Maggie had done her best to apologize, to let the two of them know she was the biggest bitch in the world for jumping to conclusions before understanding their relationship, but it didn't matter to Daryl. This had been eating away at him for a while now and just because Maggie changed her mind didn't mean everyone else would accept what him and Beth were, so he pushed himself away. Stayed distant and tried to occupy his mind enough to make himself numb, doing anything to take away the pain he was constantly fighting against every time he looked in Beth's direction.

Four days had passed since that night and now they were traveling back to the railroad tracks where the Terminus signs had been seen. In Daryl's mind Maggie had ruined everything his heart had been set on, ignoring his warnings about how the place didn't seem right and basically brainwashed Beth in to believing everyone they knew would be waiting around the corner with open arms upon their arrival. It was bullshit. The only reason he didn't continue on by himself to the coast was because he loved Beth and knew it was only a matter of time before their terrible plan backfired.

"Stop moving." Beth snapped, grabbing Daryl's wrist to place his arm back on the table when he jerked away.

"Told ya I didn't need this shit ta start with. Just a fuckin' scratch." Daryl mumbled, biting his lip to keep from getting aggravated. He was already pissed at himself for getting swarmed by the small herd of walkers that lead him to this position in the first place and having Beth's hands all over him was only making the situation worse. He hadn't been this close to her in days and the ache in his chest was becoming harder to ignore the longer he sat there.

"A three inch long gash...with gravel in it...something that would of gotten infected if left untreated is hardly a scratch. So stop acting like a baby and sit still, I'm almost done." Beth scolded while tearing a piece of medical tape with her teeth to secure the bandage. "You should be glad you didn't get bit or totally destroy your bike."

Daryl sighed and dropped his head to rest against his palm as Beth tightened the last bit of wrap around his arm, choosing not to respond to her comment. He wasn't even aware she was finished until she grabbed his hand, which caused him to tense and lift his eyes to meet hers in a curious, yet frightened stare.

"Wanna know a secret?" Beth asked, trying to force back the frown that was invading her features.

Daryl swallowed and furrowed his brows, knowing that nothing good was to come with what she was about to say.

"I miss you..." She confessed with a slight quiver in her voice that cut down to the pit of Daryl's stomach in an instant.

"Please don't." Daryl begged and pulled his hand from hers carefully.

"Daryl..." Beth tried to stop him when he stood to leave. "Will you just talk to me for a minute?"

"I-"

"Everything up here is clear." Maggie called out, interrupting them as she walked down the stairs of the old farm house they would be staying in for the night. "Water still runs too, so if anyone wants to take a shower, now would..." Maggie's words trailed when she saw Daryl and Beth standing at the table. Realizing she had interrupted a moment they were having and paused in her step. "Sorry." She apologized, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear awkwardly. "Uh...there are plenty of rooms for us all to have our own...I'll be upstairs if you need anything." And with that she went to pick out a room and get ready for bed while giving them some privacy.

Daryl turned to leave as soon as Maggie walked away. "Go take a shower." He grumbled to Beth before opening the front door and disappearing out into the dark.

"Great..." Beth huffed, dabbing at her hair with a towel as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She looked like hell. Her eyes were red and swollen, her lips were blue from how cold the water had been and she was almost positive she hadn't rinsed all the soap from her body since she was trying not to freeze to death. It was nice to be clean, there was no denying that, but she wondered if it had even been worth it. She was still going to bed miserable and alone, with no one to cuddle with to keep her warm.

The moment Daryl had turned his back on her in the kitchen and walked away, was the moment the tears broke free and she hadn't been able to stop crying until she stepped out of the shower to dry herself off. There was a good chance the minute she hit the bed her tears would return and she didn't think she could handle another round of painful sobs.

Growling in frustration she slung her towel over the shower curtain and jerked her clothes on. Taking one last look in the mirror she sucked in a deep breath and opened the door to step out into the hallway. Her hair was still wet, a mess, and dripping down her back, but she didn't care. As long as no one saw her face she wouldn't have to answer any questions about her appearance and could go to her room in peace.

That plan was ruined when she found herself stopping in front of Daryl's door, peeking through the crack to see him struggling to remove his shirt. She probably would of kept on walking had it not been for the pained expression in his features, it suddenly dawning on her she hadn't checked the rest of him for injuries after he slid his bike on its side and he was more than likely hurting.

