Daryl woke in a groggy state with a yawn, stretching out his lean body, arching his back – but he found himself restricted in his movement. Groggy, he turned frowning down to the crook in his neck to see Beth, fast asleep and curled up against his bare chest. Her blonde mass of hair was fanned out over his arm and the pillow behind her. A smile crept across his thin lips as he looked down at her, her face soft and peaceful in her sleep. Her long eyelashes lay gently against the light spread of freckles on her cheeks as her full, rosy lips slightly parted as her warm breath caressed his skin. The sunlight broke in through the small window above the bed and shone down onto them both, tiny specks of dust dancing above her in the light.
Daryl's arm could feel the weight of her as she lay against him, warm and reassuring. As he lay in the early morning mist in an unknown bed, looking down at the girl in his arms, Daryl couldn't believe the turn his life had taken – couldn't believe his luck. There was a kind, loving and sweet girl - who was beautiful on top of all that - laying snug against his bare flesh. He turned his head so it lay back against the pillow and looked up at the ceiling, exhaling. He untangled his free arm from beneath the blanket and gently stroked a stray tendril away from her cheekbone, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath his calloused fingers.
Beth stirred beneath his hand, her brow frowning lightly. Slowly, Beth opened her eyes, blinking away the sleep as she turned her own baby blues up to look at him, taking in the chiselled structure of his jaw.
'Mornin',' she murmured dreamily, her voice raspy with lack of use.
'Mornin' sunshine,' Daryl said back, his own voice deep and gravelly until he cleared his throat.
'Were you watching me sleep, Daryl?' Beth asked, rolling over onto her front with a huff and leaning her chin on his chest.
'Nah,' Daryl returned his eyes to the ceiling, but then a shy smile seemed to take over his lips, 'yeah' he admitted with a soft sigh, 'y'just looked so peaceful.'
'I was,' Beth smiled up at him, turning her face to one side so that her cheek lay flush against Daryl's hot skin. Her right hand beside her trailed lazy lines across Daryl's chest, stroking over the light spread of wiry hair and the ink that lay on his chest.
'Who's Norman?' Beth asked softly, tracing her hands over the slightly faded ink.
Daryl glanced down before looking back at the ceiling above him.
'M'grandfather,' he said gruffly, frowning.
Beth watched what she could see of his face from where she lay in silence.
'Died when I was kid,' he continued.
'I'm sorry,' Beth said softly. She felt Daryl shrug beneath her.
'Wha's it matter now?' Daryl scoffed.
'He must have meant something to you.' Beth said.
'Yeah,' Daryl said, his voice a little thick, 'Yea', he was a good man.'
Beth nodded, drawing her arms tighter around his chest.
'Did he help raise you?' Beth asked.
'Yea',' Daryl said, 'When Merle weren't there, up 'til he died.'
'How did he die?' Beth pushed.
'Cancer.' Daryl said.
'I'm sorry,' Beth said again.
'Don' worry 'bout it.' Daryl said, shaking his head lightly against the pillow of the fabric.
Beth stayed quiet for a little while, listening to the steady beat of Daryl's heart beneath her ear and the soft sounds of their breathing.
'How's yer wrist?'
Beth bulked slightly, turning to look up at the man.
'What?' Beth asked, licking her lower lip as her mouth went dry.
'The tattoo,' Daryl said, shifting himself slightly so he could look down at her more.
'Oh,' Beth sighed, her eyes softening, 'it's fine.' She twisted her arm over so that her wrist was facing up so she could see the little bolt etched into her skin.
'No problems w'it?' he asked, shifting his other arm to put it behind his head, propping himself up.
Beth shook her head.
'So where did you learn such a skill?' Beth asked.
'Merle,' Daryl frowned, clearing his throat, 'though I told ya that.'
'You did,' Beth smiled, 'But you didn't say how he learned.'
'Prison.' Daryl scoffed, not looking at the young girl who lay against him.
