Chapter 14 -

After several minutes of laying in the mud, holding each other, and kissing, Daryl finally eased him and Beth up off the ground, his hand instantly going to hers and holding it tightly. Beth turned, walked back to her crossbow, Daryl walking with her and picking it up for her before they walked to his and he picked his up. His eyes rarely leaving Beth's face during this whole time. He finally looked away to guide her inside and to a shower. The hunter was reluctant to let go of her but did so when she needed to undress.

"Are," Beth began before clearing her throat again, her voice still raspy and soft from lack of use, "are there bandages? Aspirin?" Daryl stood in awe of hearing her voice again for a moment before her words clicked with him and he frowned.

"What ya need bandages for? Where are you hurt?" he was instantly filled with worry and his eyes wracked over her, looking for any signs of injuries. His eyes flitted briefly to her forehead before he quickly looked away.

Beth sighed, "go ahead and look, Daryl. Here," the blonde stepped towards him and grabbed his hand, guiding his pointer finger to the scar from the bullet wound, "gentle, it's still tender." Her voice cracked and Daryl nodded, finally looking at the small spot on her forehead. He trailed his fingers gently, feather-like, across the scars on her face and his eyes filled with tears, a lump forming in his throat.

"I'm...so sorry, Beth," he mumbled out before pulling her back to him, his tears falling as heavy sobs shook his body. Beth wrapped her arms around him and held him. She attempted to hum but nothing came out, so she settled for just silently holding him.

"I don't blame you, Daryl. You have nothing to be sorry for," she whispered to him. He shook his head against her. "No, stop, Daryl. I'm serious," she pulled back from him enough to look in his eyes. The misery he held there crushed her and she had to fight back tears of her own. "There's nothing to be sorry for, you hear me, Mr. Dixon?" He grinned at the use of her chaperone name for him and his hands quickly went to hold hers. "We'll keep clothes on, come on," the blonde said as she pulled Daryl with her into the bathroom. She froze when Daryl turned on the lights and the shower, her eyes widening at the electricity and running water. She stepped towards Daryl and ran her hand under the warm water. Daryl grinned at her before gesturing for her to sit on the edge of the tub. He gently took the wires holding her boots on off and then her boots and socks, frowning when he saw the blisters and scars on her feet.

"All I could find," she whispered and he nodded.

"You deserve a real shower, Beth, I'll...step out so you can," he mumbled to her, "I'll find you clean clothes." He stood, grabbing her wet socks and muddy boots and glanced at her one more time.

"Please, stay?" She asked him, her eyes never leaving his. He nodded and set her boots and socks down by the door before turning his back to her while she undressed. He was relieved that she had asked him to stay; he wasn't ready to leave her alone yet. When he heard her close the shower curtain, he turned and picked up her wet, muddy, and blood stained clothes as well as her shoes and socks and set them in a heap just outside the bathroom door. He grinned when he saw a neat pile of clothes for both of them waiting there. He grabbed the stack of clean clothes and set it in the bathroom before focusing on taking off his own boots and socks. Beth was quiet as she worked her hair out of its ponytail and braid, scrubbing shampoo and conditioner (oh god, conditioner! She thought excitedly to herself) into her hair before scrubbing her body with body wash. There was even a razor to shave with. Her shower was long, longer than she intended, but by the time she was done, she was clean. Clean, freshly shaven, and the happiest she had been in so long. When she turned off the water, Daryl's hand stuck into the curtain with two towels. She grabbed one to quickly wrap around her hair and then the other to wrap around herself.

"I feel pre-apocalypse," she giggled softly to him when she pulled the curtain back. Daryl's grin fell as he saw more scabs and scars on her shoulders and neck and the ones on her face stood out more clearly after she had scrubbed all of the dirt and blood from her skin. Beth's smile waned as she glanced at the scars he could see on her upper body. "There are more. This one," she pointed to her healing stab wound, "happened just outside of Kentucky. Knife. They caught me off guard. There were three of them." Daryl stared at the healing wound and shook his head, anger flashing briefly on his face before she stopped him. "They're dead." This made him pause and he stared at her for a moment before she nodded, yes, she had killed them. "Your turn," she pointed to the shower as she stepped away from it but didn't turn away.

