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Beth gripped Carol's wheelchair impossibly tighter as the doors at the other end of the hall swung open. In walked her family. Beth and Carol were brought to the front, and Beth desperately tried to find faces among the shadows, but they were too far away.
"They haven't been harmed," said Rick, and Beth's breath caught at the sound of his voice. Her heart was beating rapidly to the point where she felt ill. She was horribly anxious, yes, but excited, too. Hopeful. So hopeful that it hurt.
Dawn stood beside her. "Where's Lamson?"
Beth barely registered the words, focused entirely on trying to make out the familiar faces. She could tell some of them by the way they stood, and she could mostly see what was illuminated by the pale light outside, but it wasn't enough. She wanted to see their faces up close, touch them.
Touch him.
She couldn't see Daryl, but she knew he was there, and her fingers twitched with the desire to prove that he was truly there. To feel the leather underneath as she wrapped her arms around him, listening to the thudding of his heart.
Rick's hostages spoke. "Rotters got him."
"We saw it go down."
Dawn's voice was soft. "Oh."
Beth almost snuck a glance at Dawn's face, to see if her expression matched the sincere sorrow in her tone, but she couldn't bring herself to tear her eyes away from her family, as if they would vanish if she looked away.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Dawn continued. "He was one of the good guys."
The silence stretched on, and Beth risked glancing down, trying to see what Dawn was doing out of the corner of her eye.
"One of yours for one of ours," Dawn said, and Beth's eyes snapped up again.
"All right," Rick said, nodding to the side.
Daryl brought the first officer forward, and he did so how he did most things — brashly, with a sense of impatient frustration. He let go of the officer as soon as they reached the middle, holding out his arms in a gesture that screamed, Hurry up.
Carol was taken from Beth's hands, and Beth watched as she was collected. Beth felt like a rubber band stretched as far as it could go. She could almost picture herself in safety again, imagine the hugs and kisses and long-overdue greetings. Her whole being ached for it.
Then Dawn was grabbing her arm, pulling her forward, and Rick was bringing the second officer. Beth stepped to the side, allowing the officer to go past, and Rick locked eyes with her, checking her, nodding, asking, and Beth nodded in return — yes, I'm okay — and then Rick's hand was reaching out, cupping her cheek, pulling her close, and Beth couldn't help but lean into his familiar warmth. His hand went to the back of her neck and then her back, rubbing slightly, resting on her shoulder as he gently nudged her ahead, and Daryl's hand took its place, warm and reassuring on her back.
"Glad we could work things out," Dawn said, but Beth was barely listening, stealing a glance over her shoulder as the group began to make their way out.
She heard Rick's rough, "Yeah."
"Now I just need Noah."
Beth's blood froze in her veins, and everyone stopped, turning to face the woman who had shattered what feeling of safety Beth had just regained.
Dawn's voice lowered, knowing she had command of the room. "And then you can leave."
Rick stalked towards Dawn, and Noah limped a few paces after him. "That wasn't part of the deal," Rick said.
"Noah's my ward," Dawn replied, her face stone. "Beth took is place and now I'm losing her, so I need him back."
One of the hostages spoke up. "Ma'am, please—"
"Shut up," Dawn snapped through clenched teeth. She didn't even look behind her. "My officers put their lives on the line to find him," she continued, calmly controlled. "One of them died."
Beth's jaw ached from being clenched. She wanted nothing more than to run, taking Noah and everyone else with her.
Daryl moved forward. "No," he said, his hand pressing against Noah's chest as he passed. His voice was low and predatory, and Beth had forgotten how dangerous he could sound. "He ain't stayin'."
"He's one of mine; you have no claim on him," Dawn said coolly.
Beth couldn't believe her ears. Noah had escaped on his own terms, and freed himself. He wasn't part of the deal, and never was. Why was Dawn doing this? For a battle of power? To prove she was on top?
"The boy wants to go home," Rick said, "so you have no claim on him."
Daryl was by his side, and Beth knew it would be okay. Rick and Daryl were formidable individually; together, they were virtually unstoppable.
Dawn stared at Rick for a second or two. "Well, then we don't have a deal," she said simply.
"The deal is done," Rick snapped, drastically loud in what had been a strangely quiet ordeal.
Noah hurried towards them, and Beth felt her feet bringing her forward, almost as if to pull Noah back. "It— It's okay," Noah said, but Rick threw out a hand, stopping him in his tracks. "No," he said. "No."
Noah moved past the outstretched hand. "I gotta do it," he said softly, and held out his gun to Rick.
Beth felt panic welling in her throat. "It's not okay," she said. He would be punished severely for escaping, and there wasn't any way he'd be able to do it again. Not with his injured leg.
Rick took the gun, and Beth couldn't believe this was actually happening.
"It's settled," Dawn said.
Noah began walking away.
"Wait," Beth blurted, rushing forward, and threw her arms around Noah, hugging him tightly. Her eyes burned and her chest felt tight.
