Chpt 16

The vehicles have long ago run out of gas. They've been hot-footin' it for days. Damn if Daryl didn't think some of that oppressive, breath-stealing humidity might dissipate as they moved north. He thought maybe the world being on reset might even things out, put mother nature back on an even keel. But nope, she's still a bitch, and it chaps his ass.

They've been sticking to the two-lanes, following the tree-line in case they need to duck and cover, but it hasn't been an issue. There have been no people and very few walkers since they left Atlanta. Nobody is saying too much. Each small unit whispering here and there amongst themselves, mostly asking the other how they are doing along the way. Rick and Michonne are at the point. Noah, Carl, and the Preacher Man are following close behind. Merle and Carol are shoulder to shoulder in front of Sasha, Bob, and Tyreese. Maggie and Glenn are next. Abraham, Eugene, Tara, and Rosita had been at the caboose, but Daryl didn't like it. He's good with Abe now, and Beth seems to have developed a fledgling friendship with Rosita, but Eugene and Tara are far from on his good side.

Maggie mentioned Tara was a part of the Governor's group that attacked the prison. Mentioned it casually like she was sharing what she had for dinner last night. What the hell? And Eugene. Well he's an odd bird in the weirdest way. Made a comment about Beth right after they stopped to sew up her cheek. Daryl didn't fully understand what he said, but he definitely caught the general meaning. Something about Beth being hot and him being the Ken to her Barbie. He's damn lucky he's got that red 'stached, overgrown cinnamon stick lookin' out for him. Pulled him away from Daryl, and said something about Eugene being half genius, half special, and three-quarters dumbass most 'a the time. Ushered him out of Daryl's reach real quick, givin' Eugene the what-for all the way.

Then Mr. Three-Quarters Dumbass confessed he'd been lying the whole time about a cure and being in possession of the know-how to create said cure. The only thing that saved him from Abraham was the thin herd of walkers that stumbled out of the woods, as if on cue. When the fighting was done, and everyone was still breathing hard, Abraham walked right up to Eugene and put a fist through his nose. Eugene hit the pavement like a rock. If Abraham's tooth rattling punch sent Eugene's brain sailing to the back of his head, the concrete pillow Eugene landed on sent it flying back to the front. That dumbass was gonna' wake up just plain stupid if he ever woke up at all. Which he did… a whole day later. And nobody offered him a Tylenol.

Their food supply is holding... for now. The rations they took from the trap house kept them fed for several days. Lil' Asskicker is a big fan of grape jelly. There is strength in numbers, but food disappears quickly with that many mouths to fill. The general store they come across near the cluster of vacation cabins is a Godsend. Food and shelter. They boil the water over small fires they build during the day, just to be sure. They fill every container they find. Beth and Daryl hunt every morning of the five days the family spends in the two cabins furthest off the road.

The last two cabins sit fairly close together, close enough the family is comfortable splitting up. They keep a lookout on the front porch of one and a lookout on the back porch of the other. That should be enough to cover them. Daryl and Beth take the small bedroom under the stairs. Maggie and Glenn take the downstairs master. Noah and Carl grab the upstairs room with the twin beds. Rick, Judith, and Michonne take the other bedroom upstairs with the two bigger beds. All the others settle into the cabin next door.

Daryl and Beth are tucked in under the quilt in their room, Beth half on top of him. She draws lazy figure eights on his chest. Enjoys the way his muscles twitch when she scratches lightly across his skin. "Do you think there's something goin' on with Rick and Michonne," she asks.

He surprises her with his matter of fact answer. "Yep"

Beth sits up on her knees, wide-eyed. "Really?" Daryl shrugs and folds his arms behind his head. "How do ya' know?"

"I ain't blind… They stand too close. Rick smiles too much… They're in sink, like us."

Beth considers his words. A slow grin spreads across her face. "I like it. They seem like a good fit."

Daryl nods. Starts chewing on the inside of his lip. Something in the way he is watching her shifts. Beth's heart studders in her chest. Picks up its pace beneath the weight of his gaze.

"What?" Why is her voice so breathy, she wonders.

