Walking Dead 1. Chapter 1

"If you take myth and folklore, and these things that speak in symbols, they can be interpreted in so many ways that although the actual image is clear enough, the interpretation is infinitely blurred, a sort of enormous rainbow of every possible colour you could imagine."

– Diana Wynne Jones

* * *

Beth remembered all of her classmates entranced faces when their English class begun reading all kinds of mythology and folklore. She had always wondered what their true reactions would have been when they had learned it was all very real.

As much as Beth would have thought the other kids would have loved it, she knew their first reaction would be fear. Hell, she had known her whole life and essentially had been protected her whole life and sometimes it still scared her. The fear had been crippling recently with the war breaking out among these mythological creatures.

Beth had been aware she was a target ever since her birth. Unlike her sister and brother who drew their blood connection to Athena from their father, Beth was one of the few to draw from their mother's line. Her blood connection to Persephone was rare. Only a handful of people had this connection. Beth used to envy her siblings fierce warrior like dispositions until she learned how to master her true talents. She was a healer, which was a dying breed. On top of that, she had seemingly gained Hershel's prophetic abilities. To be related to Persephone was huge enough, but to add in being an oracle made her an extreme rarity in their world.

From the moment she had been told about her unique bloodline she had been forced to learn how to hide it. Most that had Persephone's blood had been hunted as a way to antagonize both the bloodlines of Hades and Demeter. Both of those bloodlines had represented both light and dark within their own mythological rights. These new creatures that had accessed ancient and evil magic had wanted to antagonize the God's into war.

Instead of being pulled into war by these far-fetched attempts, the house of Hades simply sent out protectors. Most of the God's did not want to engage in a war. They would only assist in the direst of situations. But Beth couldn't complain because she had gotten something much greater from her protectors.

The Dixon brothers had been sent to her family because of her rarity. Both of them had the greatest track record within the underworld for finishing their tasks perfectly. It was in one of the first nights the visions came showing Beth who exactly Daryl was to her. His affinity to the dark was drawn to her light. They had counter balanced each other. The beginning of their love was rough and awkward, but now Beth wouldn't trade it for anything.

It wasn't a shock to get visions anymore for Beth, but this newest one had left her breathless. Ever since people had started becoming these flesh eating monsters Beth's visions had grown darker and hazy. The last vision she had happened almost two weeks ago shortly after Merle had left to investigate some rumors coming out of Atlanta. She had woken two nights after he left with a vision of him and the smell of burning flesh. She had cried for an hour after that vision and Daryl tried comforting her while also trying to figure out what the vision could even mean.

Beth had decided she wouldn't focus on that vision. Merle had meant too much to her and to consider that he was hurt or dead was too much for her to bear. Though, tonight's vision was much tamer it puzzled Beth more than anything. She had seen the outline of a child looking in awe at a stag and then she heard Otis, one of Maggie's protectors, and after that the sound of a gun firing and the child falling instead of the stag. The child would be brought back with her hands, but of the others with him, one carried great darkness. The darkness of this person terrified her in a way nothing had before.

Beth had successfully untangled herself from Daryl's limbs and went to go stand outside. Being outdoors typically calmed her. She supposed the relation to Persephone gave her the affinity for nature.

"Where ya going?" Daryl asked drowsily. Even half asleep the protective instinct to know where she was at all times was still intact.

"Just getting some fresh air. Go back to sleep." Beth loved him she really did, but right now she just needed to be alone with nature.

"If ya want to talk about the vision when you get back, I'm here for ya." he told her before rolling back over.

Beth was touched by his uncanny ability to tell when she was troubled with a vision. He was too good to her really. But Beth craved the calming effects nature offered her to clear her head. She needed a clear head to figure out why this vision had terrified her. She wanted to figure out who had that amount of darkness in them.

The smell of the woods instantly started soothing her frayed nerves. But in an instant Beth felt an adrenaline rush and a pull into the woods. She realized Otis was out hunting now. She had to stop him from shooting that child. He was the kind of person who would never forgive him self for harming an innocent.

