... Chapter 64 ...
Daryl readied himself for whatever accusations were about to be thrown his way, not having much choice in the matter now that the jig was up. The stress of the moment was almost overwhelming and it began to chafe at his temperament as it pressed down upon him. As the unwilling focal point of everyones attention, he knew without having to be told that he looked unnecessarily defensive about it. The antagonistic tendencies that came to him naturally were beginning to stir and as he stood his ground, he struggled with the effort it was taking to keep them in check.
He faced off against the three people standing nearby, wishing more than anything that they'd get on with what they needed to say so he could tell them all what they could do with their unwanted opinions. The recent revelation had obviously come as a surprise and they all glanced over at each other in shock as they attempted to gage the extent of their individual knowledge about it. The stunned looks on their faces only served to set his determinations that much further in stone. Beth was his and no matter what was said from this point on, nothing was going to change that... not now, not ever again. The hardened measure of his stance had his shoulders locked down unyieldingly upon his frame and he glared over, practically daring them to try.
As if realizing that the inherent faults in his nature were of no actual fault of his own, Beth came over to stand at his side. She gently slipped her fingers within the tightened fist of his own, drawing him back from the ledge that he hadn't even known he'd been belligerently standing on. Daryl pulled his shit together enough to manage the rest of the task for himself. Feeling a hell of a lot more grounded for it, he looked down to see that she was staring up at him, the steady return of her gaze expectant and calm. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as the two of them presented the united front that she had asked him for in the first place.
Rick's question still needed an answer so Daryl prepared himself to give it. The way he figured, it was the least he could do. The former deputy sheriff had somehow managed to read between their lines and had done so despite their best efforts to keep things on the down low. He almost deserved the response he was asking for, if only for caring about them enough to be observant at all.
Looking back over, Daryl cleared his throat with enough gruff conviction to say, "Didn't think it was anyone's business but ours. Jus' so we're clear, still think that way."
"Oh my god Bethie, why didn't you say something?!" Maggie interjected, the tone of her voice sounding hurt for it. "We talked for hours and you didn't say a word!"
The girl next to him gripped his hand a little tighter. She worried at her lower lip for feeling bad about it before quietly attempting to defend her own actions. "I wanted to... so many times. I just..."
A sharp snapping noise suddenly infiltrated through the trees, leaving whatever explanation she'd been about to give to linger on the air between them unfinished. Daryl spun around to see a massive horde of walkers steadily closing in, the contorted shape of their shadows being a dead giveaway. He could scarcely believe that such a large group had gotten the jump on them so quietly! The erratic bursts of gunfire coming from the camp had drawn them directly to it, the blood soaked bodies strewn about all over the place decidedly not helping. The lure of fresh meat gave the horde an uncanny burst of speed and they broke through the trees to see the five of them standing there dumbfounded.
"What do we do?" Glenn yelled, panic instantly straining his voice.
"Run!" Rick barked over, "We regroup with the others and hold them back!"
Beth quickly went scrambling for her knife, seeming to know that she'd need it if that was the case. It still lay in the dirt nearby where Martin had tossed it during their earlier confrontation. Her fingers had barely wrapped around the ivory inlay of its handle before Daryl was hauling her back onto her feet by the scruff of her shirt, not giving her an option as he shoved her to get her moving. The tactic was forceful and heavy handed but he didn't fucking care. The walkers were almost upon them and the others had already booked ass out of the clearing for looking back in a panic and realizing it.
He ran out after her, the normal functions of his brain shutting down as the walkers predictably veered towards them as one united writhing mass. Beth darted through the trees at full speed until she caught up to where her sister, Glenn and Rick were barreling ahead like the devil himself was on their tails. Bringing up the rear, Daryl glanced over his shoulder to see that the trees themselves were proving to be more of a hindrance than what their pursuers could've possibly anticipated. They were dense as hell and unevenly spaced so the walkers kept on getting caught up in them. It would help buy them some time... at least a few minutes to let the other know what's coming their way.
