This story is going to consist of one-shots from my various Bethyl universes when I get random ideas. This first chapter is from The Most. And this particular idea has been in my head for quite some time.
…
It happens and they all – everyone in the original family and a few members outside of it – have been expecting it and yet, when it actually does happen, they're all surprised and Beth has absolutely no idea what to do.
Rick and Beth have worked out an arrangement between them. Judith sleeps in Beth and Daryl's cell four nights a week and Rick takes her for the other three and Daryl loves lil' Asskicker – has always loved that little girl and has always been willing to do absolutely anything for her – but he loves it a little bit more when she's sleeping with her real dad in his cell for the night. It lets him and Beth be alone for the night and he doesn't care how obvious it is. As soon as dinner's done and dishes are collected and he goes over the night watch schedule with those on assignment, he grabs his wife's hand and pulls her into the prison, hearing her laugh softly behind him, her steps quickened to keep up with him.
He doesn't care what anyone says. He's married, damn it. And not only that but he's married to Beth and only a completely blind, brain-dead man wouldn't want Beth if he had the opportunity to have her. It bothers him a little bit that everyone knows what they do when Judith isn't in their cell for the night but again, it doesn't bother him so much as to where he stops grabbing her hand and dragging her to their cell as soon as neither of them have any more to do for the night.
As soon as they are in their cell and the privacy curtain has swept back over the opening, Daryl is taking her clothes off as quickly as he can and Beth is laughing again but she helps him get herself naked. But when she tries to help with his own clothes, Daryl has to brush her hands away because he's not ready to have Beth touch him yet. He's wound so tight that if she touches him right now, he's going to blow and their night alone will be over before it can even begin and Daryl is going to do anything to make sure that that doesn't happen. He's not going to blow until he's buried inside of her.
Two days earlier, Glenn had come up to him and asked him to come to his cell with him. He wouldn't say why so Daryl went, curious and a little confused as to what was in Glenn and Maggie's cell that Glenn needed him for.
"Here, man," Glenn said and reached under the bed, pulling out a medium size cardboard box. Daryl pulled back one of the flaps to see that inside, there were at least a dozen boxes of Trojan condoms. Daryl instantly felt the tips of his ears turn red but his face remained impassive as he looked at Glenn with the silent question. "Mine and Maggie's supply," he explained. "Got it at the Big Spot when you, me, Beth and Sasha went."
"You two goin' celibate or somethin'?" Daryl grunted and Glenn grinned.
"No, but we are trying to get pregnant and condoms really won't help with that," Glenn said, standing back up, brushing off his knees.
Daryl wasn't too sure what to say to that. He realized that it wasn't exactly surprising. Maggie and Glenn had been together for a long time and this prison was their home – a home that was safe and good and Daryl supposed that he should have been expecting this.
He and Beth have already had this conversation with one another and are in complete agreement. He can't get her pregnant. He doesn't want to get her pregnant because having a baby now can be a death sentence. He doesn't care that the prison is safe and they have doctors here. Daryl can't have anything happen to Beth. He can't have her die. And Beth has always wanted to be a mother, he knows, but Beth told him when he mentioned it that she already is a mother. She is the prison's teacher and main caregiver for all of the orphans and other children who lived at the prison and that's enough for her.
So, Daryl took the condoms from Glenn and stashed them under his and Beth's bed in their own cell and tonight is the first time he gets to use one. Usually, he pulls out and cums on her stomach but he knows that that always isn't foolproof. He hates that he has to be scared of having sex with his own wife.
Once their clothes are finally out of the way, his hands frame either side of her head and he kisses her deeply, almost desperately, and he gently begins pushing her back towards the bed. They have yet to rip the top bunk from the wall to make their bed larger and right now, they just have the single bottom bunk to sleep on but right now, Daryl doesn't really care about that because it's not as if he needs that much room anyway to be on top of Beth and inside of her.
Beth doesn't hear anything around them except for the beating of her own heart in her ears. She knows that others will be returning to their cells, turning in for the night, and she knows that they all know what she and Daryl are doing since Judith is sleeping in Rick's cell that night but it doesn't matter to her. She and Daryl are married and she and Daryl are always so quiet so it's not as if they'll be keeping all of them awake. They have never been like Maggie and Glenn, who seem to have no shame when it comes to sex – or volume control.
She feels the mattress beneath her and she grabs his head, keeping him right on top of her. Their lips hardly separate as she spreads her legs and his hand dives between them. They're always in such a hurry for the first time to be together but he always stops to make sure that she's wet and if she's not – which never seems to happen – Daryl makes damn sure she gets soaked before he thrusts into her.
Tonight, as always, Beth is wet and ready and her body is humming with anticipation. They've been waiting to use one of the condoms from what is now their supply and her hands rub over Daryl's stomach and chest, kissing his neck and shoulders as he rips one open with his teeth and rolls the latex on as quickly as he possibly can.
They're always so quiet. Everyone knows they're having sex but everyone doesn't need to hear them going at it.