She didn't even bother putting shoes on or getting Daryl to help track Otis. She trusted her instincts and that nature would lead her the right way. She followed the sounds of nature, directing her towards Otis. It was hard to explain to anyone the way nature communicated with her, but in this moment she couldn't be more thankful. She could hear the trees telling her which way to go.

It hit her like a ton of bricks when she passed the threshold of the protective barrier they had surrounding there little farm. It made no sense for Otis to be out this far. It didn't matter because she saw the young boy and the stag in the clearing. Beth knew she didn't have time to warn Otis before he pulled the trigger. She did the only thing she could think of and went to throw her body as a shield.

She closed her eyes because she wasn't sure if she wanted to see a bullet coming for her. At least with her eyes closed she could picture Daryl's face one last time.

She thought she could hear someone screaming her name, but the voice hadn't belonged to Otis. The voice still sounded familiar but she couldn't place it.

It didn't matter because in the next instant the only thing she felt was impact and a heaviness that settled over her chest.

* * *

A/N: So, yes another story but my muse and jazznsmoke wouldn't rest until it was out there. Let me know what you guys think or want to see!

Disclaimer: I don't own TWD or any of its characters


	2. Chapter 2

Beth hadn't known what to expect when she threw herself in the path of a bullet. Whatever she had imagined wasn't anything like what she felt. Her ribs ached and it felt like there was a heavy weight on her chest making it hard to breathe. She didn't really want to open her eyes because she was positive once they were open she would see her injury and then the pain would finally hit her.

"What the hell were you thinkin', Beth?" a voice grumbled from above her.

Beth's eyes flew open at the question. She recognized that voice, but she wanted visual confirmation. Holy shit, it was him, the body that was currently pushing her into the ground was Merle.

"How'd you get here, Merle?" She didn't recall seeing him in her vision, but then again sometimes the visions left out small details.

"Answer my question first. Do you know what Daryl's gonna do when he finds out ya jumped in front of a damn bullet, kid?" Merle was definitely not pleased with her actions and his tone showed that.

Beth bit her lip as he rolled off of her. Before she could even give a genuine response she saw the young boy from her vision on the ground. Her heart broke when she realized that Merle had prevented her from taking the bullet. She crawled over and started crying when she saw his ashen face.

It wasn't fair. Why would she get these stupid visions if she couldn't even stop them from occurring? But when she checked the boy's heart she realized Merle knocking her out of the way also moved the boy so the bullet struck his stomach instead of his heart. She could heal him. She could prevent his death.

She just needed to get him back to farm so she could give him a concoction of her lotus tree bark. She needed him to stay unconscious for her magic. She knew it wasn't pleasant for Daryl or Merle when she healed them and she wasn't sure it'd be any better for someone without some affinity to the Gods.

She was preparing to bark out orders to Merle to help her get this boy back to the farm when she felt utter darkness enter their clearing. She wished two men hadn't shown up at the same exact time so she could gauge who would even carry that darkness inside of them.

After two men entered the clearing another two men followed behind with three women and a little girl. Merle pushed Beth away from the boy and behind his large frame.

"Beth, you fucking run until you cross that barrier threshold," Merle growled.

His tone only got like that when he sensed danger.

"Merle, we have to get that boy back to the house. I can fix this, I can save him." Beth wasn't above resorting to begging. She needed to save this boy more than anything.

"For fuck's sake, girl. Daryl's already gonna be pissed you left the barrier. Want to bring strangers in too?" What Merle said made sense. It didn't really matter though because Beth knew what needed to happen.

"If you don't bring him back to the house then I'll just go ahead and heal him out here." Beth had never been so defiant in her life, but this was the moment. She was going to change the destiny of her vision.

Merle glared at her, but their little argument was cut short when one of the women screamed.

Beth would never forget the sound of that scream. It would probably haunt her dreams later on. The brunette that had screamed pushed past everyone and was holding the little boy to her chest.

