A/N: I'm back from vacation and it's update day! Hope you all enjoy this one, I'm especially fond of the little Bethyl moments.
By this point in autumn, the forest floor was littered with fallen leaves. They dotted the landscape with a nice splash of color during the day, but while stalking through the forest at night they were more of a noisy inconvenience for Daryl than anything else. Not that they would have been any quieter during the day, just easier to avoid. But according to Enid, the Butcher's watcher would be suspicious if she tried to sneak out to meet him during the day, so nighttime it was. And since they didn't want her going there alone, he had been the obvious choice to provide backup (and of course, supervision).
He would have loved to have Beth with him, but it was easier for one person to remain unnoticed in the forest than two, and Beth had readily admitted that as good as she was at being quiet, Daryl was far better. He was apparently so skilled, in fact, that Enid had stopped once already and whispered that it was freaking her out that she could barely hear him and had no idea if he was still there or not. He'd shushed her of course, and told her not to worry about it, but had definitely enjoyed a faint and brief twinge of pride before continuing through the woods behind her.
The young girl had a flashlight hidden in her coat that she'd brought out once they'd gotten deeper into the woods, and it was relatively easy to follow the light as it bobbed along through the shadows of trees and brush. Which was good, since it meant he could focus more on both his surroundings and on staying silent. He stayed a good distance behind her and was glad for it when Enid came to a stop in a clearing and the man she was meeting melted almost silently out of the shadows of the trees. Had he been any closer, the man might have been more likely to hear or see him.
Daryl crouched low and slunk closer, keeping behind the bushes and brush and letting the sound of Enid and the man's voices guide him.
"You're late." The man's voice was rough and low, with a thick southern drawl. "I waited for hours the other night an' ya didn't show."
"Sorry." Enid on the other hand was far quieter, her voice nervous and meek. "Someone was out walking around and I couldn't get by them in time."
As Daryl shifted to peer around the trunk of a tree, he saw the shadow of the man in the dim light from Enid's flashlight; a dark silhouette of a large man with broad shoulders. He couldn't see his face, but he didn't need to see it to hear the smirk in his voice as he said, "Aye, well… I'm sure Avery will accept that excuse for why she's in extra pain today."
"What? Why?" Enid took a step forward then stopped, clenching her free hand into a fist at her side, her voice edged with panic as she asked, "What did you do to her?"
"Never you mind, you'll find out eventually."
Enid looked like she wanted to question him more, but before she could the man stuck out his hand. "Where's the guard schedule you promised me?"
After a moment, Enid stuck her hand in the pocket of her jeans and came up with a folded up piece of paper. "Here," she said petulantly. "This is the schedule for the upcoming week."
The man snatched the paper from her, leaning forward just enough into the dim cone of light that Daryl could see the leering grin on his ruddy face and a thick black beard beneath it. He unfolded the paper and squinted down at it. "Tomorrow night's watch, Rick and Michonne… that's the sheriff and the bitch with the sword, right?"
Enid crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes."
"Night after… Hank and Ivy." The shadow of his head moved again as he peered up at Enid. "Which ones are they?"
"Ummm… Hank is the older man with the white beard, and Ivy is one of the younger women. Dark hair, sort of skinny…"
"Santa Claus and the twig?" He snorted. "Perfect." The man folded the paper up, and as he stuck it into the pocket of his jeans, he added, "Get ready, then. We're comin' on that night. You better open the gates for us, just after midnight, y'hear?"
She didn't answer right away and the man reached out, grabbing both of her arms and shaking her violently. He pulled her close, so close their faces were only a few inches apart, and Daryl had to fight the urge to stand up and shoot the man right through his head. It would solve the immediate problem, but would only cause further issues down the line. No, they needed this idiot to report back to his friends and set up the attack. Which meant that he got to live… for now.
Enid squirmed in his grip as the man breathed lowly, "I said, you'll open the gate for us just after midnight. Promise me, Enid. Or I'll make sure that this time, Avery's other arm is broken, too. Give her a nice matched set."
"I will! I'll open the gate, okay, I promise!" The pain and anguish in Enid's voice was real; Daryl knew that much, just as he knew that it was for her friend, for Avery. His fingers twitched again towards his crossbow, but he breathed in slowly and deeply and kept himself restrained, albeit barely.
"Good." The man held her for a moment and then shoved her away so hard that she stumbled and fell to her bottom on the ground, leaving the man to laugh as he melted back into the shadows. "See you in two days, Enid. Don't fuck it up."
