A.N. - Surprise you beautiful people! In case y'all missed it, there's a new chapter for each of my stories out today to celebrate Father's Day. The vote was tied for so long and everyone was giving such detailed reasons as to why their favorite fic should be updated and I'm still far enough ahead on chapters so I thought what the heck!

There are no doubt specific notes that could be used for this chapter but I am sleepy and have work tomorrow lol so just include any questions you may have in a review if you choose to leave one and I'll get back to you quick I promise. Thanks to everyone reading this for the support, I hope you all have a wonderful Father's Day.

And as always I wish you very very happy reading!

Chapter 12

Beth exhaled her tenth irritable breath in a row as she nearly chased after the winged back in front of her. Daryl had overtaken her within the first several feet of them hitting full tree cover. The papery flesh of leaves tickled along her cheeks and arms as she fought her way through the underbrush, underlying branches caught at her clothes and snagged her feet. And ahead of her, Daryl crashed through, snapping and crunching, keeping her easily oriented to his location when the greenery like a hundred small waving hands obscured her view.

The noise he made nagged at the back of her mind. Daryl didn't tend to make a sound in the woods, or anywhere else really, his foot falls would catch people off guard continually. No one heard that man unless he wanted them to, even if he were right on top of them. Not until he'd snapped a branch to get your attention, or killed you, those were usually the only results when the hunter was in his element. Beth tried not to tie the volume of his movements to anything she personally should feel guilty about, but it was a constant itch along her spine.

She'd been feeling so blissfully free this last week, knew Daryl had been mad at her, but had been sure he'd see what she could do, and finally start to realize just how strong she could be. Looking at his rigid frame making its way angrily in front of her, she had to admit resignedly to herself that that had apparently not happened. Worst of all, it was clear he wasn't the only one thinking she'd acted irrationally since Atlanta.

Beth felt her lips purse as she gritted her teeth, trying not to trip over the next fallen log that was in her path. Her pulse was still rocking away hard in her chest and neck, heart trying to make a break for it up her throat at the memory of everything Daryl had said.

That he'd ran all…that she shouldn't have…and the things he was willing to…

She shook her head stubbornly, all of it was going to swamp her, maybe send her backwards to how she'd been right after the hospital. And God knew they hadn't been happy with that either. Who knew if she could – could get back to how she was before? Had they even asked her who, or how she wanted to be?

And there he was, stomping off in front of her, not talking again. Man could only communicate through scowling or screams, but she was the one with the problem? She made a little derisive noise and saw his head snap to the side, clearly hearing her.

Hadn't she been patient with him? Couldn't he offer her the same?

Freakin' redneck was seriously messing with her week long good mood. Just dead set on being grumpy as all get out. She was wondering just how far he planned to march out his irritation when they reached a tall grass filled meadow. The long strands reached nearly to her waist, and she saw him pause, casting squinted eyes in every direction, his breath still seeming to thunder through his chest.

"So." She began, stopping behind his tensed back and crossing her arms across her chest, ready to finish whatever he'd started out on the road. "You have anythin' else you were wantin' to holler at me about?"

He turned to her slowly, eyes in a slit, jaw open, but his lips set in a harsh line, as it jerked down and to the side slightly. Face flushing, or maybe still heated from before, he was gripping the strap of his crossbow until his knuckles were bleached against the rest of his tanned skin. She glared back, sure that their looks would signal for two other people, a step towards sudden violence

It didn't matter how aggressive his body language, Beth hadn't been truly scared of Daryl even when he was jerking her into a hold, one broad hand almost palming her breast as he'd taken aim at the walker outside of the shack that day. Not even when he'd reloaded and wrapped that thickly muscled arm around her neck.

Daryl wouldn't hurt her, not physically at least, not in any way if he could help it.

But she couldn't keep thinking down that track, it would curve back around to her, and everything that had happened this last week. She knew it. And all of that…she just didn't want to examine closely, not yet.

"C'mon Daryl, ya never needed an audience to yell at me before."

"G'on an' keep actin' like I's the only one sayin' fucked up shit that day." He nodded, flicking his fingers towards her and then back off towards the forest, like if she looked in the direction of his stiffened digits she'd see the rundown shack through the low hanging branches. "Ain't nobody here that yer gonna sell that shit to."

