Walking Dead 1. Chapter 1

**So... This is my first attempt at a Walking Dead fanfic. Like so many of you, I'm absolutely devastated about last nights episode and I refuse to accept Beth's death. It's going to be impossible for Daryl to let someone in again. I'm just really angry at the writers... And I want to live in my denial until February. And maybe even then I'll pretend she is still alive LOL. This might be slightly OOC for Daryl, but I feel the writers didn't show enough emotion for him. But anyway, I hope you enjoy! :) **

It all happened in slow motion. The slight whisper of Beth's words, "I get it know." Dawn's gasp as Beth stabbed her in the neck with the scissors. The gun shot that rang through my ears. I didn't even think before I reacted. I saw Dawn's eyes widen in shock at what she had done, mouthing that she hadn't meant to. What the hell did she mean she hadn't meant to? That was Beth! _MY_ Beth! Sweet, pure, innocent Beth who still had faith and hope in this shitty world. I felt an overwhelming feeling of anger, fury, regret, guilt. Before anyone could stop me, I pulled out my gun and shot Dawn between the eyes. I watched as her body hit the ground beside Beth's, and I felt the heat leaving my eyes. I could feel my shoulders start to shake and my lips quivering. I ignored the sounds of everyone drawing their weapons preparing for a fight. I just needed to get to Beth. I knelt down beside her and saw that the gunshot had nicked the side of her neck, blood oozing from the wound profusely. I reached down to take her hand when her eyes fluttered open.

"Daryl," she whisper hoarsely.

He looked back down at Beth and felt his heart leap. She was alive! She was so strong. Everyone thought she was weak, but he knew better. He stroked her face, "Shhh, baby girl. It's all gonna be a'right".

"She's alive! Don't just stand there! You are in a hospital for fucks sake, there has to be a doctor here! Help her! Please!" He shouted at the group who still had their weapons drawn.

The tall man with glasses stepped forward, "I'm a doctor. Let me help. I need you to step back."

Daryl's lips quivered more, but finally released her as the doctor knelt down and looked her over. Dr. Edwards examined the wound on Beth's neck, and said, "Take that handkerchief and apply it to the wound. Apply plenty of pressure and see if we can get the wound to stop bleeding until I can get her in an operating room. She may have nicked an artery, I won't know until I get in there."

Daryl did as he was told and watched as the doctor ran for a stretcher. He looked back down at Beth, stroked her hair, and kissed her hand.

"Ya gotta pull through this, Beth. Ya can't leave me.. Ya just can't. Oh goddammit, Beth. Ya were right. I missed ya so bad when you were gone, I never stopped lookin' for ya. Please don't make me miss ya again. Ya so strong, sweetheart. Ya gotta be strong for me." Daryl whispered barely audible, but the group still were able to hear everything.

Dr. Edwards rolled the stretcher over to where Beth was. Daryl, Rick, and Tyreese all helped pick up Beth and placed her on the stretcher. Daryl stayed with his hand pressed against her wound until the doctor told him to let go. She was then taken off to an operating room, with no guarantees, no promises that she would make it.

Daryl didn't say anything to the rest of the group, he walked over to a corner, slid his back down against the wall and sat with his face cradled in his hands praying to a God he never knew lhe believed in. That was until Beth Greene.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thank you so so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows. I love you guys3 I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! Please review :) **

Inside the operating room, Dr. Edwards examined Beth's wound in her neck. He realized this wasn't what he expected to see at all. The bullet didn't graze her throat, instead fragments were spread all throughout. He hooked her up to an IV, along with a heart monitor. Her blood pressure was dropping way below what he would have liked it to be. Beth was dozing in and out of consciousness, and finally the heart monitor no longer had a steady rhythm. Beth had flatlined, her heart had stopped.

"No! Dammit!" Dr. Edwards shouted as he climbed on top of the gurney and began pumping on Beth's chest in a panic.

He pointed to one of the women he had been using as nurses since the world had gone to shit and yelled at her, "You! Come over here and keep pressure on her wound while I give her CPR!"

The nurse obeyed, but there was still no sign of a heartbeat...

**Beth's POV: **

Beth felt like she was floating on a cloud. She felt light, new, and fresh. She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She saw nothing but white. White walls, white floors, and white ceilings. She sat up from where she had been laying and stood. She saw a man walking towards her, she squinted to try and make out who it was, but everything was too bright.

"Bethy," the man whispered once he had reached her.

"Daddy!" Beth exclaimed as she jumped into his arms. He looked exactly how he looked on the farm. He had both of his legs and he looked healthy as ever.

She then realized what was happening. She remembered what she had said to Dawn. She remembered stabbing her, but after that everything went black. She panicked at the thought of dying.

"Daddy, am I dying?" Beth asked softly. "Is this Heaven?"