Daryl waited until he was sure the man had left, and even then he didn't move, just in case. Enid stayed sitting in the clearing, her knees drawn up to her chest and her face buried in them. The flashlight lay discarded beside her, shining a circle of light into the empty woods beyond. Daryl crept a little closer, coming up to the tree just behind her, and risked a soft whisper, "You okay, girl?"
"Yeah." She lifted her head and wiped at her eyes with the back of her fist, inhaling and exhaling raggedly. "Sorry, I just… we should go."
He wanted to say more, but it was too much of a risk. The man could be nearby, or he could come back and see Enid and realize she wasn't alone. So all he could do was slink back into the woods, wait until Enid picked herself off the ground and began to head back to Haven, and follow her home.
Despite the late hour when they returned to Haven, several people were waiting inside the gates, just out of view behind the two watch-tower RV's; namely Rick, Michonne, Carol, and Beth. Above them, Tyrese and Sasha paced back and forth on official guard duty, keeping an eye on the woods behind them.
The moment the gates closed behind them and they stepped into view around the left RV, Beth hurried towards him, eyes shining in the light of the moon. "Everything okay? You're both fine?" He knew she had been extra worried about him going out alone, without her to guard his back; it wasn't often these days that they were separated. Frankly, he didn't blame her. Much as he trusted her and knew she could take care of herself, he always felt better when he could be there to support her. It went both ways, he figured.
So he took a moment to extend his arms and give her a little hug, ignoring the others watching as he did so. It was dark enough that they couldn't see much anyway, and his girl needed it. "I'm okay," he whispered into her ear as she squeezed him tightly, hands splayed right against the angel wings on his back. "We're both fine, I promise."
"Good," she whispered back, her breath tickling his ear. "Not that I was worried about you or anything."
"Of course not, Greene." He gave her one last squeeze and then cleared his throat and turned back to the others. Rick and Michonne stood together, with Carol just to the side. She was facing Enid, her hands on the side of the girl's arms giving her a gentle squeeze as she whispered what he assumed to be praise at her bravery.
He had been pleasantly surprised by the change that had occurred in Carol over the last week or so since they had found Enid. Though she had settled somewhat into Haven before, he had always gotten the feeling from her that she had yet to put down roots. That she was here and willing to help, but not willing to really connect to the place. It was as if she were sure deep down inside that at any moment it would be snatched from them and they'd have to leave again.
It wasn't like he could judge her for that. After all, he'd been like that before, too.
She had asked him once, before they'd found Haven, what it was that had changed his mind. He had only had to look at Beth for her to understand. At the time he'd told Carol that she had more hopeful things around her than she realized, and she had disagreed, saying that it was his hope and not hers. But now… now she had something new, he thought. Someone who had come into her life and given her something to care about again. If anyone could relate to that, it was him. He could only hope that she was given the chance to grow that hope and allow it to blossom like he had been.
His arm slipped around Beth's waist as he looked to Rick and Michonne and gave them a little nod. "Went as well as expected. Enid met with the watcher, just one man. Tall, broad in the shoulders. It was too dark to see much… I'd say he was about mid 30s or early 40s, if I had t' guess. Southern drawl. Dark beard. Bit of a dick." His gaze flashed to Enid, who was scowling in remembrance, and he added, "More than a bit, I reckon."
"That's Walker. He's a real douchebag, honestly." She glanced up at Carol and winced. "Sorry."
"That's alright, honey. Call him what he is." The older woman gave Enid a warm little smile, coaxing a laugh out of the pair of them almost in unison.
Yeah. Maybe this would work out for Carol.
Daryl turned back to Rick and gave another brief 'hem' in the back of his throat before he added, "He gave her a deadline. Not tomorrow night, but the night after, he wants her to unlock the gates. That's when they're gonna come. Reckon he picked that night because of who was on watch." At Beth's questioning hum beside him, Daryl added, "Hank and Ivy. He called 'em Santa and the Twig. Reckon he's definitely been spyin' on us, cause it seemed like he knew who Enid was talking about, at least by appearance."
Beth's gaze strayed to the woods, the tops of it a barely-visible shadow above the gate in the distance. "He might be climbing the trees to get a view."
"Mmm," Daryl gave a nod of agreement. "Pro'ly has binoculars or somethin'."
Michonne's stance widened, her hand finding the pommel of her sword where it rested in her belt. "Do we have to worry about that while we prepare?"
"Not tomorrow…" Daryl glanced at Enid, arching an eyebrow at her in silent question.
"Daryl's right. He'll go back to camp and pass along the info, warn them. He might come back a little earlier the day they plan to attack. But they used t' tell me not to expect help if anything went wrong the day before, 'cause they'd be too busy gettin' ready."
