Trigger warning for allusion to child abuse.

I ain't claimin' nothin'

Beth glared at the sticky mess on top of the stove. She'd helped her momma make jelly a few times, but that was before the turn, back when the stove used gas instead of wood and Momma had added pectin to help the jelly set up. Now she'd wasted a whole cup of precious sugar.

A loud yell followed by the baby crying had her running to the other room, wondering what her boys had gotten into this time.

"No, Andrew." Daryl was gripping their oldest boy by the shoulders, punctuating each word with a little shake. "You don't hurt your brother. You're supposed to protect him. You're supposed to love him, no matter what. You're supposed to put him first."

The despair in his voice, beneath the anger, pierced her heart. "Daryl," she said, forceful enough so that he'd listen, "you're hurting him."

He looked down at his son, as if he was seeing it all through someone else's eyes, like he was watching it from far away. His hands shook as he released the boy and stepped away. She scooped up the baby, who was still crying, and shoved him into Daryl's arms, despite his unwillingness to hold him. He tried giving the baby back, but she'd already turned to deal with their eldest.

"Andrew, honey, your daddy's right," she said, firmly. Lecturing a three-year-old wasn't the way she'd have chosen to solve this problem, and Lord knows she'd had enough experience after dealing with Judith and Hershel, Glenn and Maggie's boy, but her words weren't directed towards her son, even though she was looking at him. "We're a family, and family comes first. And that means we love each other. Even when they make us angry. Even if they do something hurtful. We protect each other. We keep each other safe."

The room was quiet now, but she could still feel Daryl's presence behind her. She sat down and pulled Andy into her lap, looking straight into his blue eyes that were so like his father's. "It's okay to get mad. It's okay to get frustrated. It doesn't mean we stop loving them. And when you're feeling angry and hurt, you come to me and we talk about it. 'Cause there ain't nothin' in the world so big that we can't face together. Okay?"

Andy nodded. Maybe he didn't understand her words, but he seemed to understand the seriousness of her tone. "Now you give your brother a hug and tell him you're sorry. Then I think it's time for both of you to take a nap."

She stood up and turned around, smiling as their son did what he was told. Daryl followed her into the boys' room and helped her put them to bed, but as soon as that was done, he headed for the door.

"I'm goin' out."

"Don't you walk away, Daryl Dixon."

He paused, his hand on the knob. "Beth, I could've—" His muscles tensed, and his knuckles turned white. "If you hadn't been there—"

"But you didn't." She slid her arms around him, pressed her face into his back. "And I was."

He resisted her comfort, holding in his pain and guilt. She knew he'd had a hard life, harder than she could ever imagine, and his hurt ran deep.

"You are not your father."

"I'm afraid I might be," he sobbed. His body sagged as his emotions rolled through him, and she struggled to support the extra weight. But they'd been here before, and she hadn't let him fall then. She wasn't going to let him fall now. "I'm afraid I might hurt them. I'm afraid I might hurt you."

"That's not who you are. That's not even who you were."

He turned, and she loosened her grip but kept her arms around him, tightening up when he was facing her. "But what if I am? I ain't never been a father before."

"Because I know you. It don't matter what your life was like before the turn. You got a new life now, a new family." She brushed away the tear falling down his cheek. "You're Daryl Dixon: survivor, hunter, leader. You're Rick's brother. You're Judith's uncle. You're Maggie and Glenn's brother-in-law. You're Hershel Greene's son-in-law. You're Andy and Scott's father." She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his. "And you're my husband, the love of my life."

He didn't speak, merely wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. For a man like Daryl, there weren't enough words and there were too many words to express what he felt. But it didn't matter that he didn't say anything. She understood.