"Ma'am, let Merle carry the boy and we can fix him up at my farm," Beth placed her hand on the woman's arm. She pushed a tiny bit of her healing into her palm to help soothe the woman's frayed nerves. She hoped maybe the added touch would push the woman to let her heal her son.

"Please, just save my baby." She begged Beth.

Beth sucked in a breath and nodded over to Merle who lifted the boy into his arms. It was in that moment she noticed Merle was missing his left hand. Just what in the hell happened in Atlanta? It didn't matter once she was finished with the little boy she'd heal Merle's hand and all would be right again.

* * *

The trek back to the farm took less than five minutes. The people remained silent, but that didn't bother Beth. She needed to figure out a game plan for back-to-back healing sessions. Daryl was going to be so pissed at her after she finished both. She could only hope he'd wait to pout until after she finished.

"Merle, put that boy in the guest bedroom, now." Beth told him as they reached the porch. She watched as he ducked inside. She couldn't hear Daryl's voice so she assumed he left to track her. Good, that gave her some time to begin healing.

"Look, I don't know any of you, but stay on the porch until Merle comes to get you." Beth didn't like being bossy or to take charge, but she needed to protect her home before she let these people in.

She ran to the kitchen and pulled out an old jar filled with salt. Not the stupid store bought kind, but genuine salt. She grabbed another jar of brick dust. The reddened clay had already been charged with an old incantation her father's friend Michonne had taught him. She poured the two jars into a bowl and stirred the concoction. She poured it under the rug directly against the door and added it to all of the windowsills. She saved the last, small amount for the bedroom she would be healing in.

She ran up the stairs. The guest bedroom had cabinets filled with everything Beth would need for the healing. She pulled out the bark from the lotus tree and put it in a kettle. She turned to Merle and ushered him out of the room.

"Keep watch for Daryl, my dad, and my sister. They're bound to come back when they feel I've crossed back into the protective barrier." Beth really needed Merle on her side for this. She knew she was already going to catch several shades of hell for running off. She ducked into the kitchen and quickly boiled the water and bark. Once she was satisfied she poured it in a cup and added ice to help cool the concoction down. She knew it was going to taste disgusting, but it would help keep the boy unconscious while she healed him.

When she got back to the room the boy had opened his eyes and had begun panicking.

"Shh, your family is downstairs and I'm going to help you with that but I need you to drink this first." Beth could only hope he'd allow her to help him.

He shakily took the cup she offered and drank it. She was impressed that he finished it in two gulps. Most humans put up a huge fuss when they drank the stuff because of the taste.

She didn't focus too much longer on how well he took the drink. She started burning the white sage in the room. She needed the space to radiate positive energy before she could even consider healing him.

Healing humans was always a little bit trickier than healing those with connections to Gods or magic. Any sort of negative energy could filter in the wound as its being healed and completely shut down the person's personality.

She nervously braided her hair so it would be out of the way when she began healing the boy. She noted with dry amusement when she caught sight of her nightgown that she looked like she had been dragged through the woods. Her legs were caked in mud and the white satin of her dress had smudges of blood mixed in with a distinctive grass stain from where she had been tackled. She could only imagine Daryl's reaction. She knew Maggie would probably laugh it off and tell her she always suspected she was a wood nymph and not a daughter of Persephone and her daddy would laugh at that evaluation.

She guessed it didn't really matter how Daryl reacted as long as she saved the boy's life. She lifted his shirt when she sensed the room had been cleansed. She put her hands on the hole in his stomach and began to push her healing power through them.

It was a weird sensation to feel the bullet pull to the surface of the boy's skin. She carefully plucked it out and then put her hands back on his body. The sensation of tendons and skin knotting back together always leaves Beth a little queasy, but the result always left her feeling a little pleased, too.

* * *

She could hear yelling from downstairs as she finished up healing the little boy. She still felt a little sick, but she would fix Merle before she could lay down. That healing session should be much longer anyways. The boy only took a little over an hour to heal. Bringing back a limb that was missing completely would be much more difficult.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs she saw her family facing off with the group that had been tagging along with Merle.

