…. Chapter 56 ….

A low grumbling noise emanated from the pit of Beth's stomach, reminding her yet again of just how hungry she was. The last time she had eaten was early that morning, a quick but unsatisfying meal of an old granola bar and some candy. Finding both to be stale and tasteless, they had hardly been worth the effort it had taken to eat them at all. With her belly was now making its objections known, she finished putting on her boots before pausing to take a last wistful look back out over the river.

The water had been cold… breath stealingly so… but she had forced herself to acclimate to it as she had gingerly gotten in. Gritting her teeth to stop them from chattering, she had soaped herself up... running the razor over her legs and underarms before quickly washing her hair. With the hardest part done, she had then scrubbed her bra and underwear clean, taking a moment to wring out both garments so she could hang them up later to dry. The rest of the time had been spent doing as she pleased, the water easing the dull ache in her shoulder enough to allow her to swim at her leisure. It was exactly the reprieve that she needed and as she made her way back to shore, she did so feeling better than she had in days.

There was a heightened sense of awareness flaring appealingly under her skin and it didn't take long for her to realize why. It had started when Daryl had first come down to the river, his gaze sweeping over her nakedness to unintentionally and unwittingly draw her attention to it as well. The firm touch of his fingers had stirred up feelings within her that had been held dormant for far too long and they spread like wildfire in her veins, making her that much more attentive to her own body as it reacted to his nearness. Shivering in a way that had nothing to do with the cold, it had compelled her to ask him to get in the water with her, the offer tumbling out her mouth without her knowledge or consent. She didn't regret it, even when he said no. If anything, his hesitant refusal had only made her more excited for the rest of the night and the things that he said might possibly come with it.

The sun was on the verge of setting by the time Beth made her way back to the barn and she was greeted by the enticing smell of cooking meat as soon as she rounded the corner. Daryl was there tending the fire and he glanced up through his hair as she approached. He looked younger somehow for the break their time here was allowing, the chiseled lines all but etched into his features diminishing for it. Tomorrow would come soon enough but for right now he seemed content to hold off worrying about what it could bring. For her it was more than enough.

''I left you a towel and some soap down by the water,'' She said quietly, coming over to sit next to him by the fire, ''Unless of course your previous aversions still stand.''

''Nah, I'm gonna go…'' He stood up and swept his hands down his pants, ''Might as well since we're here. Think ya can handle this 'til I get back?''

When she just nodded, he paused for a moment and regarded her. ''Ya feelin' better?''

''Better than I have in a while." Beth said, her gaze dropping down pensively to the fire in front of her, "I mean, my shoulders still hurts a little but not as much as it did.''

''Merle left me some balm for it. Tell ya what, let me get this done an' I'll put some on for ya when I get back. Tha Horton's right there... I'm 'a leave it with ya and take the gun myself,'' The corner of his mouth notched up, ''… see if that works out any better for tha both of us.''

Beth rolled her eyes on a smile, taking the pointed comment in the lighthearted way that he meant it. With the reaction noted with a chuckle, Daryl headed down to the waters edge, shoving the gun and the clip it came with into his pocket as he went.

With her feelings for him constricting tightly at her chest, she watched as he disappeared into the shadows and wondered yet again at the magnetic nature of their relationship. If someone had asked her a year ago what she thought of the redneck loner who liked to keep to himself, she wouldn't have known enough about him to form an opinion. Now she'd give her life for him just as he would for her. She wasn't some kind of hopeless romantic and would never allow herself to be like one, she just knew that there was no one else she'd rather walk through this world with than him.

The sky was a golden amber by the time Daryl returned and the bite sized pieces of meat that she'd been put in charge of were done. He had them eat dinner quickly, not wanting the fire they were using to draw unwanted attention from the road. When they were finished, Beth looked on forlornly as he kicked dirt over the flames, more than a little sorry to see it go. For a moment there it had almost felt like the two of them were camping and everything was how it should be.

