Note: Hey everyone! Here I am with a new Bethyl story, which I really hope you're going to like. It'll be a little slow in the beginning (first three to four chapters) but hopefully you won't mind too much.

This chapter is basically just like an introduction and I have to warn you beforehand that this story will most likely be more violent and sexual, with a lot more swearing (since it's a Negan-fic!). Sensitive topics might come up, such as abuse, rape and so on, so if you don't like that sort of things, please stay away from this story... If you've read Blink and are reading Breath now, you know that I'm a sucker for angst and slow burns. Don't worry, this won't be as slow as Blink was and yes, I am still very much active with Breath! I don't know for sure how frequent the chapters will be with this story, but all I'm asking from you lovely people is to be patient since I'm still writing this fic and have others active as well!

That's all I think... Please, enjoy! :)

Endurance

Chapter 1

Three years.

Three years of safety behind the walls of the safe zone.

Well, three years of mostly being safe behind the walls of the safe zone.

Today there had been exactly three years, to the day, from what Aaron had told Daryl. The man had been keeping track of the days ever since the world had gone to hell and he had found the Alexandria Safe Zone according to him, he had written down the day that he had brought Daryl, Rick and the others back with him to the zone. Daryl hadn't been able to believe him at first, but when Eric confirmed it, telling him that Aaron had been going on and on about throwing some kind of small gathering to celebrate, Daryl had no choice but to trust them both in the matter.

Of course, there wouldn't be a celebration though because they had far more important things to do. Still, the mere reminder of the fact that three whole years had passed made Daryl think back on just how much had changed since they had gotten there.

The first year had been the most difficult one for them. The Alexandrians hadn't gotten used to the new world like Daryl's group had. They had been protected, pretty much since the beginning, and thus, they hadn't been prepared for the events that had followed the new group's arrival. Within just a couple of weeks, the community that had been built up inside the zone had fallen and everything had changed when that blonde Jessie's man had killed Deanna's husband and Rick had been allowed to end the abusive drunk's life. Things had been set in motion that night and a couple of weeks after that, Rick was running the zone side by side with Deanna. They had been attacked by the Wolves after that and when they had finally defeated that group, other threats and problems had risen.

Somehow, they had made it through it all though. Well, most of them had anyways. Daryl felt a little bad at times for thinking it, but he was happy that most of the people that he cared about were still alive. Over the years, however, they had changed a lot and Daryl himself had learned that it was okay to start to care for people outside of his original group. Aaron and Eric were two of those people who fell into Daryl's category of new family members. He had grown accustomed to spending quite a few evenings with the two men and he liked being with them because they didn't judge him immediately like some other Alexandrians had done when he had first gotten there. His friendship with Aaron had built up over the years and he trusted the man to have his back when they were out there recruiting, even though they hadn't been going on missions for the past month or so. Eric was a kind soul and talkative, something which Daryl was not. Still, he enjoyed listening to the stories the man told and from time to time, he too would share something from his own childhood. It felt good to have someone to share with and Daryl knew that he could trust the two men not to spread anything he told along, just for the sake of gossiping.

Rick hadn't had the best start with the people in the safe zone. Some of them had believed him to be completely insane after he had killed Pete and when he had started to reinforce new rules and change things, a lot of people opposed themselves to the change. That was where Deanna had come into the picture and played her role as the politician. She'd smoothed out things and settled the protestors and shortly after they had managed to get rid of the Wolves, she and Rick had built up the community together, mixing both viewpoints and getting the best of Deanna's plans for the future as well as Rick's skill for survival. They had done the same thing that they had done at the prison and created a council which consisted of the people who were in charge of various tasks in the community. The council held meetings once a week so that everyone would be updated on bigger projects as well as the needs of the community and every week, they put up a list of the things that had been discussed at the meeting for the people to see and once a month, they held a bigger gathering where those who wanted detailed information could come along and ask their questions. Mostly though, the people in the zone just left them to it. They didn't think that they needed to know all the things that were happening unless it directly affected their own work and they were happy to agree with whatever it was that Rick and Deanna came up with, knowing that they both had the community's best in interest.