Running past the empty cabins that lined at the camps perimeter, they made their way towards its center while purposefully killing everything that stood in their path. Huffing for air, Daryl looked around to see that the whole damn place was close to being over run. The walkers behind them were just part of an even larger group, one whose ranks were swollen substantially by those from Terminus who had been killed during the attack. They had already broken through the trees that lined the camps outer laying areas and were closing in fast to make their intentions known.
To say that everything was in chaos was an understatement. Daryl barely had a chance to wrap his head around it before he was thrown into its deep end without a moment to spare. He could make out Rosita, Carl and Bob in the distance, all three of them fighting hard to defend the small patch of ground that they stood on. Completely out of bullets, they were engaging the walkers by hand and it was clear that they were struggling.
Rick saw his son in the worst kind of trouble and immediately ran off to help, both Maggie and Glenn right behind him. Neither one of them hesitated for a moment as they followed him into the madness to disappear from sight. Realizing that everyone was on the verge of making a desperate last stand, Daryl grabbed Beth's arm and spun her around.
"Tha place is breached! If we're doin' this, remember what I taught ya an' stay close! Ya take 'em down once an' move on, ya hear?!" He yelled over the deafening moans now coming in from all directions, "... an' no matter what, ya stay alive! Unless ya want that spanking I promised ya ta be a reality that there ain't no comin' back from!"
She had a scant moment to nod before the direness of the situation took over, drawing them both into its midst to leave them with no choice but to fight for their lives.
With nothing for it, Daryl aimed the Horton and took down the walker closest to him, the bolt in its eye socket causing it to flail onto its back with a dead weighted thump. The weapons solid handle took care of things from there, connecting with so many rotting skulls that he eventually lost count. Making sure not to trip on the bodies steadily accumulating at his feet, he switched over to his knife, experience allowing for the sharp blade to find its mark each and every time.
Daryl spared a quick glance over his shoulder to where Beth was nearby doing the same. The girl repeatedly darted under the outstretched arms of the walkers to catch them firmly from behind, using both her size and speed to her advantage. The accuracy of her strikes made short work of whatever was at his back. Her determination in the endeavor never once faltered even when the situation was at its worst and it was then that Daryl realized that she was right... she could handle herself with or without his help. She had surpassed his training to become a force to be reckoned with and had done so all on her own.
With the small group surrounding them eventually disposed of, they both moved on to go help the others. Tara and Abraham were bogged down by the cafeteria, each of them seemingly on their last legs. Daryl quickly tossed the Horton to Beth so that his hands were free to run in and help. Immediately caught in the thick of it, he was spared almost getting bitten by a bolt from his own weapon flying past him to take out the walker snapping aggressively at his face. The thin shaft buried itself deep into the corpses spindly neck, stopping the damn thing in its tracks but not taking it out completely. He looked over to see the girl determinedly reloading the crossbow before pressing it to her cheek once more. The second bolt saw the matter through and it left the walker sprawled out in the dirt bleeding profusely through a hole in its head.
The four of them made short work of all the others to leave nothing but a slew of dead bodies in their wake. With the situation handled, the two people they'd been helping thanked them both for doing so before running off to assist the others. Taking the moment to situate himself, Daryl looked around to see that the fight itself was finally starting to ease down. There were a lot less walkers managing to find their way across the perimeter and the turmoil within the camp was gradually abating for it.
With everything about the last two hours pushing the group to the absolute limit, he could only hope that they'd had the numbers and the endurance needed to have survived it. Not having the stomach to find out just yet, Daryl dropped to his haunches and plucked out the used bolts from the rotting carcass laying at his feet. He glanced over to where Beth was hovering nearby, her chest still heaving for air. She seemed to realize for herself that the battle was drawing to a close and she relaxed the rigid brace of her shoulders, the heavy weight of the crossbow in her hands demanding it.
Daryl held up the two bolts in his hand.
"Do that with one an' l'll be impressed." He smirked, the stress of the moment alleviating itself just enough to allow it. That it could do so after the hell they'd just been wrung through was saying something.
Relieved beyond words, she ran over to hug him... doing so for the second time that day. Daryl held onto her tightly, not much caring that his bruised ribs were hurting like a son of a bitch. The girl didn't know it but she had just surpassed his expectations when he had needed her to the most, the decisiveness of her actions never once leaving his back exposed. Despite everything that had happened earlier with Martin and Gareth, she had still pulled through to ensure that the two of them survived the walker attack themselves. It said something about her tenacity and how far she had come over the last few months.
