[fic] lay your hands on the left behind [4/5]
Title: lay your hands on the left behind [4/5]
Author: badboy_fangirl
Fandom: The Walking Dead
Characters/Pairings: Daryl & Beth POV; Daryl/Beth; with appearances by everyone else.
Word Count: ~2500
Rating/Warnings: NC-17 / Spoilers through all of season four.
Summary:
Author's notes: This is a companion/continuation fic to Empty Handed and Holding On. The opening quote for this chapter is lifted from the song "Tell Me a Story" by Phillip Phillips. Previous chapters: [1] [2] [3]
Tell me a story long and true
We aren't what we say
We are what we do
There are very few things that hadn't changed when the Turn happened.
Beth Greene's love of babies had been one thing that stayed the same; or maybe a better way of saying it would be that she grew to love babies even more when new life and wonder were juxtaposed with walking dead things.
Yeah, that was probably more how it had gone.
Judith had been a light at the prison; she had made it even more necessary that all the adults make that place as safe and secure as possible.
(She had made Lori's death not quite so unbearable because they'd all had to do something to keep the baby from crying.)
(Because. Walkers.)
As Beth changes Jace's diaper, dumping out the little poop the kid had made and then refolding the towel in a different way to get it back on him, she wants to tell Daryl that they ought to make a beeline back to D.C. They ought to forget about Abraham and the company as quickly as they had forgotten about them.
But Daryl's not currently speaking to her, though he is standing alertly nearby as she uses water from the stream to clean up the baby.
The baby reaches up as she leans over him, his small fist grabbing a handful of her hair. He yanks on it and Beth loses her balance, surprised at his strength. "Whoa, baby," she murmurs, throwing a hand out to catch herself. "Careful, now." She pries his fingers loose, pulling a few strands of her own hair out in the meantime.
Then she scoops him back up and ties the make-shift baby sling around herself. Daryl's eyes cut to her and away again and then he starts walking. She falls in line behind him.
She's not really sure she understands why he's so upset about the boy, Shep, having left them behind. She can surmise he's worried about the boy, and that the boy had become important to him (to them both, really) in a very short amount of time. She knows that she's already completely smitten with Jace, too, but she's always been baby hungry anyway.
Daryl obviously doesn't want to talk about it. He hasn't been this surly or silent since those first few days they spent together when the prison fell.
She guesses that it must have something to do with all the baby talk they had the night before, and just his general attitude changing, but she wishes he'd give her something else to go on.
Not to mention, she feels like he blames her for Shep leaving, and it was hardly her fault. However, now is not the time to yell at him for being an ass; after all these months together, she has at least learned the importance of silence. Letting him stew on something eventually solves it one way or another, and if an eruption is necessary, they'll get to it. They always do.
She's tired of him not acknowledging her, though, except to stop if she said they needed to stop. So she picks up her pace, catches up with him and slides her hand into his. He jerks in surprise, but doesn't try to unlock their fingers once she's laced hers through his. His eyes slant her way before he shrugs his opposite shoulder to readjust the crossbow.
The baby starts crying soon after, though, and Beth can't figure out what's wrong with him. She has to let go of Daryl to try different soothing techniques. Eventually Jace's cries subside to periodic sniffles, but he's never completely consoled. Beth murmurs into the crown of his head, "Do you miss your brother, baby? Is that the problem?"
Daryl huffs and puffs next to her, but still says nothing.
"Oh, thank God!"
Beth's head jerks up when she hears someone speak, and just up the path ahead of them stands Rosita, Sasha, Bob, and Tyreese. "We found them!" Tyreese shouts back behind them, and Beth can't see who he's talking to, because they're just coming out of the trees on the right side of the path. She feels Daryl stiffen, the sudden alertness in his bones nothing to do with them coming back into contact with some of their group.
Abraham comes out of the trees, a struggling Shep in his grasp. "Let me go, you cocksucker, let me go!" Shep cries, but he freezes when he sees Beth and Daryl and the baby.
Before Beth really knows what Daryl's about, he's moved forward, closing the distance between himself and Abraham very quickly. "Let 'em go," he mutters. The lethal tone of his voice, though muted, carries densely through the trees.
