Walking Dead 1. prologue

Prologue

Daryl looked down at his hands, mystified. He did not understand how it came to this and how he was supposed to go on with his life now. How was one person able to change everything he believed in and make him see the good in people that he was not able to see in the past. It was a hard thing to think about and even more difficult now that it was his life. He was used to people treating him like scum, or ignoring him all together. He didn't blame them for it, it was his decision to follow Merle around and not make much of himself other than a hunter and being able to fix cars. He couldn't blame his good for nothing father, his brother or anyone except himself. When push came to shove, he shoved her right out the door and ran away. He gave her no option but to live her life alone. He knew she would find someone else. She was young, beautiful, pure and strong. Stronger than he would have ever given her credit for.

The real question that he had left for himself was if he could let her go. The man who never relied on anyone for anything in his life. The man who had so many demons fighting their way out. The man who left when it would mean laying down more than he was willing to give. The man who was afraid but would not voice it. Could he change that and let her in? The girl who saw past his walls and saw him for who he was and not who he had been. The woman who left him more broken from him leaving than he had ever been in his life?

Daryl picked up his phone and looked at the background of the beautiful blonde angel that he knew and had grown to love. As he put it back on the ground, it started to ring. When he looked at the screen, another pic of the beautiful angel came up with the name Bethy. It came down to one final question. Should he answer the phone or let the call go to voice mail. ..


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Daryl wiped the sweat off his brow as he looked into the distance. It looked like there was a storm on the way and he was not going to have much time to finish gutting the squirrels that he had bagged. He had spent the last two hours tracking them and he wasn't going to let it go to waste. He shoved the squirrels in the burlap sack he had brought with them and started high tailing to his truck. As he neared his truck he heard the first crack of thunder and the clouds started to release rain. He jumped into the drivers seat and threw the bag into the floor board. As he started driving back to his house the rain started pouring. He shook his head muttering about the timing of the weather.

When he arrived at his house, he noticed that only his motorcycle was there. Merle's wasn't there and he hadn't seen him in days. It wasn't unlike his brother to take off for days and not tell him but this time he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He grabbed his bag and walked in the front door. Bo got up from his spot on the couch and wobbled slowly over to him. As he pet his old hound dog on his head, he saw that the answering machine had two new messages. Grunting under his breath he walked over and hit play.

"Hey baby it's Candy. I was just thinking about the time when we met up and the bar and you took me with you and we did that...thing. Ummm...-" Daryl pushed delete not wanting to hear of any of his brothers escapades more than he already had been subjected to. The second message started.

"Hey brother, answer the damn phone! I only get one call and when I call your sorry ass you can't even answer it. They trynna pin some stupid shit on me and I wasn't even the one that did it. My lawyer said it isn't looking good and they gunna be trynna to put me away for awhile. If u can come up to the jail and try to bail me out, I have some money hidden that you can get into just look under my bed."

Daryl shook his head wondering what Merle had done this time. He had been arrested for drug charges before and one time he was arrested after getting into a bar fight when he had one too many and saw a guy looking at him the wrong way. Daryl went into Merle ' s room and looked under his bed to find the money. Damn, Daryl thought, does he ever clean out from underneath here? He found many magazines that had full color pictures of naked women, a pile of dirty clothes and even a few used condoms. Finally after browsing through all sorts of stuff, he found a box that contained the money. As he counted through it, he couldn't help but be surprised about how much money he had hidden underneath his bed. Knowing Merle it wasn't legally gained. Daryl went to the window and saw how hard it was still pouring. Merle can wait for a bit, it's not like he was going anywhere.

Beth blew her hair out of her face, exasperated. Why she thought that this job would be easy was beyond her. It seemed like the job was never done and the customers were rather...unruly at times. Amy gave her a smile from the receptionist desk and motioned to the ever growing stack of charts waiting to be processed. She grabbed the chart that was in the queue waiting to be helped and looked up at the people in the waiting room.

"Darla Henning and Cecil." she called looking at the people waiting. Darla jumped up and grabbed the carrier next to her foot.

"That would be us!" The woman said looking up at Beth with a smile. Beth motioned for her to follow her through to the rooms in the back. When they got to the examination room, Darla pulled Cecil out of his cage and sat him on the table. Cecil was a 3 year old poodle. Today was a check up and time to update his shots. After Beth finished checking him out, she quickly gave him the shots and sent them out to Amy to pay for the visit.

Beth knew that her father would be happy if he could see her now. When she decided to become a vet like him, he was overjoyed and more than happy to help her and give her advice on what to do. He even let her help out at the office that he owned. Now that he was gone the office was hers since that was his wish. He also left the house in her name since Maggie had left town and Shawn was long gone. They had both had decided they wanted to live in the "big" city and the town they were in wasn't a big city. With the amount of people she saw on a daily basis, Beth couldn't understand why they didn't think the town was big. Even when she was done with the clinic visits, sometimes she had to do home visits for animals too big to bring into town. As she was walking up to the front, she ran into Andrea, who was taking the next dog to the grooming room.

"Busy day today. Wouldn't think with this rain that many people would be getting out and bringing animals in." Andrea commented.

"With how busy we have been, Amy said that we have appointments set up for at least the next two weeks. They probably called to reschedule but didn't want to wait that long to get another appointment. " Beth stated while looking out into the rain. Andrea shrugged her shoulders and continued to the back. Beth was happy to have the sisters working for her. She was worried when she first took over that she would be doing it alone. However the first day she met these two and took them on. At first she was worried that she wouldn't have enough business to pay them, but after the first month she realized that she would have more than enough to keep all three of them busy. After shaking off her thinking, Beth walked up to the front to continue on with her appointments.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After the rain let up, Daryl jumped on his motorcycle and went to the jail where they usually had Merle locked up at. When he arrived there and walked in the front door, he noticed that it wasn't very busy. There were two officers sitting at the front desk. One was watching tv, the other was reading the newspaper. Daryl walked up to the desk and looked at the name tags each officer was wearing. Deciding to ask the one with the tag that read Grimes since he was just looking at the t.v.

"Excuse me, but I'm trynna fin' out some information 'bout my brother. 'S names Merle Dixon." Daryl stated as he looked at Officer Grimes. Officer Grimes looked away from the t.v. and looked at Daryl with abated interest.

"So you are the infamous Merle Dixon's brother. I'm surprised that I haven't met you yet. But compared to your brother, you don't have quite the rap sheet. " Officer Grimes drawled while lifting one eyebrow.

"An observant one aren't ya? I may not be like my brother but he is my flesh and blood, and if I was you, I'd keep my trap shut 'bout things you kno' nuthin' 'bout." Daryl growled, getting more agitated as he spoke.

"Here comes the Dixon temper. Maybe you do got some of your brother in ya." The other officer decided to pipe into the conversation at that moment. Daryl looked at his tag that said Walsh.

"All I came in here ta do was find out if you have my brother locked up in one of your cages like an animal 'cuz I have the money to bail him out. Now can one of ya'll take the money so we can be on our way?" Daryl questioned, trying to keep his anger in check.

"Funny thing is we ain't got your brother. So you might as well get on and get out of here." Walsh replied, standing up and motioning towards the door.

"My suggestion to you would be to go to Senoia. Last that I heard they arrested a man last night who sounds a lot like Merle. Booked him on some drugs charges. Some pretty bad ones if I remember correctly. I don't know if they will let you get him out but you could try and see how it works out." Officer Grimes stood up and motioned for Walsh to take a seat again.

"Well hell. Why did he have to go and do that." Daryl said while he walked to the door. Senoia was about 20 minutes away from where Daryl and Merle lived. It was considered one of the bigger towns of the area. It had the closest businesses, the rest were about 50-60 miles away. It was a higher traffic area than what Daryl normally preferred. However, if he was going to get Merle back he would have to go there. Daryl scoffed as he got on the back of his motorcycle. As he started driving towards the city, he realized his stomach was growling and cursed thinking that the last time he ate was around 6 am before he went hunting. He figures Merle could wait just a bit longer so he could get some food. Wasn't like he was going anywhere, Daryl thought shaking his head.

Beth walked into the diner that was a few blocks from her clinic and sat down at one of the tables covered with chips and cracks denoting the long use of them. She crossed her long legs and waited for the waitress to notice she had taken a seat. Carol came bustling from the kitchen with a tray piled with food for one of the other tables and caught Beths eye. She smiled in recognition and went to serve the food to the other table. After placing all the plates down she went to the soda machine and bought Beth a Sprite.

"Would you like the usual, Beth?" Carol asked smiling knowingly. Beth had been coming to the diner for lunch ever since she started working at the clinic and always ordered the same thing; a Sprite, hamburger plain with extra pickles, onion rings and the occasional apple pie if she was splurging because of a bad day.

"Yes, please Carol. One of these days I'm going to have to switch things up to get ya. It seems like ya have me pegged too easily." Beth said grinning back at Carol. The older lady laughed and went back to the kitchen to let Dale, the cook, know Beth was there. Beth leaned back and sipped on her drink as she watched some of the other regulars stop in for lunch. She had been running late today since it was busy and didn't know if she was going to be able to step out for lunch or not. Almost all of the tables were full and the last one was being taken by a family of four. Beth smiled when she realized that her timing could not have been more perfect. When the door tinkled again to signal a new customer, Beth looked up to see who the poor soul was that wasn't going to have a spot to eat at. From where she was seated, the first thing she saw was his back covered in a black vest with angel wings. She could see a mop of dark brown hair in desperate need of a trim and part of a tattoo peeking out on the side of his arm and shoulder. When he turned towards her, looking for a seat, she caught a glimpse of his face. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw his face. He was handsome, a bit older than her, but time was on his side. He had that rugged look that made him more handsome in her eyes and she couldn't stop the gasp that he drew when he looked right at her. Before she even knew what she was doing, she found herself getting up from her chair and walking towards him. As she got closer to him she could hear him muttering under his breath. She couldn't understand most of what he said but the words she did hear were mainly curse words and something about Merle. As Beth got near him, he looked up at her and cocked his head to the side almost like he was assessing her to see what she wanted. She gave him the biggest smile she could muster and took a deep breath.

"My name's Beth and seeing as there ain't any more open tables. I was gonna see if you would care to join me at my table. It's just me at the table and it gets kinda lonely." Beth was shocked at how forward she sounded and wanted to slap herself for coming across that way. As she looked back up into his eyes, she couldn't help but smile at the hint of mirth she saw shining through them before they went into a disinterested look.

"Tha' name's Daryl. Why you wan' me to join ya? 'Cuz little girl, I ain't paying fo ya food." He stated with a partial smirk on his face.

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has read, added this story as a favorite, or is following this story. It means a lot to me. This is my first story so if you see any errors or anything wrong with it let me know. I wanted to make sure and say that I don't own any characters in this story (even though I would love to own Daryl :)) but they may be a little out of character at times in order to go with the story I have planned out. Thanks again and I will have chapter three out as soon as I can get it written


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Daryl looked down at the beautiful blue eyed blonde who was offering him a seat at her table. He couldn't understand why she would do that. She didn't know him, he didn't know her. The only thing he could figure was that she expected him to do something like pay for her food. He wasn't about to get suckered into paying for her food even if she was pretty. She looked like a damn preachers daughter in her khakis and light blue shirt. He knew how girls like her looked at people like him. Just like all the girls in the past she would look down her nose at him and expect something outta him for him sitting with her. He wasn't gonna fall for it this time. As he waited for her response, he saw the shock, confusion, outrage and understanding flash across her face, she was too easy to read, like an open book. He smirked, waiting to hear her response.

"I - I wasn't expecting you to pay for my food. I have my own money and would never expect someone that I didn't know to do that. I was trying to be nice so you could have a place to sit and eat, seeing as all the other tables are full. My Pa taught me manners and I'm not sorry that you evidently have none!" Beth spluttered getting more angry and indignant as she spoke. She huffed underneath her breath and stomped back over to her table. Daryl couldn't help but laugh at her display of anger. It reminded him of those small dogs he called ankle biters. A lot of sass, but not too much bite. Daryl looked around at the diner one last time and realized that Beth had been correct, there wasn't any other open seats. If he wanted to fill his empty stomach, he would either have to wait until a seat became open or sit with her. Not wanting to waste more time he lumbered over to Beth ' s table and sat down across from her. As he took his seat, she looked up at him with a smirk on her face.

"Don't you know, if you take that seat, you have to pay for my food? That's what the last man I offered it to thought." Daryl had to suppress a grin when he heard her playful voice that was dripping with sarcasm. He was surprised at her spunk. Most people were nervous around him and he rarely had anyone give him any sass or talk that openly with him.

"Ya never get in tha way of a man an' his food. An' I'm hungry enough that I would eat an uncooked snake." Daryl replied, watching as she crinkled her pert little nose. It didn't look like she thought snake was good to eat. "What? You never had no snake before? It tastes just like chicken. Better than goin' without."

"The only snakes I am ever around are the ones I have to be around. I like most animals, but snakes have always creeped me out more than they should." Daryl processed her wording and began wondering why she said the ones she had to be around. Almost seemed like she had no choice.

"The way you send that made it sound like you don't have a choice but to be around snakes. Don't ya always have a choice as to what you do?" Daryl asked, curious as to what her answer would be.

"I'm a vet. So no I really don't have a choice about seein' snakes sometimes. If I have a person come in and they need their pet checked out, it's my job to make sure they are helped. So if it's a snakes I just have to act like it doesn't bother me and try not to think about it." Daryl was surprised by her answer. In his opinion she didn't look more that 20 years old but he knew she had to be older than that if she was a vet.

"You don't look old enough to be a vet. Barely look legal." Daryl scoffed, looking her up and down. Beth giggled and blushed as she looked down at the table. "How long did you have to go to school for that?"

"I had to go through 8 years of schooling after I graduated highschool. I skipped two years when I was younger so I graduated at 15. My birthday is in June so I was already one of the younger ones there. So if your wondering I am 24 years old. My Pa left the office for me when he passed and I've been running it for the last year." As Daryl mulled over the information she gave out, he saw a waitress heading towards the table with two plates of food. As she neared the table she placed a plate in front of Beth and then took the second plate and placed it in front of him. He looked surprised since he hadn't ordered anything. He looked down at the plate and saw a burger with fries and onion rings. It looked delicious and he was more than happy to eat it. He looked back up at the waitress and saw the name tag said Carol. "Thanks for bringing Daryl a plate Carol. He said he was starving."

"What would you like to drink Daryl? I thought you might like a burger so I had Dale go ahead and fix it but I couldn't guess what you wanted to drink." After taking his drink order, Carol brought back a Coke and sat it in front of him. Daryl sent her off with a gruff thanks and started digging into his food.

Beth looked over at Daryl who was scarfing down his food like he hadn't eaten in days. She smiled knowingly at how quickly they had managed to procure a plate for him. Carol was a sweetheart but she was always trying to play matchmaker. She had already tried to set her up on blind dates since she started eating there. The first one was Zach. He was a wonderful young man who had a promising life going. He worked at a local camping store and was easy on the eyes. When she showed up at the diner, one day, Carol had him sitting at the booth she normally sat at. When they both realized what had happened, he kindly informed her that she was pretty but definitely not his type. When she realized what he meant, she asked him if he would like to meet her friend Jimmy. He worked at the mechanic shop in town and was very similar to Zach. He was extremely happy with that and since then the two men have been inseparable.

Beth realized that Daryl had asked questions of her but she hadn't had a chance to ask any of him. She decided that it would be her turn to question him. After she took a few bites of her burger she started her line of questioning. "If you don't mind me asking, are you from around here? I don't recall seein' ya before and I have a fairly good memory of faces."

"I'm from around these parts. Just not here. If I didn't kno' any better I would have thought that you was trynna flirt with me." was the gruff response. Beth realized that he wasn't much of a talker, and could tell he was trying to evade the question.

"Since you know how old I am, how old are you?" She asked, hoping he would be more willing to answer if she pointed out that he had asked her a similar question.

"Old enough, little girl. Aren't you hungry? Why don't you start eating your food an' stop asking dumb questions!" He looked up at her after saying this, so she busied herself with eating. She realized that he wasn't going to give out any information to her so her asking anything was pointless.

"I'm old enough that you shouldn't care to even be talking to me. I don't kno' why a lil' girl like you would care to even think about it." He mumbled while reaching for his drink.

"Well, maybe if you stopped stereotyping me as a "lil' girl" then we could actually have a decent conversation. I'm not like all the other girls you meet and I would be happy if you stopped comparing me to them. I haven't once treated you in a way for you to act like this and I'm appalled that you would judge me so harshly before you know me. I'm actually a lot more mature than you think and I've dealt with a lot more than you think I have. If you wanna continue on acting like this towards me, I'm leaving." Beth said getting more upset and standing up to walk out the door.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"There is no need for ya to go runnin' off without finishin' your food. I didn't mean to upset ya. I don't even kno' ya so I can't say who you are. You seem like an ok gal but to me ya really are a lil' girl." Daryl said, stopping Beth in her tracks. He didn't know why she got so upset over him calling her a little girl when that is exactly what she was. He was 10 years older than her and he didn't want her to get any foolish notions in her head. She seemed like the type that was too smart and for a dumb redneck like him, she was out of his league. Daryl had never finished high school and here she did at 15 and then went to college. Then on top of that she already had her own business and her life was going somewhere. He hadn't had an actual job since he was 17 and Merle came back from the Army. When Merle returned, he had quit his job and started following him around. Unlike Merle, Daryl didn't get into trouble and could never do drugs. He may drink every now and then but he saw first hand from his brother and dad that drugs made you into someone you weren't. He never wanted that to happen to him.

Daryl watched as Beth sat back down and started eating again. She refused to look back at him and continued eating. It was almost like words hadn't even been exchanged. He grunted as he finished his food. When he went to get up he noticed that Beth was rummaging around in her purse. She pulled out a card and a pen. She wrote something on the back of the card and then handed it to him. " I know we didn't get off on the right foot but here is my number at work and on the back in my home phone and cell phone. If you ever need anything or maybe just someone to talk too you can give me a call."

"Thanks" Daryl said gruffly wondering why she would give that to him, especially after all that had happened. She was a mystery of itself.

"Hopefully I'll see ya around sometime. It was nice talking to yDarylul but I gotta be heading back to work. Got a full load this afternoon and they start arriving in ten minutes." Beth got up after leaving some money on the table. Daryl added some money to it for his food and followed her out the door. He watched her walk down the street as he fired up his motorcycle. Time to go find out what kind of mess Merle had gotten himself into. But he couldn't help but think about the card in his back pocket.

"What do you mean that he can't be bailed out? I have the money and I can take him home right now!" Daryl was getting very upset. He had made it up to the police department but they were not letting him get Merle out.

"Sir, your brother has been caught and charged with manufacturing with the intent to sell, plus they found a large quantity of other drugs besides the one he was trying to sell. And when they tried to arrest him, he ran and then got into an altercation with two police officers. One of which had to be hospitalized with a concussion. He is being held with no bail until his hearing next week. With his previous charges, it's not looking good for him to be out anytime soon. I'm sorry but you will not be able to take him home. If the judge sets bail for him at the proceeding then you could possibly take him home with you. But until then my hands are tied. I really wish I could do more but I cant." The brunette officer was trying to explain to Daryl why Merle wasn't going home with him. Daryl started muttering under his breath as he walked out the door. Damn brother. Why couldn't he just stay outta trouble.

Daryl jumped on his motorcycle and sped back towards his house. When he arrived at the house he noticed that there was a note on the front door addressed to Merle. Daryl ripped it off the front door and started reading. The further down he read, the more red his face got and when he was done he crumpled the letter into a ball and started cursing and yelling and kicking the side of the house. Merle was the one who was supposed to pay the bills, he never had a problem with it in the past, since he had the money. However Merle hadn't paid the rent of the house in almost 4 months. They were going to evict them by the end of the week.

Daryl walked in the house after he cooled off. He couldn't believe Merle had done this. Daryl didn't have a place to go, no money, nothing to his name. Daryl realized that he had the cash that Merle had hidden in his room. He couldn't use that if he wanted to get Merle out. Daryl was so busy with his thoughts thay he didn't realize that Bo hadn't came to see him. When he started looking for Bo, he realized that there was a smell in the air that wasn't normal in the house. When Daryl rounded the corner and saw Bo, the old dog was passed out in the middle of the floor with vomit surrounding him. He was breathing shallowly and when Daryl tried to rouse him, he wouldn't wake up. Daryl started cleaning up the vomit, hoping that Bo would wake up soon. As the minutes ticked by Daryl realized that Bo would have to be seen and quickly. Daryl picked up the phone and started calling nearby vets. At this time of night, none of them were answering. As Daryl paced the room trying to figure out what he should do, he remembered the card in his back pocket. He pulled it out and turned it over to the back. Maybe she didn't think he would call her but he couldn't let Bo die. He pushed in the numbers, hoping that he wasn't too late. After two rings she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Is this Beth? "

"Yes it is. Is this Daryl?" Daryl was shocked that she knew it was him. He barely had said anything.

"How did you know that? I barely said anything." Daryl questioned.

" Truth be told, I don't give out my cell phone number out and those who do have it are already programmed into my phone. When I saw an unfamiliar number pop up I knew it had to be you." Daryl was shocked by her answer and the honesty he could hear coming through the phone.

"I'm sorry to have to bother ya but when I got home, my dog was passed out in the floor and there was vomit everywhere. I cleaned him up but he still hasn't woke up and I didn't know what to do. I tried calling all the vets but everyone is closed for the night. I was just seeing if you could tell me what to do." Daryl held his breath wondering how she was going to respond to that.

" I won't tell you what to do. But I would like for you to do something for me. If you could bring Bo over to the house I could check him out and I have medication here if he needs it. If I give you my address, would you mind bringing him here?"

"Are you sure? I don't wanna intrude on your evening."

"My nights consist of sitting here reading a book or watching a movie. Unless I have an animal to help birth. So trust me you are not intruding." Beth proceeded to give him directions to her house. After Bo was loaded up into the truck, Daryl sped off towards her house. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that she was not only helping him, but she didn't seem worried about the time of night it was. She just gave the address and asked him to show up.

As he neared the house, he saw Beth standing on the front porch, pacing to and fro, glancing at the road. When she saw his truck coming up the drive she walked down the steps and waited for him to pull in. She motioned for him to follow her through the door to the garage. Daryl carefully picked up Bo and went into the door on the side of the garage. He noticed that the garage was a set up of a room at the clinic. However this one had stuff hanging all over the walls and big machinery covering half the floor space. When he laid Bo down on the table Beth was right there checking him out. Daryl stepped back to give her some room to work on him. As he watched her pull out numerous tools and startprodding the dog, he couldn't help but be shocked at how effortlessly she moved about. He could tell she was in her comfort zone and he knew that she would do everything in her power to save him.

He could hear Beth talking to herself as she grabbed an IV line and hooked it up to the dog. She then proceeded to checking out a few more things. After about ten more minutes she walked over to a sink where she started washing off her hands. When she turned around to Daryl she had a grim expression on her face. Daryl knew something bad had happened.

"I think I know what's wrong with Bo. However, I need to run a few tests on him in the morning to be sure. He is severely dehydrated from how much he threw up, so for now I need to get fluids into him so he can spare some blood for the tests. Has he ever been checked for a heart condition? " Beth questioned looking at Bo.

"No, he has never had any kind of problems before today. We would take him to get shots and the vet would say he was looking fine and send us on our way." Daryl replied, wondering what she meant by that.

"With your permission, I would like to keep him here tonight. He should wake up in the morning but for now he is going to need some time to recuperate. The dehydration most likely is what caused him to pass out and coupled with what I believe is a slight heart condition, he needs the rest so he will be feeling better. If you don't mind helping me move him into this dog bed, we could leave him in here for the night. That way if he does wake up before morning he will at least be comfortable. " Beth said while walking to the corner and pulling out a dog bed. Daryl gingerly picked up Bo and walked slowly over to the bed with Beth following with the IV. When they were finished getting hime settled she motioned for Daryl to follow her through another door.

"Seeing as how I'm keeping Bo overnight and I know you are worried about him, I would be much obliged if you would stay here. I have extra rooms and it would be nice to have you stay for the night. I don't have much company and it gets fairly lonely after awhile. I was getting ready to start a late supper and I would love to have you join me." Beth seemed unsure of what Daryl would answer. The whole time she was speaking she was looking around the kitchen she had walked into while refusing to look him in the eye. Daryl decided what he would do. When he went to answer Beth, she finally looked him in the eye.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Beth groaned as she turned her alarm off at six am. She didn't get much sleep last night and knew that she needed her coffee more than usual today. She went down to the kitchen and started some coffee. Then she went to the guest room to check on Bo. When she got into the room she had left him in after she had taken out the IV. Bo wasn't in the dog bed. As she looked ar ok und the room she saw him passed out on the bed with Daryl. After telling her he would gladly sleep on the floor next to Bo, Beth put her foot down. She told him that she would like Bo moved to the guest room after she was sure he wasn't dehydrated anymore. Daryl spent a good ten minutes trying to argue that he could sleep in the garage but finally conceded once he realized that she wasn't going to budge. After that Daryl and her had eaten a late supper and then got him and the dog situated in their room for the night. She showed Daryl where the bathroom was and offered him some old sweatpants and a t-shirt to wear to bed. She even threw his dirty clothes into the wash for him.

Beth neared the bed, intending to check and see how Bo was doing. When she got closer to the bed, he lifted his head up and looked at her. She gently rubbed his head and then motioned for him to follow her so they wouldn't wake Daryl up. She was genuinely shocked when the dog actually followed her hand gesture and padded out of the room with her. When they got downstairs she fixed him a bowl of water and a plate of food. While she was making her coffee he finished them both off. After that she took him to the backyard so he could relieve himself. When he was finished, she took him back to the garage and checked him over. While she was checking him, she started to sing a song to him. It was one she loved to sing but rarely had anyone that listened so she gladly shared it with Bo. She was certain, after the second examination, that it was a heart problem.

Walking back up to the house, she smelled bacon being cooked and couldn't help the smile that she had on her face. When she got to the kitchen, she found Daryl in front of the stove cooking some bacon in one pan, a pan of gravy on the other side and biscuits going in the oven. Beth was flabbergasted. In the thirty minutes she had been checking over Bo, he had familiarized himself with her kitchen and put himself to work.

"Breakfast will be ready in about 20 minutes. Someone tried to call your phone, but I didn't think you would like me answering it, so it went to voicemail. I think a girl named Amy said something about being sick and apologizing about not being able to make it in. She said she was gonna try to see if Andrea could work but be in as its her day off she think Andrea is supposed to have Milton for the day." Daryl said as if he could sense Beth was standing there. Beth smiled at how he was so polite this morning compared to yesterday when she met him. Evidently the good night's sleep had done him well.

"Thank you for doing this, you didn't have to make breakfast for me. But I'm glad you did." Beth said as she sat down and drank some more of her coffee. Bo sat down at her feet and watched Daryl through hooded eyes. When Daryl turned around he laughed at Bo.

"You already have ole' Bo wrapped around your finger. He doesn't ever take to someone the first time meeting them. He usually chases them outta the house." Daryl scoffed.

"Dogs are very good at judging the character of a person. My Pa always said that if a dog doesn't like a person maybe you shouldn't be so easy to like them either. " Beth said shrugging her shoulders as she leaned down and scratched the dog's ear.

"How did you coax him outta the room without waking me up? I'm normally a light sleeper." Daryl asked curious about how she was so quiet.

"I just motioned for him to follow me and he came with me down here. I gave him his breakfast, some water and then took him outside before I checked him over again." Beth relayed what she had done with Bo as she looked at her coffee. When she looked up, Daryl was looking at her like she had suddenly turned into an alien. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm looking at you like that because Bo never listens to anyone except me. Merle used to try to order him around and he would just turn his back on him and go about ignorin' him like he never spoke. " Daryl shook his head at Bo. Beth turned red as she realized how lucky she was that Bo took to her so quickly.

"Who is Merle? " she asked crossing her fingers under the table that he would continue being amiable.

"Merle is my brother." Daryl replied gruffly as he pulled the biscuits out of the oven. Beth started getting plates and silverware ready for the table. After filling both plates, Daryl sat down and started to eat his breakfast. Beth happily ate her breakfast while absentmindedly rubbing Bo's head. The ringing of the phone brought her out of her trance. She jumped up from the table and and ran to the phone.

"Hello? "

"Hey Beth, it's Amy. I was calling to make sure that you got my message about not being able to make it in. I'm sorry but I have some kind of stomach bug and I'm not feeling too well. I tried to call Andrea but she has already left town to go spend time with Milton. "

"It's ok Amy, I will work something out. Don't worry about me, just worry about getting better. Why don't you go ahead and take tomorrow off also? And if you need the day after off that's ok. Don't worry about your oay, you will get sick pay and I'll find someone to fill in." Beth said worried about Amy and wanting to make sure she was feeling better before she had to go back to work. Beth shortly said her good byes and walked back into the kitchen chewing her lip. She didn't know who she could have fill in. The job wasn't hard at all but with it being such short notice, most people wouldn't be able to do it. As she sat down at the table, she looked up to see Daryl looking at her.

"I can do it. I owe ya anyways for helping me last night. You could have easily refused to help or not answered your phone. When I owe someone I always pay them back." Daryl said quietly looking at Bo.

"Are you sure you want to? It's not a bad job, all you have to do is check people in and give them the paperwork that I have put in their charts. Plus answering the phone and setting up appointments. We don't do anything by computer, I'm old school and like to be able to look at a planner. That way if I need to I can take it home and work out some minor details. Amy keeps everything fairly organized so it will be really easy." Beth rambled on, surprised that he had offered to help her.

"That doesn't sound too bad at all. Bo is coming with though. That's my only stipulation." Daryl assented whole looking at Beth.

"I assumed as much. I don't want him left alone after what happened to him yesterday. We can bring the dog bed with and you can keep him behind the counter with you. That way I can run the tests while we are there. If I get the results that I think will come of it, he will need to be started on some medicine today to make him feel better." Beth smiled at Daryl, knowing he was worried about him.

"I'm goin' to go upstairs for a bit." Daryl replied gruffly. Beth smiled as he left the room. She piled the dishes into the dishwasher and put the extra food into the fridge. Daryl may try to be gruff on the outside but she could see the heart of gold he was hiding deep inside him. She had been nervous, opening her door to a man she didn't know anything about, but as she spent more time with him she could tell she had made the right decison. Her gut had proven her right again. Her daddy had always told her to trust her gut instinct and to this day she had always been correct.

Daryl couldn't believe that he had willingly offered to help Beth. Yes he did owe her for helping with Bo but there were other ways he could pay her back. Daryl shrugged his clothes on that she had washed for him. The girl was different he had to admit that much. She had willingly let him stay the night and had even offered him clean clothes to wear to bed while she washed the ones that he had worn that day. He wasn't a stranger to wearing clothes two days in a row without cleaning them but he had to say it felt nice putting them on knowing that they had been cleaned.

When he first woke up he was worried when Bo wasn't in the room. He went downstairs to try to find him and had heard Beth singing to Bo as she checked him over. He was hungry so he had decided to try to find something to eat. He found the bacon, can of biscuits and gravy packet in the counters so he decided he would make it. Living with Merle had taught him how to fend for himself in the kitchen. If he wanted food he had to cook it himself because half the time Merle was too strung out or hungover to cook and the other half of the time he mixed random shit together and called it food. Daryl grimaced thinking about the time his brother had made tuna sandwiches. They didn't have any mayo so Merle decided to put peanut butter, Tabasco sauce and some pigs feet and a little bit of whiskey. That was the last time Daryl ever ate anything that Merle made. One bite of that and he was hurling into the toilet.

That was still better than his childhood. He learned at a young age what it felt like to go without food. His father didn't care about him and after his mom passed away, he didn't give a damn whether or not there was food in the house. And if you complained about being hungry, it made things worse on you when he was drunk. Which was most of the time. Daryl shrugged off the memories bombarding him. After he finished getting dressed, he went downstairs to see if Beth was waiting for him. About ten minutes later she came walking down the stairs in some comfortable yet professional looking clothes. Daryl looked down at his clothes and grimaced. Beth must have noticed the look on his face because she pulled a couple shirts out from behind her back.

"I thought you might want a different shirt so I brought you a couple to choose from. They look about the right size. They were my brother's but when he left he didn't take 'em with. I keep meaning to donate them but keep forgetting. I guess part of me knew that I might need them someday." Daryl accepted the shirts and went to the bathroom to switch out shirts. He changed into a blue button up shirt and put a black t-shirt on underneath it leaving the buttons open.

When he got back downstairs, Beth was outside with Bo again. When she saw Daryl coming out the door, she gave him a smile and a thumbs up. After toileting Bo, they all piled into Daryl ' s truck and headed towards her clinic.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Beth quickly showed Daryl what Amy did during the day and how to check in the animals and their owners. She showed him how to operate the credit card machine and where the money was stored. She explained how the totals were added up and how people could set up payments. Daryl caught on very quickly and asked pertinent questions to make sure he understood. After telling him to holler at her if he had any questions, she left him up front to set up her rooms in the back. After a little bit she could hear someone talking to him upfront. She listened in on the conversation, curious to hear how Daryl was doing. She heard him asking in his gruff voice for the name on the appointment and then some paperwork being shuffle around. After asking them to take a seat while they waited, she smiled. He wasn't doing bad at all. When the owners and pets started filtering to the back, Beth got many compliments on her new help and many questions as to whether or not he was single. Beth merely smirked and said that she wasn't sure about his personal life but if they wanted to know they could ask him to find out. If Amy wasn't feeling better the next few days, she hoped she could talk him into covering again. He definitely jumped right in and made a good first impression.

After a couple hours of patients, the clinic closed down for lunch from 12-1. Beth put the sign up asking people to return after 1 and placed some food for Bo behind the counter. After that Daryl and her walked over to the diner. Daryl laughed when he realized that they were sitting at the same table they had sat at the day before. Beth sat in the same spot leaving the place where Daryl had sat open for him. He looked around and saw that there was most of the same people that were there the day before and the only open table was the one they currently occupied.

"This is my usual table that I eat at. I have been coming here for lunch for a year so they kinda just gave me a seat. Kinda sad if you think about it, but it's my comfort zone." Beth looked at Daryl with a small smile on her face.

"It must have been hard offerin' the table to some guy who walked in." Daryl said smirking at her.

Beth countered his response with, "I'm a fairly good judge of character, and if I thought you were a bad guy I wouldn't have offered you the seat. I could tell as soon as you walked in that you would be good company. And I am rarely wrong. It's a blessing most of the time."

"There is a first time for everything. An' trust me I ain't the good guy. Ya best get that through your thick skull now. I may not seem like it now, but ya don' know me and it's best that way. 'Cuz if ya did know me, you wouldn't wanna spend any time with me." Daryl said with a pained expression. Beth knew he had been hiding some inner demons or something was eating at him but she knew it didn't make him a bad guy.

"What if I wouldn't run? What if I promised to be here no matter what you told me or what you think makes you a bad guy? From what I've seen, you are a good guy. What makes you think I would change my mind? I'm a very stubborn person and it's hard to sway me. Everyone has skeletons in their closets or things they wish they hadn't done. Some are worse than others, but what you did doesn't define you. It's how you choose to react to those little bumps in the road that makes you a good or bad person. I personally don't believe that all people are inherently the way they are. Life changes people and the bad things that happen to someone can change them into something they weren't to begin with." Beth stated, the certainty of her words shining through to Daryl. She watched as Daryl shook his head, muttering underneath his breath.

"Jus' because I'm helpin' ya out today don't mean I'm a good guy, I don't like owing people and I'm trying to give ya back for helping Bo. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't even be happenin'. I don't consort with people like you and don't ever plan on it again. You shouldn't stick your nose where it don't belong, lil' girl, you might not like what ya see." Daryl muttered, pinning Beth with a withering stare.

"I can tell you're good at pushin' people away. Not everyone deserves that and not everyone goes away so quickly. Some stick around through anything. You need to fin' someone like that. Someone who sees the good and not the bad. From where I am standing, I see a man who has been through a lot in his life. He's had his troubles and they have left wounds that can't be seen to the naked eye but underneath it he is good and has a heart of gold. Don't try telling me I'm wrong, if you wanted to pay me back, there are other ways to pay me back. You wanted to help and you threw yourself into the job full force with little training. It's more than what I could have ever asked of you. " Beth replied quietly, suddenly becoming interested in her fingernails.

"You've known me for all of one day and ya think ya know me? Ya think it's all that simple? Ya can sit up on your horse and look down at me when you don' even kno' me. I think you're full of shit. Don't expect the answers to come so simply 'cuz I can't be fixed. You best leave me be. 'Cuz unlike the animals you fix and help, I'm not fixable and I don' plan on letting you try. You're just a lil' girl trying to play in a grownups world. It's time to wake up and realize somethings are better left alone. Didn't your pa teach ya that?" Daryl spoke as he got up from the and leaned over Beth's side. After he said the final word, he walked to the door and left. Beth hadn't meant to upset him, she just wanted him to see what she did and it managed to blow up in her face.

When Carol came out to take her order, Beth ordered two meals to go. After giving her a knowing look, Carol sashayed back to the kitchen. After a short wait, she brought out two white take out boxes. Beth thanked her and walked out the door looking for Daryl. She knew that he wouldn't go far since she had Bo locked up in her clinic still.

