~+~Author's Note~+~

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.

Yes, I did leave it at a cliffhanger. Lol! Who knows what she saw... Well, read on and you'll see in just a moment. This is another long chapter! I keep tweaking things to add subtleties. Thank you for reviewing, and special mention to ciprianoivashkov and SaraiVe for your continued reviews! I hope this chapter wraps up some questions. Oh, yeah—this one is also over 1k words longer than usual. Please, enjoy!

In the deep red and purple glow of the sunset, she saw him standing there shirtless, and marks adorned his back that she never knew existed. It looked like he had been using a damp washcloth to wipe down some of the dirt and sweat (and goodness knows what else) from his skin—she never recalled him ever taking his shirt off around anyone before.

"Daryl," she breathed out, letting him know she was there.

He jumped a little, dropping the cloth, when he heard her voice, and he turned to face her as his eyes searched for where he left his shirt. It seemed like he was embarrassed either way to be seen by her without a shirt on, but what she had seen on his back made her heart break once again for him.

"Daryl," she repeated, walking closer to him, tears forming in her eyes.

She gently reached out to touch his arm, but he backed away, turning his face from her while still keeping her in his peripheral vision. Even though he withdrew from her, she refused to back away. In time, he would more than likely say something to her—even if it were to command her to leave.

"Why don't you go hang out witchyer li'l friends? Rather than peepin' on an old man," he finally said, some hostility in his voice. "Maybe finish yer dinner with Rick." She was shocked at his words, and her face showed it. "Yeah, I heard about it."

Her heart hurt a little at the thought of Carol's betrayal, but when she considered Carol going out of her way to stir him up, she didn't think it was likely—and she had been trying to help her, after all. He probably asked her about it, and she obviously couldn't just lie to him; that had to have been the reason she knew he was upset in the first place. After a moment of letting his words and the image of his marred flesh set in, Beth looked down to the ground as a couple of suspended tears over what she had seen finally fell.

"Do ya want me to go?" she asked quietly. When she didn't receive any kind of reply, she tucked her arms in and started talking again, saying, "I love everyone here, y'know? We're a big family is what it feels like. And I do love Rick, of course. I love him and Carl and Carol and Maggie and my daddy—everyone. They're all my family."

Seemingly unmoved by her words, he just stood in that same position—if anything, her words seemed to fan the flames.

"I've never felt so frustrated by someone...and yet so happy to be around them. I never thought that my emotions could be so topsy-turvy, like all over the place. I get sad and angry and happy and heartbroken at every turn...and constantly embarrassed," she rambled on with an anxious clearing of her throat at the end, feeling a little odd being the only one to talk. Throughout her whole monologue, he had never turned to face her.

"So why are you tellin' me? Hm?" he asked, clearly annoyed as his blue eyes pierced through her, not quite pulling from her words what she was trying to convey.

"Because I thought you'd like to know how I felt—" she started.

"So I tell you 'no,' and ya just run off to the next one, like ya did with Zach?" he cut in, irate, as he glared at her and flung his hand up for emphasis.

"—...about you," she finished, looking down and biting the tip her thumb a little before she glanced up again.

He seemed stunned at her words and looked away. Finally, his eyes sought her face, but they looked lost. For once, Daryl Dixon looked like he was lost. A mental war seemed to be going on underneath the surface as his eyes moved back and forth between hers. He cautiously reached his hand out to her, but it shot back, and he turned away and ran his hand through his hair as he walked a few paces away and breathed out a curse word under his breath.

"For f's sake, Beth, ya needa learn how to say whatcha mean without confusin' people... shit," he muttered, sounding more embarrassed than scolding.

"Well... maybe I figured it'd be payback for turning me down?" she mumbled somewhat impishly while she twirled her hair, although the thought never really did cross her mind, but her attention slowly gravitated to his back which accelerated her heart-rate. The shock of his anger had almost wiped that image from her immediate memory.

Gazing at his figure in the dark, she wondered how he could have gotten his scars, but it looked like it had happened long before the world turned upside down. It looked like there was at least one cigarette burn mark, and her stomach churned at the idea of what hell he went through before this one. Finding herself shivering from his small burst of anger as well as that sudden thought, she gripped her arms to try to force herself still.

"But..." he added, dubious of her intentions, "I saw you two."

