Disclaimer: Do not own The Walking Dead or any associated characters. Only what happens with them in my head.

Warnings: Language

–

Now that he looked back on it, Daryl had never slept as comfortably as he did when the girl was curled up next to him. She'd slept peacefully through the remainder of the night with her arms wrapped as tightly around him as she could in her sleep. He'd played with her curly hair until she'd crashed out before laying there staring at the ceiling. He'd been in crisis with himself for the last two months, but he didn't want to admit it aloud. Especially to Beth.

Beth had enough on her mind without worrying about what was going through his. He hadn't realized until today, when Beth had broken down over the fact that it was her nineteenth birthday, that she was technically an adult. He just couldn't stop seeing her as a kid, a kid that he felt himself growing closer to every day. That had been his crisis. He loved the kid. But Beth wasn't a kid anymore. She was a nineteen year old woman. He'd felt himself falling for her about two months back when she'd shot a deer through the eye with his crossbow and then helped him to not only skin it, but cook it. Then she'd suggested trying to dry out the pelt and make a coat. Of course, she didn't realize it would take more time than they had to accomplish that, but he'd been so proud of her for helping and digging her hands in that he'd hugged her without invitation.

And as she'd awkwardly hugged him back he'd realized it. Naturally, he had then pulled away and went back to what he was doing in awkward silence. Typical Daryl. When shit got tough or too emotional, hide inside himself. Even with trying to keep his distance, if only because in his mind he saw her as a child and it was wrong to feel so strongly for her, he wasn't able to. They traveled together, they ate together, they hunted together, they slept in the same room. And when winter set in and that cold took over they slept in the same bed.

He could still remember the first night they'd curled up together with perfect clarity–well, not counting the night they'd laid in the trunk of the car since neither of them had actually slept. They'd taken camp in an old, drafty barn. After having swept the place for walkers they'd climbed up to the loft where they had laid on the hay bales. Beth had been smart enough to roll a flannel blanket up tight and strap it to her backpack months before so she'd at least had a blanket, Daryl had naturally tried to be macho about it. The temperature had dropped suddenly during the night to well below zero, leaving him shivering from the cold. His teeth had chattered so much that he'd been surprised any walker in a five mile radius hadn't come crawling toward them.

Apparently his shivers had awoken Beth or she'd been cold enough to be awake, too. She had then come over and laid with him, wrapping him in her blanket as well. Since that night they'd curled up together pretty often until it had become a nightly thing. When it was time to sleep, they just laid together as if it were the most natural thing in the world. How long ago had that been? Six weeks…maybe? He couldn't really remember, but Daryl knew that it was long enough that he was completely comfortable lying beside her. So much so that he could fall asleep without even forcing it. Most nights anymore he was asleep before he'd even gotten comfortable. If it weren't for the fact that they were only catching a couple of hours here and there it might have been different.

Her cold fingers brushed across the underside of his arm, startling him back to awareness. With a glance down at her pale face he noticed she was still out cold and was unable to keep a faint smirk from pulling at the corner of his mouth.

At the start of their adventure alone into the wilderness Daryl would have much rather been with…anyone else. Michonne, because the woman was nothing short of amazing. The way she handled that sword was…well, he sort of loved her. More of the sister he'd never had than anything else, really. Maggie, because even though she didn't look like much, she was one tough bitch. She'd done some pretty amazing things in the time he'd known her. Rick, Carl and Judith, because they were the closest to family he'd ever really had. Carol.

A sigh parted his lips as he thought the name. Carol. Sure, he'd cared about her, pretty deep too if he were honest with himself, but he didn't love her. Everyone seemed to think that he loved her, but he never had. He had cared about her in the way that a close friend cares about another or an older brother cares for his younger sister. But as a lover? No. There had never even been a notion of romanticism between him and Carol. Especially not after Rick had told him when that woman had done. Daryl didn't know that he wanted to believe that Carol had killed those two people at the prison. She'd always seemed too gentle for something so violent. At the same time he trusted Rick wholeheartedly and didn't think that the guy was going to lie to him, particularly about something like that.

