A/N: Set after Season4/Episode 8. I ship this couple like nothing else. :)

Five Days Later

Daryl:

I looked back at the car, never minding the blackened dent it had on the rear nor the missing side mirror. It wouldn't be a good idea to leave your companion alone but right now Beth has steady closed eyes, her head leaning onto the window, and didn't even stir when I left. Making sure she doesn't wake up, I made my moves light as I went out of the car and locked the door. The girl is tired, pretty much more tired than an extraordinary race horse. Damn it. Why would I compare her to a race horse? Screw that.

Anyway I have to hurry before she rouses and gets stuck in the middle of thinking I abandoned her and might leave out on her own. I don't mind being a lone ranger myself, but she ain't gonna some Joan of Arc right now. Not now. The sun is almost setting, and heck it will already be four days since we screwed out of the prison and went missing on our own balls.

I went straight to the mini store across the parking lot. Striding on a God damned ghost town ain't new, and this is the first town we'd come across after finding that grey crosswind stuck on a gasoline station. Man finding its tank half full was like cheatin' on lottery, even after losing two of my arrows when a horde of ugly fuckers came gnawing on the windows.

Of course the door was open, its knob depleted and a few windows were broken. I clamped the flash light across my teeth and yeah, I remembered the batteries I needed. Keeping my shit together was a piece of cake, and I looked for batteries on the counter but there was none. Early birds must have gotten 'em. Fuck 'em for bein' hogs and now I declare to hog the rest of the place.

I took whatever I can get that's left of it. There's not much, especially the chips. Man I love those sweet and sour potato crisps. Instead I bagged cans of fruit cocktail, some crackers left on the edge, one lonely Nuttela, and holy shit! Off to the toothbrush section without any more hell on my mind. God it's a relief to find some and I got more than two.

Lootin' can be fun if there ain't that familiar sound of a walker gasping for oxygen as if they do breathe. Them fuckers smelled my ass and this is the warning sign. I heard the door open and quickly slid away with the flash light down, trying to sense how many came in. I counted two, and of course that ain't the end of it. I had to get out of here nice and clean before more of 'em flood in and pop out of nowhere like daisies.

I took one down with an arrow, and before the other lounged on me I ripped the same arrow through her eyes. I was courteous enough not to let 'em fall with a thud, not to invite more of their species to a buffet and hell, am too skinny to be served on their dishes. They ain't gonna be satisfied, they never will be. As I lay the walker down I saw the sparkle of something on the floor and drew the hallelujah. A pair of twin pack batteries await like a prize on the corner and I grabbed 'em without second thought. Before I could put it on the bag I almost smacked myself on the gut.

Beth!

I hurriedly went outta door, immediately sprinting towards the car. A can fell from the bag I forgot to close and I didn't even have the thought to pick it up. Nearing the parking lot, I knew something was wrong, and I was right.

The car is empty and a walker lay double dead on the rear with a knife sticking out of his neck. Throwing the bag inside though its contents scattered around, I checked the corpse's teeth and was relieved to see no blood stain. I sighed a bit, and kicked the wheel before grabbing my crossbow in search of Beth. She could've possibly entered the woods beside the lot, and the sun is already down. Shit.

Beth:

In the end I'm alone. I don't know what happened to Daryl or what happened back at the parking lot. He must have gone somewhere else. To a nearby house, or a past fruit stand, and otherwise I don't mind it. I felt him move when he went out the car, and I opened my eyes to see him walk away. It's alright. I guess. I need some time alone.

Daryl was really nice. For the past five days he took care of me. He found me a car so as not to walk for miles and miles, and grabbed anything edible along the way, and I had nothing to repay him but moans about my dad. My dad.

Thinking about him, in his soiled white shirt and slacks, always make my lips curl down and my throat get stuffed with air. I long for his old voice, and in minutes of my sleep I can hear him calling out for me to sing. Like the times when he, Maggie, Patricia, and I would sit on the porch of the house during summer nights. I would hold his arm and lay my head on his shoulder and my sister would do the same on his other side. He would say 'Bethy. Will you sing for us? Like those you sing at the church or some lullabye. I'd love to hear any of it.'

'How 'bout the one you tried to sing for Jimmy?'

That night I hated my sister for bringing that up. It was old school to compose a song and try to sing it in front of the class, to dedicate it to a boy. Maggie heard me practicing days ago, and was amused at the kiddie stuff.

Those were one of the moments of my life I would kill to get back to. Just to have him, and Maggie, and everyone, back to the house, having barbecue and orange juice, and Maggie making bets with me on who's to be in charge of the dishes. Even when Rick and his group came to my life, nothing changed. And yes nothing changed because daddy and Maggie were still with me. I can endure anything because they were there. But seeing daddy. My sweetest daddy on his knees and his hands tied behind him was the cruellest sight in the world. I thought I have died along with him when I saw the blood which spread from his neck down to the shirt I had washed for him that morning. Why him? He was the loveliest man and father in the universe and how could they do that to him?

