"Maggie's baby will be here next Christmas," Beth whispered to him. "It's weird to think about. I'm gonna be aunt come the summer. And Maggie is gonna be a mom."

They were back in his cell, Daryl lying down on the bed and Beth sitting next to him, facing his way with her knees brought up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. The day of celebration was over with and everyone was calming down for the evening. The dinner that Daryl had tracked down early that morning was done with, and had been filled with jokes and laughter and happiness. How they had gotten to the point where that was possible, he didn't know. Didn't care much either. All that mattered was that people were able to sit back and relax for a day and enjoy everyone's company to celebrate something that they did in the old world, where their lives had been more normal and the dead were not walking around.

It had been a good day. Everyone was happy and filled with excitement, with joy. The children ran around the prison with smiles on their faces and cheer in their hearts. They decided as a group that they would all celebrate the holidays all on the exact same day since there was no way to tell what the actual day of the year was.

Now it was late, and Carol had rounded up the children into the library for some stories, and a majority of the adults went as well. Daryl and Beth skipped out to get some alone time together, same as Glenn and Maggie had done.

"You worried about it?"

Beth shrugged. "The birth is a ways off but I can't help but be a bit nervous about it. But I think everything will be fine. It has to be."

"It will," he assured her.

Beth rested her head down on her knees and turned her head. He thought that she did that so he would not be able to see the worry that was in her eyes as she thought about Maggie and her baby and the delivery. He knew he needed to do something to get her mind off of that, distract her. That was when he remembered the necklace that he took from the house, the one he intended to give to Beth as a gift.

Daryl moved off the bed and around Beth. "Close your eyes," he instructed.

Beth picked up her head and grinned as she did what he asked.

Daryl made sure that her eyes were shut and then moved so that he could reach his extra worn pair of pants that had been thrown onto the top bunk days ago. He reached into the pocket and took out the necklace that he had been keeping safe. Daryl then got back down on the bottom bunk to lay down like he had been before. He held up the piece of jewelry up by the chain so that is was in Beth's line of vision.

"Open."

Beth batted her eyes open to see the necklace that he showed her. Her mouth gaped open for a moment before she shut it, putting her hand over her heart. "For me?"

"Who else?"

Beth let out a small giggle. "Will you put it on?"

Daryl nodded and Beth turned around. He sat up, taking the chain into two hands, and brought it around her neck before he snapped the small clasp in the back shut.

He laid back down as Beth turned back around to face him. She had her chin tilted down, admiring the necklace that dangled in her fingers, her thumb running over the silver heart. "It's perfect. I've always wanted one like this. Thank you."

Daryl saw how happy she looked at that moment, smiling down at him with her hand around the heart necklace. It was really his heart that she had at her fingertips.

"Don't mention it."

That looming question of if he was in love with Beth popped back into his head again as he watched Beth play with her new necklace.

How was he supposed to know?

Was he supposed to tell her?

Daryl got distracted when Beth's head snapped up. "I have something for you, too!" Beth exclaimed as she got off the bed in a brisk manner. "Stay here. I have to go back to my cell. I'll be right back!"

Daryl smiled at how excited Beth seemed to be. She flew out of there like the place was on fire. He heard her run down the steps in only socks and out the door that was at the end of the hallway so she could get back to her cell.

He shook his head. Who would have thought that he would be exchanging gifts with Beth Greene?

She was back in a flash, smiling wide with her hand around her back. She hopped back onto the bed in the same position that she had been in before. Daryl waited, mind pondering what she could possibly have for him.

Beth's hand twisted around from her back and held out five new arrows in front of him, solid black ones with deep red fletchings on the ends.

"Were did you get these?" he questioned, immediately intrigued.

Daryl had been looking for replacements for his old arrows for months, and now he was down to only three left since he could never find any that would work with his crossbow.

"I found them in that house that you, me, and Michonne were in when you were still upstairs. I was gonna to give them to you right away but I thought I would hold onto them and give them as a gift," she explained. Beth then pouted and said, "Considerin' you ain't very easy to shop for."

Daryl snorted and nudged her legs, taking the arrows into his hand to examine them. They were the perfect length and width to use with his crossbow, possibly the best ones he has ever had. "Yeah, well, you got me exactly what I needed."

