Claimed - Chapter 14

"I can't find nothin'. It's like they just vanished into thin air. What the fuck?" Tim complained as he returned from his latest scouting mission. The whole group of men had been scouring around their campsite for any trace of Beth or Daryl and had turned up basically empty. The best they had found was what had to be Daryl's prints leading toward a stream, some very faint walker tracks, and a twice-dead girl. At first Chester thought it was Beth, but the body was way too decomposed to be her. They had tracked both trails as far as they could, but no one in the group was all that experienced as a tracker, and the wind that had picked up and rain that had worked its way through the trees certainly didn't help in preserving any tracks.

It appeared that Beth and Daryl had, indeed, vanished.

Joe couldn't believe it. He had stood up for that mother fucker and for what? For him to desert the group? While he was supposed to be on watch, nonetheless? That piece of shit, claiming that hot piece of ass and not doing anything with her, taunting the rest of them, then stranding them in the middle of god knows where to be eaten by god knows what. It was fucking intolerable.

Joe was beyond pissed.

He realized just how lucky they were that the rain had hidden their scent from any other walkers in the area. That would have been a hell of a way to wake up...or not wake up. It only pissed him off more.

"Boys, let's be smart about this. They couldn't have just disappeared. Plus that bitch has a bum ankle. They can't have gotten too far in just one day. We'll look over by that walker Chester found, focus over there. Only someone living would have taken out a walker like that. That has to be the direction they went."

"Yeah, but we found Daryl's tracks heading the opposite way," countered Tony. "Shouldn't we go that way? Ain't no way she went somewhere without him. He'd been carrying her all damn day today."

"You wanna go that way, be my guest. The only direction we know someone went for sure is that way," Joe pointed in the direction of the dead girl. "In case you forgot, Daryl's prints disappear once they reach the stream. You think you can pick up tracks in running fucking water?" Tony stayed quiet. "That's what I thought. Now quit yer bitchin' and let's go."

"Man, we been lookin' for 'em all day already. I ain't gonna go on no wild goose chase in the dark." Chester whined. The group mumbled their assent. Joe felt his shoulders tighten with frustration.

"Alright you bunch 'a pussies. You get yer beauty sleep so we can get going early tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, but Joe…" Tim piped up again, and Joe's menacing glare stopped him momentarily. "I just…where do we go next? That way leads to the train tracks. We goin' after Daryl or after the asshole that killed Lou?"

Joe felt all eyes turn to him. He hated this part of being a leader. He didn't mind telling these idiots what to do when he had an actual plan, but now…shit he didn't know. "If those two are smart, they'd head for Terminus. Two people ain't gonna survive out here by themselves."

"Those two could. He's one tough son of a bitch," Chester mumbled. "And he didn't seem all too keen on going there anyway."

"Yeah, but if we go to Terminus, we either get Daryl or the other guy."

Joe could feel his patience wearing really fucking thin. "Fuckin' fine. We'll vote. All in favor of heading to Terminus?"

XXXXX

Daryl's eyes snapped open at the sound of thunder crashing right above them. A hard, slanting rain was beating against the windows outside. He looked around, trying to determine just where he was. It took a minute before he remembered finding the apartment building, clearing out the different rooms...

...the backrub...

...Beth breaking down the last walls standing around his heart...

...crawling into bed with Beth...

His eyes focused on the sleeping beauty lying next to him. She was still curled up against him, her head resting soundly on his arm. He realized his arm was completely asleep from his elbow down to his fingers, but he didn't mind in the least. It was worth it to see her lying there, her golden hair spread out on the pillow behind her. She was like an angel. An angel that had told him she loved him.

His heart tightened at the memory of hearing those words from her sweet lips last night. What the hell had he done to deserve her loving him? He sure as hell couldn't think of anything. But she had said it, and didn't expect him to say anything back.

Damn, but he wanted to. He just couldn't get the words out. It wasn't pride, it wasn't fear. It was his own inadequacy that stopped him. He didn't deserve her, not by a long shot. She apparently thought otherwise. He couldn't help but smile to himself. She deserved to know how he really felt about her. He just had to man up and tell her.

