A/N Thank you all so much. This is a long chapter, so you may want to get yourself a bowl of Ramen :)

Down the Mountain

She's still hanging onto him and his gut's in a knot. How the fuck did this happen? Shit. He sounds so gruff when he finally responds, "We'll see what's goin' on when we get there, then decide what ta do next. Now let's go shoot guns."

It's now or never, Beth gets honest with him, "But Daryl, I…well...it's not just what's going on down in the world. I don't want to leave here because I don't want to leave you. I care about you."

He'd almost like to believe that's the reason, that she genuinely gives two shits about him, but he doesn't believe it for a minute. Maybe his response is a little too harsh, but it's the way he sees things, "Nah girl, that ain't it. Ya wanna stay here cuz whatever the hell is goin' on in town ain't made it up the mountain yet. I get it, there's plenty of food here and a pretty decent place ta lay your head, and there's a man here ya know ain't gonna let nuthin' bad happen to ya. So don't bullshit yourself and don't bullshit me. We both know that's the real reason ya wanna stay. Food, shelter, protection. You're scared and it's got ya sayin' things ya don't really mean."

She steps away from him, "How can you say that to me Daryl? How do you know what I feel? And geez, what kind of person do you think I am? Do you really think I'd just use you to get food and protection?"

"Nah, it ain't that I think you're a bad person. I don't think nuthin' bad about ya. I just think you're scared and…you see me and this place as a way you'd be safe."

She's so angry and hurt she can't think, except to think she's not going to let him see how deeply his words cut, "Wow. Thanks, buddy. Good to know. All right, let's go shoot guns."

Fuck him, if she only knew how he feels about her, but he also believes all those things he told her. The only reason she wants to stay with him is she needs him for protection, for food, and shelter. Nothing more. Six months ago if she'd run into him at a bar in town, and he tried to buy her a beer, she wouldn't have given him the time of day. Shit, if she stays here with him now it'll maybe last a month. By then she'd be so sick of him she'd run down this mountain and not stop until she hit town.

He won't leave her in danger though. Maybe he could try taking her to one of those camps she talked about. She'd be with other survivors and they'd all keep each other safe.

Right now though, shit. He can see it in her face, and her body language, and he damn sure heard it in her voice, she's so fucking pissed at him. She's stomping up the stairs like she never hurt her ankle, and damn if Jack isn't walking right along with her.

Daryl's behind them both, turning out lamps and closing the root cellar's trap door, making sure it's well covered and concealed, then he calls out to her, "Hey, c'mon lady. Let's go in the tool shed and lemme fix that boot."

"I don't think I want you doing anything else for me Daryl. I've taken advantage of you enough. I just want to go home, and I have plenty of shoes there."

"Oh yeah? Bullshit." He shocks them both when he picks her up and says, "C'mon, let's get that boot fixed, and quit bein' so damn ornery."

"Ornery? Me? I thought ornery was your middle name Daryl."

He doesn't want to, but he snorts a laugh, "C'mon Beth, lemme try this miracle leather glue I got. Then we'll do some target practice, then I gotta get back ta work."

She knows she's being extra snotty, and she doesn't care, "No, that's okay. I don't want to keep you from your work."

"Stop. Will ya just fuckin' stop. C'mon."

That gets her thinking, why is she so mad at him? He didn't really do anything wrong. He's a jerk, yes, but maybe he's right, maybe if it wasn't for all this other stuff she wouldn't care about him at all. She'd be so darn anxious to leave this place and get back to her apartment, back to real life. For God's sake, think about it Beth, he's nothing but a cranky old hermit.

So why does it hurt and why does she care.

"What's this building?"

"Well, it ain't much of a building, it's nuthin' more than a shed. It's the original moonshine shed. See the still?"

"Oh wow, that would make a lot of moonshine. I thought the still was that thing in the cellar."

"Nah, well, that little thing is a still, but it's ancient and way too small to make a decent batch of moonshine. I heard my grandma used to use it for distilling mint n stuff."

How did this just happen? How were they bickering two seconds ago and now they're talking about moonshine and distilling mint? She wasn't done being mad at him. She resigns herself though, maybe everything will be easier if they just get along, "So have you ever made moonshine Daryl?"