"Oh, yes," Beth breathes out once her thighs are spread and Daryl guides himself towards her folds, pushing inside of her with his entire length. He exhales a breath as if relieved and they both remain still for a few passing seconds.
Daryl shifts, resting on his forearms on either side of her head, and their faces centimeters away and when he starts to move, his ass clenching between her thighs with each forward thrust, Beth brushes hair back from his face and their lips meet in short, breathless kisses.
Their cell is quiet for the next few minutes except for Beth's soft moans and Daryl's grunts and their mixed heavy breathing. Her arms are around his shoulders and then gripping his biceps and then holding his hair back from his face. Daryl's hips stay in constant movement and Beth begins rocking her body along with his, matching his rhythm, sighing his name.
And for the very first time since they began having sex, Daryl stays inside of her when he cums. And just knowing that he's cumming without pulling out, his hips pressed tightly to hers, his body slightly quivering on top of hers, Beth closes her eyes, arches her head back and moans softly as she cums as well.
They lay there for a few minutes, Beth's arms wrapped around him and Daryl's face pressed to the side of her neck, both of them still panting. The cellblock is quiet and Beth wonders where the other members of their family are. She wonders if Judith is asleep.
Daryl turns his head and kisses the corner of her jaw and she closes her eyes and smiles. He then slowly pulls himself back and she bites down on her lip to keep from whimpering as he pulls himself out of her. He stands up and with a tissue from the desk, he takes off the condom and drops it into the trashcan. He then turns and for a moment, he just stands there and stares at her, naked and flushed on the bed.
"Stop," she smiles, her face feeling warm, and Daryl smirks a little and shakes his head and she knows what he's thinking without him telling her. It's not the first time he has thought it; has wondered why the hell she's with him.
He comes back to bed, sliding over her body so he's laying between her and the wall, and Beth turns towards him, closing her eyes as she snuggles into him and he wraps his arms around her.
And for a while, it's quiet. His lips rest to the crown of her head and he closes his eyes and inhales her deeply. He can hear someone walking on the catwalk on the second level. Someone else coughs from their cell. And then, after a split second, like a crack of lightning, Judith begins to cry.
"Mama!"
The voice echoes throughout the quiet cellblock and both Beth and Daryl completely freeze. There is a second where Beth thinks that maybe she has just imagined it. But that doesn't make sense to her because why would she imagine this?
"Mama!" And then the baby's cries grow even louder.
And then, her brain realizing – not yet accepting though – what it is, Beth flies from the bed. She grabs and pulls on her underwear and then grabbing Daryl's shirt, she yanks it on as she shoves the sheet aside, forgetting that Daryl's lying on their bed, completely naked. He hurries from the bed, grabbing his pants and another shirt and tugging them on, but Beth's already gone, out of their cell and hurrying down to Rick's. Rick has already come out of his cell, bouncing a hysterically crying Judith in his arms.
"Mama," Judith wails and when she sees Beth coming towards her, she extends her arms.
They're not the only ones who have come out of their cells at the sounds of Judith. Not because she's crying. They are all used to her crying. But because she's talking. She has been babbling for months now but has never actually formed any words that make sense. And now, just like that, she has said her first word.
And what her first word is, and who it's directed at, none of them are really surprised. Except for Beth, who's heart feels as if it's pounding in the bottom of her throat.
"I'm sorry," she apologizes to Rick and pulls Judith from his arms into hers.
Judith is still crying and she presses her wet and warm face to the side of Beth's throat. Beth rubs her back and does her best to shush her.
"Mama," Judith whimpers as she wraps her fingers around a lock of Beth's hair.
Beth's eyes fly to Rick, who's looking at her. "I'm sorry," she says again and she's aware of Carl and Maggie both watching and her daddy in the doorway of his own cell. She's aware of Daryl standing behind her.
"Couldn' even give us one night, huh?" He jokes with the baby.
Beth doesn't take her eyes off of Rick's. "I didn't teach her that. I take her to see Lori-"
"I know, Beth," Rick cuts her off and she can't read the man's expression. He doesn't seem angry, at least, but she really can't tell what he's thinking right now about this. After another moment, he moves his eyes to Daryl. "Sorry for interrupting," he says. "She's been fussy all evening and then she started crying and wanting Beth…"
Judith is quiet now and rests her head on Beth's shoulder and the baby smiles as Daryl makes her a quick face.
"It's alright," Beth says quietly, still rubbing her back, and she seems to be talking to both Judith and Rick. "She's calm again now. We can try again," she offers to Rick.
But Rick seems to hesitate and none of them are exactly surprised. Rick's getting better about spending time with his daughter and doing this best to build a relationship with her but it's still taking time and Judith still prefers to be with Beth above all others. She has been Judith's main caregiver since she was just a day old and Beth knows, in the back of her mind, that it makes sense that Judith looks to her as her mama. Rick has even told her that he's been expecting his daughter to think as such. But Beth means what she's told Rick. She hasn't been teaching Judith that she's her mama. She's been teaching Judith that's Beth. She's just Beth.
