Okay, so this is my first fic on here, and I didn't get the memo to add a little note about my story up here until now. So here it is. :) Set after the mid-season 4 finale, Beth is able to grab Judith and run from the prison with Daryl. She finally gets up the courage to do what she's always wanted to do, but nothing is ever quite as simple as it looks. A lot of crazy things happen, and I'm really just going with my gut and writing as I go. So, if there is something you don't like, I'm sorry. But I am glad that you took the time to read my story up until the part that made you upset, and I hope that you will stay faithfully with me, as any good story has all sorts of unexpected twists and turns. Reviews and advice are always appreciated. Thank you so much, my wonderful readers.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the wonderful characters in this story...sadly...
BETH'S POV
Judith was growing hungrier and fussier by the hour. When we had to run, I had a backpack full of supplies, diapers and formula, but that only lasted us two days. She could only go a few days without that formula, and we were coming up on three days without it. Daryl and I were scouring the outskirts of a nearby town infested with walkers for any scraps of food that we could find when Daryl spotted the tree house. It was enormous! It must have been a rich neighborhood because this tree house was bigger than our whole cell block back at the prison. The prison. I didn't even know how long it had been since the fall. A week, maybe more? We searched every day for any sign of the others: Maggie, Rick, Carol. We tried to find a permanent place to stay, but every camp we found was overrun by walkers within hours of finding it.
Daryl jumped up and grabbed the tattered rope ladder and untangled it from the intertwining branches. I couldn't help but admire the way that his back muscles flexed underneath his leather angel-winged vest. When I caught myself staring, I quickly busied myself adjusting Judith's onesie. He wouldn't even be interested in me. We're living in the apocalypse, for goodness's sake. That's probably the last thing on his mind anyway. I hoped my blush would go unnoticed, but I swear I saw a quick mix of confusion and amusement cross his expression.
"Dammit!" Daryl exclaimed as he cut himself on a branch. Real classy. That's Daryl for you. He yanked the ladder down and stepped aside for me. "Ladies first. Lemme take Ass Kicker, and I'll hand her up to you when you get in there and check it out," he said, always the gentleman. I hoisted myself up and checked the house for walkers quickly before sounding the all-clear and taking Judith from Daryl. He gathered the ladder up and, despite his knowing that I'd been training for the last six months on how to deal with walkers, he still put me behind him in that protective way as we explored the house. It was in pretty good shape, considering the circumstances. There were two rooms, one with an old couch and another with a rickety bunk bed. In the corner of the bedroom I spotted something square and colorful: a toy box! I opened it and cleaned out the cobwebs. There were a few salvageable items: a plastic train engine, a rattle, and a beat up wooden doll. Judy didn't even know what to do with them; she'd never had a toy in her life, being born into the apocalypse and all. She caught on fast, and she smiled for the first time in at least a week.
I took Judith out to the front porch to play, so Daryl could fix up the room. We walked back in to see two little bed frames with thin mattresses. "I figure I'll take the couch and you and little Ass Kicker can sleep in here. Can cut off some good branches to make one into a crib for her. I'm gonna go out and see if I can't find us so damn food around here," Daryl said gruffly.
"But it's gonna be dark soon," I protested, "Why don't you just go in the morning? We can last one more night."
"I'll just be around the block. I'll be back soon."
"Okay. Just be careful."
"Always am."
I set Judith down with her new toys and gathered up the ladder after Daryl. Then I set to work cutting off some thin branches for the makeshift crib.
DARYL'S POV
Honestly, as cool as killing walkers can be, it gets pretty old. I cleared out the first house, but all I found were some expired jars of peanut butter and canned walnuts. I took one jar of each. I'll ask Beth about what's good to eat. She's smart about that stuff. The next house had a blanket that would be good for Jude. As an afterthought, I grabbed a handful of clothes from the master closet that would probably fit Beth. I had made it a point not to look at her body; I mean, she was like, 15 years younger than me, for fuck's sake. But I couldn't help thinking lately that she really had grown into a good-looking girl.
Lost in thought, I didn't hear the low groan of the walker until it was right behind me. I spun around and shot it in the skull in less than one second. I reached down and wrenched the arrow from the corpse's forehead and looked up straight into the rotting eyes of 3 more walkers. "Shit!" I yelled. I backed up into the nearest house and slammed the door, shoving a chair under the handle. Looking out the window, I swore again, and stared at the herd coming straight for this house; there had to be at least 80 walkers out there. The door wouldn't hold long, so I ran upstairs to look for another way out. There was a balcony at the back of the house, and from here I could see the yard where our tree house was. It was a good 15 feet to the ground if I jumped. The walkers hadn't gotten to this side of the house yet, so it looked like my only option right now.
