Can I just tell you all how much I love your comments and genuine commitment to this story?! I'm so appreciate and I'm sorry I haven't personally responded to all of you. I'm terrible, I know.
Beth stood in the water just a minute or so longer, genuinely smiling. The moment before was such a friendly one between them. For just a moment, she had been able to forget her situation: why she knew this man and what she was going to do next. Reality suspended itself from her mind and she had simply played. Eventually, Beth heard a discreet cough not too far away. Daryl was still standing on the shoreline. His feet shuffled sand back and forth. Calm serenity made him uncomfortable, Beth could tell, which would odd because the man seemed most content in a forest. Beth supposed though if you listened there was always noise coming from these woods rather it was the water sloshing around her body or the ambient noise of animals calling to their partners. The forest permeated with action, always. Daryl relished that action and adventure he could create for himself within it. How bored he would be in the world he'd been born into, the world Beth had been raised in.
Carol stood further back at the tree line with the clothes they had been washing piled into a basket that she now carried in both arms. As her bare feet came into contact with the warm sand, Beth and Daryl were mere inches away from each other. Beth imagined a very different situation they could be in as a man and woman so close to one another. A situation in which he could simply reach out and pull her to him, much like Merle had with Carol the first night she had met him. Beth shook the thought away as quickly as it came. Daryl was not Merle and she certainly wasn't as strong as Carol. There was no romantic connection between them, and yet even as the thought came Beth knew there was. She barely knew or understood the man and he infuriated her more than he didn't, but she couldn't deny her attraction for him and his protective nature. The recent moments she had thought of him as possessive of her had exhilarated her, made her feel important.
Beth met his eyes again, wishing she had lived a different life and possessed a boldness that would allow her to close the distance between them and touch him gently. She hadn't lived a different life though a shy lack of confidence made her take a step back. Daryl's eyes creased at her before he shook his head, as if to clear it.
"Carol, put the basket down. I'll carry it." Daryl said, turning towards the other woman. Beth shut her eyes for a moment longer than necessary before bending down and grabbing her riding boots. She didn't look up when Daryl walked away towards Carol. She heard him heave the basket up and his feet crunching through the broken leaves towards the camp.
"He cares for you." Beth continued lacing up her boots, as Carol approached her.
"I don't know him." Beth replied, quietly before shaking her head. "He certainly does not know me."
Bending down and lifting Beth's chin, Carol forced her to look fully at her. "I think he knows more than you'd like him to."
"I need to get away, Carol." Beth said, opening up. "If I stay, I could put you all in danger."
"The lives we live are dangerous, Beth," Carol said, smiling warmly, " with or without you."
"I need to stand for myself." Beth said, standing as she spoke. "I can't ask him to stand for me."
"I understand," Carol said, looking out past the water to the other side of the stream. "Perhaps he can help you do that though. Perhaps we all can."
Beth gave the older woman a small smile and a nod. Perhaps.
"Merle, I think you should teach Beth to defend herself." Beth looked up from her small portion of the two rabbits Aaron had caught for the group from her place at the campfire. She knew her face was just as distorted in confusion as Merle's, who was looking at his would-be wife as if she had drank a bit too much wine and they did not have any wine in the camp.
Carol soldiered on. "Beth could have been hurt by Martin's men. She won't be with us much longer. Her ankle is healing nicely and when she departs, I would feel much better if I knew she could defend herself properly in a dire circumstance." Carol nodded her way. "Beth, you were just telling me this afternoon how you wished you could better defend yourself, weren't you?" Carol quirked an eyebrow at her. This is your chance. Beth merely nodded. Beth chanced a look in Daryl's direction. His eyes were fixed on Carol, scrutinizing the woman's face for a double meaning in her suggestion. Beth smirked when Carol's face stayed passive and permanently fixed away from Daryl, as if he had no stake in the conversation.
"Uhm...I can." Merle responded, hesitantly. His tone suggested a question rather than affirmation. "Daryl, you okay with this?"
"I didn't ask Daryl." Carol said, her face suddenly stern. Beth fought back a laugh when Daryl's mouth dropped open for a second before he shut it, crossed him arms and glared at Carol. Beth imagined the many times in her childhood when her father had took a heavy hand and not allowed her ride with the stable hands when on the adventurous hunts they took part in in the fall: when Beth had not been allowed a say on the matter.
"Alrighty." Merle said, clapping his hands together. He clearly hadn't missed the snup. "Well, no greater time to start than now, sugar lump."
Beth looked up in shock. Suddenly, she didn't feel as confident. She didn't think Merle would intentionally hurt her, but she cringed at the idea of being bested in front all of these men, especially Daryl, who was now openly glaring in equal measure at both Carol and his brother. Merle took a step in her direction and motioned Beth to stand as well with an encouraging nod. All eyes were on her, she could feel it and Beth felt her cheeks heat up with embarrassment. Summoning her meager supply of pride, Beth stood slowly.
"I don't know how to fight." Beth said, quietly. "I don't know anything."
"Which is why he is going to teach you, Beth." Carol said, nodding her head in sympathy, but Merle shook his head as if Beth had already made a mistake.
