Note: Hello everyone! I am back with the sequel for In The Blink Of An Eye, FINALLY!

I know, I know, I didn't even warn you guys that it might be coming up soon, but honestly, I wasn't planning on posting anything until the Walking Dead premiered with season 6. So, I'm being a good girl and giving this to you guys as an early present, but I have some more information about this story, which I'll put in the ending note of this first chapter!

Oh, and I just remembered that I never even announced the title of this one! Well, not you know! "A Sharp Intake Of Breath (And A Memory Forgotten)" is what it's called and just like Blink, this one will officially be shortened "Breath" whenever I post any news about it!

For those of you who are new readers, I suggest you look up the first story first, because otherwise this story might not make any sense... I think... And also, note that this story is rated M from the very beginning, so you have been warned!

Now, please enjoy and ignore any minor spelling mistakes that may have sneaked their way in there! ;)

A Sharp Intake Of Breath (And A Memory Forgotten)

Chapter 1

Beth blinked up at the ceiling in her room, taking in everything that was surrounding her in that exact moment. It was strange, really, the small things that she hadn't noticed until winter had finally come around. Like the small draft from the window, that she had always kept open until it became too cold outside. Even then, the fresh and chilly winter air had managed to sneak through the cracks of the old farmhouse, and seep deep into her bones, leaving her a shivering mess during some nights.

Naturally, there could also be another reason for that. The reason being the man that had slept by her side every single night since they had gotten together, the man who was as hot as a furnace during the night and who was always making sure that she was pressed against him so that he could share his body heat.

Daryl.

Beth's eyes closed as a wave of pleasure shot through her body, her hands tightening on Daryl's shoulders as her back arched. She moved her hips in slow circles while he tightened his grip on them, making her press down onto him with even more force than before.

The cold most certainly wasn't the only reason that she was sometimes a shivering mess during the night.

Beth caught her lower lip between her teeth in hopes of silencing a moan, raking her fingernails from Daryl's shoulders to the back of his head as she moved against him in perfect sync. The feeling of having him inside of her was definitely one of the best feelings she had ever experienced and since he had moved into her room – which was now their room – she had gotten to experience it whenever she wanted. Daryl never complained and he most certainly never forced her to do something she didn't feel comfortable with doing. He always made sure she came at least once before he did and she loved him for it.

There were more reasons for her loving him though. Sure, the sex was great and they made love frequently, but they were so much more than just physical.

They were always there for each other, even though they were both emotionally crippled at times, they listened to each other and supported one another whenever the other needed support. Beth for one loved Daryl for never pressuring her about her memories, even when she knew that he noticed whenever she recalled a small detail or something seemed familiar to her. He never once asked her about it, but whenever she would question him on the matter, he was always open for giving her the few details he knew.

Her memory was an issue just for her, it seemed. Daryl didn't seem to mind that she couldn't remember anything from what had happened before she had taken a gunshot to the head, just like he had told her before. After he had told her he loved her that first time and she had run away from him, she had been certain that she had just made the biggest mistake of her life. She didn't doubt that Daryl loved her, but she couldn't help but wonder which part of her that he loved. Beth had thought that his infatuation might be stemming from the girl she had been before and not the one that she was now, after months of surviving alone with Morgan. Daryl though, had made sure to tell her how wrong she was when she had finally shared her fears with him and he had stayed true to his word about never falling out of love with her because she couldn't remember.

"Beth..." Daryl breathed out her name, bringing her out of her deep thoughts as she tightened her grip on his dark, dampened hair. "Don't know what you're thinking, girl… Just stop," he whispered, his lips ghosting over her bare chest.

She leaned down closer, claiming his lips as their hips met again and again, which each thrust. "Sorry," she whispered back. "Got sidetracked."

"Mmm..." Daryl hummed, his tongue meeting hers as he deepened the kiss. His hand moved from her hip to her back, tracing every vertebrae of her spine, leaving a trail of fire in his wake.

God, how could he always make her feel like this? Like she was burning from the inside out?

It didn't matter though, because as long as she was in Daryl's arms, she wouldn't mind if his fire swallowed her whole. She would gladly burn, as long as they burned together and she would love every second of it.

She could feel that Daryl was close. He was pulsing inside of her, making that familiar heat gather down low in her own belly. Just the feel of him sliding his thick and hard dick in and out of her heat, the thought of them joined like this in the most intimate way, was almost enough to bring her to an end.

So Beth took in their bedroom again, but this time with closed eyes. The small draft from the window was letting in the cold winter air, which was brushing against her heated skin. Daryl's big hands were still roaming over her naked body as she pulled her closer to him and her lips latched onto the side of his neck as soon as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. This was the way she loved to do this the most. Her on top, but with him sitting up. It didn't give them much room to move, but it brought them closer together, so that every piece of him was pressed to every inch of her.

