Something that Beth had said during one of their sleepless nights out in the wilderness alone had stuck with Daryl. He had thought of it in the rare moment of quiet he had to himself and it flared to the forefront of his mind now, on the supply run.
Daryl had worried himself into a state when Beth had been taken from the house, before he had managed to tamp it down. When suppression had failed, he had switched to cutting emotional ties altogether. Rick had nearly gotten through, but somehow Daryl had kept the walls up.
It was only a week or so after their group, plus some hangers on, had managed to escape from the train car that they found Beth again. Daryl thought his stomach was going to hit the ground when he saw her, battered and bruised but shining in the pre-dawn light as she staggered through the trees.
Daryl lost control of his feet completely. He told himself to wait until her sister had a chance to hug her, maybe try and get a moment in peace with her, later. Instead, his crossbow and satchel had hit the ground before he knew what was happening and his arms were wrapped around her, heaving her into the air. And Beth was laughing into his neck and then crying, her hands in his hair and her feet dangling off the ground.
Daryl didn't have to look at the group, at Maggie and Glenn, to feel the shock rolling off of them. Rick was about the only one who looked unsurprised, when he finally lowered Beth to the ground, and faced the crowd. The older man just tipped his head in some kind of cryptic approval. Maggie managed to knock the stupefaction from her face as she embraced her younger sister.
Now, a couple of weeks later, Daryl, Rick, Sasha and Glenn and some of the newbies, whose names Daryl could hardly bring himself to remember, were stalking through a huge outlet mall, looking for a drugstore. As half the group went in to raid a store, Daryl was distracted by something in the display of the Banana Republic store across the way. He excused himself from Sasha and was back at his post within a couple of minutes. Sasha side-eyed him warily.
After dropping his haul off with Carol, back at camp, Daryl sought after Beth, not giving a damn what anyone thought any more. He caught exiting her tent. He always felt he should apologise for his presence, but her bright beam of a smile cut him off.
"Here ya go." Daryl shoved the box at her, before stuffing his hands into his pockets, oblivious as to what a childlike figure he cut. Beth's forehead creased in curiosity as she opened the box.
"Oh, Daryl!" Her laughter bubbled up giddily and Daryl couldn't help the shy smile that flared on his face. Inside the box were a pair of sky-blue heeled sandals in what he had guessed was her size.
"I 'member you said you missed nice shoes. Just saw 'em and thought of you." Daryl tried to shrug off her joy, but it clung to him. He couldn't even separate it from his own good mood when she stared at him like that, all baby blues.
"Daryl…' For once Beth seemed to be lost for words. She settled for seizing him by the elbow and planting a distinct "smack" of a kiss on his cheek. Daryl, as he always did these days, around Beth, reeled.