While Daryl secured the bike downstairs, she climbed her way up to the loft to see a small bundle of wildflowers laying on the bed she had made. Her eyes widened in surprise, having never thought in a million years that he was capable of such a thing. It only made the gesture that much more special. Picking them up, she went over to the open loft doors so that she could marvel at them in what remained of the dying light.

Beth heard him come up the ladder but didn't turn around, not wanting to make the flowers a bigger deal than they were for fear of making him uncomfortable. He dumped the motorcycles saddle bags and the crossbow on the floor before coming over to where she was standing.

''Came 'cross those while I was out huntin','' He said quietly, ''I liked tha colors an'… well, they remind me of ya.''

''Do they?'' She smiled, ''Why?''

He opened his mouth to say something but then changed his mind, seeming to feel it in his own best interest to keep whatever reason he was about to give to himself. Instead, he just shrugged awkwardly and lowered his gaze to the floor, looking for all intents and purposes as if he wanted to jump out of the very open doorway they were standing next to and run off.

Upon realizing that the unspoken answer was as much of a response as she was going to get, Beth dropped her own back down to the bouquet in her hand. ''Well… it doesn't matter. Thank you anyway... they're beautiful. I don't think anyone's ever given me flowers before.''

''Yeah? I never much pegged myself as tha flower givin' type.'' He smirked, the ease of the interaction allowing him to come to terms with the uncommon gesture, ''What can I say, guessin' there's a first time for everythin'.''

Daryl went back over to the bags he brought up and hunched down next to one of them to begin digging through it. Beth could only watch him do so with her heart pounding in her chest. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had felt so blood stirringly alive. Compared to the drudgery of the last week or so, the feeling was incredibly potent… to the point where she couldn't tell anymore if it was because of the bath she had taken or the sound of his voice rasping over her skin that was making it so. She just knew that there was a tension in the air that was steadily gaining traction and it was causing her pulse to race.

The residual dampness left behind by his bath had plastered the dark shirt he was wearing to the length of his back, a fact that Daryl seemed to be completely unaware of. The sight of the lean sinew shifting under the fabric definitely wasn't helping matters any. Feeling slightly breathless for staring at it, Beth went over to the bed they'd be sharing and sat down on the blanket, using the moment to take off her boots and socks. This was starting to get ridiculous! She didn't remember being like this the last time they had slept here!

Daryl turned around with several items in his hand, including a small can of salve and a fresh bandage for her shoulder. Tossing them all down on the bed next to her, he lit a candle and set it upon an old box that was propped up haphazardly against the wall. Beth looked over at the flickering light in surprise. She had been so caught up in the confusing spiral of her own thoughts that she hadn't even realized that it was now getting dark enough to need it!

With his lighter out and making itself useful, he held it up to the cigarette that now hung effortlessly between his lips. The scent of the cigarette smoke that instantly permeated the air was very distinctly him and did nothing to detract from the affect he was having on her.

''Where'd you get that?'' She whispered, having wondered how much longer he'd be able to go without smoking one.

''Tha garage back at tha house.'' He muttered from around it, ''Turns out tha fuckers had been hording 'em. Grabbed a couple of cartons, figuring that should get me through. 'Course Merle had plenty ta say about it but whatever… for me tha shit was like hittin' pay dirt. Here, turn 'round… let's get that shoulder taken care of.''

Twirling a finger over her head to get her moving, Daryl knelt down behind her and tore the plastic from one of the roll of bandages. Not even thinking, she swiveled around on the bed to give him the access to her back he was looking for.

He paused to assess the situation before pulling the Marlboro from his mouth, ''If we're doin' this right, tha shirts gotta go.'' He said, stating the obvious.

Beth raised an eyebrow and looked over the shoulder in question, ''Oh, you think that just because you brought me dinner and flowers that I'm just going to take my shirt off for you?''

''Ain't that how it works?'' He defended with a smile, flicking his ash away before cracking open the salve. ''Could'a swore that a certain someone… ain't sayin' no names mind you… told me somethin' like that a while ago.''