Hershel nodded. "But you don't have to stay, Bethy. You can choose. You have the will to fight that I always knew was within you. You can choose to stay with your sister. The group. Daryl."

Her face lit up at the mention of Daryl. Hershel chuckled, "I've seen it all watching over you, Bethy. You love him. And he loves you too. You both have my blessing."

Beth began to tear up, but Hershel wiped them away. "Don't cry dearheart. You won't hurt my feelings by leaving, Bethy. Daryl needs you. Your sister needs you. Judy needs you. Now get back down there."

Beth nodded and hugged her father one last time. She kissed him on the cheek, "I love you, father."

"I love you too, sweetheart." Hershel kissed her one last time and walked away.

**BACK IN THE O.R:**

Dr. Edwards pointed to another nurse, "You! Get me the defibrillator! Now!"

The nurse did as she was told and prepared the paddles for Dr. Edwards to use. "Charging to 200 volts," she told him as he began to press the paddles into Beth's chest. Beth's body jumped up from the electric shock, but nothing.

Dr. Edwards was even more worried, but he wasn't giving up. "Charge to 300!" He shouted.

"Charging to 300 volts. Clear!" The nurse yelled, and she saw Beth's body jump from the shock, but still nothing.

"Dr. Edwards, I don't think she's coming back.." The nurse began to say.

"Shut up! She will! Just fucking charge it to 400!" He screamed.

The nurse recoiled from his tone, but turned back to the defibrillator. "Charging to 400 volts. Clear!" This was their last chance. Beth's body jerked from the electric shock once more, and that seemed to do the trick. The heart monitor began to have a steady rhythm again, and Dr. Edwards let out a slow, shaky breath.

"Thank you for coming back, Beth." He whispered.

He noticed how pale she looked and knew that it was from the blood loss, and knew her blood pressure was still low. He then turned to the nurse, "Give her 10cc's of Vasopressin, that should bring her blood pressure back up a bit. Then go ask everyone in the group what their blood type is, and start drawing. Her blood type is A positive. Get all the blood you can. We're going to need it."

The nurse nodded and Dr. Edwards began to operate on Beth's wound on her neck.

The nurse walked out of the operating room, and Daryl was up before anyone else.

"How is she?" Daryl asked in a panicked tone.

The nurse held up her hands, "She's stable for now, but we're still not out of the clear. We need blood donations. Beth is A positive. Who can donate?"

Maggie and Tara stood up. "I have the same blood type as my sister. Take all that you need." Maggie said.

The nurse then looked at Tara. "I have A positive just like Beth and Maggie. Take all that you need too, I just want to help."

The two went to follow the nurse, but Maggie could see Daryl crying in his corner and she went to kneel down beside him. She placed her hand on his back, "It's going to be okay, Daryl. Beth is pulling through. We're going to give her the help she needs. She needs you to be strong for her right now."

Daryl wiped his eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded his head. Maggie kissed him on the head and walked over to the two ladies who were waiting on her to follow them.

Dr. Edwards successfully removed all the fragments from Beth's neck, and to his surprise, she was looking better. He had seriously doubted his ability to save her, but somehow by the grace of God he did. He sewed up Beth's neck, and gave her the blood transfusions. Now it was just a waiting game, but her blood pressure had elevated tremendously and that's what counted.

**Please tell me what you think :) I love reviews! You guys make me feel like one lucky girl :) Love y'all!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: THANK YOU so much for your feedback and support! I love seeing reviews from you guys :) I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Dr. Edwards walked out of the operating room while the nurses were prepping to move Beth to a room, and headed towards the group. The group walked hastily to meet him, Daryl bolted up from his corner.

Dr. Edwards smiled, "She's going to be okay."

Daryl blew out a breath that he had been holding in relief. He knew she would be okay. He knew how strong she was, but he was still scared as hell to lose her.

"She is still unconscious. She should come to within the next few days. She will be sore for a while so I would suggest you stay put until she heals," Dr. Edwards said.

Rick nodded and looked to the rest of the group for agreement. Everyone nodded back at Rick.

Office Shepherd stepped forward to shake Rick's hand, "Please stay as long as you'd like. We're all friends here. Like I said before, it's over. It was just about Dawn."

"We'll stay as long as it takes for Beth to heal, and then we'll decide our next move," Rick told her.

Officer Shepherd nodded and stepped aside.

Once Beth was settled in a room, Daryl never left her side. The nurses set up a cot for him to sleep in her room, but he barely slept. He wanted to be there to meet those beautiful ocean blue eyes when she woke up. He didn't want to miss that. He sat beside her bed for two days.

He whispered to her unconscious body, "Ya know ya really scared me, Beth. I don't think I've ever been more scared in my life. Please wake up for me, beautiful. I need ya to wake up and look at me. I need to know that you're okay and that this isn't a dream."

