All I Ever Will Be
Chapter 22 - Sure
Author's Note: Hey guys! Hope you all are still enjoying this story. Thank you so much for everyone who's been reading! I've sort of been writing this without an end in mind, but I finally sat down and planned out the rest of the story so I have a good idea of where it will go now. I'll probably go back and revise the earlier chapters so some of the details make more sense, but just know that there's a lot more story left! This chapter and the next are pure fluff and smut before we get back into the adventure. Enjoy!
"Hi," Rich gave a subtle laugh. "Now what do we have here?"
Daryl's heart stopped in his chest. He hadn't told Rick about Beth and him - it hadn't come up. Rick was worried about their safety and the perimeter of the place and the underground bunker, as he should have been. Daryl barely had a chance to get a word in edgewise about Beth and their travels together. After talking through the shit that Rick had been through with his family and Michonne, talking about he and Beth's relationship - he just wasn't sure Rick would care.
He felt his cheeks get warm against his will and he looked down at his feet, as though he were a small child about to be scolded.
"We're, um," Beth stuttered. "Sorta…together." It was awkward. She looked at Daryl, shrugging at him and he knew she wanted him to chime in. She was steady, her eyes boring into him, needing him to say something and he realized he needed to man the fuck up.
Daryl nodded at Beth. "We're together," he confirmed steadily. Beth smiled at him and he felt his apprehension falling away. He lifted his head to look at Rick - his brother - and saw that he was grinning wildly. He hadn't seen a smile like that since back at the prison - but he was quiet, looking back and forth between them. "It's sort of just happened," Daryl went on, trying to give an explanation.
Rick laughed again, then came forward towards Daryl and placed his hand on his shoulder, clasping it tightly. "It's good," he said to him, looking at him, then back at Beth. "It's good for you both."
"Yeah?" Daryl questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah!" Rick exclaimed. "I mean - Michonne and I," he started and then stopped, trying to find the right words.
"Oh I know," Beth said quickly. "Known since the prison." She looked up at him and then back at Daryl who was starting to put the pieces together. "I thought it was obvious!"
Rick laughed. "That obvious, huh?" he asked. "Well, looks like we've all found something good." He looked at Daryl then, their eyes meeting and said, "I'm happy for you."
It was like a weight was released, hearing those words. Cat was out of the bag, he supposed. Rick's blessing made it feel right - made it feel okay. Beth hadn't needed any sort of confirmation from anyone but Daryl had so few in his life that he really considered family and Rick had been more of a brother to him than Merle had ever been. Deep down, he just wanted to make him proud.
"Judith go down okay?" Rick asked casually, looking to the closed door behind Beth.
Beth nodded. "She's a sucker for Tom Waits," she laughed. Daryl watched her as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, her face flushed from either embarrassment or kissing Daryl, he wasn't sure. Her breathing was still unsteady and that, he knew, was from their kiss. Their interrupted kiss. A kiss that Daryl was determined to finish once they were alone again.
"Thanks for gettin' her to sleep," Rick said. "Coming downstairs?" he asked them both. "Michonne's keen to have some girl time," Rick said to Beth with a wink.
Internally, all Daryl wanted to do was go to their room, close the door and be alone with Beth. He'd been so used to it just being the two of them that he craved being alone with her, tonight more than ever. The day had been overwhelming and tiring and emotionally tolling. Selfishly, Daryl knew Beth could take that away for him. He'd wanted her for months now, but tonight felt different somehow.
He looked towards Beth, but she nodded at Rick, turning towards Daryl and reaching for his hand. He took it, her fingers slipping between his easily and walked down the staircase.
When they reached the kitchen, Carl and Michonne were still sitting at the wooden table and Daryl tensed, thinking he might pull his hand away from Beth - but she gripped him tighter, as if she knew how he felt. He let her keep their hands connected, and it was oddly enthralling for him. It wasn't something Daryl had ever done in front of others, hold someone's hand.
"Thanks for the delicious dinner Beth!" Michonne exclaimed, paying no mind to their holding hands. "Found this hiding in the back of the pantry," she pointed to a large bottle of wine sitting on the table. She'd poured glasses for all of them and grinned excitedly, picking one up to hand to Beth, then gave one to Daryl.
