Note: I didn't expect this chapter to be this long (around 6,1k words), but apparently, the fluff monster inside of me wanted to get things out. I've had this chapter since Christmas, but I knew that I wanted to post it on New Years, so here I am! Thank you so much for the lovely reviews from last time around and to everyone who keeps reading and supporting this fic! I wouldn't be anywhere without you guys! So Merry (Belated) Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hope to hear from y'all in 2016! xx


A Sharp Intake Of Breath (And A Memory Forgotten)

Chapter 5

"She ain't doin' so good, Rick. I don't know what to do..."

"She hasn't woken up yet?"

"Not since I put her in bed… Fuck, what should I do?"

"Just take care of her the best you can. If she's not better in a few days, start headin' back. I'm gonna try an' make sure that Maggie and Morgan don't worry too much… Would be good if they got to talk to her once she does wake up."

"Yeah, I'll– I'll get back to ya, Rick. She's awake."

Beth groaned, resting her hand on her forehead, wiping away some of the sweat that had gathered there. Slowly, she blinked her eyes open and it took her a moment to adjust her sight to the dim light in the cabin. She felt the bed dip down on her side and she turned, her eyes immediately meeting Daryl's.

"Hey," he finally breathed out, reaching over to brush away her damp hair away from her face.

"Hi," Beth rasped out, wincing at the scrape inside her throat and the stinging pain in her head. She looked at Daryl again, seeing the worried expression on his face.

"I talked to Rick," he told her, "just now." He brushed her cheek with his fingers again and Beth turned her head into his palm. "Ya need to rest up. If ya ain't better in a coupl'a days, we'll be headin' back."

"Daryl, no," Beth let out a groan when she tried to sit up. "We can't go back. Not now."

"Don't see what other choice we have," Daryl told her. "If ya ain't better, then I'm gonna be making the decision to go back."

"And I have no say in it?" Beth gaped at him, her eyes narrowing. He was doing it again. Making all the choices because he thought she wasn't capable to take care of herself.

"Don't," he said, making her look at him. "I know what you're thinkin' an' this isn't it."

"What do you mean?" she asked him to clarify.

"This ain't me making the decision because I think I'm superior. This is me making the decision to take care of my girl before anything else. I ain't gonna risk your life by staying on the road if you're sick," he told her, instantly easing her mind a little.

"Sorry," Beth said. "I didn't mean to doubt you like that."

"'S okay. With the way I've been actin', I don't blame ya."

Beth reached out and took his hand, intertwining their fingers. She lifted his hand to her mouth and kissed the small circular scar on the back of his hand.

"No, it's not okay," Beth said, offering him a small smile before sighing. "So, what now? I'm sick, right? How long was I out?"

"You've been in and out of it for a coupl'a hours," he shared. "Ya have a fever, though I've been tryin' to get it down but it ain't givin', from what I can tell."

"Hm..." Beth hummed, sensing that there was something else bothering him as well. They remained quiet for another moment and Beth wondered when he was going to say something. Whatever it was that was bothering him, might not only have to do with the fact that she had somehow caught a bug. It was clear that whatever it was, he was trying to find the words to say it without causing another argument or something.

"Why'd ya clean the cabin?"

Well. She had not been expecting that question. Beth frowned at him, turning her head so that she could look at him more fully. There was something else there underneath his eyes, hiding behind a completely neutral face. It was a question that he was clearly expecting to have two answers. Beth didn't know which one it was that he was expecting of her at the moment, but she knew that she would have to give him the truth soon enough.

Now though, she was tired and she was feeling like she might throw up at any moment, so she picked the easiest one.

"I was bored," she told him and she knew that he could see right through her.

"Mhm…" He stood up from the pullout couch, leaning down to brush his lips across her forehead softly. "Whenever you're ready to talk 'bout it, whatever it is, I'm here for ya. 'Til then, I'm gonna make ya somethin' to eat and you get some more rest."

Beth smiled to herself again, closing her eyes.

Best man she could have ever wished for.

