Author's Note: Okay so I wrote this originally to be a one shot but enough people asked me to continue it that I have decided to do so. Thank you all for your feedback! I have changed the title as "I Never" no longer seemed to fit right. Enjoy!

Chapter Two

As slow as winter had seemed before he and Beth had coupled, afterward winter seemed to flash by. Days no longer dragged on with one mind numbing chore after the other but were now filled with stolen touches and learning the different aspects to one of her smiles. The isolated farmhouse proved to be as far off the beaten track as Daryl had expected, they saw no signs of human life. Even the walkers were hard to come by at first.

But as the snow began to melt the walkers began to thaw. Every few days one or two would stumble upon the house and the pair would make quick work of dispatching them. Daryl used to be okay with letting them walk on by if they weren't going to be in the way of harming them or bringing more to them. What convinced him to end their death, life, whatever the hell it was, was Beth's instance that she would never want to end up like that.

It was never like the time he tried to teach her how to use the crossbow, if that could even be called teaching. They did not do it out of malicious intent, it was a solemn affair stabbing the decaying creature through the head. There was one close call when Beth slipped on some ice and brought the walker down on top of her. In the seconds before his cross bolt went through the walker's skull Daryl felt his heart threaten to stop beating.

It was strange, being with Beth. His whole life he had never had a steady female in his life. His mother was never exactly a role model and once she died he only saw a string of his father's 'girlfriends'. As he grew older he went through his own fair share of girls, always searching for someone or something to make him feel at ease.

He had thought he had found it with Carol but as time passed he found he only cared for her as a friend, a good friend, but he could not find it in him to string along women like he used to. He enjoyed her company though, she was easy to get along with as were all the women in the prison group. He had always segregated himself from the women though. He wasn't always comfortable being around them as they were not like the doped up girls from his past. When Beth and him had fled the prison he had been terrified out of his mind the first time she had cried not knowing how to comfort the clearly heartbroken teenage girl.

But as time passed, and as Beth was not the type of person to stand by and watch him drown in sadness, he became more comfortable around her. Hell, he was in love with her. Realizing that had been almost as startling as the first time she hugged him.

As they began to explore each other and the house heated up, outside the world heated up with them. When the last of the snow melted they decided to continue staying at the farmhouse, neither of them ready to leave its sanctuary for the uncertain world outside its boarders. Beth put her farming knowledge to use and began planting seeds that had been left over by the previous owner and Daryl began building a better perimeter fence. It was easier now that the ground was no longer frozen solid.

The ease with which they fell into their new life felt like it ought to surprise him but he felt as though he had been waiting forever to find this girl.

One night they sat outside on the front porch in the warm spring air. Daryl sat on the top porch step with Beth on the one below him, leaning back against his chest as he worked his fingers through the tangles in her long blonde hair.

Beth was frowning in concentration as she stared out at the clear land before them. "I've never." she paused, biting her lip, clearly not sure what to say. She was so bad at the game that it was almost funny watching her think of things. "Driven a motorcycle." she finally declared happily twisting her neck to grin up at him.

Daryl snorted and rolled his eyes. "Point for you." he grumbled wrapping his arm around her and pulling her tighter to his chest. "Have you ever ridden one?" he asked curiously as she settled against him. Beth shook her head, her blonde ponytail hitting him lightly in the face.

"No. What's it like?" she asked tilting her head to gaze up at his face.

Daryl paused for a moment to think of a description. He was not as good with words as she was. Beth could describe places he had never been to so well he could close his eyes and not only see them but smell and hear them as well.

"Its loud." he said finally. "There's nothing between you and the road so there's a bit of fear to it at first. Its." he paused searching for the right word. "Freeing." he settled on finally. There was a time when saying such a statement in front of someone else would have been unthinkable but not with Beth. He knew that whatever stupid thing he said she would never judge him for it, or think any less of him.

Beth leaned her head against his chest again. "So its a bit like riding a horse?"

Daryl shrugged. "Not really. You have complete control over the motorcycle. Not so with a horse." he explained thinking back on the last time he had ridden a horse. Her family's horse who had ended up tossing him and causing a lot more problems than the ride was worth.

"Oh. I'd like to ride a motorcycle one day." she yawned suddenly and rested her arms on his knees. He took her hair in his hands again and began to play with it as they sat in companionable silence and watched the sun set before them.

Daryl stared out contently at the land that they were slowly making their own. They could live there for years and be able to keep themselves fed off the land. There was a creek not to far away where they got fresh water. Hell, they even manged to bathe once a week by heating up the creek water in a large pot over the fireplace. The first time they did that they were both so giddy with being clean that Daryl had said fuck it to his rule of them not having sex without protection and he took her on the kitchen table twice.

As much as he hated being responsible he knew that they could not go around having unprotected sex all the time without consequences. The morning after they first had sex, made love, whatever you wanted to call it, he told Beth they couldn't do that again.

Her face had paled and she clutched the bed sheet tight to her naked chest. He immediately back tracked his words explaining that it wasn't because he didn't want to, cause hell he pretty much always wanted to, or because he didn't think of her like that but because they couldn't risk her getting pregnant. She had protested but he was adamant. When he explained to her that they could still do other things she had huffed and said, "Like what?"