'Mm,' Beth nodded, biting her lower lip.
'What?' Daryl frowned, noticing her silence.
'Did you – have you – I mean,' she cleared her throat.
'Wha?' Daryl's deep blue eyes looked down at her.
'Well. Did you ever... spend any time in prison?' She asked quietly.
Daryl stayed quiet for a while, until Beth began to feel uncomfortable. The hand that has been absent-mindedly stroking its way softly over her back had paused.
'Nah,' he said, his voice strained, 'is tha' wha' yer think o' me?'
'No,' Beth said, chewing over her words. 'I just wondered, I know you followed Merle...'
'Nah,' Daryl said again, his voice still rough as he kept his eyes up at the ceiling, 'not there.'
'I'm sorry I shouldn't have-' Beth begun.
Slowly, Daryl removed his arm from beneath his head and pushed himself up, forcing Beth to sit up with him. She pushed herself back from him until she was looking into his face. Daryl brought his knees up and rested his forearms on them, staring ahead at the door.
'Daryl,' Beth moved onto her knees and moved closer to him, gingerly reaching out to touch his bare shoulder with the tips of her fingers. To her dismay, he flinched back from her.
Beth lowered her hand to her lap and looked at him, silently.
She watched him take a deep breath, his blue eyes lowering down to the bedsheets pooled between this legs. As Beth watched, Daryl leant over the edge of the bed and fished for his discarded jeans. The bed squeaked as he sat back up, the packet of cigarettes in his hand. Beth watched him take one out and put it to his mouth, before reaching back down to grab his lighter.
He lit it, took a deep drag, then turned to look at Beth through the haze of exhaled smoke.
'I ain't like m'brother,' he said, his deep eyes flicking from each of hers, 'but I ain't a good man neither.'
'Daryl,' Beth said once again, but he shook his head, signalling for her to let him speak.
'Yer right, I did follow m'brother, got into plenty o'fights, did plenty'a questionable things in m' life,' he took another long drag before taking the cigarette from his mouth and holding it between his fingers as his hand hung between his knees, the smoke softly billowing up.
'I ain't th' type o' person someone like you should be with,' he looked up at her, capturing her gaze and holding it.
'Yes you are,' Beth said. She couldn't stop herself from smiling, her full lips pulling up at the corners, 'you are.'
Daryl looked away from her then, looking back down at the mattress.
'I want to be with you, Daryl. I'm sorry I asked you that – I just, I just wondered.'
Daryl nodded and Beth could see him swallow.
'I get why y'd think tha',' he said softly, 'I ain't naïve, I know how I look. An' I know what'ya though'o Merle.'
Beth bit her lower lip.
'He was a stupid fuckin' son'o a'bitch an' I did follow him – but I weren't blind. He spent time inside, plenty o' time in an' out o' childhood, but he left me behind. I don' think he would'a wanted me to follow him there.'
'No,' Beth said softly.
'He looked afta' me in his own dumb way.'
Beth nodded.
Daryl took another deep drag on his cigarette, breathing the smoke down into his lungs and allowing it to soothe him, calm him. He blew it out with a sigh and leant his head back, his eyes up on the ceiling.
'You were left with your dad when Merle went away?' Beth asked.
'Mhm,' Daryl nodded lightly.
Gently, Beth reached out and stroked his unruly hair, forcing him to look back down at her.
'It's still early,' she said, glancing over her shoulder at the window behind the bed and gauging the colour of the sky, 'can we sleep a little longer?'
Daryl looked up at her with the cigarette in his mouth, his blue eyes on her through his shaggy hair, a deep, sullen intensity washing over her from them as they remained fixed on her tired face. There was a depth to them Beth thought she would never truly understand.
'Mm,' he murmured around the cigarette, 'sure.'
Slowly, he allowed Beth to lower him back down until his head connected with the soft pillow. He rose his arms up and out so Beth could crawl back to him, laying her head in the crook of his neck, her breath warm on his skin.