"It's okay," Noah assured her.
But it wasn't okay. It was not, in any way, okay.
"I knew you'd be back," Dawn murmured.
Beth's eyes snapped up to hers, and a chill ran down her spine. Her resolve settled into concrete.
Eyes swimming with unshed tears, Beth slowly let Noah go, and stepped up to Dawn.
Noah limped over to join the other members of the hospital.
Beth's blood began to boil in her veins. "I get it now," she said to Dawn. She hadn't felt such a deep sense of loathing for anyone in a long time — not since the Governor.
She felt the scissors slide into her shaking hand.
"Beth."
Beth felt her bravery splinter. Daryl was calling her back. Gently, pleadingly.
The element of surprise was gone. Her plan had failed. Daryl had ruined it, and Beth could do nothing but bore her gaze into Dawn's, her body trembling with adrenaline that she now no longer needed. Could no longer use.
She felt a hand curl around her wrist, and Beth allowed herself to be pulled back a step. Dawn watched her. No smug satisfaction, no evil smile. Only stoic silence.
Beth refused to break eye contact, and she hoped that Dawn could see in her eyes the hatred, the strong desire to attack, to hurt, to retaliate against Dawn's wickedness.
Then Dawn looked away, behind Beth, probably to Rick, and Beth knew that she had won that small battle.
She searched out Noah and locked eyes with him as she felt herself being tugged away.
I'm coming back for you, she screamed. I promise.
Daryl didn't let go of her wrist, and not a word was spoken as they made their way outside. The scissors were still curled in her fist, her thumb stroking along the outside of the blades. Her mind raced, playing out the scene again and again, wondering how she could have stopped Noah from going and kept everyone alive.
She was yet to figure out a solution.
She wanted to be angry at Daryl. She wanted to yell at him and hit him, cursing him for ruining her chance to save Noah. But she couldn't muster the energy or the willpower. She felt nothing but relief - and guilt for feeling that relief.
The sunlight outside the hospital was far brighter than it had seemed inside. Beth squinted, bringing a forearm up to shield her eyes, and then she heard a frantic cry of, "Bethy!"
Beth knew instantly who it was. "Mags?"
The scissors slid from her hands and dropped to the ground as Beth darted forward into her sister's arms. They slammed together, and Beth was slightly winded, but it didn't matter. Maggie was squeezing her so tightly, sobbing into her shoulder, stroking her hair. Beth was crying, too. She never wanted to let go.
Maggie pulled back and inspected her face, cupping her cheeks. "What're those cuts?" she asked with a sniff, tilting Beth's head this way and that. "Are they stitches?"
"I'm fine, Mags," Beth said. She couldn't stop her grin. "I was trapped in a hospital with medical supplies, you know."
Maggie hugged her again, planting kisses on her hair. "Don't ever leave me again," she whispered harshly.
"Never," Beth promised.
Maggie finally pulled away properly, and Beth was enveloped in a hug from Glenn. She was aware of the welcomes happening all around her in a swirl of joy — including some people she'd never seen before — but it was quickly put on hold by Rick.
"We need to make ourselves scarce," he said. "We can do all of this later."
"What about Noah?" Beth asked.
Rick made eye contact with her. "We're comin' back for him," he said with such conviction that Beth knew he could never be lying. "We're comin' back."
Beth nodded, and Maggie's hand slipped into hers. "Okay."
They slunk through the city, from building to building and corner to corner, taking short breaks when Carol needed them, until they could make a break for some empty cars. They clambered in — a few cars for all of them — and Beth was sandwiched between Maggie and Carol. Daryl insisted on driving the car that she was in, and they roared out of the city, Beth's hand in Maggie's.
The further away from Grady they were, the more Beth could almost see the tension leaking from tensed shoulders and hands hovering over knives and guns.
Eventually, when they were safely in the woods and Rick's car began puttering weakly, they pulled to a stop and climbed out.
Beth never thought she would be so happy to see those goddamn trees.
She felt a hand spin her around roughly and she was swept into the warmest, tightest hug. She knew who it was, but was surprised by the open display of affection.
Regardless, she gripped him with all she had, breathing in his familiar smell, listening to his heart beat rapidly under his vest like she had wanted to so badly.
Beth realised she was crying, and she pulled away with a sniff. "Sorry," she said with a wet giggle.
Daryl cupped her cheek and wiped away a tear with his thumb, his eyes searching her face with the kind of intensity that they possessed, and Beth couldn't prevent her smile and slight blush. "'S okay," Daryl said gruffly.
His hand lingered on her cheek, and Beth had her hands wrapped in his vest. Daryl looked as if he were about to say something, but Maggie cleared her throat, and Beth and Daryl jumped apart as if they'd been electrocuted.
Beth covered up her embarrassment by wiping at her face with her sleeve. She avoided Maggie's questioning gaze and went to Rick, going on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she murmured into his ear, and his arms tightened around her.
"You're safe now," he said, and Beth felt a rush of warmth. She was in an apocalypse: the dead were trying to eat her and the living were trying to kill her, but she was safe, because she was with her family once again.
Beth let Rick go and was given warm hugs by Tyrese and Sasha, and then Carol. "You're different," Carol noted, squeezing her shoulders gently.
Beth smiled. "I am," she said. "But I think it's for the better."
Carol glanced over Beth's shoulder and her small smile widened slightly, and she said, "Yeah. I think it is."
Beth followed her gaze, and found Daryl watching them as she chewed on his thumb nail, but he quickly glanced away.
Beth ducked her head to hide her smile, and Carol made a small sound of amusement.
Beth was approached by a tall, redheaded man and a much smaller but just a fierce-looking woman. "Abraham Ford," said the man, holding out his hand. "This is my girl, Rosita."
Rosita's scowling face relaxed into a smile - making Beth think that the scowl was just her resting face - and Beth shook her hand as well.
"There's Eugene, in the car," Rosita said, nodding in that direction. "He was unconscious for a while. He doesn't wanna get out of the car. Said it's bad for him after exercise, or something."
Beth blinked. "Oh," she said. "Is he okay?"
"Who gives a shit?" Abraham muttered, and Rosita gave him a hard look.
"He's fine," she said to Beth. "Just a bit knocked around."
"That there's Gabriel," Abraham added, pointing to a man who appeared to be a priest, which took Beth by surprise. "We also don't really give a shit if he's okay or not."
Beth couldn't help but laugh. "A lot's happened since the prison, it looks like," she said.
"We found you guys after we ran into Glenn. God, that was a weird day."
Rosita chuckled. "Poor guy was dead on his feet, practically. Fever, dehydration... We almost left him, but we didn't."
"Only reason Gabriel's here is 'cause we holed up in his church, until he fucked us over," Abraham said.
Rosita back-handed him on the arm. "Abe," she scolded.
Abraham grunted. "It's true."
Beth had a feeling she'd like these two new people.
She made sure to say hello to every single person. She had missed them all dearly, and she wanted them to know that.
Baby Judith was like a pot of gold amongst coal, sitting patiently on the backseat of the car. Beth picked her up, telling her how big she'd grown, bouncing her gently. Her cheeks hurt from grinning so much.
"She missed you," Michonne said.
"I missed her!" Beth replied, pressing a kiss to Judith's soft forehead. "I'm so glad she's okay."
"As if we would let anything happen to her." Michonne stroked Judith's head, a fond smile on her lips. She looked up, and the smile turned slightly into a smirk. "I'll leave you to it," she said, in a way that made Beth think she knew something, and left.
"Hm?" Beth glanced up, confused, and her eyes met with Daryl's. As soon as Michonne was gone, he made his way over to her.
"You got your li'l asskicker back," he said.
"I did," Beth said. She took a breath. "I'm... I'm really glad to see you again," she said quietly. She forced herself to not look away and back down. "Really glad."
Daryl was silent for a few moments, gnawing on his lip. "Yeah," he said. "Me too."
Beth felt a tiny thrill shoot through her, but Judith gurgled, snapping her focus. She began bouncing her again. "How'd you find the others?" she asked.
Daryl shrugged. "Ran into 'em. Was with some other guys for a while. Almost fuckin' died."
Beth gasped. "Daryl, don't swear in front of the baby!"
"What? She can't understand shit."
Beth tutted. "You and your dirty mouth, Mr. Dixon," she reprimanded him.
A smirk tugged on Daryl's lips. Suddenly she regretted her word choice, especially when he smiled like that. But he didn't comment on it. "What, you don't care that I almost died? You just care about me swearin' in front of the baby?"
Beth rolled her eyes, giggling. "I'm sorry to hear you almost died," she said. "Even though everyone almost dies every day."
Daryl raised his eyebrows at her. "If you wasn't holdin' Li'l Asskicker I'd be kickin' your ass right now. I'd be the asskicker."
Beth pulled Judith up against her chest. "Better not put her down, then. I learnt a thing or two at the hospital, y'know. Maybe I'd be the asskicker. The big asskicker."
"You?" Daryl said. "You're as little as she is."
"She can help me," Beth giggled, and Daryl huffed a laugh.
"C'mon, give her," Daryl said, holding out his arms. Beth passed her over carefully. She fit snugly in Daryl's thick arms.
"You're gonna grow up to be the most badass kid," Daryl said to Judith.
Beth grinned. "She's got a whole family of badasses to teach her," she said.
Daryl looked at her, and if it were anyone else, Beth would feel uncomfortable under the prolonged gaze, but she knew that that was how Daryl spoke. She could feel him itching to do something, or say something, but he was holding back.
"What?" she murmured.
Daryl just stared. "Nothin'," he said eventually, looking back down to Judith.
Beth stepped closer to them to coo over Judith, lighting up as she made happy baby sounds. "We're gonna have to get you bigger clothes," Beth said. "Look at you! You're getting so big!"
