I don't own the Walking Dead or anyone or anything having to do with the Walking Dead. I also don't own or have any rights to Brother by Needtobreathe. Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed your feedback is appreciated very much and serves as a tremendous motivator.
Chapter 37
When Beth awoke she did so slowly, taking the time to languish in the comfortable bed with its pillow top mattress and clean soft sheets. She vaguely remembered Daryl waking her to tell her he was leaving so she didn't even bother to stretch out her arm to look for him. She wondered how long it had been since Daryl had left for the unit's meeting and when he would be back. Rolling over she swung her legs over the side of the bed sitting up and rubbing at her face. She had just achieved an upright position when a strange fluttering sensation caught her attention. Placing a hand on her swollen belly she waited a moment to see if the feeling was repeated. Second later the flutter returned resembling the sensation of butterflies one might get when nervous.
Beth found herself grinning as she ran her hand up and down her belly. Her baby was moving and finally she was able to feel it. She wished Daryl were there to share the experience with her but, she knew he wouldn't be able to feel anything for quite a while yet. When the feeling disappeared she sighed in disappointment before moving to pull on the now familiar oversized white tee and sleep shorts. She found her body to be deliciously sore as she donned the clothing and she couldn't help but grin as she thought of the way Daryl had behaved earlier that day. She loved him anyway he came to her but, she had to admit that demanding, in control, alpha male Daryl was her favorite version of the man. She still found herself shivering at his proclamation that she belonged to him, it was sexy as hell.
As she padded down the hallway to check on Jude with Scout at her heels she contemplated the other parts of her and Daryl's conversation, the not so flattering parts. When she got to Judith's room she found it empty but, instead of panicking she made a beeline for the stairs. Padding down them she found a note on the kitchen counter from Daryl stating that the baby had been awake when he was getting ready to leave so he had just taken her with him. As she prepared herself a cup of tea, and waited for the water to boil, she couldn't help but, to smile. For all his fears of being a parent Daryl was a great father figure to Judith. He was attentive, involved, and affectionate with the baby and Jude adored him for it. He was a natural parent, a natural nurturer, even if he didn't recognize it.
Once her tea was ready she stepped out into the fenced in back yard and settled back against a chaise recliner in the deepening afternoon shadows, as Scout bounded around the yard. As she watched the puppy play Beth thought about her insecurities and her recent bad decision making. She had gotten so caught up in what she needed to do that she had forgotten that this whole endeavor was a team effort. She was ashamed of her oversight especially since her daddy had raised her to be considerate and thoughtful. He had always preached that arrogance and pride had no place in ones character because of their negative impact on decision making. She realized that she had been behaving with more than a little of both flaws lately and her lack of self-reflection had almost led to her death. Looking back she could see several ways out of the incident where she had been bitten, that would all have resulted in Artie being rescued, and her not being bitten. Her rash desire to play the hero had almost resulted in both her and her baby's deaths. If it wasn't for an almost impossible miracle they would be dead.
Sighing she ran a hand through her hair troubled with thoughts of why Daryl continued to put up with her. The man was a saint for his continued patience and she reflected that she would never have guessed that the archer had it in him to be so persistent. He was however, he continued to pick up her fragments in order to glue her back together each and every time she rushed head long into something, only to fall to pieces. She knew though that he wouldn't continue to do that forever. If she continued to act rashly eventually he would get tired of her actions and how she made him feel. She couldn't imagine that, couldn't imagine Daryl getting tired of her, walking away from her.
Upon serious consideration she knew that Daryl, her baby, and Jude were the most important things in her life. Being a hero didn't even rank on the cosmic scale of importance against those things which, meant she needed to put her relationship with the hunter before anything and everything else. From now on she needed to weigh her choices in light of how they would affect her relationships with the people she loved. She had firsthand knowledge of how Daryl had changed over the last year or so. He had gone from a reactive, angry, hurtful, closed off man to a thoughtful, patient, loving, family guy. He was trying for her, for Judith, for his child, even if he was scared or had self-doubts. She owed him the same consideration because she knew that he was changing for her not for himself.