"Only when I helped my Dad, other than that, I never had no interest in doin' that shit, and besides, with all the shine that's left around here, who needs to. Take a look over there in the corner, there's a shit ton more of it."

"Wow, he had quite the business."

"Yeah, and just think, he drank about as much of that shit as he sold." He shrugs, "Maybe more."

"Daryl, no, you're…"

"Nah, I ain't kiddin'," uh oh, he's showing himself again. "C'mere, sit here, let's get that boot off."

He takes it from her, clamps it in a table vice, then gets a brown bottle and some metal clips from the shelf. He runs a bead of the thick liquid along where he made the cut in the shaft of her boot, then uses several clips to hold the leather together, and says, "Gonna take a few hours ta cure, and it's still gonna be shit when it's done. But I think it'll stay together long enough for you ta get home, then you can throw em away.'

Neither of them has anything to say to that, Daryl just moves along, "Here, lemme tie this piece of leather scrap around your foot, it'll be like a moccasin. That'll work good enough ta keep your foot warm and dry while we shoot."

How embarrassing, she must look like a complete idiot, but at least she's out and walking. She does pretty good, just a little unsteady so Daryl takes her elbow as they walk on the uneven ground to just the other side of the root cellar. He announces, "I got me a little shooting range built over here," just as it comes into view.

"Oh wow, is that a fake deer? You practice shooting at a fake deer?"

He snorts, "Yeah, it's a deer target but I don't shoot it fulla bullets, it wouldn't last long. It's for bow practice, the foam stuff it's made from bounces right back when ya pull the bolts out."

"Oh."

"We're gonna leave my deer alone and shoot at them paper targets pinned ta that tree right there."

"Okay, sounds fun."

She wishes he didn't look so good as he gets everything lined up, then shows her how to load the pistol, "A'ight, you try loadin' it now."

She's loaded guns before, she supposes that's why she manages to get his approval on the first attempt, "Good, now let's see how we do." He holds the pistol out to her and just when she's about to take it, he pulls back. He's not one to make jokes, or to take things lightly, but the words seem to just roll right off his tongue, "Ya ain't mad enough ta shoot me, are ya?"

She doesn't want to laugh, but she can't quite manage to bite it back completely, "No, not yet, but it's getting close."

He's still holding the gun, but now he's looking in her eyes so intensely, and then he tells her, "I know ya think I'm a first class dick, and I probably am, but I want ya ta know, if it's like ya say it is down there I ain't gonna just drop ya off at your place and drive away. I would never do that to ya Beth."

"Thanks, I think."

"No, serious. Maybe I could take ya ta one a them camps you talked about."

Oh my God, no. She shrugs, not looking at him at all when she replies, "I guess, we'll see."

Over the next day and a half they don't bicker or fight, but they also don't really talk. They shoot guns, they eat together, but the tension is thick in the little cabin, even poor Jack feels it and he's not sure which of them he should try and comfort.

There's a little wood left to sand and staining to be done, but Daryl's got the header, the side jambs, and the threshold in, and the door hung for the bathroom the night before they leave. Beth showers and then Daryl takes his shower, even though by then the water is downright icy.

They don't have to pack up really, there's not much to take. He puts some gunnysacks in the truck bed just in case it's like she says, the sacks might be handy for quickly grabbing supplies. He's already emptied all the fuel in his gas cans into his big tank, and he loads the empties in the back of the pickup. Even if her story is bullshit, it won't hurt to get more fuel.

Beth doesn't have a thing to take with her except her empty black backpack. Daryl fills a canteen with water for each of them, and one for Jack. He goes ahead and takes the canteens out to the pickup, after being outside all night the water will be nice and cool for their trip. Neither one of them gets much sleep, even poor Jack is restless. The dog knows something's going on, he just doesn't know what.

Daryl has already explained to her, "There ain't no road so I'll just be makin' my way down the mountain as best I can. It's rougher than hell and I gotta go slow or the tires will be shot, or worse, we'll skid out and have a rollover. I also gotta think about Jack. He don't do so good on these mountain drives, he gets a little carsick sometimes. I might hafta stop and let him out for a walk from time ta time."

