It took Beth two whole days to be able to stay awake long enough to have people visit her. The first one on that list was Carol, and she gave Beth the hardest hug she could without accidentally hurting her. There were tears, of course. Carol obviously had a lot of questions, and Beth did her best to answer them. At some point during the reunion, Ezekiel had shown up to be introduced to her, and Beth could easily say she liked the eccentric man. They both thanked her profusely for saving Henry's life in the barn, but she brushed off their gratitude, uncomfortable talking about what had happened.

Carol's visit lasted a few hours, and it was lunchtime before she finally started getting ready to leave. She explained to Beth what was going on; how her and Ezekiel needed to depart for the Kingdom to start preparing their people for the journey to Hilltop. When she'd asked why they were all going to Hilltop, Carol told her about part of the meeting from a couple of days prior. And she also mentioned that Daryl had been present at said meeting, and while she didn't say outright that he'd be going as well, Beth was smart enough to figure it out.

Which bring us to the present.

Currently, she was resting in a worn, over-stuffed chair; a blanket covering her lower half and a thick, cable-knit sweater over her torso. The temperature had been steadily dropping as the sun went down, meaning the seasons were changing and it was going to start getting colder. Siddiq had been kind enough to build a small fire in the den for her before he had departed for dinner, telling her to just rest and read a book until Daryl showed up. But she couldn't focus on the pages, instead allowing her mind to wander.

It'd been two weeks since Beth first woke up in the infirmary bed, and while she was still hurting emotionally, physically she was doing better. She didn't know what time it was, but judging by the sun that was quickly creeping down behind the tree line, she guessed it was probably around six or seven in the evening. Which meant that Daryl would be stopping by shortly with food for her and him, just like he had every evening for the past week. And while they ate, they'd sit and talk about what had happened over the years they'd been apart, both parties leaving out certain events they didn't want the other to know about. For Daryl, that meant not discussing Grady Hospital and some of the moments that followed. For Beth, it meant never bringing up her…relationship with Beta. Something in her gut told her that if Daryl found out about that, it'd bring nothing but trouble.

And she'd had enough trouble for the time-being, thank you.

Instead, she'd told him about going back to her family farm and burning it down, then heading to the prison. Both facts seemed to surprise him, but he had also understood and thought it was a smart idea, retracing her steps that way. When he'd told her as much, she had blushed and shaken her head, brushing off the unintended compliment.

There also appeared to be an unspoken agreement between them; that neither would bring up the fact that Beth had been strangely intimate with him that day in the field. Just thinking about how she'd grabbed him and rested her forehead on his, had her cheeks flaring up, and she put her face in her hands, groaning at her ridiculousness.

The opening and closing of a door tore her from her thoughts, and she focused on the sound of heavy boots making their way in her direction. Angling her head, she spotted Daryl walking into the den, two plates of food in his hands and his German Shepherd trailing behind him. She gave him a small smile in greeting, moving to straighten up as he handed her a plate.

"Thanks, Daryl." She said softly, staring down at the food. Chicken with cooked carrots. Simple, but in the apocalypse, it was a blessing to have a cooked meal.

Daryl grunted in response, plopping down in the other chair, Dog moving to lay in front of the fire. They both ate in silence; Daryl eating quickly as usual, but Beth was picking at her plate. Her mind was elsewhere, she couldn't really focus on food at the moment. Daryl glanced at her from the corner of his eye, noting the glazed look in her eyes and the stillness of the fork in her hand.

"Beth? Ya alrigh'?" He asked, pausing mid-bite to stare at her. When she didn't respond, he knew that she wasn't paying attention. Dropping the chicken leg on his plate, he snapped his fingers in her direction, causing Beth to jump in her seat, her head whipping towards him.

"Huh?" Was all she said, completely caught off-guard. Daryl would've grinned if it weren't for the fact that she seemed stressed about something.

"Ya look like there's sumthin' on yer mind." He declared, his eyes searching her face for any hint as to what she could be thinking.

Beth sighed, debating if she really wanted to even broach the subject of him leaving to go the Kingdom or not. But she knew Daryl was stubborn, that certainly hadn't changed, and he'd get it out of her eventually. She may as well just ask him now.

