Disclaimer: Still not my world or characters – just playing with them.

A/N: Warning – smutty goodness ahead! Enjoy!

Chapter 3

Beth was the first to wake the next morning. She had slept as hard as a rock in the soft bed, Daryl's arms around her most of the night, and was not plagued by nightmares at all. A full belly, a comfortable bed, and a man she was falling in love with – it was almost like the world was normal again.

Daryl was lying on his back, snoring softly. Beth smiled and scooted closer to him. She gently laid her head on his chest and listened to his slow, rhythmic heartbeat through his dirty, blood-stained wife beater.

It was early – she could tell by the orange light coming in through the windows, but she could hear people moving about in the mansion. Beth closed her eyes, hoping to grab a few more winks, when she heard something she had not heard for a very, very long time. It was the distinct sound of water running through pipes - like when someone took a shower in an adjoining room at a hotel. Beth raised her head, her brow furrowed in confusion. Carefully so as not to wake Daryl, she extracted herself from the bed and walked to the adjoining bathroom. She approached the shower and turned the knob all the way to hot. To her surprise, steaming water began pouring out of the spigot. Beth gasped.

"What's goin' on?" Daryl asked groggily, suddenly appearing behind her. He looked at the shower as if he had never seen one before.

"Is that hot water?" He asked obviously just as surprised as Beth. Beth smiled.

"A hot shower! When was the last time you had a hot shower?" She said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. Daryl just shook his head in disbelief.

Daryl chuckled gruffly. As if reading Beth's mind he said, "Go ahead. I'm gonna go down stairs and see who's up. Save me some hot water, huh?"

Beth didn't even wait until Daryl had closed the bathroom door before she peeled off her clothes and stepped into the steaming water.

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Daryl slid on his filthy jeans (he wondered if he might be able to find a change of clothes somewhere in this huge house) and stood in the bedroom for a minute listening to Beth laugh and sing in the bathroom. Daryl had to admit that he was also looking forward to stripping down and taking a real shower for the first time in ages. He'd give Beth some time though. He wasn't gonna rush her through this small luxury she may not have again for a long while.

Daryl exited the bedroom and walked toward the stairs. He heard a couple of voices coming from the kitchen. Maggie, Glenn, Dr. Porter and Tara were there, grabbing assorted food items from the pantries.

"Hey look! Eggs!" Tara said, raising a container of powdered egg product. Maggie laughed and took the container from her. Daryl noticed Maggie's hair was wet and she looked much cleaner than anyone else in that kitchen.

"You the one that discovered the hot water?" Daryl asked. Maggie looked up.

"Mornin.'" She greeted. "Actually it was Dr. P. The owner of this place obviously knew what he was doing. Eugene just needed to light the pilot lights on the water heaters and, wah-lah, hot running water!" Maggie said pulling a huge skillet and mixing bowl out from one of the cupboards.

"Hey Daryl, here…" Glenn said tossing Daryl a bundle of clothes. "Found these and they looked like they would probably fit you."

Daryl held up a pair of black jeans and a plaid flannel shirt. They weren't exactly his style, but they were clean.

"Thanks, man." Daryl said.

Maggie looked up from the bowl where she was mixing the powdered eggs with water. "Beth still sleepin?" She asked, and Daryl thought he heard an accusatory note in her voice. He shook his head.

"Showerin'" Daryl replied.

"And you're not with her?" Tara asked teasingly.

Everyone in the kitchen stopped what they were doing and looked at Tara. No one laughed.

Tara's face flushed scarlet. "Ummm… I thought I'd go look around the rooms for some more clean clothes for everyone." She said quickly, obviously trying to change the subject.

"That's a good idea." Glenn replied. "Eugene and I will help you."

Glenn kissed Maggie on the cheek and Daryl saw her exchange a look with him. Then Dr. P, Tara and Glenn exited the kitchen leaving Maggie and Daryl alone.

Daryl took a seat at the table. He was rattled a little by Tara's offhand jest - because a part of him wished he were in that shower with Beth, doing everything with her but showering. Daryl shook his head a little. He shouldn't be thinking these thoughts – especially not with Beth's big sister right there.

