prisoner Tyrese and Merle help Daryl carry in the furniture. Between the three of them they have it all assembled and set in place just like Beth wants it, in less than twenty minutes. Meanwhile Carol, Beth and Karen are busy dispensing the found clothes to very grateful recipients. The k-rations are stored in the pantry, and the new weapons are stored in the armory. They'll be given to those in need of a gun or knife after the meeting, which is now on the evening agenda.

Beth keeps the manicure set and polishes well-hidden for now. She wants to save those for a less stressful time. Maybe tomorrow afternoon, after it's been decided what to do about the prisoner and after everyone's chores are done. She smiles to herself, yes, that will be the perfect time to have a mini spa day, they all deserve it. Never did she think she'd be so excited about the prospect of something as simple as polishing her toenails.

Once the prisoner is locked in a cell, Daryl, Rick, Herschel, Dale and Merle all go to the guard's break room, now being referred to as the conference room, to discuss the incidents from Daryl and Beth's day out, and to consider the fate of the soldier. They're almost immediately interrupted by a knock on the door, it's Tyrese anxious to speak with the leaders, "I know who the guy is ya brought back."

Everyone's brows rise and Rick questions, "Yeah, who?"

"He's one of the governor's top soldiers, a guy named Caesar Martinez. He can be a tough little bastard, but I don't think he likes the governor any more than anyone else does. Ya gotta understand, the draw of a place like Woodbury for most of us was, it's safe and protected. There's food, there's all the things from the old world, stores, schools, libraries. There are lots of good people there, but honestly, everyone puts up with the governor hoping someday somebody will kill him in his sleep and they'll get a better leader. That's the way I see it. Me, my sister, all of us who ran off, we just couldn't take it any longer. But there are still lots of good folks there."

When Tyrese leaves the meeting Beth asks him to please escort her to the van, Daryl would be so upset if she went alone but she has some things she needs to get. Tyrese kindly agrees and waits by the van's sliding door as she fills her scavenging bag with the things she wants for her and Daryl's room, and the big man carries the bag back to her room, "Thank you Tyrese, now I'll be able to really get this place together."

He smiles and nods, "If ya need anything else, let me know."

Amy's waiting in Beth's room and helps her put the clean sheets and beautiful heirloom quilt on the bed. When the work is done Beth gets happy tears in her eyes, "Oh my gosh Amy, it really is like a real bedroom." Maybe things aren't quite as bad as she thought.

Amy agrees, "It is, thanks to you and Daryl being willing to go after what you wanted instead of just settling. Finding this room, cleaning it up so nice, and I know it was hard work loading this heavy furniture up and bringing it back, but it's perfect, beautiful. Now I'm jealous. If Rick and I ever get our own room I'm going to be asking for something nice like this."

That opens the door for Beth to ask, "So, is it getting serious with you and Rick then?"

"Ohmygawd Beth you won't believe what happened while you were gone today." Amy's shaking her head like she's still in disbelief when she tells her friend, "You know I love Merle, he's really special to me. He saved my life and he's kept me safe ever since that day, but holy cow he's worse than my Dad! He took Rick in what I guess we're now calling the conference room, and gave him the third degree about what his intentions are toward me."

Beth starts giggling and says, "Gosh, I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that conversation." But she means it when she says, "I think that's just about the sweetest thing I've ever heard, and I know from my own experience how nice it is to have someone looking out for you. What did Rick say?"

Amy's smiling with tears in her eyes when she tells her friend, "He said all of his intentions are good. That he thinks he's in love with me and that he wants this relationship. He told Merle he's leaving it up to me how far it goes and how long it lasts. If I want to somehow make it permanent, then that's what we'll do. Although, I don't really know how anyone would go about that these days."

Beth's still smiling, "Oh my gosh, what? He wants to marry you?" In the old world to do such a thing so soon would seem incredibly reckless. They barely know each other, but Beth has seen enough of this new world to believe that a person should go after what they want while they have the chance. Tomorrow it could all be gone.

She mentions, "Amy, you know my Daddy's a preacher, if you want to get married I'm sure he could perform the ceremony, and if my Daddy says you're married, then you're married."

Amy smiles back, "Aw, thanks Beth, but I think that's for some time in the future. For now, I'm going to wait a while. You know I adore that man, shoot, I'll admit it to you, I'd love to marry him. Heck, I'd love to have his baby, but Rick had a big loss and I want him to be sure. I don't want to be just the substitute wife."

"Ouch Amy, substitute wife?"

