AN: Hello friends...I know it's been ages...again. Consistent, I make no claim to be. This chapter was really hard, and I've rewritten it a couple of times. Finally I just had to put it up. I hope it's okay, and I plan on putting up my next chapter soon. Enjoy, and thank you all for the support!
Daryl had been watching Beth for the past half hour with increasing concern for her out of character behavior. It was strange to see her so silent and still when normally Beth seemed to look for any excuse to be moving around or singing some little something. While Daryl appreciated the silence; he would always be more at ease surrounded by as little as commotion as possible. But to have Beth in such a state, made him frown in thinly veiled unease.
He gave a small sigh and briefly wondered if Beth was still aware of him beside her. Her eyes were locked onto the main courtyard where the prison's inhabitants were beginning to gather for dinner. Carol and one of the Woodbury teenagers were manning the small buffet and spooning out perfectly measured portions to everyone with a plate. Daryl's gaze floated from Beth's face and over the group as they started spreading out between the tables and soft patches of grass.
He immediately knew something was missing, but before he could pinpoint exactly what was wrong with the picture down below, the screams of the prison's children pierced through the air. Beth's head turned sharply toward the sound, and Daryl couldn't help but wonder what the Hell was going on with those stupid ass kids and who was letting them make such goddamn noise.
"Oh…" He turned back toward Beth at the soft sound of her voice and noted the sudden twinkle in her bright blue eyes.
"Wha…"Daryl shook his head at the sight before them. No wonder Beth sounded so surprised. Mal was desperately trying (and failing) to corral the children into an orderly line. It was definitely a sight worth seeing. Everyone knew the doctor had little patience for kids, so to see her being so obviously overwhelmed by them was enough to make Daryl release a small chuckle.
"You shouldn't laugh," Beth admonished. Daryl couldn't help but smirk considering Beth was trying rather hard to hold in her own giggles.
"Yeah…sure, Greene," he replied, turning his focus back toward his earlier work. As the pair returned to their earlier silence, Daryl allowed himself one more peek at the girl next to him. She was still watching Mal struggle with the kids and he could sense the guilt from leaving the doctor to struggle was starting to affect Beth. Even when she was quiet, Beth was easy to read through her posture, expressions, and breathing.
"You ain't their mama," he muttered. She didn't respond, and Daryl briefly wondered if she had even heard him. He stayed quiet as his gaze roamed over Beth's figure. She had curled herself into such a tight ball, he wondered how she could be so damn flexible with legs like hers, stretching on for days. He blinked his thoughts away from Beth's body and not for the first time since she joined him in the tower, wondered when exactly she had stopped being Herschel's baby girl or Maggie's kid sister and become Beth, a woman in her own right.
Clearing his throat, Daryl shrugged toward Beth. "Beth, you –"
"No, I know," she sighed. Daryl watched as Beth pushed her legs out in front of her and bent forward to lay the top half of herself over the bottom. Daryl felt his cheeks begin to go red at the sight of Beth moving in such a manner. What was it about this girl that made him so comfortable, yet so ill at ease at the same time? Once more he forced his thoughts from Beth's body.
"I should though…go, I mean," she stated softly, eyes drifting over the children on the other side of the field. Daryl watched as she stood up and proceeded to brush the dirt and crumbled leaves from her ass. He immediately glared down at his bow again. Did she always have to do shit like that?
"You coming?" she asked. Daryl shook his head.
"Nah, ain't hungry." He jumped and looked up at the sound of Beth's light laughter. She turned her back to the yard and let herself lean precariously against the railing.
"You're never hungry," she replied while leaning farther back. "At least…not when everyone else is hungry. We both know Carol will leave you a plate and you'll sneak into the kitchen under the cover of night."
"Shit, Greene. You've got me soundin' like a spy or some crap like that," he chuckled while keeping an eye on how far Beth continued to lean. He knew the rails were steady, but it didn't make him any less uncomfortable with them being a good thirty feet from the ground.
