Be Good
A/N. I'm working on "Drinking games" now but this idea just popped up and I have to write it down. Guess I'm pretty obsessed with them right now. Lol. Since English is not my first language Daryl's accent is really difficult for me to emulate, so I'm not even trying. I'm trying to stay on character though. The fic takes place after 4x13 and whenever Daryl and Beth are reunited again. Let's skip the "how" and "where" here ;). Hope you enjoy it!
...
It's unclear now what we intend.
We're alone in our own world.
Waxahatchee. Be Good
...
Beth's light faded away the day her sister died. Daryl was the one who told her and he saw it right away. The spark in her eyes just vanished in front of him like a damn broken light bulb.
"I'm sorry."
She started to cry silently at first, empty blue eyes fixed on the ground.
"I know."
But she really didn't know. Daryl touched her elbow with his hand and took one step closer. Human touch was not something he felt comfortable with most of the time and he didn't even know how to express himself that way, but Beth knew him well enough now and she could read the signs he was offering better than anyone. That single touch was enough for her to understand, and after a moment, she allowed herself to fall heavily into Daryl's arms in tears, crying hopelessly.
"I'm sorry."
He didn't know what else to say and he felt like a dumbass while warm tears were spreading along his chest, her fragile body trembling against his, her heart broken. Daryl felt his heart cracking just the same so he just stayed there, holding her tight until she broke the embrace and moved away abruptly. His arms became suddenly cold.
"You were right."
"About what?"
"This world being a heartless bitch."
She dried her tears away with her hand and took a breath. Hell, sure it was, but he didn't like to hear it from Beth. As he watched her walking away from him, the coldness in his voice soaked him to the bone and Daryl felt a strange fear running across his body.
After that, days had passed and Beth had been doing punctually what she was supposed to do. Little ass kicker, food, cleaning or whatever it was, even going out for supplies when she was needed. But she was cold with everyone, her eyes were still empty and she stopped singing. Daryl saw her right there that morning; siting alone one more day with those big blue eyes off like she was dead already, and he couldn't take it anymore. Fuck the whole "give her some time" crap; he wasn't made to be patient.
"Stop. Just Stop."
Beth seemed to wake up from a dream when she heard his voice.
"What are you talking about?"
"I want Beth back. Now"
She took some air and sighed. It wasn't the first time they were having that conversation in the past few days.
"Changes are necessary in this world and you know that. This is who I am now."
Her voice sounded so robotic that made him want to shake her hard.
"No it's not. I don't like it and Maggie wouldn't like it either."
She opened her eyes in surprised. It was the first time Daryl mentioned Maggie to her like that.
"Maggie is dead."
"Yeah, but you are alive. Maybe you should remember that."
She stood up right in front of him.
"What do you want me to do then, Daryl? I'll smile so everyone will be happy again, is that so?"
Her voice sharpened like that day in the woods, before she was taken away from him. A shiver ran down his spine at the memory.
"I don't know! Just…being yourself! I'm not good at this, for God sake! You were the one seeing beautiful things on every damn corner."
Beth frowned as she started to shake with anger.
"Well, yeah. It's useless! Maggie was beautiful! Beauty always ends up covered in blood and death now!"
Daryl could hear his heart beating fast over the yelling. Hell if he couldn't hear her heart too. He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"That's bullshit for you to say."
She made a skeptical grin and her voice broke slightly.
"Tell me just one thing that it's not like that."
Daryl was feeling all her blaming against the world all around his body. The world that was tearing people apart. Good people. The world that was building dark and callous hearts.
"You are not like that. You are beautiful."
Beth was definitely not expecting that response and neither was Daryl, even if he meant every single thing he was saying . Words were coming from nowhere and he was unable to stop them.
"I will end up the same way eventually."
Beth looked away for a moment, she was calmer now.
"Not gonna happen any time soon. I take care of it."
She hesitated for a second before looking at him again.
"Daryl…"
"I know she was your sister. I understand you are hurt, but some of us are still here. We are together, we are family too. This whole turning away from us shit will not make you feel any better."
He had been there. They both knew. Beth opened her mouth a few times trying to say something before she could start actually talking.
"You always come back."She took one step away from him and a couple of deep breaths like she was searching for some air to go on. "All of you. Rick, Michonne, Glenn, Maggie. I know we have lost people along the way but over the years you always have returned. You were proving it to me."
Daryl winced.
"Proving what?"
"Proving that it is possible to survive in this world and to be happy like Maggie and Glenn were when they were together...but now Maggie's gone too and now I can't stop thinking that someday you will not coming back either." Her voice broke a bit while fixing her eyes on his. "Don't want to be pretending that day it's not coming anymore."
All the pain Daryl was seeing in her eyes made him wanted to reach out and touch her face. Instead, he left his hand on her shoulder.
"What the hell are you talking about, Greene? Of course that's gonna happen someday. So what! Are you going to pretend you don't care about anything until that day?"
She just shrugged.
"I thought you will understand."
He shook his head in annoyance.
"I don't understand a damn thing, Beth. But I know something. You can`t do this, you hear me? You can make other people believe there's a chance for some kind of happiness in this hell and then be the one who throw those chances away with that fucking new attitude of yours."
Beth let out a short laugh.
"I don't think people listen to me that much, Daryl."
"I listen."
It was an automatic response and just then, she smiled. It was a genuine, big smile only for his eyes. When Daryl saw it he realized how much he'd been missing the real Beth. Much more than he thought. The warmth of that smile hypnotized him.
"So Daryl Dixon has faith now. Is that what you're saying?"
He was the one that shrugged this time.
"I've got faith in you."
Daryl said it just like that, no frills. It was the damn truth. Rick made him stronger. Carol made him more confident. All of them, the rest of the group made him feel he belonged to something good for the first time in his life. Beth gave him hope when everyone else was dead, when his demons started to haunting him again. She gave him believe so he had faith in her. He had faith in what she made him feel.
As the smile on Beth's face became bigger, she took one step closer and put her hand on his chest with a gentle touch. Daryl couldn't move, he couldn't take his eyes off her. She stroked his face tenderest, like no one had done before, and he lost air and sanity right there. Then she kissed him on the lips without hesitation. Sweet and smooth. It was a short and tasty kiss and it burned like fire.
That night, Daryl heard her sing.