He'd started doing that thing again while he said this last bit, like he did every time they'd fought, crowded himself into her space. Considering the way it made her body heat, wrapping her arms and midriff in a temperature that rivaled the summer sun pressing against her, Beth momentarily wondered if she didn't piss him off on purpose. Or at least, if she wouldn't do so in the future, recreate this need he seemed to pick up, to occupy the same breath as her when he was raging.

But his words did make her brow furrow, they obviously remembered the conversations they'd had that day very differently. "What're you talkin' about now?"

"Was fucked up of you t'say that shit t'me." He just about spit the words out at her, shaking his head as she replied, his face clearly saying he thought she was faking her confusion.

"Which part?"

"Las' man standin'!" He yelled, slapping himself in the chest for emphasis, swiping hand almost brushing her forearm due to his closeness. "Christ woman, ain't nobody in this group knows how bad I hate losin' people like you do." She watched, trying to tamp down her worry as his breathing increased and he took a slight step back from her, his next words obviously difficult to get through his throat. "Tellin' me I'd miss your ass when you was gone, the fuck kinda person has t' twist the knife in the wound like that?"

Her steady feeling of being, impervious, untouchable, the buffer that had kept the haze away was starting to fracture under his look of angry distress and she could feel herself panic. Damn him for trying to drag her back down to that cold grasping thing that pawed at her kicking feet. Her lips pulled back from her teeth, but her tone sounded flat, not nearly the snarl that her face held.

"I was just tryin' to prepare you." Her eyes scanned him with dislike, why couldn't he just leave her be? She was going to crumble apart at his feet if he kept looking at her like that. "Isn't my fault if you went and got all attached anyway."

The moment the words left her mouth Beth desperately took a breath in, hoping to suck the sentence back inside her idiot chest.

Daryl straightened slowly, face going blanker than she'd ever seen, ever could hope to mimic. His gaze held hers and Beth felt a shiver shake her spine like a wolf trying to snap its prey's neck. He stepped closer until he loomed over her, stretching that half a foot of difference in their heights until Beth felt her vertebrae want to snap with the pressure of craning back to hold his eyes, gone so steely she could barely make out the blue.

"Tell me again how you ain't just another dead girl." The words hissed through barely moving lips, and his voice and stare made her want to curl into a ball at his booted feet.

She began to say his name, to say anything she could force through, but he was already striding passed her, heading back towards the road, modifying his angle no doubt to intercept the group. She followed him as soon as the feeling began to return to her lifeless body.

What is wrong with me?

He must be right, she must be dead and buried to say such a thing to him, no beat to her heart no spirit to feel. It wasn't possible for her to say something that horrible to Daryl Dixon of all people for any other conceivable reason. She'd just thrown it in his face, looking all but disgusted, over him caring about someone, caring about her. Daryl – the soul so abused he had issues letting anyone in at all.

Sweet Jesus.

He'd probably have taken it better if she'd hauled off like a psycho and punched him square in the face. Her stomach rolled so hard at the idea she had to swallow the sudden pressure back down her strained throat.

This was bad, sure she'd been mad at him but…What she'd said, for Daryl, it wasn't just mean or petty, it was cruel. She was having issues catching her breath, like those terrible words she'd strung together out of glass and desperation were cutting their way back through her gullet and into her lungs. Back where they'd started, just like she'd wanted.

Daryl was moving ahead of her so swiftly it felt like he was running from her, fleeing as quick as he could, and who could blame him? She couldn't hold the air in her chest long enough to call out to him if she'd wanted. And she was so freaked out by what she'd said, Beth wasn't entirely sure if she did want to.

How the hell was she supposed to face those blazing eyes of his if she was able to call him back?

Had she meant to hurt him back then too? It hadn't felt like it, she'd been so – awed – by him at the time. He was everything she wasn't, strong and skilled, he could survive no matter how hard things got and she'd barely been able to take out a single walker on her own.

But she'd heard it hadn't she? That waver that had been in his voice, as she'd watched him, feeling so calm and sure while she talked. Sure that she'd be one more person to leave him to do what he was so amazing at.

Surviving.

