DARYL'S POV

Daryl had to admit, the Alexandria Safe Zone was a good place. They had three square meals a day, a nice home, and most importantly they were safe. He still doesn't feel like he fits in though. The only people he feels at home with is his family. Aaron and Eric were okay people. He knows that Merle would have a heyday with that, telling him that he always knew his little sister Daryl liked the fags. But Daryl didn't see Aaron and Eric like that. He saw them as the only people outside of his family who would give him the time of day. He didn't give to shits what they did in their own home. And Beth would have loved them. His chest tightens thinking about Beth. She would have loved this place, she deserved to be here.

Aaron cleared his throat and Daryl jumped "Sorry man," Daryl said, looking at the ground.

"It's okay," Aaron said quietly. "As I was saying, you get that motorcycle running, it's yours. You can read people. We need someone like you out there."

Daryl continued to look at the ground, deep in thought. Should he do this? Did he even want to? He wants to be the kind of person that Beth would be proud of. Taking this job within this community, that would have made her proud.

"Who was she?" Aaron asks, pulling Daryl's gaze up to him.

"It don' matter," Daryl growled.

"Did you love her?" asked Aaron and Daryl just stared at him. "Then it mattered Daryl."

"Beth," Daryl said softly. "Her name was Beth."

It took Daryl almost a month to fix the bike and get it running. It came as a surprise to Daryl but over that time he and Aaron and Eric had become pretty good friends. Sharing a couple nights of dinner between the three of them and stories too. There were nights he was there so late, one of them would offer him the spare bedroom but he always declined. Until one day he walked into the garage and there sat a couch, old but still nice. With blankets piled on the end. No one said anything amongst the three of them but his family knew that if he wasn't at home, then that's where they could find him. Daryl can't believe that out of everyone in the safe zone, it's Aaron and Eric that he tells stories of Beth to. It's them that he breaks down crying in front of when he can't hold it in anymore. He's still afraid to tell his family, afraid to be judged by the people who mean so much to him; afraid that by admitting he loves her that they'll think he's some kind of old pervert. But these guys, he's able to tell them everything. They don't judge. They laugh when the stories are funny, like when Beth and him burned down that damn moonshine shack. They pat his back when the stories are sad.

"It looks like you got that bike running?" asks Aaron as he walks out into the garage.

Daryl just grunts and nods his head.

"So we head out tomorrow?" asks Aaron.

"Not one to waste time are ya?" smirked Daryl.

Aaron walked away laughing, "Nope."

The next day, Eric saw Aaron off and Carol and Rick saw Daryl off as they went on their first recruiting trip together.

"If you're not back in a week, I'm coming to look for you," Rick says to Daryl quietly.

"I'll be okay," Daryl grunts out.

"One week and we'll come looking," Carol takes no excuses and just stares at Daryl.

"A'ight mom. I'll see you in less than a week."

(2 months later) BETH'S POV

Morgan and her were so close to the safe zone. They had already checked it out but Morgan was nervous and he wanted to wait until the next day to approach the walled city. Beth felt no such wariness, she wanted to go in. She wanted to storm right through the front gates and run through every street screaming his name until she found him. And if he wasn't there then she was leaving. She'd been without him long enough and she would go back to Georgia to find him by herself if she had to.

She knows him. She knows that he thinks she is dead. She knows he wouldn't have left her otherwise. He filled her every thought; him teaching her how to use his crossbow, serious piggyback rides, "oh" in a dimly lit kitchen, her hearing him scream her name as he ran after that damn car, to the way he looked at her through the sea of people in the hospital hallway. He was always with her.

She owed Morgan her life, she knows that. He's a good man. So she stays. She gives him his one night. She knows that he had his own demons. She knows how much he's lost. So she waits. She doesn't think she'll sleep one wink, but she'll wait. Thoughts of finding her family fill her mind. She refuses to think that they won't be there.