Her blue eyes followed his hands as he removed his vest and laid it gently on the sink before removing his shirt. She turned away then, knowing that he hated the scars on his back and didn't like he seeing them. She stayed that way until he was in the shower, the water on and the curtain closed. Then she did as he did and laid everything out in the hall with her filthy clothes and dressed in the new clothes he had set out for her on the toilet. She remembered how, before the apocalypse, she had loved the feeling of jeans on her freshly shaved legs and how amazing the bed sheets felt after a shave and smiled, once more enjoying the feeling of clean jeans on her legs. She eyed her hair in the foggy bathroom mirror before shrugging and leaving it down, her eyes then falling on a hair brush. With a smile, she carefully began brushing through the knots in her hair.

Another thing those apocalypse books never mentioned, hygiene, she thought to herself with a grin. She handed Daryl a clean towel when the water turned off and waited until he gave the clear that she could turn around.

"Your hair's long," he told her, eyeing the long strands running down to her lower back. Beth had to fight to keep her eyes on his and not stare at his lean stomach as he gestured for her to turn again so he could dry off and dress. When he was ready, Daryl gently took the hair brush from her and gently led her from the bathroom. Beth stopped to grab their dirty laundry but paused when she saw it was gone. "Maggie probably grabbed them," Daryl told her, gesturing to her sister who was a few feet away, watching every move she made. He led her down to a dining room and had her sit. He gently led the brush through her hair and she sighed softly, enjoying the feel of someone messing with her hair. Maggie sat across from her and Beth's smile fell. The blonde could see an intense sadness in her sister and swallowed.

"Glenn?" Beth asked, after clearing her throat again. She couldn't wait for her throat to get accustomed to talking again. She hoped one day she could sing and hum again, but she knew better than to push it. When Maggie's face fell, Beth's heart sank. "Bite?"

"No, he was...he was murdered," Maggie replied. She grinned slightly and put her hand on her stomach, which Beth just noticed was rounded out some. The blonde stared at Maggie's stomach for a moment before looking back into her eyes, smiling. "Yeah, I'm pregnant. It's a boy. I've decided Hershel Rhee," Maggie told her with a smile.

"Congrats, Maggie!" Beth said, her voice trying to be excited despite the terrible news she had just been given. Daryl finished brushing her hair and set the brush down on the table before sitting beside her. "What else? Who else?" Daryl cleared his throat and took Beth's hand in his.

"Bob's gone...so are Tyreese and Sasha," Daryl paused here and Beth could tell it was only going to get worse. He cleared his throat again before continuing, his eyes apologetic as the met Beth's, "I'm sorry, Beth...but Noah's gone too….and so is Carl." Beth's eyes widened before filling with tears. A soft sob escaped her lips as she fought back the tears. She hastily wiped her eyes and took several deep breaths.

"Rick? Judy?" she asked, her lips quivering as she fought back the tears. Memories flashed through her mind of Carl and their friendship.

"They're both okay. They're in Alexandria, a settlement about twenty miles away," Daryl paused as Maggie got up to discuss something with Tara out of the room. He grinned, "Rick and Michonne are together." Beth's eyes widened before she grinned.

"I knew it," she told him, "I could feel it." Daryl grinned back at her before watching her smile fall again, her eyes squinting as her headache increased. Her hands went to her forehead and she groaned. "D….D…" she stuttered in her pain, trying to let Daryl know what was wrong as she pushed to her feet and swayed, doubling over as the pain worsened. Daryl stood with her, his arms wrapping around her middle as she vomited and swayed again.

"Beth?!" Daryl shouted as he hoisted her in his arms, "Maggie!" Beth could hear a commotion but the pain was blinding and all she saw was darkness as she passed out.