Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead nor am I in any way affiliated with the show, the comics or AMC. This is strictly a work of fiction for entertainment purposes only. Thanks.

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I made no secret that I was extremely nervous posting the last chapter. I am thrilled that it was well received.

Pennedbyme & Kenzimone- Thank you. I did spend a lot of time thinking of how I thought Daryl would react to such a strong emotional situation and in the past, he has always hidden behind a mask of anger. If there was ever a situation that would elicit a strong emotional reaction from him, I think that would be it.

An Amber Pen- I think you will enjoy this!

Peaceandpeacemakers- All I can say is LOL!

Quesera1, K. Lynn Perks & shelly2- Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea. Thank you.

Ktut- I am the same way. Thank you for the compliment. I am so glad that you were able to see the emotion that I was trying to convey. That is so important to me.

Seeallthebeauty- Thank you. I am so thrilled you noticed that 'tiny, tiny detail.' I feel like if something ever happens between them, it will be a total loss of control and things like clothing tend to get overlooked when everything else that is happening is so overwhelming. I am thrilled you picked up on that.

Okay, enough of my blathering. On to the chapter. Don't forget to review and let me know what you think!

Hunted

Chapter Eleven

Beth had lost count of how many times she had tripped as she stumbled along behind Daryl in her efforts to keep up with the neck breaking pace he had set. He had reverted back to those abrupt one word commands and caveman grunts. He wouldn't look at her. He barely acknowledged that she was even with him. And he was walking a good ten or so steps ahead of her. Since they had escaped together, he had never once put that much physical distance between them. It was disconcerting to say the least. Aside from that, she felt as though she was going around in circles with him and it was really starting to try her patience. It was always one step forward and two steps back with him. Had she really messed up that badly?

Then, setting aside her emotional trauma, there was an unfamiliar soreness between her legs with every step that she took. She didn't mind the pain. It wasn't horrible, more uncomfortable and somewhere in the back of her brain, she actually relished in it. It served as a bittersweet reminder that what had transpired between them was real. It had happened. It hadn't been a dream or a fantasy but a turning point in her life. And it had been wonderful.

Right up until the moment Daryl had sat up and walked out.

Damn him! Damn him! Damn him! She thought. He was just stubborn enough that he would fight her every step of the way on this! She was in love with him. Old news. He clearly had feelings for her that went beyond friendship and protection as well, but he'd sooner chew off his own damn tongue than admit to it.

"C-can we slow down a little bit?" she puffed.

"No."

"Really?" Beth demanded, coming to a stop, "Are we gonna do this again?"

Daryl didn't stop. He didn't even slow down. "Keep up," he said without looking back at her.

"No!" Beth did her best impression of the Daryl Dixon growl.

That got his attention. He ceased his stomping and turned back to face her. His eyes were narrowed slits and Beth didn't give a damn. She was just as pissed off at him. She wasn't going to go through this anymore. Not again. Not ever. She just wasn't. No.

"Are you pissed at me?" her tone was incredulous.

Daryl stared at her for a long beat, "Ain't got time for this, Beth."

"Well, then, make some!" she hissed, "If you're mad at me, that's fine. But tell me. I can handle it. Shout at me, shake me, hell, you can hit me if it'll make you feel better," he looked the slightest bit offended at that, "but say somethin'! Talk to me!"

She watched as his jaw clenched and unclenched several times. "Not mad at you."

Beth took a few tentative steps toward him, chewing mercilessly on her bottom lip, "Then, what's the problem?"

Daryl wanted to scream and shout and rail against God and the universe at large. He wanted to throw his head back and howl out his agony. How had he managed to screw up this badly? All he wanted to do for the rest of his life was keep her safe. It was something that he was good at; keeping people alive. He had never shied away from doing what was necessary to survive, no matter how brutal or what the personal cost may be. But a few hours ago, he had crossed a line that he never have even looked at—and it had had nothing to do with survival.

It had been the greatest thing that he had ever experienced in his life.

Also a very, very big mistake.

"We need to keep movin'," he said.

"I'm not goin' anywhere, yet."

