Never Give Up (On Each Other)"

Author: carmen_085

Disclaimer: I do not own any Walking Dead Characters. I do own all original characters.

Summary: In the months before the beginning of the apocalypse, Daryl finds himself homeless, alone, and with no direction. An adult Beth is struggling to balance her job, sick parents, and the farm. Feeling like the world is suffocating her, will taking a chance on a stranger change everything ? Can these two find what they need in each other before life as they know it ends and they must do anything to survive. AU but eventual ZA with full cast.

Chapter Twenty

The day was bright and sunny and not at all fit for their current situation. After what seemed like an eternity of hoping and praying and fighting, Annette had succumbed to her inevitable fate. She was weak and sick and would not have survived long in the old world let alone this new world. They all knew this was coming sooner or later, Beth having said as much herself yesterday. It made sense, it did…so why was he sitting here trying to rationalize what he'd just done.

Because she'd turned…without being bitten…and he'd reacted before he could think planting an arrow right in the middle of her forehead. Daryl hadn't even realized what he'd done until it was over and now he supposed that he deserved this. This exile. Hershel wanted him gone, off the property and on the road and he couldn't say that he blamed the man. Had he not put a bolt into Annette he wondered what Hershel would have done next, obviously believing on some level that his wife was still alive. That was why he wasn't going to leave, not totally anyway, he couldn't walk away knowing that Beth wasn't safe…that her daddy might be trying to heal a walker in his own house. He'd take his things and set up camp at the edge of the field like he had before. Didn't bother him any, just what needed to be done.

Leaning against the tree stump by the barn he heard Merle's voice cackling in the back of his head. 'Nothin' sadder than an outside cat thinkin' he's an inside cat little brother.' Maybe that was the case all along, and he had finally overstayed his welcome. Finally crossed a bridge that was too far to overlook. He waited, leaning against the old stump like he did on his first day here, to see if he would be accepted or not. Pathetic for sure, he had to be the first Dixon to ever stand around and wait for someone else to say he was good enough. Before he had nothing better to do and no place else to be, now he couldn't walk away without knowing that Beth would be alright.

The house was quiet, the porch swing swaying gently in the warm late morning air. Hershel's reaction hadn't been a surprise, Daryl knew the old man had some questionable ideas about the walkers every time he cracked a smile as Daryl went on patrol or watch. Like the whole thing was one big joke, some unnecessary game he wanted to play and Hershel was just humoring him along. That and Beth had whispered to him one night that she was worried about her daddy; the he wasn't taking this seriously enough. He thought they were still alive, sick somehow and not actually what they were…dangerous. Daryl had let it go and filed that somewhere in the back of his mind. Beth knew better, though, she'd been with him out there fighting those things. She fought them alone to get him out of that cell and she knew they were dangerous, but more importantly she knew they weren't people anymore. They were dead. But as she sat there looking at her mama in complete shock, she couldn't offer Daryl the barest of of acknowledgment that she'd understood what he just did. That it needed to be done. That it was the only choice they had. She just sat there on the bed in a daze unable to form single word.

He'd gotten out of the house quick knowing that everyone needed some time and space to process what had just happened. He didn't care that the old man wanted him gone, didn't even care that he'd been put out like a stray dog. It was Beth he cared about, and while he recognized that he had no right to this moment- her moment to grieve and feel however the hell she wanted- he desperately needed her to acknowledge that he'd done the right thing. It never came, though, and as he set about digging a solitary grave in the grove of pecan trees he wondered if this was it. If when Beth did find her voice she would tell him to leave and never come back. Even then, Daryl doubted that he would actually leave completely and would set up camp in the woods, out of sight.

Now he waited, sitting against that same tree stump like all the things that happened over the last few months hadn't really happened at all. He told her to let him know when they were done visiting with her mama and he would come get her, carrying her out, and take care of the unpleasant task of burying her. He assumed that Hershel would want to have a service of sorts. Daryl also assumed that he'd not want him anywhere around. Daryl was fine with that, he needed to set up his camp before nightfall anyway. He'd never been sad before about losing a connection with another person, never really had anyone to be sad about losing either. But as he stood there and waited he found that was the only thing he felt.