She hadn't thought for a moment that her words could really hurt him, thought maybe he just didn't like the idea that she knew it was going to happen. Never realized that he wouldn't want to survive if her and the others were all gone.

Pulled suddenly from her ever darkening thoughts, Beth's next breath in hitched as she watched Daryl sprint forward with a curse. Picking up her own speed, she had time to take in the scene before her, the group had stopped to take out the group of walkers that had been trailing them. Several of the dead were crawling vainly at the incline leading to the small group that had positioned themselves on a bridge.

She saw immediately what had caused him to go pelting off, Rick was neck deep in biters and in horror Beth watched as Daryl dove into the fight, his movements obscured by his winged back, she was only able to see when he flung the walker from him, hands looking bloody before he released his hold and turned to the next threat. Beth was next to him in what felt like an instant, she stuck to his side, heart ricocheting around her ribcage. Stayed on his left, reigning in her urge to dart for the first target she saw.

When the fighting was finally over, she sheathed her knife with the quick ease of repetition, turning immediately to the heavily breathing man next to her. Without much thought, Beth reached out and snapped a grip around the hand she'd seen covered in blood and brought the grime covered fingers up for inspection.

There wasn't a mark on him, she couldn't stop the happy half-sob that left her throat. It must have been a fresh walker, or maybe, maybe she'd just panicked because of her awful words to him.

"I thought you'd gotten bit, ya scared me t-" The words seized somewhere along her sternum as she looked up to him.

Death

He'd scared her half to death, thinking he'd been bit, and what had he thought every time she'd jumped into each fight? Had she even said anything to warn the rest of them, or had she just expected them, him, to follow? She couldn't remember, and from the steadily neutral look he was studying her with, she'd bet that answer was no. Well wasn't that just God or her daddy telling her to get her act together?

The warm friction of his rough hand, sliding through the two of hers that had been cradling it, brought her back to him. His focus flickered to each of her eyes, before rocking back a step, holding her gaze until he turned without a word and went to help Rick check on the rest of the group.

They continued their moderate path down the road after that, Beth ran the past few weeks through her mind. Specifically the last week and the fight she'd been having on and off with Daryl today. It wasn't admitting she was wrong that was tripping her up, it was that she honestly didn't know if she could make the promise it wouldn't happen again. Her behavior, the way she was feeling, seemed so far out of her control to the point she hadn't noticed how out of character it was for her.

Hadn't wanted to notice maybe.

But saying that…to Daryl…she was not that person – had sworn not to allow what had happened to make her as wicked as the ones that had tormented her. She couldn't figure out why the words had snagged at her conscious so much and not the constant danger she'd been putting them in. Maybe she was just used to them, to him, always being able to handle whatever fight that happened.

She had a lot of maybes right now.

But she needed to decide while the relative quiet gave her the time, what she was going to say to Daryl to make things better, what apology she could give him that he'd believe.

Farther down the road the group slowed when they came across a smattering of cars stretched along the two lane highway. Beth was systematically looting the vehicles on auto pilot when she heard Maggie take a stuttering breath the next car up from hers. Peeking around her own car's trunk hurriedly, she saw her sister gazing down into the open back compartment of the four door she'd been scavenging.

She made her way over as Glenn came to a stop at Maggie's hip, the two looking into the trunk silently. Coming along Maggie's other side, Beth took her own quick gander inside, knowing at once what had pulled her sister up short.

There was a blonde walker, tied and gagged, confined to the small space and growling with the need to get at them. Her limp hair seemed to clack against sunken cheeks, catching on the split and rotting skin covering the bones of its face. Struggling awkwardly to crawl in their direction without covering much ground, the binds keeping her mostly in place.

This could be me.

Beth mused, keeping the bubble of hysterical laughter firmly in her chest where it could live and die, hopefully sooner rather than later. It could still easily be her in that trunk, in a manner of speaking. She'd not get much further if she kept pelting into groups of walkers like she had been.

Her mind was rather clear on this point, she wished she knew if it was simply the horror of hurting Daryl, the man that had done more than her own blood relative to keep her safe and to get her back, or if the near mania she'd been in had just begun to wane.

"Please tell me he was able to make ya realize how you've been handlin' things can't keep goin' like they have." Beth's head turned to look into tear filled green eyes, Maggie watched her, face desperate and pleading.