My face went cold, and I felt the tears drying up on my cheeks. In my head it all resounded. Daryl's hoarse voice back at the prison chaos. We gotta go Beth. I closed my eyes. We gotta go.

I looked back and can almost see nothing from where I came from. The wind chilled my bare arms and I gulped. I looked at my hands and can no longer see the knife that Daryl gave to me days before. But I cared no more. Who cares?

My boots made twigs crack and I walked on, not enjoying the grey and I am now living the setting of horror films Shawn and I used to watch. He would startle me even before the panic arises, and would laugh like a crack head while I pound him with a pillow, screaming that's not funny!

A sound came forth. It was recognizable. The horror is about to begin again and I am a defenceless bait. The only thing I can do now is to open my arms and close my eyes, and wait for the apocalypse of my miserable 18-year life.

The sound came from below, and I saw the same sights I'm sick of seeing. A walker is crawling towards me, one of its legs chomped off, probably from a speeding car. She has rotten a good deal, and from her looks, she might have not eaten since the day of her resurrection. She is moving slow, making the high pitched growling as she comes now a meter away from me.

Now less than a meter.

I watched her plainly with no adrenaline crawling under my skin. I could easily step on her skull, or run away, but I wasn't smarter than that. Its bony fingers have now come in contact with my feet and I root myself as she pulled her weight to start nibbling on my boot.

What could be the feeling of being a walker? I ask myself. When they come onto me and feast on my innards, what satisfaction do they feel? In fact how can they feel hunger when they are said not to feel anything?

I had nothing to do but stare, now feeling her teeth clamp on my toes.

Suddenly she screamed and her head arched back. I saw how her fingers let go of my ankles and her jaws loosened. In an instant her head slumped on my feet and her temples bled as the arrow stuck out across them. I exhaled, now realizing the presence of someone meters away from me. His aura burned.

"What the fuck, Beth!"

Daryl fumed, eyes raging and teeth locked as he came towards me. He bent to pull the arrow from the walker's head and kicked the corpse away from me. He grabbed me by the arm and pulled harshly.

"Ya could've waited in the car!"

His words stormed through my ears and I can only absorb them. He waited for nothing but silence and pushed me a little as he let go of my arm. I can hear his furious breaths while pacing back and forth, wanting to pound me on the ground.

"The hell are you doin' here anyway!?" He asked. I gulped.

Daryl exhaled once more and calmed himself by holding onto his knees. I heard him sniff and saw how he dropped his crossbow to pull his hair. I still couldn't say anything. He let out a quick frustrated cry and charged on to me.

I lost balance as he pushed me to sit on the rock behind. He bent so that he could level his to from mine.

"Now listen, damsel in distress," He breathed, almost threatening, "A-know you're havin' a hard time, I know that...and if ya wanna die, 'kay fine. But a-don't want ya to. We lose people, Bethany, we lost a lot."

This time I met his eyes, trying to equal his rage for reminding me of how I lost the most wonderful person in my life through a death he didn't deserve. I know he can see the tears welling up.

"Even people in hell find you so lucky," he scoffed.

"Lucky?" I snapped, "Lucky because I'm with someone who can protect me?" my brows raised in unison with my voice, and I saw him pinch his jaw, traced his facial hair, and dropped his hand.

"Lucky you're alive, dammit."

I mocked out laughter and looked above us. The sky was dark and no star was out. "They don't know they're luckier."

"Then what about them others? Huh? Maggie? Glen? Carl? Judith? They ain't dead. Think about Maggie! She lost your dad and she ain't losin' you too! She's goin' through what you're goin' but believe me, she ain't thinkin' bout gettin' her ass bitten by a walker cuz she knows you're still somewhere out here."

I felt a tear escape my lid. Daryl was all making sense to me right now. The thoughts of my sister came running through my head. Her dark hair and crystalline smile, and the laugh of her I so like hearing. She's the only family I got now. He sighed, probably softened by the sobs starting to escape my throat.

"C'mon Elizabeth." He put his heavy hand on my right shoulder and tapped twice. I didn't care how ugly I looked when my face crumpled to cry. I sucked in air and clenched my fists to calm myself down.

"You have to be strong for 'em. They're waitin' for us and Maggie needs you." He bent and pulled the back of my head close and our foreheads touched. He grits his teeth and closed his eyes as he breathed slowly, "I need you."

It hit me as I opened my eyes and breathed out. I have to be strong. I have to be the warrior now. Something in me needs to change and it needs to be changed fast.

Daryl pulled himself away from me and began to walk back towards the parking lot.

"Damn."

I heard him speak though he didn't look back at me. I stared at him wide-eyed, my blood turning warm and heart pacing fast. I will be what I need to be.

"I even got you your favourite graham. Ya should thank me."

Hearing this, I smiled. Graham ain't my favourite. It won't be anymore. I won't be me anymore.

AthenAres

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