A/N - In case you haven't read the description, this is a carry-on from Black Beauty.

Chapter 1.

Fuck, the word keeps repeating in a loop in his brain. Last night he'd officially welcomed them as members of the group. And this is how they repay him? By taking off with Beth of all people? Fuck. He pushes the heel of his left hand against his forehead and just holds it there before he gives into the urge to simply smash it against something. His right hand is on the butt of his weapon clenched around the grip. Suddenly he feels someone behind him. He scents her like an animal before she rubs a hand down his back. She never goes lower than his belt but God sometimes alone in his cell at night he wishes she would. He loves her touch. "They'll be fine, she's not some breakable piece of china, Beth has come a long way. And Herschel said Merle checked with him first and he okayed it as long as Beth herself said yes." Her hand is rubbing circles in the small of his back. Her touch distracts him and calms him more than anything else. He leans back for a fraction of a second into it wishing she'd run her hands through his hair as well. He loves his hair being played with and it's been so damn long.

He sighs as he straightens, she mistakenly takes that to mean he wants her to stop touching him. But it is just the opposite, he never wants her to stop touching him. She draws her hand away and clasps her arms under her breasts. She doesn't have much cleavage but he'd never liked obvious on a woman. She was tall with legs that went on forever. He was definitely a leg man. And her hair, her hair was the most beautiful silver-grey, She was letting it grow out a bit. She mentioned one night when Beth had commented on it that Ed wasn't here to drag her around by it anymore so she'd try to keep it a bit longer. That comment had taken him a long time to get over. He'd wanted to go back to the quarry and dig up her dead husband and then just obliterate him until there was nothing left. He scrubs his hands over his face trying to bring himself back to the present. They'd left yesterday morning. Herschel had let them out and he had Daryl's keys. According to Herschel they were not expected back until late this afternoon at the earliest.

"I'm going to kill him and Daryl and Michonne when they get back" his words are hard but the tone is not, she has diffused him with her touch. Lori could never do that, she always had to talk him around, talk everything to death. By the end he was just so sick of talking. The guilt he felt at being critical of her was smothering. But he felt it less when Carol was near him. Rick was slowly coming to the realisation that he loved Lori, he would always love Lori, but he hadn't been in love with her for a long time. Well before he'd been shot and the world went to shit if he was being honest. He wondered if he saw her out of guilt. He had so much to be guilty about when it came to her. And Carl. And Judith he supposed because he certainly didn't do most of the parenting of her. He loved her as if she was his own but he already knew she wasn't his biologically. He hadn't told anyone that though. He didn't know if he ever would. He turned to her looking into her eyes. They were closer than they would be normally unless they were handing off Judith. Before he can think it through he takes one of her hands in his. Her eyes widen slightly before she looks down at his hand holding hers.

Rick doesn't know what he's doing. He needs her, this woman who has taken it upon herself to take care of him and his children without mothering them. This woman who has lost a husband and a daughter. How she got through that he couldn't fathom, especially Sophia. He was to blame for that and while she had had her moments, she didn't hate him. He thought she may even like him now. On the odd times they were truly alone together they always managed to share a laugh. They had the same sly, sarcastic, slightly mean sense of humour that couldn't be let out of the bag very often at the risk of offending people. He knew she'd appreciated his comments to Merle and Michonne about the shower because she'd had the same thoughts. Everyone else had been too busy being shocked but they were on the same page. He realises he's been staring at her for too long. He also realises she hasn't taken her hand back and she hasn't looked away from him. She is looking steadily back at him not having to look up as they're nearly the same height. He feels something brushing the edges of his mind, like she is willing him to think of something. Almost like she is willing him to catch up with something she has known for a while. But before he can focus on the thought Glenn shouts from the other guard tower. They're back.

He releases her hand and they start down the stairs together, he's walking a few steps in front of her and is about halfway down when he pauses looking behind him, he's sure he just heard her curse which surprises him as she is not one to do that as most of them do at some stage or another. She throws a smile at him as she catches up to him and then passes him. He shakes his head thinking he's imagined it. Herschel waves the flag as they hit the ground. All four of them have gotten out of the vehicle they've arrived back in and are waiting for permission to come forward.

Rick heads to the gate and lets them in. He steps into the back of the vehicle with Beth and Michonne. He looks at both taking in Beth's shadows under her eyes and his lips thin. Before he can say anything she forestalls him "Don't even think about it Daddy will have already told you it was my decision and it was my decision. Trying to put any of this on them, any of them is a battle you and my sister will lose do you understand me?" He raises his eyebrows at her tone but says nothing. He thinks he'll reserve judgment until later. Rick says nothing in response but he watches Beth. As the vehicle comes to a stop she's up with her pack and a huge knife brushing past him to get out of the vehicle. Her chest grazes his as he opens the door for her. He hears her catch her breath and then she is gone.

