Author's Notes: Welcome to Chapter 25 guys. I don't know how you put up with me. Anyways, here's a nice and long one for you guys as a thank you. I love love love you guys. Thank you so much!

Shout out to Kitty007, DarylShafow, PicassoWithAPencil, Str1der2015, taylorallura, Shy40, Sesshie, Anna, Grace, Nicoline10, Tweety83, Ela1980, Sansanfan110, debraskelchy, livingdeadgurl, profrost and all the other Guests that have left so much love on my story. You guys don't know how much I always look forward to what you guys think! I only hope my story can do your expectations justice. I LOVE YOU GUYS. You guys are the best readers anyone could ever ask for.

PS. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU LISTEN TO THE SONG. It is hauntingly beautiful.

The Keeper

Leaves on the ground, waiting but there's no sound
Years go by, layers of love, lust, fire
Ice all around, everything lost and found
(Take me, hold me, save me, keep me safe)
Blankets of dirt, collections of dreams and hurt
(Memories buried lately in this place)

Sand and stone, struggles to claim and own
(Take my burden, I can't bear the weight)
Wars lost won, promises come undone
(I've been fighting, trying not to break)

Nobody has to know

I'll be the warmth when your heart's growing cold
And you're on your own
I'll be the compass that points you to north
When you're lost along the road
I'll be the voice of an old favorite song
Taking you back home
I'll be the guard at the top of the tower
I will be your keeper

Nobody has to know

-Kinna Grannis (ft. Marie Digby)

They had been aimlessly wandering around the forest floors for hours, running as fast and as far as their feeble feet could carry them. Daryl was tightly gripping Beth's hands, carefully guiding her as they navigated through the unforgiving labyrinth of monsters and death. His heart was racing the whole time as he tried to direct their movements towards his old home, hoping and praying that they wouldn't have to camp out in the wilderness for more than a couple of days.

He really wished they had the time to go back for his motorcycle, but the dead had swarmed around them before they could make up a plan. They would have to wait it out, wait till the undead had dispersed once again so that they can recover the vehicle in considerable safety. But for now, his first and foremost priority was keeping the both of them safe and sound for the coming night.

Daryl was lost in his thoughts as they propelled them forward, until Beth gently pulled on his hands.

"Hold on," she panted as she pulled them to a stop, her face pale and clammy and her lips bluer than usual. Daryl took in her sickly appearance as he helped her sit on a log.

Beth was heaving, the exertion of the day taking toll on her as soot and ashes covered his throat. Her chest was forcefully rising and falling, but her breath was raspy, as if the air was not clinging to her battered lungs. Concern etched on Daryl's eyes.

"What's wrong, Beth?" he murmured as he rubbed her back. Beth only closed her eyes as her breathing got shallower, feeling the slight haze of dizziness creep in her vision.

"… don't.. know…." She gasped, panic now slowly sinking in her bloodstream as it got more and more difficult to breathe. Beth squeezed Daryl's hand tightly, silently telling him that something was definitely wrong. Her eyes were furrowed with pain as she wheezed louder, her head spinning from the lack of air.

As soon as Daryl saw the distress in Beth's eyes, he crouched down to her, realizing exactly what is happening to her body right now.

"How long were you inside the fire?" He choked, fearing the possibility of her lungs collapsing from smoke inhalation. He smoothed down her sweat from her forehead as he opened her mouth to see just how much ash was in her throat.

Shit.

He knew the answer as soon as he saw the black stain in the back of her mouth. Her heart pounded against his chest, fully knowing that there was no way he can save her if her lungs suddenly decided to give up. He rapidly reached for their dwindling supply of water and handed it to her.

"Drink this." He ordered, trying to hide the fear in his voice from the coughing blonde. She gulped it swiftly, enjoying the coolness of the water against her parched, irritated throat. Her breathing improved slightly, but the tinge of blue was still evident on her lips.

"Daryl…" she choked as she felt oblivion pull on her consciousness harder. "Help.." she slowly reached for him, but before she could move closer, Beth fainted and succumbed to darkness.

His tiny hands were wrapped around his favorite toy car. His was busy making it fly, zooming in the air in perfect circles as he made commentaries of its every turn. He loved his toy so much. It made him forget, made him happy. Whenever the car model would be in his hands, nothing else in the world mattered; not the stinging in his stomach from hunger, not the bleeding in his back from his loveless father, and not the eternal loneliness he felt from his isolation.

No. His toy car was magic. It made the darkness go away. And so every night, he would safeguard his most precious possession under lock-and-key, making sure that no harm ever came to it, not even in his sleep.