Sadness.

Beth sat perched in the high backed, soft brown chair as she had most of the night. She was tired and she could feel herself becoming delirious, staring at her mama's body like there could be a second resurrection before everything was said and done. When Annette came toward her that was her first thought, that she hadn't died at all and maybe just passed out- her body needing a moment to reset itself. It sounded crazy but she'd seen it before; patients who's hearts stopped for a few seconds and then restarted all on their own- the person sitting straight up like Lazarus himself. And for a second that was what she thought, but then she saw her eyes; gray and glazed like a stranger she'd never met. The hissing and the groaning, sounds she knew a person couldn't make, and then just as her mama reached out and latched onto her face it dawned on her that she had turned. Before that thought could fully settle in her mind, the bolt whizzed past her face. Her mama dropped instantly, falling limp before the scream on her lips could fully form. Beth knew it needed to be done, she'd seen what the dead could do to a person when they got ahold of them. It happened so fast and so slow all at once and when it was over she could hear her daddy bellowing. She could feel Daryl's eyes on the of her face. And she could smell the spray of her mama's blood across the white pillow case. Beth knew she should tell her daddy to stop, knew she should tell Daryl that he had done the right thing; but she couldn't…she was frozen in place and all she could do was stare.

Because her mama hadn't been bitten but still…. she turned into one of them. How was it even possible ? Before she'd fallen she hadn't looked sick, didn't complain of anything unusual, and certainly hadn't come in contact with any of those things. So how had this happened ? Was the virus in the air ? Was it only a matter of time before they all turned into one of those things ? She swallowed hard hearing a click on her own throat as she blinked.

She couldn't cry anymore. Even if she tried she doubted she could force another tear from her eyes. Her daddy had gone to wash himself up a little while ago; stating that her mama wouldn't want him looking a mess at her service. If that made him feel better well then so be it but still didn't change the fact that she was gone. Beth leaned her heard forward resting it on her knees. All this time she had been waiting for her mama to die, knowing it was inevitable, and it still felt like such a punch to the gut. Exhaling she pushed herself up out of the chair and walked to the bedside staring down at her Annette'e lifeless body. Beth's fingers lightly touched the back her mama's hand. She was cold, her hand already taking on a waxy feeling that was entirely unnatural. Leaning down, Beth placed a kiss on her mama's cheek choking the sob that rose from her throat.

She wished that Daryl was here right now and not outside thinking that he'd done something wrong. Her daddy could be such an old fool and she knew better than anyone how stubborn he could be when his mind was made up. Beth wanted nothing more than to turn into his chest and feel his strong arms around her holding her tight. Pulling the blankets off of her mama she laid them in pile on the floor along with the pillows and everything else on the bed aside from the sheets. She'd done this before how many times- dozens- wrapping a body up in the bed sheets and putting it in a white vinyl bag to be taken to the morgue. Tugging the fitted sheet up, she wrapped her body up leaving her face for last. This didn't seem all that different than what she'd done before, except that her mama wouldn't be getting the dignity of a viewing or even a funeral….or even a casket. Just a hole in the ground, a wooden cross, and a mound of rocks. Running a shaky hand through her mama's hair, her lips twitched up into sad smile.

"I love you, Mama."

Sighing she covered her face with the sheets and left the bedroom before she could think about it anymore. Beth took the stairs slowly, her daddy no where in sight and the front door wide open. She knew Daryl was out there somewhere and that made her relax but still Hershel shouldn't be so careless. One of those things had already been in the house before, right at the beginning, and surely with more of them wandering around it could definitely happen again. Going to the door, she stopped short seeing Daryl leaning against the old tree stump near the barn. His crossbow hung limply in his arms and his shoulders sagged in defeat. She closed her eyes for a moment.

Beth licked her lips unsure of what was standing in the way of him being reasonable right now. Pride….mistrust….She watched him fold his fingernails underneath the strap of the bow; they were caked in dirt; torn and ragged.

Unworthy.