-§-

Daryl couldn't help but glance at Beth as he heated up the leftovers from the previous night. He kept going over everything in his head, over and over again, wondering how he could have missed that something was off with her. She had been fine in the morning and when he had come back only hours later, she had collapsed right in front of him. He had just barely caught her and after that, he had gotten her inside and tried to get her sudden fever under control.

Daryl wasn't stupid. He had been able to see the signs because she'd gone through it all a couple of times at the farm. Whenever she had one of those days where her brain was acting up, making her remember, she would get a slight fever and get sick. He had taken care of her during those days, but Morgan had also been there and to be honest, things had never been this bad.

During the time that Beth had been unconscious Daryl had been going out of his mind thinking about what he was supposed to do. All of the sudden he had forgotten everything that they used to do when Beth got sick due to her memories. He'd gotten her into bed and spent the next few minutes just freaking out in his mind, touching her forehead and trying to wake her up. When he had felt her fever, he had immediately run to the bathroom and gotten a rag to wet with cold water to put on her forehead. Slowly, he'd begun coming to his senses and remembered some of the things they'd done on the farm and he knew that he needed to calm himself down before he would be able to help Beth at all.

The things was that he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to take care of her this time. They had some medicine that they had taken with them from the farm, though there was no way for him to know whether it would be enough. It had been cold when they had started their trip and the climate was beginning to get a little milder again. Maybe Beth had caught a bug or something too, which would only make things worse for them.

What was he supposed to do if something really bad happened to her?

Daryl forced himself to push away the question, not even wanting to get into it or think about the darkness that would inevitably follow.

Instead, he focused on the fact that Beth was once again holding back on him. Fortunately, he now knew that it was better to just let her know that he knew and then let her come to him. There was no doubt in his mind that Beth would come around and talk about the things that she had been remembering, but until then, he would just have to be patient. A part of him still wondered why it was so difficult for her to just talk to him. They were supposed to be in it together, no matter what, and that meant that she needed to share whatever it was that was on her mind with him. He was supposed to be there for her to help her through the fog, to help her remember if she wanted to, when she was ready to.

When the stew was warm enough, he poured some of it into a bowl and grabbed a spoon, walking over to the pullout couch where Beth was resting. He could tell that she wasn't asleep, but she had her eyes closed, doing her best to relax even though her head was most likely pounding.

"Beth, I'm gonna need ya to sit up so ya can eat somethin'," he spoke softly, once again sitting on down on the pullout. It creaked under his weight and Beth opened her eyes to look at him again, her eyes a little glassy. He could tell that she was in pain, but he needed her to eat first before he could give her any medication. "How are ya feelin'?"

"Like crap," Beth replied, groaning when she pulled herself into a sitting position. He resisted the urge to smirk because in all honesty, she looked like crap too. His girl was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on, yet, it was very clear that she was sick. Her skin was sickly pale and her eyes seemed almost glazed over. The tip of her nose was red and she kept breathing through her mouth, as if she was having a difficult time getting all the air she needed through her nose. From all the symptoms, Daryl would assume that she had gotten a bad cold, but mixed with the fact that she was still suffering from memory loss after having gotten shot through the head, he knew that there could be anything going on. After all, her brain was the main issue here, because it made her more sensitive to some things after her near death experience.

"Are you gonna feed me like a baby?" Beth smiled at him weakly before giggling. Her giggles turned into a coughing fit and Daryl instantly held out the red rag that he always carried around in his back pocket. Luckily, he had cleaned it, so there wasn't any walker blood on it or anything else that could worsen her state.

"If it's what it takes to get ya to eat all of this," he said, holding the bowl up.

Beth grimaced as she wiped her mouth with the rag, "Okay, I guess. But we're never gonna speak about this to anyone. Don't want them thinking that I've gotten weak."

"They're more likely to think that I'm pussy-whipped," Daryl smirked.

"Well, that could also be the case," Beth teased him, opening her mouth so that he could give her a spoonful of the stew. She chewed the meat slowly and Daryl only shook his head at her, even though his grin never fell.

