Note: People, the amount of support I've gotten on this fic is literally breathtaking! Seriously, I am so proud to be a part of this fandom! Thank you so so much for the immense support and the sweet words you keep sending my way. It makes me smile every time someone mentions that they were recommended this fic, so thank you to those of you who keep spreading the word as well.
Now, I don't wanna waste your time much more. I have some studying to get done, and this chapter is sort of a sweet one toward the end, but a bit angsty in the middle... Another memory is coming up peeps!
Enjoy! :)
P.S. Thank you for being so amazing! This story has passed 200 reviews here on ff and I couldn't be more happy! (I'm off to write chapter 13 after I finish my homework! :D)
In The Blink of an Eye (Hear The Beat of My Heart)
Chapter 12
Beth looked at herself in the mirror as she brushed through her hair slowly. Her clothes were on her bed, waiting to be put on but she still thought it was a bit too early to get dressed.
"Hey there..."
Beth paused, her hand holding the brush hovering just above the blonde tresses. She narrowed her eyes at herself, the far away sounding voice echoing in her mind still.
"I hope I'm not interrupting."
She took a breath, calmly putting her brush back on the table, gripping the edge tightly.
"You are not crazy," she whispered to herself, like she had a thousand times when the thing holding back her memories would let go a little, allowing her a small glimpse of things she had been through in the past. She waited for the foreign voice to return, but it didn't and she let out a breath, relaxing immediately.
Ever since she had learned about her father, Hershel, she had been worried about what her brain might let her remember next. Maggie had told her about her brother and her mother and also about where they grew up, but Beth hadn't asked for any details about how they had lived after the Turn. She had only wanted to know the happy things about the people in her family, who were now gone and Maggie had complied, telling her just that.
A week had passed and Beth had gone back to normal again. She still sometimes dreamed about Hershel, but after Maggie told her a bit about the man, her dreams changed to something a bit more happier than his death. Instead, she saw him smiling, happily talking to her or scolding her for running around with Jimmy, who she still didn't remember in detail. It was better dreams though and for that she was glad. She shared some of them with Maggie, while others she would casually mention to Daryl whenever she and he talked. He wasn't very responsive, usually just acknowledging her with a grunt and a small nod or a curious look when he learned something about her that he hadn't expected. It was good though and she was happy.
But she was also restless.
She was tired of being cooped up on the farm for so long and she had had a serious talk with Sasha, who was getting to go on runs more frequently nowadays.
"I would never be able to stay on the farm for so long, Beth," Sasha had told her. "I get that you're antsy, so why not just come along on the next run?"
Beth had brought it up at dinner one night and everyone around the table had paused– everyone but Sasha, that is– and it had only served to annoy Beth even more. Her sister hadn't thought it was a very good idea, but she had looked to Morgan who Beth knew was on her side.
"She can take care of herself," he had told the rest of them and that had been the end of it. No one questioned Morgan anymore when it came to Beth and she was glad for that.
However, she had looked over at Daryl to see his reaction but it had seemed like the infuriating man had gotten awfully interested in picking at his food instead. Beth had tried to get his attention a couple of times during dinner, always trying to force him to make eye-contact, but when he wanted to avoid her, she had noticed that there was nothing that could stop him from doing so.
Naturally, that meant that Beth had just gone to visit him while he had been on watch that night and talked about it then.
"Are you gonna come on the run?" Beth had asked him and he had grunted before nodding. She had suppressed the urge to just roll her eyes at him when she had taken her seat next to him. "Are you coming just because I'm going?" she had wondered, but he hadn't even looked up at her or shown any kind of sign that he had actually heard her. She had waited for a reply, but it had never come, which in turn was an answer all on its own. Rather than saying anything else, she had proceeded to just sit with him until his shift had ended and Rick had come to take his place. Carl's father had given them a curious look, but he hadn't said anything and the two of them had walked in. Before Daryl had gone into his room that night she had bid him a good night and he had finally spoken back, telling her to sleep well.
Today, they would be going on the run.
It was going to be Beth, Daryl, Michonne, Rick and Glenn and Abraham and they would be taking two vehicles with them since they would be going out a bit further. It wouldn't exactly be the first time she'd ever been on a run, since she and Morgan had gone out a couple of times when they had been alone. Although, it would be the first time since her family had found her but it didn't exactly worry her since she had been on hunts all by herself long before that and she had always been able to not mess up or put herself in danger.
"Beth?" she turned around in her chair, looking over at Carol who had just entered her room. "You doing okay?"
"Yeah," Beth nodded quietly, immediately picking up her brush again.
"You aren't nervous, are you?" Carol asked as she walked further into the room. "May I?" she wondered, motioning for the brush. Beth nodded and offered it to Carol, who took it as she began combing through Beth's tangled up curls. "It would be fine if you were... I know Maggie is," Carol chuckled.
"Maggie needs to learn that I'm not a little kid anymore," Beth stated calmly. "I can take care of myself."
"Oh, I know," Carol nodded. "If you couldn't, you probably wouldn't be alive now."
Beth hummed in reply, thinking back at those first few months after she had woken up. Having not even been able to speak at first had nearly gotten her killed a couple of times because she hadn't been able to warn Morgan in time before walkers were close enough to attack. The man had been alert, sure, but not when they had first gotten to know each other. He had later told her about his wife and his son and she had understood why he hadn't been in his right mind. After all, she hadn't even known about the walkers when she had first woken up. It had all just been a daze.