Daryl couldn't believe that he had let himself get that upset. That little girl somehow pushed all of his buttons and made him see red. He didn't let himself explode like he wanted to because he wasn't his father. He didn't beat on women and he sure didn't yell in their faces if he could help it. He had been in a few fights in his life, but they had been more physical than anything. And then Beth came into his life, turning it upside down. With how little he had talked to her and how little information he had given her, she mostly hit the nail on the head. The only part she didn't get right was about his wounds. He not only had the hidden ones, but he had the daily reminder of how much he fucked up on his back. His father had made sure of that. Part of him wished he had been orphaned as a child, but his father had taught him some valuable lessons in life. Never to rely on anyone but himself, how to hunt to survive and most importantly to never have kids. Daryl couldn't imagine raising one. All the parenting that his father taught him was when a child messed up, get drunk or messed up on drugs and beat them.

As Daryl kept walking, he realized that he had no idea where he was. He wasn't very familiar with this town and didn't know how to get around. He shrugged another cigarette from his pack and lit up as he sat on the corner of a street, waiting for a passing car to drive by. He had no idea if this was a well traveled road but he hoped that it would be. He figured if he didnt see anyonw by the tine he finished his cigarette, he would start walking again and see where he ended up. This was one of the times where he wished that he had a cell phone. Daryl hadn't had any reason to have a cell phone. Merle was the only one he talked to and if Merle needed him he would just call the house and leave a message. Daryl was home most of the time unless he was hunting or with Merle at the time.

He smoked about half of his cigarette when he heard the distinct sound of a truck coming up the street. He shaded his eyes, trying to see the truck. As the truck got closer he was shocked by how similar it was to his truck. Same baby blue color with rust spots, same sound, same dent in the front from when Merle ran it into a pole when he "borrowed" it. It dawned on Daryl that it was his truck and he started feeling his pockets for his keys. He found them in his right pocket and realized that someone had broke into his truck and stole it. Hot wiring would have been easy since he had the dash pulled apart when he tried fixing the wiring. He took off running into the road, hoping to stop the driver from taking off with it. Luckily the person who was driving it stopped next to him and rolled down the passenger window.

"Hey cutie. Where ya' heading to? If you are lucky I might let ya join me." a voice called from inside the truck. Daryl was dumbfounded when he saw the driver who had a huge smirk on their face.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After leaving the diner, Beth started looking for Daryl on the side streets nearby. After a few minutes of this, she realized he must have made it a lot further away than she originally guessed. Beth decided she would go back to the clinic and see if he was loitering around in that area. Daryl wasn't there either. Beth knew that he didn't know the town very well, he had almost gotten them lost on the way to the clinic since he "knew where they were going and didn't need her help." Beth figured she could look around and see if Daryl had left his keys at the desk. After searching the desk, she decided the next step would be to check the truck. The keys weren't in the truck either which meant Daryl must have pocketed them after exiting the truck. As Beth looked around the truck to find something to do, she realized that there was one thing she hadn't thought about doing. Knowing it would set up a line of questions from Daryl, she bent down under the steering wheel and got to work. After a few minutes, the truck growled to life, Beth smiled and hopped into the cab and drove off in search of Daryl.

When Daryl saw Beth driving the truck and felt his pockets to reassure himself that he had the keys, he couldn't keep the flabbergasted look off of his face. How had she managed to get the truck driving was beyond him. She didn't look like the type to know anything about cars and she certainly didn't look the type to steal or know how to hot wire them. He could tell that she was amused by his reaction when her smirk got more defined. "If you don't close your mouth, you're gonna catch some flies. I know you are hungry but why eat flies when you have a perfectly good burger waiting back at the clinic for ya?"

"How did you get the truck here? " Daryl asked as he jumped into the cab. He figured that he would let her drive back since she knew the area better than him. He looked over at hear when he heard her laughing.

"I drove the truck just like you did. Hands on the wheel at 10 and 2. Checked my mirrors and watched the road. I even happen to know the area around here well so I don't have to worry about getting lost." Beth replied nonchalantly, watching as Daryl shook his head from beside her.

"Ok smart ass. I meant how did ya get it runnin'. I have the keys right here." Daryl pulled the keys out of his pocket and dangled them in front of him.

"Oh my gosh! The truck is running with the keys? It must be possessed or something like that. It's not like a "lil' girl" like me would know how to hot wire a truck or anything like that. It might mean getting my hands dirty or having to do something other than what a proper lady should do." Beth said sarcastically looking at Daryl pointedly.

"I would have never thought that ya knew how to hot wire a vehicle. Where did ya learn to do it?" Daryl responded once he realized that she must have hot wired it.

"That's for me to know and maybe for you to find out. I have given out a lot of information 'bout myself and I haven't gotten much in return for it. Maybe when you give some I'll tell my story. Sound fair?" Beth asked Daryl as she turned back onto the road the clinic was located and put the truck onto park. After she got out she leaned over and moved some wires around and the truck went silent. Daryl shook his head. She knew he wanted to know how she learned to hot wire cars and using that against him to where she could learn more about him was just a dirty trick.

"I don't think that's none too fair. Seein' that you like to talk 'bout yourself and I hate talkin' bout myself. There really ain't much to be said. I was born and raised in Georgia. I have a brother named Merle and live about 20 minutes away from here. I own a truck and a motorcycle. That's all there is to me. Ain't much of a story but it's my life." Daryl decided the short story was the best option. He figured that would abate her curiosity for awhile.

"Nice try Daryl. But that's not gonna work. I already knew all that. You told me about Merle, the first time I met ya, you were driving the motorcycle, it took ya 'bout 20 minutes to get to my house with Bo and when you get angry your accent gets even stronger. You can't pull the wool over my eyes. I wasn't born yesterday much to your disbelief." Beth smiled at Daryl after they got in the building. Daryl laughed realizing that she had paid more attention than he thought she had. All of what she said was true and she wasn't afraid to call his bluff.

"Well it looks like we are at an impasse. Neither one of us is going to give up on either end and we both wanna know what the other refuses to tell. Let me just say that I hope you like waiting. 'Cuz I don't give in easily." Daryl smirked as he realized that he would most definitely win this fight. She would give in since she was sweet and wouldn't want a fight.

"That sounds like you think you are already gonna win. I don't let down easy ya see. My daddy used to call me a mule 'cuz I'm stubborn as one. And he was rarely wrong. I was and still am stubborn. So good luck. You are definitely gonna need it. I have all sorts of tricks up my sleeves. This ain't the only thing I know. Oh and your food is right there on the desk. You better eat up before the next patients come in. It's gonna be a busy afternoon. " Beth smirked at Daryl walking to the back towards her office. Daryl shook his head. Beth seemed pretty sure of herself. After finishing his food, Daryl looked through the appointment book and started to get the files in order.

After a busy afternoon, Beth closed the clinic. She decided that it was time to run the tests on Bo so she brought him to one of the rooms in the back and took his blood. Afterwards she ran the tests on the blood, since she knew what she was looking for she only ran one test. While she was waiting for the results, she went back up to the front to let Daryl know it would take about an hour. When she got upfront she found him outside smoking another of his cancer sticks. After letting him know what she was doing she went back inside. As she started to clean all of the equipment she had used, her phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hi Beth. It's Amy. I was calling to let you know that I won't be able to make work tomorrow. I went to the doctor today and they said I have the stomach bug that is going around on top of something else. They had to give me some fluids because I was dehydrated. I'm sorry but I hoped it would give you enough time to find someone to work."

"It's fine, Amy. I found someone to work today and I'll see if they can work again tomorrow. Why don't you go ahead and take the rest of the week off. Just call me on Sunday and let me know how you are feeling." After talking for a few more minutes, Beth got off the phone with Amy. She hoped Daryl could work tomorrow and that would give her some time to find someone to work Thursday and Friday.

"Daryl, I know this is a lot to ask but would you mind working again tomorrow? Amy is going to need off the rest of the week. It would make it easier fo me to find someone for the rest of the week." Beth asked Daryl when she returned back to the front. He looked up from the the floor he was mopping and looked at her.

"No, I can't work tomorrow. However I can work till Friday. I hope that will work for ya. The job isn't too bad and I think I could handle a few more days of it." Daryl said looking back down at the floor. Beth bit back the smile that was trying to overtake her face. He definitely was saving her a lot of trouble.

"Thank you so much. It's means a lot to me to have you here helping me. The pay is good and I would love for you to stay with me. It's nice not being alone plus would save you the gas of driving back and forth." Beth said hoping he would stay with her.

"I could do that. Jus' need to get some clothes from my place. That way you don't have to keep washing these clothes." Daryl said shrugging his shoulders.

"If you wanna go over there now, we could head thay way and grab some food to eat and then swing back this way afterwards to check the results. It would be timed about right and even if it's longer it won't affect the test." Beth said smiling at Daryl. He nodded his assent and headed towards the door. Beth called for Bo and followed them out, locking the door behind her. They swung through a nearby drive thru and got some food to eat on the way there.

As they drove, Beth noticed that the houses became farther away from each other. When they pulled up outside a small blue house, she realized that it must have been his house. There was another vehicle outside the house that she was sure didn't belong to him. A police car was sitting outside the house, with a tall man leaning against it. As Daryl started muttering under his breath, she realized that he was not a fan of whoever this cop was and didn't seem happy to see him at all. When Beth went to get out of the truck, Daryl motioned for her to stay put.

"I've been waiting for you to get home for a little while now. I had almost given up on you showing yourself. But luckily I waited just long enough. I wanted to personally deliver this message myself."

Authors note: Thanks again to everyone who is following this story and has made it this far with me. Things are starting to pick up for these two :) What do you think the officer is relaying to Daryl and do you have any guess as to which officer it is? Thanks again and I'll be updating soon :)


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When Daryl realized that there was a police car in his driveway, he knew that this wasn't going to end well. Either the officer was here for something Merle did or possibly about the eviction. Either way, Daryl didn't want Beth to ask questions. His business was nothing of her concern. It would just make her bug him more. He figured if he could keep him quiet then she wouldn't be able to hear. Daryl then realized that the cop was the prick one named Walsh and realized that he was not going to go easily.

"What do you want Walsh? I already am taking care of the situation with Merle that I came to talk to you about." Daryl growled looking at him.

"I prefer to be called Shane instead of Walsh. And I'm here to talk to ya about some important business that you need to take care of quickly. That's why I've been waiting here for ya. I wanted to be the one to let ya know. They wanted to send someone out to make sure you got the paper on your door. And I offered to be the bearer of bad news if you hadn't gotten it. The Dixon charm may scare others but I personally would love to see some more of it. Seein' as how Merle is locked up, I have to find another Dixon, so here I am. Guess we will see if you are anything like your brother. He was pretty easy to rile up and when he got riled up, he usually started swinging." Shane said while looking towards the house.

"Yes I got the letter and it will be taken care of by Friday. No need for you to show your face out here. I'm gonna take care of it." Daryl said as he bit his thumb.

"I hope you don't get it taken care of because I'm gonna be the party in charge of helping you out Friday morning. Gonna be here at 7 am just to make sure all the property makes its way out into the street if it's not gone. Sometimes I just love the jobs they give me." Shane shifted his weight while looking at Daryl as if trying to determine his reaction.

"This is private property. And you are trespassin', you may be the law but you are breaking it right now. " Daryl said as he got closer to Shane. Daryl realized that he was goading him, trying to get a reaction out of him, probably wanting to arrest him.

"Seeing that you don't own this house, I have the permission of the homeowner to be out here. I'm actually here at their request." He smirked at Daryl, and then looked back towards the truck. "Who's the pretty young thing you brought home with ya? You definitely don't look like her type. She is way outta your league. Might as well cut your losses now. 'Cuz even if ya lucky enough to get her in bed once, that'll be all it takes for her to go runnin' for the hills. Guys like you aren't for girls like her, maybe I am, but definitely not you."

Daryl stepped closer to Shane and started clenching his fists. "You better watch your mouth. She ain't involved in this, best leave her outta it."

"I bet she is good in the sack. Looks like she had some long legs to wrap around your waist and prolly a louf voice too. Pretty thing like her-"Walsh said while leering at Beth. He stopped talking when she threw the truck door open and slammed it shut. He smiled at her as she stomped up to the two men and got in between them.

"I don't kno how you were raised but you shouldn't talk about people like that when they are standing right there. And I hope you aren't on duty, 'cuz if you are I'm filing a complaint about you. What Daryl and I do is our business and if I want to be with him I will. To you he may be nothing but a "redneck" but to me his is at least a hundred times more a man than you will ever be. I suggest you deliver your message and be on your way. I'm tired of listening to you and I sure the heck don't wanna sit here in this heat while you try to have a pissing contest." Beth yelled at Shane. Daryl looked down to see that she was shaking. Without thinking he placed his hand on her shoulder. When he did that, Beth pulled back into his arm and placed her body directly in front of him to where her back was touching his chest. He realized that she was probably just putting a show on for Shane but he would be lying to himself if he said it didn't feel good. She was all curves and soft skin and felt nice being that close to him. Daryl looked over her shoulder at Shane and was surprised when he saw the anger and jealousy radiating from him. Daryl decided he would wrap his other hand around her waist. Beth curled even more into Daryl when he did that and placed her hand on top of his.

Beth was fuming. When she had heard Shane start talking inappropriately towards her, it was the last straw. She couldn't believe how disrespectful he was towards Daryl. Beth realized that his name sounded familiar. She gasped when she realized who he was. "Shane Walsh? That's your name? Oh God, this keeps getting worse and worse. I bet you don't recognize me, I was just 13 the last time I saw ya. I bet you remember my brother Shawn Greene though. Don't think you would forget his name."

"I don't know who you are talking about. I dont know you or your brother. " Shane drawled looking anywhere but at Beth. She knew he was lying.

"I bet it was easy to forget him when he was locked up in jail. It's funny how he was found guilty of something that he didn't do. It's also funny how drugs were found in his car when you searched it. It's funny how he saw you put them in his car and then blamed them on him. When he wasn't a druggie and he never wanted anything to do with drugs. Back then I couldn't figure out why you did it, but when I got a few years older the realization dawned on me. You were jealous of Shawn. He was with Michonne and you wanted her. Took me awhile to figure it out but I did. You realize how badly you messed up his life? He lost his job, his girl and the trust of my dad for a long time. If I were you I would be leaving now. I will not hesitate to call the station and call for another cop to be out here." Beth was shaking with the onslaught of memories that were resurfacing. She was glad that Daryl was still holding onto her, if he hadn't she may have gone after Shane. Beth didn't like to hate anyone but one person she hated was Shane.

"I'm leaving, not 'cuz ya told me to but 'cuz my message has been delivered. You have till Friday to get your shit outta that house or I'm gonna throw it out into the road. Then give ya a ticket for littering. You better get it taken care of before then. If not, expect me to find you and serve ya the ticket." Shane grumbled as he walked to the door of the car and got in. As he drove off, Beth turned around in Daryl ' s arms and wrapped her hands around his waist and tucked her chin into his chest. She felt him tense up as she held onto him but after a moment he loosened up and held onto her elbow while his other hand hung limply to the side.

"I'm sorry 'bout that. I have a temper at times. It doesn't help that I hate his guts either. I don't like people with condescending attitudes or when they purposely go looking for a fight. He was just trying to rile you up so he could get ya in trouble. He seems to like doing that to people." Beth said wryly, looking down at the ground. It was unlike her to be confrontational but she was glad she had gotten out of the car.

"Why? Why did you come out here and say something? I wanted you to stay in the car and stay out of it. It wasn't none of your concern. I was taking care of it. He would have gotten his due shortly. " Daryl muttered almost at himself. Beth looked at him and saw the confusion written on his face. He wasn't used to having anyone stand up for him it looked like.

"And that's why I jumped in. I knew it wouldn't have taken much more before you swung at him. I wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction of taking you to jail. He would have arrested you and booked you on attacking an officer. Then I would have had to bail your sorry ass outta jail and give you the riot act. I figured I would save both of us from that and calm the situation down myself. It didn't quite work out the way I planned but I did get him to leave. I'm not sorry I did it and I'm not sorry that you aren't in jail. You're welcome." Beth stated as she shrugged her shoulders and backed away from Daryl. She knew that he wasn't happy with her and she didn't care about it. He would learn to accept her help or he would go crazy.

"I don't need no 'lil girl trynna help me. I can take care of myself. Been doin' it my whole life, why stop now?" Daryl said as he walked towards the house muttering under his breath. Beth shook her head smiling at him.

"I want to help you pack your stuff up. We can put it in the room you are in and if it doesn't fit I have a couple empty sheds out back plus the barn is empty save my two horses. That should give you plenty of room for it all." Beth said as he followed Daryl to the house. She slammed into his back as he stopped abruptly and fell onto her bottom.

"What the hell are ya talking 'bout?" Daryl asked as she picked herself up off the floor.

"You gotta be out by Friday. I have spare room at the house, I've actually been looking for a roommate and I have decided I want it to be you." Beth stated nonchalantly and she tried to walk past Daryl. She didn't make it far because he shot his arm out to hinder her from passing him.

"Who says I wanna live with you. I didn't hear me asking ya for that." Daryl said, his voice low and menacing. Beth smiled back at him, not scared of how he was trying to act

"You didn't ask but I am offering it. I'm not sure you would find a better place to stay on this short of notice. Especially with Bo and all the stuff you have to put up from the house. I am tired of having an empty house with so many rooms that aren't being used. It gets tiring cooking only for yourself and talking to no one else. see you would be doing me a favor if you said yes." Beth said carefully, watching Daryl to see his reaction. His face was impassive and no reaction came to the surface.

"I will stay with you until I find another place. However I will not be staying for free. You may put me to work as you see fit and I will help with everything I can. I will start looking for a job to pay for my stay. and once I get enough money saved up, I will find my own place to live." Daryl spoke, looking at Beth. Beth had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. She knew she wasn't very persuasive but she was glad that he wasn't going to be on the street or sleeping in his truck. Beth nodded and followed Daryl into the house. The house was trashed. There were beer bottles, empty alcohol containers and trash all over the floor. There was a smell that reminded her of soured meat coming from a bag laying on the floor in the kitchen. "Merle didn't like to clean up after himself and I got tired of cleaning up everyday. It seemed to make him mad and he would trash it even worse the next day."

"Remind me never to live with him. I don't mind a little bit of a mess but I have a problem with a big mess." Beth teased Daryl as he walked towards a room in the back. "Would you like me to come with you or would you prefer for me to stay out here?"

Daryl shrugged his shoulders so Beth decided to follow him. She was curious to see his room and what it looked like. When he opened the room, she was surprised at what she saw. His room was a dark brown color with dark blue curtains covering the window. He had a small pallet on the floor with clothes stacked next to it. There was an old tv and a big stack of movies by a dvd player next to it. There was a crossbow leaned up against the wall with a pile of arrows next to it. There wasn't anything on the walls and it looked very bare. Beth had hoped for some pictures or something personal to him so she could know more about him.

Daryl started pulling a few tubs and boxes from his closet. Beth thought that it was unusual for him to have them but realized he probably was used to moving around a lot so he kept them close in case he needed them. She watched as he started filling clothes and odds and ends of stuff into each box. After pulling everything out of his closet and the stuff he had in the room, he had three tubs and two boxes full. Beth helped him carry them out to the truck and place them into the truck bed. He went back inside and grabbed some of Bo's stuff and placed that into the truck.

"You mind driving the truck and I'll drive the motorcycle to the house?" Daryl said after he turned around from placing the stuff in the truck. Beth looked over and saw the motorcycle hidden beside the house with a tarp over it.

"You don't trust me to drive the bike?" Beth asked as she followed him over to the bike and watched as he pulled the tarp off of it. She smiled when she saw it. It was older just like his truck but was well taken care of. Daryl scoffed as he looked at her.

"No I don't trust ya. If ya don't know how to properly drive it, you are gonna end up wreckin' it fore ya even make it out the driveway. I have spent too much time fixin' it up to let you wreck it." Daryl rubbed his head looking at Beth. She smiled back at him and winked at him as she sat on the bike and started it. She flipped off the kick stand and looked back at him expectantly.

"You gonna hop on the back or just watch me?" Beth said as she smirked at his unbelieving expression.

"I'm getting on here so I can make sure ya don't wreck it." Daryl hopped on behind her. Beth drove around the driveway and onto the road. She turned around and expertly rode it back towards the house, carefully bypassing Bo who was watching them by the truck. As she stopped the bike and hopped off she turned to look at Daryl. He was staring hard at her. She smiled back at him and sashayed back to the truck.

"Guess I'll go ahead and drive the truck this time. Next time I call the bike though." Beth said with a grin.

AUTHORS NOTE: Thanks for reading the new chapter. Beth sure is full of surprises isn't she? I wanted to take this time to explain a little. Daryl is a little OOC right now. I am portraying him a but differently than he is in the show. It works better this way and will help later on. And this is a little of a slow burn romance. I don't believe Daryl is just gonna hop into a relationship with anyone and I want them both to earn it. Anyways, thanks for the support and the reviews. They make my day :) until next time


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

All Daryl could think about on the ride home was Beth. She didn't know him, yet offered him a place to stay until he could get money for his own place. He didn't want to use Merle's money until he knew if he could pay to get his brother out. Normally Daryl would not accept any help from anyone but he knew that if he didn't he would be on the street. With how Bo was doing, he didn't believe he would be safe out on the street. So he accepted the offer but knew it was just temporary.

Beth was a shock to him. When he first met her, he thought she was just like all the other girls he had met. The kind who look down their noses at everyone else and only do something if they would be getting something in return. The kind who never got their hands dirty but would rather sit back and watch someone else do all the work. Boy had he been wrong. When she came flying out of the car, looking like an avenging angel, hell bent on getting in between Shane and himself, he knew she was something different. Not only had she stuck up for him, she stopped him from hitting Shane and getting arrested.

As Daryl thought back through the conversation between Shane and Beth, he realized that Beth had never outright told Shane that they weren't together. Shane had assumed that she was messing around with Daryl, but instead of setting him straight, she stuck up for Daryl and made sure Shane understood exactly what she thought of him. No one had ever stood up for him before, not even Merle. Merle didn't care what people said unless it was in regards to him. Then here comes this girl with the brightest eyes and the prettiest smile, doesn't know him very well, and she tells off a cop for him. This foreign feeling was creeping in on him and he didn't know what it was and he surely didn't like it.

As he looked back at the truck, he saw Beth gesturing wildly trying to get his attention. He signaled and pulled onto the shoulder of the road. Beth pulled up next to him

"We still need to go back to the clinic. I need to check the results of his tests. If you want to head back to the house you can, I can give you my key. I'll give you yours tomorrow." Beth yelled out of the open window.

"If it's all right with you, I would rather come with ya. That way I can stand outside with the stuff while you run in." Daryl hollered back at her. Beth nodded and started heading towards the clinic with Daryl in tow.

When they arrived, Beth hurried inside with Bo on her heels. Daryl shook his head while he leaned on the side of his motorcycle. Bo was really taken with Beth and Daryl could see why. She treated him like Daryl did and acted like he was another person, not just another animal. Beth came running out of the building with Bo and a bag in her hands.

"Bo has a heart condition like I believed. There isn't much we can do other than put him on some medicine that will help keep it in check. I have the medicine here in the bag and I will help you get him started on it tonight. It takes a bit before the medicine will kick in so he will need some time to get adjusted and will need to be watched for any kind of adverse reaction to it." Beth explained to Daryl while patting Bo on the head.

"Ok. That actually doesn't sound too hard. I think it's doable." Daryl said as he got back on the bike to follow Beth.

Beth smiled at Bo when she got back in the truck. She was happy that he wasn't extremely sick and the medicine should take care of him. She had a fondness for him and didn't want him going anywhere. She may not have known Bo for very long, but she knew a good dog and he was definitely one. Just like Bo was growing on her, so was Daryl. Beth was very happy that he took her offer to stay with her. She thought he would have turned her down or told her that she was an idiot. She wouldn't have offered that to anybody else but for some unknown reason she trusted him and wanted him to stay there with her.

Part of the reason may have been that he reminded her a lot of her brother Shawn. He had a rough time after what Shane had done to him. He was kicked out of the house because her pa hadn't wanted drugs in the house. He didn't have anywhere to go and no one would give him a job. After a few weeks, he came home and packed his things and left. When the family found out what really happened, they couldn't get ahold of him to apologize. After a year, he called to let them know he was ok and he would be coming by for a visit if he was welcome. Daryl seemed like he had been through a lot and had seen more than she could imagine.

Another part was truly since she was lonely. Beth hadn't realized how nice company was until she was sitting across the table at breakfast with him. He made the house not seem so empty. With just her in the house, she a heard every creak and sound it made at night. For the first bit, she didn't sleep more than a few hours a night until she grew more accustomed to it.

When they pulled up to her house, Beth hopped out of the truck and unlocked the front door. She also opened the garage for Daryl to put his motorcycle in. After closing the garage door, she started grabbing some of the stuff Daryl had put in the truck and carried it up to the room he had been in the night before. After a few trips, they had piled all the boxes and containers near the wall. Beth then grabbed some trash bags from the kitchen and emptied out the last few things Shawn had left in the drawers and closet.

"You are more than welcome to put everything away where you would like. There are plenty hangers in the closet and there should be ample room for stuff also in the dresser. There is a cable to connect your TV to on top of the dresser across from the bed, so you can plug it in if you want. Anything you need, just let me know. What's mine is now yours so don't be afraid to ask or to use anything." Beth said to Daryl while gesturing around the room. Daryl nodded in response and started to pull clothing out of the boxes. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, I should be fine. It may take me a bit, but I'll have it all put away soon." Daryl shook his head as he started pulling hangers out to place the clothes on. Beth stepped out of the room to give him some privacy.

Beth decided to jump into the shower while he was busy. As she was washing up, she realized she had forgotten to grab clean clothes to put on after her shower. She cursed as she had to decide between putting her dirty clothes back on or running to her room in her towel. She didn't want to put her dirty clothes on after she was clean so she decided to dash towards her room quickly. Daryl said that it would take him awhile so he should still be putting his stuff away.

Beth jumped out of the shower and covered herself in the biggest towel she could find. She peeked her head out of the bathroom to look and see if the coast was clear. The door to Daryl ' s room was closed so she quickly ran out of the bathroom while keeping an eye on his door. Since she wasn't watching in front of her she didn't notice that Daryl was walking towards her. As she slammed into solid muscle, she felt her feet start to go out from under her. As she cried out, she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her back up and towards his chest. Beth placed her hand on his chest to steady herself and took a deep breath, scared to meet his eye. When she finally mustered the courage to look into his eyes she found that his dark blue eyes were staring right back at her.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Daryl looked down to the little blonde he held in his arms. He couldn't help but stare into her light blue eyes and she looked back at him. He hadn't expected her to take a shower and didn't know she would be going around the house in nothing but a towel. But here he held her, wrapped in a light blue towel with water still dripping from her hair. Daryl averted his eyes and found her hand on his chest. He flinched a little at the contact and looked back up at her. She seemed surprised and was biting her lip while looking at the ground. He quickly assessed her to make sure she wasn't hurt and didn't find anything to show she had been hurt when she slammed into him. He didn't realize how small she was, but now he couldn't help but notice that she was very small but it felt almost right to hold onto her like he was. She seemed so fragile and tiny compared to himself. As if realizing how inappropriate the situation was, she pushed on his chest to have him let go of her.

"I was trynna find ya to let ya know I was finished in there and see if there was anything I could help ya with." Daryl explained as he turned away from her to give her some privacy. Beth looked very rattled and he didn't want to make her feel more uncomfortable than she was already feeling.

"Um..I think things are good for right now...ya...um if you give me a few minutes to get...presentable I will meet you in the kitchen to discuss some things." The blonde stuttered looking at the ground. Daryl nodded in ascension and moved to go downstairs.

Daryl started looking through the kitchen after he went downstairs. He needed to put his mind onto something else other than the pretty girl upstairs in the towel. He kept telling himself that she was a little girl and that's all there was to it. He was 34 years old and she was way too young for him. He didn't need to think about how she fit into his arms or the beautiful color of her skin. He couldn't deny her beauty now but she wasn't meant for him. She would find someone else and he would be glad when she did. He knew there was no way that she would ever go for anyone like him anyways. He had too many demons in his closet to let her near him.

Perusing the cabinets, he found some popcorn and decided that he would make a snack. As he popped the package into the microwave, he began looking for something to drink. The only things he had found so far were some tea bags and some bottles of water in one of the cabinets.

"If you are looking for something a little stronger to drink, I can show you where I keep it. " Daryl jumped as he hears Beth speaking from behind him. He had been so intent on finding something that he didn't hear her come down the stairs. She motioned for him to follow her to a door that was right beside the kitchen. She flipped a light switch and then opened the door and walked down the stairs. Daryl realized it was a cellar when he saw all the wine racks against the wall.

"This used to be my pa's stash. Over the years I have kinda taken it over. I don't drink a lot but some days I do come home a have a drink. There is a little bit of everything here if you wanna take a look and find something to drink. You are welcome to any of it." Beth motioned to the walls and a cabinet that was next to the racks as she walked back upstairs. Daryl opened the cabinets and found a bottle of whiskey that looked good to him. He grabbed it and then grabbed some rum in case Beth didn't like the whiskey. He ran back up the stairs to find some glasses. Beth already had some tumblers and some ice waiting for them upstairs.

"I would like some of the whiskey if you don't mind. I usually start out with the rum but the whiskey sounds good right now. " Beth said smiling at Daryl. "But I think we should play a game. It's a lot of fun and if done the right way, you get to know someone without being too inquisitive."

"You play games to get drunk? I've never had to do anything to get drunk before." Daryl grunted. He looked to her and found her watching him. She had changed into some shorts and a tank top after her shower and had her hair braided down her back. Daryl grabbed the popcorn out of the microwave and opened the bag and placed it on the table.

"Yes, I was young and it was fun. I didn't actually play very much but I did watch to see what happened. The game became more interesting as the night progressed since everyone was getting more drunk." Beth shrugged as she looked at the glasses on the table.

"I guess we can play. But if it's stupid I won't play for long. I'd rather just have a few drinks." Daryl stated as he filled their glasses up. He hadn't ever heard of a drinking game and didn't think he would like it much. He drank to forget not to have fun. Drinking wasn't much fun. When Daryl drank it was usually after a really rough day and when he drank most people didn't like to be around him.

"The game is truth or lie. We each say three things about ourselves. Two of them are lies while one of them is the truth. The other has to figure out which out of the three is the truth. If you don't guess correctly then you have to take a drink and if you do guess correctly then the other person take a drink. This game can be extremely hard to guess at times and sometimes you learn some crazy things about the other people. Does it make sense? I can go first if you like that way you can see how it goes." Beth explained to Daryl with a hopeful look on her face.

"Fine. You start." Daryl replied gruffly, looking at the drink in his hand and grabbing a handful of popcorn and eating it.

Beth was excited. She knew that Daryl didn't like to talk about himself, so she hoped she could find out information about him this way. She may end up more drunk than what he was but she hoped that it would at least shed some light on him.

"I have a sixth toe on my left foot, the first time I had a drink was when I was 15 and my middle name is Julianne. Out of those three statements that I just made, you have to decide which one you think is the truth. If you guess right I drink and if you guess wrong you drink." Beth reiterated, hoping Daryl would understand.

"Out of those statements, I would guess that you had your first drink at 15. The other two don't sound as plausible as that one." Daryl said while looking expectantly at Beth. He smirked when Beth took a shot. "Looks like I was correct. "

"I went to my first party after I graduated school. Your turn." Beth shrugged, smiling back at Daryl.

"I found Bo in a box by a trash can, I've been married once and I've been arrested for public indecency." Daryl said with a smile. Beth thought hard. She didn't believe one of them for sure but the other two were possible.

"I'm gonna guess you found Bo in a box. Even though that is sad, it sounds most realistic. I'm not saying that you couldn't be married, because you could be but you seem like the type that wouldn't settle down unless it was for the long haul and right now you aren't married so I don't think that's it. And I don't think you have ever been arrested." Beth replied, carefully choosing her words to not offend Daryl. She smiled when Daryl took a sip of his whiskey.

"I found Bo outside of a store while I was waiting for Merle to finish buying whatever he had to get. He was just a pup and there was no one around. Damn dog followed me to the truck and jumped in while I had the door open. Been with me ever since." Daryl said while Bo came walking into the kitchen after hearing his name. Daryl rubbed his head and smiled at him.

"That's sad that someone did that but I'm glad that you kept him. He's a good dog." Beth said, while grabbing some popcorn to eat. "I was delivered on this farm instead of in the hospital, I am not a superstitious person and I have never have gotten a tattoo."

Beth smiled at the look on Daryl 's face. He looked like he was thinking hard about the three things. Beth was confident that he wouldn't guess it. With her being a 'lil girl' he would not even think it's true.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that the truth is that you are not a superstitious person. I haven't seen any tattoos and I am fairly sure your ma wouldn't have wanted to deliver on the farm." Daryl replies as he bit his thumb. He looked shocked when Beth motioned for him to take a drink. "You were born on the farm?"

"Nope. I have a couple tattoos. There are two on my back, one on my foot and the other is a secret. I am actually superstitious. " Beth smiled as Daryl spluttered as he took a drink.

"What are the tattoos of?" Daryl asked her, trying to look at her foot that she had hidden under her body.

"I'll show you my tattoos if you show me yours. Don't try to lie and say you don't have any 'cuz I know you at least have one." Beth said as she smiled at Daryl. Hers weren't very big but each had a meaning. She was curious what his tattoo was of.

"Ya ain't got me drunk enough to take off my clothes." Daryl grunted after he said that. Beth knew it wasn't going to be easy but it had been worth a shot.

"Well it's your turn then."

"I have been out of Georgia three times, I have never been in love and I learned to hunt when I was 10." Daryl responded after a moment. Beth thought hard before answering. Any of the three of them could have been true.

"I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and say you learned to hunt at 10."

"Take a drink 'lil girl. You guessed wrong. I was hunting way before that. " Daryl smirked at Beth as she took another shot.

"So which one was true?" Beth questioned curiously.

"I ain't gotta tell ya 'cuz ya guessed wrong." Daryl shot back.

"But I told ya what was the truth when you guessed wrong. Shouldn't I get the same back?" Beth asked, hoping Daryl would concede and explain.

"No." When she heard that response, Beth downed the rest of her glass and poured herself another glass full. She had a feeling that the conversation was over and that she was going to be in for a long quiet night.

Author's note: Hey everyone. Just want to explain a few things. I know most people when they saw they were gonna do a drinking game expected the never have I ever game from the show. I just wanna say that I changed it up because I didn't want to make these characters do this. For one, they are different in this story than they are in the show. And the second is because I love that scene too much to change it.

Also want to say a huge thank you to everyone who is has followed, favorited or reviewed. It seriously means a lot to me and I can't express my gratitude enough. This being my first fic I was extremely nervous so thanks for being so positive and making me smile. :)


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Daryl watched as Beth drank the whiskey, like it was nothing. He figured that she would choke or gag on the taste or the alcohol in it, but she didn't flinch at all. He wondered what else she had hidden up her sleeve. She seemed so fragile and innocent yet many times she had shocked him with what she knew or did. She was almost an oxymoron in person. An innocent devil with blue eyes and long blonde hair. With her looks, she could just bat her big doe eyes and get away with murder. They had such a serene quality that he was sure he could get lost in them.

"Was your dad a preacher?" Daryl asked, before he realized he had even opened his mouth to speak. He picked up his drink and downed it while looking anywhere but at Beth. He didn't know why he would out right ask something like that but he hoped she didn't realize the meaning behind the question. He was just curious if she was since you hear stories about how wild they could act while still retaining their innocent facade.

"No, my pa was a religious person but I'm not a preachers daughter. You are thinkin' that i have that whole persona down. Acting innocent and when my daddy wasn't looking, partaking in the crazy lot of life. I know what ya are thinking 'cuz I've heard it before, many times. 'Beth you are too innocent to do that' or 'Beth, I can't believe you know what this is'. How I learned all of what I know that I 'shouldn't' know how to do is a very long story from a long time ago. And I definitely ain't drunk enough to tell ya." Beth said mirroring his answer from earlier. Daryl drank some more as he watched Beth fill her glass again.

"You might wanna slow down there princess. You are drinkin' that like some people drink water. Much more and ya gonna be on the floor wishin' you hadn't drank that fast." Daryl said motioning towards the bottle in her hand. He knew she weighed probably a bit over 100 pounds and with that much alcohol she would be on the floor before much longer. Most girls her size couldn't drink more than a few shots before starting to act funny, and here she had already drank at least five or six by the size of the glasses. How she was still standing was surprising him. He figured that she would have been slurring and giggly by now.

"Thanks for the concern but I can hold my own. I've been known to drink many a person under the table. Funny thing is they always dared me and thought they would win. I think they did it because they wanted to see me drunk and because they thought that I was too small and young to hold my liquor. Let's just say they didn't. And don't worry about me bein' hungover 'cuz that ain't never happened either. You just gotta drink a lot of water. And make sure you have a snack before you go to bed." Beth said as she drank from her glass. Daryl shook his head in disbelief. If what she was saying was the truth, then he really didn't know anything about her.

"Girl, you gotta be kiddin'. You are just a 'lil slip, there is no way that you could drink me under the table. I've been drinking a lot longer than you and I don't get drunk easily." Daryl told Beth, clinking the ice around in his glass. When he looked up at her, he realized that what he said was a mistake, by the look on her face. She had a huge beatific smile on her face.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that you are suggesting that you are daring me to take you on." Beth said to Daryl and motioning towards the whiskey.

"I am not saying that at all. I don't think we should, considering we work tomorrow and even though you don't get a hangover, doesn't mean that I won't. Trust me, if we do it tonight, I won't make it ta work." Daryl said looking at Beth trying to dissuade her from drinking that much whiskey.

"I think you are just scared that you will lose to a 'lil girl'. And that's why you really don't wanna take me on tonight." Beth replied boldly. It was so unlike her, Daryl knew the soft spoken girl must have enough in her system to start speaking her mind. Daryl was worried about how she would get the more she drank. As he was watching her, she finished her glass and started going for another.

