Daryl
I wake up with a heavy feelin' on my chest, but I don't feel like openin' my eyes yet. I move a lil' and feel the heaviness lift then somethin' tickles my arm. I realize it's Beth. I open my eyes and look down to see the top of her head. Her damn hair is everywhere. I gotta piss somethin' fierce. I hate to move and disturb her but she's a heavy sleeper. I probably can slip out from under her without wakin' her up.
I get outta bed just fine. I do my business and come back into our room. I can see her face now. She looks like a angel layin' there. Her hands are drawed up under her chin. The scars on her cheek and forehead are white and look fully healed. I saw her lookin' at 'em in the mirror last night. I know they bother her. But with or without 'em, she's still the prettiest woman I've ever seen.
I crawl in bed next to her under the covers this time. I debate whether or not to scoot closer to her. This is good enough right? Now that I'm in bed and not touchin' her, she feels so far away. It's weird. I didn't think I'd enjoy sharin' a bed but after fallin' asleep snuggled up with her in my arms... I miss the contact. Problem is, I don't know how to "snuggle". She's the one who nestled herself into my side last night like a damn cat. I glance at her sleepin' form next t' me. Her back is facing me. How the hell am I supposed t' snuggle her?
She's always tellin' me t' do what feels natural. Well none of this damn shit is natural for me. It ain't natural but it feels right. I guess that's what she means. I could kinda scoot closer to her and put my arm over her. I could nudge her to lean her back against my chest. People do that right? Yeah, I've seen Maggie and Glenn lay like that. Shit, ain't that spoonin'? I shake my head. It don't matter.
I gather all my courage and scoot my body closer to her. There is a little space between us. I don't want to crowd her. Slowly I put my left arm around her and let my hand relax near her stomach. I nudge her softly towards me. She makes a sweet noise and backs her body up t' mine. Now her back is flesh with my chest and her ass is sitting perfectly in my lap. Thankfully my mornin' wood has calmed down but if she moves at all, it'll come right back. I try to focus on somethin' else.
This feels good. It's nice. Waking up next t' someone. Her breath changes slightly. She's wakin' up. She hums a sweet sound and presses her back up against my chest. In response, I tighten my hold on her. She must like it because she hums again. I kiss the back of her head.
"Who knew Daryl Dixon was such a snuggle butt." She jokes, sleepily.
I huff at her. "Don't tell no one, woman, you'll ruin my reputation."
She giggles and then turns her body to face me. She smiles at me with a light and brightness that would put the sunrise to shame. "Good morning."
I don't let myself overthink it when I pull her hips t' mine and kiss her on her forehead. "Mornin' Evergreene."
She gives me a mischievous grin as she leans in to kiss me. I ain't never been a fan of kissin'. But I could kiss Beth all damn day. She tastes so sweet. Her tongue is soft and moves perfectly with mine. It's a lazy kiss but it still is givin' me a semi. She finally goes to pull away but I don't let her. The hand wrapped around the small of her back pushes her t' me even more. She giggles but I swallow up the noise. She shifts under me slightly and I help lie her on her back. My lips attach to her shapely neck and I position myself on top of her. Her hands rub my back slowly up and down, once... twice. On her third trip, her fingers curl over the hem of my shirt. She nudges my shirt upward. I oblige the silent request and take it off quickly. Her hands then move t' my chest as I capture her lips again. I'm assuming it's for my benefit by touchin' my chest instead of my back but the way her fingers ghost my chest and abdomen over and over, I get the feelin' she ain't doing it just for me anymore.
She's seen my back before. She knows. She saw it at the farm when her daddy stitched me up. She saw it again when it was just us. After a while, I didn't see a point in hidin' it anymore. It felt like we were the only two people in the world so I just didn't give a shit anymore. The night we burned down the shack, I felt free from all of it. I still don't like going around without a shirt on but if havin' it off means having Beth's hands all over me, I'll gladly keep the damn thing off.
She rolls her hips to rub against my hard on through my jeans and I moan. I should stop this. But it feels so damn good. Like she said last night we're engaged, we can have a lil' fun. The next time she rolls her hips into me, mine meet hers, making her moan. I can't help but think if this feels this good with our clothes on, how much better will it feel with our clothes off? I thrust into her again and again. Her moans are getting louder so I kiss her again to keep her quiet. My body feels like it's on fire. I know I won't last much longer. Beth seems to be close too with how hard she is panting and her hips enthusiastically meeting mine thrust for thrust.
I let my hands wander. One hand keeps me propped up and the other gazes her tit over her shirt. She gasps in surprise. Feelin' bold, I cup it and begin to knead the delicate flesh. Beth's movements become more frantic especially after I play with her nipple. She goes rigid and the sight she makes when she orgasms is the final push I need to cum in my pants like a damn teenager.
She grins and kisses me once more. "Well that was fun."
