A.N. - Thank you guys so much for all the support and excitement for the fic! So happy everyone is still enjoying the story line. I have this chapter and one more and then, I don't want to say the dreaded H word (hiatus) but it's going to be a little while after the next chapter before I update this one again because boy howdy I am running out of time given the amount of stuff I want to get done. Thanks again for the understanding and support! Happy Reading.

Chapter 38

She went back and forth.

Finger combing out the massive tangle that was her own hair, stroking slowly through his, watching as his body swelled and relaxed with each breath. It was too bad, she thought, watching the hard set of his features, that even in his sleep he didn't look relaxed. It was no safer, more than likely, his sleep from his waking hours. Just as many monsters and memories to plague him, all the worse for being inside his skull. Enemies long dead could terrorize him, people he'd lost could blame him for things that were never in his control.

His need for sleep was undeniable and unavoidable though, given what had been done to him, and the state of his mind. Beth wanted him to get as much rest as possible. But him unconscious wasn't completely without risk. It'd only been an hour perhaps when he'd begun to twitch and mumble in her lap the first time. Torn hands grasping, jerking with a spasm that spoke of some violence she couldn't see. She'd grazed her nails against his scalp, other hand going to nudge his larger ones, and he'd settled. Head nuzzling against her thigh, she wasn't sure how he could breathe with how closely his face was to her abdomen, but he was, and each deep inhale served to calm him further so she left him be.

The time ticked by and her body gave light complaints that she ignored. If he'd been able to function with less sleep and more injuries, she could handle her aching back and cramping legs. Wanted to see what some sleep would do for him, if it'd help him for when he woke, to know she was living and that their time together wasn't one more Negan-devised trick.

There was a lot in her life these days that had made her feel like her heart couldn't take another rip without turning into a useless shivering thing in her chest. Her mama and Shawn stumbling out of the barn, seeing the sword come down into her daddy's neck, bloody remains next to some railroad tracks and a child's shoe...And Daryl Dixon sobbing.

He'd begged her not to leave him again.

That wasn't a promise she could make, but she'd do anything in order to stay with him.

She watched as the shadows continued to shrink and the heat increased, Daryl's warmth combined with it until sweat was sliding around under her clothes. Sighing, she ran light fingertips over his shoulder, not really even touching him, wondering if he'd be alright with another trip down to the stream when he got up. Though, she may want to see if he was up for another activity before they went to the water. If the same heightened desire hit him, she didn't know if she'd be able to stop them like she had last time.

It was like the hunger in her belly was tied to the hunger in her cunt, and neither of them could find much respite. Her stomach she could understand, after all, she'd only had some far gone crackers and multiple cold water swallows. Not exactly the meal she needed considering how much activity they'd...But it'd be alright, she figured, while casting her eyes in another sweeping check around her, they could hunt if Jesus didn't come back soon. Get some squirrel or possum cooked up and that'd tide them over while they waited. She was anxious of course to see her sister, to hear what was planned, and what was going to happen next, but this was good too.

Beth looked down at Daryl, the slope of his shoulder down to his hip, the curve of his body and bend of his knee. She'd wanted to take a closer look at the wound he'd gotten while the Saviours were rounding them all up, the one they'd patched for him. More closeness hadn't been a viable option however, given how rabidly they currently wanted each other. If the freezing temperature of the water hadn't overcome her stubborness, she'd been set on not tempting him anymore than her very existence caused. No matter how she'd tried, it seemed like she'd blinked and the next thing she'd known, he had her up and so very close, and it would have been easy to give in.

She would have too.

If her memory hadn't chose that moment to callback to a certain time they'd been in the woods. His bow in her hands, him pressed all against her back, and she'd thought there'd be little issue if she tried his willpower just a tad more. Nothing bad had happened, but he'd gotten so pissed off at the both of them. And he'd been the one to find them condoms, and had done his best in spite of her, to wear them and lessen the chance that something other than walker or enemy could take her from him. And she hadn't exactly helped him those times. Thought he'd...actually it'd been hard to think about anything other than getting him anyway that she could.

