Hey guys! So I know I said I would update on friday and now it's sunday but this chapter is really long. Actually I wanted to split it into two, but I kind of think it should be one chapter. I really wanted to update the story before the finale tonight and I hope my inspiration won't go down the hill because of it. :/ I'm so excited!

An now, enjoy the chapter. :)

Warnings: Violence

6.

The House

It was before dawn when they got up to set off to the city. Neither of them had slept and Beth knew, that her only chance to survive was to quickly find a place where they could restock their supplies and sleep at least for one night. The lack of rest and food had totally exhausted her, and the emotional overload she had recently been confronted with had made it even worse. And even though Daryl had tried to make it all good she felt farther away from him than ever. She knew they could never go back to as it was before.

They had walked a couple of miles and none of them had said a word. For the first time since the prison had fallen, Beth was happy about Daryl being so uncommunicative. She was lost in her thoughts and she had barely ever felt that miserable. Not only because she felt disgraced but the incident had sparked a painful self-doubt in herself. Did she really overrate herself, as he had told her? Had she been selfish? Why had she even thought he would want her? The pangs in her stomach started to increase again. He was a grown man, he was strong and smart and she was certain, that none of the people in the prison had ever made it without him. Everybody owed him their lives.

And she was just a girl, a weak kid that was too stupid to even survive one day on her own. Why would someone like Daryl see something in her? She was so mad at herself it made her heart ache crazily.

Why had she never even tried to be like Maggie or Andrea? She had been a spoiled baby that had always let others take responsibility for her survival. And she thought she didn't even deserve to live. So many people had risked their lives for her and lots of them had died. Her self-doubt grew to a black hole in her stomach that seemed to devour every positive thinking. Oh how she hated herself for being as she was.

They had been walking for a while when they saw a sign that said: Brookfield 5 miles. Daryl looked at her with an encouraging glance but when he saw her frown, he quickly turned around and continued his way. They went very slow, because Beth could barely focus on the street anymore. She was so tired that her vision got blurry and her legs started to tremble. She knew she wouldn't make it much farer, but she didn't want to complain. Not again. This time, she needed to stand it.

Suddenly Daryl stopped and pulled the bag from Beth's back. She felt to weak to protest, but she got even more angry at herself, because she had let him notice her weakness. She saw the concerned look on his face and angrily stared on the road as she continued her way. A while later she thought she was at the end of her ropes. She didn't want to walk one yard anymore, when he gripped her arm and pointed in the distance.

She lifted her head exhaustedly and saw a house. It was a beautiful, big domicile with large windows and a wide front porch. It was surrounded by a savaged but romantic looking lawn and she could spot a swing and a garden house.

Even though she felt miserable, the look of it made her mood brighten up a little bit.

"It looks so peaceful," she murmed."

"Let's check it out," Daryl said and headed towards the building. She collected her last strength an followed him. When they approached the home they saw that the ground floor windows were boarded up and the door was closed. The upper floor windows were intact and the curtains on the inside were pulled closed. Beth couldn't help herself feeling excited about the house. It looked beautiful and neat and she hoped that nobody had already swept it. Maybe there were even people living there who would help them... But she turned that thought away quickly. Other people meant possible danger, so she hoped the home was left.

Daryl carefully approached the front door and tried to open it. To her surprise the door swung open easily. He turned around to face her and she tried to look determined.

"Let's go!" she said.

She turned around to cover him as they had grown used to and checked out their behind. Daryl silently entered the hallway, his crossbow at the ready. The house lay in silence. He raised his hand and thumbed the wall. Nothing happened.

After a while he lowered his crossbow and said: "I don't think there are walkers inside."

She nodded, entered the hall and closed the door.

"This place is so clean," she said.

They silently walked through the hall and quickly found the kitchen. Without a word they lunged at the drawers and cupboards and searched them for food. Beth let out a small squeal, when she found a cabinet that was filled with cans and jars. Daryl was next to her within a second and grabbed a glass with preserved plums. Without a word he opened it and popped the plums into his mouth. Beth only hesitated for a second and took a jar with green beans. She didn't even care for a fork, she was so starved the only thing she could think about was food. She devoured the whole can and thought that nothing she ever ate had tasted so well. She rummaged the cupboard when she found a can with chili con carne. She stared at in with surprise.

