The Optimist and the Pessimist

Chapter 2: Reunited

There wasn't time for talking. Not yet. Rick had solved whatever tiff there was and they were leaving peacefully. Just like that, the horror Beth endured was over. She was back with her group. Back with Daryl. The man currently had his arm wrapped protectively over her shoulder as they all made their way out of the hospital, away from the bad memories. What Beth didn't expect was to see Maggie and Glenn waiting for them when they reached the sunlight. There were a few other unfamiliar faces, but there was her sister. Glowing and happy by her husband's side. She was okay. She was alive.

"Beth!" Maggie exclaimed and rushed forward, arms open for her sister. Beth broke away from Daryl to do the same and met her halfway. "Maggie! Glenn!" She wrapped her arms tightly around her sister and let out tears of joy, laughing through it. They made it out. They would do their dad proud, she just knew it. Beth felt Glenn join in on the hug too and she finally began to speak.

"What happened while I was gone? Wait no, even before that, what happened after the governor drove us out? Who did you end up with? How did you all find each other? What...How...?" Maggie smiled at her sister's rambling and placed a hand on her shoulder. "There's time for explaining later. Right now we all need to find a place to stay. Somewhere safe and out of the open."

Beth didn't want to stay silent anymore, though. She had been without her group for far too long. "Fine, well I wanna talk. I got out with Daryl-" She was cut off yet again by her sister. "He told us all about that, Bethy. Come on, get in the truck with us, okay?"

Beth looked back at Daryl then. The redneck had his eyes down, hair in his face. He needed a haircut badly. And a nice shave. But luxuries like that didn't exist in this world anymore. A lot of things didn't exist in this world anymore. "I think m'gonna ride with him. If that's okay." Daryl looked up and gave the slightest grin. After finally reuniting with everyone, the blonde still wanted to be around him. It gave him the slightest bit of hope.

Hope. Something he once thought didn't exist. Something for naïve children to believe in to get them to believe there were some good in the world. Daryl never had hope. He always tended to see the darker side to things. It's how he was raised, constantly abused and belittled. But with Beth, sweet Beth, he was beginning to see things differently.

"I don't mind who ya ride with just as long as you're back with us." Maggie laughed and gave her one final squeeze before letting the younger girl get to Daryl's side. She shared a knowing look with Glenn as they got in the fire truck and shook her head. Out of everyone her sister could have fallen for, she never thought in a million years that it would be Daryl Dixon.

Beth walked to Daryl's motorcycle and cleared her throat, hand resting on the seat. "So...You really are the best tracker around. Ya found me. Ya always do." Daryl grunted and handed Beth her knife, the one she dropped when she was abducted. "I gave up at first. I tried to track the car and I just...lost the trail. But then more of  'em ugly things kept showin' up. So I followed that instead." He swung a leg over the bike and got it ready. "Hop on. We can talk as soon as we find a place to camp for the night."

Beth got on the back of the bike and wrapped her arms around Daryl's middle. She pressed her cheek to his back and shut her eyes, managing to say one more thing before they took off down the road. "I'm glad you found me. I never doubted you would. I missed ya, Dixon."