Later that night, satisfied from a decent meal and with camp set up in the back office of the church, Daryl sat down to take first watch while Beth settled herself for sleep. They had been right about the church; other than a few walkers whose bodies were now outside on the front porch, the building was empty.
The small office at the back contained the high up window that backed on to the woods, so on Daryl's advice, they set up sleeping and watch arrangements so they'd be directly under it. This way, if anyone looked in they wouldn't spot them, but Daryl and Beth would be immediately alerted to anyone trying to climb in and could head out the front and vice versa.
Daryl sat with his back against the wall, hands rested on his knees with Beth curled up beside him, her head pressed gently against his thigh. This was how they went to sleep every night now, before switching places as Beth took over from watch. At first, he had tensed up at the contact, feeling as if her head was burning into his leg and making him feel like he couldn't move a muscle. Gradually, he got used to it and once he started doing the same position when it was his turn to sleep, he understood the comfort that could come from knowing someone was right there when you slept.
A few months back, after a close call with a large group of walkers in a shopping mall, Daryl had found himself gently stroking Beth's hair as she tried to sleep, thwart with nightmares of what could have happened. Since then, he'd made a habit of it and Beth didn't seem to mind one bit. He knew this wasn't like him, this openness to human contact, but Beth brought it out in him and with just her left in his world, he'd adapted to what he felt she needed to survive.
"You think we can train again tomorrow?" Beth broke through his thoughts with her quiet and sleepy question.
"I 'unno Ms Greene. You think you're up to it?" He asked playfully and heard her snort softly in response.
"Daryl, soon I'm going to be kicking your ass to the floor." She replied getting a quiet huff from him.
Ever since the incident with the man back in the winter, Beth had asked Daryl to train her in self-defence. He was already angry with himself at the time for being so desperate from the cold that he put her in that situation, so he took her request as proof that she didn't think he was capable of protecting them both. He remembered frowning but nodding slightly, not wanting to deny her something she'd ask for when she so rarely asked for anything. But Beth could read him like a book even then and later that night by the fire, had just come out and called him out on it.
"I don't want you to train me because I don't think you can protect me. I know you can and I know you will Daryl. I just need to feel less useless. Know I can look after myself and contribute to our partnership whenever I need to." He remembered just staring intensely at her for a moment and couldn't help but think about how good it felt to be part of a 'partnership'.
Since then, he'd shown her how to throw punches, how to properly use her knife and more recently, had been teaching her how to escape if someone tried to grab her. He was reluctant to start this part of the training because he felt like doing so was admitting that this was even a possibility. The thought of someone trying to grab her made his fists clench together. Over time, he'd realised Beth was more than capable of looking after herself, but he couldn't help feeling fiercely protective over her.
There was a time, not too long after the fall of the prison, when he and Beth had first started to become more than just two people surviving together and they'd stayed in a funeral home they'd found. He knew something wasn't right but was stupidly distracted by how he felt like he was really seeing her for the first time that night. Luckily, at the sound of a car door slam, they'd hid in a cupboard until the men eventually left, all the while listening to them talking about people they'd captured in the 'traps' like that one they'd set up around the state. He wasn't stupid; he knew there'd be people out there who'd take advantage of the new world, but he'd be damned if he let Beth ever get close enough to them.
Even so, he'd agreed to train her and been impressed by how committed she'd been to learning and how hard she'd worked. What he'd been struggling with the last few weeks, is how he'd been finding it more and more distracting getting so physically close to her, particularly in the searing heat. Most of their sessions had involved him grabbing hold of her and her trying to escape him and her wriggling and pressing against him was making his head cloud up. He wasn't stupid; he knew Beth was attractive and she was much more to him now than just some girl he got out with. But she was also pure and good and didn't need someone who's there to protect her take advantage of her.
That's why he put these thoughts away, locked in a box in his mind that he tried not to stray to too often.
He sighed and dropped his head back against the wall, running his hand gently over her head as he listened to her soft breaths as she slept.