Exhaling a shaky breath it was like they were back to the first day all over again, and everything that had happened between them was just a dream. Beth pushed the screen door open. Her heart was broken, she was numb, but she still had to do something about this.

Daryl sucked in a sharp breath. Beth stared at him from the porch for a moment before crossing the yard, opening the gate, and coming to stand in front him. He looked down at the ground unwilling and unable to meet her eyes. He'd done something that had hurt her, something unavoidable, but still hurtful all the same.

"Daryl…" it was a whisper but he heard it. Squeezing the strap of his crossbow he felt her take a step into him. Did he deserve this? She trusted him and he'd put an arrow into her mama's forehead. It needed done but maybe there was another way…any other way. He exhaled his shoulders slumping, nothing in this world made any sense. The gravel crunched as she took another step into him. The only thing that did make sense was what he felt for this women. And that was everything. Slowly Daryl loosened his grip on the worn strap sagging toward her he began to reach his arms up.

"Beth ! BETH ! Get in here right now !" The screen door slammed and Hershel appeared in his Sunday best on the porch. His face red and his eye cutting toward Daryl, Beth turned annoyed more than anything. She wasn't a teenager to be bossed around and told what to do. She was, and had been, the head of this house for a long time now. Sighing she turned back to Daryl and recoiled as of she had been stung. He'd backed up maybe a foot or two and his eyes were hardened toward the ground. His hands clenched around the bow strap painfully his face was as blank and impassive as the day she first met him

Every wall that she'd crawled over in the last few months had been rebuilt in the span of seconds. When she needed him the most he had slipped away back inside himself. Her daddy's sharp tongue enough to make him recoil back into the man he used to be. "Your mama ready to come down?" It was a one long grunt, no emotion…no recognition of what those words meant.

She blinked exhaling slowly forgetting for a moment everything that had just happened and wondering what doctor her mama had to see today. It was easy to forget, everything else seemed to have rewound itself back to the start. Reality, though, returned like a knife to the back. Sharp and unexpected- searing, causing her to nearly double over in pain. Her mama was dead. Her daddy was angry and unreasonable. And Daryl had slipped away from her, right through her fingers.

"Yes." It was all she could say despite wanting to tell him everything. Every little thing about how she felt when he came to him. But instead all she said was that singular syllable and then she turned, without reason, and walked slowly back to her daddy who was still bellowing from the porch.

Daryl watched her go as his heart broke apart. Wasn't her fault, she'd been right there ready to come back to him, to find him when she needed him the most. It was him; closed off and shutting down, reverting back to the only way he knew to protect himself. Turning completely inward. Believing he wasn't worth a damn thing.

Beth sat in her window her chin propped on her knees. Beyond the barn she watched as Daryl labored in the hot summer sun burying her mama. After today was over she wasn't sure what would happen next. If Daryl, once his obligation to see this awful situation through was fulfilled, would pack his things and leave for good. She wouldn't blame him if he did, her daddy had all but thrown him off the farm in his perpetual state of ignorance. Beth knew that at the end of the day she was in charge here, but even so she couldn't undo the damage Hershel had already done. Daryl had been unwanted for so much of his life that he was incredibly sensitive and protective of himself; taking everything harder than he needed to.

Beth wasn't sure what she could do to bring him back. To make him see that she was still here and she still loved him, needed him, and understood why he did what he did. That her daddy was unreasonable and out this mind, having cultured his world view through bible readings and bottles of Jim Beam. She knew this and she knew somewhere deep inside himself Daryl knew it too. But still, they were at this impasse. And Beth was numb; no tears left to cry, no worries left to mull, not a thing left to do. She felt like she was floating and sinking at the same time; the visceral world nothing more than color and sounds, shapes and warmth. No thought, no intention, just existence.

"Doodle Bug…are you ready ?" Her daddy appeared in the doorway of her room, his bible in hand and his clothing immaculately pressed. They'd not had electricity in weeks so she knew that this particular suit must have been hanging in his closet ready for a Sunday service he never went to.

Beth turned and looked at him seriously. "Daryl did what needed to be done, Daddy." Hershel paused before exhaling a disgusted sigh.