Her lower lip snagging on a smile of her own, Beth knew she could say something else but intentionally chose not to for seeing the request as nothing more than a means to an alluring end. She deliberately raised her arms instead, the look in her eyes daring him to take the shirt off for her. A sudden indecisiveness flared into Daryl's and it had him expelling a hesitant breath, the stilted sound of it almost inaudible. When he didn't make the move she was hoping for, she turned around on the bed to face him.

''Don't do that.'' She said up to him quietly.

As if being called out for something that wasn't remotely his fault, Daryl frowned, ''Do what?''

''Treat me with kid gloves. I'm not breakable.''

He released a sigh that was much more obvious this time. ''It ain't that. Jus' don't know if… this… is somethin' we should be doin' right now.''

Beth knew exactly what he was referring to but still couldn't keep the questioning look from her face. ''Why? Because of my injury?''

''That… an' tha fact that we've both been through hell an' back since leaving the mortuary. If we plan on headin' ta Terminus tomorrow, maybe it's best that we're both not draggin' ass once we get there.'' Stubbing out his smoke, Daryl softened the brunt of his point by adding. '''Sides, there ain't no rush. No ones sayin' we need ta jump right back into what we were doin' before. Ya been laid up… there ain't nothin' wrong with takin' some time ta process it. I ain't goin' nowhere.''

''I've had more than enough time to process it.'' She said up to him, meaning it. "I don't want to think about it anymore."

He was looking at her skeptically… almost as though he was hard pressed to believe her. Realizing that the point she was trying to make wasn't coming across quite the way she intended, Beth chose to explain herself a different way… needing to clear the air with him now so that the subject of what had happened and its residual effects wouldn't feel the need to be broached again.

''It's like what I told you before, Daryl… I'm not the same naive girl that I used to be. I feel like I've grown and can finally hold my own, with or without your help." She squared her shoulders, the conviction she had in her own abilities finally able to come through. "Maybe… maybe what happened was what it took for me to really prove that to myself. I just know that I feel a lot stronger for it and I can't explain why. I mean, yes the whole thing was scary and yes, I feel guilty about what happened… but as you said, I survived. I did what I needed to do and no amount of dwelling on it further is going to change that. I may have scars but those scars will fade. Besides, you've got scars and they look good on you, I don't see why they couldn't on me.''

Daryl sniffed back a remorseful smile, unable to help himself. ''I can't think of a damn single thing that wouldn't look good on ya… but I wouldn't wish them kinda scars on anyone, least of all you.''

She held him in her gaze, appreciating the sentiment but not letting it deter her. ''It doesn't change the fact that I still have them… and I meant it when I said that I don't regret it… so don't try and make me, ok? They're my scars and I fought for what I love to earn them. They don't change who I am inside or the feelings that I have for you… the feelings that I have about doing this…''

Beth slowly raised her arms again, the look in her eyes hopeful and entreating. Her point was made and she had put herself out there about as far as she'd allow. What she needed now was for him to close the small space between them himself... to see the matter through by letting her know that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

The dark grey flecks in Daryl's eyes sparked responsively to life, the synapsis in his mind firing. Not one to disappoint, he grasped her shirt by its hem and pulled it up and over her head. He paused upon seeing that she wasn't wearing anything underneath and Beth couldn't help but secretly smile to herself, her feminine impulses igniting.

When her hair fell into her face, he gently swept it away, his fingers inavertedly skimming over the sensitive area behind her ear while he did so. The simple touch was all that it took to send a jolt of kinetic energy pulsing down her spine. With it triggering the arousal points already throbbing at her senses, Beth surged up from the bed to kiss him for everything she was worth. She was past the point of caring what his intentions might be, not that it mattered... not when her body needed the kind of release that only he could provide.

''Jesus…'' Daryl imparted, his hands gripping firmly at her hips in an attempt to stop her from moving on him, ''This is unfair as shit, y'know that? I ain't lyin'. It's been a long time an' I can't trust myself ta be as careful with ya as I should be.''

''I don't want you to be careful…'' She breathed, her hand slipping under the loose fabric of his shirt as if to prove it to him.

