AN - I am so sorry about the lack of updates on this story, I've been so busy with other things and other stories and it's driving me mad. Anyway, here we are. Chapter six. Thank you so much for the reviews, favourites and follows on my new story 'Crystalise'!
It was safe to say that Beth Greene had a profound effect on me. Driving her back to the prison had been relatively painless for me, sure Maggie and Herschel had been scared for Beth but I hadn't been interrogated by either of them. Yet.
It was dark by the time we headed back and most of the people from Woodbury had gone to bed, so I guessed it had to be late. The original group were waiting up for us though, which didn't surprise me. The majority crowded around Beth, swarming her with questions about what had happened so I saw no need for me to be there. I made my way into the cell block and trudged up the stairs before kicking off my boots and taking off my shirt which was still soaked from using it to wipe off the blood from Beth.
As I lay there I thought about what had happened. I knew something like this was going to happen; Beth being attacked in some way. It was what Carol and I had been talking about earlier, when Beth had first came out into the courtyard. Carol seemed to have a knack for detecting dangerous men, perhaps it had been from being married to a dick like Ed for so many years. She'd wanted me to get rid of them quietly, not kill then of course, just ... Get rid of them.
Bringing Beth had been a huge mistake and could have cost me dearly. Could I live with myself if something happened to her because I didn't force her to stay home? Probably not, so why had I risked it? I felt as though I already knew the answer.
Beth was so different to me it was intriguing. We had different outlooks on everything, but the same views on the things that mattered, like survival. She made me feel different to anyone else in the group, like she could just tap into how I was feeling and make me feel comfortable without even trying and I was convinced that she knew how fond I was of her.
There had been moments between us where something could have happened, I'd be ignorant to deny it and I think she felt them too. Of course I was aware at how sick this was, whatever kind of fucked up relationship we had but I felt like it ran deeper than that. No one had been able to convince me that there could be a good outcome to this ... Apocalypse apart from Beth.
It seemed she was the light where I was the dark, yet she was the one who was in a dark place and I was coping relatively well. What issues, bar Merle had I had? Whereas she had lost her mother once to 'sickness' and lost her twice to death. She had fallen into a deep depression and had gone as far as trying to end her life. Beth Greene deserved so much better than what she had.
I was finally drifting off when a small tap on my shoulder dragged me from my sleepy state. I bolted upright, crossbow in hand as my eyes darted around the small room.
"It's me." Beth's voice was barely above a whisper and I had clearly frightened her. I put my crossbow down and pulled up the sheets after realising my bare chest. It wasn't that I minded her seeing, far from it actually, it was that she'd caught me off guard.
"What's th'matter?" I frowned slightly, holding one sheet up with my right hand and rubbing my eyes with the left. I tilted my head slightly in order to focus on her.
"Can we go to one of the towers?" She whispered and turned away for me to get changed.
"I got somethin' better." Grumbling, I made my way to the supply cupboards that only Herschel, Rick and I had keys for.
I spread the two sleeping bags across the flat roof of the prison, you easily got the best view from here. Beth stood close to the edge drinking in her surroundings and I layed back on my bag watching the moonlight highlight her frame.
She looked tired and the bags beneath her eyes told me as much. I assumed she simply couldn't sleep, which wasn't exactly out of the ordinary considering how she'd left Joe.
"C'mon over here," I nodded slightly at her sleeping bag and she quickly obliged. "You holdin' up okay?" I knew it wasn't like me to be so concerned over someone, but my first human kill didn't exactly wash well with me, despite contrary belief.
"As well as I can." Her eyes shifted focus as she looked at me and suddenly there was an intensity in the air I had felt all too often with her. My stomach twisted into knots and I couldn't look anywhere but her lips. My head was for me to stop this, that this wasn't right. What would her daddy say? What would Rick say? But it seemed as though my body was hellbent on ignoring my head.
I cupped her face and kissed her hard. My forehead rested against her as we kissed and her hands found their way to my wrists which she stroked gently. The time we spent kissing passed in a blur and was ruined when a painful moan escaped my mouth and I forced myself to pull away.
My body had finally caught up to my thoughts and I panted slightly as my hands pulled at my hair. I closed my eyes and raked my hands through my hair as I stood with a start. I felt Beth stand behind me and suddenly I was kissing her again, picking her up and holding her to me. She tasted sweet, like everything that was good and free and honest in this world and her lips were soft, better than I ever could have imagined. I walked us to the sleeping bags and rested her down gently as I kissed her cheeks, her jaw, her neck. She giggled slightly and encouraged me, guiding my hands to her hips. I ran my thumbs over her pronounced hip bones and felt her gasp against my lips.
After a few minutes of us kissing like that I pulled away for the last time. Her lips had swollen slightly and her arms were draped around my neck as she whispered how much she had wanted this in my ear.
