A/N: Hi all, I won't bore you with excuses as to why I took forever (as usual) to get this up. Thank you so much for your continued support, I love you all. Things are starting to pick up for our lovely couple, enjoy!

I do not own TWD, of course.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Chapter 10: Woods

It didn't feel right, Daryl thought. It was all too simple, too easy, too safe. After all of their stressing and preparing, after all of the threats and evil deeds, the Governor had just up and run away. Abandoning his town, his people, his plans… That was it. Gone in a blink of an eye. Nothing more than a bad memory.

He's gone. He's not coming back. He can't hurt us anymore… Daryl could almost hear the half convinced mantras of the group echoing through the prison walls. Sometimes, he wanted to believe them. Mostly, he just thought it was bull shit. Too simple. Too Easy. Too safe. Which was why tonight, instead of celebrating with the others, he stood at the tower and watched.

In the distance, he could hear the muffled groans and snarls of the walkers trailing the fences. Probably around tow dozen or so, he considered. Nothing that they couldn't handle in the morning. That being said, Daryl's eyes never left the dark shadows at the edge of the woods.

It didn't matter that their tiny, mismatched family had expanded nearly tenfold in the past few weeks. Or that Glenn and Maggie had picked tonight to "make things official". The world didn't give a shit about that.

The Governor wouldn't either.

It didn't matter that they'd won the battle; war never ended that simply. For all they knew, the monster could be in those woods right then. Watching, waiting for the perfect moment strike. And maybe this time, he'd win.

"Daryl?" A soft voice called. "Daryl, are you up here?"

For a second, Daryl half considered keeping quiet. Time alone was scarce enough as it was now. Especially with everyone living on top of each other. The newcomers had made it practically obsolete. Having already been introverted and awkward before the turn, he craved time alone more than he did with smokes. And that's why he retreated up to the tower every night; to be alone.

Well, it was one reason anyway.

All the same, he remembered something he'd heard Hershel say at one time or another; we've all got jobs to do. Now with him being the de facto leader of a mismatched group after Rick had stepped down, he couldn't hide away like he used to. No matter how strong the urge was.

"Yeah?" He called out. When he turned, he wasn't the least bit surprised to find Beth standing in the doorway, holding what looked like a bowl of oatmeal.

It was strange, over the past few weeks, something had shifted between him and the youngest Greene. He wouldn't go as far as to call them friends, exactly. More like an unspoken camaraderie. They didn't talk all that much or share every meal together or anything like that. It was rather simple actually. He looked after her and she looked out for him. Nothing else to it.

"Figured, I might find you up here." She said as she walked up beside him.

"Somethin' wrong?"

"No," She shook her head. "Didn't see you down there, thought you might be hungry."

"Nah, I'm good." He tried to brush her off. However, her outstretched arm remained in place. She raised an eyebrow and jerked the bowl in his direction once more.

"Nag," He grumbled as he reluctantly took the bowl from her hands.

"Yeah, yeah, you complain all you want. Doesn't change the fact that I could hear your stomach rumblin' from across the prison."

"When'd you turn into such a mother hen? You're worse than Carol."

"Daryl, I spend most of my days running after like ten kids. Pushing food towards stubborn mouths is just instinct at this point." She said nonchalantly.

"Still makes you a nag," He said, taking a bite. "Speakin' o'which, where all your youngin's at?"

"A girl can have a night off, can't she?"

"Can't argue with that," He said.

In the past few weeks, more and more families had been brought in. The first wave came from Woodbury. Others from the road. Soon enough, the prison was starting to be full with something that hadn't been there for a long time, if ever. Laughter.

For the first time in a long time, life did't feel like a band of misfits barely getting by. It wasn't all about survival anymore. All of a sudden, life felt like life again.

Which was exactly why Daryl watched the fences and beyond every night with constant vigilance. For there was so much more to lose this time around.

"I know why you come up here," Beth said suddenly.

Daryl whipped his head around and tried his best not to stiffen. There were quite a few things about Beth Greene that put him on edge. The way she was so good at reading him, was at the top of the list.

"Just my turn for watch," He grumbled, trying his best to sound as indifferent as possible.

"Just like it's been 'your turn' for the past month?" She countered.

"Doin' my part, is all." He shrugged.

"No. You and I both know that it's more than that."

"Oh yeah? And what makes you say that?" He snapped. At this point, he just wanted her to leave. Being a dick to her seemed like the best option. However, if Beth had caught on to his plan, she ignored it. Instead, she just smiled softly and tilted her head to the side.

"That," She simple said.

"What?"

"That look. The one I've seen Michonne have every time she passes Andrea's grave or when she's reading a map. The one you get whenever you've looked at the fences for the past month. You're watchin' the woods."

"So?"

"And not just for walkers, either." She continued. "You think he's still out there. You're watchin' to see if he comes back."

Daryl swallowed, but he didn't say anything. After all, what could he say? Sure, Beth. You really hit the nail on the head with that one! Gee, do you want to be a paranoid son of a bitch like me who never sleeps anymore? She was right, of course, like she always seemed to be. For what felt like the millionth time, little Beth Greene had him figured out at the drop of a hat. An Derrick couldn't decide if he liked that about her or not.

"I do it too, you know." She said, breaking the silence. "Sometimes, I stay up all night watching those damn woods."

"Yeah?" H asked, a bit surprised at her confession. Although, when he thought about it, why should he be? Girl seemed to be just as observant as him.

"Mhmm, after everything…" She trailed off.

"What?" He pressed.

"I don't know," She shrugged. "I just feel like with all of his threats and attacks, it seems uncharacteristic of him to run off with his tail between his legs at the first sign of a challenge. I think he's too far gone to give up now."

"You notice a lot more than everyone gives you credit for, Greene." He said.

"Just 'cause I'm around kids all day doesn't mean that I'm naive." She said, rolling her eyes. Daryl couldn't help but chuckle at that. She smirked and looked out the window. For a moment, Daryl could've sworn that her moonlit face had taken on a slight rosy hue.

As the night wore on, the sounds of celebration below them continued. Yet he and Beth stayed put, watching and waiting.

A/N: Thanks for reading! As I said at the top, things are really going to start picking up for Beth and Daryl in the next few chapters and I'm really excited about it. I hope you are to! As always, please make sure to leave a review, even if you hated it:) Until next time my lovelies!