The morning sun trickled into the surrounding windows of the lookout, providing the waking occupants with a panoramic view of the sunrise as Beth laid in her husband's embrace, naked. She stared at the softness of the sky and the pinkish red hues it radiated, marveling how the earth seemed to move on anyway despite an apocalypse raging war upon it. It was nature that had produced whatever had brought this upon them after all, and to nature it was just another day. Perhaps it was a way of purging the planet of the destructive beings that were ruining it. A way to restore order. Maybe even a way to restore humanity back to how it used to be. Balance it out. How it should have been all along.

That was what her Daddy had come to believe. It was how he came to terms with everything that had happened to them. He believed that God was ridding the world of sin and destruction. That eventually people would adjust and those that were selfish and knew nothing of mercy would die out alone, unable to survive in their emotionless isolation without others. Perhaps he was right. Maybe one day only the good would be left standing. It was impossible to live without others. To physically be alone.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a pair of arms, battered and scarred, tightening around her. She felt every ripple of muscle that made them strong. Daryl's arms could be brutal. They could pull back the string of a bow in order to kill a man if need be. They could carry the carcass of an animal hunted for food or smash the skull of a walker like a watermelon. But those arms could also be gentle. Like when he held baby Judith in them the first time. Like when he protectively wrapped them around her with nothing but pure love. Regardless, they made her feel safe, cherished, and whole.

She felt the stubble on his face tickle her bare skin as he nestled his into the crook of her neck and gently pressed his lips upon that sensitive spot behind her ear lobe. He would take her one more time before reluctantly getting up and facing what would come next. Like he did every morning. Like he did several times throughout the night. Her husband's thirst for her seemed unquenchable but it thrilled Beth every time never the less. She held her breath as rough fingers brushed her exposed breast. As they hungrily clawed at her nipple, already puckered from the cold draft. She needed this man more than she needed to breathe.

Just a few short months ago, the ideal of waking up naked in bed with Daryl Dixon snuggling against her would have been insane. The ideal that she, of all people, would have every scar on his back memorized or know his intoxicating woodsy scent so well. That she would end up being the only one who could calm the beast within him. That his child would be growing in her belly. It would have been incomprehensible such a short time ago. The thought of Daryl snuggled up to anyone was. Yet, here he was leaving a trail of kisses along her collarbone. The same man who swore back at the farm that he was better off alone was desperately clinging to her, once again claiming what was his by slipping into her. Who would have ever thought?

It was this time of day, early dawn as the sun was just waking up and day was beginning to break, when Beth allowed hope to renew within her. For a few fleeting moments, right before she would succumb to her husband's tender touch and lose all ability for coherent thought, the young wife would allow the faith from her youth to reestablish. It reaffirmed her belief that the others were out there somewhere. That other good people were still alive. That her Daddy had been right all along and one day evil people would be gone – even if it was still sad that he never got to live long enough to actually see it.

Beth believed because she was sure only God himself could have orchestrated the chain of events that led to her ever even meeting the man thrusting hungrily into her from behind. Her soul mate. Someone who she probably would have never even laid eyes on back when the world was normal. The same man whose calloused hands now gently groped the front of her body as he scratched the itch deep inside would have probably scared the daylights out of her before. She would have never had the chance to see that he was someone who was not only good to the very core, but also the most capable person she had ever met.

Beth was no longer dumb enough not to know what the consequences of being a young woman alone in this world would be. She got that there was nothing left to keep her safe except her husband. Laws, infrastructure, and decency was nearly gone. Without him she would be dead by now. Plain and simple. Rather it was by the walkers that surrounded the prison or any survivors that had less than pure intentions was anyone's guess. But God had other plans. Daryl was like a lion and just having him on her side made her strong. The fact that he was in love with her made her damn near invincible. Without him she was weak – especially in her very pregnant state.

As hard as it was for her to understand, the weird thing was that Beth knew Daryl Dixon also needed her. God must have known that too. Not to be strong. Not because he needed her to go to battle or help hunt food. He did not need her for heavy lifting or fixing fences. The man was able to survive on his own better than anyone. He had done it for years already before this whole thing started. It had nothing to do with simply having a warm body to hold at night either. She had never even seen her husband look at another woman in that way until the night he rolled her beneath him in his cell all those months ago. Whatever he got from her penetrated his very soul. Somehow, she saved him from himself. It was like she was his salvation.

