Wall: a thing percieved as a protective or restrictive barrier.
Part Two: Wall
We kissed, I fell under your spell.
A love no one could deny.
Don't you ever say, I just walked away.
I will always want you.
I can't live a lie, running for my life.
I will always want you.
Daryl shifted against his post in the guard tower, eyes on the tree-line in the distance. The walkers below, banging and groaning against the chain-link fence, weren't his problem at the moment - a team of prison-dwellers were picking them off with rebars and knifes. Wearing aprons over their clothing, so they wouldn't get dirty. Daryl never wore an apron - felt too much like Betty Crocker or something. Getting dirty was what Daryl did best.
As he hit his cigarette, inwardly wincing at the menthol taste in his mouth - he was a non-menthol guy, but beggers couldn't be choosers - he thought of the past few weeks. Things had been going well for them here in the prison. Yeah, they'd had to deal with that flu outbreak, and then there was the awful thing that Carol had done. He didn't think about that too much, pushing it out of his brain swiftly whenever the errant thought flittered through his mind. He didn't disagree with Rick kicking her out of the group - though he wished he did. Carol was a good woman, or had been a good woman, back when all of them first met up. He'd gone half-crazy lookin' for her little girl.
But things changed. People changed. Hell, he'd changed.
His entire life, he'd built walls up around himself. It was the safest way to keep himself protected, from getting hurt. The majority of people around him, from birth, weren't safe and couldn't be trusted. His mama was a drunk, his daddy was an abusive addict that took his anger and frustration out on whatever wasn't quick enough to get out of his war path. Merle - well, Daryl loved his big brother with all of his heart. But Merle was the same as Daryl. They looked out for themselves first, the other second, when they could.
Daryl had let Carol in, just a little bit. He cared for her. Not in a romantic or sexy kind of way, but she was a good friend. Someone that had lived the same kind of life as him - painful. Sad. There was a deepness in her steely eyes that revealed her inner-workings. She was strong, and Daryl had seen that as they went through the tragedy of losing Sophia. He thought she was all right, or as all right as one could be after losing their baby girl. But it was obvious now, looking back, that she hadn't been fine. If she was, she wouldn't have murdered Karen or David, regardless if the virus would have spread and killed them all. They were innocent, they were still human, and it was plain wrong.
Daryl saw her perspective, saw Rick's perspective. Understood both sides of the board. But it didn't mean that he had to like any of it. And he was glad that Rick had done the deciding for all of them.
A flash of blonde down below caught his eye, and he resisted the urge to groan. Frustration colored his feelings as soon as Beth Greene was in his eye-sight. The petite, slender girl was a particular problem as of late... With each small smile, every soulful gaze, the sound of her tinkling laughter or his name rolling off those pink lips - all of that was chipping away at the walls that he had built around his heart. He had been good, for a long while, keeping anyone from getting in. A stone fortress, disguised as a man. He was cold, he was mean, and he was very good at pushing people away.
The time that Lori had seeked him out, asked him to go looking for Rick and Glenn when they were out chasing after Hershel. Back on the farm. Back when Shane went crazy and opened the barn doors, revealing the old farmer's secret. All of those walkers, loved ones that the Greene family had known and held dear. Sophia. The day after that, when Hershel had left without a word to drown his sorrows, and Rick chased after him, Lori Grimes had come to him and asked him to go after the three. Daryl hated remembering his cold words, his mean demeanor. But he was so upset, so hurt that he had been searching for a girl that had been on the property and under their noses for how long? When he was hurt, when he was upset, he lashed out. There was no other way to describe it.
It was similar to how he was acting towards Beth, now. All of those shy smiles and innocent looks were making him scared. When they spoke, no matter how briefly, Daryl found himself going from fine to grumpy in quick succession. It was so easy to be nice to her, return her smiles and the easy conversation that flowed between them, often about Judith or their family at the prison, was comforting and nice. Daryl found himself seeking her out sometimes, heading to her cell to "see the baby" or "check in." Really, if he was honest with himself, he knew he was going to take what little pleasure he could from conversations with the young woman. It was so simple, so comfortable and nice to be in her presence. She never asked him to track anything, never asked his opinion on important matters, never put any pressure on him. It was too good, better than he deserved.
