Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the feedback, you guys are amazing and I'm so happy you like what's been happening so far. I love hearing what you think- it makes my day.

Here's chapter 9. I know it's taking a while, but Beth and Daryl have a lot to work out before they'll be together. This chapter however, is a giant leap forward in that. Soon guys, soon ;)

I'm heading into finals but I'll try and get an update out within the next week

Hopefully you like it!

-Lexi


"Okay, so list the first 5 presidents of the US." Beth instructed Carl as they sat in one of the new vans they'd picked up. Once again the group was travelling in two vans and a scout car they'd picked up a the day before. This time Daryl was riding with the two cops. Rick and Tara had formed quite a nice friendship, they bonded over stories of their time as police officers, joking about people they'd picked up and things at the station.

Things with Maggie and Beth were still tense but a little easier. Neither were hostile, Beth was just unsure how to act around the older sister. She was still confused, and so she was in the van with Michonne, Sasha, Bob, Carl and Judith.

The drive had been uneventful, peaceful even. Beth was still quizzing Carl who was rather eager to learn. They'd covered off bones of the body and had moved onto history. They'd have to pick up books eventually but for now they were working off what Beth could remember off the top of her head- with input from the other people in the car.

"What's going on up there?" Beth asked as the scout car started swerving across the dirt road. "Pull over!"

She yelled as the car spun into a ditch on the side of the road. There was a crash and the squealing of tires, followed by the scream of brakes as the vans pulled to a halt. Beth thrust a now crying Judith at Carl before launching herself out of the car.

Daryl.

Smoke rose from the black car as it lay in the ditch, flipped but not crumpled. Rick pulled himself out the driver side, and then Tara from the backseat. Beth crouched down by the passenger side. Her heart had leapt from her chest and was beating rapidly. He had to be okay.

"Daryl?" She called through the window. She could see him through the shattered glass. There was a lot of blood but with a groan he rolled his head towards her slightly. His eyes opened a little and the tightness in her chest lessened slightly. He was alive.

"Help me!" She yelled up to her companions before she reached into the car, ignoring the glass scratching at her arms as she cut the seatbelt free.

She staggered out of the way as Abraham and Tyreese came forward to pull Daryl out of the car. It was a slow process, but Daryl was conscious enough to help by adjusting his position. That however didn't change the slight groans of pain that came from him as they pulled him through the window. Beth rubbed the blood from her own scratches off with her sweater, there wasn't much anyways.

As soon as he was free from the wreckage she was by his side, propping him up and inspecting his injuries. They weren't serious but there was glass everywhere. Some pieces were bigger and were embedded in his arm and back. A few smaller pieces had found their way to his chest, but nothing life threatening. She allowed herself to breath a sigh of relief.

"Okay everyone needs to move. We'll get him cleaned up." Carol came through the crowd of people, Bob immediately behind her holding a first aid kit.

Everyone parted except Beth. She didn't move, but continued to hold Daryl up, ignoring how much weight he was allowing to lean on her. She was careful to not touch any of the glass. He shifted a little to see the two people approaching but whined under his breath as she could only assume the glass twisted in further.

"It's worst back here." Beth commented to Bob, indicating his back with her head. He nodded and moved to come around before Daryl ground out a harsh,

"Don't."

"Daryl." Rick's tone indicated that while he was scared he was angry his friend was refusing treatment.

"I'll do it. Leave the kit." The redneck tried to reach for the first aid box before his arm dropped and Beth had to adjust her hold as more weight fell to her.

"Daryl come on, there's too much glass for you to get it yourself."

He turned to glare at her, his gaze showing exactly how much pain he was in, but he was refusing to yield to it. There was also a slight amount of fear present in his eyes that he covered up with his hostile expression.

"Then how bout you do it huh? You worked in a hospital didn't ya? Gotta have learned something." His words were harsh and biting. Beth flinched back. She knew he was in pain and tended to lash out when that happened, but it didn't mean the words didn't hurt.

"I'm going to ignore you just said that." She met his gaze unflinchingly and his gut clenched as he regretted his words immediately. He was afraid of people seeing his back and he'd lashed out at the closest person- unfortunately it was Beth.

Beth watched as regret ran across his features through the pain."But fine. Bob, give me the kit."

Even though he'd gone about it the wrong way, Daryl was glad that if anyone had to do this, it would be Beth. They'd been close emotionally but he'd never had a physical relationship with her. That being said, he knew the day she'd see his back was coming, but he wasn't prepared for it to be so soon.

He stayed silent as she started plucking the glass shards that were stuck in his vest out as carefully as possible. She was gentle but it still hurt. The rest of the group had dispersed to the vans, leaving Beth to attend to Daryl.

"There are a few that are going to leave gashes that I'm going to have to stitch on your back. I'm gonna need to get the vest off."

He tensed immediately, "Just gimme a sec."

Beth didn't understand his reluctance but she could tell by how tense and nervous he was that this was something big for hunter. Daryl was normally so fearless but this was freaking him out. She nodded, respecting his request, and settled for moving to clean and pick the glass out from his arms, trying to ignore how nicely shaped they were. She felt awful for noticing at a time like this, but they were quite something.

By the time she was finished with both arms, she had to crouch in front of him as she carefully pulled the shards of glass from his chest. One delicate palm rested on his hard chest as she balanced herself. His heart beat quickly but strongly underneath her hand. She took note of the tattoo that took residence on his side, just peaking under the jacket- aching to trace it with her fingers. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind, trying to focus on the task in front of her.

She tried desperately to work quietly and gently but he was pale and shaking slightly from the combination of his nerves and the energy he was exerting to hold himself up. She didn't use her words to tell him it was time for her to see his back, she just stopped what she was doing and looked at him until he eventually picked his head up to meet her gaze. He nodded resignedly at the intention.

"Are ya mad at me for what I said bout the hospital?" He asked quietly, not quite acknowledging what needed to happen. He didn't want her to be angry with him at all, let alone at this very moment. He hadn't pictured when he'd have to show her his back but he hadn't thought it would be on the side of a dirt road after making some brash comment about a time in her life she was obviously still struggling to move past.

"I get it." She tilted his head up, forcing him to look at her so he could see that she meant her words. "I mean I don't really, but I know you didn't mean it. It's okay."

"I just get-" He trailed off, not really surprised when she nodded. She understood that he wasn't being hostile on purpose, it was just his instinctual reaction when he was hurt, afraid or both: he lashed out.

"Can I?" She'd already pulled the pieces out from his back, but she needed to stitch the gashes there. He nodded and reluctantly moved his arms so she could work the vest off.

Beth was careful not to tear or stretch his prized angel winged vest as she pushed it over his broad shoulders then moved behind him to pull it off. She could hear the hiss of air he released as the cuts that covered his torso pulled with the movement. She tried to stay as silent as she could, keeping her reaction to herself as the vest pulled away to reveal a back already covered in scars.

Purple ridges scattered across his back, indicating a childhood she could never imagine. Some ran up to his shoulder while others crossed his lower back. Some were longer than others, some deeper, while others ran shorter. There were a couple tattoos there, but nothing could cover the lifetime of pain written across his back.

Beth took a deep breath before she reached for the surgical thread and scissors. "Let me know if I hurt you."

"S'fine."

His shoulders remained tense, the muscles contracted to make a hard surface. "Daryl, you gotta relax a little."

He turned to her with a disbelieving expression across his face. He couldn't relax when everything was was bared to her. He had hidden his past for as long as he could remember. He'd never brought it into conversation, rather he shut it down every time. He never even removed his shirt in public. Sure, some people had seen it: Herschel, and Rick. Carol had an idea, and he'd mentioned enough to Beth that she knew something. She, and a few others had seen him reading the book but no one knew. He had never shown anyone his scars. And now, how could he relax when she didn't speak and he could only imagine the thoughts running through her mind?

The disdain in his expression forced her to reword as carefully as possible. Beth still wasn't sure what to say, but obviously telling him to relax was a bad idea, even if she needed him to in order to stitch him up properly.

"You can trust me with this." His shoulders dropped a little, but not all the way. His head turned towards her a little more, still not quite meeting her gaze.

"Yer not afraid?" His voice was quiet, small, shaking, and it broke her heart.

The fact that he thought she was afraid of him because of what he'd gone through cut through her like a knife. She moved around to his front, not bothering to hide her emotions.

Daryl watched as she came around to face him, her eyes like fire. She moved so she was directly in his line of sight, grabbing his face with both her hands, gently but with intention. Nothing was hidden from him as emotions raced across her face.

She was not afraid.

"I am not afraid of you. I will never be afraid of you. Okay?"

Beth was mad. She was mad at his father, and mad at the world for allowing this to happen to someone as good as Daryl. Someone who had been so apparently young when these scars from long ago branded his skin. She was mad that this happened to him.

Beth was sad. She was sad that he had had to grow up this way. Her sadness punched her in the gut as she remembered back to the shack when he yelled at her about her upbringing. She understood now why he was so angry with her. Her life had been everything his hadn't, and she'd unintentionally thrown it in his face. She was sad because he didn't deserve this, no one did.

Beth was proud. She was proud that he had learned to live with the scars. She was proud that he had burned that shack with her, burned the past that had left him scarred. Proud that he was trying to start over.

Beth was honoured. She was honoured this man let her see this. It wasn't his choice considering the situation but she was honoured he was letting her help him nonetheless. She was honoured he trusted her.

Beth was in awe of him. She was in awe of all that he had survived. She was in awe of his strength, of his capacity to live. She was in awe of his will to continue to look for the good, in his fight for a better future. She was in awe of this strong, beautiful, ultimately good man.

Beth was not afraid of him. She was afraid of being without him, but never of him.

Daryl saw the tears in her eyes but he also saw her refusal to let them fall. He saw the conviction in her eyes that she didn't fear him. What he saw there instead was a combination of emotions that melded into an affection so strong it slammed into him like that car crashing into the ditch. He stopped breathing. No one had ever looked at him like that. No one had ever looked at him like he was that important to them, like they were afraid of being without him, like they loved him.

He didn't know what to say, so he just raised his hands and placed them over hers on his face. He turned his head into her palm as she brushed her thumb along his cheek to wipe away the tears he was unaware that had fallen.

"'Kay." He whispered, knowing words were needed, and she nodded. Letting go before going back behind him and sitting down, one leg stretched out along his side.

"This is gonna hurt."

"Jus' do it." So, they took a deep breath and she sewed him back together.

He had been rash when he'd made his comment about her working in the hospital, but her hands were deft and skilled. She stitched quickly and efficiently, tugging as little as possible. She was done before he knew it, wrapping gauze around him.

She stayed behind him, and he could tell she wasn't moving- just looking. He didn't tense up again, but he wasn't comfortable. It would be a long time before he was comfortable with someone looking at his back.

When her arms wrapped gently around him from behind for the second time in his life, his heart stuttered to a stop. He could feel hers beat strongly, before one tear dripped onto his shoulder. She was careful not to press onto any of the cuts, but she still managed to take some of his weight while he caught his breath.

Her small body clung to his, wrapping around him, her hair brushing his, fingers gripping his shoulders. Her shirt brushed the scars across his naked back, something he had never felt in his life. Yet, Beth was the only one who had ever touched his scars and it didn't feel wrong. It was okay, surprisingly. He brought one hand up and wrapped it around her wrist. He didn't mean to brush the scar there, but she didn't seem to care.

"Daryl."

"Mhmm?" His thumb brushed unconsciously across the scar, to which she responded by tightening her grip on him, not pressing into him any harder, just holding him closer to her. Everything was instinct with her and it worked.

"You're the best person I know." Her words were slow and softly spoken, almost as if she wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to say them out loud. Her heart skipped twice, he could feel it reverberate through him.

Beth could feel his breathing stutter, but she didn't regret saying the words. She meant them, and she wanted him to know. Everything was in the open at that moment, so she wasn't going to hide it from him. He responded by leaning his head into hers before dropping it down so his chin rested on her arm, all the tension in his body flooding out.

They stayed like that for a few moments before she slowly unwrapped herself from him. She walked around to his front before helping him up and slipping the vest back on, her hands lingering as they swept over his shoulders.

They slowly made their way back over to the group, with Daryl and Rick joining the van Beth had been in previously. Tara hopped into the other one, before the vans took off.

"You good?" Rick asked Daryl as he climbed stiffly into the far back of the van with Beth. His friend nodded an affirmation before turning back to the girl at his side, looking at her in wonder.

The fact that Daryl had let Beth near him when he was hurt meant something. Rick felt terrible that's he'd been driving but one of the tires had blown on the car, hence the swerving- there was nothing he could have done.

After, the group had stayed by the vans, giving Beth and Daryl space when they'd looked over at one point to see Beth crouched in front of Daryl cupping his face. He wasn't sure what happened after that, they'd all moved away to let the pair deal with Daryl's injury as they needed to.

Obviously something had occurred between the two with the way Daryl was looking at Beth and the way she was mirroring his movements subconsciously.

Michonne continued driving, and soon enough the conversation in the car picked back up, with Beth quizzing Carl on presidents. She had to admit he did pretty well. The kid had a good memory. Rick smiled proudly at his son before turning his smile to Beth and nodding in thanks. She returned the gesture before turning to Daryl only to see he'd fallen asleep. His head was against the side of the van, his whole body positioned slightly awkwardly, but he looked peaceful enough.

Beth smiled to herself as she looked down to see his hand on her knee. She threaded her fingers through his and watched his peaceful expression become slightly lighter, his grip getting slightly tighter.

Hopefully Washington was worth the trip, but no matter what she wasn't going to regret going because for the first time in a very long time Beth Greene was happy.


Thanks for reading! Hopefully you liked it- please let me know :)