He had smirked so widely at her question before he bent over to kiss her that thinking about it made his face hurt. Teaching her the different ways a body could move with another was his favorite way to pass the time. The first time that he had kissed her between her legs she had been so nervous her hands kept fluttering around like small birds. At the feel of his tongue on her she had moved her hands to his hair with a gasp. Of course, the first time she went down on him he had been no better and came into her mouth with her name on his lips.

She didn't get her period for a few weeks after they had sex and he spent each day trying to work up the courage to ask her if she got it while worrying about what the hell they'd do if she did get pregnant. The day she finally got it he almost melted with relief that they would not have to worry about that yet.

"We should head on inside." he said as the last rays of the sunset disappeared beyond the horizon. Beth lifted her head from his chest where she had been half asleep already and rose to her feet. Daryl clambered up behind her and they did one last scan of the area around the house before heading inside again. Daryl thought he heard something rustle in the trees to his left but seeing nothing he followed her inside. Shutting and locking the front door they slid the couch back in front of it. The house secure for the night Beth slipped off her shoes and slid her jacket off her shoulders.

Daryl stepped forward and placed his hands on her upper arms. Bending down he kissed the pulse point of her neck and slipped the collar of her shirt down to bare her shoulder. Smiling she turned to face him and pulled her t-shirt over her head. Placing his hands on her hips he pulled her closer to him and bent his head to hers, catching her mouth with his own. Her hands gripped his shoulders and he put his hands on her ass and lifted her up. As Beth wrapped her legs around his waist a gunshot suddenly rang outside.

They pulled away from each other with a gasp and a wild eyed look. He put her back on the ground and she scooped her shirt off the floor in a panicked haste. As she shoved her feet into her boots and pulled the shirt over her head Daryl grabbed his crossbow and went to the window to peer through the cracks in the boards. Beth went around the house blowing out the candles. As he peered through the small crack into the darkening night he managed to make out at least five figures at the edge of the woods. All were armed, all were male. He cursed under his breath. They were outnumbered in both people and weapons. They only had the advantage being in the house. If he was alone he would have made a stand and maybe even killed the men if they came any closer, the farmhouse was that valuable. But Daryl wasn't alone.

He looked over his shoulder at Beth who huddled behind him, gun in hand, a look of terror on her face just visible in the shallow moonlight. "Pack some food." he whispered to her. "We're leaving."

A look of pain crossed her face but she nodded and did as he told her. Within minutes she was behind him again this time a pack on her shoulders. The men were now approaching the back door of the house.

"We're going out the bathroom." he said swinging his crossbow onto his shoulder and shepherding her ahead of him. As he locked the bathroom door behind him he heard the men begin to pound on the door to the house.

"Maybe we should talk to them." Beth whispered as he eased the window open and motioned her forward.

He looked down at her and felt his heart both break and soar at her innocence and trust of people. "Best not risk it." he whispered back. Daryl knew how dangerous men could be before the turn, and if these men had been bad people before then they had no hope of reasoning with them now. It was safer to assume everyone was a threat than to put your trust in the wrong people.

He waited until the men circled to the front door of the house before helping Beth ease out the window and the few feet down to the ground outside. He hated making her go out first when the men could circle back and see her at any time but he wasn't about to let her wait in the house either. Just as he slipped through the window the front door crashed open to cheers. Daryl grabbed Beth's hand and they sprinted to the cover of the woods.

They tore through the woods as quickly and quietly as they could for several minutes. Finally Daryl decided that they were far enough away and they ground to a halt. Beth placed her hands on her hips and stared up at him, her breath ragged and her blue eyes fierce. He felt almost guilty under her questioning gaze.

"We couldn't risk it." he finally whispered buckling under the pressure of her eyes. "It was a group of five men. No women. Who knows what they would have done to you." he explained his blood boiling hot at the mere thought of someone laying a hand on her.

Beth's angry blue eyes softened. "I can take care of myself Daryl." she whispered gently placing a hand on his arm.

He nodded and ran a hand through his overgrown hair. "I know that. I just." Daryl paused unsure of how to continue, to explain why his fear of those men had been much different than his usual aversion to people.

"Its okay." Beth whispered stepping closer to him as if she knew the words he couldn't seem to find.

Daryl shook his head. They had just lost their first home since the prison. The first place in a long time he truly felt like he belonged. All the happy memories of the farmhouse that had been their own for the past few months filled his head. They had lost their home to someone else, again. Daryl wondered if they would ever have a place to call their own, a place where they could be safe.

"Hey." Beth put her hand on his chin and forced his eyes to look down at her calm face. "It'll be okay." she smiled up at him sadly. "We still have each other."

Daryl pulled her to his side in a tight hug and surveyed the unfamiliar territory around them. "That we do." he agreed in a whisper. Sighing he let go of her, pulling his crossbow into his arms again and stepping forward into the night. "C'mon Greene. We've got ourselves a new home to find."