She couldn't go to him though, not with the way things had been progressing with the two of them since Maggie showed up. Beth knew she'd be rejected the second she pushed the door open and that wasn't something she was prepared to handle at the moment. Shaking her head she looked away from the man she loved and continued down the hall in silence to the room Maggie had somehow declared was hers. It didn't matter though, she wouldn't be getting a good nights rest no matter where she slept.

Molly was laying at the foot of the bed with all four paws in the air, wagging her tail like she was the happiest dog in the world when Beth entered the room.

"Least somebody around here is in a good mood." Beth said to the dog, rubbing her soft belly as she walked by to set her things on the dresser. She quickly ran a brush through her tangled hair, then grabbed a book out of her bag and crawled into bed.

She wasn't exactly aware of how much time had passed when Molly started wining and scratching at the bedroom door, but could only assume it had been a few hours since she was already half way through her book and could hear Daryl's faint snores coming from down the hall. With a sigh she flung the covers from her legs and walked over to where Molly was waiting, already a bundle of excitement at the thought of being let outside.

If it hadn't been for Beth living in a world where the dead walked the earth and innocent people had been murdered right in front of her, the silence and darkness of the old farm house probably would of creeped her out as she made her way down the creaky stairs to the living room. Maggie was to blame for that irrational fear, having tormented her when she was younger, making sounds in the night by her door or hiding around a corner waiting for the perfect moment to make her jump out of her skin. She was lucky however since people didn't play around like that anymore. Now a days if someone were to catch you off guard it more than likely ended with a weapon drawn and no one was stupid enough to risk getting a bullet in their head with an otherwise harmless joke.

Turning the knob on the wooden door, Beth attempted to keep the squeaky hinges quite to not wake the others as she stepped out onto the porch. Molly was already running through the yard sniffing for a spot to do her business by the time Beth reached the railing to lean against and she couldn't help but envy the dog. What she would give to be happy and care free again.

Daryl had been dead to the world, enjoying a deep sleep when a muffled cry he recognized jerked him back to reality. Out of habit he sat up and made his way across the room, rubbing his palms over his face as he reached for the door handle. It wasn't until he went to enter the hallway that he realized what he was doing. He couldn't just walk into Beth's room like everything was perfectly fine between them and start soothing her out of a nightmare. It went against everything he'd been doing to stay distant and would only make it more difficult for the both of them in the long run.

When he took a step forward, finally deciding he couldn't be that much of an asshole, he heard another scream and froze. It wasn't coming from inside the house. Without thinking he quickly turned and ran down the stairs, finding the front door wide open and instantly felt panic set in. There shouldn't of been any reason for Beth to go outside at night alone he thought.

"Beth!" Daryl yelled as he ran out the door and jumped off the porch, completely ignoring the steps. The rough ground cut into his bare feet as he ran toward the direction of Molly's barking and that's when he realized he'd forgotten his crossbow. In the heat of the moment he hadn't been thinking about grabbing a weapon and was now running around outside in only his jeans with nothing to protect himself. "Fuck." He cursed, stopping when he heard Beth call his name.

Another scream rang out as Daryl made his way to the back of the house, an old barn coming into view and that's when he saw Beth, on the ground with a Walker snapping it's jaws at her from above as Molly distracted two others close by that were drawn to the smell of fresh meat.

Only pausing for a second to take in the situation, Daryl saw an axe leaning against the side of the barn as he ran toward the commotion and tightly wrapped his fingers around the wooden handle while passing by. He effortlessly sent the metal end of the axe through the rotting skull of the first Walker that was trying to eat Beth and then continued forward to take care of the other two Molly was keeping at bay just as efficiently.

As soon as silence filled the air, Daryl dropped to his knees beside the young blonde and began pushing her clothes out of the way to check for any bites or scratches. Beth shoved his hands to the side and scooted to lean against the barn, wincing in pain at the movement. "It's too late." She whimpered.

Daryl met her eyes with confusion, then fear as her words hit him like a ton of bricks. "No..." He whispered, watching as she peeled the red stained material from her shoulder to inspect the wound there. He reached out a shaking hand to grip the front of her shirt and roughly pulled her to his bare chest. Not at all caring about the dirt and blood she was smearing across his skin. He needed to touch her, needed to feel that she was still there. "You can't leave me..." He pleaded, pressing his face against her hair.

Beth leaned into him and shut her eyes. "Will it hurt?" She asked, trying to hold back the undeniable fear building inside her.