"I ain't afraid of nothin'. If ya ain't learned that by now then you will learn it fairly quickly. If you want to drink till ya pass out, go ahead but I won't be privy to your stupid college girl ways." Daryl was surprised at his response. He normally loved drinking and getting to the point that he passed out, but here he was almost reprimanding her for wanting to do the same thing. He couldn't think of another time he sounded more like a hypocrite than he did in that moment. He poured more whiskey in his glass and studied the contents closely.

"That's truly all you see me as isn't it? Some air headed college floozy who doesn't know jack shit about anything? Is it 'cuz my hair, my age or my gender? I ain't no little girl and I haven't been for awhile. You know what it's like to deal with way more than you should at a young age? Try graduating early and going through college at 16. And while you have 8 years of college to get through, trynna help your dad who was dying. My Pa was a great man who had made mistakes in his life. One of which was drinking. He drank so much that when he got older and had been sober the past came back to haunt him. His liver was shot. His kidneys were done for. He had dialysis three times a week and that kept him alive for longer than what he would have lived without it. So between classes and everything else, I took care of him. I was all he had after Maggie and Shawn moved out. They had their own lives and daddy didn't want them to worry. It was a secret until right before he passed. They were so mad at me, tole me I had no right to keep it from them and he tole them that it was his choice and if they had any problems with it they could talk to him. By that time, I was in my final years and I had pretty much taken over the clinic. Daddy would work the front desk and be available if I had any questions. I worked mornings and had night school. My only break was the weekends and most that time I was on call for the farmers who needed help with their stock." Beth had gotten louder as she talked and Daryl could see the pain etched on her face. She was right, she had a lot on her plate at a young age. He looked down at his glass unable to meet her gaze anymore. He didn't know what to say to her after what she had said.

"Bet ya never expected that huh? Ain't got no witty retort anymore? 'Cuz I'm ready for it. " Beth said as she drank the remaining dregs of liquor from her glass.

"What can I say to that? I can't apologize 'cuz you won't accept it. I can't tell ya I've been there 'cuz that would be a lie. And I damn sure can't take back what I said 'cuz you wouldn't believe matter what I say, it won't mean anything to you. I'm sorry life was shitty for ya, but it ain't always sunshine and roses for everyone else neither. We all have things handed to us or done to us that we have to man up and accept or die trying. Some wounds never heal and some are continously ripped back open." Daryl responded the first thing that came to mind, then cursed when he realized he had pretty much told her that he had been through some bad circumstances also. He just hoped she was drunk enough to let it slide.

Beth realized what he was meaning when he said that. With how guarded he was on his wording most of the time, she knew that he hadn't mean to allude towards himself at all. Normally Beth would have let it slide, but with the help of liquid courage she decided that she would say something.

"What's your story? Ya sound like ya know a lot about having hardships. I reckon it's from your past experiences." Beth said, trying to catch his eyes as he looked around the room. She leaned forward towards him to try to get his attention. He slowly leaned back in his chair studying the tiles on the ceiling.

"We all have our pasts and skeletons in out closets. That's exactly where they should stay, locked up. Nobody wants them to get out or to be put into the open, that's why they are hidden." Daryl muttered after taking a drink.

"Sometimes people need to talk 'bout it though. It's not good to keep things bottled up for a long period of time. It just makes it that much harder to move on and have the life you ought to have." Beth responded back. She didn't like pushing Daryl for answers but she knew that if she didn't push, he would be more than happy to let it stay the way it was.

"I'm not tellin' ya and that's final. I don't need no one judgin' me or acting like they can fix me. I'm who I am and that ain't ever gonna change." Daryl looked up at the clock on the wall as he talked to Beth. "I think I'm gonna take a shower seein' how late it is. We gotta work tomorrow and that way I don't have to wake up earlier."

"I'm just gonna finish up down here. You go ahead and take the shower." Beth sighed, knowing that he was done talking for the night. After he went upstairs, with Bo following him, she threw out the rest of the popcorn and picked up his glass. She finished the rest of her drink and then put them in the sink. She knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep so she decided to go turn on the TV in the living room and watch part of a movie.

As the opening credits filled the screen, her mind couldn't help but drift off to Daryl. She knew that he was hiding something from his past. She knew he wasn't a bad guy, she knew that from what she had seen from him so far. She just couldn't figure out what had happened to him to make him so scarred. He carried himself like a man who was running from something. She just had to figure out what it was and then maybe he would let her in. She really wanted to get to know him just didn't know what it was about him that made her feel like this. The last thing she remembered thinking about before she fell asleep was his deep blue eyes staring back at her when he stopped her from falling after her shower. So very deep blue, hauntingly beautiful and ever watchful.

Daryl finished with his shower and was walking back to his room when he saw that Beth wasn't in her room. Her door was wide open and her bed was still made. Daryl decided to let her know he was finished. When he didn't find her in the kitchen, he started checking the other rooms in the house. He found her curled up in a chair in front of the tv. She had her legs swung over one side of the chair and her head leaning to the side. Daryl ran back upstairs quickly to pull back the covers on her bed. He went back downstairs and carefully picked her up from the chair, holding her away from his body so he wouldn't be too close to her. When he had her situated comfortably he started walking up the stairs with her. He couldn't help but notice how soft her skin was or how good she smelled. The smell of vanilla and honey cane to mind when he tried to put the smell to words.

As he neared the top of the stairs, she began to stir in his arms. He pulled her a little closer, to keep from losing his balance. She wound her arms around his neck and nestled her face into his chest. He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard her mumbling in her sleep. He heard the words 'smell good' and 'strong' and couldn't help but smile at her. After she stopped talking, Daryl finished climbing the stairs and softly placed her in bed.

Leaving the room, he took one last look back at her. He could see her face from the moonlight coming in from the window. She looked so serene and angelic in the light. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was laying there in her bed. Daryl shook his head when he realized where his train of thought had gone. He couldn't use words like that in a sentence with her. He was just staying here until he found a job and his own place. Then he could get out and wait for Merle. Unless they let Merle go sooner than expected. He couldn't let this girl make him soft. He had to be careful not to let her close to him, he would just break her heart if she fell in love with him. He was a Dixon and Dixon's don't love anyone.

Author's note: As a thank you to all my lovely readers, I updated today instead of tomorrow. :) I have been picturing this scene since I started writing the story. A little bit of insight for both of them and some things for them to think about. Thanks again :)


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Beth woke up to the sound of her alarm going off. As she stretched her arms over her head, she looked around the room in confusion. She remembered sitting in front of the TV to watch a movie, but after that she didn't remember anything. She was wondering how she got upstairs and into her bed. Daryl must have found her and put her in bed. That was the only thing she could ratonalize. She had never been one to sleep walk and she knew she would remember walking up the stairs. Beth shook her head smiling. She had dreams of being carried by her knight in shining armor and guessed it must have stemmed from him taking her upstairs.

After she got dressed, she went downstairs to start some breakfast. She decided to make some eggs and pancakes today since Daryl had cooked the day before. She quietly started getting the stuff out after starting to percolate the coffee. As she stirred the batter, she heard the pitter patter of Bo coming down the stairs. After opening the back door for him, she started the pancakes. After finishing the pancakes and the eggs, she heard Bo scratching at the back door so she let him in and gave him some more food and water.

Beth set the table for two, and plated the food. She also poured two cups of coffee and grabbed the syrup, butter and peanut butter from the cabinet. She loved pancakes covered in peanut butter and a little bit of syrup. Most people thought it was weird but Beth was a peanut butter addict. She decided to run outside and grab some flowers to put in a vase in the center of the table. After that she sat down and looked at the clock, while tapping her nails along the table top.

Beth was anxious and nervous. She had bared all about her dad, Hershel, to Daryl the night before. He didn't act like it was much of a shock to him. Most people tried to apologize after she told them, so she stopped telling anyone about him. They didn't understand that no matter what was said it didn't make it any easier. The loss never got any easier. It did teach her to rely on herself and to learn how to cope when there was no one there to help her. She could tell with his answer that he understood what it was like to be alone, to have no one and to learn to live like that. Beth realized that they did have that in common and maybe they could relate more now than ever. If he ever could put down his wall long enough to become her friend.

She was tired of being alone. She hated the big house with four bedrooms, and no one but herself to fill them. She had recently thought of renting out the rooms, but there weren't many people looking for places to stay and she wasn't sure of having strangers in her house. Especially if they were men. Beth laughed when she realized that she had a man, who she knew very little about living with her. Daryl seemed rough around the edges, but he had been nothing but polite and had never given her the feeling that he would hurt her. She felt protected rather than scared around him.

Beth tried to force her thoughts off of Daryl and to what she had to do for the day. However, her mind kept swinging back to the man sleeping upstairs. The way his dark blue eyes held so many mysteries that she wanted to uncover. The way his brown hair suited him perfectly even though she normally didn't like longer hair on men. The facial hair he had on his face and how it almost artistically circled his mouth. Beth was startled from her thoughts when she realized that she was starting to sound like a lovesick teenager.

She decided it was time to wake Daryl up. Knocking gently on his door, she didn't hear any response from him so she cautiously opened the door to rouse him. When she peeked in, she saw that not only was he awake but he was in the process of getting dressed. He had his back towards her and had just pulled off his shirt. She oogled the lean muscles that were down his arms and the light tan color of his skin. Beth was horrified when she saw the scars that were all down his back. It looked like someone had whipped him multiple times and the scars never had the chance to heal. It was like an intricate piece of art of a sick and twisted mind. On his shoulder and upper back she could clearly see the tattoos that had been partially visible, an angel and a devil. Beth fought back a gasp when Daryl whipped his head towards the door as if he could sense her presence.

"Did ya get more than ya bargained for? Think ya know everything about me now?" Daryl shouted as he quickly pulled his shirt over his head and turned to face her. Beth took a moment to collect herself. He seemed angry that she had seen his back. She decided the best response as she looked at his red face.

"I just wanted to wake you up and let you know breakfast is ready." Beth said shakily, while taking a step back into the hall. She quietly closed the door and leaned on the wall next to it. She realized quickly that there was a lot more to him than he would ever let on and that his scars were deeper than just on his back. She listened as something hit the wall and Daryl started muttering. She took a deep breath and ran to her room.

Daryl was cussing while pacing his room. He balled up the shirt he had taken off and threw it against the wall with all his strength. He didn't let anyone see his back. He knew she got an eye full of them and was going to start questioning him on what happened. He hadn't heard her knock, but he had felt her presence in the room. He could smell her from the door, vanilla and honey warning him that she was close. The look on her face, betrayed her and made him realize that she had been staring, so he snapped back at her hoping she would leave.

Now that she left, he felt a small twinge of guilt. She had made him breakfast and was just wanting to let him know. She hadn't been purposefully trying to sneak in on him and catch him off guard. Daryl finished getting dressed and sat on the bed, trying to waste time before he had to head to the kitchen. After a few moments, his stomach started protesting so he decided that he would go ahead and face her.

He was surprised when she wasn't in the kitchen. He looked at the table and saw the food that she had placed on top and felt another twinge of guilt. He touched the flowers in the vase and picked one up to take up to her. While walking up the stairs he tried to piece together something to say to her but he couldn't find any words that sounded appropriate. He gently knocked on her door and waited for her to answer. When the door edged open a little bit, he stuck the flower through the opening. When he felt her fingers grasp the flower, he quickly pulled his hand back through the opening and stepped further into the hallway, waiting. Beth slowly opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. No words were spoken as they walked back down to the kitchen and ate the food.

Daryl watched as she gave Bo his medicine and then followed her out the door for work. He opened the door to the truck for her and Bo and then went to the drivers side and jumped in. The ride to work was too silent, so he turned the radio on low so it didn't seem so bad. He fiddled with the radio until he found a suitable station and smiled when he heard Beth start humming with the music.

After a long day at the clinic, Daryl was ready to call it a day. They had been so busy, they had to get food brought in and eat it quickly at the desk. He felt much like a zookeeper would he figured. After cleaning up the waiting area, he found Beth finishing up paperwork in her office.

"I'm gonna step out and smoke. Front is clean."Daryl said as he motioned towards the door.

"That's fine, I'm almost finished here. I figured we could run over to your house and pack some more stuff up tonight so we won't have as much to do tomorrow, maybe just a little bit of cleanin'. I could even get started on that tonight." Beth spoke while she continued writing on the paper, not looking up at him.

"You don't have to do that. It's my house not yours. I can drop ya off at home. " Daryl replied, confused about how she was offering to pitch in when it wasn't her fault or her mess to clean up.

"Nah, I'd rather help you than sit at home. Plus the look on Shane ' s face when he gets there and doesn't have anything to be able to throw out is why I wanna do it." Beth replied, looking at Daryl with a smile on her face.

Daryl went outside and smoked a cigarette while Bo christened the nearest fire hydrant. As he was putting it out, Beth emerged from the clinic with a box. She sat the box on the ground while she locked the doors, so Daryl grabbed it and took it to the truck. It held some cleaning supplies and a roll of trash bags. She definitely thought this out before hand.

The ride to his house was full of small talk about the animals from the clinic and the weather. Daryl was happy that she was talking to him again and that she hadn't brought up what she had seen that morning. She didn't act differently towards him and still bantered with him, with her pretty blue eyes sparkling. He hoped that he wouldn't have to try to figure out a story to make up about what had caused the marks. And he was fairly certain that she would see right through it if he tried.

When they pulled up to the house, Daryl asked her to take care of the living room and kitchen while he tackled Merle's room. He didn't want her to step foot in there, with the stuff he found underneath the bed, he was sure there would be worse things hiding in his drawers and closet. He grabbed a pair of gloves from the box and some trash bags and set to work cleaning the room.

After he got all the drawers cleaned out and the closet taken care of, he broke down the bed and propped it against the wall. He figured he would go ahead and put the furniture in the bed of the truck and load it with all the stuff he could so he wouldn't have much to load off the next day. As he started pulling the mattress down the hall, he heard singing coming from the living room. He stopped for a moment, listening to Beth singing, not wanting her to stop.

"_I'm so tired of being here_

_Suppressed by all my childish fears_

_And if you have to leave_

_I wish that you would just leave _

_'Cuz your presence still lingers here_

_And it won't leave me alone_

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_The pain is just too real_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase."_

Daryl staggered into the wall, it felt like the breath had been taken from him. He wondered if it was just luck or if she actually had figured out what had happened to him.

**Author's note: **The song Beth was singing was "My Immortal" by Evanescence in case anyone was wondering and I do not own it. I felt that it got perfectly with the situation they were in and couldn't help but add it in. As always thank you my lovely readers and another update will be along shortly :)


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Beth stopped singing when she heard Daryl coming down the hall. The song she was singing had been running through her mind after she saw his back. She didn't want to offend him so she stepped out into the hall and found his back against the wall, with a mattress on the other wall.

"You takin' this out to the truck? " Beth asked Daryl, motioning to the mattress.

"Ya, just had to take a break for a min." was his gruff response. She knew he must have heard her singing. He seemed more closed off than before, refusing to look her in the eye.

"I'll help ya take it out. The kitchen is cleaned out. I broke down the table and chairs and put them in the truck. I also found some boxes and put the dishes and stuff in them and put them in the bed of the truck and since there wasn't any food in there, it made the cleanup a lot easier. I just have a little bit of cleaning left in the living room and I needed your help moving a few things and then it will be done also." Beth rambled as she took her hair out of the ponytail and put it in a messy bun. She looked up and saw that Daryl was watching her hands moving her hair, winding it into the bun and smiled at him.

"Sounds like ya got it all planned out." Daryl grumbled, grabbing the edge of the mattress and waiting for her to grab the other end. When she did they started moving out to the truck.

"Ya, I've been told that I'm good at planning things out and it keeps my mind busy so I do it. Like to get all my ducks in a row." Beth chuckled as they hefted the mattress into the truck bed. She followed him back inside and started grabbing the bags from Merle's room and taking them out to the truck as he brought the frame for the bed out. After they got all the stuff in the truck bed, they began pulling the furniture from the living room out. They were able to get all of it except a small love seat into the truck.

"That should be good for tonight. All that's left to grab is the love seat and to empty out the bathroom. Then we won't have anything else to grab." Beth said as she climbed into the cab of the truck after Bo.

"Ya." was the gruff reply she heard. She shook her head at how he was giving her short answers. She decided to bite her tongue and let him relax for the rest of the drive.

When they arrived back at her house, she realized that she would have to make some room for him to put all the stuff from the truck bed. She figured the best place would be the old barn. She would just have to pull her car put of it. She had decided to turn the garage into a clinic at home instead of the barn, since it was closer to the house and it was easier for her. She had taken to using the barn for a garage for her car while she left her pa's old truck next to it. There hadn't been animals in the barn for a long time and there was no need for it to go to waste.

"If ya don't mind letting me rearrange cars, you can pull the truck up to the barn and unload it. I'll put my car up front and then you will be ok to back it up." Beth called over her shoulder as she walked to the barn and unlocked the padlock. She smiled as she pulled the tarp off of her car. She loved the car and drove it as much as she could. She couldn't wait to see his reaction when she pulled it out of the barn.

Daryl looked up when he heard an engine start up. It sounded like it had a bit of torque behind it. He craned his neck towards the window of the pickup to catch a glance of what kind of car she drove. He was surprised when she pulled out in a 2009 Dodge Charger. It was completely black with tinted windows. Daryl thought she would drive a little car with a small engine, but was definitely not prepared for that car to come out of the barn. He shook his head as he drove to the barn and backed up to the open doors.

He jumped into the back of the truck and started handing bags down to Beth who had made her way to the back of the truck. After the bags were placed they then lugged all the furniture into the barn and placed them in an empty stall. Daryl kept wondering about how she ended up with that car, so he decided to ask her.

"What made ya decide to get that car?" He asked, as he finished placing the last of the stuff from the truck into the barn.

"Actually, I didn't decide on the vehicle myself. My pa, Hershel, decided to give it to me as a graduation present and to thank me for being there to help him. My old car wasn't doing too good and the transmission was junk. I woke up one morning and my car wouldnt start and I got really upset. The key wouldn't turn over or anything. He handed me some keys and said to borrow his truck. When I went to go find the truck, it was missing but he had the car placed there instead. When I went to go running back into the house, he was already standing at the door and told me that it was mine to keep and that he wasn't going to take it back. Heaven knows where he got the idea for this specific car, but he was very proud of it." Beth explained, smiling as she walked over to the car.

"He made a good pick of a car." He told her as he walked around the car and admired it.

"You can drive it if ya want. The only stipulation is that I get to pick the music." Daryl looked at Beth to see if she was joking with him, but could tell she was being serious.

"I would like to see how fast it goes." He smirked as he thought about testing the car out. He had always wanted to drive a nice car, but never was able to.

"Let me just put Bo inside and freshen up a bit. You wanna go get some food? I don't know 'bout you but I'm starvin'" Beth said as she walked towards the door. Daryl realized that he was pretty hungry also, they hadn't had anything to eat since the hurried lunch earlier at the clinic.

"Ya that sounds pretty good." Daryl replied walking up to his room. He decided to change out of his clothes, since he was covered in dirt and dust. He picked a gray shirt and some black jeans with holes in the knees. After spraying some cologne that he found on the dresser, he felt better. He went to the closet and pulled a little bit of money out of the stash he had found in Merle's room and put it in his wallet. He then grabbed his leather jacket and walked down to the kitchen to wait on Beth.

He found Bo eating some food next to the table and bent over to rub his head. When he stood back up he noticed that Beth was coming down the stairs. When she got to the bottom he was struck by how different she looked. She had put on a dress that clung to her chest and went down to her knees. Her hair was down now, framing her face and she had some makeup on that accentuated her big blues eyes. Daryl was unable to say anything to her as he held the front door open for her.

Daryl opened the passenger door for her and then got in the car himself. When she handed him the keys, he nodded his thanks to her. He still didn't trust his voice to say anything to her. As he started the car, she pulled out her phone, which she plugged in to the audio system and pushed a few buttons and some music started playing. She turned to him and smiled.

"Are ya ready? I know a good place we can go eat at unless you already have a place in mind. I can give ya the directions when we get close of where to go. It's a little bit of a drive but it will give ya more time to have fun." Beth asked him, while looking him in the eye.

"Where ever you would like to go is fine by me. Food is food." Daryl replied after a moment. His mouth felt dry and it was hard for him to form the correct words. He drove onto the road and started towards the destination she was telling him to go. The music she had playing was actually not bad music and he could hear her humming along with it.

"You can sing if ya want to. I don't mind." Daryl said, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Ok, if you are sure ya don't mind." Beth smiled and started singing softly with the radio. Daryl turned the music up more and leaned back in the drivers seat, comfortable. Beth lowered the window a bit and relaxed into her seat. The song switched over to a popular song, he had heard on the radio and he couldn't help but smile at how fitting the lyrics were.

_"Girl I know I don't know you  
But your pretty little eyes so blue  
Are pulling me in  
Like the moon on your skin  
I'm so glad you trusted me  
To slide up on this dusty seat  
And let your hair down  
Get out of town"_

Daryl was tapping his fingers along the steering wheel as he drove, smiling at the song. He looked at Beth to find her watching him closely. When she met his eyes, she quickly turned away, her facing turning red.

"Everything ok?" Daryl asked, turning the music down a little.

"Ya, everything is perfect."

**Author's note: **The song in this chapter is by Luke Bryan "I don't want this night to end". And for all those out there wondering(and maybe those who aren't) the car is a car from TWD. It is from the scene where Daryl, Michonne, Tyreese and Bob are driving when they get swamped by walkers. Thanks again to all my lovely readers :)


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Beth was happy. She never knew how much a simple ride at night withe the windows down a little bit and the radio playing, could make her so relaxed. He had let her chose the music, so she was at ease, singing along with the songs. She couldn't help but sneak peeks at him as he was driving. He looked at ease in the drivers seat and the car suited his personality. She loved the way he looked under the fringe of his hair to look in the rear view and how he was so comfortable using one hand to steer while the other was on his leg, tapping his fingers along to the beat of the music.

She kept feeding him directions since they were getting closer to the place she had picked to go to. As she looked in the mirror she realized there was a car being them. Which was unusual this time of night and on the back roads. She started to get more suspicious as it followed all the turns they made. She continued to watch it, not wanting to say anything to Daryl and make him think she was paranoid. After twenty minutes, she decided to change course a bit just to see if they would still follow. She knew the roads around that area pretty well and they didn't lead to anywhere for awhile. After guiding him through the little detour, she saw the car still following behind them, spacing out more now that they were on open roads.

"Do ya think that car is followin' us?" Beth jumped when she hear Daryl speak from the drivers seat. Nodding to him, she was happy that she wasn't the only one who thought that.

"Ya, I am having you take a different route to see if they would still follow. This road leads to nowhere, and they are still behind us. So it does seem like they are following us." Beth explained ad she played with her fingers. She was worried that someone was going to try to hurt them but she knew Daryl would protect her so she wasn't scared.

"Let's lose em. I'm sure that this car can do with a little more speed." Daryl smirked as he punched the accelerator and started speeding. The car behind followed suit trying to catch up.

"Take a left just over this hill. There is a tree that we can drive next to and kill the lights." Beth said as she realized a plan that may get the car away from them. Daryl followed her directions and hid the car behind the trees. Beth held her breath, waiting for the car to drive past their hiding spot. She saw the headlights crest the top of the hill and waited to see what the car would do. The owner slowed down and she knew they must have realized that they knew they were following them. She wondered what they would do next. As the car crept crawling forward she heard Daryl muttering from the seat next to her. She looked over at him and saw him reach into his boot and pull out a knife. Then he pulled another knife out of his pocket and handed it to Beth. Beth held the knife in her hand unsure if she would be able to use it or not.

She looked back over to the car and realized that they had pulled over to the side of the road. She flinched as she saw someone get out of the car and left the door open. They had a black hoodie on with the hood covering their face. She watched as the walked the opposite way of her vehicle. She looked back to ask Daryl what was going on, when she realized he was no longer in the seat next to her. She jumped when she heard tapping on the outside of her window. Daryl motioned for her to stay right there and be quiet. She watched as he quickly and stealthily crept up to the car. She saw him reach into the car, grab something and then he turned to the wheels messing around with something. Beth couldn't breathe, waiting to make sure he made it back safely. After a moment, he started running back towards the car, making sure to stay inside all the shadows he could. Beth jumped when he opened the door and climbed back in.

"Do you know how to get out of here and back on the way we were going? I am fairly sure that they ain't gonna be able to come after us. And here is this. I think it narrows down the possible suspects." Daryl threw a piece of metal at Beth and she caught it. As she held it up to the window for the moonlight to show what it said, she gasped. "Walsh" was on the name tag. She realized that it was Shane following them.

"I can't believe that he is following us. Why would he do that?" Beth questioned Daryl.

Daryl looked at Beth, he knew she was fairly upset and could see the worry in her eyes. When he went over to the car his heart had been pounding. The only thing he could think about was making sure she was safe. So when he slit one of the tires and heard the air hissing out, he didn't feel any guilt at all. Especially after he found the name tag for the cop and saw what he had placed in the backseat. He didn't think Shane expected them to live past the night. Daryl couldn't believe how stupid he was, just leaving it out in the open in his car. Must have thought they wouldn't realize that he was following them. Shane was too arrogant and bull headed.

"I think he really is mad since you called him out about your brother and 'cuz he doesn't like my brother. Something that doesn't surprise me. My brother doesn't make friends as easy as he makes enemies. Always pissin' someone off. Tell me how to get outta here and we are gone. He won't be followin' us no more." Daryl muttered. Beth gave him the directions and watched as he started up the car. The sound of the engine drew Shane from the side of the road and he ran and jumped in his car also. Daryl laughed as he peeled out and saw that Shane was having some problems driving. He could see him jump outta the car and look at the wheel.

" What did you do to his car? " Beth asked, confused at how he stopped so quickly.

"Let's just say he may or may not be needing a new tire." Daryl said, smirking at Beth. He couldn't help but laugh at the look of shock on her face.

"You slashed his tire?" she spluttered, looking surprised and a little bit happy.

"Yep. I don't know what he had planned but I don't think it was anything good based on what was in his car." Daryl refused to tell her what he had seen in the car, it was enough to make his skin crawl and fueled his anger towards Shane. If she hadn't been there he would have gladly beat Shane to a pulp. But he didn't want to take him on not knowing if he had a gun. There wouldn't be much he could do against that and he would have left Beth defenseless in the car. And knowing how stubborn she was, she wouldn't have left.

"What was in his car?" Beth asked, twisting her fingers in her lap and staring out the window. Daryl sighed and decided what would be the best thing to say.

"Some stuff that made me think he planned this whole thing out and wasn't going to stop 'til he had accomplished what he wanted to do. Imma leave it at that." Daryl said paying close attention to the road. He decided to change the topic. "Do ya still wanna get some food? "

"Ya, but would you mind if we decided to get something simpler than what I was wanting to get? We can go through a drive thru and park somewhere and eat. I actually know a good place near here." Beth replied, looking at him for his answer.

"That sounds fine to me. " Daryl replied. He followed her directions and ended up going back near the town she lived in. After a quick stop to grab some food, she told him to drive like they were going back to her house but to keep going straight instead of turning. After a few miles, she had him take a dirt road thay led to a small pond.

"This was one of my favorite places when I was younger. It's part of our property and we would go swimming here every summer when it was really hot. It's secluded so it's perfect place to relax and swim without having anyone staring at ya." Beth said as they climbed out of the car. Daryl watched as she pulled a blanket from the trunk and placed it on the ground. "I was taught to always keep an emergency kit in the trunk of my car. So I have blankets in case I'm stuck somewhere and it's cold."

"You should have been a girl scout." Daryl said. He laughed when she gave him a dirty look and stuck her tongue out at him. Daryl sat down on the blanket next to her and ate his food. After they were both finished eating, she sprawled out on the blanket and began pointing out stars. He joined her and listened to the stories she told about the constellations. He didn't know that there were stories for how most of them and was mildly amused at how she told them.

"Hey, I have a fun idea." Beth piped up from beside him.

"Ok." Daryl responded, looking at her from the corner of his eyes. She propped herself up on her elbow leaning towards him.

"Let's go swimming." she said, smiling at him. The temperature was still fairly warm so swimming wouldn't be too bad.

"We don't have any bathing suits or towels." Daryl replied gruffly, dismissing the idea.

"Actually I have towels in the car trunk too. And we don't have to have suits. It's dark and we are on my property. Don't have to be naked unless ya wanna skinny dip. Never done that." Beth giggled as she stood up.

"Aren't ya supposed to wait after eating?" Daryl responded, trying to get her away from the idea.

"Only 30 minutes and we have been talking for at least that much. If you are too scared to, I understand." Beth said as she walked towards the water.

"I ain't scared of nuthin'. Just think it's a dumb idea." Daryl replied. He watched as she started to take her shoes off and slipped out of her dress. He was shocked at how easily she shed her clothes and was ready to jump in.

"Well I guess I will have all the fun around here. At least run to the car and grab the towels outta the trunk for me."Daryl obliged her request and when he returned, he saw that her underwear had joined her clothes. He looked out into the water and saw her in the middle of the pond, treading water. It was so dark, he could just barely make her out in the moonlight. He shook his head. She was crazy.

"Daryl, you aren't funny. " He heard Beth say faintly.

"Why aren't I funny?" He asked, walking closer to the water to hear her better.

"You aren't in the water?" Beth called back, her voice shaky.

"No, I went to get the towels from the car like ya asked." Daryl replied, seeing Beth look back towards him. She started to edge closer to the him.

"Well if you are there then what is touching my-" Beth cut off with a scream and the went below the water. Daryl began yelling her name. When she didn't resurface, he yanked his clothes off and jumped into the water. He began swimming towards the last place he saw her. As he got close to the spot, he felt something brush up against his leg, he went under the water and grabbed it bringing it with him to the surface. When he shook the water out of his eyes, he found that he held a laughing Beth in his hands.

"What the hell girl? I thought something had attacked you." Daryl spluttered as he pulled her closer.

"I figured since you wouldn't come in the water on your own, I would help ya out. Worked pretty well if ya asked me." Beth replied as she smiled sweetly up at Daryl.

"After what happened tonight, do ya really think that this was funny? Do ya think I appreciate being tricked like this? Ya ever think about anyone but yourself? Or is that all that's going on in your head?" Daryl yelled. Beth shrunk into herself and when she looked back up at him, he could see the tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted you to have a good time. I didn't think that you would be this mad. If I had known I would have just let you stay up there on the shore and not gotten ya out here. I just wanted you to have fun and not be stuck up there alone while I was alone in the water." Beth replied, with a shaky voice.

Daryl looked at her and could see the sincerity I'm her eyes. He knew she hadn't mean to make him mad and he had to admit the water felt amazing. But he would never tell her that. Instead he took and splashed her with water. She resurfaced, spluttering and eyed him.

"I think this means war." She cried as she began splashing him back with water. When Daryl got the water out of his eyes, he realized that she was no where to be seen. He turned back towards the shore and didn't see her there either. After a moment of silence, he felt the subtle shift of water and turned back around, she still wasn't anywhere to be seen. All of the sudden he was plunged underwater. She had snuck up behind him and shoved his head under. He smiled, grabbing ahold of her hands, pulling her down with him.

When they resurfaced, Beth was in front of him, holding onto him to help balance herself. She laughed as he shook his hair in her face. When Daryl realized how close they were and remembered her lack of clothes, he began to extract himself from her embrace. However, she didn't let go. She pulled up closer to him and leaned in towards his face. Daryl was too shocked too move as she got near his mouth. He saw her eyes dart down towards his lips and couldn't help but look at hers. She began to angle her head into him and he closed his eyes, waiting.

"Last one to the shore is a rotten egg." Beth whispered into his ear and took off swimming to shore. Daryl snapped out of his trance and began swimming to shore after her. When he got to shore he realized she had stolen his clothes and the towels.

"Beth, I would like a towel or at least my clothes." Daryl called into the darkness. He was met with silence. He began walking towards the blanket. He figured he could use that to dry off. The blanket was missing also. He started towards the car, figuring she was hiding close to it. As he neared the car, he felt someone jump onto his back. He looked back and found Beth dangling from his back.

"Look what the cat drug in. Where are my clothes." He responded, sourly. He noted that she had put her dress back on but his clothes were not in sight.

"I'll tell ya where your clothes are on one condition. " Beth replied, smugly. "I want a piggy back to where they are."

"Ya serious?"

"Yes, I want a serious piggy back." Beth replied smiling at Daryl.

"Well I guess this is a serious piggy back then." Daryl replied, shifting her weight so he could walk with her. "You are heavier than ya look."

Beth slapped him on his shoulder, laughing. She guided him towards the woods and then had him turn around and walk back towards the car. She hopped off and opened the door and pulled out his clothes from the front seat. Daryl looked at her, shocked.

"Ya had the clothes in there the whole time? Why did ya make me carry ya around like that for then?" Daryl questioned her. Beth simply shrugged.

"Thought it would be fun." She replied. Daryl threw the towel down and started walking towards Beth. She began backing up as he got closer.

"Ya know what would be more fun?" He asked her, smirking. "Finding out how fast ya can run to avoid being thrown in the water."

Beth let out a shriek and began running with Daryl, still clad only in his boxers, hot on her trail. After twenty minutes of chasing, Daryl caught her and promptly threw her in the water. She came back up spluttering and yelling at him. Daryl wasn't paying attention as he laughed so hard he had to hold his stomach.

"I hope you know you're an asshole." Beth yelled as she came out of the water, her clothes dripping.

"I don't think it's nice manners calling the guy who is offering you his shirt to wear an asshole. You could just wear your wet clothes and soak your seats if ya like. Or could completely strip down and wear only a towel. Not like I ain't seen ya in one before. " Daryl kept laughing at Beth. She looked like a drowned cat and even had the temperament of one. "And don't forget, you are the one who wanted me to have fun. I did."

Beth smiled at Daryl and began laughing also. She followed him to the car and accepted his shirt, so she wouldn't have to get the seats wet. She asked him to turn around as she changed, so Daryl turned his back to her. He realized that he was facing the car and could see her behind him changing clothes. He watched as she stripped off the dress and couldn't help but stared at her body. She was beautiful, by far the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. But she wasn't for him. He averted his eyes as she began to take off her underwear and started biting on his thumb. He realized that she was going to be the death of him. Drive him to insanity in the blink of an eye or make him wish for better things. Things he didn't deserve and things he could never have.

**Author's note: **I just wanna point out, yes I did borrow a few quotes from the walking dead in this chapter. It fit in perfectly with the situation and I just love that episode so much. (well until the end that is) Anyways, thanks again to all my awesome readers and to the fantastic reviewers. I always love finding those sweet reviews when I wake up.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Beth woke up the next morning, with a smile on her face. Her slumber had been full of good dreams and she hadn't had that much fun in a very long time. She was happy that Daryl had came put of shell and joined in. When he had first threw her into the water, she was mad. She couldn't believe that he just tossed her in there. When she realized how carefree he sounded, she couldn't help but join in with the laughter. His laugh was so much different when it wasn't forced. She decided they would have to go on more outings like last night, save Shane stalking them, if that's what it took to get him to smile like that.

She quickly got dressed and took one look in the mirror and saw that her cheeks were full of color. She felt like she was ready to take this day on headfirst. Most days, she woke up and didn't want to do anything, feeling so tired and worn down. It was surprising how she felt so different after taking a little bit of time for herself and having a much needed break. Even with the lack of sleep, she felt refreshed. She laughed as she put a little bit of makeup on and noticed that she had put on clothes that she usually didn't wear to the clinic. She was wearing a pretty tye dyed skirt and a tank top and shirt over it. She picked out a pair of flats to complete the outfit and headed downstairs to start some coffee.

When she got to the kitchen, she found the coffee already going and Daryl was looking in the fridge. He was already dressed for the day in another gray shirt and some blue jeans. He pulled out some eggs, milk and bacon and closed the door. Beth hid in the door way to watch him. He began pulling out the pans and then started to make some French Toast and bacon.

"If ya would like some coffee, feel free to grab some. Then ya can go back to watching me if ya like." Beth jumped when Daryl spoke. He didn't look away from the food and she hadn't made a sound so she didn't understand how he knew she was watching him. She walked into the kitchen and made herself some coffee and sat down at the table to drink it.

"How did you know I was standing there? I was quiet as a mouse. " Beth questioned.

"When you are a hunter at heart, you pay a lot of attention to your surroundings. If ya let things slip, it could mean losing what you are after or getting hurt. So ya learn quickly when someone or something is near to ya. So you have a very little chance of sneaking up on me." Daryl smirked, looking up at Beth.

"That's funny seein' as how I snuck up on ya last night and pushed ya underwater." Beth laughed at the dirty look Daryl gave her when she said that.

"We were in water and it was dark. Not the most opportune moment to base it off of." Daryl mumbled under his breath.

"I'm teasing ya. I can tell ya pay a lot more attention than most to what's going on around ya. It's quite refreshing. " Beth said as she let Bo in from outside.

"Ya" was the gruff response she heard from Daryl. She looked up and saw the smile playing on the corners of his lips and was relieved he was still in a good disposition today. Beth began pulling out plates and syrup and peanut butter. "Why do you always have peanut butter on the table? "

"Have you ever eaten pancakes or French Toast with peanut butter and syrup on it?" Beth asked, watching as Daryl shook his head. "Well ya should. I have been eating mine like this for years and it tastes so good."

"It sounds gross to me. Smearing that much peanut butter on it." Daryl said shaking his head as he put se food on each plate. He grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down across the table from Beth. As Beth looked up, she noticed that the flowers she had picked yesterday were gone and there was a fresh selection in the vase. She smiled knowing he had picked them for breakfast. She looked up and saw that Daryl was watching her put the peanut butter on her food.

