Here is the first in my collection of Bethyl prompts!

This one was a request from ultra-blondiee on Tumblr.

"Beth has just been rescued from the hospital. On the back to the church, Daryl carries Beth bridal style and she falls asleep in his arms. Daryl takes this time to reflect on getting Beth back."

They had found her. Rick, Daryl, Abraham, and Glenn had ventured into the Atlanta while the rest of the group waited back at some church they had taken temporary refuge in. What was once full of life had become a wasteland, and it seemed that no one, not even the walking dead, could be found on the now abandoned streets. Their mission had been simple - to find medical supplies for the group. They had managed an escape from Terminus with the help of Carol and Tyreese, both of whom had managed to keep little Judith safe. They managed the best they could, but their retreat from the sick prison did not go as smoothly as one would hope. Tara, Eugene, and Carl had been the ones who were the worst off. Serious injuries combined with exhaustion and malnutrition made their weakened bodies a breeding ground for infection. The goal was to find a hospital or clinic that hadn't been totally taken over or cleared out and find anything that would help, best case scenario meant that they would find some strong antibiotics.

They came across a hospital, one of the smaller in the city, and were skillfully checking the perimeter of the building when Daryl spotted a car. It was the car, the one from the funeral home, with the white cross painted on the back window. As soon as he saw it, he was off running towards the door. All he could hear was his shaky breathing and his blood pumping, drowning out the sounds of Rick yelling after him. He would later realize that they had eventually followed him.

He found a locked back door and rammed his shoulder against it until he could no longer feel it. Finally the door gave way, allowing him entrance into the dark stairwell. He wasn't sure what to do next, wondering if he should start yelling for her but that would mean drawing unwanted attention. His mind was made up for him when he heard a loud crash from the floor above him. He ascended the steps two at a time and exited the stairwell quietly, not knowing what would be awaiting him. He was still for a moment, straining his ears to see if he would hear anything else. After what seemed like hours, but couldn't have been more than a couple seconds, he heard what sounded like someone struggling and then he heard her yell out. She was here and still alive, for now.

He quickly made his way towards where the noises were coming from, not wanting to alert anyone of his presence. He peered around a corner, looking into a tiny room that contained a bed, a chair, and some medical equipment. It was the first time he had laid his eyes on her since that night. She was struggling with some woman dressed as a cop. The cop had her down on the bed, her hands wrapped around her pale fragile throat. Her hands were clawing at the arms that pinned her down, her feet trying to make contact with anything they could. Yes, she was definitely a fighter.

Before he had even realized what he was doing, Daryl raised his crossbow and put the cop in his sight, firing an arrow that pierced straight through her skull, making her slump over on top of her. She gasped, her body craving the oxygen necessary for life, and frantically pushed the woman off of her, making the cop fall to the floor. As soon as she saw the arrow through the now dead woman's head, she looked towards the door.

"DARYL!" She screamed, sounding so terrified yet relieved. She jumped off the bed and lunged at him. He dropped his crossbow as her arms reached around him, squeezing him like she was hanging on for dear life.

He was still for a second, silently sending a prayer up that this wasn't just a dream, before bringing his hands up and wrapping them around her tightly. "Beth" was the only thing he said.

She was crying into his chest when the others finally caught up to them. They all wore a look of shock, all of them ashamed to admit that they never thought they'd find her, let alone that she would be alive if they did. Rick, Glenn, and Abraham felt the need for privacy, so they began searching for any supplies they could find.

Daryl and Beth hadn't moved from their positions. Both just enjoying being together once again. When the group was done, their bags were filled with bandages and medicine and their clothes stained with fresh blood, they returned to let them know it was time to go. Daryl put his arms on Beth's shoulders and gently pushed her away. She took a shaky breath and nodded that she was ready to leave.

They had to fight off some walkers on their way back. All of them looked on in shock, somewhat impressed, when Beth charged at them and took them down using the knife Daryl had given her. She wasn't the Beth that they knew. She was the Beth that Daryl had taught to survive.

A few blocks away they found a car that Daryl managed to hotwire. They piled in, no one saying much of anything. With the lack of gas in the car, they only managed to make it a little over halfway back to the church when the car slowed to a stop.

Continuing their trek on foot, Rick and Glenn took the lead, followed by Daryl and Beth with Abraham in the back. The journey was coming to an end when Beth stumbled. Daryl reached out to catch her.

"I got you."

"Can we stop for a minute?" Daryl could hear in her voice how tired she was.

Abraham started ranting about how they needed to get the supplies back to Eugene, and Rick and Glenn tried to convince him that a few minutes wasn't going to make a difference. Daryl, sick of all the bickering, scooped Beth up in his arms, and began carrying her bridal style. The group quickly shut up and pushed onward.

"I'm not invalid." She was still as stubborn as ever.

"Enjoy it while you can." His response made her smile and shake her head, making Daryl feel proud.

"Maggie?"

Daryl nodded. "Waiting for us back at the church."

Her small smile grew wider and he felt her body relaxed. He looked down just as she shut her eyes. A few minutes later, her even breathing and slackened body told Daryl that she was asleep. He took this time to really look at her. Her porcelain face was littered with small cuts and there was a bruise forming around her neck from where that fucking cop had her hands on it. His gut clenched, partially in anger and the other half in fear. He didn't even want to think about what could have happened if he hadn't gotten there in time.

He heard her words echoing in his head. "You're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone, Daryl Dixon." There was so much truth in that statement. No one in the group had really known what Daryl and Beth had endured together, afraid of prying too much into his business, but even in their eyes, it was obvious that Daryl wasn't the same. While everyone else was relieved to be finally reunited, he had felt like a piece of him was still missing.

Daryl wasn't exactly sure what his feelings for Beth were, but he did know that she was different and special. She brought out the light in this godforsaken world, gave him hope, and changed his mind.

"You're gonna be the last one standing." She had said it with confidence and that was what scared him. He didn't want to be the last one standing, especially when it came to her. He had lived in this world without her and didn't plan on doing it ever again.

His thoughts drifted to the hospital, wondering what had happened there. The fresh blood on Rick, Glenn, and Abraham's clothes had clued him in that Beth and the cop weren't the only living people there and he knew that the police officer wasn't the only one killed. How many others had there been? What was their purpose? Had Beth really even been kidnapped? He had so many questions for her and it was times like these that Daryl wished he was a better conversation starter.

"I tried to get out...I tried to find you. That's why she attacked me. "It was like she could read his mind. Daryl glanced back at her face, seeing her eyes now open. "I made it outside before they caught me again and brought me back. I was supposed to be punished."

His grip on her tightened. She didn't say anything more, sensing his darkened mood. He was silent for a few moments, but as they arrived at the church and he was setting her down, his low voice spoke in her ear. "I ain't losin' you again."

Send me any prompts you want to see done!