Once he realized what he was doing, one warm summer night when he was thinkin' about seeking her company, Daryl had cut himself off. Cold-turkey. Wouldn't do any of them no good to go and catch feelings for the little farmer's daughter. No matter how beautiful her smile was, no matter how warm and good he felt around her. It was out of the question. Not just because of how people would think of him, if something was to happen between them - that was one of the many reasons why couldn't. The main stopper, however, was the chinks in his armor, the crumbling of his inner-walls. He didn't want to let anyone else in, not after all the hurt and heartache he had gone through. People brought pain. It was a fact of life. And while Beth was sweet and good and kind and gentle, she wasn't above hurting him, too.
He'd taken to avoiding her, lately. It was easier on him, that way.
Daryl inhaled one last hit before tossing his butt into the bucket. He ignored the wave that Beth sent in his direction, instead taking his bow up in his arms. He scoped out one of the lumbering un-dead fucks and released a bolt; it paused and toppled to the ground, feathered end sticking up. It was only maybe ten feet from the fence, near where Beth was standing. She lifted a hand, shading her eyes, and gazed towards him. Didn't need binoculars to know that she was probably smiling, maybe even blushing. She had a habit of doing that.
Daryl cursed the coincidence that probably wasn't that at all, probably completely intentional, and shook his head. Hopefully his shift would end soon, and he could find something far, far away from the blonde to occupy his time.
I came in like a wrecking ball
Yeah I just closed my eyes, and swung
Left me crashing in a blazing fall
All you ever did was wreck me
Yeah you, you wreck me
Beth's hands shook as she lifted the rebar and hefted it, using all of her might, through the hole in the fence and into the eye-socket of a particularly rank looking and smelling walker. Her hands slid on the cold metal, and she braced a booted foot against the fence as she yanked the piece of metal back out. A fine spray of blood and guts streaked up her arms and over her black and white striped apron, and she groaned as she took in the disgusting sight of the matter on her body. Her stomach threatened to churn and release, but she gulped down the bile that rose in her throat and took slow, steady breaths. Beside her, Glenn chuckled - he was much neater in his dispatching of the undead. Playfully, Beth stuck her tongue out at her big brother in law.
"Don't be a baby," Glenn teased, tugging playfully on the ends of her ponytail. "Gotta get dirty to keep safe."
"Yeah, yeah," she said, waving a dismissive hand in his direction. The two were part of an eight man team, neatly working through the undead around the perimeter of the prison. With Daryl watching in the tower, Beth wasn't worried. This wasn't her favorite chore on the wheel, but having him near made her feel safer - and somehow, more nervous. Like he was watching and judging her performance.
Beth resisted the urge to gaze over her shoulder to where he leaned against the railing of the guard tower. He was acting so weird lately - ignoring her, avoiding her, pretending that she didn't exist. It was so strange how things could change in the blink of an eye. For a few weeks, Beth was enjoying his company. Seemed like his presence was a constant, keeping her sane with his quiet humor and the comfort he provided. In her eyes, Daryl was a knight in dirty leather, and instead of riding up on a big pretty horse, he had an old Triumph motorcycle. The sound of the engine sent tremors through her body, making her heart race. Some day, she would get to ride it.
The two had been growing closer, and it was nice. Partly because Beth's days were often filled with babies and little children, especially with Carol gone. A lot of that responsibility fell onto Beth's narrow shoulders. It was nice to have some grown-up interaction, even if Daryl's conversation skills made the kids look like political smooth-talkers. She smiled at the thought.
The other part of her that enjoyed Daryl's companionship had nothing to do with him speaking. It would have been impossible to ignore his handsome face, the deep tan on his strong arms, the way he wielded that crossbow like an extension of his body. He was interesting - Beth was fascinated with him. Learning anything she could about him was a treat. She laid in bed at night, trying to put the pieces together. She didn't know a lot about him, other than what she had heard from snatches of overheard conversations and what she had gathered herself. She knew about the scars on his back; she knew about the rough childhood he'd endured. She knew he was a hunter, a tracker, a true predator. There was something so primal about him in that sense, it made her thighs clench together with excitement.
But there were other things about him... He pushed people away. He was one of the strongest, best looking men in the prison community, and he was still unattached. There had been a time when Beth thought that he and Carol... But whether or not that had ever happened, it was done now. She was gone. She had done the unthinkable and she had been banished.
