A/N: Here's a new chapter for y'all. Sorry it took so long. I hope y'all enjoy it and please review.

*There is a bit of a time jump from the last chapter.

*Flashbacks are in Italics.

Used

Chapter 9

Beth-

I leaned back on my hands, feeling the cool grass beneath my fingers as Carol sat on one side of me holdin' Rebecca and Carl sat on the other side.

The fire burning in front of us kept us warm but not as warm as our house had been and every time I looked at it, I'm reminded of the farm and how we watched it go up in flames.

"Does he move a lot?" Carl asked, breaking the silence and puttin' his hand on my stomach.

I shook my head and smiled. "Yeah, sometimes."

"Carl," Lori called out from across the fire. "Quit botherin' Beth."

"I don't mind," I told her as I tried to stand up on my own but ended up gettin' help from Carl.

Carol stood up as well and handed a sleepin' Rebecca to me as we both looked to Lori.

"It's fine. She can stay with you and Rick tonight," she said.

"Thank you," I smiled and took the few steps to our tent.

After I made sure Rebecca was tucked in, I laid down under our sleepin' bag and closed my eyes, tryin' to sleep but I couldn't.

So many things have changed in the last few months. We lost the farm exactly five months ago, I know I shouldn't be keepin' track of the days but I have.

I can't help but remember the day it happened and I can't help but feel partially responsible.

"What the hell is this?" Lori asked, grabbing my arm and makin' me turn around to face her.

She had followed me out to the pasture when I went to get Nellie.

"What does it look like?!"

Lori huffed. "You're pregnant. Does Rick know?"

"Not that it's any of your business but yes, I am pregnant and yes, Rick knows. He's the one who asked Glenn to get me the test."

"He's still my husband, so that makes it my business. And you should know, I'm pregnant too. I've already told both Rick and Shane."

"I know you are. You're a lot further along than I am. I'm only about a month along, give or take a few days but you, you're what four maybe five months by now? Doesn't mean Rick is the father. From what I've heard, you were sleepin' with Shane before Rick came back and the two of you were only together that one night. You chose Shane."

"Hey," Rick whispered as he laid down next to me and placed his hand on my stomach. "You feelin' alright?"

"Mhmm," I mumbled.

"What're you thinkin' about?" He asked, pushing my shirt up and rubbin' his hand over my bare stomach.

"The farm and everythin' that happened that night. I really didn't mean for things to happen the way they did."

"It's not your fault. Lori attacked you."

"I almost killed her, Rick."

"But you didn't. It was self defense. Shane and I saw the whole thing."

"I really hate to do this but he's my husband," Lori said as she raised a gun.

My heart beat quickened and I started to panic until I remembered the knife Rick had made me start carrying and my hand went to it.

"You can't shoot me." I meant to say it louder than I did but she still heard me.

"Who said I was going to shoot you? I just want to make it clear that Rick is mine, Rebecca is mine and so is Carl. They're my family not yours."

I nodded. "I'm not goin' to fight you over that," I told her and tried to walk away.

She grabbed my arm again and shoved me with enough force that I landed on the ground.

There was a sharp throbbing pain in my head and my vision was blurry but it didn't take me very long to realize Lori was standin' over me.

She held her hand out to help me up but once I was, my hand went back to my knife and I pulled it out.

"Leave me alone," I told her as forcefully as I could even though my hands were visibly shakin'.

I heard Rick's voice shouting and then Lori was on top of me and I felt the warmth of her blood on my hand.

"Lori?" Shane's voice called out as Lori was lifted off of me and Rick pulled me up off the ground.

Shane was holdin' Lori in his arms, my knife stickin' out of her stomach, when we heard the moans.

Rick-

Everyone is walkin' on eggshells in our camp. Beth is six months pregnant and Lori is around nine months and after what went down on the farm, we never leave them alone together.

Lori's made it clear she doesn't like Beth and she hates that Carl stays with us. She still sees Rebecca as hers and Beth, not wantin' to cause any problems, plays along with whatever little fantasy Lori's cooked up in her head.

I know it isn't fair to Beth to make her sleep a few feet away from the woman who tried to kill her and, even though that's exactly what happened, Lori still denies that's what she was doin'.

Beth is the one who convinced us to let Lori stay with us. She didn't think it was right to make a pregnant woman fend for herself in this world, especially if that's my child she's carrying, which we all doubt it is. The baby Beth's carrying though, there's not a single doubt in my mind that baby is mine and everyone knows it is.

Shane left a few nights after the farm fell because he felt Lori had finally lost it and he wasn't willin' to let her string him along anymore.

