Disclaimer: A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.

So the original chapter that I sent Nicole was a bit of a mess. I re-read this several times and changed several scenes so she hasn't had time to check over the new version! Just a heads up!

A/N: Sorry for the late night upload, YAY! New chapter! It took me a bit to get back into the groove of this story, but I actually really love how this chapter turned out. As promised, I did the reverse of last chapter and this is completely in Daryl's POV until the end scene.

…

Daryl held up his hand, signaling everyone to halt, and peeked around the corner. It was dark, but he was still able to make out of bodies standing at the end of the aisle. Making a quick count, he held up one finger, followed by four, indicating fourteen visible walkers. Glancing over his shoulder, his eyes met Rick's for a brief moment, giving each other a nod, and then looked over to Beth.

After their quarrel in the woods a few days back, she had made it clear that she wanted to be more involved in sharing group responsibilities, and thus Daryl had decided to make sure Beth would be included in any of their future runs. When they had seen the grocery store on the edge of town, he had implored that Beth come with them to look for supplies, and everyone's attention landed on Maggie. He could tell the older Greene had wanted to argue, but to his surprise, Maggie had kept her thoughts to herself.

They had cleared a house further down the road, and while the rest of them went back to search the store, Judith had stayed behind with Carol, who was still recovering, as well as Tara, Tyreese, and Eugene. If their run went awry, everyone knew to rendezvous at the house. There was an understood rule that anyone who failed to show within a twenty-four hour waiting period would no longer be considered to be among the living and the group would move on without them.

Receiving a reassuring smile from the blonde, he turned his attention back to the danger ahead of them. Lifting his crossbow, Daryl quickly crept across the aisle to the far end of the shelving, and motioned with his free hand for the next person to follow. As each member of the group crossed the tiled floor, more walkers shambled into view. Daryl squinted his eyes and attempted to update his count; lifting two fingers and then pressing the tips of his fingers against his thumb in an 'O' shape, to inform the everyone that there were now at least twenty walkers to contend with.

Beth and Abraham were left standing at the opposite end of the aisle when Daryl saw a flashlight on the other side of building. At first he'd thought it was his imagination, but the shots that fired afterward proved otherwise, and caught everyone else's attention.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath, "we got company."

He could hear Rick murmuring to the rest of the group, but Beth and Abraham were still several feet away and walkers, attracted by the gunshots, would already be moving in on them. Daryl called their names, knowing stealth was no longer a matter of importance, and two ran towards the group as they huddled together.

"We can't go back the way we came," Glenn whispered hastily.

"There's 'ah back exit in the corner over there," Daryl gestured to where the walkers had been standing, "that's our best bet."

Everyone seemed to be in agreement.

"We split into two groups, keep our back to each other, in formation, just like we did at the prison and we move together," Rick said in a rush.

The first walkers came into view and there was no time left for discussion. Rick and Carl grabbed Rosita and Abraham, showing them what to do, while Daryl did the same with Sasha. While Rick and his group moved, Maggie and Glenn fell into step next to Beth and Daryl as they began navigating through the small herd of decomposing bodies.

"There's so many," Sasha's voice was on the brink of hysteria.

"Jus' keep movin'," Daryl yelled as another walked grabbed at his arm.

Rick's group opened the door as more shots could be heard began firing, closer than they had been before. They only had a few more steps and they would be out of immediate danger. He wanted to grab Beth and dash for the door, but he knew he couldn't break formation. Just as they were stepping into the sunlight streaming in through their exit, a scream shattered his concentration. Whipping his head next to him, he blood ran cold when he saw Beth running after Maggie. The brunette was bleeding from her shoulder, fending off a walking leaning over top of her where she had fallen to the floor with her good arm.

"Goddamit Beth," Daryl cursed, pushing Sasha toward Rick.

Shoving his knife throw a walker's temple he made his way back toward the girls, not startled when he noticed Glenn doing the same.

"She's been shot," Beth hollered as another corpse dropped at her feet.