"When are you going to get dressed?" Carol asked. "The others are already loading up Morgan's truck and Tyreese's jeep with food for you in case you need to take a longer route back."
"Well, they sure ain't gonna need me for the heavy lifting," Beth joked lightly.
"You sure? You got yourself some nice muscles there," Carol retorted, gently squeezing Beth's bicep, which Beth herself had to admit, had gotten a more defined these last couple of months when she'd had to work hard while being alone with Morgan.
"Please," Beth scoffed. "If anything, Daryl should be able to do all the work himself. Have you seen his arms?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Carol stopped brushing her hair for a moment and looked down at her curiously. Beth was worried that she might have crossed some kind of line, admitting that she had indeed been checking out Daryl's biceps when he'd been working around the farm and she blushed a bright red, not being able to bring herself to look Carol in the eyes through the mirror.
That was before Carol actually chuckled again, "They are Godsend, aren't they?"
Beth relaxed a bit, realizing that the woman wasn't teasing her but actually just casually agreeing with her on the matter. She had seen Carol and Daryl talking a few times and noticed that the two of them were close. At first, she had wondered if maybe there was something going on between the two of them, but when she had jokingly said "So, you and Carol," to Daryl one evening when they had been sitting out on the porch together, he had snapped his head up at her and told her sternly that: "There ain't no me and Carol. We're just friends."
She had taken his word for it and the following days, she had begun to see their relationship for what it really was: two friends who cared deeply about each other; a mother who had lost a child once and now acted over-protectively to a man who wasn't much younger than her and a man who loved the woman the way one would love either an older sister or a mother. The observation had made Beth relax a bit, right up until she began questioning just why she would need confirmation that there was nothing going on between Daryl and Carol.
She must have been frowning while she had been thinking, because Carol put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her through her reflection. "Everything is going to be fine today, Beth," the older woman told her, clearly thinking that Beth had been worried about the run rather than the rush of feelings she experienced whenever she was near Daryl.
"Yeah, it's gonna be fine," Beth echoed as she wondered just why she still had a bad feeling in her gut.
-§-
"You be careful out there, okay?" Maggie told Beth for the thousandth time. Daryl suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the older Greene sister, but he knew that her concern was justified. The run they were going on would be to yet unexplored territory, further South from the farm. Usually, they traveled North whenever they needed supplies, but they had been planning on checking things out the other way as well. It had just been a pure coincidence that Beth had requested coming along on this particular run, and even though he knew very well that the girl could indeed take care of herself and hold her own out there against walkers, he still worried a bit, if not as much as Maggie.
"Yeah, yeah," Beth said, zipping up her jacket as she nodded at her sister before embracing her. "Don't let Carl and Noah anywhere near the three knives I left behind though, okay? I don't want them poking someone's eyes out just because they thing they've gotten good at the knife throwin'."
"Hey! You told me I was getting better," Carl accused, but there was a hint of playfulness in his tone.
"I wasn't lyin'," Beth countered. "I just don't need the two of you dulling my knives just because I can't take them all with me."
"Well, I'll keep him away from them," Noah told her, putting his hand on her shoulder.
Beth rolled her eyes at him before turning to Carl, "And you keep an eye on him." Then she paused for a second, "Actually, on second though, maybe I should have just locked my room up."
"Don't worry, lil' Lady," Morgan told her as he stepped forward and embraced her. Despite knowing that it was nothing but a fatherly hug, Daryl looked away, putting his crossbow inside Morgan's truck as he moved to the driver's seat. He wasn't being jealous, he told himself, over and over again. He was just being...something.
-§-
"I'm trustin' you to keep them away, Morgan," Beth told the older man as she pulled away from him before hugging Maggie too. "And don't worry, Mags. I'll keep your husband safe," Beth winked teasingly.
"Hey! I can keep myself safe just fine," Glenn protested as he kissed Maggie softly.
"I'm just sayin'," Beth shrugged, a teasing smirk on her face. She turned toward the jeep, where Rick, Michonne and Abraham were already seated. Michonne seemed to silently be asking her if she was fine and Beth nodded curtly before moving to Morgan's truck, that Daryl would be driving. She climbed in, scooting closer to Daryl to allow some room for Glenn. Looking up at the hunter, she noticed that his hands were clutching the steering-wheel tightly. She frowned at him, putting her hand on top of his which brought his attention to her. They hadn't exactly been initaiating any physical contact since the night she had told him that she wasn't mad about him not telling her about Hershel, and the simple, hopefully reassuring, touch seemed to have surprised him.
"We'll be fine," she told him softly.
He nodded and swallowed, "I ain't worried 'bout that."
"What are you worryin' about then?" she frowned.
He smirked, "Listenin' to Glenn talkin' about nothin' in particular for hours."
Beth let out a giggle, surprising even herself as she covered her mouth with her hand, but the sound seemed to only bring a smile to Daryl's face. She liked seeing him smile, even if it was a rare occurrence.
She forced herself to look away from him though, when Rick made his way over from the jeep. Daryl rolled down the window on his side and Rick looked in at the two of them. "You guys gonna be okay with following us? Abe's got the map that Eugene marked out for us," he explained.