'You are a good man, Daryl,' she murmured.
'Mmmm.'
'I don't care what your brother did, or what you did, before all this. And if you had spent time inside, it wouldn't change a thing. I know you. I know you're a good man.'
Daryl held her close to him, her skin warm and comforting against his own as she breathed softly. He took the cigarette from his mouth, tasting the smoke and nicotine in his mouth. His chest felt oddly restricted and he couldn't help but frown as he looked up at the ceiling above them. This girl was too innocent, too pure to be laying in his arms. She saw something in him that no-one else did, and he couldn't understand that.
During Daryl's own contemplations, Beth had fallen to sleep beside him, her head on his chest, one arm draped across him and one leg wrapped around him, warming his skin with the touch.
He glanced down at Beth as she lay sleeping with him, a strong need to protect her overwhelming him. He gently kissed the top of her sleeping head, watching her stir a little as he did so. He felt bad tainting her with his nicotine stained lips, but it was too late now, he had already stained her in too many ways, dragging her down to him and with him – but she insisted it was what she wanted, insisted she was happy. And all Daryl really wanted was to make her happy. He wasn't a bad man, but he could be a selfish man, and as he held the young girl in his arms, he knew he would not be able to give her up now, even if deep down he knew he should.
. . .
Daryl and Beth remained in their small apartment for the rest of the day and the following night. Daryl's raiding of the cupboards found them enough supplies to last that long and both of them were content enough to just remain with one another, swapping idle stories and resting up. Daryl lay on the worn sofa and listened to Beth sing and Beth admired Daryl as he cleaned and reassembled their firearms. She was perfectly content with him and him alone, shut up together away from the rest of the world, but as they ate their cold cans of spaghetti later that evening once the sun had set, Beth knew they could not stay hidden away in their own little house for much longer.
She wandered through the rooms of the apartment slowly that evening, barefoot and content, her mind creating happy little scenarios in which herself and Daryl lived happily ever after in their own home. It was wishful thinking, of course, but sometimes it was nice to play pretend, especially away from the growls and threats of the walkers down below.
. . .
Morning came, and Beth knew it was time for them to leave, their provisions having run out. As much as Beth enjoyed being away, it was now her third day away from the prison, and as much as she wanted her family to stew, she couldn't help but worry about how her Daddy might have been feeling.
Maggie knew she was with Daryl, knew she was safe, but Beth knew she would be in for a hell of a storm when she finally returned home.
'Y'ready?' Daryl asked, joining her in the lounge, backpack slung over one shoulder, crossbow held loosely in one hand and a cigarette dangling from his lips.
'Mhm,' Beth nodded. She was standing by the patio doors, gazing down at the carpark below to where they had left the car. Daryl came and stood beside her.
'Noise o' the car must've drawn them,' he said through gritted teeth as is own eyes followed Beth's line of sight.
The area they had left their car, only a little way from the over swollen communal pool, was littered with walkers. Currently, they were docile, wandering around and bumping into the car and other abandoned vehicles, but they both knew they would not stay like that for long.
Beth's heart had sunk the second she had looked down; there were too many. Close range combat was a no go, others would be on them before they had a chance to take any down, converging and submerging them – that was suicide. But picking them off from afar would be dangerous, too, there were still too many for Daryl to accurately hit them with his crossbow and the sound of the guns would only draw more upon them.
'What do we do?' Beth asked, her voice sounding defeated.
Daryl took the cigarette from his mouth and instead bit at his thumb, thinking.
'Must be a back way,' he said softly as he bit around the skin of his nail.
Beth turned to him and gently took his arm, lowering it from his lips.
'Okay,' she said, as she stroked up and down the bare skin of his arm, her own blue eyes on his. He looked back at her.
Slowly, he nodded, then readjusted the bag on his back and returned the cigarette to his mouth.
