Note: Yay! An update, after like 500 years... Well, I hope some of you are still interested in reading this story! I lost my muse for a while after the Summer since I had really been away from writing due to work. Either way, I really hope you guys will enjoy this and hopefully, I'll be able to write the final couple of chapters a bit faster since they won't be all too long! This story will have 14 chapters in total and then an epilogue.

Thank you so much for the support so far! Enjoy! ;)

A Sharp Intake Of Breath (And A Memory Forgotten)

Chapter 10

"Fuck, Beth," Daryl groaned, covering his eyes with his arm, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. "You're drivin' me fuckin' crazy, woman."

"Mhm…" Beth hummed, sucking gently on the head of his cock, tongue darting out to collect the drop of pre-cum which had gathered on his tip.

Daryl swore again as she bobbed her head down, taking him fully into her mouth and his other hand found purchase in her hair. He didn't like pulling on her or pushing her down on his dick, but he knew that she loved it when he followed her movements. It made her feel like he was guiding her, which was something that he was completely fine with.

"If ya don't stop, I'm gonna come," he said, his voice a hoarse whisper.

Beth licked the underside of him again, trailing kisses there and soon he could feel her lips stretching around his dick into a smile again. She pulled back for only a moment, "Then come," before once again taking him deep into her mouth. He felt her throat relax and he stared at her as she buried her nose in the dark hair at the base of him.

Daryl swallowed, closing his eyes again, allowing himself to feel the sensation of Beth's hot mouth wrapped around him. As she picked up her speed, sucking hard and letting her own saliva make the short strokes she was making with her hand glide more effortlessly, Daryl's breath hitched. The heat pulsated through him and he forced himself to open his eyes and stare into Beth's baby blues as she pulled back slightly, only keeping the tip of him inside her mouth as she pumped him hard. He exploded in her mouth, grunting as his hips jerked up and his cock twitched inside of her heat. She kept pumping and the pleasurable pain almost became too much for him but he kept his half-closed eyes on her face as she swallowed every drop he was giving her. Finally, when the spasming slowed and all he could feel was the pleasing flutters low in his belly and his muscles relaxing, Beth pulled away, swallowing once more. A drop of cum rolled down her chin and she reached up, wiping at it with her finger before inserting it in her mouth. She hummed and Daryl breathed hard, letting go of her hair to settle his hand on her shoulder, tugging her upwards.

"Give me a second," he said, catching his breath, "then you'll get yours."

Beth grinned at him and lowered her lips to his, kissing him softly. He could taste himself on her lips but he was used to it by now. She was hovering over him, holding herself up with one of her hands on the bed and the other on the headboard. As they kissed, his hands explored her body which he knew like the back of his own hand. His fingers moved over her scars and her ribs, down to her waist and finally down to her ass, squeezing gently. Beth giggled against his lips and he couldn't help but smirk at her.

"Get up there, girl," he said, moving to lower himself down slightly on the bed. Beth bit her lip, blue irises turning a shade darker, her pupils blown wide. He knew that she loved it when they did this.

Keeping both her hands on the headboard, Beth dragged herself over his body, making sure that her wet cunt dragged over his skin. He could feel the wetness that she left behind and he could feel the anticipation building up inside of him. Beth wasn't the only one who enjoyed this particular activity. She settled over, him hovering just above his face and she looked down at him, meeting his hot gaze. He grinned again before bringing his hands back to her ass, holding on tight as he pulled her closer.

A strangled moan escaped Beth's lips as he lapped at her; finding and circling her clit with his tongue. He pushed and pulled, making her move with him, giving her no other choice than to grind down against his mouth. Thrusting his tongue in and out of her, he made her gasp; he could imagine her white knuckles as she held onto the headboard too tightly.

"Oh, Daryl," she moaned. "Fuck…"

He kept one of his hands on her ass but moved his other, sliding a thick finger between her wet folds. Pumping in and out of her to the rhythm she had set, he knew that it would be enough for her. It had been way too long since they had just been able to enjoy one another without being rushed or them being high on their emotions. This was all about the two of them pleasuring one another because they finally had a chance to do so.