"Glenn," Daryl's voice was hard.

"I got 'er. Just hold them off while I get her to tha' door," Glenn shouted over the chaos.

Daryl stepped up beside Beth, firing his crossbow and slinging over his shoulder, not having enough time to load another bolt. As soon as Glenn had Maggie on her feet, they were fighting their way towards the door as quickly as possible. Shots could still be heard in the background, but by the sounds of things, they were retreating back to the entrance of the grocery store.

"Stupid pricks," Daryl cursed, "Should know by now not to run around wastin' bullets."

"Obviously not," Beth grumbled, shoving the knife he had once owned through the eye socket of a reanimated being.

Standing back to back, they fought their way through the chaos of snaring teeth and clawing fingers. Keeping a close eye on Glenn and Maggie, Daryl failed to see the walker slithering on the ground until its hand clasped around his ankle. It took several tries, but he finally yanked his ankle free and slammed the heel of his Red Wing boot down on its head. Those precious moments were all it took for their exit to be cut off by the dead. He could hear Maggie shrieking Beth's name, but each scream sounded farther away. Seconds later, the little bit of light that had brightened the dark store for them went out and he knew the door to the exit was closed.

Beth anxious voice called to him, "Where do we go?"

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, forcing them to focus so he could find anything that could provide them with an escape route.

Kicking a walker in the chest, knocking it along with several other's away from them, Daryl grabbed Beth's wrist and rushed to the door he had seen when he had first spotted the exit. Throwing caution to the wind, Daryl yanked the door open, ready to thrash at whatever was on the other side. When only cleaning supplies and a broom came into view, he yanked Beth in behind him and shut the door.

They were both breathing heavily, dripping with sweat, and covered in blood, but they were safe. The group would retreat back to the house and when everything quieted down outside, Daryl would sneak them out the back door. OFor now, they would bide their time and catch their breath.

Moving to the back of the closet, he slid down the wall, and rested his head against the cool, smooth brick. His crossbow clattered to the ground beside him and he slid it out of the way so Beth could sit next to him. The dead beat against the door relentlessly and it reminded him of how things had been when they first fled the prison.

"I guess bein' stuck in a closet is better than bein' stuck in the truck of a car," Beth said with a laugh; reading his thoughts, "At least we have leg room."

Daryl smirked tiredly, unsure if she could see him in the dark.

"You were right," she said loud enough for him to hear.

"'Bout what?" He breathed the question.

"Everything…with Maggie," she added after a few heartbeats, "I saw her get shot and I didn't even think twice about tryin' t'save her."

"I noticed," Daryl grouched.

He heard Beth's breathy laugh and silence fell between them.

He felt her fingers thread through his in the dark, her smaller hands shaking as the adrenaline left their systems. Closing his eyes, he was content for the moment. They were trapped, but at least he knew she was safe.

"I'll talk to Maggie," she leaned her head against his shoulder, "when we get out of here."

"Yeah?" His rough voice barely a whisper.

"Yeah," she nodded against his skin, "If I had lost her today…our last conversation we just yelled at each other. I don't want her last thoughts being about how bad we've been to each other. Life's too short, ya' know?"

"I know," he replied, squeezing her hand.

He felt her squeeze his hand in return and he gently rested his chin atop her head.

"You're good Beth," Daryl emphasized the word.

"You'd 'ah done the same for Merle," she countered.

"Probably," Daryl admitted, "Doubt tha' bastard would'a done the same for me though."

"Older siblings suck," Beth huffed.

Daryl chuckled softly into her hair.

"If we're gonna' be stuck here, might as well make the best of it," Beth said, suddenly changing topics.

"I'm fresh outta' moonshine," he informed her sarcastically.

She let out a soft laugh and lifted her head to look at him, "Wanna' know a secret?"

Daryl made out her expression in the dark and suddenly felt the walls closing in on him. He felt a sudden rise of panic and wasn't sure how to answer, or which direction she was taking their conversation, so he settled on furrowing his brows.

"I've never had a job," she announced dejectedly.