"'S a fine ass pussy–"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Beth interrupted him, laughing as a small blush crept over her cheeks. This wasn't the first time they spoke like this to one another, but usually, those words only came to them when they were in bed together. He'd realized that Beth enjoyed having him whisper some dirty shit in her ear when they were fucking and he enjoyed giving her what she wanted. Sometimes, she would even return the favor and he loved those times even more, when she would just take charge and completely flip the tables on him.

He knew that him not finishing that sentence didn't have anything to do with it's crudeness, but rather the fact that it would have an effect on Beth and considering just how ill she was, there would be nothing they would be able to do about it. He wouldn't risk making her more sick and she wouldn't want to risk giving him whatever bug she had caught.

"Let's talk 'bout somethin' else then," he suggested, giving her another spoon of stew. Beth hummed in agreement, but didn't speak for a moment as she ate.

"I had another memory come back," she said after a few seconds. Her voice had quieted down and a serious look had come over her face again. "After you left, I started getting some flashes… I didn't think it would get so bad, so I tried to distract myself by cleaning. I must have just exhausted myself."

Finally, the truth was coming out and Daryl hadn't even been forced to push her for it. He had known that he just needed to give her some time to get her own thoughts in order and he had been right about it.

"I remembered a barn," she said. "A bunch of walkers and a lot of shooting and yelling. Then I recall myself running to one of the walkers that had been shot down, crying and leaning over it… It grabbed me and I panicked but someone got it away from me and killed it before it could get to me."

Daryl's stomach dropped a little when she looked at him expectantly. What was he supposed to say about that? He gave her some more stew before he began explaining it to her. "Ya know that ya lived on a farm before," he said. "Your dad… When we got to the farm, he didn't know, I guess… He thought the walkers were just sick people, or somethin'. He locked 'em up in the barn and he gave 'em food so that they wouldn't decompose."

"Oh my God… Did they get out? Is that why everyone was shooting?" Beth asked, eyes wide. He could tell that it was difficult for her to understand how naive her father had been in the beginning because all she knew of the walkers was that they needed to be killed. Ever since she had woken up with no memories, she had been taught and trained by Morgan to kill the fuckers in order to survive.

"Nah," Daryl shook his head. "There was this other guy in our group, Shane. He lost it, I guess, an' decided to take matters into his own hands. He opened up the barn an' we all worked together to kill 'em. Hershel was devastated… So were you."

Beth swallowed, glancing down at her own lap before looking up at him again. "I thought they were sick too?"

"Ya didn't know any better," he told her. "Y'were younger an' ya didn't know. Y' believed what your daddy was sayin' an' he didn't know either. Can't blame him for it."

"So who was the woman then?" Beth wondered.

"Your ma'," Daryl replied quietly, letting his answer sink in. He watched her face as she lost focus again for a moment, clearly trying to remember something else.

"She was my mother…" Beth whispered to herself. "Annette."

"Ya remember her name," Daryl realized as he observed her.

"Just now," Beth admitted, still looking a little dazed. "I remember her teaching me to play to piano… Teaching me how to sing." She winced then and reached up to hold her head.

"Think you've had enough stew for now," Daryl said, placing the bowl with the spoon inside of it on the small table that he had brought closer to the pullout. "Anythin' else ya remember 'bout your ma' that ya wanna tell me 'bout?" he wondered, getting himself settled next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and Beth's head instantly fell to rest on his chest as she brought her hand up to splay over his stomach. He took a hold of it, wanting to give her as much comfort as he could without actually saying anything and he was happy to feel Beth squeeze his hand back.

"I don't know why it's all coming back like this, all of the sudden," Beth said. "I remember small things about my mom, but not everything. It's like I know that the gaps are still there and my brain just can't find the puzzle pieces to complete the image. I see my mom in the kitchen and hear Maggie's voice in the room, but I can't see her. It's confusing and it's when I try to force myself to see what ain't there that…" she trailed off.

"That's when ya get the headaches," Daryl filled in. It made sense, but he still wished that he could help her so that she wouldn't get them anymore. It wasn't a solution to live like this, just waiting for the next hit from her brain; the next assault of memories that it sent out to her.

