Beth tossed and turned through the night in between strange dreams where she kept searching the house for Daryl, always hearing his voice just in the next room but when she got there he was gone.
She finally fell asleep, and didn't wake until the first light of early morning was visible in the window. There was an old fashioned wind up clock sitting on the dresser close to the bed and she looked at it to see the time. It was 5:18. Daryl hadn't woken her up.
Beth swung her legs over the side of the bed and pulled her boots on quickly, hoping nothing bad had happened during his shift, and hurried down the stairs as quietly as she could.
She pulled open the front door, her hand resting on the hilt of her knife, and did a quick sweep of the front, only to find Daryl sitting on the porch swing by himself, smoking a cigarette.
His crossbow was laying at his feet, and he took another drag just as he noticed her.
Beth sat down beside him, breathing in the crisp morning air, and looked up and down the empty street. The residents here didn't seem to be early risers. All the houses were quiet.
Beth leaned back and watched the smoke from Daryl's cigarette curl away from the tip. "You didn't wake me."
He shrugged and tapped the ashes into a mug sitting on the seat beside him. "Figured you needed the sleep."
She examined his face closely. The circles under his eyes seemed even deeper this morning, and she said, "Doesn't look like you got much."
Daryl shrugged again, "It's nothin'. I'm used to it."
"Are we gonna talk about last night? "Cause if you're havin' second thoughts about us bein' more…"
His head snapped up, almost with irritation that she would believe such a thing. "It ain't that."
Beth felt at a loss, and her mind drifted, trying to come up with a valid reason for how hot and cold he'd been with her. The only answer she could think of was a long shot, and she said the words with hesitation. "If you weren't in the mood, it's okay to just say so. I'd understand."
Daryl snorted, blowing a stream of smoke out between his lips. "That definitely ain't it."
"Well, then what is it?" Beth couldn't hide how baffled she was, and turned in the seat to face him.
To her disappointment, the front door of the house next to them opened and Rick stepped outside, seeing them and raising his hand in a wave. He jogged down the steps and climbed the ones to their porch, hooking his thumbs in his pockets and looking around at the other houses. "Mornin'. How was the rest of the night?"
Daryl seemed relieved for the interruption, and dumped the butt of his smoke in the mug. "Fine. Place was quiet. Pretty sure they're all still sleepin'."
Rick nodded, saying, "I guess it may be a while before Deanna's ready to meet with us."
He looked down at Daryl. "You interested in comin' with me and checkin' out the wall at the gate? I wanna see how good their sight lines are there. It struck me when we drove in yesterday that some more trees could stand to be cut down. Might be worth bringin' up later at the meeting."
Daryl nodded and reached down for his crossbow, getting to his feet quickly to follow Rick. He turned at the top of the steps and shifted uncomfortably before lifting his eyes to meet Beth's.
She was sitting dejectedly on the swing, looking up at him, her eyes filled with worry that something was wrong between them. He asked in a low voice, "I'll see you at the meeting?"
Beth just nodded silently, keeping eye contact with him. He chewed on the pad of his thumb before walking back spontaneously and kissing her on the lips, pausing when he pulled away to look at her seriously. "We'll talk later, alright?"
She smiled at him tentatively and nodded, whispering, "Okay."
Watching the two men head for the gate, Beth decided to go back inside and see if anyone else was up. They were all in the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards to see what food had been brought for them the day before, and she joined in with the chatter, determined to keep herself occupied until the time came for her conversation with Daryl.
"Thank you all for being here." Deanna smiled and straightened the papers in front of her, looking around at the newest members of their community.
Four long tables had been arranged in an informal square to accommodate everyone, and she was about to begin when a tall man with grey hair and glasses brought a cup of coffee over to her.
She smiled up at him and said, "Thank you, honey. Everyone, I'd like you to meet my husband, Reg. He's the one that designed the wall."
Everyone gave some form of greeting. Beth sat beside Daryl, finding it hard not to notice that Rick was shifting impatiently in his seat for the meeting to start.
Deanna continued on, "I have a list of jobs here, and I hope I've assigned ones compatible with your skills. If you have any concerns, just see me after the meeting."