"Well yeah, I want to feel like it's me he's in love with, and not like I'm someone who's just taking Lori's place."

That gives them both pause and they take a minute to think about it. Then Amy asks, "What about you and Daryl, when are you two going to make it permanent?"

Beth admits, "For right now all we have planned is sharing this room and tonight, I'm going to be drinking for the first time."

"What?! That's it, the old Beth has left the building."

"I know, I know, but shoot, I've decided I'd better start having some of those experiences I always denied myself before. The crazy thing is, my first drink is going to be moonshine."

"Moonshine? You're kidding me, right?"

"Nope, not kidding, today, after the first incident with soldiers, Daryl drove to this little shack in the woods. It's a place he found on a hunting trip once. Anyway, whoever had it was a moonshiner, and there were dozens and dozens of mason jars filled with moonshine stored in a shed. We're going to drink some together tonight, right here in this bed."

Amy quips, "Beth, the babe in the bed with the booze. Geez, lucky Daryl." They both giggle while Beth turns bright red.

When Amy leaves to check on the kids Beth grabs one of the new pink towels and a washcloth. This has been a good day and also a very hard day, and she definitely wants a shower before crawling into her nice clean bed. She's got a cute "found" toiletry bag with fancy shampoo and conditioner, and a soap and lotion set that smell like magnolia blossoms. These little niceties make the prison shower not seem quite as awful as it is. Thank goodness Carol thought to hang sheets to make up for the non-existent shower curtains. At least there's a little privacy.

The prisoner is bandaged up and they're going to interrogate him now, why wait? They'll get him while he's tired, a little disoriented and maybe feeling defeated and like he has to fight for his life. Daryl's bound his ankles with duct tape again, and Rick's handcuffs are on his wrists.

The man is surprisingly forthcoming. He discloses everything he knows about the plan, and the family believes he's being truthful. That doesn't mean the prisoner isn't pissed off about taking an arrow in the leg and being tied up, he makes his anger clear. The prison family is not concerned about his feelings, they feel justified in doing whatever they have to do to defend themselves and their home.

Caesar Martinez has something he wants too. Freedom, freedom from the governor and freedom from these people. He tells them everything he knows, the story of who the governor is and what he wants, "His real name is Philip Blake, he was just an every day office worker before spending his days in some cubicle pushing a pencil and typing on a keyboard."

"When the world went to shit the guy saw his chance to go big time, and he acted fast. He turned Woodbury into a kind of safety zone and that attracted people. People who didn't want to believe the old life was gone for good. Folks were desperate to hold onto the way it was. They gave him everything they had for a chance to stay there. They're living in a dream world and a lot of them look the other way to keep it like that."

Everyone understands that feeling, longing for life to go back to what it once was, but then Caesar continues, "He wants this place here, your prison. He wanted it even before you guys got here. He thinks he could move the whole town of Woodbury in here and it'd be safer, like more invincible or whatever."

Daryl shrugs and asks, "So far the guy don't sound too unreasonable, so tell us, what the fuck does he do that makes ya think he's a bad guy?"

Caesar gives him an example, "This is just one time. There's a lot of stuff I could tell ya about. Anyway, one of our guards was in the watchtower and off in the distance he saw smoke n shit, he said it looked like some kind of crash or explosion. The Governor gets a group of soldiers together and we ride out in trucks to see what the hell happened. I was one of them. It turned out to be a helicopter crash."

"A helicopter?!"

"Yep, I know. Anyway, we get to the site, but not all of us show ourselves, just a small group does. Being friendly, not intimidating at all. The rest of our soldiers are hiding in the trees nearby. Anyway, the governor is digging around the crash site to see what the hell, and we see a soldier, dead, already turned into a biter. The governor shoves a knife in his brain and that's that."

So far everything sounds out of the ordinary to the family.

Caesar continues his story "The governor finds the pilot; the guy was alive. He was wounded but he coulda made it. We stuck him in one of the trucks and took him back to Woodbury with us. Once we got him there, the governor withheld the medical care. He told the guy it was coming as soon as he answered some questions. He tells him that he's just being careful, that he has to be sure the soldier's on the up n up so he can protect his citizens."

"The soldier asks about his two buddies that were in the helicopter with him, the governor says they didn't make it. He asks the soldier where his camp is and says as soon as the doctor at Woodbury gets him patched up, he'll transport him back to his camp. The guy's in some pain from those injuries and anxious to get some drugs, so he tells it all, where their camp is, how many guys, all of it."