So when it came to romantic feelings toward Carol, there were none. Honestly, Daryl had only ever felt that way about one girl before now. Carly Mayweather. A thin little brunette with the biggest green eyes he'd ever seen. She was one of those smart girls who looked too pretty to be as smart as she was. She'd looked almost like a model in a magazines. That had been when he was 13 years old and Carly had been almost 4 years older than him. He'd only ever felt that way for one girl…until two months ago.

As Beth snuggled closer to his side in her sleep, his grip on her tightened, and he peered down at her for a moment. She was pretty in sleep, if only because her guard was down. Whether the girl wanted to admit it or not she'd built a bit of a wall around herself that kept most everyone at arm's length and since her dad...

Daryl frowned at the thought of Hershel. He was a good man and it had hurt to see him go; thankfully Michonne had put an end to the bastard that had done it. But ever since her dad had died and the group had been split up Beth had a tendency to push further at the only person with her. Yeah, they talked and they had their moments, but for the most part Beth kept a lot to herself. Or maybe it was just because he was keeping a lot more to himself that he figured she was too.

He couldn't sleep, not now that she'd woken him with her cold body snaking under the covers. His dark blue eyes danced over her pretty face for a moment or two, then he brushed his fingers back through her pale hair before leaning over and pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. It wasn't the first time he'd done it, but it had always been when she wasn't aware of it.

The action caused Beth's hold to tighten on him as she mumbled something incoherent in her sleep while nuzzling closer to his side. Daryl would have been content to just hold onto her, to let her sleep the rest of the night while he laid there and kept watch. It wasn't as if they really needed to keep watch, though. They hadn't really come across anyone else in a long time and he was thankful for that, but at the same time he sort of hoped that eventually they would come across someone from the prison, if only to ignite that hope back in her. He noticed it fading with every single day that passed where they heard nothing or saw nothing from their old group and it actually broke his heart.

They stayed like this for the next hour or so before she became warm again and it seeped into his skin. With the warmth clinging to him it was simple for him to drift back into unconsciousness. If not for the fact that the last month or so had had him running on little to no sleep every night just to ensure she got a couple of hours more, then he probably wouldn't have been so exhausted now. Daryl was used to only getting a couple hours a night, but after a while it did tend to take its toll on him. It would on anyone.

–

The afternoon sun woke him, streaming brightly through the window onto his exposed face. It was with a groan that he pulled his arm from around Beth to rub at his eyes in the hopes that the sunlight would vanish again. Unfortunately daylight had set in, probably hours ago and neither of them noticed. After glancing down at her Daryl wanted to let her sleep longer because she looked so damned peaceful, but they needed to gather her arrows off the walker she'd killed in the middle of the night and probably get a move on. He didn't like to stay in one place for too long. Even with hoping that they would run across someone from the prison, he still worried about the rest of humanity out here. There was so much bad left in the world. Daryl didn't have much trust for the people left in the world, most of the good was gone out of them now. Beth was a bit of a miracle to still see the good in much of anything and to still have something so pure about her.

"Beth, wake up," he commanded quietly while shaking her shoulder. The blonde responded by groaning and shaking her head while tightening her grip on his waist, then burying her face into his side. Daryl actually had to fight off a laugh at her before shaking her again. "Come on, girl, wake up," he insisted and gave her another shake.

"Do I have to?" she asked groggily, her voice muffled slightly by his shirt.

"Daylights burnin'. We gotta get movin'."

"Mmm.." was the only response he got as she buried her face deeper into his side in the hopes of blocking the sunlight out and keeping herself toasty warm.

Daryl smirked slightly at the feel of her tucked so closely to him before an almost silent laugh fell from his lips. He didn't want to admit how much he enjoyed it. "You know…it's cold outside these blankets. I'd bet if I yanked 'em off you'd wake up," he teased while reaching behind her to grip the corner of the comforter.

Almost instantly her eyes shot wide open and she jerked her head up to look at him. "Don't!"

He chuckled at the plea in her tone. "No?"

