Hi Guys! Thanks so much for all the responses to the last chapter! You guys are the best! Thank you for all the reviews, favourites, follows and recommendations since the last chapter! And especially thanks to all those tumblr folks! I loved the comments over there this last chapter – thank you :D
You'll probably need a trip to the dentist after this one; it's a sweety – honeymooners! ;) Hope you enjoy!
xxx
Sunlight streaming through the little window of the treehouse, illuminating the two sleeping figures, slowly roused her; all tangled blankets and entwined limbs and steady, peaceful breathing.
Beth's eyes slowly drifted open and it took a moment before events of what had happened the night before came back to her; felt a warm satisfaction wash over her when it did; when she remembered how perfect it had been. And a smile tugged at her lips as she took in the sight of the man lying next to her; undisturbed by the sunlight, still with sleep, his face close enough to hers that she felt each breath stir the hair on her forehead.
She titled her chin upwards a little to look at him; drinking in the sight of him, dishevelled and naked and totally at peace there with her, a contentedness in his expression that made her stomach flutter and her heart melt. She bit her lip as she remembered the night before; remembered the ways he had touched and kissed her and made her feel things she had never before been able to imagine. She smiled, feeling content and treasured, playful and more hopeful and happier than she had felt in forever; leaned in close and touched her lips to the tip of his nose.
He didn't stir and her smile widened, turning mischievous.
She pressed in close; though there wasn't much distance there to begin with, pressed her lips to his cheek and then his jaw and felt him stir a little, his arms twitching slightly around her, but he remained asleep.
She slid her hand from where it was gathered up against his chest; slid it across and to his side, trailing it lightly down and across the low of his back as she pressed in closer; feeling bold and uninhibited and loving the feel of their skin against one another's, the intimacy of it, and the feel of their legs entwined together, and figured she could do this for the rest of her life. Just wake up with him in the morning; just feel him there with her and appreciate what this was, what they were.
She pressed herself in close, leaving her arms loose, her fingertips trailing the bottom of his back as she pressed a kiss to his neck and then against his shoulder. And she knew the moment he woke up, when his arms tightened around her as he drew in a breath and then buried his face into the crook of her neck. She smiled against his skin and heard him grumble sleepily; then felt his lips press against her.
She kissed the point where his shoulder met his neck, leaning up further and whispering into his ear; "Morning."
She felt his lips smile against her; his arms tightening around her again. They lay like that for a minute and she felt his fingertips move against the skin at her shoulders; light and teasing, tickling her softly and she felt her toes curl with the closeness of their current disposition. She drew back a little after a while, just far enough so that she could lay her head next to his on the pillow to look at him; and his eyes were adorably bleary and affectionate as he looked at her.
She smiled at him, her voice still quiet; "Hi."
His lips twitched; "H'lo."
His fingers trailed from her shoulders, slowly running down her back as his eyes lazily drifted over her; from her face and going down, seeming to drink her in. His hand went to her hip, his thumb caressing the stretch of skin over the bone, as he raised his eyes back to hers. He looked at her carefully; "Y' okay?"
She pursed her lips together, felt a smile tugging at either side, and nodded; "Mhm." She let the smile spread wider, knew it was bright and caught the corresponding ease in his eyes when she did, as she leaned her face closer; "More than okay."
"Hmm." He smiled a little, jerked his head in a nod; "Good." He lifted the hand from her hip to his mouth as he yawned, his eyes closing for a second.
Beth grinned, sliding her hand from the low of his back up to his side, trailed her fingertips against his ribs and then clawed at them playfully; "Feeling worn out?"
Daryl grabbed her hand quickly, shooting her a playful scowl as he pushed it away and gripped her by her sides with both hands, pushing her onto her back; suddenly very alert as he rolled on top of her. He leaned down, his mouth going to her stomach, muttering against her skin; "Don't start that shit, Greene." And he trailed his lips upwards, his fingers clawing at her sides in retaliation, and she squirmed and giggled underneath him, quickly grabbing his hands with hers.