There it is. Even though he tries so hard to hide his tender heart, sometimes it shows itself in spite of him. "That's fine with me Daryl, you know the mountain."

At first light they're on their way, and boy oh boy, he wasn't kidding. She's been on some very rough country roads in her life, but nothing like this. She thought she'd be able to close her eyes and rest while he drove, but heck, she's too busy gripping the door handle with both hands and praying to God they get down this mountain alive. Maybe it's a good thing it's as rough as it is, how many people would ever try and make it all the way up to where he lives?

They stop after 45 minutes or so and Daryl lets Jack out to run around for a few minutes, and Beth is very grateful to have whatever time she can get not being jostled around, and then they're on their way again.

Another two hours, and another two stops for Jack, and they're almost to where the road begins, "I told ya it takes a while. Gotta drive this slow."

She tells him her thoughts, "That might be good for you Daryl. I can't imagine anyone dead or alive making the trip up this mountain just to see what they can see."

It's then they spot a small encampment. It's just about a mile west of where the paved road begins. There's a small tent and maybe ten people, and a van that looks like it survived the 60's. Just two of the campers appear to be men, the others are women. One of the men, a guy with long, stringy blonde hair is trying to flag them down. Daryl plans to ignore them and just keep going, until Beth says, "I know that guy. That's Dwight, I work with him. Can we pull over for a minute? Oh, and there's his wife, Sherry, I met her when I saw them at the County Fair this summer."

Daryl would rather just keep going, but maybe they're good people. Maybe they're heading to a camp and they could take Beth with them. He pulls over and tells her, "Wait in the truck," and to Jack, "Stay."

Daryl gets out of the pickup, keeping his right hand close to his pistol. Then dammit, Beth, shit, she's out of the truck and smiling, and she doesn't even have her pistol with her. She's all cheerful with these folks, "Hi Dwight, hi Sherry, gosh, how's everything going?"

The stringy-haired blonde man speaks, "Hey Beth, who's this dude? And what the hell are the two of you doin' up here?"

Beth's a little stunned when Daryl immediately takes her hand, and she can tell by his tight grip he doesn't want her to answer. He does the talking, "Name's Bill. We're hungry, just like everyone else. We been lookin' for game, rabbit, squirrel, anythin' we can eat." Beth's confused but she senses now is not the time to question Daryl.

There are introductions all around and Dwight smiles at Beth, "Simon here has one a them shortwave radios and he heard a lotta chatter about a safe place up in Virginia, a camp called the Sanctuary. He heard there's a guy named Negan runnin' it and we'll be welcome there. It's safe and there's food, and all ya gotta do ta earn your keep is help out with the chores and stuff. We're just about ta head that way. You're welcome ta join us Beth."

It's not lost on Daryl that he wasn't included in the invitation.

Beth's about to respond but Daryl's grip gets tighter, and again he does the talking, "Yeah thanks, that's real nice of y'all and we appreciate it, but we're gonna go try n find my folks. They live over outta Valdosta so we're headed that way now."

"Really? Well I hope they're still around. Be careful, there's a lotta dead folks everywhere, and folks that won't stay dead, and plenty of assholes takin' advantage of people."

"Yeah, we'll be careful, good luck to you folks."

"Yeah."

Now Daryl's convinced, she wasn't hallucinating, she didn't have a mental breakdown, and she wasn't imagining shit. The world's gone to hell.

She has about a million questions when they get back in the truck. The most pressing is, "Daryl, why did you make all that stuff up?"

He shrugs, "When I saw what was goin' on there, I knew for sure all that shit ya told me was true." He pauses, chewing on his lip a minute before answering, "Look Beth, I know ya think that guy and his wife are your friends, but ya don't really know em and ya don't know the rest of them people at all." Now his lips are pursed and he's rubbing his chin, and then he tells her what he thinks, "I'da never let ya go anywhere with that squirrely guy. He mighta been nice at work or whatever, but there's sumthin' about him that don't feel right. I'm just tellin' ya Beth, this ain't a good time ta be trusting random people. Most important things is, don't tell anyone where we live. If they think we got sumthin' they want, they're gonna try n come get it. That's why I said we was goin' to Valdosta, I steered em as far away as I could."