She thinks of Rick and Carol, of everyone; even Maggie. Morgan had seen the signs for Glenn, he had mentioned it to Beth; to see if she recognized the names. She had. At one time Beth might have been upset. But not anymore. Because now she knows that burning need to find that one person you can't be without. She knows that even if he's the only one she finds in the safe zone, she'll be okay with that. Just as she knows that if everyone else is there and he's not, she won't stay.

Morgan had made her sleep a few hours as he kept watch, but when dawn rolled around Beth was up and her pack was on her shoulder. She was ready.

Morgan chuckled. "You look ready Beth."

Beth laughed. "I've never been more ready Morgan."

"What if he isn't there?"

"Then I'm not staying," Beth said quietly.

Morgan was silent as he looked at her. He then nodded his head slightly. "I figured as much. I also figure I'll go where you go. You're my family now young lady."

Beth's eyes filled with tears. "I think my daddy sent you to me Morgan."

"Why would he send a crazy old man to you Beth?"

"Because he knew we needed each other." She smiled brightly at the man.

Morgan just looked at Beth, shaking his head. But then he smiled. He was lucky really. Even after losing Jenny and Duane, he had been led to this girl. In all of her months of recovery, she never gave up. When he was lost within himself, she never gave up. This girl was surely a daughter to him. He was suddenly unafraid of what came next. He was ready for whatever they found in the safe zone. He knew that she had to know. She had to find that man of hers, for that's what he surely was. The man probably won't even know what hit him, Morgan thought. And if he wasn't there, it wouldn't matter to him. If Rick was there, and that man of hers wasn't; he'd still follow her out of the safe zone. Because that is what fathers do. Even adoptive ones.

"You ready Bethy?"

Beth looked up startled at that nickname but then smiled. "I'm ready Morgan."

"Well then, let's go find your man," he smiled widely.

Beth just giggled and started walking. I'm coming, she thought. Please be there.

"Stay behind me Beth."

"I don't want you to face them alone Morgan."

"No Beth. Stay behind me. Don't even let them see you until I say."

"Ok, Morgan. Ok." Beth knew that Morgan was just trying to protect her.

As they walked up to the gate, Beth got nervous. What if he wasn't here?

"Stop," someone yelled. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I'm looking for –"

"I said who are you and what do you want. In that order."

Morgan bristled. Beth laid a hand on his back, it instantly calmed him. This kid was just being cocky, he wasn't going to let it get to him.

"I'm Morgan Jones and I'm looking for Rick Grimes."

"Rick Grimes huh?" the guy smirked.

"Did I hear my name?"

Morgan whipped his head up and Rick stopped in his tracks.

"Rick?" Morgan croaked.

"Morgan? Morgan Jones?" asked Rick incredulously.

Morgan nodded. "And a friend," he said, thumbing over his shoulder.

"What the hell? You didn't tell me you had someone else with you?" the guy asked angrily.

"Shut up Aiden. This isn't an interrogation." Rick ordered. "Open the gates."

"You ready?" Morgan whispered.

"As ever." Beth whispered back.

As they walked up to the gates, they shifted so that Beth walked beside him.

Rick blinked a few times, as if trying to clear his vision. "Beth?" Rick quietly asked. His eyes had to be deceiving him. "Beth?" Rick's eyes filled with tears.

"Hi Rick," answered Beth softly.

Rick strode up to her and wrapped her in a big hug. He didn't notice how Beth tensed up. After the hospital, there wasn't many people she thought she could tolerate touching her.

He rushed on, "We thought you were dead. What the hell? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Beth pulled herself from Rick and walked back to Morgan.

"Beth?" asked Rick. He reached his hand out.

Beth shook her head, grabbing Morgan's arm for support. She only wanted one person. Where was Daryl?

"Let me get Maggie and Glenn and Carol. Everyone." Rick starts to turn.

"No," Beth starts. But Rick doesn't here, he is already gone.

"Dammit," mutters Beth.

Morgan chuckles and looks at her. "You're strong Bethy. You're not the girl from before. Don't let them put you in that box. Tell them what – or who – you want."

Beth smiled at Morgan and laid her head on his shoulder.

Within minutes Rick was back with Maggie, Glenn, Carl, and Sasha.

