Author's Note:
Just a little background for this chapter:
this is the in-between stage of Beth's consciousness and death.
So, I hope that helps if you find any of these parts confusing... I just feel like... I might have written this chapter a little oddly. I'm just trying to convey the memories of Beth, as if you were watching an old, rickety, black and white movie.
Keep Singing, Songbird
Chapter Seven:
Feeling Alive
Clouded, distorted images flashed through Beth's mind, as if she were watching a film from decades ago. Her sights were so crisp and clear, every minute detail was chiseled into her memory. However, in her dazed state, she could hardly make out even the most obvious of lines. The distorted memories, that were as finely tuned as could be, confused Beth. Why were her memories so real and fresh yet old and weathered?
Beth's fingers curled, gripping the firm, warm object beneath. Taking a deep breath through her nose, she savored the pure essence of his presence. Never has this blue eyed beauty smelled something so oddly addictive in her life. While you could smell the sweat on anyone in Hellville, USA, he wore his with a hint of pine and a whole clove of man. That's the only way Beth could describe it. It smelled like sweat and pine and just... Daryl. And Daryl encompassed every sense of the word man. Man was seen from the strength in his heart to the swagger in his step, the roll of his shoulders to the height of his will.
She could feel his muscles rolling under her curled fingers, the image beginning to make its appearance. Her mind was showing her the moment that Daryl allowed her onto his back. She fluttered her eyes closed as that empowering smell of the gods overtook her, casting her into a realm of happiness. His warm, spicy presence kept her in check on cloud nine. When her eyes finally managed to call out to the world, she was a goner. She couldn't concentrate on the trail he was walking; the only things that held her concern were the gradients decorating his tan, rippling back.
Beth was mesmerized. Never in her life has she seen a human being as extraordinary as Daryl Dixon. While she finally does have time to just bask in his presence, this isn't the first occurrence that has caused Beth to be hypnotized, it's just the first one that she has had an opportunity to enjoy herself.
And her mind flashed again. The next smoky image to fill her mind was that of Daryl standing in Cell Block C, holding little baby Judith. That was the moment that Beth truly realized what kind of man Daryl was:
perfect.
And even if he begged to differ, Daryl was as close to perfection as anyone on this damned planet could get.
She watched him, holding his little "Ass Kicker."
She felt her heartbeat quicken. He was so sweet, gentle... Serene. A look that worked for him quite well. He was so good with Judy, so earnest.
Every moment that Daryl was around, especially when his playful or caring side burst through, Beth always felt her knees grow weak. Her legs were jelly within seconds. What woman could resist such a creature? It wasn't just Daryl being nice to look at. Beth conceded that it sure helped smooth over the edges, but what really got her going was the man behind the crossbow, behind the scars.
What man he really was beneath his layers.
Images kept flashing through her mind, bringing hauntingly wonderful memories in their wake, her mind choosing to analyze every final detail of his features. Suddenly, the image of Daryl and her shocked her. She remembered how easily they both reached their hands out to one another, firmly grasping the inviting embrace offered between the two, calling all attention to the two of them. She could still feel her face heating up as she finally made eye contact with him.
The smoldering fire in those eyes would continue to burn into her memory for the rest of her life.
"Do you know why I keep showing you these things, Elizabeth?" a voice called out to her. A voice that was filled with warmth and love, but a strange one just the same. It was a voice that Beth couldn't place.
"No sir, I do not." Even when speaking with strangers, Beth was always taught to be polite to people, and always to give the benefit of the doubt in cases that called for it.
"I figured as much. Elizabeth, I have showed these things to you as a reminder. You are not only going back to earth to just be with people. While yes, you should be full of joy for that, I wanted to remind you of your purpose. You are fighting a battle. And finally, you have something worth fighting for. Something more than just a brother or sister, a friend or foe. You have love to fight for. The love of yourself, the love of your young Mr. Dixon, and the love of the world. There are many great things in store for you, Ms. Greene, but you must always remember that love is a war. And you must always be able to overcome any obstacle while never losing sight of what is most important."
"But what if I'm not everything you all believe I am? What if I disappoint everyone?" Beth was growing frustrated. Ever since she came to this place- that was what? heaven? purgatory? was she just unconscious?- she had been nothing but confused. Her father repeatedly made a point to tell her that she was important and needed, that she sacrificed all she had and that she would continue to go on and lead a life. And now she was being told that she would do great things... She was tired of not understanding any of the situation that was going on. She was wondering why a voice just blasted through the darkness of her mind and she wondered who it was. Everything was confusing her, and if Elizabeth Greene hated anything, it was not understanding a situation. Ignorance was not bliss.
What were these images preparing her for? What did any of this nonsense mean? Beth always tried to be the easy going, happy-go-lucky girl that everyone expected her to be. She just simply couldn't contain the agitation that surged through her at that moment. She had to make her position known.
The voice chuckled, much like her mother or father would have with her crazy, outlandish claims. "Elizabeth, I know everything about you. Even if you tried, you could never disappoint anyone. We tell you of your greatness because it is true. You have this chance because I am not done with you yet. And right now, you must leave! You must tend to that young man, he is your first reason and calling at the moment! After that, you will find your way!"
Her nostrils flared as that familiar scent took precedence over Beth's once coherent thoughts. That burning, rugged pine smell. Beth jolted off the bed, quickly sitting up, just to immediately fall backward in agonizing pain. What was that horrid, mind numbing sensation that coated her body from head to toe? She let out a small groan as she brought her right arm to her face, about to rub her eye when...
Her cast! It was still on her arm! The very cast that she hid her scissors in!
Her fingers danced across her face as she allowed her arm to raise and close in near her chin. Everything was there, she could feel every sensation, even the stabbing pain behind her eyeballs, slamming against her skull and causing her eyes to roll backward at the ache. But at least if you're feeling pain, you're feeling alive.
No, you're not feeling alive.
You are alive.
She suddenly felt her bed shift as a heavy figure began stirring from its slumber. Quickly Beth's eyes flickered to her left and that's when her heart began to melt. Daryl Dixon was sleeping at her bedside, figure hunched over her bed, wrestling with the sleep he wasn't getting. He was truly breathtaking.
She suddenly began to feel the pressure, clenching and tying her to reality. As Daryl began to sit up, she could feel her cheeks begin to heat up as she sat there, staring at their joined hands. The same sensation the day at the cemetery had caused her, butterflies seeping into her chest, bouncing around the walls of her stomach.
Slowly, her eyes trailed from his rugged fingertips to his perfectly sculpted and chiseled arm. After dancing past that, her eyes zeroed in on his shoulders that broadly stood out, proudly making themselves known to the world. Then his luscious neck. His plush looking lips. Cute and soft nose.
And then finally, she braved it. She courageously took on the largest obstacle with which she had ever managed to come face-to-face.
She peered into those inviting blue eyes, locking with them and losing herself in the process. When Beth thought she was gone as Daryl smiled down at the baby girl of the prison, she was wrong. She wasn't prepared for the moment she would make eye contact with Daryl Dixon himself. The first eye contact in days. The first eye contact they had maintained since he had been snatched from her life.
It was such a powerfully hypnotic moment. She felt a slight squeeze, grounding her left hand to this moment. It was true. It was real. And that's when realization and comprehension finally dawned on one dazed Daryl Dixon.
As stray tears cascaded down his cheeks, Daryl finally managed to speak for the first time in the several moments since his songbird had woken up. And that sweet, raspy baritone of his voice sang out his own chorus, bringing a smile to her face as he continued crying.
"Beth."