"So we have some time and space to prep," Rick crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze distant with thought. "We'll keep that in mind tomorrow when we meet in the mornin'. Which means we should all be gettin' some sleep, if we can. Won't get too much of it in the next few days, I reckon."
As he and Michonne turned to head back to their cabin, Daryl looked down at Beth, who looped her arm through his and gave him a soft smile. "C'mon, let's go home. Bear is waiting for us. He was very upset that you didn't take him with you."
"Oh, Bear was, was he?" He grinned teasingly as they began to walk side-by-side back to their cabin.
Beth bumped her hip against his intentionally and gave a solemn nod. "Mhm, absolutely devastated."
"Well then, I'd better make it up to him…"
Though to be honest, when he grabbed her and scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to their cabin, Bear was the last thing on his mind.
Despite the sun shining through the loft window, Daryl found himself more reluctant than usual to get out of bed the next morning. Beth was curled in his arms, her blonde hair strewn across his shoulder, her sweet face tucked against the curve of his neck, and her leg wedged between both of his knees. He breathed in deep, the scent of lavender filling his nostrils, and hummed against her forehead as he exhaled.
"We should get up," she murmured, her voice muffled against his skin, the vibrations making him shiver just faintly.
"Gettin' up is overrated," he muttered back with a little smirk she couldn't see.
"Coming from you, that's unexpected." She pulled back just enough to look at him, her blue eyes bright with amusement. "Daryl Dixon, are you sure that's you? Or did you perhaps get body-snatched overnight?"
"I mean somethin' happened to my body last night, but I don't think anythin' got snatched…" He looked down between them to where their still-naked bodies were twined together; they hadn't bothered to get dressed after having sex last night, much to his delight.
"Daryl!" She dissolved into giggles, each one bright as a bell to his ear. It only made him want to kiss her more. But the moment he gave into the urge, pressing kisses to the exposed curve of her neck, he heard a low whine from beside the bed. Bear. He tried his best to ignore it, but the more he did, the louder the whining got.
Finally with a groan, he rolled half-over to glare at the dog, who stared back from his side of the bed with the most pitiful of puppy-dog faces he'd ever seen. Minus Beth's, of course. No one could rival her big eyes when she wanted somethin'. But this dog sure came close.
"Damn dog," he grumbled, knowing that Beth would hear the implicit affection in his tone.
Sure enough she ran her hand down his back and gave a soft laugh before kissing the line of his jaw. "Aw, but you love him, don't you? And you'll get up and take him out while I make breakfast, even if you grumble about it."
He turned back to her with a sigh, knowing she was right, even if it drove him up a wall. Bear was a good dog. Would be even better once they got him trained up a bit. As it was, he was surprisingly well-behaved for a dog that had presumably been feral. After a long moment he untangled himself from Beth and shifted to sit on the edge of the bed, reaching for the clothes he'd discarded in such a rush last night as Bear looked impatiently on.
"You gonna make breakfast this mornin'?" He glanced at Beth and arched a single eyebrow. " Not in the mood to go to Alberta's?"
"No," she admitted softly, sitting up in bed with the sheets held around her chest, the picture of perfect temptation that he just barely managed to resist. "Don't get me wrong, I love the big family breakfast. But we're going to be seeing a lot of each other the next couple days… I think it'll be nice to have a quiet breakfast, just the two of us." She sighed and gave him a wistful smile. "I do wish we had eggs, though."
"It's on my list," he replied, only half-joking. "Once we settle this thing with the Butchers, we'll get to work on findin' some chickens, reckon there are plenty runnin' wild these days, if we can catch 'em. Get us a nice good flock. Might even be able to teach Bear to be a guard dog. Or see if we can find him a friend."
"I bet he'd like that." She shifted over in the bed, getting close enough to kiss his scarred back. His eyes fluttered half-shut at the sensation. He was far more comfortable these days with her seeing his scars, more than he'd ever expected to be, but there was still something special about the sensations he got when she kissed or touched them. Something especially intimate about knowing she was touching the physical embodiment of his deepest secrets and hurts. And that he trusted her to do so.
After a moment she pulled back and his eyes opened again, his voice low and rough as he joked, "Keep that up and Bear is going to be really mad, Greene."
Her laughter echoed after him as he tied up his boots, rose to his feet, and let Bear guide him towards the stairs. He paused just long enough to drink in the sight of her sitting in their bed, the sun shining on her like a halo as she smiled sweetly up at him. His perfect girl. God, he loved her.
And he knew it showed in his eyes, as it always did, when her smile only brightened, and she tilted her head at him and murmured, "I love you too, Daryl."