The sounds of their small gasps and tiny moans. Their bodies moving together, sweat dripping from her forehead down to his shoulder. His beard leaving small scratches on her skin, a feeling which made her toes curl. Then the two of them just looking into each others eyes, a moment before Beth's whole world crashed down and she fervently pressed her lips against his, tangling her fingers in his hair again. He flipped them over, as he always did toward the end, never being able to withhold the urge to just bury himself deep inside of her. Snapping his hips to hers, she could feel him cumming just after a few thrusts. Emptying himself inside the condom, he collapsed against her, knowing enough to not worry about crushing her body. She had told him a hundred times already that she loved having him over her, because it made her feel good. He stayed inside her while their labored breaths began evening out, her fingers stroking through his sweaty hair.

"I love ya," he murmured against the base of her throat.

"And I love you," Beth replied, her heart still racing.

Daryl lifted his head from her shoulder and looked into her eyes, searching for something. She knew that a part of him still thought he was too damn lucky to have her, even after months of being together, but she always tried to assure him that he was the one for her and she would never want to trade him for anyone else.

"We're leaving today," Beth finally said, after a moment of just gazing into those intense blue eyes that could make her feel a thousand emotions all at once.

"Yeah," Daryl drawled. "I know." His hand came up to cup her cheek and she leaned into his large palm, giving him a lazy smile.

"Do you think they're gonna be mad if we just stay in bed all day? Enjoy this softness while we can?" she wondered teasingly. She was almost a hundred percent sure that she felt Daryl's cock twitch inside of her again.

"Don't think it's a good idea," Daryl said, but he seemed to be liking the thought of staying in bed with her. "Maggie would prob'ly kill me if she didn't get at least a couple of hours with ya 'fore we head out."

Beth knew that he was right.

"'Sides, we might find a good place or two to stop at while we're on the road," he smugly added, bending down to press his lips against hers.

She kissed him back with equal passion, forgetting completely that she had been about to tease him about being her favorite bed-warmer.

-§-

The decision for Daryl and Beth to leave the farmhouse had been made three weeks ago.

Maggie had been about five months pregnant at the time and they had all sat down to have a serious conversation about how to prepare for when the baby eventually would come. Some time during the meeting, Abraham and Rosita came forward with the fact that they had pretty much taken everything that was useful from the few warehouses and malls that were close to the farm and that since they had decided on never going South again, they would have to start making plans for longer trips.

That was when Eugene said shared that he had been tinkering around with some long range radios that could be used for communication and that it would probably be a good idea if someone took a car and headed North, for at least a few miles over the last spot they had gotten to on their runs.

When Daryl had stepped forward, telling them that he was willing to go, it hadn't taken more than a few seconds for Beth to chime in that she too was going. Somehow, during the meeting, it was decided that the best option was for Beth and Daryl to leave alone and then come back once they find what they're looking for.

A part of Daryl was happy that he and Beth would be getting some time alone, but at the same time, this would be the first time that it's just them, and on a longer run, nonetheless. It was impossible for them to know just when they would be returning to the farm, but they had all agreed to keep in touch for as long as Eugene's radios allowed it. Once they passed into unknown territory though, they would be on their own.

Their mission was simple enough: find food, provisions and anything that they might need when Maggie and Glenn's baby finally comes around. Carol had been reading up on the few books that they had found along the way, about labor and giving birth and helping to deliver a baby. She remembered some of the things she had gone through when she had had Sophia, but she hadn't exactly been on the other side of it, having missed when Lori gave birth to Judith.

Still, Daryl's friend was doing her best and that was really the only thing anyone could ask of her. Carol was doing her best to remember everything that Hershel had taught her too, although, it all seemed so long ago that she could hardly recall anything. They all knew the risks of having a child in this world, but hopefully, they would all be more prepared than they were the last time.

Daryl looked over at Beth, who was now getting dressed and packing just a few more shirts for their trip. She was so beautiful that she always took his breath away. A part of him still couldn't believe that she was alive, those painful months of wandering around dead inside still etched into his mind. Luckily, those bad thoughts that he had been having back then didn't resurface as often as they had before and now, Beth was there to soothe him whenever he would wake up, feeling around in bed to make sure that she was still there with him.

At times it all felt like a dream to him and he was worried that he might wake up one day to find that that was all that it had ever been.

Pushing his worries aside, Daryl stood from their bed, pulling on the boxers that Beth threw at him. There wasn't much modesty left between the two of them anymore, but most days they would try to avert their eyes from each other mainly because they both knew they would otherwise end up on the bed again.