A piece of her hair had fallen in front of her face. Daryl reached up and gently tucked it behind her ear. He traced his thumb gently along the side of her face. He froze as she started to move, just slightly. As Beth relaxed against the pillow again, and his breath came back to him, he ever so gently draped his arm around her, resting just above her hip. He fought every urge to pull her close to him, but he didn't want her to wake just yet, and knew any movement would probably wake her. He was content to just lay there and look at his angel in the bleak morning light.

He lay there, looking at her, memorizing every tiny feature of her, for who knows how long. Suddenly, another clap of thunder rumbled above them. He watched, intoxicated by her, as she moved next to him, stretching her limbs almost cat-like. She groaned and blinked her eyes open, looking right up at him before smiling, melting his heart all over again. She brought her arm up to his waist, mirroring the way he was holding her. "Mmmm…good morning…" she mumbled, her voice still thick with sleep.

"'Morning," he replied, grinning back at her.

"How long have you been up?" she asked with concern.

Daryl shrugged. "Not long. Thunder woke me up."

Beth nodded against the pillow, not taking her eyes off of him. "Hmm…" She tilted her head, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain on the windows. "I love sleeping in when it rains. There used to be a song about it."

"Yeah? You wanna sing it for me? Don't see no jukebox in here, either."

She smiled at the memory of her singing to him in the funeral home. Her smiled melted into a slight frown. "Oh, but I just woke up. My voice will sound all froggy," Beth complained.

"Hey, if you can't pull it off…" He teased her, knowing he would get her goat.

"Okay, but I warned you…" she cleared her throat and sang softly.

"Pray that it's raining on Sunday…stormin' like crazy…we'll hide under the covers all afternoon…"

She stopped, looking embarrassed, a blush creeping over her cheeks. "What? Keep going," Daryl egged her on.

"I…okay…" she swallowed, suddenly looking very nervous. "Pray that whatever comes Monday will take care of itself…cause we got better things that we can do…when it's rainin' on Sunday."

She lowered her chin to her chest, trying to hide her eyes from his gaze.

Daryl brought his hand to her chin, gently lifting it so she was looking at him. He bent his head and pressed a kiss to her lips. He returned his arm to wrap around her, pulling her close to him, until she was pressed up against him. His hand found its way beneath her shirt, pressing his palm against the smooth skin of her back, rubbing his large hand up and down, loving the feel of her beneath his fingers.

He felt her arms encircle his neck, pressing herself further into him. He groaned at the feeling of her so close to him. She shifted herself against his body, rubbing herself up and down the length of him. He began leaving a string of hot kisses along the column of her throat, her breathy moan in his ear spurring him on further. He let his tongue and teeth taste and tease her skin, feeling her squirm next to him. The taste and smell of the skin of her neck, all feminine and sweet, combined with her movements next to him had him getting hard; he found himself not really caring whether or not she knew it. He wasn't letting go of her any time soon.

He wanted to feel more of her, dragging his fingers along her back to her waist, ghosting along her tight stomach. Her breath hitched in her throat; she tried not to giggle at the ticklish sensation. He pulled back slightly, looking into her emerald eyes as his hand crept slowly up her torso, along her rib cage, his raised eyebrows asking silent permission.

Beth kissed him and brought her hand to cover his, dragging his hand to cover her breast, before pulling her arm through her sleeve. She broke the kiss briefly so she could pull her head through the neck hole, effectively removing her shirt, exposing her body to him. She lifted herself up onto her right elbow, giving her enough room to fully discard the shirt and toss it over her shoulder, giggling as she did so.

Daryl slid his hand to land on her hip and looked at her smiling eyes before raking his eyes over her chest, landing on the most perfect pair of breasts he'd ever seen, her pink nipples standing hard and firm, almost begging to be sucked. He looked up at her. "God, you're beautiful." He crushed another kiss to her lips, pressing her back down onto the bed, then teased down her neck, over her collarbone, licking along the pulse point he found there. He replaced his hand on her breast, her hard nipple pressing against his palm. He kissed his way down her chest, until his lips reached his hand, now cupping her breast, bringing her nipple to his lips. He heard her sudden gasp and felt her grip on his shoulder tighten.