"Sure thing," Daryl nodded. "We'll make a signal if we need to pull over."
"If we see any cars along the way, we should stop to siphon gas," Rick told them.
"Got it," Daryl nodded again. Rick turned his gaze toward Beth and she waited for him as well to ask her whether she would be fine, but the man surprised her by only offering her a nod and a smile before walking back to the jeep and getting in. Daryl rolled up the window and Beth leaned back in her seat. When she heard Daryl groan, she turned her attention to him, but he was glaring right past her.
He rolled down his window again and stood in his seat, sticking his head outside the truck. "Glenn, get your tongue outta Maggie's throat and let's get goin'!" he called out. Beth instantly turned her attention to her sister, who was indeed locked in a passionate embrace with her husband. The others seemed to have retreated back to the house and only the married couple were left outside. Beth felt her face heat up and she looked away, turning to look at Daryl instead. Of course, she quickly realized what a mistake that had been because once Daryl got seated again, he turned to look at her as well and somehow, they ended up with their faces just a couple of inches apart. He moved back so quickly, clearly not having expected the sudden closeness and he actually hit the back of his head against the window.
"Son of a bitch!" he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head, his cheeks coloring a bit as he looked anywhere but at Beth.
Beth once again covered her mouth with her hand, looking at him in concern as she tried hard not to laugh at the silliness of the situation. "You okay?" she asked him and he grunted something in reply that she didn't quite catch, but she did notice how the tips of his ears turned a bit red too. Finally, Glenn got into the car next to Beth, mumbling something about Daryl always embarrassing him with his bluntness around people. Daryl seemed to ignore him though as he started the truck, following after the jeep that Abraham was driving. Beth once again leaned back in her seat, not wanting to think about the fact that her right side was brushing against Daryl every time she moved a bit. She swallowed, the close proximity suddenly making her a bit nervous. On her left, Glenn was waving at Maggie and Beth sighed deeply as she hoped quietly to herself that this run would go all right.
-§-
Daryl parked the truck next to the jeep that had stopped. He opened his door and stepped out, shooting a questioning look at Michonne who was casually leaning against the jeep.
"Why the hell we stoppin'?" he asked her.
"Abraham needed to relieve himself," she replied coolly. "He and Rick should be back in a few. If you need to go to the bathroom, you should do so now. I'm not sure we're gonna be stopping again later." Daryl turned around and looked over at Glenn and Beth who had gotten out of the truck as well. Glenn hurried off after Rick and Abraham while Beth remained standing by the truck, extending her arms up in the air as she walked toward Daryl and Michonne.
Daryl tried very hard not to notice the way her shirt rid up as she stretched, rolling her shoulders as she pulled them down again, but it was difficult not to notice the creamy skin and the way her flat stomach seemed to be a little more defined than he would have expected it to be.
Not that he had been thinking about Beth's stomach.
"Hey, Michonne," Beth smiled softly, coming to lean against the jeep next to the other woman. "How's it going with Rick and Abraham?"
"Just fine," Michonne said. "I've been trying to ignore the two of them discussing which football teams they used to root for before all that stopped mattering."
"Sounds like fun," Beth said, although it didn't sound like she meant it at all. It did make Michonne's lips quirk up though.
"Hilarious," the woman agreed sarcastically.
"Why didn't you go with the other guys, Daryl?" Beth asked then, turning her attention to him instead.
"I ain't gotta piss," he told her, which was part of the truth, he supposed. To be quite honest, the need to take a bathroom break wasn't that big although his need to keep Beth in sight was kind of overwhelming him a bit. He wasn't sure whether he should be leaving her alone, despite knowing that she technically wouldn't be alone.
"You go ahead," Michonne told him, seeming to understand what his real problem was. "I'll keep Beth company and when you and the other men return, she and I will go as well."
Daryl eyed her for another moment before finally nodding, walking away. He glanced back one last time though, hating that he was leaving Beth behind, but he knew very well that she wouldn't exactly enjoy accompanying him on a bathroom break. He found Rick and the others a little further down the road, a dead walker by their feet, but not one of them seemed very bothered by it. In a way, it was kind of a scary thought how none of them were even scared by the walkers anymore. Daryl wasn't sure he even remembered a time when there wasn't a walker somewhere and it was a horrifying thought. Then again, he had always had a bleak look on life, never expecting himself to be any better than Merle or his father. Sure, deep down he might have wanted to be different, which was probably why his brother had always called him 'the sweet one', although it was difficult to be sweet in a world where everyone judged you instantly because of your surname or the way you looked.
He unzipped his pants, trying to remove the thoughts of his old life out of his mind. After relieving himself, he quickly zipped up and headed back toward the cars. He must have been lost in his thoughts for a little too long, because Michonne and Beth were just returning from the other side of the road where they too must have taken a break.
"I'm serious," Glenn was saying when Daryl finally got close enough to hear. "It's at times like this that I miss the radio. Music could always fill awkward silences and it would be a blessing right about now."
Daryl frowned, "What are ya goin' on 'bout now?"
Glenn looked at him and then at Beth who had also stopped to curiously eye him. "I'm not going on about anything," Glenn shrugged. "I'm just saying that I miss music."
"Well," Michonne said, "you could always just sing to yourself, I suppose." Her tone was dripping in amusement and Daryl had to snort.