Pulling herself away, Beth paused to look up at him incredulously. "Wait... was that a joke? Two in a year, you're on a roll for not being a comedian."
Daryl sniffed for appreciating the unexpected levity. "Yeah, well... what can I say, I'm jus' glad that this day an' everythin' about it is fuckin' over an' done with."
He meant the sentiment in more ways than one but didn't feel the need to expand upon it. As relieved as he was to have both the attack from Terminus and the walker ordeal that followed finished for the most part, he was even more so for knowing that they didn't have to hide the nature of their relationship anymore. Doing so had never felt right to him and it had almost set him back on a self destructive path that he had never wanted to walk upon to begin with.
"Do you really think that?" She whispered as she handed him back the Horton, "... do you really think it's over?"
In the process of locking the expelled bolts back on the weapon, Daryl paused upon hearing the hopeful tone in her voice. He could see how much she wanted it to be and after everything she'd been wrung through, he could hardly blame her. There were still a lot of unknowns they had yet to face, uncertainties that couldn't be helped. The fight they had just waged was brutal to say the least and it was inevitable that it would have multiple casualties. Right now they were both trying their best to ignore that fact. The guilt that came from surviving would descended down soon enough, doing so like a vengeful black cloud that those left behind couldn't escape from.
Even if everyone they knew had made it through the attack, it wouldn't be the last time they would need to worry about such a thing. People... walkers... nowadays it didn't matter. There was always going to be someone or something out there that would want to take what they had. It was the harsh reality of the world they lived in and ever since leaving the prison, the two of them knew it all too well. They would spend the rest of their lives in a perpetual state of things not being over... the only difference was at least now they could do so together, without feeling the need to hide who they were and what they had.
She was still looking at him for an answer and as much as Daryl wanted to lie, he knew he couldn't... not with her.
"For now..." Was all he said, choosing purposely to leave it at that.
Beth reached out to take his hand, sadly understanding the muted response without having the need for it to be explained to her further.
They made their way back to the site of the initial breach, both of them dreading what they would find when they got there. The camps main trail was littered in dead walkers though not quite as many as it had felt like in the heat of the moment. Walking past them, Daryl noticed that a few that were wearing riot gear masks and blood stained aprons. With the last time he had seen Terminus's standard uniform searing its way to the forefront of his memory, he chalked it up to the sick bastards getting what they deserved.
Seeing the others regrouping in the distance, Daryl braced himself to hear whatever bad news was about to come his way. Beth looked on apprehensively as well until she saw Maggie come over and stand next to Rick. Carl and Eugene were there as well and they were soon joined by Abraham, Rosita and Bob.
Her sister glanced over as they approached, the relief instantly evident upon her face. Releasing his hand, Beth ran over to hug her tightly, both girls talking over each other as they tried to determine if the other one was hurt or not. Rick was equally as glad to see them but chose to keep his composure intact enough not to show it so openly. Taking the moment, Daryl glanced around at the carnage, severely hoping that this wasn't all that was left of them.
"This it?" He asked, hesitantly saying out loud what no one else wanted to.
Before Rick could answer both Michonne and Sasha came in from different directions, each of them bearing wounds that could only come from being the first in line of their defenses. Like the rest of them, they were covered in a thin layer of gore and were just as happy to see each other as they were everyone else. The two women came together in a hug just as Glenn and Tara appeared from the far side of camp. Maggie took off running to throw herself into her husbands arms, the tears flowing despite herself. Tara was definitely limping and Glenn had a deep cut bleeding profusely down the side of his head but neither seemed to care as they embraced her in turns.
The three of them made their way over to where they were all congregating. Glenn did a quick check of all of their faces before his brows drew in concern. "Where's Carol?"
"I'm right here." The person in question said wearily, coming up from behind with Tyrese and Asskicker in tow. "I figured since the coast was clear, it was safe enough for these two to come out of hiding..."