"Get out of bed, lazy bones," he called back as he thumped down the stairs, Bear racing towards the door in front of him. "We've a busy day ahead of us!"
Unfortunately, their quiet little breakfast for two didn't stay that way for long. Not because of Bear—though the dog did love to sit and stare and whine while they ate, to the point that for now, Daryl had to tie him to one of the posts that supported the loft just to keep him from grabbing their food. No, instead they were interrupted about halfway through by a frantic knocking at the door.
"Beth?" Maggie's voice echoed through the door, and Daryl darted a glance at Beth, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. Much as he had his history with her sister, he couldn't deny she'd made progress since the days they'd freed Beth from Grady Hospital, especially in the last six months. And she was pregnant, which was bound to put anyone on edge in normal times, let alone now. "Beth, can I come in?"
Beth met his gaze with a faint smile and reached out to squeeze his hand across the table before calling out, "C'mon in, Maggie. We're just having breakfast."
As Maggie stepped inside, her gaze caught sight of them sitting at the table, eating the bean, potato, and deer-meat hash Beth had made up for them that morning, and she flushed slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, I just…"
Beth finished chewing and set her fork down. "No, it's fine, come in. Are you hungry? I have a little extra…"
Beth started to rise out of her chair but Maggie immediately shook her head and held out her hand. "No, that's… actually part of why I came here. I'm just so queasy all the time, I can barely manage to eat, especially in the morning."
"Come sit down," Beth insisted, as Daryl leaned over and pulled out the spare chair at the table for her, before turning back to his breakfast. It was remarkably good, far better than just eating beans out of a can, especially with the seasonings they'd stocked up on at Haven. He completely understood Beth's desire for chickens, though… it would have been even better with eggs.
As Maggie sat gingerly down, she had a slightly sick look on her face and her hand rested on her stomach. "Ugh…"
Beth looked from Maggie to the food and back again. "Is it the smell of the food?"
"No. Not this, anyway. I walked by where Eugene was drying fish outside and the smell almost made me vomit." She looked to her sister, her expression pitiful and hopeful at the same time. "I thought this was supposed to end in the second trimester?"
"Well, you're just barely there." The other day they'd calculated how far along Maggie was; Daryl had only half-listened out of curiosity, tuning out when they brought up periods (not because the idea of them was gross, he wasn't a total caveman, but more because it was Maggie's private business), but tuning back into the talk in time to hear Beth decide that Maggie was about fifteen weeks pregnant, and her due date was around April 20th.
"I think the book said most women's morning sickness starts to ease around week thirteen or fourteen, but…" Beth took one last bite of her breakfast and then stood up, stepping around the couch and dodging a whining Bear to stand in front of her packed shelf of books. She skimmed the shelf and plucked one out that he recognized as one of the ones they'd gotten at their vacation home a few days ago.
"Let's see… Here we go," She turned towards Maggie, and read aloud, "Morning sickness usually eases as pregnancy progresses, however some report nausea and vomiting ongoing through the second trimester. Blah blah… Ah, here. Bear in mind that it can last a few weeks into the second trimester, so patients may need to continue their nausea remedies." She frowned and turned the page. "It says here that one in five women do continue to experience morning sickness in the second trimester, though."
"Oh, of course I'll be one of the twenty percent," Maggie groaned, leaning back against the chair and tipping her head up towards the ceiling.
"We don't know that for sure!" Beth exclaimed, ever hopeful. "I don't think it's hyperemesis gravidarum—" She looked up at both of them. "That's when it's so bad it lasts all pregnancy and you have repeated vomiting, weight loss, and dehydration. But you don't seem to throw up more than a few rare times, and you're not losing any weight, so I think that's fine."
Maggie tipped her head forward, eyes wide. "The entire pregnancy? I sure hope I don't have that, shit, Beth!"
Frankly, Daryl couldn't blame her for that. But Beth just smiled and kept turning pages. "Here are some more recommendations: Eat a few dry crackers before getting out of bed. Well, we have some of those we can donate to the cause, I think in Haven's pantry… probably a bit stale, but most things are these days. Drink as much as possible, ginger tea, etc… Eat small meals, well that's not a problem. And try to rest and relax."
She closed the book and looked up at Maggie. "I'll look into some more books when I have time, surely there are some other remedies. I'm sure one of my herbal books has some more suggestions, this one is definitely pre- the fall of medicine and such, unfortunately. But for now, how about a nice cup of ginger tea? The ginger root is finally ready, I harvested it yesterday."