"Please, don't give him any ideas," he told Michonne, who chuckled lightly. Abraham laughed and even Rick offered a snicker before looking down the road, narrowing his eyes a bit. Daryl looked that way as well, seeing a couple of figures moving in the distance, but they seemed to be going slow. It would most likely take the walkers a while until they got to them and by then they would have started driving again.
"Oh, come on," Beth smiled lightly. "Have you ever heard him sing? Maybe he's good?" She turned toward Glenn, "Are you?"
"I sound about as good as a cat being run over by a truck," he admitted sheepishly. "Maybe you could sing something?" he suggested and Daryl froze.
His gaze moved toward Beth, who actually threw her head back as she laughed wholeheartedly. Her shoulders shook as she giggled and she finally shook her head. "I don't sing," she snorted at Glenn, a wide smile on her face nonetheless. "What's the point of singing nowadays anyway?"
Daryl's heart clenched at her words.
She didn't sing.
'Keep singing...'
He swallowed thickly at the memory that came crashing in and he was forced to look away so that he wouldn't show anything on his face. At first, her three-worded sentence had just hurt him, but then, he started panicking instead. What if Glenn said something about her and her love for music? What if anyone told her that she used to sing a lot, and she looked at him and just knew, without even having to ask, that she was the girl he had told her about that night?
Daryl looked over at Glenn and gave him a pointed look that he hoped the other man would understand. A second passed by when Glenn finally looked back at Beth and said: "Well that's too bad. I figured girl's had good singing voices."
It was one of the lamest excuses Daryl had ever heard, but he hadn't expected a better cover up by Glenn while he was under pressure.
"Does that mean that I too should have a good singing voice, according to your logic?" Michonne asked. Her questioned eased the tension around them a bit, which Daryl was thankful for. He looked down the road, at the walkers who were slowly approaching them.
"We should get goin'," he told the others.
"Yeah," Rick agreed. "Especially if we wanna get back to the farm before nightfall. We still have a few more miles to go."
"Let's go," Daryl said, starting back for the truck. He got in without saying anything else and when Beth and Glenn followed him in, he sensed Beth's eyes on him.
'I don't sing.'
He nearly cringed when he though of her saying that, but instead, he turned the key in the ignition and drove after Rick and the others who had already pulled out on the road.
-§-
Beth wasn't really sure what it was that had changed with Daryl after their small stop, but she was certain that it had had something to with Glenn talking about music and singing. The moment her sister's husband had mentioned it, she had for some reason looked over at Daryl. A pained expression seemed to have crossed his face, but the second she had seen it, it had disappeared. She suspected it might have something to do with the girl he had cared about; the one she was now almost certain that a part of him had actually loved. Glenn's comment must have been a reminder of her to Daryl and she felt sorry for his pain.
That however didn't excuse his change in behavior towards her. When they had gotten to the small mall that had been their destination, he hadn't said one word to her as they went through store after store together. They had all paired off two and two and she had automatically moved to stand next to Daryl when Rick had suggested it. It wasn't that she didn't trust the others, but she knew that Rick and Michonne worked well together which meant that she had assumed that the two of them would want to check the place out with each other. She still didn't know Abraham very well since the man was always working around the farm or hanging around Rosita, but she knew that she wouldn't have been comfortable going off alone with him if she didn't even know what would be okay to talk to him about. She both trusted and knew Glenn well enough by now, but she had still been drawn to Daryl, mostly because of the evasiveness he had displayed when they had arrived at their destination.
Beth was sure that his coldness had been the main reason that she had paired up with him. She wanted to know what had gotten him so twisted up inside that he could barely look at her and the only way she saw herself finding out was by getting him alone.
Daryl turned on his flashlight as Beth took out her large hunting knife out of her belt, preparing for any stray walker that might turn up. The mall seemed to be mostly empty though, so she wasn't very worried. On the other hand, the most empty-looking places sometimes turned out to be the most dangerous ones.
They rounded another corner in the food store, showing yet another empty aisle. Beth began relaxing a bit, scanning the shelves for any food that might still be useful.
"Do you think we're gonna find anythin' useful here?" Beth asked, dusting off some of the cans as Daryl stopped. He didn't answer her and his shoulders were tense, making Beth sigh loudly. "Are you gonna tell me what's botherin' you or are we going to pretend that everything is fine?"
"Nothin' is botherin' me," Daryl muttered, still not looking at her as he glanced around the corner.
Beth rolled her eyes, "You haven't looked at me since–"
Daryl held a finger to his mouth as he turned toward her. He motioned for her to remain quiet as he moved around the corner, his crossbow raised and loaded, prepared for any kind of attack. Beth held her breath, her hand on her knife while her other hand rested on one of the thin throwing knives she had with her.
The sound of cans falling to the floor put her in motion and she rounded the corner without even hesitating. "Daryl!" she exclaimed in a half-yell, her knife held high as she moved. She was startled when her eyes met with Daryl's stormy blue ones, her breath catching in her throat as he caught the wrist of her hand that was holding the knife that she had been close to putting into him.
"It was just a rat," he told her, slowly lowering her arm. She breathed heavily as she blinked up at him, narrowing her eyes when she saw his lip twitching.
"You're an ass for scarin' me," she told him, pushing him away lightly. He took a step back without much fuss, but there was still amusement written on his face.
