DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. This is one of those..."I grew a wild hair, just for shits and giggles"...kinda stories. No offense intended. No this isn't true to characters, but I enjoyed writing it. if you enjoy reading it...awesome.

Nobody knows anything about her. They think they do. They think she is all blonde, blue eyes and green as her fathers name. They praise her for her gentle hand with Judith and her late night lullabies. They praise her for staying strong and keeping herself up. They don't want her carrying any real weight. They don't want her seeing more than she has to. The scar on her wrist makes them flinch when she gets upset. They all walk on eggshells. It makes her skin crawl when they call her pet names and never catch her eyes directly. It hurts. Bethy, her father will call. He pats her head and hugs her as if she is porcelain. Maggie does too. She's grateful to be loved, but she's not a child. Nobody realizes how much their tiptoeing echoes in her head. But she knows it's not all their fault. Her body hasn't changed in years. She hated her body, envy eating her alive when she looked at Maggie. Maggie was a woman with a womans body.

Her soft jaw line, fierce eyes, soft hair, shapely legs and her chest. Beth always found herself wanting to cover herself in shame when she seen Maggie in the showers. Maggie had always been desired since she hit puberty pretty much. Beth still felt like a child. Her pale skin, lithe form and her modest b cups.

Her daddy told her she took after her mother. A dancers form. He always told her how beautiful both his daughters are…but what parent doesn't? Beth was a piece of innocence everyone was trying to preserve it felt like. And it was suffocating her slowly. The world was over, but she wanted to live. She wanted to breath.

So as people walked past her cell, casting in looks of aggravation towards the teething infant…her temper got hotter and hotter. She wasn't blaming the infant, she loved Judith. She was her main caregiver anymore. Just like a mother, a virgin babied mother. But Beth was one more complaint away from telling them all to kiss her ass. She thought Judith was almost asleep until the infant screamed out with a vengeance. Right then Rick stumbled in half asleep. His jeans half thrown on, feet bare and hair disheveled.

"Beth? Whats wrong with her? Does she need a bottle?" He was trying to not seem upset but Beth seen through the father of the crying infant. Like something inside her sparked and lit ablaze she stiffened and glared at him. She bounced the baby softly while steeling her voice.

"I don't know Rick..she's teething! She's cranky and nothing helps right now! If you were being a father you'd know this!" Her eyes watered as she felt the knot in her chest loosing some of the pressure. Rick prickled up and clenched his jaws.

"Want me to take her, Beth? Are you tired?.." He reached out but she snorted in sarcasm as she hugged the baby and kissed her head. When her eyes met his she seen it, caution. Her insides lit on fire.

"Sure! Take her. Because i have been up and down with her the past few months. I alone feed her, change her, bathe her and love her. She only knows me!" When she carefully passed the infant off, she began sliding her feet into her boots. Rick stood in entrance of her cell, slack jawed and too shocked to say much.

Before Beth could walk out he spoke up.

"I'm sorry Beth…I.."

Her head whipped around to glare at him and she balled her small fists. "Let me get something clear. I AM NOT WEAK. I am not going to fall apart. I am so sick of everyone here treating me like a child. I am sick of the shitty sad looks people give me when things get hard. So just…stop!" The blond teenager huffed and walked away.

She was sure everyone heard her, she'd meant for them to. When she began descending the metal stairs Hershel, Glenn and Maggie tried to approach her before she slid past them. Maggie grabbed her wrist and Beth jerked herself free. The older sister went to yell at her, feeling dejected before Beth beat her to it.

"Just..don't. You're just as much to blame as everyone else! Coddling me and keeping me here to be a mother to child that's not even mine!" The words hit her with guilt before she could say anything else. Maggie looked furious but her eyes brimmed with tears. Beth continued. "I love Judith. I am happy to help but y'all need to stop sheltering me cause outside these fences I am meat or a warm body. I know how the world works." She took a breath and finished up through the tears streaming down her flushed face. "I am 17 years old. Todays standards that's mid 20s. I have been in your shadow since you became a woman. I am trapped in this body, weak and inferior to the person I am in my head…ya know what…just never mind."

Her father just held Maggie back as Beth walked away crying and swinging the doors open with force enough to make it slam when they shut. The prison was silent except for the sound of Judith crying and Rick trying to soothe her. When the night air hit Beth's face she sucked in a sharp breath. She blinked and walked out towards the grass and collapsed there. She hit her knees and covered her face, sobbing from the release of her pent up frustrations. A rock ground its way against her knee but she didn't care. Damn them. She felt so helpless because they wouldn't let her in on anything. Hell Carl was younger than her and he got to carry a gun or help on the fence!

She blew out a breath and used her sweater sleeves to clear her face. It could have been minuets or an hour. She sat quiet and still, thinking and staring at the stars. Her body trembled from the energy spent on yelling. She has never spoken to her family that way before. Guilt started to replace some of the fury as she felt her eyes watering again.

"For someone who's tired of bein babied, ya sure just acted like one." The gruff voice brought her out of her guilt trip. Beth looked up and seen Daryl leaned up against the prison wall, cigarette in hand. She bristled. Who the hell was he to judge her? Beth felt the anger rekindling and decided if he wanted, he could fall victim to her war path too.

"I don't remember askin you, Daryl." She ground out his name and his shrugged and hit his cigarette.

The night was good at keeping him cloaked, but her eyes were adjusted. He was staring at her like he was waiting. She stood up and faced him. There was plenty of space between them and she felt brave.