"Not a spy," Beth smiled. Daryl felt himself release a sigh of relief as she stepped away from the railing and turned to lean against the wall again. "Just someone who doesn't like a lot of people…kind of like Mal. See?" Beth gestured down to where everyone was eating and where Mal had finally grouped the kids together with their plates of food.
Sure enough, the doctor was keeping herself as far from the main group as possible while still keeping her eyes on the kids. He released a snort as one little boy attempted passing his portion of what looked like peppers to another girl before Mal was standing over him with obvious annoyance. He watched as she gestured wildly toward the boys and while Daryl could only see the back of her head, he was pretty sure Mal was offering the children some pretty choice words.
"Ain't doctors supposed to like kids?" Daryl asked with a shake of his head.
Beth only smiled. "Nah…well. They're okay, I guess. To be honest, I think she'd prefer them just sick enough to be stuck in bed and away from…oh man." Daryl followed Beth's suddenly concerned gaze back over to Mal and he stood up in confusion.
Mal had picked up the boy who had been trying to pawn off his food and was carrying him gruffly under one arm over to where the adults were sitting. It was clear that both Mal and the kid were less than pleased with what was going on.
"I should go make sure she doesn't throw Trevor at his mother."
"Need help?" Daryl swore in his head. What the help was he supposed to do if Beth said yes? He was hardly in a place to march down with Beth and prevent the fight obviously brewing between Mal and the kid's mom. He could tell the Woodbury mother was more than a little pissed at the rough treatment of her son, but he figured it was a good sign that no one had started shouting.
"– if maybe you kept an eye on your own damn kid for once!" Daryl groaned at the sound of Mal's yelling and turned toward Beth who was already hurrying down the ladder and racing toward the group.
"Fuck," he muttered. He hooked his crossbow over his shoulder and made his way down the ladder to follow Beth. While she hadn't accepted his offer of help, he was uncomfortable with the yelling going on in the yard. He didn't think there were any herds in the area, but who knew for sure. Anyway, all it took was one walker to start a herd…no, this wasn't going to happen.
He was still a ways behind Beth when she reached the two women fighting about the kid, but he could hear them easily as they continued to argue.
"He doesn't like peppers; he doesn't have to eat them!" Daryl wasn't sure what the woman's name was, and he didn't really care. It seemed stupid for the kid not to eat what was given, then again, was Mal really planning on going to go to war over five slices of pepper?
"Herschel started growing peppers for a reason you brainless waste of space!"
Daryl snorted. Apparently, that was exactly what Mal was planning.
"Doctor Perez, if Nina doesn't want Trevor to eat certain foods –"
"This isn't about wants, Herschel," Mal interrupted angrily.
"You can't tell me how to raise my son!"
"Nina, that's not what Mal is doing," Beth stated calmly. While Daryl found Beth's voice rather comforting, the irate mother seemed to harbor different thoughts.
"Where were you Beth?" she cried. Beth jumped back in confusion while Nina pushed forward into Beth's face. "If you weren't off goofing around, I wouldn't have to deal with the 'all knowing doctor' over here and her bullshit parenting advice."
Before Daryl had the chance to push into whatever was going on, Mal was shoving her way between Beth and Nina. Daryl stopped himself from trying to move forward once more and surveyed the scene before him.
The kid who was the center of the problem was scowling at Mal from behind his mother while she had one hand in his and the other flailing angrily between Beth and the doctor. Beth looked ready to cry which made Daryl want to kick something. Beth hadn't been goofing around and everyone knew it. And for the first time since Mal's arrival, he was grateful for her strong, almost aggressive personality. Though it was strange to see such hostility aimed at someone as unassuming as the Woodbury housewife before her.
"Drop that bullshit right there, Nina," Mal ordered, moving Beth to one side toward Daryl. He felt Beth shuffle against his arm and resisted the urge to pull her closer to himself and farther from the bitch upsetting her.
