Chapter Three: You Honestly Don't Know Do You?

Daryl was worried. Beth was supposed to meet him but she never came. His heart was racing as he made his way to the house that night. What if something happened to her? He couldn't lose her. Daryl was so attached to Beth now and he had come to accept that fact. He knew the little spitfire blonde was changing him and he liked it. He liked HER...a lot. Daryl was experiencing a feeling that he'd never felt towards anyone and it terrified him. His entire world was slowly starting to revolve around Beth and he was powerless to stop it. For the first time in his life, he was happy. She made him happy. He wanted to be a better man for her. This group, his family, they were all important to him but Beth had his heart. Where did that come from? Daryl really didn't know what was happening to him but he was relishing in these new stirrings she was awakening in him.

As he made his way into the house, his eyes began searching for Beth. He was expecting to find her cooking or tending to Judith like she usually did in the evenings but he didn't see her anywhere. Everyone was lounging around and no one seemed to notice him enter. "Y'all seen Beth?" he asked to get their attention. They all looked up at him and began telling him no. Carl came down the stairs "Yeah she went to bed pretty soon after she got home. Said she wasn't feeling too good." Carl told him. Daryl was concerned but quickly hid it. "Thanks bud." he told Carl as he leapt up the stairs two at a time.

Daryl opened their door and found Beth, still in her work clothes, curled up on the bed asleep. She awoke as he entered their room. She yawned and stretched as she sat up. "When did you get here?" she asked looking down. "Just now. Wanted to check on ya. How come ya never came to see me today? Ya alright?" he inquired sitting beside her on the bed and placing his hand on her knee. Beth recoiled from his touch and stood up immediately going to the window. She still hadn't looked at him. "I just wasn't feeling well. I'm fine though...it's nothing." she brushed him off. Daryl was confused. Why was she acting so coldly to him? "It ain't nothing Beth. If you're sick I need to know so I can take care of ya." he said. Beth shook her head. "No Daryl. I'm fine. I can take care of myself...I don't need you." she spat out with her voice breaking on the last sentence. Daryl's heart dropped. Of course this would happen. Now that she was around other people, other men, she wouldn't be wanting a nobody redneck like him. She was too good for him. She always had been. She was so pure and sweet...so beautiful. She took his breath away. But he couldn't tell her these things. He was a fool for thinking a piece of trash like him could ever mean anything more to an extraordinary girl like Beth Greene. A friend was all she'd ever see in him.

Daryl sighed. "Nah. Ya probably don't need me. I'm going now. Gonna give ya some space." he said dejectedly as he stood to leave. For the first time all night Beth turned to look at him. "Daryl please!" Beth cried. Daryl looked at her and his heart dropped again. Her eyes were red and puffy and he knew she'd been crying. Her rebuff of him melted away and he immediately went to her and gathered her in his arms as she buried her head in his chest and cried. "Tell me what's wrong." he pleaded with her. "I can't. You'll think it's stupid." she muffled into his chest. "Hey." he said pulling her face up to look at him. "Ain't nothing ya could ever tell me that I'd think was stupid."

Beth nodded her head and pulled away from his embrace. She went to stand in front of the window again as Daryl stayed where he was. "Talk to me Beth...please." Daryl rasped out. Beth was silent for several more minutes before it all came spilling out. "I heard some of the girls talking today and they really like you. They're all so pretty." Beth sadly sighed. "Anyways I just wanted to tell you that you don't have to feel obligated to me or anything. If you wanted to...date one of those girls I'd understand. I mean...they don't look like a monster like I do." Beth said meekly. "What the Hell Beth?" Daryl roared as he began pacing. "Did one of them girls say something to ya 'bout ya scars?" he yelled. "No!" Beth started. "Well...not to my face anyways. I just heard them talking about whether or not you had a girlfriend and one of them said that..." Beth choked on a sob. "Said what?" Daryl seethed. "...She said there's no way you could ever want a girl with scars on her face." Beth finished with a shaky voice.