"What are you doin' you little twerp?! Get in here!"

His heart pounded, fully knowing what was to come. He tried to swallow his fear as he carefully placed the toy in his pocket, hoping that it wouldn't get scratched despite the attacks he was about to take.

"What is that?!" his father growled, reaching out his hand to grab the item he was desperately hiding.

"No! It's mine!" he cried, spreading out his arms to reach it, but to no avail.

"This the one you like? This make's ya happy?"

The boy slowly nodded, his face covered in grease, and dust, and despair.

"I.. I… I love it the most." He whimpered, trying to recover it once more. "Give it back!"

"Love?! Love?!" the man growled. "The fuck do you know about love?"

" Ain't no place for love in Dixon blood!" he roared as he placed the car under his heel and stomped on it violently.

"You listen to me boy!" he snapped, ferociously backhanding the child's face into the wall. The boy collided and toppled to the ground.

The man then walked towards him as he threw the crumbled pieces of his toys to his tearful eyes.

"That's what happens to everything you love. Don't matter how much to try and save it." He spat at the crying boys face.

"About time you finally learned."

Daryl's head was ringing as he watched her helplessly topple to the ground. All he saw was the light leave her eyes as her breathing seized, and for a moment, he almost thought he had stopped existing.

"Beth!" he uttered in complete panic. "Beth!"

His hands were gently slapping her cheeks, trying to wake his angel up, but to no avail. That was when he realized that there was no air passing through her lungs. Mortal terror spread in his veins, making him shiver violently as he forced his miracle to wake, but only his rapid breathing greeted him in reply.

He quickly laid her body down as he pressed his ears against her chest. She had a pulse, but it was very weak as her breathing became more and more distressed.

"Breathe, Beth!" he growled, pressing his two firm palms against the skin where her heart rested, forcing the beaten muscle to pump blood in her veins. Without second-guessing himself, he placed his mouth against her dry lips, filling her lungs with the air she so desperately needed. He did this for minutes, although it felt like an infinity's worth of terror in his heart as his quivering palms forced her heart to beat while she breathed in the air that he breathed out.

"Please." he pleaded, willing her eyes to open. He was pressing harder and harder now, breathing out deeper in deeper for her as he begged his beloved not to fade in his arms. "Beth." he whispered, her name a plea upon the heavens as he placed a desperate kiss upon her unmoving lips while bitter tears unwarily flowed down his cheeks.

Beth gasped awake, heaving out raspy coughs as she regained consciousness. Her eyes blinked awake as pained tears escaped while she tried to steady her breaths.

His solid arms enveloped her as he placed relieved hisses on her brow. "Good girl." He sighed as he wiped off the sweat and grime from her face. Beth groaned in reply, feeling like her head was about to split open.

"Water.." she croaked. In a split-second another bottle of water was pressed gently upon her cracking lips, as Daryl tried to ease her up. Her breathing slowed, easing both of their racing heartbeats and allowing them to relax.

Beth cringed at Daryl, not really wanting to admit weakness to her resilient protector, but not really having a choice. "I hate to say this but.. we might have to camp out here tonight." Daryl agreed. There was no way in hell he was going to make her exert herself even more. She would be resting for the remainder of the night; he would make sure of that.

Before Beth could continue explaining, Daryl had already scooped her delicate figure off the ground as he carefully placed her against the trunk of a tree, nestling her securely in between outlying roots.

"Y' stay there." He murmured as he placed a tender kiss upon her brow. Beth nodded, wishing she could be more help but admitting to herself that at the moment, she truly needed Daryl to take care of the rest... to take care of her.

Beth bit her lips as a small pang of guilt washed over her. Ever since Daryl had found her, she had been nothing but a burden to him.

'Just when I made a big deal of takin' care of each other, this happens.' She berated herself inwardly. She forced herself to breathe deeply through her nose, steadying herself as she leaned her head against the tree.

Daryl proceeded on setting up a perimeter alarm in the area. When he was sure that he had done the best job he could and their surroundings were secure, he treaded back towards her, carefully placing her body in between his knees as he used his body as a shield between her back and the rough bark of the tree.

He placed his chin on her head, enjoying the calming effect her presence had on his racing pulse. She sighed deeply as she nestled closer against his chest.

"How're you feeling?" Daryl murmured against her hair, wondering if she was going to pass out once more.

"Could be better." She replied softly, having no intention of lying to her well-meaning archer.

Daryl placed his lips on her hair as he closed his eyes with guilt. " 'M so sorry." He was responsible for her, for this situation. If he hadn't forcefully trapped her inside their cabin, she would never be feeling like this.