"Are you really leaving?" The question caught him off-guard, confusion clouding his face. "Carol told me. About the Kingdom." Beth clarified, and Daryl sighed in understanding.

"Yeah, plannin' to." He mumbled, staring at the flames dancing in the small fireplace.

"What about me?"

"What 'bout ya?" He reiterated, mentally wincing when the words sounded harsh, but Beth seemed unphased.

"Am I going with you?" Daryl shook his head.

"Nah, yer stayin' here." Beth immediately started to protest, but Daryl shut her down. "Ya can hardly walk, Beth. Siddiq said ya need time ta heal. So, yer stayin' put. Deal with it."

Beth huffed and crossed her arms, slouching back in her chair. Daryl could feel the annoyance radiating off her body, but she needed to understand that if she kept pushing herself so hard, it could cost her. Having lost his appetite, he whistled at Dog, who lifted his head, and threw the German Shepherd what was left on his plate. He could feel Beth's gaze on him, but he made no move to acknowledge her yet. Instead, he made a move to stand, carrying his plate and asking Beth if she was finished with hers. At her nod, he took the plate from her and walked out to the small kitchen in the house. He set her unfinished plate on the floor, allowing Dog to finish what was on it as well. Heading back into the den, he took a moment to observe Beth.

It had been close to two weeks since the incident, as Daryl so un-affectionately called it, and Beth's bruises had faded to an ugly shade of yellow, the dark purple color becoming less and less noticeable. They'd managed to get her a pair of crutches so she could get around as well. Her ankle turned out to merely be sprained, thankfully. Small miracles, he supposed. The swelling in her face had gone down, but the bruises still remained. It'd probably be a couple more weeks before they healed completely. All in all, Beth was on the mend. It would be a bit of a slow recovery, but she was here.

She was alive, and that was all he really cared about.

Maybe…maybe it was time he told her that.

Clearing his throat to announce his presence, he stepped back into the den and returned to his chair, slowly sinking onto the cushion and leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He released a breath, trying to figure out what to say.

Beth was watching him, knowing from his body language that he wanted to say something, and she waited.

"Ya know…back in Grady, when…" Daryl swallowed, trying to remain calm, "-when tha' bitch pulled tha trigger…everythin' seemed ta freeze. N' fer a second, nothin' felt real anymore. I don' really know how ta explain it." He trailed off, turning to look at Beth. Their gazes met, and he could see the curiosity in them, wondering where he was going with this.

"All I 'member thinkin' 'bout was tha moonshine shack, burnin' it down and runnin' away with ya. N' then tha funeral home, n' how those bastards took ya from me…n' I was so fuckin' angry." Daryl growled, breaking eye contact with her in favor of staring back into the red and orange flames. "I knew she didn' mean ta do it, could see it in 'er face. But I didn' care. You…you were gone. Jus' like tha'. N' I hated 'er fer it. Hated 'er fer takin' ya from us. So I killed 'er. Then time started ta move again. And you were still gone."

"Daryl…" Beth attempted to speak, but he shook his head.

"Jus'…lemme finish, please." She grew silent, waiting for him to continue.

"I carried yer body outta tha' shithole. I woulda buried ya…but the fuckin' walkers started pourin' in, n' we had ta go. I hated it, leavin' ya there in tha' trunk. Haunted me fer months." Daryl let out a chuckle, but there was no humor in it. "You were righ', 'bout wha' ya said back in tha shack. I did miss ya, Beth." He choked on the words, hating himself for getting even the smallest bit emotional. He lifted his head and looked at her, and Beth took a sharp inhale at how intense his gaze was. His deep-blue eyes seemed to darken, and his brow furrowed in frustration.

"Missed ya so fuckin' bad." He said with an exhausted sigh, his shoulders sagging at the admission. "S'why I need ya ta stay here, where yer safe. Can't lose ya again, Beth. I can't do it."

Beth was stunned silent. Daryl never talked about Grady with her, and to do so now had her heart pounding. She had known they'd had to leave her there, knew that Dawn had been killed by somebody from her group, but hadn't known who. Knowing now that it had been Daryl…the butterflies in her stomach became frenzied and her mouth felt like she was trying to swallow cotton. She had no idea what to say, but she knew she needed to say something.