"'S what babies tend to do," Daryl muttered, and Beth shot a mock-glare at him.
"Thank goodness I have you here to tell me that, otherwise I'd never've known," she said, and he huffed again in amusement.
They were close, Judith being the only physical barrier between them. He looked tired — even more than she remembered. But he was still the same. He was still Daryl. He was a constant, like a rock in the ocean. It was one of the things she loved about him.
Beth didn't know how to put into words her feelings for Daryl. Of course she loved him, just like she loved Rick and Maggie and Glenn and Judith and everyone else. But over their weeks alone together, that love had blossomed. What had started out as two jagged rocks scraping against each other painfully had settled into... something else. They had become like two otters, ducking and diving and moving together seamlessly.
Otters held hands when they slept, so they didn't drift away from each other. Beth remembered that from school, all those years ago, before everything had gone to shit.
Was she in love with him? She hadn't given it much thought. She'd just been content with what they'd had, before she'd been kidnapped. Happy, even. He was so different to what he had seemed to be when they'd first met. She had seen his true side a handful of times before the prison — taking care of everyone, working tirelessly to keep everyone safe, looking after Judith and Carl when Rick couldn't — but at first she had thought it had been a façade to hide his bitterness and gain the trust of everyone else. She hadn't realised then that it was the other way around. His grouchiness, his roughness, was simply a mask, built over years and years of having to be so. But dig deep enough, and his truer, more vulnerable self was revealed. She had, at first, come to respect that mask, then was taken aback by his core. Soon after that, she had come to love both sides — she had come to love every part of him.
She didn't know how she felt about him, exactly. She only knew that he made her feel comfortable and protected. He made her want to be more; to be stronger, faster, someone who didn't just survive, but thrived. And whenever he was around, she felt warm inside. Whenever he looked at her, she wanted to know what he was thinking. Was that love? More than familial or platonic love? Romantic love? She didn't know.
But she didn't care. She was with her family again. She was by his side again. And that was all that mattered for now.
Judith's fingers wrapped around hers, and she rubbed her thumb across the tiny digits. "Thank you," she said softly to Daryl.
"For what?"
Beth shrugged. "Just... Thank you."
Daryl nodded slightly. "Yeah," he said, looking down at Judith again. "You too."
"All right," Rick called to the group to get everyone's attention. "Here's the plan: we set up camp tonight, give Beth and Carol some time to readjust, and tomorrow, we figure out how we're gonna get Noah back. All good?"
"The fuck is Noah?" said Abraham.
Rick nodded in acceptance, a small smile on his face. "And we'll give everyone that just arrived a run-down of the past forty-eight hours."
A chuckle ran through the group. Rick clapped his hands. "But that'll come later. Let's hustle up; find somewhere to camp."
"We driving anymore?" Glenn asked.
Rick shook his head. "Naw. My car's already outta gas — we drove too far from the city for us to be able to get there and back in a day by foot, so we need the cars we have, and I don't wanna risk wasting more gas. And I dunno about everyone else, but if we have to split up again, I want it to be for a little time possible."
He gestured broadly with one hand. "Start searching. Go as far as you want from the road, but not without someone else. Someone stay with Eugene, Carol, and Judith."
"I can help," Carol protested, but Rick shook his head.
"No. You're one of our best fighters — we need you to get better as quickly as possible. You rest up; take care of the baby."
Carol sighed in what looked like irritation, but nodded. "I'll stay," Tyrese said, stepping towards Carol.
Rick nodded and looked to Beth. "You need to take it easy? Don't push yourself if you don't need to."
Beth smiled, shaking her head. "Nah, I'm good."
"You sure? You arm's in a cast."
"Hundred percent. It's well on the mend."
Daryl snorted in amusement.
Beth shot him a mock glare. "What?" she asked in a lowered voice.
"'Hundred percent'?"
"Well, maybe not a hundred. More like ninety-eight. But I reckon that's close enough to a hundred."
Daryl dropped his gaze down to Judith to hide his smile, and Beth couldn't help but smile, too.
She focused back on Rick. "Daryl, Sasha, rustle up some food," he was saying. "I understand if it's gettin' scarce, but just do the best you can."
"Just two of us?" Daryl asked.
Rick swept his gaze across the group. "Well, with Carol out... Unless anyone else is comfortable hunting."
"What 'bout Beth?"
All eyes fell on Beth, and she frowned up at Daryl.
"Daryl, I can't hunt," Beth whispered. "Not like you can."
"She ain't goin'," Maggie said. "I want her by my side."
"She can hunt," Daryl insisted. "I taught her."
"No, I want her here," Maggie said. "Her arm's in a cast." She was eyeballing at Rick. Demanding that he pull rank over Daryl.
Michonne shrugged. "Well, if she can hunt..."
"Three's better than two," Sasha agreed.
Rick looked to Beth. "Your call," he said.
Beth hated having all eyes on her. "Uh..."
"It's just huntin'," Daryl murmured to her. "Not as if we're raidin' a house fulla gun-weildin' maniacs."
Beth chewed her lip, and looked to Maggie, down at Judith. "I'll..."
"It ain't rocket science," Abraham said, clearly annoyed at the waste of time. "We're losin' daylight here."
"I'll go," Beth blurted. "But just for a little bit."
Rick nodded. "All right, then. Someone give her a gun."
Maggie made a sound of disapproval, and Beth felt the back of her neck prickle. The last thing she wanted after reuniting with her sister was to fight, but Maggie was being selfish. Sure, she wanted Beth by her side. But the group was so large now — probably too large, seeing as they had no shelter or reliable source of food like they'd had at the farm. They needed all the help they could get to feed everyone.
Beth felt guilt settle in her stomach as she stepped back, watching Daryl take Judith over to Carol's awaiting arms, the broadness of his shoulders and lazy swing of his hips. Well, maybe her reasons for going were a little selfish, too — not that she would admit that to anyone, let alone herself.
Glenn handed her one of his knives, and his handgun and its holster. "Don't worry about Maggie," he said lowly. "She just wants you around."
Beth smiled in thanks, strapping the items to her belt. "I know," she said. "I want her around just as bad. But I gotta pull my weight, too. And Daryl did actually teach me. I just gotta keep practicing, otherwise what's the point?"
Glenn nodded. "Yeah," he said, and Beth detected a slight off note in his tone, but she ignored it. He rest a hand on her upper arm. "Don't be too long. And stay safe."
"You too."
Glenn gave her a reassuring smile and a quick hug, and headed off into the trees where the group had dispersed.
Maggie had clearly been waiting for Glenn to leave, and approached Beth instantly. "Don't be stupid," she said bluntly.
"Beth, c'mon," Sasha called. "Time's short."
"I'm comin'," Beth replied, and turned back to Maggie. "Mags, I'm not gonna be stupid, all right? Yeah, I don't have a lot of experience with hunting, but I'll have Sasha and Daryl there. And I gotta learn. I gotta do something more than be the resident babysitter. I'll only be gone for a few hours. I'll be fine. Okay?"
Maggie looked as if she wanted to say more, but a glance at the waiting hunting crew changed her mind. "Fine," she said, and hugged Beth, holding her close. "I'll be talkin' to you later about a certain someone, and I think you know who that someone is," she whispered into Beth's ear, and Beth felt the sinking feeling of dread.
"Gotta go!" she said hurriedly, pulling away. "Bye, Mags! Love you!"
"Love you too, Bethy."
Beth joined Sasha and Daryl, near where Carol and Tyrese were. Beth spied a man with a mullet sitting in one of the cars, looking decidedly unimpressed, and she guessed that that was Eugene. Judith grabbed at Carol's cardigan and face with chubby fingers.
"Good luck," Carol said.
Daryl grunted, which Beth knew was his way of thanking her, and then they were off.
They spent a good while trekking through the trees away from the main road, and Beth took careful note of various landmarks so they could find their way back. A large boulder. A fallen tree. A deer carcass. A severely rotted walker with no limbs, propped up uselessly against a tree. It had been weeks since Beth had seen a walker out in the open like this, and it made her stomach turn slightly.
She was in the centre — Sasha at the front and Daryl bringing up the rear. Not in a straight line, but in a rough diagonal. Beth had forgotten how silently Daryl could move. The only thing that reminded her he was even there, a few metres behind to her left, was when he stopped, or when he fiddled with his crossbow. Every so often they would draw to a halt, and Sasha would straighten up, ears strained, or Daryl would crouch down to inspect the ground or some foliage, but they would always move on.
Beth's legs were trembling with effort by the time she heard Daryl freeze yet again, but this time he looked up sharply from what he was looking at, and Beth hissed Sasha's name to get her to fall back. Daryl waved them both over, and gestured for Beth to crouch down beside him.
"What was here?" he asked, sweeping a finger over the general area under their noses.
"Uh..." Beth squinted at the dirt and leaves. She couldn't see any footprints of droppings. It had been too long since she'd been outside. She shrugged helplessly.
Sasha sighed irritably. "I thought you said she could hunt," she whispered harshly to Daryl.
Daryl ignored her. "C'mon, Greene," he insisted.
Beth looked. She really did. "I dunno... that little plant there looks snapped?"
"'S that a guess?"
"Yeah?"
"You're right," Daryl said, standing up. "Doesn't count, though, 'cause you guessed."
Beth went to argue, but decided that time was too precious to waste. "Well, what is it?" she asked, rising.
Daryl swept his keen eyes over their surroundings. "Deer."
Sasha bobbed down, her hand drifting over the ground as she studied it. "Could have been days ago," she said.
Daryl adjusted his grip on the crossbow. "You got any other ideas?"
Sasha sighed, straightening up and putting her hands on her hips. "It's all we got," she said with a hopeless shrug.