Daryl had woken to the church doors open with Beth sitting at the entrance watching the rain as it clattered loudly on the tin roof. She hadn't realised he was awake yet and he took the chance to watch her as she stared up at the rain falling. As he did, his mind wandered to what the weather would mean for their hunting chances that day and whether it'd be a good idea to go out training in the rain when they had shelter for once.
Beth must have sensed that he was awake and spun around where she was sitting. Satisfied he was up, she stood and stepped out into the rain cheerfully calling, "Gotta take a piss!" over her shoulder. He snorted at her cursing and propped himself up on his elbows and watched her walk out.
Beth hopped down the church steps hearing Daryl call, "Watch your fuckin' mouth Greene!" after her and she smirked as she found a private spot behind a large gravestone to relief herself.
Crouching down to do her business, a large possum suddenly appeared in front of her and before it even had a chance to realise she was there, she grabbed her knife from her holster and threw it in one swift motion, hitting the side of the creature with a short thunk. She beamed at it's body and resisted the urge to squeal in delight before she hopped up and walked happily up the church stairs swinging it by its tail as she did.
Daryl was already up and in Daryl mode, standing with his crossbow on his back and the map they found a few weeks back spread out on the table as he leaned over it engrossed in trying to work out where they were.
"Got us a redneck breakfast!" she called happily and he glanced up distractedly and quirked a smile at her soaked appearance before going back to the map.
"Yes ma'am you did." He murmured absently, frowning in concentration as he traced his fingers along the map.
Beth knew when he was in business mode and that he'd tell her what he was thinking when he was ready, so she set about packing up their stuff. Even if they were planning on staying a little while longer, they always packed up everything each day so if they needed to run, they were ready.
Not too long ago they'd found an old RV and thought it might just be safe enough to stay for a while. They were still careful, sleeping only in the tiny bathroom with the window to the roof above them, but had been stupid and, after a week of being there, had got confident enough to leave their food supply in the kitchen area. It was only the second week when they'd woken to a stream of walkers pushing through the front door and had only managed to escape through the rooflight in the nick of time. Daryl spoke in only grunts for a good few days after that, furious and angry with himself for letting them get comfortable enough to lose all their food.
"Thinkin' we could hole up here for a while. Far enough from anythin' else and looks like there's a stream just two miles North of here." Daryl broke through her thoughts with his assessment of their location and Beth smiled warmly at him.
"Alright then. So what is it today, trackin' or trainin'?" She asked him brightly, hoping he'd say the latter.
Even though it was a serious task, for a serious reason, Beth loved training with Daryl; seeing him suddenly become all business when he was effectively just chasing her around. He was impressive too, a born survivor he seemed to know everything about how to fight and how to second guess your opponent. But most of all, she'd gotten to enjoy the feeling of his strong arms around her and sometimes had to remind herself that she was meant to be trying to get away. She hadn't thought a lot on why she had started to enjoy this so much, only that she'd become so close to Daryl now that it was nice to have some time in the day when the focus wasn't on the food, or the shelter, or the walkers - but just on eachother.
"Well, since you've already bagged us breakfast and lunch G.I. Greene I'd say it's a kickin' your ass kinda day." He drawled, bumping her shoulder as he walked past her and lifted one end of the first pew. She was momentarily distracted by the flex in his arm muscles as he did it before he called, "You gonna give me a hand or what?" His eyes were looking intently and quizzically at her face and she had a horrible sense that he knew exactly what she'd just been staring at.
"So we practicing in here today then?" She asked, grabbing the other end of the pew and helping him lift it to the side.
"Yep." He answered, offering no further explanation as he walked to the next one.
Within twenty minutes a large space in the church was cleared and the rain continued to hammer persistently on the tin roof.
"OK, come on, hit me Daryl." She bounced excitedly from foot to foot in the middle of the church. There was already a trickle of sweat running down the side of her face from the humidity of the enclosed building.
"Beth. I ain't gonna hit you." He said frowning, standing in front of her, hands slightly raised and one foot forward as if waiting for her to attack.
