Daryl and Merle Dixon are known around for their involvement in the local biker gang as well as their involvement in the drug market. When Merle is hospitalized after a gang stand off things begin to go to shit. When Daryl meets 17 year old Beth Greene in the hospital he realizes he isn't the only one with issues.

OR

In which Daryl is in a biker gang
Beth tries to kill herself
And Merle finds Jesus

warning: mention of violence and mention of self harm please be cautious when reading

"And I am always reminded of lies
That we told, but never meant
And at night when I still hear you grin
Like an echo sounding from my sins
Come on, let me in."
"Echoes"- Radical Face

Chapter 14

She hadn't talked to Daryl in a few days.

She would pick up her phone and stare at it thinking about calling him so she could hear his voice. So she could tell him she loved him. But something kept her from calling him. He would make the first move when he was ready.

She found herself rubbing her hand over her bare forearm, where the scares were now white and raised above her skin like small hills. Sasha had caught her doing it one day at work and asked in a quiet voice, "What changed your mind?"

She flashed to a lot of things at that question. To Maggie, to Glenn, to her father and the way he looked at her with big loving eyes, and she even saw Daryl looking at her with a stupid grin on his face as he told her he loved her on the front porch of her family farm, drunk off of moonshine.

"I was stronger than that," She said simply and shrugged.

Sasha had smiled and placed her hand on the skin of Beth's forearm. Her palm brushing against the raised skin. Beth had decided that Sasha was one the good ones.

They were closing tonight. It had been dreadfully boring. Not many customers and Beth found herself idly cleaning things and dusting instead of doing actual work.

Sasha had slipped into the back room to call her brother to come get her because they were going to close early, when the door opened causing the bell to ring.

The sound filled the silence of the small store like a gun shot.

Beth turned from her spot by one of the shelves and felt her heart fall to the floor.

He was standing there with the same ominous look that he had given her when he first came in.

Black eye-patch running across his pale skin.

She heard it before she saw it. The door close and then click shut as he locked it behind him.

She should have screamed to Sasha but nothing would come out.

"I gave them a choice," He said as he stepped closer to where Beth stood. Her arms and legs shaking.

"Those Dixon boys never were as smart as their father," He said thoughtfully, never taking his eyes off of her.

"I warned them... even gave them a chance to rethink their decision. Stubborn brats is what they are."

Beth stepped away from him when the back door flew open. She watched in horror as Sasha was dragged out of the back room duct tape slapped across her face.

Beth had to hand it to her friend, she looked like she had put up a fight. One of the men dragging her had a nasty cut across his cheek from where she must have hit him with something heavy. Sasha probably would have one in a fight if they weren't 6 feet tall and a couple hundred pounds.

Sasha had a glare in her eyes as she looked to the man with the eye patch.

"You know why I don't get along with those Dixon boys?" The man asked suddenly taking back Beth's attention. She looked at him and shook her head gently.

He lifted his hand and pointed to his covered eye.

"Foolish little shits," He said, "Tried their best to be tough as nails. Our two groups never did get along but we coexisted. The younger one did this to me when he was 14." The man's face twisted into a smile, "Never held him accountable. Thought that it was cute really."

Beth felt a shiver go down her spine. Two men came beside her. She felt the room go cold. She wanted to flee but her feet were stuck to the ground.

"Thought that we could work something out. Live in harmony," The man said, "Think they are better men then their father was. Didn't do the same things that he had done. They wanted to change." He pointed a finger to Beth, "Blame you for that, little girl." He nodded and the two men beside her gripped her arms tightly. One of them shoved a sock into her mouth and she tried to pull away in protest. But it didn't work she heard the familiar sound of duct tape being ripped and soon a big hand was slapping over her mouth placing the harsh material against her soft skin.

"We are just gonna scare them a little," The man with the eye patch said with an evil grin, "Don't be afraid."

And with that a bag was thrown over her head and she was shrouded in darkness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Daryl felt incredibly uneasy.

He was standing in a warehouse with Merle and some of his men in Atlanta.

They were going to meet the Woodbury people again. Tell them for the last time that they weren't going to do it. Protection and 'peace' be damned.

Something was not sitting well in his gut.

He wanted to go back to Beth, tell her he loved her more than anything, crawl into bed with her, hold her to him and take a long much needed nap.

But he couldn't leave. Being the second in command of a biker gang meant something. Especially right now.

The double doors at the end of the warehouse came open and the Woodbury people came in. The Governor in the front. His good eye stealing at them with hatred. He remembered when he took the other eye. Remembered how he had done it to save his dad's life. How in the end his father was killed anyway and it had only caused the Governor to take more of an interest in the youngest Dixon boy.

"Well hello, boys," The Governor said with a smile as if this was some kind of family reunion.

"We ain't here to tell you yes," Merle spat out, "Here to tell you for the last time to go fuck off and leave us alone. Ain't gonna help you traffic no girls.

A shilling laugh came from the Governor then and he simply raised his hand. He looked back at his men and waved signaling them to bring something forward.

Daryl felt cold when he saw two large men pull out two people from behind their crowd.

Heads covered in black bags. But he knew those shirts from anywhere. Blue with a smiley face on the breast.

Beth.

Daryl made a move to step forward but Merle grabbed him pulling him back. He looked up to yell at his older brother before he saw the look of distress on the man's face.

He stood back and waited.

"I gave you both fair warning," The Governor said. He stepped behind the two bodies and pulled the bags of simultaneously.

He heard someone behind him gasp and recognized the strained voice as Tyreese as he slipped out, "Sasha."

So the fuckers had taken Tyreese's sister as well. Daryl wanted to kill them all and cry all at the same time.

Daryl's eyes fell on Beth and he felt the air leave his lungs. A part of him was hoping and praying that it wasn't actually her. But he knew better.

Beth's big blue eyes found his and he could see that she was trying to be strong. That she was trying not to break down and cry.

"I am giving you one more chance," The Governor said as he lifted a gun from his holster and placed it against the back of Beth's head.

Daryl felt his body still and tension came up around his shoulders.

"You can take my offer," The Governor said, "Or..." he cocked the gun, "I'll shoot her fucking brains out."

Silence fell around them all Merle began to make some incoherent noises but he didn't make any sense of them. The only thing filling his mind was Beth and only Beth. She never looked away from him, her eyes big and in her voice he heard her say "Not for me. Not for me. Not for me."

So he shook his head without thinking about it and Merle was agape beside him.

"We aren't fucking monsters," Was all Daryl said.

Two shots rang out at once.

Daryl didn't think that he would do it.

Thought that they had a chance.

He had decided that he was a fucking idiot for trying to be a better person.

The world spun.

The Governor fell to the ground in a heap just as Beth fell forward.

Daryl looked up and saw T-dog kneeling on the second floor of the warehouse, a sniper riffle in his hand. He was a shit shot but somehow had managed to hit the Governor right through the head.

What followed could only be described as a cluster fuck. Guns firing, voices screaming. But he heard none of it, he was surging forward to Beth's limp body on the floor.

There was blood coming from her head and he felt himself die at the sight of it.

He fell to the ground beside her pulling her into his arms.

He cried out in relief when he saw her big blue eyes staring back at him.

He ripped off the duct tape, which caused her to flinch he mumbled a 'sorry', and helped her pull the sock from between her teeth.

"Ow," was all she said to him and he felt himself laughing hysterically as hot tears fell down his cheeks at the same time.

"It's just a graze," He said with a wide smile. He looked over her scalp where a small cut was against the mop of blond hair. "Head bleeds more," He said dumbly.

She nodded and the tears finally fell from her eyes.

"It hurts something awful," She said before throwing her arms around his neck. Daryl looked at the scene around him. He heard Merle yell, "Retreat!" And soon his brothers were running out of the warehouse, Sasha tucked under her brother's arm.

He lifted Beth up, his arm going under her knees and took off with her, following the others out.

He had never been more afraid in his whole entire life.

She had almost died and it was because of him.

So when they went back to the club house, Beth tucked behind him on his bike.

He knew what he had to do.

He pulled Merle aside and said something to him in hushed voices.

He went back to Beth who was being tended to by one of the guys.

"Think you're gonna live," The man said with a smile.

Beth returned it.

When they were alone he decided to speak.

"Merle's gonna take you home," He said looking at his feet.

He could tell she was distressed by this, "Why... why aren't you going to?"

"Can't do this, Beth."

"What are you saying?"

"Saying its over. You almost died in there. It would have been all my fault."

Beth stepped forward her hands pulling his face up to meet hers but he pulled away.

"Don't do this," She gasped out.

"Too late," Was his response before he was turning on his heels and walking away. He didn't look back as she called his name. Didn't even look back when he heard Merle whisper to her gently and call his little brother 'a fucking diva.'

He didn't look back.

And he hated himself for it.

BOOM
Super sad
Wow so sad
This is the longest chapter I have written for this story.
Bit of a time skip next chapter
I love all of you and I am so honored the responces that this story is getting! (:
Bethyl fans are my absolute favorite.