Rick took the baby and looked around, seemingly amazed that everyone had made it through the ordeal. Daryl knew he'd be straight lying to himself if he said that he wasn't too. They both watched as everyone around them began reveling in the fact, some of them now laughing while others amongst them cried. They all hugged each other as if wanting to keep the fleeting moment stored away in their memories for the next time it was needed. The odds stacked against them had been insurmountable to say the least yet somehow they had all managed to survive them. It had only by working together that such a thing was possible. By putting the groups needs above their own they had all made it through to fight another day.
As one of the three people responsible for everyone's wellbeing from this point forward, Daryl found it difficult to fully partake in what was going on around him. The role wasn't one he had asked for but it was still important to him and as such, he took it seriously. He cared about these people, more so than he ever thought himself capable of... but for him it was enough to know that Beth was safe. It was like he had told his brother so long ago, he didn't want to do this without her.
Relegated off to the side, he could tell that he was being watched and he looked over to see that the girl was staring at him from where she was standing nearby. Despite being surrounded by the rest of the group, she couldn't help but to smile at him knowingly... doing so as if the days events had just somehow proved her right all along. He felt the corner of his mouth notch up in return, unable to help himself for realizing that she just might be on to something...
Maybe there was nothing wrong with having a little faith after all.
...
Later that evening, Daryl finally found himself with a moment to spare enough to go take care of his busted ribs. He had been sucking up the pain for a while now but it was starting to get unbearable... especially with everything he was forcing himself to do. Reckoning it best not to risk any permanent damage, he made his way to the cabin that had been set aside to handle such things, his shoulders set in grim determination. The only reason why he hadn't gone there before was because he wanted those who were in worse shape than him to to get the medical care they needed first. With those people now resting in the makeshift infirmary that Carol had set up, he reckoned he had put off dealing with his own injuries long enough.
Those who weren't laid up had been working non-stop for hours, scraping by on sheer will power alone as they struggled to reestablish the camp. Carol and Beth had set up the temporary medical center and Rick had told everyone to check in with them first before being cleared to help. Over the extended course of the afternoon, Daryl had seen them all file into the small cabin one by one, each of them beat up to shit only to come out covered in bandages. The few who needed it more were put on immediate bed rest, including Glenn who hadn't been too damn happy to hear that he had a concussion.
Anyone left had immediately gotten on with cleaning up the area within the cluster of cabins they were using, doing so with the understanding that everything outside of that was to be left where it lay. As Rick had said earlier, the camp was a temporary solution to what was going to be a permanent problem. With them only passing through, there was no point in expending the much needed energy to clean up anything that wasn't necessary.
Abraham and Tyrese had picked up the lions share of the work, the two of them manhandling the dead walkers like they had a personal vendetta against them that they needed to settle. Figuring it best to just stay out of their way, everyone else went out to scour the surrounding forest for anyone or anything left in it that could potentially make itself an issue.
Both jobs seemed to take forever with each having its fair share of issues. The bodies in the camp were heavy, requiring a lot of stamina to move. That was something in short supply. The woods still contained a fair amount of walkers hung up on the trees, all of which needed to be put down as quickly and quietly as possible. Hours were spent stabbing at the rotting heads of those who never saw it coming until the area gradually silenced for them being put out of their abject misery.
Both him and Michonne had chosen to stay behind to ensure that the job was done. After everyone else went back to camp, the two of them headed out even further to comb the area for as long as their endurance would allow. The tracks left behind by the horde led them straight to the front gates of Terminus, the compound itself nothing but a charred out empty shell of what it once was. It still had a large number of walkers meandering around aimlessly inside of it though... men, women and children. Reckoning it better to be safe than sorry, he had Michonne help him move the corrugated panels back across the broken fence line, effectively trapping them inside.
Some time later, they reconvened back with Rick to give him an update on their findings. With the others informing him of their progress as well, he was satisfied for the most part... enough to leave them all to their own devices so that they could go clean themselves up.
With the setting sun behind him casting a long shadow, Daryl approached the cabin and opened the door, fully expecting to find it empty. He was surprised instead to find Beth sitting in it alone, attempting to apply some salve to the wound that was still healing in her shoulder. She was contorting herself in a struggle to reach it and gave up as soon as he walked into the room.
