His Light in the Dark
AN: Hi all! I really hope you are all enjoying this story. I'm not sure yet just how many chapters it will have, but I do have a rough map out of how I want it to go. Drop a review and tell me what you think! Little time jump. Just a short little chapter cause I got to go to work soon, but I wanted to get this out. Don't want to drag out the story too much 😊
Chapter 5
An entire month had passed since Daryl's accident, and he was no closer to remembering the last several years of his life than he was a month ago. To say he was frustrated would be an understatement. Rick had helped him get back into the working routine he'd been on at the time of the accident. Surprisingly, the man was rather closed mouthed about answering questions about personal information that Daryl would ask him. Daryl was starting to think the man was deliberately keeping things from him. But since he couldn't remember the man from before, Daryl could only that he was imagining things and that he had kept his personal life quite private. Even from his so called 'friends' that he'd apparently known for years.
Even though it wasn't his favorite thing to do, Daryl had started interacting with the 'group' again. At first, he had been on the defense, constantly waiting for some kind of attack from one of them. But, all of them had been very glad to welcome him back into their fold. No one pushed him to remember anything, which Daryl had to admit was a bit of a blessing.
At night, when Daryl was in his apartment, alone and in silence, he still had the feeling that something important was missing. Something just felt off. He couldn't put his finger on it though. He had even gone so far as to ask Beth the first time she had come to clean after he was back in the apartment. It was the week after he had returned to his apartment. He still remembered that conversation…
Daryl was in the bedroom when he heard the front door open and close. He grabbed his crossbow, and crept to the front, where he could hear movement, but no distinct sounds. As he neared the kitchen, he saw a shadow pass by the doorway he stood behind. Lifting the crossbow, he came around the corner, and pointed it at the intruder. He didn't look to see who it was first, though. "Fuck ya doin' in ma place?"
Beth turned around, a startled look on her face. When she took in the crossbow in his hands, she squeaked, her eyes widened, and she raised her hands. Daryl finally realized who it was. He dropped the crossbow quickly.
"Shit! Beth, m'sorry! Didn't know ya was showin' up today. Ya almost got shot!" Daryl told her.
Beth had paled considerably, and her hand went to her stomach. She spun back around, her head hanging over the sink. She retched into the sink, her body heaving with the effort. Daryl stared at her, and felt an inexplicable need to comfort her. He walked forward hesitantly and pulled her hair back while she continued to empty her stomach contents. He rubbed her back until her body stopped shaking. She took in some deep breaths, trying to make her heart slow down. Finally, once she had her breathing back under control, she turned to face him again. The look in her eyes haunted him.
"Fuck Beth! Ya alrigh'? He handed her the rag from his back pocket, and she wiped her mouth out with it.
"I'll wash this fer ya," she told him. She looked embarrassed.
Daryl shook his head. "M'sorry I scared ya. Ya startled me. Heard someone in the place and just reacted."
Beth nodded. "My fault. Shoulda announced maself. Use ta just comin' in whenever," Beth muttered. She still looked pale. He reached out to her again, but she stepped away, a weary look on her features.
"Damn it! I hope ya ain't afraid of me now. I don' want ya being afraid of me," Daryl said. For some reason, he knew that was the absolute truth. He didn't want her to fear him.
Beth shook her head. "No. I'm not afraid o' ya. Just gave me a shock is all. Wasn't expecting ta get up close and personal with yer crossbow. Ya've never pointed it directly at me before. Startled me."
"That why ya puked? 'Cause I startled ya?" Daryl asked.
Beth dropped her eyes, looking at the floor. "Yeah…yeah that's why." He noticed the slight blush on her cheeks when she glanced back up at him.
"If I'da known it was ya, I'da never raised it ta begin with. It's a habit," Darly said, his hand going to the back of his neck and scratching. He dropped his eyes, ashamed though he didn't know why.
He felt Beth's tiny hand grab his. "It's alrigh'. Ya didn't hurt me. It's fine, really." He looked up and saw the sincerity in her eyes. He wanted to pull her into his arms, crush her to his chest and tell her again how sorry he was.
Wait…what? He wasn't a touchy-feely person by any means. Why did he want to hug Beth then? He chalked it up to scaring her and wanting her to know he would never hurt her intentionally. In the end, he settled on giving her hand a small squeeze before she finally released his hand, as if just realizing she was still holding it.
Daryl cleared his throat, the air in the room suddenly too heavy. Beth turned around again, putting the rations she had brought into the panty and refrigerator. Once she was done, she turned to face him again, seemingly having collected herself from when she had first arrived.
"I'll get ta cleanin' now. 'Scuse me," she said, trying to walk around him. He reached out and grabbed her upper arm in a loose grip. She looked at him questioningly.
"Can I ask a question?" Daryl said and Beth nodded. "I feel like somethin'missing here. Somethin' important. Can' quite put ma finger on it though. Did ya take anythin' out o' here before I came back?"
Beth had gasped, small but noticeable. "What makes ya think that there's somethin' missing?"
Daryl shrugged. "Dunno how ta describe it. Jus' feels like somethin' gone that should be here. Somethin' that means somethin' ta me."
Beth shook her head. "Nothin' that I know of. Looks the way it's always looked," she told him, her eyes not quite meeting his.
Daryl studied her for a minute. Finally he said, "Yeah, I guess yer right. You'd know better then me if somethin' were missin'. Hell, ya'd be telling me about it, not the other way around."
Beth turned pink again. "I should really get ta cleanin' so I can get outta yer way." She walked around him, heading for the living room.
He watched her flit around the room, noticing again how comfortable she seemed in his home. "How long ya been cleanin' fer me?" he asked her after a bit.
She looked up from fluffing the pillows on the couch. "Almost since we moved to Alexandria." No wonder she was so comfortable.
"What do I give ya fer payment? Since money ain't no good no more."
Her eyes widened. "Not….nothin'. Ya don't give me nothin'. I don't mind doin' it. Enjoy it."
Daryl studied her, his head cocked to the side in thought. Finally he said, "Yer a mighty strange woman. If ya don't mind ma askin', how old are ya? No offense, but ya look like a teenager."
Beth blinked at him owlishly. "Ya aren't the first person ta tell me that. I'm 22."
Daryl nodded. 'At least she ain't jailbait,' he thought. "Ya boyfriend ain't got a problem with ya comin' here I'm guessin'?"
She stopped moving for a minute. "I don'…" she started then stopped. "It's…complicated," she whispered. "We ain't together right now."
Daryl felt like an asshole. "M'sorry. Didn' mean ta bring up a touchy subject."
"It's ok. Ya didn' know…"
Something told him there was more to this girl than meets the eye. He could tell she had some kind of secret. And it seemed to involve the guy she was involved with.