Now, I'm not exactly an educated man, but I knew that I wasn't about to land on my feet from this high. So I backed up, and ran off the edge, trying to hit the ground and roll. Didn't happen that way. I landed straight on my right shoulder; the razor sharp tips of the arrows from my crossbow cut into my back, and my face got smashed into the ground. I got up and walked a few feet, making sure my legs weren't messed up. Then I ran like hell to the tree house, hoping to not get noticed by the walkers. I whistled for Beth when I got close to the tree house, and she ran out and dropped the ladder, worry and confusion in her face.
"Oh my God Daryl, what happened?!" She asked, taking in my bleeding and bruising face.
"There's a herd coming through, get inside now!" I told her. She grabbed Judith and we hid in the darkest corner of the house until we heard the group pass by us. As soon as it was safe, Beth got our first aid kit. To say it was crappy would be a compliment. We had like, four band aids, a bee sting thing, some gauze, and a half-empty bottle of antibiotic cream. She wiped that shit all over my face, even though I'm pretty sure I didn't even get cut up too bad.
"Listen girl. It's my shoulder that's messed up. I need you to put it back in place," I told her.
"Okay, lay down on the bed," she said without a second's hesitation. Damn she's tough. She really is her father's daughter. Hershel was a great man; we didn't have time to mourn because as soon as the Governor killed him all hell broke loose. "Alright, I'm sure you know this, but this is gonna hurt." I rolled my eyes; of course I knew that. Living with my father for 20 some years, I had to learn how to put my own shoulders back into place after the first few trips to the ER. It was a lot easier than explaining to the nurses that I'd "fallen down the stairs" for the third time in 2 weeks. "And I'm sorry," she added. Beth's compassion amazed me again; how someone could be so caring and emotional in a world where emotions are a dangerous thing was crazy to me. I looked into her eyes as she pushed my arm up and out. "1, 2…3." Pain stabbed through my whole upper body, and I swore.
"There. All better," Beth said.
"Uh, thanks," I said awkwardly. Her hand was still on my arm, and she was so close that I could smell the faint layer of sweat and dirt on her. "Well, I guess we should finish the crib huh?" I said to break the silence.
"Oh. Yeah, I guess," Beth answered with a nervous chuckle.
We made Ass Kicker's crib, and by the time we were done she was ready for bed. I gave her the new blanket I found, and Beth fed her a few spoonfuls of the expired peanut butter before she put her down. I went out to take a piss and when I came back into the living room, Beth was huddled up next to our little lantern eating canned walnuts. I sat down next to her and picked up my jar of peanut butter and ate my dinner.
BETH'S POV
It felt pretty good to be in an actual building with four solid walls and a roof, at least for tonight. It felt even better to be sitting here leaning against Daryl.
"As long as it looks clear, I'm gonna go out again tomorrow and see what I can find in the rest of the houses around here," Daryl said to break the awkward silence. He's lucky he's good at that, since there were a lot of those between us lately.
"Okay. I hate that I'm not any help," I said, embarrassed that I couldn't actually be of value in this insane life right now.
"Are you kidding?" Daryl asked. He turned to me. "If it weren't for you, that girl in there would never have had a chance at life. Hell, you're not even her mother, and you've taken better care of her than anyone I've ever seen. Lori would be proud."
That made me tear up. "Thank you, Daryl," I said. I gave him a little hug and stood up. "I'm heading to bed. Goodnight."
"'Night."
I woke up to Judith's whimpers that I knew meant she needed her diaper changed. I got her ready for the day and walked out to wake Daryl up. He was already up and packing his bag with weapons. "Think I'll go out now, just to make sure I'm back by tonight. You have your gun?" He asked.
"Yeah." I pulled my pant leg up to show him my revolver in its holster on my boot, and my knife stashed inside the boot. I didn't dare keep the gun on my hip, or anywhere near Judith for that matter.
"Okay, good. I'll see you tonight then," Daryl said as he walked toward the ladder. I grabbed his arm before he could get too far away and pulled him into a tight hug. He hugged me back just as tight, and that's when I knew that I had to do what I did next. When he pulled away I kept a hold on his arm and leaned up on my tip-toes to reach his mouth. It was barely a whisper of a kiss, but it was enough to make Daryl's body stiffen in surprise. I lingered there for a few seconds before pulling away and letting go of his arm.