"I scared ya?" he asked then, his smirk turning into a frown.
"I thought you were attacked or somethin'," she shrugged.
"No need to worry 'bout me," he told her and once again, she suppressed the urge to just roll her eyes at him. She opened her mouth to say something else when she saw Rick and Michonne entering the store from behind Daryl. Rick held up his hand in a small wave as the two moved closer.
"Ya find anythin' useful?" Rick asked then when they were close enough.
"We were still lookin' through the store for any biters," Daryl informed him. "Thought I heard somethin' but it was just a rat."
Michonne looked over at Beth, "You okay?"
Beth nodded, not wanting to admit that she had almost freaked out for a second because she thought that Daryl was in danger. Of course, she was well aware of the fact that Daryl could take care of himself, but she still remembered that day in the woods when he had been attacked by several walkers at the same time, nearly losing the fight. If she hadn't been there that day, or if she had gotten there too late, Daryl wouldn't be standing there today.
"I'm fine," Beth said silently as she turned around to walk back to the shelf she had been inspecting earlier. "Daryl's just paranoid, hearing things that aren't- Ah!" she gasped when someone took a hold of her and pulled them close to her body, twisting her around in their arms. She dropped her knife before her hands lifted to her attacker's arm that had wound itself around her throat. At first she thought that she was dead for sure, that a walker had gotten her, but the person holding her suddenly chuckled, his tone low and his hot breath against her ear.
"Beth!" she heard Daryl exclaim as he, Michonne and Rick appeared around the corner, weapons raised.
"Hmm..." the person holding her hummed lightly. "What do we have here, boys?" the man drawled, revealing that he was indeed human. "How 'bout the three of you put your weapons down an' me an' my boys won't hurt this pretty little thing?"
Beth winced, turning her head away from the man holding her as he pressed his nose into her neck, inhaling deeply.
The man pressed himself against her tightly. Beth blinked up at him as he smirked down at her.
Her eyes snapped open and she began struggling against the man who held her in a tight grip, but he only laughed again.
"Seems like we found ourselves a fighter!" another man behind her exclaimed. "The Boss might like her. She's pretty."
"The Boss has had enough ladies," a third man said darkly. "We should get some action for once... He don't have to know anythin' 'bout it."
Beth looked over at Daryl, Rick and Michonne who had been forced to put their weapons on the floor. Behind them, stood three other men, guns pointed at their heads. She didn't know when they had put their weapons down, or how she had missed the other three men that were in front of her. All she knew was that she needed to get away from the man holding her and that the situation was bringing something back to her; something that she wasn't sure she wanted to remember.
"Hey there. I hope I'm not interrupting."
Beth shut her eyes tightly again as the same voice from this morning returned to her.
"Dawn was just asking for her key-"
"Was she now?" the man asked her, circling closer, ever so slowly. Beth stared at him wide-eyed, glancing at the door, knowing that there was no way for her to get away from him fast enough without seeming suspicious. "See, I was just with Dawn... And I don't seem to remember that," the man told her. "It's okay," he then said, stepping even closer. "She don't have to know. Maybe," he drawled, taking another step closer, "there's another solution? A little win-win for both of us..." he suggested, pushing her against the desk behind her as he nuzzled her neck, inhaling her scent. "So how 'bout it, Bethy? We gonna work somethin' out here?" he asked her and she found herself nodding.
"Look at her!" one of the men laughed. "She's fuckin' scared of us! She can barely breathe!"
Beth forced herself to take another shaky breath, tears welling in her eyes as she willed the memories away. She needed to stay focused so that she could find a way to get out of this situation.
"Good girl..." the man commended her, pulling her close to her body again as his hand traveled up under her shirt.
"Don't you dare fuckin' touch her!" Daryl yelled suddenly, bringing her back to reality. She stared at him wide-eyed as the man still holding her faltered a little with his grip on her before releasing another laugh.
"Ain't no fuckin' way we're just gonna let a pretty girl like her walk away," he said. "Jamie an' Adam here behind me haven't had a lady in months! The Boss had all of 'em reserved for himself... Only the ugly ones are left, but what can one do, right? If ya wanna fuck ya gotta take what's given to ya!" Once again, the man let out a bark of laughter. "Jamie's right though... What the Boss don't know, won't hurt him..."
His other hand which wasn't holding Beth in place began traveling down her side, moving toward her flat stomach, down to the button of her jeans. She struggled against him, her brain finally realizing the seriousness of the situation as she kicked her foot back, effectively kicking him in the shin.
"Ouch! Dammit woman!" the man yelled as she turned around in his grip, butting her forehead against his nose, hearing a satisfying crack. He stumbled back, clutching his already bleeding nose as Beth grabbed one of her throwing knives, throwing it at one of the men who had just raised his gun toward her. It connected with his shoulder, making him howl in pain and then, before she could throw another one, an arrow had embedded itself in his forehead and he had fallen down dead. The second man raised his hands in surrender, but he too was quickly killed by another bold flying at him, hitting him right in the chest. Beth hurriedly walked to him, pushing her knife into his head, making sure that he wouldn't come back as a walker. She turned around and saw that Michonne, Rick and Daryl had gotten the three men behind them taken care of; she didn't as much as cringe when she saw one of them decapitated on the floor, blood slowly spreading around the body.