He politely refused, wanting to keep his head clear, so Michonne took the glass and dumped the liquid into her own. Daryl smiled at her as she took a large gulp of wine. He felt Beth's hand leave his own and she went to sit next to Michonne at the table, tightening her fingers around the thin stem of the glass that Michonne had handed her.
Daryl turned towards Rick who was in the living room, poking at the fire in the hearth that they had made before dinner. The scent of burnt wood carried through the room, bringing Daryl back to the fires he'd built with Beth - none as beautiful or impressive as the one he'd made just a few weeks ago in that very hearth when she kissed him deeply and they'd explored each other so intently.
Coming around to sit on the couch, Daryl sank into the fabric, letting his arm hang over the back of the furniture. Rick came towards him and sat close to Daryl so that they could talk. Sitting on a couch with Rick, having a normal conversation, it was laughable.
Rick clearly felt the same as he chuckled at the ridiculousness of their current situation. "How the hell did we end up here?" he said quietly.
Daryl let out a low laugh. "No idea,"
Rick shook his head. "We're lucky we all found it," he said. "It's been a helluva few weeks out there, after the prison." He hadn't expected Rick to bring up the prison so soon, but he was kind of glad he did. It made what they'd lost real.
Daryl grunted in agreement. "That it has."
"So you and Beth?" Rick said raising his eyebrow with a mischievous grin on his face. Ah, here it comes. Rick didn't waste any time.
Daryl nodded. He tried to think of a word to describe what he'd been feeling. He wanted to tell him how she'd kept him alive after the prison. She was the one that made them keep going. She kept their hope alive. She pulled him out of the darkness and back into the light. "She's…everything," he managed to splutter. His thoughts were jumbled, but it was the only explanation he could give him.
"You love her," Rick said. It was more of a statement than a question.
"I don't know," Daryl said, slightly taken aback by his words. "I've never been - don't know what it's like," he stumbled over his words. "I was never - like you and Lori or anythin'." He took a deep breath. "We haven't even - well," he was being awkward, "you know."
Rick laughed, but not unkindly. "That doesn't mean you don't know."
"She saved me," Daryl said suddenly, his words coming together. "She kept me going - kept me hanging on. I couldn't - wouldn't be here, if it wasn't for her." He chewed on his lip, trying to think of how to explain how he was feeling. "I care about her so much it hurts."
Rick nodded knowingly. "I'd say that's love," he said. "You can't really explain it, you just feel it." He put his fist to his chest, right over his heart. "Yeah?"
Daryl shrugged, not knowing quite how to respond to Rick's proclamation. Could he really tell? Could Rick see something that Daryl couldn't even see himself? Did Daryl really love Beth? He looked away from Rick and back towards the kitchen where Beth, Michonne and Carl were sitting around the table laughing with each other. Beth's cheeks were flushed, presumably from the wine and her eyes shifted, catching Daryl's. He stared at her, smiling, his heart practically leaping out of his chest. She looked at him the same way she always did. It was a way no one had ever looked at him before - like she wanted him, she cared about him, wanted to know everything about him - like she loved him.
The night lasted longer than most before everyone headed up to bed. Rick had offered to stay on watch through the night, though Daryl argued they hadn't been keeping watch for weeks now and all seemed okay, especially with the bunker as a backup plan. Rick wasn't convinced, and stayed outside, gun slung over his shoulder, circling the property. Daryl had offered to stay with him, but Rick insisted on being alone.
Beth and Michonne were both tipsy from the wine, steadying themselves on the banister as they all made their way up the stairs. Carl had chosen a room across the hall for himself and Michonne disappeared into the room where Beth had put Judith to sleep. Finally, he and Beth were alone.
The morning seemed like a lifetime ago, as they entered the room they shared. The sheets on the bed were still in disarray, head indentations still on the pillows where they'd laid throughout the night. Beth wandered into the room, rifling through the dresser. Daryl went to the bathroom to take his shirt off, knowing Beth would soon be behind him to tend to his wounds. It was a routine they had perfected since his injury.