Caesar bows his head and shrugs his shoulders, "I think it was right after that the governor killed him."

"Anyway, there was a bunch of us that went to the military camp. The governor was standing tall in the back of one of our trucks and waving a big white flag, like we were coming in peace or something. The men there looked like regular army to me, and one of the soldiers came over and questioned the governor about what he wanted. The governor tells him about the helicopter crash and that one of the men survived and was being treated."

He shakes his head and says, "Shit, it was a slaughter. The army soldiers were so happy to hear their buddy was alive, but then the governor surprises them by just randomly shooting one of their guys. That's when the Woodbury soldiers come rushing out of the trees and just kill all those army guys. Shot em to pieces"

"The governor picks up an M4 off one of the dead ones and we look around the campsite for supplies. Then he sees a soldier running away, he shoots at him. Anyway, that day is when we all got army issue uniforms and military gear."

"Later, when we get back to Woodbury with our new military trucks and all the supplies, even a tank for crissake, the Woodbury people are all so happy, they gather around the governor like he's the conquering hero or something." He shrugs, "So yeah, that's how he does things."

Merle asks, "So, do ya expect us ta believe that while all that shit went on you just stood there innocent, or beggin' him ta stop or sumthin'?"

"No, I can't say that. I'm as guilty as the rest of em. I did what I was told to do. I've got plenty of blood on my hands. But I was never part of the decision making, and I was never in on his secret bullshit. The guy is warped and I was just biding my time til I could figure a way out."

Rick asks, "What kind of secret bullshit?"

Caesar answers, "Well he's got this secret lab and there's a squirrely little scientist type guy that works there, a guy named Milton Mamet."

Daryl snorts, "Sounds like a butler."

"Yeah well, Milton's just as creepy as the governor. He conducts experiments for the guy, on people, living n dead."

Rick asks, "If you're not a part of it, how do you know?"

There's a humorless laugh from Caesar, "How the hell do you think I know? I spied and I'm here ta tell you, that crazy lab isn't the worst thing I've seen."

Herschel, in his grandfatherly way, encourages, "Go on son, tell us everything."

What they hear next convinces the group, the governor is a degenerate and dangerous, "I knew he was some kind of weirdo, and some of his demands seemed…well just not normal. I figured if I really wanted to know what the hell the guy was up to, I needed to spy on him right in his own house."

"This particular day there was a party, he likes to convince the citizens how happy they are. So, everyone's out in the streets in the sunshine, there's lemonade and games for the kids, music and other bullshit. The governor hasn't showed up yet so I went to see if there was a problem." He tips his head to the side and acknowledges, "I admit, I was spying, trying to figure out what this guy was up to. That's when I saw, holy fuck, he had a biter he was keeping like a pet, a little girl and she was on a leash like a damn dog."

There's a dark silence in the room as Caesar tells the rest of his story, "She was all dressed up like she was going to the party and he was combing her hair. It was the creepiest fucking thing I'd ever seen. Then the kid tries to bite him. He throws a sack over her head and starts talking all sweet to her, trying to calm her I guess. He says to her, 'Daddy still loves you.' He had a daughter named Penny before the turn and that was her."

Everyone in the room is uncomfortable and things are about to get worse. Caesar says, "I saw it then, it was like a book shelf but bigger and built even more sturdy. The shelves had big glass jars on them, like something you'd see in science lab, but these jars, each of them had a human head it in, and one was the soldier who'd been in the helicopter crash."

The room is quiet and eerily still while the family all try to process what they just heard. Then Caesar speaks again, "I've done you a solid, so please, don't take me back. I'll stay here and work with you, fight for you. Or you can throw me out the gate and I'll try and make it out there alone, but I can't go back. He'll kill me if you take me back and I'd rather take my chances alone."

For tonight the decision is made not to make a decision. Oscar and Merle escort the prisoner back to his cell and the others all agree, there will be another meeting in the morning to decide what to do next.

00

After the meeting Daryl's in a funk. He steps out to have a smoke, his mind focusing on all that's wrong and nothing that's right. Fuck this shit, the plans they made, the life they thought maybe they could have, the way Daryl sees it now, that's all just so much bullshit. He should have known better than to start believing it.

He's deep into a dark place when Dale and Herschel turn up, Herschel smiles, "Looks like we all need a breathe of fresh air after what we just heard."

Daryl nods, "Yessir."