"Just try it once. I promise you won't be disappointed. " Beth pleaded with him. She finished pouring syrup on her food, cut it up and held a small piece to him. Daryl went to grab the fork, and Beth swatted his hand away. She placed it closer to his face and he slowly leaned forward towards the fork. He gently grabbed the piece of food from the fork, staring straight into her eyes. She smiled as he chewed the peanut butter covered food and didn't spit it out. She blushed at how romantic the notion of her feeding him was.

"What did ya think?" Beth asked after he swallowed.

"Wasn't that bad, I guess." Daryl replied as he grabbed the peanut butter off the table and began scooping some onto his food. Beth laughed and began laughing harder when he looked up at her and tried to shoot her a dirty look. He failed and began laughing also.

They finished eating and then cleaned up the kitchen together. Beth washed the dished and Daryl dried them to put them away. She smiled at how easily talking had become and how easily they worked together. He may have a tough exterior, but the more she got to know him, she realized that he actually had a heart of gold. She just felt like he didn't trust people like most did. It was kind of refreshing, seeing someone that didn't just hand out trust like others and expected it to he worked towards. She hoped that he would give her the chance to show him that she was worthy of it. She already trusted him. It seemed as easy as breathing. She tossed him the keys to the car and they started heading into town.

Beth couldn't help but listen in to the conversation that was going on between Daryl and Andrea. Andrea was back again, since she worked three days a week for grooming. She only worked more if she had a lot of business. To say she was shocked when she saw who was filling in for her sister would have been an understatement. She demanded the whole story and wanted to know how Beth had met him and everything. Beth gave her the short version and left out that he was living with her.

"So what does a guy like you do for a good time?"Andrea purred.

"Nuthin'" Daryl gruffly replied. Beth stifled a giggle.

"Do ya like goin' out for a drink at the bar?" Andrea asked.

"Nah, not really. Don't kno too many places 'round here." Daryl responded.

"I could show ya around if ya like. I know a a lot of special places." Andrea pressed putting extra emphasis on the word special. Beth felt her stomach knot up at the idea of Andrea showing Daryl around. She would bet that Andrea was talking about showing him to her room at the end of the tour. She didn't know why thinking about that happening made her sick to her stomach. She shrugged it off. She was just worried for him. Nothing more to it.

"Actually, Beth has already been doin' a good job of that herself. " Daryl replied. Beth couldn't help but smile. He shot her down without even sounding interested.

"Well, if ya ever decide you would like more than that, maybe go get some drinks, have a little fun or something, you could call me. I would love to have some fun with you." Andrea said in a silky voice.

"I don't have a phone, so don't be waiting by the phone for me to call. Just never needed one." Daryl replied. Beth realized that he was telling the truth. She had never seem a phone on him and he had mentioned not having a cell phone before. She would have to fix that. It would make her feel more safe to be able to get ahold of him if there was a problem. She knew what was going to happen on their lunch break.

"Hey, Daryl. Would you mind running an errand with me on lunch break?" Beth called towards the desk that Andrea was leaning against, talking to him.

"Sure, just let me know when ya ready to leave and I'll be ready." He called back. Andrea looked at Beth with a calculating look on her face. She broke out into a huge smile and slowly walked towards Beth.

"You little biatch! You are have dibs on him." Andrea teased Beth. Beth turned her head to the side and gave her a confused look.

"What are you talking about?" Beth questioned her, not understanding what Andrea was talking about.

"Daryl, he is smitten with you. And you like him too. Don't deny it. I just used all my charm on him, and he was completely blind to it. Which means he is either gay or he is already interested in someone. And I am fairly sure he isn't the former so it's the latter. And that means you." Andrea began rambling. Beth blushed as she finally understood what she meant.

"I'm sure you are just taking things way outta proportion. He definitely doesn't think of me that way. I'm just a little girl to him. He has told me that multiple times." Beth responded, trying to shut down the crazy woman.

"Honey, it sounds like he is saying that to keep you at an arms length. He's probably scared that you would either turn him down or break his heart. Men are afraid of commitment." Andrea replied, tapping her chin.

"And how do you know this?" Beth asked, laughing at her logic.

"Two failed marriages and multiple ex boyfriends. Kinda turns you into a relationship guru. At least for other people. I suck at picking out men for myself." Andrea laughed at herself and walked back to her grooming area. "Good luck and when it happens, I am telling you I told ya so. So be ready for it."

Beth shook her hand at the blondes antics. She was an ornery woman and liked to always put the last word in. Beth finished her paperwork and then went upfront to grab Daryl. She told him the directions to the phone shop and then told him he could drop her off and gave him some cash to go buy lunch. He gave her a weird look but drove off to find something for them to eat. Beth quickly picked a phone and had the sales associate set it up. As she waited for the phone to be ready, she looked through the cases they had on the wall. She found the perfect case for him and asked them to add that to her purchase. It was black with a red crossbow with the word "Archer" written underneath it. She knew he wouldn't be happy she bought it for him but she had a good argument that she felt would work well for her.

Daryl swung into a nearby place and grabbed a pizza and two drinks for them. He wondered what she had to do but figured he would find out sooner or later. When he got back to the phone shop, Beth was waiting out front with a bag. She jumped in and smiled at him.

"That pizza sure smells good. What kind did ya get?" she asked as she looked into the backseat.

"I grabbed a pepperoni and got you a Sprite. Figured it was a safe choice." Daryl replied as he pulled back onto the road and started heading back towards the clinic

"That's actually my favorite type of pizza. So I'm gonna be straight upfront with ya 'cuz honesty is the best policy. I know that you ain't gonna like what I'm about to say so I need you to wait out what I'm about to say. And not say anything till I'm done. Kay?" Beth asked.

"Sure"

"Ya know how worried I am about this whole Shane thing and not knowing if he is stalking me or not? Well I figured that it would be more safe if I could get ahold of you in case of an emergency and vice versa. So I decided that I would take and get you a phone. I know this is prolly gonna make ya mad but it's for safety. it would make me feel much better if you took it so in case something happened to either one of us, we could let the other know. I mean we are living together now. It's not like ya have to keep it permanently, just maybe till this situation and stuff is over. So, umm, here ya go." Beth trailed off as she handed him a phone. Daryl looked to the phone in her hand. It was a sleek touch screen phone and it had a case on it. He couldn't help but smile at the picture on the case. It definitely suited him. He was mad at first, for her to go behind his back and buy the phone without talking to him about it. She knew he would have told her no. As she began explaining how it would make her feel better about everything going on, he couldn't help but to concede that she made a strong point.

"Ok but I'll help pay for it and when I move out, it either switches over to my name or you turn it off. Deal?" He asked, looking down at the phone.

"Deal. I already took the liberty of adding my numbers to the phone and I added your number to my contacts. I also decided to add some games to the phone while I waited. Set up some stuff for ya and got the phone started. You don't have to worry about anything, all the stuff on the phone you can use so have some fun playin' with it. The manual and all that is in the box, if ya have any question on how to work it." Beth rambled, getting excited. Daryl just shook his head, pulling back into the clinic parking lot. She was too excitable at times.

Daryl was standing outside, smoking a cigarette, when he started to feel his pocket vibrate and heard some music playing. It was the song he had heard on the radio the night before when they were driving around. He pulled the phone out and saw he had a new message.

From: Bethy

Just wanted to let you know I'm almost done and to be the first one to send you a text :)

Daryl replied after a few moments: k wat does :) mean

A minute later he received: It's a smiley face lol

Daryl turned his head to the side and saw what she meant. He replied back: I c and lol?

The reply was instantaneous: And lol means laugh out loud, in case you were wondering. I'm gonna have to teach ya text lingo.

Daryl shook his head. This damn phone was confusing.

**Author's note : **A big thank you to my lovely readers and the awesome reviews. I'm having a great time writing this story and am glad that you enjoy reading it. I am updating a bit early but I was off work today so I was able to start writing earlier today. I may not always be able to update everyday but if I can't I will update the very next day. :)


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Beth smiled as she continued cleaning the floors. She could hear music coming from the bathroom and knew Daryl had found the app she had put on his phone for music. She could hear lyrics from "_The Devil went down to Georgia" _and she couldn't help but hum along. After they had left the clinic, they went ahead to finish the cleanup of the house. They had traded out her car for the truck since they still had to load the love seat up and take it back. Daryl almost seemed sad to drive it instead of her car.

After about an hour, Beth was completely finished with the living room, had done a walk through of the rest of the house and had ended up in the bathroom where he was cleaning. He had a couple boxes of stuff outside the door, so she grabbed them and took them outside to the truck. When she got outside she saw a figure leaning against the side of the truck and began slowing down. Shane was watching her as she got closer. Beth placed the boxes in the back of the truck and snuck her phone out of her pocket. She quickly pushed speed dial number two and discreetly placed the phone inside her bra.

"What are ya doin' here Shane?" she asked, her voice unsteady and shaky. She hoped Shane wouldn't hear the panic she was trying to hide but felt like the lilt of her voice was betraying her. She shrunk back as he walked towards her.

"I was just checkin' to see how my two favorite people were gettin' along with emptyin' out the house. I wouldn't wanna break my back throwing the trash out in the street." Shane drawled, stepping closer to Beth. She felt like he wasn't talking about just the stuff in the house and she could see a malicious glint in his eyes. Beth shuddered, wondering if she would have time to run or if he would just think it's a game.

"Thanks for the concern but we are doing fine. We don't need any help and you won't have anything to throw out tomorrow. It's already cleaned out." Beth replied, taking a few more steps back. Shane was getting too close to her and she didn't like it.

"Well maybe there is something else I could offer ya. I'm sure the redneck wouldn't mind sharing ya for a little bit." Shane drawled as he leered at her. Beth took a deep breath and another step back.

"I think he would mind and I think you are not welcome here anymore. If I were you I would take a few steps away from the lady and give her some space. She doesn't seem to like ya gettin' too close." Beth exhaled a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, when Daryl came flying out the front door. He had gotten her call and came to help. Beth stepped away from Shane and walked up to Daryl. He placed himself in between her and Shane and she grabbed ahold of his arm. She didn't want him to attack Shane and she didn't want him to get too close to the crazy man.

"Can't be that serious, now can ya? It's not like ya live together, oh wait yes you do. But I don't see a ring on her finger. So ya shouldn't mind lending her out for tha night. I would bring her back if she wanted to come back home to ya. She may wanna stay though once she sees what a real man is like." Shane spat at Daryl, trying to circle him to get closer to Beth. Beth felt Daryl tense up at those words and grabbed his hand, interlocking her fingers with his.

"I would mind and trust me when I say this. I would never touch you when I have him. I wouldn't need another man for anything. He gives me all I need and more. There is no need for you to offer yourself to me 'cuz I'm gonna turn you down everytime. And quite frankly, it would have to be a zombie apocalypse with us being the last two on earth before I would ever think about shacking up with you. And then all it would be is a thought, never an action!" Beth hollered from next to Daryl. She was fed up with Shane and was tired of him acting like he was better than Daryl. He was nothing compared to the man holding her hand and he would never measure up.

"I would watch your tone girl. I don't take kindly to women talkin' to me like that. They are meant to be submissive and are to be taught their place. I wouldn't be letting ya girl talk to another man like that Dixon." Shane spat at them, taking a step forward. His face was turning a shade of red that looked pretty menancing.

"She is free to speak her mind, I don't hinder her in any way. I believe that if she wants to speak up, she has every right to. I'm not always happy with what she has to say but I'm never gonna take it from her to tell me how it is." Daryl said in retort, his voice low and grave. Beth was shaking a little so Daryl pulled her into his arm, still holding onto her hand.

"I-I think you should leave Shane. I don't wanna have to call the cops but I will if you don't leave." Beth shakily said to him. She hoped that he would just leave and let them finish up at the house. She was so scared and worried about what would have happened if Daryl hadn't been there.

"I'll leave but I want ya to know that this won't be the last ya see of me. I will pop back up when ya least expect it. So ya better be on guard. I know it was you two who slashed my tire. And payback is a bitch." Shane yelled as he walked back to his car. He jumped in the car and sped off with a spray of gravel from how fast he accelerated.

Daryl felt the small blonde shaking in his arms. When he got the call, he couldn't hear exactly what was being said, so he started looking through the house for her. When he realized that she wasn't in the house, he began listening to the phone again. When he heard her say his name, he was running out the door as fast as he could. He didn't trust Shane and wanted to get out there quickly. He felt like there was fire poring through his veins after listening to that prick talk to her. Daryl understood now that he wanted Beth and he didn't think Shane would stop until he got what he wanted.

Beth twisted in his arms and wound her tiny arms around his chest, nestling into him for comfort. He stiffened from her touch on his back and ceased movement. His arms hung limply at his sides until her felt her shaking from tears. He slowly pulled his arms around her and lightly patted her on the back. He didn't have much experience with calming down hysterical females and didn't know what he was expected to do. He brought one hand up and slowly placed it on the back of her head, rubbing lightly on her neck.

" I-I'm sorry.. I'm not normally like this. He-he just scared me. I'm afraid of what he would d-do to me if he caught me alone." Beth hiccupped from his chest. He felt her light grip on his waist tighten and sighed onto her hair.

"It's ok Bethy. I know you are a strong woman and that's enough to scare anyone. But I promise ya, he won't get close enough to lay a finger on ya. I will make sure of that. You have my word, an' I never break my word." Daryl promised her. He may have been many things, but he would never stand by while a woman was being hurt by a man. That was taking things too far and he would end it before it got started.

Beth craned her neck back and looked at Daryl. Her eyes were red and puffy, full of unshed tears. "I believe you. I know that you are a wonderful man and I would trust ya with my life. Thank you for being here for me."

"If ya hadn't met me then none of this would have happened. You would just be sitting alone at home, relaxing, not crying and worried for ya life. " Daryl muttered, breaking eye contact with Beth. He felt her hand come up from his waist and slowly grasp his chin and bringing his eyes back into contact with her.

"Ya, but chances are that even if I had not met you I still would have ran into him. Since I've met you, I've had a lot of fun, a lot more than I ever had sitting at home relaxing by myself. Sure there have been some bad times. But the way I look at life is that sometimes you have to have bad things happen. 'Cuz then and only then can you truly appreciate the good things that are right in front of ya. Otherwise you are blind to it and don't appreciate it. I know it's a lot easier to see all the bad in people rather than the good. There are good people out there too. Ya just gotta know when ya find em and keep em close by and never let them go. I'm scared of what he could do but I feel more safe than scared. And that's cuz of you. I know you will help keep me safe. I hope one day you will trust me enough to let me help you." Beth said, never breaking his eye contact. After she finished speaking, she leaned in and placed a kiss on his cheek and then stepped out of his arms and walked back towards the house.

Daryl watched her walk back into the house as he stood motionless where she left him. His mind was swirling after her words and he felt his cheek, wondering if he had imagined her kissing it. Even after he had given her an easy way out, a quick way to blame him for bringing Shane into her life, she said those words, alleviating some of the blame that he tried to place on himself. Not only did she not blame him, she trusted him and knew he wouldn't let Shane hurt her. After trying to mull over all of the things she said, he decided to go back inside and get the love seat out of the house and into the truck so they could go home.

**Author's note: **Part of me hates this chapter, because of Shane but then I got to the end and decided I loved Beth and Daryl so I can't hate it. Things are starting to pick up for them, and maybe soon we may get a little more than a peck on the cheek...but who knows ;) Thanks again for my lovely readers, you make my day!


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Beth was still shaky when she jumped into the shower after arriving back at the house. She felt like her nerves were shot and sick to her stomach. She had Daryl stop at the store on the way home and he ran in and grabbed some food for them to eat for supper. He actually had been the one to send her upstairs to take a shower while he made supper. She felt lucky to have him. After everything that had happened, he was giving her some space to let her calm down and try to get relaxed. Beth smiled, thinking of him cooking dinner, waiting for her to finish up to eat.

After she finished her shower and changed into a tank top and shorts, she followed the aroma of food down to the kitchen. When she walked through the doorway, he jumped up from his spot at the table and pulled out her chair for her. She thanked him and sat down, eyeing the food. He had made a steak with some vegetable stir fry. She smiled up at him and dug in.

After she finished eating her food, she ran down to the cellar to get something to drink. She figured she deserved one after the day they had. Even though it had been a bad day, they had been able to finish getting the house cleaned out and all of his stuff was now in the barn. She decided that she wouldn't let Shane ruin her night. She found the jug of moonshine exactly where she had hidden it when Jimmy gave it to her. She had been worried that she could get it trouble for having it in her house, so she had it behind some boxes in the cellar. She figured that no one would find it that way. She shook her head, laughing at how absurd she sounded. Getting in trouble from some moonshine was the least of her worries now. She ran back up the stairs and sat the jug on the table.

"Is that what I think it is?" Daryl spoke, picking up the jug and pulling out the stopper.

"Yep, my friend gets a little bored sometimes and decides to make batches of it. I've never had any before, but he warned me it was strong but said he knew I could handle it. He was one of my old drinkin' buddies." Beth explained.

"Ya ain't ole enough to have 'old drinking buddies' " Daryl laughed at her. She looked up at him, saw the smirk on his face, and lightly punched his arm.

"I am too. Back in the day, I was a high roller. When I started going to college, I got into a little of the party scene. That's where I met Jimmy. He didn't know how young I was at that time, he just thought that I was jus smaller for my age. He taught me how to drink other people under the table and how to hold my own. Taught me a lot of tricks that have helped. He worked on cars, so I know quite a bit about them and that's where I learned how to hot wire a car. Also how I learned to drive a motorcycle. When he learned how old I really was, he kinda freaked out. But by then it didn't matter, I was starting to take care of my daddy and didn't feel the need to party anymore." Beth smiled, thinking back on all the fun times she had and then frowned, thinking about all of the sad times afterwards.

"He must have been pretty upset when he found out his girlfriend wasn't quite legal yet." Daryl muttered, looking in the cabinets for some glasses. He almost dropped the glasses, when Beth broke into a ferocious fit of giggles. He turned around and placed the glasses on the table, staring at her as she held her stomach. When she was finally able to stop laughing, she began wiping her eyes.

"That's hilarious. You think I was his girlfriend. Honey, he would be more than happy to look at you all day than me. And if I caught him staring at me, it would prolly mean he hated my outfit or makeup wasn't done correctly. " Beth giggled as she watched understanding flash across his face. She poured two glasses and held one out to him. He took it from her hand and peered onto the glass.

Daryl could smell the moonshine as soon as she pulled the plug out of the container. If he went by the smell, he would have to say it was strong. He looked into the glass but refused to smell it once it was in his hands. Merle used to say it was bad luck to smell your glass before you drank out of it. He lived by that even though he never took a chance to try it out. As he tipped the glass back and took a deep swig out of, feeling the burn as he went down his throat. It was definitely strong. He looked over at Beth and saw she was drinking it back like it was nothing more than water. He shook his head, she was going to be throwing up her food if she didn't pace herself.

"Ya gonna get sick if ya ain't careful. Throwing it back like that after ya just ate supper." Daryl chided as she refilled her glass.

"I do that to get myself used to the taste. If ya take the first down quick, the rest aren't near as bad. That's how I've done it and it has always worked. And if I do start pukin' I have you here to hold my hair back." Beth replied with a smug smile.

"I ain't never held anyone's hair back for them ta throw up. " Daryl replied. This girl had him confused with someone else.

"I think ya would for me." She countered, as she took a sip from her glass. Daryl drank from his and shrugged his shoulders.

"Let's not test ya theory out. Ya might be disappointed. I'm not tha guy ya think I am." He muttered into his glass, refusing to look up at Beth. She thought she knew him but she didn't and one of these days she would realize it.

"Then what kinda guy are ya? Since I know ya so little. " Beth countered as she sat her glass on the table with an audible clink. Daryl jumped at the sound and looked up at Beth. She was staring at him, waiting for his answer.

"I'm not the kinda guy ya wanna take home to meet the parents. Unless ya tryin' ta piss em off. I'm the kinda guy who is better off alone cuz he don't like to be around people and vice versa. I'm not the good guy, I'm the bad guy." Daryl mumbled, going back to studying his glass before taking a drink.

"I will tell ya one thing. Ya ain't the bad guys. I have never seen one like you. And what's to say a person is a bad person? I believe that a person makes bad choices at times but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are a bad person. It just means they need to make better choices. Good people make bad choices, but it doesn't make them bad. It just means they are human and make mistakes like everyone else. So I don't think you are a bad person, I just think your choices may not have been the best." Daryl looked up to see Beth drinking the rest of her glass. She refused to look at him so he looked back down at his glass.

"Did ya take some of them psychology classes in college? Is tha how ya think ya know so much?"responded, becoming a little angry. She didn't know him and here she was telling him he was bad at making choices.

"I just pay a lot of attention to people around me. I think you are missing what I am trynna say. You are a good person. No matter what you say to the opposite of it, I ain't gonna believe it."

"Does a good person sit by while someone else is getting beat up? Do they watch as drugs change hands and not say anything? Doesn't sound like a good person to me." Daryl ' s voice became louder as he spat at Beth. He couldn't understand how such a little girl was so oblivious.

"You may have watched it happen, but you weren't involved. You made the choice to let it happen but didn't make the choice to be involved in what happened. You can't take sole blame on yourself for someone else's actions. It will just run ya down. One person can't take on everyone else's problems. They may be able to take on a few but that's it. If ya try more than that it just makes ya go crazy." Beth rambled, playing with her glass.

"Ya think ya have the whole world figured out eh? Think everything is as simple as black and white? Well things ain't that simple and it ain't easy." Daryl muttered.

"I never said that life was easy. 'Cuz it ain't. I'm just saying sometimes we are our hardest critics. It's a whole lot easier to see the good others have done than the good that we have done. Sometimes we just need someone there to remind us." Beth replied quietly. Daryl finished his glass and poured another one. He was starting to feel the alcohol warming his blood and his stomach was tingling also. He knew he was on the threshold of being tipsy. He couldn't help but look at Beth to see if she was showing any signs of getting drunk. He noticed a little bit more red in her cheeks and the way her eyes looked a little bit different so he felt like she was also getting there. She downed her glass and refilled it, looking up and catching his eyes. Daryl returned the stare until he began feeling uncomfortable.

"Do ya ever get tired of thinking too much? It seems like ya either got too much time on ya hands or ya think way too much. And I know how busy ya get. So I think ya think too much." Daryl muttered as he downed his glass. He was beginning to welcome the burn and knew that he probably should stop soon before he couldn't. He watched as Beth, unsteadily stood up. She walked around the table and leaned down close to him. He leaned back, out of habit, not liking to let people get too close to him.

"No I don't. And I think that you are just to scared to admit that I'm right. You have spent so much time thinking negative about yourself, you can't picture changing it." Beth spoke, her words a little unclear.

"Stop trynna to act like ya know me! Ya don't and ya never will! Trust me I'm savin' ya from a lot of unpleasant things ya don't want in your life. 'Cuz trynna get to know me ain't something that's all puppy dogs and rainbows!" Daryl spat, standing up so quickly, his chair fell to the floor. Beth didn't even flinch when he moved, he figured she expected him to jump up.

"What's life without problems or situations that aren't easy to step back from? I'll tell ya, it boring. And I have the right to chose what I do and don't want in my life. Is it that hard for you to believe that I want to get to know you? The real you, Daryl, not the one you put on for show in front of everyone else. The one I see glimpses of every now and then before he gets shoved deep back inside your shell."Beth stepped closer to Daryl as she spoke. He steeped back until he hit the wall. He turned the tables on Beth and started stepping towards her. I'm shock she stepped back, colliding with the counter behind her back.

"I tole ya once, I ain't fixable. So why else would ya want to get to know me?" Daryl growled, leaning towards Beth. He saw her staring down at her feet before her eyes raised with a determined glint in them. She leaned towards him and tilted her head to the side.

"Have ya ever thought that maybe I wanna get to know ya cuz I like ya?" After Beth said that, she closed the distance between the two and wrapped her arms around his neck. She quickly leaned in and placed her mouth on his. He froze, shocked at her lips on his and her startling confession.

**Author's note : **And it happened! Beth finally admitted that she likes him. And she kissed him. Only took a little bit of moonshine and arguing.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Beth was pretty tipsy. She could tell that the alcohol had started hitting her and was defenseless to stop it. So she welcomed the numb feeling and let her body take over. When she stepped forward and kissed Daryl, the touch of his lips against hers completely sobered her up. She could feel how rigid and unmoving he was, she would have liken him to a statue from the lack of movement. She gently pressed her lips against him again and felt him move a little bit. She wanted a few seconds and then pressed her lips back on his. This time, he slowly responded, almost as if he was unsure if he should kiss her back. As the kiss deepened, she couldn't help but make a small sound at the back of her throat. Kissing him was unlike anyone she had ever kissed, she never had the pit in her stomach like she had now and had never had her skin covered in goosebumps. When he heard the sound she made, he stopped and pulled away from her, putting a few feet of space between them and turning around. Beth stared at his back, dazed and unsure why he stopped.

"Why ya do that? " Daryl muttered, with his back still to her. She could see his arm moving up to his face, and assumed he was running his hand across his face. She took a step towards him.

" 'Cuz I wanted to. I like ya and I think ya like me too." she replied softly. She hoped for silence or maybe even possibly a yes but knew that was highly unlikely. He didn't seem the type to admit to anything, especially when it was something he might have been feeling.

"Well maybe you're wrong. I don't care for no one but myself. Was taught at a young age that the only person you can depend on is yourself. When ya start to depend on someone else it makes ya weak, easy to defeat. Ya won't survive." Daryl replied as he turned back towards her. She could see the thinly veiled pain in his eyes and wanted to reach out to him but was afraid he would push her away. He backed up as she stepped towards him some more. "Do ya know what a personal space bubble is?"

"I think that you act like you mind more than you really do and that is what scares you. You have never cared for anyone and you don't know how to. That's why you have these walls built up and why you won't tell me anything about your past. I know someone hurt you, I saw what they did. I haven't said anything till now but I will say this. What they did was wrong and I'm sorry they did it. But not everyone will hurt you. I won't hurt you." Beth fervently responded.

She knew that she liked him a lot. He pulled her in even when he was trying to push her away. She had never felt this way about anyone else. She didn't have much experience with boyfriends. Just a shared kiss here and a few crushes. However this was something different. Something more than she had ever thought she could feel. She knew she had just met him, but felt like she had known him for most of her life. He was comfortable to be with and even with his gruff exterior, trying to push people away, she could sense the need for someone to stand up to him and not back down. Beth could be that person. She wanted to be that person.

She didn't understand how she hadn't realized her feelings sooner than now. She had been jealous when Andrea flirted with him and had been upset and worried when Shane started talking bad about him. She had stood up to Shane and pretty much told him that she was with Daryl. And she didn't mind him thinking that. She didn't mind anyone saying that he was hers. She knew that the courage that she had to speak was due to the alcohol but she knew she wasn't drunk enough to be blabbering nonsense. It gave her the courage to finally admit to herself and him what had been going on in her head.

"Words. That's all you are speakin'. They don't mean nothing! They are as empty as air, easily said but float away before they even have the chance to mean anything!" Daryl shouted as his fists clenched. Beth was worried she had pushed him too far. But she didn't think she should back down. It would just show that she easily gave up. And that's not how she was.

"You can yell at me and tell me I'm wrong. It only cements my thoughts and let's me know I'm getting too close to home. 'Cuz if I wasn't you wouldn't be reacting at all! " Beth got riled up, letting her emotion show through her and into her voice. She no longer felt the buzz of alcohol running through her veins like it had been. It was still there but it wasn't as strong.

Daryl was frustrated. Beth wouldn't back down. When she kissed him, he felt it straight through his whole body. It felt like his nerve endings were set ablaze with just a taste of her. She was sweet and soft, just like he imagined. Never had he felt that sensation before with all the girls he had hooked up with. It was like trying to hold a match up to a fire and say the match gave off more light. he responded back, not wanting the sensation to stop. His brain had shut down until she made a low noise in the back of her throat. It kick started his brain and he realized what he was about to do. He couldn't do that to her, couldn't turn her into another one night stand and leave the next day. She deserved a guy who would take care of her and could care for her. Not him, never him. When he backed away, he couldn't bring himself to look at her, see what her face showed and know how she felt. It didn't matter, she was drunk and probably not thinking correctly.

Daryl couldn't believe that she wouldn't give up and let in. She kept pushing him towards admitting that she had feelings for him, but he wouldn't. He wouldn't allow himself to get close to her. It would only bring pain and misery when she realized how fucked up he was and left. He was used to people leaving him. She wouldn't be any different.

"I think ya had too much to drink. And it's cloudin' your judgement." Daryl muttered walking towards the door. He was needing some nicotine and was gonna smoke outside. He looked back to see Beth following him. She leaned against the porch rail and watched him as he smoked.

"I'm not drunk. And my judgment is perfectly intact. I will let this conversation end tonight but I'm not giving up. I will give you some time but I'm not going anywhere. I just hope one day you can see that. I'm different from others. I know it's not easy when life has shit on you repeatedly, but if nothing else I would like to at least be friends. I really do like ya Daryl and I care about ya too. I know you at least care about me or ya wouldn't be worried about Shane hurting me. You would just walk away. You made the choice to help me not run away. Just remember that." Beth responded in a soft voice before she walked off the porch.

" Where ya goin'?" Daryl called out after her.

"For a walk. Figured I would give ya some space before I drive ya wild." Beth called back over her shoulder.

" Do ya think that's safe? This time of night and with him possibly waiting around, I wouldn't go wandering around." Daryl hollered at her. He barely see her anymore. She was getting too far away. When she didn't respond, he realized she probably couldn't hear him. Daryl stood there for a moment, thinking. He didn't know what was going through her mind. It wasn't safe being outside at night, with Shane possibly watching the house. He didn't say anything but he knew that if Shane knew he was living with her, he probably had been watching them.

Daryl sighed and pushed himself off the side of the porch and walked the same way that Beth had. He had a pit in the bottom of his stomach and knew that he needed to find her soon. He broke into a run and started looking for her. After a few minutes, he felt fairly lost and still hadn't found her. He stood still for a moment, catching his breath, and heard movement to his left. He turned left and saw a black figure sitting on the ground. The figure let out a low oath and he recognized the voice. Running towards the figure, he found Beth on the ground. He sat down next to her and heard a gasp leave her throat.

"I didn't hear ya coming up. Scared me a little bit." Beth muttered looking at Daryl.

"What ya doing, sitting on the ground?" Daryl asked as he threw a stick away from them.

"Well, I didn't have shoes on when I left the house and I stepped on something and I think I cut my foot. I was trying to figure out how to keep from getting dirt in the cut so I took a seat to figure out what to do." Beth said as she looked down at her feet.

"I could help ya back to the house if I knew where I was goin'." Daryl replied, standing up and brushing off his jeans. He held a hand out to her and helped her to her feet.

"I can tell ya how to get back home. " Beth responded. He hefted her into his arms and started carrying her bridal style. She snaked her arms around his neck and told him which way to go to get back to the house. After a few moments, she started talking in a low voice.

"Can I ask ya somethin'?" Beth questioned quietly.

"If I say no, ya still gonna ask?" Daryl replied back with a smirk.

"Why did ya come after me? I know my way around this area, and I wouldn't get lost. " Beth asked, looking into his eyes. He quickly looked away and didn't answer.

"I did that to see what you would do. It would answer whether or not you cared for me. I didn't mean to hurt my foot, I just wanted to know for sure. Now there is no denying it. Thank you for coming after me." Beth slowly let herself out of his arms as he rounded to the porch. She turned to go inside and then turned back around. She leaned forward and gave Daryl a quick peck on the cheek before going inside. Daryl shook his head, she was definitely something else.

**Author's note: **Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter :) I know some may disappointed with his response but with the way I see him right now, he can't accept it. He believes she is drunk and he doesn't know what it's like to have someone care for him. I'm trying to stay true to who he is and how he would react. I think the seed has been sown now so who knows how he will act toward her tomorrow :)


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Beth slowly limped to the bathroom. She knew that the first aid kit was somewhere in the cabinets. The first aid kit was actually more of a tool box and contained more than most normal kits. Her dad was always prepared for anything. She quickly found it and sat down on the stool with a wet wash cloth to clean her foot. She realized Daryl was standing in the door way and offered him a small smile. She turned her foot to the side and saw the deep gash in it. She cringed and shook her head.

"How bad is it?" Daryl asked coming closer. He looked down at her foot and shook his head. "That's pretty bad."

"Ya, pretty sure I must have stepped on something pretty sharp." Beth winced as she started cleaning it, she closed her eyes, trying to block out the pain. She felt large hands close over hers and opened her eyes to find him crouched next to her . He pulled the washcloth out of her hand and slowly moved in front of her. He turned her foot, so he could see it better.

"So a sun and a moon? That's one of your tattoos?" Daryl commented, looking at the top of her foot. Beth had forgotten that she hadn't told him about her tattoos. He lightly began dabbing on her foot.

"Yes, I got it for my father. You know how I knew all the stories about the stars? It's because he used to tell me them when I was younger. I would always ask him about the moon and he would never have a story to tell me. But I remember one night when I asked him, he had this long story about how the moon and sun were really people before becoming what they are now. He wove this story about how the moon and sun met and fell in love but their parents didn't approve of it. They believe that the moon was too dark and the sun was a ray of happiness. So the parents hatched a plan to make it to where they could never be together. So they went to the spirits and begged for them to be kept apart. The spirits agreed making the moon and sun. The parents were so outraged that they never were able to see their children before and realized the error of their ways. I knew my daddy had made it up just for me. After he passed away, I got it for him. When I have kids, I'm going to tell them that story also so they can pass it along." Beth reminisced, smiling to herself as the memories began floating through her head. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she realized that Daryl was already taping her foot up. She had been so caught up in telling him the story, she hadn't even noticed that he had already finished cleaning it. She had a hunch that he had asked her as a distraction anyways.

As he finished wrapping her foot, she turned it to the side and looked at it. He knew what he was doing and it felt nice and secure. Most people couldn't wrap correctly and it fell apart due to the looseness or it would be so tight it hurt the person wearing it. She wondered how he learned how to do that. Then she thought about his back. With the aversion he had towards her seeing it, she figured he must have fixed himself up on more than one occasion.

"Thank you very much for doing that. Ya did a good job wrapping it. Where did ya learn to do that?" Beth couldn't help but ask to see if he would answer. He looked down at the ground for a minute and then got up from his crouch.

"I learned how to take care of myself at a young age. It happened through trial and error. When Merle left to join the corps, I had to grow up and learn to take care of things." He answered, looking at his thumb. Beth thought that was a start. He told her something without yelling or just walking away.

"How much older than you is Merle?" Beth questioned.

"6 years. I was 12 when he joined up. Just up and left one day. Didn't hear from from him for awhile. After they let him go, he went off on his own for awhile. Didn't hear from him till I was almost 18. Tha prick just showed up one day and acted like he never left." Daryl laughed, but it was an empty laugh. Almost like it hurt to think about it.

"Were your parents unhappy with him joining up?" Beth decided to take a different approach. Daryl sighed and looked at the wall.

"Guess ya could say that. " Was his gruff response. Beth decided to let it go. She was sure that it was getting late and knew they had to be up early. She gently stood up, bearing most of her weight on her good foot and started to limp towards the door. She felt the arm snake around her waist and was surprised at his gentle, yet firm hold. She leaned into his embrace and continued to her room. She felt comforted, knowing that he was there. Her foot wasn't hurting as badly as it had been, but she knew she shouldn't put too much pressure on it to keep it from bleeding through the bandage.

"Thank you for all your help, it really means a lot to me." Beth said quickly pecking his cheek before she sat on her bed. He took a few steps back and became interested in studying her floor.

"It was nothing, really. No need for thanks." He replied before he exited the room. Beth let out a deep breath. Sleeping wasn't going to be easy. She was worried about the situation with Shane and everytime she closed her eyes all she could see was his face, leering at her. She didn't tell Daryl because she it wasn't a big deal and she knew she was safe. She just hoped that Shane would decide to leave them alone. After a while of laying in bed, Beth finally drifted off into sleep.

Daryl quickly made his way to his room, shut his door and slumped to the floor. He couldn't believe how he had answered her questions so easily. The topic of his brother was an easier topic, but he usually wouldn't even tell anything about Merle. Anyone who wanted to know about him, usually weren't the kind of people he wanted to hang out with. So he kept to himself, not opening his mouth and keeping to himself. He wasn't a people person and didn't like people getting close to him. He didn't like to touch or be touched yet he willingly carried her and helped her to her room. He couldn't explain why he did it. All he could think about was making sure she was ok and not in pain. It worried him that he actually did care about her. He would never tell her she was right.

He laughed a dry, bitter laugh. If Merle saw him now, the way he was acting and how twisted up over Beth he was, Merle would call him weak, a pussy and make fun of him. He would say something about him being a Dixon and to be a man not another skirt. Daryl realized that tomorrow was his court date. He would have to talk to Beth about missing out from work for awhile. He just hoped she didn't ask why. He didn't want to have to explain about his brother.

Daryl got up from the floor and started stripping clothes off. He decided to sleep in his boxers only due to the heat. Even with the air turned on, it still was warm in the house. He plopped down on top of the bed next to Bo. He had been passed out all afternoon. The dog was snoring slightly, making Daryl laugh. Daryl got comfortable in the bed and closed his eyes. His mind kept on going, keeping him from falling asleep. He tossed and turned as he tried to go to sleep. He finally started to drift off when he heard a scream coming from the room down the hall. He jumped up and ran out of his room, grabbing his crossbow on the way out, making his way towards Beths room. He paused outside the room and listened for any noises.

