Warning: This chapter could contain strong hints of sexual assault and violence. If you don't wish to read that part I understand.

Chapter 19: Darkness

When Rick heard that voice he immediately went into protective mode. Pulling Beth behind him his eyes landed on the man watching them. "Who are you?" He asked raising his gun.

Joe chuckled. "I'm Joe, and those two are with me." He said, pointing to Daryl and Beth.

Daryl glanced in-between the two men. "Joe, its ok, he's fine."

"I don't know about that, considering he's got a gun pointed at my head." He replied. "How about you just put your gun down and we just have a little chat?"

Hesitantly Rick put his gun on the floor in front of him. Right now he needed to be as calm as possible, he had a bad feeling but right now getting Beth and Daryl away from this man was his main objective. Standing up he spoke again. "I don't want no trouble. I came here to find Beth and Daryl. If you just let us leave..."

"You didn't hear me did you?" Joe snarled. "They're with me."

Daryl glared at the older man. "We don't belong to anyone."

To their surprise Joe smiled. "You know what Daryl, you're right." He smirked. "Now blondie on the other hand."

Before Beth could move or speak up she felt herself get pulled from behind. Letting out a squeal in surprise she fought against a man's grip but it was no use. Looking up she saw it was Len holding onto her. He held her by her arms, his grip so tight she knew she would have bruises on her upper arms. The other men made an appearance as well, they stood in a circle around them with their weapons already drawn and pointed at Rick and Daryl. "Make sure she doesn't got anything on her." Joe told one of the men.

In disgust she felt their hands wander her body to where she kept her pistol and knife. Tossing them to the ground he nodded to Joe who just appeared to be amused by the scene in front of him. "What the hell is goin' on?" Daryl snapped, his grip on his crossbow tightening.

"You don't remember the claimed rule do you, Daryl?" Joe questioned. "Well you two didn't know it but when we saw the girl, Len over here claimed her."

Beth shivered feeling Len's gaze on her. When she struggled again she felt the cool metal of a gun placed on her head. "I wouldn't try that now, sweetheart." He hissed in her ear.

"You can't do that." Daryl barked.

Joe shrugged. "Well he did, and because I'm a generous man, I decided the others can have her as well. Call her our little play thing in these harsh times."

By now Beth wanted to throw up. Not only was Len pretty much groping her but Joe was going to let the other men have her as well. "You son of a..." Daryl growled.

"I wouldn't do that." Joe interrupted gesturing for Len to cock his gun making Beth let out small scream. "Put it down or we'll do it for you."

Taking a look around Daryl threw his weapon to the floor but his eyes held an fury Beth hadn't seen before. "Well cowboy, you got one of them. You can go now." Joe laughed.

Rick had been silent this entire time but Beth could tell his anger was building to the point he was going to explode. "I'm not leaving without her."

"You have no choice, you and Daryl can either walk out of here on your own. Or you won't leave at all. Take your pick."

Clenching his jaw Rick looked at the older man. To him this was all a game with one winner and one loser. Too bad Rick wasn't going to let him win, even if it was the last thing he would do. Acting fast he turned around, grabbing his knife from his back pocket and threw it at one of the men, hitting in right in the forehead. Getting the hint Daryl grabbed his crossbow firing off an arrow at another one, striking him in the knee. When the man cried out in pain Rick grabbed the gun he held. "Beth, duck!"

With Len distracted by the chaos around them Beth was able to duck just enough for Rick to get a shot at him. Falling to her knees she heard Len's body hit the floor behind her. "Rick!" She cried seeing Joe come at him.

Before Rick could act Joe hit him with the butt of his gun making him fall to his hands and knees. Beth cried out seeing three of the remaining men fight Daryl, he put up a good fight but when man put a rifle to the back of his neck he had to stop his movements. His crossbow was ripped out of his hands and thrown into the darkness of the room. Pushing him to his knees he was forced to watch everything unfold. Beth cowered against the wall when one of them approached her. "Come here, girlie." One growled pulling her up by her arms, dragging her across the floor.

Rick was trying to catch his breath when he heard Beth sobbing. Looking up he saw the heavier man on top of her, pulling at her clothes. Beth struggled against him, screaming at him to stop. Turning her head her blue eyes met his, pleading with him to help her. He heard Joe laugh from above him. Feeling a strong hit on his back Rick fell to his stomach then a weight on his shoulders. "Its over, cowboy." Joe whispered in his ear.