Rosita runs forward to hug Beth, babbling, "Sasha and Bob wouldn't let us go on. They said there was no way they could face Maggie if they went back to Washington without you. They basically made it impossible for Abraham to keep the group moving forward!"
Beth can't quite hear what's going on between Daryl, Abraham, and Shep because of Sasha flanking her other side and grabbing her up when Rosita lets go of her. "You're alright?" she asks, and then there's the elevation of Abraham's voice and the sound of someone getting hit. Beth shoves herself past both Rosita and Sasha just as Daryl runs at Abraham, his head hitting the bigger man mid-chest. They both go down in a collision of limbs and grunts, and Beth's eyes immediately go to Shep, who is standing there with a stricken look on his small face.
Bob and Tyreese move to break-up the fight, and Beth runs as fast as she can with Jace strapped to her chest to Shep's side. She grabs his arm, and his wild eyes come up to hers. That's when it hits both of them; he'd had another perfect opportunity to escape and he hadn't even tried. He yards against her hold, shaking his head, causing his hair to fly across his face.
"Shep, Shep!" Beth says sharply, her voice reminding her of her own mother for the first time in her entire life. "Are you alright?" she demands because it's the only thing that matters. She's not worried about Daryl, he can hold his own, and from the sounds of things behind her Bob and Tyreese have put a stop to the fight, though there are still snarling voices and the sounds of people spitting blood.
Shep's entire body just seems to melt when her words register with him. He keeps shaking his head, only this time, he also says, "I didn't mean to cause no harm! They wouldn't let me go! I told 'em and told 'em you were alive, you were comin', but they thought I's lyin'!"
Beth puts her hand on his cheek, attempting to slow the frantic motion of his head. He slows under her touch, and then very carefully, she pulls him against her and Jace, but she leans down so that the baby is on the same level with Shep. Jace's small arms circle his brother's neck, and he makes a gurgling sound of recognition. Beth slides one hand around him, plants it firmly in the middle of his back and holds on to him. "It's okay," she coos. "You're okay."
"So, as you can see," comes Bob's voice, tinged with just a hint of sarcasm. "Beth and Daryl are alive and well. Well, alive at any rate. He knock your tooth out, brother?"
Beth glances behind her to see Daryl attempting to stem the flow of blood coming from his nose. "Nah, I'm a'right," he says, tipping his head back. He turns and walks a few feet away as Rosita moves towards him with a handkerchief. He takes it from her with a hushed, "Thanks," and then she goes to Abraham's side. He's still sitting on the ground, catching his breath, it looks like.
He glances around at all of them, and Beth wonders if he still thinks he's the leader. Carefully, he gets to his feet, with Rosita's help, and then he asks gruffly, "Can we head back, then?"
"Just as soon as you apologize to the boy," Daryl says, swinging back around.
Their eyes meet, another tussle in a different way snapping back and forth between them. "If it weren't for him, Lou wouldna got bit." Abraham jabs a finger in Shep's direction.
"Yeah," Rosita says, placing a hand on Abraham's chest. "And we wouldn't know that you can give the cure to someone who got bit and it stops the infection from spreading. So, it's not really something to get mad about, Abraham. He's a child," she says, her voice softer. "A child."
Shep steps back from her and Jace, and Beth drops her arms, to show him he has a choice, still. She straightens up, hefting the baby with her as she does so. "He misses you," she says, and she means Jace. (And Daryl. But that's a whole other conversation.) "Now that we're here, you're safe, Shep. You can stay if you want."
Daryl comes up on her left side, startling her because his voice is loud and decisive beneath the bloodied rag he's holding to his face. "We want ya to stay, Shep. I'll kill anyone tries to hurt you, you know it."
Beth's eyes come up then, and she sees someone who is at once intimately familiar to her, and then vastly different. She loves him, and wants to understand him all over again. He cuts her a brief glance, but keeps his gaze focused on Shep.
That's when she says what she's wanted to say all day. "We're going back to D.C. We aren't going all the way to Richmond. It makes no sense, to drag this baby all the way down there, and back. The best thing would be for me and Daryl to take these kids back to the city and get them settled." She glances at the others who are standing around silently watching before turning her gaze squarely on Shep. "And if you wanna come with us, we'd love to have you."
