Time to move things along a little more, I am also bumping the rating up now, as you will discover why once you read the chapter. I'm not very happy with this chapter, but I needed to speed things up a little. I do hope you guys will leave reviews, tell me how you like it. Right now I'm a little stuck on exactly where I want this story to go, so who knows how long it will be before I have another chapter.
I own nothing, but happiness that I am done with school for the moment.
Chapter Seventeen
Daryl came into the kitchen, he'd been up early, finishing painting the baby's room. Beth was making eggs, her most recent craving. She had been eating eggs nonstop for the last two weeks, and Daryl was slightly worried she'd turn into one soon. She was wearing one of his t-shirts again, and he smirked. Beth had gotten a little bigger over the last two weeks, and many of her shirts and jeans didn't fit anymore. However, she wasn't ready to admit that she needed to start wearing some of her maternity clothes, so she would just steal his shirts, and wear sweats most of the time.
Noah had been here two weeks, and was quickly fitting it. It was obvious very quickly to them that he was a fighter, and very bright. Noah spent a lot of time with Glenn, the pair quickly striking up a friendship. The two had been coming up with new ideas for reinforcing the walls. Beth had spent some time with Noah, catching up on everything that had happened since they had last seen each other. Daryl hated to admit it, but he was a little jealous of how easily the two communicated at first. But then Daryl realized, he would never be able to fully understand what Beth went through in Grady. So, Daryl was happy that Beth had someone she could talk to about what she went through.
Beth and Noah were kinda like Daryl and Carol, each knowing the pain the other had been through. Sure, Carol didn't know about everything that had happened to Daryl, but she could figure out enough. Carol was more open with what happened with her and Ed, plus Daryl had seen some of it firsthand. But Daryl had never been open about his past with anyone, Beth still didn't know everythin' that had happened. Daryl knew one thing though, his child would never fear him the way he did his father, and Beth would never fear him the way Carol feared Ed.
Daryl finally walked over to Beth, wrapping his arms around her waist,
"Whatcha cookin' blondie?"
She nuzzled back into his chest a little,
"Eggs. It's all your little Archer Spawn wants to eat."
He smirked a little at that,
"Oh, so Arrow is just mine now?"
"Yes, I no longer lay any claim to bubba. I can no longer wear my normal clothes and I do not appreciate it."
Daryl sighed softly, he knew this would come eventually. Rick and Abraham had both warned him that at some point she would get sad, because she would be getting bigger. Honestly, Daryl wasn't expecting it this soon, her stomach was still nothing but a small swell. The bump only really showed through tighter shirts.
He pressed his nose into her neck for a moment before speaking,
"Well, I like ya much better in my shirts anyways."
She sighed at his response,
"Not the point Daryl."
He decided not to push her further, and went to the bathroom to wash the paint off his hands before breakfast.
When he came back out, Beth was already sitting at the table, digging into her eggs. Daryl quickly sat down next to her, and began to eat his own breakfast.
"When can I see Archer Spawn's room?"
He looked up at her, she looked excited about it, earlier conversation seemingly lost,
"Not till it's done…even then I don't want you in there for another week."
"What? I have to wait that long?" Beth asked, looking stunned.
"Yes."
"Why do I have to wait so long?" she asked him, slightly annoyed.
He simply rolled his eyes at her,
"Cause', paints got chemicals and shit in it that ya don't need to breathe in."
Beth huffed in annoyance,
"You air the room out every day. It should be fine the day after you finish."
Daryl fixed her with a serious look before replying,
"No. I don't want you in there till I think it's okay, I ain't takin' any chances."
She only glared at him, she was in no mood to be told what she could and couldn't do,
"I'm not waiting a week Daryl, I wanna see it the day after it's done."
Now he was getting angry, why couldn't she just trust him on this,
"I said no Beth! Why won't ya just trust me on this? I know what the hell I'm talkin' about."
"Cause you're being too cautious!" she practically yelled at him.
Daryl was done, he was not getting into this now with her,
"So what if I am? I'd rather be too cautious then some shit happen to you or the baby, but I guess you just don't care!"
He knew he'd gone too far as soon as he said it, but he was too angry to care at that point. He got up and slid his chair back roughly, dumping his dishes in the sink. Daryl stomped out the backdoor, slamming it on his way out.
Beth started crying as soon as the door bounced off the frame, what he said hurt, but she also knew she brought it on. She had been feeling so out of it lately, and just wanted something to cheer her up, but she had pushed him too far. Still, what he said was so uncalled for. She sat there crying for a little while, before getting up. Beth knew she needed to go find him, they needed to fix this, and the faster the better.
All Daryl wanted to do in that moment was punch someone, preferably himself. He knew she was crying when he left, making it impossible for him to be mad at her. But damn if she didn't push all the right buttons to piss him off. He needed to get his anger out somehow, so he went outside the wall, to deal with any walkers that had got caught in any of their protection systems.
