A/N; This is an add on to the fic of Daryl's internalizations Abandoning Hope which I put up after the last episode. I wanted to do a reunion fic and even though there are already reunion fics, I think I put a different spin on it. I'm feeling very confident about Beth's fate now but again, anything can happen in The Walking Dead. This is packed full of predictions but I haven't been good at prediction TWD so make of it what you will.

Summary: "When you were taken my whole damn world was gone." And now his world was back again. Shameless Bethyl.

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Not the Same

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Daryl turned and almost choked on the single word that found it's way to his tongue.

"Beth."

He couldn't believe it. He thought he'd never see her again and now here she was in front of him - flesh and blood. He embraced her, but wasn't sure which of them made the move first. All he knew that she was in his arms and he was breathing her in like he was in some unreal dream that was going to end at any moment. Reality hadn't set in yet. He'd long counted her dead, that her prediction had come true and he was indeed one of the last ones standing. The last good ones anyway, but damned if that was true anymore.

And then all of a sudden while he was drinking in her scent and all of her that he'd been lost without for so long, it all came back to him. The things he'd done. The person he'd become. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve her.

Daryl let go of her suddenly, almost as if she'd caught fire. She looked back at him, questions brimming in those bright eyes.

"I've done things," he explained averting her gaze, as if that answered everything. His shame, his fears... he didn't want her to see them. She'd seen too much of him already. It all made him uncomfortable.

Beth bit her bottom lip. "I've done things too Daryl. I had to. To survive."

She didn't get it. He couldn't expect her too. He didn't mean maiming some bad guy that tried to hurt her. He meant standing back like a piece of horse s*** while his companions tortured Rick. There was no coming back from that. He'd turned on his longest held friend... and for what? To save his own damn hide.

There was nothing Daryl could say, he shrugged and kept his eyes away from meeting hers and started to move away. He felt sick.

Even without looking her way he could tell she was on the brink of crying. When she spoke her voice cracked with tear-filled emotion.

"I cried for you, you asshole. Is that what you want to hear?"

That caught his attention. Daryl couldn't avoid her any longer, he lifted his eyes to hers while she threw her hands down angrily, desperately, tears falling.

"I know you made a big deal of me not crying... for the others, but I cried for you."

He could see the raw emotion on her face. He'd almost thought he was the only one to care as much as he did. And damnit, all he wanted to do was wipe the past and go back. He couldn't go back. But he did take the few steps forward and stood right in front of her.

"When you were taken my whole damn world was gone." His voice was hoarse, his throat hurt more than he first realized, or maybe that was just him choking up like a damn woman too.

Beth brought a hand up to his face, to cup his cheek, and this time Daryl didn't look away.

"Well I'm back," she told him. "And I'm never going anywhere again."

"It can't be the same."

"You don't know that." She was pleading with him now.

"I do know that, Beth. You have no idea what-" he paused, trying to get a grip on what to say next.

"You did what you had to do," she told him firmly and when he opened his mouth to protest she said it again. "You did what you needed to do so I would see you again."

He nodded now and he hated it but there were tears threatening to fall. Beth stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to the side of his cheek. She grabbed his hand and stood back and for the first time Daryl noticed the man standing directly behind her.

"Daryl, this is Gareth."

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A cliffhanger. I'm looking forward to Gareth entering the scene and hoping he's based on Gabriel Stokes from the comics. But they need to majorly cull the cast if Gareth is to be a season regular next season.