Daryl couldn't help but think about how Beth had woken him up merely an hour ago. It was still dark outside and from the clock on the wall, he could tell that it was way too early for anyone to be stepping out of their houses. What had started as a conversation about a silly dream that had woken her hand ended with Beth's fingers drawing patterns over his stomach before traveling lower. Somehow, they had ended up kissing and then their clothes had started coming off and when Beth's mouth ended up on his dick, Daryl had been done with thinking.

He changed the angle of his finger slightly, pulling it out completely before pushing two in and Beth cried out. His tongue flattened out over her and he pressed, making her grind against him again and again as the wave of hotness rolled through her body. He knew that she'd have red marks all over her thighs from his beard but he knew that a part of her loved the itch because it reminded her of where his mouth had been.

Beth looked down at him, her breath coming out hard as she moved up and away from him. He chased after her by lifting his head and gave her one last lick before grinning at her. She leaned her sweaty forehead against her arm and he pulled his fingers out of her a bit before pushing in gently again. He loved feeling her pulsing around his digits. Finally, he removed them completely, reaching up to wipe at his chin that was soaked with her and Beth settled on his chest, leg on either side of him. He cleaned his fingers off by sucking them into his mouth and the look she gave him made it obvious that she'd be willing to go another round. They needed sleep though because they had agreed that they would be going out early in the morning.

He stroked her back as she moved down his body to settle her head on his chest, kissing the small tattoo that he had gotten just for her. Tangling his fingers in her hair he fused their lips together, allowing her to taste herself against him and letting their juices mix.

"Love ya," he mumbled against her lips.

"Love you," Beth responded, nuzzling his cheek.

"Sleep," he said, closing his eyes as he felt her settle against him again.

And so they did.

-§-

They had decided to play along, getting dressed in what could only be considered 'proper' and 'clean' clothing as they were guided around the Safe Zone. They had to interact with people in order to figure out whether the place really was as safe as Deanna had made it out to be, but Daryl hated the shirt that Beth had thrown at him once they gotten out of bed. Aaron and Eric had invited them over for breakfast at their place and reluctantly, Daryl had agreed to it because after all, that was what they had to do. After spending an hour and a half with the two men, Daryl found that they weren't actually that bad to be around. In fact, he enjoyed their company way more than he liked anyone else's in the Zone, but they had to get on with things.

Aaron had plenty of questions for Daryl regarding motorcycles after he had learned that Daryl had always had a thing for them. He showed him a bike that he had found on a run along with a bunch of tools and spare parts, asking whether Daryl could help him repair it. Daryl wasn't really sure how long he would be staying in the Zone with Beth, but if they decided to come back there with the rest of their family, he agreed to help him.

Eric shared how some of the people who had seen him and Beth come into the Safe Zone had been intimidated by them when they had first come in. It was the first time they had taken in new people in a good while and Daryl frowned as he listened to the man sharing stories about past failures and threats. From what he could tell, there were definitely some things he needed to check up on before he and Beth agreed to bring their people here.

-§-

The woman Daryl had mentioned the day before, Jessie, came knocking at Aaron and Eric's house while they were still there. She offered to show Beth around, telling her that she could use a friend. Beth wasn't sure at first but remembered how she had told Daryl that he needed to suck it up and try with these people, so she knew that she had to do the same.

Beth took Daryl's hand before leaving and squeezed it tight, silently telling him that she would be fine. She knew that if they had been alone, he would most likely have pulled her in for a kiss. They didn't know these people though and she understood that Daryl didn't want to show too much of his vulnerable side in front of them.

Jessie walked through the street, introducing Beth to some people there. The other blonde went on to tell her about their numbers and routines, something which Beth mentally took a note of.

"Do you have a family?" Beth asked Jessie, making the woman pause.

"I have two sons," Jessie replied. "Ron and Sam."

"No partner…?" Beth wondered, trailing off when a look flashed across Jessie's face.

"I guess you could say that I'm pretty much divorced," she said. "Pete is one of our doctors. I moved out with our boys because… Well, let's just say that he can't really handle what the world has become."

Jessie brushed her hair back from her face, eyes downcast. Beth remembered seeing that look before. It had been on Carol's face a few times whenever she remembered something from her past.

"He was violent," Beth stated, her voice carefully neutral. Jessie looked up at her with wide eyes, mouth falling open and confusion settling on her face. She started to say something but closed her mouth, only nodding instead. "They still let him stay here?" Beth questioned, anger evident in her tone as she frowned.