"Bethy!" screamed Maggie. "Bethy!"

Maggie pulled Beth into her arms and Glenn wrapped his arms around both of them as Rick, Carl, and Sasha smiled at them.

Morgan looked at them all with wide eyes, was he the only one that could see how tense Beth was?

Morgan started to clear his throat at the same time that Beth says to Maggie, "Let me go Maggie."

Maggie backed up confused, as Morgan just waited.

"Beth," Maggie reaches for her.

"Where –"

Maggie cuts Beth off, "Come on Beth, I'll take you to our place."

Beth firmly pulls away.

"Beth?" Maggie asks. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong."

"But –"

"No." Beth says forcefully. "Let me finish."

Everyone is looking at Beth surprised except Morgan. Beth looks to him and he gives her a small smile and a nod of his head.

"Where is he? Where's Daryl?" Beth breathes out quickly.

Maggie just looks at Beth, "He's not here."

Beth's face falls. She looks at Morgan, "Let's go."

"What?! What do you mean?" screeches Maggie just as Rick steps forward. It had taken him a while, but now he sees. He sees what Beth needs. He sees that she can't stand to be touched except for Morgan and he is sure Daryl. She's changed, in that time with Daryl after the prison, the hospital, being with Morgan.

"If Daryl isn't here, I'm leaving." Beth states matter-of-factly.

"Beth," Rick cuts in. "He's only recruiting, he's due back today. Let's get you to Maggie and Glenn's. You can get cleaned up and then as soon as he gets home, I'll send him over."

"No, I'll wait for him here."

"Bethy," starts Maggie.

"No Maggie. I'm waiting here. That's final."

"Listen Beth."

"No you listen –"

They hear a loud clatter at the gates and everyone turns around. Daryl and Aaron are standing there and his crossbow is on the ground in front of him, the bike laying in a heap next to him from where he had pushed it not wanting to draw walkers to the gates for the last mile.

"You're dead," Daryl growls. Tears form in his eyes and spill over. "You're a dream. You're not real. When will it stop?" He hits his knees and his head bows, tears falling onto the pavement.

Everyone stares surprised. Sure Daryl had grieved for Beth but they obviously misunderstood the depth of his grief. They thought he had been getting over it. But now he all but confessed that he hadn't been, not even close.

Aaron puts his hand on Daryl's shoulder, he doesn't want Daryl to freak out on the young blonde that obviously looks a lot like the woman his friend had lost but before he can say anything the blonde steps up and surprises him.

"Daryl," Beth whispers. She pulls away from Maggie forcefully. "Daryl," Beth breathes.

She stands in front of him and put her hand on his shoulder, "Do I not feel real to you?" Aaron stares on in shock, in all of the reunions he has seen; he's never seen someone come back from what they thought was dead.

Daryl sucks in a breath loudly, his hand reaching for Beth's and bringing up to his face. She wipes his tears away. "I'm here," she whispers.

"I don' undastand. Ya were shot in the head. I checked for a pulse," he says only to her.

"My body must have been in shock," Beth whispers. "The doctors found me in the car y'all put me in. As soon as I could I left the hospital, no one fought me. I found Morgan a couple of days later."

Daryl starts to cry again. "M sorry Beth," he mumbles against the front of her shirt, his head buried in her stomach. "M so sorry. I let ya get taken. I let that bitch shoot ya. I left ya," he shudders at that.

Aaron moves over to Eric who had run up at the commotion to make sure that everything was ok. By the looks on their faces, they couldn't believe the reunion that they were seeing either.

"No Daryl. You kept me alive. You're voice kept me going. You brought me here. Only you. You're all that matters."

Daryl pulls Beth even closer and continues to cry into her stomach. He doesn't care that his family members are watching, the rest having run up in time to see Daryl and Beth's reunion. All he cares about is Beth.

Beth sinks to her knees in front of him. "I missed you Daryl," she whispers to him, only him.

