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Daryl is cooking the rabbit he caught earlier. He looks out of the window; it’s snowing again. He is glad he stocked up on firewood yesterday; it looks like it will be a few cold days. He sits down and eats. He wonders how the others are doing. He hopes they are okay wherever they are.
Beth's death broke something in him. When he put her body in the trunk of the car, he felt like a piece of him died with her. When Rick announced they were going to DC, he told them and the group that he was going to stay here. Rick tried to convince him to come with them, but he was just done. He took his stuff and left, that was about a year ago.
After he left them, he made his way into the mountains, where he found this cabin. He has made a run into surrounding towns, but he has been able to live off the land so far. More often than not, he thinks about Beth. She was right, he misses her something fierce. It took her dying to realise that he is in love with her. But he never got to tell her. He cleans his dishes and puts more food into the fireplace. He sits down and makes some more arrows.
He is drinking some stale coffee when he hears a knock on his door. He takes his bow and slowly makes his way towards the door. He looks out of the window. A person, a woman from the looks of it, stands there. He hears another knock, “What do you want?” His breath leaves him when he hears the person speak, “Daryl?”
He opens the door, and there she is, “Beth?” Beth is crying and launches herself at him, “I found you. I finally found you.” He is frozen for a moment before his arms wrap around her. After a few minutes, he lets go of her and closes the door. He looks at her, “How?” She walks over to the couch and sits down. He sits down next to her. She takes a deep breath, “I woke up in the trunk. I was disoriented, and someone found me and took me back to the hospital. Dr Edwards said that I got lucky. I know you thought I was dead, and that is why you left me. But he thinks my heartbeat was so slow you wouldn’t have known the difference. I stayed at Grady until I got better, which took me a few months. As soon as I was good to go, I went looking for you. I knew you would be in the mountains somewhere. Oh, I should mention someone saw you, and the others split up. That’s how I knew where to look for you. I have been looking for you for five months. It’s been nine months since I got shot.”
Daryl can’t believe his ears. She was alive, and he left her. But she came looking for him. He looks at her, “Is this real?” She nods, “I am real Daryl.” He touches her cheek, and she feels real. He stares into her eyes. He has so many questions and so much he wants to tell her, but that can wait. He leans closer and kisses her. Beth wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him back. He breaks the kiss; he needs to tell her. He needs her to know, “I love you, Beth.” She smiles, and she has never been more beautiful. “I love you too, Daryl.” They kiss again and again.
They are eating when she laughs, “You know what today is?” He shakes his head, “Nah. Don’t keep track of them.” She laughs again, “Today is Valentine’s Day.” Daryl chuckles, “Will you be my Valentine?” She gets up and sits down in his lap, “Only if you will be mine.” Daryl kisses her; he knows this is too soon, but he thought she was dead, and now she is here with him. He doesn’t want to waste anymore time. “What if I want you to be my wife and your husband?” Beth’s eyes go wide, “You mean that?” He nods, “I lost ya once without tellin’ ya. Want to be yours and want you to be mine.” She kisses him long and deep, “Yes.” He stands up and moves to the bedroom. He puts her down on the bed, “Wanna make love to you.” She pulls him down for another kiss.
They make love for the rest of the night. A year later, they are welcoming their son. Three years after the birth of their son, their daughter was born. A decade later, they are celebrating another Valentine’s Day together. They never went looking for their family, opting to stay in their little haven they made. Almost three decades after their reunion, they run into what is left of the former group. The reunion is not a happy one, and Beth and Daryl simply turn their backs on them and go back to their sanctuary, where they live until death takes them.