She was drawn from her thoughts by the sound of the front door opening in conjunction with Jude's tinkling laugh. Standing up she headed back inside with Scout just as Daryl entered the front hallway tickling Jude's belly lightly causing the little girl to giggle and squirm. Seeing Beth Daryl headed towards her an easy smile on his face.
When Jude caught sight of her she reached out with her chubby little arms squealing,"Mama," rather excitedly with a childish grin of excitement painting her features.
Scooping the toddler into her own arms Beth tilted her head up for a quick welcome kiss from the hunter before asking the little girl," Did you have fun with your daddy Jude?" Kissing the toddler on the head she asked Daryl," So how did your meeting go?"
"Good," the archer grunted, "everythin is all set for tomorrow. We're leavin at first light."
Glancing at the pack slung over the hunter's back she asked," What's that?"
"Apparently," Daryl drawled," they weren't kiddin bout expectin me ta tow the line and wear a uniform."
"Oh," Beth smirked," I forgot about that. Did ya even look in that bag?"
"Nah," he denied shaking his head, " don't care what's in it. I'll wear what I want outta it and the rest," he just shrugged making it clear to Beth that he intended to just discard whatever he didn't want to wear.
Laughing she headed towards the kitchen, " I think I better make something for dinner. It's gettin late. S'close ta five thirty already."
"Better make it quick darlin," the archer drawled as he moved to pour himself a glass of water," we're due over at Waters round seven."
"Are we," the blonde questioned as she pulled venison steaks, green beans, and yams out of the fridge, "for what."
"Apparently," Daryl murmured as he moved to intercept Jude who had scooted to one of the kitchen cabinets in order to divest the storage space of its pots and pans," Waters is havin a gatherin at his place tonight. They play music and stuff and he invited us. I figured you'd wanna go."
Turning away from where she was preparing the food she asked, " What about you? Do you wanna go? That doesn't really seem like your kinda thing."
Shrugging he allowed Jude to grab his hands before gently pulling her from a seated to standing positon. Allowing the toddler to hold onto his hands he encouraged her to take a few steps," Everyone's gonna be there. It won't be so bad."
When Judith took three wobbly but, definite steps both adults paused in their tasks in order to praise and kiss and cuddle her.
By six forty five they had eaten dinner and were headed to Mark's several blocks over. The summer night was warm and balmy and Beth had changed into a pair of khaki shorts, a sleeveless white peasant top, and black converse sneakers. Her blonde hair was down for the first time in ages and the slight breeze blew wisps across her face. Daryl was holding Jude and he had an arm wrapped around her as they walked. Without hesitation she leaned into him soaking up the feeling of contentment that washed over her.
When they arrived they didn't even have a chance to knock on the door before Lucy was throwing it open and dragging them inside.
"Everyone's out back," the bubbly red head directed pausing in order to lean over and kiss Jude. The toddler smiled at Lucy eagerly reaching for her sometimes babysitter. Daryl handed her over and then reached for Beth's hand as they followed Lucy to the back yard. Sure enough there was a group of about thirty people most of whom they didn't know.
Spotting them Mark rushed over to greet them grinning at Daryl as he exclaimed, " Thanks so much for getting her here Daryl. Beth and I used to sing together in the church worship band. She was just a scrawny sixteen year old then but, man did she have some pipes."
"Ain't tellin me nothin I don't know," the archer mused smirking affectionately at the blonde.
Smiling up at both men excitedly Beth asked, " Mark when you told Daryl playin music," she paused to use air quotes," you meant like actually playin. That's awesome."
"Yup, " the sergeant confirmed," it's just a couple of us that get together to play once in a while but, some of our friends like to come and listen so it usually ends up a great time for everyone." Then to Daryl," do you mind if I steal her for a bit chief? Lucy can introduce you to folks and find you a place to enjoy the show. Beth's talent is too impressive to be wasted tonight by letting her sit and watch."
Then Mark was dragging her towards Brian and a man she hadn't yet met. Grabbing his guitar Mark quickly introduced Beth to Justin a civilian who sang backup vocals and Brian informed her himself that he played guitar but, couldn't sing a lick.
Pointing towards a keyboard Mark apologized, "We don't have a piano Bethy but, I figured the keys are close enough."
