Hey guys! So I wrote this (up to chapter five) in July 2013, during the hiatus between seasons three and four, before any real Beth and Daryl interaction. I had this idea of "what would a romance between them look like?" and tried to make it as in-character as possible without much to go on haha. So that might kind of affect it. This starts out in season two, and it's going to be kind of a gradual build-up. Hope you like it!
When Daryl Dixon met Hershel Greene's youngest daughter Beth, his first impression of her was that she would never survive out there in the world the way it was. Since the shit hit the fan, she had been barricaded into this little safe space created by her overprotective father, sheltering her from all the horrors outside.
Sure, she'd lost her mom and brother, and he really did feel for her on that, but they'd all lost somebody. For the most part, she was still free to live on this idyllic farm, frolicking around making cookies and dusting the fine china, like it even mattered anymore. The Greenes were faced with only the occasional straggling walker that stumbled upon their land, and one of the men would take care of it right away. Sweet little Beth never had to lift a finger, never had to see just what the world had become. She never had to go hungry, never had to cry without a pair of arms waiting to hug her.
That was more than Daryl could say about his own family, even before the apocalypse. If he could admit it to himself, part of him was jealous of the tight leash Hershel kept his daughters on, knowing his own daddy never cared about what happened to him or Merle. He was apathetic and neglectful at best, actively destructive at worst. And his mama had never tried to protect them, always too far gone on whatever substance she could get her hands on in an attempt to escape her miserable life.
A few times, Daryl found himself wistfully envying Beth's naivety about the world, wishing he could cover his eyes and pretend things would be okay. But he knew he couldn't. Things were the way they were, and they just had to deal with it and survive. That's the way he'd always been living. Dead people walking around honestly didn't make much of a difference, so it hadn't been too hard for him to adjust. It was such a stark contrast to Beth Greene's life. Truthfully, he couldn't say that he'd ever spoken more than a few words to her, but from what he knew, he could venture a guess that she was a scared, sheltered teenager who'd never wanted for anything and remained oblivious to the reality of life outside of the farm.
Whatever. Not like he gave two shits about a bunch of strangers. He just wanted Carl to get better and Sophia to finally be found so they could get out of that place and back on the road. Not that constant moving and scavenging seemed much more appealing, but at least it kept them alert and didn't provide a false sense of security. It bothered him the way the rest of the group seemed to be making themselves comfortable. And it would be an understatement to say he didn't warm up to people easily. It had taken months before he began to trust the people in his group, and he still felt like he had one foot out the door in case things went south. Why should he get all cozy with Hershel Greene and his family when he didn't know him from Adam?
Things started to change. The group gradually became more torn and fractured. As time went on, tempers flared constantly and allegiances seemed broken. It turned out that Lori was pregnant - just what they needed. There was an air of uneasy tension between Rick and Shane at all times, even more so than usual. Daryl often caught Shane glaring at Rick with a wild look in his eyes, and it didn't take a genius to put two and two together. They discovered that the oh-so-honest Greene family had been hoarding walkers in the barn, pulling the blinders over their eyes and claiming that they were just sick people and there would soon be a cure and things would go back to normal. What a crock of shit.
After nearly being killed in the forest while looking for Sophia, Andrea accidentally shot Daryl on his way back, grazing his head and keeping him bedridden for several days. While moping around in his tent, unable to go far and feeling utterly useless, he contemplated everything that was going on, and mused that sometimes he felt like the only sane person in the group. He missed his brother, the only person he could felt he could relate to.
Shortly after his recovery, a defining moment changed the group. One day, in a fit of rage, Shane tore off the barn doors and essentially released the straw that broke the camel's back. As walkers came spilling out, growling and snapping before being swiftly taken down, one lone little girl shuffled behind the rest… Sophia Peletier, flesh half-rotted away, eyes gray and soulless, clothes torn and bloodstained, stumbled aimlessly into the sunlight, slowly and steadily making her way toward the group members with bared teeth.
Daryl felt his heart sink, and a wave of nausea and hopelessness filled his chest. Carol immediately burst into hysterical tears, lunging forward toward her daughter before being held back. He grabbed her and held on while she collapsed and sobbed. He did not cry – nobody would ever see him cry – but he felt shattered and his eyes remained locked on Sophia. All that time, he had been looking for a dead girl… how could he be so stupid? How could they have let it happen? No one wanted to be the one to do it. After a long moment of hesitation, Rick finally ended it with a bullet. Sophia instantly fell backward, landing with a thud. An eerie silence settled over the farm.
Nobody spoke for a long time. Carol drew up into herself on the ground, shoulders trembling as she was racked with sobs. Daryl kept his hand on her back and his eyes scanned the rest of the group, all of their faces stricken with shock and grief. He also saw the Greene family. Hershel knelt on the ground, looking both confused and desolate at the loss of his wife and son. Maggie stood behind him, speechlessly wiping away tears on her sleeve, while Beth wept noisily with her face pressed against her father's shoulder.
Then Beth suddenly got to her feet and ran clumsily toward her mother's body. She bent down and rolled it over, before discovering in horror that Annette was not completely dead. She screamed in terror and revulsion as her mother tried to sink her teeth into her, grabbing at her with dirty rotting hands. Daryl instinctively grabbed his gun, as did everyone else, and Andrea finally took out the woman as the others pulled a hysterical Beth away.
Daryl's observation was confirmed. She was so naive, and this world was too much for her. But he still felt a lingering pang of heartfelt pity for everyone, including the poor grieving girl that he barely knew. He exchanged a weary, knowing look with Rick, and they began the process of dragging the bodies away to be buried.
Later that day, Daryl heard that Beth had collapsed and gone into shock after everything that happened. He couldn't say he was surprised, but he did pause for a moment, feeling a twinge of concern as he remembered the young girl's heartbroken face earlier. She didn't deserve to lose her mother. Carol didn't deserve to lose her daughter. Then he shook it off when Lori came and asked him to go into town to find Hershel and his concern gave way to anger.
No. He was done. He refused to get attached anymore. He had gotten attached to Sophia and Carol, and look what happened. He ended up chasing shadows like a damn fool, letting himself get worked up over a little girl that wasn't even his. And Carol just wouldn't leave well enough alone. No matter how hard he tried to pull away, she was always looking at him with those sad Bambi eyes, crying herself to sleep at night while putting on a brave face and trying to play the wise nurturing role. She didn't know shit.
He was done caring or looking out for anyone but himself. That's the way it always had been, and the way it was always supposed to be. He didn't belong with them.
Daryl retreated to the outskirts of the farm alone to think about what was happening next, and when Lori approached him to try to go rescue her husband, he was filled with a deep sense of bitterness. Here they all were, asking him for favors, but what had anyone done for him? Rick and Hershel could go to hell for all he cared. And that girl, lying catatonic on her bed? He pushed away any sympathy he had for her. She needed a goddamn reality check sooner or later, just like anybody else.