She looks down to Judith and then to Carl, who's still watching from his cell doorway. And what does Carl think about all of this? She expects the boy to be frowning at her or glaring at her. After all, he knows better than anyone that he's not Judith's mom. He had to put a bullet in the head of Judith's real mom after bring Judith into this world.
But Carl's face is as blank as his father's and Beth can't read it.
She takes a step closer to Rick. "Here," she offers.
"Mama," Judith whimpers as she presses her face to Beth's neck once again.
"A'righ', lil' asskicker," Daryl says and takes Judith from Beth's arms. "You'll be with us again for tonight but you're sleepin' in your pops' cell tomorrow night."
And with that, he turns and carries Judith back towards their cell.
Beth remains where she stands though, aware of her daddy looking at her as she looks at both Carl and Rick. For some reason, she feels herself getting upset and she shakes her head again. "I've been teaching her my name. I never taught her to call me that. I promise," she says and she's desperate that they believe her.
"We know, Beth," Carl is the one to speak and she looks at him and she doesn't why but she feels like crying.
Hearing Judith call her that has twisted her heart in her chest like squeezing water out of a sponge. She feels so ashamed that she liked the way it sounded when Judith cried that out, wanting her, reaching for her and calling her mama the whole time. And then she wonders how terrible of a person she is for liking it because she's not Judith's mama. Her real mama, Lori, died to give Judith life. She gave her the greatest sacrifice a mother could give her child and she always makes sure that Judith knows that. She takes her down the hill to visit Lori's grave at least twice a week.
Rick reaches out and touches her arm lightly. "It's okay, Beth," he says as if he can read all of her thoughts and he gives her a small smile but it does nothing to make her feel better and Beth watches with a heavy stomach as Rick and Carl both go back into their cells and she stands there, feeling unable to move.
"Go on back to bed, Bethy," Hershel speaks up and Beth turns to see her father giving her a small smile with warm eyes. "Go on."
Beth nods and she finally feels her feet able to move. She turns and walks slowly back to hers and Daryl's cell and before she reaches it, she can hear Judith giggling from within and usually, the baby giggling makes her smile but now, it makes her close her eyes and she leans back against the wall next to the entryway. When she's with her own father, Judith cries for her, thinking she's her mama, and she giggles when she's with Daryl.
She doesn't care how much she liked being called mama by the baby. This isn't right. She has to make this right somehow.
"Hey."
She opens her eyes and Daryl is standing there, his brow furrowed a bit as he looks at her.
"You comin' back in?" He asks her.
"Yeah," Beth nods and she wipes at her cheeks even though they're dry and she does her best to give him a smile.
"Hey," he then says again in a lower voice and steps up to her until he's in her personal space and she has to tilt her head up to look into his face. "It'll be a'right."
Beth looks up at him. "You're just saying that," she sniffles and his lips twitch in a little smile before he wraps an arm around her shoulders and with a kiss to her head, he walks them into their cell.
Judith is sitting up in her playpen in the corner, giggling to herself as she plays with her favorite stuffed animal – a stuffed elephant that Daryl had found her on a run a while back – and her collection of red plastic Solo cups. She looks up the instant Beth walks into the cell and she breaks into a toothy smile.
"Mama," she says with a giggle and despite wanting to tell her that she's Beth and not mama, Beth doesn't say anything. She can't help but smile a little and she leans in, resting her forehead to Judith's and Judith pats her hands on her cheeks.
Daryl walks past them and lowers himself onto the bed, propping himself up against the pillows and stretching out. He's quiet for a moment as he watches Beth and Judith, the way Judith smiles at her and the way Beth smiles in return and holds her close and starts to hum her a soft song before her humming leads into soft singing and Daryl smiles a little, watching them.
He never gets tired of watching Beth with Judith and the thing is, Beth's usually always with Judith so why would it be a surprise that the kid looks to her as her mama. He knows Beth feels like she's betraying Lori, Rick and Carl all at the same time; like she's doing something wrong. But all she's done is take that baby and love her like her own when her dad was unable to, too deeply buried in his own grief to think of anything else.
There's nothing wrong with it. Daryl knows that Beth doesn't see it like that but that's the truth of it. That's the way it is. She's not betraying Lori. Lori died for Judith and by keeping Judith as healthy and happy as Beth does, Beth is keeping Lori alive.
He'll tell her that and he'll make sure that that's the way that Rick sees it, too, though Daryl doesn't doubt that Rick sees it exactly the same way.
"You, little lady, have ruined mine and Uncle Daryl's plans for the night," Beth is saying and Daryl smirks as she turns to look at him with a smile and it's the Beth smile that should always be the smile on her face.
Beth carries Judith to the bed and she sits down beside Daryl's legs and sits Judith up in her lap. She brushes back some of Judith's honey colored still baby-fine hair from her forehead and she then leans in, kissing her head. Judith smiles and snuggles in close to her chest and Beth wraps her arms securely and protectively around her.
"Mama," Judith says in a quiet voice and Beth gives her a squeeze and rests her cheek on the baby's head, her head turned towards Daryl.
They stare at one another for a few quiet minutes. He then gives her another small smile and she gives him a smile in return.
...
Thank you very much for reading and please review!