"No one finds out." I said softly as I stroked the length of her arm, yes I felt guilty but there was no way on this earth that I'd ever regret it. The soft breeze blew thin locks of her hair into my face, but they didn't bother me, not in the slightest.
It was an odd sensation, the feelings I had for Beth were feelings I shouldn't have. Either way, I had them and I had no intention of ridding myself of them. We sat in silence after that and watched the sky. My head was a flurry of thoughts that I couldn't even begin to make sense of, but I knew I was happy here with her.
I let out a long sigh and she tilted her head slightly as she smiled at me. I wasn't one for soppy shit, but that smile could keep a man living.
"Are you okay?" She kissed my cheek gently.
"Yeah, are you?" I turned my head in her direction slightly, she nodded but I could see her blush.
We lay back on the sleeping bags after that and I closed my eyes with her in my arms.
"'Aint no one gonna love'ya Daryl!" Merle is considerably older now, verging on early twenties whereas Daryl, aged seventeen stands opposite. "No one 'cept me! I'm the only one who actually gives a shit about'ya!"
The room falls silent with a leaden atmosphere as the two men stare each other down. Moments before Merle had told Daryl he was leaving and asked him to go with him, but Daryl had refused.
"Who's gonna look after the old man?!" Daryl had argued with Merle, ye she hated his father but could he leave the man to fend for himself? No. In Daryl's eyes Will Dixon, despite beating him black and blue and showing no love or concern for him, was still his father and was still his flesh and blood and there would never be a time where Daryl would leave family. Unlike Merle.
"Fine then baby brother." Merle had nodded, deflated. He'd never show Daryl how betrayed he felt. He'd looked after and had raised Daryl practically by himself and this is how he had been repaid? Being ditched for the pathetic excuse of a father they had? It didn't sit right with Merle and there was no way he was going to allow himself to be dragged down with Daryl.
"You made'ya choice." Merle spat at Daryl and slammed the door shut.
It had been the first time since he was a little boy that Daryl cried.
I was jolted awake the next morning by the very early morning sun. I frowned at the absence of Beth Greene in my arms, but relaxed when I saw her sat on the edge of the roof. Her feet dangled over the edge as the sky ran red in the morning light. I rubbed my eyes and joined her.
"Mornin'." She smiled as she yawned, stretching her arms out.
I grunted in response as I ducked away from her outstretched arms, she turned to face me and her entire body was asking me to elaborate.
I sighed, rolled my eyes and shrugged. I could get up early, but I was just less sociable. When I couldn't sleep I'd usually go on a hunt, but for some reason this morning I couldn't bare to part from Beth. Knowing her she'd somehow roll off the roof without me there looking out for her clumsy ass, the thought made me laugh.
"What?" Her eyes scanned mine as she tried to figure out the joke.
"Nothin'." I shook my head slightly as I rubbed my jaw, I needed to shave at some point. I'm sure no one would have thought to loot razors and shaving cream.
"Hm…" She leaned forward and kissed my cheek and the memories of last night flooded back, but for the first time in god knows how long I didn't regret something to do with her.
"Your daddy's probably wonderin' where you're at." I acknowledged her father and started to gather up the sleeping bags.
"Have you seen how early it is? There's no way he's up at this time." She rolled her eyes but followed me back down to the prison anyway.
Beth put the sleeping bags away so well you'd never be able to tell they'd been used. It was better to leave her to that sort of thing considering how gentle and careful she was with stuff like that.
We ate breakfast together that morning and I tried my hardest to ignore the glares Beth's family shot in my direction. I cleared my throat as I ate, informing Beth of the incoming glares. If she seemed bothered she didn't show it in the slightest. She just continued to eat, eyes focussed on Lil Ass Kicker as she made faces at her, laughing as the baby's eyes widened in delight.
Rick sat beside me afterwards and he watched Beth taking care of his daughter.
"Can we talk?" He raised an eyebrow at me to which I nodded.
He pulled me aside and my heart beat faster, he knew about our getaway to the roof last night. There couldn't be anything else for us to talk about, surely.
"The Governor," Rick's voice lowered considerably and I felt myself tense. The motherfucker killed my brother and I was out for his blood as much as the next guy. "He's been sighted."
"Where?" I looked across for my crossbow, but Rick caught my attention again.
"Hey, focus. It wasn't too far from here, seems like he's got a new base…"
"So?" He had a new base which yes, could be potentially dangerous, but we shouldn't worry until we heard more.
"So I need you to add more people to the training sessions you're having with Beth." A glint in Rick's eyes told me that he wasn't telling me everything he knew.
"Alrigh'." I shrugged, Beth wouldn't like it, but it was necessary I guess.
"Don't … Don't do anything stupid, Daryl." His eyes searched mine, lingering slightly and my insides squirmed. It felt like he already knew about us. Maybe he did.