"Oh my god Daryl, look what they have here! This is real chili! And it's still good!"

Daryl didn't reply but started to search the drawers for a can opener. When he finally found it, he opened it and she picked out two forks. They devoured the chili in silence and when they finished one of them felt even slightly saturated. They ate another couple of cans with fruit and vegetables and although Beth wanted to eat even more, she thought they should stop their feast and think things through.

"Wait," she said, when Daryl reached for another can. "The food maybe belongs to someone."

"Yeah," he replied. "Right now it belongs to us."

"No, Daryl, wait!" she protested. "It's not fair. We can't just eat it all."

He sighed. "Okay, but we will take some for later."

She nodded slowly. "Yeah we should do so."

"Let's check out the rest of the house first. Never know what's in here."

She agreed, reached for the cans and started to search the floor units. He furrowed his brows at her.

"What 'r you doin'?"

"Looking for a trash can," she replied.

"A what?" he asked with amusement.

"Look, that place isn't so clean because the owners toss their trash on the ground, ok?" She opened another cabinet that contained a bin. She opened it and saw that someone even had attached a plastic bag to it.

"Wow," she made in surprise. "I think there's still somebody living her."

"Hm" he made. They exchanged a concerned look. Who ever lived here may be about to return – and they didn't know if they where friendly.

"Let's go." He said and made his way back to the hall.

Before entering the kitchen Beth had been blind with hunger, but now she was stunned by the beauty of the home. It probably belonged to people who had been pretty rich before. On the other side of the hall was a big living room with a real chimney and a giant flat screen. It was dusky inside the house because the windows were largely boarded up, but it was bright enough to search the room. The furniture was all white and posh and there were plenty of photos attached to the walls. Beth walked along the walls and looked at the people on the photo's. Almost all of them showed a man and a woman who were probably in their forties and a boy that was about ten. Some other photo's displayed the family together with and elderly couple that were probably the parents of either the man or the woman. There was also a wedding photo and some pictures in which the boy was still a baby.

"Daryl swept some drawers and pulled out some battery packs but didn't find anything else.

"Nothin' useful in 'ere," Daryl said and urged her to search the other rooms. Beth reluctantly turned away from the photos but she thought that she could maybe return later.

There was another room on the ground floor that contained a library.

"Awesome!" she gasped when she saw the large book shelves and the neat reading chairs and chaise longue. A piano stood in one corner and Beth couldn't resist touching it.

"Let's check out the upper floor," Daryl proposed.

The second story was as clean and neat as the lower floor. There was a large bedroom upstairs with a walk in closet and another flat screen TV. On the other side of the hall was a big and clean bathroom, a child's room and a spare room that was mostly empty. The children's room contained plenty of toys and a fancy computer. Beth strolled through the room while Daryl checked out the walk-in closet.

She opened the curtains and let some light flood through the chamber. There were more photo's on the wall and some movie posters. The whole building looked like a film set and Beth wondered where the inhabitants were. They would probably be pretty shocked when they saw some savaged strangers rummaging through their home. She glanced around the room and suddenly spotted and iPod which was laying on the desk. She picked it up and tried to turn it on even though she didn't expect it to work. She gaped when the screen started to shine. She thought about what she should do with it for a moment and then put it in her pocket. She didn't intend to steal it, but if they would stay a little longer she wanted to check out the music on it.

She left the children's room and joined Daryl.

The closet was big and full of clean and neat clothes.

"Holy god, look at the shoes!" she exclaimed. "And the coats."

"Some rich fuckers livin' here," Daryl replied.

"Whoa..." she made when she found a full-length evening gown. "Did you find anything useful?"

"Nah, not really," he replied. "Only some ammo, but no gun."

"But oh my good, look at that," she giggled. "I found something that'd perfectly suit you!" She pulled out a "Harvard" sweater and shoved it at Daryl. He frowned at it and tossed it back to her.

"Nah, thanks," he said but sounded less grumpy.

"Come on," she sighed but then fell silent again. She had been very jaunty because the house felt like a dream come true but now she remembered everything that had happened.

"What do we do?" she asked less cocky.

"Not sure," he shrugged. It was tempting to stay at the house for the day and catch up on some sleep. On the other hand they didn't know when or if the owners returned. Beth look at the big comfy bed with desire.