She grazed her fingers over the hard plain of his stomach to touch upon his belt buckle and Daryl groaned in defeat, his forehead dropping down heavily to hers. As if realizing that he had given up on the internal battle he'd been waging, Beth edged herself to him closer still… feeling sexy and empowered in a way she had never felt before.

Pulling insistently at his shirt, she let him take it from her as he yanked it over his head. It had barely hit the floor before she took charge of the situation, pushing him down onto the bed before he could even think to stop her. Determinedly straddling the sprawl of his body, Beth pinned him firmly beneath her so that she could kiss him once more, her lips already parted with the urgent need that was compelling her to do so. Daryl came up from the bed to take advantage of it… any inclination he had to do otherwise falling quickly to the wayside as he more than met her half way.

There was a frenzy to the moment that he couldn't quite explain, an ardent need to reconnect that had them practically mauling at each other. Daryl gave himself over to its fervor with his conscious clear. He forcefully swept his tongue inside her mouth, his fingers fisting into her hair as he let her have her way with him. It wasn't like he had much choice in the matter. The girl had climbed on top of him like she had a singular purpose in mind and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to let her see it through. So much for all that bullshit about so called good intentions and all the things they should or shouldn't be doing. Fuck it… the way he figured, he had tried to deter her… well, as much as could reasonably be expected anyways. If this was what she really wanted then he was more than willing to step up to the plate and see it done.

As if somehow sensing it, Beth broke away from the fiery kiss they were sharing and pulled herself upright, leaving him laying there straining from beneath her. With her eyes dark and sultry, she experimentally rolled her hips on him, her arms braced at his chest. The warm spread of her thighs teased repeatedly at his length, edging him that much closer to the cusp. Daryl's body jerked to attention as he stared up at her in surprise, wondering just where in the hell she had learned to do such a thing. The erection she was sitting on throbbed appreciatively at her core and he reached up to touch her, now hell bent and ready to see it through.

Beth bit her lip alluringly as his hands cupped her breasts, the calloused skin at his fingertips raking hard across her nipples. She shifted against him faster, throughly enjoying the power and freedom being on top was allowing...

"Oh my god…" She panted as the friction became unbearable, "Daryl…"

The breathy sound of his name was incentive enough for him to surge up from the bed. The girl was on the verge of getting herself off and there was no way in hell he wanted her to do that, not right now and definitely not like this. They were in this together and truth be told, he was damn near addicted to the way her body clasped at him when he was inside her. He wasn't about to deny either himself or her the pleasure of that happening while they were both still fucking half dressed.

As if to remind her of the actuality of the situation, his mouth found hers again to kiss her once more. Beth mewled against him as the hair at his chest raked across her bare skin, sending her already heightened senses even further into the stratosphere. She still didn't understand why he had stopped her and at this point she honestly didn't care. Instead she wrapped her arms around him to kiss him back with all the need he brought out in her. He nudged his way to his favorite spot behind her ear, torturing her there as if she deserved it. He didn't stop until she was bucking against him, completely aroused for having him use the sensitive area against her.

He chuckled for knowing it as he rolled her onto her back, bracing himself over her to sweep his gaze down the length of her body. The nearby candlelight played alluringly across the naked curves of her breasts and the hardened tips at their peaks beckoned to him as her chest heaved in excitement. Under the captive weight of her stare, Daryl leaned down and took one between his teeth, suckling at her strongly to have her arch up against him with a moan. The sultry sound immediately inundated the air around them to set it on fire. He dragged his tongue to the other nipple as well to give it the same degree of attention, doing so until the girl was digging her nails into his back. With the sexy responses calling to him, he fumbled for her belt, ready to be rid of the thin layers of denim that separated them from each other.

Raising her hips, Beth squirmed out from beneath him, wanting out of her jeans more than she could possibly say. She buried her fingers into the hay as Daryl yanked them down her legs, freeing her of their hinderance at last. The ache of anticipation returned unimpeded and she could feel herself pulsing with it, the heated blood in her veins converging back at her center to leave the area damp, swollen and ready for him.

