Beth was staying busy and trying not to worry. She found herself with so much nervous energy that she just kept going all day until she went to bed exhausted. With Judy walking now, they couldn't turn their backs on her for a minute. Luckily, there were plenty of people eager to watch her. Being one of only two babies in the prison meant that she was spoiled with attention. The other baby belonged to a woman from Woodbury who had actually given birth in the town a few days before it was abandoned.
As much as Beth loved Judy, she was too restless to stay in their section of the prison all day. The day that Daryl left on his hunting trip was the first time she tried to wander off alone, but Maggie joined her.
"You're not supposed to be going off by yourself."
Beth was not in a good mood, but she tried not to show her irritation. "I don't need a babysitter."
"I know I'm not as good company as Daryl, but I am your sister."
Beth hoped she had a neutral expression on her face. "Why are you talking about Daryl?"
Maggie laughed. "You guys haven't exactly been discreet. Every time you disappear, he does too. If you're in the shower, he's nowhere to be found. Do I need to go on?"
"Oh no," Beth said. "Do you think everybody knows?"
"If they do, they're not saying anything about it. Anyway, you're not the only ones sneaking off to be alone. It's just that the tension between you two was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. You've really got it bad for him, huh?"
Maggie was the only person Beth could talk to about these things. "I never knew it could be like that. I just can't stop thinking about him."
"He feels the same way about you."
"Do you really think so?" Beth asked.
"Oh yeah! I've seen the way he looks at you, even though he tries to hide it."
Beth sighed. "I just hope he'll be safe."
The next day, Joshua joined her on her walk to the other side of the prison. They walked in uncomfortable silence for awhile, each thinking their own thoughts. Beth was remembering last winter when he tried to kiss her. He had been training her in self defense, because he had a black belt in one of the martial arts. Beth had been fascinated by this, and he had offered to teach her some techniques. You never knew when it would come in handy, he said. Anyway, it would help pass the time, as they really had very few options for entertainment. Things had gone well for a couple weeks until one day when he leaned over to kiss her. She had backed away, and he had been embarrassed and apologized. That had been the end of her training, as he had pretty much avoided her after that. She was surprised that he would seek her out now.
"I was thinking that we should resume your training. It's a great way to relieve stress."
She was at a loss as of what to say. "Oh."
"Look, Beth, I know you're with Daryl. I'm not trying to pick you up. I just want to help.
"Daryl? Um—"
Joshua smiled. "You've got one of those faces that's easy to read. Anyway, I'm with someone now, too."
She waited for him to tell her who the woman was, but he didn't elaborate. Now her curiosity was piqued. She would have to watch him to see if she could pick up on who his mystery lady was. He was right about the stress relief, especially as another day passed without Daryl's return. Concentrating on the fighting and blocking moves helped alleviate some of her frustration.
The next day, she absolutely had to have some time to herself. Making conversation with people had become difficult for her, as her mind was completely occupied with Daryl. Beth did finally manage to get away without anyone tagging along.
It helped to helped to explore and make plans instead of just waiting. Tomorrow, she told herself. Tomorrow he'll be back.
She figured it was probably time to start making dinner, so she went to help with the preparation. Andrea was in the kitchen with Carol looking at the supplies in the pantry. Before she could say anything, Carl came running in to tell them that Daryl and Merle were back with a deer, among other things.
"Guess that changes our dinner plans," Carol said.
"Yeah. Oh, Merle's going in the shower first. Then Daryl." Carl took off running again.
"Let's see what else they brought back," Carol said. They would probably smoke the rest of the meat to make it last longer.
They started to walk back, and then Andrea stopped. "I'll catch up with you later." She went down another hallway as Carol and Beth continued toward the cell block. Carol's lips twitched in an effort to hold back a smile.
"What's so funny?" Beth asked.
The smile won. "Your men are back."
"Our…" Beth stopped walking and stared at Carol. "You mean Andrea and Merle are…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.
Carol was even more amused. "Why are you so shocked?"
"I thought she was with Milton."
"No sweetie," Carol said. "They're just good friends."
"Did she tell you that?" Beth was still reeling over this news.
"No, she didn't. Just like you didn't have to tell me about you and Daryl."
"Wow," Beth said. "Everybody knows."
"It's hard to keep secrets living in such close quarters the way we do."
They approached the rest of the group now, so their conversation came to an end. Beth saw Daryl and had to stop herself from running up to kiss him. Her subdued manner when she spoke to him was at odds with the excitement building within her. "I'm glad you're back."
"Me, too." His eyes didn't linger on her too long, but she felt like the air between them was charged with unspoken words.