She hesitated only a moment before nodding, knowing it was more complicated than the simple action could encompass, but words were getting lodged one by one, her own little traffic jam stretching from lungs to the back of her teeth.

"I know I ain't got a lot of room to…I don't know." Lips flattened and bowed in a desperate attempt by Maggie not to begin crying as she continued. "To scold, or tell ya what I think you should do Bethy, not after…but it's tearin' me up. Tearin' all of us to pieces Beth."

Feeling the burning behind her own eyes, Beth tugged herself from the locking green gaze, nodding more jerkily as she blinked quickly. She watched as Daryl headed back into the woods, wanting so much to follow him, trail at his heels like a morose puppy, but she knew he was going to need longer before he'd even be willing to hear her out.

Problem was, she wasn't real sure how much patience she'd stored up, she'd have to hold on as long as she could. But she highly doubted it would last until the end of the day. She couldn't have Daryl hating her, it caused even more panic than the chance of dipping back into that foggy mess in her head did.

She watched for him steadily, wincing a little to herself when he came back looking honest to God more depressed by whatever he'd found or didn't find while out there. They'd been resting when he appeared in front of them, making slow exhausted steps to them from across the road. The group was already on edge from Abraham's decision to begin drinking and Beth could feel the crackle through the seated members when Daryl shook his head at Rick's silent question.

When Sasha deftly shot the snarling dog pack that skulked out of the tree line a few minutes after Daryl had sat down to rest, shrugging at her brother's aghast expression after she did, Beth watched while Daryl skinned and cleaned the collection of kills.

She wondered, feeling near heartbroken at his emotionless face, if he were thinking of the dog that had come to the funeral home. The chunks of tough meat rolled around like greasy clumps of char in her mouth, as she tried without success to figure out what she should say to him.

She finally got her chance to get him alone when she heard his and Glenn's voices talking behind her quietly once they'd started down the road again. They were always walking, and searching, not far off from the dead like that she figured…

"Don't" Daryl growled, obviously irritated by something her brother-in-law had done or maybe had said, too low for her to hear.

"Hey man, we can make it, we're together." She felt guilt wash over her once again at the words, not surprised when Daryl sounded less than impressed with Glenn's optimism.

"Tell them I went lookin' for water."

She turned her head to watch him trudge off the road and out of sight, tapping Maggie's arm quickly she motioned in the direction he'd gone. Eyes begging her sister to understand without Beth having to explain and possibly losing him, but Maggie simply gave her an understanding nod, her green eyed expression looking grateful for some reason.

Relieved.

The trees around her didn't give her much clue to the way he'd gone, but she followed what trail she was able to with slow uncertainty. Her heart ticked up a few beats when she thought she'd lost him and was now traipsing around lost. Daryl was going to be even more irritated at her if he had to come track her dumbass down. She followed the lightly sloping land to where a break in the ever-pressing tree cover was just visible.

Making it clear Beth sighed out some of the tension that had begun to gather along her spine when she spotted him not too far off. Propped up against one of the many trees smoking, she could even see he'd managed to find an old barn that stood lonely farther down the hillside. She was taking a hesitant step when her body locked up rigid.

Daryl took the cigarette he'd been smoking, and without any kind of warning that she'd been able to see, put the burning point out on his hand. She swore she could hear the skin sizzle and bubble under the unrelenting heat as he drove the ember-hot piece downward. Not for the last time Beth wondered if she were hallucinating, part of her wished it was the case this time, because there was no way she could otherwise believe that Daryl Dixon was harming himself.

Not the man that had thrown her own self-mutilation at her with such angry disdain. She wasn't sure when, but before she was able to decide on what to say, or do, her feet were flying over the long springy grass that separated them.

And just before she reached him, a sound she'd heard before, never thought she'd ever hear it the once – let alone twice.

Daryl Dixon was crying.

Shivering sobs that rattled out of him, shuddering his frame, wracking broad shoulders and bowing a sweat drenched head. Beth wasn't sure if her feet were even touching the ground anymore as she moved. He heard her coming only moments before she was on top of him, literally.

She felt the iron set of his body as her once pumping arms slung themselves around his neck, flexing around him like constricting snakes in preparation for him to try and shake her away from him. Because why wouldn't he? Daryl hated touching in general, but a bear hug while crying?