Caught off guard it took Daryl a moment to decipher what she meant. Realizing she was referring to their game, he inquired, "I thought you worked with yer' dad?"

"I mean a real job. Where you get paid money and have to work a full eight hours," she clarified.

"Ain't all it's cracked up t'be," he grumbled and immediately felt her elbow nudge into his side.

"It's what a normal life would have been like…before," she sighed and replaced her head on his shoulder.

"I s'pose," he conceded quietly.

"If it were my choice, I'd work in a music store," she declared excitedly, "Or maybe a bookstore? Definitely somewhere I could drink coffee."

He smiled, trying to imagine Beth in a hunter green apron working at Barnes and Noble, sipping on a Starbucks coffee, without a care in the world.

…

Riding his bike into downtown Atlanta, Daryl had received a phone call from one of Merle's 'friends,' asking him to meet with a few of them and give them the details on what had happened at the party last weekend. He'd told Merle when he'd last visited him, that he would come by sometime during week and fill him in, but it seemed like a few of his brother's lackeys were impatient and far too eager to please.

When he'd pulled off the road, he was all but enthused to see three members in Merle's biker gang waiting for him. If there was one thing that Daryl had learned from Merle, it's to never tell anyone in the group where the profit from the merchandise has been stashed. He'd seen too many people run off with huge sums of his brother's money, illegally earned or not, in the past and there was no way he was going to allow that to happen on his watch.

"I got his cash," Daryl said the third time.

"Where is it then?" The larger man, going by the biker name 'Tank,' stepped up to him.

Not one to be intimidated, Daryl glared and turned to stand toe to toe with the man, "It's safe."

They were standing on the corner of one of the quieter streets, across from a rundown music store that was well known for selling more than just music.

"Alright," Slick, the skinniest of the group, stepped in between them and broke the tension, "Long as you got tha' money, that's all that matters."

"I done told you I got it, didn't I?" Daryl spat angrily, thrusting his hand in his pocket, searching for his cigarette lighter.

"You know we're jus' lookin' out for Merle's…business," Bullet, the woman Merle had been shacking up with before his incarceration, smirked while pushing off of her custom Harley and reaching forward to light the cigarette dangling from his lips.

"I ain't Merle's bitch," Daryl sneered, sucking in a deep breath filled with nicotine, and held the white stick between his fingers as he continued, "I do what I choose t'do because he's my brother. Next time you're checkin' on his affairs, go to tha' source and leave me tha' fuck out of it."

Brushing past Tank, Daryl moved to get on his bike when a streak of blonde and a vaguely familiar voice calling his name caught his attention.

"Beth?" He asked, quickly tossing the cigarette to the ground and smothering it out with his boot, while the woman in question ran across the street towards him, "What tha' hell are you doin' in this part 'ah town?"

Her messy hair hung loosely past her shoulders, a stark contrast to her black tank top, and the flannel shirt tied around her waist barely left any of her denim shorts visible.

"I'm job huntin'," she replied with a smile.

"Here?" He inquired skeptically.

Absently he'd realized he'd just wasted an entire cigarette, throwing it down when he'd remembered Beth wasn't a fan of them, and then felt extremely annoyed with himself that he even cared what she thought.

"Well…yeah?" He could hear the question in her voice, "The music store was kind of a detour though."

Daryl narrowed his eyes. He'd never once taken Beth for a junkie, but the fact that she had come out of the very same music store that sold to so many college kids, had him starting to second guess himself.

"They weren't hiring, but I thought they might've had some old vinyls," she elaborated, "They didn't have the one I was lookin' for though."

"Have ya' a little songbird Dixon?" A female voice interrupted before Daryl could reply.

Sighing, Daryl cursed his luck. He had been so distracted by seeing Beth come out of the music store that he had completely forgotten about his present company.

"Her name's Beth," he gripped the handlebars of his bike tightly, "Beth, this is Bullet."

"Nice to meet you," Beth smiled and Daryl felt his stomach drop.