He had stabbed ten walkers in the head, a little rougher than necessary, but he was trying to get out some of his frustration. Daryl suddenly heard a voice from behind him,
"What's got you all worked up Sunshine?"
He turned around to see Carol staring at him.
"Nothin'," he muttered back at her.
She chuckled slightly at that,
"Yeah right Daryl, like you always put down walkers with enough force to rip their heads off."
Daryl huffed out in aggravation, not in the mood for talking,
"Is there somethin' I can help you with?"
Carol could tell he wanted to be left alone, but she also knew Daryl had a tendency to run from his problems.
"Let me guess, fight with Beth?"
When he didn't say anything in response, Carol continued talking,
"Ah, what was it about? Or are you gonna make me guess?"
Daryl shook his head, knowing she wasn't gonna leave him be till he answered her,
"Apparently I'm too protective…and I said she didn't care about the baby."
Carol whistled at that, giving him a look that told him he had really gotten himself into it this time.
"Not the best choice of words there Sunshine."
"Ya think I don't fuckin' know that?" he growled at her.
"Exactly what prompted this statement?"
He just huffed, wanting this whole thing to go away,
"She wanted to look at the baby's room, and I told her no…she didn't like how long I wanted her to wait before her going in…don't need her breathin' in the paint fumes."
Carol nodded her head in understanding,
"and she told you that you were being too protective? Tryin' to control her?"
Daryl nodded his head,
"She just knows how to push all my damn buttons…I feel like I'm constantly walking on eggshells with her right now…every damn thing I says sets her off."
Carol looked at him with sympathy,
"Look Daryl, she's gonna be hormonal for a while, get used to it. Honestly just relax, a lot of things will blow over. However, you have to watch your temper. You can't say things like she doesn't care about the baby, that's just begging for you to get slapped. I know you both know exactly how to piss each other off, but storming off every time you get pissed isn't gonna fix anythin'. I know you wanna protect her, but try not to be so aggressive about it."
Daryl knew what Carol said was true, but it was taking everything he had already not to blow up more often. Why couldn't there be a book about how to handle a pregnant woman during the zombie apocalypse? Cause right now, it'd be pretty damn helpful.
"I know…I'm workin' on it. I'll go talk to her in a few minutes, after I finish out here."
Carol gave him a look of approval before walking back inside the walls.
He had a long way to go before he would ever be able to handle these kind of arguments right the first time around, but he was trying. He loves Beth with every bit of his heart, but the girl sure as hell knew how to test him.
Beth had spent fifteen minutes looking for Daryl, before she ran into Rosita, literally.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Rosita," Beth rushed out.
"It's fine Beth. Where are you rushing off to?" she asked Beth, looking concerned.
"I'm just tryin' to find Daryl," Beth barely got out, her voice was wavering.
Rosita could tell something was wrong, she guessed Beth and Daryl had another fight. Abraham had told her to expect a lot of them, he seemed to be able to understand how much Daryl was struggling with all this. Abraham had also explained that most of the fights would probably be about Daryl being too protective; she knew, hell, they all knew how protective he could be, especially when it came to Beth.
"Let me guess, y'all had another fight?"
Beth nodded her head, sniffling, trying her hardest not to start sobbing.
Rosita wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and led her to the front porch of her house.
"Daryl tryin' to be all protective again?"
Beth's head whipped up in shock,
"How…how'd you know that?"
Rosita smiled slightly,
"Lucky guess. What prompted Hawkeye to be so protective this time?"
Beth let out a shaky laugh at the nickname,
"I was being stubborn about wanting to see the baby's room, but he's all worried about the paint fumes hurtin' me…but then he said I didn't care about the baby."
Rosita wasn't too shocked about what he said, but she knew he didn't mean it.
"Well I know, and I'm pretty sure you know too that he didn't mean it."
Beth nodded,
"I know he didn't, but I just wish he wouldn't run out every time we argue…and I'm really freakin' tired of getting upset over every little thing!"
Rosita laughed a little at Beth's last statement,
"Believe me girl, you're not the only one to go through this. I've been around plenty of pregnant women throughout my life, and let me tell ya, I've seen some cry over sad dog commercials, and others cry over kids laughing. It's just part of the process, it gets better."
Beth looked relieved at the fact that she wasn't the only one to cry over dumb things,
"I hope so."
Rosita was glad Beth looked a little better,
"Now as for you and Daryl, you gotta try and be a little less stubborn. I know it's hard, cause y'all are two of the most stubborn people ever, but you both gotta try. He's gonna be protective him, let him be. Sure there are times when he'll be wrong, but it's better to be on the cautious side, especially in our world."
Beth knew Rosita was right, it just sucks admitting that she's wrong,
"You're right, but I still was shocked by what he said. I don't know how he could ever think I don't care."
"He doesn't think that, he's Daryl, he gets pissed and says the first thing that he can come up with that will hurt. I'm not excusing what he said, I'm just saying he didn't mean it. But, if he makes you cry again, I'll kick his ass."
Beth actually laughed at that, knowing Rosita really would try and kick Daryl's ass.