He looks back at Michonne as she waits for him to exit the vehicle. But he doesn't say anything. No sooner is he out of the vehicle than Maggie is attacking Michonne before he can intervene Beth and Maggie are going at it. He starts to step forward when Carol lays a hand on his arm. She shakes her head at him when he looks back at her. He watches them fight amazed at Beth's fury. He's never seen her show anything like it, he'd never even knew she had a temper, let alone a violent one. He is so absorbed in watching them that he is as shocked as everyone else when Daryl throws the water over the two of them. And he is even more shocked when Beth attacks Daryl. But he seems to expect it swinging her around and dumping her on the ground and following her down so she can't do any more damage. He tells them to leave but of course no one does "Fuck off!" his words leave no doubt now that he wants everyone to leave. Rick still hesitates even though Herschel doesn't and neither do Merle and Michonne. Carol however takes his arm pulling him inside. He follows them inside passing Herschel and catching up to Merle and Michonne inside "You two, explain where the hell you went and what you fucking did right now."

Merle sighs as he puts his pack down on the stairs. He scrubs his left hand over his face before scratching his scalp. He leans back on the railing of the stairs "I knew he'd double-cross you, even if you were planning on trying to give my woman up, he'd do it for the hell of it. And unlike you I know him well enough to know there is no 'peaceful' solution. So we took care of him and his men. Whoever is left isn't going to fight. The town is either ripe for the taking or for you to bring them here and set them up. Whatever the fuck you want. Or you can just forget about them and try to get on with your life and your family here." He nods at Carl as he says this which infuriates Rick.

"I'm the leader of this group, it was my decision to make, if you can't accept that then you can't be part of his group. Can you accept it? Both of you? Can you accept me being in charge and making decisions that you may not agree with? If you can't then you need to leave and to be honest I think the rest of us need to vote on whether we let you stay. What you did could have backfired and gotten Beth killed, gotten us all killed." Rick takes a breath. He knows if the group votes for them to leave that Daryl will go with them. He doesn't want that to happen but his leadership can't be challenged every time he turns around. He runs his hands through is hair as he looks over at Herschel. Herschel shrugs. It's his decision whether they vote on them leaving. "Okay we'll vote tonight, if you want to stay the group has to accept you and what you just did. I know you did it for us but you should have brought it to the table for discussion."

Merle looks at him "'For discussion'" he make a quote mark with his left hand at the words. "You just finished sayin' that you're in fuckin' charge and how you're lettin' the group do the dirty work of evictin' us." His accent is getting thicker with every word he speaks. "No that ain't the way leadership works Officer Friendly, if you're in charge then you gotta' make the hard decision and if we go then we go on your orders, not the groups." He stands there waiting for Rick to answer.

Before he can however Michonne speaks "You sat in this room two nights ago and made us part of this group. Before we left and did what needed to be done. Let me ask you this. If Glenn and Maggie and Carol had come with us or been the ones to make the decision we just did and follow through with it would you be thinking of evicting them?" She stops talking waiting for him to answer. But she knows he doesn't have to. His answer is written all over his face. He wouldn't. He'd be supremely pissed at them, angry for days and may give them shit job after shit job but he wouldn't even think of evicting them. She turns and heads up the stairs knowing they're staying. She hears Merle pick up his pack and fall in behind her.

Rick wonders when he'd become so freaking dumb. Shaking his head at himself he heads in to pick up Judith from where she has begun fussing thanks to his stupidly raising his voice. Carol comes in after him but he shakes his head "I'll take her for a walk outside, I need to get out of here for a bit I think," She shrugs and walks away toward the kitchen. Rick stares after for an instant before shaking his head and heading outside. He sends a wave to Carl in the tower and gives Daryl and Beth a wide berth as he decides to walk the perimeter.

He takes his time humming to Jude as he does so. It's over two hours later when he's heading back in. He sees Beth and Daryl are still there but moving, he frowns as he looks at them but suddenly Daryl is up and off Beth. She speaks to him then she is up herself and moving toward the entrance. Daryl heads off to do whatever it is he does and Rick meanders inside. Jude is asleep in his arms so he places her in her cot sitting down on his bunk he shakes his head at how the day has gone. He rests with her for some time before getting up to go out again. He passes Michonne as she heads to the showers and realises Merle is heading after her as he talks to Daryl. He decides to wait for Merle and bite the bullet and see where it takes them. So he leans against the wall, he and Daryl turn to look up at the landing and Rick follow their gazes. His jaw drops as he watches Beth put on a performance worthy of a stripper without taking off a shred of clothing. She makes him half hard. He stares at the spot she'd been standing in before he realises Merle is standing there in front of him. He wonders if anything happened between them while they were away and then decides he doesn't want to know but, whether she realised it or not Daryl had staked a claim with that display over her temper before. And so had Beth with that display she'd just given. She hadn't been looking at anyone but Daryl then. "I never saw them coming" he says to Merle as he comes abreast.

He shakes his head as he adjusts himself. God that little stunt has made him realise how long it had been since he's had the pleasure of a woman himself. He shakes his head again as he thinks he'll be on his own in that department for a long time to come. But he looks at Merle "I apologise for what I said before. It was wrong of me to try to evict you because you did something that needed doing. Something I couldn't have done. Tomorrow when you've had a good night's sleep I'd like your opinion about what you think we should do regarding the town." He nods at Merle and starts to walk off before turning back and saying with a grin "Enjoy your shower now you hear?" He chuckles as he turns back around to head to the kitchen to torture himself some more with what else he couldn't have.