A/N: Goodness gracious I am so sorry for the two week wait. School got crazy for a bit, but there's good news! I already have the next chapter done and chapter twenty three is in the works! I hope you guys like this chapter, leave me a review to let me know what you think!
p.s. TWD is back this Sunday, let's hope I can get through it without sobbing (don't worry, our girl will be back soon enough!)
Daryl seldom cried, especially in public but he didn't even try to stop himself as he looked down into the tiny grave that held his daughter. He couldn't even remember it happening, all he knew was that he had been too late. She had gotten too sick, he hadn't brought the medicine in time and she had succumbed to the illness.
Hot tears rolled down his cheeks, dropping into the freshly dug hole and onto the white sheet that Harley had been wrapped in. He felt numb, too numb to do anything but sob his heart out. He didn't look up from the ground, but he knew he was alone out there. He hit the ground beside him, wishing it had been him that had gotten sick instead of his little girl.
A low growl coming from inside of the grave, made him look up, his vision blurry from tears. Glancing down in the hole, the sheet started moving as he heard another groan. Slowly, the sheet fell away as Harley sat up. It wasn't her though. Her skin was an ashy gray and instead of her usual bright blue eyes they were a milky white that saw straight through him. Her little jaw snapped as she reached towards him. He was paralyzed as she grabbed his arm, her hand cold as ice on his, and bit into his arm.
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"Wake up Daryl." Beth's soothing voice said in his ear as she shook his arm gently. "Come on, wake up."
He gasped at the realization that it was a nightmare, sitting up quickly as he hand ran through his hair. His chest heaved, a cold sweat covering his forehead. "Fuck." He whispered, putting his head in his hands.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Beth asked. Daryl inhaled slowly, turning to look at her. She was kneeling on the floor next to the bed, her hair rumpled from sleep.
"Did I knock you off the bed again?" He asked with a sigh, ignoring her question. She chuckled, nodding as she stood up to get back in bed. She sat in his lap, her back resting against the wall so he could wrap his arms around her.
"You were tossin' and turnin' a bunch." She simply, taking his hand in hers. "What happened in your dream?"
Daryl chewed on his lip, looking around his dark cell. "Har was dead." He said simply, his voice low. Beth went rigid in his lap, her grip on his hand becoming painfully tight.
"Daryl, we can't think like that." Her voice was quiet.
"You sayin' I wanted to?" He snapped in a defensive tone. Beth sighed, cupping his face in her hands gently, making him look at her.
"Don't you snap at me Daryl Dixon." She said, her voice firm. "It's okay to be afraid, I am too."
"I ain't afraid of nothin'." Daryl huffed. Beth chuckled, kissing his cheek softly.
"Yes you are, you're terrified of losing the people you cared about just like everybody else. There's nothing wrong with being scared." She said, resting her head against his chest. Daryl sighed, setting his chin on the top of Beth's head.
"Once when I was growin' up, Merle and my dad were watchin' some horror movie on the TV. I couldn'ta been older than seven then, and my dad told me 't come watch it. It was nasty, aliens cuttin' people's heads off and blood everywhere. I told 'em that I was scared and didn't wanna. 'Stop bein' a pussy, Dixon's aren't lil pussy bitches, now watch the damn movie.' was what my dad told me." He sighed, bringing Beth closer as he told her the story. He swallowed thickly before continuing, "Seemed like the only thing my dad said you could feel was anger and lust. No one's ever told me it's alright to be scared."
Beth looked up at him with bright, understanding eyes a hint of a smile on her face. "You're human Daryl, you need to be scared and angry and sad and happy and everything in between. There's nothing wrong with feelin' baby."
She cupped his cheek softly in her hand, running her thumb over his cheekbone. Usually, Daryl hated pet names. More often than not when he got a name, it was Carol picking fun at him and trying to make him uncomfortable, but coming out of Beth's mouth with nothing but tenderness it felt so right. He sighed, tightening his arms around her, pulling her as close as he could. He rested his head in the crook of her neck, breathing in her comforting scent. She ran her hand hand through his hair soothingly, scratching at his scalp.
"Oh simple thing where have you gone? I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in, I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin" Beth sang softly, rocking softly. Daryl lifted his head, raising an eyebrow at her.
"What're you doin'?" He asked. Beth chuckled, moving out of her lap and sliding beside him, her back pressed against the wall.
"Singin' you a lullaby." She said, nudging him so he turned away from her. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, burying her face in between his shoulder blades. "and I wanna be the big spoon."
He chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at her. She smiled up at him, pressing a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. "You just don't want to fall off again."
"Maybe." She giggled, poking him in the ribs. "but everyone needs to be held sometimes. Even you."
Turning to face her, he gently brushed his nose against hers. "Don't like havin' my back 't ya. Why don't ya keep singin'." He suggested, setting his hand on her bare waist from where her shirt had ridden up. She smiled, her eyes sparkling in the low light as she yawned.
"And if you have a minute why don't we go, talk about it somewhere only we know? This could be the end of everything, so why don't we go somewhere only we know?" Her voice was soft, eventually fading out as she fell asleep.
Like the first time they had fallen asleep hours before, Daryl stayed awake watching Beth sleep. He sighed, gently stroking her cheek. His heart swelled in his chest watching her, almost uncomfortably. He had really only truly loved one person in his whole life, and that was Harley. Looking at Beth sleep peacefully wrapped up in his chest though, he couldn't help but feel like he was starting to love in a whole different way.
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Beth woke up with the sun, yawning quietly and relishing Daryl's warmth despite the fact that it was already starting to get hot in the cell block. She carefully slid out of blankets, throwing one leg over Daryl's body to climb over him to get out of bed.
She almost screamed when firm hands unexpected grabbed her thighs, squeezing gently. She looked down at Daryl with wide eyes, resting her hands on top of his as she started laughing.
"I could get used 't wakin' up like this." He chuckled. She rolled her eyes playfully, thumping his arm.
"Goodmorning to you too." She giggled, bending to rest her head on his chest. "Did you get any sleep last night after waking up?"
"Little bit." He replied simply, his chest rumbling underneath her head. His hands moved to her back, running underneath her shirt to scratch her back. She hummed happily, shifting her legs to lie flat on top of him rather than straddling his waist.
"We can't lay here all day you know." She said, even though she made no move to get up. He didn't either, continuing to scratch her back gently.
"'S still early." He mumbled, his voice groggy. If Beth didn't know any better, she would have thought he was going back to sleep. She giggled, lifting her head up to look at him, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you being lazy? Who are you and what have you done with my man?" She teased. He snorted, swatting at her bottom playfully.
"Maybe it's the woman layin' on top of me." He replied.
"You could move me anytime you'd like, you're a big strong man." She said, running her fingers over his biceps. He gave her a smirk, quickly wrapping his arms around her and flipping them so he was on top of her, caging her in with his arms. She squealed at the movement as the bed frame squeaked and groaned from the movement.
Daryl raised an eyebrow, silently challenging her to one up him. Beth smiled up at him, leaning up to kiss him on the mouth, tangling her fingers in his hair. They had only been kissing for a few moments when someone clearing their throat broke them apart, their heads snapping to the door of his cell.
Rick stood in the doorway, a smirk on his lips at the sight of them. Daryl awkwardly cleared his throat, getting off of Beth, standing up and straightening his clothes.
"I can leave if I'm interrupin' somethin'." Rick said teasingly, taking a step back. Daryl rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.
"Somethin' wrong?" Beth asked, her voice filled with concern as she got out of bed, straightening her clothes as she pulled on her shoes. Rick smiled, a genuine one instead of the teasing grin he had given them previously.
"Nah, but I got somethin' I think y'all want to see." He said vaguely, taking another step out of the cell while nodding for them to follow. Beth glanced up at Daryl, her eyebrows drawn together in concern. He shrugged simply, resting his hand on her lower back as he led her out, wondering what Rick could possibly want to show them.
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Beth and Daryl sat restlessly in the small room, their fingers intertwined tightly as they waited. On the short walk from cell block C to A Block, Rick had happily told them that the antibiotics had worked. Everybody was by no means cured yet, but they were getting better. Beth had nearly cried in relief, a weight she didn't even know was there lifted from her chest. She looked up to Daryl with bright eyes, squeezing his hand tightly. Their little girl was going to be okay.
Beth did start crying when Glenn and Hershel entered the room across from them, the only thing separating them being a thin piece of glass. Harley was perched on Glenn's hip while Hershel held an two IVs up so the fluid would keep dripping into Harley and Glenn's bodies.
"Hey kid." Daryl said softly, approaching the glass and setting his hand on Beth's lower back comfortingly. "How ya feelin'?"
"Bad." She mumbled, resting her head on Glenn's shoulder. Daryl snorted, taking in her bedraggled appearance. She was still pale, her eyes still rimmed in red and purple, and her hair was a disheveled mess. Despite that, she was alive and on the mend, and Daryl couldn't ask for more. "I gotta needle in my arm, a-and I had a thing down my throat."
"I know, but you're so brave baby." Beth said, wiping tears from her cheeks. Daryl squeezed her hip softly, even though he knew they were happy tears. "Is there anythin' me and Daddy could get to make you feel better?"
"Candy." She said with a yawn. Beth couldn't help but chuckle, leaning into Daryl's side.
"I can get you a coloring book, how does that sound?" Beth offered. Harley sighed, shrugging.
"A colorin' book is okay." She mumbled as her eyes started drooping with exhaustion. Beth laughed too, leaning into Daryl's side.
"I'll bring it by in a bit, but you need to rest so you can get strong again." Beth assured, pressing her hand against the glass. "I love you baby."
"Love you Mommy, love you Daddy." Harley yawned, her voice barely a whisper as she fell asleep again. Beth sighed, stepping back and leaning her head on Daryl's shoulder.
"She just needs rest now, I think she'll be fine in a few days." Hershel said as Glenn ran his free hand over her hair. Daryl sighed in relief, nodding in gratitude. "I think the quarantine should be lifted, let the kids go back to their blocks."
Daryl nodded in agreement, squeezing Beth's hip gently. "I'll let everyone know, give them an update on how everyone's doin' in there."
Glenn and Hershel nodded in agreement, telling them to come back later to see Harley before leaving the room. When they were gone Beth turned to Daryl, wrapping her arms around him tightly. He reciprocated the hug, burying his face into the warm skin of her neck.
"She's weak and she's tired, but she's gonna be okay." She whispered, the relief clear in her voice. Daryl chuckled, pressing a kiss to her neck before pulling away, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Yeah, she's gonna be okay." He said, his voice low as he kissed her forehead. Beth smiled, nodding slowly.
"I knew we had nothing to worry about." She said, squeezing his arms before taking a step back, her shoulders dropping with a sigh. "I better go get breakfast started, I got to pick up kitchen duty since Carol's gone."
Daryl frowned, thinking of his friend that had been exiled. He chewed on his lip, nodding as he took a step backwards.
"I should probably go check the fences, I'll find ya sometime after lunch and we can come back to see Har again." He said.
"Sounds good, see ya after lunch." She replied, pushing up on her toes to steal a kiss from him before sashaying out of the room, a pep in her step.
Daryl watched her leave, shamelessly watching her backside sway from side to side (he swore she did it on purpose) before leaving through the other door, already looking forward to seeing Harley again.