"It is not Beth's job to keep your cesspit of a child in line!" Daryl snorted at the comment and found it hilarious Mal didn't even notice how greatly she was pissing off the parents around her.
"God, does no one else see how ridiculous you people are? The world ended; your parenting responsibilities did not. Stop acting like Beth is your personal reprieve from being a fucking parent! I cannot believe how pissed off I am right now!" She released a bark of laughter and ran one hand through her long hair, flinging it over her shoulder.
"Mal, it's okay –" Beth started.
Mal frowned at Beth and shook her head. "Maybe it is, but it shouldn't be. You're eighteen Beth. The way all these jerks just expect you to watch their hellspawn is disgusting. It's not like anyone has a forty minute commute or work in an office building with no kids allowed. Babysitting is one thing…but you're raising them! Why is it that only Daryl and I actually seem to recognize this bullshit?"
Daryl felt his cheeks burn as he clenched his fists at his side. Sure he didn't like the way everyone always seemed to walk all over Beth, but the last thing he wanted was to be drawn into this potential shit show brewing before him.
"Maybe you should take a walk," Rick stated softly, putting a hand on the doctor's arm. She only shoved him off and stepped toward Nina again.
"And you know what else Miss Jenny McCarthy of the Apocalypse? I don't care that your kid doesn't like the goddamn peppers! He's going to eat them anyway, because if he doesn't, he'll get sick and eventually, he will die. We don't have access to the necessary facilities to grow citrus fruits so peppers are the easiest and best replacement to ensure adequate Vitamin C intake.
"Oh please!"
"Shut your face and listen," Mal ordered.
"Rick you can't let her talk to us this way!" another of the Woodbury mothers cried as she reached for her own child. Daryl ran one hand over his face and turned toward some of the other Original Atlanta Group. Clearly he wasn't the only one uncomfortable with the situation at hand. Carol was actually reaching into her back pocket where she kept her gun. What the Hell was she going to do? Shoot the doctor or the mom? Neither seemed like helpful solutions.
"And don't "Oh please" me."
"Mal…"
"Rick!"
"Mal!"
"Could everyone just calm –"
"Oh my God." Daryl looked over to Beth who's hands were locked in her hair and covering her face. He watched as things continued to spiral out of control for everyone involved. Finally, Daryl released a small groan and strode toward Mal, making sure not to shove Beth along the way.
It was plain no one had actually expected him to involve himself so fiercely, because the silence that followed him was almost painful. He held out his hand to the doctor who gave him a confused look. Daryl glanced down at the tiny bowl of pepper slices in her hand and Mal quickly passed them over.
Her jaw was clenched in rage, but she nodded. If anyone understood the importance of a proper diet is was the doctor and himself. Daryl had been fending for himself since he was kid. Years of trial and error taught him the importance of certain foods. He turned from Mal and glanced over to Beth who gave him a small smile. With another small blush he stalked toward Nina and her kid.
Holding out the small bowl in front of him, Daryl remained silent.
He could feel the discomfort rolling off the pair in waves. Sure Nina appreciated his value to the prison, but like the rest of the Woodbury residents, she seemed to fear him in a manner no one from Herschel's Farm and prior did. He shot the woman a glare and knelt down in front of the kid.
"Trevor, yeah?" he growled. He glanced back at Beth who gave a small nod. Daryl grabbed for the kid's hand and put the bowl roughly into it.
"They're gross," he protested, trying to push the bowl back toward Daryl. Daryl rolled his eyes.
"You like your teeth?" The kid gave him a blank stare. "'Cause if you don't eat these and whatever else we tell you to eat, your teeth'll start bleedin' and fall out. Your choice kid…" Daryl pushed himself to his feet, shot a nod toward Mal who was desperately trying to hold in her laughter, grabbed Beth's arm and stalked away before anyone had a chance to stop him.
Dumbasses…