Burned Into Your Soul

AN: Here's the next chapter for you! Hope everyone enjoys it!

Chapter 5

Daryl groaned as consciousness returned to him. He tried sitting up, but something was holding him down. He groaned again, and felt movement next to him. He opened his eyes and met those of Hershel Greene.

"Easy there, son. You took quite a hard hit to yer head. You've been unconscious for 2 days," the older man told him. Hershel began examining his eyes, and feeling around his head. Hershel then nodded to himself, apparently satisfied that Daryl was recovering well. Daryl tried sitting up again, but noticed a weight on his other side was impeding him. He turned his head, almost getting a mouthful of blonde hair. Beth. He noticed she was still unconscious.

"What the hell happened? We was talkin' then everythin' went black," Daryl asked, careful not to jostle Beth when he shifted his body weight away from her.

Hershel chuckled. "I think I have an answer for that." He then pointed at Beth's soulmark. "Those yer initials?" At Daryl's stiff nod, Hershel continued. "You use a bow?"

"Crossbow…" Daryl muttered.

"I already saw the soulmark on yer arm. I know ya got Bethy's initials too."

Daryl shook his head. "Look man, I already know I'm too damn old fer yer daughter. She don' need someone like me in her life. I'mma twice 'er age, and done shit no sane daddy would wan' their daughter 'round. Tried explainin' that to 'er, but then this happened."

Hershel nodded as he listened to Daryl. Finally he shook his head. "Son, do ya understand how soulmates work? It doesn't matter how old ya are or what ya done before all this. You and my Bethy are linked on a cosmic level. Yer each others missin' piece. The universe doesn't make mistakes."

Daryl scoffed. "Well, it did this time."

"So ya told my Bethy ya didn't want her for a soulmate?" Hershel questioned. Daryl shook his head.

"Nah. Told her she didn' wan' me fer a soulmate."

"Right after that, ya started feelin' poorly, right? Head swimmin' and body hurtin'?" Hershel asked.

Daryl nodded again. "Felt like ma head was gonna explode. Thought fer sure I was dyin'…"

"No, not dying. Did anyone ever tell ya what happens when ya deny yer soulmate?" Hershel asked quietly.

Daryl looked over at Beth again. She was resting next to him on her back, her face toward him. He noticed for the first time their hands were intertwined. He looked at her face again, drawing in a sharp breath. She's so beautiful, too good fer ma sorry ass. Unconsciously, he squeezed her hand.

"I did this ta 'er, didn' I? "Cause a what I said to 'er?" Daryl exhaled slowly. Suddenly, he was angry at himself. "Damn it! Thought it would jus' be me! Didn' know it would hurt 'er too. Thought I could cut 'er loose, an she find someone else. Coulda lived with the pain on ma own. Lived with worse.."

"It's not my business son, but I have ta tell ya that I saw yer scars." Daryl's eyes widened, and his color dropped. Hershel held up his hand. "Now, just hold on a second. I ain't holdin' those against ya. My daddy left similar marks on me." Daryl inhaled sharply again. He dropped his head, shame flowing through him.

"Then ya know part a why I can't let 'er get involved with me. She deserves better."

"Why not let her decide that? My Bethy is stronger than she seems."

"How could ya be alrigh' with this? I'm twice 'er age. She got her whole life ahead a her."

"I was significantly older than both my wives. It never hurt our relationships. In fact, it seemed ta make them better. I'm not saying they were always easy, but everything worked out. I have faith in the two of you."

"Was ya soulmates with 'em?" Daryl asked, curious.

"Josephine, my first wife, was my soulmate. I told ya my daddy left marks on me. For years, I used alcohol to dull all that pain. Met my Josephine at the lowest point of that. I was at my breakin' point. Contemplated endin' it all," Hershel told Daryl.

Daryl's eyes widened. "Then what happened?"

Hershel gave a sad smile. "Then I met the woman that made me a better man. She drew me out of that pit of despair I had landed myself in. We realized we were soulmates and fell in love. She saw me through the worst to get to the best. We married and had our Maggie. And we were so happy." Hershel got a far away look in his eyes. "Then my Josephine got sick. Cancer. Maggie was only a little girl. We tried to fight it, but the cancer was too much. I lost Josephine only a few short years after meeting her."

"Don' seem worth it. Losin' her so soon after findin' 'er," Daryl said, his gaze landing on Beth again. Hershel saw the way his eyes softened.

"Not gonna lie, it was one of the hardest things I ever had to endure. Thought about drowning myself in the bottle again. But, I had Maggie to think about, and I realized I had to be there for her. She became my light."

"And Beth's mama? What about 'er?"

Hershel smiled. "A couple years later, I met my Annette. She already had a little boy named Shawn. Her first husband had died, and she was raising him alone. You could say we came together out of necessity. We fell in love, but we knew we weren't soulmates. Didn't matter though. We married and had Bethy. When I saw that little blonde baby for the first time, I thought the skies had opened and dropped an angel into our lives. We also realized that she had her soulmark from the day she was born. So we knew her soulmate had already been born."

"Got ma soulmark when I was 17. Woke up one mornin' and felt the searin' pain on ma arm. Knew then ma soulmate had just been born."

Hershel nodded thoughtfully. "Bethy has always been my angel. She never acted out or caused problems like her sister. Maggie's always been the wild one. Her and Annette never got along. She tolerated her stepmother, but it always grieved Annette that she couldn't get Maggie to open up to her more. Shawn was always the man in the middle. He loved both his sisters, but Bethy's always been the best of the bunch."

"What happened to 'er? Yer wife. Haven't seen her or yer stepson," Daryl asked.

Hershel sighed. "About a year ago, just before all this happened, Annette and Shawn were hit by a drunk driver head on. They died on impact. That was the day I almost lost my faith again. Only my girls got me through it."

"Ma parents weren' soulmates either. Never knew who they was supposed ta be with, but it definitely weren' each other. Didn' matter though. Had ma brother Merle an' then me 10 years later. Mama used alcohol and smokes ta get away from it all. That' what killed 'er. Smokin' in bed, drunk as a skunk. Come home and the house was burnt ta the ground. I was only 6 or 7 at the time."

"I'm sorry to hear that Daryl. Must have been hard to lose her like that."

"Nah. Weren' much of a mama anyway. Mostly Merle raised me. My dad was a mean drunk. Beat me every chance he got. Finally got big 'nough ta fight back. Merle and I got out and never looked back. Don' know if the asshole is still alive or not. Don' give a shit either way."

"I think I understand now why you want to push my Bethy away. From what I can tell, yer a good man. Better than yer father. Maybe that's why the universe chose you for soulmates. You need each other's strength."

Daryl looked down, ashamed. "She don' need me. Im'ma just gonna make 'er miserable."

Daryl jumped when a small hand gently squeezed his arm. He looked down and saw Beth staring up at him. Her blue eyes filled with tears. Shit! How long has she been listenin'? Daryl swallowed loudly, his eyes searching hers. Beth gave him a watery smile. Daryl looked back toward Hershel, but realized the other man had already left the room. He looked back down at Beth. "How much a that did ya hear?" He asked her wearily.

"I've been awake the whole time. I heard everything ya told ma daddy. I know why ya pushed me away. I know why yer scared. I'm scared too," Beth told him. His brows lifted in surprise.

"Ya are?" Daryl asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"Course I am. I finally met my soulmate, and he's everything and nothin' like I expected." Her fingers tightened around his. "He's handsome, and hardheaded. He's also scared and lonely. That's why we need each other. Not everyone gets ta meet their soulmate. We got ta be two of the lucky ones."

Daryl's loose hand raised to her face. He gently pushed some of her hair behind her ear. His hand then cupped her cheek. "I ain't no prize, Greene. I never wanted ya ta get hurt in all this."

Beth smiled, and Daryl swore his heart skipped a beat. "That mean yer finally willin' to accept me as yer soulmate?" Beth asked, her blue eyes luminous.

"Talkin' ta yer daddy helped a lot. Not sayin' it'll be easy, but if ya willin' ta take on one stubborn and hardheaded redneck, then… yeah." Daryl sat up straighter, pulling Beth up with him. He held both her hands in his. He looked deep into her eyes. "Beth Greene, I accept ya as ma soulmate. I'll protect ya and take care of ya for the rest of our lives. I'll try ta love ya the best I can. Do ya accept me?"

Beth's face lit up. She leaned in closer, their foreheads touching. She squeezed his hands. "Daryl Dixon, I accept ya as my soulmate. I'll protect ya and love ya and take care of ya the rest of our lives."

A lightness settled over the two of them. Daryl leaned forward, sealing his lips to hers. Beth sighed as they wrapped their arms around each other. His tongue pushed against her lips, and she opened willingly, their tongues pushing against each other.

After a couple minutes, Daryl pulled back. He smirked at the diminutive woman in his arms. "Suppose now ya wantin' me ta move in ya?"

Beth laughed. "Well now, isn't that a bit forward, sir? After all, we've only known each other a week," she said coyly.

Daryl smirked as his lips settled on hers again. Beth giggled in reply.

Outside the door, Hershel looked upward, smiling. "Our Bethy found her soulmate, Annette. She's gonna be just fine now," Hershel whispered. He walked away from the room, listening to the low sounds of the two soulmates talking.

When he reached the living room, he nodded at Rick and several others in the group. "They're both awake and doin' just fine. They're workin' everythin' out now."

"Are they really soulmates, Daddy?" Maggie spoke up from her seat on the couch. She was sitting next to Glenn. Hershel noted they were holding hands.

Hershel nodded. "Yes they are. They have a lot to talk about and it won't be easy for them, but they will figure it all out in the end."