"You need help or anything?" He asked Maggie who had leaned down to light the stove. When she was done, she stood up straight and looked at Daryl.

"What the hell is going on between you and my little sister?" She asked without preamble.

Daryl expected this at some point, but the question still caught him off guard, especially because he didn't know how to answer her. What should he say to Maggie? That he was in love with Beth? That he cared about her more than any other person in the world? Was it right for him to tell Maggie these things before he even said these words to the one he was speaking of?

Daryl met Maggie's stern gaze.

"We… got close when we were on the run together. 'S all." Daryl said evasively.

"Close?" Maggie said. "You've spent the last two nights together."

"Mm hm." Daryl said not liking the direction the conversation was heading.

"Ok look, I gotta ask and I hope you'll be honest with me, Daryl. Are you sleeping with her?" Maggie asked.

Daryl hesitated only a moment. "No." He said, making sure to look Maggie in the eyes when he replied so she knew he was telling the truth. Because he knew when Maggie said "sleep" she wasn't referring to what Daryl and Beth had actually been doing the past two nights – which was literally sleeping together.

Maggie exhaled slowly.

"But, you might… at some point? Right?" Maggie said knowingly, her eyebrows raised. Daryl didn't answer. He wouldn't lie to Maggie.

Maggie closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, they were surprisingly soft.

"Please don't hurt her." Maggie said quietly. "You know how young…how innocent she is and she's been through so much – losing our mom, brother, two boyfriends, then daddy. She deserves happiness – someone she can feel safe with, who'll protect her and not hurt her. Someone who really cares about her. " Maggie said pointedly.

Daryl stood up and walked over so he was directly in front of Maggie.

"I'd never do nothin' to hurt her. And I promise you that I'll do everything I can to keep her safe." Daryl said. He couldn't bring himself to tell Maggie that he was in love with Beth. Beth needed to hear those words from him first.

Maggie gave him a small smile and nodded her head. She turned back to the stove and poured the egg mix onto the now hot skillet. "Would you please bring Beth that pile of clothes on the table there? I found them for her last night."

"Sure…" Daryl said. He picked up the pile of clothes for Beth and the clothes Glenn had found for him and turned toward the stairs.

"Hey Daryl…" Maggie called. Daryl turned around. "If you do hurt her… I will end you." She said simply. She said it calmly, but Daryl could see the sincerity in her eyes. He nodded his head once in understanding.

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Beth had taken a longer shower then she intended, but she couldn't help it. She had forgotten how amazing a hot shower with flowery shampoo and moisturizing soap felt. Beth had scrubbed her skin nearly raw with a loofa she'd found. It had been ages since she felt so clean.

Beth finally turned off the water with a contented sigh and grabbed a towel from the rack. The towel was soft and plush - a light lavender color and monogrammed with a W (she assumed the initial of the mansion's owner). If she closed her eyes and allowed herself, she could easily imagine she was in a luxury hotel.

Beth cracked open the bathroom door and peered into the room. Daryl was no where to be seen, so Beth wrapped the towel around herself and exited the bathroom, a cloud of steam following her. She knew she didn't have any clean clothes, but she was determined not to put back on the grimy clothes she had been wearing the past too many days in a row.

Beth knelt by her bag and began rooting through the contents, looking for some article of clothing that didn't smell like decay, or wasn't stained with walker blood. As she was digging, a silver box caught her eye. She had forgotten about the condoms she had shoved in there the day before.

Beth picked up the box and looked at it. She wondered if she should tell Daryl that she had them – what his reaction would be if he knew. Would he still be reluctant to sleep with her or would he take her right there? Beth smiled a little at the thought, fantasizing about Daryl sweeping her up in his arms al la Gone with the Wind, carrying her up the Mansion's staircase and claiming her in a vast, opulent bedroom. She chuckled to herself. Daryl could be charming in his way, but he was definitely no Rhett Butler.

