A little bit of fluff and smut.. Before the tough stuff! Thanks for reading!
Daryl takes off into the thickest part of the woods sticking to the shadows and dragging her along beside him. They continue like that for hours, it's so long that Beth is sure she's gonna trip and fall and someone is gonna catch up to them. Tears blur her vision and she's afraid to reach up to wipe them away. Is this always how it's going to be from now on? She use to be deathly afraid of walkers, but now it's people who are her worst fear. Strangers who have no regard for anything anymore.
There's outcropping of rocks, she sees them as the trees open up into a small clearing and she breathes out a sigh of relief. Daryl slips through an opening in the two largest rocks and stops. They both look around, making sure it's clear and safe. It's like a small cave except they can still see the treetops and a bit of the blue sky. The ground is relatively dry and smooth which is good for sitting and that's all she wants, to sit and just breathe.
"Can we rest?" She asks him in a weary voice and he comes to her and wraps his arms around her. They're surrounded by rock and the temperature has dropped. She shivers and he holds her close and rubs her arms. "I can handle walkers, people though... " Her voice is small and sounds weak in her ears.
"They didn't see us. Was only two of 'em. Prolly hunting, or tryin' ta hunt. Gone now. We can rest. Stay here tonight." She can feel his heart pounding in his chest. He's being strong for her, but she knows he's on edge. He can't hide it from her.
"Ok." She eases herself from his arms and reaches for their packs. Rosita gave them blankets, and she pulls them out. She hopes they can both get a little sleep tonight. She finds jerky and more of the dried fruit and shares it with Daryl and he gives her a small smile, brushes her cheek with his thumb. It's the two of them, out on here on their own again and somehow it's okay. She didn't realize it the first time this happened, but she's certain now, she wouldn't want to be anywhere else but beside him.
The rock is jabbing Daryl in his lower back and it's cold. He took first watch and Beth fell asleep with her head in his lap. He didn't think he'd be tired, but the nightmares he had last night must've messed him up because he keeps dozing off. It feels safe in here. They're hidden pretty good. It's been quiet, only animal sounds and the wind rustling the leaves in the trees. He leans his head back and tries to pick out constellations from what he can see of the sky between the rocks. He isn't having any luck though and Beth stirs in his lap. She sits up quickly, disoriented at first.
"Daryl?" Her voice carries a touch of fear and he slides a hand across her thigh. It's been awhile since they slept outside.
"Here. 'S okay." She scoots over next to him and he wraps an arm around her. "Can't see the stars in here," he mumbles. He feels her eyes on him.
"You remember?" She sounds a little surprised, but pleased and he grunts at her which makes her giggle softly and the sound makes his heart beat a little faster. "I thought I was just annoying you, trying to point out all those stars that I knew."
"Wasn' annoyin'. Bu' I already knew 'em all. Jus' didn' wanna ruin yer fun." Everything she pointed out to him, he had already seen from so many nights spent in the woods. One of his science books in school had a whole section on stars and his teacher at the time had been a nut for constellations and she did a whole unit on them.
Between the time they'd left the moonshine cabin and found the funeral home Beth had thought she was teaching him all she knew about the night sky. And he let her. Because it was something good to focus on, besides her smile. And she seemed so damned proud of what she knew.
"Was cute. An ya leaned in real close to me sometimes, ta make sure I was lookin' at the right thing." He felt himself blush. He'd blushed then too and thank god it was dark and Beth hadn't noticed. That felt like a lifetime ago. So much had happened since then. But now Beth is back, with him, really with him.
"Lay down Daryl.. It's my turn to watch. Lay down and try and sleep some. I got this." She whispers the words softly and he suddenly feels like he can't keep his eyes open. Memories of the past fill his head and she's real and warm beside him and they're out here together under that same star strewn sky. He lets her ease him into her lap, feels her fingers in his hair, softly stroking his forehead and he relaxes. The last thing he remembers is Beth humming softly, a familiar tune, plunked out on a piano while he stretched out in a coffin.
Comfiest bed I've had in years.
Daryl's been mumbling in his sleep for awhile now, but it never escalates into anything more. Beth keeps her hand on his back, rubbing circles between his shoulder blades. This seems to calm him and cease his mumbling. She wonders what he's dreaming about. Hearing Judith on the radio had probably been the catalyst for the nightmare he'd had last night. It broke Beth's heart. She was trying not to think to hard about what could be going on back home. Two more nights and they'd head back towards Alexandria.