Well, if he was being honest with her, she may as well do the same for him.

She took a deep breath and sat up a little straighter, looking down at her hands in her lap.

"When I first woke up…after it happened…" She began, drawing Daryl's gaze back towards her, "-they told me I'd been out for two months. And I couldn't really remember much about anything. I had lost a lot of memories. It took me another month before I could actually speak." If Daryl was surprised by anything she was saying, he wasn't outwardly showing it. Tugging on the sleeve of her sweater, she played with a loose thread while she continued to speak.

"Despite losing them, I would have these dreams. Looking back on it, I think a small part of me knew they were actually my memories. Either way, they'd always have my family in them. I'd see the prison falling in my sleep, the Governor killing my Dad, and I'd wake up screaming. I'd see the barn burning down, or Patricia getting ripped right out of my hands and devoured in front of me. And…then I'd see you." She paused, forcing herself to look at him. "I'd see your angel-winged vest and your motorcycle, always rushing to help everybody else before saving yourself. And then everything would distort and I'd see you standing in that hospital hall, with Rick and the others, and despite being relieved to see all of them, I only wanted to run and hug you." Beth finished with a blush on her face, looking away from Daryl and towards the fire place. "Told you how it took me a month to be able to speak? Take a guess what I said."

At Daryl's lack of response, she answered her own inquiry.

"I asked if you were there. I kept asking 'Where is Daryl?'…they didn't know who I was talking about." She said it so softly, Daryl would've questioned if it had actually come from her mouth or if he'd imagined it. But, judging by the flood of color on her face, he'd wager that he heard her correctly.

"You weren't the only one who was missing somebody, trust me. And, I guess if it means that much to you…I'll stay here."

Daryl wasn't a man of many words; he never had been. But in that moment, he had so many things coming to the forefront of his mind. Things he felt like he needed to say but had no idea how to. He looked towards the window, seeing that it was now dark outside, the only light coming from the fireplace in the room. He vaguely registered the sound of Dog's nails clicking on the hardwood floor as he waltzed back into the den and to his spot in front of the fire, curling back up into a ball and laying his head. He was trying his best to think of something to say to her, but he was stumped as to what the right words were. The only thing that kept playing on repeat in his mind was that night in the funeral home.

Oh.

The sound of rustling fabric and clacking of metal pulled Daryl from his thoughts, and he turned to see Beth slowly pulling herself out of her chair and resting her weight against the old crutches. He looked at her through the hair hanging over his eyes, watching as she hobbled over to him, tilting his head up when she stopped beside his chair. She gave him a small smile.

"Just promise me something."

"Promise ya what?" He asked, his voice low.

"Promise me that you'll be careful, and that you'll come back for me. Like it or not, we're a team, Daryl Dixon." She stated with a silly grin, and Daryl found himself snorting at her, turning away and shaking his head. He appreciated her attempt at alleviating some of the tension in the room. Beth gave a small giggle, followed by a hiss.

"I think I'm gonna hit the hay early tonight, ribs are bugging me today."

Daryl narrowed his eyes at her.

"Ya better not be pushin' yerself, girl." Beth simply rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm not, it's just that some days are better than others. That's all." Daryl nodded his understanding while he pulled himself up from his chair, motioning for Beth to lead the way to the infirmary at the front of the house, which was a bit chillier than the den. Beth limped down the hall, with Daryl walking behind her. Hobbling over to the bed she was still using, she grabbed a pair of pajamas that Michonne had lent to her, moving to sit on the edge of the bed to change.

"Do you think you could grab me an extra blanket? It's a little cold in here." Beth requested, and Daryl nodded his head before turning on his heel and making his way to a linen closet in the hall, opening the door and pulling out a couple extra blankets. He also went back into the den and picked up the one Beth had been using on her chair. Walking back to the infirmary, Daryl was about to speak but paused, the sight before him bringing him to a dead halt.

Well, that was more skin on Beth than he ever intended to see.

Standing by her bed, Beth was damn-near naked, clad only in a pair of underwear and a bra, the latter of which she was in the midst of removing.