He forced himself to pull away and look up at her again. "You okay?"

Beth had scrunched her eyes shut and bit her lower lip, but nodded nervously. "Yeah. I've just…no one…no one…" She looked at him, "you're the…"

"Beth, have you done any of this before?"

Her chin dropped to her chest again and she shook her head no.

Daryl had figured she was a virgin. She was too damned sweet and innocent about everything else; it just made sense. But to not have had anyone touch her before? What the hell was she doing with those two boys before? They had to have been god damned idiots to not know what they had with Beth. And now here he was, feeling like the luckiest man in the world to be able to be this close to her, whether he deserved her or not.

"Are you sure this is okay? We can stop."

"No!" she answered emphatically. "No, I want to keep going. I trust you. Please, Daryl."

That was all it took. He kissed her hard, then brought his mouth back to her tight nipple, sucking on her gently, then circling it with the tip of his tongue. Her soft moans sent chills through his spine and he smiled against her. His hand moved to her hip, pressing her so her back was flat against the bed, and his mouth shifted to her other breast. He was partially lying on top of her, his left elbow braced next to her, keeping most of his weight off her. His right hand ran up and down her body, cupping her breast again, rolling her nipple between his fingers, gently teasing and twisting it, eliciting another gasp as he wreaked havoc on her senses. Her hands ran up his arms to land on his shoulders, gripping him and pulling him closer to her. Beth's fingers curled into his hair and pulled him up to kiss him again. He let his body cover hers.

As her mouth found his, sliding her tongue in to taste him, she arched her back against him. She had never felt anything like this before. She felt sexy…womanly…cherished…loved. She pressed her breasts against his chest and moaned at the friction caused by his chest hair grazing along her sensitive nipples. She broke the kiss, breathless, and his lips automatically sought her neck. She felt him suck at the spot he had claimed yesterday, marking her, and she felt tingles run up and down her body, all the way to her toes. Instinctively, but still tentatively, she brought up her knee, giving Daryl better access to the cradle of her hips. She felt his weight press against her, loving the feel of him so close to her. She could feel his hard on press against her and couldn't help but smile.

Daryl kissed her sweet mouth again then shot her his wolf-like grin as he began to kiss his way down her chest, paying homage to her breasts once again. His hand ran up her thigh to her knee then to her calf, gently moving her leg so it was flat along the bed again. He teased the skin of her stomach with his lips, teeth and tongue before reaching the waistband of her pants. He kneeled up on the bed, straddling her legs. He ran his hands along her torso, then curled his fingers under the elastic, and stopped, looking up at her. Beth took a deep breath, then nodded. She raised her hips off the bed, making it easier to remove her pajama pants. He left her panties on…for now.

Daryl crawled up to be even with her again. His right hand roamed all over her body as he kissed her passionately. He covered her skin in long, languid strokes, stoking the fire that was building between her legs. She jumped slightly as his fingers reached the elastic of her panties, then down to trace her hip, down to her knee, and teased the sensitive flesh of her inner thigh. He grazed over the fabric of her panties and repeated the motions on her other leg, before ghosting over her most sensitive part. Her legs pressed together, trying to trap his hand there.

Daryl chuckled at her attempt, then brought his hand to her stomach. His fingers slid underneath the elastic of her panties, then froze. He looked up at her; her eyes were shut tight, her brows knitted together. He waited until she opened her eyes and looked at him. "You still okay?"

"Yeah…just…nervous."

He kissed her softly. "It's okay, baby. I'll go slow. If you want to stop, just say. I promise."

"Okay," she whispered, a shaking hand reaching up to his neck, pulling him down for another kiss.

Daryl shifted his weight off her, laying pressed up next to her. His hand slid further down, his long fingers cupping her womanhood. He slid one finger between her lips, parting them slightly, and felt her tense up right away. He waited until her breath caught up to her and felt her relax again before stroking between her folds, amazed at how hot and wet she was already. His finger rubbed lightly against her sensitive nub, causing her to gasp loudly and grip at his shoulder again.