I rubbed Beth's belly 'til she fell asleep and just as I was drifting off, I heard Daryl's call outside the tent.

"Hey, got somethin' ya need ta see," he said when I crawled out of the tent.

"Beth's asleep. I'm not leavin' her alone."

"I'll watch her," T-dog volunteered.

"Don't let Lori near her, not even to get Becca," I said, to which he nodded and sat down outside the tent opening.

I followed Daryl silently through the woods 'til we came to a break in the trees.

"Think we can take it?" He asked.

Lookin' at the prison before us, I smiled. "We're sure as hell goin' to try."

The next mornin', as soon as everyone was awake, Daryl and I told the others about the prison and then we packed up.

Beth-

The prison was massive and I wasn't sure we'd be able to get inside the way Rick and Daryl planned but they were both excited about it and after the yard surrounding the prison had been cleared, we all shared in the excitement.

T-dog and Glenn got a fire goin' while Carol and Maggie cleaned and cooked a few squirrels Daryl had caught. Daddy and Carl sat between me and Lori, I had Rebecca and was playin' with her. Rick and Daryl were walkin' the fences and makin' plans to get inside.

Carol passed the food around once it was cooked and fixed plates for those on watch.

With Maggie's help, I stood up and took a plate from her to carry to Daryl.

"Sit down," she muttered. "I'll carry his plate to him."

I looked back to where I had been sittin' then looked back to Carol. "No, please let me carry that to him. She keeps watchin' me," I whispered.

Carol sighed. "Fine but if Rick asks, I said no."

I smiled and took the plate.

When I reached the bus, I knew I wouldn't be able to climb up so I whistled up at Daryl and waited for him to climb down.

"Rick know you're over 'ere?" He asked.

"I'm guessin' he does but I couldn't sit there anymore."

"Lil' Shane givin' ya the evil eye?"

"That's not funny, Daryl."

We both looked over at the others to see Lori picking up Rebecca and scooting closer to where Rick was now seated.

"Ya better watch it. She's hell bent on takin' what's hers," Daryl mumbled around a mouth full of food.

"Can we change the subject? Are you ever goin' to tell me about you and Andrea?"

His face turned red and looked down and started pickin' at the food on his plate.

"Ain't none of yer business."

"None of business? I caught you both with your pants down and I don't even get the full story?"

He shrugged. "She's gone now. Don't matter none."

"I'll get it out of you one day," I said with a smile before walkin' back to the others.

Rick had moved and was now holdin' Rebecca as I sat down next to him.

"Here," he said, handin' me his plate. "I won't take no for an answer."

I tried to eat a few more bites before handin' the rest back to Rick.

"Eat it."

"I'm full, Rick. If I eat anymore I'll just throw up."

He stared at me for a moment then looked around. "Give it to Carl then."

Lori-

Everyone thinks I'm crazy but I'm not.

I didn't try to kill Beth, I just wanted her to stay away from my family. She's the one who stabbed me, almost killing myself and my baby, and yet they're treating me as if I have the plague or somethin'.

It's not easy to watch your husband with the girl he cheated on you with. She's just a girl, not woman.

It's not easy to watch my children sit next to her and smile at her.

It's not easy to watch her lay her head on my husband's shoulder and him put his arm around her.

And it sure as hell isn't easy knowing she's carrying his child.

I'm not going to hurt her or anything. If I wanted to, I could have done it already but I don't want to and none of them seem to understand that. I just wanted her to leave my family alone.

What right does she have to take them away?

"I'm not jealous," I whispered to myself as Rick, Carl, Maggie and Hershel reached over to feel Beth's baby kick.

I decided a few weeks ago that after the baby is born, I'm leaving.

They all want me to leave anyway and the baby, well, I figure they'll be able to take care of it.

I doubt I'll be allowed to leave with Carl and Rebecca but they're better off with them than with me.

Rick-

Beth groaned and tugged on my hand as I laid the sleepin' bag over her.

"Somethin' wrong?"

"No. Just want you next to me."

I chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I'm not goin' anywhere, baby."

I stayed next to her, watchin' her, Rebecca and Carl sleep for a while before I woke Maggie up to watch them while I went to talk to Lori who was pacing, Hershel said she was tryin' to induce labor.

"We need to talk," I said.

"Not now," she replied.

"Lori," I grabbed her arm to stop her. "We have to talk about this. What you did, that's not you. What happened to you?"

"I'm a crazy, manipulative bitch. That's what Shane called me, that's what I've heard the others calling me."