"Please, don't hurt him! Just take me! I'll do anything you ask just leave him alone!" He heard Beth plead. Daryl shot through the door, ready to stop Shane from hurting her. He found Beth completely wrapped up in her blankets, thrashing around, fighting an invisible threat. Daryl placed his crossbow against the wall when he realized that she was having a nightmare. He slowly walked up to the bed.

"Beth, Beth wake up. You're having a nightmare. Beth!" He said quietly as he grabbed her shoulder and gently shook it. She shot up and looked around the room. When she saw Daryl, she grabbed his hand and looked him over.

"You're ok. It was so real, I thought he was gonna hurt you." Beth whispered as she started to shake. Daryl realized that she was trying to save him in her dream and was floored. She had believed that Shane was there and even though she was scared of him, she was going to offer herself up for him. He felt like a huge rock had settled in the back of his throat. He turned to walk away but was stopped by her hand grabbing his again.

"Please don't think it's stupid but could you stay in here with me for awhile? At least till I go to sleep. You make me feel safe and I would be able to go to sleep easier." Beth mumbled, refusing to stare at him. Unable to trust his voice, Daryl went to the other side of the and laid down. He rolled onto his side, facing her. He looked over and saw how wide her eyes had gotten and how she was staring at his chest. He looked down and groaned when he realized that he was only in his boxers. He went to get up and she motioned for him to stay.

"Sorry, I just didn't realize that you weren't dressed until you laid down. It doesn't bother me and you can get under the covers if it would make you more comfortable. Just please don't leave me." Beth explained as she picked at the comforter. Daryl quickly got underneath the comforter and looked back up at her.

"I'll stay in here with ya until ya fall asleep." He mumbled. He could see her smile and lay down on her side facing him.

"Thank you. I'm not usually this way but I haven't had a nightmare in a long time. That last time was right after my daddy passed away and it took awhile for me to be able to sleep through the night." Beth sheepishly explained. She reached over slowly and grabbed his hand, placing it on the covers between the two of them. Daryl slowly linked his fingers with her and gently rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand. She sighed and closed her eyes. As he watched her breath become more even and shallow, he found that he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. The last coherent thought he remembered was how beautiful she looked while she was sleeping and how crazy she was to try to save him by putting herself in danger.

**Author's note : **Thank you my lovelies and sorry for the late update. Today was a crazy day for me and it was hard to find a break to finish getting this ready. Thanks for all the reviews and follows I have gotten. You guys are amazing :) I'm having a lot of fun with this story and can't wait to start on the next chapter


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Beth first waking thought was about how warm she was. She was burrowed under the covers, but the covers seemed exceptionally warm and almost sounded like they were snoring. She popped open her eyes and looked down. She found a tan arm wrapped around her body and followed the arm to find Daryl fully against her back. The events from last night slowly creeped in her mind and she smiled. He hadn't left her and had even spooned with her during the night. Beth thought that it felt nice. She had never been this close to anyone before and she decided that she liked it. She sighed, leaning back into his embrace. His arms tightened around her and he burrowed his nose into her neck. She giggled lightly at the contact, she never knew that her neck was ticklish.

Beth stilled and stopped giggling when his hands began to spread across her stomach. Beth inhaled sharply as she felt the rough pads of his fingers slowly graze the skin of her stomach as his hands slid up under her tank top. His hands contained to wander across the skin of her stomach and she relished in the feel of it. She never had a man touch her and now she wondered at what she had been missing out on if just this light touch could cause all the tingling she felt in her body. The kiss had been amazing but this was a close second in her eyes. He gently nuzzled his face closer and she slowly turned her face towards him.

When her lips touched his she felt the same high she had the day before. She could smell him and realized how good he smelled; pure male and a woodsy, clean smell. She never thought anyone could smell so appealing but she realized how wrong she was. Her body began to thrum and buzz as she tilted her head to the side, responding to his kiss and touch. She was surprised with how much passion and fervor he gave her and reciprocated it back to him. As he kept kissing her, he started leaning over her and slowly moved until he was laying on top of her, but she didn't feel much of his weight as he settled in between her legs. The thin fabric of his boxers, left little hidden from her and she gasped at the feeling of his hard body pressed against hers. His skin was hard yet soft at the same time making her want to feel it with her hands. She lightly ran her nails down his chest and smiled at the low moan that came from his throat. He began making his way down her neck, alternating between kissing and lightly biting it. She moaned and placed her hand on the back of his head, lightly running her nails across his scalp. She ran her fingers across his neck and then touched his shoulders. He kissed his way back up to her mouth and she began running her fingers across his back.

Daryl stopped kissing her when she touched his back. His eyes shot open and he looked down at her with confusion etched across his face. Beth saw as his understanding of the situation became apparent and he quickly rolled off of her and sat up on the side of the bed. He placed his head into his hands and started muttering underneath his breath. Beth quickly sat up and fixed her clothing. She crawled across the bed and sat next to him. His muttering and movement ceased when he realized she was next to him and she slowly put her hand on his arm. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness when he shrugged her hand off of him and stood up.

"I'm gonna go get dressed. Have a long day ahead of us and we need to get started." He muttered, quickly leaving the room.

Beth felt horrible. She didn't know that he was unaware of what he had been doing but she should have realized that he wouldn't have done that if he had been awake. She slowly got out of bed and got dressed. After she was ready for work, she walked over to her mirror and started to fix her hair. As she pulled it up into a ponytail, she gasped craning her head to the side. He had left little marks all over her neck. She quickly let her hair fall back down and decided to leave it like that. As long as she didn't move it too much, she didn't have to worry about anyone seeing them. She didn't want to see Andrea smirking and teasing her. Plus she was sure if Daryl saw them, he would be more upset than he already was. She went downstairs to start some much needed coffee. She decided that they should stop to get breakfast somewhere and get some more food on the way home. She let Bo out and waited for him to scratch at the door. When he came back inside, she gave him some food and his medicine. After the coffee was finished she poured herself a generous cup and went into the living room to watch the news. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and noticed that she had a new text message.

From: Amy

Hey just wanted to let you know I'm doin much better. Doc said I could go back to work on Monday. Thanks for finding a replacement for me. Andrea said he was really cute and available. Maybe I should swing by today to get my check and meet him. Maybe we could talk him in to coming out with us on Sat. ;) Love ya girly!

Beth groaned. She had no idea what Andrea had said to her but she knew she would be good on her word and they would be seeing her today. Those two were trouble when you had them around each other. They were 12 years apart but had grown closer after their dad had passed away a few years ago. They were also the closest Beth had to real friends. She had become very withdrawn after her dad passed away and liked to keep to herself. She quickly sent a response back to her and then turned the on the morning news.

Daryl strode into his room and threw his body onto his bed. He couldn't stop thinking about how big of an idiot he was. He had been having a vivid dream and had gotten carried away. She was starting to plague his mind even when he was dreaming. He couldn't help but think about how soft her skin was and how willing she was to kiss him back. When she touched his back and he felt her fingers sliding across his skin, it felt like a bucket of cold water had doused his whole body. It gave him enough clarity to make him realize that he wasn't dreaming and everything he had been feeling and doing had been real. When he saw her hair fanning the pillow, with her swollen lips, he hated himself. He didn't need to be doing this to her, if he hadn't woken up, he may have continued on until the deed was done.

Daryl figured that he needed to get laid. It had been awhile since the last woman and that was the only plausible reason for his actions. He would find a suitable woman to give a little bit of his time to and shake the feeling that was creeping through his veins. Then he could quickly move on and feel a lot better. Maybe it would make Beth realize that he wasn't the good guy she thought he was and get her to move on.

Daryl quickly changed clothes and went downstairs to drink some coffee. He felt tired and worn out already. And he knew it was going to be a long day. He still needed to talk to b

Beth about needing to go somewhere for awhile. They had told him that his court time was set for 2 pm and Daryl wanted to be there to see what they were going to do.

He found Beth in the living room watching the news. He cleared his throat to let her know he was there.

"I needed to talk to you about needing a little bit of time off this afternoon. I forgot that I had something I needed to take care of. I need to be somewhere from about one thirty till about three. I may be back earlier than that it just depends on what happens." He said, studying the wall.

"Ok, I'll ask Andrea to keep an eye on the desk. We actually will be closing at three today. Fridays are my early days so you can just swing back by afterwards to pick me up. What would you like to drive today? I don't feel like driving myself, my foot is hurting and I think if I drove with it, it would be pretty sore. " Beth replied quickly. Daryl thought for a moment, trying to decide which he would like to drive.

"Would the motorcycle be ok? I haven't drove it for awhile and I'm kinda wanting to take it out." He decided and was glad she nodded. "The only thing is that I don't have an extra helmet. I'm not used to having people ride with."

"I have one upstairs. Bought it when I used to ride with Jimmy. If ya don't mind, I'll go grab it." Beth hopped up, favoring her left leg. Daryl watched her head upstairs and went outside to take the motorcycle out. He pulled the motorcycle up to the edge of the porch and waited as she locked the door. She put her helmet on and climbed onto the seat after him. After she got her purse put in his side bag, she grabbed ahold of his waist and put her feet on the rungs. Daryl started the motorcycle and sped towards town. He smiled to himself as she tightened her arms around his waist. It felt nice, having someone on it with him. He wasn't alone on this ride.

Daryl was more than ready to go to court. There was too much estrogen in the clinic and the way that the girls were giggling gave him a headache. He was getting ready to leave when he was stopped by Beth.

"The last appointments canceled and Andrea said she would close down if we wanted to leave early. Would you mind terribly if I tagged along? I promise I won't get in the way and I can wait outside or whatever." Beth questioned with a hopeful smile. Daryl couldn't say no to her, she would take him if the roles were reversed. He nodded and walked towards the door. He wanted to smoke before they left. He pulled out his phone and decided to play on some the games while he waited for her. He clicked on one and was quickly pulled into the game. It was some game called "Flappy Bird" and he was getting more excited as he passed each one. He cursed when he failed and was happy for Beth walking out.

"I'm ready when you are." Beth said as she stopped next to him. Daryl took one last drag off his cigarette and hopped onto the bike after putting it out. Beth followed suit and he quickly made his way towards the court house. He pulled into a parking spot and got off the bike. He motioned for Beth to follow him and she followed him into the towering building.

"I've gotta be here for my brother. He was brought in the other day. Gotta see what they are going to do with him. You can come if ya want, but be warned my brother is an ass." Daryl said to Beth talking in a low voice. Beth nodded and stayed behind Daryl. Daryl talked to a lady who was upfront and found out which court room they needed to go into. When they found the room, they quietly slipped into the back and waited for Merle.

Daryl glanced around the room and recognized a lone figure sitting at the other side of the court room. Shane looked up and smirked at Daryl. Daryl tensed knowing that he showed up just to mess with them. He felt Beth gasp from next to him and realized she must have seen Shane also. She grabbed ahold of his hand and leaned into his ear whispering to him.

"What is he doing here?"

"My guess is being an asshole. Wants to show us that he can show up at anytime and anyplace. Keep us on our toes." Daryl replied back. He stopped talking when two officers came into the room with Merle in tow.

"Watch ya damn hand ya pigs! Hey Darylina, who's the pretty skirt next ta ya? Hey there sugartits. You wanna switch brothers? I'm the better lay." Merle hollered. Daryl shook his head while Beth just looked mortified. Merle hadn't changed a bit, still the same as what Daryl had seen him last. Everyone stood as the judge walked into the room and took his seat.

Daryl listened with small interest as they went over his previous charges along with his current ones. Daryl didn't think it sounded good, he saw Beth ' s eyes widen as they named all the charges. Daryl started to wish he hadn't brought her. She squeezed his hand, reminding him that she was there and when he looked at her she gave him a reassuring smile. She didn't seem scared, more worried about what they would decide. After a moment of deliberation, the judge gave his sentence.

"I hereby sentence Merle Dixon to five years of jail time. If, by the end of three years, he has good behavior, he can get out on parole." The judge boomed,loud enough for the whole courtroom to hear. Merle jumped up at this and started cussing at the judge.

"You arrogant bastard! Pansy ass yellow necked toad! What the hell is ya problem? I wanna go home now!" was part of what Merle was yelling. Daryl shook his head as the judge told him to quieten down or he would be charged with contempt. Merle was charged with contempt and was given an extra day in this jail before they sent him to a bigger prison.

Daryl looked around the court room and realized that Shane was no longer sitting across the room. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach as he walked outside with Beth in tow. The feeling intensified when he found Shane leaning on his motorcycle outside. He felt Beth grab his and and step up beside him.

"I would like it if ya got off my bike." Daryl growled, trying to keep his temper in check.

Shane smirked and stepped off the bike and walked towards them, "I was just going to extend my offer again to the pretty lady. After seein' what your family was like, I figured she would want out."

"It doesn't matter what his family is like. They aren't him and I didn't fall for them. I care about this man beside me and if that means less than usual family, I will accept that." Beth replied, squeezing his hand for reassurance.

"I could give you so much more than that redneck ever could. You would be stupid to turn me down again 'cuz I ain't offering again." Shane replied as he turned his head, leering at Beth. He watched in shock as she let go of Daryl's hand, and pulled her hair into a ponytail. Daryl was watching intently and realized that her neck was covered in love bites from this morning. He smirked, looking as Shane dropped his jaw.

"Pretty sure he offers me what I need. Come on babe, let's get out of here. I got things I wanna do and staying here isn't one of them." Beth grabbed his hand and pulled him to the bike. After putting their helmets on, he peeled out of the parking lot and headed towards her house. He couldn't help but smile, thinking of the look on Shane ' s face when he saw his marks on her neck.

**Author's note : **hey guys, just wanted to let you know I upped the audience to mature. I didn't get too graphic but I just wanted to make sure in case it gets too detailed, there is a warning :) thank you my lovelies


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Beth smiled as she clung on to Daryl as they drove home. She felt free for the first time in a long time. She didn't feel like she was alone and she felt safe. It was an exhilarating feeling and she wanted to shout from excitement and joy bubbling in her stomach. She figured it would make him stop driving so she just kept the smile on her face and enjoyed the ride. It felt like time was slowing as she watched the passing scenery and felt the sun scorching down on her. The wind from the bike kept her cool so she didn't mind. She felt like she could ride on the back of his bike for the rest of her life.

As they pulled into the driveway and cut the engine, Beth heard her phone start to ring. She opened up his side bag and pulled the phone out. It was Amy.

"Hello, Amy" Beth spoke as she walked into the house.

"Hey Beth! I was just calling to remind ya about tonight. I want Daryl there if ya have his number. He didn't know it earlier said it was a new phone so I gave him mine. Don't know if he will get ahold of me or not. I figured that you would have a way to get in touch with him. He is hot and I wanna get to know him." Amy rambled excitedly.

"I'll talk to him, but I don't know if he would want to go or not. That's not gonna be an easy task, trust me." Beth mumbled, looking at Daryl as he started looking through the fridge.

"Maybe he just needs someone like me to pull him out of his shell." Amy squealed and Beth had to hold the phone away from her ears. Her high from earlier was evaporated. She felt a pit in her stomach and didn't want to go out. She just knew something was going to happen.

"I'll talk to him and see what he says." Beth quickly said her goodbyes and hung up the phone. She looked up to see Daryl watching her with his head cocked to the side.

"Whatcha gonna talk to 'him' 'bout? " He asked with a smirk on his face. Beth stared at the table and thought about the best way to broach the subject.

"The girls are wanting to go to a nearby bar and asked if you wanted to come with. I told them it prolly wasn't your cup of tea but promised that I would ask ya to go." Beth decided the straightforward approach would be the best. "Amy was really taken with ya earlier and I think she is wanting to see ya again."

"Only girls and me? People gonna be thinkin' I'm ya girls pimp." Daryl laughed as he saw the smile creep onto her face.

"I can invite Jimmy and Zach. They would like ta go to I think." Beth replied, pulling out her phone and shooting Jimmy a text. He replied quickly, excited to go out. "Ya they can come, you won't be the only man there now."

"What 'bout ya foot?" Daryl asked as he sat down across the table from her. Beth shrugged.

"It should be fine. I've been on it all day and it isn't hurting too much."

"Ok, ya got me. I'll go." Daryl replied, standing up. "Ya wanna get something to eat on the way there? "

"Sure, let me go get ready and we can leave." Beth said as she stood up and walked to her room. She was surprised that he wanted to go and didn't seem as unsure as she had expected. She never knew what to expect from him.

She perused her closet, having a hard time deciding what to wear. She finally chose a mid thigh dress that had a corset top. It was a pretty blue that matched her eyes and fit like a glove around her chest. The skirt on it was gauzy and flowed easily if she spun around. She changed the bandages on her foot and added some extra padding so her heels would hurt as bad. After starting her hair straightener she started on her makeup. She used cover up to fix her neck and then started on her face. She did her eyes into smokey eyes, accentuating her blue eyes. She went minimal on her blush and decided to put only lip gloss on her lips. She picked out some dangly silver earrings and a matching long necklace to wear. She started to straighten her hair as she sang to herself.

"_What would I do with out your smart mouth_

_Drawing me in and you kicking me out_

_Got my head spinning, no kidding_

_I can't pin you down_

_What's going on in that beautiful mind_

_I'm on your magical mystery ride _

_And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me_

_But I'll be alright _

_My heads underwater but I'm breathing fine_

_You're crazy and I'm out of my mind_

_'Cuz all of me loves all of you_

_Love your curves and all your edges_

_All your perfect imperfections _

_Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you_

_You're my end and my beginning_

_Even when I lose I'm winning_

_'Cuz I give you all of me_

_And you give me all of you"_

Beth loved the song. It was so beautiful and she felt like it was similar to her and Daryl. She didn't love him but she really cared about him. She smiled as she finished straightening her hair and then used part of the front to make a side braid and left the rest hanging down. She grabbed some of her favorite perfume, spritzed some on herself and then gingerly stepped into the heels she had placed out. After taking one last look at herself in the mirror, she grabbed her phone, license and some money and then went downstairs.

"Hey, Daryl, would you mind to carry a few things in your pocket? I don't have any small purses and I'd rather not bring my big purse. I don't wanna lose it." She hollered as she descended the stairs.

Daryl was pacing the living room when he heard Beth hollering at him. He wondered what had taken her so long. It had been almost an hour since she went upstairs. He had quickly jumped into the shower. He changed into his nicest pair of jeans and put on a dark blue button up shirt on. After a spray of cologne he was ready. He never had to wait on a woman before but he could know understand the frustration of men when they had to wait to go somewhere.

"Ya, I can put your stuff in my-" Daryl started to reply as he walked into the kitchen. He lost his train of thought as he stepped into the kitchen. Beth had just stepped into the kitchen and he was struck by how beautiful she was. She looked amazing without makeup on but with it she looked so much different. She didn't look like a little girl, instead she looked like she was older, more mature and even more stunning. He swallowed, trying to get some moisture in his parched mouth. She probably thought he was an idiot with the way he kept opening and shutting his mouth, trying to say something, anything to finish the sentence.

"Squirrel." Was the first word that came out of his mouth. Daryl mentally punched himself as she looked at him in confusion. He saw her mouth the word back to him and grimaced as he realized that she was wondering what he meant. "I- uh- was thinkin' about hunting squirrels. If ya give me ya stuff I'll put it in my pocket."

"Thanks you're a lifesaver. You clean up really nice. The shirt matches your eyes really well." Beth complimented him as she handed him the stuff she had in her hands. Daryl looked down at what he was wearing and looked back up at her. She smiled at him and he didn't know what to say back to her.

"It's nothing special, but thanks. You don't look to shabby either." He replied, not knowing if that was the right thing to say. When a smile split across her face, he let out a breath and gave her a timid smile in response. He caught the keys she tossed him and followed her out the door, locking it behind him. She walked over to her car and got into the passenger seat.

Daryl slid in behind the wheel and started the car. She explained how to get there and he nodded his understanding and began driving. He looked over at her when he realized how unnaturally quiet she was. He saw her fidgeting with her fingers and playing with her hair and realized that she was nervous. He smiled, happy that he wasn't the only one that was unsure of how the night would progress. His stomach began rumbling and he realized that they were going to get something to eat before going there so he drove into town and went through a nearby drive thru and grabbed something simple for them to eat. He parked the car and ate his food quickly. He looked over and saw Beth was just picking at her food.

"Aren't ya hungry?" He said, watching as she jumped from the sound of his voice.

"Not as hungry as I thought. Just thinkin' is all." She replied as she balled up her food and stepped out of the car to throw away their trash. When she got back into the car, he pulled out and headed towards the bar.

"What ya thinkin' bout?" He questioned her, wondering what could have her in such a mess, she wasn't able to eat her food. He turned his attention to the road as she turned to look at him.

"Nothing you would wanna hear about. Just some silly stuff that I have been wondering about. Ya know how sometimes you just wish you could do something but you are scared of doing it 'cuz it could fall back into your face? Am I makin' any sense to ya?" Her response was timid and her voice sounded like she was deep in thought.

"Ya I know what ya mean. Sometimes ya gotta do it though. Everything tends to work out in the end. May not be pretty at first but somethings take time. All good things take time." Daryl replied without thinking. He saw Beth smile and realized how much like her he sounded in his response.

"Well Mr. Dixon, you are just full of surprises tonight. "

Daryl internally groaned. Beth hadn't been joking when she said that Amy was interested in getting to know him. The girl had been surrounding him like a plague since he first walked in. When he went to get a drink, she followed. When he sat down at a table, she tried to sit as close as possible and started throwing questions at him left and right. He quickly excused himself and practically ran into the restroom. He didn't know how much more of interrogation he could take. He splashed some water on his face and dried it off and began walking back into the bar.

He scoured the bar and found Beth talking to two young men. They were looking her up and down and one of them was touching her arm. Daryl felt jealousy shoot through his veins and started towards her before he realized that he was moving. She looked up and caught his eye, motioning for him to come over to her. He quickly made his way to her side and sized up the men standing in front of her. They looked to be about the same age she was, and he could see the amusement dancing around in their eyes.

"Daryl, I would like you to meet Zach and Jimmy. They are my friends and the testosterone that I invited on your behalf." Beth motioned towards the men and one of them laughed.

"Honey, I don't know if you can count Zach as being a man. I think he's more of a girl than you are somedays. Waiting for this man to get outta the bathroom is like waiting for the sun to set. It takes all damn day." Jimmy said laughing as Zach pushed him a little and then leaned towards him.

"You know you love me and plus it doesn't take five minutes to look this good!" Zach replied, motioning towards himself. Daryl realized that Jimmy was the one he had thought was her ex only for her to tell him that he was gay. He sighed as the jealous feelings and thoughts evaporated. He realized how stupid he was, getting jealous over her when she wasn't his. He had no right thinking about knocking their heads in for looking at her. Any man could and there wasn't anything he could say to negate it.

"I'm gonna go get something to drink." He muttered looking at the bar. He started towards it and felt Beth lay her hand on his arm.

"You mind if I come with? I would like something to drink. I was gonna see if you wanted me to drive home. If so, I won't drink and that way you could have fun." She said. Daryl nodded and started back towards the bar. He ordered three rounds of whiskey and a Sprite. As she sipped on her drink, he poured the shots down and then ordered a bottle of beer. He began sipping on the beer and looked over to see Beth staring at him.

"Ya havin' a good time so far?" she asked, leaning in so he could hear her over the music playing. He grunted and took another swig of his beer. "What's wrong?"

"Other than I have a girl about to drive me crazy, nothing. Amy seems. .sweet but she is chasing me like a dog chases a bitch in heat." He muttered. He looked over to see Beth laughing as he choked on her drink.

"Sorry bout her. When she puts her mind to something then there isn't anything you can do to change it. I have something I wanna talk to ya about. Where ya serious about wanting to get a job to make some money?" Beth replied when she stopped laughing. Daryl nodded, wondering where the conversation was going. "Well, Jimmy is looking for someone to work the front desk at his shop. He wants someone who has knowledge about cars and could possibly fill in if needed in the shop. The pay is pretty good and it would be a full time job. And if ya know how to fix cars, you could even get moved to the floor completely and make even more money. He asked me to talk to ya bout it and see if you were interested. "

"Ya, that doesn't sound half bad. I know my way around cars, been fixing mine since I got it. I don't trust anyone else to look at it." Daryl was surprised that Jimmy had offered him a job so easily. He figured Beth had put in a good word for him but he would take it. He had to make money some way and he definitely wasn't going to go about it the way Merle had. Sure it had been good money, but he wasn't like Merle. He didn't like looking for trouble and just wanted to stay under the radar.

He looked up as he felt Beth grab his arm. He followed her eyes and found Amy heading towards them. He groaned when he realized that she found him. He motioned for the bartender and ordered more whiskey shots. He drank them quickly, relishing in the burn on the back of his throat. He smelled her perfume before he saw her sit on the stool next to him. He thought she must have bathed in it for it to be that strong.

"I'm glad I found ya. I was gonna see if ya wanted to get out of here and go somewhere else." Amy slurred as she looked at him expectantly. Daryl looked over to Beth for guidance. He didn't know how to turn her down, without hurting her feelings.

"Actually Daryl and I were just about to hit the dance floor." Beth chimed in, motioning towards the other part of the bar that had music blaring and a disc jockey. Amy pouted and leaned towards Daryl. He quickly hopped up and extended his hand to Beth and pulled her out towards the dance floor with him.

"I can't dance. I hope you know what ya got yourself into." Daryl muttered. He was unhappy for her excuse but would rather make a fool of himself than stay for another minute around that crazy woman. Daryl sighed as Beth giggled and turned towards him. He noticed that the lights had gotten dimmer and that the dj was talking about turning things down for a minute. He listened as the music went from an upbeat pop song into a slow song. Daryl realized that they had started some slow dances and cursed.

Beth stepped up to him and slowly pulled his arms towards her waist. Once she was satisfied with the way his hands were positioned, she curled her arms around his neck and leaned into his embrace. Daryl was watching her closely, as they began swaying with the music. She was staring back at him with an unreadable expression on her face. He watched as she closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder. She felt perfect in his arms. He had never held anyone else like he had her but he didn't think it would feel as right as it did with her. It was like she was cut to the exact size to fit just right. He mused at how much he sounded like a romance novel. He knew that it was stupid but he was starting to feel something for her. He didn't know how to explain it. It was like she was breaking into his walls. She wasn't doing anything special; didn't force him on anything, didn't make him act differently om purpose. There was just something about her that made him want to be better and do better. The way she thought and acted was so unlike any one he had ever met. Never giving up hope in him and believed that he was better than he had ever thought. He knew one of them was wrong. And for the first time in his life, he had the desire for it to be him.

**Author's note :** As a thank you for all the wonderful reviews and all you amazing readers out there, here is the next chapter. It took me a bit but I think you will like it. I'm having such a great time writing and I love hearing back from you. I do a happy dance and get weird stares but hey I'm weird and I like it. :) I've been toying with the ending and would like your input. I have two endings in mind; one would lead to another book and one would tie everything up in a big ole bow. If you would like to tell me your input on it, I won't be mad if you say no and you can message me or just review. I just was curious and would love to hear from you guys. You are like my personal cheerleaders you are so great!


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Beth sighed as she leaned into Daryl and felt his arms wrapped around her. She felt more content than she ever thought possible. With everything that had happened with her daddy, she hadn't ever had a real boyfriend or been able to start a relationship. But she felt that if she had, it still wouldn't have felt as good having someone else holding her as it did now. It felt so perfect and so complete. She leaned her head and looked up at Daryl. He was looking down at her, his eyes full of unnamed emotions and his face impassive. She wished he would tell her what was going on in his mind, but knew better than to ask. She was fine with how things were at the moment and didn't want to push him any farther than what he could feasibly give her. She knew that he was not going to just sweep her into his arms and confess that he loved her. And she was ok with that. Things that were easy never seemed to last, but if you had to work for it and bust your butt to make it, it seemed to work put much better.

As the song finished, Beth felt Daryl stiffen. She knew he was finished dancing. She felt like he didn't like touching other people and it really put him out of his comfort zone. But she realized that he had willingly touched her on many occasions and hadn't completely shut her down if she tried to touch him. The realization made her smile as they exited the dance floor. Daryl led her back to the bar and ordered some more rounds of whiskey. He downed them, ordered another beer and looked over at Beth. She smiled at him and started to make some small talk.

"I wonder where Andrea is. She was supposed to be here an hour ago. And it looks like the guys have taken off with Amy for ya." Beth motioned towards the dance floor where she could see her three friends dancing and having fun.

"Ya can join em if ya want to. I don't dance much." Daryl shrugged. Beth shook her head, she knew he was trying to give her an easy exit so he could wallow a little alone.

"Nah, I'd rather spend some time with you than dance with those crazy kids." She laughed and watch as Daryl shook his head.

"Ya know they ain't that much older than you. So technically you're the kid here." Daryl replied with a smirk. She groaned, knowing that he was not going to let the fact that he thought she was a kid go.

"Is there anything I can do to prove that I'm not a little kid?" Beth asked, leaning towards him. She figured that there wasn't anything she could do except give him time but figured that she could ask and see what he said.

"I could think of some funny shit for ya ta do but that wouldn't change it. Little things here in there might help your case." Daryl smirked, looking back at her.

"Is there anything I can do tonight?" Beth questioned, wondering if he would actually give her something to do or just dust her off. She saw the shit eating grin come up on his face and realized that she was playing with fire. She gulped, wondering what assignment he would give her to complete.

"I want ya to go hit on a man that you don't know. That's one step." Daryl smirked and she felt the blood leave her face. She hadn't ever hit on a man and surely wouldn't be able to do this. When she looked up and saw the glint in his eye, she decided she was going to do it. She had one of two choices, jealousy or straight out getting him good. She quickly made her decision and nodded.

"Ok. I'll do it. Just need to go freshen up first. Then when I come back, I'll pick the hottest guy at the bar and hit on him. Prove to you that I can mingle with the opposite sex. Plus I may even be able to get a date outta it. God knows I need some fun." She winked and held back her laughter as his smirk quickly fell off of his face. She took her time walking to the bathroom, adding an extra swing to her hips just for his benefit. She laughed when he started gulping his beer down quickly.

She looked in the mirror and fluffed her hair. She checked her makeup and then began pacing the restroom. She didn't know how she was going to be able to do it. Her stomach was a ball of nerves and she hadn't even made it out the door. What she was about to do was going to change things in her eyes at least. She was going to keep her promise and go after the hottest man at the bar and hopefully he wouldn't laugh her off. She straightened her slumped shoulders and looked at herself in the mirror. She smiled confidently and walked towards the door.

Daryl ordered another beer while waiting for Beth to return. He didn't know where she had gone or who she had picked and he didn't want to know. He needed his space from her after the dance. His mind was still reeling, not knowing what to think. He figured that if he gave her something to do, she would leave and give him his space. He hadn't stopped to think of what would happen to him if she left. He had already sent two women packing and felt like throwing his head into the wall. He could sense another person approaching him and took another drink of his beer.

"Hey, handsome. I haven't seen your face before, you must be new here. Can I buy you a drink?" He heard the sultry voice from over his shoulder and internally cringed. She sounded hot but he was waiting for Beth.

"Got a beer already. " He mumbled, putting his beer in the air.

"I guess I could join ya an' wait for ya to finish that and I'll buy the next one." she replied and he internally swore. She was persistent, he had to admit.

"Look girl, I'm not-" Daryl cut off as he turned towards the woman and saw Beth standing next to him. "What the hell ya doin?"

"Doin what ya told me to. I'm hitting on a stranger at the bar. And if what you keep repeatedly tell me is true then I don't really know ya. So technically speaking I'm doing it." Beth smiled brightly at him and he groaned. She was using his words against him and if he told her that it was untrue it would make him a liar. He was screwed.

"Ya also said you were gonna find the hottest guy so go get him." Daryl muttered and watched as Beth shrugged and walked away. He turned back to the bar and began cursing underneath his breath. Part of him had hoped that she had stayed. He jumped when she slid into the chair next to him.

"None of the guys up to your specifications? " He drawled as he took a sip from his bottle.

"I found the guy that I was looking for." Beth replied nonchalantly. She flagged the bartender down and ordered a virgin drink.

"Then why ya here harassing me?" He muttered back to her. He didn't understand why she was still sitting there like she wasn't going to leave.

"Harassing you, flirting with the hottest guy here. I think they are the same thing. Just depends on how ya look at it." She replied and caused Daryl to choke on his drink. He was drunk and delirious he thought grimly. "That wasn't very attractive but I still think you are hot."

"Dammit, Beth, what ya playing at? Ya can't be serious." Daryl swung his body toward her, curious to hear what her answer would be.

"I think you're the hottest guy here so here I am. I wanna get to kno' ya. Is that such a bad thing? Or if ya want I can go get Amy and let ya get to know her some more. I know she would be more than happy to take my place. Or any other damn woman at this bar from the way they been eye balling ya, I'm sure they would jump at a chance for you to warm their beds." Beth muttered, and Daryl instantly felt on guard. The alcohol was beginning to hit him now and he wasn't the most pleasant when he was drunk.

"Maybe I should take up another woman on her offer. Haven't gotten any in awhile, if I'm that good lookin' shouldn't be no problem to find someone to warm my bed." Daryl spat. He wanted to push her away. She wanted to get to know him but was sure when he told her about his past she would pity him and make him feel even worse than he had back then.

He watched as Beth opened and closed her mouth multiple times. He finally had rendered her speechless. Daryl looked back at his drink, unable to look at her anymore. He didn't want to see the hurt in her eyes and didn't want to know he caused it.

"If ya want to go ahead. Just remember to keep it quiet because I sleep right down the hall. And make sure she is gone before breakfast. Don't wanna have to watch the walk of shame or be the third wheel." Beth replied, her voice low and after she made her retort, she walked away from him. He watched her move to the other side of the bar and order another drink.

Within a few minutes of her sitting there, two men had already come up to her and asked if they could buy her a drink. She politely turned them down without even glancing up at them. Daryl could feel his face getting hot. He realized that she was giving him the opportunity to find someone else. Daryl decided he would take up the next girl on her offer for a drink. He had a few minutes to wait before she came up.

She had long brown hair that was shoulder length. A tight purple dress and an ample rack. He thought she would be perfect for the night. She sat down next to him and tried to start a conversation with him. After he told her he wasn't one for conversation and that he liked to do things with less conversation she quickly smiled and nodded her understanding. He looked across the bar to see if Beth was watching him and his jaw dropped when he found her all cozy with another man. He was the kind of guy that Daryl despised, he was reminded of Shane just by looking at him.

"Who ya lookin' at babe?" the girl, whose name he had already forgotten, purred from next to him. She leaned into him and placed her hand on his arm. He flinched and pulled her hand off of him. He ignored her and watched as Beth laughed at something he said. He bristled as the guy held his hand out to her and she walked towards the gazebo where the smokers could smoke outside.

"I need a smoke." Was all the explanation that he gave the girl as he jumped off the bar stool and went to the door. He opened it and slipped into the shadows, looking for Beth. When he didn't see her anywhere, he felt a pit settle into his stomach. He knew she should have been close by. He decided to walk further out and see if they had walked out onto the road.

As he neared the road, he saw two figures standing next to the road. The man had ahold of the woman and was leaning in to kiss her. He saw her turn her face and let him kiss her on the cheek. Daryl listened in to the conversation.

"I'm sorry if I have given you the wrong impression but I am only looking for friends. I am interested in someone else and I wouldn't feel right if I didn't stay true to my feelings." He heard her voice and was shocked at how quickly she had turned him down. She was extremely blunt with him and didn't let him kiss her even though she thought he was still in there with purple dress.

Daryl watched as the guy left Beth outside and went back indoors. Daryl lit his cigarette and watched as Beth paced back and forth. He could tell she was muttering to herself but her voice was so low he couldn't understand what she was saying. He waited a few moments before he stepped out of the shadows. Beth jumped when she saw him and gave him a funny look.

"Why are you out here?" She asked. Daryl motioned to his cigarette. "No, I mean what's your real reason for being out here?"

"I saw that guy come back in without ya and wanted to make sure there wasn't a dead body out here." Daryl replied, watching as Beth tilted her head to the side as if she was assessing him.

"I know you have been out here longer than that. But I'll accept that answer for now because I am tired and wanna go home. Ya ready?" Beth motioned towards the parking lot and Daryl followed her. When they got to the car, Daryl got his keys out of his pocket and dangled them over his head.

"If ya want the keys ya gonna have to get them." He called out to her. She reached up to get them but he kept moving them out of her way. She started jumping and made Daryl laugh when she was mad because she still hadn't gotten them. Beth turned around and started to walk back to the bar.

"Giving up so quickly? " Daryl teased as she was walking. He wasn't expecting her to turn around and throw herself at him. She latched onto his neck and began kissing him. It was a hard, passionate kiss with dueling tongues and heavy breathing. He turned them around and sat her in top of the hood of her car. He leaned his arms on each side of her as he kissed her back. He began to grind slowly into her pelvis, wanting her to feel how he had reacted to her. He smiled into her mouth at her moan and started kissing his way down her neck and into her cleavage. He wanted to make more marks on her neck, deeper colored, so it wouldnt be so easy to cover uo with makeup. He was brought back to reality by a throat clearing and he jumped off of her and pulled her down from the hood. He turned around to see Jimmy standing there with a smirk on his face.

"I'll see ya Monday. " Jimmy said as he walked away. Daryl nodded unable to speak. His heart was racing and his throat suddenly felt extremely dry.

When he turned back towards Beth she was twirling the keys on her finger and pecked him quickly on his cheek before jumping into the car. Daryl rubbed his face, he thought he was either drunk or crazy. And at that moment he was leaning more towards the crazy.