'C'mon,' he said, jerking his head towards the door.
Beth nodded and straightened herself, finding her inner strength. She needed to be focussed.
They left the apartment together and headed towards the stairwell. If Daryl was right, there would be another way out, but Beth was unsure where they would find it. She trusted Daryl completely, but she still felt a little sick at the prospect. It had been nice to relax and shut off, but now the real world – the world they lived in now – was back on their doorstep, and it was time for them to step out onto it.
Daryl led them down the stairs and directly into the foyer.
He motioned with his head for Beth to follow him towards the office block, keeping low and as silent as possible so that the walkers outside would not see them through the glass of the front doors. Beth silently prayed they would not hear the heavy thumping of her heart in her chest.
The door to the office was ajar, and Beth held her breath as Daryl pulled it open, with a slow trepidation as he tried to keep as quiet as possible. All it would take was one walker seeing them to alert every other one, and the mass would easily get through the door. Beth could feel herself beginning to sweat.
Daryl dropped inside the office and Beth quickly followed, careful not to trip over any of the fallen or discarded debris.
The office was small, with one desk that ran the length of the front wall, filing cabinets and what was once CCTV. Beyond it was a small staff lounge that led to a long corridor, where they assumed held kitchens, storage, boilers, things that would keep an apartment complex ticking over.
Daryl made the head on down the corridor and Beth had no choice but to follow him; it was dark, the overhead lights having long turned off, and the large metal doors that lined the corridor did nothing for Beth's growing anxiety.
Their footsteps echoed through the lofty corridor, bouncing back of them from the concrete walls as they walked. Beth's hair felt hot and heavy as it clung to the perspiration covering her neck and she had to readjust her grip on her knife as her hands grew clammy. She envisioned walkers falling out of every door, pouncing on them and taking them by surprise. She was jumpier than usual.
Daryl reached a large steel door that was chained shut from the inside, the large metal chain drawn through the bars and locked.
Beth looked up at him.
'What if it's just as bad this side?' Beth asked, biting her lower lip.
'We gott'a risk it,' Daryl said.
'But we have no idea what we're walking in to – none at all!'
Daryl turned to look at her, his face grave.
'The only way I'm gon'a get this lock off is't' shoot it,' he said seriously, 'after that, we get out an' we run. Yer follow me an' we head f'cover.'
'Where?' Beth asked.
Daryl shook his head.
'Jus' follow me.'
'What if I can't – what if I lose you?'
'Beth,' Daryl stepped closer to her and gently cupped her chin with his fingers, raising her face so he could look into it. 'Y'can, y'have to. Keep close, keep b'hind me. If it's bad out there we run and y'don't stray. Okay?'
Beth nodded lightly into Daryl's hand. His eyes on her, he stroked his thumb across her lower lip.
'Okay?' he said again, quieter and with a gravely tone to his voice.
'Yes,' Beth said softly, nodding again.
Daryl nodded back at her and dropped his hand from her.
'Ge'back,' he said, gesturing for her to move back down the corridor.
Beth bit her lower lip again, watching as he pulled out a gun. Then she backed up and stood with her back against the cold, hard wall, watching.
Daryl stood back and lined his gun up to the lock. Beth brought her hands to her ears as he pulled the trigger, the sound of the gun ricochetting off of the walls all around them and making Beth's head spin. White lights popped infront of her eyes as she shook her head, trying to regain composure.
'C'mon, b'fore the sound draws them!' Daryl, having pulled the chain loose and kicking open the door, grabbed Beth's arm and pulled her after him, out into the morning sunshine of a wide car park beyond the building.
As Beth looked around, she spotted three walkers heading their way, snarling in the direction of the gunfire. Daryl took all three of them out with his crossbow and Beth helped pull the bolts free, handing them back to him before they took off across the carpark and out towards the road.
The road backed onto the backs of several small houses and shops, all of which posed a great threat to them, but Daryl pulled Beth on, running until they were far away enough from where the noise had originated from.