Daryl was livid. How dare them sluts think they could say those things about Beth. Beth was more of a woman than they'd ever be and Daryl was going to make damn sure that Beth knew it. He'd never voluntarily showed anyone the scars that riddled his back but he figured Beth should know. She wouldn't judge him or look down on him. Beth had turned to face the window again and Daryl could hear her sniffles. She was crying again. Daryl was still angrily pacing the room and willed himself to stop. It tore him up when she cried. Daryl reigned his anger in as best as he could. He slowly approached her. "Beth." he whispered. "They're right though Daryl. You need someone like them...someone not damaged like me. I'll just weigh you down." she told him. Daryl was floored. She honestly thought he didn't want her. She honestly thought he hated her scars and that those girls were better than her. His jaw clenched as he took in her words. "You honestly don't know do you?" Daryl rasped out. Beth turned to face him. "Know what?" she asked. Daryl gazed at her with the same penetrating gaze he'd given her that night in the funeral home. He thought she'd understood just how deep his feelings ran for her. "How much ya mean to me." he finished. Beth sucked in a sharp breath. "I..." she began but Daryl cut her off. "Nah. Let me finish." he told her. Before she knew what was happening, Daryl was removing his shirt and vest. She could make out the hard planes of his chest and abs in the dark. He was so beautiful. He sucked in a sharp breath shuddering and turned his back to her and then she saw them. Her eyes widened as she took in the deep ridges and raised lines that scarred his back. Her eyes filled with more tears. It all made sense now. The moonshine still, the little tidbits about his past, Daryl's skittishness, his lack of knowledge about affection...he had been abused as a child and Beth's heart broke. How anyone, especially his own Father, could've be so cruel to this wonderful man standing in front of her was unimaginable. Beth's breathing hitched as more tears fell. "My old man...he was a bastard." he whispered as his breathing hitched too. "This is what I am Beth." Daryl brokenly confessed. Beth was stunned. He was still the most beautiful man, inside and outside, that she'd ever seen. How could he not see that? "Daryl...you're beautiful." she breathed out.

Daryl shook his head and he turned around to face her. "Nah. You're beautiful Beth. I ain't never felt this way before. And I...ya mean the world to me. Ya do...you're everything now. And I don't know...what I'm feeling. I ain't good with all this and I don't understand. But Beth...you're the most important thing to me now. Ya mean the world to me." He crossed the room in one swift motion and boldly took her face in his hands. She could feel them trembling. He was just as scared as she was. "Don't ya believe one word they said. You're beautiful. Ya always have been. And if ya think I ain't gonna want ya cause of a couple lines on ya face...you're wrong." he firmly said with conviction. He then pressed his lips to the scar on her forehead as he looked tenderly in her eyes. "So wrong..." he breathed out as he then moved to kiss the one on her cheek. "You're the most beautiful thing in my world Beth. I don't want none of them...just you. It's always you and don't ya ever doubt that." he said hoarsely as he wrapped his arms around her again.

Beth breathed out a sigh of relief. She should've trusted her instincts. She should know that nothing and no one could break them. Their bond was too deep and too strong for anything to destroy it. Beth was still unsure about the exact nature of that bond but she was certain now that at least Daryl was on the same page as her. She'd never be self-conscious and doubt his affection for her again. "Thank you Daryl." she whispered. "Don't thank me for telling ya the truth." he chuckled then he became serious again. "I ain't good enough for ya Beth but you've got all ya want of me...for as long as ya want." Daryl said sheepishly. "I want you Daryl. All of you. Forever." she fondly replied.

She stepped out of his embrace again to face his back. "Can I?" she asked. Daryl silently nodded. Beth took her hands and began tracing the gruesome marks. She didn't care that they were there. She loved them because they were a part of him. She hated that he'd had to endure them but they meant he was a survivor...just like her. He was everything. Slowly Beth lowered her lips to his back. She began tenderly kissing each and every scar. She heard Daryl choke on a sob as he relaxed into her touch. He trusted her and she trusted him. When she had thoroughly worshipped each scar with kisses several times, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek in-between his shoulder blades just like she did at the moonshine still only this time Daryl's hands came up to cover hers around his waist. They stood like that for awhile just taking comfort in each other. Beth slowly moved around to face him. She was surprised to see his eyes were wet with unshed tears. Daryl was looking at her in complete reverence and adoration. She gazed up at him in awe. They were both in deep and there was no turning back. They pulled each other to the bed. As they both crawled in, Beth couldn't help the feeling of honor that washed over her. Daryl only showed this side of himself to her. She felt privileged that he was comfortable enough with her to reveal his sweet and tender side. For the first time since they started sharing a room, they both went to sleep tangled in each other's arms in the center of the bed.