Daryl was glad when Annette abdicated her spot in the backseat so that he could sit next to Beth. It seemed silly, he knew, but now that she was back, back with him, he couldn't bear to be away from her, even by just a couple of feet. Somehow he felt like if he wasn't touching her, wasn't holding her close to him, that somehow this wasn't real, that he was imagining it all. So when they slid into the backseat together, her sitting in the middle, he leaned against the door but pulled her up against him, his arm draped around her back and around to her arm. She settled into him willingly and he felt like, for the first time in weeks and weeks, that he could finally breathe freely again.
He knew he couldn't be with her all the time, they'd both be back to school and work on Monday – but Daryl reasoned that he had 4 days where he could be as close to her as he wanted and he didn't plan on letting her out of his sight, except maybe to shower. Although maybe not, he thought to himself, and he smiled at the mental image that thought created. Unfortunately that wasn't the only thing created by the thought, he realized suddenly he'd gotten a little aroused and Beth's hand on his thigh wasn't helping.
She seemed to have noticed too because she gave him a little squeeze and when he looked up she had a little mischievous grin on her face and she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. He shook his head at her, trying to tell her to cut it out – he couldn't deal with getting a huge erection right here in the Greene family car, surrounded by Beth's parents and with her sister just inches away, sitting next to Beth on the other side. Things had been going too well with Beth's family and he didn't want to mess it up – and hadn't she already almost gotten him in trouble with Hershel by writing him that smutty little letter?
Luckily Maggie was looking at her phone, seemingly engrossed in whatever she was reading. Beth seemed emboldened by that though and was still eying Daryl, grinning wildly as she inched her hand closer up his thigh. Her movements were so slow that he guessed Maggie didn't notice but it only took Beth a moment to reach dangerous territory. He thought she'd stop. She wouldn't do that here, right? But she didn't seem to care and at the last moment he grabbed her hand lacing his fingers through hers and moving their joined hands onto her leg, away from his, away from his erection which Beth had been incredibly close to touching. She smirked, shifting closer to him and eventually putting her head down firmly onto his shoulder, while his arm around her subconsciously squeezed her closer. He tried to shift a little too, not just pulling her closer but also needing desperately to get his body to calm back down.
She was going to be the death of him, he thought, for the millionth time this week. He wasn't sure he minded, though. He knew most guys would love to have a gorgeous blonde vixen like Beth and how could he ever complain about her wanting to touch him? He thought back to the letter she'd written. Unlike the other letters she'd sent, which he'd read and reread over and over again, he'd only read the last one once. A part of him wanted to read it again and again, but the other part knew that it would only serve to make him painfully aroused – and he couldn't bear to be that way now without Beth there with him.
The first part of the drive was eerily quiet. Other than some very basic and general questions that Annette and Maggie had asked Beth everyone remained fairly silent. And while that was okay with Daryl, mostly because it allowed him and Beth to touch and snuggle and whisper little things to each other, it was clear that the silence came from anxiety. No one knew how to act or what to say – and so, they'd chosen to stay mostly silent, afraid an awkward question might cause Beth to have a bad reaction.
He wasn't sure why but he didn't feel that way at all. Yes, he'd worried that he wouldn't know how to act when he was back with Beth. But things between them were just as they were before, maybe better even, Daryl thought, since they'd spent so little time together as an actual couple before Beth had left. He couldn't help but stare at her now, cuddled into his side, seemingly so content and happy – he knew he'd do whatever he could to keep her that way. She really was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and he still had no idea why she wanted to be with him, loved him. But he wasn't complaining. No, he hoped she'd never wake up and see how much better she could do than him – and he'd work every day to be more like the man she deserved.
He and Beth talked softly to each other for most of the trip. Daryl tried to speak softly, although he supposed that didn't matter much. He and Beth were technically living together now and although they didn't talk about anything too intimate, he knew they didn't really have much to keep secret anyway.
They talked about how much they'd missed each other and about their excitement about living together when they returned home, although Daryl had to hold his tongue and not spill the beans about the new house. He was so excited for her to see the house, with all the furniture from her parents and the little things he'd done to try to cobble together a sense of home for her. Beth told Daryl about a couple of the friends that she'd made at the treatment center and that they'd discussed getting together outside of the facility. Daryl suggested that maybe they'd all like to come to the beach for a weekend and Beth seemed to really like that idea. He told Beth about how his job had progressed and how the project they'd been working on was nearing completion and that Tyreese would be telling him the following week about what the next project would be. Daryl was also excited to tell Beth that, despite his need to have time off and flexibility in his schedule over the last couple of months, Tyreese had been very pleased with his work and had mentioned a potential for a better opportunity for him if things continued to go well.
Beth and Daryl talked to each other about everything they'd been doing, everything they'd been thinking and feeling over the weeks they'd been apart. But the one thing Daryl omitted from the conversation, the one thing that has happened while Beth was gone that he just couldn't bring himself to tell her was about Merle. He feared the worst about his brother – past experience had shown him that nothing was ever okay with Merle for very long before the shit hit the fan again. And he couldn't put Beth through that, although he knew that she was too sweet to understand – he knew that if he told her that she'd encourage him to try to go see Merle, to give him a chance even though he didn't deserve one. And while he'd given that some thought, knowing that the Greene farm was no more than 20 minutes from where Merle was most likely staying, he just wasn't sure that seeing him was a good idea. But it plagued his mind nonetheless.
