I'm sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I'm having a sort of crisis with my writing. I'm constantly not thinking it's good enough or I'm comparing myself to other writer's on here. It's a bad habit, I know. But hopefully, you'll enjoy this chapter! It's more of just Daryl and Beth, which you guys have been requesting. I'm going to try and make more of the chapters solely about them.


Beth watched as Daryl made his way over to the party pavilion with Will by his side, breaking off from the others. Beth and Alice crawled from their picnic table, meeting them halfway. Even if Daryl was covered in blood (which Beth would ask about later,) she still hugged him and planted a kiss upon his cheek. "How'd everything go?" She asked, falling into step beside him. They had broken off from Alice and Will who were sharing their own conversation.

Daryl shrugged, meeting her gaze. "It could've been better," he admitted honestly. She knew something happened just by the sheer fact both him and Will were covered in a thick layer of walker blood. "A group of walkers had attacked a survivor's camp… and he hadn't survived. We ran into the horde," Daryl told her as they walked back towards the pavilion. He didn't want to tell her that he almost didn't make it out alive.

He didn't want to tell her that he almost died saving David's life or that he had almost gotten bitten. He didn't want to see the pain or tears on her face when he would tell her. Instead, he would keep it a secret. The less she knew, the better. "Well, I'm glad you're safe," Beth said, leaning into his arm. He leaned back. He knew he was just giving her a false sense of security, but he couldn't bring himself to break her heart.

"We raided their camp," Daryl went on, nodding his head. "Found some stuff," he motioned to his backpack. "Came 'cross some fishin' poles…" Daryl smirked, shooting her a sideways glance. He knew that'd put a smile on her face. Before they had found the park survivors, Daryl and Beth always fished together before their poles snapped fleeing from pursuing walkers. "We bagged two deer to make up for yesterday. Thought we could add some fish to the equation."

Beth nodded enthusiastically. "Didn't yah wanna get washed up first? I mean, we could both use a shower," she suggested, looking at her hands. She only noticed now that her fingernails were caked with half moons of dirt and blood and her skin was grimy. She actually couldn't remember the last time she had showered. It never seemed important before until now… as to why, she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Daryl gazed at her a moment before nodding. "Hey, Will!" He called ahead to his hunting partner. Will turned with Alice, wondering what Daryl wanted. "Beth n' I are gonna catch a quick shower n' we'll be back to help out," he said, placing his hand on the small of Beth's back. His hands were just how she remembered them. Beth blushed at the thought of him touching her naked.

Will nodded and Alice waved the two of them off. Together, Daryl and Beth made their way back to their house, grabbing towels and a fresh change of clothing for Daryl. Beth was secretly happy that he was going to be wearing a new outfit. He sometimes didn't care about himself enough to wear new clothes each and every day. "When's the last time yah had a shower?" Beth teased, a smirk playing across her lips as they approached the second shower house.

He glanced back to her playfully. "'Bout the last time yah had one yourself," he retorted, hiking his crossbow higher on his shoulder. Beth shook her head, the blush still lingering on her cheeks deepening. She didn't think he noticed how often she didn't shower herself. But at least she changed her clothing regularly. The shower house was dim, but still light enough to see in. The skylights helped with that.

The shower house was small, about ten showers across on each side, a row of benches going down the middle of the room. Each shower had a plastic curtain to cover the entrance and ensure privacy. Beth went to one side of the room and Daryl to the other. He propped his crossbow up against the bench as he shrugged off his vest. He wasn't worried about the blood; he knew that Beth would be able to get it out in the laundry within the next few days. She had become quite the expert at getting out blood from his clothing over the years.

"Just lemme know when you're in the shower. I'll wait," Daryl called to Beth. He'd be a gentleman and wait for her to get in the shower first. Beth hurried and stripped from her clothing, throwing them into a pile at the foot of the bench. Her skin puckered with goose bumps as she climbed into the shower, hurrying to turn on the hot water.

The water cascaded down around her bony shoulders, wetting her hair with warmth. "I'm good," she called from behind the curtain to Daryl. He hurried to kick off his boots, socks, jeans and his shirt, letting them crumple to the floor in a sticky mess. Daryl clambered into the shower, turning on the water. He didn't know why he didn't like to take showers as often. Once he was in, he didn't want to get out.