"Should've known better.." he apologized softly. "Should've known you're safest next to me.." His lips twitched from shame, wondering why he just keeps on letting her down time and time again.A glimmer of a toy car flashed in his mind.

Beth twisted her head so that her face would be against the hollows of his throat. She reached for his dampened hair, caressing it while her lips grazed against his jaw.

"Hey.. It's ok.." she consoled him. "We're past that now…"

Daryl, however only shook his head. "Don't know what I would've done if you died in that fire…" his grief was hard for him to swallow. The sight of the burning cabin was a lot harder on him than he wanted to admit. He would not be able to bear if the woman he cherished had died in the same tragic way his mother had. He would not be able to carry more of her untarnished blood on his hands.

Beth wanted to console him, but there were no words she could find. Being trapped in those four walls were terrifying for her, even more so when those walls turned into a blazing inferno around her, but she was a patient woman, understanding that everything was just an unfortunate series of miscommunication.

"Why were you so mad at me anyway?," Beth wondered, her mind now flashing back to the events before the fire. Daryl's muscles would have tensed, but the adrenaline in his blood was fading away, and he was just so spent.

" I was just bein' an asshole." Daryl's voice lowered, not really liking the way the words tasted in his mouth. It wasn't quite a lie but an omission, he reasoned, but the words settled uneasily in his chest.

Beth softly giggled, as much as her shaky lungs would allow her. " Yes, you were.." she teased.

Daryl pulled away from her, shining the storm of his guilt through the reflection in her cerulean eyes.

" Next time I do somethin' tha' stupid, I need you to punch me in the face."

Beth only laughed harder. "Maybe one day…" she teased. "But you would have to be incredibly stupid."

He chuckled at her as he placed his chin upon her head once more as they enjoyed the silence.

"Guess we have no choice but to head back now.." she murmured sadly as they stared at nowhere.

"We don't have to 'f you ain't ready." Daryl replied, not liking the defeated way her voice sounded. "Could just find us 'nother place… bunker down till you're up for it."

The idea sounded so enticing to her. Find a new home with Daryl, secure it even better, make it a livable place for them to hole up in as they allowed the rest of the world to go by. She wondered what kind of life they would live if she only just said yes.

Yet no matter how tempting it was for her, her heart knew that it would be the wrong decision.

"I want to.. believe me I want to." Beth admitted. "But something's telling me it's time we go back.." her lips trembled with sadness from the truth.

"It's time we stop running, Daryl." She whispered bitter sweetly. Yes, running was exhausting, but running with him by her side was exhilarating. It was life simmering in her veins, it was cracks getting filled, it was healing in her soul. But she would not allow fear to hold her back from leaving its comforts anymore.

"Tell me something.." she wondered. "Don't you miss them? I don't even remember them and I feel like I sometimes do."

Daryl nodded on her head. "'Course I do. They're family." His voice was low and raspy, but the affection in his words towards his misfit group of people were clearly evident.

"Then why aren't you pressing us to go back?" she breathed, her eyes slightly confused.

" 'Cause, I ain't forcin' you back into anything you don't want no part of." For some reason, his words were insistent, as if there were more to his statement than just about their family.

"You always have a choice, Beth." He stared at her with darkening navy eyes. "Don't forget that.."

"I know what you're trying to do, Daryl.." she whispered, lifting her gaze to meet his, allowing him to see the glistening sincerity from her ocean blue eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere.."

His heart skipped a beat as the words echoed throughout his soul. Beth sighed felt a gentle hand caress her cheek; shivering as his hands ran through her hair lovingly. She placed her hands upon his neck gently, smiling up at him with eagerness in her eyes. The feeling of his breath upon her flushing skin caused her stomach to turn as he slowly bent down for her lips. She noticed his hesitation, slowly stopping before they collided. His smoldering gaze a question, letting her know in every moment..

'You always have a choice….'

She melted into his anticipating lips, silently professing to him her fervent reply with her touch.

'I choose you. I always choose you.'

Daryl released a groan of pleasure as he felt her sweet tongue glide across his bottom lips. His hands closed over his angels face, deepening their kiss in return. It wasn't a frantic kiss, but a warm, melting profession of the words they could not say. Their tongues slid against each other, enjoying the bittersweet flavor of honey and rain. Beth held on to his body closer as she whimpered in pleasure as their lips melded and parted in slow rhythm.

One moment their kiss was sweet and tender, until it suddenly wasn't. Their bodies ignited, their blood burning hotter than the sun. Their thoughts got lost in the sensation of their touches, and how it was not enough. Beth moved to straddle Daryl's lap, pressing him against the tree as a moan surged her that was quickly lost in his mouth. Daryl shivered, a warm coil of desire sharpening in his core. His calloused fingers lowered from her face to the arches of her neck, making Beth involuntarily tilt her head backwards as she mewled in pleasure.

