Hello you beautiful people!

I just want to say a hugr thank you to everyone who took the time to read, follow, favourite and review the last chapter. You have no idea how much it means to me! I have to admit that I was a bit nervous to post this story, more so then any other story I've published. I think it's because I've been away for a while... anyway, thank you all very much!

I hope you all enjoy Chapter 2

Writer347
Xx

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or the characters... boo!

Home Is With You: Chapter 2

Beth
After our exciting shower, we spent a little time actually washing ourselves. We did get a little distracted at times with wondering hands but we did eventually get the job done, once we were all clean we turned the water off and started drying off. I had my towel wrapped around me and I was sitting on the side next to the sink as Daryl stood between my legs with a towel around his waist and his hands rested on my thighs. I had just plaited my hair and Daryl had just finished brushing his teeth, we were trying to drag this out because when we leave the bathroom, we will be going back to our own rooms and we won't see each other until tomorrow. It wasn't even a certainty that we would get any time together tomorrow, depending on what Daryl needed to do and what I was doing.

I rested my head against his bare chest and tried not to get upset at the face that I didn't know when I would get to kiss him again. Daryl wrapped his arms around me and we just stayed there, embracing one another for a good five minutes before I pulled away from him. I smiled softly at him and he placed a kiss on my forehead.

"I've an idea," He stated and I raised my eyebrows in surprise and question "I'm goin' on a run t'morrow... nothin' big, just a place to get some things f'r Asskicker. Do you wanna come on the run? Maybe, we could take our time wi' it," He suggested.

"You trust me on a supply run?" I asked him in surprise.

"I've scoped it out before. Not a high risk run. I was gonna go on my own but I want yer t' come wi' me," He said.

"Okay... I'll go on the run with you," I replied.

"I'll run it past your pops in the mornin'," He added and I rolled my eyes at him "I have to ask him Beth," He told me sternly.

"Maggie don't need t' ask permission," I pointed out.

"We ain't havin' this argument 'gain." He replied and kissed my lips to shut me up.

I wouldn't exactly call it an argument; I would just call it mutual respect. I was right in what I said, Maggie doesn't need to ask my daddy for permission to go on a run, he just tells her he loves her and wishes her home safe and sound at the end of the day. I don't get that same respect off my daddy or Maggie, they both still treat me like I'm 10 years old sometimes and it drives me insane! Why do I need to ask my daddy for permission to go with Daryl tomorrow? If I want to go then I should be able to go, I know I'm in a prison but I don't want to be locked up like a prisoner here. I need them to realise that I'm not a little girl anymore, I'm a woman.

Our kiss ended but I think that was because Daryl knew my head was somewhere else, he started getting his clothes on and I knew that this had come to an end. I sighed and got down from the sink and started getting dressed as well. Daryl was dressed before me and he waited for me to finish getting ready, he smiled softly as he saw me put my pjs on. He liked my pjs but only because he was the one to find them for me in a clothing store. He was on a run with Michonne for some new clothes for everyone and Daryl found the pjs. They were nothing special, a grey t-shirt that had a coffee cup on it and had 'Coffee Addict' written on it and some grey shorts that had coffee cups dotted all over.

Before the fall, I was a huge coffee addict. I would drink 2 cups before I went to school and bring a third in a thermos. A cup of coffee at lunch and on my way home I would always stop at the coffee shop and get one for the drive home, then at home I would have one after dinner and one as I got into bed. I loved coffee and I would do anything for a Latte or Cappuccino right now. Daryl used to have one cup of coffee when he woke up and it wasn't 'fancy' like mine (his words) he had just a black coffee.

"You better get back," He said and I nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I replied.

I reached up on my tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. Our lips lingered on each other for a moment before I pulled myself away before I couldn't; I smiled at him once more before walking back to the cell block.

As I got into bed, I heard Daryl walk past and go up the stairs to his own room. I heard the small creak of his door close over and sighed at the thought of him being so close but yet, so far away at the same time, it killed me. I hate sleeping without his arms around me and I know he misses me at night too. We have gotten so used to being with each other on night watches and spending our nights together, it's hard when we're apart.

You know, none of this was supposed to happen in the first place. I was never supposed to fall in love with Daryl Dixon and I'm sure as hell sure that he never intended to fall in love with me. It all started when Zach died, when Daryl came to tell me the news I thanked him for telling me and we got talking a little bit and I hugged him. Again, it wasn't something I planned, in that moment I just felt like that was what he needed. The day after that Daryl asked me if I wanted to do some field training with him, he had spoken to my daddy, Maggie and Rick and told them he needed another person to be able to go out on runs and he suggested me. My daddy and Maggie agreed to it and thought it best that Daryl give me the right training, that included going on a couple of night watches with him.

It was all innocent to begin with but then we started forging a close bond and we started opening up to one another, we grew so comfortable around one another that it surprised us. One night on watch, we shared a small kiss in the cabin. We avoided each other, well he avoided me, for about a week after that but then I went and I confronted him. I wanted to know why he wasn't talking to me and I wanted to know what the kiss meant to him, if anything. He told me that he liked the kiss a lot more then he should have and he wanted to do it again, but he was worried that he was going to look like a dirty old man looking at young woman in such a way. I was flattered that he wanted to kiss me again and so we shared a couple of secret kisses and when he was on night watch, I started sneaking out to spend time with him.