"What tha fuck is goin' on here?" Abraham's voice rang out in the store. He walked toward them with a limping Glenn next to him and he seemed to have a bruise forming around one of his eyes. Beth looked over at Daryl and the other two members of her group, but then she saw that Daryl was walking with determined steps toward the man who had been holding her, who was now clutching his nose as he laid on the ground. She was amazed by the hunter's strength once again when he pulled the man up, pushing him against the shelf. It was the first time she actually saw what her attacker looked like. Up until then everything had been a blur. He was older than Daryl, clearly, his shaggy light brown hair already graying with age and greasy from not being washed for too long. There were wrinkles around his eyes, as if he had spent too much time squinting at the sun and his teeth were yellowed as he gritted them while Daryl held him up against the shelf. The man's clothes were torn and tattered, proving that he had been out in the world for a longer period. As Daryl held pressed him against the shelf, Beth couldn't help but think that he looked smaller somehow, and a lot more scared.
"I told ya not to fuckin' touch her," Daryl growled, dangerously low as he glared into the man's eyes. The man stared at him with horror in his face and a beat passed when his eyes suddenly glazed over and his head fell forward limply. Daryl took a step back and Beth saw Daryl's bloodied hunting knife still sticking into the man's heart. He pulled it out and then quickly pressed it into the man's forehead, blood oozing out, covering his hand as he did.
Daryl pulled back with a disgusted grunt and let the body drop to the floor before he wiped his hand against his pants, removing the blood that had gotten on him.
"We were fuckin' ambushed by three guys in the fuckin' clothes shop!" Abraham continued to bellow. "They got a good punch in before Glenn and I could take care of 'em though."
"They dead too?" Rick asked and Abraham nodded.
"Weren't no walkers anywhere, but people have gotten fucked up," he said. "Jesus Christ..." The man shook his head as Glenn looked over at Beth worriedly.
"Beth? You okay?" he asked, but his voice sounded distant in Beth's ears.
The scene with the man flashed again. She could feel his hands moving up her skin, his touch making her squirm away from him.
Then, she saw Noah. Noah falling from above her.
Darkness and then walkers everywhere.
There was ringing in her ears.
Beth let out a loud gasp as she stared open-mouthed at Glenn. Then, she turned her attention elsewhere, toward Daryl, who was staring at her. In two large strides though, he had moved toward her and she didn't even know why she didn't as much as flinch when he pulled her into his arms. Instead, her arms wound tightly around his neck as she pushed herself up on her toes so that she could hold him better. His forehead was against her shoulder and she couldn't help but think that it must be hurting his neck considering that she had her face pressed against his chest. One of his hands was buried in her hair, and she hadn't even noticed it until his grip on her tightened just a bit, at the same moment that she tugged him a bit closer, breathing in through her nose, hoping that his scent would somehow ground her again.
For all that Beth knew, they might have been standing there for hours and when they finally pulled apart from their embrace, she looked up at him, willing herself to calm down. She felt a lot better after Daryl's surprising show of affection. Her hands had been shaking before but now, she felt more grounded. She seemed to have needed that hug more than she would have ever suspected and Daryl looked quite relieved himself that she was okay. Her hands were still on his arms and his hands were on her elbows, much like they had been that day in the backyard when he had come to keep an eye on her and Eugene.
Beth saw the exact moment that Daryl realized what he had done and she felt it underneath her fingertips because the muscles in his arms tensed at the same moment that he took a step away from her, letting both of their hands fall to their respective sides again.
"I'm fine," Beth finally spoke, her voice a bit hoarser than it had been earlier, probably due to the man's tight grip around her throat earlier. She cleared her throat, looking over at Rick and Michonne, at anyone but Daryl really, because she knew that the hunter was currently glaring at his own feet, questioning his life's choices or something. "Why didn't we know these men were here? How did we not hear them coming?"
First and foremost, she was frustrated with herself for being so reckless, getting caught off guard. She had always minded her surroundings when she had been on runs with Morgan and no walker had ever been able to get the better of her. Then again, those men hadn't been walkers. They had been bad people, who had purposely stayed hidden somehow.
"Daryl said that he'd heard a sound," Michonne reminded them. "They could have just been hiding in one of the other aisles," she said, sounding disgusted as she glared down at the body of the man who had been holding Beth.
"They kept goin' on 'bout some 'boss' of theirs," Daryl then said, looking up at them, but keeping his eyes away from Beth.
"That means there's probably a bigger group somewhere in this area," Rick nodded slowly. "In other words, we take what we've found so far and get the hell outta this place."
"Couldn't agree more," Glenn said. "I grabbed some clothes for Judith. Should be good enough for Winter, whenever it comes around."
"Thanks, Glenn," Rick said, patting the man on the back lightly, but Glenn winced, complaining that one of the men had gotten a couple of hits in on his ribs.
"From now on, we stay away from the South," Abraham told them. "We'll only go on runs up North. Don't wanna risk any of these bastards getting a whiff of us and followin' us back to the farm."
"Couldn't agree more," Michonne said, echoing Glenn's words from earlier as she walked over to the shelves and began shoving cans into bags, not even checking the date beforehand. "We'll just throw away whatever we can't use when we get to the farm. The cans can be used for other things as well."