Daryl could have any woman he wanted, Beth thought. And he chose to spend his free time hanging out with her, and Judith, if Rick wasn't taking her. Sometimes it was just the two of them, chatting and laughing together. Getting the man to laugh was like pulling teeth. He didn't smile much, wasn't one for overt displays of emotion (except for anger) and Beth relished every time his lips quirked up in a grin, every time she heard the deep rumbling laughter in his chest. The sound released butterflies in her belly, making her blush and squirm. No man had ever made her feel like that before. Not Jimmy. Not Zach.
Later in the day, after a quick shower to wash the walker guts off herself, Beth headed back to her cell, thinking about Daryl. It was where all of her thoughts seemed to go these days. That mess of wispy brown hair, the stubble on his chin, threaded with gray. He swore and he smoked and he drank and he was a badass. Not the kind of guy her father would have picked for her - not the kind of guy that Beth would have picked for herself, before. But this world was very different than the one she had grown up in. Where a college education, good manners and a well-paying job had been on her list for marriage material, it wasn't that way now. Money mattered about as much as dirt (maybe even less than dirt) and college was a distant dream. And marriage? While Glenn and Maggie had found that with each other, Beth was realistic about her chances. Wasn't like there were a lot of choices, and the only man that she had feelings for - and calling them feelings felt real silly, when she knew that he would never pay attention to her in that way - wasn't exactly the commitment type. At least, Beth didn't think he was...
She was so tangled and lost in her own thoughts that when she turned the corner in the dark, echoing hallway, Beth didn't notice the person coming right at her. They bumped into each other, with a surprising amount of force, and she was sent tumbling backwards, arms flailing and a short shriek escaping her lips. Before she could hit the floor, strong arms caught her.
"Whoa," a deep, southern voice drawled. Beth blinked in shock up into the face of Daryl Dixon, who was gazing at her with the same amount of surprise.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly, feeling her cheeks turn pink in embarrassment. Though he couldn't read her mind, Beth couldn't help feeling as though she'd been almost caught. He eyed his, his baby-blues nearly glowing in the darkness around them. There was something in his expression that made her uneasy in the best possible way. Her breath hitched at the slow smile that spread over his face. He was so unbelievably handsome.
"'S-no problem," Daryl remarked. His hands were on her waist, and she felt small and delicate under his big hands. The ends of her hair were dripping onto her T-shirt, and she realized she must look like a drowned mouse. There was a long, tense moment of silence, both of them gazing into each other's eyes. Beth was never sure what was going on in that head of his, but she felt trapped, entranced. His hands were burning through the thin material of her shirt, stirring up all kinds of emotions inside of her.
She bit her lip and looked away, breaking the spell. Daryl cleared his throat, seemed to realize that he was holding her, hands splayed over her ribcage, and tore his hands back as though she had burned him. They were both blushing now, and he seemed awkward, uncomfortable. Seeing him that way - glancing around, looking anywhere but directly at her, his face flaming - Beth realized that she had the same effect on him that he had on her. The knowledge surged within her, and she felt emboldened. Standing on tiptoes, she cupped his cheek and caught him by surprise, pressing a feather light kiss to his stubbled cheek.
"What's that for?" he asked, completely bewildered. Beth swallowed her giggles, not wanting to send him running off like a skittish deer.
"For that walker this morning," she replied, smiling sweetly. She even tried to bat her eyelashes, like she had read in some magazine a lifetime ago before all this happened. The dazed expression on her face was all the encouragement she needed. "I know no one thanks you enough for all that you do, Daryl. So thank you." Her hand slid down his cheek, over the pulse jumping in his throat, to his shoulder. The leather of his vest was surprisingly smooth and soft, and she fisted the material momentarily before releasing it.
"'S nothing," Daryl said, voice deep and surprisingly husky. In the dark corridor, he was trapped. With her hand on his chest, her dark blue eyes gazing up at him, he couldn't move until she did. He wouldn't end this sweet moment, as weird and uncomfortable as it was. There was something about her that pinned him to the spot where he stood, he was inable to move. If he was honest with himself, he truly didn't want to...