Daryl's grip tightened around her, finding it impossible to accept this would be the last time he'd get to hold her, to speak to her. "Goddammit." He cursed and pulled her shirt to the side once more to look at the bite that would inevitably end her life. Upon further inspection he sighed, dropping his head into the crook of her neck with a chuckle

"What the hell is so funny?" Beth asked, not finding his reaction the least bit amusing.

"Ya ain't bit." He informed her, lifting his head enough to look at her so she knew he was serious.

Beth quickly pushed him away, his words causing her to reinspect her shoulder. "You sure?"

"Ya just cut yerself on the end of that rake when ya fell." He pointed to the side of the barn where a rusty rake was hidden below some dead grass, the end barely poking out just enough to cause some damage.

Beth looked where he pointed, then back to him. "I'm not gonna turn?" She asked, her eyes watery and her lips slightly quivering.

Daryl shook his head and grinned. "No." He reached out to pull her against him again and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Scared the shit outta me." He whispered, moving his hands to cup her face. "The fuck ya doin' out here anyway?"

Beth squeezed her eyes shut, a few tears escaping. She was relieved she'd live to see another day. "Molly needed to go out. Everything just happened so fast I didn't have time to react. Next thing I knew there were Walkers behind me on the porch and I was running through the yard to get away." She paused, opening her eyes to look at him. "Thank you...for saving me. I know you don't want us to be together like we were before, but you being here for me like this means a lot." She admitted.

Daryl didn't say anything. He just watched her, occasionally swiping his thumbs across her cheeks as fresh tears slid from her eyes. When he finally did start to speak he stuttered and stopped himself, snapping his mouth shut with a pained expression.

Beth reached up to place a hand over his that was still touching her. "You don't have to say anything." She told him.

He gave her a nod. "We should go back inside." Daryl said as he moved them to stand. He was worried all their yelling and Molly's barking had drawn in near by Walkers and didn't want to risk another close encounter if they started crawling out of the woods to come after them.

Beth stumbled when she stood, forgetting the whole reason she had fallen in the first place was because she twisted her ankle. She grabbed Daryl's arms to keep steady and winced when she tried to take another step forward.

"Wrap ya arms around my neck." Daryl insisted, bending down so she could reach better. When she did as instructed he placed an arm behind her knees and picked her up, carrying her back to the house.

He carefully put her down in the bathroom after locking the front door and went to find their bag of medical supplies while she sat on the edge of the tub and waited.

"I dunno how Maggie slept through all that." Daryl said as he came back into the bathroom with the bag in hand. He was still bitter toward Maggie and it was clear in his voice.

"Shes always been a heavy sleeper." Beth replied, trying to ignore his disapproval of her sister by sliding a hand down her leg to rub her ankle. She wasn't in the mood to argue.

Daryl put the bag on the counter by the sink and shifted to kneel in front of her. He gently moved her hand and grabbed her foot. "Lemme know when it starts ta hurt." He slowly started to rotate her ankle and stopped when she hissed in pain. "Looks like we're gonna be stuck here a bit longer than planned."

"Is it that bad?' Beth asked, looking down at her ankle again thinking she missed something.

"Just sprained, but we can't have ya travelin' when ya can barely put any pressure on it." Daryl stood then. "Take ya shirt off." And with that statement he pushed Molly out of the bathroom and shut the door.

Beth snapped her head up wide eyed. She wasn't wearing a bra and suddenly felt nervous, which was stupid since they'd been as close as two people could possibly get, more than once.

Daryl leaned against the wall, bringing his thumb up to his teeth to chew on. He was apparently better at making things awkward than he gave himself credit for. "I seen it all before..." He reminded her, picking up on her hesitation.

Beth sighed and forced herself to stop acting like a child. They were both adults and Daryl was only trying to help. With a shaking hand she reached for the hem of her shirt and began pulling it back up her body, groaning when her shoulder protested the movement.

"Here..." Daryl said as he made her lower her injured arm. He helped her pull her other one free, then slipped the material over her head. Carefully he peeled the shirt away from the wound and was able to let it fall to the floor without her having to move her shoulder again.

"Thanks." She whispered, looking away to keep from seeing his face as her breasts were exposed to him.

Daryl actually attempted to do the decent thing and keep his mind from wandering as he grabbed a rag from the bathroom closest. It was hard though...he missed her and everything inside him was screaming to kiss down her neck and in between her perfect perky breasts. Biting his lip he pushed those thoughts aside and wet the cloth before dabbing at the sensitive flesh around her injury.

