At some point during the night, a storm started up, waking Beth from her comfortable and warm position sprawled across Daryl. He had become a deeper sleeper since they had been living here together, just the two of them, but it still surprised her when something awoke her before him so she took the moment to look at him. There was a crack in the thick blankets they had thrown up over the window, meant to give them enough light to know when it was day time, but it was also enough for Beth to see the lightening brighten the room.

There was so much peace on his face when he was asleep, that it really did marvel Beth because he was far from peaceful during his waking hours. Sure, he was quiet and withdrawn, even still was alone with her, but no one would ever think he was peaceful. Anger was always not too far from his eyes or brow. If you could see either behind his hair. In sleep, though, it was like the pressures of the day, the pressures of their life as it was now, the memories from his past that she knew little of, had all melted away for those few hours of sleep.

For days the weather had been still with nothing happening. There had been no fresh snow for at least a week, the temperatures were slowly increasing after the freezing winds that had frozen the snow solid to ice, and maybe the snow was melting very slightly. It was still deep out though, still cold enough that if she watched out of the window all day she would see no sign of life, or death. This rain would wash it away though, and Beth wondered what that would bring with it.

Curiosity got the better of her and she carefully and slowly climbed out of bed, shivering for a moment as the cold of the air hit her. Daryl did not even stir as she glanced down at him, smiling as she then approached the window and pulled the blanket away a slither more to watch the world light up. Everything seemed so calm as she looked out on it, calm despite the rain beating down upon everything, beating and thrashing it as if trying to mold the world into something new. For a moment, Beth allowed herself to pretend that the world was still normal, that the dead stayed dead, that her daddy and mama, Patricia, Shawn and Otis were all at the farm and she was staying in town at a friend's, watching a storm from a girlie sleep over. Because the world looked just like the world always had – covered in snow, the white hiding every blemish that showed the world had ended and people had died.

Everything could be normal if she could just freeze the moment right then.

"Girl, ain't it cold out there."

"Nah. Come look."

Silently he moved to stand behind her and she felt him there, his warmth radiating from him and she could not help the shiver although she was not bothered by the cold. There was something in the air, she reckoned it must be the electricity all around them, from the air, filling the space between them.

"Used to love a storm," she whispered just loud enough to be heard above the rain.

"Huh?"

"Summer ones. I'd go out in them. Twirl around and just… soak it up."

"Fuckin' winter now."

"I know. Still pretty though, cleansing. Like, in summer, it'd break the heat, freshen the air."

It was silent then, until another crack split through the air and she flinched with a smile, enjoying the shock and surprise.

"Maybe this storm's for cleansing us," she continued.

"Us?"

She turned around to him, not realizing quite how close he was when she almost brushed against his chest, but she was unable to raise her face, unable to meet his eyes. Not that she had any idea if he was looking at her; he would not usually be given this situation. "We'll be with the others tomorrow," she whispered. "Back with our family."

"Uh-huh."

"And all this will stop. They have walls, homes, beds. We won't," she coughed, "We won't need to keep watch, to keep warm side by side, wrapped up together."

"Nah, we won't."

"So maybe this storm's meant to reset us for being back with them. Ya know, our journey's over. You brought me back to 'em, kept me safe all the way from the prison."

"Uh-huh," he sighed, taking a step back, though it did not feel as if he was trying to escape her.

"'Cept I don't want it to." She looked up at him then, unsure if he had been able to hear her voice over the rain until his eyes met hers and neither of them looked away. "I don't want a normal life, a life without you. Ain't livin' if ya ain't there." Where her words or thoughts had come from was a shock even to Beth. In the early days, before and then after the farm fell, Beth would wish to turn back the clock and take it all back, but now she had no idea how she ever could have lived the life she had before.

"I'm here." His voice was as quiet as hers, wobbly like he was unsure how to say them.

"But there? Will ya be? With Rick 'n' Carol 'n' Maggie, when I might jus' be Judith's mama again."

"I'll be wherever ya want me to be."