"Not nothing," Beth murmured. Now her other hand was on his shoulder, nearly embracing him. She was slowly working up to the moment that she had only allowed herself to think about in the few moments before sleep. With her wet hair pulled over one shoulder, wearing a pair of shorts and a loose white V-neck, she was a vision to him. Beautiful, naturally so, and so damn sweet and adorable. He knew that he should have pulled away quicker, should have ended all this before it began. But Daryl had a weakness, and it was named Beth.
"You do so much for us," Beth went on, keeping her voice soft and kind of quiet. She could hear his uneven breaths. It made her heart stutter and race. "You keep us safe, you keep us from going to bed on empty stomachs... You're so selfless, doin' everything you can to keep us all together. You do the things that no one else can, because you're a strong man, Daryl. And I just wanted to tell you... Even if nobody else does." She gazed up at him, the honesty and trust pouring from her eyes. Daryl gulped. "This prison wouldn't be the same without you."
"Beth," Daryl said, beginning to squirm. She realized his intention was to bolt, so she decided to make her move. She stepped closer to him, and he stepped back - his back hit the cinder-block wall, and she had him effectively pinned. Beth smiled up at him, a mixture of seductress and shy that only she could believably pull off. "Um - "
She cut him off by standing on her tip-toes again, and pressing her soft lips to his. Immediately, her eyes drifted shut, and she moaned quietly, softly against his mouth. His hands hung lamely at his sides, and his brain was so tangled and confused and downright surprised that he didn't know how to react. Beth kept it chaste, kept it quick, and was stepping out of the embrace before he had time to fully process what had happened. Her mouth tingled and burned from the soft sensation of kissing him, the way his beard had scraped her face was not unpleasant, and the hinted taste of cigarettes and heat made her head light. Beth tried to hide her embarrassment at her bold manuever, but the pink of her cheeks gave her away.
She tried to keep it cool. "See ya around, Daryl," she called, and continued on her way back to her cell. Once she was far enough away, she lifted a hand to trace her soft lips, wondering what was going through the man's mind. It was never easy to tell.
I came in like a wrecking ball
I never hit so hard in love
All I wanted was to break your walls
All you ever did was wreck me
As Daryl slipped into the cell that served as his bedroom, after a long cold shower and a string of cuss words that would make the baddest sailor blush, he settled into bed and closed his eyes. All he could think of was the sweet, sudden kiss from the young blonde. The sugary after-taste on his lips, the feel of her tiny waist under his big hands. He wasn't sure what the hell had gone on, but there was one certainty that made him uncomfortable as well as hopeful.
Those walls that he had built up to protect himself, carefully cultivating, maintaining, fortifying over the years... He was almost certain that there might have been a door along there somewhere, and if there was anyone with a key to unlock it and step inside of the protection, it was Beth Greene. And it felt as though her kiss was only the first step in breaking down his guard, his resolve. With a groan, Daryl flopped onto his stomach and closed his eyes shut tight. It was the last thing he wanted; it was the first thing he needed. The road was never easy for him. There was no way that this would be, either.
*FIN*
Disclaimer: I do not own. Lyrics belong to Miley Cyrus from her song, "Wrecking Ball." Hope you guys loved it. I surely did (and didn't feel at all weird or silly using the song at all! -_-)
Thank you guys for reading and playing along in my prompt game! I've got about ten left after this chapter, and hopefully they will keep coming. I have been enjoying myself immensely when it comes to writing these two. There are so many different dimensions to each of their characters, and I love when they try to figure each other out. I know this one wasn't smutty, but I'm sure there will be plenty of that in the future (judging from your prompt words... you guys are dirty, horny bastards!).
AS FOR THE LIZZIE/CARL FANS: I'm not sure if I can do a prompt game with them. Everyone wants to know if I'm going to write love scenes between the two, but they're KIDS. I know that Beth isn't that much older, but she's at least legal by the standards in the real world. I don't want to contribute to the child pornography underworld by writing love scenes between fourteen year olds, it just makes me REALLY uncomfortable. That's not to say that I can't write set-in-the-future scenes, but I enjoy writing them as they are. As children. I'm sorry if that upsets you, but I can only write what I'm comfortable with. I hope you can understand.
Again, thank you for playing along and reading! Big thanks to zansbitch1/fangbanger135 for the words. This one, as well as the next two, are for you!
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