The brunette woman had shifted out of a man's arms and looked Beth directly in the eye.

"Is he alright? Is my son okay?" She pleaded with her and Beth could sense the tension waiting for her response.

She knew that how she looked made it seem like she hadn't saved the boy.

"He's alright, he's in the first bedroom on the right if you want to see him." Beth told her quietly. She didn't even register the small push as the couple ran up the stairs to see their sleeping child. The rest of the group awkwardly shuffled around before deciding to join their friends upstairs.

Beth drew in a breath once that group had relocated. Daryl spun around and she was waiting for his lecture. His eyes were heavy with worry. She had to push down the guilt she felt when she looked at him. She knew she loved Daryl, but she would have hated herself if she didn't save that boy.

"Beth, what the Hell were you fuckin' thinkin'? Next time you want to have a fucking run in the woods you get me. Do you know how fucking dangerous it is out there?" Daryl rarely raised his voice. He was taciturn in nature so when he raised his voice you knew he meant business.

"Look, yell at me all you want, it won't change my actions. I needed to save that boy. If you had seen what I did then you would have followed your instincts just like I did." Beth didn't want to argue about how right she felt about the entire situation. She just needed him to understand.

Clearly, he understood what she meant because he seemed to deflate with her answer. Now he just resembled a pouting toddler that hadn't got their way. She could deal with that.

"Merle, come here and let me see your hand." Beth motioned for him to sit beside her.

She unwrapped the dirty bandages that covered his wrist.

"How'd this happen?" She was curious.

"Got handcuffed after an argument with a castor and had to cut my hand off. Rick, that boy's dad, found me and let me join 'em until I could get back here." Merle told her.

Beth was curious. She wanted to know why Merle would even bother tracking or talking to a castor. It didn't matter right this second though. She needed to fully focus on giving Merle back his hand.

* * *

When she went to push her healing powers into the stub, all she felt was a blinding pain and the world around her turned white.

The room melted into white nothingness. She realized she was standing in front of a vision of Persephone.

"Dear child, you cannot give him back what he's lost. Be careful little one. Remember there is a difference between darkness and evil. The next few months will push you to seeing this." the words were airy and floated around Beth.

The sting of the warning caught her off guard. Beth thought she already understood the difference between darkness and evil. Before she could ask what that statement even met, she welcomed back the sight of her family all crowding around her on the living room floor.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to jazznsmoke for being an incredible beta and letting me rant and rave about my research. Also, huge shout out to akiraflame for being the sweetest person on tumblr and encouraging me to write/update all my stories. I'm always humbled with the love I get from you guys!

Disclaimer: I don't own TWD or any of its characters!


	3. Chapter 3

Beth could hear her name being said, but it was hazy.

"Come on Bethie, you need to wake up before those Dixon boys tear the house apart." Beth could've sworn that her father was the one talking. She wanted to open her eyes except it was a struggle. It was like a veil of darkness surrounded her. She started focusing on the voice talking to her and willing herself to wake up. The more she focused the more she could feel the veil lifting. A minute later Beth opened her eyes and immediately winced at their sensitivity to the light.

"There's my little goddess. I'm glad you're back to the world of the living" her father told her kindly.

"How long have I been out?" Beth felt disorientated. Between the conversation with Persephone and then waking to her concerned father she couldn't put the pieces together of what exactly happened.

"You must've had a vision, minutes after you passed out, you didn't wake up for two days. Can you stand?" her father helped pull back the comforter to assist her in sitting up.

""I think so, is Daryl downstairs?" Beth knew he would be going crazy. If roles were reversed she'd be throwing a hissy fit.

"No, I sent him and Merle to check the snares. Their energy was making the guests uncomfortable," Herschel explained.

That made sense to Beth. If she were a stranger and seeing the two rough looking men with anxiety rolling off of them she'd feel uneasy too. With that thought in mind, Beth decided it was high time to head downstairs so she could greet her boys when they came back. Her father helped her as she walked downstairs. He let her know that he was going to fetch Maggie and Otis who were with the horses so they could see her.