"You should teach me how to make arrows," she suggested, taking one of them out of his grasp, rubbing her fingers across the smooth body of it. "Then you could have an endless supply for backup. And you could teach me how to hunt, too."

"I'll show ya in the spring, how's that? Before Maggie has the baby."

"Okay. It's a deal."

"And maybe if you're good I'll show you how to use the crossbow."

Beth's jaw dropped. "Really?"

"Really."

"But you never let anyone touch or use your crossbow."

"You're not just anyone," he insisted.

Daryl plucked the arrow out of her hand and leaned over the bed to grab his crossbow off the ground. He took the old arrows out of the resting place in the front and replaced them with the new ones that Beth gave him before setting it safely back on the ground.

Beth stuck her fingers into the holes that had ripped at the knees of his pants. "Want me to fix this?"

"Nah," he dismissed.

He didn't care all that much about appearances. The rips and tears did not bother him in the slightest, and more would only show up as time went on.

Beth giggled, her whole body moving with laughter. "I should have gotten you new pants for Christmas," she joked.

"And a matchin' sweater," he added, playing along. "With my name on it."

Beth laid down on her stomach, bringing herself over to rest her chest onto his, brushing a few long wisps of hair away from them being dangerously close to his eyes. "Maybe some embroidered socks, too," she teased, then gave him and brief kiss.

That brief kiss turned into something more.

After a few minutes, Daryl scooped up Beth and laid her down on her back so he could press his weight into her when he was on top of her. He found himself unbuttoning the long sleeved striped shirt that Beth had on. He expected to feel cotton up against his nervous fingertips when every button was undone and his hands touched the fabric of the bra she had on. However, that was not the case.

He pulled his lips away from hers to look down at her chest, that he saw was covered in a solid red bra that had lace detail.

His eyes snapped up to hers, unprepared for this. "And where did you get this?"

"Is it too much?" she sheepishly asked, blushing.

Daryl moved his lips to her neck. "Too much on your body," he clarified.

He ran his fingers over the soft lace again, the sensation easily finding its way to his dick. Beth grabbed a handful of his hair, moving her legs so that he fell directly in between them. He moaned against her skin when he felt her hand run up his back and underneath his shirt, fingers pressing into his skin and his scars.

He reacted by pushing his body further up against her. "Fuck," he breathed out. "Beth, you're killin' me."

She grabbed onto his hair again and brought his head away from her neck and in front of her so that they were face to face. "I want you."

It took him a moment to realize what she was really asking for.

"You sure?" he asked, somewhat in disbelief.

"Yes."

"Someone could walk in."

"No one is around," she argued. "It's just us."

Just us.

"We can wait, I swear," he truthfully told her. "I don't want you to feel like you gotta—"

Beth inched up and kissed him on the lips to stop him from talking, hand snaking around his neck so she could pull him back onto her, and she could relax back onto the pillow. "I want you. Now. Right here."

He wanted her, too.

Needed her.

Craved her.

He didn't hesitate. His body would not allow it.

Daryl crashed his lips back into Beth's, them both responding to each other at the same rate. He would like to go slow, would like to make every touch feel good to her, but there was only a certain amount of restraint that he would be able to muster up when it came to Beth.

His Beth.

His hands removed the shirt completely and tossed it over onto the floor. Daryl's shirt is the next thing to go, Beth's hands running down his back, his side, and over every scar that was permanently placed there. He didn't mind it. The scars didn't make him feel ashamed anymore, not when he had Beth who assured him that they were beautiful in their own way.

Beautiful.

His hideous and repulsing scars had beauty to them in Beth's eyes.

Because they are a part of you, she had said many nights ago, that's what makes them beautiful.

Beautiful. That was the exact word that she used that night when he changed into a different shirt and caught Beth admiring him from the bed.

From there on, the scars stopped bothering him. He would let Beth's hands travel to his back whenever she wanted to let them do that. In fact, right at that moment, he loved that she could gently feel the skin there and then claw at him when he nipped at her neck.

It drove him wild.

And now it came to the point where more clothes should be removed. He almost didn't want to take that lacy red bra off because it looked so fucking good on her. He imagined that black would look even better with her milky skin tone, but he would not complain. The red color matched his new arrows, and he wondered if Beth planned it that way.