Beth looked around the room. There were nightstands on either side of the bed. Beth walked over to the one nearest the side she'd slept on last night and placed the condoms in the drawer. She didn't know exactly what was going to happen between her and Daryl, but at least she was prepared.

There was a soft knock at the door.

"Hey, Beth?" Daryl's voice called.

Beth closed the nightstand drawer and wrapped the towel around herself a little more tightly before she walked over to the door and opened it a crack.

"Got some clean clothes for you from Maggie." Daryl said.

"Oh awesome!" Beth exclaimed. She opened the door a little wider and took the clothes from Daryl's outstretched hand. "Thanks!" She said.

"Yeah." He replied. Beth looked up from the clothes and noticed that Daryl was looking at her, his eyes roving her scantily clad body. She blushed.

Daryl hastily averted his eyes and stepped back from the door.

"Did you… did you wanna come in? Take a shower? The water's still hot." Beth said, opening the door a little wider. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She had never been this naked in front of anyone outside her own family.

She watched Daryl shuffle his feet a little.

"Yeah, ok." He said. Beth stepped aside to let Daryl in the room.

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Daryl tried to keep from getting too near Beth when he entered the room and kept his eyes averted. She smelled so good – flowery and sweet - and looked so Goddamn sexy wrapped in a lavender colored towel, her long hair hanging wet and wavy around her shoulders. He dropped the pile of clothes Glenn had given him on a chest at the foot of the bed, walked to the bathroom and hovered in the doorway. He turned around and his eyes met Beth's.

Daryl held her gaze for a long minute, before he allowed his eyes to rove her body once more before meeting hers again. He wanted to tell her… wanted to say those three words that he'd never before uttered to another person. He opened his mouth ever so slightly. Beth took a step toward him.

"What is it?" She asked in a quiet, curious voice.

Daryl took a deep breath. "You're beautiful 's all." He said. Then he turned and entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

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Beth let out her breath. She hadn't even realized she was holding it. Daryl looked at her the same way he had that last night at the funeral parlor – same intense, longing gaze that said more to her than any words could. He cared about her. And, he wanted her. She knew that by the way he looked at her when he told her she was beautiful just then, and the way he held her in his arms every night as they fell asleep, the way he grew hard under her when he pulled her into his lap that morning in the tent. Beth's breath caught in her throat when she thought about that and a deep yearning filled her. There had been many reasons why that morning in the tent wasn't right. But those reasons were gone now. They were in a safe place - clean and comfortable. They had protection (though Daryl didn't know it yet). And, they had privacy.

Beth swallowed her nerves. She knew what she wanted and knew that there was unlikely to be any better time then the present. She walked over to the nightstand, extracted a wrapped condom from the box, and set it on top of the nightstand. Then, she sat down on the bed, still wrapped in only the plush towel, and waited.

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Daryl turned the shower as hot as he could take. Hot showers were few and far between for him even before the turn so he was not going to take this for granted. He scrubbed his hair and skin with a bar of soap and watched the brown water from his skin run down the drain.

While he showered, Daryl thought about Beth – about his growing feelings for her and how foreign they were. He'd been attracted to women before, sure, but never at Beth's level. His attraction to her wasn't just physical. She was beautiful to him in body and spirit and soul.

So what was stopping him – stopping him from telling her how he felt about her, about expressing it physically? Was it because it was all just so foreign to him? He didn't know how to be that romantic, prince-charming type. Hell, he didn't really want to be. But, maybe that wasn't what Beth wanted anyway. She seemed to be attracted to him too and he had been a complete dick to her on more than one occasion. But she had seen past that part of him and accepted him for who he was.

Daryl turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed the other towel off the rack and wrapped it around his waist. He felt conflicted and unsatisfied. He was nursing a partial erection and cursed at himself for not taking care of it in the shower. But, he knew Beth was probably changing in the adjoining room and felt skeevy doing that while she was so nearby. He ground his teeth in frustration, shook his head, and opened the bathroom door.

Beth was there, sitting on the edge of the bed facing the bathroom, the towel still wrapped around her.

"Beth?" Daryl said questioningly.

