Disclaimer: A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.

This has NOT been edited! For those of you living in Texas, all those bad storms with the hail and the tornado warnings you're hearing about for the DFW area...yeah...I'm right in the middle of that! -_- I wanted to go ahead and get this posted in case I lost electricity or have to run for cover! I hope the rest of you guys stay safe! Those not having storms...you lucky ducks...stay safe anyway! XOXO

A/N: To any of my new readers, I have my twitter and tumblr info posted on my profile! Feel free to add me! I love hearing from my readers and have had some great conversations with several of you!

…

Beth jerked awake from where she lay; the demons in her dreams chasing her into consciousness, breathing heavy and disoriented. She immediately reached for the knife that she hid under whatever she used for a pillow while she slept, only to find it missing. Realizing she was in a bed, rather than outside in the woods, her mind slowly became lucid. It was a few seconds later that a familiar scent hit her just as the door to the room burst open.

"Beth?" His voice was rough from sleep.

Taking a deep breath and clenching her shaky hands, Beth turned around to face the doorway.

"Yeah," she tried to force a smile, "Sorry. Didn't mean to wake ya'."

"S'okay," Daryl replied, moving into the room and shutting the door behind him, "You alright?"

Beth slid her legs out from under the covers and braced her elbows on her knees. Wiping the unshed tears from her eyes, she ran her hands through her tousled hair in search of the elastic band that had once tied her blonde strands out of her face while she slept, and took another shaky breath. The bed dipped beside her and she could feel the warmth radiating from Daryl's body. It was only then that she realized he was clad in only a pair of tattered jeans, hanging loosely around his hips, completely shirtless.

"You wanna' talk about it?" Daryl asked beside her.

Biting her bottom lip, not trusting her voice, she shook her head.

They sat in silence and Beth tried to calm her racing heart. She'd had yet another nightmare filled with the dead and those that walked among them. However, this dream had been different than the others. Instead of Morgan being the one she was trying to save…it had been Daryl. She'd been tied to a pole and forced to watch as they slowly peeled the skin from his bones. His screams had been so real. Just when she thought the nightmare couldn't get any worse; she had been forced to stare into Daryl's face worn by one of them. Instead of the sharp, blue eyes she had become accustom to, dull brown stared back at her. She had screamed so hysterically, that it had brought her into wakefulness and her throat felt raw from exertion.

A gentle pressure against her back reminded her that it had only been a dream.

"You're really that afraid of 'em, huh?" Daryl inquired, rubbing soothing circles against her back.

Beth clenched her jaw tightly, but didn't reply.

"Morgan said…" Daryl hesitated, "he said you felt like we were underestimatin' them."

"Because you are," Beth muttered.

"We're not," Daryl countered, "We've got four men patrollin' each side of tha' wall at all times. We've got riders on call, ready to get out there an' lead a herd away as soon as needed, and Eugene's team is workin' on making extra ammunition. I personally saw t'that because I know we'll need all tha' bullets we can get."

Beth stared into his eyes for the first time since he'd entered the room.

"Morgan's supposed t'fill you in on all this when you go visit him," Daryl murmured as the weight of his hand felt heavier on her back.

"You talked t'Morgan last night?" Beth questioned, "With Rick?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "Morgan told us what happened with The Whisperers. About when he was out and you guys were holed up in that building?"

"He told you what he thinks happened," Beth replied sourly.

She could feel Daryl's eyes on her and knew she had backed herself into a corner.

"Then what really happened?" Daryl asked in genuine concern.

Beth opened her mouth as if to speak, but decided against it and tightly pressed her lips back together. Voicing what had happened would require her to relive the experience and that just wasn't something she wanted to do. What she had witnessed…what she had done…it had left invisible scars across her heart.

"Nothin'," she whispered.

"Bullshit," Daryl scoffed, "How'd you know you killed tha' leader's brother?"

"Does it matter?" Beth sighed resignedly.

"Those fuckers are after you," Daryl hissed, "You're damn right it matters."

