The trade off at the hospital is a blur. When Daryl sees Beth step forward, he wants to run to her, scoop her up in his arms and get her the fuck out of there. But instead he waits, standing his ground and following Rick's lead. Every step she takes lasts an eternity. When Beth finally enters the group's circle and receives a pat on the head from Rick, Daryl wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her close, flat against his chest. She lets out a long-held breath. "You found me."
"I found you… I found you…" Daryl whispers so only Beth can hear. Their relief only lasts a moment before there's chaos around them. Two shots are fired. Dawn kills Noah. Rick kills Dawn.
When the group leaves the building, Daryl keeps Beth tight to his side. When Maggie runs to Beth and hugs her tight, Daryl keeps a hand on the younger sister's back. As soon as the women separate Beth steps backwards into his arms. There's no time for introductions and everyone piles into the vehicles they have. Daryl and Beth sit in the backseat of a car with Glenn driving and Maggie riding shotgun.
Daryl has Beth pulled onto his lap, his fingers running across her fresh scars. "You found me," she whispers again. "I found you," he answers, "and I ain't letting you go again." Beth smiles, then leans in and kisses Daryl tentatively on his lips. He shudders and slips a hand behind her neck, kissing her back hard. Months of waiting, of hoping she was alive, of thinking she was dead, he finally has her back.
Maggie, who had been rambling about everything that has happened since they left the prison, turns around in the front seat and gasps at the sight of the two. "Give them some privacy," says Glenn, keeping his eyes on the road. Maggie settles back in her seat. "I have some questions I'm going to want answered."
The walk on the highway is long and hot. Daryl stays within an arms length of Beth as they shuffle along. He speaks low so the others can't hear. "Maybe we should have stayed at the hospital. At least they had a roof."
Beth shook her head. "No. They would have killed us. They were all dangerous, not just Dawn."
"We're not doing much better out here."
She reaches for his sweaty hand and interlocks their fingers. "We'll find someplace soon. Maybe with more moonshine."
Daryl huffed. "You trying to get me liquored up, woman? Take advantage of me?"
"First chance I get." Beth leaned up and kissed Daryl. They heard Abraham wolf whistle behind them, and Daryl flipped him off while Beth giggled.
Daryl and Beth lay on the dirt floor of the barn facing each other. Other group members were scattered throughout the small room, sleeping as well as they can. Daryl rubbed his thumb along a scar on her cheek, his forehead wrinkled. She whispered, "Do they look that bad?"
"Nah." He pulled his hand back. "Yours are nothing compared to mine." She hummed and snuggled closer to him. A few moments passed before he spoke again. "I don't want to feel like you're stuck with me. I don't expect anything from you. You don't owe me."
Beth pulled back, looking worried. "I don't feel that way at all. I want this. I want you. I just wish I knew that sooner."
He nods and rolls onto his back. "Get some sleep."
Beth stands in the center of her and Daryl's new bedroom. Once Rick felt comfortable enough in Alexandria he divvied up the bedrooms of the two houses, giving couples priority. Beth's face had lit up when he read their names off the list, while Daryl kept his gaze on the floor, still easily embarrassed in front of the group.
The room's queen size bed had been made for them, but the rest of the room looked bare. A dresser with empty drawers – the only clothes they owned were on their backs. No pictures hanging on the walls. It reminded Beth more of the hospital than of home.
She heard a knock on the door and when she opened it, Daryl was standing fidgeting on the other side. "It's your room too, you don't have to knock."
Daryl hesitantly stepped inside. "Sorry. Not used to having my own space." He walked behind Beth and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I like it, though."
"Hmm. Me too." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She smiled and said playfully, "You stink." Daryl chuckled and Beth turned around in his arms. She hid her face in his shirt and whispered, "Take a shower with me?"
"Alright." Daryl took her hand and led her out of the room, peeking down the hallway to make sure everyone else had gone to bed. They rushed the few steps into the bathroom and made sure to lock the door behind them.
Once inside Beth reached into the glass encased shower and turned on the water. Daryl stayed with his back against the locked door, nervous about making a wrong move. Beth undid her ponytail and ran her fingers through her hair. She turned back to Daryl and blushed when she saw hunger in his eyes. Her fingers took hold of the top button on her blouse, and boldly asked, "Me first?"
Daryl nodded, eyes fixated on her hands. She undid the buttons slowly, letting her cleavage get more and more exposed. When the last button was undone, Daryl stepped forward but kept his hands by his sides. Beth let her blouse fall to the floor, leaving her in a plain white bra. She locked eyes with Daryl, searching for a reaction but he stayed frozen. She reached behind her back, undid the clasp and pulled off her bra, then dropped it to the floor where her shirt lay. Daryl didn't move.
