They had a funeral once they were done running and found another abandoned house. Another place that was empty with no feeling of warmth to it. Everyone stared at the pile of smooth rocks with a wooden cross at the head of them, their makeshift memorial. It tore through the Greene sisters. Beth didn't talk. Neither did Maggie. The wound of losing their daddy was still fresh, still open, and still hurting them deeply.

Beth thought again about how there was never enough time. One could think that they could have more time, and then they don't. It would be ripped away in the blink of an eye, leaving a wake of devastation.

Beth didn't quite hear what Rick said as they were all gathered together in a semi-circle. She didn't hear what Carol said, or what Lori chipped in with during their small service. Words went in one ear and then out the other, them all seeming to have no meaning as Beth looked on at the cross that was meant for her daddy.

She thought that she was numb at that point. She had cried so much that there were no more tears left in her system for her to cry out again. She was a blank face, a sad facade of a person as she stood next to Maggie as the funeral concluded, Maggie reaching for Beth's hand.

Later, Beth had gone off on her own again, not wanting to talk to anyone or see the look of sorrow on anyone's face. Having to see Maggie's own heartbroken expression was enough for Beth to deal with. The mood among the group was already mournful and despondent. Beth didn't need any reminders of how sad she felt or how sad the whole situation was.

The place they were going to be staying in for the night was an old, sort of run-down Bed and Breakfast type of shelter in the back woods, one with a dull red colored siding and a wooden porch that had moss covering areas of it, plants growing in between the cracks, and wild green wines growing up the side of the place.

Beth sat out on the porch in the quiet evening hours, the sun gone down, and the light of the full moon shining down to illuminate the property. Beth sat on the edge of the porch by the front steps, her feet planted on the first step of the top, her head rested onto the wooden beam that supported the porch overhead.

She did not how long she had been out there for, and also had no idea about what was going on inside, or even what the plan was for tomorrow. Not much mattered to her at that point in time. She grieved more than anything. There was not much room for anything else in her mind other that.

When Beth heard the front door swing open and close shut, she did not turn around to see who it was coming outside. However, she could tell by the sound of the boots against the porch that it was the only person she would want to see other than her sister right about then. The only one who she would not mind being with her.

Daryl sat down next to her, his boots clunking down onto the steps as he took the spot, his crossbow laid onto the porch right beside him. He told her, "Hershel was a good man."

Beth brought her head away from the beam and leaned in so that her head was then rested onto Daryl's strong shoulder. "Thank you for saying that."

"It's the truth," he pursued. "He didn't deserve to die. Not like that."

She agreed with that. "I know. No one deserves to die like that. Ever."

The both of them are quiet for a while, Daryl staying there with her, letting her keep her head on his shoulder as she looked out at the trees.

"Daryl?"

"Hmm?"

"It hurts," she whispered. "Everythin' inside of me hurts."

"I know it does. I wish you didn't have to feel this way. Wish he was still here."

Beth let out a deep sigh, readjusting how she sat so she was closer to Daryl, head still on his shoulder. Suddenly, she thought about something that she did not know about Daryl. "You've never talked about your parents," she let him know, hoping that maybe he would share.

Daryl was quiet for a moment, not moving, and she thought that possibly he had stopped breathing due to her not being able to see how his chest would rise and fall anymore.

"Ain't much to say," he finally told her with a groan.

"No?"

"Listen, my mom died when I was young. She'd smoke a lot, y'know? One night she fell asleep with a cigarette and lit the place up. Mattress caught on fire and she burned down with the house."

Beth was deeply saddened by the story of Daryl's mom. She couldn't believe that the person who had brought Daryl into the world had left it in such a horrible way.

"I'm sorry."

It was all she could think to say.

To her surprise, Daryl chuckled. "Don't be. It ain't your fault. Happened a long time ago."

"She didn't wake up when the bed caught on fire?" Beth questioned. She could hardly fathom the thought of not coming to the realization that the mattress was on fire. Beth was the first one to admit that not the greatest in biology class, but she was sure that she learned about how the body's reflexes would alert someone if there was fire near them that would put their life in danger.

"Too drunk to notice, I guess. That's what happens when you drink a whole bottle of wine and whiskey on the side. You don't realize it when you put yourself into an oven. You just burn to a crisp. Nothin' left of ya. And that's how it ends."

The way Daryl said it made Beth realize that the memory must still haunt Daryl so some extent, even after all these years like he had said.

"And your dad?"