"Listenin' t' me singin' lullabies?"

He shook his head, eyes still locked on to hers. "Don' need to be anyone ya don' wanna be. Jus' be who ya are." It felt like déjà vu, him repeating the words back to her from a night that felt like a lifetime ago.

"An' if that's with you?" she asked.

"What if ya change ya mind?" he asked, his eyes ducking away for the first time since they had locked. Self doubt was obvious.

"Daryl Dixon! I am not about to just up 'n' change how I feel about ya!" His eyes glanced up at her briefly and then looked everywhere but her and it spoke volumes to her, making her heart ache that he was still so unsure. The brave, strong man who had undoubtedly changed her world, formed her in to a survivor, still felt so undeserving.

"I'unno," he finally answered, head ducked low and she wanted to laugh at his grumble, an echo of their night at the funeral home, of the night he let her bury Noah both filled with grief, a reminder of something they frequently broached and always backed away from. Her right hand shot up almost of its own volition, cupping his cheek softly and forcing his face up, his eyes still refusing to look at her.

"Don't I'unno me," she whispered in to the darkness.

His eyes stared in to her then and she could see it all.

"You know," he breathed out. With a gentleness that surprised them both, each of them moved forward, their lips meeting as he ducked slightly and she lifted up slightly. It was brief, it was new and when Beth pulled back, she smiled and moved a step towards their bed. With a nod, more to herself, she continued to walk away until she was stopped by his hand grabbing at her wrist, fumbling for her fingers.

A bolt of lightening lit up the room and as the thunder filled the room, their lips crashed together in a mess of tongues and limbs, of heated hands desperately seeking the purchase of material and skin. Through all the long months, the nights spent wrapped up in each other's arms, Beth had never allowed the thought of this very moment to crystallise in her mind's eye. This was where it had all been leading to, ever since that uncomfortably warm and humid night that they burnt down their past and moved forward together, this coming together had been inevitable since then, fated to happen.

After the storm cleared, the four of them headed to Alexandria. It took longer than they had expected, shifting the resources Daryl and Beth had sourced from the small apartment block to the camper van that Tara and Heath had left almost a day's walk away. Daryl had commented that it was fucking insane to be on a run in this weather, which Beth had grinned at until Tara had explained how dire the food situation was. Then they had to drive slowly due to the snow still blanketing the world in front of their eyes. It was slowly starting to melt and Beth had seen a few Walkers moving around, their own bodies warming up. Tara filled the silence of the drive with information about Alexandria.

A nervous excitement filled Beth whilst she could feel the anxiety rolling off Daryl. The way that his hair covered his eyes, his true thoughts and emotions, how his thumb was bitten to Hell and back already. Just as the sun was getting ready to set on a clear and cloudless day, Heath slowed the camper van and Beth looked up to see the walls and a gate.

"When we get in," Heath explained, "you should wait here whilst I get Rick."

"He's pretty much the leader since Deanna… she died."

"Wait!" Beth said suddenly and all eyes turned to her. "Can we… could we… Feels better if we walk in. Reckon we could?"

Heath nodded. "Sure."

"I'll come outside with you," Tara offered herself as a friendly face for whoever was on the gate.

Once they were both outside of the van, Beth and Daryl reached for each other's hand, their fingers interlocking. Their knives were sheathed, his crossbow slung across his back and the angel wings just about visible as they stood for a moment, watching the gates start to slide open.

"Let's go home." As one, they stepped towards the gate.

The End!

My first Walking Dead story is all done. Hope you have enjoyed, thank you for all the favourites and reviews. I have loved them!

I'm working with the timeline from the Walking Dead Wikia and it states that less than a year, or just about a year, has passed since Judith being born and the whole Negan thing starting, which is why I had it be winter (though we don't really see season extremes in the show, Judith was born in spring). This also means that when Beth, Daryl, Tara and Heath return, Negan is ruling over Rick and everyone and Tara never found Oceanside.

Thank you for reading!