Keep Singing, Songbird

Chapter Ten:

Stuff... And Things...

Daryl inwardly cringed with each and every step he took, the sound echoing off the walls and slamming into his ears, jostling the hunter within him. He couldn't help that he was childishly stomping his way down the hall toward Rick's room, he was just so livid because of the two people that just had to go and ruin his and Beth's special moment.

He was even more frustrated than he could have ever possibly thought he would be due to the fact he could feel some kind of tension in the air, back with Beth. And boy, was it the good kind of tension that made you curl your toes while your eyes rolled back into your head. There was an immeasurable spark between the two, causing Daryl to go mad. Her heart, her smell, her touch-everything about her enthralled him. And it was so hard to just hold back from Beth alone. It took some kind of other inner strength too keep Daryl from slitting someone's throat upon being interrupted. She was so close to being marked, to being his. And then that was stolen from him, as all good things are, might he add.

And now, he was being a moody teenager, hunched shoulders and all, as he continued trekking toward Rick, in search of the man's reassuring advice. Just as he was about to enter Rick's quarters, a familiar head of chocolate dreads poked out. "If you're lookin' for Rick, he's up on the roof keepin' watch."

"How did you-"

"Please, Dixon. I'm not blind. I know you more than you give me credit for."

As much as he wanted to snap back at her, and tell her that she didn't know a damn thing about him, he practiced self control and bit his tongue. He respected Michonne, and felt some kind of familial bond with the woman. He gave her that sisterly feeling that he never had the benefit of experiencing. So he thought about not being a dick for once.

She smiled softly at him as he turned and headed toward the entrance to the stairs. "I'm glad she's awake."

"I am too."

"Maggie, as much as I love you, I don't care if you don't want me around Daryl anymore. He's my friend and I will talk to him if I so please." Beth was growing agitated. After the joy and happiness of her sister's doting had worn off, Maggie began pressing Beth for answers about what had happened between her and Daryl in their time away from the group. As quickly as the happy and carefree atmosphere had come, it dissipated, leaving a sombre and heated discussion in the making.

"Beth, I am your older sister and the only family you've got left! You will do as I say and stay away from that pervert! I saw how he looked at you, Elizabeth!" Maggie didn't really have a problem with Daryl, as they had grown to be quite good friends. But with the sudden tension in months passed, a certain kind of discomfort had settled over the two. Maggie constantly blamed Daryl for Beth's kidnapping, which he easily accepted as his fault. He blamed himself everyday for that one. But Daryl had grown pissed with her because her focus was on Glenn and not Beth. She had the nerve to bitch at him for not noticing her breath, but she didn't even take responsibility for not even trying to search for her baby sister. A true gem.

Maggie was mostly just channeling her anger and sadness into the situation that presented itself to her. Mostly. But ever since her sister had been sitting in this hospital room with Daryl as her guardian, warding off any who dared to approach, she harbored a sense of resentment for the cross-bow slinging redneck. It also didn't help that he was a thirty-one year old man looking at her barely twenty year old baby sister. Good man or not, Beth was off limits, and he needed to know that. She was far too good for any trash that this apocalypse had harbored.

It was at this moment that Beth's eyes grew livid with anger. "You think you have the right to tell me what to do, Margaret? You think you have the DAMN right? Let me tell you something, sister dearest. Daryl was the one there for me when the prison got overrun, not you. You chose to run for Glenn, which is fine. Had Daryl been in his place, I would have too. But I had to get the kids. And when you were gone, I made it. I made it out alive! Daryl and I had something special! And when we traveled together, don't think I didn't see one or two of your signs. 'Glenn, go to Terminus.' What? Was I just dead? Or was I the least important obstacle for you to conquer? Couldn't focus on another lost cause? Was Glenn your only beacon of hope at that time?" Beth's voice partnered her flaming eyes. It was a harsh whisper, wicked and biting at its core, striking fear into Maggie's depths and cracking like a whip at her heart.