" I am just excited to sing," Beth gushed, " playing keys is like the cherry on top."
As soon as she was situated Mark addressed the crowd saying hi to everyone, introducing Beth, and proclaiming that they would only be playing a few songs tonight since they were set to go out on a mission early in the morning. The crowd cheered anyway and soon they were playing with Mark and Beth singing in harmony or solo. Beth fell into the group seamlessly and everyone, both the musicians and the guests, were having a blast by the second song. Beth was exhilarated as they began to wrap up and she hadn't taken her eyes off Daryl all night. The archer had been watching her intently and she could clearly read the look of admiration on his features.
Then Mark was turning to her and asking," Final song Bethy. What do you wanna play?"
Without hesitation she answered," Let's do some Needtobreathe. It's been so long and I am just in the mood. It seems ta fit right now you know."
Nodding and smiling Mark addressed the crowd, "The princess has spoken folks. She wants our final number to be an old worship band favorite of ours Brother by Needtobreathe," and then Mark was playing the first chords. Beth let the moment, the music, her love of singing wash over her as she joined in with Mark to sing,"
Ramblers in the wilderness we can't find what we need
Get a little restless from the searching
Get a little worn down in between
Like a bull chasing the matador is the man left to his own schemes
Everybody needs someone beside em' shining like a lighthouse from the sea
Brother let me be your shelter
I'll never leave you all alone
I can be the one you call
When you're low
Brother let me be your fortress
When the night winds are driving on
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home
Face down in the desert now there's a cage locked around my heart
I found a way to drop the keys where my failures were
Now my hands can't reach that far
I ain't made for a rivalry I could never take the world alone
I know that in my weakness I am strong, but
It's your love that brings me home
Brother let me be your shelter
I'll never leave you all alone
I can be the one you call
When you're low
Brother let me be your fortress
When the night winds are driving on
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home
And when you call and need me near
Sayin' where'd you go?
Brother I'm right here
And on those days when the sky begins to fall
You're the blood of my blood
We can get through it all
Brother let me be your shelter
I'll never leave you all alone
I can be the one you call
When you're feelin' low
Brother let me be your fortress
When the night winds are driving on
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home
Brother let me be your shelter
I'll never leave you all alone
I can be the one you call
When you're low
Brother let me be your fortress
When the night winds are driving on
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home
As the song concluded the small crowd went wild clapping and cheering. Beth's face was a bright rosy red from a combination of elation and happiness. She loved singing, it was a part of her, and she hadn't realized how badly she needed an outlet such as this one. She understood why Mark had continued to sing after the world changed. There was a very real struggle now to not let the darkness overcome you, to not let the world change you, and continuing to do things that you loved even at the height of the struggle prevented you from losing yourself.
Practically bouncing towards Daryl who was sitting on a lawn chair, his gaze laser locked on her face, Beth couldn't stop herself from grinning like a fool. Mark caught up to her on her way to the hunter and slung an arm around her asking, " Did you have fun Bethy?"
"Are you kidding," she replied giggling," that was the most fun I've had in years." Then more sedately," Thanks Mark. I forgot what it can mean to really do something you love. How happy it can make you. I've been so focus on survivin that I think I was losing myself."
Leaning down to kiss her affectionately on the head the sergeant murmured," We always do something like this, as a group, together, before we go out on a mission. I know you saw Luc, she's always somewhere near Reed, and Nelson and Kelley are around here somewhere. It just build the comradery, reminds us what we're fighting for when we do things from the old world."
"Well thank you so much for including us I really loved it."
"Wasn't even a thought to include you guys sweetheart," Mark assured smiling down at her," your both part of the unit now, part of the family."
They reached Daryl then and he stood as they were approaching enabling Beth to throw herself into his arms as she laughed with elation," Did you enjoy it? What did you think? Did I sound okay?"
Pulling her into his embrace Daryl smiled down at her proudly as he assured," You sounded amazing sprite. I ain't never been ta a concert before but, I've heard plenty a bar bands. You guys were by far the best thing I've ever seen."
"Thanks," she sighed leaning into his side as Mark clapped him on the shoulder.
"Headed out man," the sergeant questioned obviously reading something in Daryl's face.
"Yeah," Daryl grunted," Once she comes down from her high," he was grinning at her," sprite here is gonna be exhausted and I saw Howard around here somewhere with a knocked out kid on her shoulder. Best I get my two girls home ta bed."
"Fair enough," Mark agreed," I am gonna start sending people home anyway especially our team. We need to get an early start in the morning." With a nod Mark moved off leaving Beth and Daryl to search for their missing charge.
They found her minutes later still asleep on Lucy's shoulder as the red head chattered excitedly with Reed. The two were so engrossed in their private conversation that they didn't hear the couple's approach until Beth cleared her throat to ask," Can I kidnap her from you?"
Startled Lucy whirled around to face Beth a blush suffusing her features as Brian looked on with a giant grin. "Of course," the breathless red head agreed moving to hand the toddler to her mother," are you guys headed out?"
It was Daryl who answered with a short," Ahha and so are you two. Plan is ta leave early. Want everyone at the meeting site by seven. Go back to the barracks and get some rest. Don't need no one tired and distracted tomorrow." Both soldiers were nodding as Daryl steered Beth toward the exit and then over his shoulder he called, " Reed."
"Yeah," the younger man answered.
"It wasn't a suggestion about headin out. Was an order and do me a favor and grab Nelson on your way."
"Got it chief," Brian assured still grinning as Daryl and Beth broke through the crowd and into the house. They exited quickly and once they were back on the quiet street the hunter asked, "Ya want me ta take her," nodding to the toddler who was slumped across Beth's shoulder in a deep sleep.
"Nah," she grinned, "I got her. I love ta have her snuggled against me. Especially since I know she's growin up and it won't be like this for much longer."
"Mhhm," the hunter hummed in agreement," but, your gonna have another little one ta cuddle in just a couple a months."
"I suppose," the blonde breathed out," but it's still sad to watch them grow up." She paused as she realized what she had said to assert in a rush," Not that I don't want to see her grow up because I do…..it's just sad that she isn't gonna be my little baby for much longer."
"I know what ya meant sprite," Daryl was quick to assure as he slung an arm around her shoulders.
They walked in silence for a while before Beth all but whispered into the quiet," Hey Daryl."
"Yeah darlin."
"You were right back at the farmhouse." When the hunter just turned to her in askance she elaborated quietly," When you said that if you weren't careful you could lose yourself to the darkness." He was nodding then still watching her, giving her time to formulate what she wanted to say.
"Singing back there reminded me about all the things I love, and what makes me who I really am, and when I thought about it I realized how right you were." She paused to examine the stars in the clear night sky before continuing passionately," You can get so wrapped up in survivin, in just makin it, that you lose yourself, and why you're even tryin ta make it in the first place. The darkness creeps in a little at a time and before ya know it you're gone and in your place is this person ya don't even know."
Looking up at the archer with a plea on her features she begged, "Don't let me become that person Daryl. Please. I don't want to lose what makes me well… me and I need you to promise that you won't let that happen."
" I won't let you lose yourself sprite," Daryl assured her with a nod," but you gotta do the same for me. Don't let me forget who I am darlin. I need ya ta call me out when I ain't the man ya need me ta be. We gotta be here for each other, gotta keep each other accountable, cuz we're in this together, and keepin each other honest is gonna be what keeps us strong."
She nodded letting the quiet wash over her and it was Daryl who spoke next," That song ya sang. The last one with Waters. Ya sung it before?"
"Yup," she nodded, " a couple times when Mark would come home to visit on leave. He always joined the praise band when he was home and we always tried to do something special. That song was one of our special ones. It only came out about six months before this whole thing started but, we sang it a handful of times together."
Peaking up at him curiously from under her lashes as they approached their front door she asked, "Did ya like it?"
"Yeah. I did…a lot," the archer mumbled thoughtfully as he turned the key in the lock," words just kinda resonated with me tonight," and then he was ushering her inside.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The next morning Beth woke to the sound of the shower running. Rolling over she glanced at the clock and saw it was only five in the morning. She groaned scrubbing a hand over her face as the water turned off. She wasn't ready to get up, really she wasn't but, she knew Daryl wanted to get an early start to the armory. She had just swung her legs over the side of the bed when the butterfly flutter from the day before assailed her. With delight she dropped her hand to her belly rubbing gently as she smiled in wonder. It was amazing to finally be able to feel her baby move. It was then that she realized she had forgotten to tell Daryl about the baby moving the day before.
As if summoned by her thoughts of him the hunter strode through the bedroom door flipping on the light. Groaning again in protest Beth turned to him only to have her jaw drop and her words freeze in her throat. Daryl was standing in the threshold to their room dressed in ACU pants, a fitted black tee, a thigh holster, and his still wet hair was held back by the Oakley's perched on his head.
When Beth continued to just stare Daryl shifted self-consciously," What do ya think? Had ta wear somethin just thought this would do."
"You look….," Beth paused to gather her thoughts as her mouth watered," you look good….really good."
"Ya think," he questioned pulling at the tight tucked in tee. It bunched a bit above his belt but remained tucked in.
"I think," Beth practically purred as she rose from the bed and went to him, " that you should take me back to bed and forget about this whole mission to the armory deal."
The archer barked out a laugh before reaching out to pull the blonde into his arms. Bending down to kiss her passionately on the lips he groaned, " Don't tempt me woman," as he pulled away. Then with a nod of his head towards the bathroom he commanded, "Go on and get showered. Then get Jude ready. We gotta head out soon. I'll go get something ready for breakfast."
"Wait," Beth commanded as Daryl went to move past her. Grabbing his hand she brought it back to her belly. Placing it there she admitted," I forgot ta tell you yesterday but, I felt the baby move for the first time. It happened again this morning too."
His eyes going wide he asked, "Really what's it feel like?"
"Right now kinda just like butterflies," she admitted, " but soon it will get stronger."
"That's amazin news darlin," the hunter smiled rubbing her belly gently," and as much as I'd love ta spend all day celebratin it we got a job ta do first. Go on and get showered and ready and when we get home tonight we'll have a little celebration just you and me."
Her stomach flipping at the promise she smiled seductively, " You don't have ta make that promise more than once. You look good enough to eat."
Pulling away from her with a laugh the archer shot over his shoulder," Bout time you returned that favor sprite. Might hold ya too it later on."
Beth laughed at Daryl's joke as she turned to get ready for the day. She might not be that experienced but, she certainly recognized his insinuation for what it was. She had never actually done that before but, she realized with a start that she was more than willing to try it for the first time.
After Beth readied herself and Jude she bounded downstairs to have breakfast with Daryl. After everyone, including Scout had eaten, they were headed down to the barracks. True to his word Daryl refused to leave anyone of his family members behind including Scout. The rest of the team was already assembled and working diligently to prepare the two Humvee's under Mark's direction. After a quick greeting they broke into groups Beth, Daryl, Jude, Scout Lucy, and Brian in one Humvee and Mark, Mike, and Artie in the other.
The ride to the armory took about forty minutes and after arriving it took the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon to collect what they needed and to inventory the remaining items. The military commanders wanted to keep exact counts on all the weapons so each time something was removed it had to be documented. They broke for lunch around noon and finally a little after two they loaded the vehicles and locked up the armory to head back to post. They were about ten minutes from the armory, Beth, Lucy, and Brian, laughing and joking when they passed their first walker. Random wandering corpses were a normal part of the scenery now but, they hadn't encountered many of them on the way out to the armory. So as they headed back to Andrews and began to pass more and more corpses in bigger and bigger groupings the jovial conversation diminished. The Humvee's were perfectly safe unless they ran into a massive herd but, light hearted conversation collapsed under the weight of perfectly reasonable safety concerns as they faced the ever increasing number of walkers.
Mark had just radioed up to check in with them when a flash of dark hair and very much alive teenage girl darted across the road in front of them. Brian swerved to avoid hitting the girl and Daryl flung an arm out to prevent Beth from losing her hold on Judith.
"Son of a bitch," the archer swore as Reed finally got the vehicle under control again. Water's was radioing them frantically and Lucy was scrabbling for the device.
Rushing to reassure the sergeant Lucy yelled ,"Chief what the hell are you doing," as Daryl swung open the back door of the Humvee in order to chase after the girl.
"Daryl," Beth called after him frantically as she saw Mark launch himself from the vehicle behind them to chase after Daryl. The two men quickly disappeared into the woods and Beth's frantically beating heart urged her to chase after them. This time however, she did not give into her irrational whims. Daryl knew what he was doing, so did Mark. They didn't need her chasing after them and potentially just causing more problems due to her mere presence. They all had jobs to do and hers at the current moment was to watch Jude.
Brian, Artie, and Mike quickly positioned themselves to take down walkers with silent weapons as Lucy tried to make small talk with Beth to distract her. It was the longest twenty minutes of Beth's life but, finally Daryl and Mark emerged from the woods dirty, sweaty, and a little worse for the wear but, in one piece relatively speaking. Daryl was dragging the filthy, skinny, brunette teen by the arm, cursing and hollering.
Finally pulling the sullen looking girl to a stop in front of their Humvee he demanded, " What the hell are ya doin out here girl. Ya almost became that damn walkers lunch. Where are your damn people."
"I don't have any people," the sullen girl snarled trying to pull away from the hunter.
"Really not believing you girl," Daryl sneered, "can't believe you'd a survived this long without people."
"My name isn't girl," the brunette shot back angrily, "it's Enid. My name is Enid."
"Well Enid," Mark drawled with his arms crossed over his chest, " we can't in good conscience leave a helpless little girl out here in these woods by herself. Especially when she was just about a walker snack fifteen minutes ago, so why don't you tell us where your people are or you get the wonderful honor of accompanying us home." Grinning the sergeant continued, " We can always use new recruits after all."
The brunette had a minute to look absolutely horrified before Beth slid out of the Humvee. Cradling Judith she approached the two men to chastise, "You're scaring the poor thing ta death. Stop it."
Whirling on her Daryl sneered, "That poor thing tried ta take a hunk outta my arm darlin." Raising his forearm to show her the red swelling patch of skin he continued angrily, "Girl ain't a poor scared anythin. Seen plenty a teens like her in my time. The only thing poor in her life is her parents."
"My parents are dead you bastard," the emotional teen all but, screamed as tears began to gather in her eyes.
"Hey," Beth crooned thrusting Jude at Daryl as she approached the girl,"Hey."
As Daryl settled the toddler in his arms Beth approached the young girl with her hands raised in surrender," I am sorry that they scared you but, they're just worried. We've lost a lot of people. Seen a lot of death that could have been avoided. They can't in good conscience let a young girl back out into this world alone. Where are you from sweetheart? Where are your people?"
"I don't have any people," Enid mumbled again hanging her head so that her long dark hair created a curtain around her face, "but, the place I came from, it's called Alexandria. It's about ten minutes from here."
"Okay," Beth sighed, "thank you for telling us that. Now we can ensure that you get back there safely."
"I don't need you to take me," the girl bit out glaring up from her curtain of hair, " I can go by myself. I do it all the time."
"Do what all the time," Mark demanded, "do they know you do this? Come out here?"
The young girls silence was the only answer the two men needed. Nodding towards the Humvee and propelling the girl gently Daryl commanded, "Get in buttercup todays your lucky day. Not only did you get saved from near certain death but, you're getting a military escort back home. Bout time your people," the hunter emphasized," realize what you're up to."
Glaring at Daryl the teen unwillingly scrambled into the back of the vehicle as Beth climbed in herself sliding over to make room.
Once everyone was in and settled Daryl turned to the girl with an expression of stone," Which way?"
The angry girl just pointed drawing out several long seconds before mumbling angrily, " Follow this road for about two miles then take your first left."
"You heard buttercup," Daryl snarled at Brian rubbing at his sore arm," let's get this show on the road."
Okay so here we are. A little incentive to let me know what you thought about this chapter….I already have Chapter 38 written. I actually wrote it first before Chapter 37. I want to give everyone a chance to read and digest this chapter before posting it but, as soon as I feel that that's been done I will post the next chapter. Thanks so much in advance to everyone who favorites, followers, and reviews your feedback is appreciated very much.