Gritting her teeth together, she could feel her resolve beginning to crumble.

"What happened?" Daryl asked softly.

Beth exhaled through her nose and closed her eyes.

"Beth," he urged, resting his hand firmly against her back, "Talk t'me. I can't protect you if I don't know everything."

"I never asked for yours or anyone else's protection," Beth glared up at him.

"Well you got it all the same," he argued haughtily, "so tell me what happened."

She was well aware that Daryl wasn't the type that liked to tiptoe around a subject. He was straightforward and honest. Those were both qualities she appreciated and thus felt he deserved the same from her, even if doing so made her relive a painful experience that painted her in a different light from the Beth he remembered.

"You asked me, when I first got here, how many people I'd killed," Beth stated.

Daryl nodded and waited for her to explain.

"I said three," she repeated the answer she'd given him nearly two months ago.

"Yeah?" Daryl inquired skeptically.

"I don't consider those monsters t'be people anymore," she elaborated.

The look of understanding in Daryl's eyes gave her the courage she needed to share what she considered to be her darkest secret.

"I killed the leader's brother," Beth began, "Not because I had to, but because I wanted to."

Daryl remained silent beside her.

"I'd managed t'drag Morgan into an old apartment buildin' outside of town. He'd been fadin' in and out of consciousness and I knew tha' best thing for him was just t'get some rest. I situated him in room while I kept watch in another so I could keep an eye on tha' woods. I'd rigged tha' way up to the second floor with traps, just like Morgan had taught me, and then stitched up his wound. It was quiet for 'ah few weeks. No movement in the woods, just an occasional walker or two roamin' down tha' street, but nothin' like what we'd come across in Port Royal. I'd try to sleep durin' the day for a few hours, knowin' that if anything was gonna' happen, it would be at night. One evenin', while I was keepin' watch, I guess I dozed off or somethin'," Beth stared down at her hands, fumbling with her elastic hair band, "That's when the first trip wire went off. I have no idea how long I'd been asleep, but when I looked out the window they were everywhere."

"The Whisperers?" Daryl inquired.

"Walkers. I dunno' how many were really people or if they were all corpses. It's impossible t'tell until they actually do something," Beth clarified, "I remember stumblin' around, trying t'get my body to move. I was so tired and I just couldn't get my body to cooperate with what I wanted it to do. My…injury had been really affectin' me since everything had happened on that bridge. As soon I was out in tha' hallway, I rushed over t'Morgan's room, and that's when I realized…"

"Realized what?" Daryl leaned in closer.

"Morgan wasn't alone," Beth said through clenched teeth, "All of my traps had been triggered, killin' a couple of 'em, but they'd still been able t'get into his room. There was 'ah man standing in the doorway, blocking me from bein' able to get into tha' room, but I could still see inside. Approachin' Morgan's bed, with a knife in their hand, was 'ah child. Both of their faces were covered, but I could tell that the one in tha' room was younger than me…a lot younger than me."

Squeezing her eyes shut, trying to block out the mental images replaying in her mind as she told her story, she abruptly felt as if the walls were closing in around her. Pushing herself off the bed, she hurried to the window and opened the curtains, relishing in the warmth as morning rays of the sun danced across her skin.

"They noticed me and the man jus' turned around and stared at me. His eyes looked… wild. Not human. He didn't even seem fazed that I had my rifle pointed at him, but I could see how terrified the smaller one was. He was whispering over his shoulder t'the child to 'rip out his heart.' That's when I started begging," she clenched her hands around the windowsill as she continued, "I knew if Morgan woke up, that they'd kill him. I had t'get them away from him. I told them that he was all I had in this world, that he was the closest thing I had to family, and that if they killed Morgan, neither one of them were leavin' that room alive."

She could hear Daryl move from the bed to stand next to her, silently gazing out the window, watching as the people across the street began starting their day.