"Doesn't answer my question."

"I don't know what happened, okay? I just hate seein' you with her. And I wasn't tryin' to kill her..."

"Shane saw you pointing the gun at her, I saw you pointing the gun at her."

"Yes, I did that but I wasn't tryin' to kill her! I wouldn't do that, I'm not that crazy. I just wanted her to stay away from you, Carl and Rebecca. And...and when I found out about her bein' pregnant, I kinda lost it for a little bit. I'm not goin' to hurt her or that baby," she said while rubbin' her stomach, "I couldn't do that and honestly, it's not even worth the fight anymore. We can't get divorced now but this is the end for us. I get that, Rick."

"Do you?" I asked. "Because we do have kids together and I don't want them to see us fighting. None of us...me, you, beth...we all need to get along now. She's part of our family."

"I really do. I know she is. I'm glad she's here because Carl is actually actin' like a kid now. He wanted a gun before but now he's actin' like a kid again, Rick, and it's because of her. Do you really think I'd hurt my son or daughter like that?"

"No," I shook my head. I wasn't sure what to say after that, I didn't know if I believed what she was sayin'. I wanted to, though. I needed to believe it, for Beth's sake and the baby's.

Beth-

I woke up sometime after Rick left and couldn't go back to sleep so I sat up and stared at the prison.

I kept starin' at it even after I heard Rick's voice gettin' closer to me. He was sayin' somethin' about goin' inside when I felt his hand on my back.

"Beth, you alright?"

I slowly turned my head towards him and gave him a small smile. "Yeah. Just worried."

He kept his hand on my back and leaned in and kissed me.

"There's nothin' to worry about. Everythin's gonna be fine."

I glanced behind him and saw Lori walkin' towards us and even though I wasn't scared of her, I tensed up and that caused Rick to look back at her.

"Can I have a moment alone with Beth?" She asked.

Rick scowled at her and stood, pullin' me up with him.

"I'm not scared of her," I whispered.

He looked at me then back to her. "I'm not goin' far."

Lori raised her hands in surrender. "That's fine. It's just a little girl talk is all. I swear."

We both watched Rick walk a few feet away and then turned to face us, watchin' us.

"Walk with me?" Lori asked.

"Umm...," I looked over at Rick.

"I don't mean go walk around, I meant just keep walkin' right here. Back and forth."

"Oh...uh...yeah. Sure."

We stared walkin' back and forth, side by side, and had been doin' that for at least three minutes before she finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, Beth. Things can't be like that between us. We need each other to make this work."

I glanced at her. "We need each other?!" I stopped walkin' and when she noticed, she did the same. "We do not need each other, sure we both need to move on from everythin' that's happened so there won't be any problems, but we don't need each other Lori. You're goin' to be a mother, same as me, but the difference is, I'm not playin' a game. I love Rick and he loves me. You love Shane but you lost him because you don't know when to let go. You can have that baby and claim it's Ricks all you want but we both know it's not, that baby is Shane's."

"Beth, I'm tryin' to make this work. I do love Rick, he's the father of my children and if I hate him, that's sayin' I hate a part of my kids and I don't. They're my world. So, you should know, if you hurt any of them or Rick, no one will be there to stop me from pullin' the trigger."

"And next time I'll be sure to aim my knife a little higher."

It took us both a moment to realize that everyone was watchin' us and had moved closer, just as we had to each other, then Rick was pullin me away from her.

"You're the reason Shane's gone," she said.

"Me? He left because he hated you! He hated all if your sick, twisted games!"

"That's enough!" Daddy shouted, causing us to look at him. "I will not tolerate this kind of hatred and behavior! What's done is done and if either of you know what's good for you you'd shut up. Those babies and those two kids," he pointed to Carl which as holdin' Rebecca and sittin' next to Maggie, "they are my main concern. Bethie, you were not raised to behave this way."

Before either of us could speak, Rick was pullin' me in one direction while daddy and Carol pulled Lori in the other.

Rick-

We slept without anyone on watch for the first time since he farm. It was good for us because today is the day, we're goin' to take the prison and make us a home.

"Do you think we can make it?" Beth asked from beside me.

I kept my eyes on the walkers inside the prison courtyard but nodded my head. "Yeah, I do."

I looked down at her when I felt her slip her hand into mine and squeeze it a little.

"You're doin' good, Rick. You're protectin' us and takin' care of us. Thank you for that."

I leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Don't thank me, Beth."

She smiled and leaned into my side. "C'mon," she whispered and tugged on my hand.