Beth nodded, but her eyes finally moved to Daryl, who finally seemed to be looking at her again. He offered her nothing more than a curt nod before he too began collecting things for them to bring back to the farm. His nod seemed to only make Beth's gut twist and turn, but in a somewhat good way.
Or at least, it was much better than the way her newly brought back memories had twisted her up inside.
-§-
Glenn fell asleep quickly once they began their drive back to the farm.
They had worked quickly to gather all the things they thought they might be able to use, not even getting rid of the bodies of their assailants before finally just driving out of that hell hole. There was a bad feeling in Daryl's gut though, when he thought about the way those men had talked to each other, mentioning that there were more of them somewhere. He knew that they would have to tell everyone back at the farm about what happened on the run and make sure that no one ever planned any more trips that led them South. It still made him uneasy though, knowing that there was a risk that the leader of those men might come looking for answers as to why they were dead. They would simply have to make sure to lay low for a while and not draw any unnecessary attention to the farm.
It was quiet in the car now, which made it a bit easier for Daryl to think through everything that had happened and everything that could have gone wrong. Those men had been armed with guns and he was sure that he could have gotten shot at least a dozen times just because he had lost his shit when he had seen that piece of shit touching Beth. He, Michonne and Rick had only been lucky that Beth had managed to catch them all off guard when she had finally gathered herself, which had led to them all being too surprised to see his group's attacks coming.
He remembered the way Beth had been practically hyperventilating as that greasy man had held her and touched her. Daryl had seen something in her eyes then, just like he had seen her eyes glaze over a few times when the two of them had been alone. It had been the only sign that showed that she was remembering something from her past. She always got that hazy, distant look in her eyes, although this time, whatever she had remembered, must have scared her in some way or at least caught her so off guard that she hadn't been able to break free of the man's grip.
Daryl knew that Beth was strong; she had survived a fucking gunshot to the head for Christ's sake. Although, maybe that had had to do with luck more than strength? Still, it didn't change the fact that she was a survivor, like the rest of them. They had all been living in this crazy world for far too long now, surviving while people around them died. Out of all of them, in Daryl's mind at least, Beth was one of them who had been through the most, even though she might not remember all of it.
Despite the fact that she seemed to be a lot tougher than she had been when the two of them were alone, Daryl couldn't help but sometimes see the girl he had known before. When she said something sometimes, it reminded him of something the old Beth would say, or when she simply looked at him silently, it would remind him of the girl who had helped him burn down his past. However, the changes were also there. She was a lot tougher and she was fierce, not taking anyone'sshit anymore. It wasn't limited to him, like it had been when the two of them had been alone. Instead, she now told everyone what she thought without even contemplating that they might not listen to her, because she knew very well that she did have authority on the farm. Her thoughts mattered and as far as Daryl could tell, she was aware of that.
His reaction earlier, when he had seen her eyes move toward him, seeking him out just as some memories of hers seemed to have stumbled into her mind, had been pure instinct. The moment he had seen her distraught face, he had thought of that day outside the moonshine shack when he had been the one upset and she had comforted him by embracing him, showing more emotion toward him than anyone had ever shown before. He had walked up to her, reached for her, trying to keep her from falling apart in that mall without even thinking what the others around them might think. She had held onto him too though and when her arms had wrapped around his neck, he hadn't been able to keep himself from just holding her tighter against himself. When he thought back, he realized that his actions could have made her uncomfortable, considering that it was the touch of that man that had brought whatever memory she had remembered back. Whatever it was that she had remembered, had shook her and he knew that she could have received his touch badly.
But she hadn't.
She had held him back just as tightly instead.
Daryl couldn't help but glance sideways at her, where she sat beside him. Her eyes were set on the road ahead of them, but he could see a thousand thoughts working their way in and out of her brain. He wanted to say something to her, to make sure that she was okay again, but he didn't know how to ask without making her uncomfortable. The idea of reaching out and touching her arm or something did cross his mind, but he decided against it when he remembered that he might have just been lucky that she had needed comfort from someone she knew back inside that store.
If Glenn was awake, he might have been able to start some kind of conversation or something, but the man was exhausted and a little injured from their attack. Michonne had checked him over and she had been sure that he had a bruised rib or something, since the men who had attacked him and Abraham had kicked him there when they had tried to get the better of them.
Although Glenn was asleep, so Daryl wouldn't be able to get his help to start a conversation with Beth, and they still had about two more hours of driving ahead of them.
He didn't think he could handle two more hours of silence though, which was strange all on its own considering that Daryl had always been a man who had enjoyed the quietness. His eyes once again drifted to Beth, who was now looking down at her lap, her fingers playing with the cross-bracelet she had around her wrist. From what he could tell, she was still thinking about what had happened and he just wanted her to forget about it for a moment at least.
"Hmm..." he cleared his throat before he began humming a bit. His focus remained on the road, even though he felt Beth's gaze move to him as he kept humming a song he didn't even remember the name of. All he knew was that it was the same song that she had played for him in the funeral home, when he had been laying in that casket.
"You're humming," Beth pointed out softly. He glanced at her and nodded, but didn't stop humming. She turned on her side a bit, so that she could lean her head against the seat and watch him driving, her back slightly turned toward Glenn who was leaning against the door, snoring softly.
