Before

Her first night in the hospital she didn't sleep at all. She didn't trust any of them to begin with, but telling her that Daryl was nowhere to be found? That she was alone when they found her? She didn't believe it for a single second.

He would never…right?

She meant what she said to him while they were both a little too drunk on moonshine. He would be the last man standing, with her or not. Most likely without her because she said what she meant about herself too, she just didn't think I'd be so soon. She thought they had more time.

And he wouldn't believe she was gone without seeing it happen for himself. Despite what she said, even if it was the truth, that she wasn't like Maggie or Michonne or Carol. She could've made it without him. She did , even if she didn't do it of her own will.

But he wouldn't just assume she was dead, even though she told him she was just another dead girl. Even though he probably thought that. He wouldn't.

He wouldn't.

Now

The three women stood as statues in the street, one startled, one puzzled, and one dizzy with shock. None of them moved save for the one who smiled as it slowly fell from her face. Perhaps she'd gotten it wrong. She started to say something to apologize when Michonne spoke to her in her native language. "Que veux-tu dire? Comment connais-tu Daryl?" (What do you mean? How do you know Daryl?)

The French woman looked confusedly at the two other, as she replied in a way only one of them could understand. "Elle ne parle pas français?" (She doesn't speak French?) She glanced at the young woman who seemed to still be stunned before meeting the eyes of the other stranger. "N'est-elle pas ton amie?" (Is she not your friend?)

Michonne's face was stony as she began to answer, "Non—"

"What do you mean?" Beth suddenly interjected. "The one he sees?"

The stranger turned her eyes away from Michonne and smiled softly at the young woman who looked completely bewildered by everything happening, still stuck on the first words she could understand from the conversation. "Sometimes when we talk he drifts away, and I know he is not thinking about what I've said but who it reminds him of. That is you, no?"

The younger blonde blinked as if she hadn't heard correctly. "I—um," she attempted as she struggled to find a response. Her former family member turned to look at her then as well, surprised to hear her apparently speechless at the thought.

Beth was still struggling as they heard other footsteps coming from the house they'd exited minutes earlier. Rick came around the corner with his revolver drawn but lowered it a bit when he noticed that there was no immediate danger. His eyes scanned each of the women and when he noticed the youngest Greene sister's look he grew apprehensive. "What's going on?" he asked, as he walked up to stand beside his wife.

"She says she knows Daryl," Michonne explained as she watched his eyes grow wide in surprise. "Where's–"

"I'm here," the brunette said, stepping out from the side of the house her father told her to stay behind. She listened about as well as everyone else in her family did, and her father frowned at the thought. She didn't hesitate as she got closer and spoke directly to the stranger. "You know my Uncle Daryl?"

At this the mysterious woman gave a broad smile. "Judith, yes? He told us about you and your brother." The parents shared a look. It was obvious that this woman did know the man they were looking for. How else would she know their daughter's name?

The young girl nodded. "Is he on the radio?"

At this the woman's smile faltered. "No. I was listening for signs of them."

"Them?" Rick asked.

She nodded. "Oui, yes. I told your family," she said pointing towards Beth and Michonne. "My nephew left shortly after Daryl did, I think he tried to follow him. Daryl was going north, near Vierville-sue-Mer, to catch a fishing boat. He was going home." She sighed and shook her head. "They weren't there, just bodies, les affamés. I've been trying to find them, driving around," she sighed again looking desperate. "He would not take Laurent from me, not to America. They are here, somewhere."

The couple continued to have a conversation with each other silently before Rick spoke. "You said 'signs of them' for the radio," he said pointing towards it as she lowered her hands. "What does that mean?"

The woman frowned even deeper and looked at her feet. "We have enemies here. Daryl and Laurent especially, they–"

"Who?" It was the most alert Beth had been since the strange woman first said Daryl's name, as if the possibility of him being in danger woke her out of her stupor.

The woman blinked at her. "Pouvoir des Vivants. They are radicals, military who perform experiments on les affamés, the hungry ones, change them to something worse. They're after all of us, anyone who stands against them," she explained. "Laurent is different, special. And Daryl–"

"Is Daryl," added for her. When her husband looked at her amused she shrugged. "You've met him." Behind them their daughter huffed out a laugh. "Have you heard anything?"

The woman shook her head. "No, but I will keep looking until I can't anymore."

The Councilor considered the unspoken offer she left. It seemed obvious to her, but she wasn't here alone. She looked at the others who all seemed to be in agreement. "We'll go with you." The woman nodded and lifted one side of her mouth in a small smile. "What's your name?"

"Isabelle Carrière," she replied. "If you're ready we can go now. There's a lot of ground to cover before dark."

Fifteen minutes later they were all piled into the truck, bags stuffed with supplies from the nearby houses. The French woman had a map where she crossed off each place she'd already searched, and they continued to do so as they drove from one small village to another. Chatting was mostly kept to a minimum as they were all focused on seeking signs of one or both of the missing, and to hear in case something came over the radio. Still, there was some small talk between Michonne, Judith, and Isabelle as both Grimes women had questions about the boy they were looking for and the landscape.

Just from listening in from her spot in the trunk of the vehicle she learned that Isabelle last saw Laurent and Daryl ten days before, hours apart. But she had no doubt that the boy followed after the man as he left for the meeting spot of the fishing boat. Laurent was only slightly older than Judith, and much more sheltered, much more naive and all too trusting.

The French woman was convinced that the pair would be trying to make it back to The Nest where she was from so they headed south. They stopped every 30 minutes or so as they came across a new town but other than a few new supplies to fill their bag, came up empty handed. As they started to lose the light they came upon a tiny village called Livry that consisted of only a few rundown buildings.