Daryl shifted around uncomfortably and it did not go unnoticed by Beth. "You don't want to know 'bout him. He was an asshole to everyone. A real mean drunk, too. Had a stroke ten years ago. And you know what? I was damn happy to hear that he was dead."

The words sunk in as Daryl said them. She had this imagine of Daryl in her head of him growing up somewhere in the country with his older brother in a house somewhere in the woods. Yet, she had never factored in the possibility that there had been a bad relationship between Daryl and his father. Daryl said that he had been happy when his dad died. No one said that without good reason to. It almost made her sick to think about what had gone down in that house when Daryl was young.

She wanted to know more but she knew better than to ask something that Daryl should tell her himself, without being questioned.

"It's weird to not have a parent anymore." She choked on the words a little bit, but luckily she regained her composure. "Now it's just Maggie and me left. I didn't think that would happen for a long, long time."

"At least you got a sibling who is there for you. Maggie will always be there when you need her to be."

Beth cringed at the first part of his sentence. "Do you miss your brother?"

Again, Daryl was silent momentarily. "Don't know how to feel 'bout Merle bein' gone. We wasn't like how you and Maggie are. Merle and I were never equals."

"Equals? What do you mean by that?" Daryl sighed, which caused Beth to think that she went too far with her inquiry. "Nevermind. You don't have to answer that. I ask too many questions."

"Do ya really want to know?"

Beth picked up her head to look at him. She slowly nodded as a response.

Daryl took his knife out of its place attached to his belt and drove it into the porch wood. "Merle was always top dog. I followed his lead, did what he said even when I knew I didn't want to. That's how much of an idiot I was. Could never get the balls to say no to him. Fucking pathetic, ain't it?"

Beth shook her head, a hand placing itself onto Daryl's bare arm, feeling the muscles underneath. "S'not pathetic," she whispered to him in a quiet voice.

Daryl remained unconvinced. "It was. I know it. Don't need to pretend like it wasn't." To change the subject, Daryl examined Beth and her puffy eyes that had been rubbed at all day. "You should get some sleep," he offered. "You need it."

"Can't. I'm afraid of the nightmares I know are gonna be there in my sleep."

"Anythin' I can do?"

She thought about it until she felt like she acquired the nerve to ask for what she really wanted. There was no reason to hide it anymore. "Will you stay with me while I try and sleep tonight? Just for tonight, I swear." Beth rubbed her eyes again, only making them hurt. After a brief second of consideration, she added in a murmur, "I know that's a lot to ask for since we're kind of in a weird place, but I think the only way I can sleep is if you're there with me. Because I feel safe with you."

He hesitated for only a fraction of second. "I'll stay. Whatever you need."

They exchanged a glance, one that made Beth realize something important. The look in Daryl's made it clear that he wanted to take her pain away entirely, that he would do whatever it took for the hurt to stop, if he could. If that was something that was even remotely possible. She appreciated that more than anything.

Only then did Beth have the strength to get up and walk inside with Daryl following behind her silently. Luckily, most everyone was in their own room and there were no eyes on them, that probably made Daryl feel relieved that he would not need to explain where he was headed with Beth, not that Beth thought anyone would question it anyways.

She turned around once to make sure that Daryl was still there, just to make sure that he was not going to back out at the last second, and he was there, treading on the floor lightly.

Once inside the room that Beth had put her stuff in, she slid off her boots until they hit the floor with a thud. She made her way over to the bed and pulled back the covers, adjusting the pillow for her head. She noticed that Daryl had not followed her and stood near the door.

"What are you doin' over there?"

He shrugged and set his crossbow up against the wall by the door, then leaned himself against it. "You said to stay, I'm stayin'."

"Don't make this awkward for yourself, Daryl. I need you here, but not in the watch me from far over there kind of way," she quietly requested. Beth hoped that she was being clear about it. She patted the bed behind her. "Please, get over here. I can't have you standing over there all night."

She slid her body down onto the bed, Daryl pausing at the closed door before walking around to the other side and getting on top of the covers so that there was some form of distance between them. Beth then snuggled up onto her side so that she faced him, pulling the blanket up and over her shoulders, the mattress molding against her frame. Daryl had been right, she did need the rest. Her body ached for sleep, her muscles already relaxing and her eyes drifting shut.

"Thank you for being here." That was the last thing she spoke about before she finally fell into a deep sleep with Daryl next to her.

A/N: I was inspired to write another porch scene because I am absolutely in love with the one from Still. It acted as such a catharsis for the characters, mainly Daryl, but I thought I would incorporate something similar into this story. I hope you enjoyed it!