Daryl decided right then and there that this girl had absolutely no sense for when she was in a situation that she did not belong in. Most people would see a group like his and turn the other direction, but for whatever reason, she kept approaching him.

"Likewise," Bullet replied coyly, "How do you two know each other?"

"He fixed my-"

"We don't," Daryl cut Beth off and glared.

"I see," Bullet replied with a knowing smirk, "Well I guess we'll leave you two to…get to know each other then. 'Preciate your time, Dixon."

Daryl's keen eyes followed the trio as they got on their motorcycles, revved their engines unnecessarily, forcing Beth to shrink back and cover her ears, and sped down the street. When he was sure they were gone, the roar of their motors no longer able to be heard, Daryl let his shoulders relax a bit.

"Sorry," Beth started, "I assumed they were friends."

"You got a look at that lot and assumed I's friends with 'em?" Daryl scoffed.

"Well I wasn't gonna' judge," Beth tried and failed to not sound offended.

Daryl kept his thoughts of her lack of being able to judge good character to himself and only hummed a reply.

"Anyway," Beth checked her phone and slid it back into her pocket, "I've got a few more places to apply to so I'll let you get on your way. Just wanted to say hi."

"Yeah, see ya'," Daryl answered as Beth turned to leave.

He should have started up his bike and left. He definitely should have ignored her completely in front of Bullet and the rest. There were a lot of things he should have done, but for whatever reason, he found himself doing the opposite when it came to Beth. Instead of leaving, he did the opposite and sought out Beth's attention.

"Hey Beth," he placed his hand on the leather seat of his motorcycle and turned his torso to look at her, "You uh…"

He stopped himself, chewing on his lower lip; he was unsure how to word his sentence properly. They weren't in the best neighborhood and it wasn't safe for a girl like her to be walking around downtown Atlanta. During the day it wasn't as bad, but that didn't mean certain situations still happened in broad daylight.

He finally settled on, "You got 'ah ride?"

"Yeah," she answered and gestured down the street, "I parked my truck down there and checked a few of the businesses along the way to the music store."

Her truck was a few blocks away and he knew she could probably make it there without any issues, but he felt obligated to ensure she did just that knowing the kind of area they were in.

"Oh," Beth must have realized his intention, "I didn't mean for you t'walk with me."

"S' no problem," Daryl shrugged his shoulders and shoved his hands into his the pockets of his jeans.

They walked a few steps before Beth broke the silence.

"I'm just lookin' for something over the summer, but most people want t'hire someone long-term," she rambled agitatedly.

"You done with classes?" He inquired, genuinely curious.

"I take my last final tomorrow," her voice sounded more enthusiastic.

Daryl nodded his head several times in response.

"Most places already have spots for people returning to work from last summer," she sighed, "Makes it nearly impossible for us newbies to get a job."

"Guess I shouldn't complain 'bout havin' too much work then," Daryl pulled one of his hands from his pocket and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Shop been busy?" She asked while looking up at him.

"Yeah. Jess' old lady, Wanda, quit. She'd been doin' the paperwork for us. They split up a day or two before yer' truck broke down. Packed all her shit and left. Hasn't been t'work since."

"So you got stuck doin' your own paperwork?" She questioned thoughtfully.

Daryl scoffed, "Mine, Jess', and the other two guys who work at tha' shop."

"That sucks," Beth made a sour face.

"At least I got 'ah job," Daryl smirked at her.

"Touché," she laughed and reached in her front pocket.

"It been given' you any problems?" He asked while placing his hand on the hood of the old, blue farm truck.

"Jinksy seems to be holdin' it together for now," she replied absently while unlocking the door.

"You named your truck Jinksy?" Daryl inquired skeptically.

"Yeah," she stopped and looked at him, "I'm always afraid I'll jinx myself about him startin' for me."

Daryl wasn't sure whether to laugh or roll his eyes.

"Well I thought it was a clever name," she lifted her chin defiantly.

He smirked at her, as he found himself doing more often than not and patted the hood, "I'll see ya' round."