"No, no." She gripped at his hands and tried to pry them from her, bubbles of laughter escaping her, and his hands stopped but his lips continued; trailing and pressing kisses against the skin of her stomach, moving upwards and stopping at her chest.
Beth felt him hard against her thigh as he moved up further, his hands rubbing against her sides again, sensual, now, rather than playful; and she smiled, pressing her lips against his hair; "Ready already?" She pressed her thigh against him; no longer shy about it.
Daryl chuckled a little against her and he shrugged, not lifting his head from her neck, continuing to press light kisses against her; "Nah. 's just mornin'."
"Ah." Beth grinned, trailing her fingers down his back slowly, teasingly; "So you're not?"
He ran his bottom lip up the side of her neck, pressing a kiss behind her ear, speaking quietly; "Can if y' want to."
Beth bit her lip, still unable to wipe the little smile from her face, torn between wanting to just lay there and bask in this moment and running through the fields and shouting her happiness from the rooftops. She trailed the side of her foot up the back of his calf; felt him slip a little further into the small space between her legs, and he gripped her sides tighter and breathed against her neck; "Jesus."
She laughed and kissed his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him tight against her, burying her face into his neck as she hugged him. After a moment, Daryl drew back, smiling down at her, and reached up to brush the hair back from her face.
Beth trailed her fingers down his neck to his chest, watching them for a second before lifting her gaze back up to him; smiling coyly; "What you doing today?"
Daryl shrugged; "Dunno. Think there's a run."
Beth bit her lip, tilting her chin down; "You taking it?"
He shook his head; "Nah." He leaned down, kissing her shoulder; "Rick." He reached up, caressing the side of her neck, fingering a strand of her hair.
She gave him an impish smile; "So you don't have to go?"
Daryl met her eyes, looked at her for a second before a slow smile spread across his lips. He leaned down, kissing her softly, murmuring against her lips; "Got somethin' else y'd rather I was doin'?"
"I can think of some things," she offered, feeling a little shy and a little bold; not quite believing they were here, that they had got to this point; and she felt an amused breath leave his lips and hit hers and she felt her heart soar at the sounds of his quiet laughter as he leaned down and buried his face back against her neck. And she reached up and gripped the back of his hair and held him against her. Revelling in this; not just the feel of her own happiness but the undeniable evidence of his, too; never seeing him like this, so relaxed and so open and so there with her and it was making her feel warm and gleeful and amazed all at once.
Daryl drew back, balancing his weight on his elbows on either side of her as he looked down at her, and she reached up, caressing his cheek; "So?"
Daryl shrugged but a smile played on his lips and she grinned, leaning up and brushing his nose with hers; and he leaned down, kissing her softly, his hand sliding back into her hair. She grasped the side of his neck with one hand, the other tightening on his hip as the kiss intensified, as he pressed down against her and she sighed against his lips as he slowly drew back. And then she got a small smile and pressed another quick kiss once, twice, against his lips and then glanced over at the abandoned box lying nearby from the night before; reached over and opened it up; pulling out one of the condoms inside.
She leaned back, raising her eyes to his and held up the little foil packet between them, an impish smile on her lips. Daryl glanced at it, then at her, and an amused grin brightened his features and he reached up; snatched it from her and leaned down; "Gettin' way ahead of yourself, girl." And then he took the hand she had held up with his, entwining their fingers, and pressing it down onto the blankets, holding her arm up above her head.
And then he leaned down, kissing her passionately, his other hand going to the side of her neck, trailed his fingertips across her throat before moving them lower, slowly skimming her chest, down to her stomach, carried on further; lower and lower still, until she heard herself gasp.
xxx
"Thirty-two across; a surge of new arrivals. Starts with 'I'."
"Immigrants," he joked.
Beth lifted her head, grinning at him; "Six letters."
