... Chapter 21 ...

Daryl traversed his way through the woods, the inner calmness he had felt when doing so before now completely shot all to hell. He was pissed off and confused all while attempting to subdue the erection that still ached painfully against his zipper. The volatile combination of the three were trying their damndest to provoke him into throwing his fist through the closest available surface, but instead he just pulled out a cigarette and lit it under his cupped hand.

Christ, did all that really just happen?

It sure as shit hadn't been his intention, that was for damn sure. Just as it hadn't been when he had told the girl she was beautiful. Somehow, his personal feelings had made their way into the intended dose of reality he'd been laying out for her and as a result, seemed to all but set them on the path to where they were right now.

The smoke hanging practically forgotten from his lips, his fingers subconsciously tightened around the strap of the Horton until his knuckles ached. Why the hell was he blaming himself in this? He didn't fucking ask her to kiss him! The whole point of the training session had been to take her down to the ground and leave her ass there with the lesson learned. He would've never gone anywhere near her if he had known for one minute that he was going to get so goddamned turned on by it.

And it had turned him on… more than he wanted to personally admit. Her body pinned tightly under his, she had stared up at him as if daring him to do something about it. It was at that very moment he knew they had reached a point of no return.

For his part, he had been willing to step back from that line, everything that made him who he was uncomfortable enough to insist upon it. Beth obviously hadn't felt the same way, surging up to kiss him when he wouldn't make the move.

And that had been it. That was all it had taken to kick down the doors of his resistance, just that moment of shy acceptance… the look of yearning she was too inexperienced to hide… the next thing he knew, he was kissing her back like it had been the objective all along.

Even more surprising was the fact that she had let him, her lips parting under the insistent pressure of his own like she'd been put on this earth to have them do so. From that point on the only thing he remembered thinking was how good she tasted… as good as he always imagined she would in the few times he had allowed his mind to dwell on such things. With his dick fully concurring, it had taken everything he'd had not to press himself fully against her, to settle his weight between her thighs and take the interaction further than she was probably willing to go.

Not that it mattered in the end. Chancing to touch the soft expanse of silky skin at her hip, the next thing he knew she was shoving him off of her like she had suddenly realized what the hell she was doing, and more to the point - with who. He had lain there for a moment completely bewildered and on fire, trying to wrap his head around what had just happened along with the multiple other things that were all taking place simultaneously in his brain. By the time she started apologizing, he'd already decided he had tortured himself enough, getting up to stalk away so he didn't have to hear whatever justification she could come up with to explain why she hadn't intended on things going that far with the likes of him.

Back in the present, Daryl pulled another drag off the cigarette, inhaling the smoke into his lungs despite knowing that it wasn't helping to calm him down for shit. It wasn't like the influx of nicotine could magically erase the feel of the girls tongue gliding around his own inside the warmth of her mouth or the sultry little sounds she had been making from beneath him...

Mad at her and beyond pissed with himself, he pulled the smoke from his lips, flexing his stiff fingers before curling them into a tight fist. Knowing that it should've never of happened to begin with was only adding to his black mood… but it was the fact that it would never do so again that had him wishing there was an available walker around, one that could withstand the severe fucking beating he was itching to give something…

''Daryl… wait…''

Even through he didn't turn around, he could still hear the sounds Beth's feet made on the terrain as she hurried to catch up to where he was walking determinedly ahead of her.

''Nah, we ain't doin' this right now.'' He growled, not breaking his stride as he ducked under a low hanging branch in his way. As he went, he pressed the end of the cigarette out between his thumb and forefinger, the burn bringing him back from the edge of the downward spiral he was raging on.

''Will you just stop!'' She snapped, making Daryl expel an annoyed expletive from where he was ahead. Still, he couldn't help but question his own judgment when he found himself doing exactly that, grinding to a halt next to a large ravine that happened to run through the area. With his back to her, he gazed unseeingly across its distance as he waited for her to somehow contradict what he considered to be the undeniably obvious.

''Whatever it is that you're thinking, you're wrong.'' Beth said without preamble. ''That had nothing to do with you…''

''Nothin' ta do with me?'' He swung around to see her standing there, her shoulders locked in defiance against the attack she must have already predicted was coming. Not one to disappoint he bit out heatedly, ''Weren't I the one that just had you flat on ya back or is this jus' some bullshit game ya tryin' ta play with me?!''

Beth huffed at his obstinacy as her jaw clenched. ''Are you going to let me explain or are you just going to stand there and continue making yourself angrier?''

Slowly approaching him much like one would a wounded dog that had its teeth bared, she looked up at his hardened features before entreating to him quietly. ''I'm asking you to listen because it's important… and I would like to do what we just did again at some point, but I feel like I… that we won't be able too unless we clear this up right now.''

Although she now had his full attention, he still felt the need to grouse, ''Don't matter. I done told ya that shit ain't happening again 'an I meant it.''

Daryl could only hope that he at least sounded somewhat convincing because he was a hairs breath away from calling Bullshit on himself. It did matter... why the hell else would he still be standing there for waiting for her to convince him of otherwise if it didn't.

''Well if that's how you feel, then I'm asking you to let it be for the right reasons.'' Beth implored, her fingers twisting together anxiously as she faced him. ''Because that's not what I want. When I say it had nothing to do with you, I meant it. The situation at the store… what happened there… it crept up on me at the worst possible time, when I least expected it to. I was doing fine until then... more than fine if it makes you feel better…''

As if detecting a slight thawing in his demeanor, she shrugged self consciously. ''I just felt like… like I was drowning for a moment and I couldn't find my way up to the surface, you know?''

He stared at her skeptically through his hair for a few moments, caught in the sincerity that was plain on her face. Knowing the truth when he heard it, Daryl was now left inexplicably wondering why the hell he hadn't taken that into account.

Dropping his gaze from hers, he realized he already knew the reason why. When the rejection he'd fully expected to happen actually did, it was a hell of a lot easier to slam back into defensive mode than it was to put himself out there and attempt to give a shit. The ingrained reactive mechanism had served him well in the past and came to him naturally when there was the slightest chance that his feelings were about to be compromised. He was in real danger of that happening with her... to the point where it had blinded him to all other plausible explanations.

Pulling a deep breath, Daryl nodded slightly in acknowledgement.

''Guessin' then that I might have over reacted somewhat.'' He reluctantly went so far as to concede, feeling like the lowest piece of shit for not taking what had happened to her into consideration. Remembering it in hindsight, he was kind of surprised that he had gotten as far with her as he had.

While he was beyond uncomfortable admitting he was wrong, what else could he do? Most interactions he had with females tended to end equally as poorly, usually because he'd rather assume the worst from them rather than chance their expected disapproval. The tendency made him an asshole much like his brother and insensitive as all hell. Daryl guessed that some things were never going to change, no matter what.

Standing nearby, Beth relaxed her defensive stance, her shoulders practically slumping in relief.

''No, it was my fault… '' she said, pulling him back to the present ''I kissed you first and didn't take into account how you might feel about it." A flush of color seared over her pale skin and Daryl found himself watching its progress in interest when he knew she wasn't looking. ''Anyway, I'm sorry if it put you in a bad position… or if you felt uncomfortable by it.''

Feeling varying degrees of both, Daryl managed to shrug, ''What's done is done. Still ain't gonna happen again.''

Her brows drawing, Beth opened her mouth as if she had something she wanted to say about his decision. He stood there almost warily expecting her to do so when she seemed to change her mind, instead just concurring with a stilted nod of her head. Daryl's stomach tightened for a moment, honestly unable to tell if he was relieved or disappointed. She hadn't even asked his reason why, not that he really even knew himself.

It just sounded like the right thing to say, and Daryl could only hope that if he said it enough he'd eventually believe it was what he wanted as well.

…...

''These woods seem never ending. How much further do you think we need to go?'' Beth asked.

When no response was forthcoming, she turned around to find Daryl a lot further back than she expected to see and definitely well out of earshot. Having thought that he had been right behind her, Beth wondered when had that happened? Sometimes the man walked through the leaves so quietly that it was completely unnerving. When compared to his silent tread, she often felt like she all but stomped around the place. Well, at least the noise she made ensured that he always knew where she was so he wasn't left talking to himself like an idiot.

Noticing that he was focused on tracking something on the ground, she stopped to wait for him. Whatever it was, it had his full attention, so seeing as she had nothing better to do she gave him hers.

As they had multiple times now for the last mile or so, her thoughts wandered back to when he had kissed her. His eyes had fallen to her mouth before his lips had followed and even now just thinking back on the surreal moment caused Beth's heart to thump heavily against her ribs.

She had never been kissed like that before. Sure, she had made out with Jimmy and Zack and some other dates she'd been on in high school, but nothing like what had just transpired between her and the man steadily making his way towards her. It had been so electrifyingly different it was almost frightening. He hadn't coyly toyed with her... there had been no teenage insecurity… he had just taken what he wanted and had demanded her response. It had been toe curlingly exciting... that was until it had been ruined by the horrible incident she guessed wasn't as far behind her as she would personally prefer.

While they had managed to clear the air of any confusion after the fact, Daryl had still made it clear that he didn't want what happened between them occurring again. While she had been disappointed, she had chosen not to argue. She still wasn't sure how to process this new dynamic to their relationship herself. Agreeing to his terms just bought her time to think about it... which she fully planned on doing once she got past the her initial amazement that he had even returned the kiss to begin with.

When Daryl finally got close enough, Beth heard herself whisper, ''What are you looking for?''

He glanced up to regard her. ''Are ya askin' for shits n' grins or do ya really wanna know?''

''I really want to know.'' She looked at the ground to see nothing but dead leaves and dirt. ''I mean, I know you're tracking something down there but I can't see what. Besides, you did say you'd show me a few more things… so show me.''

''I dunno…'' He muttered as he dropped to his haunches, "showing ya things gets dangerous…''

Sweeping away some debris with his hand, he indicated with a nod of his head for her to come down and join him.

''Don't worry,'' She said, taking a knee down next to him, ''I promise I'll keep my hands to myself.''

''Yeah, well... ain't ya hands that I'm worried about.''

Smiling secretly to herself, Beth focused back on what they were doing and looked over the area he had cleared. ''So… what is it that you see here?''

He ghosted a finger over the spot like he was pointing out the painfully obvious. ''Footprints. Ya see 'em? Someone came through this way recently.'' He muttered.

''Recently?'' Her brows drew. ''How can you tell?''

''Jus' can.'' Daryl said dismissively, ''Been tracking all my life, wouldn't be much good at it if I couldn't tell tha difference between whats old an' whats new. Reckon whoever made this one left it in tha last day or so.''

Beth must've still look confused because he released a sigh before explaining himself further. ''Trackings all about lookin' for the inconspicuous under what's obvious. Ya gotta have an eye for it. Bottom line is that ya looking for three things: displacement in tha natural terrain, unusual impressions left behind an' indications of tha general direction taken.''

He glanced over, seemingly surprised to see her taking what he was saying so seriously. When she nodded for him to continue, he did so with intention. ''See that right there? That indentation? That smooth rounded edge ain't somethin' you'd normally find in nature. Notice tha trail of that scuff mark? Tha ridges left by boot tread? Shit like that.''

''I see it...'' Beth said in wonder, tracing her finger around what now suddenly seemed so clear. ''There's one there… and there as well. But… how do you know what made them?''

As Daryl elaborated, Beth looked over and noticed that he seemed to be quite happy to talk about the subject at hand. In fact, it was damn near as close to enthusiastic as she'd ever seen him. The skill set tracking entailed obviously meant a lot to him and she couldn't help but feel somewhat privileged that it was her that he was choosing to share his valuable knowledge with.

''With animals, it's all about the area an' what's considered normally common to it. People an' walkers are harder ta differentiate between. Walkers tend ta drag through tha dirt somewhat but both will leave tha same kind of tracks behind for tha most part.'' He stood up and pointed to the trail of prints he'd been following that led away from where they were. ''Whoever made these ones came from back there an' headed out that a'ways…''

Beth pulled herself to her feet as well and followed his line of sight, only to be distracted by a squirrel circling its way up a tree trunk close by. She was so engrossed in its progress that she didn't see Daryl pull the Horton from his back and take aim at the poor creature until it was pinned to the bark with his bolt running through its neck. He went over and yanked both from the wood, sliding the animal from the bolt to hang its dead bleeding carcass from his belt.

Beth couldn't help but grimace as she looked down at it. ''Ugh, have I ever told you that I really hate squirrel meat?''

Daryl smirked as he locked the bolt used back on the frame of the Horton. ''Is that so. Tell ya what then, next phone we come across you can order ya self a pizza.''

''Oh my god, I wish!'' She closed her eyes for a moment, lost in the memory of melting cheese and pepperoni. Reality infringed soon enough and she sighed as she watched him shrug the weapon over his shoulder. The ease in which he had taken down the squirrel suddenly reminded her that she had really wanted to try the crossbow for herself.

As they began walking again, she recalled having asked him about letting her try the Horton earlier... right before their first run in with the black car. Although at the time it had been easy to see that he was about to say no, Beth hoped that now he may possibly be more agreeable to it. He seemed as though he was in a good enough mood. Despite the fact that she had never seen anyone other than himself ever shoot the thing, she figured that there was nothing wrong with asking.

''You know, you never did answer my question.'' She hedged apprehensively.

Daryl snorted on a smile from where he was beside her. ''Pfft, which one?''

''Oh, you're a comedian now?'' She retorted, her eyes narrowing at his jab of her ongoing habit of asking multiple questions, like he gave her any choice in the matter. ''The one where I asked you if I could maybe try the crossbow. I'd really like to learn how to use it.''

Daryl instantly blanched and looked over at her like she had just asked him to cut off his left arm and give it to her on a silver platter. If Beth hadn't wanted to get her hands on the Horton so badly, she would've laughed at the stricken expression on his face. Biting down on the smile that threatened to overtake her anyway, she assured, ''I swear, I'll be real careful with it.''

Sighing resignedly, Daryl pulled the crossbow from his back and passed it over. Although she had previously held the weapon for him, Beth realized that she had never actually looked down its sights or aimed it at anything with the intent to kill before. Settling it high in her arms, she looked over to where he stood and awaited instructions.

Giving her a crash course, Daryl walked her through the basics: how to hold it properly, the do's and don'ts of aiming it and the easiest way to reload it were all quickly covered. Beth absorbed everything he showed her like a sponge and when they were done, Daryl must have felt secure that she knew what she was doing enough to let her hold onto the weapon, at least for a little while.

Beth hefted its weight against herself and glanced over at him. ''Thank you for taking the time to show me this. I really appreciate it.''

''Well, figure anythin' I can show ya at this point is as much of an investment in my own survival as it is yours I'm guessin'.'' Daryl said with a semi-uncomfortable shrug. When she smiled at the muted response, he motioned ahead with a wave of his hand. ''C'mon... lets go find ya somethin' ta practice on.''

After walking through the woods for a while, Beth could feel herself start to get nervous. It was one thing to want to shoot the weapon, but the prospect of doing so in front of Daryl himself was understandably daunting. He was such a natural with it the thing was practically an extension of his arm. She couldn't help but feel that if she missed whatever target he picked out for her, he'd never let her touch it again.

With the apprehension she was feeling getting the better of her, Beth found herself asking, ''Are we close?''

''Almost there…'' Daryl said quietly from behind her.

Although she didn't see anything but trees and more trees, Beth inexplicably felt the need to pull the Horton up just so it was at the ready. ''How do you know?''

''Signs are all there, jus' gotta learn how ta read 'em.''

Well, what in the world did that mean? Her nerves already frayed, she figured it best to just ask. ''What signs?''

''You tell me.'' He muttered. Beth turned around to stare at him exasperatedly. Not budging an inch, he said with a shrug, ''You're tha one that wanted ta learn.''

Tightening her fingers around the handle of the crossbow, she drew a deep breath and looked down at the ground. This time however, she was able to see past the leaves and debris to detect the subtle differences he had shown her to look for.

Pointing down with the head of the Horton, she whispered, ''Well, I can kind of see that something came through here… the patterns all zig-zaggy.'' Her eyes widened in recognition of what she was looking at. ''It's a walker!''

Proud of herself, Beth looked over to find Daryl nodding in concurrence, ''See? Ain't so hard when ya know what you're lookin' for.''

''I'm getting good at this!'' She said smugly, leaving him behind as she followed the prints left by the walker in question. ''Pretty soon, I won't need you at all.''

''Pfft… yeah right.'' Daryl muttered to himself, having no other option but to bring up the rear. ''Best jus' keep on trackin' ''

Having walked through more wooded areas now than she ever had before the turn, Beth could instinctively tell that they were coming to the edge of the forest that they were currently making their way through. Overall, the time taken to cut around Piedmont's center had been worth the effort, the two of them managing to avoid running into anything or anyone that would've caused a problem. With the density of the trees starting to thin out, she could see flashes of fences and walls that marked the far end of town laying in the distance.

Coming up to a small clearing, she paused when Daryl put a hand on her arm. Beth didn't need him to point out the walker that was just ahead, the loud gorging noises it was making gave away its presence almost immediately. She peered past the bushes to see the large male crouching over an unfortunate animal of some kind, his decaying face completely covered in its blood.

Seeing the belt at his waist, she turned back to Daryl and whispered, ''Its got a knife…''

Daryl nodded, not finding the fact to be an issue as he gave her the go ahead to take it down. With his approval, Beth squared her shoulders and settled the Horton to her cheek before slowly advancing in on the walker that had yet to notice her. Step by careful step, she made her way into the open area, looking for the sweet spot she had been instructed to aim for. The whole time, she repeated the rules he had taught her in her head.