So he did take that bra off after he ran his hands over the cups of the garment one more time for the hell of it, his hands going underneath her and fumbling with that bra clasp in the back for a second or two. It had been a while since he had taken one off. Hadn't since the dead started walking around. Daryl ignored that heated feeling in his face once the bra was on the ground with their two shirts. He pushed both his hands up onto her bare small breasts for the first time, her nipples hardening under his touch.

He kissed his way down from her chest to her abdomen, running his tongue over her navel. He got up to his knees, unbuttoning and unzipping her jeans in a swift movement, and then slid them down her thighs. He took her in once he heard the jeans hit the floor. Beth was topless, perky breasts on display, with matching red solid lace panties on, and legs spread so that they were on either side of his own as he knelt before her. One of her arms was rested behind her head, her eyes pouring into his with lust and desire.

And fuck he almost came in his pants right there, from that very sight.

She was so beautiful.

Absolutely stunning.

Hands down, the most gorgeous girl who had ever walked the planet.

And she was all his.

His.

"You're beautiful, Beth," she told her, feeling the need to let the words roll off his tongue. Beth blushed for a second time, looking up at him with an expression that said you are, too.

He got back on top of her, pressing her into the mattress with one hand squeezing her exposed breast gently before he kissed his way down from her neck to her breasts, leaving a wet trail behind. His tongue flicked over the hard buds, hand caressing the other breast. Beth let out a moan as he did that. Her hand grabbed a fistful of hair and her fingernails dug at his scalp. That was when he knew that he must have been doing something right (because he really did need to know that he was making her feel good).

But the thing is that Beth was young and she was inexperienced, so every touch was electric to her. She could be easily pleased, which was good because he was not the most skilled at making it feel good and worth it for the other person. That, and Daryl didn't think he was going to be able to last very long. Especially when Beth made the kind of noises that she did. The kind of noises that escaped her mouth because of what he did to her.

He removed his mouth and brought it back up to Beth's, kissing her sloppily. It was wet and unchoreographed and his tongue pushed into her mouth so he could kiss her deeper.

More passionately.

Beth had her hands on his pants before he knew it. He felt her warm fingers dip into the sides as if to tell him that he needed to take them off.

He obliged.

Daryl got up from the bed, also realizing that the condoms he snatched from the store were tucked safely away between a few pairs of shirts that he had underneath his bunk. He bent down and got out the box, Beth watching him curiously before she understood what he had as he opened it up and took out one of the wrappers.

Beth gave him a smile of approval.

For a moment he thought that he should cover her up or something. Even though he finally gave in a put one of those sheets across his cell so no one could look in, he didn't want anyone else to have the chance to see Beth almost naked on his bed. He didn't want anyone to see her bare legs around him in the next few minutes. It might be possessive, but he didn't give a fuck. Beth was his and only his.

Daryl unzipped his pants and dropped them to the floor, hooking his thumbs into the waistline of the boxers he wore as well. He stepped out of them, momentarily feeling awkward standing there stark naked with a hard on. He got butterflies in his stomach when Beth's eyes raked over his body, head to toe, taking in everything. It occurred to him that it was the first time that she had ever seen a man naked before.

Hopefully he didn't disappoint.

A smirk appeared on her face after a few seconds of gazing, which relaxed him, and Daryl could no longer control himself. He pulled the sheet down that was underneath her, Beth arching up so he could do so. He got on top of her again, Beth spreading her legs for him as he brought the sheet back up so that it was at the base of his spine. That way if anyone were to walk in on them, which he doubted anyone would, Beth would be covered and he would not remain paranoid about anyone seeing her.

He almost lost it again when he fully pressed into her, his dick rubbing onto the flesh of her warm inner thigh. For sure, he thought that was the end of the road for him, but he somehow managed to keep it together.

The only thing that kept them apart was the thin layer of lacy material on Beth's bottom half of her body. And Daryl didn't want to rush this. He couldn't stand the thought of stripping her and fucking her in a hurry. No, that was every other time he had sex in the past, before the world was like it was. Before he cared about someone so deeply.

This time would be different.

This time would be special because he cared so much for Beth.

It was not going to be just a quick fuck to him. No. It would never be like that when it was with her.

"You sure about this, Beth?"

He had to ask, had to know the answer.