Daryl looked at himself in the mirror, feeling anxious. The anxiety felt unwarranted. He and Beth had been together for weeks now, how was it that she still made him feel like this? Had it been the talk with Rick, or his outburst in the forest? The mention of love - twice today? Was it because he was still so afraid of falling for her?
He took the sling off that Beth had made for him, shaking his arm out and stretching it. His limb felt pretty decent, but he'd let Beth talk him back into a sling, at least for during the day. He took his shirt off next, carefully peeling the fabric away from the bandages on his back. The pain was easing now and his skin was starting to itch, which he knew meant that he was healing. It was about damn time. He toyed with his hair in the mirror, moving it away from his face with his fingers. Although he'd had plenty of showers since they'd been here, he felt like he still looked rough and dirty.
Without warning, he felt Beth's warm hand slip around his waist, and he turned so suddenly that he stumbled over his feet and backed into the sink.
"Ouch," he moaned.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Beth said, catching him by his forearms so he could right himself. "I didn't mean to startle you."
She was dressed in an oversized t-shirt that came down to her knees. Her legs were bare beneath the shirt, and she'd tied her blonde waves behind her head so that her hair hung behind her back in a loose ponytail. She looked at Daryl with wide, worried eyes, placing her hands on his sides again so that he'd turn with his back facing her. He obeyed, facing the mirror, seeing her blonde head behind his large back in the mirror and feeling her soft fingers work on the bandages that covered his skin.
"How's your back feeling?" she asked casually, discarding the bandages to the side. "You're healing nicely."
"Mmhm," Daryl responded. "Feeling a lot better."
"Good," she responded, and she was so close that he could feel the words she said on his skin. It sent shivers down his spine. Every movement was electrifying him. She went to work on placing new bandages and Daryl stood at the sink, obediently, relishing her touch on his skin, wanting so badly to turn around and kiss her.
After what seemed like an eternity she was done and she placed her hands around his waist again to turn him around and he couldn't help himself anymore. He was done hesitating and he was done waiting. It had been too damn long, being with her and not touching her, not having her the way he wanted her. He picked her up, his arms around her sides, lifting her easily onto the counter of the sink. She looked at him, surprised, with a half smile on her face.
"Daryl?" she questioned, but before she could get his name out of her mouth, her slid his hands up the back of her neck and into her hair and brought her face to his to kiss him. Their lips met over and over again, their saliva combining, tongues crashing into each other, teeth clicking together as their mouths met. He could taste the wine on her tongue, mixed with the sweetness of her mouth - the combination was intoxicating.
Beth's small hands grasped at his shoulders and he broke away from her lips to kiss her neck and inhale her scent and taste her skin, salty and fresh. His lips found their way to her ear, her jaw, her cheeks, back to her lips. She was fumbling with the nightshirt she had on and he wanted to tear it off of her, but he couldn't stop kissing her. He wanted his lips to touch every last inch of her.
She placed her hands against his bare chest, playfully pushing him away as she lifted the fabric over her head, throwing it to the side where it spilled off the counter and onto the floor. She hadn't bothered to put a bra on and he licked his lips as he glanced over her breasts, perky and firm. He grabbed them, harder than he intended, relishing the soft skin, his fingers sliding over her nipples and they hardened quickly from his touch. She gasped in pleasure, placing her arms back on the counter and arching her back, baring her chest for Daryl.
His stomach felt like it could jump out of his mouth - anxiety welling up in his chest, not sure if what he was doing was right. He brought his lips to her neck again, trailing down to her shoulder blades, then to the middle of her chest. He kissed her as gently as he could, letting his tongue trail across the raised skin to the center of her breast. He took her nipple in his mouth, letting his tongue flick over the sensitive flesh, sensing that Beth was grasping the sides of the counter she was sitting on.
Her hands were in his hair, pulling at the strands, telling him she liked what he was doing without actually saying it, so he moved to the other side of her chest, not wanting to neglect any part of her body, sucking on her, amazed that anyone could taste or feel this good. He wanted to feel close to her again, so he dove upwards, taking her lips with his own again.
"Daryl," Beth breathed into his mouth, her fingers twirling in his hair. "Bring me to bed."
He looked at her, their foreheads touching and he nodded. He loved her, he was sure of it now. "Anything for you."