He held her tightly against him, feeling when she began dozing off again. It had already gotten late and it had been a long day for the both of them. He was tired from his long walk and even more exhausted from worrying about Beth and what he would do if she got even more ill. It didn't take much time for Beth to start snoring softly by his side, with her arms wrapped around his middle and it took even less time for Daryl to follow her into sleep.

His last thought though, was that he would have to radio in a little later tomorrow in case Beth was feeling better. He had a feeling that she would need to talk to her sister and he knew for a fact that Maggie had missed Beth too. Perhaps, she would be able to fill in some of the gaps that he wasn't able to, as well as ease her own worry.

-§-

"Baker to Little Bird, Baker to Little Bird. Come in Little Bird-"

"Maggie, are you kiddin' me?" Beth sighed as she talked into the radio-phone. Though, she couldn't help the small smile that crossed her lips when she finally got to hear her sister's voice after so long. "What have I told you about that nickname?"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Only your hubby gets to call you that," Maggie replied dismissively. Beth could imagine her waving her hand around to emphasize her point.

"Daryl isn't my 'hubby'," Beth countered. "We aren't married."

"Might as well be," Maggie said.

"Hm…" Beth hummed, glancing toward the small fireplace that Daryl had been preparing to light. He had gone out for a bit to get some firewood after making sure that Beth was doing well enough to be left alone because he had known that Beth would need some time with Maggie after the memories she had been getting back recently. "Why do you call yourself 'Baker', by the way?" Beth figured it was better to just change the subject before Maggie got into the whole 'why-don't-we-have-a-spring-wedding-when-you-guys-get-back?' thing.

"Isn't it obvious?" Maggie snorted. "Because I've got a bun in the over."

Beth couldn't help but laugh along, loving how incredibly normal the whole conversation sounded. If one ignored the fact that the world had gone to hell, one could almost imagine that this was what it would have been like between her and her sister in the future, where Beth might have been off to college while Maggie was home and pregnant. The idea or some kind of normalcy still being there between them made Beth feel good.

"Now, since you tried to change the subject, I'm gonna change it again," Maggie said then. She was clearly very observant. "Have you and Daryl run out of condoms yet?"

"Maggie!" Beth's eyes widened as she looked around the small room, almost expecting Daryl to pop out out of nowhere and hear what it was that her sister had said. It would have made him very uncomfortable, that much she was sure of. "We haven't even done that since we left!"

"Beth, that's over two weeks ago!" Maggie gasped. "That can't be healthy."

Beth covered her eyes with her palm as she tried to suppress her giggles, "I can't believe you're encouraging your younger sister to have sex…"

"Well, since I ain't getting' none, at least one of us should," Maggie said, sounding annoyed.

"Okay, first of all, too much information, Mags," Beth told her. "Secondly, why? Glenn doesn't want to?"

"Oh, he wants to. Believe me when I tell you that me looking like a hippo certainly hasn't been turning him off," Maggie replied.

"Then what's the problem?" Beth frowned.

"He's worried that we might hurt the baby somehow or cause early labor. I'm telling him that it's too soon anyway and that the baby will be fine, but he'd rather sleep all wound up than actually sleep with me," Maggie sighed. "Can't exactly fault him for trying to protect us though, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you can't," Beth agreed. To be honest, she thought it was very sweet of Glenn that he didn't want to endanger Maggie and the baby. Being pregnant in this world was dangerous as it was and they wouldn't want to risk something going wrong. Beth understood Glenn's fear and even though she was sure that she had read in one of those baby books that she and Daryl had found along the way that it wasn't dangerous to be having sex, it made more sense for them not to risk anything.

"So, now before we talk about why Rick has been trying to hide the fact that you're sick from me all day long, I just have to ask why you and Daryl aren't using this time apart from everyone to just go at it every chance you get?"

"It's not that simple," Beth told her. "It's not like we haven't wanted to, but the problem is that we haven't had the time or found a good place until now."

"And now that you have a place, you're sick," Maggie stated.

"I didn't want to worry you or Morgan or anyone else," Beth said. "Neither did Daryl, so I guess he must have told Rick to try and keep quiet about it."