Daryl let his fingers graze over the bare indent at her hip, not really surprised to see that she wasn't wearing any underwear. Christ, how long had it been? Undoing his belt buckle, he slumped down on the bed to kick off his own pants as well, damn near close to bursting and ready to get on with it. The raging erection that had been firmly kept in check now jerked insistently against his stomach and he grabbed her hand to pull her on top of him... setting her firmly back in his lap with her knees pressed to his sides.

Beth instantly felt her pulse leap under her skin for finding herself sitting on him again, not quite sure if she was ready for what came next despite how much she wanted to be.

"Like this?" She whispered, feeling somewhat nervous about the position now that she was naked and the protective barriers between them were gone.

"Like this." He drawled in return, his voice low on the air. The damp heat of her body had instinctively melded her around him. "Ya done had ya fun… now it's my turn."

Sliding his hand under her ass, he positioned himself right up against her and probed insistently for the sill of her entrance. Her body unknowingly searched for him, the portal he sought now primed and ready to grant him easy access. The determined look on his face made it clear that he knew it and finding what he was looking for, he forcefully scorched himself inside of her. Beth could only gasp in surprise, the sheer blunt force of his invasion leaving her teary eyed and breathless.

Daryl grunted in satisfaction for having her velvety softness welcome him in, unable to remember the last time he had ever been as hard. The girl writhed on his hips, searching for a degree of relief as the tight confines of her body now struggled to accommodate him. The pain and the pleasure converged until she had him fully imbedded and it was then and only then that he finally saw her draw a ragged breath.

He smirked unapologetically at the somewhat indignant look on her face, unable to help himself.

"You couldn't have warned me that you were about to do that?" She panted, not quite sure that his assertive method of entry was to her liking.

"Maybe..." He reached up to trail his fingers between the valley of her breasts, "...but then I remembered ya said that I didn't have'ta be careful."

He pulled her down to him to nudge the warmth of her lips apart, kissing her throughly to make up for it. Beth sighed into his mouth as her eyes closed, the pain easing enough to let her fingers twirl into his hair. Using his hands as a guide, Daryl got her moving… letting her pick the pace that would best ease her own discomfort. It didn't take long before she intuitively got the hang of it, her body shifting on him as only someone newly in tuned with their own sexuality could. She bit at her lower lip as she tested her own range, sinking herself onto him again and again. The allure of the moment quickly took over and they immersed themselves in it as they both became one.

Daryl groaned in appreciation from where he lay beneath her, the sound practically getting dragged from his throat. He could feel the cushiony pad buried deep at his tip yield to him each time her ass met his thighs and he jabbed himself repeatedly against it, doing so with no holds barred. There was a vague awareness that he wasn't wearing a condom but the way he figured… well, it was too fucking late to care. Having unfettered access was everything he had dreamt it would be... with absolutely no interference and no dulling of the sensation. It took everything they were doing to the next level and then some. The girl moaned from above him as her body unfurled and it was the last thought he had about it before he thought of it no more.

Closing her eyes, Beth circled her hips on him in a desperate effort to find her own release. All of the pleasure points between her legs were exposed and she was so close she could feel it. As if somehow instinctually knowing that she still needed his help, Daryl purposely traced his fingers slowly across her nipples… down past her belly button to touch her where their bodies were stickily melding together. He stroked his thumb over her deliberately, using the softer part at its edge to manipulate his way around the swollen nub of her clit…

Lingering breathlessly on the edge, it was all the trigger she needed for the delicious tightness to take over. Her fingers dug into his chest as it seared a path within her veins, converging repeatedly at her center to hurl her far beyond the brink. She cried out as the waves of her orgasm surged powerfully through her with the kind of intensity that left her reeling in its wake. The man she was straddled stayed with her the whole time, his dark gaze fixated. He took his cues from her body as she melted around him, her inner walls milking at him tightly as she shuddered in the aftermath.

With his heart racing out of control, Daryl felt her come on him with his skin now covered in a fine sheen of sweat. He had been throbbing on the cusp for a reason and goddamn, this was it. Gripping her hips, he strained from beneath her as the snug sheath he was buried in contracted against him in spasms. Warm and wet, the rhythmic pulsing demanded his release and he gritted his teeth as he repeatedly coated the remnants of her orgasm with the fierceness of his own. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before and wasn't until he was completely drained that he finally let up, his body slumping back down on the bed as he panted heavily for air.