"Sounds good… I think." Maggie massaged her belly and watched quietly as Beth moved around the kitchen, filling the kettle and setting it to boil on their wood stove. There was something about the way she looked—the way she shifted in place, the way her brow furrowed and her eyes followed Beth around—that made Daryl think she had something else on her mind. He was sure she'd bring it up if she wanted to, though, and he had no desire to push.
So he focused on finishing off his meal, and the room remained quiet until Beth set down a mug of steaming hot tea in front of Maggie and sat back down in her own seat. Maggie wrapped her hands around the mug and stared thoughtfully down into it before inhaling the scent. She gave a little shiver. "Ooh, that's strong."
"Yeah," Beth smiled. "Honestly the scent of it might help you on its own. But obviously, drinking it is better. When it cools off." Beth took another bite of her food, her eyes on her sister. When she was finished chewing, she asked carefully, "So how are you doing, Maggie? Besides the morning sickness…"
Maggie gave a deep sigh. "I'm… I don't know." She tapped her fingers on the side of her mug in a series of soft clinking sounds. It made Daryl think of Beth, and the way she fidgeted with her bracelets or tapped her fingers on her thighs, and he hid a smile against his bottle of water as he took a drink. Sometimes it struck him randomly, that they really were sisters despite their differences.
Finally, Maggie admitted, "Glenn doesn't want me to fight, when the Butchers come. But… I can't not fight." She looked at both of them, her eyes plaintive. "You understand, don't you? This place, it's our home. It's this baby's home. I can't just… sit and hide while you all fight to save it."
"I understand what you mean," Beth murmured, her voice low and sympathetic.
"Me too." Daryl glanced at Beth, considering, and his lips turned down slightly as he admitted. "But I understand where Glenn is coming from."
Both sister's rounded on him, looking equally offended, and he quickly held up his hand. "Hey, hey. I would never ask her not to fight. Never. I just meant…" He looked at Beth again, holding her gaze with her own, feeling the glow of warmth inside of him that he always felt when he looked at her, or even thought about her. "I understand the urge to want to protect the person you love, to keep them from harm. That's all."
Beth's expression softened and she reached for him, her smaller hand curling around his larger one to give it a gentle squeeze. "It killed me when you want to watch Enid alone last night, so I understand. I really do." She looked back at Maggie, her expression still soft and kind. "But I also understand Maggie's frustration. The feeling of being held back, coddled, protected. Sometimes… it does more harm than good. I think we both know that by now."
Maggie had the grace to look at least a little ashamed, ducking her head briefly before she gave a little nod. "Yeah. I've learned my lesson on that, trust me." She glanced back up at Beth with a wry smile. "I guess that puts it into perspective, how Glenn is feeling. Maybe I should have a talk with him." She chuckled. "One that doesn't end in yelling, or me being tempted to throw things…"
Beth laughed at that. "Good idea. Drink that tea, then. By the time you're done, I'm sure you'll feel calm enough to have a more even-keeled discussion with him. You know, only a minor urge to throw things. Maybe a sock."
"Or a pillow," Maggie joked, her eyes lighting up as she leaned towards Beth and added, "Remember that time I was having a sleepover and Shawn tried to sneak in…"
The conversation devolved into sharing childhood stories after that, and Daryl felt the tension in his shoulders ease as he watched the two of them laugh together. But the stress remained in the back of his mind and occasionally in the twisting of his stomach. He couldn't help but feel like they were on a deadline, and if they didn't play things right, they might not have more conversations like this left.
"So we've decided on the bulk of the plan," Rick stated, hands smoothing over the diagram in front of him. They'd drawn it up on a couple pieces of paper, adding markings denoting where they expected the bulk of the Butchers to come in and where they'd place everyone else. Everyone in Haven had been invited to today's planning meeting, though not all of them had come. Rick and Michonne, of course, Beth and Daryl, Maggie and Glenn, Sasha (Tyrese had bowed out of planning, being a generally nonviolent person unless he had to be), and Carol (accompanying Enid, in case they had more questions for her.) They were at Alberta, Hank, Ivy, and Noah's home, though Hank was out working on the garden and Ivy and Noah had abstained from the meeting. Everyone else had either bowed out, or was otherwise busy; like Carl watching Judy, or Rosita and Tara on watch duty.
Even Bear was there, seated nicely beside Beth and only occasionally getting up to wander around and make sure no one had decided to hide some food anywhere.
The plan was about as solid as it could be. They'd put decoy guards on top of the watchtowers, assuming the Butchers would snipe them from a distance (Enid had stated it was their usual method), and not bother to check if they were actual people or not. One person would be assigned to either end of the fence where it met the water, in case they decided to send a few people that way. Per his and Beth's suggestion, they would spend the next day covering as much of the grounds as they could with traps, particularly around the houses and the storage sheds, assuming they would go directly to them as their main targets.
They would scatter the rest of the bulk of their fighters throughout Haven, including placing both he and Beth on the rooftops of the houses where they could snipe people with their crossbows. They had a few other tricks up their sleeves of course, too. All in all, it wasn't a bad plan.
There were only a few sticking spots, one of which Rick brought up now. "Someone needs to protect Judy. It'd be better if we could get her away from here. I don't feel comfortable having her hide inside one of the cabins. What if something goes wrong, and they get inside?"
"I know what you're going to say," Beth spoke up, her voice soft but audible as she held Rick's gaze from across the table. "You want Carl to watch her. I get it. It makes sense." Her gaze drifted to Maggie and Glenn, perhaps remembering the conversation they'd had earlier at breakfast. Daryl knew where her thoughts were, in this. He reached out under the table to rest his hand on her thigh and give it a squeeze as she went on, "But I think, this time… it might be the wrong decision."
Rick started to protest, and Beth held up her hand. "Wait, just… let me explain, first." When Rick gave a nod of acquiescence, Beth drew back her hand and continued. "I understand you want to protect him, I really do. But sometimes that much protection, it makes you feel helpless. Carl had felt helpless too many times. I don't know if he can bear it again. Let him help, Rick. Don't make him stand at a distance and watch everyone he loves fight to the death."
"Kid can handle himself," Daryl cut in, feeling Beth's hand cover his atop her thigh as he spoke, "He's a good shot with that compound bow he got off the hunters, too. Put him up on the roofs with us. He'd be safer up there, but still useful."
Rick hesitated, his gaze shifting from them to Michonne. Whatever the silent conversation that passed between them, it ended with Michonne giving a little nod. "I'm not against the idea. At least, not enough to force it." He turned back to them and sighed. "But if he doesn't watch Judith, who does? Someone has to be with her. Away from here, if possible."
"They can take the boat," Sasha suggested. "Whoever goes with Judy. They can row across the lake to the other side. Close enough to see us signal when it's safe, but far enough that no one should notice them."
"I'll take her, if you'll trust me with it." They all turned to look at Alberta, who stood behind the counter in the kitchen. She wiped her hands on a towel and set it down before planting both hands on her hips. Eyes focused on Rick, she detailed, "Let's be frank here. I'm not much of a fighter. I spent most of the last two years in Richmond, and while y'all have done a fine job since then helping me to learn to defend myself, I don't have nearly the same experience as the rest of you."
She looked to the wall across from them, where she had hung up pictures of her and Noah and their former family that she'd saved and brought with her, first to Richmond and then here. "But I'm a mother," she said with a soft smile. "I know how to take care of a toddler, and how to protect them. I'll keep that girl safe for y'all… if you'll have me."
Rick rose to his feet and rounded the counter towards Alberta, his hand outstretched to shake. "Thank you. I would appreciate that so much, truly…"
"Oh, c'mere, Sugar." The woman gripped his hand and pulled him in for a big warm hug as the rest of the group chuckled, mostly at the brief look of surprise on Rick's face.
Better him than me getting a surprise hug, Daryl thought, though not without a sideways glance at Beth. There were some exceptions to the rule for him, after all. Really, only one. Only her. But Rick seemed to appreciate it, and the offer lightened the mood a good amount. That was, until Rick rounded the table again and glanced at Maggie, offering as he took his seat, "Maggie, did you want to go with them? We'd all understand, I think, if you decided to…"
"No." Maggie's quick response was punctuated by a darted glance at Glenn, who didn't look very happy about it, but for the moment kept his mouth shut. "I appreciate the offer, I really do. And if I were further along, I might take it… maybe. I'm sure I'd be more tempted. But I…" She sighed and her hand fell to the tiny curve of her belly, palm and fingers running over the barely-visible shape of it. "I feel like I have to be a part of the fight. I need to protect this place… for our little one." She turned to Glenn, her eyes and voice far more plaintive than Daryl was used to hearing from her. Usually she made a choice or issued a demand, it wasn't often he saw her asking, let alone begging.
But there was an undeniable pleading edge to her voice as she asked Glenn, "You understand, right? Do you support my choice?"
It took Glenn a long moment to speak; or at least, it seemed like a long moment to him and probably everyone else, judging by the way people shifted awkwardly in place or looked away from the pair. Daryl couldn't blame Glenn for hesitating, if that's what this was. He would never tell Beth she couldn't fight, never even ask her anymore to stand aside. But he could understand the desire to. There was a part of him that always wanted to find a way to protect her, to keep her safe. But she wasn't some pretty little doll he could stash safely away. She was a human being with feelings and needs… one who was very good at defending herself and others and very vocal about her desire to do so.
She and her sister were pretty alike in that way, though in Daryl's very biased opinion, Beth was generally more focused on others than her sister. Or had been. Perhaps Maggie had evolved, too.
Finally Glenn broke the awkward silence, reaching out to rest his hand over Maggie's where it covered her stomach. He gave it a light squeeze as he replied solemnly, "I do. I understand. I want to protect this place for our baby, too, Maggie. We'll do it together." He looked to the rest of them, a soft smile forming on his lips as he added, "All of us."
After the meeting, Beth and Daryl walked home with Bear alongside them, sniffing at the ground as he went. He'd developed a habit of looking at every person they passed and giving a low little 'roo' of a howl when he recognized them, which was in Beth's words, 'absolutely adorable.' Frankly, Daryl couldn't disagree with that, though he also looked at it more logically; the dog was learning to recognize which people lived here. This, combined with him reacting to Enid the other night when she'd tried to escape, made him think that the dog would prove to be a skilled guard dog on top of a hunting dog.
Beth's hand slipped into his as they walked, pulling his focus from the dog and almost fully to her. She was looking up at him with a smile that lit up her face, her blue eyes affectionate as they studied his face. He gave her hand a squeeze back, feeling the same tingle in his fingers that he always felt when he touched her. He was struck suddenly by a wave of the same emotions he had been trying to ignore during the planning discussion; love, protectiveness, adrenaline, and more. It occurred to him not for the first time today (or the tenth) that tomorrow they would be risking their lives yet again, that either one of them could get hurt, or worse…
Whether she saw it on his face or simply felt it, the way she so often did, Beth reacted to his shifting emotions with a squeeze of his hand and a darkening of her eyes that he suspected mirrored his own. His steps quickened and so did hers; suddenly they were walking far more quickly towards their cabin, giving only curt nods to those they passed. Bear shifted into a loping gait to keep up, and in the rush to get up the steps to their cabin door, Daryl almost tripped over the damn dog when it twined between his legs.
But they made it, somehow, stumbling into the cabin, Beth just ahead of them and Bear rushing past to jump onto the couch. Daryl forgot about the dog for a moment, his hands seeking Beth's hips instead, spinning her towards him and tugging her close. Her hands slid up his chest and her body pressed to his. A low growl rumbled in his chest as he looked down at her, his girl, his sunshine, his hope… he wouldn't lose her. He refused to lose her.
"Daryl—"
Whatever she was going to say, it was cut off by the hard press of his lips to hers. He swallowed the mumbled words, relishing instead the softness of her mouth and the sweet taste of her on his tongue. His, his, his. No one would take her from him, not tomorrow, not ever.
Her hands slid over his shoulders to clasp behind his neck and he lifted her up and towards him in response. Somehow they managed to stumble towards the stairs; he would have just stayed in the living room with her, but for some reason (which seemed idiotic right now) they kept the condoms upstairs in the bedside table, and well, they definitely needed one of those right now.
They made it up the stairs eventually, mainly because he picked her up and carried her up the stairs and across the loft, until they tumbled together onto the bed in a tangle of limbs and gasps. Beth giggled softly against his mouth in between kisses as they clung to each other, coming apart only as much and as long as was necessary to remove the clothes that were between them, until finally he could feel all her skin against his again.
Funny how there'd been a time when he'd been so nervous to be naked around her, to have her see his body, and more specifically his scarred back. But now he couldn't get enough of it, of her hands on his skin, tracing the lines of it like it was a map she had memorized but still adored.
Sometimes they made love slowly, taking their time and relishing that they could. Today, however, had a more frantic edge to it that reminded him of the time they'd had sex against a tree in the woods after Beth had nearly fallen off a cliff. It had that same desperation to it, that sudden realization of how fleeting life was, especially in the world they now lived in. Though he would have loved to take his time—and later, he might—right now all he wanted was to be close to her, to be deep inside of her, to remind himself that he was hers and she was his and nothing could or would ever come between them.
… Well. Almost nothing. Because somewhere in the midst of them making out and him pausing to grab the condom, Bear appeared to have made his way upstairs. So when Daryl grabbed the condom out of the drawer and pushed it closed, he found himself face to face with a curious dog, head-tilted and tongue hanging out.
"Bear… not now," He grunted, gesturing towards the stairs. "Go on. Get."
"Awww…" Beth peered around his arm at the dog, who wagged his tail at the sight of her. "He doesn't understand, he probably thinks we're playing or something!"