Once Daryl felt they were safe enough from the large amounts of walkers that has gathered around the front of the building, he slowed to a brisk walk.
'Y'okay?' he asked Beth, pausing to allow her to catch up.
Beth nodded, not quite having her own breath back.
Daryl regarded her for a moment, his blue eyes sweeping over her, taking in the paleness of her face and the flush of her cheeks, but he decided she was okay enough to keep going, so they pressed on.
Daryl thought about going into some of the houses they passed and checking for supplies, but it would cost them time, and the horde of walkers may have found their way around the back of the apartment complex by now and the more distance they could put between their-selves and the living dead, the better. So instead they continued down the road, passing houses until the space between each house began to grow, and soon the tree line of the forest came into view.
It was a relieving sight to Daryl, who felt his heart would return to its normal, non restricted self once they were both in the shade of the trees. It was easier to evade the walkers amongst the trees and the shrubbery, much easier than it was out in the open of town.
Another fifteen, twenty minutes and the town would fall behind them and they would safely be within the greenery, maybe find some critters for lunch – but Beth was lagging. Daryl had noticed the distance between himself and the young girl growing as they walked, but he stopped now, surprised to see she had fallen further back than he realised.
'I'm okay,' she said, waving him on, 'I just – I guess I'm not as fit as you.'
Daryl raised his eyebrows at her.
'We ain't safe out here, Beth,' he said quietly, 'we need t'keep movin'.'
Beth nodded, closing her eyes.
'I know, I know.' She said, 'but we haven't seen any walkers for ages.'
'Doesn't mean they haven't seen us,' Daryl said, 'gotta put as much distance between us an' the herd as we can.'
'Was it a herd?' Beth said dubiously, 'there wasn't that many...'
'Enough to easily take us down an' tear us limb from limb.' Daryl said.
Beth grimaced.
'Alright,' she sighed, taking a deep breath, 'I'm coming.'
Daryl looked at her for a moment, torn between fear and amusement.
'Here,' he said, turning his back to her, 'get on.'
'What?' Beth frowned.
'Get on,' he said, glancing at her over his shoulder. 'You draggin' is killin' me.'
'Patience is a virtue,' Beth said, but she approached Daryl's back all the same.
'Ain't got no need f'that now,' Daryl said, 'c'mon get on, don't worry 'bout nothin', y'don't weigh shit.'
Beth chuckled as she shook her head, then in one jump, she climbed up onto Daryl's back. He adjusted her, hoisting her up a little and grabbing her things just above the knees. He silently handed her the crossbow, which she held for him, then they set back off.
Daryl was more than happy to carry Beth, she was light as a feather and it meant he knew exactly where she was. She was silent against his back, occasionally adjusting the way she was leaning, but for the most part it was no hassle for Daryl.
They reached the relative safety of the trees as the sun grew higher in the sky, welcoming them to midday. Once they were further inside and the road was no longer visible, Daryl put Beth down and waited whilst she shook out her legs.
'Thanks,' she said, a little sheepish. Daryl just shrugged.
Daryl looked around them, wandering about slightly, as he tried to figure out where they were and what their next course of action should be. His boots crunched over the leaves underfoot as he walked a little from Beth, then stopped to crouch down and inspect the dirt.
'What is it?' Beth asked. She had followed him and was standing just behind him.
'Tracks,' Daryl said, standing back up and wiping his hands down the front of his jeans.
Beth swallowed, searching his face for any signs of how she should feel. But it was guarded again.
'What kind?' She asked.
'Deer,' Daryl said, glancing out into the forest and away from Beth.
'Oh,' Beth followed his line of sight, but it rewarded her with nothing.
'Recent, too.' Daryl nodded.
He set off in the direction he had been looking, leaving Beth to simply follow him. He went slow, pausing from time to time and crouching down to inspect the ground.