"Turns out the older man was tha' child's father. She was just as scared as I was an' didn't want to lose one of the only family members she had left. I told her that if they didn't kill Morgan…if they just left, I would spare them," Beth's voice softened to barely above a whisper, "She put her knife away and started walkin' back toward tha' hallway. She wasn't 'ah killer. She was just 'ah kid. I was so relieved when she reached her dad. I thought we'd all go our separate ways and no one would have t'get hurt."

After several moments of reticence, Daryl asked, "What happened?"

"Her father, the one person in this entire, screwed up world who was supposed t'protect her," the disgust in her voice increased with every word she spoke, "That bastard killed her. He moved aside t'let her out of the room, grabbed the back of the mask she was wearin' , and slit her throat without 'ah moment's hesitation. Then he jus'…threw her across the hall like she was trash. I screamed at him, asking him how he could do somethin' like that to his own daughter, and do you know what he told me?"

Daryl's brows her furrowed and his stare bore into her as he shook his head.

"He told me she was 'weak' and that they 'didn't have room for her kind in their family,'" Beth spat, "He said that his sister was the leader, the Alpha, and that it was their responsibly to weed out the 'unworthy' livin' among them.'"

"Jesus…" Daryl rasped unsteadily.

"I must have woken Morgan up with all my yellin' because I caught a glimpse of him sittin' up in tha' bed. While I was distracted, the Whisperer shoved me aside, and ran. I managed to recover quick enough t'fire my rifle, catchin' him in the leg, but it didn't stop him," Beth felt numb as she continued with her story, "The girl was still alive when I got t'her. He didn't cut deep enough t'kill her. She was jus' laying there, on tha' floor, struggling t'breath and there was nothin' I could do to save her."

"Did you…," he didn't need to finish his sentence for her to know what he was asking.

"She tried sayin' something, but there was so much blood. I tried t'listen, but the more she talked the more gurgled her words became. All I could do was tell her I was sorry," she laughed mirthlessly, "I don't even really know why I was apologizin' to her. I hadn't done anythin' to her, I'd tried t'get them to leave without havin' to kill them. I gave them an out! They were just supposed t'leave and everything would've been fine."

"That ain't your fault Beth," Daryl's even voice soothed the wounds she had reopened.

"She was so young, she'd been betrayed by the only person she should've been able t'trust, and all I could do was say 'sorry,' before I put a bullet between her eyes," Beth bit out brokenly, "Morgan was in the hallway a second later askin' what was goin' on. I gave him the rifle and told him t'stay in the building. I don't remember much after that. I was just so…angry. My body was movin' on its own and everything was red. It was like the world had been doused with blood. The first clear memory I have after that is followin' the trail of blood he'd left behind. He'd tried to hide himself in a group of walkers, but I knew he was there. I killed all tha' walkers and saved him for last."

She felt Daryl's hand cup her elbow, giving her silent encouragement, and she turned towards him.

"He'd lost quite a bit of blood, but he was still so strong," Beth scowled up at him, "I got 'ah couple of good slices in before he knocked my knife out of my hands. I kicked him in the groin, like Morgan had shown me, and he dropped to his knees. I didn't even bother lookin' for my knife. I jus' shoved him down and…"

She paused, unsure if what she was about to tell him would destroy the only 'relationship' she had with anyone besides Morgan. Not even her father-figure knew the truth about what had happened that night, and here she was, opening herself up to Daryl. It was then that she realized how much she'd come to trust the man standing in front of her.

"I took 'ah rock and bashed his head in," she confessed coldly.

His grip on her elbow tightened, but his expression remained the same. He wasn't judging her, wasn't disappointed, he was just listening to everything she had to say.

"I saw others in the woods. I was ready to kill each and every one of them, but they kept their distance," she informed him bitterly, "I can't imagine what I must've looked like; completely covered in blood, brains, and walker guts. I thought Morgan was gonna' have 'ah heart attack when he saw me, but he didn't. He was so calm. He must've known somethin' horrible had happened because all he wanted was t'know was if I was okay. He didn't start askin' about what had happened until after we'd left tha' building later that night."