"They couldn't throw him out because at the time he was our only surgeon," Jessie explained. "He had a drinking problem, but these past few months he's been clean. It was one of the conditions he had to agree to when Deanna and Reginald found out that he was beating me and my boys."

Beth gritted her teeth, trying to swallow down the rage inside of her. "Where does he live now?" she asked.

"He still lives in our old house. He's not allowed to speak to me unless I speak to him first," Jessie said. "He gets to see the kids once a week but otherwise he's not allowed to approach them."

"He agreed to all of that too?" Beth frowned. From what she knew, problematic people were hardly reasonable in most cases.

"It's been months since we moved to the other side of Alexandria," Jessie said. "He's gotten better, but he's still an ass and I certainly won't be getting back together with him, no matter how much he changes. He knows that, which is why he wants to try and have a relationship with his sons."

Beth wanted to ask whether he deserved that, but she didn't. She had her opinions, although, it seemed like Jessie had come to terms with what had happened between her and her husband. The separation seemed to be working for them and from what she understood, Deanna and her husband regularly checked in on the surgeon.

"How is your guard schedule?" Beth wondered instead, clearing her throat.

"You mean at the gate?" Jessie questioned, seeming grateful for the change of conversation.

"No, I mean around the wall," Beth said.

"Hm… Some of us do perimeter checks once every few days," Jessie told her. "We check so that there aren't any faults in the wall that could bring it down."

Beth found herself frowning again. "So you're telling me that you don't have an actual guard schedule for people to be on lookout for threats?"

"Eh, no," Jessie said sheepishly. "I know it's been mentioned a couple of times that it'd be good to have, but most of us don't know how to use a gun. We've been protected by the wall since the very beginning."

Once more, Beth silently took note. There were definitely faults in their safety-protocol, but she was sure that if she talked to Deanna, the woman would understand. After all, her goal with bringing them into the Zone was to make the place safer.

-§-

"Man, this is boring," Aiden complained. "Not a single dead one has passed through here these last couple of days. The bullets are going to glue together in my gun if I don't get to use them soon."

Daryl listened to the younger man as he spoke to his brother. Aaron had told him more about Aiden and Spencer as they had walked through the Zone. According to him, Aiden was the bigger asshole, but the two of them weren't exactly horrible people at heart. Spencer was a good enough guy, although there had been some scandals throughout the Zone when it came to the women he had slept with over the years. Daryl had gathered enough information about the young man to know that he was a bit of a womanizer.

"At least you're still allowed to be on guard duty," Spencer told Aiden. "Mom was pretty pissed at you when you gave Denise some attitude while she was treating your leg after your last run."

Aiden snorted, "I didn't want her practising on me. Pete could have cleaned and bandaged me up in five minutes. She was taking too long."

"She's learning, Aiden," Spencer shook his head. "We need to have more than one doctor and Pete might be an ass for not wanting to teach her at first, but mom and dad made sure that he knew he had to if he wanted to stay after the stunt he pulled with his wife."

"She can learn when I'm not the one being treated," Aiden insisted.

"That's exactly the words that got you grounded for a week," Aaron interjected as he and Daryl approached the brothers who were standing by the gate.

Aiden rolled his eyes, "Whatever man. Mom knows that I'm the best guard inside these walls. That's why she had me stay when Heath and his team went out."

"Is that what she told you to make you feel better?" Spencer laughed at his brother. "We know that I'm the better guard between the two of us."

Daryl watched as the brothers began bickering. He looked at Aaron who shook his head and rolled his eyes at their childish behavior.

"So which one outta you keep watch in the tower?" Daryl asked, tired of listening to them bicker.

The brothers paused, looking at one another and then turning to Daryl. "Neither of us does," Aiden admitted, looking kind of sheepish now.

Daryl narrowed his eyes at them. "Seems kinda stupid, don't it? That ya'll are s'posedly the best an' yet none of ya get the most important position of security," he said.

Spencer cleared his throat, "Actually, no one keeps guard there… We've thought about putting up a nightwatch, but we don't have enough volunteers. Instead, we just rotate guard here at the gate and have people walk the wall sometimes."

"That ain't good enough," Daryl shook his head, but before he could continue, he spotted Beth approaching them together with Jessie. The two of them stopped a little further off, said something to one another and then Jessie stepped forward, hugging Beth. He watched as Beth hesitantly patted the other woman's back and then offered her a smile as she walked off in the other direction. Beth turned back toward them and started walking to them.