With the shower house being so dim, Daryl left the curtain cracked open halfway, letting some of the light from the overhead lights spill into his shower stall. He didn't think anything of it. Beth usually liked to take longer showers, singing and spending time washing and rewashing her long blonde hair. Daryl felt warmer just thinking about her. He was waiting to hear her sing, but all he could hear was the steady stream of water from both their showers.

Beth peeked out from behind her curtain. She had forgotten her shampoo, conditioner, and body wash on the bench. Daryl was safe in his shower, occupied with washing his hair. She decided she was going to make a break for it. There was no use in waiting any longer and wasting the hot water. Beth pulled the curtain back farther and dashed out to the bench.

She grabbed her toiletries, glancing up to Daryl once more. A gasp caught in her throat. Daryl was facing away from her, his hands working the shampoo to a lather in his long hair. But that's not what had caught her attention. It was the silvery scars crisscrossing along his shoulder blades and back. She could feel the tears starting to brim at the thought of anyone beating him.

Before Daryl could catch her staring, Beth dashed back to her shower stall, dropping the bottles and loofa to her feet. "Beth?" Daryl called, hearing the bottles fall to the ground. "Yah all right?"

"Yeah," Beth shouted back, trying to keep her voice calm and even. "'M fine," she said to herself. She couldn't get the image of Daryl's scarred back from her mind. He had always hidden them away from her. She now understood why he didn't like to go shirtless or for people to touch him often except for her. She could only imagine what he must have gone through to receive those marks.

But she knew she couldn't ask. She knew she couldn't say anything to him about them or he would know she was spying. Beth would have to ignore the fact that she saw them for her own good as well as Daryl's. Pushing the thoughts out of her mind, Beth picked up the shampoo bottle from the tiled shower floor. She squeezed out a small amount and worked it to a lather in her hair. It was getting too long for her liking but she didn't want to cut it either. It was one thing that always stuck with her besides Daryl. "I'm getting' out, Beth," Daryl called, pulling the curtain the rest of the way back.

He dried himself off quickly with his towel and dressed in his fresh outfit. He pulled on his socks and boots, his back turned to Beth's shower stall. "Almost done?" He asked once he was fully dressed. Beth hummed, letting him know she was nearly finished. A few minutes later and the water cut off.

Beth rung out her hair over her shoulder and pulled the curtain back. Daryl was sitting away from her on the bench in the middle of the room. She was surprised that he hadn't gone outside yet. Beth stepped out, grabbing her towel and wrapping it around her torso before she braided her hair. She liked to do that right after she got out of the shower. She combed through it with her fingers over her right shoulder and braided it down. Her hair was so long now that it reached right below her breasts.

Even if Daryl was dressed, Beth couldn't keep herself from staring. She knew what lied underneath his layers of clothing. She shut her eyes tight, trying to push the images out of her mind again. She took a deep breathe before dressing in her outfit from before. "I'm dressed," she said as she pulled on her boots, their backs almost touching. "Were we gonna fish or were we gonna help with the deer?" She asked, standing just as he did. She was hoping for fishing. It had been awhile since the last time she did just that.

"I didn't get the poles for nothin'," Daryl smiled, carefully scooping up his soiled clothing. "Of course we're goin' fishin'." Together, they left the shower house, the cool air chilling their wet heads. They were stopping off at the house once more to drop off Daryl's clothes and for Beth to grab a warmer jacket.

Once they had left their house, they made their way back to the carousel where the poles were and where Will and Alice were helping with the dinner. "Deer are drainin'," Will greeted the pair as they stepped up onto the platform. He was eating some of the jerky that Beth and the ladies were snacking on earlier.

Daryl nodded, happy to hear the progress that they had made with their meal. This time, they were going to eat the deer, not let it go to waste. Beth had gotten through to the kids and Daryl was glad. He didn't like to be denied a meal. "Beth n' I are gonna try our hands at fishin'. We'll be back soon," he said, grabbing the poles that were leaning against the wall. Daryl slid his hand around Beth's shoulder, nudging her forward slightly. They were heading towards the dock that Daryl helped to build.

Beth sat down at the edge of the dock, folding her knees into her chest. Daryl sat down beside her Indian style. They both cast off into the small river, waiting for the bites to come. "This feels weird," Beth said after what felt like an eternity of silence. "It feels weird becoming a part of another group." She reeled in her line slowly, looking at Daryl. He blinked at her. But he knew exactly what she meant.

"I was thinkin' the same thing, Beth. I didn't wanna say anythin' to yah since yah suggested we try this," he continued, casting off his line again. "I keep thinkin' that any moment, everythin' will just click, but it's not gonna be like that." Beth dropped her gaze. She didn't want his words to be true, but they were and there was no changing that. "But we can't leave. Like yah said before, outside these fences, it's no life I wanna live." He sighed, running a hand over his face. He was so conflicted on what to do.

He didn't want to be the leader of this group. They were going to be a handful to fix. It wouldn't happen overnight, that was something both of them were sure of. Beth let the pole go slack in her hands, her mind too busy thinking about other things. "Wherever you go, Daryl, I'll go with yah. It's always been you n' me," she said, staring at him. He met her gaze, thinking the same. They would have to come up with something together mutually. "But I think we should still give this a shot."

Daryl nodded. If she thought there was hope in this place, he would go with it. Beth always had good intuition about things like this, when they were on the run and when they first came here. Daryl was skeptical, but Beth saw the real safety that this place brought. "We'll give it a shot," Daryl confirmed, casting out his line again.

"Are they at least gettin' better with the huntin'?" Beth asked, reeling her line in. "Yah know, with bein' quiet n' all?"

He shrugged. They still weren't the best with hunting in general, but they were able to provide for the group, so he couldn't complain. "It's a work in progress. How're your ladies n' the weapons comin'?" He asked, glancing towards her. Wisps from her braid were starting to come loose in the slight breeze as they dried. He wanted to reach out and tuck them behind her ear.

Beth returned the shrug. "It's a work in progress," she said, smiling. Both of them could only hope that soon everyone would know how to handle weapons, hunt and track a little. They had been sheltered for too long. It was time to face the reality of this world and it wasn't pretty. Just then, Beth's line jerked, a fish tugging on the bait, hooking his lip. She quickly scrambled to her feet, reeling in her line quickly so she didn't lose her catch.

Daryl watched, only slightly disappointed that he wasn't the one to be the first to catch a fish here. They always had made fishing a competition between them – Beth winning most of the time. She never liked to let him forget it. Fishing was her strength and hunting was his. Daryl had taught her how to use his crossbow before, in case something ever happened to him she'd know how to use it. It was heavy and Beth's arms couldn't hold the weight for more than a few minutes at a time. But fishing… that was something that Daryl just wasn't the best at.

She reeled in her catch, jerking it out of the water, holding it up for Daryl to take the bass off the hook. For the next half hour, Beth and Daryl continued to fish, both of them catching fish, Beth beating Daryl by a two fish lead. The two of them hauled their catch back to the grills as the sun descended towards the horizon. The rest of the park's residents would be heading towards the carousel soon for the feast to begin.

They met up with Will who relieved their catch from them, handing them to others to filet and get them on the grill. "Why don't yah go find some seats?" Will suggested with the spatula towards the carousel. "You've done more than enough for us the past few days. Take a break and just enjoy the food tonight?" Daryl looked to Beth who nodded. It was a step in the right direction.

Will was acknowledging them as a part of the group. They were important; they were contributing members of society. They weren't just sitting on the sidelines anymore. Daryl nodded, accepting Will's proposal and walked off towards the carousel, Beth by his side. Alice was already underneath the lit carousel, setting up the food table with clean plates and silverware for people to take at the beginning of the line. "There yah guys are," she smiled, straightening out. "Thought yah guys got lost for awhile!" She winked at the pair. "Save me n' Will a seat?"

Beth laughed, but a blush burned her cheeks again. "Of course we will," she replied, letting Alice get back to what she was doing. This was their night to relax. Tomorrow they would go back to helping out more with meals. Daryl slid into a table near the perimeter of the carousel, the table they had sat at the night before. He was a creature of habit. Beth sat down across from him, oblivious to the people filling in around them, grabbing open tables while they were still available. In Beth's mind, it was just her and Daryl and that's how she would always want it.


This isn't going to be the only chapter that mentions Beth seeing Daryl's scars. Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter. Took me awhile to write, actually. Leave a review telling me what you thought! & Don't forget to check out "Respectfully, CMC Dixon" by Riain! It's currently my favorite story on here! Tell her I sent yah over (: