I Need You

by olpie09

Beth and Daryl are reunited after she escapes from Grady with Noah. Now that they are back together with the others, they try to figure out their relationship. They quickly realize the "you depend on anybody for anything" philosophy doesn't apply when it comes to them. Beth knows she needs Daryl but does he need her? This is a Bethyl slow burn.

31. Chapter 31: Inside

Beth

I hear quiet footsteps and soft rustling, my eyes flutter open to see Daryl getting dressed. I yawn and stretch. "Good morning."

He looks over at me. "Mornin'."

I lift myself up to sit in bed. I watch him tug on his sock and boots in silence. The dread of today is already thick in the air. "Are we ready for today?"

He shrugs. "As ready as we can be."

I nod in understanding. We've been through a lot as a group but we haven't never faced a herd this big before, let alone, tried to lead them away from our home. The Alexandrians have had very little walker activity thanks to the quarry. They are still learning about walkers and the state of the world as it exists now. I worry about them and their inexperience. "Are they ready?"

Daryl's eyes are knowing. "If they ain't, that's what the dry run was for yesterday."

Again I nod at him. According to everyone, the dry run went without a hitch. Rick was able to explain every part of the plan in perfect detail at every location. Daryl, Sasha and Abraham drove their route to be sure they knew exactly where the 20 mile marker was and to double check there were no new obstacles that had appeared on their path. Everyone was home by lunch, claiming their were all set for today. As happy as the news made me that the dry run went well. It also unsettled me. Nothing runs that smoothly anymore. It was just a dry run. I remind myself of that fact again and again. Today would be the real test.

Daryl's eyes watch me closely. He must can tell I'm deep in thought. He adds, reassuringly, "After today it'll all be over."

I know he's right. But I am nervous. I don't want him to go. He's done small runs since we decided I'm staying here but he was doing normal runs then. There was no reason to worry. He can handle normal runs. This time he is going to be leading hindreds of walkers away. If one thing goes wrong, he's in danger. He's more than capable but what if he bit off more than he can chew. How is he, Sasha, and Abraham going to be able to escape that many walkers? I try to focus on the positive. To have some faith. It'll all work out. He's nervous too. I can tell by his twitching and inability to stay still.

"How long do we have?" I ask him.

He shrugs. "'Bout an hour."

I open my arms. "Then come here."

I need the touch and the connection to him. He lays down and puts his head on my chest, holding me close. He must need it too. I can feel all the tension leave his body as soon as he is in my arms. We stay like that, me holding him, for a long time. Every now and then I'll move the fingers that I have in his hair or he'll rub my lower back. We don't speak. We just hold each other, drinking in each other's presence.

Eventually he sits up and rubs my cheek. His lips touch mine with such delicacy like he's afraid of shattering the atmosphere we've created. He pulls away. His voice is barely a whisper. "Sing for me?"

"What do ya want to hear?" I whisper back.

"Something ya wrote for me." He asked for one of my songs yesterday too. But I refused. Telling him if he kept going at this rate, he'd hear all my songs before the end of the week. He quipped something like I can't help it, I'm your biggest fan. I can't refuse him now. I know just the song. It's dangerous, vulnerable but he's about to leave and he deserves to know how I feel before he goes.

I kiss his nose. "Okay honey."

He holds one of my hands and waits patiently for me to begin.

Nobody likes us at this party

Nobody likes us on this couch

We can't stop eating the candy

We can't stop making out

The girl in corner knows the story about the first night we met

She keeps asking, "Why aren't you together yet?"

And I've got my hands in your heart, you've got your hands in my hair

I don't know these people let them stare

I've got you wrapped around my finger, you've got me wrapped up in your chest

We keep whispering, "Why aren't we together yet?"

I summon up all my bravery and look him in the eye when I sing the chorus.

Should we get married tonight, once we drank up the wine?

Would you marry me and always be mine?

It's such a nice night in the safe zone and we shouldn't be alone

Let's get married, baby, married and go home

Daryl's face is impossible to read. I saw his chest rise and his Adam's apple bob when I sang the first line of the chorus. I just keep going, determined not to get insecure now. It's out there. No taking it back.

And the moon could be our witness

And North Main Street the aisle

And when we kiss, the stars will cheer and cry and smile

All our friends will feel left out

And our family had no warning

But we'll tell them the good news in the morning

So let's get married tonight, once we drank up the wine

Would you marry me and always be mine?

It's such a nice night in the safe zone and we shouldn't be alone

Let's get married, baby, married and go home

Ohh ohh ohh ohh

I don't want to be at this party anymore

We're running out of jelly beans and there's no wine left to pour

Ohh, ohh I don't want to be at this party anymore

Make up lies and say goodbyes and meet me at the door

And let's get married tonight, once we drank drank up the wine

Would you marry me and always be mine?

It's such a nice night in the safe zone and we shouldn't be alone

Let's get married, baby, married and go home

Let's get married, baby, married and go home

I finish the song and hold my breath, waiting for him to speak. His hand is still holding mine. Unable to take the silence, I watch our hands with rapt fascination. His other hand rubs his chin. I glance up at his face and he tilts his head back slightly and asks. "That really how ya feel?"

I nod, scared to say anything. He considers me. "Thought ya wanted t' wait?"

"I did. There's a part of me that wonders if we still should. I mean what if we aren't ready? But there's another part of me that thinks we've waited long enough. I don't want to spend the rest of my life… waiting." I explain.

He looks down at our hands that are still intertwined. He rubs his thumb on the back of my hand. He goes to say something else when all the sudden we hear Rick holler, telling everyone it's time. We look up at the sound, then look at each other. Daryl's eyes are apologetic when he says, "I gotta go."

I nod in disappointment. The air is awkward or at least I think it is. He's looking at me expectantly. I compose myself. "I'll walk ya to the gate."

We stop at Aaron's garage to get his bike. He walks his bike up to the front with me walking alongside him. We don't say another word. I want him to say something, anything. He's giving me no indication on how he feels. But I know he's probably processing it all. He needs his space and I've got to give him that.

Maybe he's not ready. If he's not, that's okay. At least, I was honest and told him how I was feeling. That's good, right? Maybe he feels pressured. That wasn't what I was trying to do. I don't want him to think he has to marry me as soon as he gets back. I just was trying to tell him I want to sometime soon. He's got to know that.

I clear my throat. "Uhh… I wasn't trying to rush you or…" I search for the words I'm trying to say.

"Over anticipate?" He offers lightheartedly.

I smile at his use of my lyrics. "Yeah. I just wanted you to know, you don't got to wait on me. Just whenever you're ready… I'll be ready too."

He smiles shyly and nods at me. "A'ight Evergreene."

Daryl

When we get t' the gate, there are quite a few people gathered 'round seein' off their friends and loved ones. Rick says we'll be leavin' in a minute. It's time.

I put the kickstand down on the bike so I can hug Beth. She melts in my arms and squeezes me hard. Leavin' her is gonna be harder than I thought it was gonna be. Shit, leaving for the regular runs was hard enough. This, though, is different. We can both feel it.

I hold her close and close my eyes. The wind blows her hair in my face. She smells like vanilla and lavender. When she pulls away, I feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest, especially when I see silent tears fall down her cheeks. I cup her face in my hands to wipe them away. "I'm gonna be alright."

She sniffles. "I know."

My hands look so large compared t' her tiny face. I rest my forehead against hers. I love her so damn much. I know she hates goodbyes but this ain't goodbye. I'll be back later t'day. I'd love t' kiss her again. Just one more time. The song she wrote echoes in my head. I don't know these people, let them stare. Her words make me wanna be bold. To recreate them. PDA ain't ever been my thing but damn the thought of takin' her lips whenever I want them, for people to stare and know she's mine… it's sexy as hell.

I bend down and capture her lips with mine. The kiss is urgent and raw. I put everything I have into it. Tryin' t' tell her everythin' I can't say aloud. I don't wanna leave ya. I love ya. I wanna marry ya. I wanna have kids with ya. My hand moves from her cheek t' the back of her head and tangles in her hair just like the song. I've got my hands in your heart, you've got your hands in my hair. Her tongue moves perfectly with mine. I don't want t' stop but we gotta. Reluctantly, I pull away and put my forehead back on hers.

She looks up at me through her long eyelashes. "Come back to me."

"I will." I swear to her.

I remove myself from her and get on my bike. She holds her arms around herself. "I love ya Evergreene."

She gives me a sad smile. "I love you too stud."

The nickname makes my face heat up. Somethin' 'bout the way she says it, hits me just right. My chest tightens when I see the cars in front me start t' drive away. I look at her one more time. "I'll see ya later."

I speed away and watch her form get smaller in my right side mirror. The gate closes and she disappears from view. I can't help but feel like I just left a piece of me behind.

Beth

Watching him leave was one of the hardest things, I've ever had to do. Maggie comes over and hugs me as the gate closes. We all got jobs to do.

I get busy on my daily tasks for the infirmary with Denise. Then I visit with the Millers. I don't stay long especially since they don't need help with anything in particular. Then I go to Mrs. Jane's house. She and I do our balance training, then do our regular game of chess. She tries her best to make me smile and forget the fact that the love of my life is out there risking his life to keep this place safe. But even Mrs. Jane can't distract me from that.

I do my best to be kind and present. I don't want to be a Debbie Downer to everyone all day until they return. I smile and joke back with Mrs. Jane, trying to ignore the pit in my stomach that tells me something is wrong.

After Mrs. Jane's, I meet up with Maggie and Judith at the house. We decide to go check on Buttons. He's doing good so far but he still has a ways to go before he's back to normal by regular horse standards. He stays in a garage that has been converted into a stable of sorts. His stable is in the last house in the block. The garage door stays up and a wooden fence has been made to keep him inside. There's a door in the fence to let him out into the yard which is fenced in with the little field next to the house. Once a day, someone comes and feeds him and talks to him. We are trying to get him acclimated to people again. So far, Maggie and I are his favorites. He likes Daryl, Rick and Aaron but pretty much hates nearly everyone else. (They are too nervous around him and he picks up on it easily).

I'm the only one that can brush him which is what I'm doing as Maggie bounces Judy on her hip. Maggie has been spending more and more time with Judith. She jokes that she needs the practice even though Maggie has always been good with kids. Maggie smiles down at the toddler and it warms my heart at the sight. It's hard to believe soon Maggie will have a child of her own. Maggie and I have speculated whether it will be a boy or a girl. Maggie is hoping for a boy. She thinks being a boy in this world will be easier. Maybe she's right but Judith has been doing just fine so far. Before and after, the world has always been a dangerous place for women. Guys have it much easier. Who knows. I just pray for a healthy baby and a successful delivery.

"What does a cow say?" Maggie asks Judith.

"Moooo." The sweetie answers in her tiny voice.

"That's right!" Maggie nods and praises. "What does a doggie say?"

"Oof, oof." Judy tries.

"Woof, woof. Yup. What does…" Maggie's eyes leave the child's and looks at me for help to think of an animal. They've been at this game for a while. I point to Buttons and Maggie gives me a look like duh how did I not think of that. "...a horsey say?"

Judith smiles and does her best impression of a horse's neigh. The effort she puts into it is adorable and makes us laugh. Maggie is still laughing when she praises the toddler. "That's right, smart girl."

Before she can say anything else, we hear someone scream. We freeze. I run to the front of the garage and look down the street. My blood runs cold when I see people running around chaotically. On instinct, I hide behind the fence and watch. A man swings a blade and slays an innocent Alexandrian. The attackers are too far away to tell anything about them other than the fact they appear to be dirty under their dark clothing. There are no gunshots sounding which means these people don't have guns. Majority of Alexandrians don't keep themselves armed despite our pleas and Deanna allowing people to carry guns. I see someone else get slashed across the abdomen.

I look the other way and don't see anyone that direction. Probably because not many people live that way. It's an area that Deanna says they are going to use for expansion. The construction team has been working to build more plates to add to the wall. Back there they already have a section of the new wall up.

I turn to Maggie and Judith, I'm on high alert and my sister can see that. "Beth?" She whispers.

"People. Inside the walls." I lunge myself at the two of them and grab Maggie's hand, leading her inside the house. "I need you to take Judith and hide. Now."

"Where are we going?" She asks as she allows me to drag her down the stairs to the basement.

"This house is just like ours. Which means there should be a utility/storage room…" I look around the decorative panel wall. There's a built-in bookcase and I walk over to it and pull on one of the shelves. The bookcase swings out to reveal the hidden room. "...here."

Not all houses in Alexandria have these hidden utility/storage rooms. When building this place, the buyer could customize the builds however they wanted them. Deanna and Reg's house was a model home with all the bells and whistles to show people all the different customizations people could add onto their home. If an Alexandrian home has a basement (which not many do), it more than likely has this hidden utility room. I learned this fun fact from Noah after he came home one day from talking with Reg. He and I found the one in our home and Noah geeked out over the architecture of the hidden room.

"How did you…" Maggie starts to ask as I usher her and Judith inside.

"Noah." I say quickly. I shake away the thought of my friend and continue. "Stay here. What weapons do you have?"

Maggie replies. "My gun and my knife."

I nod and move into the room. I hug my sister and kiss Judith. "I'll be back for you as soon as I can."

I go to leave but Maggie stops me. "What're you going to do?"

"I'm gonna distract them, lead them away from here."

My sister's eyes reflect the worry she feels. "Be safe."

"I will and you too." I close the bookcase and make sure nothing looks out of place. When I'm satisfied, I head back to the garage.

I mentally steel myself, preparing to fight. I take note of the weapons I have on hand. My knives. One strapped to my hip and another to my ankle. A gun. My crossbow is back at the house. Back in the garage, I am met by a disturbed Buttons. I try to calm him down as quietly as I can. I stay low and make my way to the front of the garage where I keep my recurve bow these days. Normally after I look after Buttons I use the side of the house as target practice. I'm getting much better at using it but I have never attempted moving targets.

I crouch down behind the fence and strap the sheath to my back. I knock an arrow and peek over the fence. I spot one of them chopping up something. I realize it's a person. I think it's Mike. What kind of monster would dismember someone? I gasp at the thought knowing exactly who could do something like this. A chill runs down my spine. Could it be?

Wolves.

No. Surely not. We killed them all.

No, we killed the ones we saw. I correct myself internally. We knew there were probably more out there. But how did they find us?

My mind races. They had to have been watching us. Why else would they attack today of all days? They knew we would be weakened, separated from some of our strongest members. My thoughts immediately go to Daryl. Could the quarry be a trap? No. Heath said that it's been there since almost the start. But if they attacked us in here, who's to say they don't have people waiting to attack the others out there? The horde should be enough protection for Daryl and the others, deterring the Wolves from an attack. But the Wolves have proven they can handle large amounts of walkers at a time. My head aches.

Glass shatters in the distance, snapping me back to reality. Daryl can handle himself. I need to stay present and eliminate the threat here first, before I can worry about the others. You can do this. I tell myself again and again as I take aim and look over the fence again. I spot an intruder running to the house just across the street. I cannot miss.

I breathe and let my arrow loose.

It sticks into the side of the house just in front of the Wolf. They stop, startled by my arrow. I knock another arrow and aim again. They spot me and I fire. This time the arrow hits them directly in the chest. They fall to the ground as I knock another and look around. There are a few of them in the distance that are too far for me to shoot.

I see movement in my peripherals. I see the someone bent over the Wolf I just shot. I think it might be another Wolf but to my surprise they stab the wounded Wolf right in the head. When the person looks up, I see it's Carol. She sees me. I rub Buttons wishing he was rehabilitated enough to ride. I tell him to keep Maggie, Judith and the baby safe, then I hop over the makeshift stable to join Carol.

I run to the side of the house where Carol is dragging the Wolf she just killed. I help her until we pull the body out of sight. "How many are there?" I ask her.

"I don't know. A lot." She says. She must be wearing one of the Wolf's clothing because the garments she has on are filthy. She's got a bloody "W" on her head and a scarf around her neck. She's removing the dead wolf's clothing for me. "None of them have guns. We need to get to the armory before they do. Here, put this on."