So now she had to be the responsible one...besides the protection thing…

Beth's conscious skipped away from that line of introspection though. She'd been so disgusted with Lori for bringing a baby into this awful reality, until it'd been up to her to watch Judith and then she'd understood the hope there was in continuing to live and not just survive. Lord only knew if she was capable of having children anyhow, could be barren, he could be sterile, they could have sex for years maybe and never conceive. It'd happened to couples she'd known in their congregation back home, and considering the less than stellar conditions of her diet and all the rest…

But she wasn't thinking about it.

It was still so soon for them to be having kids, just on a relationship front, but this world didn't cater to a thing like timelines any longer. What if the day came that she found out she'd been wrong? That Daryl wasn't the last man standing? There'd be no piece of him left on the earth. But was that fair to whatever little life they brought into it? Judy, just like all of them, was constantly at risk to experience the kind of brutal death that Beth herself had sought suicide over in an attempt to avoid.

She wasn't thinking about it, really.

Right now she had a redneck in her lap that was having another nightmare, rolling slightly back and forth on his side and flinching. She couldn't hear what he was muttering, but it turned into a constant whine in any event, so she wasted no time trying to understand. Leaning down slightly, she sang lowly, just some half-remembered lullaby that'd been sung to her and that she'd sang to Judy and some of the other kids at the prison. The hand that'd stayed pressed to the side of his, curled carefully around some trembling fingers, and she waited until he hummed and burrowed into her. It was only then that she stopped and slowly released her hold.

Needed to keep quiet.

Not so much because she didn't want to attract walker or man, unless it was a large group of Saviours, she was a rational level of confident in their ability to handle themselves. It was more of not wanting to wake Daryl a moment too soon. Man deserved all the sleep he could get, and she'd be greatly freakin' displeased with the geek or goon that ruined that. So she kept her hands free and gaze searching, every now and then lying a hand on his bow just to reassure herself it was still there and ready.

As the afternoon passed her by, in order to stay awake, Beth began running through the things they'd need if they were to stay at the campsite. It wasn't like they could exactly take the chance of going on a scavenging run, hazard getting caught out in the open somewhere they were even less prepared to fight at. But if they got looking at the objects that Jesus had used for noise makers along the trip lines of the perimeter, maybe they'd at least find something that could be used to hold water in. If Daryl wasn't resting so comfortably on her now, she'd be out gathering firewood for whatever meal they could scrounge up.

A slight rustling snagged at her awareness and Beth ticked her head to the side to listen. It'd come from the other side of the now brilliantly lit clearing. Peering in that direction, she saw nothing, but rarely had that ever meant that nothing was actually there. Careful not to disturb the peacefully resting man who was still happily using her as a pillow, Beth pressed her spine into the ungiving bark of the tree she'd been resting against, and all but stopped breathing in order to hear more clearly. The same noise again, this time louder, closer, and furtive. It stopped and started as whatever made the sound seemed to hesitate every few steps.

Man then.

Walkers tended to either hold still or trudge in whatever direction they'd last seen movement, even if that movement was just other walkers. It sounded too heavy to be an animal, unless it was a large one, and somehow Beth really didn't think their luck was good enough to have a deer or other large game mosey into a campsite that probably reeked of humans and sex. She gingerly picked up Daryl's bow, and twisted painstakingly slow in order to shoot if necessary from her current position. Just there, amongst the trees a figure crept from one piece of cover to the next, as she watched, one of their darting passages showed a flash of silver. Weapon of some kind, probably a knife. Might mean they didn't have anything long range which worked out well for her.

She sighted her shot and waited, the person was coming from the direction that Jesus and the others had gone through on their way to Hilltop and Alexandria. But that didn't necessarily mean anything, there weren't many ways to get to this location, the wraith-like being could have come from anywhere. Keeping her breathing steady, Beth continued to wait even as her heartbeat refused to, the dang thing kicking up ten notches with each second that went by. There had to be a level of certainty, that whoever it was out there, intended to do them harm. Taking life might not completely devastate her as it once had, but she wasn't willing to be ruthless if it wasn't necessary.

Felt too warm and whole again, for that to be the case.

When the person reached the clearing and started skirting it, Beth released her breath and let the bow sway down. Muscles shivering, she recognized the long leather coat and beanie, Jesus continued his way around, starting visibly when he finally caught sight of them. It was ridiculous, for her to feel a sting of what felt like dismay, but at some point she'd really started thinking they might stay here for a while. Some part of her knew that he needed the quiet, needed the forest to help him heal.