Judith stayed with Isabelle in the truck while the other three cleared the buildings, coming across a few walkers. The first three were dispatched easily, one for each of them, but the fourth surprised them. Michonne was still clearing her blade from the skull of the one she took down when it came from around a corner, faster than any walker should move in its state. The Councilor saw it reach for her, but the woman's back was turned.

There wasn't time for her to pull her gun and fire so she did the only thing she could with the time she had, and rushed the creature. They slammed into the wall behind as Beth felt sparks of pain along her left arm where it collided with it. By the time she righted herself both Rick and Michonne had entered the fight and stabbed at its head, ending its second life.

She winced with pain as the other woman gasped, and looked down to see the material of her coat and sweater melting away in some spots, showing the skin underneath. "What the fuck?"

"Take it off, now!" Michonne instructed, as the burning continued. She did as instructed, going down to her bra and tossing the garments onto the corpse nearby. Red welts were beginning to form on her forearm and upper arm just above her elbow. "Get some water or something!"

Rick rushed outside to dig through the bags in the truck for medical supplies. When he came back, Isabelle and Judith rushed in behind him, the older blonde taking control. "Brûleur," she whispered to herself. "The water," she instructed, "wash it off and then dry it with something clean." She turned to Rick. "We need a fire, cauterizing stops the spread."

"What?!" Beth gasped as Michonne poured a bottle of water over the wounds.

Rick dug through one of the backpacks before finding what he was looking for. Holding up a lighter he asked, "Can we just heat up one of those pokers," indicating a set of iron tools near the fireplace.

"Oui, yes," she replied as he moved to grab one and flicked the lighter to life and held it under the tip of the rod. "How hot?"

Isabelle looked up from where she was inspecting the red spots. "As hot as you can. Judith," she addressed the young girl. "Find something for her to bite down on." She looked back at Beth. "Try to keep quiet."

All she remembered of the next few minutes was more burning and trying to hold her breath in order to keep her screams in. Somehow she didn't lose consciousness but her mind felt hazy as she tried to ignore the pain. She'd ended up laying back against Michonne who'd held her still, and opened her eyes to a pair of brown ones filled with worry. It surprised her, since she seemed to be the last on the list of Beth's fans.

Minutes went by and as she felt more stable she tried sitting up. "Are you done?" she asked of the French woman.

"Yes," she said, nodding. "We'll let them cool and then wrap them to keep them clean." She turned towards the father and daughter as Beth adjusted to sit more comfortably. "Perhaps you two can work on putting together a meal while we help Beth."

They did, and Isabelle encouraged the younger blonde to eat something to gain her strength back as they waited for the burns to cool. When the meal was done she checked the temperature of the nearby skin with the back of her hand before deciding that they could now be wrapped with bandages. "Puis-je, may I?" she nodded as the Grimes family all took a bathroom break outside and made sure none of the dead had wandered in.

Beth slowly lifted her arm towards the woman who first covered the wounds with an ointment from a first aid kit they'd found earlier in the day. When she was satisfied she reached for some long bandages from the same kit. In wrapping the arm, she turned Beth's wrist upward. "Ah," she expressed with a small smile, as Beth looked at her questionably. She pointed to her own wrist while she nodded towards the younger woman's. Her most hated scar in plain view. "When he saw mine, he was kind. Most people are not." She smiled at her. "Now I see why."

Beth met her eyes and blinked, unsure of what to say. Isabelle seemed to know this and finished wrapping the wounds quickly. If she saw her other bare arm with yet another defect, she said nothing.

As night settled in she continued her silence until she eventually fell into a spotty sleep against the wall.

In the morning she was shaken awake by a soft hand on her shoulder and opened her eyes to Judith's curious gaze. She attempted what she thought was a small smile at the girl. "Where is everyone?" she asked softly.

"Outside, getting ready to leave. They wanted to let you sleep as long as possible." The girl continued her close-up examination before she spoke again. "Thanks for saving my mom." She said it so simply, as if there weren't all these other complications amongst each of them. Beth simply nodded and moved to stand before they both walked outside.

The bright sunlight made her squint, and she realized that they were already a few hours past dawn. They really did let her sleep in. Her bladder was screaming at her from a long night's wait. "Tell your parents that I'll be back in a minute." She didn't wait for a response before heading around the back of the building and into the trees.

Just inside the tree line was enough; there was no one around but she still walked farther into the forest. Birds chirped from nearby nests and the leaves sand with a slight breeze. It was so peaceful, untouched by anything but nature itself, and she couldn't find it in herself to stop walking forward. She was far past just going to the bathroom when she heard a noise off to her left and turned to investigate.

She was likely getting herself lost when she heard it again, a voice, unclear, but one all the same. She continued on, watching her footsteps so as to not make any noise until just feet ahead of her was a man arguing with a boy.

Even if it weren't for the vest he so diligently wore, his stance was still the same after all these years. The back of his head was covered with much longer hair than before, but she'd never forget that shade of brown. His voice, just a grating as it ever was as he berated the child before him for not listening to him.

She wanted to run. Turn back and flee. She wasn't ready, thought she'd have more time. It should have taken longer to find him, should've had to search the whole damn continent before it came to this. She still needed time to prepare. But…

Here he was.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and breathed in before reminding herself of who she was and what she was capable of. She slid her mask on her face for the first time since arriving in France and stepped forward, making a slight amount of noise to announce herself. She felt like herself again.

"This is pretty fucking far outside of Georgia, Daryl."