Shep blinks rapidly, then slowly nods his head. He reaches up because Jace is wiggling and straining to get to him, and before she can say anything Daryl unknots the wrap at her shoulder. Beth eases the baby away from her body and into Shep's waiting arms. "Okay," he says. "I'll come."
Beth looks to Daryl, wanting to exchange smiles, but he's already turned back to Abraham. He gestures silently, until Abraham, his eye already swelling up where Daryl had landed a punch or two, lopes forward. "Hey, kid," he mutters gruffly. "I'm sorry about all that. I wasn't gonna hurt you, I just didn't want ya runnin' off, causin' more Walkers to come find us, you know?"
Shep nods jerkily, but mostly he just buries his face in Jace's neck.
"Let's head back," Abraham says with a deep sigh. "We'll set y'all up to head back to D.C. tomorrow. I think we can spare a vehicle."
That's when Daryl finally looks at Beth, his face still set in grim lines. His eyes are softer, though, and he puts his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it warmly. "Good idea, Greene," he murmurs. Then he leans into her, pressing his lips to her temple.
He moves then, back towards Bob and Tyreese. He shakes hands with them, slapping their backs enthusiastically.
"You wanna carry Jace?" Beth asks. She holds up the wrap. "I can strap him to you."
Shep squeezes the baby against his chest, but then shakes his head. "No, I think it's better if someone else carries him."
"I'll take 'im," Daryl says, coming back to them. Beth throws him a surprised look. "I shoulda taken a turn sooner," he says, winking at her.
"Your nose okay?" she asks as he's stuffing the bloodied rag into a pocket on his pack.
"Ain't broke," he says with a laugh. Leaning close again, his whisper tickles the apple of her cheek. "He kinda hits like a pussy. Who knew?"
Beth giggles uncontrollably, because it feels like everything has snapped back into its proper place. As they get the baby situated on his chest, one of his hands snakes out to squeeze her hip. Maybe it's an apology of sorts, but when his thumb sneaks under the hem of her shirt, there's something else.
The promise between them has always been strong, but something flares brighter right then, stealing the breath from her lungs. She reaches up, touching his face gently. She mouths I love you and Daryl's barely perceptible nod speaks volumes.
He turns away as Sasha begins filling them in on what had happened earlier that day. First she explains that she and Bob had been irate when Rosita, Abraham, and the others had come back without Beth and Daryl the day before. After a long standoff, and taking a vote amongst their party of 50 or so, they finally agreed to make a base camp before going to search for Beth and Daryl. Shep had come across their path, running pell-mell with a few Walkers at his back that they had been unaware of. Abraham recognized him, and grabbed him to find out what had happened to Beth and Daryl. In the ensuing struggle, the Walkers had taken them by surprise, and one bit Lou before they could kill all of them. He was bit on the shoulder, in an impossible place to cut away.
"It was Bob's idea," Sasha says, pride evident in her voice. "He was gonna die, so it was our only shot. He gave him two doses of the Cure, and though we can't tell yet if the wound will heal in a normal way, the fever never took hold."
"Where's Lou?" Beth asks.
"Marcus and Sam took him back to the base camp. We should be able to get back to it by dusk," Bob offers.
They've all fallen into a line of sorts, and Daryl is a ways ahead of her, Sasha, and Bob. Shep is at his side, taking two steps for every one of Daryl's, his short legs just not long enough. She suddenly sees an image, something otherworldly, for just a moment. It's Daryl, still with his angel wings, but with a young man walking at his side whose stride now matches his, and a little boy holding on to his other hand.
She reaches out for Sasha's hand, and then Bob's. "Thanks for standing up for us, y'all." She squeezes their palms in her own. "When we get back to Washington, and I tell Maggie that story, maybe she won't be so mad at me for not sayin' good-bye."
Sasha's eyes widen. "You didn't say good-bye to your sister? Your pregnant sister?"
"I know, right?" Beth says, a nervous giggle working its way up her throat. "Of course, I didn't think I'd be going back a week later. I thought a whole month would give her time to be mad, but then just be super glad when we got back. Guess that'll teach me?"
Bob blows out a low sound. "All I'm gonna say is, sure glad it's not me."
Beth elbows him. Then she sees Shep reach for Daryl's hand. It's awkward, the way their hands fumble together, but it's also the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.