Daryl and I were stealing kisses for a month and a half before we spoke about our feelings properly, for the first time. I confessed to Daryl that I cared a lot for him and there was no one else I wanted to be with and he admitted that he felt the exact same way but he was a really private person. He didn't like people knowing his personal business and he wasn't a fan of being gossip or people spreading rumours about him. He was worried about what everyone would think about him; a 35 year old man, dating a 19 year old woman. I understand that age is a big thing to some people but in this world we're living in now, there isn't a lot to be happy about and why shouldn't we take happiness where we can find it?

For Daryl's sake we decided to just keep it between us and it had been that way for some months now. We've been doing a good job of hiding it but it does take its toll on us. Nights like tonight, he's not on guard duty and so we can't spend the night together. If people knew about us then I could go and spend the night in his room with him or down here with me but it just can't happen. Daryl knows that it upsets me when we're apart for long periods of time but hopefully one day (soon) we can tell people and be out in the open with it.

To make up for not being able to spend nights like this together, we make it up to one another in a small but very amazing way. Daryl will leave one of his shirts under my pillow for me to hold on to and snuggle up to. He'll sneak into my room when no one else is around and in return; I try and do the same for him. He is a lot stealthier than me and he's caught me a couple of times but I succeed on occasion. I reached under my pillow and pulled out Daryl's awaiting t-shirt, I took in a deep breath of his scent and a smile came upon my face instantly. I got myself comfortable in bed and held on to his t-shirt as close to me as I could and drifted off to sleep with his scent around me.

"Beth," I heard someone say and I felt my body shake slightly. I couldn't muster up anything more than a groan in response; I shocked myself at how much I sounded like a walker "Beth, wake up," The voice said again, this time with amusement in its tone. I opened my eyes and saw Daryl standing there "I spoke to your pops... you're comin' on the run. Get up, we leave in ten minutes." He told me and placed a kiss on the top of my head before leaving the room.

I got myself ready in record time, I was still sleepy but the idea of having Daryl all to myself for most of the day was too appealing for me to not get ready as quick as I possibly could. I went straight outside as soon as I was ready and I saw Maggie and my daddy talking with Daryl as he stood next to one of the cars. I guess we're not taking the bike. I put a smile on my face as I approached them.

"Morning sleeping beauty!" Maggie exclaimed with a smiling face "You ready for this?" She asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied.

"You're with Daryl, you'll be fine," My daddy said.

"We're gonna hit that place for Asskicker's stuff then see if we can find anythin' else 'round... 'nother store or somethin'. We're gonna be gone most the day, pro'ly be back after dark," Daryl told them and they both nodded in understand.

"Don't take any unnecessary risks," My daddy told me and kissed my cheek.

"Behave," Maggie said to me, as if I was a child.

"Behave? What am I, ten?" I questioned in annoyance as I got into the passenger seat and Maggie started walking back to the cell block with daddy.

"Ignore her." Daryl stated as he turned the ignition on and started driving out.

90 Minutes Later

Daryl and I done our jeans back up as we slid out of the backseat of the car and onto the road. I smiled over at him and he shrugged "What?" He asked as we got back into the car in our original seats to continue our journey.

"First time I've done it in a car," I replied as Daryl pulled away from our parked spot.

"Next time, I'll do yer on the car," He said with a wink and I couldn't stop the giggle escape from my lips at him trying to be flirty, it wasn't really him but I do appreciate the thought.

Daryl Dixon was a lot of things but flirty just was not one of them.

"Next time, just do it," I replied and he looked at me in fake shock.

"Beth Greene... what have I done to you?" He asked with a small shake of his head and a smile on his face.

"You made me a woman." I whispered back to him and kissed his cheek, I saw him blush.

We continued to drive for another 30 minutes in silence but it was a comfortable and content silence. Daryl had his hand on my thigh and I had my hands wrapped around his arm as we drove, as Daryl concentrated on the road ahead of him, I looked out at the land. This was the first time I had been outside the prison gates ever since we went inside them. Looks like things have got really bad out here, worse than when we were on the road and even then it was pretty bad.

Every now and again I'll notice a lone walker or two just walking through the long grass at the side of the road or in the middle of the road. Daryl always made sure to lose them so they didn't follow us but that wasn't all that hard, considering we were in a car and they were... well the walkers were walking.

Daryl finally stopped the car outside what was a day care at one point. It was sad seeing it in this state, before the fall I wanted to become a nursery teacher and open up my own day care where the barn once stood on my family's farm. The children would play with the animals and learn about taking care of things and compassion and being kind to one another. It was my dream and then just overnight, like the snap of a finger, everything changed and that dream was no longer able to become a reality.

"You 'kay?" Daryl asked.

"Have you been in there?" I questioned.

"Nah," He answered "Why?"

"Do you think that there are any walker kids or even walker babies in there?" I asked him, terrified at the notion.

"Beth, one thing you gotta know 'bout comin' outside them gates; anythin' is possible. Be prepared t' see anythin'... but I'm gonna do my best t' take care o' ya." He told me and I nodded at him, I believed everything he said to me "You ready?" He asked and I nodded again, the two of us got out of the car.

As we approached the building, everything seemed quiet but just to be on the safe side, Daryl knocked on the window and we waited for a couple of minutes. There was a walker inside, we could hear it, but the moans were not moving closer and stayed the same distance away which means that the walker is stuck somewhere. Daryl had his crossbow drawn and ready, I had my knife in hand and ready to use if needs be as he let the door swing open.

Dun Dun Dun... what do you think is going to happen next?

I know the answer and next Sunday, you will know the answer too!

Thank you all for taking the time to read, I hope it wasn't a disappointment and I hope you enjoyed it. Pretty please can you make sure to follow, favourite and review!

Thank you magnificent people!

Writer347
Xx