They'd have to make due, as they always did.

She offered Jesus a tired smile and slight wave, placing the weapon fully on the ground before speaking.

"Hey."

It hadn't really occurred to her, how Daryl might actually react to being woken up suddenly. Or at all. Hadn't considered that it might have been best for everyone, not simply him, that he remain unconscious. Powerful body rising instantly into a lurching crouch, he locked onto Jesus's presence and coiled, a beat away from tackling the intruder. Almost like a reflex, even though she'd never done it, Beth whipped her hands forward. One closing around his wrist, the other hooking around his shoulder, she hissed his name when his wildly searching eyes snapped over to hers.

It took him only a moment to recognize her, the stone ran out of his muscles and she felt it turn back into living flesh under her palms. Their look went on as she watched nearly his full range of emotion kaleidoscope its way behind his eyes. Rage, fear, recognition, sadness, and then flipping suddenly to the other side of the spectrum, disbelief, happiness, joy, love and finally something yearning that caused her to clear her throat - look back to their small audience of one.

She watched in her peripheral vision as it took him a few more long moments to finally turn his focus to the man he'd almost attacked. From the tales of Jesus she'd gotten from Rick and Daryl, he was probably more than capable of dodging or parrying any form of assault from her man right now. Daryl's condition being considerably poorer than the last time the two had gotten into it. Nevertheless, she'd prefer to lessen the chances of any miscommunication or suspicion on Jesus's end of things, him being the spokesperson for the Hilltop and all.

Once Daryl had worked through that they weren't in any immediate danger, he rolled back off of his feet and onto his butt, consequently bringing their arms into a casual-looking contact. Glancing at him, Beth barely reigned in the reaction to roll her eyes at his slit-gaze look. She knew it wasn't that he distrusted the other man, Jesus had pretty well proven his loyalty by helping to get them out of the Sanctuary. However, never ever ever was Daryl going to be ok with someone he barely knew seeing him in any kind of vulnerable or weakened state.

The glare clearly said, "You might have gotten the drop on me, but that'll be the last thing that goes your way about the time this turns into a fight."

Or perhaps more simply: "Fuck you."

Jesus, for his part, was looking totally relieved while putting his new knife into its sheath.

"Couldn't see you guys where I'd thought you'd be," he offered in way of explanation for his creeping and drawn weapon, and Beth nodded in understanding. "Came to bring you back with me." He smiled slightly as he glanced between the two of them and then back across the clearing. "It was about all Glenn could do, getting Maggie to stay put for this long."

"So she's really ok then?" Part of her, an infinitesimal part, was worried she'd offend him with the question. But Jesus just nodded in understanding while she and Daryl began climbing to their feet.

"Rick was able to get her to Carson in time, she and the baby are ok. Hey-"

Circulation was a bitch, and she might have ignored her body's signals a little too completely. Her knee gave a weird twinge of pain, before her entire leg buckled and went out from beneath her. Their guide reached forward to catch her, only to find his services were entirely unneeded. She was falling, and then she was swinging up, and being cradled in a familiar hold. One that initially, had her wrapping her arms around Daryl's neck, until she realized what had happened and then gave him an exasperated smile to go along with an affectionate squeeze.

"Daryl, I'm fine, but thank you."

His eyes slid suspiciously over to Jesus, skating back and appraising her as if he was trying to weigh the worth of keeping a hold of her regardless of what she'd just said.

"Y'alright? Ya sure?"

If he hadn't only gotten a tiny amount of sleep, if it was just the two of them, she might have stayed in his arms, if only to please him. Because it would, she knew, make him a paranoid level of happy to have her solid against his chest as they walked. But it was highly impractical, the terrain for one thing, the need to be weapons ready for another. It did feel a toasty kind of romantic, in a world doing its best to throttle such things to death, to be carried like this by him again. Like at the funeral home, like when he'd gotten her out of Grady, but she didn't need that from him now, no matter how much he might like to. Now, she was the one that was dead set on keeping him steady on their upcoming trip, either physically or mentally.

