Ch.26

He laid there and listened to her talk, but everything she was telling him was wrong. She wasn't ruined; she wasn't broken. Beth deserved to be loved, she deserved to be shown what love is, and any boy who fell in love with her would be the luckiest man alive. What happened to her wasn't her fault, and it wouldn't ruin her, it would only make her stronger. She could pick up the pieces and put herself back together, he knew she could, he wasn't going to let what happened to her win. She needed to see that bad things don't have to break you, that you can overcome them. So he did something he had never willingly done before.

"Look at me, Beth."

He felt as Beth sat up on the bed. He waited for the sharp intake of breath, the usual response to seeing his back, but instead he felt her hand against his back. His body tensed in response to the sudden contact, but as her hand ghosted over his skin, he felt himself relax. She needed to see this. She needed to see that he had been through hell, but he hadn't let it take him down with it. She needed to know that she could make it through this. She would never be the same person, there would always be a part of her that lived in the horror story, but she could move on.

"We all got scars, Beth. Some of our scars are visible, some aren't. We all got our horror stories, but they don't break us…they make us stronger."

Her hand quit its exploration on his back and slowly retracted. He turned around to look at her. She was looking down, her eyes refusing to meet his.

"How did it happen?" She asked quietly.

"My dad."

"Your dad did this to you?"

"Yeah. But I got through it, Beth, and you'll get through this."

She shook her head.

"Beth, you're going to get through this. You can't let it win. I know it's hard, and I know you feel like just giving up. I know you feel like you're alone and that nobody understands what you're going through, but you have to keep fighting. You can't give up. It will get better, I promise. You can't keep blocking people out; you have to let them in. I know it's hard, and I know you just want to forget about it, but you have to let the people who care about you in. Nobody thinks any less of you because of what happened to you. You have to know that we all love you, Beth, and that we're all here for you, for whatever you need."

Beth still refused to look at him. He honestly wasn't even sure if what he had said had sunk in, or if she had even heard it at all. She just stayed there, looking down, not moving. But he saw the glisten on her cheeks as tears silently rolled down her face. After a few minutes she finally looked up at him. She was tired, he could see that much, but she didn't say anything.

Daryl picked up his shirt and put it back on. "Let's go to sleep."

He laid down in the bed and Beth did the same. She scooted close to him, her hands the only thing keeping their chests from touching. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Soon enough her eyes drooped closed and her breathing slowed.

He watched her for what seemed like hours. Her face relaxed in sleep. All of her worries and fears disappeared for a few short hours and she looked like the girl she had been at the prison. He desperately wanted to get as much of that girl back as possible.

He didn't know he had fallen asleep until he woke up when he felt the sun shining in through the window. Beth was still tucked tightly beside him, her head now resting on his chest. He hadn't planned on staying in her room all night. He was just going to stay until she had fallen asleep and he was sure that she would stay asleep, but sometime throughout the night sleep had consumed him.

He laid there for a few moments before Beth finally started to wake. When she realized that she was resting her head on his chest, she didn't even move, she just looked up at him.

"Mornin'," Daryl said.

"Morning," she said, her voice still thick with sleep.

"I'll let you get ready."

Daryl started to sit up, and Beth moved off of him to lay her head on her pillow. She didn't look like she had any plans of getting out of bed anytime soon, but Daryl would leave her alone for now. He made his way down the stairs and to the living room, where he sat and started to clean his crossbow.

He was walking towards the porch a few hours later when he heard a sound that stopped him dead in his tracks. It was Beth, but she wasn't crying, she didn't sound sad. She was laughing. He peeked his head around the corner to see Maggie, Sasha, Carol, and Beth all in the kitchen preparing dinner. Beth was smiling. It wasn't fake or forced like the smiles she had been plastering to her face to appease everyone around her; it was genuine, in this moment she was actually happy.

He caught Maggie's eye and nodded his head before walking outside. He was headed to woods to go hunting.

"Daryl!" Maggie called after him.

Daryl stopped and turned around to see Maggie following after him. She walked up to him and enveloped him in a hug.

"Thank you," she whispered.

As she pulled back she must have noticed the confusion on his face, because she started talking again.

"I don't know what you said to her, but whatever it was it worked. She seems different, lighter, like a weight's been lifted off of her shoulders. She finally seems a little like her old self."

"I really didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did."

"No, it's all Beth. She's strong, Maggie, stronger than any of us realize. She'll get through this."

"You're good with her, you know?"

Daryl shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't good with her, he just understood what she was going through.

"She trusts you, Daryl, and after everything she's been through that means something. I just wish she'd trust me like she trusts you."

"She'll come around, you just have to give her time. Let her come to you; don't force her to talk about it. She'll tell you about it when she's ready."

Author's Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the reviews for Ch.25! Everyone really seemed to like it, and it made me really happy to know that!

Anyways, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I sort of had a hard time writing it. I knew what I wanted to happen, but every time I sat down to write it, nothing would come out. Finally I just sat down and started writing whatever and this is the end result. There was finally a breakthrough with Beth, which is sort of a huge deal! What Daryl said and did obviously changed something in Beth. Next chapter is going to be in Beth's POV, so we'll sort of get an idea of what's changed for her.

Also, I have decided that I will be writing a third story. I'm in no rush to get it out there, so I'm not really sure when I will post the first chapter. I'm just sort of writing it when I feel like it. I'm really excited for it and have some ideas for it that I really like and think you will as well.

Once again, thank you for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows! You guys are the best!