When he first caught sight of her returning, it was the light blonde colour of her hair pulled into a pony tail and the sway of her teenage hips that made his first realise it was Beth. The sweet smell of her skin floated into his cell as he lay in bed, cleaning his arrows for the fourth time that day as if he had nothing better to do.
“Beth?” he said, pushing his arrows to the side and walking out of his cell towards her. Coming to a sudden stop she turned, acknowledged him and sighed, “I thought you were going to come for me, you know? But you didn’t, you disappointed me, Mr. Dixon-“
“Daryl,” he corrected, almost growling at her for being so childish. “Daryl,” she continued, “I dropped my ring, I thought you’d find me and give it back, but you didn’t. I shouldn’t have expected you to, should I? I know I’m only eighteen and you’re thirty-six and all, but I really thought-“ she choked on her own words, swallowing tears as they began to flow. Lowering her voice to a whisper, Beth cried, “I really thought you loved me.”
Rick laid a heavy hand on her shoulder and she turned and nodded, shaking her head sadly at Daryl and sighing heavily again.
“Even when we thought I was...” she let her voice drift so no one would understand and then continued softly, “You still didn’t come for me. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I waited for you all those nights alone just hoping and praying you’d find me and then when someone does it’s not you. All those weeks ago I promised not to let you ever get hurt and you promised too and then...” she trailed off again and Daryl couldn’t help but scan her body, noticing the bruise around her eye and the fresh bruises and cuts on her arms and legs. “And then this happened and I’m sorry for letting you down if I ever did but if I ever have it’s not worse than this. You didn’t even try, what was your silent protest going to get you? Poor Aislynn came crying as soon as she saw me, said you hadn’t been eating and you were screaming in your sleep and she was scared.”
Rick cleared his throat to indicate to Beth she had to be checked by Hershel but she shook her head at him and then turned her attention back to Daryl.
“I don’t want the ring, or our cell, the name, or anything. I was foolish to believe you or anything you said, Daryl. You talk big but don’t back it up. I know when Merle died you went to find him and you walked and walked for ages until you found him but for me you didn’t try at all.”
Daryl almost scoffed and let his focus shift to the floor, “Is that how a Dixon is meant to apologise?” he asked.
“No, it’s how a Greene apologises,” she retorted gently. He couldn’t breathe, like he’d been hit in the chest by a bullet. Who knew a little girl could make him feel like this?
“I thought-“ he started to say gruffly but she cut him off. “I don’t want the name, Daryl. Marriage is when you do whatever you can for the other person. You slip a ring on my finger, wait for me to notice then tell me I’m a Dixon? That isn’t how it works, I’m sorry.”
He didn’t want to lose her, not yet, not ever. “I love you,” he said loudly and Beth nodded sadly, turning to face Rick, muttering to Daryl ‘I know you do’ before walking silently away.
“That didn’t go well,” a girl’s voice said suddenly from behind him.
Daryl turned to see Beth’s older sister, Maggie, leaning on the wall, arms crossed. “Wha’ does she wan’ from me? What can I give ‘er?” Maggie sighed and let out a snort, as if laughing at him then said, “You can give you to her. That’s all she wants. No promises or empty words or fake laughs but you.”
"She can 'av me," Daryl replied.
Maggie sighed and added, "And she needs to know she has you. Don't tell me she knows because she doesn't. My little sister likes a guy like you and I guess I was kind of glad that someone could take care of her but mad at the same time because I knew you could never give her what she wanted. And I'm right, you know? You can't give her what she wants ever and when she came to me and said she thought she was pregnant I wanted to snap your neck right then, Daryl. Don't make me regret my decision not to, not after what she's been through. You need to propose to her properly, you need to never stop telling her you love her and you need to let her know if something ever happens, you'll be there. She ain't so sure now, is she?"
Daryl scoffed, "She is pregnant." Beth's sister looked at him almost sadly and then replied quietly, "She's not. I'm sorry, I thought you knew."
"She ain't?" he asked, confused but slightly hurt. Maggie nodded slowly and then placed a hand on her belly, "I don't even know if the prison could handle two pregnant chicks. Not after Lori and I'm so scared because I don't know if I'm even going to survive."
Daryl nodded, feeling slightly guilty for placing his problems above others but shrugged it off.
"You'll be fine, you have Glenn," he grumbled, running a hand through his scruffy hair.
It'd been months since he'd last had a hair cut; one that was long overdue. He decided to do it the next day, maybe even with help from a special someone.
If she agreed, that is.
"Yeah, thanks," Maggie purred, smiling sadly at him before departing and leaving his to lean against the wall by himself.
A hand landed on his shoulder which made him jump but he held his position, grumbling not to sneak up on him, then said, "Beth?"
Rick shook his head.
"She's with Hershel getting checked and apart from the physical damage she's going pretty good. She's pretty and young but she's tough, she's a fighter thanks to you."
Daryl scoffed, "I ain't done nothing. 'Bout time she learnt to stick up for 'erself after all this."
"You're a real dick sometimes, you know?" Rick laughed, falling against the wall besides Daryl. "She... Beth... I'm sorry about what happened. That night and I was drunk and I feel awful and know there is no possible way or reason to forgive me but I'm really sorry about that."
Daryl nodded, "I know what a hard time ya've been through, I respect tha'. But touch her again without 'er permission and you'll 'ear about it from me and her ol' man."
"I understand, thank you. You're a good man, you'll make a girl happy someday-"
Daryl grumbled a muffled reply under his breath before Rick could finish, causing the former-Sheriff to rethink his words.
"-You'll make Beth really happy. And I'm sorry you had to lose her. Really, I am, I know how you feel. You just wake up and can't possibly imagine having to live another day without them, Lori and Beth, and you try, you know? You just try so hard but there's a piece of you missing that you just cannot live with and it hurts awfully bad. And God I'm tired, I'm so tired but this group depends on me and they need me and Carl is always running off with Aislynn and getting into trouble and I love to see him happy but I'm so tired and I just need him to be happy with his father and not so girl. No offence at all but I just want to make him happy or proud once because I will always know I've never done enough especially after Lori's... Passing. Everyone gets under my skin and Beth just has this hidden sun behind her eyes and it just brightens everyone's day and she's amazing and I'm so glad you're together because you deserve each other so much."
Daryl nodded, trying to process all the information, then replied, "Ya like 'er?"
"I think..." Rick choked, his words fading into the air. "I think I might love her."