"Who the hell gets that drunk by themself?" Daryl said.

Beth giggled, then began to run her fingers through his hair. He tried to hide the blush that reddened his cheeks every time her fingers delicately brushed his skin. He steadied himself, and lifted her up higher. She had her arms wrapped around him, as he was clumsily trying to carry her back to the room Alexandria had assigned her. He found her alone, red droplets painting her pajama shorts, drunkenly whispering profanities.

"You ever been ice skating, Daryl?" She said, with a messy grin plastered on her face.

"Nah." He felt a smirk begin to plague his lips.

"Wait...wait. Put me down." She lifted up her hand, halting him. He put her down gently.

She began to giggle and spin on her toes with little resemblance to ice skater. She grabbed both his forearms and began to spin. When he didn't move, she lost her balance, and fell to the ground.

He tried to contain his laugh. She raised her head and stared at him. She began to giggle, and finally let out a loud chuckle. He snorted, then laughed a little.

She clumsily got up, then jumped into his arms.

She began stroking his hair, resting her head on his shoulder. He awkwardly carried her with robotic movements.

"Why weren't you like this when you got drunk off of moonshine?" He questioned her nervously, playing it off with an uncomfortable laugh.

"I don't know." She sighed.

He opened the door with an unsettling creek, then placed her on a dresser at the entrance.

"You really are heavier than you look." He said, out of breath.

She giggled, her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Let me tell you something."

Before he could react she whispered in his ear with slowed speech.

"I missed you, Daryl."

His eyes widened and he felt his beat faster. He felt his mouth begin to dry, and his eyes began to drift around to where her lips were. The subtle redness in his face that had already been there before became a fiery crimson. She only giggled and rested her head on his shoulder again. He felt a knot in his throat began to build. He nervously lifted her back up again, stumbling into the bedroom Beth shared with Maggie and Glenn. He prayed that Maggie and Glenn hadn't made it back before them, as he just couldn't deal with them seeing Beth and him like that right then. The sly looks he already receives from the rest of group were already too much for him, let alone the judgement he would get for carrying a drunk Beth in his arms.

Sure enough, when another excruciating screech from the door echoed through the air, Maggie's widened eyes were met with his. Glenn sat beside her, wiping dried blood from his knife. They both opened their mouths in shock, stuttering out "uh" and "um" every few seconds. Daryl stood in the doorway, awkwardly, chewing on his bottom lip. It was innocent in Daryl's mind, but Maggie's head was full of thoughts of explicit scenarios

"I... uh... found her..." Daryl spoke in the closest thing to whisper he could muster.

"Oh...ok." Maggie's conscience was cleared of otherwise dirty things that she thought had been going on.

Beth giggled when Maggie ran up to her, and tried to steady herself when Daryl put her down. Beth poked Maggie's shoulder, then pointed to Daryl in uncoordinated gestures.

"See this man, Maggie? Now, I want you to take a good, long look at him! Daryl Dixon, yep, this man right here, he's my new boyfriend!"

Beth let out a hefty guffaw. Daryl's eyes flickered between both Glenn and Maggie, his face reddening every time he saw their faces. Maggie's expression began to soften, and it looked as if she was about to start laughing too, until Glenn's spoke.

"Uhh... Maggie, remember that thing Rick... wanted us... to talk to him. Let's just do that now."

Maggie began to protest when Glenn grabbed her wrist, but he only shushed her and patted Daryl's shoulder as he dragged a confused Maggie out of the room. When they shut the door of the apartment behind them, he heard an eruption of laughter come from the hallway.

"Did you... did you see his face?!"

"The redneck and the southern belle, that's a good nickname right?!"

As the voices dissappeared, a grin began shape Daryl's lips, and he shook his head. Beth was still snickering on the floor, playing with the laces of Daryl's boots. She lifted herself up with a proud and inelegant leap. She jumped on Daryl again, weakening his balance. He sighed, then dragged himself to her bunk. He laid her down on the soft mattress with tender movements. As he tiredly walked to the light switch, Beth's voice interrupted him.

"Wait. Stay until I fall asleep." She said, he blanket resting on her mouth, almost childlike.

He shrugged, then settled himself on a rocking chair in the corner of the room, his view of her making him oddly joyful.