"Well I'd like to be…"
"Daryl!" Beth dissolved into laughter as he sat up a little, giving her room to move. But when her eyes found his after, there was heat in them still, a pull that he couldn't deny. He growled as he looked down at her perfect naked body and she arched prettily beneath him, teasing him, tempting him.
The dog whined beside the bed and Daryl's low growl turned into a groan. But then it was Beth's turn to prop herself up on her elbows, look at Bear, and say firmly, "Bear, go downstairs." She pointed at the stairs in emphasis, and to his surprise the dog gave one slow tail wag and then turned and walked towards the stairs, albeit with what he could only describe as slow resignation.
Still, he went, with only one backwards glance at the two of them, leaving Daryl alone with Beth once more. Now he was sure nothing would come between them. Not even an inch of space.
They made love quickly and urgently, bodies coming together in unison, mouths swallowing gasps and moans in between desperate kisses until finally they both came and they lay there together, sweaty and sated and satisfied… at least physically.
The release had calmed his thoughts but as he lay there, his arms around Beth's still-naked body, he felt his mind begin to race again. He couldn't stop thinking about tomorrow and all the things they needed to do to prepare, all the things that could happen to him, to Beth, to the others.
"I can practically hear your brain going," Beth murmured, her head resting against the crook of his arm. "Are you thinking about tomorrow?"
He didn't ask how she knew. She always seemed to know, but also, what else would he be thinking about today? He just nodded and gave a little grunt of acknowledgement.
"Me too," Beth admitted softly. The worry in her voice had him turning a little more towards her, his arm tightening around her waist. "The worst part, I think, is knowing that this not only isn't the first time we have to deal with something like this… it's probably also not the last."
Daryl's sound of agreement rumbled in his chest. "We have dealt with somethin' like this a lot, haven't we."
"Almost constantly," Beth said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "The horde at the farm, then the Governor at the prison…"
"Terminus," Daryl added, though Beth had thankfully not been there for that. Not that she'd been anywhere much better.
"Grady," she murmured. Her words not only echoed his thoughts, but conjured up more. The sight of her standing at the end of that hallway behind Carol, the relief he'd felt when she'd begun walking towards him, then the absolute panic and dread when she'd gone for Dawn and been shot as a result. He could see her in his mind, laying in that hospital bed with a bandage on her head, so pale, so quiet. He had worried that she would never wake up, that he'd never speak to her again, never hear her voice or see those beautiful blue eyes.
But now here she was laying in his arms looking up at him with those same eyes now filled with love; a love he'd once thought he didn't deserve and would never have even if he did. They'd survived that, and so many things since.
"The Hunters," he murmured, remembering the way Beth had worked with the other women to keep them all alive, to kill the hunters and get back to them.
"Even Richmond," Beth added softly. They'd tried so hard to survive there, to make it their home. But they'd spent too long in the outside world to fit into that secluded community of people. It was the right idea, but the wrong place, the wrong people.
This place, Haven… it was supposed to be the solution to that. The right place, the right people—their people, their place. Their home. And now, yet again, someone was coming to threaten that, to try and take it from them.
"We've survived so many times before," Daryl murmured, his lips pressed to Beth's hair in a soft kiss. "We'll do it again."
"I think that's supposed to be my line," Beth said with a little laugh. "Hold on, I'll do yours." She cleared her throat and affected a deeper, rougher voice. "Hell yeah, we'll kick some ass, ain't no one gonna try an' take our home!"
He had to fight to keep from laughing and still his chest shook as he attempted to ask in a serious tone, "Is that supposed to be an impression of me?"
"Yes." Beth grinned up at him, sweet and playful and perfect. "A perfect one, if I do say so myself."
"Well, y' are pretty perfect…"
He kissed her again, but softly, forcing himself to hold back. "I suppose we have t' go help the others prepare," he murmured, with a sigh against her mouth.
"You're probably right… in a few minutes." She snuggled closer to him, slipping her leg between his and wrapping her arm over his waist. "We can lay here for just a few more minutes, Daryl… right?"
He couldn't say no to her. They would spend the rest of the day preparing and the night trying desperately to sleep and tomorrow, well, he imagined there wouldn't be much time to linger in each other's arms tomorrow, even if things went as well as they hoped.
So if Beth wanted to stall a few minutes and just lay here together, well then, he'd make damn sure that was exactly what she got to do. After all, he wasn't exactly complaining about it either. Truth be told, there was nowhere else he'd rather be.
A/N: Next chapter, things are gonna go down! Hope you're ready, haha. Thanks again for all the comments on these updates, I'm so glad I decided to finish this story after all these years. I hope you enjoyed this one, too.