Daryl tucked his hand behind his head, leaning back against the pillows, just watching her where she lay next to him; dressed only in his shirt and her underwear, the two of them not having left their tangle of blankets since they had woken earlier that day. It was unabashedly domestic, all of this; lying in bed all day, barely dressed, just talking, doing crossword puzzles, interrupted now and again only by the urge to kiss, touch and tease.
He liked this. He could do this.
Beth bit her lip, focusing intently on the little book in front of her, and it was endearing, how seriously she took the puzzle and he guessed she was one of those goody-two-shoes at school; a teacher's pet who all the teachers loved and who just absorbed all the information thrown at her and raised her hand to answer all the questions. The total opposite from how he had been; more likely to be found down the hall in the boys' locker room or under the bleachers getting high.
If he was on the premises at all.
"Aha!" Her expression suddenly brightened and she lifted the pencil to fill in the boxes; "Influx."
Daryl couldn't help smiling at her excitement; couldn't help smiling in general now, whenever he was around her, not since what had happened between them the night before. And, again, that morning.
This was incredible; she was incredible. This thing was working and they'd got it right; and he felt oddly proud and satisfied by the fact. Felt confident and sure, for the first time, that they really were going to be okay; at least, insofar as to what they were doing.
It just worked; it was just right.
He didn't know how in the Hell he had gotten so lucky.
"You're supposed to be helping, you know," she said as she nudged him, playfully.
Daryl shrugged; "Seems like you're pretty on top of things."
Her eyes gleamed and she raised an eyebrow; "Well; not everything." And she eyed him suggestively and, embarrassingly and despite what had already occurred between them less than a few hours before and the night before that, he felt his cheeks reddening and he averted his eyes.
She giggled and he revelled in the vibrancy of it, as she turned her attention back to the book; shifting a little and making his shirt ride upwards, exposing the low of her back and he instantly felt the urge to touch. He just stared instead, his fingers playing with the hair on the back of his head.
"Okay; fourteen across. Old VCR format; four letters, third letter 'T'."
"Beta."
She looked at him, that mischievous glint in her eyes; "Figured you woulda got that one."
An amused puff of air escaped his lips at her brazenness and he dropped his free hand onto the exposed skin at her back; rubbing his palm against it; "Watch your mouth."
She reached up, ruffling his hair with her hand and smiling brightly; "You love it."
"Hm." Daryl rolled over onto his stomach and pushed himself downwards, lifting the fabric of his shirt up higher from her, exposing more of her back and leaned down to press his lips against it, where it curved. He heard Beth chuckle, heard the ruffle of the blankets as she glanced down at him.
He ran his hand upwards, dragging the fabric up with his thumb, and trailed his tongue up the line of her spine; his hand moving against her, palm pressed to her skin and slowly moving across and around to grip her side, his fingertips caressing her ribs as he pressed kisses to the small of her back; an area previously unexplored.
He felt Beth stretch out beneath him; her arms crossing over one another as she leaned down to rest her cheek against them, closing her eyes as he carried on his attentions, the crossword puzzle forgotten for now.
He grasped her other side with his free hand, slowly ran them both up against her; dragging his lips and licking and teasing her skin, pressed soft kisses to the little rise of her hips and slid his palms down, sliding them forward to run across her front just below her navel and he heard her make a pleased 'hmm' sound; anticipating what was to come.
And then he heard her stomach rumble and he hesitated; heard her make an embarrassed giggle as he realised they hadn't eaten since they day before.
Daryl drew back, his hands flipping her over so she was on her back, and she looked up at him with anticipation. He leaned down, kissed her deeply and reached for the hem of his shirt; pulled it up and over her head.
And then shook it out and pulled it down over his; putting it on.
Beth frowned at him from where she lay, looking up at him; "What are you doing?"
Daryl couldn't help but grin at the little hint of miffed disappointment he heard in her voice; "Goin' t' the church; gonna get us some food."
Beth reached for one of the blankets, pulling it over her front; endearingly modest now that he was fully dressed in his shirt and pants; "Oh."