Daryl couldn't remember having been this happy in… Well, ever, really. Since getting together with Beth things in his personal life had only changed for the better. Sure, there wasn't much of a 'personal life' so to speak, but it was actually more like his insides, his thoughts and mind, had been cleared out of the fog they had been in before. He was more focused on what mattered and he was trying his best to be comfortable with every new experience that being with Beth brought.

"Do you have something else you want to pack down?" Beth wondered, turning to look at him as she pulled up her unruly curls into a messy bun on top of her head.

"Nah," he shook his head, smirking, "just need you an' my crossbow."

Beth shot him an amused look and shook her head, letting out a small laugh as she did. "You're impossible sometimes," she smiled.

He still wasn't used to throwing comments like that around and he actually preferred staying quiet and just showing her how much she meant to him, but sometimes the words just slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them and then he figured he just needed to own them. Still, since Beth didn't seem to mind and she understood that he was still very uncomfortable with showing affection when the others were around, he figured they were both in a good place in their relationship.

Relationship.

The word used to make Daryl cringe, but now it only made his lips tug upwards whenever he thought about the fact that he was Beth's and she was his. He belonged to someone now and she equally belonged to him.

That was how he had known that she wouldn't be okay with him going on this long run alone. He had known that the moment that he volunteered, Beth would be right behind him, backing him up. Of course, he hadn't expected that the two of them would end up being the only two going, but he wasn't one to complain.

"Gonna need to talk to Rick before we leave," Daryl told Beth, who nodded in agreement.

"I'll see with Glenn if Morgan's truck is all fueled up," she said. "Then I'll have to talk to Maggie and Morgan, and I need to make sure that Carol won't be leaving Maggie and–"

Daryl pressed a light kiss to her forehead, stunning her into silence. He lingered there for a moment, hearing her sigh and then sag against him as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm over-thinking, aren't I?" she asked.

"A lil' bit," he said, pulling back enough to look down at her. "Though ya wouldn't be Beth if ya didn't."

In the beginning of their relationship Daryl had always worried that Beth might take offense when he made a statement like that. He had never wanted to put pressure on her or anything and he had worried that saying things like that would make her upset, since she technically didn't know how she had been before. Yet, it seemed like Beth never took offense to anything he said that implied to how she had been before. Instead, she welcomed those small statements with open arms, happy that she got at least a little confirmation that she hadn't changed completely since she had lost her memory.

"Ya know ya don't gotta pack my shit," Daryl finally said after a moment.

"I want to though," Beth stated. "It's easier for me to keep everything organized and to know where everything is. It's just a habit of mine that remained after all those months on the road with Morgan."

"Ya packed his shit too?" Daryl raised an eyebrow. He was always interested in hearing about the months that they had been separated; the months that he had thought her to be dead.

"It calms me down," Beth explained, stopping there, knowing that she wouldn't need to give another reason to Daryl. If she told him that that was all there was to it, he would believe her because he believed in her.

"In that case, pack away," Daryl said, leaning down to press another brief kiss to her cheek. "I'm gonna be downstairs with Rick. Holler if ya need anything and stop stressin'. Everythin'll be okay."

"Aren't I the luckiest girl in the world, to have someone like you by my side," Beth smiled against him again.

Daryl shot her a look, but didn't say anything. The two of them didn't use any labels for what they were, other than together. Everyone in their family knew that they were an item, but they never addressed each other as 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' or anything else really. They were simply together and they didn't need anything else.

After receiving a final peck on the lips from Beth, Daryl quickly finished getting dressed and headed out of the room. He pulled on a thin, black winter jacket that Beth had dug out for him in the closet. When Daryl had first seen the thing he had been completely against wearing it, thinking it would restrict his movements and make him weak in case any walkers came around and he needed to protect himself and the others. Beth had been on his case the entire day about how she was sure that the jacket had been used as some kind of hunting jacket because she had worn a similar one and it hadn't affected her at all. Reluctantly, he had tried it on that night when they had been alone in the room and he had to admit that he kind of liked how it felt on him. Instead of telling Beth that she had been right, he just accepted her 'I told you so' look and proceeded to ravage her completely while she giggled and laughed at how he was such a sore loser sometimes.

Daryl smirked to himself at the memory, zipping up the jacket before heading outside, raising his hand in a small wave toward Maggie and Carol who were in the kitchen. Rick and Morgan were standing by Morgan's truck, checking on the tires, it seemed.

"G'mornin'," Daryl spoke when he was close enough and they both looked up at him, small smiles on their faces.