"We seem to have a knack for runnin' into each other," she commented while climbing into her truck.

"Seems that 'ah way," he replied, grabbing the frame of her door, "Good luck on yer' exam."

"Thanks," she acknowledged, "and thanks for walkin' me to my truck, even though you didn't have to."

He mumbled a reply and shut her door, turning to walk back to his bike.

When he was nearly halfway to his bike, he heard the slow roll of tires on the street and glanced over to see Beth's blue Ford slowly keeping with his pace. His smirked turned into a crook grin and he shook his head at her antics. When he finally reached his bike he heard the truck stop and the creaking of a window rolling down.

"Jus' retrunin' the favor," Beth called.

Lifting his hand and tossing a wave over his shoulder, he threw his leg over his bike and lifted the kickstand with his heel. Watching as Beth's taillights drove down the street, Daryl felt an odd sense of contentment from the afternoon's events.

Turning over the key and revving his engine a few times, he turned the opposite way as Beth and headed back towards his apartment.

ooo

It had been a few days since he had seen Beth and yet he found himself wondering what she was doing from time to time. He blamed it on idle curiosity. Beth wasn't like most people he'd come across; not quick to judge, although he would argue that it wouldn't hurt her to be at least a little judgmental. She was genuine, honest, and for some reason she didn't seem deterred by his terse exterior.

He had decidedly come to the conclusion that she must just be a nice person and treated everyone the same way she regarded him. She was an enigma to him only because he wasn't used to people like her. Good people didn't run in his circles, not that he really had any circles outside of what Merle forced on him when he was around.

Pulling into the driveway of Jess' garage, he backed into his spot, and shut off the engine. It was Wednesday morning and his uncle had asked him to come in early to help the new secretary he'd hired. While Daryl wasn't happy to have to come into work an extra hour early, the fact that he would no longer be stuck doing everyone's paperwork outweighed losing sleep.

Unlocking the door, he started rifling through the piles of paperwork he hadn't been able to get to the day before. He stopped midway through and decided to wait until the new employee showed up so that he could file the loose papers and explain how their system worked; solving two issues at once. He heard the crackling of rubber on gravel and assumed the new secretary had arrived.

With his back to the door, Daryl took a deep breath and hoped that whoever his uncle had found wasn't worse than any of the office ladies they'd had in the past. A few had been Jess' girlfriend, which always turned out badly when their relationship ended, but his uncle wasn't seeing anyone new…not that he knew of anyway. Other's had been suggested by the employees and they hadn't lasted long either. Most seemed to work just long enough to find their next meal ticket, informing him or Jess that they were quitting as they hopped on the back of some guy's motorcycle that they'd just finished repairing.

"Mornin'," a warm voice called from behind him as they opened the door.

Daryl furrowed his brows and turned to see who had walked into the office.

"So you gonna' show me the ropes?" They went on to ask.

"You have got t'be shittin' me," Daryl breathed, "Beth?"

"That'd be my name," she gestured to the embroidered cursive on her shirt that looked much like Daryl's.

"What are you doin' here?" He asked despite the obvious.

"I found me a summer job," she answered with a smile, "I called your uncle after I talked to you Thursday. Picked my shirt up yesterday."

"You know what kind of people we deal with here, right?" He couldn't help but blurt out.

"I figured I'd at least get a thank you, saving you all the trouble of doin' everyone's paperwork," she placed one of her hands on her hips, "and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Guess we'll find out," Daryl grumbled under his breath.

"So what's first?" Beth asked while scanning the disorganized room.

"Papers," Daryl pointed to the desk, "We keep everything in tha' filin' cabinet."

Over the next hour Daryl showed Beth where to file away the paperwork she would receive after a job was finished, along with how to write up ticket receipts and where to file them, where to place documents on repairs in progress, and how to run the cash register.

"What's with the computer?" She asked, gesturing to the monitor and tower in the back corner of the room.