Everyone still had jobs to do, something that Maggie had taken to saying ever since she had been put in charge of the interviewing when it came to newcomers. She was the one with the responsibility of making the initial report and then coming forward if she had concerns or needed a second opinion on a person. In most of the cases though, she handled it well all on her own and since they hadn't been forced to exile anyone since they began with the new system, Daryl would say that she was going a pretty damn good job, even though she was juggling with being a mom as well.

Yes, Glenn and Maggie had a kid. It had come as a complete surprise to everyone when they had announced it two and a half years ago, but considering that they hadn't exactly planned the pregnancy either, they had all made the best of it. It had been an easier pregnancy than Lori's had been, since they hadn't had to survive out in the wild and when Maggie had gone into labor, Denise had been fully prepared to take charge of the delivery. Their baby boy Hershel had been born healthy, with ten little toes and ten small fingers that he later used to grab a hold of Daryl's hair whenever he held him.

Then, of course, there was Carol. Carol who had tried to keep up her facade of being Susie Homemaker but instead soon proven herself to be almost cold regarding everything. But then again, Daryl had always been close enough to know that that too had been only a mask. She had told him once that she couldn't let herself feel the pain and Daryl suspected that it was because the deaths of their loved ones affected her more than she would have liked. It had been clear to him that Carol was afraid of feeling the pain because she thought that it might consume her completely. Things between Carol and him had been stiff for a while, but for the past year, they had been changing for the better. Morgan Jones had joined the group not long after they had gotten to Alexandria and at first he and Carol had almost killed each other due to their differences. Daryl had been surprised to hear that the two of them were together after a couple of months. He didn't ask Carol about it, but he could tell that his friend was calmer now and that she was no longer on the edge of madness. Sure, she was still as fierce as ever, but it seemed like Morgan and her balanced each other out.

A lot of the dynamics in the Zone had changed; a lot of the relationships had as well. Rick, for one, was no longer together with Jessie. They had split up shortly after her youngest son, Sam, had gone completely mad. The boy had caused his own death when he hadn't been able to keep his mouth shut while Rick and the others had been making their way through a sea of walkers that had gotten into the Safe Zone. Ron and Jessie had watched the young boy be torn to shreds in front of their eyes but that hadn't been the end of Rick and Jessie. No, instead, they split up after Carl confessed that Ron had tried to kill him.

Daryl knew that there was no animosity between the old couple; they had sorted out their issues and Ron had made peace with the past. Strange as it was, he and Carl now got along well enough, or at least they tolerated each other and didn't try to kill one another as soon as they were alone. Rick had found happiness elsewhere over the past year and when he and Michonne shared the news about their relationship, Daryl hadn't been very surprised at all.

Well, they hadn't exactly shared any news. It had been after a close call for Michonne on a run that Rick had just grabbed the woman after their return to the Zone and kissed her in front of the whole town. Daryl supposed a couple couldn't get more official than that.

So yes, a lot of things had changed during the three years in the Zone. Everyone had a job and everyone did the best they could at doing it.

Daryl stood in the heat, sweat slicking his arms and making the wife-beater he was wearing stick to his skin. His hair was pulled back in a bun which would have made Merle keel over in laughter, but it was better than to have it stick to his face while he worked on his new bike. He let Eric cut his hair regularly but it grew like weed.

"She's there again," Aaron spoke up behind him. "Watching from her porch." Daryl rolled his eyes and offered nothing more than a grunt in response. Aaron took his lack of comment as a sign to go on. "Why don't you just give her a chance?"