"Daryl," she called out as the waves of ecstasy started to erupt within causing his lips to curl against her neck while he pounded into her even harder. Her husband loved it when she reached this state. Once, he confessed that there was nothing in this world more beautiful than pretty little innocent Beth Greene screaming his name while having spasms all over his cock. The young woman had found the statement crude and dirty but it secretly made her feel like a goddess never the less.

"It's Beth Dixon doing all that," she had replied shyly with red cheeks. "Beth Greene would have freaked out over just the thought of it."

"Funny," he responded staring down at her with lustful eyes, a shit eating grin on his face. "Because I vividly remember a night when Beth Greene did the same thing."

Regardless of who she was these days, Beth could not stop herself from screaming his name over and over again at the current moment just like all the others. It drove Daryl mad. A slew of curse words flew out of his mouth as he erupted in her, filling her up completely until it was spilling out and running down her legs. He stilled but did not break the connection. He always stayed deep inside until ever last tremor and vibration within her was over, not wanting to miss a single one before reluctantly pulling out.

As they laid there waiting for their breathing to calm, Beth glanced back over to the windows just in time to see the last bit of the sunrise fade. Then she turned toward her husband and smiled. He studied her face, maybe trying to decide what she was thinking, before finally throwing a hand over his eyes and letting out a long deep breath. But the blonde continued to stare at him never the less.

Beth had no clue who she might have wound up married to if the dead had not interrupted everyone's life. However, she would have choose someone eventually. She wanted children so as a decent Christian girl that meant holy matrimony. Maybe it could have been Jimmy. Having lived down the street, he had been nothing but kind to her their entire lives. He was her very best friend. She thought back at all the times they spent as children riding their bikes down the long country roads where they grew up. It was no secret that he liked her. Had even tried to kiss her in the fourth grade. Everyone in the county knew that the boy was always sweet on the youngest Greene girl. It used to make her feel guilty that the attraction was not mutual. Would she had actually married him simply because that was what everybody would want her to do? Lord knows that was why she dated him. Most likely that was who Beth would have ended up with. Looking back, she realized just how miserable that could have been for everyone involved.

However, Beth also had plans for college at The University of Georgia. She was going to be a music teacher so maybe she would have met someone else there. It might have even been to death do us part. She probably would have even cared deeply for him. They could have lived in a cute little house, with a white picket fence, their SUV parked in the driveway, 2.5 kids tucked safely in bed, and perhaps even a pet running around the yard. It all seemed so ridiculous now. So fake. No wonder many marriages ended in divorce.

Daryl peeped at her through his fingers curiously before lowering his hand and meeting her eyes. She reached out and lightly traced the lines on his face.

"Where are you at, Beth?" he asked with a sigh. "What are you thinking so much about?"

Beth lowered her hand and studied it a moment before peering back at him through her long eyelashes. "Us," she replied with a smile.

"What about us?" he responded with a gruff though she noticed the corner of his mouth slightly turn up. "Still trying to figure out how you wound up with a no good redneck asshole like me?"

Beth frowned at her husband and smacked his arm before turning over with a huff and burying herself with the old comfy quilt, even though she knew he was joking. She loved that man with every ounce of her being but he had a way of spoiling the moment.

Now laughing, Daryl snuggled up next to her, pressing his lips tenderly to her neck before continuing on in her mimicked voice.

"Damn Jerk! Has me running through the woods all big and knocked up, ain't feeding me nothing but squirrel day end and day out, and won't even keep his hands off long enough to even get some damn sleep!"

Beth could not help but giggle, hiding her red face under the covers.

"Looked like you were plotting your escape the entire time I was fucking you by the way you keep eyeing those windows," he chuckled once he joined her under them. Suddenly he was on her lips before she had time to even object to his language, prying her mouth open with his tongue, and kissing her so deeply she thought she was going to faint.

When he finally came up for air, she peeled the cover back off their heads and frowned again at him, though this time playfully.

