12 Days of Bethyl

Day Two: Snow

"You're going to catch your death out here Mr. Dixon."

The sweet teasing voice reached his ears and Daryl could not stop the small smile from spreading across his face at the sound. He cast a look over his shoulder to see Beth, bundled up in a red wool coat that was far to large for her.

He felt a pang of worry at the color, the walkers might not really see very well but bright colors drew them like moths to a flame and Beth's coat practically shone even in the evening light. Even living behind walls as they did now the coat was dangerous but in a different way. It made her blonde hair stand out even more and the way she pulled the too long sleeves down over her hands and tucked the collar up against the weather were just making the coat all kinds of bad.

Beth took a few steps closer to him, the fresh fallen snow softening the sounds of her footsteps. Theirs were the only tracks in the snow in this remote corner of their sanctuary. Few people ever went close to the fences if they could help it so Daryl learned early on that whenever he needed space (he was used to open air not being cramped up like a cage. He couldn't even leave as often as he did at the prison since Douglas, the leader of their gated community, didn't trust any of them yet to go on runs) that all he had to do was head to the fences.

The spot he liked best was at the north east corner of the walls right behind a large tree that hid him from sight of anyone he happened to need space from. Most people knew by now not to seek him out when he started to feel trapped inside of the four walls but Beth had found him early that very first day.

She had simply settled down next to him, leaning against the tree in silence like they were out on their own again.

It comforted him, those times with Beth behind that tree. So much that he began to go there daily, always right after dinner. He wouldn't be there long before Beth joined him. They had started the meetings in silence but just like the silence between them after the prison fell hadn't lasted very long neither had that one.

They talked about everything, well usually Beth talked and Daryl listened. But whenever he needed to say something (and somehow she always knew before he did it that he had some story that just needed to come out) she would fall silent and let him speak. There were some subjects they only touched briefly, such as her time in the hospital that they had barely got her out of or his short time with Joe's group. But soon it was the rare day that they sat in silence, but even then Daryl would not want to spend the time with anyone else.

That was why even though the first snow of the year was softly falling around them Daryl had headed out to their spot that night. Part of him had not been expecting her to come but he knew that Beth would not disappointed him.

And she hadn't.

She was standing less than a foot from him with a smile on her face and snowflakes in her hair. Daryl had never been one to stop and appreciate art or things of beauty. He had always thought that pretty things were something that he could never have and he didn't want to waste his time looking at them. But he would gladly spend years simply looking at Beth Greene.

He didn't know when the shift had happened between them, sometime between burning down the house and the funeral home if he had to guess. When she had been taken from him Daryl had tried to shove his feelings for her aside, he had to focus on saving Beth, his friend, and leave any other thoughts about her behind. They were to dangerous to carry with him into that hospital.

But the second they had stepped out of the door, her clutching tight to his hand and only letting go when she saw her sister across the parking lot, the feelings came rushing back with such a force Daryl knew they had never actually left.

With each secret smile they shared, each inside joke they told, each moment he was simply in her presence the feelings only grew. He knew that Beth felt something for him too, that his advances were not unwelcome, but it seemed neither of them was willing to make the first move. Their relationship was already more than Daryl had ever had with a woman and he was in no rush to push it. But with Beth standing so close to him in that dangerous red coat it was taking a lot more of Daryl's self control than usual not to lean down and kiss her.

The snow was beginning to fall harder and Beth took a step closer, shortening the distance between them to mere inches as she shivered.

"I was startin' to think it would never snow." she admitted, looking up at him with a grin.

Daryl made a noise of agreement as he reached up to unwind the scarf Michonne had forced on him (We both know where you're goin'. Take it.) before he left. Beth watched him remove the blue fabric curiously, her eyes widening as he reached up to place it around her neck. He heard the soft sound of her breath hitch as his cold fingers brushed against her skin as he looped the scarf around her.

She was still staring up at him with those wide blue eyes and maybe it was that or maybe it was the cold but Daryl suddenly found he could not get his hands to move. They lingered by the collar of that damn red coat (how had she known it was his favorite color?) as he stared down at her.

A shiver ran through Beth then and Daryl dropped his hands down from her collar, moving to place one on her lower back as he turned to steer her towards their houses. "We should head inside."

Beth took one step before she stopped and turned her head up to face him, an all to familiar dangerous smile stretching across her face as she whispered, "We should build a snowman."

And when Daryl returned to the house two hours later, face and hands bright red from cold and his coat dripping with the snowballs Beth had gleefully thrown at him neither Rick, Michonne or even Carl looked very surprised.