"Do not ever do that again." Merle said, pinning her with a glare that very nearly matched his brother's. It lacked a certain tension that Beth couldn't quite name.
"What?" Beth asked, looking Merle in the eyes.
"Show yourself as weak." A stern voice called from across the fire. Beth looked over to see Daryl wasn't even looking at her. He was using a stick to reposition the flaming wood, as if what was happening in front of him was of little interest to him.
"Merle is teaching Beth, Daryl." Carol scolded. Both brothers looked at the woman, perplexed. To anyone other than Beth, it certainly seemed like Carol was acting nasty to Daryl on purpose. It was out of character and therefore suspicious.
"He's right." Beth answered quickly, hoping to turn the attention back to training and away from Carol and her plan. "I'm sorry." Beth winced when all of the men groaned. She'd done it again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Daryl roll his eyes with a smirk. He didn't seem to be mocking her, but rather that he found her innocent mistake amusing. "What do you want me to do?" Beth asked Merle, sheepishly. She understood that Carol was simply trying to rouse Daryl in her direction, but Beth found that she genuinely was curious on how to defend herself. She would need to know these things when she left this group, eventually.
"Come at me." Merle said, throwing his hands up in front of him, as if he was opening his arms to her. Beth took one long look at the man in front her and quickly shook her head. Merle raised his eyebrows in annoyance. "Fine. Show me your best punch. Come on, sugar, clock me a good one." Merle said, smiling playfully and stepping into her space. Beth knew she would look foolish. She had never physically attacked a single person on purpose, other than Martin. However, Beth was determined to keep some of her dignity in this situation, so she squared her shoulders, brought her fist back with her thumb neatly into her hands and propelled her hand forward towards Merle's waiting face. She didn't even make it a couple inches from her own body before Merle caught her fist lightly in his own hand.
"What did I do wrong?" Beth asked, confused. He had asked her to punch him, hadn't he?
"If I would have let you do that, you would have broken your thumb." Merle said, untightening Beth's hand. "The force behind it was good though." Merle said, nodding his encouragement at her. Taking her other hand, Merle held them both out, extended completely in front of Beth so that her hands were level with her shoulders.
"When you hit someone, your arm needs to be level with your shoulder." Merle instructed, motioning to what he had just done. Keep your chin down. As long as the blow comes out straight, your shoulders will rise automatically and protect your face." Beth kept her arms extended, even though her muscles ached from years of unuse. Absentmindedly, Beth tucked her thumb back into the inside of her palm. Merle groan, exasperated again.
"Never tuck your thumb in, love." Merle said, pulling her thumb out of Beth clinched fist and resting it between the first and second knuckles of her index finger. "Now," Merle began, taking a step away from her, "if you are in a fight, you are going to want to end it as quickly as possible and run. "If you want to knock someone out cold, aim for the throat. When they see the punch coming, they'll automatically drop their head, bringing their chin in line with your fist. Hitting somebody in the body is a lot more effective, and safer, than hitting them in the head. You won't be able to knock the guy out though. You won't have the force and it's not what you want to do. You want to disengage them from you long enough to run the other way, got it, sugar?"
Beth nodded, even though she was certain she didn't 'get it' at all. "When you finally do throw the punch, use your full weight and strength, but not so much force that you lose the control of your arm. Keep the blow tight to your body. Practice." Merle demanded, taking a further step back. Beth felt silly, but she did as was told, trying to remember everything Merle had just said.
"You're thinking too much." Beth turned and glared at Daryl.
"Daryl, up." Merle said, motioning to his younger brother. Daryl let out an exasperated groan before standing and walking towards the pair. Beth caught Carol's eyes quickly and saw a small smile forming. "Beth, Daryl is going to attack you. When he does, do what we just practiced."
"What if I hurt him?" Beth said, smirking at Daryl. He lifted an eyebrow and smirked back, clearly unconcerned with her ability to hurt him. It steeled Beth's determination to do just that.
"Don't play nice, Beth. If this were any other man..." Carol didn't finish her sentence, but the message was clear: Any other man would not bat an eye at hurting Beth. Bwth was beginning to see that beyond the men in this group, Carol did not have much trust built up for the opposite sex. The atmosphere shifted just a little and suddenly it became obvious to all involved what could happen to Beth out in this wild, new world she had ran into willingly. Daryl was looking down at his boots. Beth turned around slightly to see Merle's jaw had clenched his jaw slightly in silent anger at the mere thought.
Beth turned back to Daryl and nodded. She expected him to come at her immediately, but he didn't move. He just looked at her with a strange expression of almost pain on his face.
"Well…" Beth said, holding her hands up in anticipation.
"I can't. I won't do this." Daryl said, turning to march away. "Merle, you show her."
In any other situation, Beth would have let the man walk away as Daryl was very clearly uncomfortable, but she had enough of the back and forth between them. it was as nauseating as being on a ship as it was thrown to and from from pitching waves.
No longer. Beth thought and followed Daryl out of the camp. One way or another, she would learn something this evening, even if it was how to make Daryl Dixon snap.
I hope this doesn't seem like too much of a filler chapter. I assure you the next two chapters are very much worth it!