"Why haven't you told 'em?" Daryl inquired.

"At first, I wanted t'forget the entire thing had ever happened," she sighed heavily, "Eventually he stopped askin' and we just never talked about it."

She stood before him, waiting for his response, and each moment that passed felt like hours.

"I get it," Daryl finally replied, removing his hold on her elbow and stepping away.

"You do?" She couldn't help the skepticism in her voice.

"Once," Daryl nodded, "Out of anger, grief, whatever tha' hell you wanna' call it."

"What d'you mean?" Beth asked curiously.

"Back at Grady, when we found you, there was this cop," Daryl turned towards the window, "She's tha' one that shot you."

"You killed her," she acknowledged.

"Yeah," his tone dropped several octaves, "I did."

Silence resumed and Beth couldn't help but appreciate the dismal tension between them. She wasn't happy that Daryl had killed someone in the same sort of blind rage she had, but it was something they both shared. There was a difference between killing someone in self-defense and killing someone because they had done something so foul that they no longer deserved the life they lived. With this knowledge, Beth felt like they had breached the barriers she had so carefully placed, and was heartened by that fact that there was at least one person who understood her. With their shared experience she felt a sort of kinship with Daryl that was completely different from how she felt about Morgan.

"I don't know what you're supposed to say in this sorta' situation," Beth confessed blithely, "Thanks for avengin' me I guess?"

Daryl slanted his eyes towards her and snorted, "I guess."

Feeling a huge weight lift from her shoulders when he smirked at her, Beth couldn't help but smile. She'd been carrying around this dark memory for so long, never talking about it to anyone, and finally having revealed everything was tremendously liberating.

"So those bastards not only saw you kill the brother, but I'm guessin' they think you killed his kid too," Daryl stated, regaining her attention as he crossing his arms over his chest.

Beth's eyes were drawn to the movement and realizing he was still without a shirt, she quickly averted her gaze and cleared her throat, "Uh, yeah."

He must have noticed her awkwardness because after a few moments he moved from his position beside her to his dresser across the room. When he returned, Beth saw him buttoning up one of his flannel shirts out of the corner of her eye.

"S'plains why they're so determined," Daryl muttered as he fastened the last button of his shirt.

"You're gonna' make me tell everyone, aren't you?" She questioned dejectedly.

"Do you want anyone else t'know?" He asked while turning towards her and leaning against the wall.

"No," Beth answered immediately.

"Then we'll keep this between us," he replied coolly.

"Really?" Her gaze met his in surprise.

"You trust me?" He pushed of the wall to stand straight.

There was something in his voice that told Beth there was an underlying meaning to his question. She didn't trust easily. How could she? But there had been something different about Daryl from the start. They had this sort of bond that even though she didn't understand what it meant, it was impossible to ignore. Beth knew that if she and Morgan were ever going to be rid of The Whisperers, she was needed to have faith in Daryl and the people of Alexandria. She was going to have to believe that they would be capable of keeping everyone safe. In order to do that, she was going to have to trust them.

Tilting her head and giving a genuine smile, she replied, "Yeah…I do."

"Good," his voice rough, "That's good."

Her smile still lingering, and reveling in the euphoria of having shared her secret, Beth acted on instinct. Taking a step closer, waiting for Daryl to give any indication he was uncomfortable with their proximity, she tentatively reached her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek into his chest. His hands hovered at her sides as he fumbled to return the gesture.

"Thank you," she murmured softly, inhaling the scent she had begun associating with safety.

His arms slid around her waist, tugging her closer, "Anytime," he whispered into her ear.

Pulling back, sliding her hands to rest his hips, she felt a change in the atmosphere of the room. The air had become dense, hindering her ability to breath, and the light that had barely filled the room only moments before seemed to illuminate everything in a rosy hue. He was staring down at her so intensely that she had to force herself to keep from fidgeting. The same fluttery sensation returned in her stomach and she was sure he would be able feel the perspiration of her hands through his shirt.