"Somehow," she says with a big smile, "I think it's gonna be worth it."
...part five...
Author: badboy_fangirl
Fandom: The Walking Dead
Characters/Pairings: Daryl & Beth POV; Daryl/Beth; with appearances by everyone else.
Word Count: ~2500
Rating/Warnings: NC-17 / Spoilers through all of season four.
Summary:
Author's notes: This is a companion/continuation fic to Empty Handed and Holding On. The opening quote for this chapter is lifted from the song "Tell Me a Story" by Phillip Phillips. Previous chapters: [1] [2] [3]
Tell me a story long and true
We aren't what we say
We are what we do
There are very few things that hadn't changed when the Turn happened.
Beth Greene's love of babies had been one thing that stayed the same; or maybe a better way of saying it would be that she grew to love babies even more when new life and wonder were juxtaposed with walking dead things.
Yeah, that was probably more how it had gone.
Judith had been a light at the prison; she had made it even more necessary that all the adults make that place as safe and secure as possible.
(She had made Lori's death not quite so unbearable because they'd all had to do something to keep the baby from crying.)
(Because. Walkers.)
As Beth changes Jace's diaper, dumping out the little poop the kid had made and then refolding the towel in a different way to get it back on him, she wants to tell Daryl that they ought to make a beeline back to D.C. They ought to forget about Abraham and the company as quickly as they had forgotten about them.
But Daryl's not currently speaking to her, though he is standing alertly nearby as she uses water from the stream to clean up the baby.
The baby reaches up as she leans over him, his small fist grabbing a handful of her hair. He yanks on it and Beth loses her balance, surprised at his strength. "Whoa, baby," she murmurs, throwing a hand out to catch herself. "Careful, now." She pries his fingers loose, pulling a few strands of her own hair out in the meantime.
Then she scoops him back up and ties the make-shift baby sling around herself. Daryl's eyes cut to her and away again and then he starts walking. She falls in line behind him.
She's not really sure she understands why he's so upset about the boy, Shep, having left them behind. She can surmise he's worried about the boy, and that the boy had become important to him (to them both, really) in a very short amount of time. She knows that she's already completely smitten with Jace, too, but she's always been baby hungry anyway.
Daryl obviously doesn't want to talk about it. He hasn't been this surly or silent since those first few days they spent together when the prison fell.
She guesses that it must have something to do with all the baby talk they had the night before, and just his general attitude changing, but she wishes he'd give her something else to go on.
Not to mention, she feels like he blames her for Shep leaving, and it was hardly her fault. However, now is not the time to yell at him for being an ass; after all these months together, she has at least learned the importance of silence. Letting him stew on something eventually solves it one way or another, and if an eruption is necessary, they'll get to it. They always do.
She's tired of him not acknowledging her, though, except to stop if she said they needed to stop. So she picks up her pace, catches up with him and slides her hand into his. He jerks in surprise, but doesn't try to unlock their fingers once she's laced hers through his. His eyes slant her way before he shrugs his opposite shoulder to readjust the crossbow.
The baby starts crying soon after, though, and Beth can't figure out what's wrong with him. She has to let go of Daryl to try different soothing techniques. Eventually Jace's cries subside to periodic sniffles, but he's never completely consoled. Beth murmurs into the crown of his head, "Do you miss your brother, baby? Is that the problem?"
Daryl huffs and puffs next to her, but still says nothing.
"Oh, thank God!"
Beth's head jerks up when she hears someone speak, and just up the path ahead of them stands Rosita, Sasha, Bob, and Tyreese. "We found them!" Tyreese shouts back behind them, and Beth can't see who he's talking to, because they're just coming out of the trees on the right side of the path. She feels Daryl stiffen, the sudden alertness in his bones nothing to do with them coming back into contact with some of their group.
Abraham comes out of the trees, a struggling Shep in his grasp. "Let me go, you cocksucker, let me go!" Shep cries, but he freezes when he sees Beth and Daryl and the baby.
Before Beth really knows what Daryl's about, he's moved forward, closing the distance between himself and Abraham very quickly. "Let 'em go," he mutters. The lethal tone of his voice, though muted, carries densely through the trees.
Rosita runs forward to hug Beth, babbling, "Sasha and Bob wouldn't let us go on. They said there was no way they could face Maggie if they went back to Washington without you. They basically made it impossible for Abraham to keep the group moving forward!"