I take off my sheath and shrug on the jacket she just gave me. It has a hood so I put that over my blonde hair. I replace my sheath as Carol dips her finger in blood and writes a "W" on me too. Camouflaged to her liking, she leads me to the backyard to the next street. "I'll go this way. You go that way. We will meet in the middle at the armory."

Carol gives me one dip of her head and a goes to the right. I go left and hide my bow in the coat. I go to my house and see the door is open. Someone must be inside already. I strap my recurve bow over my head with my sheath. I pull my knife and slowly enter the home. It's eerily quiet inside. I hear footsteps upstairs. I lower myself down the stairs to the basement. In our bedroom, I grab my crossbow and creep back up to the main floor and wait. I hide near the bathroom just out of sight. The footsteps descend. As soon as they are close enough, I lunge. Unfortunately I knock the stranger and myself off balance. They are quicker to recover than me, they turn and pin me against the wall. It's a woman. Her hair is matted and her eyes are wild. She yells as she attempts to stab me. I dodge the assault and I'm able to kick her off me. I swing my crossbow, hitting her in the face. She falls to the floor. She turns her face to me and I shoot her right in the eye.

As I'm catching my breath another woman appears out of nowhere and wrestles me to the ground. We are about the same size so it's difficult for one of us to overtake the other. She pulls a knife. I don't react quick enough and she slices my shoulder. I cry out in pain. I kick and push and shove and fight her with all my might. By some miracle, I switch places with her pinning her to the floor instead. I extract the knife from her hand and use it to stab her over in the chest and over and over again. When I'm sure she's dead, I stop and sit back on my heels. I plunge the knife into both of their skulls, grab my crossbow, wipe my face and head back outside.

At first, I think my ears are ringing. I did hit my head pretty hard. But after it lasts for too long I realize it sounds like an air horn. I look around and try to figure out where the sound is coming from. I follow the noise.

The rest of the street is fairly quiet. I turn the corner and make my way towards the armory. Three Wolves emerge from a house. Two women and a man. I shoot the man with a bolt. The two women gasp in surprise. They run toward me. I lodge another bolt into one of the women. The other swings her machete at me but I block the attack with my crossbow using it as a shield. I prepare myself for her to try to attack me again with her machete but instead she runs into the nearest building which happens to be the armory. The horn abruptly stops as I run after her and throw my crossbow behind me, I don't have time to reload. I change my weapon of choice to my recurve bow. When I find her, I waste no time in shooting her in the back, then stabbing her in the head.

No sign of Carol yet. I hear a whimper in the closet to my left. I open the doors to find Olivia locked inside, terrified and crying. "Olivia." I say in an attempt to comfort her.

She sees it's me and visibly relaxes. I take in her form to see if she is hurt and notice she doesn't even have a weapon on her. You would think as someone who works in the armory, she'd be smart enough to barricade the door so no one could come in and take all of their weapons. Or at the very least grab one, just one gun in order to protect herself before she hid. But no. She locked herself in a closet, defenseless.

I remind myself to be patient with her as I pull her from the closet just a couple of steps. "Come here." She's shaking like a leaf as I turn to the counter and find a small pistol. I place it in her hands. "Take this. I'll barricade the door behind me."

I sigh. I can tell by the way she stares down at the gun in her hand, she has no clue how to use it. I click off the safety and make her hold it up. "Aim at the door. If someone gets in, pull the trigger until they are dead. Got it?"

She nods her head frantically. To her credit, she stops crying. I close the door and move a bookcase in front of the door sealing her inside. Carol meets me outside. I quickly tell her the armory is safe. She and I move together now. Taking out any Wolves we find along the way until we don't see anymore. Others from our group join us on the street. Aaron, Rosita, Spencer, and Deanna.

I see Carl run toward us. He's got a semiautomatic rifle in hand and he has some blood on his clothes. The moment his eyes land on me, he asks, "Where's Judith?"

"She's with Maggie. She's safe. They are in the house with Buttons." I tell him.

We circle the community three times making sure it's all clear. Along the way, we stab anyone in the head who hasn't been taken care of so they don't turn. We lost a lot of people but so did they. I hope this was the last of them. I'm scared there are still more out there waiting to attack the others that are leading the horde away. I send a prayer up for Daryl and the others. I tell myself for the millionth time that they are gonna be okay.