"Nah you didn't, but you made sure everyone heard ya hissy fit. News flash princess, world ended. Nothin is fair anymore. We all have a job an that's what we do." His shoulders squared and he flicked his cigarette. His body language pissed her off. Screw him! He didn't like her anyways. He never spoke to her unless he had to. Beth felt incredulous. Before she knew any better she was just feet in front of him and feeling 10 feet tall.

"Yeah tell me about it. Don't you get sick of taking care of everyone else? Or do you use it to fill that fucked up void in your life?" She hissed and before she could process, Daryl grabbed her by the arms and slammed her into the brick wall. His eyes looked deadly under moon light. The pain was a reminder to the reality she'd gotten herself into. Her lower back was exposed as he pushed her harder. His grip was a vice on her sweater, scorching its way through the thin knitted cotton. She wouldn't let him get her to back down. She wasn't weak.

"You keep your spoiled little mouth shut. You need ta suck it up and stop pouting about whats fair. Its life, get over it…" As if to prove a point in making her feel like child he grabbed her chin as he spoke. Every muscle in his arms were solid and his jaw set so tightly she wanted to shatter it. When he gave a firm squeeze and let go, she took the opportunity to retaliate.

Like Shane had showed her on the farm, she stomped on Daryl's foot. He grunted in surprise as her knee connected to his stomach. He was livid. He reached out and went to sling her to the ground but she side stepped and landed a firm punch to his jaw. She was shaking and when she realized that she had just hit the most capable person in the prison she shuddered. Then large hands grabbed her hair and dragged her down. She gasped as his body pinned her into the red dirt, cool from the night breeze. Her heart beating a thousand miles a minuet. Her hand hurt too. Daryl looked menacing as he held her face still and locked his eyes onto her. She felt her breath stop. His blue eyes were flames that promised dire repercussions to her actions.

His breath fanned on her face, and he was shaking with anger. After a second he allowed himself to speak.

"You off in the head Beth?" His voice was serious as he studied her. She held his gaze and let the tears leak out of her eyes. Her chest hurt as she tried holding back the sobs. But after giving up her muscles relaxed and she turned her face from him, shuddering with violent cries. Obviously not expecting this, Daryl eased up seeing she wasn't a threat anymore. She remained there as he watched her.

Beth wanted to sink into the earth and disappear. Daryl never did anything to her. Hell he didn't know. He was always busy getting them food or anything else. She was barely familiar with him. The look on his face made her feel damnable. He looked confused, mad, and other things she couldn't process. Then her mouth began betraying her.

"I'm not a child. I can't breath. They smother me and the looks…" Her hands twitched before she pulled up her dirt crusted sleeve, showing the scar on her wrist. "I was weak. I wanted to die and and opt out. But now i just wanna live and they won't let me." Her voice was raspy from the crying but she continued. "I need to been seen as who I am." She coughed and laid there in front of Daryl, rubbing her wrist.

He eyed her and something in her clicked. The fire returned to her eyes and he sat back on his boots. She felt the dirt drying on her face from their struggle. She didn't care. He was an animal anyways. He didn't handle her with care. She was breathing. Slowly her hand snaked out and grabbed his arm, using the leverage to hoist herself to sitting up. Even like this he was taller. Daryl had tensed expecting another onslaught. He grabbed her wrists, securing her. She growled and twisted herself to her knees. She kept looking at his hands around her wrists. Large, beat up and callused. He was sun kissed and she seemed white as a ghost. Her breath felt ragged as she looked up to his face.

He looked slightly out of place. Still stern and angry, but frustrated. Her tongue darted out licking her lips. His eyes shifted to catch the fraction of light that reflected there until they dried. Beth used his grip on her to pull her closer. She knew he'd let his pride keep him in place. He'd fight her. She wanted it to be a fight. Before the embers in her turned to ash she pushed forward and closed the gap between them. Her lips met his and his grip tightened painfully on her. She gasped and winced, but kissed him again. He was still as she felt the warmth of his lips on hers. She growled at him again and pushed forcefully against him.

He pushed her away suddenly and let go, giving her a look she expected. Anger and shock. Again, she advanced him. Her hands grabbed his neck and brought him to her, fists clenching his dark hair. He made some kinda noise but she swallowed it as she plunged into his mouth. Thrill shot through her as the stubble on his face almost hurt against her sensitive skin. Daryl growled and she gasped as his hands tightly fisted the front of the large sweater.

Her teeth trapped his lower lips and her tongue massaged it. He seemed to melt until she moaned and leaned into him. His eyes flew open and he pushed her away, not flinching as she landed on her ass and her palms. He stood and paced. Beth's chest heaved and he ran his hand through his hair. She wanted to speak but he held up a hand, stopping her.

"I dunno what the hell that was, but don' ever do it again." He was stern and something in her felt triumphant. He looked shook up and unsure. He lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply, suddenly sounding angry. "I'm not a crutch, Beth. I don't have a void ta fill. You needta figure your shit out. Then maybe people round here will start takin you seriously." He gave her a final once over and walked down towards the garden.

Beth's head was reeling. She had just kissed Daryl, a stranger almost. Her breath hitched as his words sank in. Her void? Then her blood ran cold. Yeah, she had a void. She had no buffer against the world outside and the world in here. She was a baby doll. She was blemish free. But he grabbed her, pinned her and made her no less or more than the others. He'd made her human. Tangible. He'd given her breath, and over her dead body was she done with Daryl Dixon.

Please let me know what you all think. Thanks for reading!