Daryl couldn't sing for shit, although humming didn't necessarily need any musical talent anyway. He was sure that his humming sounded a bit rough though and he was trying to do it as quietly as possible so that he wouldn't wake Glenn up. He felt a bit awkward though, since it wasn't something he would normally do, but the idea had just seemed good when he had thought of it a mere minute ago.
"Why are you humming, Daryl?" Beth whispered tiredly. His heart clenched a bit when he noticed just how broken she sounded too and it made him stop his humming altogether. He had wanted to make her feel better and he had been hoping that it might make her remember a better time, when she had actually been happy.
Or at least, she had seemed happy, but Daryl wasn't sure he would even know if she had truly been so.
"Don't stop," she told him then. "Keep humming..."
He licked his lower lip, not being able to help himself. "I thought my humming annoyed you," he said, his voice low and gravely as he replayed that conversation they had had in the funeral for the thousandth time since he had thought that he had lost her forever.
"Well, there ain't no jukebox," she shrugged before freezing up. Her response seemed to have come purely on reflex, and he forced himself not to react, despite the small smile that was tugging on his lips. It occurred to him that that memory, even if she hadn't gotten it back completely, might still be somewhere inside of her mind. He took his eyes off the road for just a moment to look at her face, hoping he would see some kind of recognition there.
Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, her shoulders still tense but she seemed to be staring right through him. It looked like she was remembering a part of it, maybe, but he wouldn't be sure until she actually said something about it, which he doubted that she would considering the day that she had had.
"Thought ya said there was no point in singin'," he said and his voice seemed to reel her back to reality.
"Well, yeah," she replied lamely. "But that was before I realized that you were a professional hummer," she joked then, a small smile on her lips.
"'Professional hummer', huh?" he mused, his own lips tugging up again of their own accord. "Well, I'll charge by the hour from now on then."
"Come on, Daryl," she said, lightly touching his arm. "I'm your biggest fan right now, cut me a deal or something."
He didn't look at her, but he thought of her hand on his arm and figured that it was a good thing that she had been the one to initiate physical contact between them after everything that had happened. It meant that she still felt comfortable around him, which he took as a win, knowing that the outcome of today's events could have caused her to pull away from them all.
"Fine," he finally said. "First show's free if ya don't tell anyone 'bout it. Don't want 'em all linin' up to hear me hummin' some shit song."
"If people start linin' up," Beth said, "I'll make sure to tell 'em that I'm your manager and I'll charge 'em an extra portion of potatoes in exchange for you humming all the shit songs you know."
He suppressed another smile, wondering silently to himself how he could be smiling after all the things that had happened today and all the things that had come close to happening. If Beth hadn't pulled away from that man, or if he and the others hadn't gotten the other men under control, he was certain that the men would have taken their turn on Beth.
The mere thought of it made anger flare up inside of him as the whole scene played out in his mind again. Then he remembered the way he had acted and the things he had spoken, threatening the man who had been holding her. He was sure that Beth must be thinking about it or at least that she had thought about it, unless of course she hadn't even heard him say it considering that she had been so panicked due to remembering something.
"Thank you for today," she said silently, almost as if she had read his mind. "And for this. For making me feel better."
"It's nothin'," he told her, feeling his face heat up a bit. He was actually glad now that it had gotten dark outside, so that she wouldn't be able to see the redness he was sure was coloring his face.
"It is," she insisted. "You made me feel better by humming, Daryl. Maybe there is a reason to keep singing after all..."
It was more of a statement than it was a question and it made a warm feeling spread inside of Daryl to hear her say it. Had he known that it would only take him humming something in order to try and make her feel better after such an eventful day, he would have actually maybe even sung something to her and risked her ears being permanently damaged or something.
He could tell that she still was a bit unbalanced after everything, but as she closed her eyes when he continued to hum, there was a small smile on her lips. After a while, he was sure that he could hear her humming along to the song, but then he figured it might just be his imagination or wishful thinking, because it seemed like Beth was actually asleep.
Once again, she proved him wrong though, startling him when she reached over and put her hand above his, her thumb brushing his knuckles lightly before she moved her hand to his arm instead, resting it on his upper arm as she moved a little closer to him. Her cold nose pressed against his shoulder and he heard her exhale deeply before her breathing finally evened out and she relaxed against him.
He continued to drive, not caring that it got a tad more difficult to use the gearshift, because Beth was finally asleep and relaxed by his side.
Note: Yes, yes, yes! I know! Before anyone asks, no, Beth did not remember the whole funeral home, her singing to Daryl conversation. Her reply to him came as a reflex and she got sort of a "deja vu" feeling, if that explains it. But yeah, it means a lot that she replied that way, because it means that her memories are still somewhere in there! :) I also know that Daryl isn't much for singing (or at least in my mind he isn't ^^) and him humming for Beth was just something that came to me late at night... Especially after I broke Daryl's heart with Beth saying that she doesn't sing. I felt the need to sorta make up for it and well, I hope you liked it. :)
The chapter wasn't supposed to end like this, but I pushed a few things around so the original ending of this chapter will be in the next one instead, which is also Bethyl filled and we'll also see Noah make a return! After that memory, Beth needs to have a conversation with him...
Hope you liked it! Don't forget to leave a comment and I'll do my best to write as quickly as possible so that I'll be able to update on Sunday! :)
Love you all! xx