Daryl leaned down, pressed a kiss to her forehead; "Won't be long."
Beth gave him a smile and nodded; "'kay." He pushed himself to his feet, making his way towards the doorway when she spoke again; "Daryl?"
He looked back at her.
"Bring something sweet."
xxx
"I haven't!"
"Bullshit." Daryl shook his head, unable to believe his ears; "Y' ain't ever smoked a cigarette before? What the hell did ya do at those wild high school parties if y' didn't drink or smoke or screw?"
"Screw?" she repeated, raising a teasing eyebrow while a smile tugged at her lips.
Daryl shrugged, a sheepish smile on his lips.
Beth rolled her eyes, feeling a little self-conscious; "I dunno. Just talked and played games, I guess."
"Bet y' went t' Church every Sunday."
"Of course," she grinned; "Daddy always said."
Daryl smiled at her and she loved it; loved that he kept smiling, like he just couldn't help it. Remembered not so long ago when they were so rare and how she had known within herself that she had to see that smile again; that she had to see him relax with her like that before she went. And now he did.
Daryl lifted the packet of potato chips he'd been eating, looked into it, and then held it up to his mouth; poured the rest of the crumbs in before scrunching up the packet.
"It's your turn now," Beth reminded him, lifting up her tin of rice pudding, taking a little bit of jam from the nearby jar and then dipping it in the can, mixing it with a scoop of the pudding and lifting it to her mouth.
"Looks disgustin'," Daryl commented on her choice of meal.
Beth quickly licked off her bite, before repeating the steps; "It's good." She held the spoon out to him; "Try it."
"Nah." He held up a hand; "Don't like it."
"Rice pudding?" Beth was shocked; "How can you not like rice pudding?"
"Just don't. And I bet it's a hundred times worse cold and out a can."
"It's good with jam," Beth said, making teasing circles in the air with the spoon; "Yummy."
Daryl eyed the spoon for a second, glanced up at her dubiously, and then tilted his chin a little closer and she smiled, leaning forward to hold the spoon to his mouth; spoon-feeding him the pudding.
His face screwed up almost immediately and she lifted a hand to her lips, unable to help her laughter at the disgust in his expression as he shot her a look and raised the canteen of water, taking a long drink.
"Get y' back," he promised, as he leaned back against the pillows.
"It's your turn," Beth pointed out, returning to the game they had been playing; "Something you haven't done; go."
"Feel like we oughta have a pitcher of moonshine between us."
Beth grinned; "We could play it like that."
"Ain't got no booze."
"We could play for clothes," she suggested, grinning. And Daryl glanced between them; at the lone pair of pants he was wearing and at his shirt and her underwear combination she sported and he raised an amused eyebrow.
"Don't think that'd last very long."
Beth chuckled and reached for the bag of M&Ms and poured some of them into her hand; "We could gamble with sweets."
"Told ya you can have them."
Beth rolled her eyes and then lifted her palm to her mouth, devouring the collection she had gathered up; "Come on; something you've never done."
Daryl shrugged, looking disinterested; "Never swam in the ocean."
"Really?"
"Nope; never even seen it."
Beth was surprised at that; going to the beach something she had just taken for granted during family vacations. But the musing reminded her of another thing she had learned before, when they had played a similar game; he hadn't been on vacation before either.
She focused on his first admission; "Me either; never went swimming in it."
It was his turn to look surprised now; "Figured y' woulda been to the beach a ton of times."
She nodded; "Yeah. But I was too scared to swim."
"Why?"
Beth's eyes widened dramatically; "Jaws."
Daryl looked confused, took a second for what she had said to sink in, and then a little snort escaped him and he grinned, looking very amused by her admission; "The movie? Beth –" and then he cut off and just laughed, raising his thumb and index finger to press against his eyelids as he did.
"What? You don't think getting eaten alive by sharks is something scary?"