Gosh, Daryl is being so negative, but is he right? Are things really going to get that bad? Are they that bad already? She also didn't miss it when he said, "where we live," or "I'da never let ya go" but she hasn't got time to ask him about either because as soon as they get on pavement there's a big tree limb in the road and he tells her, "Now do what I say this time, ya stay in the pickup while I see if I can move that sumbitch. You too Jack, both of ya, stay."

She doesn't argue because he was right when he said she thinks he can protect her. She's willing to bet her life he can.

Instinct has him preparing for danger. As soon as he's out of the vehicle he opens the rear door of the pickup and grabs his crossbow, slinging it over his shoulder so that it lays across his back.

The limb is heavy but he's pretty sure he can slide it over far enough to make room for the pickup to get through, it won't matter if they're riding the shoulder a little. He's just gotten a grip on the limb when he hears the guttural sounds and knows right away, it's got to be dead ones.

He quickly maneuvers the crossbow in front of him, loads it, turns and aims toward the sound, and there they are just feet from him. He remembers what she told him about hitting them in the brain, and he shoots the one closest to him in the head with a bolt, just as another is about to latch onto him. He yanks the knife from it's sheath and stabs the thing in it's head, then spins to his left and kills another the same way. By then another one is almost on him and he kicks it hard enough to knock it back, giving himself time to load another bolt. He lets it fly and bam, another one is down. He stabs the last of the dead ones right between the eyes, and it's over.

Fuck, what the fuck.

He breathes out, pulls his bolts from the heads of two of them, then drags all the bodies off the road and out of the way. He notices one of them has a nice pistol in his waistband and Daryl helps himself to that, sliding it into his hip pocket. Another has a real nice knife in a sheath, yeah, that'll be good for Beth. He takes it, sheath and all.

In the meantime, Beth has been sitting in the cab of the pickup watching everything unfold, and she hasn't taken her eyes off of him as she prayed he'd be safe. My God, he's like some kind of gladiator. If she thought he was strong and brave before, now she's sure if the whole world ended this minute, Daryl would somehow survive. He'd be the last man standing.

He's stunned, shit, he can't fucking believe what just happened. What the fuck is this? Who knows? He just knows he's anxious to get back up the mountain.

He gets the limb moved enough that they can pass, then hurries back to the pickup and puts the crossbow, the new pistol and the knife in the back, "I guess I better teach ya some knife skills next," and he's back in the truck and they're moving.

She almost questions why he would steal stuff from dead people, but then it dawns on her, this is a whole new world and she's going to have to start thinking about things a little differently. Honestly Beth, you know Daryl's going to do whatever he has to do to make sure him and Jack survive, and she even dares to think, maybe her too.

He glances over at her and asks, "Tell me exactly how ta get ta your place."

She tells him they'll take this road to the highway, then head right, turn left onto Noble Road, take it for a mile or so, then go right onto Aster Way down to her street, Morningside, "I'll give you plenty of warning before it's time to make the turns."

"A'ight, do ya know the town pretty good? If there's obstacles or a buncha them dead things, will ya know how ta go a different way and still get there?"

"Yes, I'm good at that stuff and I've ridden my bike around town a million times."

"Okay, good. We're gonna drive ta your place now. You get whatever clothes ya need, and whatnot like that. We'll get them supplies ya bought too, if no one has already broke in and got em. I'm gonna siphon the gas outta your car into one a the cans. If there's anythin' else we think we should take, we'll take it. K?"

"Yes, okay, that sounds fine."

"A'ight, once we do that, I got a plan ta get us a lot more stuff if ya feel like you can handle it. It would mean we'd have two vehicles and you'd hafta drive back up the mountain. I'll be driving a big flat bed truck. Ya think you can handle that? If not, tell me now. I ain't gonna be mad."

"No, I think I can do it." She wants to ask him, "Does this mean you're taking me home with you?" But no, now is not the time. He has a plan and her best bet for now is to just do whatever the heck he says. She's sure the only way she'll be safe is to stick with this man. Besides, she wasn't making it up, or imagining it when she told him she has feelings for him.