It was a simple question with a complicated answer. Daryl knew that the woman Aaron was talking about – their neighbor from across the road, Sarah – seemed to enjoy watching him work on his bike or around the house. The woman was in her mid-thirties, probably, and from what Daryl knew about her – from what she had told him whenever she'd come around and tell him stories from her life before the Outbreak – she had been married once, but her husband hadn't made it through the first week. She was pretty to look at too, with curly brown hair and green eyes and from the clothes she wore in the Summer heat, Daryl could tell that she had a body as well. The woman was sweet on him for a reason that he didn't understand; he was rugged and mean and he would never actually speak to her whenever she approached him. He would just stare at her and grunt, giving her nothing more than one-worded replies. It seemed though, as if Sarah didn't care about that at all. Sometimes he wondered whether it had to do with the fact that she was a nurse, and that she was just nice to everyone, no matter how rough around the edges. But no, the signs were all there and hell if he didn't know how to read them. The woman liked him and as soon as Aaron had noticed that she was always hanging around on her porch when Daryl was outside working, he had started to tease Daryl about it.

"Can't," Daryl muttered as a reply to Aaron, pretty much under his breath. He couldn't give a more truthful answer than that. He almost wished that Aaron would leave it at that, but knowing his friend, the topic wouldn't be let go of that easily.

"Since you got here, you've never even looked at a woman," Aaron pointed out. "You're not gay, are you?"

Daryl snorted, "You'd think that after three years of knowin' me, you'd know if I was gay or not."

"Hm, you're right," Aaron said thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "So, since we all know that Sarah is interested, why haven't you made a move?"

"You know why," Daryl replied, not looking up from where he was working on the engine.

Aaron sighed, because yes, he did know. Or at least he knew a part of the story. Daryl had told him enough for him to know that it was a sensitive topic to bring up. It was a story that Daryl hadn't ever shared with anyone else and the only reason that Aaron had gotten it out of him had been because he had somehow managed to get him to drink half a bottle of wine with him during dinner. That naturally meant that Eric knew too, since he was there when Daryl had started sharing his deepest secret; when he had started sharing the story about her.

"It's been years, Daryl," Aaron said, but his voice was slow and kind. "Isn't it time to at least try and move on? You deserve to be happy."

Daryl swallowed thickly, but didn't say anything. He didn't want to tell Aaron what he was thinking; that he didn't deserve to be happy at all because she wasn't here.

Beth wasn't here.

After three years, his heart still clenched painfully whenever he thought about her, so he tried his best not to do so. A small part of him almost wished that there was a way for him to forget everything about her, because it would be easier for him to move on, but there was no way he could do that. She was a part of him, the person who had helped him burn down his past and try to be better. He had already been on his way to being good, but she forced him to face the fact that he was still holding on to his angry past. With her, he understood that he needed to let go and that he needed to prove to no one but himself that he could be even better. After she was killed right in front of his eyes, he had been so numb for a while that he couldn't feel anything other than his heart that was beating painfully in his chest as a reminder that she hadn't made it. When they had gotten to Alexandria, he had been forced to keep going because he thought that he owed it to her to prove her right; to prove that he was good.

There had been women who had shown interest in him before here in the Zone, but none of them had actually dared to go as far as to actually talk to him, like Sarah had. He was still a man though and it had been a long time since he had been with a woman. Just like any other sane man, he sometimes wished he had someone, if only to get some release. Instead of acting on it though, he usually just took care of himself, despite the fact that it might not be the most pleasurable alternative. It wouldn't be fair to any woman who wanted to be with him, to know that his heart would never fully be in it.

"I just can't," he repeated, forcing his mind to once again shut off the thoughts of the blonde girl who still insisted on being a big part of his dreams and nightmares.

"Okay," Aaron finally said. "I'm sorry that I pushed–"

A scream erupted in the Safe Zone, interrupting their conversation. Daryl snapped his head up in the direction of the scream and stood up, wiping his hands on his pants before picking up his crossbow, which was never too far away from him. Instantly, Daryl began running in the direction of the gate, Aaron following behind him. Rick and everyone else was already at the gate, holding it open. Michonne was holding back Maggie, who was struggling against her, trying to run to the two people which were shuffling toward the gate.

