Time went by slower than molasses in January.

That night when Daryl brought me to his apartment, and after we'd finally explained the entire situation to Merle, the two brothers sent me off to the bedroom to sleep. How they expected me to sleep after everything that had happened earlier that evening, I had no idea. My mind wouldn't stop racing and neither would my heart. Even being in the Dixons' terrified me. While I consciously knew there was probably no safer for me to be at that moment, I still couldn't help but feel like I was being watched. Was that what my life was going to be from then on? Rampant paranoia, constantly looking over my shoulder. Just the thought alone made me sick to my stomach and also made me thank God I had already expelled as much as I possibly could have.

Daryl walked me into the bedroom and his eyes swept over it as if he was looking for something out place like I had in my bathroom. I could still see the look of fear in his eyes, the look I never thought I'd live long enough to see. Daryl was the strongest, bravest person I knew. Nothing scared him. But this? This hit him harder than I thought possible.

"Yer gonna sleep in the bed, I'm gonna sleep on the floor, and Merle is taking the couch" he reported, grabbing a spare comforter and pillow from the bedroom closet and throwing it down in front of the door but off to the side. His demeanor was rough, as it usually was around other people. Daryl didn't usually keep up the routine with me, so seeing him that cold was like being thrown back to when we'd first met.

Looking down at his makeshift pallet bed, I crossed my arms and brought my gaze back to him. "You don't have to sleep down there..." I said quietly, almost ashamedly. I quickly dropped my eyes to my shoes, anywhere to avoid his icy stare. "It's not like we haven't shared a bed before."

"We ain't havin' a slumber party, Beth" he hissed, shrugging off his leather jacket and throwing it onto a nearby chair. "And that was different an' you know it."

And before I could say anything else he was out the door, slamming it behind him and leaving me to my thoughts.

"So what're we gonna do, lil' brother?"

I had no idea what to tell Merle if I wanted to speak. The only thing runnin' through my mind was keepin' Beth safe from whoever was after 'er. Was it some dick she'd met at the bar? Some jerk from school? Hell, it could even be some 'devout' man from that Church she works at. There were too many choices and it was startin' to make my head hurt. All I could do was shrug, pourin' myself a mug'a whiskey and knockin' it back like it was water. I was workin' on my second mug before my dipshit brother was tryin' to get my attention again.

"She ain't a puppy, Darylina" Merle said with a laugh, which only made me see red and fly at him, pinnin' him to the wall in anger. He definitely wasn' used to me defyin' him.

"This ain't funny, asshole," I spat, my hand at his throat. "Someone's watchin' 'er. Close. And I'll be damned if Imma let anythin' happen to 'er."

Merle's eyes widened a bit at my sudden attack, but all he did was hold his hands up like a criminal claimin' innocence. "A'right, a'right. I got it baby brother," he said seriously. "We got 'er. Ain't no one comin' for 'er here. Ya know that."

It took all my sense to let go of Merle and back the fuck off. I ran my hands through my hair as I paced around the shitty place we called 'home'. I kicked an empty bourbon bottle across the hardwood floor before it shattered at the nearby wall. The thought of someone watchin' Beth pissed me off, hell, it even scared me. I'd never admit it though, not to no one. She needed me to keep 'er safe and how could I do that if she knew I was afraid of somethin' happenin' to 'er? And if it did? I'd never be able to forgive myself.

"What am I supposed ta do, Merle?" I asked, which wasn't usually my go-to. "How am I supposed ta keep 'er safe if I don' even know who's comin' after 'er?"

My big brother came and brought us both a drink but made sure to not get up in my space. He knew how I was when I was angry and the last thing he wanted was for me to rig him up again. "You'll do it, baby brother. No doubt in my mind 'bout that one. Dixon's are like pitbulls. Fiercely loyal and a force to be reckoned with. Ya already know that."

Taking the glass in my hand, I downed the whiskey fast. All I could do was hope my dumbass brother was actually right for a change.

The sound of something, or someone, hitting the wall made my eyes shoot open.

I knew Daryl was stressing about the situation, but for him to start throwing things? It kind of scared me. All I wanted to do was go out into the living room, wrap my arms around him, and tell him that everything would be okay. Even though this was my problem, I couldn't imagine what was going through his mind. Daryl was a hunter, he knew how to catch his prey. What if that's what I was? Just a little doe in someone's crosshairs?

That's when my mind started to race. Who could it possibly be? Was it someone in one of my classes? I didn't really socialize with many people except my usual group. My heart raced at the thought of my predator being someone so close to me. But I would have noticed right? Or wasn't that the point of a stalker? To be afraid of one person and not the world? What if it was the exact opposite? What if they worked with me at the Church? What if it was someone Daryl knew? What if it was someone in our building, or someone I didn't even know? The variables were just too much for my brain to process given all the trauma that night. What I would have given for Daryl to come back.

As if by some divine influence, I heard the doorknob turn and the door creak as Daryl let himself in. It wasn't more than a millisecond before I heard the lock click too. I sat up in the dark room and focused my sights on my best friend, somewhat shocked by what I saw. Right beside the door was a shotgun I knew Merle used when the boys went hunting. The thought that it was there for my protection was sobering, to say the least.

"Go back to sleep, Beth," Daryl murmured, setting up his pallet right in front of the door, creating some sort of human blockade. I knew he wouldn't get much sleep, given the situation and his sleeping arrangements. That was the last thing I wanted.

"Wasn't sleepin'" I drawled, pulling my knees into my chest. "-Kinda can't." Even with Daryl in a locked room with me, I still felt like a target in the middle of a field. It was almost like I could feel my predator's eyes on me, even though I knew they weren't. Just the fear alone was enough to distract me from getting my such needed rest. There was one thing I knew would help, but I also knew I probably wouldn't get it.

"Daryl?" I breathed into the dark room, watching him as he shifted to face me.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice a bit lighter than before. Maybe that was his way of keeping me calm, of reassuring me that if there was anywhere I was safe it was right there with him. There was no doubt in my mind about that fact.

I swallowed a bit before speaking up again, too afraid of the rejection to voice my needs right away. "Can you please sleep up here with me?" I asked, my voice soft and shaking. "-Please?"

With a soft sigh, Daryl got up, took his shotgun in hand, and made his way to the bed. He set the gun against the nightstand, easily within reach if he needed it, and sat down before unlacing his boots. I could feel the warmth radiating off him along with the smell of whiskey on his breath, and oddly both sensations comforted me. Knowing Daryl was within arms' reach already made me feel so much safer than I had before and the gun didn't even play a minor role. After he was done, he laid down facing away from me toward the door and his weapon. I knew he probably wouldn't sleep but the fact that he was even trying to make me feel better made a small smile curl my lips.

"Ya gonna stare at me all night or are ya gonna get some sleep, girl?" he growled, his voice low and steady. I envied his ability to keep his cool, even if it was just for show.

Rolling over onto my side, my back facing Daryl, I curled into a ball and clutched the blanket around me, craving the false sense of security. I was safe, I reminded myself. I had Daryl at my side and a shotgun at his. Merle was out in the living room, probably with a weapon of his own. I was safe, I was safe, I was safe.

"Goodnight, Daryl" I said softly, my voice nothing but waves on the air. "And thank you."

All I got was a soft grunt in reply, but I knew that from that moment on? Everything would be alright as long as I had him.

Sorry y'all for posting this so late. I was sick and in the hospital for awhile and when I got out, I had NO muse at all. However, I finally finished this chapter and I hope y'all enjoy it. I'm gonna be a lot better about this whole thing. Promise. 3