Wary and irritated, Daryl strapped his crossbow to his back. He remembered she used to be a timid little thing. What the hell? He crossed his arms over her chest and fixed her with a steely eyed glare that had been known to send grown men cowering into a corner. Apparently, nobody had bothered to explain this fact to Beth, because her only response was to cross her own arms, cock one hip out to the side and glare right back at him. The only noise was the sound of a couple of birds chirping away at each other in the tree branches above their heads. As Daryl stared at her, Beth's chin jutted forward slightly, her eyes glinted in challenge, daring him to tell her to get moving again. When Daryl could stand the heavy weight of the silence no longer, he swung his arms out wide from his body, "Dammit, girl, what do you want from me?"

Beth blinked once, but other than that, her expression didn't change.

"What? What? You wanna sit here, chattin'? Talk about our feelin's? Have a nice lil heart to heart while waitin' for that band of psychos to catch up to us?" he bellowed.

"So, you're admittin' that you have feelings?" Beth snapped.

That stung. That stung a hell of a lot more than he would have ever thought it would. But this was Beth—and she knew him. First, that jab that he could hit her if he wanted to. He had never hit a woman and he would sure as hell never lay a hand on her like that. He'd break his own arm first. Now, accusing him of having no feelings. Dammit. He had opened up to her about things that he had never mentioned to anyone. Ever.

"C'mon, Beth, what the hell?"

She blinked those large, blue eyes, glassy with moisture, at him. "How can you act like nothin' happened? Like nothin's changed?"

"Nothin' has changed."

"Yes, it has!"

"Dunno what you're talkin' 'bout."

"Yes, you do!"

Every single muscle in his body went taut. He didn't want to talk about this. He didn't want to think about it, acknowledge it or comment on. It was a single lapse in judgment, a miraculous moment in time that he would lock away in a box in the back of his mind and only take out in the dead of night when it was safe and he was alone and needed something bright to think about. Other than that, it was best to pretend that it had never happened. Then, he could focus on his objective; keeping Beth alive and safe.

Her eyes bore into his, welling up with those unshed tears as she pleaded with him for something that he didn't think he was capable of giving. He opened his mouth, but whatever he would have said was lost as a walker burst from out of nowhere and grabbed her. They both tumbled to the ground. He had been some busy screaming at her, he hadn't heard the damned thing approaching.

"Beth!" he exclaimed, swinging his crossbow around and closing the gap between them.

Beth, screaming through clenched teeth, had one forearm braced against the walker's chest holding it away from her body and her other hand pushed against the underside of its chin, trying to keep as much distance between its teeth and her flesh as she could. A bolt went clean through its head to stick in the earth at her side. The walker's body went limp, pinning her to the ground beneath its lifeless weight. And then Daryl was at her side.

His bow clattered to the dirt as Daryl dropped and reached down to grab the walker by the back of its crusty dress. He hauled it off of her and shoved it to the side. As soon as she was free of the burden, she latched onto Daryl. She practically climbed up his body and closed her arms around his neck. Daryl sat down and pulled her into his lap, held her tight as she buried her face in his neck.

Daryl struggled to draw breath. He could feel her entire body trembling. Or was that him? Hell, it didn't matter. She was okay. That was all that was important.

What the hell was he going to do with her?

Beth pulled back so that she could see his face. So many things were going on in the depths of his eyes, it broke her heart. But, as if she needed another walker to push the point across, they didn't know how long they had left on the earth, let alone together. Why spend it unhappy? "It happened, Daryl." She said.

Daryl released a long breath. He didn't pretend anymore to not know what she was talking about. Instead, he touched his forehead to hers, "I know."

"And Daryl," she went on.

"Hmm?"

"I want it to happen again."

Daryl's eyes closed as though he were in pain, but that was the only reaction that she got. When he didn't say anything, she reached up and twisted her hands into the leather of his cut. She held on so hard that her knuckles turned white. She wanted him to know that she was serious. "This is happening. You, me, us. It's happening. Deal with it."

At first, Daryl thought of jerking away from her; just dumping her out of his lap, standing up and walking away. He was pretty sure she'd follow him. Then, he considered the likelihood that she would let him get away with something like that. The thought almost made him smile.

