A/N – Prompt is rated M for violence and death.

Bethyl Week – Day 2 – Red –

Blue eyes adjusted to the darkness around them. He could see her shape, her form, so well hidden in the blackness of the room they were in.

His hands touched her arm, finger tips touching the smooth skin.

"You're beautiful," his voice whispered to her. She turned her head, away from him, and Daryl could finally see her face as a lantern was lit, casting a dim light about the room.

Beth. The man sitting next to her, touching her while she sat tied to a chair across the room from Daryl, was still partially clad in darkness but one look at the gag and the ropes around Beth's wrists and ankles set a fury so harsh, so like a wildfire that finds gasoline, through the hunter's blood that his vision went red.

The room they were being kept in was musty, dank, and filthy. Daryl had been searching for Beth when he had spotted the vehicle with the cross on its back windshield and followed it. Something had gone wrong, though. His head ached and he remembered getting jumped on, something colliding with the back of his head before he saw darkness. He was bound to a chair and gagged, like Beth. His eyes moved over what he could see of her and the wildfire of rage grew fiercer in his chest as he took in the rope burns on her wrists and the bruises on her arms. He would give her kidnappers credit for keeping her in good shape over the two weeks she had been missing, but his brain didn't want to think about that.

His vision was red as he pulled and fought the ropes as silently as he could. This wasn't his first time being in a tight spot like this, he had gotten quite apt at getting free from knots after Merle had dragged him into a situation like this one. He freed his hands and slowly maneuvered in the darkness to free his ankles and remove the gag from his mouth. Using his skills in stealth, Daryl moved quietly and easily to a table behind him where his crossbow and knife sat. He must not have been out long if they hadn't even bothered with putting his weapons somewhere else.

He gripped his knife tightly and turned, stalking to the man who was still whispering and touching Beth, who shook in her chair and struggled against the ropes. Her eyes showed the pain her struggles were causing her and Daryl gave up on his decision to sneak up on the man.

He moved quickly, grabbing the man and stabbing him repeatedly, growling out that the bastard should never have taken or touched Beth. The sound of Beth's muffled shout was the only thing that kept the hunter from continuing his punishment on the man. Daryl dropped the man's body and turned, quickly pulling the gag from Beth's mouth and cutting her free.

"Daryl," her voice was sweeter than he remembered, her arms encasing him the minute they were free. "I was so scared that you were dead when they dragged you in here."

"They're gonna wish I had been," he snarled. His hands held the blonde's chin as he inspected her, counting the bruises and scrapes he could see in the dim light. She sighed, a soft smile covering her face as she drank in his appearance. His fury was palpable, it shone in his eyes and in the tightness of his jaw. Part of Beth felt that she should try to calm the hunter, talk sense into him and convince him to just focus on escaping but she knew better. The intensity in his eyes, the devotion and affection and relief for her that she could see in him told her that he would never let these men go. He wouldn't let them survive after taking her from him. She nodded, accepting his need for revenge but showing him her extreme dislike for it, and he turned, grabbing his crossbow and her hand before pulling her out of the room.

He moved quickly, going room to room, finding backpacks, weapons, and food and dealing with any of her kidnappers along the way. Beth stayed as far back as he would let her, which was only the doorway of the room. While she hated these men for taking her from the man she loved, she still struggled with the idea and sight of murdering them. Daryl seemed to understand her dilemma and allowed her the space to turn away but if she tried to go more than five feet away from him, his body would tense and she would see panic build in his face, as if her being more than five feet away from him would mean she vanished again.

When the last of the five men in the house had been dispatched, Daryl let out a deep breath. The wildfire that had raged through his body suddenly cooled as Beth slipped her hand into his, intertwining their fingers together and squeezing it tightly. Relief washed through him as if he had jumped into a cool lake on a summer day and he turned, pulling her body into his and holding her close. She nestled her head into his chest, listening to the beating of his heart and soaking in the feel of him.

"You were right," his voice rumbled in her ear and she looked up at him. "About several things."

"Like what?" she asked, her voice was soft and her heart was hammering against her rib cage.

"Our family. They're all alive. Judith, Maggie, Rick, Carl…everyone." Tears filled Beth's eyes at his words, happiness filling her heart to the brim and overflowing. "And I missed you, so bad, when you were gone, Greene." Her arms tightened around his middle and she fought to keep from rising on to her tip-toes and kissing him. She loved him and she knew he cared deeply about her, but she knew he was not ready for that amount of intimacy yet. She settled on holding him tightly, feeling him return the gesture before letting her step out and take his hand again.

"Take me home, to our family. To you. I'll never leave you again." She told him and she saw the understanding cross his features, slipping his hand back to hers and lacing his fingers around hers again before walking with her out of the run down house and in the direction of their family.

They were together again and this time, nothing would separate them.