Before he could even back out of the room, Beth turned her head and spotted him in the doorway, and Daryl felt the tips of his ears turning red in embarrassment. Beth, on the other hand, didn't seem too bothered by her lack of clothing and continued to get changed, thanking him for getting the blankets.

He quickly turned his head away, stepping forward to set the blankets on the foot of her bed, apologizing as he did so.

"M'sorry, didn' mean ta walk in on ya changin'." He mumbled, turning to face the doorway. He could hear Beth's soft laughter.

"It's not a big deal, Daryl. I lived in the woods with a hundred other people for the last four years, privacy isn't something that bothers me much anymore." She stated with a shrug of her shoulders, even though he couldn't see it, and pulled the loose pajama shirt over her head before struggling a bit with the pants. She hissed in pain when her ribcage throbbed at her hunched posture.

"Ya okay?" Daryl asked, tilting his head just a bit, trying to hear what was going on behind him.

"My ribs are just really bugging me today. Hurts to bend over." She grunted, wriggling around a bit to get the pants up her legs. She breathed out a soft sigh when she was done changing.

"You can turn around now."

Daryl hesitated for a beat, slowly turning himself back to face Beth and relaxing when she was covered again, getting herself situated in the bed. Grabbing a pillow from another bed, he stepped towards her and put it behind her head, propping her up more. She shot him a grateful smile, which he responded to with a small smirk as he moved to sit in the wooden chair beside her bed.

"So when are you leaving for the Kingdom?" Beth asked.

"Tomorrow, unless sumthin' changes." He responded, leaning forward to rest his forearms on the edge of her bed. Beth pursed her lips as she nodded her acknowledgement.

"Were you gonna tell me before you left, or was I just supposed to wake up one day to find out you were gone?"

Damn, Daryl always seemed to forget how much more forward Beth was now. She used to be so shy and unsure of herself. Now it seemed like the opposite. Sometimes she just seemed like a completely different person, and he didn't know how to behave around her.

"Wanted ta tell ya, just didn' know how."

"How long do you think you'll be gone?" Daryl sighed, knowing she wouldn't like the answer.

"A month, at least." She gaped at him.

"A month?! Why so long?" Daryl could see her deflate at the thought of being left in Alexandria by herself.

"Gonna take a while ta get all 'em people moved." Beth was worried, he could see it on her face. She was looking down at her hands again, gnawing on her lower lip with her eyes narrowed. Daryl reached out and rested his hand on top of hers, in an attempt to comfort her. "S'gonna be fine. Be back 'fore ya know it."

Beth stared at him, glancing down at their hands before meeting his eyes again. The concern was still etched into her features. She released a breath, turning her palm so that she could weave her fingers with his.

"Be careful, please. Always watch your back." She said with a touch of urgency in her voice. "I fucked up with Alpha, so now we have no idea what she's planning. So I need you to be careful."

Daryl gave her an incredulous look, "How in tha hell did ya fuck up?"

"I let my emotions get the better of me. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret saving who I could, but I was careless. And it cost us." Daryl wanted to voice his disagreement, but she didn't give him the chance. "I'm not going to argue with you on that, Daryl. You're not gonna change my mind. My point is to just please be careful. Don't do anything stupid. And, if it's not too much to ask…watch out for Lydia. All this shit with Alpha, it's bugging her more than she's letting on, trust me. Keep her safe, please?"

"Why do I gotta keep 'er safe? She ain't goin' with us." Beth quirked an eyebrow at him.

"She is, you just don't know it yet. Lydia won't want to stay here without Henry, and I won't stop her from going with him. She needs to forge her own path, however that may be. I'm just asking you to keep an eye out for her while you're gone, keep her out of trouble."

Daryl sighed and nodded his head, and Beth squeezed his hand in thanks.