"Bethy I know you have feelings for the boy. But your mama…" He looked up searching the ceiling for a rationale that didn't exist. "She was sick."

If Beth wasn't so numb she would have been incredibly angry right now. Looking back out the window she spoke with absolute certainty. "Daryl's not a boy and I'm not a girl. We're both grown adults and we've been keeping this place afloat for a while now." She turned to look at him. "No help from you." Hershel's mouth drew into a thin line, his face reddening. "Mama had turned. I don't know why but I know…she was one of them."

The bible slammed down on her dresser causing Beth to twitch. "I won't stand here and listen to this…I won't, Beth. Your mama was sick and Daryl killed her…that's all there is to it !"

Beth closed her eyes, there was no use trying to talk reason into him. Her dissent would have to be enough for now. She had no strength left for anything else.

"Whatever you say, Daddy." She rolled her eyes looking back out the window as Daryl laid the last of the rocks in a pile on top of her mama. A younger version of herself might think that it was for aesthetics only, but now she knew that it was so the animals wouldn't get to her. Dig her up and rip her apart; fighting their own struggle for survival.

Hershel huffed and reclaimed his bible. "I'll be outside burying your mother. Make yourself presentable for her." With that he was gone, his heavy footfalls echoing on the stairs. She'd not cleaned herself since her and Daryl had gotten back home the night before. Blood was still caked to her forearms and her clothes were dirty. Didn't seem important to wash up, and it still didn't, but he was right. She should make herself presentable for her mama. After today there wouldn't be even the barest sense of life when it came to Annette; just a hole in the ground and a crooked wooden cross.

Daryl stood back against one of the pecan trees. He was dirty and sweat soaked from burying Beth's mama but he figured it was the least he could do. The old man had come down a little while ago, standing at the head of his wife's grave thumbing through the Bible throwing a look toward the house every now and again. He figured they were waiting for Beth and she would be down when she was ready- as it should be. Hershel had thrown a glance or two his way but didn't say a word. Even though he had thoroughly convinced himself that he had no place here anymore, he still felt he should be somewhere nearby for this. For Beth.

His eyes flicked as he saw movement across the yard. She'd cleaned herself up, washed the dried blood from her arms, and pulled her hair up into a braid. She was barefoot walking across the dirt like it didn't bother her one bit, wearing a pair of faded baggy jeans cuffed up at the ankle and a simple white t-shirt. Daryl had to force himself to stay where he was as her eyes briefly met his before looking away. She looked so simple and so beautiful; her creamy tan making the deep blue of her eyes pop all the more against her basic attire. Thankfully he had something to lean against because his knees felt weak.

Beth could feel Daryl's eyes on her and she took that small comfort tucking it away deep inside. She knew it couldn't be easy for him, being here with her daddy after Hershel had treated him like a stray dog. But still he was here. She could also feel her daddy's eyes on her, taking in her casual appearance with some sure dismay. This wasn't a funeral, though, it wasn't even a viewing. It was the three of them burying her mama behind the barn in a dirt hole because the world had ended. She met his eyes, daring him to say something and wisely he decided to turn his attention back to the good book beginning.

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away."

Beth stared at the ground as she smirked slightly. Revelation 21; couldn't have been a more fitting reading for their current situation. In fact it seemed that all Christ had prophesied was coming true, albeit not quite the way she had in mind. The three of them stood quietly, each lost in thought, as they stared at the pile of rocks and rudimentary wooden cross that was all they had left of Annette. Eventually her daddy closed the Bible and walked back toward the house slowly, looking around the farm as if to make sure this had all been real. Daryl watched him go before settled his eyes back to Beth. Even with the old man gone he still kept his distance, leaning back on that pecan tree watching her. Folding her legs under her she sat down next to her mama, bowing her head into her hands. She wanted to stay here a while, sit with her like she had so many nights before and she wanted to be alone with her grief.