"My arms aren't long enough." She said with an exasperated smile, obviously happy to see him.
Daryl dropped the Horton onto the nearby table that had been previously used to house their entire stash of weapons. With the cabin now providing for their medical needs only, Carol had relocated what guns and ammunition they had left to another one close by.
He went over to where she was sitting, "Here, hand it over..."
She passed him the small container and swiveled around, giving him the access that he needed. With her shirt pulled over the shoulder in question as far as it could go, he gently massaged the thick clear paste in... both of them losing themselves in the quietness of the moment. Unable to help himself, Daryl let his fingers trace over the jagged scar as the memory of how she got it came back to him.
As if remembering it herself, Beth looked up to where he was finishing the task behind her and asked if he was ok.
He pulled a deep breath, feeling as though he needed to before he could reflect pensively, "Yeah... I'm jus' runnin' on empty, is all. I've been out there killin' people an' walkers for so damn long I can barely even tell if I'm comin' or goin' anymore... an' I don't jus' mean today neither. It feels like tha shit's been never endin' ever since tha prison fell an' truth be told, it's wearin' me thin. I can't really say that ta anyone else 'cause... well, y'know... they're all lookin' at me ta take care of business..."
He carefully set her shirt back up and over her shoulder, the whole time reflecting internally on what was just said. With the matter done, Beth stood up and went over to the nearby table, hefting herself up onto it to make herself comfortable. Daryl just stood there and waited for her to say something so that he didn't feel like he was just bitching for the sake of it.
"You know... you can only do so much Daryl," She said eventually, her voice quiet and full of concern, "...and I don't think Rick or anyone else here is expecting any more than that. You put these expectations upon yourself and then beat yourself up when you feel like you haven't lived up to them. You're one of the best fighters this group has and I can't think of a person here who would say otherwise. You're not helping yourself or anyone else for that matter by running yourself into the ground like this."
Daryl swept a tired hand down his face, knowing that she was right but having to resist his own stubborn nature in order to hear it. "I know. What can I say... when push comes ta shove it's easy ta do. It's a family trait an' one that both me an' my brother are known for. It don't much matter what extenuating circumstance is tellin' us otherwise, it's either dead or die tryin' with nothin' in between."
"Well then, it's a good thing that I'm here to tell you that neither one of those options works for me." Beth asserted, making her objections known, "For as much as it's your job to protect this camp, it's obviously mine to protect you from yourself."
Since the subject of his own wellbeing was being pointedly discussed, Daryl reckoned it best to just tell her about the injury in his side rather than risk the chance of her asking about it.
"Speakin' of which..." He lifted the hem of his shirt to expose the angry bruising that lingered underneath, "I don't know what happened ta me back at Terminus but my sides hurtin' somethin' fierce. Feels like someone kicked tha shit outta me an' then came back for more jus' 'cause they could. Seein' that everything's said an' done, I was hopin' I could get ya ta... I dunno, take a look at it or somethin'... especially now that... y'know... everyone else has been taken care of."
He knew without having to be told that he probably looked and sounded about as damn awkward as he felt but there was nothing that could be done about it. Despite still being splattered in a residual layer of blood, the girl looked beautiful sitting there like that... about as beautiful as he had ever seen her. He couldn't tell if it was the harrowing events of the day or the fact that they were alone that was making her so. He just knew that it had him unintentionally tripping on his tongue when all he wanted to do was to get his point across as succinctly as possible.
Beth's eyes widened at the extent of his injury before she gasped out, "Oh my god Daryl, why didn't you just say something when you came in?! Of course I'll take a look at it!"
He shrugged off his jacket before pulling his shirt over his head, instantly uncomfortable enough with the endeavor to not bother responding. Beth didn't seem to notice as she hopped down to gather the medical supplies she would need. He went over to the table she had just vacated, shoving the Horton aside to gingerly take her place upon it. The whole time he found himself staring at her as though barely daring to believe that they were actually doing this in broad daylight.
She was in the process of unwrapping several bandages at his side when she happened to glance up and catch him.
"What?" She asked breathlessly.
"Nothin'... jus' missed ya, is all."