She shivers. It's cold and leaning up against the rocks isn't helping. She shifts and stretches out a leg. Daryl rolls over and presses his face into her stomach. His breath is warm and it warms her some. She hears and feels the sudden change in his breathing and his whole body tenses up. The muscles in his jaw are working as he grits his teeth. Rubbing his back no longer seems to be helping, in fact it seems to agitate him more. He's mumbling again and getting louder. She can't let him keep this up, not out here. They don't have the protection of walls. Shaking him, she says his name softly as he kicks out against the rock. Before she knows what's happening he's up on his knees, his arms wrapped protectively around her.
"Ya ain't gettin' near her. Take that bat to my head! I ain't lettin' ya hurt her like ya did my ma!" All this is a growl through gritted teeth and his body vibrates around her with pent up anger. Beth tilts her head up and whispers against his jaw, pulling at his vest.
"Daryl.. Wake up, it's a dream! Please wake up before the walkers hear you!" She doesn't know if he hears her or if the threat of walkers finally makes it through that sleepy haze
dreams and nightmares create. Whatever it is he sags back against the rock pulling her with him.
"What the fucks wrong with me?" He's sweating and she knows he must be feeling the way his body tensed up, like it had been pumped full of adrenaline. "I didn' hurt ya did I?" His hands outline her face.
"No, no.. You were protecting me. Daryl who was there?" Daryl goes completely still and doesn't say anything for a minute. She shifts in his arms and rests a hand on his chest. "Wasn't Negan was it?"
"Started out as him. Same damn thin' every time. 'Cept this time it was you not Judith and it was, it was my dad, not Negan." She feels him tense up again underneath her hand. Sliding her fingers up around his neck, she brushes them lightly through his hair.
"Nightmares take us to the worst places and they always bring along the people we love or hate the most. But they're just dreams, ain't real." He lowers his head and rests it on her shoulder and she feels him take a shuddering breath. She kisses his temple. "I got you Daryl. We got each other."
He's still feeling the effects of the horror of the last nightmare and it makes everything in the woods seem ominous and threatening, but he pushes forward because he has a destination in mind and he wants to get there. It's suddenly become very important that he does this with Beth. He can feel her watching him from where she's walking beside him. Always beside him or in front of him. Never behind him. Unless he's got ahold of her or he's shielding her from something and she very rarely lets him do that anymore. They are in it together. And damn woman is stubborn.
They ate a little fruit and water and then headed out earlier that morning. Daryl's hoping he can out run the damn nightmares and maybe get them a little closer to Alexandria in the meantime. The sun is high and it's warm, but not hot. They haven't seen a walker yet and he even managed to get a squirrel for dinner. He hasn't said anything else about the nightmare and she doesn't ask and they are both okay with that. Daryl knows that Beth won't judge his silence. Besides it ain't completely silent, girl's been humming softly for quite awhile now and he smiles at that because she's been humming a lot lately.
"How much further?" She's asked him this more than once.
"Not far." He avoids looking over at her because he knows what she's gettin' at. And he doesn't want her to see the smile he's trying to hide.
"So you do know where we're headed?" She tugs on his backpack. He tries to give her a dirty look, but he's been having fun teasing her with this all morning. Even though it really isn't anything exciting. He's just gonna put some demons to rest while they're out here and he can. And he knows she'll understand.
They come into a clearing, the one where he first saw the barn. The sound of leaves crunching beneath his feet is loud as he makes his way to a tree, the tree. Beth is right beside him watching even closer now because she can sense his mood has changed. He decided to come back this way because he could change what happened here, make it a good place instead of a painful one. He's fingering the circle shaped scar on his hand.
"Come on." He reaches out for her hand and her eyes light on the scar there, she's seen it before, but never questioned it. They both have so many scars now, for so many different reasons, but she realizes that this one means something. This place means something too.
"Daryl what is this?" He's sitting down in front of a tree and he motions for her to come sit between his legs and the expression on his face is sad, like he went somewhere in his head and it isn't a happy place. She settles down and leans against him and he lays his hand in her lap, the one with the small circle shaped scar on it. And she sees it for what it is now. It's a burn mark, a cigarette burn.