"Jess got that a few months back, thinkin' it'd be easier to keep track of work orders, inventory, print out tickets, and all that B.S., but none of us have taken tha' time t'mess with it," he explained while gathering the broken parts that Jess had left in the office over the weekend.

Beth nodded her head and changed the subject, "I wrote down all the important stuff so I should be good. Mr. Collins told me t'just worry about getting everything filed today and work on other stuff tomorrow."

Daryl huffed, "Jus' call him Jess. We ain't the polite sort here."

"Oh," she laughed awkwardly, "Force of habit."

Daryl knew he was being short with her. She had listened to everything he said, asked a few intelligent questions, and had been nothing but courteous. He should have been ecstatic to have someone like Beth taking over for him in the office. He wasn't sure why he was on edge, but for some reason he wanted to be anywhere but in the room with her.

"I'm gonna' get t'work," Daryl brushed past her, stopping at the hanging door that led to the shop, "Call me if you need anything."

Without waiting for a reply, Daryl entered the Mechanics Only area and started his day.

ooo

It was dark when he decided to call it quits. He had been doing everything possible to keep himself busy and not linger in the office as he usually would when he had down time. He'd even eaten his lunch in the shop instead of with his uncle, in the office, as per the norm.

Expecting everyone to be gone, he entered the lobby area to lock up the front when he noticed the light was still on. Peering over the reception bar, the first thing he noticed was how remarkably clean the room looked. The desks had been rearranged, everything had been moved to its proper place, and there were no loose papers to be seen. He could hear someone shuffling inside, but couldn't see them. Opening the office door, Daryl found Beth sitting on the floor, sifting through the only stack of papers left in the room.

"Hey," she said without looking up.

"Hey," he replied, looking over the spotless work area more thoroughly.

"I'm almost done," she replied flatly.

"You do all this by yourself?" He asked still standing in the doorway, afraid to touch anything with his greasy hands.

"Yeah," she answered, evening out a stack of receipts by tapping them against the floor.

He sensed something…off about Beth's demeanor. She was usually all smiles, looking at him while she spoke, and generally gave more than one word answers.

"You don't have t'wait," she finally turned and glanced up at him, "Jess gave me a key."

Her face was smudged with dirt and grease, her hands were as black as his, and she looked as worn-out as he felt.

"Nah. I ain't got anywhere t'be," Daryl said suddenly feeling guilty for avoiding her all day when she'd been working so hard.

He should have known that Beth would be as sincere in her work as she seemed to be in all other aspects.

"'Kay," she offered him a tired smile and finished sorting the last of the papers.

Once she had put everything away and gave the room a final once over, she moved to flick off the lights, and Daryl shut the door behind her.

"I'm gonna' sleep good tonight," she hummed as the cool night air hit their faces.

Locking of the main door, Daryl nodded, "First few days are always tha' hardest."

"I'm hoping tomorrow will be easier," she placed one of her hands on her opposite shoulder and rolled it a few times.

Daryl glanced at her, knowing there was always something more to be done, but not sure if he should tell her such things after such a long day.

"I'll see ya' tomorrow," she glance at him and moved to her truck.

Pulling a cigarette out of his chest pocket, Daryl hesitated, "Hey Beth?"

"Yeah?" She stopped pulling her door shut midway.

"You done good today," he replied, holding the unlit cigarette between his lips.

"Thanks," she replied softly.

Daryl held her gaze until she finally closed the door and started her truck.

As Beth pulled out of the parking lot, Daryl lifted his lighter to his mouth, and took a long drag from the tobacco filled wrapper. He still wasn't sure why he'd been so anxious around Beth earlier that morning, or what he had expected of her working in the office, but it was obvious she had a strong work ethic and that was something he could respect. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised.

Smirking, he climbed into his truck and started the engine. Pressing the clutch and moving the shifter into drive, he pulled out of his spot, and realized his work day gone smoother than he'd experienced in weeks. Having Beth take over the office might not be as disastrous as he'd first thought after all.

…

Beth blinked her eyes, disoriented for a moment before remembering their predicament.