"But what's wrong with you? You sound pretty good now, but I don't know how you were earlier," Maggie said.

"I wasn't good," Beth confessed. "I kind of passed out, but I'm better now. I really am so you shouldn't worry. We'll probably just stay here for one more day and then we'll head out on the road again."

"You fainted?" Maggie gasped. "Beth, how am I supposed to not worry about you?"

"Because I'm doing better, Maggie," Beth repeated. "I must have caught a cold or something and that made me feel worse when my memories started coming back."

"It's happening again? Like it used to here on the farm?"

"Yeah," Beth drawled. "I… I remembered Mom."

Silence fell between them and Maggie didn't say anything for a moment. Beth had almost thought that she might have lost the signal, when Maggie spoke again. "You remembered Annette?"

"Just small things." Beth didn't want to worry Maggie or make her upset by telling her that she had remembered her re-animated mother trying to eat her. "Her brushing my hair, singin' and talkin' to me. It felt good to remember, but it made me a little sad too. I don't know why so many memories are coming in like this all of the sudden, but I guess it was bound to happen some time."

"I guess so," Maggie agreed. "I'm happy that you remembered some good things and I'm glad that your feelin' better."

Beth turned toward her head in the direction of the door when she heard it open and met Daryl's eyes. He looked at her and offered her a short nod, as if asking whether she was okay. She nodded back at him before turning her attention back to the radio-phone.

"Daryl's back now and we're gonna eat somethin' before headin' to bed," she said. "I'm really happy I got to hear your voice. I miss you."

"I miss you too, Bethy. And so does everybody else," Maggie said, sounding like she was ready to cry at any moment. "Sorry, it's just the hormones, I think," she sniffed and Beth almost immediately felt tears stinging in her own eyes. She really missed them; all of them.

"We're gonna be back before you know it," Beth said, letting out a small laugh. "Tell everyone that Daryl and I said that we miss them and hug Morgan for me, will you? Oh, and give Judith a kiss on the cheek."

Maggie laughed, "Anythin' else, Ms. Beth?"

Beth smiled, "I love you."

"I love you too, Beth."

-§-

Beth watched as Daryl moved around the cabin, picking up things as he went, putting away the rag he had been using to get her fever down as well as some other things. She observed him quietly, knowing deep inside that he was still worried about her, even though she was doing better. Her fever had gone down and she was no longer suffering from her headaches. The talk she had had with Maggie had eased her mind little because even though she had told herself that she wasn't worrying, she knew that she was. She missed Maggie, Morgan and everyone else in their family. Despite the fact that she and Daryl had only been on the road for two weeks, she felt as if so much time had passed. They were getting closer to North Carolina now and Beth wondered just how much longer they would keep going. Daryl had already spoken his mind about going back if she wasn't feeling any better, but now that she was, there was no reason for them to head back earlier.

After about half an hour, Beth was getting tired of her own thoughts and speculations. Daryl was pulling off his boots, getting ready for bed, so she knew that they would probably talk about it anyway. For the first time in what felt like days, she was finally able to relax, not feeling like she would throw up at any moment, or fall over due to her dizziness.

"Y' Okay?" Daryl asked when he finally settled in the bed next to her. Beth scooted herself a little closer to him and laid her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her body, just holding her.

"Yeah, I'm better," she replied quietly.

"Been thinkin' 'bout what I said earlier today," he told her. "'Bout leavin' and goin' back to the farm."

"I was just thinkin' about the same thing," Beth said, twisting around so that she could look at him more properly. "I'm better. You said that if I didn't get any better, we'd go back. But I'm good now."

"You're better," he emphasized. "Ya ain't gonna be good until your brain stops doin' what it's doin'."

"It's not like I can just tell it to stop, Daryl," she sighed.

"I know." He brushed the scar on her cheek with his thumb, looking into her eyes. "Wish I hadn't forced ya to keep goin' like that. Wish I hadn't pushed ya so far."

"Daryl," Beth said, lifting her hand to his cheek. "It isn't your fault."

"'S my job to take care of ya," he protested.

