Spiced Molasses

Chapter 12

Daryl should have known it was a gamble considering Beth's erratic sleeping habits but it had been just past five am in the morning and Daryl had woken up with an itch in his body that he needed to scratch. His muscles were twitching with unused restless energy. His life was wearing him down. Between the Organisation, the Angels and Beth he was a bundle of stress. He'd woken up with the very real urge to hit something.

He'd gone for a quick jog to warm up, the condensation rising from the sidewalk in a thin mist due to the humidity. Already another hot day on the horizon. When he'd gotten back to the apartment, he'd started in on the boxing bag. And because it was hot and he was so absorbed by the satisfying rhythm of hitting the bag, he'd peeled off his shirt without a second thought.

Luckily Daryl had heard Beth's footsteps, for a small girl she had a remarkably loud tread, and he'd managed to turn around just as she rounded the corner. Her eyes widened and for one terrifying second, Daryl thought she had gotten a proper look at his back. He didn't want Beth Greene's pity and he knew that would be her reaction if she saw the multitude of ugly scars that draped over his naked skin. He waited but she didn't mention them.

Knowing that his secret was still his to keep, he could breathe again. He observed the startling change in her skin tone as he tugged his shirt back over his head. Her normally creamy skin was on fire and Daryl had the sudden revelation that it had nothing to do with the scars that he worried over and everything to do with his bare chest. Knowing it was his nakedness that had made her so colourfully embarrassed made his think one word: Virgin.

Daryl thought this and his head reeled. It was such a strange thought but inexplicably Daryl knew she hadn't had much exposure to half naked men or she wouldn't have been that vibrant, neon shade right now. Thinking about his charge's sexuality was just as likely to turn him red. It wasn't relevant so Daryl pushed it firmly from his mind. Beth was a teenager and that had no business being in his mind.

The conversation following had been stilted and awkward until Beth expressed an interest in self defence. Daryl knew Walsh and Grimes would strongly discourage the idea, they'd want Beth to turn to him with her problems and that was half the reason he agreed. Screw them. If the girl wanted to start learning how to fight than that was fine by Daryl. A girl who wanted to kick the shit out of anyone that messed with her was someone Daryl much rather know than a grief stricken, helpless waif.

Still that sudden decision had put Daryl in a position he'd rather have avoided. They'd driven about an hour out of Atlanta, unable to risk running into anyone he knew, to a mall outlet in a nearby town. If she was going to learn how to defend herself, she couldn't do it in any of the clothes she had brought with her.

They walked into the mall together and had contrasting reactions. Beth looked greedily around at the other people, basking in the company of other humans and Daryl cringed at the too loud noises, hands shoved into his pockets. He could see her eyes darting to a number of different stores.

Daryl sighed before wedging his way between Beth and the shop fronts, commanding her attention.

Daryl tugged on her wrist gently. "Don't go too far and don't even think about making a run for it."

Beth's eyes zoomed in on his fingers wrapped all the way around her wrist. "There're a lot of people. I could lose myself in the crowd." She spoke to his grip on her arm rather than directly to his face. He couldn't tell if she was really considering it or if she was just testing him. Sometimes he got the sense she was saying things to deliberately rile him up. It was the opposite to the polite way she usually behaved but Daryl still had his suspicions that there was a lot more sass to Beth than she let on.

"Darlin', I'm a hunter. Ain't no where you could run and escape me." Jesus, he was laying it on a bit thick, wasn't he? Beth didn't look frightened but she did shiver a bit under his grasp.