Beth knew better than to speak to Daryl when he was hunting, so she simply followed him, keeping close enough to see him, but far back enough so as to not get in the way or distract him. They came across a few walkers on their journey, which they took care of which ease, but it made Daryl begin to fret that one had gotten to the deer he was tracking.
Thankfully, none had. They spotted the deer after a while, grazing idly in the under-brush, and Beth was drawn by the beauty of it in the spring sun, its peaceful, calm tranquillity as it minded its own business, life as simple as it had always been. She was so transfixed by it that she cried out loud when Daryl's bolt suddenly shot through it's head.
He looked at her, a concerned frown on his face as her hand flew to cover her mouth, her eyes wide.
'What?' he said.
'You killed it!' Beth gasped.
Daryl's frown deepened. He stormed over to the now dead deer and pulled his bolt from it in one swift motion.
'Wha' th' hell did ya think I was gonna do wi'it? Paint a fuckin' picture?'
Beth swallowed.
'We gotta eat,' he said, picking up the carcass and swinging it over his shoulder.
Slowly, Beth nodded.
They carried on through the trees, Beth's thighs beginning to burn and her mind longing for the bed they had left hours before. She was tired.
Eventually, Daryl seemed to find a place he deemed suitable, for he stopped and dropped the deer he had been carrying to the ground. He stood up and stretched out his back, massaging his sore shoulder muscles with his fingers whilst Beth sat herself down on the floor, eyeing the deer.
Daryl pulled open his backpack and produced a tarp, which he set about setting up between two trees, before creating as much of a barrier around them as he could with rope and tin cans.
The area Daryl had picked was grassy and soft, but Beth still looked around with some apprehension.
'I wish we had a tent.' She said.
'Tarp'll do,' Daryl said, chucking a bunch of sticks onto the mud.
'Mm,' Beth watched as he set up a fire, piling the sticks just right before he began cutting into the deer to cook it.
Once he had prepared enough, Beth watched with a smile as he lit the fire and then stuck a cigarette between his lips. To her slight disdain, he leant his head down to the flames and lit the cigarette that way, his hair mere millimetres from catching flame.
He looked up over the fire to catch Beth looking at him, an odd twinkle in her eyes. He frowned.
'What?' He asked. He felt like he was always asking that.
Beth just smiled and shook her head.
Daryl took the cigarette from his mouth and titled his head to look at Beth.
'D'ya want one?' he asked, unsure.
Beth laughed.
'Do you want my daddy to flay you alive?' Beth asked, making his frown even deeper, 'I think you've done enough damage, lets not throw a nicotine addiction into the pot.'
Blushing slightly, Daryl nodded.
'How long will the food take?' Beth asked, nodding down at the cooking meat, the smell of which was wafting over to her. She could only pray there were no walkers too near by to be drawn by the smell.
'Thought ya di'n't wanna eat it,' Daryl said.
'I didn't say that,' Beth smiled, 'it just took me by surprise.'
Daryl just shook his head at her, a smile playing on his lips.
The two of them ate in silence as the sky around them darkened and the forest grew cold. Once they had had their fill, Daryl lay on his back, smoking another cigarette, as he looked up at the rapidly darkening blue of the sky. Beth crawled her way over to him and lay beside him, the now low lying embers of the fire warming the side of her face. Daryl put one arm out and wrapped it around her, drawing her close to him.
'You like being out here, don't you,' Beth said softly, looking up at his face.
'Mm,' Daryl murmured through the smoke.
Beth could feel the peaceful tranquillity that radiated from Daryl as he lay looking up at the sky; he was much more at home beneath the sky than he ever was indoors.
'Did you camp a lot as a kid?' she asked.
'Yeah,' Daryl said, 'did you?'
'Sometimes,' Beth nodded, turning her own head to look up at the sky, noticing a dark swarm of birds – or bats? - pass overhead, silhouetted against the sky. 'Sometimes my friends and I would just camp in the field by my house.'