He sat for a few minutes, but all he got in return was silence. He leaned up and kissed her on her forehead, and then once on the cheek. He didn't notice that Maggie had witnessed the whole thing.

Maggie walked into the room and took a seat beside Daryl. Maggie looked at her sister's stitched face and neck, and then looked at Daryl.

"You really care about her, don't you?" Maggie asked as a fact, rather than an actual question.

Daryl nodded. "Mhmm. I've never cared this much about anyone. I've never been so scared to lose someone either."

Maggie smiled. "You love her," she stated.

Daryl's head shot up to meet Maggie's eyes, but before he could protest, Maggie interrupted him.

"I'm happy for you two, Daryl. I really am. I can see that you love her and that you're serious. Hell, you ran for days after that car when she was taken." Maggie stated.

Daryl nodded, "She deserves better though. I'm not a good man. She's a princess who deserves a prince. I'm no prince." He scoffed.

Maggie placed her hand on his. "You ARE a good man, Daryl. My sister is lucky to have you. The whole group is lucky to have you. You saved her life on more than one occasion. Hell, you've saved all of us. Your past doesn't determine who you are. You are a good man, a survivor, a protector. And now I see, a lover. Love looks good on you," she laughed.

Daryl chuckled a bit himself. "Ya Greene sisters are somethin' else."

Maggie smiled and laughed at his comment. Then she patted his hand and stood, "Let me know when she wakes up."

"I will." Daryl promised. 

A couple of more hours passed by, and Daryl was getting beyond the point of exhaustion. He laid his head down beside her on the bed as he held her hand and closed his eyes.

He dreamed they were still at that funeral home at the kitchen table. When she looked at him with those dazzling eyes so filled with hope and trust, he could hardly breathe. Beth Greene made him feel things he had never felt before. Things he refused to feel. She challenged him, she fought with him, and then held him as he cried. He never had someone in his life like Beth.

She had asked him what had changed his mind, and with just a look she was able to understand. He had meant her. His eyes were fixed on hers, staring at her so intently. He leaned in towards her face, eager to capture her lips. Beth was leaning forward as well, and just about the time their lips met, Daryl felt his hair being moved.

Daryl woke from his dream and rubbed his eyes. Beth was staring straight at him with her big, doe eyes and a killer smile was spread among her face.

"Wake up sleepy head," she whispered.

"Beth!" Daryl exclaimed. 

Beth chucked a bit, but then realized it hurt do so. She held her throat and looked at Daryl.

"What happened?" Beth asked.

"Ya stabbed Dawn in the neck with those scissors, damn girl. I thought I taught ya better than to make dumb ass decisions like that," Daryl stated with a joking matter.

Beth smiled, but still looked confused at the events. She looked at him for answers.

Daryl saw this and sighed, "I was only kidding about the dumb decisions part, Beth. I'm just trying to keep the mood light. But after ya stabbed her, she pulled the trigger on her gun. She nicked ya in the neck. I thought I had lost ya forever. Dr. Edwards saved ya life. Office Shepherd said we could stay here as long as we wanted so ya could heal."

Beth nodded, and then threw her hands to cover her mouth. "What about Dawn? What's going to happen now?" She was scared, and Daryl could tell so he quickly diminished her fears.

"She's dead, sweetheart. I shot her. She's gone." Daryl held her hand.

"You shot her for shooting me?" Beth grinned.

Daryl nodded. "I lost it, Beth. I couldn't control it knowing she had hurt ya. I thought she had killed ya. I just reacted. I couldn't bear the thought of losing ya. I actually prayed for the first time in my life." Daryl was looking down at the floor now, unable to meet her eyes.

"You kinda like me, don't ya?" Beth grinned her million dollar smile.

He blushed and looked up at her. "Somethin' like that, Greene." They both knew what he had meant. Beth knew he cared for her, but she wasn't going to push him any further.

"Lay with me?" Beth asked.

"I wouldn't rather be anywhere else, sweetheart," Daryl replied kissing her forehead.

He laid down beside her, and turned on his side to spoon her. "Maggie will want to know you're awake, princess."

Beth nodded. "Can we just lay here for a little while? I just want to be with you for now. I don't want to have everyone fussing over me."

Daryl smiled, "Mhmm. Get some sleep, sweetheart. I'll be right here to keep ya safe." He kissed her hair, and she held his arms that were wrapped around her.

What Daryl had meant to say was that _HE_ felt safe for the first time in ages. Together they drifted off to sleep feeling content, loved, and at home.

