Riding Home
Daryl shook his head when Rick asked if he was ready to leave. "I'm gonna stay behind, look around for Beth," he told him. "I'll catch up with you."
"Are you sure?" Rick asked. They'd had a hard enough time getting Terminus clear of the freaks that were trying to kill them and they were all pretty sure that there were still one or two hiding around somewhere.
Daryl nodded his head. "Yeah, I gotta know man." Rick nodded, clapping him on the shoulder.
"We're heading north, come find us when you're ready."
Daryl nodded his head and hugged Maggie, promising he'd find her sister before watching them leave. He sighed and picked up his crossbow and started to look through Terminus, searching one building at a time, making sure to check every room. When he found a locked on a little flare of hope flooded through him, hoping maybe she was waiting on the other side, but with each one he kicked down, he got a little more and more depressed.
He sighed and turned down another hall. He was halfway down when a gunshot rang out, bouncing all over the walls. Daryl froze, half expecting to feel the pain of a bullet. When he didn't he slowly turned around. Beth was standing there, a gun raised and a dead man with his own gun that had been pointed at Daryl on the floor between them. "Beth…"
He ran to her, jumping over the dead body and pulled her against him. "Daryl," she sobbed out, gripping his vest. "God, Daryl, I thought I'd never see you again." He felt her hot tears staining his shirt, but hell if he cared. He had her back in his arms. He dropped a kiss to her hair before looking down at her. "Where's everyone else?" she asked.
"They headed north, I stayed behind to look for you." He took her hand and led her outside. He was planning on finding a car or something along the way but she stopped him.
"I uh…just come with me." She led him to a garage and opened up the door. Daryl's jaw hit the floor and a tear came to his eye. There was a gorgeous Triumph Scrambler, a little dusty, but in perfect condition sitting there. Beth bit her lip, looking up at him. Daryl fisted a hand in her hair and dipped her head back, kissing her. She moaned slightly and gripped his arms.
He led her over to the bike and climbed on, starting it up as she climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around his back. Daryl pulled out and headed north to meet up with Rick and the others. It didn't take long, not with the way he was driving, to pull up alongside the caravan. Abraham stopped the front car and they all climbed out. Beth cried again when she hugged Maggie. Daryl just stood back and watched. They had their family back, they were whole again, and slowly on their way to healing.