They stared at each other in the candlelight as they both tried to catch their breath, neither one of them quite believing what had just happened. With her thigh muscles starting to cramp, Beth collapsed on top of him with a groan and tried to ignore the fact that her hair was now sticking to every part of his body it could touch. She could hear his heart thumping noisily beneath her ear and she closed her eyes… feeling content and ecstatic and more than a little exhausted now that it all was said and done.

Throwing an arm over his face, Daryl sighed from above her before uttering out loud, ''Guessin' we'll both have'ta be draggin' ass tomorrow after all…''

She smiled, not feeling bad about it in the slightest. ''You're not sorry, are you?'' She asked quietly from against him, worried for a moment that he might be.

''After somethin' like that? Fuck no…'' He sniffed as the corner of his mouth smirked up. ''Hell... If I had known it was gonna be that good, I would 'a had ya sittin' on me a week ago, injured or not. I could probably sleep for a month right now an' then some an' not think twice about it.''

''You?'' Beth said with a laugh, ''I'm the one that did all the work!''

''Ya sayin' that like ya think I should have a problem with it.'' Daryl purposely slid out from under her so he could go over and get his smokes. He put his pants and his shirt back on in the process to leave them both loose and unbuttoned. ''... Way I figure, ya best get used ta it. I like it that way… it leaves my hands free an' clear so I can touch ya wherever I want…''

Beth was left shivering without the heat of his body against her so she sat up to get under the blankets. As soon as she moved, she felt a warm flood of liquid seep steadily down her leg, leaving her staring at it in shock.

The remembrance of what had been done came rushing to the forefront and with it, the vague realization that she had been aware of it all along. With her body overruling her brain, she had purposely chosen to ignore the fact that they hadn't been using a condom. For some reason, it had been alarmingly easy to do. It was so simple to forget about the rules they would normally abide by when the world they lived in was so abnormal.

Pulling one of the cigarettes from the pack, Daryl came back over to see her looking down at herself and suddenly what had been so easily avoidable in the heat of the moment wasn't so much anymore. He got into bed next to her, worrying at his lower lip as he glanced down at the evidence of it as well.

''Guessin' there was another reason why we might've been holdin' off…'' He offered lamely.

Beth shrugged, seeing it as an accident and nothing more. She quickly thought about her period and the timeline before it, mentally counting past the days.

''Neither one of us was really thinking about it.'' She justified with a yawn, feeling a lot more relieved as she pulled the blankets up over herself, ''I'm not worried. According to my sex ed teacher, this isn't the right time in my cycle for me.''

Daryl regarded her skeptically in the candlelight, his brows drawn. "Wait… ya ain't just sayin' that, are ya? 'Cause I dropped outta school long before I got ta that part so I got no choice but ta take ya word on it."

Laughing, she rolled on her back. "I love how you say that like trusting me is such a god awful hard thing for you to do!"

Realizing in hindsight just how it sounded, he smirked and looked down at her as if it was a given. "Yeah, well... I ain't much for trustin' anyone. I mean… anyone but you. What can I say… you're always gonna be my one exception."

Hearing what was as close to a declaration of love as she had ever gotten from him, Beth smiled and curled herself up against him. He smoked his cigarette, seemingly lost in thoughts that he didn't feel the need to expand upon. The heat generated by his body only made sleep that much more inevitable and she closed her eyes… feeling warm, comfortable and more tired than she could possibly fathom.

She was just about to drift off when he pulled her against him, his lips pressing into her hair.

''Jus' so ya know... no matter what happens from here on out, it's you an' me in it together." He whispered at her ear, "Ain't a damn thing changin' that. You an' me.''

…...

Thank you for reading as always. This was a long chapter but one I throughly enjoyed writing. You didn't think I was done with the sex scenes, did you? lol! Of course there had to be more, they are some of my favorite things to write after all! Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!