**Just a bit of Bethyl fluff! What do y'all think so far? I LOVE your reviews so please hit the button! ;)**

**-C**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I want to say a special thanks to DarylDixon'sLover, Maykits, Shanweener, and the guests that reviewed my last chapter :) I know Daryl is slightly OOC, but Beth brings out the best out of our favorite archer hunk ;) so he will be more talkative with her. When Beth was shot it was an emotional day for him, so he needed to talk those out, which is something Beth taught him to do. So I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review!**

Beth woke up before Daryl the next morning when the sun was peeking through the blinds of the hospital window. She readjusted her position carefully onto her other side so she could look at him, careful not to wake him. She was still sore all over, it was difficult to move. He looked so peaceful as he slept. So childlike. He wasn't worried about anything. She loved watching him sleep.

"Ya know it's a bit creepy to watch someone sleep," Daryl told her with his eyes still closed.

Beth gasped, "How long have you been awake?" She playfully slapped at his arm.

Daryl chuckled and opened his eyes to meet hers. "Ya were shaking the whole bed trying to change position. Ya can't be sneaky even if yer life depended on it, girl."

Beth smiled at him. "Hey, I can be sneaky. I do remember that I was tracking better than you, Daryl Dixon. Yep, me, Bethany Greene. Tracks better than the famous Daryl Dixon. I also remember telling you that I wouldn't need you at all." She said laughing.

Daryl tucked a hair behind her ear that was in her face, "Ya don't. Ya take care of yourself."

Beth replied just above a whisper, "But I do need you, Daryl."

Before Daryl could respond, he heard the door to the room being opened, and he stood from the hospital bed that he had shared with Beth. He didn't want anyone from the rest of the group to see him act to intimately with her. Daryl was never a fan of PDA.

Maggie steps in with Glenn right behind her, "Bethy! How are you feeling? Thank God you're okay!"

"I'm still a bit sore, but I'm fine. I heard I gave everyone a bit of a scare." Beth replied.

"You sure did. Everyone was so worried." Glenn told her while Maggie leaned down and kissed Beth on the cheek. Beth smiled at him in response.

There was a knock at the door, and in came the rest of the group to see Beth alive and well.

"Hey guys!" Beth exclaimed.

Everyone said their hellos and one by one they came to give her a hug, and tell her how glad they were that she was still with them.

Carl was last to walk up to Beth with Judith in his arms. Judith squealed at the sight of Beth. Beth was equally excited as she scooped the baby up in her arms and placed kisses all over her chubby face.

Judith laughed her baby giggle and touched Beth's face.

Daryl smiled at the interaction between the two. Beth was basically Judith's mother. Beth stepped up without being asked and took on the role of being that child's caretaker. She was the big asskicker, and Judith was the 'lil asskicker. He smiled at the thought.

There was one again a knock at the door. Beth looked up to see Noah peeking his head through the door. When Noah saw that Beth was awake, he smiled widely and opened the door wide enough he could bring a tray of food in for her.

"I thought you might be hungry," Noah told her while setting the tray beside her bed.

"I'm famished. Thank you!" Beth replied showing her gratitude.

Everyone began to say their goodbyes so Beth could eat. Carol stood back while everyone did this staring between Daryl and Beth. She couldn't help but not like the bond that was forming between the two. She eventually walked forward, forced a smile, and took Judith from Beth's arms.

"Daryl, we have to go on a run soon. Ya comin'?" Rick asked.

Daryl felt torn. As one on the council, he needed to go on runs and scavenge supplies. He was still responsible for those things. But on the other hand, he didn't want to let Beth out of his sight. He hadn't been able to protect her last time and the guilt still ate at him. Beth looked into his eyes and knew what he was feeling in an instant. That's one of the things he loved about that girl. No one else was able to read his thoughts or emotions, but little Beth Greene did. She knew with just a look.

"Daryl, I'll be alright for you to go on a run. You don't have to stay. I'm a big girl." Beth laughed, even though she was scared shitless that he was going to leave her.

"I'll stay with her." Noah smiled.

Daryl grunted. He knew that Beth had developed a friendship with the boy, but he didn't feel comfortable with him alone with Beth. He had never felt this emotion before, but he didn't like it. It made him feel angered, threatened. He didn't like it at all. But he also knew that the boy wouldn't hurt her. He swallowed it down and nodded his head.

"So it's settled then. Ain't gon' get yerself hurt while I'm gone are ya?" Daryl asked her. Beth could see the fear in his eyes.

Beth shook her head. "No Daryl, I'll be alright. Just come back. Promise?"

"I'll be back, girl." Daryl grunted and strode past everyone else in the room leaving Beth looking confused.

"We'll be leaving in the next hour. Make sure ya eat and rest up, Beth. I'll make sure Daryl comes back in one piece." Rick laughed and kissed her on the forehead. 

**Please review y'all! I love seeing your thoughts and comments :) **


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Walking Dead, Drama, Romance