For Daryl Dixon [part 1]

What do you want from me, girl? (14)

"Beth! Beth!" I woke to Maggie shakin' me. "You slept out here?"



"I kept an eye on her." Myshonne said and I quickly went over to her and hugged her.



"I missed you so much." I said and felt lite headed from getting up so fast. I wobbled a bit and Myshonne caught me. 



"Eat this. Your weak." Daryl said out of no where and handed me a piece of meat.



"What is it?" I asked him shocked he was speaking to me. He didn't answer but just grabbed his pack and walked towards Rick.



"Why did you fall asleep out here?" Maggie asked me refocusing me away from him.



"I- I don't remember. I was talkin' with Rick and that's all I remember." I explained and saw Myshonne smiling at me.

"What?"



"You talk in your sleep." She said and took a bite of the meat Daryl had given me. "Yum. Squirrel."


I laughed at this and looked to Maggie and shrugged.

There were a few new people in the group I haven't met yet and made it a point to catch up to the front near Rick to meet them. I started in the back near Daryl hoping he would stop being so cold but that didn't happen.



"Hi. I'm Beth." I said as we walked along and the tall man with red hair smiled at me.



"Abraham." He answer and pointed to the two girls next to him. "Rosita and Tara."



"They helped me find Maggie." Glenn explained to me.



"Nice to meet you." I said and looked to my left to see another man I didn't know. He had long hair and seemed to keep to himself. "Who's that?"



"Eugene." Glenn said and introduced us. I felt myself get excited knowing our little family was growing. I tried to listen to the conversations around me about how everyone found each other but couldn't stop glancing back at Daryl. He was being so distant every sense we found everyone. It was hardly two days sense he broke down in front of me and told me he couldn't lose me. Maybe it was the fact that I was all he had then and now... he doesn't need me anymore. We kept walking with little conversation and a lot of walker killing.

****

When night fell we set up camp again but this time in an abandoned barn Daryl found while he was looking for water. Everyone claimed their stables and tried to clean them best they could. I stood outside the door while everyone was inside. I wanted to watch the sunset. 



"Are you cold?" I turned to see Daryl holding out his poncho to me and I just stared at him. "Just put it on."

I took it from him and started walking away from him so I could enjoy the sunset. If he didn't need me anymore I wasn't about to force him to be in my company. Which didn't work because he just followed me.



"What you ignorin' me now?" He called after me. I didn't respond and he stood in front of me. 



"I'm tryin' to watch the sunset." I said stepping sideways but he did the same. "What? I'm just doin' exactly the same as you."

"What you talkin' bout?" He asked and I almost shook him. He knew exactly what he was doing.



"Ignoring me!" I almost shouted but held back. "But I guess that's just you Daryl. You ignore what you think you don't need anymore."

I could see him tense up and grit his teeth.
"Just like you did with the group when we lost 'em. Forgot they ever existed. Well Daryl they weren't around when you forgot, but I was. And I ain't gonna just let you forget me. What happened while we were out there ain't something you can just pretend never happened. Because I'm not gone. Not yet."



"Stop." He looked hurt but I didn't stop.



"What now you care?" I rolled my eyes, "Well that's funny."



"What you mean? 'Course I care."

"Oh really? Ignoring me don't prove that much." I said harshly and tried to step pass him. He grabbed my shoulders and looked me straight in the eye.



"What you want from me girl? We ain't out there. Hope we don't ever gotta be out there again. Every second thinkin' I was gonna lose the only thing that kept me goin'. Kept me alive. I care. I don't wanna as much as I do but I do, so quit sayin' I don't."



"That's bullshit. Screw you." I say and try to walk away again but he grabs my hand.



"Don't-" 

I wait for him to say something else but when he doesn't I stop trying to pull away and search his eyes... He does care.



"It hurts you when I'm mad at you, doesn't it?" I ask him but I know he won't answer. He just searches my eyes for a sign that I'm not mad at him. I try to look away but his stare is so intense I hardly noticed when Rick walked up breaking the silence.



"We're about to lock up the barn. A storms heading this way." He said without coming close to us. He could sense the tension and just walked back towards the barn. 

I looked up at Daryl who pulled his bow across his chest and grabbed my hand.



"Let's go." He said and I laced my fingers in his.