Beth can't quite hear what's going on between Daryl, Abraham, and Shep because of Sasha flanking her other side and grabbing her up when Rosita lets go of her. "You're alright?" she asks, and then there's the elevation of Abraham's voice and the sound of someone getting hit. Beth shoves herself past both Rosita and Sasha just as Daryl runs at Abraham, his head hitting the bigger man mid-chest. They both go down in a collision of limbs and grunts, and Beth's eyes immediately go to Shep, who is standing there with a stricken look on his small face.
Bob and Tyreese move to break-up the fight, and Beth runs as fast as she can with Jace strapped to her chest to Shep's side. She grabs his arm, and his wild eyes come up to hers. That's when it hits both of them; he'd had another perfect opportunity to escape and he hadn't even tried. He yards against her hold, shaking his head, causing his hair to fly across his face.
"Shep, Shep!" Beth says sharply, her voice reminding her of her own mother for the first time in her entire life. "Are you alright?" she demands because it's the only thing that matters. She's not worried about Daryl, he can hold his own, and from the sounds of things behind her Bob and Tyreese have put a stop to the fight, though there are still snarling voices and the sounds of people spitting blood.
Shep's entire body just seems to melt when her words register with him. He keeps shaking his head, only this time, he also says, "I didn't mean to cause no harm! They wouldn't let me go! I told 'em and told 'em you were alive, you were comin', but they thought I's lyin'!"
Beth puts her hand on his cheek, attempting to slow the frantic motion of his head. He slows under her touch, and then very carefully, she pulls him against her and Jace, but she leans down so that the baby is on the same level with Shep. Jace's small arms circle his brother's neck, and he makes a gurgling sound of recognition. Beth slides one hand around him, plants it firmly in the middle of his back and holds on to him. "It's okay," she coos. "You're okay."
"So, as you can see," comes Bob's voice, tinged with just a hint of sarcasm. "Beth and Daryl are alive and well. Well, alive at any rate. He knock your tooth out, brother?"
Beth glances behind her to see Daryl attempting to stem the flow of blood coming from his nose. "Nah, I'm a'right," he says, tipping his head back. He turns and walks a few feet away as Rosita moves towards him with a handkerchief. He takes it from her with a hushed, "Thanks," and then she goes to Abraham's side. He's still sitting on the ground, catching his breath, it looks like.
He glances around at all of them, and Beth wonders if he still thinks he's the leader. Carefully, he gets to his feet, with Rosita's help, and then he asks gruffly, "Can we head back, then?"
"Just as soon as you apologize to the boy," Daryl says, swinging back around.
Their eyes meet, another tussle in a different way snapping back and forth between them. "If it weren't for him, Lou wouldna got bit." Abraham jabs a finger in Shep's direction.
"Yeah," Rosita says, placing a hand on Abraham's chest. "And we wouldn't know that you can give the cure to someone who got bit and it stops the infection from spreading. So, it's not really something to get mad about, Abraham. He's a child," she says, her voice softer. "A child."
Shep steps back from her and Jace, and Beth drops her arms, to show him he has a choice, still. She straightens up, hefting the baby with her as she does so. "He misses you," she says, and she means Jace. (And Daryl. But that's a whole other conversation.) "Now that we're here, you're safe, Shep. You can stay if you want."
Daryl comes up on her left side, startling her because his voice is loud and decisive beneath the bloodied rag he's holding to his face. "We want ya to stay, Shep. I'll kill anyone tries to hurt you, you know it."
Beth's eyes come up then, and she sees someone who is at once intimately familiar to her, and then vastly different. She loves him, and wants to understand him all over again. He cuts her a brief glance, but keeps his gaze focused on Shep.
That's when she says what she's wanted to say all day. "We're going back to D.C. We aren't going all the way to Richmond. It makes no sense, to drag this baby all the way down there, and back. The best thing would be for me and Daryl to take these kids back to the city and get them settled." She glances at the others who are standing around silently watching before turning her gaze squarely on Shep. "And if you wanna come with us, we'd love to have you."
Shep blinks rapidly, then slowly nods his head. He reaches up because Jace is wiggling and straining to get to him, and before she can say anything Daryl unknots the wrap at her shoulder. Beth eases the baby away from her body and into Shep's waiting arms. "Okay," he says. "I'll come."