Aim the sight just under the target… Line the bolt… Expel a breath while depressing the trigger…

She could do this. Just one more step…

With her eyes locked on the walker, Beth didn't see the animal trap that lay just under her boot until it snapped down heavily on her heel, bringing her down to the ground with a sharp cry of pain. That was all it took for the walker ahead to grunt over in her direction, animal entrails hanging forgotten from its teeth. It surged unsteadily to its feet, the promise of the fresh meal sitting helplessly nearby giving it an uncanny burst of speed as it stumbled threateningly towards her.

Her leg incapacitated, Beth struggled to lift the Horton back up, quickly realizing that Daryl and his knife might not get to where she was on time. She fired the loaded bolt only to see it impale the oncoming walker through its gore covered mouth. The shot slowed it down momentarily but didn't take it out like a brain shot would've done. Beth winced in remorse, the pain shooting up her leg making everything blurry.

Running past her, Daryl snatch the Horton from her hands to smash the butt of it across the walkers face, scattering jaw fragments and brain pieces all over the forest floor. After stomping on what was left of its head with his boot for good measure, he skidded over to where she was trying her best to unlock herself from the jaws of the trap.

''Goddamn!'' He huffed, ''Ya alright?''

He pried his fingers into the steel teeth and strained to open the rusty mechanism enough for her to escape. Beth blinked back the tears of pain as he tossed the wretched thing aside, his hand returning to help her flex her ankle slowly. ''Can ya move it?''

Swallowing, she gritted her teeth and forced herself not to fight his ministrations as he tested her range of movement. Her boot had prevented the trap from doing any severe damage but it still hurt like the devil. ''Yeah… ow, I think so…''

He pulled his hand back so she could try it on her own. Beth winced as she slowly circled her ankle before finally nodding that she'd live. With his shoulders slumping in relief, Daryl collapsed back into the abundance of leaves that covered the clearing they were in and groaned loudly.

Dragging his hands down his face, he stared up unseeingly to the grey clouds that lingered above. ''Christ... that 'bout gave me a fuckin' heart attack!'' He breathed. ''Thought I told ya… I'm too goddamn old ta be doin' shit like that!''

Smiling through the tears at his exasperated tone of voice, Beth gingerly pulled off her boot before glancing down to where he lay. ''I know you did.'' She commiserated, ''If it makes you feel better, my ankle hurts like hell.''

''It don't...'' He muttered, glancing over to see her press upon the tender area with a grimace. Setting his arm comfortably under his head, he continued by saying resignedly, ''Jus' means we'll need ta find somewhere to crash sooner than we expected. Can't have ya risking a worse injury by attemptin' ta continue walkin' on it.''

Beth nodded before reluctantly sliding her foot back into her boot. She was going to be left with a hell of a bruise there and the residual pain piercing up her leg was starting to give her a headache.

''Way I figure, fuck it... ain't like it won't be dark here in a few hours anyways.'' Daryl said, pushing himself to his feet. He held his hand out to her and with the gesture being unexpected, Beth just stared up at it from where she sat before sliding her own into it. '''Sides, don't know 'bout you but I'm pretty damn sick an' tired of traipsin' 'round out here.''

Favoring her uninjured leg, she let him help her stand, holding onto him as he picked up the crossbow that lay nearby. Testing her footing, she found walking on the limb was painful but manageable. Either way, she wasn't about to complain about it. After shrugging the weapon over his shoulder, Daryl slid his arm around her waist so they could slowly make their way out of the clearing, leaving the body of the dead walker laying there bleeding behind them.

There was a comforting heat radiating from his body and as she hobbled along Beth sniffed back a smile.

Confused, Daryl looked down at her. ''What's so funny?''

She laughed despite the pain, unable to help herself. ''Face it, you'd get so bored not having to step in to save the day all the time. It's a good thing I'm around to make sure you stay busy.''

''Pfft, there ain't no gettin' bored 'round you.'' Daryl muttered, adjusting his grip on her. ''Tell me, have ya always been this much trouble or is it jus' me that brings it out in ya?''

''Oh, it's totally you. After all, somebody's gotta keep you on your toes.'' Glancing up at him, Beth attempted to look as sincere as possible. ''I mean… you're old. We wouldn't want you withering away.''

Daryl sighed from where he was next to her, rolling his eyes at her sarcasm before giving up with a shake of his head.

"Smartass.''

...

Reviews and comments are always welcome and appreciated. Thanks for reading 'What Still Lies Ahead' and have a great weekend!