Beth stood up, took a step toward Daryl...and let her towel drop to the floor.

Daryl's breath caught in his throat as his eyes drank in her beautiful nude body thirstily. She was quite possibly the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Her body was thin, her skin pale and unblemished like porcelain. Daryl could feel his erection at full attention now. He swallowed hard.

Beth took another step toward him so she was directly in front of him, only inches away. He could practically feel the heat radiating from her body. She placed a soft, trembling hand on his chest and pressed her soft lips to his.

Daryl felt his resolve crumble. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. His lips crushed against hers and his tongue parted her lips. He moaned into her mouth as her hands dropped to the towel and pulled it from his waist. She was pressed full against him now, her flesh melding with his. He could feel her trembling, whether from nerves or anticipation he didn't know. He pulled her lips from his and looked her in the eyes. She smiled a sure, confident smile, so he wrapped his arms around her tighter, picked her off her feet and backed her over to the bed.

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Beth was quivering from head to toe, her body aflame with desire and nerves as Daryl laid her gently on the bed. She didn't know what to do, but she knew Daryl would, so she allowed herself to be putty in his strong hands.

Daryl's lips broke from hers and dropped to her throat. She felt his tongue stroke the divot at the base of her neck and she moaned softly and whispered Daryl's name. His lips were drifting lower now – to her breasts where he kissed and licked and teased. Beth arched her back in ecstasy, panting as Daryl continued to kiss lower and lower on her body…

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Daryl explored Beth's body with his lips and hands and tongue. He wanted to feel all of her - know all of her. His lips continued south to her soft mound. He felt Beth's hands thread in his hair, and he dropped his tongue to the warm wet place between her thighs. Beth gasped and Daryl glanced up at her, a smile in his eyes. She was writhing with pleasure as he drank her in, licking gently at the bead of her womanhood. She moaned his name over and over as he pleasured her and his own arousal grew. His manhood throbbed between his legs, begging for relief.

Daryl kissed his way back up Beth's torso to her lips, which she licked seductively. He wanted her, needed her like a thirsty man needs water. He couldn't bring himself to care that they didn't have protection and there might be consequences. Then, Beth reached over and grabbed something off the nightstand. A blush on her cheeks, she handed Daryl the small square packet.

His eyes widened a little in surprise, but he didn't hesitate. He ripped open the wrapper and sheathed his member. Beth looked away modestly and Daryl wondered if she'd ever even seen a man's naked body up close before.

Suddenly, the full weight of what was about to happen struck him. He wanted Beth - more than anything - but he knew she was a virgin and that scared him a little. She was innocent, probably even more innocent that he knew, and he wondered if this was right.

Daryl turned back to Beth and noticed she was still trembling slightly. He leaned over and kissed her lips. She kissed him back eagerly, threading her fingers in his still wet hair again and pulling him down atop her. If she had any reservations or doubts, she certainly wasn't showing it.

Daryl lay atop her, his manhood at her wet opening begging – aching – for entrance. He pulled his lips from hers and looked in her eyes.

"You sure?" He asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

She smiled and nodded, and her eyes were sincere. Daryl nodded too, pressed his lips to hers, and slowly guided himself into her.

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Beth gasped as the pain of losing her flower ripped through her. Daryl looked at her, his eyes filled with concern.

"You ok?" He asked. Beth let out a breath and nodded. She was ok. This was exactly what she wanted. The pain just caught her off guard. She smiled softly at Daryl and stroked his cheek.

"I'm ok." She whispered and she hooked her legs around Daryl's so he'd know she was being honest and she wanted to continue.

Daryl began moving in her then, slowly, his eyes locked on hers. At first, there was pain, and she wondered if she were doing something wrong. She knew the first time was supposed to be a little painful, but was it supposed to feel so awkward? She tried to relax and breath and let Daryl show her what to do. And, soon, the pain started to give way to pleasure as her body adjusted to Daryl's girth and motion. She found that the more she relaxed and gave herself over to the moment, the better it felt. Soon, she was biting her lip, her eyes squeezed shut in bliss as Daryl increased his pace, moaning against her mouth and neck. Daryl's hand grabbed Beth's leg behind the knee and he hitched it on his hip, deepening into her. Beth could feel a heat building in her – a foreign, intense, indescribable heat that was screaming to break free. Her body began to shudder and she dug her nails into Daryl's back as the heat grew and grew until finally, with a cry of ecstasy, it exploded from her and her body quaked under the force of her first orgasm.

