Her vision was blurry as she saw the sparkle of the sun. "I loved you for a long time, girl. Ain' never said nuthin' 'fore, I wish I had. Ya always were too good fer a dirty ole redneck like me."

Her throat was closed as she tried to speak. The pain was so bad, she couldn't move, couldn't reach out to him. "You are the best man I've ever know, Daryl."

She wanted so badly to reach out to him. Her body shook as his did too. The tremors of his hands moved to the rest of his body, the force of his sobs shook not only him, but her too. A few tears leaked out from the corner of her eyes.

She didn't know how long they stayed there, until he finally started moving around. The rustle of clothes filled the empty silences around her. Her breathing evened out until she fell asleep again.

The feeling of warm water on her skin woke her up and her eyes would not open. The burning of her skin had faded away in her sleep. She heard him talkin', the most he's ever said at once in the almost three years she's known him. "I loved you since the day I pulled up to your daddy's farm and you were standing on tha porch. Hair all golden from the sun, smile wide and heart-breakin'. That's all you been doing since that first day baby girl. Breakin' my heart."

By the end, he was crying and so was she. His voice broke and some words were missed, but she understood. 'I'm still here Daryl. I'm fightin'. Please don't give up on me!'

"You'll keep breaking it, 'til I'm dead and gone and with you again." He tried to be mindful of the scratches, somehow not wanting to hurt her anymore than she had been. "You're starting to get cold girl. Better hurry along now. It won't be much longer, 'fore you turn. I just, I can't do it now, you know? I love you baby."

The shaking of his hands wouldn't stop as he put the cloth back in the pan of water he'd found in the back of a cupboard. "You woulda liked it here girl."

He made sure not to tarry too long in dressing her. 'I already do like it. You're with me. I'm fine Daryl! Please! Look at me!'

Her throat was tight and garbled sounds echoed in her head as she tried to speak. His turned his back, grabbing up her bloodied and ruined clothes. "I'll be back baby. Please. Don't move."

He took everything out of the room, the sounds of sloshing water running down the rain and the front door opening as he left. "Mmm!"

SHe laid as still as she could, having been moved on her back, not wanting to reopen the wounds she could feel stitches pulling. "Mmmmm! Ehhh. . . "

Her groans bounced around the empty room as she tried to forced her throat to work and mouth to move, the sounds so familiar and foreign to her at the same time. Giving up after a minute, she tried to twitch the stiffened joints.

Her pinky moved a fraction, her eyes would not open, but she felt it. she felt every nerve ending in her body on fire. Not the kind that burned, it felt warm. The blood moving through as her heart pumped slowly. Everything about her was hypersensitive. Her other pinky moved. She kept at it, even after hearing Daryl walking back in. By then, she was 8 fingers in and now it was 10. Her toes were moving fine.

She no more tried to speak, remembering and recognizing the sounds for what they were and what she was not. She wanted to stay alive. She would fight, to show Daryl she was still alive, that she wasn't going to leave him.

"Oh thank god baby girl. It's not your time yet. I know you're ready to move on, I'm not. ready for you to leave me." He knew all he had been for almost 40 years, empty and nothing. It was all he knew. All he had known, until her. His - he could never claim someone as beautiful and pure as her as his, Bethany Josephine Greene. Her sweet smile and tender heart opened up his own.

Without her, it had no reason to stay open. He would bury, do right by her. They take care of their own. Then we would go out and find the rest of their family, spend the rest of his life caring for and protecting the people he loved. Doing for them, what he couldn't do for her.

He wasn't fit to be a protector, but in the end of days that's all he knew.

She tried to move her ankles, until the force of it almost had her shaking, giving up, she would come back to them later. Her head was next, trying to move it back and forth even as she felt the cold. Her body was losing heat. She was not giving up.

She thought back to the kids from the prison, hoping they'd gotten out. She thought of little Judy and her soft baby kisses. Seeing Daryl herd the kids around, give them small tips to stay safe until someone came for them. She hoped someone got them to safety. This world wasn't one for kids to grow up in, but she damn well would try. She'd get better, get stronger. Help daryl, help herself. Find the children, find her family.

Her head tilted, her left ankle twitched. Success! Her fingers were wriggling like little worms under the blanket Daryl had covered her up in at some point. How long had she been lost in thought? She didn't spend too much time wondering, determined to go on.

He had fallen asleep a some point, his eyes crusted in dried tears. It wasn't the smartest thing to do with a dead person liable to turn at any time, but he didn't care. The person was Beth. She could do anything to him and he would welcome it with a smile. Even eat his guts, they weren't much to them anyways. Not without her smiles, without her light to guide him.

He sat up, looking around the room the two of them were in, the cabin, when he walked through shortly after Beth fell asleep. He thought about how inviting it almost was. It reminded him of the homes, the families he would have been born into had his life been different. The one he always imagined proper and welcoming, warm and inviting with the sounds of childrens' laughter and sweets baking. Nothing like the one he came from filled with childrens' tears and stale cigaretts, alcohol and drinken laughter.

This was the kinda home Beth woulda loved. He woulda done his best to give her this type-a home. Beth gave him all the things he'd never had before. She gave him a place to she was giving him these last hours with her. He other hand gripped the knife. She would be turning soon. Then he would be on his way to find her family.

She knew she was getting better. 'Daryl!' Her skin wasn't as cold as it had been. She was fighting and winning. Nothing was going to bring her down now. The twitching of her body trying to move and get circulation flowing was becoming noticeable.

A sob broke from his lips when he saw the sheet covering her begin to move.

Her head followed the sounds of his sobs, she couldn't quite get her voice to work yet, her eyes were starting to open and finally! The sheet was blocking her view.

HE sat up straighter, wiping the fresh tears from his eyes. "Oh baby girl. It's time ain't it?"

Groaning was coming from her unused throat muscles. She was twitching more still, her fingers and toes wriggling. He took no notice of the fact that she didn't try to sit up and go after him when he spoke, caught up in the breaking of his heart and spirit with having to kill her.

The air around her was thick, she felt pulled taut. She wanted tog et up and see him. She wanted to hold him to her and never let him go again. She would never put him through this kinda pain again. She would fight for him, him and no one else. She wanted to tell him that.

"Shh baby girl, there will be none of that. Just hush now and it'll be over soon and you can finally rest." He hand reached out to grab the side of her head and make sure the sheet stayed over her. He couldn't look into her eyes and see his Beth gone forever.

A\N: Merry Christmas everyone!

Part 2 of this little three piece is done. I'll be posting up the third chapter some time next week. Also, keep your eyes peeled for the other stories. A couple of them will be updated today!

I hope everyone is doing well and having a good day!