He peered at her over his hand, still grinning and then he shrugged, still looking amused when he answered; "No more than getting eaten by walkers."
Beth pursed her lips together, to stifle her smile, and jutted out her chin defiantly.
"Y' ran into herd of them just a couple of days ago. Next thing you'll be sayin' you're afraid of spiders or somethin'."
Beth gave him a sheepish smile and he grinned and shook his head.
"You're somethin' else."
"Something good, I hope," she teased, smiling brightly; and he smiled, shyly, tucking his hand behind his head.
"Your turn."
Beth smiled at him and then bit her lip, trying to think; "I've never been fishing."
"Fishin'? Why'd y' even think of that?"
She shrugged; "Been swimming in lakes before; make me think of fishing."
"I'll take ya."
"Really?" she smiled, brightly, touched, and then frowned; "Is it fun?"
Daryl shrugged; "'s okay. Just catchin' food."
"Maybe when we're there we can do another thing I've never done?" she suggested, smiling bright again.
"What's that?"
"Skinny dipping."
Daryl only looked at her and grinned.
xxx
Beth's lips parted, her neck arching back and her eyes squeezed shut as she felt it start to wash over her; losing herself in the feel of it, the sensation of him inside and against her, his hands gripping her tight at her waist, heard his groan and her own faint cry; felt dizzy and euphoric and indescribable pleasure; gripped him with her hands and her thighs as she arched and cried out; gone, done, lost.
She gasped as she collapsed back against the blankets, pulling him down with her; and his head went to her neck again, where it often did when they were done. And she heard him pant against her skin as he came down from it; slowly coming back to reality. And she felt herself trembling a little beneath him; finding that the second time felt better than the first; and the third time felt better than the second; the discomfort now seeming to be a mild annoyance than something really present.
This time had just felt good. From start to finish; and she felt high with the afterglow, her heart still hammering in her chest and her breaths still coming quick.
Daryl tilted his head, glanced up at her and gave her a small smile.
She grinned down at him, reaching up to stroke his cheek; "Hm."
"Okay?" he spoke, quietly. And there was affection and concern in his eyes, like there always was when he asked; like he had to be sure, had to know she was fine; and she gave him a small smile and nodded.
"I'm good."
He nodded, pressing his lips to her shoulder.
"You?" she added.
And Daryl raised his eyes to hers, looking confused for a second and then amused, seeming to sense her teasing and he gave a nod; "Mhm. Real good."
She smiled widely and tugged him up, kissing him passionately, and then he drew back and pressed his forehead to hers, looking down at her. Looked at her with that same look that was starting to take her breath away now; affectionate and adoring and devoted and it made her stomach flutter and her toes curl, wanted to reach for him and hold him tight. And so she did; slipping her arms around his waist and nuzzling her nose in against his.
He leaned up, pressed his lips to her forehead and then drew back, rolling himself onto his back next to her; and she went with him, settling herself against his chest, the way they did the night before.
Beth reached up, touching her fingertips to his chest, caressing it lightly as she thought back on the day; on how they'd spent it, just there, just the two of them; doing nothing, just being and forgetting everything outside of these four walls. Realised that was what she had wanted not too long again; something she had told him she'd missed. Something else he had given her; something else he had made happen for her. And it amazed but didn't surprise her now; just knew how incredible he was. How he gave her things no one ever could, without even realising he was doing it; just by being who he was.
Beth bit her lip, feeling warmth and gratitude and something else swell up inside of her for him, something that was all together unfamiliar and not; something she identified but realised she hadn't felt before, not like this, as she whispered; "Thank you."
Daryl's hand came up, stroked her hair as he spoke quietly; "For what?"
She bit her lip, quiet for a second, before she whispered; "Everything."
And he didn't answer; just squeezed her tight; understanding. Just knowing her and what she meant.
And it hit her hard, even though it shouldn't; even though she should have known and should have seen the signs; had almost identified it some days before.
She was unashamedly, undoubtedly head over heels in love with Daryl Dixon.