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Daryl held Beth tightly as her body quivered and tightened around him. Bringing her to climax pushed him to the edge. As Beth panted and shuddered under him, he let go, and as he did, those three words he had been so scared to say passed from his lips of their own accord in a deep, guttural moan.

Spent, he collapsed atop her, his head resting against her breast. Her arms and legs were still wrapped around him. He knew what he had said, and had no regrets. But he did not know how Beth was going to react or if she had even heard.

Daryl lifted his head and his eyes met Beth's. They were wide and filled with tears.

"Did you mean that?" She asked, her voice quiet and unsure.

Daryl looked at her, locked his eyes on hers so she could see the truth in them. He nodded.

Beth closed her eyes and tears spilled from them and ran down her temples into her hair.

" Hey…" He said quietly, his brow furrowed in concern. His heart was beating fast in his chest now. Had he crossed the line somehow in telling her he loved her? Was it too much too fast?

"Beth?" He asked quietly.

Beth opened her watery eyes and smiled.

"Oh, Daryl!" She cried and she pulled his face to hers, kissing his lips, cheeks, eyes, forehead. He smiled, relief washing over him.

Daryl gently pulled out of Beth's wet warmth and quickly removed the condom, tossing it into a small bin next to one of the nightstands. He laid on his back and Beth scooted next to him, resting her head on his chest, her arm and leg draped across his body. He held her close, ran his hand up and down her spine while she traced the tattoos on his chest with her delicate fingers. After a spell of quiet, he heard her chuckle.

"What?" He asked smiling.

She looked at him. "If I'd've known what I was missing, I would have done that a long time ago." Beth teased. Daryl scoffed humorously. She laughed again and kissed his chest.

They lay together for a while longer before the sounds of voices below pulled them apart.

"We're gonna have to go downstairs before we're missed and have a bunch of questions to answer." Daryl said. Beth sighed.

"I know." She said gloomily. She sat up and reached for the clothes Maggie had brought her which she had placed on the nightstand. She was sore, but in a good, satisfied sort of way. A small smile played on her lips while she pulled on a clean pair of underwear and some blue jeans that were just a little too big. Daryl was lying in bed watching her dress, but she didn't feel self conscious – not anymore. He loved her. He said it. Maybe it was in a moment of passion, but that didn't make it untrue.

Daryl sat up and grabbed the clean jeans he'd dropped on the chest at the end of the bed. He slid them on and stood up. When the light caught Daryl's skin, Beth gasped. Deep, angry scars crisscrossed his back.

Daryl turned around when he heard the gasp and Beth was too late in turning her eyes away. Daryl glanced over his shoulder, realizing what Beth was reacting to and his eyes turned dark.

"He was a mean son of a bitch." Daryl said darkly.

"What… what was it?" Beth stuttered.

Daryl picked up the flannel shirt Glenn had given him and began tearing off the sleeves with a little more force than necessary.

"Belt. Business end usually. Sometimes the dumbass would even heat it up on the stove first, just to be more of an asshole." Daryl said bitterly.

"I'm so sorry." Beth said quietly, her heart twisting in her chest. How could any person be so cruel to a child - to Daryl?

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Daryl shrugged on the now shirtless flannel. He felt pissed, the way he always did when he thought about his old man. But, when he turned at looked at Beth, her eyes were filled with so much hurt for him, he felt his anger disappear.

"It's ok. I'm good. Scars ain't nothing but scars." Daryl said dismissively. Beth nodded, but Daryl could tell she wasn't totally convinced. He leaned over and kissed her briskly.

"C'mon." He said, holding his hand out. "Let's go get some breakfast.

Beth took Daryl's hand and, together, they walked out of the bedroom.