"It's our job to take care of each other," Beth corrected him. "I could have told you that I wasn't feelin' good. I could have been more clear about it instead of stayin' quiet. You didn't know how bad it was because I didn't say anythin'."

"We need to talk more then," he told her. "I know we ain't had any problems with communicatin', but we gotta to more of it. Can't keep me in the dark 'bout how ya feel an' I can't keep assumin' things before I ask ya 'bout them."

"Okay," Beth agreed, resting her head back on his chest. "Aren't you afraid that I'll pass this bug off to you?" she asked then, curious to hear what he had to say. A part of her had been wondering it all day long because they both knew that this wasn't just her brain, but probably some kind of twenty-four-hour flu as well.

"I ain't afraid of nothin', lil' Bird," he smirked, kissing the top of her head. "'Cept losin' you."

"You're not gonna lose me ever again," she said confidently, turning her head just slightly so that she could brush her lips against his chest, right on the place that she knew his lowercase 'b' tattoo was.

They laid in silence for another moment, Daryl playing with her fingers as they enjoyed the quiet. Beth couldn't help but wonder when they would be heading back out on the road, though, she knew that there wasn't a reason for them to stay longer than a day or two. She had been resting all day long and Daryl hadn't allowed her to step out of bed for another reason than to use the bathroom. Even then, he walked her there and back and stayed close enough in case she would need his help. He had been so sweet to her, taking care of her and bringing her anything she needed. Beth loved him more than anything because of that and she knew that no matter how many times she said it to him, she would never really be able to convey how much she really meant it. Words and actions would never be enough to show him how she felt about him. He had become a part of her that she didn't think she would function without. The knowledge that he was with her and that he was alive and safe was what kept her going.

She remembered that time after the group of men had attacked them at the farm. She remembered her fear when she had seen him being beaten down and she had been tied up, unable to do anything. The satisfaction that she had gotten later from killing the men responsible was something she would never forget either, nor would she forget the moments that had followed when she had patched him up after he had taken care of her wounds first. Back then, she hadn't understood why he kept pushing her away, but after months of being together and developing feelings that she knew he must have had even back then, Beth understood it better. She didn't share everything with Daryl regarding her memories because she didn't want to worry him too much. They had been coming back more and more and a part of her was scared for what might be the reason behind her brain finally letting things go like it was. Maybe it was because enough time had passed so that her mind had finally gotten a hold of things?

"I remembered something else," Beth quietly whispered.

Daryl tensed slightly under her, but soon enough, he began rubbing her back slightly. "Yeah? Wanna talk 'bout it?"

"I remembered you," she told him. "Seeing you driving your motorcycle up to the farmhouse. The first time I saw you."

"Was it from this time around, when we all found you an' Morgan, or the first time?" he asked.

"First."

"Hm… I remember that day too," he said. "Carl had been shot accidentally an' Rick ended up takin' him back to your dad's place. Maggie rode a horse out to get Lori – Carl's mom – an' I hated that Lori just got on that damn horse with a complete stranger."

"What happened next?" Beth wondered. She always loved it when he told her something from their past as if he was telling her a story.

"Lori left with Maggie and the rest of our group circled back an' went to your farm," he said. "You were workin' outside when I pulled up with my bike. It was the first time I saw ya."

"And what did you think about me, back then?" Beth asked. "When your first saw me."

"Didn't think much, to be honest," he shared. "Ya have to understand that I was a different person back then. I was so angry 'bout everythin' an' I was lookin' for Carol's lil' girl in the woods. Didn't have any time to stop."

"That makes sense," Beth nodded against his chest.

"Hey," he lifted her head with two fingers under her chin. "You're not mad, are ya?"

Beth smiled, lifting herself up enough to press a kiss against his cheek. "Why would I be, Daryl? You said it yourself, there was so much goin' on back then that there wasn't any time to take a breather."

"Okay," he said, his own lips twitching into a half-smile.

"It makes me kinda curious though," Beth grinned. "When did you first notice me?"

"Really wanna know?" Daryl asked, quirking his eyebrow at her.