He doesn't answer right away. Just keeps lookin' at her like he wants to say something.

"You don't like Rick and Michonne bein' together?" She knows that's not what he's thinkin', but she isn't sure how else to get him talking.

"Nah, I'm glad they're figurin' it out."

"Then what is it? What's wrong?"

"Ain't nothin' wrong, sweetheart," he says, but he's chewing on the inside of his lip, and he's looking at her like he wishes she could read his mind instead. Beth cocks her head and waits. Sometimes words are hard. "I just… I found somethin' in the store today. I uh… well, I…"

A nervous giggle bubbles up from Beth's throat. He's acting very strangely. And is he blushing? "What?"

He studies her for a second. Thinks maybe it's best to just show her. "Ah, hell…" he says, twists, and reaches for the bedside table. He pulls out a small box and tosses it at her. Really, he just wants to crawl under the bed and hide, but he doesn't. Instead, he stares at her expectantly, the tips of his ears on fire, and waits for her to do or say something... anything.

Beth picks up the box. Now she is the one with the pretty blush on her face. She looks at Daryl through her lashes. "I can't believe…"

"I'm sorry, Beth," he interrupts her with a mumbled, self-loathing apology. "I shouldn't 'a… Things have been good. I didn't mean to put no pressure on ya'… I just… well, Glenn was a few isles over, and I knew as soon as he saw 'em, he'd be snatchin' 'em up like they was the damn cure or some shit."

Beth lays a gentle finger over Daryl's lips. "Hush, Daryl. I was gonna' say, 'I can't believe you found these,' then I was gonna' kiss ya' and tell ya' how glad I am ya' did."

Beth sits back on her heels, and Daryl looks her up and down, chewing hard on the corner of what is left of his thumb nail. She catches the beginning of a smirk before he shoots forward and grabs her about the waist. Hauls her to him and flips her on her back. She barely has time to giggle before he's planting a playful but urgent kiss on her lips. He feels her smile. Kisses her teeth and huffs a happy laugh himself. Beth slides her leg up the side of his thigh and threads her fingers through his hair. Tilts her head and deepens the kiss. The time for playfulness has passed. They have condoms by golly, and Beth is on a mission. Daryl pulls back and looks at her. Slides his arm behind her neck. Lets his other hand rest flat against her ass. "You sure, sweetheart? I ain't about puttin' pressure on ya' to do something ya' ain't ready to do."

"I'm ready, Daryl. I've been ready. Now that we're back with our family... We've got this cabin and this bed… It's pretty perfect, don't ya' think?"

"It is pretty prefect," he echoes. "I love ya', Beth. I'll go slow and easy, I promise. Don't you be worryin' about me… You just let me carry ya' through it, okay? I don't wanna' hurt ya'."

His eyes are soft and sincere. Eyes that can make the hardest man's blood run cold show her nothing but love and affection. This is her Daryl. Her sweet, protective, gentle Daryl. Beth nods her head and gives him a shy, and maybe a little bit of a nervous smile. "I trust ya', Daryl. And I'm ready. I'm ready to do this with you. Only you."

"Damn right, only me," he says, and kisses her possessively. It's a long and languid kiss. Beth can already feel the heat rising in her belly. They shed the barriers between them, physically and metaphorically. They are the only two people that exist in their world. The only thing worth living or dying for is how they feel right now in this space and in this time. Beth is laid out before him, hair loose, lips swollen, naked and open only for him. Daryl settles a knee between Beth's knees and nudges them apart. Her breath catches as he slides a rough and calloused hand up her thighs, thumbs skimming against the juncture at her pelvis. His lips go to work on her flat belly while his hands continue their upward climb tight against her ribs. Beth's legs drag against his, knees pressing against his hips. He licks his way to the narrow valley between her breasts. Hot, wet kisses have her keening in anticipation. Daryl drags his thumbs across her tight peaks, and Beth's hands land in his hair. Scrape against his scalp. When he circles his tongue along the same course, Beth arches into him aching for more.

