AN: STOP! PAUSE! DO NOT PASS GO!
This is chapter 12, I updated a couple days ago and took down the Author's note that I had put up, so it may appear that this is my first update in a while, but it is not! If you have not read actual chapter 11, turn back now!
Beth, Carl, and Judith slept soundly in the living room. The end credits rolled on the screen and when Daryl made his way into the dark house, he couldn't help the smile on his lips from seeing Beth. He touched her shoulder lightly and he blue eyes opened to meet his.
"Daryl!" she jumped up from the couch and wrapped him in a tight hug. Carl stretched out on the couch at that moment and there was no way that the young teen would be moving any time soon.
"'M back," he said. He felt so happy, just being able to see her. It was strange to him, but in the very best way possible.
"I'm so glad. Let me put Judith in her crib and then...you can sleep upstairs with me since Carl took over the couch," she smiled and he nodded slightly. She scooped up Judith and took her upstairs with Daryl behind her. Putting the child in the crib, she turned back to face Daryl once again. "I missed you, y'know."
"Mm hmm," that was his way of agreeing without saying it. "Was glad to be out there though," and he was, he needed to be away from Alexandria every once in a while.
"Well I'm glad that you're in here for now," she wrapped her arms around his neck and didn't hesitate to place a kiss on his lips.
"Me too," he wrapped his arms around her as well. He was getting used to being close to her, part of him, really liked when they stood close like this and embraced. The other part of him, the person he used to be, felt uncomfortable by being close to her. He hadn't really had a woman who he had true feelings for. You sound like you're in some damn chick flick, the voice in his head said. And he did, but he pushed it down and out of his head.
"Let's get some sleep though, it's late," Beth led the way to her room and she grabbed clothes from the dresser before heading off to the bathroom to change. When she came back, Daryl was toeing off his boots and sliding under the blankets. He had an expression his face that she could only read as uneasiness. She crawled under the covers with him and turned off the bedside lamp.
"There was a place out there, it was bad, Beth. Had ta have some bad people," Daryl started.
"Far from here?" she asked, scooting closer to him.
"Not far 'nough. They had traps set up with walkers ta trap whoever came in."
"How'd you get out?" she asked, now fully awake.
"Stupid luck. A guy who knew Rick from b'fore found us, helped us get out," he explained.
"I don't know what I would've done if you didn't come back," she said, tears beginning to fall from her cheeks on their own accord.
He fought with himself for a moment before pulling her into him. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she said. "You deserve someone much stronger than me," she felt so insecure at that moment.
"All I wan' is ya," the words left Daryl's mouth on their own accord. All he could think was how if Merle was here and had heard him say something like that and sincerely mean it, he wouldn't ever hear the end of it.
Beth sniffled a little and met Daryl's eyes. She could tell he was thinking, always thinking. That was what he did. "I love you," the words fell from her lips silently as she placed a quick kiss to his lips. "You don't have to say anything back, I just...I wanted you to know," she rested her head on his chest and his grip tightened a little bit on her and she fell peacefully asleep. But he didn't Daryl didn't know if he would get any sleep tonight.
As he lay, cuddled close to Beth, he couldn't think of anything other than the words she had said to him. She loved him. How? How could she love him? Especially in that way. He didn't feel like he deserved her. The two were so different from one another and she was good. Everything about her was good.
The more he thought about it, the more he knew that he felt similar feelings for her though. How he felt when he was gone, worrying about her, he knew that it had to be some sort of love. He hated this damn chick flick moments. That was not who Daryl Dixon was. He was not the male lead of some chick flick. He was a crossbow wielding, motorcycle riding, redneck, badass. Not a Ryan Gosling wanna be.
Despite all of that, his gruff voice created sound in the silence of the room. "I love ya." He knew that she couldn't hear him, but it meant just as much to him.
AN: I'm sorry it was short, I didn't have much inspiration for this chapter, but I knew that I should probably put an update out, so here it is.