"Good morning, Daryl," Morgan said. "Sleep well?"

Daryl kept his face neutral, not feeling entirely comfortable with telling the man that basically saw Beth as a daughter that he had never slept better, or been woken up in a better way since he could remember. "Slept all right," Daryl shrugged, shooting a glare toward Rick who seemed way too amused by the situation.

"Is Beth up yet? The two of you need to get going within an hour or so," Rick stated. "Drive while there's still light I mean."

"Yeah, she's just puttin' some last things together. She's gonna want to talk to Maggie though," Daryl said. "It'll probably take a little longer than an hour."

"As long as you don't loose too much daylight," Morgan nodded before glancing down at the tires. "I think they should hold pretty good, put we'll put two spares in the back, just in case."

"Sounds good," Daryl agreed. "Did Eugene get the cover up?"

"Yeah, it's right here," Rick told him, lifting what looked like folded up boards that had been colored black. "Basically, he'll just drill 'em in and then you guys can pull it down to keep your stuff locked up during the night."

"Hmm… Where is the Scientist now?" Daryl wondered. He still hadn't been able to get rid of that nickname completely. Besides, since Eugene had proven himself time and time and again, it had actually become more of a name that he used to show his respect for the man.

"He's in the basement with those radios. Rosita and Tara drove out a bit earlier so that he could check one final time if they were working properly," Rick said. "If they work, then we'll be able to keep in touch for a good couple of miles. Maybe even if you pass into another state."

Daryl wanted to ask just how the fuck that would work, but he knew that he didn't want to tire himself out thinking about it, so he just nodded again. "Anythin' else ya need me to do before we head out then?" he asked instead.

"You've already filled up the freezer with meat for the entire winter, Brother," Rick said, patting him on the back. "We've got potatoes and the vegetables we managed to harvest before the snow came and we've got fire wood. Stop worrying about us, we'll be fine."

Daryl opened his mouth to protest, but then shut it quickly, realizing that yes, he was indeed worrying too much – Just like Beth had been doing earlier in their room. He understood where she was coming from because he didn't feel particularly good for separating from their group like this either. At the same time, he knew that it was for the better and that he and Beth would try to be back before Maggie gave birth, which meant that they needed to be back before she entered her eight month at latest. Beth wanted to be there for her sister and she would probably want to be back because who knew what might happen along the way. Besides, neither of them knew for sure how far along Maggie was, but they were guessing based on the few books that Daryl had brought back along with the few measurements that Carol and Morgan had been able to make.

"Just make sure no one wanders off," Daryl mumbled to Rick, even though he was sure that he hadn't really heard him.

"You make sure that you two don't get lost out there," Rick retorted, making it clear that he had heard him indeed.

-§-

"I can't believe you're actually leaving," Maggie cried, wiping her tears away.

Beth embraced her sister, blinking a couple of times while patting her back. "I'll be back before you know it," she said.

"There are a thousand things that can go wrong though," Maggie protested.

"She's with Daryl, Maggie," Carol said, her lips twitching into a small smile while she looked at Beth who couldn't help but roll her eyes. This wasn't the first time that Maggie's hormones had gotten the better of her.

"I know, I know, he'll keep her safe," Maggie said sarcastically as she pulled back from Beth.

"Correction: I'll keep him safe," Beth grinned, not being able to tease.

"You're my baby sister," Maggie pouted.

"And you're my very pregnant, older sister," Beth laughed. "Come on, Mags. You know that we'll be fine."

Maggie sat down on the chair that she had been sitting in before Beth had walked into the kitchen and she had thrown herself at her. The older Greene sister crossed her arms over her chest and shot Beth a small glare. "Have you packed condoms?"

Beth choked on air as she turned to stare wide-eyed at Carol who snorted before turning back to stirring the stew she was making. She felt her cheeks heat up. Even though she knew that everyone knew about her and Daryl's relationship – Carol herself had walked in on them once and it had been very embarrassing to say the least. – she didn't exactly want it all to be painted up in front of them.

"Maggie!" Beth groaned, covering her eyes. "You can't just say things like that!"

"What? It's not like no one knows," Maggie said, narrowing her eyes at her younger sister. "Besides, I gave like half of my stash of condoms to you."

"Okay, now I can't wait to get out of here," Beth rolled her eyes before turning to smile at Maggie again. "I am going to miss you though. Despite your highly inappropriate comments that are clearly brought forward by your highly hormonal brain."

"And I am going to miss you too," Maggie said, standing to embrace her one more time, and Beth gladly let her.

-§-

An hour later, they were all gathered outside. It had just begun to snow a little again and Beth pulled on a beanie over her head before Daryl put their bag of extra clothes in the back of the truck while he put Beth's emergency backpack in the front. Eugene had installed the cover up for the truck and Daryl pulled it closed and secured it.

"You radio in every morning and every evening when you make camp," Rick said to Daryl, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"At least for as long as the radios work," Daryl nodded. "Stay safe, Brother." Giving him a one-armed hug, Daryl glanced over at Beth who was hugging Maggie and Glenn. After giving Carol a hug of his own, he just nodded at the rest of the group, looking Morgan in the eyes as if to promise that he would keep Beth safe. Morgan's lips twitched up into a small smile that kind of reminded Daryl of Beth's real father, so he forced himself to look away and focus on checking the truck one final time.

Beth on the other hand was busy hugging everyone and kissing Judith's cheeks, telling them that they would be seeing each other again, never once uttering the words 'good bye'. They knew that they would be back eventually, so there was no need for it, even though they also knew that it was a dangerous world out there. There was a risk with taking off like this, and to be quite honest, they would never be able to be one hundred percent sure that they would come back in one piece. Daryl knew that he would give his life for Beth, but the things was that she would probably give hers for him as well. If anything happened to them out there, they would be all on their own and if they actually never returned, their family would never get closure.

However, there was that part of him that also knew that he would without a doubt be seeing the rest of his group again. He and Beth would be gone for a month or two, but Beth wanted to return before Maggie gave birth and so they would, he decided. They would be careful out there and avoid unnecessary danger.

"You ready?" Beth asked him, finally coming to stand next to him.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he grunted at her, lips twitching into a half-smile when he felt her hand brush against his before she walked over to the other side of the truck and got into the passenger seat. Daryl turned back and looked at the others once more, meeting Morgan's eyes again. There were no words needed there. Instead, he looked over at Carl, giving him a pointed look. "Ya better keep an eye on my bike, like I taught ya," he said, making the young boy chuckle.

"Sure thing, Daryl," Carl replied, grinning widely as Rick placed his hand on his shoulder, shooting a smirk of his own toward Daryl.

"I'll make sure he does his job," Rick said. Daryl only nodded before he turned back and got into the truck, starting the engine and turning on the heater. They shouldn't waste whatever heat they had left, but he could see that Beth was already cold so he figured they should at least get a good start in the morning. He could turn it off once they got to the main road.

With some last waves, he turned around the truck and began driving, keeping his eyes set on the road in front of them, only looking back once through the rear-view mirror. He drove them up to the highway, letting out a small breath before glancing at Beth. She was keeping her eyes on the road too and he figured that she was deep in thoughts since she wasn't saying anything. After a couple of minutes though, he felt her nimble fingers reach out and brush over his. He turned his hand, allowing her to lace their fingers together.

"We're gonna make it," Beth said confidently. Daryl felt as if she might be reassuring herself more than him, but she sounded so sure of herself that it actually made him feel a little better too. He didn't doubt himself and he didn't doubt her either. They would be returning, together.

"We are," he agreed, feeling her squeeze his fingers.

He looked at the road in front of them. A walker stumbled forward on the side of the road, slowed down by winter. Daryl puffed out another breath.

They had a long journey in front of them, but as long as they were together, they'd be good.

Note: Oh, a road trip! Who's excited! I know for a fact that I am, haha! :P

Now, some quick information on this sequel. You already know the title now, so I don't have to repeat it. The story will be shortened "Breath" though, when I mention it on tumblr or twitter (you can follow me there if you'd like for regular updates on what's happening!). As you may have noticed, there is a pattern in the titles too. In The Blink Of An Eye referred to how quickly Daryl had lost Beth, and then the second part of the title referred to Daryl "hearing her beating heart" towards the end. Or more likely, it was Beth pleading with him to hear it... Wow, got side-tracked. As I was saying, the title pretty much gives away one of the themes of this story.

Speaking of Breath, it will unfortunately be a little shorter than Blink was (around 15 chapters and an epilogue). I've planned it all out and it will be focusing entirely on Beth and Daryl and have faith in me and hang in there, even when things get tough. The chapters will be approximately this length too, but it may vary sometimes. And I'll do my best to update regularly, but I haven't yet finished the second chapter, but I'm gonna try my best to go with once a week until the story is completely finished!

And now, it's your turn! Tell me what you thought of the chapter and please be kind! I'm in need for some cheering up because I haven't been feeling the best these last couple of days (My immune system sucks. I swear I'll be the first to go if a Zombie Apocalypse does happen. Probably from a bug or something.)!

Thank you so much for reading and don't forget to show your support! It's motivation to write! :) xx