Daryl slides his mouth back down her belly and uses his hands to take up the cause, kneading her soft breasts. Pinching and rolling their most sensitive parts through his fingers. Beth is nearly frenzied by the time he jerks her to the edge of the bed and goes to his knees. When his tongue finds her center, he has to hold her still with gentle but heavy hands flat against her hip bones. Not forcing, but quietly keeping her from flying off the bed. She strains against him. Presses into Daryl's mouth and the new sensation of his scruff against her most delicate and sensitive center. The friction is delicious. The noises she is making tells Daryl he is doing everything exactly right. Beth speeds toward that precipice, pulling at Daryl's hair and doing everything she can not to cry out in sweet release. When she finally lets go, Daryl skims his nose and tongue against her inner thighs easing her back down.

Beth is panting, eyes closed, fingers trailing a path up and down her own abdomen. She smiles lazily when the bed dips next to her and Daryl gently shoos her fingers away. Spreads his palm flat against her abdomen. "You like that," he whispers. It isn't a question, rather a statement of discovery, that he stores away in his memory.

Beth nods and a sweet, satisfied grin splits her lips. "Oh, yeah, Mr. Dixon. Very much…"

"Mr. Dixon, my ass," he says and flops to his back. Beth yelps when he scoops her up and parks her across his center. He finds the box of condoms and pulls one free of the wrapping. Hands it to Beth.

Beth sucks her lower lip between her teeth and runs her hand the length of his shaft. Swipes her thumb across the head and feels his hips buck just a bit beneath her. She slides the condom into place. Looks at him through her lashes shyly. "Come 'ere," he all but growls.

Beth's hands land on either side of his face so she is on all fours over him. Her gaze is heady and determined. That look alone has his pulse quickening all the more. Beth leans down to kiss him. Nips his lower lip, then soothes the spot with a lick of her tongue and nips him again. His hands find her breasts, kneading and rolling her peaks between his fingers. Beth immediately begins to climb again. She throws her head back and grinds against him, rocking back and forth slowly along the length of him. Daryl's hands fall to her hips and his mouth takes over the maddening tease of her breast. He can see that she is close. Is in awe that he is the one that does this to her. "Only me," he mumbles, voice deep and husky in Beth's ear.

She has her lip caught between her teeth again, and she's working hard against him, discovering what feels good and what feels even better. But she nods, eyes closed, and makes him a promise. "Only you."

Daryl reaches down between them and swirls his finger over her sweet spot. She gasps and her eyes fly open, wild and unfocused. He does it again and this time she moans. Grinds against him and swirls her hips. He does it again and she leans back. Breaths his name over and over again. Once more and she shatters. It is the most beautiful thing Daryl has ever seen. He barely allows her time to recover before he flips her to her back and settles between her thighs. He guides himself to her entrance, teasing her open and sliding in, just breaching her core. Beth tenses and grabs his forearms, but her knees bend and fall away from his hips on instinct, opening herself fully to him. Daryl leans down and kisses her tenderly. Pushes her hair away from her face. "I'll go slow. I promise. If it's too much, you just say the word. I'll stop."

Beth nods and scrapes her nails up his arms, finding purchase on his biceps. Daryl pushes in to her. She is hot and wet and so tight around him. He meets resistance. Knows this next part will probably hurt her the most. Pushes in a little further and feels the snap. Beth whimpers beneath him and Daryl stops. Studies her face for any sign that he wants her to stop. She is the picture of concentration, like she is trying to sort through the feels and sensations and commit this whole thing to memory. "Okay, sweetheart?"

Beth nods, and tightens her grip on his arms. She knows it's the membrane, the one she learned about in health class. It hurt. A quick, sharp pain. But now she feels like she is on fire, in the best kind of way. It's a sweet sort of pain. It leaves her yearning for more. Tingling all over. Daryl pushes further in, and Beth's hips lift to accommodate the length of him. He fills her completely and its like nothing she could have ever imagined. She can feel him holding back. Knows there is more of him to take.