"Not as much as I fucking missed ya Greene." He looks at her then, blue on blue. And she can see it. She can see what this beautiful, damaged man feels for her and it doesn't matter that he hasn't said it. It doesn't matter that their family will inevitably hear as they are gathered so close. All that matters is the two of them.

"I love you too Daryl Dixon." She didn't expect an answer, truly she didn't expect anything. But if Daryl Dixon would never surprise Beth Greene again, it wouldn't matter; because what he did next what top all of it as he leaned in to kiss her. Beth was so surprised, she just sat there for a second, that is until Daryl started to pull away.

"Oh no," she murmured, fusing her lips to his and in turn surprising him. But not for long because pretty quickly his tongue found its way into her mouth and Beth moaned at that first hesitant touch of his tongue on hers. She moaned from the bottom of her soul. And in turn Daryl growled and pressed his mouth and tongue more firmly against her own.

Daryl Dixon tasted exactly as Beth thought he would. Like woods and cigarette smoke, and man.

A throat cleared and still it didn't pull Beth and Daryl away from one another.

Until Maggie said, "Beth?"

Beth pulled from Daryl with a sigh, leaning her forehead into his. Maggie could talk, but Daryl would have her attention.

"What's going on Beth?" Maggie questioned.

"What does it look like?" Beth asked, feeling Daryl's lips smirk slightly at that.

"Well I knew something was up. He grieved too hard for you. But." Maggie stopped, she knew in that moment that neither of them were listening to her.

Beth looked at Daryl and she could see it, see the pain he carried and what he had went through when he thought he had lost her forever.

Maybe that look would never go away, but she would try her hardest to make sure it did. She slid closer to Daryl, chest to chest; trying to crawl into him almost.

Maggie hesitantly continued, "You're only 18."

"No Maggie," Beth spit out. "I'm 19."

"Okayyyy, but Daryl is almost twice that."

"Shut up Maggie," Beth said quietly. "Just shut up."

That surprised Maggie and she glanced around at everyone else, looking for help. Michonne just raised her eyebrows and smiled, Rick shrugged his shoulders. Even Glenn, god damn Glenn, said nothing. Aaron and Eric hadn't looked away from the two on the ground.

"Beth lets go to my and Glenn's place, we share it with Abe, Rosita, Tara, and Eugene. Your place now too. You'll like them," said Maggie quietly. "We can talk about it there."

"No." said Beth.

Maggie just stared at Beth. She knew what was coming next and she knew she was powerless to stop it. Beth had changed since she had last seen her at the prison, she wasn't a little girl anymore, probably hadn't been then.

"I'm moving in with Daryl."

Daryl's eyes grow wide at that.

"That's if you want me," whispered Beth.

Daryl nods his head furiously, "Fuck yeah I want ya Greene."

Rick takes in Maggie just staring at Beth and Daryl. He feels bad for Maggie but what did Maggie expect? It was Daryl that had searched for Beth all those months, it was Daryl who grieved in his own silence up until he saw Beth again. Everyone loved Beth, everyone had missed her. But eventually they had accepted her death and started to move on. But not Daryl. And Maggie was going to have to understand that Beth was a grown woman. She didn't need coddled anymore. She didn't need someone making decisions for her. One look at her could tell you that. Beth Greene was a warrior now, something he completely knew was in fact because of Daryl and Morgan.

Rick clears his throat, "Beth can stay with us, we'll make room for Morgan too."

And that makes Daryl uncomfortable. He refuses to be away from Beth but he doesn't know if he wants to do it with everyone watching his every move.

Aaron has come to know Daryl pretty well and as he steps up, he only hopes that he doesn't look like an idiot, "I've told Daryl for months that he can have the spare room at Eric and my house. That will give Morgan is own room at Rick's house." Beth looks to Daryl, if he trusts these people enough to be friends with them, then she trusts them. She nods.

Morgan looks to Beth, who squeezes his hand in silent communication.

"Ok," Morgan states.

Rick starts to protest. "Daryl, you are welcome to stay with us."

Daryl stood up, bringing Beth with him. "I know Rick. But fa now. We're going to go to Aaron's." Morgan hands Daryl his crossbow.