Not even ten seconds after her father had left the group of strangers stumbled into the living room from the kitchen. Beth was unsure of how to greet them especially since she didn't know the exact status of that little boy. She didn't want to step out of line with a callous comment. It didn't matter though because one of the two men that had radiated darkness in the clearing had shoved her against the wall, his hand curling around her throat and pointed a gun at her forehead.

"Just what the fuck are you? How'd you fix that little boy?" the man snarled.

Even if Beth had wanted to it was impossible to answer with the way he was squeezing her windpipe. The other man that had entered the clearing with him looked pleased with the confrontation, whereas the women with them didn't look so sure.

"Shane, let go of her. She saved Carl and that's all that matters" The boy's mother begged.

Beth briefly wondered why the mother was present, but the father and what she assumed was the grandfather were not.

"I'm not gonna let this bitch go until we have answers to our questions" Shane's grip tightened as he spoke to that little boy's mother.

Beth could feel her vision getting hazy and little dots started dancing around in her vision. All of a sudden Shane's grip loosened completely and Beth began greedily gasping for air. She rubbed her neck and knew without a doubt that there would be bruises later.

"You better not fucking put your hands on her again or I'll cut 'em off" Daryl threatened. Usually, Beth would tell him that threats wouldn't solve anything but she figured this man needed to be intimidated.

"I'll do what I need to do to that little bitch if it means protecting my family," That man clearly couldn't sense the dangerous territory he was treading into. Hell hounds were notoriously loyal and protective. Threatening someone they've dedicated their loyalty to was a huge mistake.

"Best listen to little brother. He won't be the only one fucking with your ugly mug if you touch the girl" Merle looked delighted in the fact he was getting a free pass on threatening the man. The more the man spoke though it became harder for Beth to conjure up any kind of sympathy for him.

The man sneered and looked like he wanted to say something else, but the little boy must've heard the commotion and came barreling down the stairs. He pushed through the little crowd gathered and even managed to slip past the Dixon brothers.

He crouched in front of Beth, "Miss, are you alright? Uncle Shane didn't hurt you did he?" The boy looked genuinely concerned his uncle had injured her in some way. While she wasn't fond of his uncle she didn't want him to worry about her retaliating either.

"I'm fine, just a misunderstanding is all. How are you feeling?" Beth usually would have just put her hand on his arm to check with a quick healing pulse, but after the last healing session she figured she should take a small break from using her magic.

"I feel tons better. What's your name and how'd you fix me up so quickly? My dad told me I was shot." The boy exuberantly questioned her.

Beth heard the front door open and the remaining members of her family entered the living room. Her father must've heard the boy's question because he nodded in her direction. She figured that meant it was alright to tell these folks the truth. She just hoped they didn't think she was crazy or anything.

"Well, my name is Beth. Over there is my father Hershel and my sister Maggie." Beth paused when trying to figure out to how to introduce the Dixon brothers. She knew she was in love with Daryl and that he felt the same, but she also knew mortals had a tendency to label relationships like theirs.

"Over there is my boyfriend Daryl and his brother Merle. And as to your other question, I healed you so fast because I'm a descendant of Persephone." Beth knew this information was going to cause a commotion. All at once several questions flew her way and she had trouble tracking who asked them.

"Whoa, so you're pretty much a super hero? That is so cool!"

"What kind of nut-job are you? You think you're related to a God and dating a man old enough to be your daddy?"

"Are all of you related to God's?"

Before any more questions could be asked Beth held her hand up to stop them.

"I wouldn't know about super hero, but I do have abilities like healing because of my relation to Persephone. I don't really appreciate being called a nut-job, and Daryl isn't nearly as old as my daddy. As for all of us, just Maggie and I are related. My dad is a prophet and can see visions of the future and both Daryl and Merle are descendants of hell hounds." Beth knew her explanation didn't fully cover everything about their situation, but she's known her entire life and she still doesn't fully know all the details.

"Are we really going to listen to this bitch? Clearly the end of the world was the perfect excuse for her pedophile boyfriend to break her out of the loony bin" Shane snarled.