He and Merle had also brought back rabbits and squirrels, and the group was deciding what to cook now, and what to save for later. Beth quietly helped with the dinner preparation as the rest of the women chattered excitedly. Andrea appeared and silently took her place in the activity.
"Your turn, little brother," Merle said as he returned from the shower.
"Okay," Daryl said. He glanced toward the women and walked away.
Beth stood there in indecision for a few minutes that seemed like an eternity.
"Beth, why don't you take a break?" Carol spoke casually.
"Yeah," Andrea said. "You've been working too hard lately. Go relax until dinner's ready."
"Um, okay thanks," Beth said and made her escape. She tried not to walk too fast.
She sped up when she was in the hallway walking toward the shower. Daryl was leaning against the wall and stepped forward as she threw her arms around him. "Thank God you're safe!"
"Hey," he soothed. "It's okay."
"I was so worried," she mumbled against him.
"I'm back. Everything's okay," he spoke into her hair. He pulled back to look at her. "What about you? Been staying out of trouble?"
"Yeah, just waiting for you to get back," she said.
"I been missing you. You're so much prettier to look at than Merle."
That got a smile out of her. "I missed you, too."
"We gotta make up for lost time," Daryl said as he took her hand.
Beth began to walk into the shower room with him and then hesitated, thinking about who had just taken a shower and what had probably happened in there.
He laughed at her expression. "Why don't you wait for me, and then we can go to another cell block. Be nice to have a bed this time."
"Actually, I found a couch."
"Did you now? Okay, wanna sit on the bench while I take a shower?"
She wondered if Merle and Andrea had used the bench. "I'll just wait out here."
When he came back out, he kissed her. She knew he had just brushed his teeth, because his mouth was minty. They walked down the hallway as she led him toward the warden's office.
"You won't believe this, but Merle's got a woman. Won't say who she is."
"It's Andrea," Beth said.
Daryl looked at her in surprise. "Andrea! Who told you that?"
"Carol. It came as a shock to me, too. I thought she was with Milton."
"Me too. Well, don't that beat all. Thought she didn't even like Merle," he said.
They walked on in silence as Beth's thoughts left behind the puzzle of Andrea and Merle while excitement coursed through her at the thought of being alone with Daryl again. Her period was over, and she was wondering if sex would be just as great with him now as it had been the first time in the shower. "This is it," she said as they walked into the warden's office.
The room was spacious with two windows giving plenty of light from outside. There was a sturdy desk with a nice, comfortable-looking chair facing a large, black leather couch. It seemed there had been plenty of money in the budget for the warden's office.
Daryl looked at the thick coat of dust on the desk and then locked eyes with Beth.
"I cleaned the dust off the couch."
"Getting it ready for us," he said in a tone of voice that heated her blood. "Did you get turned on thinking about what I was gonna do to you in here?"
"Yes." Her breathing was already uneven, and he hadn't even touched her yet.
He came up behind her and slipped his hands under her shirt to cup her breasts and run his thumbs over the nipples, causing her to moan. He spoke in her ear. "Did you touch yourself?"
She shivered. "No."
In one swift movement, he pulled her shirt up over her head. "Why not?"
"I couldn't. I was worried about you and…"
He took her bra off. "And?"
"I wanted to wait for you."
Daryl pulled her shorts and panties down together, and she stepped out of them. Still standing behind her, he slid his hand down her stomach and touched her between her legs. He sucked in his breath. "So fucking wet already."
She leaned back against him and moaned as he began to play with her. He was hard and pressing into her. Then he sat down on the couch and pulled her to stand in front of him. He began to suck on her nipples and drive her crazy with desire.
"Daryl please," she cried out.
"Please what?" His tongue moved down to lick her stomach.
"I want you." She could barely stand anymore.
"You ready for me, baby?" He scooted over and pulled her to sit down. Then he kissed her deeply before he stood up and pulled a condom out of his pocket. "I'm ready, too."
Beth watched him take his clothes off and put on the condom. Then she lay down as he approached her and climbed up on the couch to position himself between her legs. They both moaned as he slid into her. He paced himself this time as he thrust into her, causing those waves of pleasure to start building within her. She held on tighter to him and moaned louder as she came closer and closer to that frantic release.
"Yeah, baby, come for me," he urged her.
"Oh yes! Oh!" She reached the summit and clenched around him as she came.
He moaned as he finally let himself go. His head came down to rest on her chest for a moment. Then he kissed her and pulled out of her. He disposed of the condom by throwing it out the window. Turning back to look at her, he smiled. "Guess we're late for dinner."