"It seems to be just a family..." she suggested.

"You don't know who's with them."

"Well it doesn't look as if i criminal gang is lodging, does it? If someone's staying with them they're as clean and neat as they are."

Suddenly she had to think about the farm. Actually she thought she had gotten over losing the home where she grew up, but this home reminded her of it. Their house had stayed clean and neat even after the apocalypse. She didn't believe the people who were living here were a dangerous lot.

"Let's stay, just for the day! Or maybe the night if they won't return until tonight."

For the first time since the incident the other day she looked him in the eyes. They were surrounded by dark circles and he looked exhausted and worn out. He sighed and nodded slightly.

"I'll block the door," he said and went downstairs.

She let her backpack fall on the ground, kicked off her boots and collapsed onto the bed. Before she could gather another thought she fell asleep.

xxx

When Daryl woke up, it was dark and he was slightly confused. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was. He listened to the silence of the house, wondering how late it was. Beth was lying next to him, breathing steadily. He waited until his eyes grew used to the darkness and watched her for a while.

She looked scruffy and savaged just as he did but the frown had left her face in sleep and she looked peaceful and relaxed. He sighed internally. He had just been totally overextended with the recent events and she had sparked something in him that he couldn't explain to himself. Of course you can, you have fallen for her. He shook the thought away. He had never fallen for a girl. Not in that way. He rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling. She had been so broken the other day and it had hurt him to see her like that. Now that he had slept for a while he felt more able to give thoughts to the matter. He had really been a dick when he had refused her and he had done it in a really crappy way.

Why had he even done it in the first place? He had been scared hadn't he? He had been scared, because he didn't want to show any feelings to her. He turned his head to look at her. Yes, he had feelings for her. But he didn't dare to let her know. He swallowed hard as he felt the urge to pull her into his arms. He had never felt that way before and it utterly confused him. He turned around and propped himself on his elbows. Her dirty yet pale skin was glooming in the dark and her hair fell over the cushions on soft waves. He couldn't resist the urge to touch it, reached out with his free hand and played with the soft strands.

But then he realized how creepy it was and he withdrew his hand quickly.

There was no way in telling her.

xxx

Beth woke up in the early morning of the next day. She could tell by the dim light that softly gleamed through the white curtains that the sun was dawning.. She turned her head to find Daryl still asleep face turned away from her, so she got up quietly and headed for the bathroom. When she closed the door behind her she realized that her intention to use the toilet had been pretty stupid since there was no running water. She sighed at the thought of peeing in the open but then her gaze fixed on a bucket that was standing next to the toilet. She got closer ans saw that it was half-full with water. Her face brightened up. The people who lived here were really clever.

She used the toilet and flushed it with the water from the bucket. She was delighted by the luxury of using toilet paper and had to suppress a happy giggle. For a moment she considered to have a quick wash, but she needed to find new water first. Maybe there was something on the outside, like in a rain barrel, but she wanted to wait until Daryl woke up.

She quietly left the bathroom and headed downstairs to the library. It was as if this room was calling for her, the books, the piano. It was so peaceful and beautiful and a reminder on better times. Now that she physically recovered a little bit from the stress of the previous days, she thought she could take some time to let her mind rest, too. She browsed the bookshelves for a while but already knew that she wouldn't end up reading. What she was really interested in was the piano.

It had been a while – a long while – since she had last played it and she really wanted to try it. She hesitated for a moment, because she didn't want to disturb Daryl but then she thought that he had slept long enough, also it was a nice way to be woken by the sound of a piano – at least if she'd still be able to play it properly.

She smiled when she sat down and carefully lifted the cover. Her finger ran gently over the keys and browsed her mind for a proper song. When she played the first chord, she closed her eyes and enjoyed.

xxx

Daryl was woken by the sound of music. At first he didn't know where it was coming from, when he remembered the piano. He glanced at the empty space on the bed next to him and wondered when Beth had gotten up. He listened to the music for a while until he decided to get up. When he climbed out of bed he heard that she had started to sing and smirked.

Silently he climbed down the stairs and remained in the entrance to the library. She turned her back towards him and probably didn't realize that he had entered the room.