"What's goin' on?" Daryl asked Rick, who was looking worriedly out at the two people. Daryl followed his gaze and his eyes settled on Heath who was struggling to keep a bloodied Glenn standing. Without thinking, Daryl ran out of the gates, Rick hot on his heels.

"He bit?" Rick asked Heath, who shook his head.

"Who did this?" Daryl asked, taking Glenn from Heath who was sporting a black eye and a split lip. It seemed like between the two, Glenn had gotten the worst of the beating.

"They came out of nowhere," Heath said while Glenn moaned in pain, his mouth moving, but no words coming out. "They wanted our weapons and the supplies we'd gotten," Heath winced. "Glenn tried to talk to them, but they wouldn't stop. Not until that girl told them to."

"Girl?" Rick questioned as they got past the gates. Daryl heard Spencer lock it up behind them and Maggie ran to them, trying to take Glenn from him.

"Step away, Maggie," Daryl said, still holding up Glenn. "We need to get him to Denise."

Glenn moaned again, his eyes screwed shut as he shook his head. "S-She..." Glenn trailed off, not being able to get his words out.

"Shut up 'til we get ya patched up," Daryl said.

"What girl?" Rick asked Heath again.

"The blonde girl," Heath said. "I don't understand why she stopped them, but she did."

"It was–" Glenn coughed, spitting out blood as his head came to rest on Daryl's shoulder.

Daryl looked at his friend worriedly, taking him into the infirmary. Rick set Heath in a chair and then hurried over to Daryl to help him lay Glenn down on the med-bed. Daryl moved to make room for Denise, when Glenn's hand grasped his arm, pulling him down with unexpected strength. The smell of coppery blood filled his nostrils.

"She's alive," Glenn said, his voice hoarse. "She's–" Violent coughs interrupted him again and Daryl's cringed at the wheezing sound coming from his friend.

"Who's alive?" Daryl asked, just managing to make out the words Glenn was saying.

"Beth," Glenn coughed again. "She's alive. She's… She..."

Glenn slumped back on the bed, his hand letting to of Daryl's arm as he fell into unconsciousness. Daryl took a step back and Denise immediately stepped in as she began going over Glenn's injuries. He looked toward Rick, who was standing beside Heath, looking a little paler than before. His brother had without a doubt heard Glenn's words too.

"I need you guys to leave to room," Denise told them. "Take Heath to the other room and please send someone to get Sarah. I know that it's her day off, but… I need her help to patch him up."

Daryl looked to Rick, who nodded back at him. Rick stepped out of the room first while Daryl helped Heath up and into the other room. Aaron was outside in the hallway with Michonne, comforting a crying Maggie.

"Where's Hersh?" Rick asked Michonne.

"With Carl," she said. "Judith is there too."

"Is he alive?" Maggie cried, tears streaming down her face.

"Yes," Heath replied. "He'll survive this, Maggie. There's nothing he hasn't survived before."

"I need you to go get Sarah," Rick said, turning his attention to Aaron. "We need her to help Denise with Glenn. Daryl and I can patch up Heath because we're gonna need to talk to him about what happened."

"Okay," Aaron nodded, letting go of Maggie. Daryl took Heath into the other room and helped him into the bed there. He could hear Rick comforting Maggie and telling her that she needed to get herself together for her son. Daryl though, turned his attention to Heath. His mind was going a million miles an hour, trying to make sense of what it was that Glenn had said before he had been knocked out cold. Rick entered the room and closed It behind himself, taking a few steps toward the bed that Heath was laying in. Daryl looked at his brother, in everything but blood, and nodded curtly. Rick sighed and looked down at the injured man in bed.

"Now, Heath," he said. "We're gonna need you to tell us everythin' that happened out there."

Note: Phew! Poor Glenn! Please share what you thought about this chapter in a review and I'll shower you with love! :)

Thank you so much for reading and supporting! Lots of love! xx