Rick was about to speak up when Joe rolled him over onto his back. His arms stretched out but to his surprise he felt cool metal under his palm. It was a knife, the one Len took away from Beth. Gripping it tight Rick stared right into Joe's eyes as he head butted him hard enough to get the man off of him. Getting to his feet Rick grabbed his gray hair holding it tight. "Like hell it is." He snarled stabbing the knife right into the mans face repeatedly.

It seemed like time had stopped. The man above her appeared to be in a trance as he watched Rick stab his leader over and over again, blood covering his face and his clothes. Beth stared in horror as the man she loved became someone else. Everyone was distracted by Rick's gruesome act they didn't even hear the door open. Shots rang out hitting the two men holding Daryl captive. Beth gasped seeing Carl standing in the doorway holding up his pistol. "Dad!"

Even hearing his son didn't make Rick stop plunging the knife into Joe's head and face. When he was finished with Joe he let his body fall to the floor in a bloody heap. Turning his attention to the man still holding onto Beth he stepped over to them. The man quickly climbed off of her holding his hands up in surrender. "T-take her, she's yours." He stammered.

"Daryl, get Beth out of here." Rick commanded.

Beth was about to protest when Daryl pulled her to her feet and dragged her out of the store. "No, no please." She heard the man plead before he started screaming.

The screams were awful but they weren't as bad as the sound of the knife hitting his flesh. Beth cringed every time she heard another slice. Fighting Daryl's hold she tried to go back into the room. "Let me go! I need to see him!"

"No, you can't be around him right now!" He told her.

Fighting against him with everything in her she finally broke free and ran inside. Rick had stopped stabbing the man but he still held the bloody knife. He just stood there with his eyes glazed over almost as if he was in a daze. As carefully as she could Beth walked to him. "Rick..." She muttered.

Hearing her gentle voice seemed to reach him. Turning his head she was shocked to see the amount of blood on him, caking his beard and covering his shirt. "Beth?" He mumbled.

Nodding her head she felt tears running down her face. "Y-yeah, its me," She whispered holding her hands up stepping closer to him. "Its Beth."

Seeing her right in front of him Rick fell to his knees, the knife falling beside him. His arms wrapped around her waist holding her tight to him. Leaning over him Beth hugged him to her. He could feel her shaking as he held onto her, her sobs filling the room. Pulling her down to his level he held her face in his hands. "They...they were going to hurt you."

In that moment she didn't care about the blood on his hands. She just needed him to know she was there for him. She needed him to know that what had happened wasn't his fault and he did what he had to do. Resting her hands on top of his she tried to smile. "B-but they didn't." She murmured. "You...you saved me."

Swallowing the lump in his throat he shook his head. "They...they almost." Now he was shaking. "They could have..."

"No, no, don't think like that." She urged. "It...it didn't happen. Everything is ok now. You're here. We're together." She tried her best to keep her voice calm but she knew it was impossible. Here she was trying to calm him down after everything she had been through that night.

He could see her holding herself together by a thin thread. Wrapping his arms around her he pulled her towards him. Burying her face into his neck she cried against his skin. Sitting in silence he held onto her, trying to shield her away from the world just for a little while. When she calmed down he heard footsteps from the rest of their group enter the room. Helping Beth to her feet he looked at them. "We need to find somewhere to stay for tonight."

Morgan stepped forward. "I found a place. Come on, its not far away."

Keeping an arm around Beth he followed him. They walked in silence to a six story brick apartment building. After handing his gun to someone Morgan pulled the fire escape ladder down. "The first two floors are completely barricaded. The only way in is this ladder."

"Is it clear?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah, I already checked." When he saw the surprised look on Rick's face he continued. "I went when you were back in that store. I knew if things went wrong we would need a place to lay low for the night."

"He wasn't gone long." Carl defended just in case his dad grew angry at Morgan.

"Let's just get up there. I know we're all exhausted." Rick sighed.

Since he found the building Morgan climbed the ladder first followed by Carl. Gently pushing her forward Rick stood on the ground as Beth went up the ladder. When she reached the top he glanced at Daryl, gesturing him to go next. Sighing to himself he collected his thoughts before climbing up the ladder himself. Daryl and Beth were waiting for him when he stepped onto the metal landing. Inside the apartment he saw Morgan had already lit a few candles. "Luckily these people had a small amount of survival supplies." He mumbled placing them around the room for just enough light.

In the room there was a couch, loveseat, and a recliner in fair condition. "I'll go look around for some blankets." Morgan sighed turning on his flashlight.

"I'll help." Carl volunteered following the older man.