Feeling frustrated Beth quickly unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down, along with her panties, in one swift motion. She kicked them to the side along with her socks and closed the gap between her and Daryl. "Say something."
"Can I touch you?" he muttered, his eyes starting to dart between her eyes, her chest, the floor.
"Of course you can." She responded with a warm smile. She took one of his hands and placed it on her waist. He leaned forward and kissed her gently, one hand squeezing her hip, the other ghosting over her breasts. Beth pressed her body into it and let out a soft moan. Daryl took it as encouragement and ran his hands over her body more freely.
Beth pulled away to catch her breath and put one hand on his shoulder. "Your turn."
Daryl quickly stripped of his leathers and outer layers, leaving a dingy undershirt. He kicked off his boots and reached for his belt, smiling shyly at Beth. He undid his zipper carefully and pulled down his jeans, obviously not wearing any underwear.
"You rebel, you." Beth smirked openly staring at his erection. Her hand reaches towards it, but then switched to the bottom of his last remaining shirt.
"N-no," he stammered, his hand covering her own. "Get in the shower first."
She wrinkled her brow in confusion, but turned and stepped into the shower as he asked. She stood directly under the water and wet her hair. While she had her eyes closed Daryl stripped off his shirt and got in the shower, standing behind her. She tried to turn around but he held her tightly in place. "Like this."
Daryl grabbed a washcloth from the towel rack and lathered it up with soap. He scrubbed her back, trying to wash weeks of grime off. Beth stayed still, feeling him move down her arms. He spends extra time on her ass, and she gives a needy whine when his hands run over her thighs.
He pulls back and adds more soap to the washcloth. He wraps his left arm around her waist and pulls her flat against him. His right hand washes her front, massaging each breast, playing with each nipple. Beth can feel his hard cock pressed against her lower back. She squirms against him and gasps, "Please."
Daryl moves the cloth between her legs and rubs it against her pussy firmly. Beth drops her head back against his shoulder, her eyes squeezed tightly closed. He starts a quick rhythm against her clit. Her knees get weak so he holds her against him tighter. Daryl brings his lips to her ear and in a gruff voice says "Fuck, you're beautiful like this."
A few seconds later Beth's body shakes as she comes. She moans loudly and Daryl holds her tight, rubbing her pussy through it. When she comes back down she bats his hand away, "Enough, enough." She turns around and faces Daryl with a bright smile on her face. "Your turn."
She takes the washcloth from his hand and turns them around so he is under the spray of water, his eyes intensely watching her every move. She scrubs his chest removing who knows how many weeks or months worth of dirt. She washes his abs and he flinches when she touches his side. "Hmm, ticklish?" She stops before reaching his groin, instead washing his arms and hands. "Turn around."
Daryl doesn't move. She tries again. "C'mon, I need to wash your back."
He shakes his head and reaches for the cloth. "I'll do it. Go back to the room."
"I don't understand… If you don't like what I'm doing…"
"No!" Daryl shouts louder than he expected and Beth jumps. "Sorry, its not that." He closes his eyes.
Beth speaks softly, trying to reassure him. "Please, Baby. Please let me see. Please trust me."
A full minute later, Daryl nods. He slowly turns, keeping on hand on the shower wall. He expects to hear a gasp, or a shriek, or a sob. He expects Beth to back away from him, to run away from him, to leave and never see him again. But instead of hearing any of those things, he feels the soft washcloth touch is shoulder, scrubbing him as it did before. He hangs his head low, full of relief and confusion, and focusses on standing still.
Beth hadn't known what to expect. Daryl had mentioned scars before, and when he refused to remove his shirt she put two and two together. But these were deep, angry marks, crisscrossing over each other. These weren't caused by an accident. Someone did this to him. And she hated them for it.
She finished his back and nudged him to turn around. He kissed her as passionately as he could, trying to convey the emotions he felt. Beth reach down to soap up his cock, now softened from the lack of attention. Daryl growled into her mouth as her small hand stroked him up and down. He pushed one hand against the shower wall for balance, while the other fondled her breasts. He stopped kissing her long enough to catch his breath. Her talented movements were pushing him to the edge faster than he expected.
He pressed his forehead against hers, panting as he got closer to climax. She smiled and coached him on. "That's it Baby. Come for me."
He groaned as he came, shooting cum across her stomach. She nuzzled his neck and ran her hands up and down his back, feeling him relax against her. They stay like that for a few minutes, enjoying the afterglow.
The water has started to run cold, so they hurriedly wash their hair and get out of the shower. They each grab a towel and wrap it around themselves, and after checking that the hallway was clear, they go back to their room. In bed together, sheets sticking to their still wet bodies, Daryl whispers into the darkness. "I love you. This might be the first time I've ever said it, but I love you."
Beth is quick to answer. "I love you too. That's definitely the first time I've said it."