She folded her hands in front of her and ignored the papers for the time being. "In addition to your job, everyone of able body will be required to take shifts on the wall on watch in teams of two. We don't usually have newcomers on watch duty so early but Aaron has vouched for you. And, given your experience with the outside world, I've decided to waive that rule. There's a list on the wall outside this room showing the schedule. Again, any concerns, come see me."
Rick interrupted her to make a comment. "On that subject, we have some safety concerns that need to be addressed. Daryl and I were just at the gate and there's several trees outside the wall that need to be cut down to have a better view of the perimeter."
He cocked his head and grimaced. "Now, that can be done in time. The main issue is how walkers that approach the walls are dealt with. While we were there, two came out of the woods, and…Carlos? The one on watch, wasted 5 bullets taking them down. The smart thing to do would be to draw them to the gate and use a knife through the bars. Not only will it save your bullets for when you really need them, but it will mean fewer walkers."
He shook his head at how sloppy their watch system was. "Every time you fire a gun, the sound attracts even more of them."
Deanna had been listening intently. She looked down at her paper and then back up at him, saying, "Rick, everything you're saying makes complete sense now that I hear it. I won't pretend we have a perfect system here. Mistakes we've made have cost us lives, but we're doing the best we know how, until we learn a better way."
She leaned forward and stared evenly at him. "I'm going to postpone the job I originally had in mind for you. Instead, would you oversee the training of all our lookouts based on your suggestions, as well as inspect the wall and let myself or Reg know of any further recommendations for making it more secure?"
Rick nodded, and added, "And I don't know how much ammo you have built up, but I also think it'd be a good idea to add target practice to the list for the other residents here. It should not have taken him five bullets to take down two walkers. I'm sure we can find a suitable location away from the safe zone to do it."
Deanna nodded. "I agree. Aaron or Eric likely know of a good spot. We'll set that up for next week."
She smiled and looked around. "Alright, back to business. Rick, we've already covered you. Daryl, Beth has told me that you two make a proficient team at hunting, so that will be one job for the two of you. In between your hunting trips, Daryl, if you could assist our crew with building up our firewood supply for the winter. The team is a little shorthanded at the moment because of a back injury. And, Beth, if you would try out your green thumb in helping our own resident gardener, Beatrice. She's a good hand at the basics, tomatoes and cucumbers, herbs, but I'd like to develop into a wider variety of crops. We've managed to accumulate a good selection of seeds to work with."
Beth looked a little overwhelmed, but Deanna held up her hands and continued. "Don't worry. I know it may seem like a lot to take on, but I'll make sure you have lots of muscle to help get it going."
Beth nodded, feeling a little relieved, when the door opened behind them.
Carlos came in, out of breath, and said, "Deanna, you said to let you know if we spot any game outside the wall. There's a deer. Just ran passed the front gate and went east. I was going to try shooting it, "he cast a fearful glance at Rick, "but I didn't want my ass handed to me twice in one day."
Daryl snorted under his breath while Deanna nodded and gestured to the door, looking at him and Beth with a smile. "There you go. Best of luck to you."
They both got up and headed for the exit when Deanna called out to them. "Oh, and there's a gathering at Eric and Aaron's house tonight, two doors down from you, to welcome you all to the community. It starts at seven."
Daryl waited until he'd turned around to roll his eyes and mutter, "Great."
On their way out Beth paused at the schedule for watch duty and scanned it for their names, smiling when she saw they were posted together. "You and me, tomorrow morning, …9 am sharp."
The man on watch duty with Carlos opened the gate for them, and Daryl pulled his crossbow down off his shoulder, holding it in front of him as they headed east, both scanning the ground for the small hoof prints.
Beth spotted them first, pointing without saying anything where the deer could still be close by.
Daryl nodded and raised his Stryker, ready to fire, but just as he caught sight of the deer through the trees the sounds of walkers could be heard coming from their right.
He kept the crossbow raised and looked at Beth out of the corner of her eye, whispering, "Dammit. Deer's gonna get spooked by them things."
Beth nodded and pulled her knife out of its sheath, gesturing with her head in their prey's direction, breathing, "You get the deer, I'll get them. Only sounds like a couple."
Daryl hesitated before nodding, and continued on after the deer in a low crouch.
