Daryl sat in the dark kitchen after everyone had gone to bed, stewing over his outburst at Beth. He glanced in towards the sofa and remembered that she had decided to bunk with Carol. He owed her an apology, and he would give her one. Eventually. He knew she was just trying to be nice, to reach out to him, but sometimes her kindness was too much for him. He wasn't used to it, really. Sure, Rick and the others were good to him to the point that as Christie had put it, he was Rick's right-hand man. But not many really tried to be kind to him. Carol had to a point, but she seemed to realize he was resisting her and had taken the hint and backed off. Beth on the other hand...Beth seemed determined not to give up.

She was a nice kid, but she was so different from him. He'd allowed Carol to become a little closer because she knew what it was like to fear the person who was supposed to keep you safe and defend you. Ed had been as much of a bastard as his father was. Beth had never known that coldness, that fear. Her face lit up every time she saw her father, and Hershel's did the same when he looked at his girls. The bond that they shared, it was something so foreign to him. He had seen other boys with their fathers playing catch, fishing, or just talking and he wished he could have the same. But when he went home, it was so different. He held onto a silly, childish hope that one day his father would realize the pain and fear he had inflicted on his youngest son and become a different person. A good person. But that day never came.

He also had the feeling that he'd done something to deserve what his father did to him. To deserve every lash from that damned belt. If he'd been a good kid, his father wouldn't have had to get upset, he wouldn't have to punish him. Why couldn't he have been a good kid? Would his father had loved him more, treated him better? Was he partly to blame for Merle leaving? He shook his head, trying to clear those old thoughts from his mind. He hated that he'd ever had them in the first place!

The realization that even with all that had happened that day, a strange man watching them from that ridge, a man he couldn't track, Stein being up to something with a guy who attacked Christie and his screaming at Beth, his outburst at the girl was what was keeping him awake. He must be going crazy if out of everything, that was what was bothering him. Being around these people was making him soft.

"Oh, sorry." the light turned on and Beth stood in the door way and quickly opened the cupboard to grab a glass.

"It's fine." he muttered as he watched her. Apologize to her! he told himself. "About earlier..."

"Don't worry about it." she said as she filled the glass, turned off the light and started to leave the kitchen.

"I envy you and your sister, princess." he said quietly as she walked out.

"What?" she asked, turning around, flicking the light back on.

"You've got a good dad." he said, looking over to her. "He brought you and Maggie up real good."

"Yeah, he did." she nodded as she walked back in and set her glass of water down on the island where he sat. "Earlier when I said that I'd heard...that's all I have. I've heard what some monsters do to their own kids..."

"You ever been scared of your daddy, princess?" Daryl asked as he watched her sit on the stool next to him.

"No." she shook her head, honestly not being able to think of one single time she'd been scared of her father. "I've been afraid to disappoint him."

"But never afraid he'd come after you with a belt." he leaned forward and started rubbing his fingers over the counter in front of him.

"Never!" she gasped at the thought and could only imagine a young Daryl, cowering in fear as his father did just that.

"You keep goin' on about family, but you don't always seem to understand that not everyone has the family you do, princess." he drew his attention from the counter to her. "Some of us love our families, others fear 'em."

"You have a new family now, Daryl." she looked back at him, big blue eyes threatening to let tears flow. "And we love you."

He flinched a bit at her last words. He wasn't used to hearing them. Thinking back, he couldn't remember the last time someone had said it to him.

"I get that your daddy probably never said that to you, but what about your brother?" she asked, feeling bad for causing him to look so uncomfortable.

"You never met my brother!" he laughed. "He wasn't so much for affection and sentiment, princess."

"Well, I am." she slammed her hand down on the counter dramatically. "We all love you." she repeated. "I love you, Daryl." she said as she leaned over and wrapped her arms around him, trying to draw him into a hug.

He tried to get away, to back away from her as she clung to him, but the girl had a strong grip. He'd never have guessed it to look at the scrawny little thing.

"Just give me a hug." she said, crying finally.

"Fine." he groaned as he reluctantly brought one arm up and patted her back awkwardly. "Don't cry, I hate that." he told her.

"Sorry." she said. "I just have to cry sometimes." she sniffled.

"Whatever." he said as he waited for her to be done so he could try to get away from her. He appreciated the gesture, but hugging on some girl wasn't his thing.

"Okay, I'll let you go now." she giggled.

"Not a word of this to anyone." he fixed her with a hard stare.

"What you said about your dad, or me huggin' you?" she asked.

"Both." he did have a reputation to maintain after all.

"Pinky swear." she held her pinky up and received a blank stare in return. "Here." she said, picking his hand up and linking their pinkies. "A pinky swear."

"What's wrong with just swearin'?" he asked as he took his hand back.

"This makes it more official." she smiled. "I'm gonna go back to bed now, so you can scrub my girly cooties off if you want to." she joked.

"Thanks, princess." he nodded to her, thanking her not for her last,silly comment, but for the talk in general.

"You're welcome." she smiled one last time before turning the kitchen light off again and leaving.