"What was that for?" He asked, astonished.
"Just, in case you don't come back. I needed to do that at least once."
With a chuckle, he turned and grabbed the ladder. I swear I heard him mutter, "Women," as he climbed down. I laughed out loud for the first time in I don't know how long.
"I heard that!" I yelled after him. He flipped me the bird without even turning around, but I could see his body shake with laughter.
DARYL'S POV
What the hell just happened? I had no idea how to respond to that. On one hand, I wanted to throw down my bag right there and take her on that damn couch. But the moral side of me said that I should walk away right now and never think of the idea again. She's 19. But I mean she's so old for her age. She raised a newborn baby at 17, she's seen half of her family die at the hands of walkers and humans, and she's made it through the worst week of her life without one mental breakdown.
But right now, that matter was not important. What was important was finding food for her and Ass Kicker. I snuck around, going from house to house, raiding what I could until I saw the sky get orange with the sunset. Ought to head back now, I guess. I've got enough for a few days here.
I made it back to the tree house without any major problems, and we dug into my stuff. Frozen fish sticks thawed over the flame of my lighter and stale Cheez-its dipped in the expired peanut butter made for a quality dinner that night. Jude got some old canned fruit and water; all the baby food I found smelled like rats died in it, so I thought better of bringing that back here for her.
Beth thought that maybe I should actually learn how to take care of the little one, so she had me change her and put her to bed. I'm guessing I looked pretty damn hilarious, because I could see Beth laughing at me outta the corner of my eye. "Shut up," I snapped at her.
She looked hurt and went into the living room. I followed her out after I tucked Jude in and sat down beside her. "Come on, I didn't really mean it," I told her. She looked over at me then, and I had no idea what to do. I reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and left my hand on her cheek. My heart was beating literally a mile a minute; I had never felt this good about someone. Aw fuck it. I leaned in and kissed her before my morality could even protest. She was still for a second and then she reacted, pressing her tiny body into me and pushing me down onto my back. She straddled me, and we went on kissing for some time before I pulled away. Her cheeks were flushed, and her hair was wild around her beautiful face. I couldn't bear it anymore; I had to have her. I asked her with my eyes and my actions how far she wanted to go, and she responded. Oh, she responded alright.
I flipped her over and hovered over her, easily slipping her shirt and bra off. I ravished her perfect nipples, biting and licking them until she started to take my shirt off. I let her, and she ran her hands up and down my toned stomach, finally stopping on the bulge in my pants. She giggled, giggled of all things! I looked down at her and laughed out loud. She just looked so cute and innocent, staring at my dick. She heard me laugh and immediately put my penis in her mouth. My laugh turned into a moan as she started sucking my dick.
"Aw fuck," I groaned. "How are you so good at this?" Beth just laughed and slithered her way back up to be level with my face. She kissed me something fierce, and I pulled down her pants and underwear in one fluid motion. She positioned herself on top of me again and looked straight into my eyes I guided myself into her wet pussy. Something between a sigh and groan escaped my throat as Beth moved up on my throbbing dick. She came back down hard and fuck that felt good. I set a steady pace of thrusting into her tightness. When I felt the walls of her pussy tighten around my dick, I pounded into her even harder and her moans went from quiet sexual sounds to loud, high pitched squeals. I felt her cum on me and that put me over the top. I pulled out fast and flipped Beth over. She sucked me off with ferocious intensity, and I came hard in her little mouth. She licked up every drop, and we collapsed on the couch, exhausted. I fell asleep playing with her hair, and she drifted off stroking my chest.
BETH'S POV
I can't believe this is happening. That's all I could think as Daryl kissed from my mouth to my neck and back again. I was kissing Daryl Dixon. I could tell he wanted more though, but I knew he wouldn't do anything without knowing for sure that I was okay with it. So when he asked with his body, I answered with my actions.
DARYL'S POV
We woke up to the sound of Judith wailing. "Oh, how late did we sleep?!" Beth exclaimed, crawling off the couch over my chest. She ran to pick up the baby, and I followed her sleepily. It took her that long to realize that she was still naked. She blushed furiously and grabbed Ass Kicker's blanket to cover herself. She changed the baby and headed to the living room to feed her. I stopped her and set Judith on the ground. Beth looked at me, confused, and she tightened her hold on the blanket covering her body. I looked into her bright blue eyes, cupped her little cheek in my big, calloused hand, and said the one thing I swore I'd never say to anyone, "I love you."