The old man surprises him, "You know young man, I wasn't happy about you taking my daughter out today, I'm not happy about a lot of things with you and my daughter, but there is one thing I thank God for every day. I know it was him who put you in her life. I know you're going to protect my girl and make sure she has everything she needs to survive. I know she'll always come first and you'd sacrifice yourself before you'd let anyone hurt a hair on her head. I don't know what more a man could ask for."

"Thank you, sir, and you're right about one thing, I'll always take care of her. Ya got my word."

"I'm right about a lot of things son."

Herschel's words did him some good. Daryl is still concerned about all this shit with Caesar and the governor, but he's made up his mind to try not to think about that right now. He's got to do more of what Beth says, try and live in the moment a little more, focus on what's good and enjoy the life they have now.

What's on his mind this minute are the plans he made with Beth. They were supposed to have their drinking party tonight, and he was looking forward to initiating their new bed, but shit, it's late now and Beth's probably sound asleep. Dammit, maybe tomorrow.

He does his best to be quiet when he opens their bedroom door, and smiles at the site before him. She's sitting up in bed reading her book and looking so pretty. There's a candle glowing on the night table beside her, and there's music softly playing. He sees the boombox and the CDs on the dresser, along with another candle. On the vanity, placed on a white doily, are two jars of moonshine and two fancy crystal glasses.

"Damn girl, ya know how ta throw a party. It's like some fancy hotel in here."

She smiles, "Well it's a special night Daryl, my first time ever drinking, and I'm going to be doing it in bed, with you."

She seems so happy, and shit he's suddenly feeling so nervous, "A'ight, well damn, I don't think they make enough a them wipes ta clean off the day I had. I better get a quick shower." He picks the neatly folded towel up from the dresser and asks, "Pink's all we got, huh?"

"Yes, but you're manly enough for pink."

He tries not to smile, just shrugs, "Whatever, Baby."

Her smile grows, "Oh, and I picked up a little travel kit for you today too, it's right there next to the washcloth. It's full of all kinds of good stuff, soap and shampoo, everything you need."

Well shit, who's taking care of who now? "I'll be sure'n use some a everythin'. I know ya don't want me stinkin' up the new bed. Be back in a minute."

She's excited and can't resist getting up and pouring some of the fiery liquid into each of the crystal glasses, struggling with the temptation to take just a little taste. No. This is something they said they would do together, sit in bed and she would have her first drink, with him.

She sets the glasses on the night table, crawls back in bed and unsuccessfully tries to read her book while she waits. Not a chance, she's way too excited. Oh, and she remembers he said she'll need to drink a lot of water along with the alcohol. She gets up again and grabs one of their big jugs of drinking water from the corner, setting it on the nightstand with the liquor. Wait, glasses, let's see, yes, they have those plastic ones she brought in front the van.

The door begins to slowly open and in a hushed voice he's saying, "Just me," as he steps in the room, shuts and locks the door behind him.

She's standing there just taking him in, her eyes practically dancing at the sight. All he's wearing are his khaki pants, and gosh, they fit so low on his slim hips she wonders how they stay up at all. He really is the full package, a handsome chiseled face, impossibly broad shoulders and a narrow waist and hips. Yum. She sighs as he's walking toward her, no shirt, no shoes, his just washed hair is still wet and a couple of water droplets land on his broad shoulders. He obviously didn't waste much time toweling off.

It's not the first time he's seen her in it, but the sight of her in that dainty little nightie never fails to get his heart pumping and his body aching. She's a beauty, a hot mix of innocence and passion and he just can't get enough.

They never take their eyes off one another as he scoops her up in his arms and carries her to their new bed, then slides in with her. The kissing starts, the kissing leads to touching, the touching leads to tasting and they're so caught up in each other the moonshine is forgotten.

They make the kind of love that says they've cleared their minds of everything but each other. They understand each other's needs, and they're anxious and happy to satisfy those needs. They come together, breathing fast and hard as they try to catch their breath. Afterwards, as they're laying quietly in each other's arms he asks, "Whatta about that moonshine?"

She caresses his face and suggests, "What about tomorrow night? We can start with the moonshine first, and then the kissing."

"Wait, no lovin' first?"

"Well yes, maybe, but if we're going to do that first then we have to start a little earlier."

"Earlier? I can be ready in an hour."

00

A/N I just bet he can. Please leave a comment. As always, the chapter photo is on my tumblr blogs, gneebee and bethylmethbrick, please have a look. I'll be back next week with more of Love's Long Road, and I hope you'll be here too. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee