A/N – This prompt was hard…I'm not too fond of the ending result but whatever…here ya go.
Bethyl Week – Day 4 – Enchanted –
Blue eyes watched her from across the Prison yard, her blonde hair shining brightly in the sunlight, her arms oddly empty of the baby they almost always carried. Daryl sighed as he wiped the sweat off his forehead before turning in frustration to the walkers that were trying to get him through the fence. He needed to focus. He lifted the pipe and slammed it through the gap in the fence and into a walker's brain, pulling it out easily and moving to the next one.
"Mind if I talk to you while you work, son?" Hershel's voice suddenly asked from behind him. Daryl turned and squinted through the sunlight at the older man who stood on the other side of the fence next to the row of peas and gave a brief nod before turning back to the fence and stabbing another walker.
"I've noticed how close you've become to my daughter, to Beth," Hershel said and Daryl stumbled slightly as he pulled the pipe back through the fence, caught surprised by the bluntness of the topic. "I've seen the way you watch her. I know the look on your face," Hershel chuckled, "that look was on my face with both of my wives…" Daryl turned and stared at the older man, a clenching in his gut making speech near impossible for the already quiet hunter. He cleared his throat and nodded slightly at Hershel, making the older man smile.
"I thought so. You should talk to her about it," the older man had a knowing look in his eye and Daryl felt confusion at the look.
"I…" he looked away, discomfort making his body tense. "I can't. It ain't right." Hershel looked at the hot and tired hunter in front of him, his eyes searching Daryl's face.
"What are you worried about, son?" Daryl shrugged and Hershel frowned. "If it's the age difference, you should know that that doesn't bother anyone here, especially not her or me. I was much older than her mother when we married." Daryl shifted his weight slightly and Hershel could see some of the tension leave the man's shoulders.
"She deserves better," Daryl mumbled but he knew Hershel heard it despite its soft volume.
"I can't think of anyone better for my daughter then you, Daryl." Hershel told him honestly and Daryl's eyes widened slightly in surprise, his eyes searching the older man for any sign of teasing or joking. The seriousness in Hershel's face giving the hunter the answer he needed. "Think of everything you do for us, for her. You bring in food and supplies, you keep the fence up and the walkers out and I know about how you helped Beth find and repair the necklace her mother gave her." Daryl felt his cheeks warm, his eyes going to his feet. His eyes flitted to the blonde and even from this distance, he could see her hand holding the leather-strung necklace around her neck. He could even see her smile as she looked across the yard to where he and her father stood. He felt enchanted, her beauty startling him.
"My point is son, I know you'll do everything in your control to keep her safe," Hershel summarized, pulling Daryl's attention back to him. "You should talk to her, you'll find it easier after you do." Daryl sighed.
"I ain't good with words. I don't even know what this is…" Hershel nodded at his words before turning and walking away without another word, leaving the hunter frustrated and slightly baffled at the older man's actions. Daryl forced himself to return to killing the walkers on the fence, his mind wandering to the petite blonde and the odd fluttering and clenching he felt in his chest and stomach. Some time passed before the soft crunch of footsteps pulled the hunter from his thoughts. He turned and felt his body tense at the sight of Beth approaching him with a crowbar in her dainty hands.
"Daddy said you might want some help so I thought I'd come and relieve some tension. That okay with you?" she asked as he stared at her, his eyes taking in her exposed arms from her tank top and the leather cord hanging around her neck and disappearing into the top of her shirt and her hair was in its usual ponytail. He nodded before turning back and killing a walker, putting more force into the action then needed. He felt nervous, on edge, as the blonde walked by him and started on another part of the fence a couple of feet away. Normally, the two would chat or work in comfortable silence, their friendship strengthened over their time in the prison. Today's silence was heavy, uncomfortable and not just for the hunter. He could see a tension in the blonde's shoulders as she stabbed a walker.
"You…okay?" he asked her and she turned, her teeth worrying her bottom lip as she thought about what she was going to say. A sudden breeze picked up and Daryl could see it in slow motion, her hair blowing just right into the fencing as a walker's fingers grabbed the chain links and a handful of her hair, pulling it in attempts to reach her. The pull jerked Beth's head back, her body stumbling backwards into the fence as more walkers crowded the area, fingers and hands trying to grab more of her. Daryl moved quickly, his knife out and cutting her hair free, his free hand pushing her away from the fence and he drove his knife into the walker's skull. He whipped around, his eyes dancing across her exposed skin, looking for a scratch or injury. Beth trembled slightly but shook her head at his concern and unvoiced question. A breath escaped him and he nodded, relief flooding his body. His panic and adrenalin quickly changed to one of anger.
"Go ahead, yell at me," she told him. Her words washed over him and he shook his head, running a hand through his hair. He stepped closer to the blonde, his hand lifting to her but freezing before coming in contact with her arm. She stepped closer, her hand hesitantly reaching for his, giving him a chance to pull back. When he didn't, she laced their fingers together, pressing her palm to his as she stepped closer to him, their bodies nearly touching. Slowly she rose, her eyes searching his for any sign of discomfort, but he oddly didn't feel any. He was curious, confused, about what she was doing. His confusion alleviated some when her eyes settled on his lips and he swallowed heavily. Her lips made contact with the corner of his mouth, almost more on his cheek then his lips, and she lowered herself down, stepping back but not letting go of his hand.
His thoughts had screeched to a halt and he thought for sure his lungs and heart had stopped working as he searched her face for any clue of what she was thinking. Her eyes told him everything. Appreciation, trust, affection, all for him. The hunter broke her gaze, his eyes drifting to their hands before moving back to hers as he gave her hand a slight squeeze. Her smile brightened as she returned the gesture before dropping his hand and bending to pick up her crowbar, his eyes following her movements. He felt his lips quirk into a small grin when he met her gaze again. The blonde had gotten good at reading him, at understanding his body language and signs during their friendship, he knew that. He also could tell that she had caught on to his confusing feelings and he felt relief that he didn't have to actually try and find the words to explain them to her.
In fact, he hoped she could help him to determine what he was feeling and if she could help him find the words to explain it himself. Daryl sighed, hoping on one hand that Beth knew it would take him a while to get to that point with her but already knowing on the other that she would ease him into this…new relationship. His eyes moved to the blonde again and he felt his heart clench, a feeling joy filling his body.
Whatever he was feeling for her, it was good. He felt like he had gotten his first breath of air when he was around her. The world seemed better, more hopeful to him when he was around her. He was certain she had enchanted him and his views of the world and he was okay with it. He was comfortable and he was happy.