They sat in the silence, their hands clasped together, neither one wanting to pull away from the contact. If this was the same Daryl from seven or eight years ago, he'd hear Merle's voice in the back of his head telling him that he was a sick pervert for holding her hand, despite the gesture being completely innocent. He only wanted to give her some sense of comfort, and like hell if he was going to let himself feel bad about it.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

But, if he were being totally honest, he'd admit that he loved the feel of her skin against his. Her hands seemed so much smaller than his, so much more delicate. Like he could break it if he just squeezed hard enough; not that he ever would, mind you. He could feel the callouses that had formed over the years, similar to the ones he had, from wielding a knife. Rubbing his thumb along the inside of her wrist, he felt her tense slightly when he brushed along her scar.

Daryl looked up to meet her gaze, but her eyes were zeroed-in on the scar. And he could see the self-hate written on her face, the regret from that moment of weakness.

"M'sorry, fer wha' I said." He said, his voice husky as he stared at her face. Beth's blue eyes met his own, confused. "Tha' day in tha shack, wha' I said 'bout ya. Cuttin' yer wrist fer attention. Never shoulda said tha'. N' m'sorry."

"Don't be. I was weak then, I deserved it-" Daryl shook his head vehemently, interrupting her.

"Nah, nah. Ya never been weak, Beth. I was an asshole, took my own issues out on ya, n' I shouldn'ta done tha'."

"I forgave you a long time ago, Daryl." She admitted, giving his hand another squeeze. Daryl sighed in relief, even though he pretty much figured she'd forgive him, he still felt bad.

"We all got scars, ya ain't alone. Wha' matters is how we learn from 'em." Beth fought the laugh that was trying to bubble up.

"Who are you and what have you done with Daryl Dixon?" He snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Stop." Was all he said, refusing to fall for her antics. Beth giggled, but it was cut off by a yawn. Daryl saw this and finally let go of her hand.

"Should prolly let ya get some rest." He declared, standing up. Beth nodded, thanking him when he pulled the extra pillow out from behind her and helped her lay back down. Before he could move away though, she grabbed his sleeve to stop him.

"Come see me before you go tomorrow?" She requested, and Daryl could only incline his head in agreement. She released him from her grip, her arm falling back across her stomach, and he straightened up.

"Get some sleep, I'll see ya tomorrow." And then he did something without even thinking about it, surprising them both.

Daryl leaned back down and kissed Beth on the forehead.

As soon as he did it, he realized his error. What the hell was wrong with him? He and Beth weren't like that, so why did he feel like it was okay for him to…to…do that?! Daryl immediately stammered out an apology, his entire face burning red-hot from embarrassment.

"Fuck, m'sorry, Beth." But she only shook her head, a tiny smile on her face.

"Don't be. I'm not." Daryl stood there, flabbergasted. He wasn't sure if he would ever get used to this Beth, the one who was blunt and could stand her ground and wasn't afraid to kill anybody who got in her way. Unsure as to what to do, Daryl did what he does best.

He bolted.

Whistling for Dog, he heard the German Shepherd come prancing down the hall in his direction, following him as he went. When he reached the front door, however, he paused. Glancing back over his shoulder at her, he could just make out the smile on her face as she looked down, her fingers resting on her forehead where his lips had been.

"G'night, Beth." He muttered, knowing she could hear him. Beth glanced in his direction, the smile never leaving her face.

"Night, Daryl."

And he was gone.

Alright! So first off, I want to apologize to all of my readers for being gone so long. It wasn't my intention, honestly. My life blew up in my face in July, and the long story short is that I no longer have contact with two family members who were a huge part of my life, because their toxic nature was sucking the life out of me. And thank you to my sister and my husband and a few others who made me face reality.

Basically, I needed a few months to recover and adjust and, quite literally, find myself. I feel like I'm becoming a new version of myself, one that will, hopefully, be less anxiety-ridden and stressed. Here's hoping!

I hope you all enjoy this chapter, that was really just some Bethyl fluff (I needed to be cheesy, sue me.). I'm back and ready for more writing! Also, who else has seen last week's and last night's episodes of season 10?! (SPOILERS) I freaking died when they introduced Gamma's character! If we look back to chapter 4, I made up a character called Gamma who was dead! Buahahahahaha. But, being introduced to her in the episode gave me a GREAT idea for a lot later in the story!

Okay, I'm done ranting! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review and critique, it's always welcome! I'll see you all in the next chapter!

-Taylor Catherine