Being more preceptive than most, Daryl immediately sensed that Beth didn't want him here. She was grateful for the support but right now she needed to be alone. He noticed that she had left the house without her knife or any other weapon for that matter and had this been a different occasion he might have chided her about it. Might have said it was damn stupid to be wandering around shoeless and weaponless these days. But he had no place to say much of anything anymore. Not after what he'd done. Sighing he unstrapped his own knife from his belt and silently approached her not wanting to disturb her impromptu wake. Lying it down next to her on the grass she covered his hand for a moment giving it a slight squeeze but not looking at him. He left her like that as he walked back to the house.

Before coming to the farm Daryl hadn't had much more than the clothes on his back and his crossbow. A tarp, some rope, a lighter, and a ratty old blanket he'd taken from the motel. Even he had to acknowledge that he had been at rock bottom that morning Beth approached him with the offer of a job and a new start. Daryl'd never been afraid of hard work and he'd taken to the job on the farm immediately. He didn't know much about farming but Beth had shown him and he'd figured it out quickly. She didn't pay him a lot but for Daryl to was more than ever made in his entire life. So much in fact that he opened a bank account, got a debit card, a cell phone, and a hair cut. He had seven full sets of clothes for everyday of the week having to wash them only once instead of every night as he had when he first arrived here. He had packs of underwear and socks, boxers and undershirts to sleep in, and all the toiletries a man like himself could need to keep clean. It was collectively more than he'd ever had in his entire life.

As he stood in the small bedroom off the kitchen he wondered how much he should pack up. Emotionally he told himself he should pack it all and do these people a favor and get the hell away. After what he'd just done he was surprised that Hershel hadn't chased him off the property with a shot gun. Taking his duffel bag he packed three sets of clothes, as many socks and underwear he could fit, and a bar of soap. He made sure his boots were laced tight, his crossbow was on his back, and his smaller pocket knife was in his pants. He gathered the tarp and his rope and quietly he shut the door behind him making sure that it was locked tight. Everything else he didn't need he left in the top drawer of the dresser, Beth could do with it what she wanted.

He tried not to look, although failing miserably, as he walked past the barn and toward the fields. She was still there by her mama's grave, knees pulled up to her chest and head dipped low. He imagined she might be crying although he heard nothing and her shoulders were still. Girl had probably cried herself out last night and was now dry as a bone. He bit his lip, if she wanted him there with her she would have asked. If Hershel wanted him on this farm he wouldn't have said get the fuck out. Daryl should be walking down the road but he couldn't turn his back on Beth. Not now, not like this.

Unrolling the tarp between two familiar trees he strung the paracord up saving enough to make a perimeter around the camp. If he was out on the road right now he'd get some junk to string up on the perimeter making an alarm system of sorts. For now he'd have to settle for a few cans and a couple of old hubcaps that had been behind the barn. Daryl dug a low hole starting a fire for no reason other than it was something to do. He wasn't really hungry; hadn't been for a few days. It also was hot, probably the last week of July by now although he had stopped keeping track of that a while ago. Laying down on the hard ground he looked up at the sky. Funny how life moved in circles, always finding a way to take you back to the start.

It was well after dark when Beth collapsed into bed. She'd not slept in almost two days, barely ate a thing, and until tonight when she couldn't pee had totally forgotten to drink any water. It was almost like she'd fallen into some kind of catatonic state; the hours slipping by as she stared at that awful hole in the ground. She'd not seen Daryl all day, not since he'd left that knife at her side. When she came up to her room she'd noticed the barest flicker of a flame in the west pasture near the woods line. If she could cry she would probably shed a tear knowing that Daryl had packed his things and moved back out into the fields. Just like at the beginning.

But Beth had nothing left, absolutely nothing. And she sat there, for as long as she could stay awake staring at that flickering flame knowing he was still here…far away…but not gone. When she laid down in bed, with her bare dirty feet still wearing the clothes she had on all day sleep came quickly. Pulling her under like a dark, consuming torrent.

Daryl stared at Beth's window. He hoped that she was getting some rest, the girl had been up for nearly two days straight. He himself had fallen asleep for about an hour this afternoon and knew that was all he was going to get. Sleeping out in the open like this after dark was far from wise. Someone always needed to be on watch now and seeing as how Hershel saw the walkers as no threat he knew that would need to be him, all day every day. That was if he stayed which despite every ounce of pride in him, Daryl couldn't bring himself to leave. Not just because he loved her but also because he needed to know that she was safe.

