AN - Guys, I've felt so down about this ship at the minute. Since the commentary was released yesterday and Norman said that Bethyl was just a brother/sister relationship makes me so sad.

So to make me feel better, I decided to write some more. Enjoy!

It would be nice to say that Daryl and I stayed happily together after that, but the unfortunate truth is that we didn't. We spent hours in our little haven watching the water cascade onto the rocks, smattering the drops into harmless shards of sunlight. We just lay on one big rock alternating between kissing and talking and then kissing again and we just enjoyed each others company in silence, until the screaming began.

"Stay here." Daryl was sat up in a shot, reaching out for his crossbow. His features twisted into an expression of confusion as he shrugged his jacket back on and got off of the rock.

"You know I'm not gonna do that." I sighed and rolled my eyes before sliding off the rock next to him and picking up my bow tight, I quickly slotted the arrows into my belt and looked up at Daryl.

"Beth-" He looked as though he was about to argue, but just shook his head and rolled his eyes slightly, waving me forward with him. "You stay close, I tell'ya to go, you do it. Got it?" I noticed how his accent slipped and his words were drenched his thick accent, he must genuinely have been worried.

"Of course." I nodded in earnest before he took off at a sprint towards the woods with me following hot on his heels.

Our feet stepped lightly over the dry leaves perhaps I crunched a few too many but Daryl didn't turn back to hush me, I probably wouldn't be heard over the sound of screaming anyway. We slinked through the trees for a few more minutes before we found the source of the screams; a cabin.

"What do we do…?" I dared not talk above a whisper as I glanced from the house to Daryl.

"We wait," he murmured as he listened out for the sounds of walkers. "Go." We both jogged to the house and slipped through the front door.

"Hello?" I called out, I could feel Daryl's eyes glare into the back of my head but I ignored him.

I pressed on through the house with my heart in my throat and my ears pounding, there could be a walker at any second. The thought of being bitten raised the hairs on the back of my neck and took a second to breathe deeply and steady myself, someone here needed help and I was going to see what was wrong. The further through the house I moved the louder the screams got until I reached the bottom of some stairs. After taking a quick glance to see where Daryl was I slowly tiptoed up making sure not to alert anyone, just the way Daryl taught me.

Finally I stepped into the room at the source of the noise. She was laying on the floor and her hair was hanging over her face, so I couldn't see what was wrong, but as I crouched down beside her I saw a baby and it was clear to see it was lifeless. Taking a deep breath I leaned forward to stroke the hair from her face, she flinched at first but stopped screaming and instead, flung her arms around my neck. It took me a full ten seconds to realise the woman was hugging me and before I could respond I was hugging her back.

My daddy always said that empathy was important and seeing this woman who had just lost her baby and was completely alone made my heart ache for her. She sobbed into the side of my neck and gripped me tight, I looked to my right at the doorway and was surprised to see that Daryl wasn't there. The woman let go of me after a few minutes and held her baby tightly to her again.

"What's your name?" I smiled softly.

"Lucia …" Her voice was hoarse from screaming and her hair was lanky with grease, but as I looked at her more it was easy to see she was a beautiful lady, even prettier than Maggie. "Kill me."

Her request knocked the breath from my lungs and I frowned slightly, shaking my head. Suddenly, thoughts of the farm came flooding back. Thoughts of me telling Maggie to end her life with me, so we could be together, thoughts of the glass as I sank into the flesh on my wrist and the thoughts of the pain I had felt. But I also remembered how as I did it, I knew my problems could be solved, but with this woman … I knew it was different.

Her pain was deep in her bones and her hope was diminished. She looked at the bow gripped in my palm and nodded slowly.

"It's what I want." Her voice was wracked with agony, but her eyes looked so hopeful, like she had been waiting so long for this moment.

It took me a few moments, but slowly I nodded. As I pulled an arrow from my belt and notched it into my bow I wondered what my father would think. Would he see this as a mercy kill, or plain murder? It made me wonder what Rick would think, too. He had had his fair share of difficult decisions, but somehow he had pulled through, even if he had slipped after losing Lori … With the thoughts a flurry in my head I pulled my arm taut and aimed it at the lady's skull and with a deep, desperate breath I let loose.