**Author's note : **I wanted to say thank you for all the lovely reviews yet again. I think I am going to go ahead and plan out the sequel. We still have some time before this one is done but I like to pre plan and know where I'm heading. Until next time, my lovely readers :)


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Beth woke up with a smile on her face. She had a good time the night before and had been more than surprised with how the night had ended. She figured that if Daryl wanted to bring home another girl she would let him. It would help to tell her how he felt without putting it into words. It had hurt watching him talk to the hooker in the purple dress. But when Kyle asked her to join him outside, she realized that he had left the bar and followed her. She figured that he had been jealous and was proven right by the reaction he had to her when she had kissed him. It was a passionate kiss that had almost felt possessive in the way he had pushed her into the car and completely covered her body with his. She felt her stomach pit up thinking about it.

The car ride home had been awkward to say the least. After Jimmy had interrupted them, Daryl refused to speak to her. He stayed on his side of the car and when she tried to converse with him he would just grunt in response. When they got home, he went straight to his room. When she checked in on him, he was already laying down in bed. She had given up for the night and gone to sleep herself. She decided to give him some time and see how he reacted.

She decided to go make some coffee to get her day started. She made a mental list of things that she needed to buy from the store. One thing she hated was shopping. It was boring and she usually spent much more than she had expected. She could afford it with her job and the money her dad had left her so she wasn't worried. She had been very careful with her money and usually didn't spend much on herself. She decided that today she would not only spend some on herself, that she would go to the mall instead of the thrift store.

As the coffee finished brewing, she heard heavy footsteps and knew Daryl had woken up. She grabbed two cups and set about filling them. When Daryl arrived in the kitchen, she shoved one mug in his hand and then ushered Bo outside. She sat down across from Daryl and blew on her coffee before taking a drink. She studied him under her lashes and laughed at how disheveled he looked. His hair was sticking up everywhere and his eyes were drooping. She wondered if he had actually been asleep when she looked in on him or just acting like he was. She placed her cup on the table and cleared her throat. Daryl looked up at her so she decided to tell him what she was planning.

"I was wanting to run some errands today. We need food and I need a few more things besides that. I didn't know if you wanted to join me or not. I won't be heading out for a bit, but we don't have anything to eat for breakfast." Daryl grunted at the mention of food and Beth bit back a smile. She believed he was hungover and couldn't help but think it was hilarious.

"I'll go as long as you don't mention anything about eating again." He muttered sipping on his coffee. She nodded and went upstairs to get ready to go out.

Beth finished her shower quickly and ran back to her room to get dressed. It was supposed to be another hot day so she decided on some frayed jean shorts and a lacey black tank top. She quickly the her hair into a ponytail and made a small braid in it. She did her makeup and picked out some jewelry to match. She realized that Daryl still had her phone and money so she grabbed some sunglasses and went back downstairs. She began rummaging around in the drawers in the living room, giving a triumphant cry, when she found the sunglasses thay Shawn used to wear. She went back into the kitchen and waited for Daryl to come back downstairs. After a little bit of time, he came back downstairs wearing a cutoff shirt and some jeans. He mumbled his thanks when she tossed him the sunglasses and quickly placed them on before heading out of the house. She followed him out to her car and jumped in. She started the car up and headed towards town.

Beth sighed as she walked into the mall. Daryl wasn't excited to have to go there and she felt a little bit bad about it but decided she would make the best of it. She was looking for some new tops, a few pairs of shorts and some underwear. She led the way to the first store and found some suitable tops and the shorts she was wanting to get. After that store she realized that she would either have to bring him with her to a lingerie store or cut him loose. She decided to cut him loose to make it less embarrassing on both of them.

"If ya want to go take a look around, you can and when I'm finished up I can shoot ya a text. " Beth said motioning towards the stores.

"There's nothing worth looking at here." Daryl grunted as he hefted the sacks that he had insisted on carrying. Beth bit her lip, trying to figure out how to get him to go look around.

"I don't know if ya wanna go to the last store with me. It would be embarassing." Beth realized she had said the wrong thing when she saw Daryl perk up. "No you are not coming with me!"

"Oh honey, lingerie stores are my specialty. I'll gladly come and assist." Daryl smirked and Beth flushed red. She was in for one hell of a shopping experience she had a feeling.

Daryl smirked to himself. He hated shopping with a fiery passion. If he had known that she was talking about the mall, he would have opted out of the shopping trip. The little devil had tricked him by not saying what she was going shopping for. When she tried setting hin loose, he knew there was something going on that she didn't want him part of. He took a wild guess that she was buying panties. He figured he would tag along and make this shopping trip more fun.

He followed her, laughing as he heard her mumbling underneath her breath, she was calling him some pretty colorful names.

"Ya forgot redneck asshole. " He chortled when she turned around and fixed him with a heated glare

"I was just getting to that one." She turned back around and entered into the store. He followed her into the store and was bombarded with the smell of perfume. He coughed, trying to rid his mouth of the taste. It was very pungent.

As Beth looked through some bins and racks, he looked around the store. He saw an associate milling around and motioned for her to come towards him.

"Hello, my name is Sasha. Is there anything I can help you with?" the woman asked in a perky, upbeat voice.

"Actually there is. You see that girl there? Her name is Beth. This is her first time coming here and she is trying to uhh spice up the bedroom. Now she is really shy and doesn't know what she is looking for so she needs some help. But she is too shy to ask for it. And if ya come out and ask her she is going to dent needing help. So I was gonna see if you would be able to help us out. I tried but she refused my help." Daryl motioned towards Beth as he whispered to Sasha. He saw understanding flash across her face as she smiled.

"A newbie, I'm guessing. Don't worry I will help her find the perfect things to help ya'll out. Ya won't wanna get out of the bedroom." Sasha winked at him and sashayed over to Beth. She looked back over at him, looking him up and down and then he saw an even bigger smile go across her face as she tapped her finger on her chin. She pulled Beth to another part of the store and began putting articles of lingerie in her arms. When she seemed satisfied with the handfuls she had she ushered Beth into a changing room. Daryl smirked knowing Beth was going to kill him when she got back out. He was thinking about places to hide from her wrath when Sasha appeared next to him.

"Come with me. I want your opinion. " She grabbed his arm and started pulling him towards the changing rooms. For a girl, she sure had a grip and Daryl let her lead him to the room and sit him down in the chair.

"I don't think this is a good idea. I think she wants them to be a surprise. " He stuttered as Sasha placed his bags on the floor. She sushed him and told him he would be fine.

"Trust me if ya like it now, ya will definitely like it later." She giggled at his expression.

"What if they aren't fo' me?" He grumbled, as he began tapping his foot impatiently. Sasha tutted and shook her head.

"Honey I see a lot of customers come through these doors. I can feel sexual tension from a mile away. And you two are pouring out more than I have ever seen in my life. If it ain't for you then she ain't gonna come out that door with anything on but what she wore in here. And if ya don't like it, then ya jaw won't drop." Sasha walked away, leaving him to his thoughts. He didn't realize that the tension between the two of them had been that visible.

As he mulled over his thoughts, he saw the door begin to open and Beth peeked her head out. She was bright red in the face and didn't want to meet his eyes.

"Don't laugh at me. It would probably be best if ya didn't look. This is the only thing I'm tryin' on and I have to come out here to look 'cuz there ain't any mirrors in there." Beth said softly. Daryl nodded and closed his eyes. He heard her step out and close the door behind her. He could feel her presence closer to him and couldn't help but crack one eye, curious as to what she was wearing.

When he cracked one open, both instantly opened. She looked beautiful standing there wearing a small camisole and underwear combination. The tank top fit her fairly well and the panties emphasized her small pert bottom perfectly. Daryl didn't realize that he was staring until he looked up and caught her eye in the mirror. She whipped around and put her hands on her hips.

"I thought I told ya not to look!" She squealed at him. He shrugged his shoulders. "Redneck asshole. "

Daryl started laughing, when she stomped back to the changing room. The look on her face fueled the laughter until he was clutching his stomach. "Ya really should get that. It looks ok."

He exited the waiting area after Beth flipped him off and went to stand outside the door of the shop to wait for her. When she came out, he was surprised that she had a few bags. He figured she wouldn't have bought anything. When he offered to take them from her, she swatted his hand away and kept them tightly in her grasp. He shrugged and followed her outside to the car.

A few hours and a chunk of money spent and they were heading back to the house with a car full of stuff. Daryl was happy that they were finished shopping. He was sure they had enough food to last them for a month but Beth insisted on stocking up. He stopped trying to argue with her and just started putting stuff into the cart. He didn't want to have to lug all of it into the house but Beth had promised him a nice steak dinner for his help and a cold beer. Daryl wasn't about to turn down a beer.

After they lugged everything inside, Daryl helped her put things away and then grabbed a beer out of the fridge and went and plunked down in front of the tv. He had brought down his dvds and Beth had picked out another stack while they were at the store. He picked out something to watch and then went back into the kitchen to make some sandwiches for lunch. Beth cam back from upstairs and grabbed a sandwich and a drink and followed him into the living room. He turned the movie on and ate his sandwich. After the movie finished up, he picked up their plates and placed them in the kitchen.

"What do you want to do today?" Beth asked as she followed him into the kitchen. He shrugged his shoulders and looked at her. He figured she had something planned or she wouldn't have asked him. "You want to come with me to a small job? "

Daryl nodded and followed Beth outside. She explained where they were heading and he easily figured out what they were doing. He pulled out his motorcycle and revved it after she got on the back. He felt her grab ahold of him tightly and smiled as he drove off.

When they arrived at the dilapidated house, Beth quickly hopped off and went up to the door and knocked on it. After a few moments, he heard someone coming to the door. An older man with brown hair and a uniform with the name "Jim" on it answered the door. When he saw Beth, he broke out into a big smile.

"Hey Jim. I'm here to check in on Joe and Gareth." Beth said as he ushered them into the house. Daryl noted that the house was surprisingly clean and well kept. He led them to the living room where two dogs were laying on a rug, sleeping peacefully.

"Thanks again for helping me. When I found them just scrounging around, I couldn't leave them there. It's not right for them not to have food." Jim said as Beth stepped into the room and began looking over the dogs. "I'm Jim, as I said before, it's nice to meet ya. Beth never brings anyone when she stops in and I always have wanted to meet some of her friends. Any friend of hers is a friend of mine."

He stuck his hand out and Daryl lightly shook it. "Name's Daryl."

"Beth here has been helping me take care of some dogs I found. Making sure they are healthy and what not. I kept finding strays so I take care of em and then help find them a good home. Figure that's the least I can do. She is a lifesaver." Jim spoke fondly of her and Daryl couldn't help but look over at her.

"Jim, you're the lifesaver not me. These animals are lucky that you find em. You give them hope and a new family to take care of em. Better than them being lost out on the streets. They are looking good now. The mange is all gone and you can tell they have been eating better." Beth replied as she walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. They said their good byes and when they got outside Daryl piped up.

"Is there anything that you don't do? You seem like you do so much nice stuff for everyone else." Daryl remarked as they hopped onto his bike.

"Not much I guess. I like to volunteer and help out with whatever I am able to but it's usually because I have nothing better to do with my time and I would just be sitting at home alone. We have two more places to stop if ya don't mind." Beth replied and he nodded. He was curious to see what she usually did.

The next stop was a farm about 20 minutes away. Beth went and knocked on the door while Daryl hung back a little bit. An older lady answered the door and smiled when she saw her. She ushered them inside and offered them some sweet tea and cookies. They quickly drank their teas and nibbled on the cookies while the older lady cooed at a bird in a cage. Daryl watched as she checked on a cat and then they were ready to go.

The last stop was at the cemetery. Daryl wasn't expecting this to be where they ended up. He watched as Beth walked through the headstones like she had the place mapped out. He followed her, tripping every now and then and slowed down when he saw she had stopped. He stayed back to give her some privacy.

"You can come here if you want. I would like him to meet you." She called back to him. Daryl slowly approached her and stood next to her. Hershel Greene was the name inscribed on the stone and he realized that it was her father.

"Hi daddy. It's been a busy week since I got to talk to ya last but it has been a wonderful one. I want you to meet my friend Daryl. If you were here I know you would like him a lot. He is a real good man and helped me out a lot this week. If it wasn't for him, I would have been overwhelmed and probably gone more crazy than I already am. I miss ya a lot but I will be back again soon to tell ya everything that has happened." Beth talked to her father, her voice tearing up near the end. She leaned towards him and slipped her fingers into his hand. Daryl didn't know what to say to her so he intertwined their fingers and let her have that comfort. They spent a little while just standing there holding hands before she pulled him back towards the motorcycle.

"Thank you for being there for me. That's the first time I have ever brought anyone with me." Beth said softly, kicking the dirt at her foot.

"You're welcome. I'm glad that you let me come." Daryl replied, unsure of what else he could say. When she smiled and hopped on the back of the bike, he realized he had said the right thing.

"Let's go home. " Daryl revved the bike at her response and headed back towards the house.

**Author's note :** You guys are wonderful :) thanks for all the sweet reviews and for reading. I decided to make a longer chapter today and have a little bit of fun with Daryl and Beth followed by a little bit into what she usually does in her free time.


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Beth blew her hair out of her face. She was elbow deep in the small garden in the backyard. After they had gotten home, Daryl went to the gas station to buy some more cigarettes, so she decided to do some weeding in the garden. She had planted quite a few flowers and even some green beans and cucumbers. She didn't know if they would grow well but she figured it was worth a shot. She her gloves off for a moment and wiped the sweat of her brow. It was another fairly warm afternoon and the sun was beating down on her face. She would have to be careful not to stay out too long or she would be as red as a lobster tomorrow. She turned her music up and adjusted the way the head phones were situated in her ears. She found her self singing to the music as she pulled the weeds.

"_I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut_

_And my weakness is that I care too much_

_Our scars remind us that the past is real_

_I tear my heart open just to feel_

_I tried to help you once_

_Against my own advice_

_I saw you going down _

_But you never realized_

_That you're drowning in the water _

_So I offered you my hand_

_Compassion's in my nature_

_Tonight is our last stand"_

Beth cut off singing as a shadow loomed over her. She shielded her eyes, trying to see who was there. She smiled when she saw Daryl holding out a bottle of ice cold water and she gladly reached out and grabbed it. She guzzled the water, sighing after she put the cap back on. She pulled her headphones out of her ears and wrapped them around her neck, while pausing the music.

"Thanks for bringin' me that. I didn't realize how parched I was." Beth smiled as she stood up and walked towards the shade to take a break. Her followed her and sat down next to her.

"You're welcome, didn't want you to have a heat stroke or nothin'. What was the name of the song you were just singing? It sounded familiar. " He questioned her, while he played with the grass. She thought back to what she had been listening to and realized the lyrics were fairly pointed.

"It's called 'Scars' by Papa Roach. I like some of their songs and when they pop up in my shuffle I can't help but sing." Beth replied treading carefully. She knew the song name was something that could strike a chord with him quickly.

"You listen to a lot of different music don't ya?" He formed it as a question but it almost sounded like it was a statement. Beth nodded and pulled out her phone and let him look through her music. She liked all different kinds of music and had a pretty wide range of them on her phone.

"You have Bobby Bare on here?" He asked in disbelief. "And Def Leppard? That's a pretty far jump in music taste. Not to mention Kid Cudi. How can you have so many different artists and genres and still be able to listen to them randomly?"

"When I was growing up, my daddy used to listen to Bobby Bare and similar artists. So some of them just stuck with me and I grew to like them. I have always loved music and loved singing. I just never got the chance to do it for more than my pleasure. See when I was younger, I had dreams of singing somewhere but when life got real and I had to make a choice, I chose what needed to be done. I have never looked back from my choice, but I keep these songs as a reminder of my past and where I came from. Some songs have stories behind them thay make me laugh or cry when I listen to them. They are more sentimental than anything I guess. Does that make sense or do ya think I'm crazy now? " Beth explained the best she could and hoped that it made sense to him. She had never been asked that before and didn't know if her wording made any sense.

"Makes perfect sense to me. I have some songs that have personal meaning to me." He said, speaking quietly. Beth blinked in rapid succession at his response. She wanted to know what those songs were.

"Care to share a few? I will tell ya some of mine in return." Beth said slowly, and closed her eyes. She was waiting for the shoe to drop and him to start yelling.

"I will tell ya two of my favorite songs. I won't tell ya anything else about them. The first is 'Hurt' by Johnny Cash and the second one is 'Fade to Black' by Metallica." After he spoke, she thought about the songs. Both were songs about pain and suffering, pretty sad and dreary songs. She realized that it was probably about his past and knew that he wouldn't tell her even if she guessed that.

"Two of my songs are 'Marie Laveau' by Bobby Bare and 'When I look to the sky" by Train. The first is 'cuz my dad loved it and the second helped me through some bad times." Beth replied quietly, brushing away the tears from her eyes. The last song had struck a chord with her and touched her deeply.

Daryl watched as emotions flitted across her face. He realized that even though she acted strong about her father, that they were really close. She may hide it well, but times like these made him realize how deep the wound was.

"You and your pa were really close weren't ya?" He asked quietly, curious about her relationship. She nodded and turned away from him and began picking at the grass.

"Ya, we had been pretty close before his diagnosis but afterwards even closer. The other kids had moved out and I was going to be shortly. He offered to pay for schooling and I didn't understand why at first. He asked me to follow in his footsteps and become a vet. He wouldn't tell me why at first. I made it through four years of veterinary school before I came home from school one day and found him laying on the floor, and called an ambulance. That's when he finally told me what was going on. The doctors told him that it would be slow and that he had some good years left in him. At first, you couldn't even tell that there was anything wrong with him. He did everything like he was supposed to and went to treatments. After a couple years, things started going downhill. He started losing weight and his legs started swelling. It all went to hell after that. He began getting weaker and more and more sick. By the time I was in my final year of school, I had pretty much taken over the clinic. He came in and sat in the office to over see the work being done but I handled everything pretty much myself. By the end of the year he was gone. I graduated and took over the clinic. I had been in charge of a lot of stuff anyways so it didn't take much for me to just take over." Beth had tears flowing freely down her face when she finished telling him this.

He wanted to do something to console her. She had been through so much and he hadn't realized how much she had been through. He reached over and lightly placed is hand on hers. She flipper her hand over and intertwined their fingers. He unintentionally flinched from the the feeling and watched as she turned her big blue eyes to him. She searched his face and he felt almost stripped bare. She made him feel like she was searching his soul and he was worried what she would find. He quickly averted his eyes and coughed nervously.

"Where were ya siblings? I know ya said ya dad didn't want em to know so when did that happen?" Daryl was curious about her relationship with her family.

"Well he called them both up and invited them to the house for Christmas. He told them it was important for them to be there. Christmas came and passed and neither showed up. My dad was hurt and saddened. I called them both up and gave them a piece of my mind. They both showed up a few weeks later. They were full of excuses but no remorse. He told them and they were livid. They couldn't believe that we had 'kept it from them'. We got into a huge fight. See he had been inviting them over for awhile by that time and they hadn't ever showed their faces. They had no right to go off on us. They both left angry and then came back right before he passed. We all were there when he was put on hospice. That meant he was able to stay at home instead of spending his last days in the hospital. I was with him when he passed. They were out finishing up some stuff for the funeral. I am closer now to them than I was back then but it isn't much more than a phone call every now and then. They are still kinda sore over the fact that he left everything to me. I told them I would split everything but they flat out refused. I hope one day that things would get better. I just miss Maggie and Shawn." Beth looked at her nails and sniffled.

"Now ya know most of my skeletons in my closet." She smiled, trying to lighten the mood. Daryl grunted at her remark.

"I don't think that is technically a skeleton. " He said, letting go of her hand and standing up. "It just sounds like a rough time that ya had to me."

Daryl quickly walked into the house, leaving her outside. He realized how wrong he had been about her. She grew up quickly and did things the hard way. He knew that it had been a lot harder than she had let on and felt a twinge of sympathy for her. She could have run from her problems or left when things got rough. Instead she stayed and built something out of the ruins. She made the best of a shitty situation and he had to give her that. And after a she had been through she was still a positive, upbeat person. How she did it was beyond him. She either had a heart of gold, more determination than he thought possible or a mixture of both. He now had to worry about her trying to set her mind on getting him to open up. He wanted to leave the past in the past. The scars all over his body were wounds too deep to ever dredge up.

**Author's note : **I want to extend a huge shout out to my lovely readers and reviews. Yet again made my day :) We may be meeting some "friends" of Merle and Daryl soon. Wonder how that is going to go...


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Beth knew she was an idiot. When the cramps started she realized that with all her shopping done the day before, she hadn't thought to pick up some feminine products. She had one tampon which she was currently using and nothing else. She groaned as the cramps hit her again. Every time they hit, she wanted to curl up into a ball and go back to bed. She had already gotten up and dressed for the day, just hadn't made it downstairs just yet. She slowly got up from the bed and waddled down for some coffee.

She found Daryl at the kitchen table, drinking some coffee and eating some bacon and eggs. Her stomach growled when she saw the plate and coffee at her spot.

"I was about to come and see if you were alive. You are running late this morning." Daryl joked as Beth began shoveling food into her mouth. "Whoa there, the food ain't going anywhere."

Beth quickly swallowed her mouthful. "Ya but I will be shortly. I have to run into town for somethin'."

"Good, I was gonna be heading into town also. I have to get some more clothes. Jimmy called me this morning to talk to me about the dress code. I gotta find some more jeans to wear. He said that I want to wear some old one since I might get pretty dirty. Figured I should get a couple more pairs so I don't ruin my good ones." Beth groaned as she realized he would probably follow her into the store. Yesterday at the lingerie store was horrific enough for her and now she had to worry about him embarrassing her about buying tampons.

"Ok. That's fine." She conceded knowing she wouldn't win against him. He would just follow her of she told him no.

"You wanna drive today?" He asked as he dangled the keys from his knuckles. Beth felt another cramp coming on and shook her head. She would rather not have to be behind the wheel. She followed him to the car and curled up in the passenger seat. She looked over at Daryl and saw that he was looking at her with his head cocked to the side.

"Ya wanna talk 'bout it?" He asked as he started the car.

"Talk about what?" Beth asked curious to his meaning.

"What's bothering ya. Normally ya talk so much I wanna put a muzzle on ya but today you are quiet. It's making me think something is up. Ya definitely ain't ya usual perkily talkative self." Beth was floored that he had realized that she wasn't feeling the greatest. She never expected him to notice the difference. She figured he would be more than happy she was quiet and leave her be.

"Just not feeling up to par today." She replied, staring out the window to hide her wide eyes from him. He grunted and started driving.

"Where ya needin' ta go?" Beth explained how to get to the pharmacy and settled back in her seat. She stayed really quiet and watched the scenery passing by. Her stomach was hurting and she didn't feel much like talking. She would have rather stayed inside and not done anything but knew she had to go to the store or else ruin all of her clothes that she decided to wear.

"Ya never stop to think how much silence can make ya crazy until it is silent. The worst part is that I should be used to it. I never had many people to talk to and I tend to like the calming affect it has. But today is making me rethink it. I guess I am used to having it shattered around you. You don't tend to stay quiet and I guess in the short time I've known ya, I've gotten used to the yammering." Beth turned to look at him. She didn't know if that was considered a compliment or if she should be offended. "That's pretty much a compliment in case ya were wondering."

Beth saw the smirk on his face and was rendered speechless. She couldn't help but wonder what had gotten into him. He had almost a carefree look on his face. He had always seemed so tense and like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. This new attitude looked good on him and she couldn't help but smile. When they reached the pharmacy, Beth began to climb out of the seat. She realized that she was starting to bleed through her clothes and muttered a low oath.

"What's wrong?" Daryl asked walking up to her side of the car. Beth burst into tears from the combination of how screwed up her day was starting out and the look of concern on his face.

"I came to the store to buy some feminine stuff and I can't go in now." She said, stuttering from the tears. She saw Daryl go completely still and then a look of understanding flashed across his face.

"Don't ya have some of that... stuff at home?" He responded, biting his thumb. Beth became more embarrassed as he started fidgeting.

"No, I used my last one this morning." She replied quietly.

"Well, I guess I can um go into the uh store and uh buy ya something." Beth quickly took him up on the offer and told him what brand she normally used. He nodded and began walking towards the store. She slunk down into her seat, careful not to get any blood on them.

Daryl was looking at the different boxes of tampons in his hands. How was he supposed to know if she needed super or regular? He mumbled low under his breath and put them back on the shelf. He stood there for a few minutes and then ended up grabbing one of each. Hopefully that would be okay with her. He found some feminine wipes and decided that it couldn't hurt to grab those. As he slowly made his way to the counter he saw a rack of discounted clothes and began looking through those. He found a few pairs of pants and some cheap plain underwear. He didn't know what size she was but figured with how tiny she was that a small should do. After wasting as much time as he could he dredged up to the check out and placed all the items on the counter, grabbing some candy bars to complete his pile.

"I can tell ya got sent out for the missus. Poor thing." The young guy at the counter said. Daryl pinned him with his best death glare and he shut up with an audible gulp. He quickly paid for the purchase with some of the money from his brothers stash. He laughed at the irony of spending it on her when he wouldn't have used it for himself.

He walked outside to go back to the car and thought he heard someone yell his name. He began searching the nearby area and saw one of Merle's buddies, Martinez, coming towards him. Daryl swore and put the bags behind his back. Martinez wasn't one of his favorite people and he was connected to his brother through his drug business. He was Hispanic and had brown hair and eyes. Daryl couldn't stand him because he reminded him of a tweaker. He couldn't keep his hands still and was always fidgeting. It gave him a headache and made him want to shoo him away quickly.

"I thought that was you. Wasn't for sure but I'm glad I caught ya. I need to talk to Merle in a real bad way. He owes my boss and he ain't too happy." Martinez said, glancing around furtively. He seemed very on edge and uneasy. Daryl muttered a low oath underneath his breath.

"How much this time?" He asked quietly. Martinez shifted his weight back and forth and started rubbing his face. Daryl had been through this in the past with other people and knew that Merle wasn't the best at giving people money. He liked to make money, he just didn't like giving it to people he owed.

"15 grand. He was supposed to bring either the drugs back or give us the money and we haven't seen either." The shifting and inability to stay still was about to drive Daryl insane. He wondered how his brother had managed to get that high of an amount.

"How tha fuck he manage that?" Daryl asked as he bit his thumb. Never had he ever owed that much at one time.

"Well my boss started selling this new drug called Zombie. It gives ya some unusual responses and it's some high dollar shit. Well Merle was supposed to starting this area with it. That was two weeks ago and we haven't heard nothing from him." Daryl cursed under his breath. He was gonna kill Merle.

"I can give ya some of the money myself. Merle is not gonna be able to give ya none seein' as how trynna to sell ya drugs landed him where he is now." Daryl responded bitterly.

" My boss is the one ya gotta talk to. I can schedule a meeting for tonight if ya like." Daryl nodded and Martinez told him where to be at.

Daryl walked back to the car and saw Beth staring at him with a funny look on her face. He gave her the bag and a smile broke out on her face. She was extremely happy and kept thanking him for helping her. Daryl shrugged off the thanks and drove to the nearest gas station. Luckily, the gas station had outside restrooms, so Daryl walked behind her to the bathroom. Daryl lit up a cigarette while he waited for her return. When she came out, he couldn't help but laugh at how many times she had rolled the pants up since they were a little too long.

"I'm ready to go shopping now!" She said as perky as possible. Daryl rolled his eyes. Evidently she had taken what he said earlier to heart and was upbeat again.

**Author's note :**You guys are awesome :) I love hearing your feedback and it makes me feel super special so thank you very much. Things have been kinda crazy lately but I'm doing my best to get a fresh chapter out. Things should be better in a few days tho so it will get easier :)


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Beth had heard the whole conversation between Daryl and the man he had run into. She realized how dangerous these men could be and knew that if he didn't have the money then he would be screwed. She wondered how much money he had and how he had gotten that money. She shook her head, trying to rid the thoughts from her mind. She would just have to figure out what to do. She knew he wouldn't out right accept her help but she wasn't going to sit by and let those men do something to him because of his idiot brother. It was unreal how they didn't care that he was having to take care of it and it wasn't even his fault. Beth figured it was weird to her since that wasn't her lifestyle. She hadn't been around people like them and didn't know what was usual for them to do. She just had a big pit in the bottom of her stomach which was telling her something was going to go wrong.

She followed Daryl into the thrift store and quickly broke away from him to go look at some clothes for herself. After awhile she had a pretty decent handful of clothes and ended up having to get a cart. She doubled over ad the cramps started again but took a deep breath and kept pushing on. She quickly finished looking through the clothes and saw that Daryl was looking for her. She waved him over and laughed at the incredulous look on his face.

"Ya buying more clothes?" He mumbled and she broke into peals of laughter.

"Yes, I am a woman and I like clothes. And it's been over a year since I have bought any clothes. Heck maybe even two years. I kinda was busy with taking care of some things and that's what has turned me into the clothes buying monster." She smiled even larger when he cracked a little bit of a smile.

They ate supper together after they got home. Beth worked on getting some laundry started and had Daryl bring his downstairs also. She had already gotten his done and was working on hers. Daryl had thrown some burgers on the stove and they were ready to be eaten when she came back downstairs from putting her clean clothes away. She moaned at how delicious they were and laughed when his face turned bright red.

"I'm definitely not a vegan. I love eating meat too much. I tried going vegetarian but it lasted until my daddy made steaks. He sat there and kept making little noises and saying how good it was. The smell was so good, I had to taste it. And then I was back to eating meat." Daryl began laughing and she smiled. She had known he had purposefully made the steak and eaten in front of her while she was eating a salad. He was a smart man and knew how to get her to make the right choice.

"I can say I've never tried to go vegetarian. Ever since I can remember, hunting has been more of a lifestyle than a choice. And when ya ain't got much choice, that's when ya realize how important it is." Beth mulled over his words. It sounded as if sometimes hunting was the only thing that kept him fed. She felt bad for him thinking about how that must have been growing up. She schooled her face into a different expression so he wouldn't think she was pitying him.

"Ya wanna watch a movie with me tonight? Well I prolly won't stay awake for much longer. It feels like it's later than what it actually is. I'm prone to falling asleep during a movie." Beth added a big yawn for good measure and waited to see what he said. She was giving him a chance to tell her he had to go meet the guy.

"Uh ya that's fine. Imma go outside and smoke before we watch it." Beth watched as he walked out the door. She ran upstairs to his room. She didn't like looking through his stuff but knew she had to figure out if he had any money. She began looking through his stuff and was excited when she found the money in his closet in an envelope. She quickly counted and gasped when she realized he had almost all of it. There was twelve grand in the envelope. She quickly put the cash back where she had found it and went to her room.

She knew that if these men were as bad as she thought, they wouldn't accept that instead of the fifteen grand. Beth locked her door behind her and ran to the other side of the room. She moved the rug that covered the floor next to her bed and pulled up the false bottom that looked like the rest of her floor. There was a big safe built into the floor and it held a lot of her valuables and the cash that Hershel had left her. There was a soft click after she put in the code and she turned the handle to open it. She saw all of her mom's jewelry and pictures and pulled them out to get to the money underneath. She was shocked everytime she looked in there due to the amount of money he had left her with. She never totaled it up but she never used it either. Her bank account was never close to empty and he had given her some money for that also. She figured that helping a friend out was something that would be good way to use some of it.

She counted out three thousand dollars and quickly put it under her pillow. That didn't even make a dent in the amount in the safe. After she put the floor back into place, she quickly ran back downstairs and plopped onto the couch. She heard the door crack open and she slowed her breathing down and closed her eyes. She let out some soft snores to complete the charade and waited to see what he would do. She felt his presence next to her and barely suppressed the jump when she felt his hand lightly touch her cheek. She heard him quietly make his way upstairs and after a few moments he returned and then slipped out the front door. She heard his truck start up and slowly drive away.

Beth shot off the couch and ran up the stairs. She quickly grabbed the money and her keys. She looked into the mirror and groaned. If she wanted to save him, she couldn't show up looking like a country bumpkin. They were never buy what she was about to sell them. She changed into some black leather pants and a form fitting black tank top. She shook her hair out and quickly put some black eyeliner and dark eye shadow on. Red lipstick completed her make up and she grabbed some dark jewelry to put on and some black stiletto puns completed the look. Beth was shocked by her appearance, she looked like a dark angel. With her blonde hair it seemed almost out of place with her dark clothing but she figured that it would work well. After a quick pit stop to the restroom, she grabbed a purse shoved the money, her wallet and her phone into. She quickly grabbed a knife and placed it in there also. She grabbed his keys off the counter and ran out to the motorcycle. She hoped that she wasn't too late. As she drove to the place that they were meeting, she bit the inside if her cheek, Daryl was going to be furious.

Daryl pulled into the lot of the abandoned warehouse that he was told to meet them in. He pulled them envelope of money off the seat and placed it into the pocket on the inside of his vest. Listening for anyone nearby, he slowly got out of his vehicle and leaned against the hood of the truck. He heard the cars approaching and couldn't stop the clenching of his fists as he began to worry about what was about to happen. Martinez ' s boss wasn't going to be happy that he didn't have all the money. In these kind of situations, they would either give them a little bit more time to get the money or they would beat the person to a pulp if not kill them. Daryl had never seen them give more time so he had a hunch it wasn't going to end well for him. He cursed his brother one last time as four cars pulled into the lot and turned off their engines. When his brother got out of jail, he was going to give him a piece of his mind. He waited for them to approach him.

The first one out of the car was Martinez. He ran around the side of the car and opened the door for his passenger. Daryl watched as the other guy slowly stepped out of the car and turned towards him. Daryl couldn't stop staring at the eye patch covering one eye. He wondered how he had gotten it. It made him look like a new age pirate. Daryl had to stifle a laugh as he pictured him with a peg leg and a parrot on his shoulder.

"Daryl this is the boss. He goes by the Governor. He is the one that ya owe money too. " Martinez called out, still looking back and forth and rubbing his nose. Daryl watched as men poured out of the cars and surrounded the two men.

"Don't ya mean who my brother owes? 'Cuz I don't remember buying nothing from ya'll or offering to sell nothing for ya." Daryl spit back as he lit up a cigarette. The one with the eye patch stepped forward. Daryl walked further away from the group. He felt like they were trying to corner him.

"The way I see it, ya owe me. If ya brother ain't gonna make his payment then you need to. I would hate to have to get my hands dirty just to get rid of this situation. But if I have to I will. Merle ran off with some good drugs that would make me some good money and it needs to be settled. An eye for an eye if ya don't mind the pun. If he doesn't pay, you will pay from money or blood, it's your choice." Daryl bit back a sharp retort that he wanted to make to him and thrust the money into Martinez' s chest.

"Here's ya damn money." He watched as the two conferred as the money was counted out. The Governor got mad as they told him the amount in the envelope. Daryl expected this to happen. What happened now was going to be up in the air. And the way that eye patch was responding made him think he wasn't going to be walking away tonight and it was all thanks to Merle

"It looks we have a problem, Dixon. There is only 12 grand in here. I believe Martinez told you that the total was 15 grand. Where is the rest of my money?" He began advancing on Daryl and he quickly took a step back. He tried to figure out the best way to respond. He opened up his mouth to say something but a sound in the distance caught his attention. He heard a motorcycle revving and knew someone was nearing them. He watched as the men around him turned towards the sound.

As the bike came closer he couldn't help but admire the machine as it got closer. It looked just like his bike. He realized with a start that the driver was a woman when the bike cut to a halt next to him. She had a beautiful body and he could tell she had a lot of confidence just by the way she swung off the bike and stood up. His jaw dropped of its own accord when she pulled the helmet off and shook her hair out. It was Beth, she glared at the men who were hollering and whistling at her. She slunk over to Daryl and stopped the calls when she pressed her lips to his and gave him a rough kiss. It was passionate, full of tongue and a little bit possessive. Daryl couldn't suppress the growl that came from the back of his throat as she slanted her mouth against him and then gave him one last kiss. When she pulled away, she winked at him and he just stared, with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"Hello gentlemen. Sorry for the interruption but I realized that my man left some of the money when he left the house. He was in a rush and it was my fault. I can't ever get enough of him and he can't ever say no to me. It's a talent." Her voice was sultry, low and he felt him react to the way she was talking and staring at him. It didn't help when she ran her hand down his chest and he had to grab it before she got below the belt. She laughed and tossed Martinez another envelope. He counted it out and nodded to the boss.

"Are we all good now? I don't like owing people nothing and I sure as hell don't wanna have to deal with anymore tonight. I got places to be and things to do." Daryl coughed when she turned her bedroom eyes on him. He wasn't sure how to accept this Beth, she was oozing sexuality so blatantly that all the men couldn't help but watch her.

"Ya we are square. Unless ya wanna join us tonight. We are going to hit up our bar. It's called Woodbury if you are interested." The Governor said as he stared at her. Daryl felt a twinge of jealousy begin in his chest. Before he could retort anything, Beth fired back at him.

"Thanks for the invitation but I'm looking to have a more... private party. Maybe another time guys." Her laugh tinkled as she grabbed his arm and drug him back towards his truck. She pressed her lips to him again and he backed her into the side of his truck and acted like he was kissing her neck.

"What the fuck ya doing here?" He whispered as he nuzzled her neck.

"Making sure ya were ok." She pushed him off of her and then said louder "We will finish this when we get home babe."

She hopped back onto the bike and he followed her in the truck. That woman was either a saint in disguise or a fucking idiot. He hadn't told her what was going on but she seemed more informed than he thought. And she had been playing being asleep. He should have caught that earlier but he was in such a rush to get the meeting he hadn't been paying the most attention. Beth sure had some explaining to do when they got home. He smirked as he watched the bike pull into the drive ahead of him. This was going to be an interesting conversation.