"...There is a house built out of stone
Wooden floors, walls and window sills...
Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust...
This is a place where I don't feel alone
This is a place where I feel at home..."

When she finished the verse Daryl decided that it would be too creepy to watch her any longer without letting her know that he was there so he cleared his throat. She winced and slammed her fingers down on the keys which produced a row of dissonances.

"Dear Lord, why would you do that?" she asked and turned around, her face slightly flushed.

"Err.. sorry," he replied, slowly walked over to the chaise longue and casually dropped on it. "Won't ya go ahead?"

"I thought my singing annoyed you?"

He shrugged.

"There ain't no jukebox, so..."

She bit her lower lip.

"Yeah well... Maybe after breakfast."

"Ah, breakfast, what a heavenly thing," he joked and rose from the chair.

They walked over to the kitchen and she picked some crackers and fruit from the cupboards.

The breakfast passed in silence and it felt still awkward between them..

"Where do you actually think the people who live here are?" Beth suddenly asked.

Daryl shrugged.

"Dunno..."

"I mean, they have so many supplies, even water to flush the toilet and it's so neat and clean. It doesn't look is if they left."

"Yeah..."

"I hope they won't be mad at us, when they return."

He didn't answer but darted an odd look towards her.

They fell silent again and Daryl wondered about what they should do next. Clearly this house was inhabited and he didn't want to get into trouble with the owners, but on the other hand it was really tempting to stay, at least until they returned.

"Maybe we could stay for a while, at least until the owners return," Beth proposed and he had to smirk.

"What?" she asked.

"Ye just said what I was thinkin'," he replied.

She beamed at him shyly.

"We could rest for another day or so, and if they don't come back by the night maybe sleep here. And tomorrow we can go to the city and stock up the supplies."

He nodded.

"Fair enough."

Another moment of silence passed and he felt it getting awkward again between them.

"Uhm...," she started. "I think there must be a rain barrel or something on the outside... We could check it out and wash up."

He nodded and got up, glad to have something to do.

xxx

Beth felt as if she was in heaven. This house had turned out to be a real lucky find. They had quickly found a big rain barrel on the outside and had carried several buckets of clean water upstairs and poured it into the big bathing tub. Beth had swept the cabinets in the bathroom and found soap and shampoo. And several packs of still sealed toothbrushes.

Daryl had told her, that he would watch the surroundings while she could clean up and she was very grateful for it. She soaked her hair and body in the cold water, but didn't mind the temperature because she was so happy about rubbing the soap into her skin and she just didn't want to cease the feeling of being clean. When she had washed her whole body the water in the tub had become pretty dirty and she decided to let it drain off and fetch new water for Daryl.

She stepped out off the bathroom and into the walk in closet rubbing her hair dry with a towel. She now browsed the shelves more carefully than she had done the other day and decided to take some of the clothes. When she pulled open a drawer she found it to be filled with neatly folded panties and she bit her lips in excitement. New panties.

She didn't bother that they belonged to someone else, because her own one... she shoved the thought of it away, because she found it gross. She put on a black cotton brief, it was a little big to big for her, but it fit well enough. She pulled out two more and sneaked them in her back. She wanted at least to have some in stock when they were forced on the road again. After that, she tried on one of the bra's but it was to big for her. But she didn't need a bra anyway. She picked out a pair of jeans, a tank top and a cropped sweater. All of the clothes were slightly too big for her, but did fit well enough. When she was fully dressed she also took another pair of pants, some tank tops and a lined jacket and stuffed them into her backpack. She felt as a thief, but those people had so many things, they would probably barely miss any of it. She put on her boots to walk downstairs. Daryl had relocated the wardrobe he had put in front of the door for the night and leaned against the railing of the porch. She joined him and he looked down on her.

He whistled played amazement and said, "Neat."

She shrugged and smiled.

"We gotta need to fetch some more water, I had to drain the rest of it."

He nodded.

"Yeah, couldn't even remember how ye look without dirt on ya face."

"Same goes for me," she replied.

She helped him to carry some more buckets upstairs and then returned to the front porch. He had drawn the crossbow for her, so she could fire it if anybody or anything threatening approached.