They dodge a couple of lone dead ones on their way to the trailhead but there are no big groups and no more real obstacles in the road. When they reach the small parking area she mutters, "Darn it, my bike was right there. I had a bike lock and everything and it's gone. Can you believe it? Some creep took my bike."

He looks over at her and says, "I got a feelin' we could find a lot more is missin', don't get your hopes up too much about what we'll find at your place."

It turns out they don't get to her place quite as easily as they would have before the fall, they end up on a crazy route of turns and avoidance, and they have to stop at one point while Daryl moves bodies out of the way, killing one that, as it turns out, wasn't really dead.

They get to her place and as he pulls in the short driveway they see the garage door is up, the broken lock is laying on the ground and the car is gone. He mutters, "I guess I don't hafta worry about siphonin' any gas."

She sighs, "No, I guess not. Gosh, and I really liked that little car too."

"Yeah, sorry."

She reaches to open the door and he grabs her arm, "Nah, not yet. Ya hold your gun in your hand and be ready ta shoot ta kill. I'm goin' in your place and make sure there ain't anyone in there, dead or alive."

"Okay, be careful."

"You just watch out for you and shoot if ya have to. Jack, you stay."

The front door isn't shut completely, huh. Now Daryl's even more cautious, holding his gun out in front of him as he slowly pushes it open. He doesn't see anyone in the living room or kitchen, but the kitchen has been thoroughly searched. Every cabinet and every drawer is open, there are pots and pans and broken dishes on the floor, and not a morsel of food anywhere. Not so much as a salt shaker. Fuck them assholes. Yeah, well, truth is, he'd have done the same if he was hungry.

He looks in what must be her room. Cute, dainty, like her. It looks like the thieves didn't even bother checking in there, it's still neat as a pin. The bathroom is a different story. The medicine cabinet and the shower caddy are bare, even the toilet paper is gone off the roller. Yeah, well, they'd need that too.

The door to the spare room is open, there's a small bed, with no covers or pillow left on it, a guitar in a stand, a desk and a couple of other things. That's it. He walks to the far wall with his pistol ready as he slides the closet door open. Fuck yeah, the thieves didn't think to check a bedroom closet. Whatever, fuck them cuz he's having Ramen when he gets back up the mountain. Maybe some of those chips too.

His gun is up as he clears the front door and heads over to the pickup. He opens her door and prepares her, "Okay, your kitchen's a mess, they were lookin' for food. They took everything outta the bathroom, everything. Even the toilet paper. The good news is, they didn't take the boxes from the spare room. I guess they never thought to look in the closet, dumbasses."

"Oh wow, well that's good, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, real good. You got a suitcase or sumthin' you can pack your things in, clothes n shit?"

"Yes."

"Okay, while you're in doing that, me and Jack are gonna be watchin' for trouble out here. Try ta hurry, k?"

"Yes, I will." She's already decided what she will and won't bring. She'll never have use for those party dresses and church clothes again. She won't need high heels and stylish handbags. What she'll need are jeans and t-shirts, and sweaters and hoodies for winter, oh, and that pair of long johns she bought for the one and only time she ever went skiing. Warm pajamas for winter and a nightie for when it's hot out, her bathrobe and slippers. Tennis shoes and her old hiking boots, thank God she kept them, socks and her winter coat. She smiles, why not? She quickly removes the newer hiking boots and puts the old ones on. Less to carry.

Then she spots it on her dresser. That darn cellphone hasn't worked in the longest time, but what's the harm in checking for a message. Oh my gosh, there are two. Who knows when they were even sent, but they're here now. One is from Aaron and it says, "Me and Eric are okay and headed for a camp up in Virginia called Alexandria. Stay safe. I love you Beth."

The tears are already in her eyes when she reads the second message, it's from Maggie, "Got your messages. Me, Glenn and Daddy are doing alright. We're going to a camp called the Commonwealth in Ohio. We all love and miss you so much Bethie. Be safe in this super scary world. xo"

She's shoves the phone in her back pocket, overwhelmed with gratitude just knowing her family and her best friend are okay, even though she realizes she may never see any of them again. Why not take a chance? She types a message to all of them, "I'm fine and I have a good, safe place to stay. I love you all so much." When the sadness hits her she reminds herself of all she has to be grateful for, including the little things. like having some of her own stuff, getting those messages, and her stash of supplies hasn't been taken.