**Author's note : **I updated early today :) thanks for the lovely reviews. Beth sure is something else when she wants to be.


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Beth knew that shit was about to hit the fan. The look on his face when she got off of the bike was unreadable. If he was being careful about which expression was on his face, he had taken time to think about what had happened on the ride home and had determined what he was going to do. Beth figured he was gonna give her a stern talking to and probably even yell at her. What she wasn't expecting was the silent treatment that he threw at her.

After they went inside, he grabbed a beer out of the fridge and sat at the table, staring at her. She grabbed one and sat across from him. As she drank, she realized how deafening the silence was. If a pin had dropped during this time it would have sounded like an explosion. She looked up at him and saw the way he was staring at her and couldn't stand the silence anymore. He was looking at her like she was some weird species of animal he had never seen before in his life.

"Let's get this over with. Go ahead, yell at me and tell me off. I'm an idiot, stupid, crazy, whatever else you wanna add. I'm ready for it. I won't negate anything you say and I promise I will sit here and take it." Beth said after taking a sip of her beer. She sat it down on the table and looked up at him and seeing the look on his face, she blanched. It was an expressionless mask. There wasn't a single emotion she could use to describe it. It was impassive to the point she wanted to poke him to see if he moved.

When he still didn't respond, she leaned forward onto the table and began playing with her fingers. She looked back up at him and he still was staring at her. She began to wonder what was going through his head. She figured that they would have been in a screaming match by now but nothing had happened. It was almost worrisome that he hadn't muttered under his breath, grunted or groaned since they had gotten home. He just was drinking his beer and watching her.

"Ya gonna say anything or just give me the silent treatment. 'Cuz I figured you would have something to say at the least. Maybe even a few choice words that ya wanna call me. " Silence was the response she got again. Beth guzzled the rest of her beer and got up from the table and grabbed another one from the fridge. "Good to know I can come save ya ass and I don't even get a proper thank you."

Beth turned to go upstairs, frustrated that he was so unresponsive. She was ready for the yelling and fighting but it seemed like he was throwing her for a loop. It was unnerving and unsettling and worried her immensely. She stopped at the top of the stairs, waiting to see if he was coming after her. After a moment of standing in the hallway, she shook her head and walked into her room. Slamming the door behind her, she went over to her phone charger, plugged it in and looked through her music, picking out the song she wanted to listen to. Cranking up the music, she sang along.

"_Sometimes the things get so jaded_

_Still my heart slowly beats_

_Sometimes life gets complicated _

_Still the world around me sleeps_

_I'm ashamed, not to blame_

_Don't wanna think about it_

_Who I am, what I've done_

_How do I carry on?_

_Wanna change, turn the page_

_Don't wanna think about it _

_How do I undo what's done? _

_Undo what's done"_

Beth began to feel better after belting out to the song. She felt almost bad now that she had followed him and helped him. She just wanted to keep him safe like he had done for her. It wasn't his fault that his brother had racked up a big tab with that group. But she knew that they would gladly have taken it out on Daryl if he hadn't had all of the money. Lost to her thoughts, she laid down on her bed and slowly turned on her side away from the door. She was coming down off of the exhilaration of what she had just done.

She had taken drama classes in high school but it had been nothing like going up in front of that group. She had known if she had showed up, looking like she normally did, they would have laughed in her face and most likely still hurt him. She looked too innocent to be in those surroundings and they would have probably done something to quiet her also. She would have been considered a loose end. But showing up as his hot biker girlfriend, who seemed to be a handful and a half, made her seem less of a threat and maybe ended up saving them both.

Her old drama teacher would have been proud of her in that moment. He used to always tell Beth to act like her life depended on it. And that she lacked a certain motivation in the characters she had portrayed. Tonight her life had depended on her acting and she had aced it completely. The one thing that made her nervous about what had happened, was the way she had felt when she acted like that. It felt like she had liquid fire running through her veins and she felt invincible. It was incredible how clothes, makeup and a new personality could change how she felt. She had no longer been Beth Greene, the girl who lost her father. She had been Beth Greene, the girl ready and willing to take the world on and wasn't about to let anyone stand in her way.

Daryl watched Beth from the doorway. He was six beers in and starting to feel better. He finally figured out what he wanted to say to her and was ready to get the conversation started. He had given her more than enough time to beat herself up over it.

"Ya didn't save my ass 'lil girl. Ya almost got it beat. Didn't I tell ya not ta stick ya nose in my business?" Daryl said as he walked into the room. He smirked when she jumped and placed her hand on her heart. The shock didn't last long as he watched the anger flash across her face as she jumped up from the bed.

"Last time I checked, it wasn't your business either! Your brother is the one who made the mistake, not you. And I don't think it's fair that you should have to take the repercussions of his actions. They coulda killed ya!" Beth began gesturing around the room as she paced the floor, yelling.

"My brother is my responsibility. He is my family and family takes care of their own. You should know all about that." He spat back at her.

"Your brother is older than you. That should mean that he has shit together more than you. But I get this distinct feeling that this isn't the first time you had to go behind him and clean up his messes. If I had to take a guess, this is one of the many times you have paid off some people to get them off your back." Beth countered. Daryl shook from the anger seeping through his body at her tone and words.

"You don't know nothing, girl! You don't get the right to judge people. And ain't nobody gonna talk 'bout him like that. Don't care who ya are." Daryl yelled as he stepped closer to Beth. He expected her to flinch or take a step back. Instead she took a step forward and poked her finger into his chest.

"You may think you scare me. And you make think you can make me break. But one thing you don't know about me is that I'm one determined woman and ya can't take that away from me." Daryl looked down at the finger on his chest and growled. She quickly pulled it away but didn't back up.

"Why? Why did you do it?" He mumbled as he tried to calm himself down. He was certain that between the alcohol and the long day, that his temper wouldn't take much to lose.

"I did it because you are my friend and I didn't want you to get hurt. If I would have been in that situation, I would have wanted someone to help me out. And I wanted to show you that you don't have to hide things from me. You can't scare me off like ya tend to think. I will always stand beside ya and be there for you." Her voice was almost a whisper by the end of her rant.

"Is that what friends do? Pay off drug dealers and dress up like that? Do they normally make out with friends just to make a point?" Daryl replied sarcastically. He hadn't had many friends, but he was sure that crossed some boundaries.

"When ya put it that way I would have to say no. Most friends wouldn't do that. However, each situation is different and has to be treated that way. And maybe the kiss was more for my benefit than anything. Those guys were really creeping me out. Plus I figured that they would be less likely to hurt a girl who they thought was hot than a innocent farm girl. And if I showed them that you were mine then they wouldn't touch you, knowing it would make me hate them if they did. Then they wouldn't have stood a chance. I was just trynna use their heads against them. Well at least the one between their legs." She giggled at the last part and shook her head. Daryl was baffled by her response. He had known that their situation was different than most but he had thought she was making moves on him rather than trying to keep them safe. Once he realized what she had been trying to do, everything clicked into place.

"You thought that if I didn't have all of the money it wouldn't have ended well didn't you?" Daryl asked as he turned his back to her. He didn't want her to see his face. He was full of confusion and uncertainty and knew he couldn't mask it this time.

"Ya, when I overheard the conversation you had at the pharmacy, I figured that you needed to make sure to pay them so they would leave you alone. It was almost like a thinly veiled threat. I knew you wouldn't tell me what was happening so I took matters into my own hands. I didn't do it to upset you. I did it so I could go to sleep knowing you were alive and well. I did it 'cuz you shouldn't be having to deal with his problems when you have enough of your own. I did it because you are a good guy and I really care about you." As Beth told him why she did it, his shoulders tensed up. She was lying to him. She couldn't care about his well being that much. Three thousand dollars wasn't pocket change.

"I'll pay ya back. Even though you didn't have to do it." Daryl muttered, still keeping his back to her.

"I don't want the money. That's not why I did it." He heard her reply in a soft, almost unsteady voice. He whipped around and stepped towards her. She was idiotic if she thought he wouldn't understand what she was wanting instead. She just wasn't going to get it that easily from him.

"Then what do ya want from me girl? Ya want me to warm ya bed? Keep ya entertained till ya find another guy to keep ya busy? Ya willing to pay three thousand for something ya could easily find at a bar for free?" Daryl spat as he leaned over her.

"If ya really think that low of me after all this time, then you don't really know me and you prolly never will!" Daryl watched her eyes full up with tears as she ran from the room. It felt like his stomach dropped to his feet. He had pushed too far this time and he wasn't sure how to step back from this one. There was a weird feeling flowing through his body and he didn't know how to name it. He knew it stemmed from her caring for him but he wasn't sure why that would make him feel weird. It was something new and he would have to wait a little longer and try to put a name to it.

**Author's note : **You guys are so awesome with all your reviews :) it truly made my day and as a thanks for that, I put together this chapter as quickly as possible


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Five days, one hundred and ten hours, one work week. That's how long the silence between the two of them had lasted. But she hadn't been counting. After Beth had ran from the room crying, she had curled up into a ball under the shower head just trying to soothe the ache. She knew part of the reason she reacted the way she had was because of her messed up hormones. She had curled up into bed after that and awaited the sunrise, unable to sleep.

Time had passed slowly. Breakfast and supper were awkward silences, neither one of them wanted to be the one to break it. They would quickly eat the food, put away their dishes and went back to what they had been doing. At times they would eat separately, unable to stand the quiet at the table. Beth saw him try to open his mouth a few times only to see him clamp it back shut almost immediately. He had started working at the mechanic shop with Jimmy and came home covered in grease. She didn't know how he liked it but Jimmy had called to thank her for sending Daryl his way. Told her that he was worth his weight in gold and knew cars better than anyone else in the shop. He also complained that he wasn't a talker and didn't converse unless he was specifically asked a question that needed a response.

They car pooled in the morning to go to work. He would drop her off before heading to the shop. A simple wave was all he gave her. When lunchtime came around he would pick her up and they would find something for lunch. Another wave and he was gone. She would receive a text from him telling her he was outside when she was ready and she would head outside to find him smoking beside her building. It had become almost a ritual and she didn't understand why it had lasted as long as it had. She was done with not talking to him. It was driving her insane and even Andrea and Amy had clued in on her bad mood and had steered clear of her at work. She was sitting at the table after they had gotten home. Daryl had

"You wanna go do something?" Were the first words that broke the silence. Beth almost didn't recognize the sound of her voice after the last five days. It sounded weak and unused and she cringed internally at the rough quality to it. She gave a small bitter smile at Daryl when he jumped from the sound of her voice.

"Like what?" The gruff response from him was all she got in return. She smiled a little when she heard his voice had the same qualities as hers. She felt a shiver go through her body from hearing his voice. Beth didn't realize how much she liked his tone and missed it until she heard it again. The old saying was true. Absence does make the heart grow fonder.

"Well, I was thinking about going camping. It's been a long time since I have gotten to go and there is an area near here that is perfect for it. I already have all the equipment we would need and you could even go hunting if ya wanted. It's near a lake so there is fishing or swimming also." Her voice became more clear the longer she talked and she felt her jaws loosening up. She looked at him and saw the small play of a smile on his face. He nodded and she jumped up excited.

"I'll just go get some stuff ready to go. Would ya rather head out tonight or wait till tomorrow?" Beth replied, enthusiastically. She was excited to get out of the house.

"Either way is fine." Beth was ready to leave and didn't want to waste any time. She gave him a few things for him to do and then went upstairs to pack her bags.

She quickly threw in a lot of random stuff, not really paying much attention to her clothing choices. What ever she had would have to work and since she brought multiple of each something should match. She couldn't help but bounce around from the excitement of getting to go out of town. Thinking about swimming, she grabbed her suit and found a pair of Shawn's swimming trunks and an old t-shirt. She also found an old pair of river shoes that looked like they might fit him. She texted Amy and Andrea to let them know that she was going to be unavailable for the weekend and then decided she would turn her phone off. That way she would have it in case of emergency. She went to the attic and began pulling things down the stairs slowly.

By the time Daryl had finished packing his bags and putting their stuff into the vehicle, Beth had already pulled down the tent, sleeping bags and some extra camping supplied that she thought they might need. She ran into him as she was lugging some of the stuff from her room into the hallway.

"I got the fishing stuff and placed it in the truck. I figured it might be easier to take that since it has more room for all of our stuff." Daryl said as he picked up some of the stuff she had piled on the floor and began heading downstairs. Beth grabbed the remaining items and juggled them down the stairs. After they placed all the stuff into the truck, they grabbed Bo and headed into town to go to the store. They grabbed some easy meals, some snacks and some drinks before heading back out to the truck. Beth explained where they were going and Daryl nodded, and she smiled and leaned back against the seat.

An hour later they pulled into the campsite. Beth had him stop the truck so she could go in and talk to the manager of the site. She smiled when she saw that Morales was still in charge. He came out from behind the desk and gave her a big hug.

"Beth Greene, it's been a couple years but I would recognize that sweet face anywhere. I haven't seen you or your pops in awhile, I figured ya had gotten busy or too old to come out here." He exclaimed as he checked her up an down.

"Things kinda got crazy and I lost him awhile back. Haven't had a chance to come out here but thought why not today." Beth explained and saw a twinge of sadness run across his features. He used to come hang out with Hershel and her when they spent the weekend there.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Hershel was a good man. I know he would be proud of you, coming down here and spending some time. Are ya alone?" Morales looked outside and saw the truck. "Who is that in the truck?"

"That's my friend, Daryl. We thought we would come out for the weekend and have some fun. Been a long week." Beth replied, flushing red when Morales gave her a knowing look. "It's not like what you are thinking. We are just friends."

"That's what they all say honey. A few years later they are married with two kids. I should know, I was in the same boat." Morales chuckled and Beth had to laugh with him.

"Well if you are right I will let ya know. But for now it ain't like that." Beth quickly ended the conversation, embarrassed and ready to make camp. Morales set them up at the spot that they usually had and she gave him a small smile and a quick thank you hug.

She ran back out to Daryl and told him where they were going to set up for the weekend. It took about fifteen minutes to get there since the spot was a little more secluded but the scenery was beautiful. The space was huge with a little trail that led down to the lake. There was a fire pit and a gravel parking lot next to it. The trees made a canopy over a good spot of grass and there was wildlife in abundance. Beautiful flowers, billowing trees and an abundance of animals making calls out in the middle of it. Beth felt at ease and she climbed out of the truck. This is where she was able to relax and remember all the good times she spent with her dad.

Daryl was in awe of the scenery that surrounded him. He had been camping before but it was usually in the middle of the woods and it definitely had never been for fun. It had been to catch some food so he didn't go hungry. His version of camping had meant sleeping on the hard ground and hoping that no wild animals came too close while he was sleeping. But this place Beth had him drive to was different. It was somewhat commercialized by the gravel parking and the bathrooms and showers up the road but it didn't take away from the peacefulness that the outdoors brought him. He felt at home outside and couldn't wait to look around.

He jumped from the truck and walked around to the cab. He began pulling things out of the back while Bo nosed around the area. He figured that they would want to get the tent set up before it got too dark. Beth came around the side of the truck and helped him pull the stuff they needed out and placed it in a pile. She put her hands on her hips and looked around after they were done.

"Ya mind grabbing some tinder and branches for the fire? I'll get the tent set up if ya don't mind doing that. " She said, turning towards him. Daryl nodded, happy that she was going to pitch the tent. He didn't have much experience with setting one up and wanted her to the be the one embarrassed if it fell in on them during the night. He bet she ended up having him do it after she was done. The way her brow furrowed made him think she wasn't used to doing it.

He went out into the trees and began picking up branches and twigs. It was easy to find them littering the ground and after about twenty minutes, he took the good stack and hefted it back towards their campground. Ad he cleared the final trees, he stopped dead in his tracks. Beth had gotten the tent pitched but there was something that he found odd about it. It was tiny. And when he said small he meant it was at least fit for maybe two people, maybe three if it was necessary.

"Beth are you sure that is going to fit us in there without falling over?" Daryl called out, unsure where the blonde had taken off too. He jumped a little when she poked her head out of the tent and nodded.

"Ya if ya wanna come take a look I have it set up already. It will be a tight fit but I know we can deal with it." Beth motioned for him to come take a look so he sat down the firewood and ducked into the tent. She had set up the sleeping bags side by side and next to them she had placed a few blankets for Bo to sleep on. Next to the door were all their bags with their clothes and food. She had been right about it being a tight fit but he knew that it would be more bearable than sleeping on the ground. He could only imagine the stiff neck that would mean in the morning. He nodded and went back outside to start getting the fire ready for later.

As he finished stacking all the wood and set up a small amount in the pit, he noticed that Beth was nowhere near him. He walked back over to the tent and found her coming out of the tent with an armful of clothes. She was wearing a two piece bathing suit and he quickly averted his eyes. He felt her place something in his hands and he looked to find an old t-shirt and some swimming trunks. He looked up, into her eyes confused. She blushed and looked down at the ground.

"I thought ya might want to go swimming with me. Brought these clothes along so you would be able to go into the water. They should fit ya pretty well." Daryl was shocked at her thoughtfulness. She had brought along the clothes to make him more comfortable and so he would be completely covered. He nodded and went into the tent to change clothes. When he stepped out, he realized that he didn't have any shoes to wear. He looked up and found her holding out a pair of shoes for him to put on. They were a tight squeeze but they fit fairly well. He looked at Beth, with uncertainty, and saw that she had extended her hand towards him. He gingerly accepted her and and followed her down to the water.

The water was cool and a nice break from the hot sun that was glaring down on them. He slowly waded in, careful of his steps since he couldn't see the bottom. He looked over and saw that Beth had already submerged under the water and quickly followed suit. He came up and started treading water when he couldn't feel the bottom anymore. He hated to admit it, but this was a good choice on her part. He finally felt some of the tension from the last week drift from his body.

After he had upset her, he hadn't known how to fix it. He never had felt like he did after seeing her face and watching those tears fall. He had caused that look of distress on her face and it made him feel low and dirty. All the time that he had spent with Merle, he had never had that happen. During that time he had done some stuff that still made him cringe but he never felt like he had and still did. He wondered what she was doing to him. He normally didn't feel regret for anything he said or did. Most of the time they had been asking for it at the time. However she was different since she hadn't done anything wrong.

Daryl shook off the thoughts and concentrated on relaxing. He began floating around the water at ease. He felt her near him so he shifted and began treading water. "Pretty nice out here today. "

She smiled at him and said, "Ya its very peaceful. I have came here since I was younger and used to love this site cuz it was far away from the action. Very serene."

"I can see why ya like this area." Daryl was treading water and watching as Beth began to swim in circles around him. When she came to an abrupt stop and almost collided into him, he grabbed her to steady himself. "What's wrong with ya girl?"

"Ya remember how I said I don't like snakes very much? Well there is one behind ya and it's getting closer." Beth whispered in a shaky voice. Daryl turned his head and saw the snake gliding through the water, getting closer to them. He realized that the snake was a water moccasin. A venomous snake that could possibly kill someone with one bite.

" We need to go Beth. Start heading towards shore." Daryl began swimming towards the shore and cussed when he realized that she was still frozen in the same spot. He quickly swam back towards her and grabbed her, slowly towing them back to shore. As soon as he felt he could walk he quickly stood up pulling her with him. She was still frozen so he quickly grabbed her up and ran to the shore. She clung to him as he ran up the path to their campsite and refused to let go when he tried to sit her down on the end of the truck. After a moment he felt her grip loosen a bit so he gently placed her feet on the ground. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he could hear her whispering thank you to him. She leaned back and looked into his eyes and he couldn't tear his eyes away. The way she was looking at him was scorching him, burning a path straight through his body. It was like he was a thirsty man trapped in the desert and she was the last drink of water for miles. He needed her more than he needed his next breath. Before he could think over think his actions, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.

**Author's note : **Yet again thanks to my lovely readers :) You guys brighten my day so very much :)


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

**There is mature content in this chapter. If you are uncomfortable reading this, please skip to the next chapter. It will go over anything you missed in the first bit. **

Beth was caught off guard when he kissed her. He didn't seem like one to want to make the first move. She was quickly lost into the kiss and he tilted his head to the side and she pulled him closer to deepen it. Their tongues were almost dueling for dominance as he fisted her hair in his hand. She arched her back as he pulled hard on her hair and shivered as he began nipping short little kisses down her jaw and began running his tongue across the hollow of her neck. There was a tingling sensation running from the bottom of her stomach down to her toes. She felt like she was either going to melt into the ground or shatter into a thousand little pieces.

She could feel him languidly moves his mouth down her neck and stifled a moan as his beard scratched at the milky skin of her neck. She could feel the suckling of him on her neck and knew he was marking her as his again. His hand slowly unwound from her hair and made a trail down the column of her neck and towards her shoulder blades. The rough, calloused pads of his fingers sent shocks through her body. He shifted his hands down to her bottom and picked her up and started carrying her to the tent. She wrapped her legs around his waist and peppered his neck with kisses. She smiled as she heard the low groan in the back on his throat when she latched onto his neck, marking him with a dark love bite.

After he settled her on the sleeping bag, he he slowly laid down on top of her, settling his weight in between her legs. She gasped when she felt the hardness that had nestled into her thigh. She was in utter shock at his quick reaction and couldn't help but reach down and slowly grasp his length in her hand. He grabbed her wrist, stilling her movement and she looked up into his eyes, afraid she had done something wrong. His blue eyes were a storm of emotion. She could see how much he wanted her and it was almost scary. There was almost an uncertainty that was beginning to show along with another emotion she couldn't place.

"I wouldn't do that unless ya know what you are meaning when you do it. 'Cuz once I start, I ain't gonna want or be able to stop. I don't want ya backing out at the last minute or blamin' me. " Daryl replied with a husky voice. The sound was so feral and low that Beth shivered in response. She had never heard anyone sound so sexy in her life.

"What if I don't want you to stop? " Her voice was unsteady and shaky and she mentally cursed at how unhinged she sounded. She could tell by the size of the smirk he had on his face that he knew exactly why she could barely speak coherently.

"If we do this, there ain't no going back. I'm not the flowers and romance type. It jus' ain't me. This is all it will be." He gruffly replied as he watched her face.

Beth was very careful not to show any uncertainty and thought quickly about what she wanted. She knew she was falling for this man and didn't know how hard she was going to end up falling. It scared her knowing that he wouldn't ever feel the same way towards her but she was more scared of never giving them a chance. She realized in that second that she was willing to lay herself on the line. She was a firm believer in finding that forever kind of love and she knew there was always the possibility of heartbreak. But she knew that she would rather give him that love than any other guy she had ever met. She loved him and it struck her like a sack of rocks in her chest. She was already too far gone to stop now.

As her answer, Beth leaned forward and kissed him. She poured her heart and soul into the kiss, fisting his hair in her hands. He responded instantaneously, kissing her back with just as much fervor. When they broke apart, Beth sat up and pushed him onto his back. She straddled his waist, unsure how much weight to settle on him, when he pulled her flush on top of him. He growled when she refused to kiss him and instead began trailing a line of open mouth kisses down the line of his chin and onto his neck. He ground his erection into her as she kissed him, causing her to elicit a low moan. She pulled back for a moment and grabbed the bottom of his shirt, looking up into his eyes, he nodded and helped her take it off.

When his shirt came off, she saw more scars on his chest. She was careful not to show pity and hastily began kissing the skin on his chest. She was unsure of what to do so she began licking the dip in his collarbone and made her way across to the other one. After he started moaning, she kissed her way down his chest to his small nipples. She ran her tongue across one and was delighted at his shocked moan. Feeling brave, she slowly lavished it with her tongue before she slowly grazing her teeth against it. She could tell he enjoyed it as he watched her with hooded eyes. She turned to the other nipple and repeated what she had done with the first while slowly rubbing the other in between her thumb and forefinger.

She began making a path down his chest, kissing and running her tongue along every scar he had. She felt the intake of breath with the first one and stilled, waiting to see his reaction. She looked up from what she was doing and saw that he had a very guarded expression on his face. She gave him a reassuring smile and continued her path downwards. As she got closer to his swimming trunks, she could hear his breathing change, getting heavier with each breath. She grabbed the waistband of his trunks and began to pull them down when he lifted his hips to help.

He was beautiful and she was in shock, staring at how long and hard he was. She slowly ran her fingers up his length and jumped when he let out a low hiss. "Ya start doing that and I ain't gonna last."

She smiled at the thought of making him lose control. She slowly cupped him in one hand and ran her hand across his length, amazed at the soft as satin feel of him in her hands. She found some moisture pooled at his head and experimentally smoothed it over his head and smiled at the moan that he let out. She watched his face from her position and saw that his head was tilted back and he had a mixture of pleasure and pain in the features of his face. She slowly leaned towards him, her hair brushing his thighs and ran her tongue over his head. She felt him jolt at the feeling of her mouth on him and she slowly took more and more of him into her mouth, delighted by the moans and groans he let out. She took his length in until she couldn't take anymore so she slowly pulled her head back again. When she got back to his head she slowly swirled her tongue around his head.

With a very long and low moan, he grabbed ahold of her and pulled her up his body. She was worried that she had done something wrong until he kissed her with such ferocity that she realized she had done something really right. He reached behind her and undid the straps of her bikini and pulled it off of her. Beth quickly covered her chest with her hands, nervous and unsure.

"Don't hide from me, girl. I wanna see you too. " Daryl spoke softly and pulled on her hands gently. Beth removed her hands from her chest and stared down at him. "So beautiful."

When she heard him say that she quickly leaned forward and captured his mouth with hers. She moaned as his tongue automatically seemed entrance into her mouth. She felt the sleeping bag on her back and realized that he had rolled them over so he was on top of her. She could feel him poking into the apex of her thigh and couldn't bite back the moan from the foreign sensation. She slowly rubbed against him and moaned again when he moved with her. She gasped as he kissed his way down her neck and took her breast into his hand. He kneaded one and began kissing and suckling on her other. She arched her back and gently placed her hand on the back of his head. It felt so wonderful, she mourned the loss of his mouth and then exalted when he brought the other nipple into his mouth. The sensation of his tongue on her breast was beyond anything she had ever felt before. She wondered how any sane woman ever made it out of the bedroom.

Beth felt him run his other hand down the plane of her stomach and towards her bikini bottoms. She held her breath as he slowly untied both sides and pulled her bottom down. She bit down on her lower lip as she felt his hand moving over the space that he had uncovered. He pulled off of her breast and looked down at her and moaned when he saw her smooth skin. Beth was still as his fingers slowly descended into her most private spot. She felt his finger slip into her and couldn't stop from arching up. He slowly slid one finger into her and pulled it back out, his eyes filled with lust at how wet his finger was.

He looked back up at her and she was mesmerized as he slowly stuck his finger into his mouth. She moaned at how hot she found it. She saw his mouth turn up into a smile and he slowly lowered himself down her body. Beth gasped as she felt him blow on her and couldn't stop her body from shaking. Her intake of breath stopped completely when she felt him part her folds and stick his tongue into her. She shot up and he quickly slung one of his arms across her stomach, keeping her from moving away from him. She began moaning, unable to stop as the feeling tore through her body. If she had thought that him playing with her chest was heaven, this was beyond that. She began thrashing around as he added his fingers to the mix, slowly rubbing her clip while his tongue continued its assault. She felt a foreign sensation begin to build in her stomach and began fighting, trying to get away from it. He kept her pinned down and she let go, waiting to see what happened.

She screamed his name as she felt her body come undone. It felt like every part of her had fallen apart and she was unable to even try to pick up the pieces. She felt her body clenching and couldn't help but follow each crest as she laid there, unable to make a coherent thought. Daryl continued his with his tongue but it was a more relaxed and slow pace than before. When she felt the tremors in her body relax, she felt him moving back up her body and opened her eyes to see him staring at her with a look on his face she had never seen before. He leaned down and kissed her and she could tell the difference in the way his mouth tasted and she knew she was tasting herself.

Beth felt him shift his weight on top of her and felt him gently prodding into the juncture of her thighs. She slowly opened them for him and wrapped her legs around him. She was so intent on kissing him, she didn't realize that his hand had slipped down in between them. She pulled her mouth away from his as she felt his hand slowly opening her and guiding his cock towards her opening. Beth lightly gripped his forearm and watched as he slowly eased into her.

The further that he slowly pushed into her, the more pressure she felt. She heard him groan and couldn't suppress the moan from the sensation he was giving her. Before he was fully into her, he slowly eased back out and then started sliding back in her. After he eased back out again, he pulled her legs wider apart and quickly thrust into her. Beth shot up from the mixture of pleasure and pain she felt from him and felt him freeze completely. She looked up at him and saw a mixture of disbelief and agony etched across his features. Beth watched him as he quickly masked his face and pulled back out again.

Daryl slowly entered her again and began picking up his pace and Beth moaned loudly as the little pain she felt was taken over by immense pleasure. She began slowly moving with him, unable to stop herself. She felt the pit growing in her lower abdomen and this time welcomed it and let it build. She felt him pick up his pace even more as he moaned low in the back of his throat. She knew that she wouldn't be able to hold off much longer and screamed as her body fell apart again. She felt more pulsing this time and Daryl leaned over her and rested his head next to hers, his breathing labored and uneven. He stayed on top of her for a moment and then he awkwardly pulled out and rolled over onto his back. Beth watched him as he laid there, and waiting for his breath to even out. She felt a little bit sore but she knew that the pain was worth it. She felt like she could be flying in the clouds if she was able to. She rolled over on her side and saw that Daryl was staring at her with a calculating look on his face.

"Why didn't ya tell me you were a virgin?''

**Author's note: **Sorry for the later update. I had the hardest time writing this chapter. Between erasing and deleting everything I wrote, it took a bit longer. This is my first time writing a scene like this, so please forgive me if it isn't that good. I can write most anything else just have never done anything quite like this before. As always, thanks for the reviews, you guys are amazing!


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Recap for anyone who skipped last chapter: Beth realized she was in love with Daryl. They slept together yet she hadn't told him it was her first time.

Daryl felt like an old dirty man. He had been so caught up in the wonderful sensations that he was feeling that he hadn't caught the warning signs. Her hesitancy, her ever watchful stare to make sure she was doing ok and he had missed how her tightness had meant more than what he had thought. He figured it had been awhile since she had been with a man and had loved the feeling of how tight she was. And then he slammed into her and felt her maiden head. He had been in shock that she was still a virgin. She was beautiful and any many would be lucky to have her, but instead she had given herself to him. The piece of shit redneck asshole who told her that all it was going to be was sex.

Daryl had never slept with a virgin before. His first time wasn't the first time for the girl, she had already been around the block a few times. And after that he always went after the easy women, they were an easy one night stand and they didn't wait around for the awkward morning after and neither did he. This was a new feeling and he felt some weird unknown feeling in the pit of his stomach. The feeling scared him as he figured out what he was feeling. He was relieved that he had been her first and was almost possessive of that fact. He hadn't wanted her to be touched by another and relished that she had given it to him. He felt almost possessive of her, not wanting her to have any other man than him. And the last feeling was indescribable. He had never felt it before and he didn't know how to put it to words. It made his palms sweaty, his heart race and his stomach tie into knots.

He pushed his thoughts away as he repeated his question since she hadn't answered. "Why didn't you tell me you were a virgin? "

He saw her face blush red and she physically tensed at his voice. She grabbed the sleeping bag and covered her nude form with it. He could see her fumbling for a response so he waited a moment to let her get her response figured out.

"I - I didn't think it would matter that much. I wanted you and you wanted me. We are both consenting adults." Beth stuttered, her voice still a little husky and low. Daryl shook his head at her response.

"You didn't think it would matter? You didn't think it was something that you should have mentioned?" Daryl yelled as he quickly shoved his clothes back on and turned towards her. She scrambled across the tent and grabbed a dress from her bag and put it on.

"I guess I wasn't thinking clearly. I was too caught up in what we were doing and forgot bout it." She whispered as she sat back down and wrapped her arms around her knees. She refused to look at him. Daryl uttered a string of curses underneath his breath.

"I need some time. This is too much right now." He got up and quickly exited the tent. He heard Beth rustling behind him and knew she had followed him out.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you, Daryl, I really am. Just know that I care about you a lot and don't want to lose you. Take as much time as you need, I will be here waiting for you. I will never leave you unless you ask me too." Daryl looked at her eyes as they filled with unshed tears and quickly ran to his truck. He hopped in and quickly peeled out. He needed time to think and had to get away from her. He pulled his cigarettes out from the glove box and found his phone in there also. He lit up and placed the phone on the seat next to him, turning it on just in case.

After he drove for awhile, he found a small bar and pulled up outside it. Grabbing his phone amd putting out his cigarette, he hopped out of the truck and made his way to the door. He realized he was still wearing his clothes from swimming but didn't care if anyone said anything. He wouldn't mind getting into a fight tonight. As he walked in the door, he looked around and found that most of the people in there were dressed in similar attire and realized that they were probably all campers also.

He sat at the bar and placed his phone next to him. The bartender came up and asked if he wanted something to drink. He ordered a tea and was shocked by himself. He had come in here with the full intention of drinking but decided against it since he knew that he would have to be driving after awhile. Daryl sipped on his tea thinking about the beautiful blonde who was waiting for him. He smiled thinking about how perfect she looked laying underneath him and thought about how beautiful she looked all the time. She was an angel without a doubt, so innocent and pure. Well she had been innocent until he robbed her of it.

Instead of being mad at him, he would guess she was happy. She seemed to be until he started questioning her at least. She even told him that she wanted to be with him. He couldn't let himself feel like a scoundrel robbing her of her virtue. He finished up his tea and walked outside for some fresh air. He sat down at the edge of the sidewalk and placed his phone on the ground next to him. His mind was buzzing with all that had happened and he felt that familiar yet unknown feeling in the pit of his stomach. He focused on it trying to figure out what it was. He couldn't figure out what he was feeling and didn't know where to start.

He looked down at his phone, checking the time and smiled when he saw her face staring back at him. She had jokingly changed his background to a picture of her and he had left it. He didn't know how to change it anyways. He sat the phone back down and started trying to piece his mind together. As he lit another cigarette, he heard his phone start ringing and looked down to see it was her. He didn't know what to say to her so he let it go to voice mail. She left a voice mail and Daryl was about to listen to it as he heard someone come up beside him.

"Hey Daryl, funny seeing you here." He looked up and saw Carol standing next to him. She motioned towards the ground next to him and he nodded letting her sit down. "What are you doing out here?"

"Beth and I decided to come out for the weekend." He gruffly replied, taking another drag of his cigarette.

"I didn't see her inside. Is she out here somewhere?" Carol asked, looking around the parking lot. Daryl shook his head and she smiled knowingly. "I take it ya had some words and you are cooling off? Used to happen to my ma and pa all the time. They were so different but that is what made them work as well as they did."

"I don't think we are like anybody. We just aren't right." Daryl muttered, lighting up another smoke. He felt like chain smoking. It made the ache go away for a moment.

"Ah that's were you are wrong. Ya see, I've known Beth for quite awhile now. I do it cuz Hershel used to send her over during lunch time to get their meals. The whole time I have known her she has been pretty morose. Seemed like to poor thing had this huge weight on her shoulders and she always had circles under her eyes. The more we got to know each other the more I realized how right I was. She was taking care of her pa, going to school and running the clinic. After Hershel passed, she got even worse. You could tell she never got any sleep, never took time for herself and was just down trodden."

"Not trynna be rude but what's ya point?" Daryl asked looking over at the older lady with a quizzical expression. He couldn't understand why she was telling him all of this. Carol smiled at him.

"A little impatient aren't we? What I was getting at was that she always did the same thing everyday. Came to the diner at lunch, sat at the same table all alone and ordered the same meal. This lasted for over a year. Then one day, she shared her lunch with someone else. Then brought that man back the next day. After that, I haven't seen her but once in the last two weeks almost. She has changed her daily routine. I ran into her the other day and saw something that made my heart soar. She had a twinkle in her eye that I have never seen before. Her dark circles were gone. She looked like she had a new lease on life and I can tell ya that I really agree with that. Do ya understand what I'm getting at?" Carol rambled on and Daryl was struck by what she had said. A voice inside his head was telling him that he caused that change in her while another voice was calling him an idiot for even thinking that. He grunted and Carol sighed.

"What I'm saying is that you have given her something that she had been missing. You filled some void that before you was unfillable. You make her happy in ways that no one else could even stand a chance trying. And the best part is that she does the same to you. Since the first time I met you I can already see the changes. You don't look as haggard or worn down. You have actually been working hard from what Jimmy says and I think someone has said they even saw ya smile. I know I don't know ya very well but ya don't seem like the type to smile unless ya have a good reason. I know you don't wanna admit it but you two need each other. You make each other better together than you were alone. I can tell that she cares for you more deeply than she would ever tell ya for fear of scaring ya off. And now talking to you, I can see you reciprocate the feelings. Your eyes give ya away." Carol picked up a rock and threw it across the parking lot.

Daryl mulled over what she said, his mind in over drive. She was right, he thought back to how Beth had looked when he first met her and to how she looked now. It was completely different and a change in the positive. He thought about everything that he had been through since he met her; losing his home, losing Merle. She had been there through it all and never once said anything mean or derogatory. It dawned on him that after he found out Merle was going up the river, he could have used the money that his brother stashed to rent an apartment and get by for quite awhile, but he hadn't. All he had thought about was getting home and kicking back after a long day. He had been comfortable around her and used to her presence.

He thought about the last week and how the silence had killed him and made him feel so bad. How his comment towards her that upset her had cut into him worse than anything before. His mind then drifted to what they had done just prior to him leaving and how she had given everything she had to him, without a promise of anything. She had been willing to put herself on the line just because she wanted to be with him, even if it was only for one time. As all the pieces clicked into place, Daryl shot up from the sidewalk. He turned to Carol and saw the smile on her face and he nodded.