His lips left her mouth as she tried to remember how to breath, but her thirst for his taste had not been sated yet. Daryl's heart clenched as she felt her lips lower from his mouth down to the hollows of his neck, sending an entirely new spark of desire running down his spine.

Beth growled in frustration as she felt his resistance. She wanted to sink into him, to drown in his fevered touch.

"Beth." Daryl gruffed, his voice low and hoarse, as he tried to prevent them from losing touch with their reality and putting them in danger. Within his eyes was a maelstrom of lust and restraint, violently crashing against each other in an infinite battle.

Beth trembled, whimpering in frustration as she rocked her core against his erection. Daryl held her tighter, grounding her back to reality as her eyes refocused. A vermillion flush spread across her cheeks in embarrassment.

"Oops." She breathed as she brushed her hair behind her ears. She did not expect the surge of desire unraveling in her core to make her act so wantonly. She cleared her throat as she placed herself in between his legs once more. Her back brushed against the evidence of his desire for her, making him grit a groan as her backside pressed against his hardness. Beth's stomach was doing flips, wondering just how his hardened flesh would feel inside her. An urgent heat spread deep within her as she bit her bottom lips at the thought. For once, she was really thankful that Daryl couldn't see the look in her eyes. What would he think of her if he found out just how aroused she really was?

The couple released a deep steadying sigh as they breathed in the cooling sunset air. Daryl reached for Beth's side, softly caressing her palms in his hand until Beth hissed in pain. Daryl's pupils constricted as he zoned in on the red angry welts of skin across Beth's fingers.

"What happened?" he murmured as he lifted her hands to his eyes, carefully inspecting. Beth tried to rip her hand away from his gaze but his grip was tight on her wrists. She did not want Daryl to add another item in his long-list of guilt.

"It's nothing…" she hissed, closing her hands in a fist in an attempt to hide her burns, but Daryl stopped her midway with his other hand. A sharp lance of pain pierced him as he saw the extent of her scalded skin.

"I did that to you." His throat constricted as he considered just how much pain she had been hiding in their hours of trekking through the walker infested woods.

"You didn't." Beth insisted urgently, but Daryl only shook his head. He reached for her bottle of water as he tenderly cleansed the blood and grime off her candle-like hands. The whole time his eyes averted hers, emblazoning every detail of her wound in his mind, to serve as a harsh and painful reminder of what happened to Beth when he made the grave mistake of leaving her side.

Beth's throat caught as she felt the careful way his hands were delicately treating the stinging of her hands. Her heart fluttered wildly as she breathlessly gazed upon her loving archer. The emotion was thick in her veins, setting her on fire with warm embers ablaze with an emotion too significant to even be compared to desire. In an infinitesimal moment in time, her heart glowed bright, feeling as if her soul was made of his and his was made of hers, dancing and revolving against one another until the day of their inevitable collision. She lost her breath in revelation, catching the storming eyes of her brooding archer.

" Daryl.. I L-" Beth gasped, her words escaping her trembling lips as she reeled upon her epiphany.

Daryl stared at her in panic, a ball of dread forming in him as she almost mouthed the words. Beth shook her head as she gathered her whirling thoughts. She hoped that Daryl could not feel the sudden thrumming of her pulse.

"N-nothing…" she breathed, ripping her gaze away from his. He knew her too well. He would find out and run away if he saw the emotions her eyes betrayed.

Daryl grazed his lips on her fingers, sending a new flood of longing in Beth's already frantic heart.

"Y' should get some rest. I'll take first watch." He breathed as he wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to be comfortable and rest against him.

Beth nodded, secretly relieved with the prospect of silence. She did not know what she might stupidly blurt out if they kept talking. She nuzzled her head closer to his chest as she closed her eyes, breathing in the scent that had beguiled her all along, of cigarettes, of leather, of sweat, of rain, of him. She wondered how long her soul had yearned for him all along, how even in the state of her yearlong amnesia, he was the only compass that pointed her north. As she succumbed to dreamless sleep, Beth wondered how the truth had evaded her all this time, of the fact that her heart had been beating longingly for this man since before she was ever born.

But she wouldn't tell him that. Not yet… For now, this secret would remain hers and her soul's alone.

END NOTES: Guys I should probably let you know that I'm only updating once a day for the next three days. I have plans for how the story will progress and I dont want it to be rushed. I hope you're not disappointed.