Beth was staring into the dying firelight when she felt him move away from the group and pick his way silently towards her. She was emotionally drained and as she met his eyes through the dark she felt the first tears brewing. This was the first moment they could steal alone together after he had come for her in Atlanta. This was to be their brief reunion, their stolen moment.
The closer Daryl came to her, the more Beth felt like she might shatter into pieces. He was searching her eyes for something, some little sign that his strong, sweet Beth was still in there somewhere; that the things she'd been through hadn't killed her spirit. As he lowered himself to the ground beside her she felt the tears finally spill over and she broke their gaze.
His hand came to rest on her cheek and he slowly tilted her head to meet his eyes again. After a few moments she whispered through her tears, "Did you miss me?"
"You know", he whispered back after a moment, with the same intense look he'd given her in the funeral home. The last moment they were alone. She smiled sweetly back.
There she was, his Beth Greene. The porcelain had survived under the layers of steel.