"Well, you already told me about the funeral home so unless you have somethin' to add…?" Beth trailed off, letting the question hang between them.

"The funeral home was me realizin' that I couldn't be without ya," Daryl said. "First time I actually felt somethin' for ya other than obligation to protect ya because y'were a part of my group, was before that… Longer than I'd actually be okay with admittin'."

"You can tell me about it, but only if you want," Beth said, her curiosity piqued.

"It was back at the prison," he said. "You were younger… Made myself feel kinda sick when I first realized that I was thinkin' 'bout ya. You're still young."

"I thought we agreed that age doesn't matter any more?" Beth frowned at him. "You know that it doesn't."

"Know that now, yeah. Back then, it was a different story, 'cause I still hadn't spent real time with ya to know what ya were like. I still didn't know ya the way that I got to know ya later," Daryl explained it. "Back then, I thought of ya as nothin' other than another family member to protect, so the fact that I even started thinkin' about ya differently, that was what made me feel like shit."

"So when was it? What happened?" Beth wondered.

"It was after my brother died," Daryl shared. "I was angry an' grievin'. Couldn't sleep an' then I heard ya singin' to Lil' Asskicker."

"This was back at the prison?" Beth filled in.

Daryl nodded, "Yeah. I heard ya singin' an' I looked down at ya where ya were carryin' the lil' girl around. Ya looked so mature then, like a real mother an' even since I'd heard ya singin' the first time, I kept bein' drawn to ya whenever ya did it again."

Beth watched his face as he lost himself to the memory for a moment. She knew that if she closed her eyes, she would be able to remember some of the times when she had been woken up due to Judith crying when they had been living in the prison. That was a part of her old life that she had been getting' back more and more from, but still, some details weren't there, almost as if they had been erased completely, but she knew that they were missing. It was just like the memory that had returned to her the day before, with her mother and Maggie talking in the kitchen. She knew that Maggie was there, even though she hadn't been able to see her in the room. It was clear that a part of that particular memory was gone or simply hadn't returned completely yet and it was the same thing with the prison.

"So you thought I looked like a mom and you got the hots for me there," Beth stated jokingly. She laughed when Daryl shook his head at her.

"Nah," he drawled. "I just remember thinking that ya looked beautiful. Think the moon was shinin' in through the bars an' everythin'."

"Must have been destiny," she teased him again, giggling when he tickled her side a little. Daryl chuckled lowly before they settled again and Beth splayed her hand on his chest, over his heart again. "You thought I was beautiful," she repeated his words and she loved it when she saw his cheeks darken slightly.

"Still do," he reminded her. "It was just that back then, when I first thought it, it came outta nowhere. I was angry about losing Merle an' when I heard ya singin' like an angel or somethin', I looked down and saw ya there. Ya didn't even know I was awake an listenin'. Felt like a creep, but I couldn't bring myself to ignore ya when ya sang."

Beth nodded against him and closed her eyes, breathing in his scent. "Thank you for telling me," she said. "And just so you know, you weren't a creep back then and you aren't one now either. I love you."

His grip on her tightened a little and he buried his nose in her hair once again before pressing hos lips to the top of her head, giving her a soft kiss there. "I love ya, lil' Bird. More than ya know," he whispered back, just before Beth felt exhaustion and sleep, finally taking over.


Note: Thank you so much for reading! It has been a wonderful year despite everything and I can only hope that 2016 brings us all more joy! To make things a little interesting, I'm gonna say that chapter 6 (the next one) is one of my absolute favorites in this story! I have approximately two more scenes to write in that one, which means that it might be out sooner than you think! ;)

I am a little curious though: Which chapter so far has been YOUR favorite? Of this story and then of course of Blink? And to those of you who shared their interest in the new story I'm working on: I'm hoping to get a few more chapters finished before I start posting! Good news: Beth is badass as always BUT she'll be a little more difficult when it comes to coming around to Team Family than she was in this universe. Also, no memory loss!

Once again, thank you so much for a wonderful year and I hope you have a great time celebrating New Years and also that the next year will be filled with amazing moments for you all! :) Much love! xx