"I…uh," she mumbled trying to form a coherent sentence, "Morgan…I should go see Morgan.

He drew his brows together, swallowed audibly, and as soon as he looked away the spell was broken.

"Yeah," Daryl agreed, "He'll be expectin' you."

"Yeah," she echoed and released her hold on him, "Um, thank you. For lettin' me stay here and everything."

"Didn't give me much choice," she could hear the teasing tone in his voice.

"I'll take tha' couch next time," she laughed and realized what she'd just said, "I mean, if I ever fall asleep…here…by accident."

"Its fine," Daryl smirked.

Annoyed with herself for getting so flustered, she pointed towards the door, "I'm jus' gonna' go now."

Daryl nodded, smirk still firmly in place, and she could feel him behind her as he followed her out of the room. She grabbed her things off of his coffee table and when she reached the front door, she turned back to him, giving him another smile.

"Thanks again," she tried to convey her sincerity, "For everything."

"S'nothin'," he shrugged.

Neither spoke as they stared at one another and Beth pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Well," she glanced towards the direction of the med bay, "I'll be seein' you."

She strode down the stairs of his porch and stopped when he called to her as her feet touched the ground.

"Hey Beth?" He inquired while stepping onto the porch.

"Yeah?" She looked over her shoulder at him.

"When I talked t'Eugene the other day, he said they'd gotten the electricity hooked back up at your place," he informed her, "So you won't be in tha' dark anymore."

"Oh, okay," she replied, "Thanks."

She gave him a quick smile and turned to leave.

"You can stay here," his voice called out to her once more, "If ya' want."

The furrow of her brows must have expressed her confusion.

"Morgan's gonna' be in tha' med bay for a lil' while," he continued, "So if you don't wanna' stay up there or be at your place by yourself, you can stay here."

"You don't mind?" She felt the need to ask.

"Nah," Daryl shook his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "I got plenty 'ah room."

Her gaze jumped from Daryl, to his open doorway, and back to him again, "I just might take you up on that then."

He smirked and she gave him a small wave as she exited through the gate of his front yard.

Last night had been the first night she'd actually been able sleep more than a few hours since they'd returned from their encounter in the woods and she'd be lying if she said the idea of sleeping on the flattened mattress or in the plastic chair of the med bay sounded appealing. Regardless, there was no way she was going to go back to their 'residence' and staying by herself. Not now. Not with them waiting for her and Morgan just outside of the walls.

As she walked down the cracked street, she decided that if Daryl was offering, she would in fact take him up on his proposition. Being around him gave her an odd sense of comfort and right now, that was exactly what she needed.

…

Daryl glanced at the clock ticking loudly on the wall. It was a quarter past five and he needed to get dressed for his shift at the front gate. Throwing the tattered blanket he'd been using the past week, he sat up and stretched his back. Beth had taken him up on his offer and he had insisted that she sleep in his bed, knowing it was far more comfortable than his couch.

It had taken a few days, but they'd finally begun settle into a sort of rhythm. When he had an evening shift at the wall, he would return home to find her in the middle of making them dinner. They'd clean up together, talk briefly about their day, and then he would crash on his couch while she retired to his bed. On the days he didn't have patrol, Daryl would woke up before her, getting an early start to his day. He'd begin making them eggs for breakfast and Beth would join him soon after, never being able to sleep through the sounds of him moving around in the kitchen no matter how quiet he tried to be. She'd sit on one of the barstools and keep him company making small talk until the food was ready. After they'd both eaten, she'd go to the med bay to visit with Morgan, while he would either go to the wall to check on things with Dwight or over to Rick's office to see if there was any news from the other communities. Things had been quiet since Beth and Morgan's run in with The Whisperers out on patrol and still having no word from The Kingdom, Daryl was more than ready to go pay Ezekiel's kingdom a visit.