"Can't we just…stay here another night? I mean, there's food and it's warm…ish. Please? I'm tired of always being on the move…"

The pleading in her voice this time didn't inspire another laugh, instead he frowned softly. Truth be told, they'd been on the road almost non-stop for the last month and he could use the rest, too. Whether it was the best thing for them to do or not was beyond the question now. Daryl had been doing almost everything in his power to keep Beth happy, so her request was pretty difficult to deny. Naturally, Daryl tried to disguise his emotions, so he rolled his eyes at her. "Fine."

The petite woman smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug that wound up with his face buried in her hair. "Thanks." She rejoiced as Daryl fought not to clutch her back. When she released him Daryl pulled himself back with a faint smile down at her.

"Let's get somethin' to eat." With that statement Daryl slid out of the warmth of the covers and into the cold bedroom. A shiver crept through him as he quickly shoved his feet down into his boots in the attempt to block out some of the cold that stuck to everything. He grabbed his jacket off the floor and while pulling it tightly around himself Daryl started walking toward the door. Once he'd reached it he glanced back. "Comin'?" Beth nodded in response, slowly extracting herself from the warmth of their bedding as he stepped out into the hall.

In the kitchen, Daryl dug through the cupboards until he'd found what he'd been searching for: a couple cans of fruit and a can of spam. It didn't take long before he'd found two forks and a can opener in one of the drawers. As he opened the first can of fruit he heard her footsteps on the stairs before she rounded the corner, bundled in a sweater with her arms tucked close to herself for warmth.

Beth pulled herself to sit on the counter beside where he stood, pale blue eyes dancing around the kitchen for a moment. It was small and modern, with light paneling and cupboards, dark granite counters and silver appliances. Almost the sort of kitchen that reminded her of the farm. She had to quickly push thoughts of the farm from her head before her sobs from the day before could return. "You know what I miss?" she asked while reaching for the cold fork and half-frozen can of fruit. Daryl nodded in response, but said nothing. "Eggs. Sunny-side up with some pancakes on the side, mm, and some sausage links." She remembered with a far off look in her eyes.

"Sunny-side up, you mean you ate 'em all gooey?"

"Yeah!" She responded with a laugh, looking him over through narrowed eyes. "You mean to tell me you'd never eaten them that way, Daryl Dixon?"

"'Course I have. Dip some toast in it? Pretty fine cuisine, if I do say so myself." He countered and chuckled while spearing a piece of pear in his can.

Beth smiled brightly as she chewed on a grape. Her gaze wandered for a moment, darting back to him at the sound of his voice. "Know what I miss?" he asked; her only response was to arch a brow. "Chocolate chip pancakes," he said with a smile pulling on his lips. Daryl could remember Merle making them one day, before they'd both gotten sick of their fathers abuse and left, in their tiny kitchen. The chocolate chips had been scalding hot, the syrup cold, the pancakes partially burnt but over all it'd been a great breakfast, if only because it was something that he'd been able to have with his brother.

Beth laughed softly and nodded. "Blueberry pancakes." She could easily remember her mother making them with fresh blueberries from the market and couldn't help but to grin.

"Strawberry waffles," he countered.

"Warm maple syrup," she added with a faint groan, missing the flavor.

"Chocolate milk."

"Pineapples."

"Lasagna."

"Cake."

"Pizza." They stated the last at the same time and doubled up in laughter. The giggles had been coming for the both of them from the start of their back and forth and had easily broken out with their combined speaking.

This wasn't the first time it had happened, this 'you know what I miss' game, and it probably wouldn't be the last either. Usually it ended with their saying the same thing–which happened more than he would have believed–or with something happening to distract one or the other. Daryl couldn't deny that having her smile and laugh the way she did was beautiful. She didn't do either often enough anymore and he enjoyed the moments when it did happen. Not paying close enough attention, he allowed his gaze to linger on her pretty face a little longer than he should have, which prompted her brow to arch up slightly.

"What?" she asked with a hint of a smile lingering around her lips and a soft blush coloring her pale cheeks.

"Nothin'," he responded and shook his head quickly.

Her pale eyes took in his face as he looked back to the can of fruit in front of him. It wasn't the first time she'd caught him staring and it always piqued her curiosity. Most times she said nothing about it, but the way his cheeks flushed today made her even more curious. Perhaps she'd never seen the blush before or maybe today was the first time it had been there, either way she wanted to know why. Unfortunately, she didn't really know how to broach the topic. Beth knew that anytime she asked something that might make him uncomfortable Daryl would clam up, which made it difficult to talk to him sometimes.