"I think it was fate." She said, staring at ceiling, with a wondrous beam on her face.

"What?" He asked.

"Us." She said.

He only gave her a confused look.

"Remember that day I hugged you? At the prison?"

He nodded, scratching the scruff on his chin. His stomach fluttered, and he felt dreamily lighthearted every time he saw the ocean like blue in her eyes.

"From that day forward, I knew you were different. You not the cruel survivor like Michonne or Rick, you're not the hopeful sap like me. You're the hero. I mean, the actual hero, like the one in the movies."

He let out a snort, and traced the crease in his chin with his thumb. She sat up comically, he hair falling messily around her shoulders. She stared at him.

"I'm serious. Everybody here, they've become the survivor. They've become nothing more than what they do in this world. But you, you do things you need to do to survive, but you still don't let it define you. You do bad guy things, but with good guy intentions. It may not sound like much, but it is means so much in this world." She slammed her hands against the mattress, bouncing her hands into the air, a disheveled smile on her lips.

The urge to kiss her, to close the space between them became almost too tempting. He felt his heart beat quicker with every word she spoke. He wondered why he was with such captivating person, someone as stunning as her.

She continued. "It really was fate. I knew that you were the one who told me about Zach for a reason. That you and I getting out of the prison together, it meant something. You and I, Daryl, we mean something."

It was drunkenly said, but every word warmed him. He felt like he was floating, and it came to him, that Beth Greene was the best thing that has ever happened to him. It wasn't the both of them together that had meaning, it was only her. She meant something, and whatever it was, it was something beautiful.

"Beth, you are something."

The words came out stubbornly. It was difficult to even speak, and it was as if he was confessing something. It wasn't a sarcastic quip, it was a real compliment, that had meaning behind it. He felt lighthearted, his weight elevated, and his eyes happily watching her.

She spread her arms and fell back on the bed, letting out a sigh.

"What did I do to deserve you?" She giggled.

He smirked, answers rushing through his head.

"You're broken, angry, grumpy, you rarely ever speak, you definitely have a chip on your shoulder, you're extremely intimidating, and I don't even remember the last time you showered, but you're the best person I've ever met."

She tilted her head, and smiled those smiles he's probably only seen once. The smiles that actually look like literal happiness. That make you want to be happy.

She laid on her side, staring at dark corners of the room, her smile still obvious. She yawned, then positioned herself comfortably.

"I missed you so fucking much, Daryl."

She whispered unsuccessfully, and he felt a Cheshire Cat like grin inhabit his expression when he heard her. He laid his head back, thrill and joy coursing through his veins. Minutes passed by like seconds until he heard light snoring from under the blanket. He wasn't thinking when he got up hurriedly and walked up to her bed. Careful not to touch her, he covered her with the extra blanket on Maggie and Glenn's bed. It was impulsive, and stupid, but he gently pressed his lips to her forehead, her words echoing through his mind. It felt odd, he hadn't ever done that to anybody but his mother, and only once, because he saw other kids do it. But it also felt wondrous, because it was Beth's forehead.

"I missed you too, Beth." He murmured.

He opened the door, careful with sound, staring at the ground.

He turned a fiery red. They were all there outside of the door. Every single one of the them. Rick, Michonne, Glenn, Carl, Carol, Maggie, even Judith, all of them. It felt like a scene from a comedy.

"You guys enjoy the fuckin show? Goddamnit, don't ya all have somethin better to do?!"

He still watched his voice, trying not to scream. Some had tears falling down their cheeks, some stared off into oblivion.

Daryl's eyes frantically searched for Rick, and Daryl gave him a sinister scowl. Rick only shrugged his shoulders.

"The hell is this?! This ain't no damn romance film for y'all to sit out here!"

"Oh yeah it is." Carl spoke even though Rick's finger was clamped on the skin of his thigh.

They all turned a sickly blue, pursing their lips, some covering their mouths.

"What did I do to deserve you?" Maggie spoke in high voice, mockingly.

They all erupted into laughter, some almost falling over. He stalked off into the hallway, slamming the door behind him.

As he walked on, his anger began to soften, and he began to feel a smile play on his lips.

"Dumbasses." He snickered.