"At training?" she asked as she collected herself, but his stare was her only answer. "Rick didn't know about what happened with Lizzie and Patrick, so when I told him, he saw I was upset and gave me a hug. That's all it was," she said, hoping to quell his misgivings.

He turned her way and his gaze fell on her, his eyes showing inexplicable emotion, and her heart beckoned her to move towards him. She walked forward nervously and stopped, only looking up once she was right in front of him. He looked at her face, noticing she was shaking, and he gently stroked her cheek as if making sure she was actually there in front of him.

Eventually, he placed his other hand carefully at her waist as he cupped her chin, and he slowly leaned down and touched his forehead to hers. Her heart beat violently against her ribs at their close proximity, and she cautiously moved her hands to his bare chest. Reaching back, his fingers tangled in her hair a little, and he played with her locks as they stood in that same position. She also explored through his hair with one of her hands before he pulled her close to him. Somehow, it felt like a piece of loneliness was melting away; she hoped it was for him, too.

"Why?" he mumbled into her hair, cuddling her to his chest.

"Why what?" she asked, now holding him around the waist and cautiously circling her fingers around his scars as her entire body tingled. Part of her felt afraid he might get upset at her touch, but he seemed to be allowing her the privilege. She then thought of what they had just been talking about and admitted, "I didn't really mean it as payback."

He shifted somewhat uncomfortably—not because of her fingers wandering over his skin but because of what he wanted and didn't want to say at the same time—and shook his head at her guess.

"What is it?" she asked tenderly and leaned back to look at him.

"Why d'ya..." he trailed off, turning his face to the side. "Jus'... why..."

Now, the sun had disappeared, and the stars and moon replaced its steady glow. He never really finished his question, but in the moonlight, his eyes were searching for answers in her own as they held each other shyly. Slowly, she brushed her hands across his cheeks with her fingertips playing through his hair, and she held them there while she moved her body closer. Leaning up on her tiptoes, she glanced between his eyes with her own half-shut with her answer.

Before she could second-guess herself, she lightly touched her lips to his, eyes fully closed. She felt his breathing speed up and his lips part slightly as a low rumble came from his throat, and she slowly pulled away. Instead of the lack of feeling she had had with Zach, she felt like lightning coursed through her veins even with such a small touch. She smirked at him afterward when his breathing came out choppily.

"I couldn't help it; I just fell for you," she said sweetly. "And... I wasn't really in love with Zach."

At her admission, she looked down. It felt weird to be talking about someone who was dead now—and she also felt somewhat embarrassed by just confessing to him like that. Showing signs of embarrassment also, Daryl cleared his throat and finally corrected his breathing rhythm before gently tucking her hair behind her ear.

"You should get off to bed," he said, hesitating and changing his mind to just tap her shoulder a couple times rather than kiss her.

"...Okay. Goodnight, Daryl," she whispered with a smile still stuck on her face.

"G'night," he mumbled uncomfortably.

Even though she wanted to argue, she knew it'd be hard to explain why she was out here so late with him, but she held his hand and brushed her fingers across his as she left, trying to keep his touch as long as possible. Her heart burned with questions about his past, but she accepted her victory of the night with their feelings coming out in the open. When she cleared a few hallways, she leaned against the wall and smiled as she held her finger to her lips.

"Dear diary, I kissed Daryl—not on the cheek, I mean I really kissed him. So much has happened... Apparently, Daddy told him to stay away from me, too. I still ended up flirting with him, and he shut me down; but I guess when he saw Rick training me in his place, he kinda got jealous. I thought he was just mad because I was hanging out with other people besides him (and because I didn't listen to him about training with Maggie), so I didn't expect him to be really upset about it. He thought I liked Rick! I mean, he did hug me, but he was just trying to make me feel better since I told him about what happened when I was in quarantine with the kids; I did end up telling him that, too.

I was so shocked when I went to see Daryl... he has so many scars on his back—I couldn't see them all that well in the lighting, but I felt them when we held each other. Since they were on his back, I know he didn't stand a chance to fight back against whoever did it...but they were healed over and just awful. I hate to think about how he got them, but I still want to know...

I told him how I felt, and he didn't reject me. He even returned my feelings...in his own way.