Well she'd pulled it off before, but had only managed it by out stubborning him.

She pulled herself against him hard, his arms and hands getting caught along her shirt and chest before being able to slide out of the way. And then she was flush against him, like she'd been a couple of weeks ago in that house back in Georgia. Torsos pressed hard together, her knees aching where they'd slammed into the ground, mere inches from his crotch, thank the Lord she'd been able to estimate her landing within the blur of her need to reach him.

Her face was close to being forcefully exfoliated by the bark at his back, but she refused to let go. She became dimly aware that she was speaking to him, rasping cried things that twisted up her lungs and fell from her mouth as quickly as she could speak them. Almost childish, completely begging and unashamedly so, trying to get anything she could out before he could start trying to pry her off him.

Because why wouldn't he?

"Please! Please don't."

She sucked in a breath that only managed to fill up half her lungs before expelling without her permission, and she didn't know what part of this she didn't want him to do, give up on her, take her angry words as gospel, hurt himself, cry, or throw her off him, probably all of it.

"I am so sorry. I swear, I swear, I swear I am." He was still motionless against her and after releasing a choked sob she pressed her face to the side of his head, urgently hoping somehow that he'd listen and not stonewall her.

Her lips snagged along the shell of his ear, nose in his hair, forehead to his crown and she kept talking, feeling as it spilled out of her even as she knew she must be strangling him with her clasped arms around his neck.

"You gotta know I didn' mean it, please Daryl, I was outta my head. You know, you have'ta know."

Maybe she was still out of her head. It certainly wasn't a conscious decision to start nuzzling into him like she was. Mouth pressing harder against the cartilage underneath it, nose making small rifling trips through the sweat streaked places in his hair that it could reach. Her teeth repeatedly nicking the ridges it came into contact with, voice dropping to a tear harsh whisper.

"No one's ever taken care of me like you have." She was pressed too solidly against him not to feel the shiver that rolled through him, worried that this was the tipping point she babbled even faster. "Please tell me I didn' mess this up."

Her voice broke hard during the last sentence, another chest pressing cry and she didn't know how she hadn't gotten shoved away just for how she was panting into his ear, tears rolling along the curving edges of it. She knew she was about to suffocate them both, but couldn't force herself to pull away, if anything wanted to get closer, to feel more of him. Didn't think about what she was maybe revealing to him with her panicked words.

Wouldn't have cared if she had.

She gasped out a sob when she felt uncertain fingertips and then palms slide along the back of her ribs until they rested on her shaking spine. Her whole body seemed to sag with relief and she felt Daryl's arms tighten around her almost roughly as she slumped a little to one side. She slackened her own hold the barest amount so she could drop her face to the side of his neck, hoping with everything in her that each movement wasn't the one that would have him pushing her back.

Breathing with quaking gasps, trying to calm herself down, she kept her eyes squeezed tightly shut as she tried counting the ticking jumps of his pulse against her cheek. Once he seemed certain that she wasn't going to fully collapse or pass out, Daryl began stroking soothing hands up and down the length of her back. Blunt fingertips pressing on the track down, warm palms stroking and rubbing on the trip up, tugging at her shirt enough for the minute breeze to lick along her drenched flesh.

The longer she went without more tears she was able to take more steadily controlled breaths as his movements remained constant along the contours of her back. She wanted to get a look at his face but didn't want to risk the separation in case he didn't allow her to return to her current spot, which she discovered she was quite happy with.

She'd become aware by degrees of how good he smelled, pressed like she was to his throat, even sweat covered and going on probably more than a week without bathing. Daryl's body odor was wrapped up with fresh grass and heavy dirt, he was musky and a little sweet, Beth couldn't get quite enough, funny what a world without Axe and Old Spice could get you used to.

His pressure was becoming more noticeable against her muscles, large hands pressing her more soundly into his chest, and she was suddenly aware of the warmth swamping her body. At first she had thought it was their combined body heat, not to mention the baking sun that was striking at them through the limited shade of the tree they were under.

Stiffened fingers ran from her shoulder blades to the small of her back stopping just shy of her butt and Beth choked on the moan that slipped through her lips and buffeted itself lightly against his neck. She did her best to not freeze up in his hold, feeling as his hands smoothed out on each side her waist, palms and pads of his fingers sliding hard on their way over her ribs.