"You 'wake?" Daryl asked next to her.

"Yeah," she replied sheepishly, "I was more exhausted than I thought."

"'S fine," Daryl answered while slowly standing and replacing his crossbow over his shoulder.

"Time t'go?" Beth inquired, listening for sounds of the dead, feeling relieved when she heard nothing.

"Yeah," Daryl nodded, "We been in here 'ah while. Rick and them'll worry if we don't get back soon."

"'Kay. I'm right behind you," Beth whispered as they moved to the front of the closet.

She waited as Daryl slowly cracked open the metal door. Clutching the back of his shirt with one hand, knife held tightly in the other, she followed his steps as he navigated through the back of the grocery store to the exit.

Daryl stopped and she immediately tensed. She didn't relax until she heard the soft 'click' that indicated they had reached the door, and had never been more grateful to be in the dark, open woods of Georgia.

Creeping around to the front of the store, they stayed lowed until they could no longer see the building behind them. Settling into a comfortable pace, they began walking down the road, toward the house where everyone would be waiting for them.

"You still gonna' talk t'Maggie?" Daryl asked from beside her.

"Yeah," she heaved a sigh, "I'll talk t'her."

"Good," Daryl's approving tone made Beth roll her eyes.

"Not tonight though," she couldn't help but deflate his ego some, "I'm a little on the tired side and I'm sure she's passed out. She did get shot earlier today."

"How bad was it?" Daryl's tone changed.

"Through and through," Beth answered, "but I didn't get to see how bad the damage was."

"You know anything 'bout bullet wounds?" He inquired further.

Staring up at the sky, she tried to remember every occurrence her father had dealt with gunshot wounds, "Not really. Daddy wouldn't let me stay in the room when he operated on Carl. He had a few cases of cattle brought in that'd been shot by hunters. Apparently a cow in the woods looks similar to 'ah deer."

After a brief pause she went on to ask, "Do they?"

"Do they what?" Daryl looked at her.

"Do cattle look like deer? When you're huntin'," Beth reiterated.

"I s'pose so," her tilted his head, "If you only seen the side of 'ah smaller one maybe?"

"Maybe," Beth shrugged her shoulders.

She was rambling. She had a habit of such when she was nervous and now that they were out of danger themselves, she had time to address exactly what had happened to her sister. Her stomach churned, she felt clammy, and her hands were sweating. She had been so sure Maggie was fine up until she thought back to the damage she had seen done to the animals her father had worked on.

Needing to say the words aloud, more for her own benefit that anything else, she returned to their initial topic, "Maggie's tough though. I'm sure she's jus' fine. Daddy taught Carol some basic first aid when she was gonna' help with Lori's delivery so I'm sure she's already got Maggie patched up and they're just waitin' on us."

Daryl didn't reply.

They traveled the rest of the way in relative silence until a dimly lit house came into view. Walking up to the door, Daryl knocked and called out to Rick, as to not alarm anyone of their approach.

Rick threw open the door and wrapped his arms around Daryl in a tight embrace before moving to Beth.

"I'm so glad you two are alright," the older man spoke as he squeezed her tightly, "We're were gonna' come an' get you guys if you hadn't shown up by mornin'."

"We're fine. Hid in the utility closet 'til they settled down," Daryl explained.

"How's Maggie?" Beth asked as she pulled back from the ex-sheriff's deputy.

Rick didn't meet her gaze and kept his eyes trained on the floor, "Why don't the both of you get inside where its safe."

Beth suddenly felt sick.

Rushing into the house, pushing past Rick and everyone else, she stopped short when she saw Carol leaning over Maggie's prone form.

"Is…" Beth's voice shook, "Is she…"

Carol stood, wiping her eyes, "I cleaned the wound and wrapped it up. I did everything I could, but…"

"Oh my god," Beth stumbled back a few steps, into Daryl.

Carol must have realized what Beth was asking and immediately rushed forward, "No, no! She's not dead."

If not for Daryl's hands holding her shoulder's Beth felt like she would have collapsed where she stood. Instead, she fell back into Daryl's strong chest.