Beth looks to Daryl, wanting to exchange smiles, but he's already turned back to Abraham. He gestures silently, until Abraham, his eye already swelling up where Daryl had landed a punch or two, lopes forward. "Hey, kid," he mutters gruffly. "I'm sorry about all that. I wasn't gonna hurt you, I just didn't want ya runnin' off, causin' more Walkers to come find us, you know?"
Shep nods jerkily, but mostly he just buries his face in Jace's neck.
"Let's head back," Abraham says with a deep sigh. "We'll set y'all up to head back to D.C. tomorrow. I think we can spare a vehicle."
That's when Daryl finally looks at Beth, his face still set in grim lines. His eyes are softer, though, and he puts his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it warmly. "Good idea, Greene," he murmurs. Then he leans into her, pressing his lips to her temple.
He moves then, back towards Bob and Tyreese. He shakes hands with them, slapping their backs enthusiastically.
"You wanna carry Jace?" Beth asks. She holds up the wrap. "I can strap him to you."
Shep squeezes the baby against his chest, but then shakes his head. "No, I think it's better if someone else carries him."
"I'll take 'im," Daryl says, coming back to them. Beth throws him a surprised look. "I shoulda taken a turn sooner," he says, winking at her.
"Your nose okay?" she asks as he's stuffing the bloodied rag into a pocket on his pack.
"Ain't broke," he says with a laugh. Leaning close again, his whisper tickles the apple of her cheek. "He kinda hits like a pussy. Who knew?"
Beth giggles uncontrollably, because it feels like everything has snapped back into its proper place. As they get the baby situated on his chest, one of his hands snakes out to squeeze her hip. Maybe it's an apology of sorts, but when his thumb sneaks under the hem of her shirt, there's something else.
The promise between them has always been strong, but something flares brighter right then, stealing the breath from her lungs. She reaches up, touching his face gently. She mouths I love you and Daryl's barely perceptible nod speaks volumes.
He turns away as Sasha begins filling them in on what had happened earlier that day. First she explains that she and Bob had been irate when Rosita, Abraham, and the others had come back without Beth and Daryl the day before. After a long standoff, and taking a vote amongst their party of 50 or so, they finally agreed to make a base camp before going to search for Beth and Daryl. Shep had come across their path, running pell-mell with a few Walkers at his back that they had been unaware of. Abraham recognized him, and grabbed him to find out what had happened to Beth and Daryl. In the ensuing struggle, the Walkers had taken them by surprise, and one bit Lou before they could kill all of them. He was bit on the shoulder, in an impossible place to cut away.
"It was Bob's idea," Sasha says, pride evident in her voice. "He was gonna die, so it was our only shot. He gave him two doses of the Cure, and though we can't tell yet if the wound will heal in a normal way, the fever never took hold."
"Where's Lou?" Beth asks.
"Marcus and Sam took him back to the base camp. We should be able to get back to it by dusk," Bob offers.
They've all fallen into a line of sorts, and Daryl is a ways ahead of her, Sasha, and Bob. Shep is at his side, taking two steps for every one of Daryl's, his short legs just not long enough. She suddenly sees an image, something otherworldly, for just a moment. It's Daryl, still with his angel wings, but with a young man walking at his side whose stride now matches his, and a little boy holding on to his other hand.
She reaches out for Sasha's hand, and then Bob's. "Thanks for standing up for us, y'all." She squeezes their palms in her own. "When we get back to Washington, and I tell Maggie that story, maybe she won't be so mad at me for not sayin' good-bye."
Sasha's eyes widen. "You didn't say good-bye to your sister? Your pregnant sister?"
"I know, right?" Beth says, a nervous giggle working its way up her throat. "Of course, I didn't think I'd be going back a week later. I thought a whole month would give her time to be mad, but then just be super glad when we got back. Guess that'll teach me?"
Bob blows out a low sound. "All I'm gonna say is, sure glad it's not me."
Beth elbows him. Then she sees Shep reach for Daryl's hand. It's awkward, the way their hands fumble together, but it's also the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.
"Somehow," she says with a big smile, "I think it's gonna be worth it."
...part five...