It was dark, no moon and no stars, the farm enrobed in pitch darkness. The fire had nearly burnt out now and was just embers turning in the light breeze. Daryl sat in silence staring at the house not expecting to see or hear a damn thing. That was why when the truck roared to life and the headlights snapped on he nearly jumped in surprise. The old blue farm truck that Hershel had wrecked before it all happened had been repaired and brought back just before the turn. Nobody drove it but Hershel, and he knew Beth wasn't stupid enough to leave the house in the middle of the night alone. She knew what it was like out there.

Gathering his crossbow he kicked dirt over the remnants of the fire and headed toward the house. If the old man was dumb enough to take off in the middle of the night, well them so be it. But that also meant that Beth was alone in the house with no idea that her daddy was gone. Just the kind of situation he was afraid of and just the reason he hadn't lit out for good. Everything was quiet as he approached the front yard and he breathed out a sigh of relief. Opening the gate he walked up onto the porch and pushed the door open. Hadn't even bothered to lock the door.

Quietly he swept through the house checking each room to make sure that nothing else had been carelessly left open. Upstairs he found Annette's room with the bed stripped bare. Pausing for a second in the doorway he sighed heavily slouching his shoulders and letting the bow rest against the wall. He wished it could have gone differently but it didn't and there was no sense wishing for something that wasn't going to happen. Shifting his weight he peered across the hallway into Beth's room, she was deeply asleep and for that he was relieved. When Maize saw him step into the room her tail thumped on the floor. Giving the dog a scratch on the head, his eyes settled on Beth's sleeping form. Goosebumps bloomed across her pale skin as she shivered slightly without waking up. Daryl couldn't get her under the covers without waking her up, but thankfully there was a throw at the end of the bed that he was able to laid across her. His heart pounded with the love he had for her. He would want nothing more than to lay down beside her and take her into his arms. Reaching his fingers out he ran them through her blonde hair pushing it up and away from her face. She was so beautiful.

It took everything Daryl had to go back downstairs and take up watch on the front porch. Sitting back in one of the rockers he swayed back and forth taking in the dark and quiet farm. He didn't know how long he sat there but eventually he heard the rumble of an engine and saw the sweep of headlights across the pitch black fields. Coming to stand on the porch steps he held the cross bow at ready not taking for granted that it was old man. The old blue farm truck came to a stop near the barn as the engine cut and the door swung open. Relaxing the bow back down, he stood staring as Hershel grunted and cursed getting his prosthetic leg untangled from the clutch.

Daryl sat back down. He wanted the old man to see that he was still here, keeping watch, making sure Beth and this place was safe while he ran off into the night and did God knows what. It was dark but Daryl's eye had become attuned to it and even without a speck of light he could see Hershel stumbling toward the house. He'd left to go get lit in the middle of the night. Christ.

Daryl chewed the inside of his cheek as he watched Beth's daddy weave his way unsteadily onto the porch. Stopping he looked down at Daryl wordlessly as a bottle hung limply at his side. Although he'd spent the better part of the day keeping his eyes averted to ground, Daryl didn't hesitate to meet Hershel's gaze. They stared at each other in the dark until Daryl finally looked back out toward the fields shaking his head. Everything he had feared was just confirmed. He couldn't leave, no fucking way, not like this. Beth was strong and she was smart and she'd been surviving for a long time before everything went to shit. But her daddy was stupid and reckless and would get her killed in no time. The door slammed shut as Hershel disappeared into the house taking up a familiar position in the basement. Pretending that the world wasn't what it was. Pretending that the walkers were sick people waiting for a cure. Pretending that nothing that was happening was happening at all.

Daryl hadn't ever been one for looking away. Bad shit just happened, seemed to happen more to him, but it happened nonetheless. Looking away, pretending…didn't do a damn thing for you, especially not now. Until Beth, herself, told him to leave he was staying right here. Keeping this place safe, keeping her safe. It didn't need to be like it was although his heart broke at the thought. He just needed to be here. Needed to be with her.