A faint wash of color flared across her cheeks for hearing it and she stepped in closer, seemingly unaware that she was doing so. "I missed you too. It took me being away from you to realize that I didn't want to be."
Daryl dropped his gaze from hers. "Yeah, well... I ain't much for silver linings but at least tha bullshit that happened today brought everythin' about us ta light. It weren't tha way I was thinkin' about tellin' ya sister an' tha others but fuck it, what's done is done..."
"I'd personally prefer it if we didn't do it like that again though..." She implored with a smile, "I mean, I'm all about a grand gesture but having a knife held to my throat in order to achieve it was a little much, don't you think?"
When Daryl just sniffed in agreement, Beth took it as an incentive to get started.
She pressed her fingers carefully to his ribs, making a point to ignore the slight hiss of pain the light touch induced. After assessing the injury the best of her knowledge, she eventually determined that nothing was broken. After binding the area up tightly with the spare bandages laying nearby, the girl stepped back to regard her handiwork.
"Well, it's not as bad as it looks... which is good because it looked pretty bad. You're bruised more than I'd personally like but that's probably because you've waited all this time to have someone take a look at it. Just try to pay attention to it from this point on and don't overwork it. I'd go so far as to tell you to take it easy but, knowing you... you wouldn't listen."
Feeling a hell of a lot better already, Daryl couldn't help but grin for finding the underlying exasperation in her tone warranted. As she cleaned up the small mess she had made, he shrugged his shirt back on and pulled a deep breath... taking the moment to work himself up to what it was that he really wanted to say. He gruffly cleared his throat in preparation of it, the unwitting sound cutting through the quiet air between them...
"It weren't fair what I did to ya... y'know, puttin' it all on you ta tell everyone about us. For all my talk about tha two of us bein' in it together, I couldn't handle tha thought of 'em all pryin' into my personal business. I should'a gone about it differently an' have been regrettin' it ever since." He acknowledged quietly, "What can I say… I was bein' tha asshole I always warned ya I was an' took tha easy road out."
Beth looked up from staring at her hands. "Was that supposed to be an apology?'' She asked, the corner of her mouth lifting.
''It's as close ta one as I know how ta get." He smirked in response, relieved to see that he hadn't inadvertently ruined the moment, "Besides... if I'm recallin' right, you're tha one that stormed on outta there. If anythin', I'm thinkin' it's you that owes me an apology. I could'a been killed bein' left out there alone like that..."
Daryl let the point linger as if to absolve himself of any possible wrongdoing. He was rewarded when Beth laughed for seeing right through it, seemingly unable to help herself when the exaggerated tone of his voice tried to convince her of the tactics sincerity.
"Oh really, is that so? And what else was I supposed to do? A certain someone... I'm not saying no names mind you... was being especially stubborn, hard headed and stuck in his ways! Luckily, that same certain someone also told me that it's a family trait... so I guess it's not that surprising, especially not to me!"
''Sass… nothin' but sass..." Daryl tsked, caught up in the lighthearted banter flowing easily between them, "Tell ya what, if I didn't love ya so much I'd start takin' that shit personal.''
He looked back over to see the girl staring at him wide eyed, the pulse under her skin now racing fast enough to catch his attention. Confused, he felt his brows draw. ''What's tha matter?''
''You… you just said that you loved me…'' She whispered. ''You've never said that to me before.''
''Yeah, well... didn't know I had ta.'' He shrugged back, doing so as if it were a given. ''Could'a swore ya figured that out 'bout me by now…''
She shook her head as her gaze dropped to his lap. ''I mean... I had hoped you felt that way but I guess I couldn't really tell to be sure. Either way, I still wouldn't want you to say it if it was something you didn't really mean…''
Still sitting on edge of the table, he reached over to pull her between the spread of his legs. "That ain't somethin' ya ever gotta worry about. It ain't in my nature ta say things I don't mean an' that's especially true when it comes ta you. I've been wantin' ta tell ya for tha longest damn time but... well, I ain't much good at puttin' my thoughts into words on tha best of days. I figured expressin' somethin' like that would jus' be a prime example of it.''
''Still, it would've been nice to hear." Beth said up to him shyly.