Daryl is calling on every bit of self-control he can muster. It's all he can do to take it this slow, but Beth is worth it, and he would rather cut his balls off than lose control and do any damage. When Beth's hips retreat then rise again to meet his, it's too much. He pushes the rest of the way in and seeds himself as deep as he can inside of her. Beth sucks in a noisy gasp and arches into him, breathes out his name. Daryl's hands splay across the small of her back, holding her hips in place against his. He eases her back down slowly. Takes her hands and draws them up and over her head. Tangles his fingers in hers. He draws back and slides in again. Sets a slow rhythm that Beth quickly matches. He uses his free hand to stroke her breasts, roll her peaks. Reaches down between them as he backs out, teasing that spot he has come to appreciate for what it does to his girl. He watches her climb. Thinks again that she is the most beautiful creature he has ever seen.

They pick up the pace, and he knows she is almost there. He buries his head in the crook of her neck. Husks her name in her ear, and nips at her shoulder. He is trying so hard not to hurt her, but he is quickly barreling toward his own sweet release. He draws back, and Beth pushes off her heels. Slams into him with force. Breathes his name, louder and louder until she slams her knees against his hips and stalls, clinches around him, and falls apart in waves.

"Beth… Shit, Beth, I gotta'…"

She nods and her hips sink into the mattress. A few hard thrusts, and he is falling over the edge right along with her. Daryl collapses on top of her, breathing hard. Heart pounding against her chest. They are slick with sweat, completely spent. Beth strokes his back, nimble fingers ghosting over his scars, not avoiding a one of them. Daryl buries his face her hair. Breathes her in. They lay perfectly still waiting for their hearts to settle before Daryl pushes to his forearms and hovers over her. Silent tears are flowing from the corners of her eyes, but she's wearing a shy, satisfied smile.

"Shit, Beth. Did I hurt ya'? You okay, sweetheart?"

He looks so worried, nearly devastated thinking he might have hurt her.

Beth pulls her lip between her teeth and shakes her head. "That was amazin', Daryl. I'm pretty sure I'll be sore, but no, I'm not hurtin'."

Relief washes across his face. Beth frames his face in her small hands. "You are the sweetest, kindest man. Thank you for takin' care of me, Daryl. Thank you for lovin' me. And for sharin' all of you with me."

Daryl just shakes his head. He has no idea how she can love him like that. How she can say those things to him. His heart feels like it might explode. Now he is the one swiping at tears. All he can do is bend down and lay a gentle kiss against her lips. It's enough for Beth.

Beth wakes with an encompassing warmth wrapped around her back and a heavy weight over her hip and torso. Daryl's hand is tucked up under her chin holding tight to her shoulder. She runs her fingers the length of his forearm and snuggles in closer to his chest. A gravelly, "mornin', sweetheart," tickles her ear. Beth scoots to her back and stretches. Arches and hums like a cat. "Mornin'," she answers and turns into his chest. There is no window in their little bedroom under the stairs, so she truly has no idea what time it is. She is naked between the covers, as is Daryl, so she really doesn't care what time it is.

Daryl's hand shimmies down her spine, and Beth shivers. "Ya' cold?"

"No," she says through a smile and shivers again when his fingers slide across her bottom and down the back of her thigh. He pulls her knee over his hip and trails his fingers back up her leg, dangerously close to her center. A few more passes and he is teasing her senses awake and into overdrive. He holds on to her knee and presses her into the mattress. Reaches over her and grabs the box of condoms from the bedside table. Beth follows his hand with her eyes and sucks her lip between her teeth. Daryl catches the movement and freezes.

"Oh, hell, Beth. I'm an asshole. Your sore. I'm sorry… It's just… You make me crazy for wantin' ya', girl."

"Daryl," she says and hushes his self-loathing apology much like she did last night. "I ain't that sore. Besides, I've always heard that the best way to get rid of an ache is to work it out… So, I think we should do that… work it out I mean." She takes the little square package from his hand and delicately rips it open with her teeth. Giggles at the growl she more feels than hears and slips the condom into place.

