Hey, it's me again.

I've been thinking a lot lately about things before the turn…unimportant stuff really. Since I just found you a few days ago, you wouldn't know this yet, but I collected words before all this. Back at the farm I had journals filled with names of people I had known and what their favorite words were. I know it seems stupid…it probably is. I mean…Shakespeare said it best I suppose. "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Should the word really matter as much as the concept itself?

I don't know. Words are how we express ourselves. How else can we effectively illustrate our greatest joys, our deepest sorrows, or our dearest loves?

Pantomime is mine by the way…my favorite word, I mean. I think you can tell a lot about a person through their favorite word and really, how long it takes them to think of one. Daddy for instance, he knew his right away – Forgiveness. He had different reasons than me though. I liked that hard "p" and soft "m's" and the way the letters felt on my tongue and lips. Daddy chose his for its meaning – its role in his life.

Maggie took twenty six days to give me an answer. Sex…how imaginative. She always did think she was funny. Shawn never actually got back to me. Too late now, I suppose.

But like I first said, this was all before the turn, so none of it really matters in the grand scheme of things anymore. It's basically the end of the world. We're just moving through life surviving for survival's sake. I guess that's what has me thinking about my favorite word again. I mean that's what our lives are now, right? A pantomime. The group acting out our determined roles as well as we can in the circumstances we're living in.

I wouldn't tell Maggie any of this of course – I mean, she'd just think I was back like I was after Mama. And I'm not. I'll never be like that again…I think I just see things clearer now. Anyway…maybe I'll start up collecting again. I'll let you know.

"Excuse me?" Beth gave a small smile and shrugged at Glenn's response.

"Your favorite word…what is it?" she repeated, her small journal in hand. She had found him out in the main tower keeping watch and thought he might as well be her first target. He would probably tell Maggie about it later, and the older Greene girl would most likely snort out some sort of explanation.

In the meantime, Beth silently watched Glenn as he looked out over the prison yard and into the heavily wooded area beyond their fences. She couldn't help but think Glenn might actually take her question seriously, unlike Maggie had six years ago

"Well what do you mean?" Glenn finally asked with a laugh, as if he couldn't understand the point of such an inane question. Beth ran a hand through her thick blonde hair and shrugged again.

"It's just a question, Glenn. If you can't think of one, do you think you could you get back to me?" Beth gave him a hopeful look, and he released a sigh.

"Yeah…sure," he grinned. "Now is that all you came up here for, or was there a real reason?"

Beth laughed. "Yeah, Ty is finishing something up out in back, so he'll be a little late." Glenn nodded and leaned against the less than stable railing while Beth headed toward the stairs.

"You know…if you fall and die, my sister's going to be real pissed," she stated taking a couple steps down.

"Why's that?" Glenn called after her, not moving from his precarious position.

"Her favorite word," she replied without looking back. "It's sex." Immediately Glenn was away from the railing and standing firmly against the tower wall, a smile planted on his face.

Beth was still giggling to herself when she reached the bottom of the tower. She really was fond of her brother-in-law. He made Maggie happy in a way Beth hadn't seen before. She couldn't help but wonder what that sort of love felt like. She had had Jimmy back at the farm, but that wasn't love. They had only been together two months before the turn and then another one after.

She would never say she was happy he died, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't the tiniest bit relieved the relationship came to an end. As sweet as Jimmy had been and as much as she had cared for him, the idea of spending her life with him had been almost too much. It would have felt they were together out of convenience, and that wasn't fair to either party.

Beth brought a hand to her forehead and took a breath, just as she always did whenever her thoughts happened to veer toward Jimmy. It was getting easier to remember him and the others she had lost, but that didn't make their absence any less noticeable.

Hearing a screech of laughter, Beth looked up and grinned at the sight of the kids running around in a game of Red Light, Green Light. She had been so happy when the citizens of Woodbury had joined them at the prison. It had taken awhile for the newcomers to adapt to the abrupt drop in comfort and the amount of work to be done, but adapt they did. And though the children could get a little crazy now and then, Beth was glad to have them. Lizzie, Mika, Luke, and Molly had brought a sense of normalcy with them to the prison; a reminder that there was something to fight for…to live for.

"Beth! Come play!" Beth looked up to see Mika waving her over, but she shook her head.

"Maybe later; I have to get back to Judith!" she called back. Immediately Mika and the others were back invested in their game as Beth made her way over to the prison. Judith had been napping but was probably up and waiting for a change and feeding by now, so Beth didn't want to leave her too long.

As she strolled through the field and soaked up the sun, she made sure to smile and wave to those she passed. Just as she entered the prison's main square, she locked eyes with one of the originals and walked over. She stood silently for a few moments, as Daryl focused on cleaning his crossbow. She never knew quite what to say to the hunter, though she knew she enjoyed his presence.

Finally, he gave a low grunt. "You need something?" he asked never looking up. Beth was grateful as she felt a deep blush rise to her cheeks.

Beth shrugged. "Heading out?" she asked, eyeing the newly made arrows and empty duffel beside him.

"Yeah, waiting on Michonne." Beth nodded and continued watching him work, Daryl still not looking up at her. He released a sigh. "You needing something?"

Immediately Beth was racking her brain for something she could ask for – reason for approaching Daryl apart from just the desire to be near him for a few moments. He grumbled at her lack of response and made to stand, so Beth blurted out a frantic yes.

"A…a teething ring," she offered lamely, trying to ignore the blush once more spreading over her pale cheeks. "For Judith." Daryl only gave her a blank stare. "She's teething."

Lie.

"And getting fussy at night."

Lie.

After another few more minutes of seemingly unimpressed silence on Daryl's part, he shrugged. "That it?" Beth gave a quick nod as Daryl stood and settled his crossbow over one shoulder. Before he had a chance to get to far Beth called out to him.

"Hey Daryl!" He looked back once more. "Just…be safe," Beth finished lamely.

"Always am," he replied. And then he was gone.