Beth didn't like the way he put her or her family down and stepped up until she was in his face.

"Listen, I don't care if you believe me or not but you will not disrespect me or my family in my home" Beth hoped she sounded intimidating. She's never had to stand up to people like this before. Generally the intimidating vibes the Dixon brothers gave off convinced people to treat them with respect.

"You ain't nothin' but a little whore. I ain't ever gonna respect you," Shane responded as he stepped closer into her face.

Beth was surprised when it was the little boy's father to step in between them and not the Dixon brothers. Though, both brothers were doing a piss poor job of concealing their anger towards the brunette man.

"Stop Shane, I believe this girl. The only thing I care about is that she saved my son without asking for anything in return other than respect. We can act civilized." The man turned and faced her with an apologetic look, "I'm sorry about Shane. It's been rough on us out there. If you don't mind could our families stay here if we follow your terms?"

Beth shifted from foot to foot. This wasn't a decision that she got to make. This was something her entire family should decide. She liked most of the group except for Shane and the slightly overweight man standing next to the younger girl.

"We'll give you a trial run, but you follow our rules." Hershel told them.

Beth was relieved that her daddy made the decision for them. She wasn't sure what she would have decided.

"Thank you so much sir. Where have my manners gone? I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Rick Grimes, over there is my wife Lori and my son Carl."

With that the rest of the group introduced themselves. Apparently the older man Dale wasn't Carl's grandfather like Beth originally assumed. Then they had Andrea and Shane who were the only two unattached adults outside of Dale. The Pelletier family rounded out the group with Carol, Sophia, and Ed.

At least Beth had names to go with the faces of the strangers now. She prayed Ed and Shane's darkness wasn't anything dangerous. She knew everyone else could sense it in her family and were on high alert around the two.

* * *

That night Beth was braiding her hair anxiously while she waited for Daryl to join her. Apparently, all of the men in the household were getting acquainted with the men from the Atlanta group.

She really loved the children and the women had seemed lovely, quiet but very kind. Beth knew she wasn't the best judge of character. She wanted to see the very best in everyone. For instance, she had really believed Jimmy Blake had been a good person and a good friend. He turned out to be a hunter that had been recruited by castors to get close to her. His attempt to kidnap her failed and had shaken her confidence in her own judgment. After that incident she swore to herself that she would be more guarded around strangers.

Daryl's entrance into the bedroom shook Beth from her pessimistic thoughts. He looked exhausted, but she knew the past few days had been crazy. Between her being unwell and the intrusion of these people Daryl's guard was up.

"Hey, you okay?" she murmured as he crawled into bed.

"'M fine. You feeling okay? Not gonna go running off into the night are ya?" Daryl spoke into her shoulder.

If she hadn't felt him smirking she would have assumed he was upset with her instead of just teasing her.

"I don't know. Do I have a reason to run off?" Beth turned so she could face him.

She always slept easier when she could listen to his heartbeat. Even after sleeping for two days she was still exhausted. It didn't help that her hand that she used to attempt to heal Merle was singed. The concoction she made herself take always left her drowsy.

"You ain't got no reason to run girl. But I do need you to promise me somthin'" Daryl looked unsure of what he was going to say next. That was so unlike him. Usually he just said whatever he wanted.

"What is it?" She was intrigued. She knew he was tense, but chalked it up to the madness that had occurred over the past few days. Clearly, whatever he was going to tell her was causing most of this tension.

"Most of that group is okay people, but I want you to stick by my side for a few days. And I never want you alone with that Shane dude or Ed. I don't trust 'em" Daryl explained.

"I can do that. Do you really think they're dangerous?" Beth had picked up bad vibes and darkness off of the two men as well. She just hoped she was overreacting.

"I ain't gonna take a chance. Not when it's your safety at risk" Daryl kissed her forehead.

Beth snuggled her face into his chest. There was no reason to continue that conversation. She knew how he felt about the situation. She would stick by his side. Who knows, she might use the promise to her advantage and finally convince Daryl to help her harvest some plants.