Not his girl.

Beth waited with bated breath until Daryl gave the small, almost imperceptible succession of head jerks that he considered nods. She smiled. She couldn't help it even she had wanted to.

So, that's the secret, she thought to herself. All it took to get Daryl to suck it up and admit that there was something between them had been a near death experience.

Great.

Oh, what the hell, she'd take it.

"Okay, then," she said before leaning forward and pressing a hard, brief kiss to his lips. She leapt to her feet and started walking, tossing a glance over her shoulder, "what're we waitin' for? Let's get movin'!"

Daryl didn't move right away. Instead, he sat there for another second trying to figure out exactly what had just happened. Somehow, some way, in the middle of a damn walker attack, he was pretty sure he'd just been bulldozed by a 5'5" blonde who weighed a buck fifteen soaking wet. She had gotten about twenty or so steps away before stopping and turning back to him once more.

Her eyebrows raised, "We gonna sit here all day? Let's go."

She almost reminded him of himself in that moment, which was a terrifying thought. But it made him smile all the same. Just a little.

"Yes, ma'am," he responded, pushing himself up and falling into step beside her.

He still didn't know if this was a good idea; this change in their relationship. He didn't know if it would be too distracting. What if it caused him to lose focus? What if he messed up? What if she got hurt? What if he let her down? But, he was tired. He was tired of fighting his feelings. He was tired of the effort he had to put into hiding his attraction and attachment to her. Maybe, if he channeled all of the energy that he had been expending in keeping her at arm's length into finding them a safe haven, it would all balance out. He didn't have to hide from her anymore. And hiding had been exhausting.

Maybe it would all be for the best.

After, all, how much was really going to change?

Joe stood alone inside the old, concrete shed. He hadn't let the boys in. He wouldn't let them in. This was for him. Him alone.

Earlier, they had uncovered evidence of charred earth and scorched leaves. Daryl had built them a fire. The smart boy must only do it when the sun is up, else Joe would have spotted them long before. Clever, clever boy.

But Joe had still found it.

And now, he stood in the tiny room. He could smell them. His body grew tight and warm with arousal. He could smell their sex. They had fucked in here. It was still in the air, the sweat, the hormones, the salty smell of his cum and her pussy. He licked his lips thinking about it, picturing it. Their naked, glistening bodies writhing together. He wanted to see it.

More, he wanted to participate.

He wanted to tie Daryl up and make him watch as he violated his sweet little thing in every way the human brain could imagine and Joe had a hell of an imagination. He wanted to use every orifice on her body. He wanted her to scream and cry and try to get away.

He wanted Daryl to scream and cry and try to save her and beg him to just kill them both. He wanted to bring them to a point where death felt like a release and then deny them that release.

He chuckled and reached down to adjust himself through his jeans.

He wanted to hurt Daryl.

He wanted to hurt Blondie.

He wanted to break them both.

AN: Okay, I need to say this because I want to justify something that I wrote. Earlier in the chapter I had Beth say to Daryl, "Hit me if you think it will make you feel better." There is a scene in season two that always bugged me and it is after they find Sofia in the barn and Daryl is pissed and Carol says to him, "Go ahead," implying that it is okay with her if he hits her. This always bothered me. I understand that it was her way of letting him know that she would care about him no matter what, but to me it always seemed like she was saying, 'I get that you're an abusive asshole, but I'm used to that and I like you anyway.' She made it okay for him to be scum, when Daryl was never that way. I can't think that he would ever hit a female, even with Merle's influence. I don't really think Merle would have ever hit a woman pre-governor.

Every time Beth has spoken to Daryl, it has been to say 'you are a good person and it is NOT okay for you to treat people badly.' I went back and forth on having her say for him to hit her. In the end, I felt like she would use it as a wakeup call for him and not because she would ever in her wildest dreams think that he would actually do it.

Anyway, I just wanted to explain my thoughts behind that. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please, please, please review. Also, if anyone had an idea for a poll question, let me know what it is! I have one, but I want to hold off on it for a few chapters! Thanks! REVIEW!