Hey guys, so this is a short chapter (apologies) but I feel like it needed to be in here to set the scene on Maggie's pre-concieved notions of Daryl Dixon so we can get an idea of how she might react when she finds out they've been doing the naughty for a little while :P To make up for this being a bit of a shortie, the next chapter is gonna get more than a little steamy (get excited for it! I blushed while writing it, guys.) Stay tuned and as always...
PLEASE REVIEW they make me so happy and full of ideas!


"So how did you end up stuck with Daryl Dixon of all people?" Maggie piped up as they strolled through the woods. It was a mild day, the air wasn't yet sticky with humidity and there was a pleasant breeze. Optimal hunting and foraging weather. Beth lead the way, Daryl's crossbow securely over her shoulder. If Maggie was surprised that Beth had reached for it as naturally as if it were her own weapon of choice, she had hidden it well.

"I got off the bus. People were getting shot at. He saved my life. That's all," Beth's reply was short. Her sleep last night had been fitful at best, her arms constantly outstretched, seeking the heat and warmth of Daryl's arms.

"I'm still angry at you for getting off the bus," Maggie added. Beth couldn't control the sarcastic eye roll.

"Need I remind you what happened to everyone that stayed on the bus?" she replied cooly.

"Point taken," Maggie snapped back.

"Where did you guys go, though? After the prison fell?" she prodded.

Beth sighed, becoming very aware that Maggie would not let up until she provided every shred of information.

"We took off into the woods. We camped for a few nights. We found an old shack where people stashed their moonshine. I hurt my ankle-"

"Wait, wait, wait. You didn't drink any moonshine, did you? He didn't let you drink a strangers moonshine, surely!" Maggie interrupted.

"I hurt my ankle," Beth continued as if Maggie had never spoken, "and he carried me. We spent a night stuck in the trunk of an old car as Walkers swarmed us. We found this old funeral home. That's all there is to know," she finished.

"Did he ever hurt you?" Maggie's question stunned Beth enough to lower the crossbow to the forest floor.

"What? Haven't you been listening? The man saved my life on more than one occasion. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"All I know is he's a Dixon. Don't pretend you weren't scared shitless of Daryl and Merle at the prison. Of all the people I'd want to be stuck with my sister, he'd be my last choice," she murmured.

"He is nothing like Merle." Beth struggled to keep her voice calm and nonchalant.

"You know what I mean, Beth. Those guys don't know how to treat women. I'd die of shock if at least one of them didn't have a rape charge against his name. Just because the world's gone to shit now, doesn't mean all the criminals have seen the grace of God and-"

"Daryl has never hurt me, Maggie. He's been nothing but good to me. I'd be dead if it wasn't for him, and I know it," Beth cut her off.

"I know he's saved your ass, Beth. I'm just not naive enough to believe that he ain't been expecting anything in return for all of his protection."

Beth bit down on her tongue hard enough to draw blood, it was the only way to stop herself from saying all of the things Daryl had forbidden her to utter.

"I'm just sayin' this because I care about you. I don't want you to think you owe him anything for looking after you. Men like him take advantage of little girls like you-"

"How am I a little girl anymore, Maggie? Is there any part of me that looks immature to you? I've been a woman for a long time now, and you're the only one who refuses to see it. I was weak when the prison fell, and he's the one who taught me to fight, to fire a gun, to use his crossbow, to hunt and track and to be just as strong as you are!" Beth flung the crossbow back over her shoulder and took off ahead of her sister who remained stunned into silence.

"Jeez, Beth, calm down!" Maggie cried, setting after her as she spun around to face her sister once more.

"He opened the front door for you and Glenn, didn't he? He sat in the freezing cold bath with your husband holding his head above the water last night. Yet you still think it's acceptable to ask if he's forced himself on me? If he's taken advantage of me, no - raped me, in exchange for my own protection? What does he have to do to prove to you that he's a good man?"

Maggie remained silent, her eyes downcast. Beth was panting by the end of her rant, her chest heaving with the effort of containing the tears that threatened to spill over her face. She suddenly understood with an overwhelming clarity what Daryl had tried to explain to her earlier. Maggie would not be able to see past his history, their age difference, Beth's non-existent innocence. She already felt as though she'd said too much by defending him so savagely.

"Maybe we should head back," Maggie murmured softly. Beth nodded her agreeance, allowing Maggie to lead the way back towards the clearing of the funeral home.

She was mentally kicking herself on the walk home, suddenly aware that if it were difficult to tell Maggie about their relationship before their last conversation, it would be damned-near impossible now. Beth was quite sure she'd quelled all of Maggie's doubts about a physical relationship between herself and Daryl, and to confess that they had indeed been sleeping together (albeit for reasons completely different to Maggies) would almost feel like defeat. It would be as if she had spent the last fifteen minutes standing in the forest screaming at her one remaining family member for no good reason.


Stay tuned for the steaminess coming up in the next chapter. Please review!

Lara xoxo