Hi! fluff everywhere in this chapter! I don't know how that happened but I think it's good...! thanks to all of you that are reading and following the story ;)
Daryl opens his eyes, a ray of light is streaming through the window. He'd grunt and turn around, trying to buy some extra time, but he's not alone; the bed in his room isn't big but it's wide enough for him to share with Beth, her body pressed against his, head upon his chest, the closest thing to Sleeping Beauty that he's ever seen. Who in their right mind would complain about waking up like that? Her golden locks cover part of her face like a curtain, some of them cascading over Daryl's shoulder. He inhales her scent, like flowers and summer, the warmth irradiating against him is giving him this strange feeling that he can't recognize. Happiness? No, it would be stupid to think that, right? After all, he's never been happy for too long in the past, so why would this time be different? All he knows is whether he wants to admit it or not, Beth had gotten herself a permanent place in his wounded heart.
As he delicately removes her hair from her face, he takes in the two scars that accompany her since she got out of Grady. The cast on the wrist is gone but those two solitary red signs on the forehead and on the cheek remind her everyday of where she's been. Beth never talks about it, but Daryl knows that place has left her deeper wounds than those; that's why for the first time since they settled in the Alexandria houses, Beth has spent the night in his room.
He couldn't sleep so he'd decided to walk out and breathe some fresh air. On the porch, in the corner where he usually positioned, he had found Beth, sitting with her knees close to her chest. She looked shaken, the dark crescents under her eyes were a clear sign of that. When he'd asked her what was wrong she'd simply answered "nightmares". All of those bad dreams were Grady Memorial-themed and Noah's death had done nothing but make them worse. Daryl had put two and two together and gathered that it had happened before. Beth had been trying to be strong at all costs, even when it meant facing problems on her own. But since now Maggie knew about them, Daryl had invited Beth into his room. Now he's sure he's never slept so well in his whole life, not even before.
She begins stirring. As she yawns and slowly opens her eyelids, this crazy fear crosses his mind for a second: what if she comes to her senses and leaves? In other words, what if this is too good to be true?
He's just starting to stiffen when she tilts her head a little to make eye-contact with him. The smile that she gives him is brighter than the sun. While she was asleep he'd thought she was so beautiful but this, gleaming blue eyes, dimples forming at the corner of her mouth, is making his heart skip a beat. Not in a million years he would have imagined to experience such emotions. "Morning" she says, still a bit sleepy.
He menages to find his voice again and to offer a hint of a smile as well. "Good morning to you"
She shifts just enough to reach him and plant a light kiss on his cheek.
"So how did you sleep?" he asks, even though he can guess the answer judging on her expression.
"Good, actually. The best night of sleep that I've had since...well, a long time" she sounds pleasantly surprised by that, confirming Daryl's theory about the nightmares being more frequent than she lead on. "How about you? Did I bother you?"
"Are you kidding me?" it comes out before he can stop himself.
Beth snickers resting her chin on Daryl's chest, her fingers drawing circles on his muscular shoulder. "I'm glad."
Between the fact that she's so relaxed and that he's almost made it completely obvious that he'd had one of the best nights of his life, he nearly forgets the state that she was in when he'd found her. But he has to ask. "You know, if you have trouble sleeping you can always come here. I mean, if it makes you feel better". It sounds kind of uncertain but she'll know what he means. She always does.
But Beth gets defensive. "Yesterday was tough. You shouldn't have seen me like that."
"It's a good thing that I did, you were a mess."
"That's the problem. I should be stronger, I should get over it just like everybody else."
He looks at her solemnly. "Listen to me; you are strong. You survived on your own, you did what you had to do to give Noah his freedom and now you've made it here. If you don't believe that you're deserving then you don't have a clear image of yourself" she needs to hear it from him, she needs to know that he understands what's going on inside her head even if she won't speak of it.
She lowers her eyes but snuggles closer. "You really think that?"
"You were strong enough to save me. After the prison...I wasn't handling it well" it's not exactly easy to say the words out loud, but if that's what it takes then so be it.
She looks at him again as if to assess if he's telling the truth. "How did I save you?"
He leans closer to her ear. "You made me believe that there's actually some good left in this world. You are living proof." that's a lot coming from him, the man of few words.
She gets pensive for a minute but then she turns her head to kiss his lips. Whenever that happens Daryl is amazed of the electricity that runs through him, as if she's giving him all the energy he needs to live. It's grand and scary at the same time, 'cause right there and then he knows for sure that he wouldn't survive without her, not after they've come this far. They part and she looks convinced. They lie in bed some more before they have to get up and get dressed. Beth's headed to the school for her job while Daryl needs to stop by Aaron's house. "Why's that?" she asks honestly interested, stalling by the door.
"They still haven't given me a job. We'll talk about that". It pains him to hide stuff from her; Aaron had already asked him to go recruiting more people from outside, replacing his partner Erik. It could be dangerous but also something that Daryl is willing to do since he hasn't adjusted to the Alexandria lifestyle just yet. Given what just happened with Noah though, it wouldn't be a great idea to give the news to Beth so soon. He will, just not now. He cups her face with his hand and gives her a quick kiss before she sneaks out. People might not be blind to their relationship but advertising it isn't really his thing. Plus, people would get the wrong message if they caught her coming out of his room wearing only a large white t-shirt falling over her shoulder and gray leggings. One step at a time.