The arrow sunk straight into her skull and the pain would only have been a second at the most. I looked down at her body and then down at the baby she had been so ready to die for. Like Lori … I sighed to myself and moved the bodies so it simply looked like the baby was having a nap with its mother.

I took one more deep, harrowing breath and turned to the door where Daryl now stood.

"Did you just…?" Daryl swallowed hard and nodded to the woman on the floor.

So, hesitantly I explained what had happened, how I knew what she wanted me to do and then I realised my hands were shaking and my eyes were streaming with tears and before I knew it I was enveloped in his arms and everything felt safe again.

"She wanted it … I swear." Mere months ago I hadn't cared when my own boyfriend was killed by a walker, but here I was crying over a stranger who had asked me to kill her. Had I changed so quickly?

I felt Daryl's hand tug mine gently and he pulled me from the room before shutting the door and then his hands were on my waist and he was kissing me and I was kissing him, but it felt wrong.

"Daryl …" I tipped my head down in shame, unsure of what I should be feeling. Of course I knew that he was only trying to make me feel better, but it felt so … wrong being so close to a woman that had just died.

Instead he fell silent, his hands dropped from my waist and he nodded slowly, embarrassed. If I could have found the words to comfort him I would have, but I was finding it hard to even keep myself together.

The next thing I remembered seeing was the forest floor beneath me as I ran. I don't remember if I even said anything to Daryl, let alone actually running off, but it couldn't have been for long because I was pushed against a tree.

"Beth, Beth!" Daryl cupped my face so I would calm down, which I did after realising I hadn't been grabbed by a walker. "Listen, I know wha' you just went through was horrible, but … But y'can't shut down like this." Daryl shook me gently to get me to look at him and his eyes studied mine.

"I'm only eighteen … What do you expect?" The words hadn't meant to come out as an accusation, but the damage was clearly already done, because he moved away and nodded.

"Yeah, thats's right …" He smiled sadly, I'd barely ever seen him genuinely smile before so this was something different entirely.

"Daryl, I didn't mean-" I stepped forward to explain, but he held out a strong arm to make sure I didn't close the distance.

"I think … Y'need to think about if this is what you want."

"You know this is-"

"If you want this, to be with me or whatever the fuck we are, you're gonna have to learn to survive, Beth. What happens if we go out huntin' an' we get separated? Huh?" His hands found my face again, pulling me in close.

"And you have to stop sendin' me mixed signals!" I pushed his hands away and looked at him, exasperated. "One minute you want 'whatever the fuck we are' and sometimes you don't even want me near you…!"

"You're right." Daryl nodded slowly, he swallowed hard as he chose his next words. "I just never done anythin' like this before, not properly." His head raised slightly and looked at me out of the eye that wasn't covered by his fringe.

"Done what?"

"Fuck, Beth you know what I mean!" He stepped back and put his arms behind his head in frustration.

"Okay … Okay, we'll figure this out." I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist. "I know we will."

"I don't know abou' tha', but I'm gonna make it work." He sighed slightly and kissed the top of my head. "I jus' need t'sort some stuff out, okay?"

"Why do you have to be so … So secretive all the time?" I looked up at him, not wanting another argument, but also not wanting to be kept in the dark all the time.

"It's for your own good."

"Well maybe I don't want to be treated like a kid."

"Well, you are a kid!"

I was reminded of the library again and felt anger rise. He had criticised me for being upset for killing a woman, then he hadn't allowed me to grieve and now he was calling me a kid.

"So what does that make you? Just because you're afraid of what everyone'll think-" I began, but he clearly wasn't having any of it.

"It 'aint about tha'." He murmured.

"Then what is it about?!" I was verging on shouting again, but I was determined to keep my voice level.

"I can't lose anyone again!" Daryl shouted, his voice filled with emotion and it cracked slightly at the end of his words. "Not after Merle, an' I sure as hell 'aint losin' you."