Encouraged by the promise he saw in her eyes, Daryl let his finger skim across the vein of lifeblood still throbbing at the base of her throat. Try as he might, he couldn't recall another time in his life where he had ever put so much on the line.
''Ya hearin' it from me now. Trust me when I say that I ain't out here killin' assholes like Len an' that Martin fella 'cause I'm enjoyin' myself. Both of 'em put ya in harms way which makes 'em nothin' more than walkin' targets ta me. Ya ain't been doin' a damn thing but wrappin' me 'round ya little finger since tha moment we got out tha prison. I might've made it hard for ya but that's jus' how I am. I ain't never goin' ta be easygoin' an' I ain't much one for… y'know, talkin' about my feelings or whatever. I jus' need ta know if ya can live with that?''
''Of course I can live with that..." The girl whispered, sincerity making her voice catch, "That's all I've ever wanted. I didn't fall in love with you because you made it easy for me... if anything, you fought me tooth and nail the whole time. You just may be stubborn and god knows you're hard headed to a fault but I wouldn't want you to be any other way!''
"Pffft... ya sayin' that now." Daryl smirked, still trying to come to terms with the fact that everything had worked out the way he had wanted.
When Beth just smiled in response, he leaned in to kiss her... his mouth finding hers as if he'd been put on this earth to have it do so. The girl responded just as he knew she would, her fingers sinking into the length of his hair as she sighed contentedly against him. The small sound crossed the space between them as her lips parted under the demanding pressure of his own. The warmth inside invited him in and he was quick to take advantage of it, his tongue finding hers to engage with it insistently. Having been denied the opportunity to do so for a hell of a lot longer than he'd like, he indulged himself until she was straining against him, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck.
Not trusting himself much further than that, Daryl purposely detached himself and set her away from him, doing so with the knowledge that anyone in the camp could just walk in on them at any given time. Just because their relationship was now out in the open, it didn't mean that he wanted it to be infringed upon completely unannounced. Beth seemed to realize it too, her chest heaving in the aftermath as she diligently attempted to catch her breath. With the affections that he had for her relayed fully at last, he extricated himself from the lure she presented long enough to pull his shit together.
''I gotta go. It isn't what I want but there ain't nothin' for it. Rick asked me ta see if there was anything left wanderin' around that I could hunt down for dinner an' it's gonna be dark soon soon so I best get on with it..." With that said, Daryl went over to the window and pushed the faded curtain aside, "Ya see that cabin there... tha one jus' past them trees? That ones mine. If anyone asks, ya tell 'em that's where you're sleepin' an' they can come talk ta me if they have a fuckin' problem with it.''
With her sister likely to take him up on it, Beth just smiled at his adamance before agreeing with a nod.
Daryl was aware that he sounded like he had a score to settle but he honestly didn't care. The others knew about them now so as far as he was concerned, all bets were off. Today just proved that the life they had was too short to worry about what other people thought anyway, only making him question why he had bothered doing so in the first place. It had done nothing except make him miserable when he didn't need to be.
"Jus' so ya know, Rick's startin' ta talk about all of us goin' with Abraham to take Eugene to Washington. That would mean leavin' this place an' findin' enough forms of transportation ta get us all there. Decisions are about ta be made so you an' I will need ta make a few of our own." He picked up the crossbow and situated it back over his shoulder, his fingers wrapping around the strap. "Way I figure, we can either stick with 'em an' head to D.C. or maybe strike out on our own… head up into tha mountains an' leave all this shit behind. What we have may never be fully accepted by any of 'em but that's their problem ta deal with now, not ours... I'm done hidin'. While I'm gone, think about what ya wanna do an' we'll talk about it later tonight after dinner. Whatever we decide, we'll decide it together… deal?''
"Deal." She nodded, happier than he expected her to be for being the only factor in his plans.
Going over to the door, Daryl opened it before pausing and turning around. Swallowing hard at his emotions, he looked over to where she was standing before saying quietly, ''I love ya, Beth... an' I always will. For me, it's only ever been you.''
...
Thank you for reading as always! This was the longest chapter of this entire story by far so I hope you enjoyed it! If so, please drop me a review and let me know what you thought!