"Beth I-" she was rudely cut off by her sister.

"I don't want to hear it Maggie. You lost the right to tell me what to do when I grew up and became a woman without you! I'm not just Judith's baby sitter, I'm not just the group's mother, I'm not just some little girl who needs protecting. I am a woman who has staked her claim on the world and who is aged far beyond her years. I am not a baby, and you will never have the right to treat me like one again. Daddy was the only one who could tell me what to do. And I know what he wants, what I have his blessing for. He doesn't have to be here for me to understand him. So please, do us both a favor and leave. I just want to be alone right now."

Tears tracked down Maggie's face as her sister's words sunk in. She was right. Beth was always right. Out of all the Greene children, Beth was the wisest. Their daddy always called her an old soul, and now, Maggie understood. She knows that Beth still loves her, and she knows that what she said was out of line. Who was she to tell Beth what to do? Beth just needed space and Maggie realized that. She had to push her personal feelings aside for the good of the group, but, most of all, she had to push them aside for the good of her sister. Maybe in a world where the dead hadn't been knocking down your door to get a taste, she would be able to put her baby sister in her place and be her usual stubborn self. But in this world, you had to suck up your pride and take things as they were.

She nodded slowly as she gathered herself up and headed toward the door.

"I love ya Maggie, I just need time."

"I love ya too, Bethie."

But Beth didn't want to be alone anymore. She ached to have Daryl at her side once again, bringing her the comfort she often sought after. All she could hope was that he would return soon. He had only been gone for a little over half an hour, but Beth needed him now more than ever. She just ripped her heart out, even though it had to be done. It hurt, but it was for the best.

So she laid there, hoping her knight in shining armor wouldn't keep her waiting too long.

"Rick," Daryl's voice called out, causing the man at the top to quickly whirl around, "can I have a sec?"

He nodded, gesturing for Daryl to come over. "What's eatin' at ya, Daryl?"

Rick always had that kind of charm that made even the harshest of people want to open up to him and be his friend; the governor was the only exception, obviously. He was tenderhearted and kind, but a stern leader when he needed to be.

"Is Beth okay?" His eyes immediately filled with the concern that his voice held. Daryl nodded. "Then what seems to be the problem? Shouldn't ya be down there with your girl right now?"

Daryl noticed the playful smirk on his lips. "I don't know what you're playin' at, cowboy. She ain't my girl."

The former officer rolled his eyes. Placing a firm hand on his shoulder, Rick demanded his attention with a slight squeeze. "Daryl, you're the one she was reaching out for. Anyone can tell that she cares an awful lot for ya, and it's easy to say that you feel the same. I know it's hard to admit out loud, but sometimes we feel things that need to be known and understood. I saw the way you tended after Beth while she was out cold. How tender ya were. Be honest here."

Daryl struggled to maintain eye contact with his best friend. He has never had such emotions before, about anyone. He's never had a woman that's held his interest, and he sure as hell has never understood what emotions like love felt like. But the moment Beth was shot and fell to the ground, and that small candle in the pitch black abyss of fate flickered out, he knew. He knew that Beth was the one that was supposed to lead him out of the tunnel, and lead him into the arms of salvation.

Beth had become his purpose in life. He... "love her."

"What was that?" Rick asked, confused by Daryl's brief words.

"I love her..." he felt that familiar tug in his chest that he experienced that night Beth was kidnapped.

And just like that, a warm feeling flooded through Daryl at the words he got off his chest. Rick smiled softly at him, squeezing his shoulder once again.

"I knew it."

Daryl's heart fluttered again, a soft ache echoed within him. Something was wrong... "Beth."

Rick looked confused. "I gotta go. Thanks Rick!" Daryl quickly turned around and flew toward the stairwell, flinging himself down the several flights lying between him and Elizabeth Greene. His girl needed him, and this time, he wasn't going to fail her.