Daryl falls back to his side. Pulls her with him and hooks her leg back over his hip. He tests the waters. Slips one finger, then two, in and out, delicately caressing her walls. Keeps flicking his eyes to hers making sure he sees no signs of distress on her face or in her pretty blues. Beth's chest skims against his as she moves against his fingers. The delicate brush against her overly sensitive peaks is maddening. She pushes harder into him and Daryl takes her into his mouth. She throws her head back, eyes closed, and arches into him. Whispers his name again and again. The heat rising in her belly threatens to burn her up. He slips inside her, all the way, slow and easy but without hesitation. Lifts his chin and catches her lips. Beth's hands tangle in his hair. Their kisses are slow and thorough as is their rhythm below. It's like riding gentle waves in the ocean. Beth rocks back and forth along the length of him, slow and steady. When their hips meet, Daryl pushes a little harder and Beth feels completely consumed. "Shit, Beth," he whispers with such awe and wonder it fills Beth's heart to overflowing. This new angle lends itself to their easy pace. He pulls himself almost completely out before sliding slowly back in, again giving an extra little thrust before pulling all the way back again. Beth thinks she might die from the gentle sincerity of it all. This isn't the wild love they shared last night. This is a surrender. A promise.

"Daryl," she whispers. Lets him know she can feel her release building, winding up from the tips of her toes.

"Come with me, Beth."

She nods frantically and Daryl rolls her to her back. It isn't long before Beth is tightening around him, shuttering against him, and whispering his name. Daryl follows her over the edge. When his heart rate slows and the lazy haze of afterglow presses in on them both, He rolls to his back and brings Beth with him. She stretches out on top of him and hums her satisfaction.

"I love you, sweetheart," he murmurs into her hair before they both slip into sleep.

When they emerge from their little room, the cabin is quiet. The sun is on its way up, just starting to peak over the horizon. A quick breakfast and they are heading into the woods to see what they can find. They spend the majority of the day hunting and tracking and spending time alone just being quiet together.

Their third night there, Beth asks Daryl if he would like to take Merle with him the next morning. Says it might be nice for the brothers to spend some time together out in the woods. He looks at her like she has sprouted horns. Beth doesn't miss the flash of hurt in his eyes too. "You tired 'a me already, girl?" He says it playfully, but Beth can hear the undertone of worry beneath his question.

"Daryl, I could never get tired of huntin' with you. And I don't want you to go without me. I just… I guess I just thought I oughta' maybe share ya' with Merle too. I mean, if that's what ya' want. I know the two of ya' used to hunt together, right?"

Daryl narrows his eyes at her, thinking it over. Finally, he shakes his head. "Naw, girl. If I'm goin' huntin', I'm goin' with you."

Beth smiles her agreement, and Daryl gives her a single jut of his chin. "Come 'ere," he rasps. "I'm feelin' like we ought ta' take advantage of this bed while we got it."

Beth crawls over to him from her spot at the foot of the bed. Her lips are the only thing that touch him. She kisses and nips at his neck. Giggles at the quiet growl that escapes his throat. When she sits back on her heels, Daryl rests his hands on her hips and situates her against his center. He looks at her with serious eyes. "You still doin' okay? Not too sore?"

Beth smiles sweetly, and her cheeks brighten with the prettiest pink blush. "I'm sore, yeah. But it's the best kind 'a sore, you know? You ready for another round, Mr. Dixon?"

"Knock that shit off," he grouses and shoots up, grabbing her face in his hands. He swallows her squeal with a searing kiss and takes her over the edge yet again.

Full bellies, easy breezy days, and silent nights (well, mostly silent) are hard to give up. They all wonder if they could make a home here. Desperate hearts and desperate plans. They talk it out. Decide there is no real way to fortify the area. The cabins are too spread out to defend. There is no protective wall and no way to build one. This place isn't made to last. It's day six, and they are ready to hit the road again. The deer jerky Merle and Carol made from the old buck Daryl bagged will last them a few days if they keep their daily rations low.

It's time to move. Beth takes one last look at the little room she shared with Daryl. The place where she gave him that part of her that could only be given away once. She smiles and sighs. How crazy is it, she wonders, that this past year has been the very best year of her life?

A familiar weight slides around her waist. "You ready," he whispers against her hair.

"Yeah… I just…" she shakes her head.

"Yeah…" Daryl agrees. He kisses her temple and takes her hand. The join the others outside and follow Merle and Carol at the point, back into the woods.