Daryl was surprised how quickly the hours passed as they made the drive back to the Greene's home. He guessed it was because he was so caught up in Beth, talking to her and just enjoying her being near him again, that he didn't think anything about time. They'd only made one quick bathroom stop about halfway home, but it seemed to Daryl that only a few minutes had passed since then when he started to recognize their surroundings, knowing that they were back in Newton County, and nearing the end of their trip. They'd made it almost back home before Hershel suggested they stop for some lunch. Beth seemed particularly excited about that and asked if they could eat at a certain place, which she told Daryl had always been one of her favorites. Everyone, of course, obliged her request to eat at the local diner she'd suggested, and after only a few more minutes in the car they arrived.
The 5 sat down at a table and quickly ordered. Daryl was surprised when Beth ordered an incredible portion of food, even by her standards. Everyone else eyed her too, but she waved off their stares, saying how nice it was to have a choice of what she'd eat and that she wanted to have some of her favorites from the place while she was in town. Daryl noticed now from looking so intently at her over the last few hours that she seemed to have gained a bit of weight. Not much, Daryl thought, definitely no more than 10 pounds, but she was so tiny that any weight gain was obvious. Daryl thought that she could probably stand to gain a bit more, but her face was just a tad bit fuller and somehow Daryl thought her chest looked a little fuller too. He didn't mind, clearly, thinking that it was actually a good thing, but wondering what had caused it. He reasoned it was the good food at the facility that she'd written him about, or maybe that she hadn't been running since she was there.
After ordering they fell into an uncomfortable silence and Daryl didn't know what to do to change things. Hershel seemed to be the only one willing to say much of anything but Daryl had learned that Hershel generally guarded his words – he wasn't a man to say 3 sentences when 3 words would do. And with every silent moment he could feel the tension between everyone rising and Beth growing more and more uncomfortable.
Finally she exploded. "What's wrong? Why are y'all acting so awkward?" she asked, looking at each of her family members, although not at Daryl who was sitting right next to her, clutching her hand under the table.
They all looked at her in what appeared to be stunned silence.
"Now Bethy..." Hershel started, but Beth interrupted.
"No daddy! I'm serious! Y'all have been walking on eggshells since you picked me up. What is it? I'm not made of glass! I won't shatter into a million pieces. What are you so afraid of?" Beth said, her frustration registering in her voice.
Beth scooted her chair back and stood up, a wild expression on her face. She pushed her chair away, seemingly planning to move away from the table. But everyone stayed silent – and Daryl just couldn't take the tension. He stood up, catching Beth's arm, not forcefully, but just enough to get her to turn back towards him. He pulled her a little closer to him, holding onto her arms firmly, trying to reassure her through both his words and his actions.
"Hey... It's okay. I think we all just... Well... We didn't know what to expect. We just wanna make sure you're okay" he said to her in a low but reassuring voice and leaning in towards her a little as he spoke.
"You've been fine, Daryl. But you're the only one. I know I just spent 6 weeks in a facility because I have depression... because I have some problems. I get that… I do… But I'm not so fragile that everyone can't act normal" Beth said, looking only at Daryl but still talking loudly so that her family could hear.
Daryl could tell she was really frustrated and he wanted to help – but he was a little bit at a loss for what to do or say to help her calm down, or to make her understand that her family was just anxiety, just wanted her to be okay. He couldn't think of what to say, but hoped to convey to her that he was there for her, would support her – so he kept his eyes locked on hers, then eventually moving his forehead down to rest on hers.
Beth closed her eyes and she seemed to be trying to do some sort of exercise to calm down - Daryl noticed that she seemed to be very focused on her breathing and she was counting, although silently while still moving her lips. When she opened her eyes, she seemed a bit better.
"I need to get some air for a minute. But I'll be okay. I'm okay. Just need a minute." she said, her voice very calm. She looked at Daryl briefly, with a look that he couldn't quite place before starting to move away from the table and towards the front door.
Daryl didn't know what to do then. Should he follow her? Or did she really just need a few minutes alone? He didn't want to do the wrong thing but he was worried about her now. This didn't seem like her – her mood has just violently turned all of a sudden, but then she'd regained her calm just as quickly. She had already walked away, but the look on her family members' faces gave him his answer – they thought he should go after her. Hershel gave him a small nod, and he started moving towards the door, trying to close as much space as he could between himself and Beth.
He was rushing a bit and perhaps not paying as much attention as he should have been. Just as he neared the door, it swung open, missing hitting him only by an inch or so. And he was greeted with a face and a voice that he knew better than anyone's.
"Well… look who it is! Hey there little brother! I guess the cat's outta the bag now – so much for you living out of state!" Merle said, jabbing his elbow into Daryl's side.
Daryl couldn't breathe, he couldn't think straight. He looked back at Beth's family, all of them now staring strangely over at him and the rough looking man in front of him.
"Daryl?" Beth's voice sounded, coming from behind Merle, from a place outside that Daryl couldn't quite see.
Merle turned around, following the sound of Beth's voice until his eyes landed on her, a smirk rising on his face.
"Well who's this here, baby brother? You too embarrassed of ol' Merle to introduce him to your pretty little lady, huh?" Merle said.
Beth's eyes grew wide, maybe wider than Daryl had ever seen them, as she heard Merle's words and recognized the situation at hand. Daryl had told her all about Merle, at least generally. He'd tried to spare her a lot of the gruesome details. But now here they both were, in the same place, something Daryl had hoped would never happen.
And the only word that passed out of Daryl's lips in that moment, as he tried to figure out what in the world to do, reflected exactly how he felt in that moment.
"Fuck!" Daryl said under his breath.