* * *

It had been almost two weeks since the Atlanta group had moved in. For the most part, the entire group assimilated into living in the giant farm house. All except Shane and Ed, which hadn't been that shocking to Beth.

Once they were introduced, Dale and Otis had quickly become close friends. They liked playing chess and talking about old television shows. Beth always smiled when she saw them together.

Merle and Andrea were doing this awkward flirting thing, but Beth found it precious. Big bad Merle had a crush. Beth talked occasionally with Daryl about it and he agreed with her.

As for Carl and Sophia those two followed Beth everywhere. They dubbed her the real life super hero and always wanted a glance of her super-secret powers. At first Beth was bewildered that anyone would want to see her powers let alone praise her for having them, but now she was used to her two little shadows following her everywhere.

It was early in the morning and Beth wanted to drag Daryl along to help her pull some mint leaves. They were coming in harvest and she liked to keep a full stock for healing emergencies.

They couldn't even leave the house before they heard an argument between the members of the Atlanta group.

"We need to make a fuckin' run. I volunteer but I need an extra set of hands" Shane yelled.

"Why? We have enough supplies. It ain't like we're short of anything here" Rick yelled back.

Beth wanted to intervene and tell Shane that a run really wasn't necessary. If she needed to, she would tap into her powers to grow extra vegetables and the hunting in this area was good. She knew he would scoff at her words, he was still skeptical of her story even after an in depth explanation of everything. Everyone else seemed to buy it or at least they weren't as open with their skepticism.

Beth could feel the tension between the two men and felt like they were arguing over much more than a supply run. It didn't matter because Merle volunteered to babysit Shane while he went on the run.

Beth figured Merle only offered so Shane wouldn't want to go, but unfortunately Shane agreed and they planned to head out in a few days. They wanted to map local areas they should hit first.

The only thing Beth knew was that she had a bad feeling about this run.

* * *

A/N: It's been a rough week, but as always I'm super blessed with the most amazing beta. Jazznsmoke is a literal angel. Not only does she put up with my whining and horrible grammar, but she is always encouraging my updates. So, this one is for you Jazz.

And a huge thank you to all the readers and reviewers of this story. I appreciate all of you.

Disclaimer: I don't own TWD or any of its characters


	4. Chapter 4

Beth began nervously tinkering with her garden. Daryl had trailed closely behind. He could pick up on her energy, but she had written it off as being unaccustomed to having so many strangers living amongst them. Daryl had seemingly accepted Beth's reasons. One, it was a partial truth and two Beth had never really lied before. She had never had a need to.

Truthfully, she didn't want to tell Daryl she was on edge because of a vision she had. She had a vision of the run that was supposed to happen two days from now. She had pictured Merle and Shane getting all the supplies the farm needed plus inside the school they found a stash of ammo that had been left by another group. Even though weapons were not needed on the farm it never hurt to be prepared. The pleasantness of the vision ended there. Merle and Shane had gotten into an aggressive argument and their raised voices drew out walkers. A group of at least seventy-five had stumbled upon the two men and Beth remembered watching helplessly as Shane grabbed the supplies and pushed Merle into the jaws of a walker.

Beth swallowed and tried to clamp down on her anxiety when she remembered Merle's flesh being torn in several places. There was no need to panic over something she could possibly prevent with a conversation to Merle. Maybe she could even read the book of black magic Michonne had left her. She wasn't supposed to use that kind of magic because it had the potential to warp your heart if you weren't careful, but that was a risk she was willing to accept it if that meant she could keep her brother safe.

She felt a hand touch the small of her back and she looked up at Daryl who had a basket that was overflowing with herbs she had harvested from the garden.

"You ready to head back in or do ya want to stuff this thing even more?" Daryl joked.

The joke eased some of the tension Beth had been feeling and took the hand Daryl offered her and stood up wiping the excess dirt off on her jeans. She interlaced their fingers and enjoyed the silence as they headed towards the farm.