When Beth woke up the next more covered with the blanket from the bottom of her bed the first thought that she had was that her daddy had come up to check on her. That notion was quickly erased as she stood at the top of the basement stairs; the smell of stale booze making her stomach turn. A fine time for him to fall off the wagon again. Before the turn…before her mama…she would have been enraged stomping down those stairs and giving him a piece of her mind. Now…now it just didn't seem to matter and she couldn't bring herself to care even if she tried. If her daddy wanted to drink himself to death in the cellar well then so be it. She had nothing left when it came to him.

She found the front porch empty as she and Maize took up position there. Muddy boot prints told her that Daryl had been sitting here last night, keeping watch. And from that she concluded that it must have been he who covered her up and made sure she was safe. She hadn't seen him yet today but she knew that he was out walking the fences like always. Beth hoped that once the dust settled with her mama that he would realize he'd done nothing wrong and her daddy was a damn fool. But Daryl was sensitive when it came to being wanted and she knew it would take time for him to get past the complexity of this situation. She would be here though, and so would he…and in the end that was all the mattered.

Morning slipped into afternoon and before she knew it the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon casting a warm orange glow across the fields. Now that her mama was gone Beth didn't have much to do and resigned herself to keeping watch. The shotgun across her lap she didn't see any reason that keeping this place safe fell only to Daryl. It wasn't easy keeping watch, looking at the same thing over and over expecting to see something and never seeing a damn thing. Until…

A man with a boy in his arms running toward her from the West Pasture. The man was tall and thin and from afar it looked like he was dressed in Sheriff's Uniform. The boy was a limp bouncing up and down as the man desperately continued toward her, tripping and stumbling, but not giving up his mission. Beth's mouth instantly went dry. She'd not seen another living soul anywhere near the farm in weeks. Instantly she was on her feet eyes sweeping the land side to side looking for Daryl. When she came up empty she realized she needed to take matters into her own hands and descended the porch coming to stand just behind the gated front yard. If this man tried anything she was going to shoot him plain and simple. Except it wasn't that plain and simple. He was alive and killing him would mean killing an actual person.

She could hear him gasping in desperation as he approached. Taking a steadying breath she brought the gun up level with his face. If this was some kind of trick…a trap..she wasn't falling for it. The boy coming into focus she saw that he was pale and covered in blood, perhaps dead already.

Rick wasn't sure that he could take another step if he tried. His chest burned, his legs ached, his head spun in circles. Had he been in any kind of right mind he would have been impressed by the fortification of the farmhouse and even more so by the tough looking blonde about to shoot him. She was older than she looked, her early thirties probably, he could tell by the set of her jaw and steel behind her eyes. She'd seen shit…done shit…been through shit. The kind of strength someone only got by living. He wondered idly, if it was just her here and if she had done all this herself. If someone told him she had he probably would have believed them.

"Was he bit ?" She ground the words out making sure this man and whoever came after knew she wasn't here for any shit.

Rick gasped a desperate whimper of sorts coming from his mouth, "Shot. By your man…Jimmy." Beth almost snorted at that. Oh this would just figure. "He said find Beth…is that you ? Please help me ! My Boy !" Beth lowered the gun.

"Don't think you're gonna try anything…" Daryl had appeared silently from around the house, his crossbow up and level as he flicked a gaze toward Beth; he was here- always right here. Taking a step toward Rick, she saw the child was in bad shape, shot in the stomach, blood soaking through his red sweatshirt. Giving a Daryl a nod she knew that she couldn't send this man away with a clear conscious, not with it being a kid involved. Pushing the gate open she nodded toward the house.

"In here…I'll do what I can."

Rick's voice shook with raw emotion as he nodded, "Thank you…please God…Thank you."

TBC….

I struggled with this chapter as a transition, that was why it took so long. Next chapter I promise will come quicker as writing medical things comes easy to me and Beth will be getting down to work on Carl. Shane and Jimmy and of course the Queen Bee herself Lori all will show up next.

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. !