Beth went in the opposite direction, her knife raised where she was still within sight of the two men on watch, and followed the all too familiar snarls. She saw movement through some foliage and came around to find two walkers snagged on the outskirts of a sprawling wild rose bush underneath a tree.
They hadn't noticed her yet because their focus was entirely on something above them, and she looked up.
Buddy was in the tree high above, sprawled out on a branch with his tail flicking lazily in the air, not looking the least bit threatened. Beth rolled her eyes and watched as they struggled to get through the bush, the thorns tearing the loose skin from their bodies as they fought through.
She grimaced at the sight and sighed, approaching the first walker from behind quietly, and stepped on the base of one thorny branch so it bent out of her way, driving her blade through the back of its skull. The walker collapsed in a heap in front of her, and she took care of the other one quickly in the same way, looking up at Buddy and whispering, "What the heck are you doing up there?"
He meowed and got up, stretching first before making his way down the trunk and slinking underneath the thorny branches unscathed to rub around her legs. Beth reached down to pet him, only to spot the movement of three more walkers ambling toward her from a distance away. These she didn't let get any closer, but snapped their heads one by one against tree trunks calmly and quickly from where she stood, and they each collapsed like the other two.
She'd have to mention them to the men at the gate, and see that someone disposed of the bodies.
Beth wiped the blade of her knife on some moss and sheathed it, looking down at the cat. "Come on, let's go find Daryl."
He was already dressing the deer when they came across him, and he looked up at her, his eyes scanning her quickly for any wounds, asking, "Any trouble?"
She shook her head and glanced down at Buddy. "No. Two were tryin' to get at him up in a tree, and then three others came along after that didn't get near me. I got them all. The shots that guy fired from the wall must have attracted them."
Daryl grunted in agreement. "Probably. Just lucky it's only been seven so far."
Beth looked around them to make sure they were alone as he finished up, and watched him wipe the blade of his knife on his pants before sheathing it.
She hooked her thumbs in her jeans pockets and tried to shake off any worry about the reason why he seemed to be avoiding sex with her, asking, "This is probably as much privacy as we're gonna get, Daryl. Can we have that talk now? 'Cause I'm goin' crazy thinkin' I did somethin' wrong."
Daryl had just crouched down over the deer, and he froze there, his face turned away from Beth. He sighed and shook his head, his eyes darting up to meet hers before rising to his feet, saying, "It ain't you, Beth. It's me."
"But what is it, then?" Her voiced dropped and she took a cautious step toward him. "I want to be with you, Daryl. But you gotta trust me enough to share this secret, whatever it is, and I guarantee once you do it won't seem like as big a deal as it is in your own mind. Do you trust me? Because I trust you. I trust you with my life."
Beth swallowed thickly, the depth of her feelings for him making her voice tremble. "There's nothin' you can say that'll make me feel any different about you."
Daryl's eyes had been trained on the ground while she spoke, but hearing the raw emotion in her last words made him sigh again, this time with guilt. He closed his eyes briefly and said, "You're gonna think I'm some kind of loser."
Beth smiled at him tenderly, wiping a stray tear from her eye, and saying, "Yeah, well, if that's the case then you're my loser and I wouldn't trade you for anythin'."
He shifted awkwardly on his feet and blurted out, "I don't got hardly any…experience."
She nodded slowly, feeling some relief that that was it. "With sex?"
"Yeah."
"Are you a virgin?" Beth asked softly.
"No, but I might as well be. "Daryl chanced a look into Beth's eyes and didn't see any judgement there, so he continued on with a huff and a shake of his head. "Merle was always tryin' to get me laid. It was like a game to him. I guess he got tired of his baby brother comin' up with excuses, so he got me shit-faced drunk on my eighteenth birthday and convinced this girl he knew, that I thought was sorta pretty, to have sex with me. I was so out of it I hardly knew what was goin' on…guess it was over pretty fast. She stormed out, talked shit about me to anybody that'd listen about how bad I was. Stupid bitch gave me crabs, too."
Beth watched as he practically deflated telling his story, but couldn't help but giggle when he uttered the last part. She put a hand over her mouth to try and smother it.
Daryl's eyes narrowed at her, and he said, "You laughin' at me, Greene?"
She gave a shake of her head, fighting not to smile but failing, and walked over to him, saying, "Stupid bitch."