He kissed her deeply, then slid one finger into the place that wept for him. She bucked against the unfamiliar pressure; his mouth swallowed her moan. He moved his hand, sliding in and out of her. He couldn't believe how tight she felt, and this was only his finger. He frowned slightly, knowing that if this was to go further, he was going to hurt her, and that thought alone almost caused him to put the brakes on everything.

Almost.

He pulled his finger out of her, only to add a second one. She could feel his fingers stretching her, causing her to moan again. Intuitively, she rocked her hips against his hand, needing more of him. She moved slowly, unsure of what she was supposed to do. She felt him press his thumb to her clit, and whimpered loudly, then groan in near frustration.

"That's it baby. Use my hand. Do what feels good," he said against her neck as he nuzzled her there.

"I…I can't…I don't know how."

"Yes you do. Your body knows. Just do what feels right." He curled his fingers inside her, pressing against that special spot, knowing it would help her along to finding release. He wanted to make sure her first time was more than just some pain and spots of blood. He wanted her to know pleasure. He rubbed his thumb against her clit as she started moving her hips.

She was grinding against his hand, her own hands gripping at his shoulder and at the pillow beneath her. She let out moan after moan, not knowing what she needed, only that she needed more. Daryl began suckling her breast again and she whimpered, pressing her head back as her back arched away from the bed, pressing her breast closer to his seeking mouth. Her hips rocked furiously against him. Then…

Her orgasm ripped through her, white hot pleasure surging from the top of her head, through her heart, her belly, down to the tips of her toes. She let out a long, loud groan; her fingers gripped his skin, surely leaving nail marks in his shoulder. She screamed his name, clawing at his shoulder. It seemed like every muscle was tightening and relaxing at the same time.

Daryl felt her inner muscles clench around his fingers. He continued moving inside her until he felt them start to relax. Slowly, he removed his hand from her panties. He looked up at her, seeing the look of release all over her face. Her eyes were hooded with desire, and a Cheshire cat grin spread across her face.

"Oh my god. Daryl…I…I never…knew…oh my god…" she sighed breathily.

"You alright?" he asked, giving her a knowing smile.

"I am so much better than alright." She brought her left hand up to his shoulder, almost lazily, as if all the muscles in her arm had melted.

He moved down to between her legs, and curled his fingers into the waistband of her panties. His eyes roamed over her body before meeting her eyes, still hooded in her afterglow. She looked up at him, and a new look of nervousness crossed her face. "Same deal, baby. If you want me to stop, I will."

It almost killed him waiting for her answer. He was bracing for her rejection, frozen in anticipation.

"No, Daryl. I want this. I love you. Please…I want you to be my first…please."

"My god," he thought in disbelief, "is she begging for me?" He didn't think he could have gotten any harder. Once again, Beth had proved him wrong.

His fingers gently slid the fabric down over her hips, which she had raised to help get the garment off her, and down her long, skinny legs. He backed up off the bed, hooking his thumbs into his own pants, removing them and his boxers at once. Before discarding them fully on the floor, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a condom. Beth had propped herself up on her elbows to watch him and gave him a quizzical look.

"I found some yesterday. Didn't know if we'd be needing them or not. I promise, Beth, I wasn't expecting this. It was just in case. I swear." He knew how this looked, and it made him feel like a pervert.

Beth grinned at him, "Well, I'm glad you did. I didn't even think about it."

The fear in his heart released its grip at her reaction. He ripped the packet open and slid the condom over himself. He slowly crawled back on the bed, again, pressing himself to her side. She gave him another confused look.

"Before we do this, I just want to make sure you're ready."

"Yes, Daryl. I love you." She pulled his face down for a kiss.

When she released her hold on him, he looked down at her, right into her eyes, and could swear he could see all the way into her soul. He kissed her again, tucked her hair behind her ear, and whispered against her lips, "Beth, I want you to know…I…I love you," and pulled away, looking at her as if he'd just done something wrong.

Her eyes shot open in surprise, a bright smile stretching across her face. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down, kissing him hard.

