Ch. 7
Thank you again for your response to the story. I really like this chapter :)
The tree house proved to be a pretty decent spot to stay. It was close enough to a small town that they could make supply runs and gather up stuff for when they tried to find a more permanent place, and also, the back yard fence kept the walkers from the street out.
There were two walkers inside the house, though, always pressing up against the sliding glass doors when Daryl and Beth would walk by. They decided that before they left, they'd take care of them, but didn't see any rush. Both of them were so weak that they didn't even pound the glass. They just squished their faces up against it.
They'd created a bit of a bubble for themselves there, and most mornings, he found himself in the same position they'd slept in that night at camp—his head on her stomach with her hand in his hair.
He liked it way more than he wanted to admit. He liked her smile and the shy glances that she'd send his way, even the way she'd pop up on her toes and press these sweet, gentle kisses to his lips. No reason behind it, just because she wanted to, she said.
It was almost like the last few months hadn't happened at all, and they'd traded the funeral home for a tree house.
The day he took her stitches out, a week after they arrived, was a quiet one, though. She seemed to get dragged back, and he couldn't stand it. So, when she decided to take a nap, he went searching through the houses on the street they'd cleared. Eventually, he found a half empty bottle of peach schnapps stuffed in the back of a liquor cabinet right where it belonged.
He snorted as he held it in his hands. Then he felt his throat get tight all of sudden, and he struggled for a good breath. It might not have been the best, but being able to bring it back to her was a lot better than finding this and having her still gone.
"Thought peach schnapps sucked," she said as he sat it on the floor across from her.
"It does, smartass, but it's all I could find. Even now people ain't desperate enough for this shit."
"Then why'd you bring it?" She asked as she tilted the bottle to read the back label.
"'Cause ya need to take your mind off your face."
"Thought ya said it wasn't so bad."
"Ya sure do put alotta weight on what I say, don't ya?" At the blush that stained her cheeks, he added, "You're beautiful. Same as ya were when we found that first damn bottle of schnapps."
Beth stared at him for a moment then picked up the bottle and carried it over to him. He thought she'd sit beside him, but she tapped his knees with the bottle before she scooted right between his legs, her back to his chest.
His thoughts were all over the place due to the warm, content feeling that came with her snuggled up against him.
It was nice.
It felt right.
He wanted to stay that way.
Daryl stretched one leg out straight and kept the other propped up so he could place his arm on it, then he leaned his head back against the wood. With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and felt her move her arm, probably to get the lid off the bottle, then lean into him as she took her first sip.
"Ugh, good God," she muttered. "Tastes like rubbin' alcohol." Then she took another drink. And another. And another.
Daryl felt her fingers link with his over his knee, and he opened his eyes to see her looking up at him.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
"Umhm." He nodded and her smile widened, her eyes just the tiniest hint of glassy.
"Ya ever think what woulda happened if we'd gotten to stay at that funeral home?" Beth asked turning around completely, sitting up on her knees between his legs.
"It was all I thought about at first," he whispered, the secret finally spilling from his lips to the only person he ever wanted to hear it. "First time in my life I's ever really happy."
"It's a shame we didn't get to find out, huh?" Her cheeks were a little flushed and her smile was hopeful.
Daryl sat in awe of her as all his emotions spilled out in words that he never thought he'd be able to put together for her. "Damnit, girl, I wanted to keep ya safe. When those walkers ran in, I felt like such a fuckin' idiot for openin' that door like I did. All I could think of was what would happen to ya if ya didn't get out. Even in the basement, I worried that there were more outside, that ya'd get outnumbered. Your ankle was shit, ya know?"
Beth nodded and continued to stare at him with wide eyes.
"Then that car. I ain't never felt so scared in all my life. I told ya I ran, and I did, Beth. I yelled for ya, and chased it as far as I could. And then I found Rick and all of 'em. It wasn't in the best circumstances, but I saw 'em all again, and all I could think of was how you'd told me we'd see 'em and how ya weren't there." He paused and shook his head. "And how that was my fault."
Her hand slipped over his cheek, and he leaned into her touch. "It wasn't your fault. Ya found me."
"And I lost ya, too."
Beth sighed and shook her head. "I'll never be able to make ya think any differently about it, but I'm here now 'cause ya found me, and we're up here in this tree house, drinkin' schnapps and figurin' out just where we can go so we can be happy again."
"'M happy now," he said and kissed her palm.
"Me, too."
After their talk, she'd put the bottle away and just leaned against him again. The sky had darkened outside, and there were soft groans from walkers out in the street, but they were protected from all of that.
"Where do ya think we should go?" Beth asked quietly.
The dark always seemed to make her whisper, and he just followed her lead.
"I remember when I's a kid, my old man took me to this old armory out in the woods. They'd built it during Vietnam as a place to train the little unit of National Guard that was in our area. It got abandoned though. Ain't really big, got a nice cement wall around it. No tellin' if it's still standin' or not, but it might be worth a shot."
"Why didn't ya mention it when we were on the run?" She asked as she traced lines on the back of his hand.
He shrugged. "Didn't really think it'd go over well right after the farm. All Shane talked about was finding that military base, and everyone seemed real keen on forgettin' about his ass. Then we found the prison, and it was nice. When me and you were on the run, I didn't wanna get too far outta the group's area in case we ran into someone."
Beth raised his hand up and kissed a scar that traced his knuckle. "What if people are already there?"
"We're gonna go in all quiet like and scope it out. If people are there, we're just gonna keep on walkin'."
"I like this plan," she said and shimmied her shoulders a little against him and scooted her hips back even further, leaving not an inch of space between them.
His skin prickled and felt uncomfortably tight as she sighed and leaned her head back against his chest. "Daryl?"
"Yeah?" His voice was strained as he answered. He hadn't realized he'd leaned down until the scent of salty skin invaded his nose, and he realized he was almost touching her neck.
"What did Carol want that night?"
He shook his head a little to clear it, but was so confused about the turn of the conversation and the way his lower half was much too happy with her ass pressed up against it.
"Huh?" He asked dumbly and pushed her away a little. Maybe some space would allow for his blood flow to his brain, he thought.
"Carol. When she got ya to herself, what did she want?" Beth tried to press back against him, and he was weak so he let her, enjoying ever bit of her that pressed into him.
"Oh, she was just bein' hormonal." He waved her off and put his forehead on her shoulder, turning just enough so that his nose touched the base of her neck.
She shivered and pulled away. "Tell me."
"I didn't look for her," he said quietly. "Then she saw me lookin' for you, and bein' all 'have a little faith' and shit and didn't understand what changed. Once she saw us together, she got it. Made her a bit upset."
"Does she love ya?" She asked and turned her head, making him move from her shoulder to meet her eyes.
"Ain't never said it," he said with a shrug.
"Do ya love her?" The way her eyes seemed so clear and serious made him think he was standing on the edge of something he didn't realize the seriousness of until that moment.
He swallowed hard and just let the words out. "Not like I love you."