She's got a big duffel bag and a slightly smaller one packed, and she's about to walk out the door when she stops, "Not quite yet."

She hurries back to her room and grabs the four paperback books she's purchased in the last two months. All of which she intended to read, and all of which she has never even started. Then she grabs one more book from the drawer of her nightstand. She's had it since she was a young girl and she's read it many times over the years, The Secret Garden. She manages to stuff the books into the smaller bag, and then grabs the framed photo off the dresser. It's from the winter she was eight years old, and it's her whole family gathered around the Christmas tree. She puts it in the small duffel, takes one more look around, and that's it.

As soon as she's out the door he's there, taking the bags from her hands, "Here, lemme carry that." He unlocks the camper shell lifts it and puts her bags in, then locks it again.

He takes a good look around the neighborhood to see if anyone's watching them, dead or alive. Things seem quiet and he tells her, "I'll go in and stack all that stuff by the front door, then we'll work fast ta load it in the pickup. Hopefully no one will see us and start trouble. You wait here in the pickup, gun cocked and ready. If anyone comes around botherin' you, shoot."

Gosh, she would have never thought to be so cautious about people seeing them and knowing what they're doing, but yes, he's right to think that way. The world got so different so fast.

Once everything is moved to just inside the front door, Daryl and Beth work together, quickly carrying it all out and loading it in the bed of the pickup. She knows he sees the boxes of Tampons and she's relieved he never says anything, he just keeps working. Within a half hour the job is done and he's locking the camper shell.

"You get in the pickup, here," he opens the door and she climbs in, "I'm just gonna take one last look around."

She asks, "Can we take the quilt from my bed Daryl? My Mama made it."

Can't have enough blankets on the mountain, and truth is, he wouldn't deny her this, "Yeah, yeah, I'll get it," then he asks, "You play that guitar at all?"

"Yes, I play."

It's no more than two minutes later, and it all happens so fast. Daryl's just coming out the door with the quilt across one arm and the guitar in his other hand, and suddenly Jack starts to growl and Beth turns, oh my gawd! It's a dead person and it's headed right for Daryl! She doesn't take any time to think, she grabs the knife, practically leaps from the pickup and hurries over to him, stabbing the dead thing in the back of the head just as it's about to bite Daryl's neck. It drops to the ground and Daryl looks at her like he can't believe what just happened, "Fuck, thanks Beth."

"It was my turn to take care of you."

He takes a couple of deep breaths, after what just happened he's more determined than ever, he's got to be ready, he's got to get everything he can, "You're tougher than ya look. Are ya game ta do some serious scavenging now?"

"Yes, of course, whatever you think is best," and she realizes, this is the perfect time to ask. It kind of seems obvious and all, but she wants to hear it from him, "Does this mean you're taking me home, back up the mountain with you and Jack?"

He's nervously biting his lower lip when he looks at her and shrugs, "I told ya I wouldn't just drop ya off at your place and leave ya Beth. I was thinkin' I could let ya go off ta one a them camps, but now I met that creepy friend a yours, no fuckin' way. So, yeah, I don't think we got a choice, unless you want me ta leave ya."

It may be the least romantic way he could have said that, and yet her arms go around him like they did in the root cellar. As she holds him close she says, "Oh thank God. Yes, I want to go back and I promise I won't be a burden."

He's nervous and conflicted and trying to just move on, but he has to tell her, "Ya ain't ever been a burden, now c'mon, let's go get ourselves a buncha shit and get the hell outta here. I'm ready ta get the fuck back up the mountain and home."

00

A/N Not only is everything Beth told him true, but it's gotten even worse than it was when she left for her hike. Please leave a comment. The chapter photo is on my tumblr blogs gneebee an bethylmethbrick, please have a look. I'll be back next week with more of The Man on The Mountain, I hope you'll be here too. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee