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"Absolutely not!"
Daryl Dixon didn't flinch, he was expecting it. Of course he was. The moment Rick Grimes told him he wanted Daryl to go to Sanctuary to lead the left over Saviors. He knew what was coming.
So now, he's facing it. Standing in the middle of their bedroom, in one of his flannels with sleeves, hair down but she left her braid in. He's usually the one that undoes it when they settle in bed. Was Beth Greene looking straight at him, the fire alive in her cornflower blue eyes.
And he was facing her wrath.
"After everything, everything you have been through. He wants to you to go live at Sanctuary and play nice with the people who tortured you?!" She says in a harsh whisper, like she's trying to believe the words that have come out of Daryls mouth.
"Ain't like we got much of a choice" he finally says with a low voice, thick like gravel. God, he could use a cigarette right now.
Beth runs her fingers through her too long hair, still in disbelief. "You always have a choice, Daryl. Rick wasn't the one who saw you after" Beth points at her chest "I was!"
Daryl put his head down. The memories rushing back uninvited. The dark cell, the stink of it, dogfood sandwiches. Easy Street playing over and over and over...
Daryl slightly shakes his head, fighting his way back out of that rabbit hole. This wasn't about him, this was for the best of what they had right now.
"He's tryin' to keep the peace" he said quietly. Walking towards her slowly. "He can't trust anyone else to lead, to make sure they're changing. To see if they're tryin. If that means no one else has to die, maybe it's worth it"
"You're worth it, Daryl" she steps forward. "When you got out, I saw what happen to you, I saw the pain and agony that was in your eyes when I first arrived to the Kingdom".
She was right, of course she was. When they got out together after the prison, after spending time with each other, learning to depend on one another. Beth Greene could read him like a fucking book within a few days.
All because they drank a little moonshine, burnt a shack down, and let go of their past.
So when Jesus got a message out to Alexandria that Daryl escaped Sanctuary. Beth, hair wild, her own bow over her shoulder. Looked like she faced a herd of Walkers on the way there, walked in like she owned the place, and the moment Daryl saw her, people seeing him be damned. He collapsed to his knees.
"The nightmares, the flinches, the jumps when someone slammed a door too hard. The disappearing into your head. I saw it all Daryl" she reached for his hand, rubbing her thumb over the worn scars. "And I'm scared. I'm scared that if you go back into that place, all the hard work you have done to get yourself better, will fall apart" she looks up at him with tears in her eyes. She doesn't cry anymore and she's trying her damn hardest not to do it this time.
He moved forward, leaned his forehead against hers. Holding her close, breathing her in. He's found the only thing that can help him keep a calm head is her. "It's not gonna be forever Beth. Just until things calm down."
She lifts her head up, an looks straight at him. He knows she believes him, it's just she doesn't trust Rick.
Most of their family don't right now.
"Fine. But I won't let them break you again" she crosses her arms and gave him that look. That this decision is final look. "An I will not let you walk into that place alone".
Daryl furrowed his brows together "What're you sayin?"
Beth stood proudly "I'm saying I'm coming with you, to Sanctuary".
That stopped Daryls heart for a second. Yeah, the War is over and Negan is locked up. And there are Saviors that want to turn a new leaf. But there are still ones there that would want the old way back. The way Negan ran things.
And there is no fuckin way he's gonna let his girl get caught by the bad ones.
"Nah, nah no way!" Daryl starts walking back and forth. "That ain't gonna happen Beth, it's..."
"Daryl Dixon I swear on my Daddies grave, if the next words that come out of your mouth is Not Safe. You will be sleeping on the couch for the rest of your life!" Arms crossed looking straight at him, that spark he loves so much making him back down. "You know that I can take care of myself!"
He does know, God does he know. She's the strongest person Daryl knows. She survived a bullet to the head for starters. Survived the Wolves and the walkers when they got into Alexandria, entirely covered in blood and walker guts, holding a machete and one of his knives. When Daryl saw her that night, he thought she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Like he was under a trance, he didn't realize what he was doing until he pulled her against him and kissed her like he was gonna die right there an then if he didn't.
He also knew because of the way she screamed his name when he was taken into that van, not backing down even when Negan was standing over her.
He needed to be honest with her, she would see through the lie anyway. "You are Beth, you are not weak and you never will be. It's just if somethin happens to you, I don't know what I would do" he puts he's head down like he's ashamed just to show how weak he is. Especially when it comes to her.
But Beth's having none of it, she walks forward and makes him look straight at her in the eyes. Her fire burning in them. "Then let's make sure nothing does happen Daryl. I'm gonna be by your side as much I can, like it always been since Grady." She holds his face in both her hands, his hair hanging over his eyes. "I'm not gonna let you do this alone. You know me better then that, it was never gonna happen".
Yeah, he does know her. He knows that wherever one will go, the other will follow. Because if she wanted to go halfway across the world, he would follow her in a heartbeat.
Daryl wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close. "Yeah, I know babygirl. You Greene's man. Everytime, I think one sister has bested the other in stubbornness. The other comes in with a whole new wave of it".
That got one of his most favorite smiles out of her, reached up on her toes and kissed him. Saying "You love it" in between kisses.
Daryl let out a little laugh and a smirk too. "Yeah, I do" and went right back to kissing his girl.