It was probably one of her favorite things about her relationship with Daryl. They didn't have to fill every second with conversation. She had been an introvert growing up and nothing had really changed. She appreciated that Daryl was taciturn like her. That wasn't to say they didn't have conversations, it just wasn't a constant need. His presence was enough for her.

As they got closer to the farm Beth could hear Merle yelling. She felt Daryl pull her closer. While Merle was a hot head he rarely resorted to yelling. At least he hadn't been that upset since coming to the farm.

They stepped into the farm and the yelling had become much clearer. Shane and Merle had been yelling about what route to take to reach the school. Beth noticed the map in their hands. She had gone to that high school and both men had completely overlooked this small bike trail Beth used to take to get to school. They wouldn't know about it and there were only a handful of people from town that knew about the trail, it wouldn't be densely populated with those walker things. The trail was wide enough for a car to go through too.

Beth stepped in between the two men without thinking. She had planned on pointing out the trail on the map. Before she could even point to the trail she felt a stinging sensation in her cheek as she was knocked back into Merle's broad chest. On instinct her hand flew to touch her cheek and she felt the blood coming from her lip. Merle suddenly pushed Beth behind him and Daryl stepped forward too.

"What the fuck, can't fight me like a man so you hit the lady like a little bitch?" Merle snarled. The protective pull he felt towards his sister came out when he saw the blood dripping from her lip.

"Maybe little girls ought to stay out of adult conversations" Shane sneered right back.

Beth bit her lip. Shane was doing an excellent job of digging his hole deeper and she wouldn't even be able to defend this.

"Don't you ever put your hands on Beth again. Next time you'll fucking lose your hands." Daryl growled. The darkness of the threat was palpable. This moment was a reminder that Daryl and Merle came from the underworld. Both would follow through with their threat.

"I wasn't trying to hit your piece of jailbait. I don't even know why the fuck she was in here," Shane snapped.

Beth knew she had to intervene before another fight would erupt. She knew Daryl was defensive of Beth being called jailbait or any name. At this point she knew Shane just enjoyed baiting arguments because he wanted his group to leave and they didn't seem keen on leaving just yet.

"I was going to tell you about a path that no one knows about that takes you directly to the school and that you need to leave today because a storm is rolling in," Beth spoke in a level tone. No reason to show that Shane frightened her. That would only encourage the brother's ire with Shane.

Beth's even tone seemed to deflate whatever defensiveness Shane had been feeling because he withheld whatever sarcastic retort he had waiting. In that moment Shane's group and Otis had come into the space with them.

Beth bit her lip because her next suggestion had to potential to cause an uproar, especially now that they had an audience.

"After this little spat I don't think you two should go together on the run. We need to consider someone switching out" Beth shifted closer to Daryl. It had always been a habit to get closer to Daryl and draw from his quiet strength.

"Well, I'm going no matter what so I guess your mutt can stay behind with his brother. Whoever decides to go we will set out on that trail you showed us," Shane told them.

Beth had to curb the urge to roll her eyes. Of course Shane couldn't hold his tongue. At least he listened to her about the trail and the storm. She guessed she could consider that an improvement on his part. She also wanted to applaud Merle for biting his tongue. Instead of snapping at the dog comment he just shifted closer to Beth in a protective stance.

Beth felt dread fill her stomach when she realized Shane's options were limited. As much as she didn't want Merle to go because he was practically her brother she absolutely didn't want Daryl to go either. If something happened to him Beth would never be able to recover. She would be ruined.

Her dark thoughts were interrupted when Otis volunteered. Beth felt horrible by the immediate relief she felt at his declaration. That relief turned to dread around twenty minutes later when she realized the run could still go wrong. She hadn't had the opportunity to tell Otis about her vision.

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Author's note: A special thank you to Jazznsmoke for being the most divine BETA! Thank you to everyone who continues to read and support this story. Just a heads up my other story Ripple in the Pond should be updated tomorrow. So, keep your eyes peeled for that. Drop a review so I know what you thought of this chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own the walking dead or any of its characters portrayed


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