Daryl could hear the sobs of Maggie, but he wasn't sure why. He went towards where he heard the choked sobs, but he didn't expect that many people to be standing in Beth's room. Everyone was there; Rick, Hershel, Maggie, Glenn, Carl who was holding Little Asskicker, Carol, and Michonne. Rick handed Daryl a folded-up piece of paper, but Daryl just looked down at it for a moment before looking up at a worried Rick.

"What's this," Daryl asks, Maggie's sobs got louder as she fell to the flour on her knees and Glenn held onto her.

"A letter," Rick informed in a weak voice before clearing his throat, "From Beth."

Daryl unfolded the note and noticed that the neat scrawling was Beth's. He began reading the note and his anger seemed to grow, not only towards Beth for leaving, but at himself. If he was able to finish his last sentence, she'd know that nothing happened between him and Carol, at least not on his part. He never got to explain why he broke things off with Beth, what happened before he came to the room they shared that night.

***A Month Earlier***

Daryl was just getting down from the watch tower, glad his time up there was over. He couldn't wait to get back to Beth and Little Asskicker that had taken up residents in their room. Daryl was taking quick strides, so he could get there faster, when Carol began walking up to him. He was too concentrated on getting to Beth that he hadn't noticed Carol in the yard.

"Daryl," Carol began in a serious tone, "We need to talk."

"What do ya want," Daryl asked, a little aggravated that this woman was stopping him from getting where he had been dying to get to.

"It's about Beth," she said, and he stopped walking at the sound of her name.

"What about her," he asked defensively.

"She's too young for you," Carol began, but when he was about to speak up, she held up her hand, "Let me finish. She's too young, you're only going to bring her down. You can't give her everything she deserves, I'm sure you already know that though. She doesn't know what being an adult is like, having that kind of responsibility. I mean, sure, she watches Judith, but she's going to want her own kids one day and you can't give that to her by the time she's ready... I just want what's best for you Daryl. You should be with someone closer to your age."

"Like you," he asked in anger, but he felt the sad truth in her words.

"Yeah," she said and that only pissed him off more.

"Ain't ever gonna happen," he growled as he stormed around her and began making his way back to the room.

He hated what Carol made him feel, but most of all he hated how true her words were. Daryl couldn't offer her anything she deserved, he was a piece of shit like his old man and brother was... He was a Dixon, which in his book stood for nothing but worthless. She deserved better than him, someone that could promise her all she wanted. Sure, Daryl could keep her from dying on his watch the best he could, but he couldn't give her the picket white fence home she deserved. It only hurt worse when he saw her rocking Little Asskicker, humming a sweet melody that he didn't know. When Beth finally laid a sleeping Little Asskicker in the box, he had to down cast his eyes as Carol's words were on repeat in his mind.

"Hey," she said cheerfully, but soon her voice became concerned, "What's wrong Daryl?"

"We can't be doin' this," he whispered because he knew if he said those words any louder, his voice would be breaking just like his heart was.

"What are you talking about," she asked, and the confusion couldn't be hidden in her voice.

"I can't do this with you anymore girl," he said harshly, wishing she'd see things this way so it wouldn't hurt him as bad.

"What do you mean, you can't do this anymore," she asked, and he swore he could hear her voice break just a little.

"I don't want to be with you anymore," he growled, why didn't she understand that he was only going to bring her down? He knew what would make her understand, so he continued, "What the hell don't you get, girl? Are you really that dumb?"

"I thought," she began but her voice broke, causing his already broken heart to shatter, "I thought you loved me."

"I don't," he began his biggest and most regrettable lie he would ever say, "I don't love you. I never did and never will."

"Fine," she says, he still couldn't bring himself to look up at her, "Just go then Daryl. If I mean nothing to you, just stay away from me... I can't, I don't want to look at you anymore... You're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone, Daryl Dixon... Just remember that."

Daryl stood there for a moment, wishing this wasn't what it was supposed to be like for them. He knew she'd be better off without him, but that didn't mean he liked the idea. He finally began to walk away as the tears he'd been holding in became too much to bare. He went into his room, grabbed his crossbow so he could take his mind off the mistake, and began to clean it as best he could. Finally, with his emotions running high, he through his rag across the room and laid the crossbow down on the bed.

***Present Day***

Daryl looked up from the note and handed it back to Rick. Beth didn't deserve any of the pain that he caused her, but he only did what he thought was best for her that night. She wanted him to stay away from her, so that's what he did. He tried to keep his distance, but he'd check on her each night that he wasn't on watch while she slept. Daryl looked into Hershel's eyes and knew what he had to do to make everything right.

"I'll find her," Daryl promised, which only caused Maggie to become furious.

"You're the reason she left in the first damn place," Maggie growled before getting up and slapping him across the face, "It's you're damn fault my little sister left."

"Maggie," Hershel warned and Maggie didn't even turn to glance at the older man, "It doesn't matter why she left, it just matters that she left in the first place. If Daryl believes he can find her, then we need to trust him."

"You're Dad's right, Maggie," Rick said, but Daryl kept his glare on Maggie, "We just need to get Beth back safely. Daryl can track better than anyone I know."

"I'll go find her my damn self," Maggie said and she made her way towards the door, but Rick stepped in her way to make sure she didn't leave the room like that, "Get out of my way Rick."

"No, Maggie," Glenn spoke, "We can't have you getting lost out there, it wouldn't do either of you girls any good. We'll get her back, you just have to wait."

Daryl made his way towards the door and Rick let him past. Daryl only had one thing on his mind, when he got Beth back he was going to make it up to her. He walked right through the gates and kept his eyes on the ground, seeing fresh footsteps heading towards the woods.

A few hours had seemed to pass before he saw the familiar blonde hair on the ground. He heard loud grunting noises and he thought the worse, a walker had gotten to her. He sprung over towards her and saw she was trying to push a large male walker off her. He instantly grabbed his knife he kept in his pants and stabbed the walker in the head, causing it to fall on top of her. As he rolled the body off her, he noticed that she was shaking with fear.

"Beth," he asked in his gruff voice, but she didn't answer him quick enough, "Dammit Beth! Talk to me, are you hurt? Did it bite ya?"

"No," she whispered before she broke into sobs, "It's my fault... I was running, and I bummed into him… it... I fell on top of him and when I got up to run... Oh, Daryl, I'm so sorry."

"Where's your knife I got ya," he asked, and she sat up, hugging her legs to her.

"I had to get rid of it," she whispered, "I had it for about a week after we broke up... but every time I looked at it, I thought of you. I had to get Maggie to keep it and I told her I had another one that was much better."

"Ya came out here with no weapon," he asked angrily, sometimes she done the stupidest shit.

"I can take care of myself," she stated and he through his hands in the air.

"I'd believe ya if ya brought a damn weapon," he said aggravated, "What the hell were ya thinking? Do ya want to get yourself killed? Because that shit ain't happening, not while I'm still around."

"Daryl," she began, but he cut her off this time.

"No dammit," he said, "I ain't leavin' ya again. If ya didn't cut me off earlier, you would have heard the truth. Nothing happened between me and Carol, not like that anyway. She tried to kiss me, but I told her I was in love with ya... I lied to ya when ya told me that ya thought I loved ya. I was stopped by Carol on that night and she got it in my head that I wasn't good enough for ya."

"Why didn't you tell me," she asked, "I would have done anything for you..."

"I'd thought the same things that she said that night when ya were asleep and I's awake next to ya," he stated, "I didn't deserve ya, Beth. I can't give you a life; white picket fence home, a family, a dog... I's born nothing and that's how I'll always be."

"Daryl," she whispered as she stood up, "You're not nothing... You're my everything."

She laid her hand against his rough cheek, hesitantly. Once it made contact though, Daryl could never remember a burn feel as good as this. She smiled at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. He wanted to kiss her more than anything, but he had to say one more thing.

"You were right," he begins, and she looked at him puzzled for a moment, "I did miss ya when you were gone."

"You're not going to have to miss me anymore," she whispered, still smiling, "Let's go home."

Daryl pressed his lips against hers before tangling his fingers in her ponytail. He swore in that moment that nothing was ever going to take Beth away from him again. Once Beth pulled away, Daryl had to fight back a whimper until he saw her huge smile. She removed her hand from his cheek before entwining their fingers together. They walked together back to the prison, back to their family, but most of all, back to their room.