When Daryl left, she sat down on the door steps and carefully watched the surroundings. The position of the house wasn't the best one considered the house as a place to stay. It was pretty much exposed and could be easily seen from the road. On the other hand, this was only a problem concerning other people passing by that could approach the house for the same reasons they had done. Concerning walkers it was a pretty good position, since they could easily see them. On the left was a narrow dirt road that let to the main street, in the distance on the right was the treeline of the forest. Beth chewed on her lips in concentration. Where were the inhabitants of this home?

She descended the door steps and examined the house from the outside. Yesterday she had been so exhausted, she had barely noticed any detail. At the end of the dirt road was a parking position for a car and a garage. A large silver Landrover was parked in front of it. She opened the front door and saw that the key was in the ignition. It made her wonder even more. All three inhabitants seemed to have left on food, didn't take anything with them, and left the door unlocked.

She closed the door of the car and encircled the building after checking once again if somebody was in sight. The lawn on the back of the house was hedged by a solid wooden fence. Beth opened the gate and stepped into the backyard. On the left was the garden shed she had already noticed the other day on the right stood a big oak. In front of it lay three bodies. She didn't need to step closer to know who it was. So the mystery where the inhabitants had gone to had been solved.

She swallowed hard and approached the corpses carefully. The boy was the first she recognized. His face was turned towards her and on first sight she couldn't see any injury that may have caused his death. His face looked peaceful and young, yet she saw a hint of pubescence on his features. Involuntarily she had to think of Carl and felt a lump forming in her throat. A puddle of blood surrounded him and then she saw that someone had stuck a knife into the back of his head. An empty box that once had contained sleeping pills lay a few feet away.

The woman lay next to him, her arms streched out towards the boy as if she wanted to hug him. Her skull was burst and one could hardly recognize her face anymore. The man lay a few feet away from them, the gun still in his hand. His head was cracked as well and he didn't have a face anymore, since he had stuck the weapon through his mouth.

Beth felt tears choking on her, but she blinked them away. At least they had died of their own free will even though she didn't understand why they had done it. She dropped to her knees and let the scene impact her. The day was bright and sunny and the sounds of nature surrounded them. It was sad but peaceful at the same time. She had to remember her own attempt on suicide and suddenly was determined that her decision on staying alive had been right. Those people probably didn't have anyone else to rely on than themselves, but she did. She had plenty of friends and even though she didn't know if they were still alive she loved them and wanted to protect them. She had to find them, her sister and Glenn, Carl, Judith... She was still alive for a reason and she was bent on staying it.

She lowered her head and looked away from the brutal scenery when she heard Daryl coughing slightly.

"Told ya to keep watch," he criticized her.

She took a moment to turn around.

He scowled at her, but she could see concern on his now clean face.

"I'm not crying anymore, Daryl," she said instead of a reply. "I don't want to die."

He nodded and reached out an arm to help her up. When she stood, he lay an arm around her should and pulled her into a hug. His action surprised her but she quickly gave in.

"I don't want to die," she repeated.

"You ain't gonna!" he murmured.

They stood in front of the oak for a while in silence each of them lost in their thoughts. When Daryl finally released his arm from her shoulder, she turned around to face him.

"I want to bury them," she said.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because it's right," she replied. "Their corpses shouldn't rot like that. Remember, they were once people. People who had a life and dreams and hope."

He sighed and nodded slightly.

"Still wanna stay?"

She sighed.

"At least for a while?" she suggested. "It would give their death a meaning."

"What d'ya mean?"

"This place can keep us alive for a spell. If they still lived we might not have gotten the opportunity to stay."

He nodded again.

"'Kay. Let's start."

xxx

I want to make some explanatory notes on this chapter. It clearly is inspired by episode "Alone" even though I changed several things. The song is "To build a home" by The Cinematic Orchestra and this song has been the major inspiration to this fic. (Check it out!)

I also want to thank tumblr user "kinnus" for their list of cute Bethyl moments that should happen at some point because it was a big inspiration for me, too. (Here you go: post/80886384849/list-of-cute-bethyl-things-that-should-happen-at-some)

This chapter was very important for me, because it kind of is the linchpin of the main story line. There are lots of things going to happen. :)

I'm curious for your opinions!

Oh, btw I'm going to do some minor editing like changing the names of the chapters and the layout of this story.

So, do you have any ideas or concerns about what's going to happen tonight?