"Hurry up an' eat. We gotta go get your arrows outta the yard before we can bunker down."

Well, there went that idea. She thought with a sigh. Only moments later and he'd slipped out of the room. Daryl didn't deal well with displays of emotion, if only because almost everyone he'd ever cared about was dead–refusing to believe he would ever see them again was better than hoping to and being crushed when it never happened. Beth had tried to get him to understand that they didn't know. That Maggie and Michonne and Rick could all still be alive out there somewhere, they just didn't know. Daryl was stubborn to a fault, though, and she knew that without proof he would never believe it. She'd learned over time that Daryl relied on what he could put into fact. If he couldn't see it, hear it, taste it, or feel it then it wasn't real. Even those could be falsified dependent upon the circumstances.

He frowned as he stooped to grab their weapons. It was better to take them, even out to the backyard to retrieve her three arrows, and not need them than to get out there and need them but not have them. By the time he got back down the stairs Beth was putting the empty cans at the back of the counter to eliminate some of the mess. She smiled lightly as she took her bow from him. "You know what else I miss?" she asked. The question made him consider his actions a few moments before but his worry was misplaced as the girl glanced around. "Heat."

His brows knitted together in confusion as he looked back at her. "Whatchu talkin' about? Ya got clothes, don't ya?"

His response was enough to make her giggle and shake her head. "No, heat, like with electric to keep it warm all the time."

Daryl nodded lightly, though didn't say anything as they walked to the back door. After pushing the china cabinet out of the way with a squeal as the wooden legs scraped against the wood floorboards, the two silently moved out onto the porch then down into the yard, letting the door swing closed behind them. Daryl had trained the girl pretty well and while one moved ahead the other kept an eye on the grass surrounding them to be sure nothing more was coming. All in all, collecting her arrows was a lot simpler and faster of a process than he would have figured.

From the time they'd opened the door to the time they'd closed it he would guess that only about seven minutes had passed them by. After the cabinet was securely back in front of the door to keep intruders out he brushed a hand back through his hair. "I never had no electric heat," he confided while looking down at her, a soft pant in his voice from moving the heavy cabinet.

"Really?" Beth asked, brows raising in surprise.

"Mhm. Remember the moonshine?"

"Yeah..?" she responded a little hesitantly.

"My house was a lot like that, no heat in the winter 'cept a wood burnin' stove that kept everythin' in a ten foot radius warm and a couple o' blankets. No cold air in the summer except what came in on the breeze," he explained. "Winters seem a lot worse now."

"Probably because there's no one to keep the snow back or the fires lit," she replied with a frown on her lips. Daryl knew she was right; without the warm lights that used to come from every house or the smoke rising from chimneys things seemed a lot colder. Without fires burning and all that global warming crap it definitely meant that the air for winter would be worse. He wondered if within the next hundred years another ice age would take over the world and quickly shook the thought away as he looked down at Beth. She shivered, drawing his attention even more, before turning her pretty eyes up toward him. "Can we just go curl up in the bed and stay warm all day?" she begged.

There was no way in hell Daryl was going to deny her that request. The chance to stay warm, be close to her, and make her happy all in one go? He loved any chance to be close to her, any opportunity to wrap his arms around her. Of course, he was doing a damn good job of keeping that to himself. He wasn't sure why he didn't tell Beth about it all, other than the fact that he just had a hard time with saying things containing that much emotion. "We might wanna take some food up with us, then," he finally told her with a quick nod of his head.

The response obviously pleased her because she grinned brightly, her pale eyes shining happily. Without a word she bounced over to the cupboard and dug around for only a moment before coming back with a can of green beans, a can of tuna and a can of sliced pears. Daryl smirked and stepped over to the counter to grab the can opener from earlier along with two more forks from the drawer before he followed her up the stairs.

–

Reviews? So many of you liked it and responded with your love for this that I just.. I had to write the next part sooner than I would have figured.