The words sounded so ridiculous coming out of Beth's mouth that he smirked and let her take his hand, looking down into her upturned face, saying, "I just don't wanna disappoint you where I don't know what I'm doin'."
Beth raised an eyebrow at him playfully. "Did I seem disappointed yesterday?"
"Nah," Daryl shrugged, thinking back on it and feeling his heart rate pick up, "but you showed me what you liked, so…"
"Exactly." She nodded at him, feeling her own cheeks flush at the memory. "But I think that's how it's supposed to be."
Taking in a deep breath, Beth decided to share even more because she knew it would make Daryl feel better. "Ok, Mr. Dixon, you spilled the beans, so I will, too. You're not the only one without much experience. I've fooled around with a couple of guys, who really didn't know what they were doin', but I only ever went all the way once, and it was pretty bad because the guy was only thinkin' about himself. And he was sober, so he didn't have an excuse. Somehow I don't think that would be a problem with you."
"You serious?" Daryl looked down at her, surprised, and when Beth nodded he took her other hand. "Neither of them ever got you off?"
"Nope. You're the first. I told you that yesterday." She cocked her head at him, puzzled.
He shrugged. "Yeah. I just figured that was for my ego, or somethin'."
Beth huffed out a little laugh and stepped even closer to him, letting go of one of his hands to slide hers against the front of his pants and dragged her fingernails lightly over his growing erection.
He growled low in the back of his throat and she looked down where her hand was with a teasing smile, saying, "You're a lot bigger than either of them. And that is for your ego, but it's the truth, too."
She pulled her hand away, leaving Daryl standing there with his mouth hanging open, and she bent down to pick up the deer's hind legs, looking over her shoulder with a teasing smile. "You comin'?"
He blinked a couple times before smirking at her and reaching down to grab the front legs, and together they headed back to the gate with the cat at their heels.
As they passed through, Beth shielded her eyes from the sun and looked up at Carlos where he sat on the wall high above them, calling up to him out of curiosity, "Just killed another five walkers. How many do you usually get here in the run of a day?"
The man shrugged, replying, "Hardly any. Those two I shot this morning were the first we'd seen in almost a week. This has always been a pretty quiet place."
Beth was going to ask if they bury them but Daryl kept walking with the deer, and Aaron spotted them with it, directing them to the community kitchen.
They dropped it off to an elderly woman there, and she gushed over Daryl and his catch so much that Beth couldn't help but laugh, watching him keep backing up toward the door, trying to escape from the unwanted attention.
They finally got out on the street again and headed in the direction of their house to get cleaned up for the party at Aaron and Eric's, and Beth snickered at Daryl's red cheeks. "I think you have an admirer."
His eyes darted over to meet hers in an unamused glare, and she looked ahead with a smile as they walked, offering, "That's good, though. If we don't work out it's lucky you have another girl waitin' in the wings."
"Alright, Greene. That's enough with you're smart mouth." Daryl took her arm by the elbow to slow her pace and ducked down faster than she could have imagined, hefting her over his shoulder.
She shrieked with laughter, hanging upside down behind him, and slapped his ass. "Daryl!"
His hand swatted her behind just as hard before picking up his crossbow with his free hand, and strutted toward their house, correcting her in a rough voice, "That's Mr. Dixon, to you."
Beth giggled all the way up the steps until he put her down, breathless, at their front door.
Before she turned the doorknob, she leaned up and planted a quick kiss on his mouth, eyes flashing up to meet his with happiness.
They went inside to find the rest of their house mates killing time before the party. Maggie was just coming down the steps, towel drying her hair. She looked at Beth and said, "Bathroom's free."
"Are there any clean clothes in the house?" Beth looked down at hers. She'd slept on top of the covers last night because she was covered in dirt.
Maggie nodded. "I sorted through a bag someone brought over. There's a few things up on your bed, "she turned a raised eyebrow on Daryl, "and on yours, too. Don't think you're not gettin' cleaned up and changin', mister."
Daryl glared back at her, his jaw grinding, looking like he wanted to say something but Beth grabbed his hand and dragged him up the stairs behind her before he could.
Well I'm glad that's out of the way. Now we can get on to some slightly more interesting stuff in the next chapter...