"What if we can't find anything?" Beth asked anxiously as they set off again, this time with Daryl in the lead.
"We'll find something," Sasha said.
~*~*~
Maggie squinted up at the sky, her arms wrapped around her knees. Sunset wasn't that far away, and she knew how quickly darkness fell. One minute, perfect visibility. The next, you couldn't see a foot in front of you.
Glenn's hand on her shoulder snapped her from her thoughts. "Hey," he said, sitting down beside her. "You all right?"
Maggie made a small sound of assent, dropping her gaze to the floor in front of her.
Glenn leant closer, studied her face. "Maggie, they're fine," he said gently. "You need to give Beth a little more credit. She can defend herself. She survived for weeks with just her and Daryl."
Maggie felt her back and shoulder muscles clench. Beth and Daryl. That's all she'd heard since Beth had gotten back. 'Her and Daryl'. 'Him and Beth'. 'Them'. Sure, you'd grow close with anyone you were with for weeks. And it wasn't as if Maggie didn't trust Daryl. She trusted him almost as much as she trusted Rick, when it came to keeping everyone safe. Daryl wasn't quite as charismatic as Rick, nor did he give off the vibe that he was born to lead like Rick did, but his extremely hard work and dedication to Rick and the group didn't go unnoticed by her. And she would be forever grateful that he stayed by Beth's side for all that time, and that he ultimately helped to bring her home safely.
But still...
Maggie knew Beth. She knew that she didn't have someone. Maggie had Glenn, but Beth had no one like that. And as much as Maggie liked to believe that friends and family was enough, she could understand if Beth craved something more. Not even something sexual, necessarily — Maggie's stomach turned at the thought of Beth doing anything sexual with anyone — but just someone for her to call hers. The closest person in the group to her age was Carl, and, well, Maggie didn't blame Beth for not tripping head-over-heels for him. He was only fifteen.
But Beth was only eighteen. And, true, Maggie had no idea how old Daryl was, but he had to be at least in his mid-thirties. At least. Maggie knew just as well as anyone the draw of older men. Back when she had been a teenager, of course she'd pined over male actors who were twice her age, and singers who were way too old for her and married with children, and she'd even had a small infatuation with her friend's much older brother for a while. But they were silly teenage crushes. The feelings were never returned. They were never meant to be returned.
But the way that she'd seen Beth looking at Daryl... The way he'd brushed her tears from her cheek...
"All right," Rick said, bringing her back once again. "Maggie, Glenn, do you wanna go get the others from the cars, bring 'em back here?"
"On it," Glenn said, and Maggie climbed to her feet beside him.
As they neared the road, Maggie could pick out their voices, lilting and bright. Maggie and Glenn glanced at each other in confusion. Why did they sound so happy?
Then she heard Beth's voice, and Maggie guessed that they were back from the hunt.
Smiling despite herself, Maggie and Glenn hurried to the road. When they finally broke through the trees, they were greeted with the sight of a deer carcass and its cheery slaughterers. Maggie's eyes bulged. "Whoa," she said, gazing at the animal.
"Maggie!" Beth said chirpily, bouncing over to stand by Maggie's side. "See? Told you I'd be fine."
"She shot it, too," Daryl said, and Beth shook her head.
"No I didn't."
"Yeah you did."
"Daryl helped Beth shoot it," Sasha said, and by the look on her face, Maggie guessed that this back-and-forth argument had happened already.
"That'll feed us for a few days," Glenn said incredulously. "Where'd you find it?"
"It was behind a barbed wire fence," Beth said.
"It'd gotten trapped there probably a few days ago," Sasha expanded. "Walkers were all around it, but they couldn't get in."
"Walkers?" Maggie repeated. The thought of Beth having to attack a horde of walkers, without having to kill any for as long as she had, frightened her.
"Yes, Mags," Beth said with a good-natured roll of her eyes. "Walkers. Y'know, undead people? They've kinda been around for a little while."
Daryl snorted, making Beth grin, and Maggie tsked. "Well, you gonna just stand there and attract every livin' and not-livin' carnivore within a ten mile radius, or are you gonna feed your family? C'mon." Glenn pitching in, she helped Sasha and Daryl haul the deer to camp. Eugene felt well enough to walk himself — but didn't look happy about it — and Tyrese wrapped a firm arm around Carol, while Beth volunteered to carry Judith.
~*~*~
Beth no longer had a bed. No change of clothes. No fresh water, or medication and bandages, if she needed them. No shower. She was out in the open, out in the cold at night and the heat in the day. She had no idea when she would next have a proper meal; and when she did, it would probably simply be meat. No fruit, or vegetables.
No, she had nothing in comparison to what she'd had at the hospital. But she wouldn't change that for the world.
She couldn't help but smile as she regarded her family around her. Bedtime was soon — mealtime was just finishing up. Carol had already curled up and fallen asleep, as had Eugene. Rick had spent a good ten minutes coaxing his daughter to eat some of the cooked deer, and she was doing so, albeit reluctantly.
Weapons were being cleaned and blankets rolled out. Conversation was still flowing, although more brokenly, interrupted by yawns and lost trains of thought. Beth herself was exhausted, but she wanted to enjoy the warmth of the fire and the sounds of familiar voices for just a few minutes longer.
Well, that, and Daryl was sitting beside her. The butterflies in her stomach, she realised, were more pronounced, after not having seen him for so long. She felt a bit ridiculous, and she knew that she was probably acting like an idiot, but at the same time, the feeling he gave her was intoxicating.
She would have stayed up all night, if it weren't for Maggie, on her other side, drawing her away every so often. When she wasn't wrapped up in conversation with Daryl, Beth realised how tired she was.
"You did good today," Daryl said as he fiddled with his crossbow, the firelight illuminating his calloused fingers, which moved expertly along the weapon.
"Thanks," Beth said. She was leaning on her right hand, and she was very conscious of the fact that her cardigan-covered arm and shoulder were inches from Daryl's bare ones. "But you helped."
"Maybe a little bit." Daryl ran a filthy cloth along the stock. "Still." He spared a glance in Beth's direction. "You didn't forget what I taught you."
"Course not." Beth used the opportunity to dance her gaze over his body, as best she could in the weak light. She had always been fascinated by his arms — he was incredibly strong, but he was thinner and more wiry in comparison to someone like Abraham, who was built like a tank. She would never forget the hunt this afternoon. He had spotted the deer and they had made quick work of the twenty or so walkers that had been attempting to climb the barbed wire. The deer was, of course, extremely spooked, but had tangled itself in the wire in its attempt to escape. Apart from its thrashing around, there may as well have been a target painted on its forehead. Sasha had raised her gun, but Daryl had stopped her, and handed the crossbow to Beth. Beth had protested at first, but Daryl had been immobile in his decision, and so Beth had lined the deer up in the crossbow's sights. Daryl had adjusted her stance, turning her hips with steady hands and moving her elbows and shoulders.
The arrow had pierced the deer's eye. Beth thought of it as a miracle — Daryl's hands had been awfully distracting.
She liked to watch the way his muscles moved when he lifted and aimed his crossbow, or when he drove a knife into a walker's head. His shoulders were broad, only emphasised by his lack of sleeves. No one could say that he was classically good-looking, but he had the kind of face that became more attractive the more you looked at it. That, paired with his rugged, stoic appearance, made Beth wonder if he could have made it as some kind of model, before.
She tried to imagine him in a make-up chair, clean, getting his hair done, having his outfit picked out for him. Posing for photographs, sipping on cocktails in between shots as a beauty crew fluttered around him, making him perfect.
She quickly decided that the model life would have been the wrong choice for him. Very wrong.
"I was worried about you," she admitted, picking at her jeans. "When you told me to run — I felt awful. I thought I'd left you to die. But if I had stayed, there would have been nothing that I could have done to help. And then those cops from Grady jumped me... I tried so hard to get away..." She shook her head. She had been petrified, screaming for Daryl but knowing he wouldn't be able to come. She'd been put in a headlock quick smart, stopping her breathing and making her pass out.
She'd felt hopeless. A damsel in distress.
She realised that Daryl had stopped cleaning his crossbow, and was watching her. Her heart surged at the thought of his eyes on her, and she was caught between keeping eye contact and looking away. Everything seemed much more intimate at night.
"I ran," Daryl said in a low voice. "I saw the car drive off, and I just ran. It was daylight by the time I stopped. I had to. There was a fuckin' fork in the road. I just collapsed. I tried, Beth."
Beth loved it when he said her name. "It wasn't your fault, Daryl."
"I shoulda known it was a trap."
"Daryl." In a spur-of-the-moment decision, Beth reached over and lay a hand over his. He looked at their hands and back at her face, but made no move to take his hand back. Beth gave him a hard look, ignoring that it was getting a little difficult to breathe, due to the fact that his face was inches from hers. "It wasn't your fault," she said fervently.
Daryl said nothing, and Beth let him, but, unable to handle the heavy silence, continued speaking. "I was hurt, and we needed food and somewhere to rest up real bad. Yeah, maybe we shoulda seen that it was a trap, but we didn't. But it's okay. I'm okay, you're okay. No use frettin' over what's passed."
Still Daryl remained silent for a few beats more. "You gonna sleep?" he asked, and the dramatic change of subject dissipated the tension.
Beth suddenly felt very silly. She was basically draping herself over him, when he had just been trying to clean his crossbow. She retracted quickly, thankful that the darkness concealed how red she knew her cheeks were. "I guess," she said, not meeting his gaze.
"Your sis's asleep."
Beth glanced over her shoulder. Glenn and Maggie were wrapped in each other's arms, Maggie's head resting on Glenn's chest as they slept. She looked around and realised that everyone had passed out. She noticed Rosita, almost entirely hidden behind Abraham's arm, which was draped over her stomach.
Beth felt a pang of jealousy. "Oh," she said lamely.
"I'm on night watch," Daryl said.
Beth had no idea where he was going with any of this. "All right," she said.
Daryl shrugged. "You can stay up, if you want."
Oh. The butterflies returned. "Yeah?"
"Should probably sleep, though."
"Yeah, I probably should." Beth couldn't help her smile. "But I suppose staying up a little longer wouldn't hurt anyone."
Time passed. The fire slowly died, inviting in the cold that it had been beating back. At the first sign of a shiver, Daryl had offered his blanket to Beth. Beth had insisted that he needed it just as much as she did. They wound up sharing, shoulders, arms and thighs pressed together to keep warm.
As she often did, Beth found herself singing. Just softly, and to herself, but still a tune wound its way from her lips. She’d missed singing. She’d never sung at Grady.
Soon, though, her voice drifted off as she lost herself in her thoughts. Daryl looked to her. “Why’d you stop?” he asked.
Beth felt a slight thrill. He liked her singing. She shrugged. “Song ended.”
“That the only song you know?”
Beth couldn’t help her smile. “Are you askin’ me to keep singing?”
Daryl looked back to the glowing coals in the centre of the circle, shrugging a shoulder as Beth had done only moments ago. “No.”
He was embarrassed. Beth’s eyes fell on his hands. He had finished with his crossbow long ago, and now he was absentmindedly picking at his nails. Her hands ached with the almost overwhelming desire to thread her fingers through his. She folded her hands together in her lap to stop herself from doing so.
“What ‘bout that song you sang?” Daryl asked. “With the piano.”
Beth glanced up at him. “You want me to sing that?” she asked.
Daryl shrugged again. “It was a good song.”
Beth smiled. “I don’t have a piano.”
“Don’t matter.”
Beth’s gaze fell to her hands, feeling a little self-conscious, and, softly, began to sing. She could feel Daryl’s eyes on her face, and her cheeks burned, but still she sang.
After a while, Beth had found herself drifting, her head dropping onto Daryl's shoulder, when a sound jerked her awake. Daryl had risen, creeping as silently as a cat, to inspect. Beth heard the sound of his crossbow being fired and a faint thud. A few minutes later, Daryl returned to the fire, tucking himself into the blanket once again, and went about cleaning the used arrow.
By the time Daryl's shift ended and Michonne's began — the temperature had dropped even lower, a sign that dawn was maybe half an hour from breaking — Beth had curled up in Daryl's lap, fast asleep. Daryl went to stand up, to shake Michonne awake, but Michonne stirred of her own accord.
"Any trouble?" she asked as she sat up and stretched, a wide yawn scrunching her nose.
"Nothin' major," Daryl replied. Michonne nodded and reached for her katanas, placing them beside her. She rubbed the bleariness from her eyes.
It was then that Michonne noticed Beth, and she smiled.
Daryl scowled. "Shut up." He would have been lying to himself if he had denied that he hadn't been able to resist tucking Beth's hair behind her ear while she slept. And when he had cautiously laid his arm over her, she had taken hold of it, hugging it. He had wanted nothing more in that moment to lay down beside her, pulling her body against his, shielding her from the world, feeling her spine press against him.
But Michonne didn't need to know any of that.
"I didn't say anything," she said, her knowing smile still in place.
"Shut up," Daryl said, for lack of something else to say.
"Just get some sleep, Daryl. You can worry about your girl troubles later."
Daryl knew that correcting her would be futile, so he gently lifted Beth off his leg, lowering her to the ground. Beth no longer had the blanket — she hadn't needed it with Daryl's body warmth, but that now left her bare, and already she was curling in on herself.
Daryl immediately went to unwrap the blanket from his shoulders, wincing at the cold.
Michonne spoke. "Hey."
Daryl looked at her, brow crumpled in suspicion.
Michonne wasn't smiling smugly now. Her face was open, honest. "If you wanna lie down next to her, keep her warm, I won't tell anyone it was a conscious decision."
"Huh?"
Michonne shrugged. "If anyone asks, I'll just say she found you in her sleep, because she was cold, and you were the nearest person. And everyone'll assume that's what you did anyway when we were all separated."
Daryl looked down at Beth, who was beginning to shiver. He glanced back up at Michonne. He nodded in thanks. He lay down beside Beth and, warily, wrapped an arm around her middle. She shifted, half-opening her eyes.
"Daryl?" she mumbled.
"Yeah," Daryl said, suddenly very nervous that Beth would recoil. What was he doing?
Beth wriggled closer, turning over and resting her head on Daryl's arm. And like that, she was asleep again.
Knowing that Michonne was watching, probably just as smugly as she had been before, Daryl refused to smile widely, as much as he wanted to. He refused to show any evidence that his stomach was flipping and that his heart was pounding. Instead, he drew the blanket over himself and Beth and settled in, hugging her to his front and tucking her head under his chin, and Beth sighed happily.
Neither of them had slept so well in weeks.