Okay so that was my first chapter of my first fanfiction ever. I will be focusing on character development and the storyline and of course there will be a lot of scenes with Beth and Daryl kissing and "you know". Hahaha Just had to throw that in there. Please leave reviews, it's how I know if I am doing good or not and if I should continue. Thanks for your support in advance and hope you enjoy this next chapter.
When Daryl awoke the next morning, he felt a little disoriented. Then it all came back to him. Everyone and everything was gone. Except him and Beth. He looked down at her sleeping peacefully beside him. God, she was really beautiful and she looked so sweet and innocent, her breathing deep and even. The way her eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks. He tentatively reached his hand out and brushed a couple of wisps of hair back from her face. Her hair was so soft, he wanted to run his fingers through it. He looked down at her sleeping form and suddenly he had a primal urge to wrap her in his arms and...Disgusted with himself he pulled his hand away from her hair. He had to stop thinking about her like this. It was driving him crazy. He knew she was 19 now, but God she looked so much younger really. She had such smooth features and ivory skin. The strap of her tank had come down over her shoulder. His eyes traced a path down to her small firm breasts and again he had that primal urge. He cursed under his breath. She stirred beside him and opened her eyes. She smiled softly. "G'morning". He could really get used to waking up next to her every day. Damnit what was wrong with him. You'd think he was a teenager all over again. He smiled at her. "Mornin' Beth". He realized suddenly that he was painfully hard. His face flushed as he tried to cover up his predicament. He hoped she didn't notice.
Beth was so surprised to open her eyes and see Daryl watching her sleep. He had a look in his eyes. She had seen it before. It was the way Jimmy looked at her, then Zach. Daryl probably thought she was a little girl though. He usually treated her as such. Last night, him holding her in his arms, she had felt so safe. She had always looked up to him but now that they were alone, he had become her whole world. She thought back to how he had whispered her name in his sleep. Her dreams after that had been fitful.
Daryl suddenly got up from the bed and seemed to be in a hurry about something. "We got to get back on the road. Daylight's a wasting." His voice where soft before had once again turned gruff. Beth thought he might be the moodiest man she had ever met. She wished he'd make up his mind whether or not he was going to be nice to her.
He crossed the room and picked up his crossbow. Beth was surprised he didn't sleep with it. "Daryl, do you think anyone else made it out?" She had sat up and was rearranging her signature blonde ponytail. She had wracked her brain trying to remember where everyone was when the prison fell but it was so chaotic it was all she could do to get herself out. If it hadn't been for Daryl she probably would have died there looking for baby Judith. "Judith..." Beth's voice trailed off and she felt the tears welling up again.
Daryl looked at her "I dunno Beth, I hope so". He felt like he was lying to her. He felt like he had to. She looked like she was about to break down again.
Beth rubbed her hands over her face, taking a deep breath. Beth shoved down her feelings again. She could not keep doing this or she would never find anyone. She got up. They scavenged the cabin downstairs seeing if there was any food at all. They came up with a large can of peaches and another smaller can of baked beans. "Breakfast of champions, right Daryl" Beth quipped. Daryl only grunted, "it's better than nothin'." They ate in silence. Beth didn't have much of an appetite. "You need to eat more than that girl, you gotta keep your strength up". She knew he was right but her stomach felt sick, had since they had left the prison though. She forced down a few more bites of peaches, hoping it would stay down.
Daryl watched her eat. She was like a tiny, delicate bird. She just picked around at her food. She was far too skinny. She needed to eat. He vowed he would hunt today and find something good for the both of them. He always hoped for a deer but anything would do at this point. Even a squirrel would be better than nothin' but God he sometimes got sick of squirrels and rabbits.
Beth looked up at Daryl and saw that he was watching her. She nervously tucked a strand of her long blond hair behind her ear. She must have missed a piece. She took her hair down again hoping to secure it for the day this time. Her long blond hair cascaded over her shoulders, the tresses looking like spun silk.
When Daryl saw Beth take her hair down, he almost fell out of his chair. Watching the way her hair fell over her nearly bare shoulders, he had to swallow hard. He didn't think he had ever seen anything so beautiful. She was just like an angel, he thought. He had to restrain himself from reaching out to touch her hair like he just had in the bed a half hour ago. He remembered how soft it felt in his fingers. Then he caught himself. What the hell was wrong with him? He watched as she expertly twisted her hair back up into a messy ponytail. He wished she would leave it down but it probably wasn't practical.
After they scouted out the rest of the cabin, they had a backpack, a couple of sleeping bags, and a few odds and ends that might be helpful. When they headed out, they were careful to watch for walkers. They saw some out in the distance but nothing close enough to matter. They headed away from the cabin and set out to find any trace at all of anyone that they knew. It seemed hopeless, but they had to try.
Beth followed behind Daryl picking her way over fallen limbs and swampy areas. It must have rained more last night, she thought. It would make tracking harder, if not impossible. Daryl had been teaching her at the prison how to shoot and track. She had a few days training under her belt but that was it. She was nowhere near good at it yet.
They came to a crossroads with a couple of signs that hung limply near the ground. Reminders of a forgotten yesterday. Nothing from the old world mattered anymore. It was just irrelevant. The sign said Juniper 2 miles. Juniper, Georgia? She had never heard of it.
Daryl saw the sign to Juniper and wanted to turn back and head the other direction. Juniper was his hometown. Him and Merle had grown up there; just the two of them and their mean as a snake father, when he was around that is. From the time Daryl and Merle's ma left, their old man had taken everything out on them, beating them just for the fun of it. He worked at a rock quarry and brought home his paychecks and promptly blew them all on gambling, booze, and women. They had gotten kicked out of more than one place in Daryl's childhood. He wondered if the old homestead was still there. He hated that place. Daryl would rather take on a herd of walkers than to go back to that Godforesaken town. But it did have some draw, he knew the town. Knew where everything was and even knew where they might be able to find a car. The old shop in town where everyone got their cars fixed. Daryl had worked there as a 17 year old kid. He knew his way around cars, motorcycles, practically anything that had wheels.
Beth watched Daryl as he read the sign. He had a look on his face like he had just swallowed something he didn't like. What was up with that, she wondered. She followed as he seemed to head in the direction of the town. Maybe there was something in Juniper they needed. She longed for a car. Walking was fine, but her feet tended to kill her by the end of the day.
They walked in silence until they reached the outskirts of the town. The sign said "Welcome to Juniper, population 541". Beth wondered how old the sign was and she wondered how many of those 541 had survived; how many were walkers now. Beth followed Daryl up to an old abandoned building. There were cars and remnants of cars in the parking lot. Daryl went around the building, Beth trailing behind him. They heard the death growls as soon as they turned the corner. A walker met his untimely demise, again, when Daryl took out his knife and plunged it into his head, dark black blood oozing everywhere. Daryl let the walker fall to the ground and kept walking. Beth stepped around the fallen walker, a man dressed in coveralls. The tag on his coveralls said "Denny".
Daryl hated that Denny had become a walker. He took Daryl in on more than one night after a beating from the old man. Rest in peace, old friend, thought Daryl. Walking around to the back of the shop there was an old model SUV black with tinted windows. Daryl checked for keys, nothing. They would have to hot wire it. Nothing new. He had become an expert at it lately. The car actually cranked, which surprised him. The battery should be dead, but maybe they just got lucky. The back of the SUV had bottles of water, blankets and and the back row taken out. If they were hard pressed, they could sleep in the back if they needed to. Beth got in the passenger seat and Daryl placed his bow on the console between them. The tires on the vehicle were not the greatest but they would do. The truck was made to go off road but he didn't know he would risk it with those tires.
Beth thought Daryl was awful quiet. He was always somewhat of a loner and didn't talk too much but this was different. How did Daryl know that car was going to be back there? They didn't scout any other buildings. They were driving now through the town, past all the buildings and houses. Just outside of town Daryl stopped the car in front of a grown over gravel driveway. You could make out a house in the distance. Grey with black shutters hanging off the side of the house. "Why are we stopping, Daryl" Beth asked.
Daryl looked over at her with a pained look in his eyes. He had managed to avoid this town for the last several years. He guessed with their haphazard run from the prison, they had headed back towards Juniper. He finally spoke. "This is where I used to live".
Beth looked at him. She wasn't sure what to say. She didn't know much about his past. She knew he had a brother, Merle. Merle had died saving their group. "This where you grew up". Daryl shook his head. "Nah, I grew up long before I lived here". And it was true. When you had a daddy like him and Merle, you had to grow up fast; him at age seven.
Beth only nodded. Daryl proceeded up the drive, the vehicle bumping along the gravel and dirt, trampling down the tall weeds that had taken over. The weeds had taken over the house too. Kudzu climbed up the sides of the house, giving it a haunted feeling. They stopped and got out of the car. Daryl went up the steps to the porch and had to sit down. It was a mistake to come here. Beth could see he was struggling with something. She wanted to put her hand on him, but was afraid he would shrug it off. She did it anyway. Surprisingly he leaned into her. He felt raw and young and out of control all at the same time. Beth had sat down next to him. "You okay, Daryl?" she said softly.
Daryl looked at her. He needed to feel her. He had comforted her yesterday. Beth figured it was time for her to comfort him. He allowed Beth to hug him and he laid his head against her shoulder. She smelled faintly of strawberries. He said it out loud "I hate this place. Me and Merle used to live here with our old man. Mean son-of-a-bitch". That was all that needed to be said. He didn't feel like rehashing it all. It didn't even matter anymore. In a world where everything had gone to shit, the past just didn't matter. The future didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was the here and now. And right now, he was with the prettiest girl in all of Georgia sitting on his old porch. It seemed surreal somehow. He pulled away from Beth and ran his hands down his face. He looked at her. They were inches from one another. He could hear her breathing. Kissing her was a mere breath away.
Beth looked at Daryl and could not help herself. He looked so raw and masculine and the way he was looking at her made her feel like a woman, not a girl, but a grown woman. She thought he might kiss her. He was looking at her lips. She leaned a slight bit into him and closed her eyes. Daryl looked at her closed lids and soft pink lips and he had to know what she tasted like. He lowered his lips to hers in a tentative soft kiss. Her lips were so damn soft, he groaned.
Beth could not believe Daryl was kissing her. She opened her mouth to allow his tongue entrance. He teased her lips with the tip of his tongue and then probed it further into her mouth. It was soft and sweet and slow. Beth had never felt anything like this before. Not with Jimmy and certainly not with Zach. She sighed.
Daryl was so lost in the moment; he deepened the kiss further upon hearing her sigh, their tongues in a primal mating ritual. He pulled her to him by placing his hand behind her head. Oh how he wanted to let her hair down from that damned ponytail. Suddenly he pulled away "Beth, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that".
Beth couldn't say a word. She was speechless. "It's okay, Daryl". Her voice was barely a whisper. She felt bereft when his lips left hers. She realized, stunned, that she wanted him to kiss her again.
Daryl got up "Let's go inside and see what we can find". Beth silently followed him inside wondering what the hell just happened.
Ok, so there it is, chapter 2. Hope you like it. Please leave reviews. I welcome feedback. I am so excited with where this story is heading. I have so many ideas and can't wait to put them in print. Thanks in advance guys. Muahhhhh!