Beth chuckled after a minute and shook her head. "Really Daryl?" She asked, watching as he looked at her confused.

"What?" He asked, his brows furrowed.

Beth smirked and let her eyes trail down his body to the obvious bulge straining against his jeans.

Daryl turned bright red and huffed. "I'm tryin' alright?"

"I'm not mad." She made sure to let him know. In a way it was kind of nice to tease him. It kept her mind distracted enough to block out the pain.

Daryl continued for a moment in silence before he sighed and tossed the rag against the tiled wall, it bounced off and fell into the tub. "Ya need a shower." She was covered in blood and dirt, and it would be easier for the both of them to have her rinse everything off at once.

Beth pouted almost instantly. "But its freezing."

"Stop ya whining." Daryl grumbled.

"What if I slip?" She asked, still pouting.

She had a good point and Daryl momentarily found himself struggling to give her an answer. He scanned her beautiful blue eyes, trying to find a better way to go about getting her clean, but all he managed to do was place a hand on the back of her neck and pull her to his lips in a piercing kiss. Beth responded to him as if nothing had ever changed and tangled her fingers into his hair, moaning softly. Daryl wasted no time flicking his tongue against her bottom lip to make her open up for him and soon he was massaging his tongue against hers with a motion that caused liquid fire to run through his veins. He had to stop before he was completely lost in her. She was hurt and this wasn't the right time for him to risk getting carried away.

"I'm so fuckin' sorry 'bout how I've been treatin' ya lately." He told her as he brushed some hair behind her ear. "When I thought I was never gonna...when I thought ya was bit..." He swallowed. "I see now life's too short ta worry about what other people might think of me...Just didn't like the idea of folks talkin' bad 'bout ya cause of us bein' together and I'm sorry it took this happening ta ya for me ta see what I was lettin' go ta waste..."

Beth knew it was rare for him to say so much at one time and attempted to push aside the desire he'd created from their kiss to offer him her full attention.

He moved his hand to stroke lightly along her jaw before speaking again. "Think ya can forgive me for bein' an asshole?"

"Wouldn't be the first time, now would it?" Beth teased, causing him to smile.

"Guess not..." He admitted. He really had been a complete fuck up since he started having feelings for her.

The thing about Daryl was, if someone managed to have a place in his heart, he held onto that person forever. Even if he lost his way from time to time he would always find his way back to them eventually. He was loyal person, but when it came to dealing with his feelings that's usually when he found himself struggling the most. That probably wouldn't be anything Beth could ever help him change. It was something he'd been dealing with since he was a small child, but she hoped over time she could continue to drag him away from his past and help him grow into the wonderful man she knew he could be.

"I still love ya..." Daryl whispered, placing his hands on her thighs. "Don't think I could ever stop lovin' ya."

Beth sighed. "I know." She leaned forward to rest her forehead against his. "I'm not gonna lie...It hurt having you reject me, but I had hoped if I just gave you some space, that you'd remember what we had...that everything would be alright."

"I'm a fuckin' idiot, hell ya told me that yerself." He said in defeat.

"I knew what I was getting myself into." She said and leaned back to look at him. She was getting tired. "Can we skip this whole shower thing? I just wanna lay down."

"No, and we need ta hurry before that shit gets infected." He stood then and went to get her a towel.

"Daryl..." Beth whined. "I'll freeze to death!"

Growling, he tossed the towel onto the sink and started unbuckling his belt.

That confused her. "What are you doing?"

"Gettin' in there ta keep ya skinny ass warm I suppose. Now come on, get ya shorts off." He demanded, pulling the shower curtain closed behind her to turn on the water and not get her soaked. Truth was he needed to get cleaned up also. His chest was still covered in her blood and his feet were dirty from running around outside barefoot. At least this way they could suffer in the cold together.

"Were you always this bossy?" She asked with a huff, trying to maneuver her cotton shorts and panties over her hips without having to stand.

Daryl raised his brow, kicking his jeans to the side when they hit the floor. His body started reacting to her again when she was completely naked and he cursed. What the hell was wrong with him? His mind was completely focused on taking care of Beth, yet his body insisted on embarrassing him. When he saw her staring at the tent he was pitching in his boxers he sighed. "Don't ya say a fuckin' word."

Beth covered her mouth with her hand to hold back a laugh and gave him a nod.