One hand continued up until it curled around the back of her neck, rubbing a little back and forth while his grasp tightened and loosened rhythmically. His other hand pressed down the track of her spine once again, fingers stalling with the first few pads on the swell of her ass.

She huffed out another unsteady sound, mouth tilting up to place a half chaste kiss on his heated skin that twitched against her parted lips. Instead of pulling away, she felt Daryl turn his head towards her, and taking a breath for courage she pulled back to look at him.

Cheeks tear streaked and a little rosy, she didn't get a very good look because his eyes met hers, and she felt the warming soak through her limbs, that dropped with a heaviness to her suddenly clenching pelvic muscles. A throbbing heartbeat joined the clenching as Beth continued to stare into that blue gaze that had gone unmistakably black. His grip on her neck and lower back wouldn't have allowed her much distance, not that she was trying for any.

And feeling like she had minutes ago on the other side of the clearing they sat in, she felt unable to stop her next movement as her mouth moved towards his. It wasn't that everything around her slowed, but that every other nerve ending in her quieted until the only things she felt, were the places his hands touched, or his chest and stomach pressed into hers. Eyes closing – her lips tingled like everything in her was focused into a few spare inches of her flesh.

She sucked in his expelled breath, felt the first delicious prickles of his scruff, the ghosting pressure of sun chapped lips, before his head was jerking back to slam into the tree behind him, a groaning creak coming from bow on his back. His arms and hands flew off her and went up on either side of him in a stopping motion that her newly opened eyes couldn't miss.

"Dar-"

"Stop." His voice was all rough ice and salt melt in her ears, eyes digging into her like she had her knife laying along his jugular. Blue rimmed black all desperate anger and confusion. "Don't."

Wanting to question him, but knowing that level of panic was close to snapping loose, Beth carefully started unwrapping her arms from his neck. Bodies separating one sweat soaked inch at a time as she lengthened the distance between them. Her hands were still resting on his shoulders when he grasped each wrist and pushed them towards her quickly. In a move that only his bow and leather vest could save the skin on his back from, she watched as he shoved himself roughly back and up.

He sidestepped her once he'd regained his footing and began walking quickly back towards where they'd come from. Beth's mind was reeling as she watched the familiar picture his retreating form made, fast strides covering the grassy terrain easily.

How had she misinterpreted that so completely? He'd been running his hands so adamantly against her, she could've sworn she felt his unsteady breathing knocking against her own. Had he seriously not felt the kiss on his neck? Or had that seemed platonic enough to pass as one of apology?

Had he never felt anything else for her at all?

She shook her head dazedly. No. It was much more likely that he had, but her jumbled up actions and emotions had spooked him.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph…

She was such a stupid little idiot! She'd been fighting with him all day, had basically thrown it in his face that he'd become attached to her – like it was a bad thing, like it hadn't been more than mutual. And then to top off that stupidity, she'd tried to kiss him. She couldn't even discern where she was trying to sabotage herself anymore.

Her eyes blurred, but when she got done blinking them clear she realized there was still a figure standing at the top edge of the clearing. Dragging her gaze up his body she found him staring broodingly at her, once their eyes locked she saw him jerk his head back and to the side, beckoning her to join him.

Hastily she climbed to her feet and half jogged until she reached him. They stood a couple feet apart wordlessly looking at one another, and she did her best not to blink or shy away from the force his eyes were placing against her own.

After what felt like lifetimes, her soul and lungs being steadily charred by blue flame, he tore his sight from hers and turned to head back into the trees.

After one more shuddering breath she was able to follow him, careful to stick close, but not crowd him, as he moved silently through the fallen ground clutter of the woods. Wondering as she did just how much worse this day could get. She snapped her arm out to rap silent knuckles on the nearest tree.

No need to jinx yourself Bethy, doin' cruddy enough on your own, don't need any more bad luck.

She tried to ignore the superstitious worry, deciding to focus on the bow and wings in front of her instead.

So, I think that is that, I tried loading this once (make that twice!?) and it went all wonky so...ok. Feedback yes? Please and thanks. *crosses fingers and hits post*