Tugging on his boots, he stood and glanced around the room for the shirt he'd left discarded on the floor. Picking up the thin material and paused as he began pulling it over his head. He'd already worn the article of clothing for the past two days and it didn't smell as…pleasant as it had when he'd first taken it out of his drawer. Sighing, he made his way across the living room, tossed the shirt into the bathroom, and gently twisted the doorknob to his bedroom. Today was the first day he'd had an early shift since Beth had been staying with him and the thought of getting a change of clothes out ahead of time had never even occurred to him.

When he opened the door, he could faintly make out of the silhouette of Beth, sound asleep in his bed. Her nightmares had seemed to pass, allowing her to sleep through the night, but he didn't want to wake her if he could avoid doing so. Grateful for all the years he'd spent learning how to move silently, he slipped into his room and crept over to his dresser. Opening the drawer slowly, as not to make any noise, he grabbed whichever shirt was lying on top of the stack and shut the drawer. He then stepped lightly across the room towards his door. Just as he was about to be in the clear, a board creaked beneath him as he applied pressure to the floor with his boot. His head whipped towards Beth, but when she didn't stir, he exhaled slowly and lifted his foot to take another step.

"Daryl?" A soft voice rang through the room

Shit.

"Yeah," he whispered, "It's me."

"Everything okay?" He could see her sitting up in the bed, rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah," he shifted toward her, "Jus' needed 'ah shirt."

"Oh," she hummed sleepily, "What time is it?"

Walking towards the bed, he slipped his shirt over his head, "Early. 'Round five-thirty."

His eyes adjusting to the dark, he was able to see her nod a reply.

"You should go back t'sleep," he suggested, "I'll stop by tha' bakery and bring ya' some breakfast when I finish on tha' wall."

"'Kay," she murmured, lying back down and pulling his covers tightly around her.

He took a moment to absorb the surreal scene before him. Beth seemed to have gotten over any of the awkwardness she had initially felt staying with him. They'd shared plenty of conversations since she'd told him about what had really happened at that apartment building in Fredericksburg, but there something about early morning conversations with Beth, when she wasn't fully awake, that he had grown fond of. She'd been smiling more, talking more, and the more time they spent together, the more he was able to see snippets of the Beth he'd known before in addition to getting to know the 'new' Beth.

Letting his eyes linger on her a moment long, he turned and quietly left the room, shutting the door behind him. Grabbing his crossbow off the floor beside the couch, he exited his residence and began walking down the dirt road that led from his house to the front gates. Once his shift was over, he'd stop by Rick's office to discuss his trip to The Kingdom, and then go by the bakery to grab the breakfast he'd promised her. Having Beth at his house, waiting for him, was a feeling he still wasn't completely used to. He'd catch himself wanting time to move faster, or trying to finish his tasks quicker, so that he could get back to her. He didn't want to think about how empty his place would feel once Morgan was able to leave the hospital and Beth would return to staying with him, but he knew it was inevitable.

Even though Daryl generally wasn't a selfish person, always feeling the need to put others before himself, it was hard not to be selfish when it came to Beth. She was important to him and there weren't many people left in the world that he allowed himself to cherish. Now that he'd had a taste of what it was like living with Beth, he didn't want it to ever end. For now, he'd just enjoy the time he'd have her all to himself and deal with her leaving when it actually happened. Pushing those thoughts aside, there was one notion that seemed to stick with him.

Living with Beth was the first time his house had ever truly felt like home.

...

A/N: I'm not gonna' lie...this chapter gave me a fit! It took me 3 or 4 days just to get through the back story segment. I kept having to go back and review my notes to make sure all the little breadcrumbs I've dropped corroborated with the back story. I needed to get that information out there, so that it would be explained why The Whisperers were so determined to get Beth and Morgan, but I really wanted to stop and trash the whole chapter I don't know how many times. I finally wrote a version I was happy with and was able to move on, but this chapter was tough! It got very dark, even with how vague I kept the apartment scene, so I felt ending it with Daryl's scene would leave you guys with a better taste in your mouth. Beth has finally gotten over her trust issues and things with her and Daryl are starting to look up! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!