When she loosened her hold on him, he whispered, "I'll go as gentle as I can, baby. I promise. I don't want to hurt you, but…"

Her hand cupped his cheek. "I know, Daryl. I know. "

He moved down the bed, kneeling between her legs, placing a hand on each of her knees and gently urging them apart. She watched him with wide eyes; he could tell she was nervous. He grabbed his cock and pressed against her warm, wet opening, then lay on top of her, bracing his arms on either side of her, keeping his weight off of her. He felt her tense up beneath him and whispered, "Relax, sweetheart. Just relax. You ready?" She let go of a low breath and nodded.

He slid into her quickly, like pulling off a band-aid, getting through the worst part all at once. Her fingers gripped his shoulders in desperation, her face scrunched in pain, a raw moan escaping her lips. He rained down tender kisses all over her face and neck, whispering, "I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry. I promise, it'll feel better soon." He stayed perfectly still, letting her tender flesh get accustomed to his size inside of her.

Eventually Beth relaxed her grip on his shoulders, the pained look starting to disappear from her face. Excruciatingly slowly, Daryl started to withdraw from her until he had almost pulled out from her completely, then, just as slowly, slid back into her. The sweet friction was sheer ecstasy as he entered her fully. He grit his teeth and began to pull out again, just as slowly. He promised he'd be gentle with her, and he would keep that promise if it killed him. He slid back into her, fighting to keep control. He didn't know how much longer he'd be able to keep up this kind of pace. He needed her, all of her, now.

As if she could read his mind, she began to rock her hips against his. They met each other perfectly, and he groaned with pure desire for her. He leaned further into her, pressing their bodies together, wrapping one arm around her lower back, and the other around her shoulders, He needed to feel all of her against him.

"I love you so much, Beth. God you feel amazing. Absolutely perfect" He began to increase the tempo of his thrusts into her, and her head tilted back as she let out a string of breathy moans into his ear. "That's it baby…yes…please, baby…please," not knowing quite what he was asking for, only that he needed more of her.

Beth brought her knees up higher and asked, "Like this?"

The simple motion allowed for Daryl to reach deeper into her, but it still wasn't enough. He grabbed her knee and dragged it up and hitched it above his hip, guiding her calf to wrap around his waist. "God, yes, baby…oh, fuck yes…" He began to thrust harder and faster into her.

"Oh…Daryl…" she moaned into his ear, then tightened her grip around his neck. "You feel so good inside me."

Her words sent him over the edge. He finally found his release, his hips rocking hard against hers. He buried his face in the pillow next to her head, muffling his groans of pleasure. When he had finished, he rested his forehead against her shoulder.

After a moment, he propped himself up on his elbows and slowly withdrew from her. She let out a soft moan at the sudden empty feeling inside her. He leaned down and kissed Beth soundly on the lips. He reached down and removed the used condom, tying it off and depositing it into the trashcan next to the bed. He took her into his arms again, looked intently at her and asked, "Are you okay?"

Beth smiled, then nodded and ran a hand through his hair, now damp with sweat. "I'm okay. I had no idea it could be like that."

He dropped another quick kiss on her lips and said, "I didn't either."

"I love you, Daryl"

He looked down at her sweet face. He was still in awe that this beautiful, amazing woman deemed him worthy to be with her - to be her first. He still didn't think he deserved her, but swore to himself he'd spend the rest of his life trying to prove he did.

"I love you, Beth." He chuckled, "Guess that makes you my first, too."

Her heart caught in her chest. She hugged him to her, running her fingers up and down his back as she kissed him with everything she had in her.

He moved himself off her, and positioned her so her head was lying on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. He heard her yawn before she stretched her arm across his chest, curling into him completely, her leg curled up across his body. He'd never been one to cuddle before, but he couldn't think of anything he'd rather do than stay in bed with this woman as long as he could.

Daryl listened to the rain continue to pelt down on the windows as they drifted off to sleep again.

And they got there - YAY! I was pretty darn nervous about this chapter, too. Seriously, I read through this three times to make sure it was perfect…

As always, I do not own any part of The Walking Dead. Also, the song Beth sang is "Raining on Sunday" by Keith Urban, which I also own no part of.

Oh…you didn't think I'd forgotten about Joe and the boys, did you? We're just gonna have to see what happens…