I still just can't believe how tonight went... So many misunderstandings, but now it's like all of that is over. I feel like we can finally just be together. I'm too happy tonight to think about the maybes and what ifs. I just want to think about Daryl tonight.

I can't put my thoughts together cohesively! I feel like I'm up in the clouds—maybe even in the stars that were out tonight. I don't think I will ever forget this night; it was so surreal.

I...love Daryl."

Beth awoke with a smile and played with her sheets a little in between her fingers, imagining the feel of Daryl's hair. Once she got changed and ready for the day, she walked out of her cell to meet up with her sister who seemed to be speedily rushing to meet her.

"Hi—whoa!" she said as her sister dragged her back into her room. "What's the big deal?"

"Where did you go last night?" she asked curiously, although it seemed like more pressing matters were on her mind.

"I talked with Carol; what's wrong?" she said in way of reply.

"Look, I know I've been squealing, and I don't mean to, but I have to tell someone, and you have to promise not to tell anybody else, okay?" she hissed quietly.

"O...okay," she said, confusion evident.

"I've missed my period the last couple months... I think it's stress, but I don't know for sure..." she trailed off with her head hanging down and stared up at Beth.

Beth rubbed her face as her eyebrows shot up when the implication set in.

"I know how you feel about this; I know how you felt with Lori, too, just... Things are different here. We're not runnin', we've got people who act as doctors right now, and I think it could work," she said in a hushed whisper, and Beth couldn't tell if she was trying to convince her or herself.

"Okay," she found herself saying again. She was at a loss for any other words.

"Okay?" Maggie sort of repeated, and Beth nodded along with her and held her hands.

"Yeah. Yeah, it could work out—I mean, if you are pregnant," she said with the same false assurance she had used to calm her sister before.

Maggie nodded again, this time a little less rapidly as she seemed to calm down. She was actually shaking a little, so Beth hugged her. They went to breakfast together and were invited to sit with Rick and Carl who were also eating at the time. Even though she would have preferred to go sit with them (although she really wanted to go see Daryl), she graciously declined and sat with Maggie in the library. No one else was there that early, surprisingly, so Maggie expounded upon her feelings and thoughts.

"I mean, I don't think Glenn wants to have a child. I think he's really concerned about it," she said, biting her fingernails a little. "It's not that I'm not, but I want to have a family, too. I don't think it's impossible..."

Beth grabbed her sister's other hand and held it, giving it a squeeze as she flashed a smile at her.

"Hey. I'll ask Daryl to grab one for you on this next run," she offered.

Knitting her eyebrows together, Maggie asked, "What do you mean?"

"You know, a pregnancy test," she finished.

"I mean... Why would you ask Daryl?" she continued. "I thought you and him weren't talkin' now."

She looked away and down at the hand she was holding as she spaced out.

"Don't tell me... Is somethin' goin' on between you?" she asked, closing in the space between them.

"Maggie, I wouldn't even tell you," Beth smiled mischievously. "I tell you anything and the whole group is suddenly talkin' about it. Nuh-uh."

Giving her a pointed look, Maggie said authoritatively, "Beth."

"Not happening," Beth giggled and hopped up.

She then ran off with a good head start, Maggie chasing after her, before she was pulled off to the side. Maggie continued on after her in the direction she thought she had disappeared to, and Beth panted a little as she looked to her rescuer.

"Hey," she said with a giggle.

"Hey," Daryl answered with an amused grin and pet her face. Once her breathing slowed, he added, "Hardly slept."

Shocked, she asked, "Why?"

He took her hands in his, lacing his fingers through hers as he tugged her further into the library, away from any possible prying eyes. Excitement bubbled up inside her, wondering what he wanted to talk about.

"Wanted to see ya," he admitted. "'N...well..."

Staring at her with half-closed eyes, he drew her in close and pet her stray hair away from her face. She gave a soft giggle as her heart-rate increased and her cheeks turned pink, and he put his finger over her mouth to silence her. Glancing around first, he pulled his arm around her shoulders from behind her, placing his other hand behind her head, and leaned down to press his lips to hers. She felt a warmth spread from her head to her toes, and she unconsciously made a pleased humming noise.

"Quiet," he whispered with a smirk as his lips brushed against hers, and he moved her so her back was to the wall.