"Come on Daryl, how you gonna train me if you don't attack me?" She whined. "OK... so try catch me again!" Before she'd even had a chance to take a step in the other direction, his reflexes were faster and he reached out and grabbed her by the arm and spun her into his grasp.
He had one arm across her waist restraining her with her back pressed against his body and the other trying to grab hold of her hand as she flailed about trying to get away.
"Come on Beth." He growled near her ear. "We done this before, how you gonna get out?" Beth struggled in his grasp, trying to pry his arm that was across her waist with her fingers.
"Come on, girl." He ground out as he struggled to keep her in his grip. "You know that ain't how to do it." He said even closer now as he struggled to keep hold of her.
Beth was trying absolutely hard to concentrate but her mind was spinning at the feel of his breath in her ear as he spoke to her over her shoulder. She was sweaty and sticky pressed against him and, while he seemed completely focussed on the task at hand, she was trying to keep her thoughts from going into overdrive. This was Daryl afterall, he was her friend, sole companion and protector; this was absolutely not the place to be having these kinds of thoughts. Obviously, she found him attractive, but he was way more than that and she had no intention to mess up or confuse the partnership they'd built in this new world.
Suddenly with a clear mind, she saw her opening and rammed an elbow as hard as possible back into his groin, leading him to immediately release her as he stepped quickly backwards with a pained grunt. She spun around and hopped backwards five or six steps, facing him smiling gleefully as he bent over with his hands on his knees.
"Fuck, Beth. You did good but… fuck." He breathed out in pain, still bent over with his eyes scrunched shut. Her smile faltered and she took a few tentative steps forward to check he wasn't trying to trick her. When he didn't move she took a few steps closer and still nothing.
"Shit Daryl, you OK?" She asked standing beside him now with her hand on his back leaning forward to see his face. Before she had a chance to realise what was happening, he righted himself suddenly, grabbed her by each bicep and pushed her up against the wall, with a nail digging sharply into her back. Shoving one of her feet to the side and pushing against her so he had her completely pinned, his face was close to hers so she had a full view of his arrogant smirk.
"Come on Beth, only way to get outta this one is to play dirty - what've I taught you 'bout being a dirty fighter?" he breathed, staring her in the eye as she tried to move her arms from under his grasp against the wall on either side of her.
Beth knew what he meant; a headbutt, spit or another knee to the groin were all gonna get her out of this one, but listening to his gravelly voice and feeling him pressed against her, she suddenly felt a heat spreading through her and felt completely overwhelmed by their position.
Ever since they'd started the hand to hand training a few weeks back, this feeling had been emerging, but normally she could mentally tell herself to shut up and get back to the business at hand. It was a feeling of being totally consumed by Daryl; the smell of him, the warmth of his body pressed up against her and, if she didn't catch her thoughts quick enough, the sight of him; with his hair slick with sweat against his face, lips slightly parted with exertion and his intense serious eyes on her.
Before she even realised what she was doing, in a total reflexive reaction to her thoughts, she pushed herself against him, shifting her hips forward and up which, in the position they were in, meant they connected with his, with her centre brushing against his thigh that was in between her legs. She couldn't help the slight moan that escaped her lips as she did so.
She heard Daryl's sudden intake of breath and he seemed to react instantly, releasing her arms and grabbing either side of her hips and pushing her hard back against the wall away from him. He hadn't moved his face from hers and his expression darkened, his eyes burning intensely as he stared at her, hands now holding tightly to her hips to keep them away from his. He was so close to her she could feel his breath on her face and she had a sudden and crazy urge to lean forward and kiss him. His fingernails digging into her hips as he held her in place made her think he could almost read her mind. Without another second, he released her as if her skin burned him, stepped back abruptly and turned suddenly without a glance at her before marching towards the church door, grabbing his crossbow as he did.
"Daryl, I-"
"Taking a piss!" He interrupted her, repeating her words from the morning as he strode out the door without looking back.