"Thanks," Daryl mutters. "Thanks for taking care of her."

"Treat her right."

Daryl takes Beth's hand, "Ya ain't gotta worry about that." He looks to Aaron and Eric who come up and introduce themselves to Beth. They don't have to tell her that they are together, the love between them radiates off of them in waves. She likes them. She smiles up at Daryl, who just smirks down at her.

He starts to walk Beth down the street, letting Beth stop and say hello to each of their family members. Michonne is holding a sleeping Judith.

"My sweet girl," coos Beth while she strokes Judy's soft hair.

"We're right down the street. Come see her when you're ready," and Michonne smiles. Michonne knew that Daryl and Beth needed time, time to be alone, time to talk about what had happened, time to tell each other their feelings. Michonne smiled. They had lost so many people. But Beth. Somehow she completed the circle that was left broken with her supposed death.

Aaron and Eric walk beside Daryl and Beth. Aaron knows how much Daryl has grieved for Beth. They had heard him crying one night that he had decided to stay in the garage. At first they were hesitant to go check on him, they knew Daryl valued his privacy. But something made Eric force Aaron to go down. "Just go Aaron, I have a feeling. Just go." And Aaron had found him that night sitting on the couch with a ragged piece of glass up to his wrists, ready to end all of the pain. Aaron sat next to Daryl without asking questions, he didn't have to ask. He knew. They never spoke of that night, the night he had seen one of the strongest man he'd ever met break down like a baby. They didn't have too. Their friendship now rivaled that of himself and Carol's. When Daryl needed to talk about Beth, he talked to Aaron and Eric. It's not that he didn't trust his family; Rick and Carol and Michonne and everyone else. But he's afraid they'll judge him, judge him for loving something so perfect and innocent as Beth Greene. He told Aaron why he refused to acknowledge Maggie, how he felt that she should have been looking for Beth. That maybe Beth would be there with them if she had cared about more than just herself. And Aaron was certain of one thing, he was seriously going to have to ask Beth how she had talked Daryl into getting drunk and burning down that cabin.

Aaron looked at Beth who nodded at Michonne and smiled, "Ok."

Aaron smiled at Daryl and Daryl reached out to grab Aaron's shoulder and smile, a real smile. It surprised Beth. She was happy to see he had let more people in. But she also noticed that he kept his distance from the others. The only people that reached out to touch him as they passed was Rick, Michonne, and Carl.

Carol smiled at them, "It's good to see the light back in your eyes Pookie," she joked.

"Stop it," Daryl said gruffly, but his mouth was upturned in the smallest of smiles.

Beth linked her arm through Daryl's, "Take me home Mr. Dixon," Beth giggled as she looked at Aaron and Eric. She could tell that her and Eric were going to be the best of friends pretty quick. And Aaron looked like a good guy. She already liked both of them.

Carl burst out laughing. "Mr. Dixon huh?" Daryl turned to him and glared. Carl just laughed harder. "You won't let me call you Uncle Daryl but Beth can call you Mr. Dixon."

Beth laughed, it was so good to be back with Daryl, back with her family. She looked to Maggie. Maggie didn't look mad, just confused.

They could figure it out later though, they had the time. But right now, she was going home with Daryl.

Daryl smiled down at Beth, "Are we back to that?"

Beth just laughed while Daryl and everyone else looked on. He knew that no matter where he was, as long as he was with her; he was home. She was his light and his hope. He wouldn't lose her again. If the day came that she went before him, then he would go soon after. A bullet would send him on his way. He wouldn't live without her again. He had barely survived the last time.

The group watched the four of them walk off.

Rick looks to Maggie and starts to say something.

"It's ok Rick," Maggie looks to Glenn. "I get it. I'm a little confused as to how," Maggie pauses and sighs. "Or maybe I'm not." Again she looks at Glenn. "They complete each other, they love each other. It's all daddy would have wanted."

Beth looks back at Maggie and smiles.

Then she looks back to Daryl. Daryl Dixon; her world, her strength, her equal.

Her man.