"Hey," Beth said, coming to stand next to him. He could tell by the look on her face that she too had found flaws in the Zone.

"Hi," Daryl responded, fighting the urge to lean into her.

"You ready to head back to the house?" Beth asked, looking at him. "I wanna stop by Deanna's for a bit first. Need to ask her a few things."

"Mhm… Just 'bout ready," Daryl nodded. He couldn't wait to get away from Aiden and Spencer. There were things that he and Beth needed to talk about in private regarding what they were going to do. Should they really bring the rest of their family here? Was it really as simple as training some people and fixing the lack of security? He wasn't sure, but he knew that he needed to hear Beth's opinion on it all. Food was running scarce back on the farm and he knew they didn't have much of a choice. Should they give up the search for a better place for now and then start looking again after Maggie has had her baby? Or should they just come here and try to deal with things and make them better?

Daryl looked at the brothers again and he couldn't help but notice how Spencer's eyes moved over Beth. She was still looking at him though, so she didn't seem to notice. Yet, it annoyed Daryl and he reached down to take Beth's hand, trying to get the younger man to see that she was taken. Spencer didn't seem to notice though, so Daryl looked over at Aaron instead. The man had an annoyed look on his face as well and Daryl knew that he could see exactly what Daryl was seeing.

"You comin' with us?" Daryl asked Aaron, offering the man a way to get away from Aiden and Spencer.

"Yeah," Aaron nodded, looking grateful. "I should talk to Deanna too about some of the things you pointed out. If you guys decide to stay here then we might as well get started on securing this place."

Daryl curtly nodded at him and he didn't say anything to the two brothers as he put his arm around Beth's shoulder and started leading her away. Beth turned into him and he could feel her smiling against his shirt as she reached for his side and pinched him there. He couldn't help but smile a bit, looking down at her and she laughed lightly before shaking her head at him. Still, the gnawing feeling inside his stomach didn't completely fade, no matter how much he tried to push his doubt away.

-§-

Beth listened as Aaron told Deanna some of the problems that Daryl had pointed out with the Safe Zone. It seemed that both of them had noticed the lack of security and Beth was happy that Daryl actually took his time to explain how things could be done better. She recognized some of the strategies from back on the farm and others he shared were really just logical. However, Beth knew that it wasn't exactly surprising that Deanna herself hadn't thought of the improvements since she had never been outside of the walls. She hadn't been forced to live with the walkers the way that Beth, Daryl and their family had, but that was why she wanted them to join their community, wasn't it? At least that had been what she had told them, so Beth hoped that she wasn't taking their suggestions the wrong way.

"Your view on things are different," Deanna said with just a hint of a smile. "I have to say, I've never had the pleasure of meeting people as extraordinary as you two. Perhaps it's because you were out there for so long… You've survived things, I can tell."

"We've managed," Beth said, but she knew that they had done so much more. She might not be able to remember every little piece of the things they had gone through, but she knew that just since digging herself out of her grave, she had faced a lot of dangers and made it through them.

The short, impromptu meeting wrapped up but before she could follow Daryl and Aaron out the door, Deanna stopped her.

"I have to say, Ms. Greene, that you and Mr. Dixon sure are an odd couple," she said.

Beth wondered briefly whether she should take it as an insult, but she could see it in the woman's eyes that she hadn't meant any harm with her statement. "I'm sure those are the only ones left in the world," Beth said, looking toward Daryl and Aaron who were waiting on her by the front door. She could see that they were discussing something on their own, so she figured staying behind a few more minutes to talk to Deanna wouldn't hurt.

"Daryl and I were alone for a while and then we were separated," she told the older woman. "I was taken by some bad people and… When Daryl found me again, I was shot." Beth lifted her head, showing Deanna the circular scar beneath her chin. The woman's eyes widened and she gasped, clearly never having seen such a thing before. Beth couldn't blame here; it was difficult to believe that someone had been shot in the head and then somehow miraculously survived. Yet, here she was, living proof that it could happen.

"I, eh… I forgot about him," Beth said, brushing her hair back. "He thought I was dead and I lost my memories. I didn't know who I was or anythin'."

"But he found you again," Deanna said. "You were reunited."

"Yeah," Beth nodded, smiling a little as she remembered how difficult it had been in the beginning. From the way that he had avoided her to the way that she had felt drawn to him without any explanation. "He and the rest of my family stumbled upon the place I was staying with my friend Morgan. It took a while before I realized what he meant to me, but we're here now. I understand that it might be a strange sight to some."

"I'm sure some of our older residents might have an opinion or two, but that doesn't matter," Deanna said. "I can see that you two care deeply about one another and nothing will stand in the way of you two here. In fact, I don't know whether you've talked about it yet, but staying here could mean having a future which might be impossible outside of these walls."

For a moment Beth thought about what the future that Deanna was talking about meant. She imagined herself and Daryl in their little house, waiting on their kids to get home from school so that they could take them hunting together. It made her throat feel thick and her heart race.

"Thank you for being so understanding," Beth said, looking at Deanna who once again smiled at her.

"Trust me, Beth," she said, "understanding is the least I can be when I see good people trying to find a place for their family."

-§-

Daryl removed his shirt as Beth pulled back the covers on the bed, stretching and yawning before laying down. He looked at her through the mirror, throwing the shirt over a chair before sitting on the bed and removing his boots. She looked tired, exhausted even, and a part of him worried that she still hadn't recovered enough from the illness she had caught while they had been on the road.

"How ya feelin'?" he asked, taking off his socks, rolling them together and placing them next to his boots. He stood up again and unbuckled his belt, turning to look at Beth as he pulled off his pants, putting them on the same chair where he had thrown his shirt earlier.

"I'm good," Beth said, but her voice was a little hoarse. "I just can't help but think about these people," she admitted. Daryl left his wife-beater on and his boxers, lifting the covers so that he could lay down next to her. Beth rolled onto her side so that she could face him, her head resting on the pillow as she snuggled up into his chest.

"What 'bout them?" Daryl wondered.

"They're all just sheep, waiting to be slaughtered," she said quietly. He agreed, of course. Some of the things that he had seen today with their lack of security made them easier targets. It shouldn't be that way because they had a good place that they could protect, but unfortunately, no one had the experience to do so. "I just can't help but feel like I wanna save them," Beth continued, making him look at her. He frowned, not really sure if it was worth risking their life for strangers who might not do the same for them.

"Why?" he asked her, figuring it was better to be straightforward.

"There are so few humans left, Daryl," Beth said. "So few of us are still alive and we need more people. Our survival depends on it."

"What do ya wanna do then?" he wondered.

"We've already talked to Deanna about possible improvements… She's been open to our suggestions so far," Beth said. "If we get a better security net and enforce the walls even more, this place could actually make it."

"Ya wanna stay?" Daryl questioned and Beth frowned at him.

"You don't?" she wondered. "If you didn't already care, you wouldn't have wasted time talking to Deanna today and giving her suggestions, Daryl."

"Yeah, but that don't mean I'm ready to bring out family here, Beth," Daryl countered.

"So we stay just a bit longer," Beth told him. "A week or two at most. Then we make a decision, together."

"It's already been a month since we left the farm," Daryl reminded her. "Maggie will be gettin' ready to pop pretty soon. How are we gonna bring her here if she can't travel?"

Beth sighed, "I don't know…" He could see the disappointment in her eyes, and he wanted to make her feel better. They couldn't stay here for two more weeks because they needed to make sure that Maggie wasn't going to give birth on the road. That could be the end of both her and her baby.

"We stay for one week," Daryl conceded. "Then we head back to our family. If we think this place is gonna hold up an' decide to bring 'em back here, we'll take Aaron with us."

Beth's sad face instantly lifted into a smile and she cupped his cheeks as she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his. Daryl kissed her back softly, sighing against her as Beth pulled back and moved so that she could turn around. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her body back against his own, her back resting against his chest.

He drew a deep breath and closed his eyes, his thumb brushing over Beth's knuckles as his own tiredness finally set in.

Note: Remember, reviews are golden! Thank you so much for reading and supporting me!

I'm actually starting a novel now in November for NaNoWriMo. Really excited about it, but I am a bit nervous too. I'll be doing it for fun, but hopefully, I'll manage to complete it before the deadline! A lot of things to balance with school too but somehow I'll make it, I'm sure! ;)

Once again, thank you so much for reading and don't forget to leave a comment and share your thoughts! xx