'Wha's th' point o'that?' Daryl scoffed.
'It was fun!' Beth laughed, 'we'd eat marshmallows and tell ghost stories.'
'I always took y'for a wuss,' Daryl said, earning himself a light smack on the chest. He turned his head to look at her, blue eyes keen and blazing.
'Do you know any?' Beth asked, smiling across at him.
'Ghost stories?' Daryl's mouth slanted upwards into a lopsided smile, 'nah.'
'Come on, you've been around long enough, must have picked some up.' Beth grinned.
'You callin' me old, girl?' Daryl asked, raising one eyebrow.
Beth giggled.
'You always feel the need to call me girl', she retorted.
'Yeh well yer are a girl,' Daryl frowned, 'yer jus' a kid.'
'Oh yeah?' Beth raised both her eyebrows as she looked over at him, 'then what does that make you?'
'I don' give a fuck what tha' makes me,' Daryl shrugged, 'yer my girl.'
Beth laughed, but her heart leapt into her throat as her stomach flipped.
'Come on, tell me a story,' she laughed.
'Why? We're livin' in a damn ghost story now,' Daryl scowled.
'I don't think so,' Beth replied, 'thing's are pretty lovely from where I am.'
Daryl looked across at her, his face amused.
'This ain't no damn romcom,' he said.
'You aren't a fan of romcoms?' Beth teased.
'Not really,' he shrugged, watching her.
Beth turned over onto her side and propped herself up onto her elbow.
'But you're a fan of me?' She smiled, her fingers trailing up his chest, pausing over the buttons.
'Mhm,' Daryl was watching her.
'Even though I'm just a kid?' She raised one eyebrow.
'Mm.' Daryl's eyes were narrowed on her.
'Well, then, Mr Dixon, if I'm so young, maybe you ought to take your hands off of me,' Beth said, glancing down at Daryl's hand that had moved from its place on the soft grass and over to her waist, his hard fingers snaking beneath her shirt until they caressed her skin, his feathery touch giving rise to gooseflesh.
Daryl didn't reply, he only watched her, like a hunter watching its prey, studying it.
Slowly, Beth climbed on top of him, straddling his hips, her knees on the ground either side of him. Daryl kept his eyes on her as both of his hands moved to her hips, his fingers digging into the denim of her jeans, but Beth noticed the sharp intake of breath as she moved on top of him, noticed the subtle way his eyes narrowed.
'You okay there?' She asked through a smile, 'do you need me to breath some life into you?'
She leant down so that her chest was flush with his and began to place light kisses up his neck, his skin hot to her lips, feeling him roll his head at the contact. She moved over him, her hair falling in front of her and ticking his chest and chin, before she lay back down and kissed the other side of his neck.
'Your muscles aren't too sore? Your bones too brittle?' She teased, moving up to bite at his earlobe, her tongue gently licking the hot skin just below it. She felt him squirm beneath her, his fingers digging into her skin. She moved up to kiss his lips, a move he eagerly took, his hands firmly holding her to him as he kissed her back, the taste of smoke strong on his lips.
Daryl's hands moved to her back, caressing their way across her skin as her own hands found their way to his tousled hair, entangling in it as his stubble brushed against her chin.
Then, a moan that did not belong to either of them, drew them apart. Beth sat up, panting lightly, and looked around frantically until suddenly Daryl threw her off of him and was on his feet, lunging towards the walker that was quickly heading their way. He plunged his knife into its skull, then kicked it away once it fell. He turned back to Beth who was sat sprawled in the mud, her heart thumping loudly and her eyes wide.
'I guess we can't afford distractions,' she said.
Daryl sighed and ran his hand down his face.
'Nah,' he said, but he wandered back over to her and pulled her onto his lap, where they both sat staring into the flames of the fire beneath the evening sky, Beth's back snug against his chest as he rested his chin on her shoulder, his arms protectively around her waist.