He wanted her to be one hundred percent sure that this was indeed what she desired because he was perfectly fine with keeping things the way they were. He didn't need the sex part to be a component of their relationship if Beth wanted to put it off longer. He could deal with that. He also needed to make sure that she was still okay with him touching her small frame with his rough, calloused, worn hands. Because he honestly still didn't know why she let him.

Her hand reached between them and started to stroke his hard dick, and she answered honestly with, "Never been more sure of anythin' in my life."

Daryl didn't know how Beth had never done this before. Her hand movements made him moan into her mouth, and he took her hand away after a few more pumps because he knew that he would be done for if she kept that up. He was entirely oversensitive to her touch. Her warm and smooth hands anywhere on his body threatened to make him tip over the edge, and at any moment.

Beth took the initiative and dragged her panties down her thighs and wiggled them the rest of the way off, which did wonders for his dick since it was pressed up against her thigh as she moved below him, and forced him to groan.

The only thing she had on was that necklace he gave her, securely fastened right above her cleavage.

Daryl slipped a hand down to Beth's thigh, moving it up more, and hooked it around his hip. At first, he put one finger into her, and then added another to stretch her out before he went all in. And fuck was she wet. A throaty noise escaped his lips and Beth sighed, her muscles relaxing around him. He glanced up at Beth to look her in the eyes, to make sure one last time that she was still okay with what he was doing. She smiled, giving him a nod to tell him to continue and not stop, not for a second.

He ripped the condom wrapper apart with his teeth, taking it out and reaching down between their two bodies to get to his member. Daryl rolled on the condom all the way with a grunt before he gripped onto Beth's hip and lined himself up at her wet entrance. Daryl didn't want to her hurt her, it was the last thing he wanted to do. But Beth encouraged him, told him she would be alright. He believed her. So he buried his head into Beth's shoulder as he slowly and carefully pushed in, Beth's fingernails raking against his scalp again, and her other set of nails digging into his back until he was all the way inside of her.

"Beth," he moaned.

Nothing had ever felt better. She was so tight around him, her walls adjusting to the new intrusion, and so wet that Daryl's whole body screamed at him to please just fucking move. But Daryl ignored the pleas because Beth needed more time to get used to the feeling of him being inside of her.

She let out a sharp sigh, moving her hips in a way that made him whimper again against her soft skin. He placed a kiss on her shoulder as her hands slid up his sides and settled in a place on his back with her palms planted firmly on his skin.

"Okay," she breathed out. "You can move."

So he did.

Daryl went slow at first, rocking into her, watching her face change as he would thrust in and out with a rhythm that came from an unknown place. He looked her in the eyes, something he has never done with anyone before, as he pulled out and slid back inside, and found himself being pushed further to the edge as Beth stared back up at him.

He buried his face into her shoulder again, his thrusts becoming deeper and quicker as the desperate need for release crept its way up. There was no way in hell that he would last much longer. His hand dug into her hip as he neared the end of the line, the other hidden into her hair. Beth hooked her other leg onto his hip, hard, fingers pressing into his the muscles of his shoulder blades and he lost complete control.

He fell apart.

Daryl moaned out Beth's name again as he climaxed, the warm and tingly feeling spreading through him and down his spine. He then collapsed on top of Beth, out of breath, with his muscles relaxing against her. He planted one more kiss onto her neck before he put one onto her lips.

Daryl rolled off of her and quickly disposed of the used condom, laying back down in bed with her, a lazy smile on Beth's face. It was not long until they both drifted off to sleep, Beth curled up next to him, happy. Before he succumbed to the much needed sleep, he turned onto his side and put his arm around Beth protectively.

A/N: There you have it! The smut chapter ;) And there will be more to come (no pun intended).

Also, I sat down and planned out what else I wanted to write for this fic and decided to complete this story with 25 chapters (and then proceeded to write the remaining chapters all out until it was 3 am. Just need to edit them). So there are only 5 more chapters left to go! Thanks for hanging in here this long :)

And I also want to mention that I have an AU no zombies Daryl and Beth story in mind. The first chapter is already written out and I'm thinking about posting it soon to see if you all would like me to continue with it. I'll need something more to write now that I'm in the final phases of completing this story. So is anyone interested in an AU no zombie bethyl fic? Let me know :D