He traced his fingers around her face, stopping at her mouth, and held his thumb there while he tilted her chin up towards him. His other hand found one of hers and clasped it before his lips met hers again and again—just soft little pecks, but she thought her heart was going to get them both caught by the sound it was making. When his kisses altered their course to her cheek and jawbone, she felt extremely light-headed. Tilting her head to the side a little with his hand, his eyes analyzed her and forced a deeper blush to her face.

"I wanna follow your daddy's wishes, but..." Her heart sunk a little at his words. "I can't... No one else gets to have ya... Beth," he growled sweetly in her ear before he kissed her on the cheek and then forehead.

She was getting swept away by his affection to her, affection she never thought that Daryl Dixon would give her. His words filled the longing inside her heart, and she stared at him fondly. Brushing her nose against his, she smiled at him and gazed into his eyes to see the individual flecks of color. Seeing and smelling him this close caused her to wrinkle her brows and tilt her head a little.

"Did you shower?" she asked, squinting.

Her question totally dispelled the romanticism in the air, and he let out a soft snort.

"What, din't think I could clean up?" he countered.

"No, no! That's not what I meant," she said, face reddening—she was trying to come up with the right words to say, but she just couldn't get anything else out—and he held his hand over her mouth to dampen the sound, which only made her giggle a little.

"I thought ya'd prefer a li'l less dirt," he murmured as he kissed her head.

She looked at him gratefully and smiled when he moved his hand to softly stroke her neck.

"I like ya just like ya are," she replied, running her fingers through his hair.

His eyes squinted a little as a soft blush crept into his cheeks; he looked so cute to Beth like that. But suddenly, he heard a noise, and he pressed his lips to her forehead again before slipping away further into the library, and she took off in the other direction, walking as normally as she could under the circumstances.

"How did you get away from me?" Maggie asked incredulously. "Were you in here this whole time? If so, I'm gonna be mad. I chased around the whole prison lookin' for ya!"

Beth giggled and shook her head.

"I wasn't," she lied and laughed again at her sister.

"It's not funny," her sister responded indignantly and snagged her by her wrist. "Come on, you'll be late."

"What are you talkin' about?" she asked.

"We have a meetin' this mornin' about a run; Rick thinks you should be there, too, since ya learned how to handle a weapon an' all," she explained as she dragged her along.

Everyone was seated except Daryl, and Beth fidgeted nervously in her chair. A few were whispering about it, and Carol gave a curious look to Beth who didn't respond in any way.

"I think he was at the library—should I go check on him?" someone asked, and before Maggie could say anything, Daryl burst in and took his place, nodding at Rick.

"He was at the library...?" Maggie whispered, but Beth remained focused on Rick who then began to speak.

Even though her eyes were focused on him, she was really focusing on the man sitting next to him until her name was brought up in discussion. Because she hadn't been paying attention, she barely gathered that her name was in for the next run.

"Seriously, Rick? How much training could she have gone through?" Maggie piped up.

"Not enough," Daryl responded immediately, silencing her as she turned her perturbed glance to Rick again.

"Probably more than most of the people going into this had," Rick replied politely as he attempted to reassure those who also had misgivings.

"But she's still young," Tyreese, Sasha's brother, chipped in. "I think she should be protected here with the others."

"Until when?" Beth actually added her two cents. "Daryl and Rick both trained me, so I'm a great shot. It's not like I'm getting sent off on my own."

"So what happens when ya get out there and ya run outta steam if things go south? Ain't done nothin' for endurance," Daryl countered. "Easy way to get bit."

She felt chills go through her as his daily reality set into her, and she sat back in her seat, also silenced. It was true; even if she could shoot to high heaven, if she had to literally go on the run, she wouldn't get as far as the others who had to do so daily. That, and she trusted Daryl's word to be the final say—if he said she was ready, then she was, and if not, the converse was true.

"Good enough to stand watch, though. Got a li'l Annie Oakley," he remarked as his eyebrows shot up and fell back down.

Rick nodded his head in thought and then gave one last bob of his head as he confirmed what he was thinking.

"She is a dead shot. I take it you'll get her in tip-top shape since she wants to go out there with everyone else. All right, then—looks like Beth will be on the watch list. Any objections to that?" he asked.

"I have an objection to her trainin'," Hershel chimed in.