When they left the room Daryl spoke up. "I'll be outside...I need some air." He whispered climbing through the window.

Stepping into the kitchen Beth used her small flashlight to take a look around. Empty cans were left on the counter along with unopened envelopes. Opening a few cabinets she didn't find any food but she did find some wash cloths. Turning on the faucet she was surprised to see water come out. Filling a leftover cup with water she took it along with the rag over to Rick who was sitting up against the wall. Dipping the cloth into the water she gently began to clean the blood off his face. Dabbing the rag under his eyes she noticed he was staring at her but it wasn't like how Len was looking at her. This look was different, it wasn't lust or anything sexual, she was afraid to say what it was out loud.

Once his face was clean she went to find him a clean shirt. "I'll be right back." She told him walking over to one of the bedrooms.

Finding a plain white T-shirt she went back into the living room to see that he had already stripped the bloody one off. Bending down she helped him put the clean one on before picking up the wash cloth again to clean off his hands and arms. As she worked Rick couldn't help but watch her. In the candlelight she looked beautiful. Hesitantly he reached over to brush the hair out of her eyes. When she felt his hands on her cheek she stopped but the gentleness of his touch made her breathing speed up.

Dropping the rag beside them she leaned forward, laying her head on his chest. "I'm so glad you're here." She whispered into his shirt, a few tears falling from her eyes.

Wrapping his arms around her he ran his hands up and down her back. Hearing her cry he held her closer. "Shh, its ok." He said into her hair.

Gripping his shirt she muttered. "I love you."

Hearing her say those words again made him stop his movements. Using one of his hands he gently urged her to look at him. He needed her attention. Taking a deep breath he stared into her eyes as he opened his mouth. "I...I love you too."

Now Beth couldn't help but cry more. Burying her face in his shirt she held onto him tight feeling like if she let him go they would get separated again. Of course she had dreamed about him saying those words to her but actually hearing them was like nothing she had imagined. Not only did she hear them, she could feel how much he loved her. With the way he was holding her acting like he was never going to let her go she knew he loved her just as much as she loved him.

Sighing to himself Rick reached over for the rag she had dropped. When he saw the surprised look on her face he smiled. "Lets get you cleaned up too." He mumbled dipping the cloth into the water.

Sitting up Beth sat in between his legs as he cleaned her face. He wanted any remnants of her past ordeal gone and forgotten as best he could. She didn't have as much blood as he did but he wanted it gone. As he was finishing up Morgan and Carl came back with pillows and blankets. Tossing them to the floor everyone made their own makeshift beds using the couch and loveseat cushions. "I'll take the recliner." Morgan said taking a seat in the chair. "Man...haven't sat in one of these in years."

Rick smiled but realized Daryl still hadn't come inside. Rising to his feet he told Beth he would be right back before stepping outside to the fire escape. He found Daryl sitting down, his legs dangling over the side. "Morgan and Carl found some blankets. There's one for everyone."

"I'll stay out here," Daryl mumbled. "You get some sleep."

Sighing to himself Rick took a seat beside him. "Daryl its not your fault." He whispered as if he was reading his friend's mind.

Daryl shook his head. "I was the one that said we should go with 'em." He explained. "I thought...I thought we'd be safer in a group."

"You are safer in a group, you just picked the wrong group." Rick said. "You couldn't have possibly known what they were capable of."

"I didn't think they would do that." He muttered. "That dumbass claim rule...I thought it was for food and places to sleep. I didn't know..."

"Don't blame yourself. I'm sure Beth doesn't." Rick assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you...for keeping her safe."

Sighing Daryl turned to look at his friend. "Don't mention it."

Nodding Rick stood up and stepped into the living room with Daryl following right behind him. He saw that Carl had already fell asleep and Morgan's snores filled the room. Blowing out a few of the candles Rick walked over to where he and Beth made their bed. She was under the covers but he saw she still had her eyes open. Once he laid down she moved to lay her head on his chest. Wrapping his arm around her he leaned up to kiss her head. "Good night." He whispered.

"Good night." She murmured finally letting herself fall asleep for the first time in what felt like months.

Even though she was still shaken by her encounter Beth could rest easy. She was reunited with the man she loved and that was the best comfort she could ever ask for. She had her teddy bear back, she felt safe and was determined to keep it that way. For the both of them.

So I decided to change up Rick and Joe's fight just because I didn't want it to be exactly like the show but still show dark Rick, hope it was good enough. Also I wanted to have a Rick and Daryl scene because their scene together in the finale was one of my favorites. Hope you like it, review if you did! :)