"Thank you. I think I'm gonna head home and wait for him."
"Anytime. He's always going to Abraham and Rick, so you can come and talk to me, or anyone else. We're all here for ya Beth."
Beth smiled softly,
"I know," and with that she headed home.
Beth knew Daryl would come home as soon as he calmed down, she just hoped he'd be home soon. She just wanted to make up, and take a nap in his arms. She wasn't as tired all the time as she was a month ago, but she still liked to nap during the day, especially with Daryl.
It was afternoon before Daryl came back to the house, by then he had finally calmed down. When he walked in the door he expected Beth to be downstairs, but she was nowhere to be found. He decided to check upstairs, if she wasn't there then she was probably at Maggie's. Honestly, he didn't' want to deal with Maggie yelling at him today. Daryl was in luck, when he walked into their bedroom, Beth was staring in front of the mirror on the closet door. She whipped around quickly as soon as she heard him enter. They stared at each other in silence for a moment, neither knowing what to say to the other.
It seemed like Beth would be the first one to find her voice,
"Daryl, I…I am so sorry. I know I have been pushing you a lot recently…it's just so frustrating being stuck inside all the time…I just wanted something to do…I just feel so useless all the time, and nothing like myself, a-"
Before Beth could say anything else, Daryl had pulled her into his arms. She hadn't even realized that she had started to cry again.
"Beth…I'm the one who should be sayin' sorry…what I said to you was way out of line, I didn't mean it at all. I know you care…I just…I want to keep you safe, both of you. But I need you to trust me on these things, okay?"
Beth sniffed a little before shaking her head,
"I know you did not mean it Daryl, I'm just so out of it lately. I have no control over my emotions, and I can't fit into my clothes anymore. I'm getting so fat now"
Daryl stepped back, and grabbed Beth by her shoulders gently,
"Stop that right now. You are not fat, and you never will be…you are beautiful."
He gently placed his hand over the small swell of her stomach,
"This is not fat…this is amazing, and perfect."
Beth gave Daryl a watery smile, before burying her face in his chest.
Daryl could tell she was still upset, so he decided to show her how beautiful she is.
He lifted the hem of her shirt, and pulled it over her head gently. He turned Beth around so she was facing the mirror, before placing his hands on either side of her stomach.
"I want you to see what I see…I see the prettiest girl in the world…who is probably carrying the most beautiful baby in the world…"
Beth looked up at him, happy tears in her eyes now. Daryl bent down, and began to trail kisses from her neck down her collarbone. He began to walk with them backwards towards the bed. Daryl gently pushed Beth down onto the bed, before he laid down next to her. He slowly began to kiss from her stomach up her body. Stopping along the way to unhook her bra, throwing it to some corner of the room.
He took one of her breast into his mouth, and tenderly began to suck on it, while kneading the other with his hand. He spent a good deal of time caressing each breast tenderly, Beth was beginning to squirm underneath him, moaning in approval of his actions.
Daryl slowly trailed soft kisses up her collarbone, on to her neck, before reconnecting with her lips. Daryl had ignited a passionate kiss between them, and a battle of dominance quickly began with their tongues. Each moaning into the others mouth, while Beth began tugging at the buttons on his flannel.
Daryl made quick work of his shirt, before pulling off Beth's pants and underwear in one swift movement. Daryl leaned back down and began to trail kisses down Beth's body, before stopping right between her legs. Beth was shaking with anticipation, and Daryl grinned before latching onto her. Beth let out a loud moan, and fisted her hands into Daryl's hair. Before long, Daryl could feel Beth's legs beginning to quake, and he knew she was reaching her peak.
Beth reached her peak, while screaming Daryl's name. Daryl lifted his head up from between Beth's legs, giving her devilish smirk.
Beth began to roughly pull at Daryl's pants, wanting all of him in that moment. Daryl quickly removed his pants, lined himself up with her entrance, and was sheathed inside her in one swift movement. They both moaned in pleasure at the feeling, neither one feeling more complete than when they were making love.
They started out slow, like a candle just beginning to burn. Before long, it was as if a wildfire had erupted between the two. It didn't take long before Beth was writhing beneath him, moaning profusely. He knew it wouldn't be long before she reached her peak again, and he was nearing his as well. A minute later Beth screamed his name, and pulled him into a deep kiss. A moment later Daryl moaned her name into her mouth, as he too reached his climax.
Daryl pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers, looking into her beautiful eyes,
"I love you Beth…forever and always."
"I love you too Daryl," she smiled up at him.
Beth fell asleep minutes later, feeling much more relaxed than she had in days. Daryl marveled at her beauty for awhile, before laying down behind her. He pulled her flush against him, placing one hand over her stomach. This was his happy place, the one true place besides the woods where he could be free.
So, this is my first time writing smut, I hope it wasn't too dreadful to read. I think in the next chapter I'm going to have a big group dinner, with some humor in it.
I hope you all enjoyed, and hopefully I'll have a new chapter for you all very soon!