"I was doing no such thing!" she replied. "Just thinking about everything is all. You know everything that led up to me being your wife."

"Yeah, just like Beauty and the Beast, huh?" he responded with a grin. "A real fairy tale. Too bad you are stuck with me now because there are more than wolves to worry about out there. As for Gaston, I'll just put a bolt through that asshole's head."

If Beth had said she was not shocked that he even knew that story, she would have been lying. The absurdness of it made her laugh out loud.

"What?" he replied, faking offense. "Didn't think I knew how to read?"

"No, just can't imagine you reading that," she confessed still giggling.

"Well I didn't," he admitted with a shy smile. "One time when I was about ten my dad dragged me to some lady's house and the dumb broad stuck the Disney version in the VCR to keep me busy while they were in her bedroom. If you know what I mean."

All Beth could do was blink at him a couple of times in confusion.

"Jesus, Beth!" he exclaimed with a chuckle while shaking his head at her naiveness. "It was either watch the movie or listen to my old man get his freak on. I choose the first option."

She furrowed her brows when what he was saying finally dawned on her.

"You mean he took you with him…to do that!" she shouted astonished. Daryl just shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Anyway, I don't recall Belle ever getting knocked up, though I am sure you are more of an expert on fairy tales than I am," he continued with a grin, raising his head and rubbing his chin like he was thinking deeply. "And there were not dead people walking around everywhere. Though I have to admit, that Beast looked more than capable of handling them."

Beth playfully pushed her husband away as they both cracked up. She could not do this. It was absurd enough that she found herself sleeping with Daryl Dixon. She did not think she could handle having a conversation about a Disney movie with him.

"What? Am I ruining my image?" he laughed, unphased by her "rejection" and using the opportunity to snuggle up to her very large navel. "I hate to break it to you?" he informed the unborn baby. "But your Daddy is just a scary ole' beast. The good news is that your Mama is like an angel. Don't even ask me how I managed that!"

The baby kicked in response to the sound of his voice causing Daryl to chuckle again.

"I know, right?" he continued. "I think she must be blind."

Beth swallowed, touched by the tenderness of the situation but did not say anything. Daryl was more relaxed than she had ever seen him and she did not want to ruin it.

But then she noticed him really studying her naval.

"Darling," he started now serious. "You are huge! Seriously, so big that I think you are just about to pop."

Beth kicked him, sending her surprised husband flying toward the end of the bed.

"You think?" she replied, angrily sitting up and gathering her clothes up off the floor. "Wonder why?" Yeah, her husband sure had a way of spoiling the moment alright.

"I….I didn't mean it like that," he tried to assure as he quickly got up and rushed to her. "That just came out really wrong."

However, it was too late. The tears were already flowing. So much for feeling like a goddess.

"Darling," he replied with a chuckle while wrapping his arms around her. "You're fucking beautiful. For Christ's sake, I did that to you. Still can't even keep my hands off. I just…The baby is just getting really big is all. That is a good thing, right?"

"Watch your mouth, Daryl!" she snapped. "Seriously, I am going to start smacking you every time you say that word. You know I hate it!"

"Right?" he repeated ignoring her complaint.

"I guess," she sniffled peering up at him through blurry eyes. "But how in the heck am I supposed to know?"

"How far along are you now?" he asked suddenly tense. Beth realized he was nervous over the inevitable. One way or another they were going to have to get that baby out. It wasn't going to stay in her forever after all.

"Almost 8 months," she responded quietly, trying to regain her composure.

"We are going to have to get those supplies soon," he declared with determination though his eyes showed the fear associated with actually doing that.

They had found a small town on one of the maps a while back. Daryl figured it was so remote that very few people would have come across it. Stuff should still be left. However, Beth also knew that the last thing the man wanted to do was take her too far away from the safety of the lookout. To him it was too dangerous but they had to have antibiotics, IVs, and stuff for the birthing process. He was not about to leave her alone unprotected either so she would have to go.

"Okay," he continued gruffly, pulling on his pants. "We will go tomorrow but it will be quick in and out. Just get what we need and leave. I don't want anyone knowing we were even there."