"Yeah." I agree with her. Now that the high is wearin' off, I wonder if it was right. It felt right. Was it right for her? What did she think? I decide to ask. "Not too fast?"
"No. Not at all." She assures me. "I know you want us to go slow and that's fine. But it took us forever to get together. I like that the physical is going a little faster."
Well that's a relief. "Yeah?"
"Yes. I want you, everyday, in every way I can have you." She says as her big doe blue eyes bear into mine.
"Me too. I jus' wan' t' do it right. All of it."
Her hand cups my cheek. "You will. You are."
I don't know what else t' say so I give her a nod. We stay in silence the rest of the mornin' as we clean up, get dressed and eat breakfast. We head to the armory to tell Glenn, Noah, and the others good luck on the run. I can tell Glenn is nervous. It's the first official run with our crew and theirs. But he's got it. He always does. All we can do is wish 'em luck and hope shit doesn't hit the fan. But shit always hits the fan eventually.
Beth
I can't believe Noah is gone. Just this morning, I gave him a hug and told him to be safe. It all was an accident. Aiden died too. Deanna is devastated, rightfully so. She lost a son and I lost a friend. I was the one closest to Noah out of the group. Sasha and Tara were the next closest people he had here. Everyone is sad, but I'm taking it really hard. Noah and I escaped Grady together. The escape plan was his idea. He had been planning it for months. I just showed up and he decided we were going to escape together. He made that hellish place tolerable. He had been a prisoner for a year, yet he was still kind and hopeful. Even after, he didn't let this world or that place change him. After I got the details of the accident and his death, which were horrific, I went to go see Tara in the infirmary. She's still unconscious. Deanna made Glenn, Nicholas and Eugene give their accounts of the run immediately once they returned. All the drama of the day was too much so I went home.
I'm sitting on the couch in the basement in the dark, bawling my eyes out when Daryl finds me. He doesn't try to turn on a light, or say anything. He goes to our room, puts down his crossbow and simply sits next to me. I don't know how long we sit in silence for. He's close enough where I can rest my head on his shoulder but he makes no attempts to touch me. After I am all cried out, I eventually lay my head on his shoulder.
After a minute more, he finally speaks, "I didn't know him well. But I still hate losin' people."
He's said those words to me before when he told me about Zach. I didn't cry then. "I wish I could go back to that."
"To what?" Daryl asks, confused.
"Where I never cried." Looking back, I have no idea how I did it back then. I guess I had grown used to it? But that's not true. I was always sad when we lost someone. I don't know.
"Nah that ain't you. You're like me, you need to let yourself feel it. When you push it all down, it comes out sooner or later. 'Member after the prison? It all came out then." He puts his arm around me to hold me closer. I truly appreciate the contact and his words of wisdom.I close my eyes and rest against him. He's right. I need to feel it. It's better this way but it sucks. Before, at the prison, I figured out a way to detach myself from it all. I was determined to be strong. Then when Daddy died and the prison, it all came out. I cried for three days straight. That isn't a good way to live or cope.
"Did you know he wanted to be an architect?" Daryl shakes his head no. "He told me this morning he approached Reg to become his apprentice."
"I can see that." Daryl adds after a moment.
"I wish pictures were still a thing. It would be nice to not just remember the people we lost but to see them too. Memories fade, a picture lasts forever."
Daryl moves his head to look at me a little. "They're still a thing. Aaron's got a camera."
I look up at him and smile. "That's right he does." Daryl kisses my forehead and whispers we should go to bed. I follow him into the bedroom and fall asleep quickly and pray this nightmare will be over in the morning.
It wasn't.
The days after Noah's death, things just got worse and worse around Alexandria. Nicholas was trying to pin the accident on Glenn. Then we found out Dr. Pete was abusing his family: Jessie, Ron and Sam. Rick and Jessie developed this weird thing between them. When Rick and Michonne tried to intervene as the town constables, it ended with Rick punching Pete out on the street with blood all over his hands and face, screaming at the town about how they needed to wake up. Michonne had to knock him out. Later that night, Pete stole Michonne's katana and tried to kill Rick. He accidentally murdered Reg and Rick had to kill him.
The only way I have managed to stay sane is Daryl. He knows how to keep himself (and me) busy enough not to get caught up in all the drama. We've worked on the bike, worked with Buttons, hunted and practiced my bow a whole lot. We finished the motorcycle today and are ready for our first scouting trip with Aaron. We leave tomorrow. I honestly cannot wait to get away from here. Alexandria is nice but all the drama has been overwhelming. It'll be nice to be outside the walls where life is way less complicated. I'm a little nervous too. I've never been a scout before. What if I mess up somehow? What if I can't tell a good person from a bad person? I shake away those kinds of thoughts and try to think positively. We might find some really nice people. We might not even see anyone out there. Whatever happens, I just pray I'm ready.