"I promise," she said, grinning at him as he huffed and let her down. "Your big head just made my leg fall asleep is all." His newly washed face reddened, and she ignored his distaste for PDA, lightly catching hold of his head with her hands and pressing a quick hard kiss to his mouth. "If you've broken anythin' in there, then I'll let ya carry me."

Jesus made an effort to hide a smile as they all worked together to pack up the camp and hide the bedroll. When they got moving, she noticed that Daryl didn't reach for her hand, but it was blazingly apparent that he chose to walk behind her in order to keep her in constant sight. So perhaps the rest had done some good, if he could now bear not being in sustained physical contact with her.

It certainly didn't stop her from doing an excellent impression of him from earlier in the day, head turning every dozen steps or so to check on his progress. There wasn't a single time when his eyes weren't deadlocked on her. With many of the glances, she tried to send a question his way, but there was still some impediment to their ability to communicate. He seemed to get it regardless, would nod every other time their eyes met. She should have pulled him aside at the campground, asked if he was alright with their current plan of action.

Well, soon as they got another private moment to themselves she'd be able to get a handle on how capable he was of being around people. If it turned out that he felt too caged in by the Hilltop, she'd make her apologies to Maggie and Glenn, head out with him back to the campsite or wherever else he'd be most comfortable.

Their trek was largely uneventful and quiet, mostly not to attract attention, but also there was little news so far. Everyone had been able to get to who they'd wanted, but then Jesus had been tasked with getting Carl and Sasha back to Hilltop because there was little doubt in anyone's mind that Negan would be hot footing it over to Alexandria at any moment to see if the escapees were hiding there.

She could only imagine how tense things must be at the settlement right now, waiting to see if Negan carried through on his prior threats. If the prison break was going to be met with lethal force. Hopefully the others were able to act just well enough to throw Negan off the trail.

When the Hilltop came into view, Beth felt her legs quicken their pace without her conscious command. She passed Jesus, feet barely touching the ground as the big gates opened and two dark haired people came running just as quickly through it. Her throat closed over her sob as she and Maggie collided a stone's throw from the settlement's entryway. They were bound to break each other's bones, to collapse organs with the ferocity of their hug. Beth sent an apology to her already bruised skin as she allowed Maggie to press down on all of her many tender spots.

She was released only so that Maggie could move back enough to cup her cheeks, to smile with streaming eyes at one another until Beth absolutely couldn't see any longer. Her sister was still too pale, her nearly olive tones washed out to a shade somewhere around Beth's regular complexion. At least, that's the vague impression she got before getting dragged in for another hug, just as tight as the first one.

There were hushed words behind her, and Beth dropped her arms to turn, mind catching up with her emotion. Glenn stood close to Daryl who was looking uniquely uncomfortable as the two muttered back and forth, Jesus standing a polite distance away. Her man was shifting uneasily in between his periods of absolute immobility, eyes twitching to her over and over again like a compulsion he couldn't kick. Her attention dragged back to Maggie when the brunette began talking, shaking Beth slightly as if trying (not unlike Daryl had) to make sure she was real.

"Ya made it, Bethy." For some reason Maggie's words made her embarrassed, had her hunching her shoulders, dipping her chin in a grudging answer. "Glenn says you got the lot of 'em out."

"Just laid the groundwork was all, really," she corrected, wiping at her wet cheeks as she did.

Maggie gave her an incredulous look. In an attempt to get away from it, Beth glanced over her sister's shoulder to where more familiar faces were making their way towards them. Carl and Sasha gave her quick hugs of hello, and she felt a certain tingle along her spine that said Daryl and the other two men had come up behind her.

"Well," Maggie continued slowly, clearly not interested in letting Beth's humble answer stay between the two of them. "Groundwork or not, I hear they couldn't have done it without ya. I'm proud of you, Beth. Daddy would be too."

Well, if that wasn't just a punch in the gut.

She let out her umpteenth watery breath in the last couple of days, and tried to smile. "Oh, I don't know about that," she answered with a sniff. "I did beat a man senseless."

If it was possible to feel Daryl seize up from a foot or so away, Beth was positive she just had.

"An' I'm sure Daddy was there the whole time rootin' for ya too." Maggie seemed single-mindedly determined to make her bawl in front of God and everybody. If she hadn't just gotten done doing that this morning in Daryl's arms, there was little chance that her sister wouldn't have been successful. "We best get in behind the wall, c'mon."

With a jerk of her head, Maggie sent her forward, only to wrap the stoically silent man behind her in a quick hug once Beth had taken a few steps away. Another whispered something, and she watched Daryl's face redden at whatever was said. His hands rose tentatively to pat clumsily at Maggie's back in return, but then Sasha was putting an arm around her, and Beth got distracted as the other two began talking.

"Abe says hello and, 'good-goddamn job you pintsized ball-crushing beauty' which I told him was a little excessive but he said you'd appreciate the sentiment."

"He's right," Beth laughed, as they walked through the open gateway. "I do."

"Dad told me to tell you thanks too," Carl said, small grin curling his mouth. "You know, just the normal way though."

"Well," Sasha said, lips quirking as she made a face. "That's boring as hell, but fine."

"How's everyone in Alexandria?" Beth asked, anxiety creeping into her voice. "Did the Saviours hurt anyone else?"

"Not yet." Carl's reply was steely and she was met with a view of his clenched jaw and the brim of his hat when she looked over at him.

"Negan hadn't sent any kind of word while we were there," Sasha supplied, hand tightening slightly on her shoulder before letting go. "Though, that's not really saying much. Barely had time to see Abraham and Tyreese, let those who needed to, know about what had happened." There was something in the woman's expression that made a prickling of dread needle in Beth's stomach. "Kept it quiet for the most part, stayed out of sight."

That could mean almost anything.

Might mean that things were unsettled back home, or that they weren't sure what kind of surveillance their enemy was capable of. Could just be a healthy dose of paranoia that had never served them wrong. Either way, there was a definite note of foreboding that she in no way appreciated. Made her, perhaps selfishly, crave the bubble of solitude her and Daryl had had only hours ago.

The man himself was making unintelligible noises behind her, answering or responding to whatever questions or information Maggie and Glenn were giving him. They reached the common area near one of the rows of trailers, nodding to those native Hilltop survivors that walked by them. Beth felt a tug at the back of her shirt and twisted her neck to see who'd done it, largely expecting it to be Daryl, but was met with Maggie's sparking gaze instead.

"Glenn's gonna show Daryl where ya'll will be stayin'. You wanna come with me? Catch up a little?"

Beth nodded, immediately regretting the unvoiced answer when her eyes switched over to a pair of blues that were drilling into her. She caught glimmers of barely restrained panic as he allowed himself to be led away by Glenn. Jesus asked Carl to come with him on a scouting run. It was probably to, wisely, keep the teen busy and under a watchful eye. Sasha followed her and Maggie to one of the nondescript trailers, all while Beth's heart beat an unsteady rhythm that just about fouled up her footing when it came to climbing the steps.

"People have been good enough to double up with one another in order to make room for us." Maggie sounded a little weary, as if their emotionally charged reunion had been enough to drain her energy stores. Beth sat at a small table that was situated not too far from the cot where Sasha took a perched seat. "I knew Daryl would be just as comfortable staying out in the woods but…" The hesitation was linked with a musing smile. "I just didn't like the idea of you, either of you, out there on your own. What with Saviours and walkers all over. Even Daryl can be snuck up on or overpowered given certain circumstances."

Beth nodded her agreement, sight unflinchingly scanning her sister.

"How are you, Maggie? Really?"

The next smile she got was a little pained, but not enough to make her truly worry. "Just a little scare is all. Kid's keepin' me on my toes, hasn't even come out yet." At Beth's narrowed eyes she laughed and curled her hand around Beth's where it lay forgotten on the table. "All of us are so distrustful nowadays. Glenn was terrible, I literally had to go wake up poor Dr. Carson just so he'd, uh, just so he'd calm down."

There was a weighted silence that followed the story, and Beth could only imagine her brother-in-law's overwrought state when seeing Maggie again. She'd appeared minutes away from death when they'd last seen her, hadn't received any news about her condition. One more torture to be laid on Negan's heaping pile of sins. She sure wished they'd get a chance to pay him back, that and then some, make him as miserable as he had them.

"How're you?" Maggie asked in an obvious attempt to move the focus off of herself. "Did...no one, hurt you?" Hazel eyes flicked over to where Sasha was and then coming back to her. "Did they?"

It was a normal enough question, considering where she'd just come from, and the context in which she'd come. She was about to answer when she became aware of the places her sister's attention lingered, skating back to her face when they'd completed the circuit. Right, well, who wasn't excited to have an awkward sex talk with their sister, plus one? Her hands skimmed the areas she'd felt most keenly this morning, before offering her sister a weak grin.

"Oh, um, most of these aren't," she stumbled, trying to figure out the proper phrasing. "Bad bruises? Ya know?"

Her gaze slid between Sasha and her sister, waiting the heartbeat it took for them to realize what she'd meant. Two pairs of brows shot up drastically, and then Sasha was making a face somewhere between impressed and sheepish. Maggie on the other hand was simply thunderstruck. Her eyes widening cartoonishly, mouth gaping to match, she teetered between reactions until Beth blushed and smiled guiltily - displaying her own feelings about the marks. When it was unmistakable that her larger, stronger, and rougher partner hadn't done anything displeasing, in Beth's mind at least, Maggie finally settled on a bemused smirk.

"Well, I guess, considerin' the possible alternatives, that's the best answer I could'a hoped for."

Sasha outright snorted at her sister's response. "You guess? Please, I'm jealous. Didn't have time for any kind of good time at Alexandria, we got hustled out of there so quick I barely got a kiss." Her hand made a general wave in Beth's direction. "Let alone all of...that."

"I'm gonna quickly change the subject here, so that the images threatenin' to pop up in my head right now don't happen." Maggie shut tight her lids and shook her head for good measure. "Y'all are gonna end up bringin' back my mornin' sickness."

"Hey, you asked," Beth said, shrugging while she ignored the heat coming off of her face. "I was only tryin' to put your mind at ease, sis."

Her expression must not have looked at all repentant, because Sasha choked on a stifled laugh as Maggie tried to glare at her and failed.

"Yeah, I can see how that was your aim."

They switched topic, thankfully, to how everything had been going at Hilltop. Maggie warned Beth about the growing issue that had been, was, and was always going to be, Gregory. To say the man was a weasel felt like it'd be offensive to the entire weasel population, let alone any animals of the same genus. Regardless, Beth made a note to keep Daryl and the pseudo leader away from one another for all of their sakes.

"So how is Daryl?" Sasha asked, features forsaking all levity when Beth looked at her. "I mean, after everything he thought happened? And I don't even know how things were for him while we were over there. Never caught a glimpse." Maggie and Sasha traded looks. "But, Carl, said they saw each other once or twice. That he hadn't looked too good." A slight pause. "Rick was asking about him too."

Beth had to swallow before she could answer. "He'll be ok, I think, I know he will. I just think it's gonna take time." The mention of him had her whipping her head towards the nearest window, the light was fading, they'd been talking for at least a couple of hours. She had no idea if he'd been with Glenn or alone all the time since they'd parted. "Do ya mind? Should be gettin' back to him, see how he's doin', where we got settled an' all a' that."

"Course, yeah." Maggie stood to hug her, as did Sasha. "It's the second trailer down from this one, if you're headed to the gate."

"Thanks Maggs," she said, tossing the words over her shoulder and doing her best not to run down the wooden steps.

What a terrible partner she was.

It was absurd to be experiencing the current level of awful that was bubbling up her esophagus, but her mind kept going back to the road. When she'd slip away into another friggin' dimension, only to be pulled back more often than not by nothing more than his scowl. It was an impressive scowl to be sure, but she'd never been allowed to mentally wander off for long, because he'd always had her on his mind. Here she was leaving him for hours with no way of knowing how he was.

Man hadn't been able to let go of her hand, forget the idea of having her where he couldn't see.

She was walking as quickly as possible without drawing unnecessary attention to herself, knew it was the right trailer when she saw the door open. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, Beth peered in, and sighed in relief when she was able to immediately spot him. The layout of this trailer seemed to be almost exactly the same as the one she'd just left, and sitting on the cot that was pushed up against the wall with its foot nearest the door, was Daryl.

Back propped against the wall and legs uncaringly drawn up so that his boots dug into the bed's top layer of sheets, he was methodically sharpening the knife in his hands. Glenn wasn't with him, she could sense it, not to mention her brother-in-law tended to hate silence and awkward situations, and rarely remained where both were. He'd gotten Daryl a change of clothes though, colors that no doubt fit his mood, dark but faded. Long hair obscured most of his face, she didn't really need to see it, to sense the agitation that was mirrored with each swishing drag of the blade against the whetstone.

The moment her boot came into contact with the lowest stair, his movements froze, and stayed that way as she slowly climbed to the top, came through the doorway, shut the thing behind her, slid her finger against the lock until it clicked into was a current in the air, one that hummed in a way she'd quickly become accustomed to when it came to him. It teased along the fine hair of her arms, caused strange palpitations in her chest, and severe clenching of just about every muscle in her body.

When she got to him, she clocked the shallow knicks on his hand, where his control had slipped and sent the blade a little too close to his skin. None of them were still bleeding though, so they must have happened early on, looked as though he'd already cleaned them. Beth watched the knife tap on the stone, not out of impatience, but from a tremble he still wasn't able to control.

"Daryl," she said, when he still hadn't raised his face to look at her.

Her voice had the same impact on his body as his presence did on hers. Knuckles whitening, she saw his lids close, shaking breaths rattled his chest. A small step closer bumped her kneecap against his foot, thin lips parted, trembled, as if he was holding back tears. Muscle corded underneath skin, and she got the impression he was ordering his limbs to remain still, to stop shaking perhaps. When she lifted a leg to land it, bent, next to one of his, heavy boots shot off the bed's edge in unison, clearing her a path to his lap.

Licking her lips nervously, Beth eased her other leg up so that she'd be able to knee-walk the rest of the way to him. That was, if she could get a handle on what she was in for. From his eager willingness to make room for her, she got that he perhaps wasn't too upset with her. Or maybe he was, and just didn't have a choice but to do whatever he had to in order to feel her closer to him. Once more her bruises flared, sent sweet pangs that pulsed down to her core. She was willing to give or be whatever he needed - a shoulder to cry on, a hole to thrust into, a heartbeat to hold in the palm of his hand until the frenzied need died down into more of a dull roar.

Her first careful movement had him all but chucking the knife and whetstone off the side of the bed. The sudden clattering making her jump and shift closer to him out of reflex, a hand coming up to brace against his shoulder. Settling slowly, part of her expecting him to go off at any moment, Beth lowered herself so that they were flush. And then his gaze was pinning her, the messy locks of his hair doing little to shield against the blaze happening in his blues.

He tipped his head back, and any small protection she'd had slid to either side of his cheek bones. Placing her cool palms against either side of his neck, she stroked hesitant thumbs through the wild growth on his chin.

Beth was about to speak again when something happened that she hadn't expected.

Where the hell you been?

Her lips parted in shock, taking in his narrowed eyes, the bunch and twist of his face.

His surprise.

When he realized she'd snared his thought, heard it loud and clear.

I'm sorry.

Making sure to keep her sight locked to his, Beth pushed out all the sincerity that she could into the short reply, watched the uncomfortable constriction slacken away until his expression was one of only slightly wounded confusion. Quivering hands came up to curl around her waist, pulled her more firmly against him, and she let her weight rest fully against his bowed frame. It had to be hurting his back, but Daryl only gripped her tighter, kept her in place.

S'alright.

The answer was nudged at her in a bashful way from under his lashes. He clearly hadn't expected to be able to reign that particular ability in, at least not during his moment of distress. She kept idly gliding thumb pads over his whiskers, trying to get her heart to match the slow passes. Wasn't positive how to take this new development. Thrilled to have this piece of them back, how it should be, but worried for what her absence had made him feel. When he didn't look back up at her, she was forced to voice her next question.

"How're you doin'?"

He glanced back up at her, clearly preferring to stay nonverbal.

I'dunno.

Well, she figured with a sigh, it was a step in the right direction anyhow.

And she'd take anything from him she could get.

Ok, so there's that, let me know what you think if you get a chance! Thanks for reading :D