"Then what is it?" Beth asked unsteadily.

Carol glanced up and Daryl and then behind her to Glenn.

"What?" Beth asked furrowing her brows.

A million different scenarios were going through Beth's head. Had she been bit? Was she comatose? Had something worse happened while they were separated?

When Carol's clear, blue eyes met hers, Beth knew whatever the older woman was going to tell her was not good.

"Where she was shot…" Carol paused and looked down at her feet. Taking a deep breath, she met Beth's eyes once more and continued, "I'm afraid she won't be able to use her arm anymore."

Beth blinked.

Maggie had been shot, but it was nonlethal.

Beth blinked again.

They lived in a world where they had to fight every day in order to survive.

She blinked several more times as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.

Her sister, her last living relative, was lying unconscious on the floor and might never be able to use her arm again, in a world full of flesh eating monsters.

"We don't know that for sure," Glenn's broken voice drifted through the air, "She could wake up and be just fine."

Moving out of Daryl's grasp, Beth moved to sit across from Glenn, next to her sister.

While what Glenn said was true, there were still a number of other factors to consider. Maggie's wound could get infected and if she got blood poisoning they would have no choice but to amputate the arm in order to save her. If there was internal bleeding, she'd be dead within a few hours, and there would be nothing they could do. If none of those factors came into play and Maggie woke up just fine, there was still the chance that she would have a bum arm in a world where survival of the fittest was no longer a theory, but a reality.

"Come on," Beth heard Rick's voice behind her, "Let's give 'er a few minutes."

Glenn stood from his spot and meandered out of her line of sight. The sounds of footsteps leaving the room gave Beth the illusion of privacy. Dropping her shoulders, she grasped the hand of Maggie's injured arm. Her usually warm flesh felt so cold against her hands. She didn't want to cry. There was no reason to cry and yet the tears fell anyway. After a few moments she felt a warm hand on her back and looked over to see Daryl settle beside her.

"Your dad was a tough son of 'ah bitch," Daryl stated evenly.

Beth sniffled and felt her lips quirk at his attempt to comfort her.

"His daughters are just like 'em," he continued.

"Thanks," Beth bumped her shoulder into his with a watery laugh.

"Yeah," Daryl murmured.

"I'm not givin' up on her," Beth stared into her sister's face, furiously wiping away her tears.

"I know," Daryl's rough voice having a soothing effect on her.

They sat in silence and Beth rubbed gentle circles into her sister's palm.

This new world had never made any sense to Beth. Everything that had been normal…comfortable, had been shattered when the dead rose from the earth and began consuming their own kind. She'd lost her brother, her mother, and her father. Now she was faced with the possibility that she may lose Maggie as well. Even if Maggie lived, a part of her would be lost if she couldn't be the same independent person she'd been before.

Life had never been fair, but Beth wasn't sure how she would how she would continue on if she became the last Greene. There was a certain comfort in having someone who'd had known her from before. No matter how angry she had been with Maggie, she knew she'd eventually forgive her…she already had forgiven her. She had just been too stubborn to say so.

Beth had lost so much time with her sister because she had been angry. As if Hershel himself was sending her a message, Beth suddenly remembered the phrase her father had told them every time they had fought; 'For every minute you girls spend angry with one another, ya' lose sixty seconds of happiness that you'll never get back.'

She had never realized just how true that statement was until this very moment.

…

A/N: The end line is a paraphrased quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson. The actual line is 'For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.' I found it very fitting for this chapter!

I want the ZA world to progress as much as the AU world does so I focused heavily on Maggie and Beth's relationship in this chapter…as well as some Daryl x Beth stuff in the AU. I'd like to think Daryl might be a little more relaxed without Merle around, like we see in later seasons of the show, and Beth is just one of those people that you can't help but like! So I wanted him a bit wishy-washey here! Let me know what you think! Hope you guys enjoyed it!

To all of you going back to school tmw, I hope you have a great day! XOXO