"Carol gave me yer knife. She tol' me I needed ta let myself feel it." He rests his hand on her hand over the scar.
"I sat here. Didn' wanna feel nothin'. But I did an it hurt too much, hurt in a way I didn' understand, so I did this. Cuz this pain, I know wha' it is. Couldn' deal with.." He can't go on, drops his head to her shoulder and she feels him shaking. It feels like a balloon is being blown up slowly in her chest. It's so much, she doesn't know what to do with it.
"You, you burned yourself.. you hurt yourself, cause of me?" She takes his hand and lightly traces the scar. She curls her hand around his covering that small patch of rough discolored skin and holds it up to her chest.
"Didn' wanna keep livin', but the others needed me. Rick needed me. It wuz bad, no food, no water. Maggie, she spent most the time cryin' and then we lost Tyreese and Sasha she wasn' in a good place. I had ta go on fer them, knew thas' what you'd wan' me ta do. Wuz a bad storm outta nowhere and I had seen this barn so we came back here and stayed the night." He slid his hands to her hips and pushed gently, motioning for her to stand up.
Once she's up he takes her hand and leads her across the clearing to the barn. There are trees ripped up by the roots lying on the ground and she stops suddenly. This wasn't just a little storm. It was more than that.
"A tornado? It went right through here and missed the barn with you all in it?" She's in awe. And she wants to grab him and hug him because honestly he shouldn't be alive, none of them should. This old wooden barn should've been ripped up as easily, if not easier than the trees.
"Mm hm." He gestures to the door and holds up his crossbow and waits for her to open it. "Had walkers on us too. Storm took them out."
The barn's empty except for the dust motes dancing in the sunlight that's coming in through cracks in the weathered wood. Beth looks around and tries to imagine them all huddled in here braving the storm and all the walkers outside. They were here after Grady. After they left her because they thought she was dead. Daryl said that Maggie had cried and he had a scar, a small circle that every time she saw it now would remind her.. they hadn't forgotten her. Walking away hadn't been easy. They were hurtin' too. She knows this, but right now, standing in this barn she really and truly feels it. For the first time. Daryl is leaning against a wall across the barn and she runs to him, collides with him, almost knocking him down.
"Beth! What…" He's pinned against the wall and Beth's got her arms wrapped around him.
"You were hurtin' too, right here. And Maggie.. And… It felt like I was forgotten, but I wasn't." Her voice is just a whisper when she finishes and she drops her hands to her sides. She feels so overwhelmed with sadness and also something else, she doesn't need it anymore, but here she is being given physical proof of the fact that she's loved, has been all along. Even when they thought she was gone.
Daryl isn't sure what's going on in that little blonde head of her's but she standing in front of him smiling and crying. And when he's sure she isn't gonna tackle him again he reaches for her hand.
"This ain't a bad place anymore. Yer here with me." His voice is husky as he cups her chin and tilts her head up. He leans over and brushes her lips with his. A soft kiss isn't enough though and he pushes her up against the wooden wall, tangling his hands in her hair. She's whimpering and has him in a vice grip, her small hands fisted in his leather vest. She pulls him as close as is physically possible and slips her small tongue between his lips licking, twisting in his arms.
"Let's make it a good place Daryl, a very good place.." She sighs and pushes his angel wings from his shoulders. He pulls back and sees the need in her eyes and he's sure that same need is in his. They are relatively safe here for now. The only barn door that works is barred. Yeah they can do this. They can have something for themselves for just a little bit.
Daryl's heart is pounding hard in his chest. This is where he sat with Maggie that morning and they talked about her. Her. They never said her name because she was gone. But she's not gone. She's right here alive and so damn hot rubbing up against him. He pins her wrists to the wall with one hand and cups her ass with the other. His eyes are on hers as he grinds against her, lets her feel how much he wants her, what she does to him.
"Beth.." He breathes her name. She's struggling now, trying to get free from his grip. He leans down and licks her neck, nibbles at the soft skin. She's whining in his ear and he isn't sure why, but holding her like this, keeping her here is a turn on.
"Lemme go Daryl.. I wanna touch you!" He'll let her go, in a minute. This just feels too good. He hooks a finger in the front of her jeans and tugs the button free sliding the zipper down.
"These need to come off." He growls this is her ear as he lets go of her wrists. She runs her fingertips lightly down his arms and grabs his hands. Her eyes are so bright and when she pushes herself up on her toes and whispers, "I love you Daryl" into his mouth it makes his heart ache and for a minute he forgets how much he wants to fuck her and just lets himself feel her love. Once upon a time he sat right here devastated, with a broken heart because he believed she was dead. Now she's so alive and she's right here in his arms and he's gonna make sure he remembers that.
WIthin seconds her pants and shirt are off, tossed haphazardly to the side and his are too, at least partially, he's still got one foot in a pant leg, but they are both panting and he can't wait, he needs to feel her wrapped around him, he needs to be inside her. Her hands are around his neck and he hefts her up so she can wrap her legs around his waist. Using the barn wall as leverage he reaches between them and slides two fingers into her warmth and her pussy is dripping wet. She moans softly and he watches as she bites down on her bottom lip, leaving teeth marks there as she sucks in her breath when his hard cock follows his fingers.
"Beth.." His hand is on her face, he traces her lips with his wet fingers, wet with her juices and the tip of her pink tongue swipes at them, sucks a finger into her mouth. He's thrusting into her and trying to hold her up and he isn't gonna last long because she feels so amazing. They fit together, belong together like this.
"Come Daryl.. let me watch you.. you're beautiful." Breathless. Some how she lost her hair band and now her hair is everywhere and she's the one whose beautiful. Not him. He leans forward and jerks his hips harder, pushes himself deeper into her.
"Come with me Beth.. god.. you're so tight.. " He feels her legs tighten around him and she's slipped a hand between them, rubs her clit and arches into him. He feels it, the beginning of her orgasm and it pushes him over the edge. He pulls out and covers their stomachs with his sticky warmth. He doesn't close his eyes cause she's watching him and he's watching her and he feels so much in that moment. Her hands are on is face as he lowers them both to the ground on shaky legs. She brushes back his hair from his eyes.
"Beth.."
"I'm here."
Somehow they find the blankets in their packs and they collect their clothes, dress and end up curled up around each other on the floor of the barn. He keeps whispering her name because he doesn't remember it ever being said here. Even he refrained from saying it. Were they afraid or did it just hurt to much? He doesn't have to be afraid anymore though. But he still whispers it just the same.
Beth feels a slight tickle on her nose. When she reaches up to itch it she feels Daryl's arms wrapped around her and his face is buried in her neck. Which explains the tickle. His hair is everywhere, including in her face. She wiggles around until she's turned in his arms and is facing him. She can tell by his expression that he's feigning sleep and she plays into it.
"My beautiful prince charming, all worn out from satisfying his princess.." she whispers teasingly until he smiles and growls at her.
"I ain't no prince charming. 'M an ugly, grumpy, old man.." He stretches and pulls her against him. "We sleep all night?" He's squinting at the light coming through the cracks in the barn walls.
"We did. And you didn't have a nightmare either Daryl." She nuzzles into his neck, loves how he smells, a smell that is all him.
"Too fuckin' tired! You wore me out.." He shifts so he can look at her, really look. "Beth.." Sometimes just the way he says her name makes her want to cry, no one has ever said it quite like he does. Maybe it's silly and it's just because she loves him, but he can put so much into that one word.
"We made it a good place Daryl, didn't we?" He nods his head and still doesn't look away from her. It's an intense look and she's waiting, for something more. It's that kind of look.
"I love you Beth." Oh. There it is. Daryl Dixon is a man of few words, but that doesn't mean he isn't feeling everything he doesn't say. He's easy to read if you know how to read the signs.
"I love you too…" Warm lips. Hands in the right places. This could easily escalate into a continuation of last night, but they both want to head out. Home. Even if this has been good for them and a nice little selfish break, it's no use denying the feeling of unease just below the surface. It's time to go back where they belong and are needed.
They pack up in silence. There's no need for words. Daryl hands her and oat cake and she breaks it in two and shares with him. A simple nod from him and she's easing the barn door open, checking for walkers. He shoulders his crossbow and follows her out. They haven't heard anything but birds chirping this morning though and hopefully that is a sign that today will go easy on them.
He doesn't lead. They go together. Back home.