"Ya leaving now right?" She asked , smirking at the look on his face. He nodded picking up his phone and running to the truck.

Daryl slid into his seat and pulled up the screen on his phone. He realized that he still hadn't listened to the message that Beth had left for him so he pushed a few buttons and placed the phone up to his ear. When her voice filled his speaker, his heart began to beat faster.

"I know I told you I would give you all the space you need, but something isn't right. I can't find Bo anywhere and I keep having this feeling I am being watched. I'm scared, Daryl, and I swear to you this is no joke. I keep hearing things too that makes me feel like I'm not alone. Maybe I'm just paranoid but I would feel better if you talked to me. Please give me a call back when you get this. If I find Bo before then I will call you back and let you know. I just know that he wouldn't go running off for no reason."

His heart kicked up speed even more as he hit the button to redial her number. His hands were shaky as the phone rang. After a few rings, he heard her shaky voice on the other end.

"Daryl?"

"Beth, what's going on?" Daryl asked her. The tone of her voice worried him. She sounded shaky and scared witless.

"He's got me Daryl."

"Whos got you, Beth?" Daryl knew who it was but needed to hear the words for himself. He heard some movement on the other side of the phone and heard a new voice speaking.

"Dixon, guess who I found wandering around in the woods? Your pretty little blonde was all alone and so scared. So I thought I would save her and make her feel a lot better. I'm gonna take her with me and make sure she is never left alone again. Such a shame she chose you over me, but I'll give her awhile to change her mind. By the time I'm through with her you won't even be a thought on her mind. All she will be able to think about is me and you won't stand a chance." Shane's mocking voice filled his head with his sinister laughter. The phone shut off with an audible click and Daryl began cussing at it as he tossed it onto the seat next to him. He had to find Beth and he had to find her quickly. She was his only hope. He was her only hope.

**Author's note: **I know you guys are gonna want to kill me for the cliffy but on the plus side Carol helped Daryl figure out what the weird feeling in his stomach was. :) As always you guys are amazing with your sweet reviews and I thank you immensely for them :)


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

The campsite was devoid of Beth, Shane or Bo. Daryl could tell that she hadn't gone down without a fight. There were things thrown everywhere and scuff marks on the ground where she had fought back. He smiled a little bit knowing that she had made it as hard as possible for him to take her. The smile was shortlived when he found a small amount of blood on the ground. He hoped that is wasn't from her but he knew that was wishful thinking.

Daryl had no idea where to go or who to have help him. He jumped back into his truck and started driving back to her house. On the way there, his mind finally settled on the best course of action. He turned the car quickly and began speeding towards his new destination. He pulled into the town he used to live in and fastidiously drove to the little police station. He quickly jumped out of the truck and went inside the building. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw the same officer that had been with Shane the day that he had tried to find out information about his brother. He walked up to the desk and met Rick's eyes.

"I need ya help. I don't ever ask for help but it's not for me it's for my friend." Daryl mutteres, looking down at his fingers.

"What can I help ya with?" Rick was polite but Daryl could sense a certain level of uneasiness in his voice. He sounded almost weary and worn down.

"My girl was taken by someone and I need ya help to find her. I know you would be my best bet seein' as how you know her captor. " Daryl replied with his voice becoming more sure as he spoke. Rick was staring at him with his head cocked to the side.

"Go on, I'm all ears."

"One of ya deputies was stalking Beth and I. Ya seem him and her have a past. He had planted some drugs on her brother and she called him out on it. He became almost obsessed with her. He was following us and even tried to stalk us one night in his car. I left Beth for a little while and then got a voice mail that she thought someone was there with her. When I called back Shane answered and said that he was gonna keep her for the rest of her life or until he tired of her." Daryl could tell he was rambling but he needed to tell what happened.

"Why didn't you guys file a complaint before it got this far? And are ya sure that it was him?" Rick questioned him, looking a little leery about what he said.

"Beth didn't wanna cause more drama than what had already been caused. And neither of us thought he would actually take it this far. We thought he was just messing with us, trynna get us worried." Daryl answered honestly. He never had thought that he would actually abduct her and take her. He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. He pulled his phone out and replayed the voice mail on speaker. As he was placing the phone back into his pocket, he heard a chime and took another look. It was a picture message from Beth.

With shaky fingers, he opened the picture and his stomach plummeted. Beth was tied to a chair with a gag in her mouth. The sundress she had been wearing earlier was torn in many places and covered in dirt. She had a fairly big gash on her head and by the way her eyes were closed and her neck was angled, she was passed out cold. Daryl passed the phone over to Rick and watched the disbelief pass over his face as he gasped. He gave the phone back to him and gave him a curt nod. Daryl pushed a few buttons, calling her number and putting it on speaker phone. He motioned for Rick to stay quiet as he put the phone on speaker.

"Beth's phone, Shane speaking. She can't answer right now, she is taking a nap. I think I wore her out earlier. We are gonna have even more fun when she wakes up. What can I do for you?"

"You can tell me where she is! Why didn't you come after me? She didn't do anything to you, she is innocent!" Daryl yelled, pissed at how nonchalant Shane sounded.

"I couldn't do that. She knows too much. She knew about how I planted those drugs in her brothers car and it was only a matter of time before she told the wrong person. If I let her go then she will try to get me fired. Plus, I kinda have a thing for her. It would be a pity to let her go to waste on a piece of shit redneck like you." Shane fired back, hanging up on Daryl again.

"We better get to looking. If she wakes up before we find them, it may spell bad things for her. I have never heard him talk like that before. It's almost like he has lost his sanity. Or maybe he was faking who he was this whole time. I promise that I will do everything in my power to help get her back." Rick stood up, grabbed his holster and motioned for Daryl to follow him

Beth was scared. She had heard Shane talking to Daryl on the phone and knew she had to act like she was still asleep. She knew Daryl was coming for her, she had utter faith in him. She kept her breathing even and her eyes closed knowing she just had to give him some time. He would find her and he would save her. He just had to. The ropes were too tight for her to break loose from and when she fought back and bloodied his nose, he had gotten mad and hit her across the head. It was still throbbing and she felt like she had blood dripping down her face. She breathed in slowly, biding her time, knowing she had to have hope.

Daryl followed Rick in his truck. They were going against protocol but Daryl didn't care. His Beth was out there in the hands of a mad man and he wasn't going to sit back and wait for them to bring her home safe and sound. He was going to be right there with Rick, helping to get her back into his arms. Rick pulled up outside an old house that looked abandoned. They jumped out of their vehicles and looked at the house.

"This is his house, it doesn't look like he is here. But we should check just to make sure." Daryl nodded and grabbed his crossbow from the truck and started towards the front door after Rick. They did a room by room search and didn't find her. They found some files and folders littering an old desk and saw that he had planned out taking her and had multiple files of pictures and all kinds of information over her. Daryl muttered underneath his breath. He had completely planned this out to the final act.

" Hey, look at this. It's a blueprint for one of the old abandoned warehouses on the edge of town. The place was shut down years ago. I'm betting that this is where he took her. Why else would he have them with all these papers?" Rick motioned towards a large paper on the table. Daryl nodded and followed him back out to the car. He started his truck and spun gravel as he followed the cop car down the road. He lit another cigarette and ground his teeth.

Daryl pulled over behind Rick, on the side of the road. "Let's walk the rest of the way on foot. That way we can have the element of surprise. If he sees the vehicles coming, he may harm her."

Daryl nodded and grabbed his crossbow. He hoped that they weren't too late.

**Author's note:** yes I know it's another cliffy but we at least now where she is and the next chapter will tell us whether or not they got there in time... Thank you my lovely readers for the awesome reviews and I will be working hard on the next chapter :)


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Daryl followed Rick down the road until he broke free from the road and walked into the brush on the side of the road. He realized that he wasn't properly dressed for a trek in the woods. He was carrying his crossbow and still wearing the same clothes from the river. He hadn't taken time to change, just wanted to get Beth back. He was going to get her back.

As they trudged through the underbrush, Daryl kept a close eye on his surroundings. He figured that Shane would be in the building but he didn't want to come up on him and not realize it. The trees began thinning out and he could see a huge warehouse in the distance. It was derelict, covered in ivy, crumbling to the ground at one part. The towering gray building, looked ominous, and he couldn't help but worry for her. If the outside was tearing down, he would guess that the inside would be just as bad if not worse.

"Here's the plan. Normally I would call for back up before entering a scene. Since there isn't anyone but Shane and I since Leo is outta town for a funeral, it's just gonna be you and me. I need ya to follow my orders and we will both be ok. We do not engage unless he does. No going in there guns or crossbows blazin'. What we are gonna do is a sweep. We will go room by room, checking them all and making sure they are clear. Then we move to the next one. If we find him or her, let me take the lead. I will try to talk him down. If we can't then things will have to happen but it would be best if I was the one to take the shot. Ya understand?" Rick explained to Daryl and he nodded that he understood. He would love to get a shot at Shane but if he had to choose between that or saving Beth, he knew what would be the first thing that he would do.

Daryl followed him through the doorway, the door was off to the side and gave them easy access. Rick pulled out a flash light and grabbed another light and handed it to Daryl. The inside was pitch dark, after a moment his eyes became accustomed to the darkness and he clicked the light on to give him a better view of what was in the building. This warehouse wasn't like the usual ones he had seen before in movies. It was segmented and there were many different rooms and he mentally groaned. The building would take some time to clear. He followed Rick and went to the other side of the room. Flashing his light around the debris and junk littering the floor, he didn't see any signs of life. He looked up and saw Rick was at the door to the next room.

They continued going room by room and Daryl was becoming disheartened. There hadn't been any sign of Beth or Shane for that matter. It looked like there hadn't been any reason for the blueprints on the table. As they got to the last two rooms, Daryl heard movement behind the door. He looked at Rick and saw that he had heard it too. Rick motioned for Daryl to come closer and wait till the count of three to open the door. When his third finger came up, Rick quietly opened the door and ran in with his gun and flashlight leading the way. Daryl followed suit and found out what the noise was.

Bo was tied up to the radiator on the side of the room. He was snoring soundly and seemed fine. Daryl untied him but he didn't make any move to wake up. Daryl tried shaking him and concluded that Shane must have given him a tranquilizer. Bo was never that sound of a sleeper. Rick motioned that they would come back for him and walked back to the door. He paused outside the other door and listened. They could hear a man talking in a low voice and Daryl realized that this was it. He looked up to Rick, who nodded and held up his finger. As the third finger came up, Daryl took a deep breath and followed him into the room. He didn't know what they were going to find but he knew that he was ready to have her back.

Beth was still feigning sleep. She decided that either Shane was belligerent or didn't care enough to check if she was ok. He kept pacing the room and she could hear the sound of something in his hands. She could sense his presence getting closer to her and she almost forgot to breathe. She was worried that he was catching on to her. She gasped as water was dumped on her head. Spluttering, she opened her eyes, wildly glancing around the room. He was standing in front of her with a smile of satisfaction on his face.

"It's about time ya woke up. I'm ready to get this party started. You have been sleeping way too damn long and I need to get this over with so I can take care of you." Shane stepped back for a moment, and Beth realized that after he was done with her, he was going to kill her. She shivered from the cold water and from the terror filling her. She had no doubt that he would enjoy doing it either. The look in his eye was cold and calculating.

"Why - why ya wanna kill me? I haven't done anything to ya." Beth tried to talk but the gag in her mouth prevented her some saying much. She wasn't even sure if he would understand her but she could tell as the anger flashed across his face that he had. He leaned over her and she shied away from his closeness. He yanked the gag out of her mouth and she quickly spit on the floor, trying to get the nasty taste out of her mouth. It felt like her mouth was a big ball of cotton and she was thirsty for something to parch her sore mouth.

"You really are a stupid bitch! You wanna call me out about what happened with your brother and then act all innocent. You think you are so much better than me. Newsflash to ya girlie, ya ain't no better than I am you just show your colors a different way. But ya kno ya daddy would be rolling over in his grave if he heard the likes of the man you have warming your bed at night. He ain't nothin but a redneck loser!" Shane yelled, stepping away from her and running his hand across his head. Beth felt anger bubbling over her terror and couldn't help but voice her opinion.

"Don't talk about my daddy like ya kno him! He would be happy I found someone like him that makes me happy! He is so much better than you will ever be, at least he is an arrogant asshole that doesn't kno when someone isn't interested. He has my heart and I am not willing to give up on him. Daryl is wonderful to me and I love him!" Beth yelled, letting her anger take over. As she yelled the last sentence she saw the door swing open and a cop come in with a gun and flashlight in his hands. Her eyes opened wide when she saw Daryl follow behind him with his crossbow and a flashlight in his hands. She saw the look in his eyes and knew that he had heard her. They were large pools of disbelief.

The cop spoke up first. "Shane, I thought we might find ya here. What are you thinking, kidnapping someone and holding them like this? It ain't who ya are."

Shane scoffed and walked closer to Beth. "This is who I am. A man trying to get his life together. I have done so many good things but people always judge me for the bad. Pretty hypocritical when ya see the scum walking around."

Beth watched as Daryl began inching closer to her coming up on the left side of the room while the cop slowly walked towards Shane. Shane realized what they were doing and grabbed ahold of her hair, pulling back on it si hard that she let out a yell of pain before she could stop herself. They both stopped moving when they saw him reach towards his pocket. Beth saw the glint of the knife and felt the cold pressure of it on her throat. She was scared to move for fear of getting cut. She could feel a small tendril of blood start sliding down her neck and she realized that he had pressed hard enough to draw blood.

"I wouldn't be getting any closer to her unless ya want her to bleed out before your eyes." His voice was biting as he looked at both men. Satisfied that they had heard him, he quickly reached down and started trying to untie her knots. She could tell he was having a hard time undoing them. He cursed as he quickly pulled the knife away from her neck and started trying to saw at the rope, while not looking away from her. She yelped as he cut into her wrist and she could see him look down and then he fell to the floor as a small sound was made across the room. She could feel the blood dripping down her her hands and knew that this cut was deeper than the one on her neck. She hoped he hadn't cut the vein.

Beth looked up to see Daryl with his crossbow still in shooting position. Rick ran across the room, jumping on Shane and slapping handcuffs on him. Beth saw the arrow sticking out of his leg and realized that they had taken the best shot they had without hurting her. When Beth looked up, she found Daryl right in front of her.

"Imma get ya outta here, Beth. You are safe now. " She felt the ropes loosen and she slumped forward, unable to hold herself up. She felt two strong arms encase her in their warmth. She felt the room go fuzzy and blackness start creeping over her sight. The last thing she heard was his voice calling her name and then nothing.

Daryl watched as she slept in the hospital bed. The doctors said that she would be fine. She had lost quite a bit of blood but they had gotten her to the hospital in time to give her a transfusion. She had been sleeping for a few hours now, he refused to leave her side. He wanted to be there when she woke up to talk to her. He had so many things that he needed to say. He held her hand, piecing together all the thoughts that he needed to get out. When he looked up into her big blues eyes, he lost everything he was thinking about. He saw the recognition in her eyes and had to bite back a small grin when she said one word.

"Daryl"

**Author's note:** We now have our answer as to what exactly happened to her. She is safe and sound thanks to Rick and Daryl. :) And Shane got an arrow to the knee. That's one of the parts, I pictured since I first started this story. Thanks again for the lovely reviews, you readers are awesome. Oh and we are getting kind of close to the end of this story. Don't fret if you are following because I will be starting the next one shortly after. The name will be Beth's Choice.


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Beth blinked rapidly, unsure if she was still dreaming or if she had woken up. She decided that she was awake but delirious. She was in the hospital, hurting everywhere and Daryl was holding her hand. Then the events leading up to her hospitalization, filled her head. She wasn't dreaming and she really was in a hospital bed and he really was holding her hand. She looked at him after saying his name and just stared into his eyes.

What she saw confused her. Normally he was so closed off that she could rarely read him. However this time she could see all the emotions in them; pain, frustration, happiness, confusion and uncertainty. She looked down at their intertwined hands and brought her other hand over, slowly covering his hand.

"Did they take him away?" She asked, curious as to what happened after she passed out. She felt him tense and rubbed his had with her thumb. She felt him relax before he answered.

"Ya, they took him to get checked out before they booked him. Fixed his leg and then took him to jail. Things aren't looking good though. At least for him to do much jail time. Some how he had a lawyer on call and they found out about him being detained. Since I wasn't a cop, they said he could press charges on me for shooting him. He declined for now but if he decides to, then I might get arrested for assault. I could care less though that poxy bastard deserved more than just an arrow to the knee." Daryl said as he stared at the blanket covering her legs. He was biting the thumb on his loose hand and Beth knew it was a habit he did when he was nervous or thinking about something.

"What's on your mind?"

"Nothing" He shot back trying to deflect her curiosity. She knew better than to let it go.

"Don't tell me it's nothing. If ya keep biting ya thumb like that you are gonna chew it off. Now ya only do that if something is bothering ya or ya been thinking too much." Beth stated knowing she was telling the truth when he stopped chewing on it and looked up at her. His eyes were so dark they almost looked like the sky right before it stormed.

"Did ya mean it?" Beth knew he was talking about what she had said to Shane when he walked in. She thought hard about what she needed to say.

"Yes I did." Beth looked down at the blanket, avoiding his eyes. She knew that this would change things. She hadn't wanted him to find out this way but at the same time it felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. He grabbed her chin and slowly pulled her face up so she way eye level with him. She slowly looked into his eyes and saw that he wasn't mad.

"I care for ya, a lot, and when I found out that he had ya, I - I didn't know what to do. I was worried about ya and I never worry about anything. I'm sorry I left like that, I just didn't know what to say or do. I'm not good with words, never have been. When I heard your voice and how scared you sounded, it drove me crazy. I would have done anything to get you back and to make sure you were safe." Daryl said slowly, stuttering a little on the words and Beth's heart monitor began beeping at a faster pace. Daryl smirked as she blushed and leaned forward to peck her on the lips. It was a chaste kiss, but caused her heart to beat even faster.

"I was scared of what would happen, but I had faith in you. I knew that you would never let anyone hurt me and if they did, you would take care of them. I never once doubted you. I know the kind of guy you are and I knew you would come for me." Beth said with certainty. She saw his brow furrow.

"How did you know I hadn't taken off? That I was coming back? Or that I wouldn't just throw the phone out the window when you were calling?" Daryl questioned with his brow still furrowed. He looked confused and curious.

"Well for two reasons. The first one would be that you aren't that kind of guy. I know you think you are this bad, horrible guy, but you ain't. The time I have spent with you has proven that. What you did in the past is just that. The past. But who you are now is who you are really. It's your choice to be who you want to be. You don't have to be any different. And the second reason is cuz I had your dog." Beth laughed at the last sentence and Daryl couldn't keep from cracking a smile. Beth loved seeing his face light up. It made her stomach nervous and made her understand just how handsome he was even without the grimace he normally had on his face.

"I promise I won't leave like that again. I'll stay nearby if I need a moment." Daryl said so low Beth barely heard him.

"Does that mean that you're gonna stay?" she was hesitant to ask, scared of his answer. After a moment of silence, she looked up into his beautiful blue eyes.

"Until I over stay my welcome."

Three days and Beth was released from the hospital. The doctor went over her discharge with Beth and Daryl. Daryl didn't like how the doctor looked at him when he told her to take it easy and to not over exert herself. He borrowed a wheelchair and used it to wheel her out to her car. After helping her into the passenger seat and placing the wheelchair back in the hospital, they started heading towards her house. He was intent on the road as she made small talk and asked questions. He gave her short answers and could tell that she was becoming worried. She was playing with her hair, rolling it back and forth in between her fingers. He could see the white bandage across her wrist and winced at how close to the vein it had been.

When they pulled into the driveway, Daryl ran around the car to help Beth out. She was still a little unsteady on her feet but the doctor had said she would get better if she rested. Daryl watched her look around and she turned back to him with a weird look on her face.

"What's that smell?" She asked, taking a moment to try to figure it out. Daryl rubbed his hand across his face and gave her a small smile.

"When people heard you were in the hospital, they started bringing food over. And I mean lots of food. I have a crock pot on warm thay was brought here this morning. They all wanted to help. Hell Amy and Andrea cleaned the house one day. I talked them into giving you a few days before they began bombarding you. So if you are hungry, there is almost anything you could think of and a lot of cookies and dessert also." Daryl watched her face. She smiled big and kept walking towards the kitchen.

Daryl heard Bo whining and realized that the door to his room was still closed. He went upstairs and let him out and he made a beeline to Beth. She sat down in a chair and started petting him. He could tell she was more comfortable now that she was at home. Daryl started some coffee and sat across the table from her.

"I got the stuff from the campsite and tried to put most of it away. The only things that are left are the clothes that were still in the bags. I started them in the laundry this morning so I will change them out and put them away later." Daryl grabbed two cups of coffee and gave one to her. She had a weird look on her face and he waited for her to speak.

"Thank you. I'm not used to having help and it's nice. I'm glad that you are here with me. I can help with stuff too as long as I'm given a little more time. You don't have to do laundry if you don't want to. I can do anything around here. I know you have a lot to do anyways." She blew on her coffee before she took a drink. He smiled at how surprised she sounded and couldn't help but laugh.

"If I didn't want to do it, I certainly wouldn't do it. There is something that I need to tell ya though. Rick, the cop who was with us at the warehouse, offered me a job. He said I would have to go through some training but since it's a smaller town, it's not as bad as the training for a bigger town. I told him I would think bout it." Daryl looked down at his fingers and waited for her response.

"I say you should do what you are happy with. If you would rather do that then I say go for it. You need to do a job that makes you happy." Beth said with certainty. He smiled knowing she would stand beside him no matter what choice he made. Now he just needed to make up his mind.

**Author's note :** hey there :) I wanna thank everyone for the awesome reviews yet again. To thank everyone for the support, I am wanting to do a little contest of sorts. Anyone who is reading this can join in. What I need you to do is pick a number between 1 and 100,000. Then I want either an idea for a random oneshot for the final chapter of this story or a random quote that you would like to have in the story. You can pm me this or review if you would rather do that. I will give an example to show what I mean.

number: 134 quote: "I know that you dream about chickens without me" or oneshot: Daryl teaches Beth to shoot his crossbow.

If anyone is interested, let me know cuz I would love to incorporate one of your awesome ideas. And if you have any questions let me know and I will answer them to the best of my ability.


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Beth was happy to be home but she was sure she was suffering from cabin fever. Daryl wouldn't let her lift a finger and of she tried to she got in trouble. Like the time she woke up early and went to make breakfast. Daryl found her cooking and promptly sent her back to her room to 'lay down'. She grumbled the whole way back to her room and decided to clean her room. When he came upstairs to get her for breakfast, he was livid that she was cleaning instead of resting. If his face had gotten any more red she would have said he looked like a ripe tomato. She was not used to having someone keep a watchful eye over her to make sure she didn't over do it.

And to make matters worse he wouldn't touch her. She was comfused about his actions since he admitted to liking her and now would not give her a second glance. Beth wore a lot cut tank top and really short shorts and purposefully strutted in front of him. He grunted and sent her back to her room to change into something more appropriate. She put a very thin dress on and "accidentally" forgot to put a bra on. He grabbed one from the laundry and apologized for her not having any undergarments. She even tried to kiss him to see if she could get a response from him. When her lips touched his, he went still as as a statue and didn't move an inch. She stopped kissing him after a moment and looked up at him. He eyes were closed and he looked like he was in pain.

Beth was getting extremely frustrated with the situation. She decided to call and talk to her doctor. If she could get clearance from the doctor then she could go back to work and stop being babied. She almost cried tears of joy when her doctor said that she was free to do what she wanted as long as she felt like it. She had purposefully put the phone on speaker and made sure Daryl heard. She saw his back stiffen at the doctor's words so she knew that he had heard. She ran from the room and outside of the door.

"Freedom!" She yelled, running around the house. The hot sun felt good on her skin after all the time she had spent indoors. She saw Daryl standing at the door, staring at her and shaking his head. She smiled at him and ran towards him. She stumbled and he grabbed her arm and stopped her from falling. She laughed and gave him a gentle hug.

"I take it ya feel much better. How is your wrist doin'?" Daryl asked as he ran his finger across the stitches she had in her wrist. She sucked in air at the touch on her wrist. She looked up and saw that he was staring at her lips. She leaned forward and tried to kiss him. She mentally cursed when he turned his face at the last moment and she kissed his cheek instead.

"Ya that's feeling much better than it was." She croaked out before she quickly extracted herself from his arms and ran into the house, embarassed. She felt like he didn't want to touch her and wondered what she could do to change his mind.

Beth plopped onto her bed and pulled out her phone. She texted Amy and Andrea to let them know she would be back to work on Monday. Since it was Friday, she still had the rest of the weekend to relax before she had to go back. After receiving their excited responses, she placed her phone next to her and stared at the ceiling. Her thoughts were swirling and she was thinking about how to get him to approach her or at least get him to kiss her back. She wanted him to want to be with her. Frustrated with not knowing what to do, she stripped off her clothes, intending to find something to wear. As she began looking through her closet, she found the bag from the lingerie store that they had gone to a couple weeks ago. An idea began to form in her head and she smiled as it all fell into place.

There was going to be two phases to her plan to seduce Daryl, just in case phase one didn't work, she thought of a better one. If neither one of these worked to get him to kiss her, then she would know for a fact that he didn't want her. She found her bathing suit that she wore when they were camping and quickly donned it. She figured that today would be the perfect day to wash the car. And if she knew him as well as she believed, he wouldn't let her go outside alone since. He hadn't let her leave his sight for more than a few minutes at a time. Unless she had to go to the bathroom or if it was bed time. And even then she was fairly certain he was standing outside the door.

As she slowly walked down the stairs, she heard Daryl in the living room,, watching a movie. She called out, "Hey Daryl, I'm just going to wash my car."

She smiled when she heard the television click off and quickly ran outside to get ready. She grabbed a bucket, a few sponges and some soap from her shed. As she walked around the side of the house, she almost bumped into him. He was standing still, just looking at her. She saw some emotion flit across his face before it became an expressionless mask.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his voice low and devoid of any emotion. Beth looked up at him and smiled.

"I'm washing my car. The doctor gave me the ok to do anything I wanna do. And I wanna clean my car. I've been cooped up in the house for so long that I wanna be outside in the sunshine." Beth said with certainty, as she continued pulling the hose over to the car. "Would ya mind turnin' the hose on?"

Beth couldn't help but chuckle as he stomped over to the spicket. She could hear him grumbling underneath his breath and couldn't help but smile. She was sure he was pretty mad at her but she could tell that it wasn't completely anger he was feeling. The water came pouring out of the hose so she filled up the bucket with soapy water and then began to spray down her car. After she was sure she had it doused fairly well she had Daryl turn the hose off. She began scrubbing the car down and heard Daryl walk into the house. She was fairly upset that he had just left her out there. She sighed and continued scrubbing the car down.

She was humming a song to herself when she heard the back door slam closed. She turned and saw Daryl coming around the side with the outfit she had given him to swim in on. She smiled as he picked out a sponge and got to work scrubbing. After the car was good and soapy, she went to turn the house on. She watched as Daryl sprayed down the car.

"Ya missed a spot. Right there. And there is another one there. And here." Beth tried helping him out by pointing at a few spots. She didn't want her car to look like they hadn't gotten it clean. She screamed when Daryl turned the hose on her, a glint in his eye. He chased her around the side of the car. She screamed when he completely soaked her head to toe. She ran back around to the other side, grabbing the hose and putting a kink in it.

"Naw, I think I got all the soap off." Daryl replied with his signature smirk. Beth advanced on him, holding the hose in her hands. When she got close to him, she backed him into the car and placed her body on him.

"I still think ya missed a spot." She whispered as she ran her hand up his chest and around his neck. She leaned in to kiss him and he wrapped his arms around her. Sensing that he was distracted by her proximity, she grabbed the hose, shoved it around her and dropped the kink. Daryl was soaked after a moment and she quickly ran and turned the water off.

"I think we got it all now." Beth replied as she turned around. She saw that Daryl was walking towards her slowly.

"Ya shouldn't have done that 'lil girl." He said as he slowly walked towards her. Beth let out a shriek and began running with him in hot pursuit. She ran into the house and up the stairs, quickly slamming her door shut in his face. She laughed as he knocked on the door.

"I ain't letting ya in." Beth said triumphantly. She heard him walk away and laughed. Looking through her closet she found some dry clothes to put on and began to strip out of her bikini top. She looked up when she heard her door close.

"Ya don't gotta let me in if I know how to pick a lock." Daryl replied stepping forward. His eyes roamed over her body, settling on her chest. Beth realized that she didn't have a top on and quickly put her arms over her chest. "Ya don't gotta hide 'em from me. Ain't nothing I haven't seen before. Or felt for that matter."

"Not like ya wanna see 'em anyways." Beth said as she turned her back to him and began pulling her shirt over her head. She could sense his presence right behind her and smell his musky scent.

"Is that what ya think?" He asked as he played with an errant lock of her hair. She turned around to face him and poked him in the chest.

"That's what I know. Ya act like nothin' matters. Ya told me ya like me and then ya don't do anything. I have tried everything in my power to get a response outta ya. I kiss ya and ya sit there like it doesn't effect ya. I parade around without a bra on, ya give me one cuz ya think I don't have any clean ones. I have a whole damn drawer of them. What more do I gotta do to make ya realize that I am wanting some kind of show of affection from ya? It doesn't have to be much, just you reciprocating a kiss or hell even you holding my hand for just a minute." Beth rambled, unable to stop the words coming out of her mouth anymore. All the pent up frustration had brought her to the point that it had to come out.

"Jus' get dressed and come downstairs. I wanna try something." Daryl said as he quickly walked out of the room. Beth was a little confused at the abrupt change of the conversation and a upset that he hadn't even said anything about what she had wanted to talk about. She slowly changed clothes and went downstairs. She heard Daryl turning on the television and walked into the living room.

"Come sit with me and watch a movie." Was all the explanation she got from him. She stiffly sat on the couch and stared at him. He threw his legs up on the couch and motioned for her to get closer. When she got closer to him, he pulled her into his side and turned her to face the movie. Beth sighed as his arms encased her with his scent and warmth. She snuggled into him and played with his fingers.

"It could be like this forever." Beth said quietly, speaking her thoughts out loud. She felt so at ease and comfortable in his arms, she didn't see how life could get any better than this. These little moments meant the most to her.

"It's like this now. That's enough." Daryl replied back as he toyed with her hair. She looked up at him and gave him a small peck on his cheek. Settling back into his arms, her attention turned to the movie on the screen.

**Author's note : **The winner was MilitaryWife with the last two sentences in this chapter. Thank you very much to everyone to reviewed with a quote or idea. They might be added in at some point if I get a chance. Thank you again for all the awesome reviews and even more awesome readers :)


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Life was starting to get back into a semblance of normalcy. Daryl had decided to take Rick up on his offer and start working at the small police station. Rick had been putting him through the different courses he needed to complete in order to become a cop. It was tiring but the pay was going to be worth it. He had to run a couple miles a day, on top of weapon training and classes on how to deal with people in different situations. Daryl felt like his mind was being stuffed full of so much information that he wouldn't be able to remember all of it. However when it came down to needing to use it or be able to relay to Rick what he was supposed to do in certain situations, it felt like he knew it all his life.

"I knew you would do great, but I'm still surprised at how quickly you are catching on. Ya might even be better than Leo is. Even though that ain't saying much." Rick laughed as he put his hand on Daryl's shoulder. He involuntarily flinched and Rick quickly pulled his hand back. "Sorry, didn't know ya didn't like being touched."

"It's nothing against ya just don't like people in my space." Daryl replied with a shrug.

"Unless I'm a pretty blonde with blue eyes, eh? How is Beth doing by the way." Rick asked, and Daryl could see the concern on his face.

"She is doing better. Been back at work for awhile and the nightmares are getting few and far between. I think she is finally healing." Daryl thought back to the last few weeks. He had spent almost every night holding her in his arms as she slept, in hopes of keeping the bad dreams at bay. She was doing better now and wouldn't even ask him to hold her, she would just tell him they were going to bed and pull him upstairs with her.

Beth was turning into quite the seductive woman. She was persistent in trying to get him to sleep with her again. She would get upset and he felt bad but he stuck to his guns. He needed her to heal completely before he took anything further. Plus he needed to get his head on straight before he jumped into anything. He had admitted to liking her but he felt like there was something more he was missing. The way he had doted on her after she came back home was unlike anything he had ever done for anyone. He was so worried about how fragile she was and didn't want her to over exert herself. That pissed her off even more.

Now she was back at work and he was working his new job after training a man named T - Dog to take his place at the shop. The man would do just fine but Jimmy wasn't too happy to see him leave. He had tried to get him to stay but when he saw the determination on his face, he accepted the resignation with the request that he train a new hire to replace him. After the training was done, Daryl had started the next day with Rick. Beth had been very shocked when he told her he was taking it. But she quickly enveloped him in a hug afterward. She told him she loved a man in uniform and then had winked and walked away.

Daryl was nudged out of his thoughts when Rick gently prodded his shoulder and motioned for him to follow. They were getting ready to head to the gun range and practice shooting again. Daryl was a little upset that he couldn't use his crossbow but had come to like shooting a gun. It wasn't like his bow, but it was better than nothing. Today he was doing his first set of moving targets. The other had been stationary, so he could get used to shooting but now they were going to be moving and he still needed an accurate hit.

As Rick started the figures, Daryl took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them he began watching the moving figures and carefully placing shots. After a few moments, Rick shut it back down and motioned for Daryl to follow him. As they neared the fake people, Daryl smiled as he saw that he had gotten them all except one. The last shot was a couple inches off of where it needed to be.

"Looks like ya already got this down pretty good. You are s fast learner." Rick said with pride pouring out of his voice. "I could tell ya would be a good shot and I knew I made a good choice asking ya. I'm glad ya took me up."

"That's the first time anyone has ever told me that." Daryl said, his voice low and almost wistful. He had never had anyone other than Beth say anything positive about him. Most scoffed at him and made him think he was stupid.

"Well sounds like ya need some better friends. How would you and Beth like to join my family for supper? We cookout every Saturday night and my wife has been bugging me to meet you. She is curious about who the newest members of the family are." Rick told Daryl as they walked back to the cruiser. He threw the keys to him and Daryl caught them easily. "Let's get you started on driving. I know that ya know how to drive but this car has some neat additions to what you are used to driving."

Daryl started the cop car and began driving back to the station. He listened carefully as Rick went over all of the buttons and knobs in the car. He explained how to work the radio and the odds and ends of information he may need to know about. The radio cut into the conversation alerting them to a domestic disturbance that was happening near by. Rick told him to respond back and say they would take the call.

When they arrived, there was a man and woman out in front of the house, yelling at each other. The woman had a frying pan in her hand and was gesturing around wildly with free hand. The man had his hands in front of him like he was trying to talk her down. Daryl exited the car and straightened his uniform a bit, pulling on his holster to bring it into a more comfortable position. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. This was his first call.

"Imma let a take the front on this. " Rick said as they began walking up to the couple. When the couple realized that they had company the man slowly backed away and began running.

"Stop and put your hands up." Daryl yelled and then mentally cursed when the man picked up speed and continued to run. Daryl pursued him while Rick stayed with the woman, taking down her information and asking her for her statement.

As Daryl rounded the house, he saw the male run through the bushes and head into the neighbors yard. He quickly followed him and couldn't help but smile when he saw that the guy hadn't realized that there was a tall fence and had ran right into it and was laying on the ground. Daryl quickly turned him over and slapped the cuffs on his wrists.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can't afford one, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rules?" Daryl said the rights, and pulled the man up walking towards the front of the house.

"Fuck you! Damn ignorant pigs. Coming into my house, trynna arrest me fo' nothin'!" The man yelled as they rounded the house. Daryl shook his head.

"If ya hadn't ran, then most likely ya wouldn't be in cuffs right now. Most people don't run 'less they are guilty. So what ya guilty of?" Daryl asked as Rick stepped up.

"I ain't guilty of shit. That bitch over there is crazy. She chased me outta the house with a damn fryin' pan!" He spat looking at the woman with hatred in his eyes. She quickly took a step back, visibly scared.

"From what she told me, you hit her and then kicked her in the stomach even though you know she is pregnant." Rick said to the man. His face turned red and Daryl made sure he had a good grip ok his arms.

"The dumb broad is pregnant with another man's kid. Why should I care if it gets hurt? I ain't been with her long enough for her to be two months pregnant." He spat, trying to pull out of Daryl's grasp.

"I don't know about you, but that almost sounds like an admission. Let's take him down to the station." Rick said as they walked him to the car and put him in the cage. "Looks like ya get to learn how to do paperwork. "

Daryl had never been happier to be out on the open road and heading home. The man they arrested was named Paul and he had a lovely disposition. He spent the entire time they had him, yelling and cursing at anyone and everyone. After they got him back to the station, they had gotten a call from another town telling them that they were sending a car to pick him up. Their station didn't hold people overnight at their station, so they would be sent to a bigger town for that. While they waited for the transport, Rick ran him through the paperwork and he quickly got started. When the cops arrived to pick him up, they knew Paul by name and seemed less than pleased to see him.

As Daryl pulled into the driveway, he noticed Beth wasn't home yet, but there was a nice car waiting in the driveway with two people standing next to it. He pulled up beside the garage and cut his engine. As he pulled his helmet off, he saw that there was a man and a woman out front. The woman had short brown hair and green eyes and the man was a little taller with black hair and brown eyes. Daryl didn't know who they were but could see the confusion on the woman's face.

"Who the hell are you and were is my sister?" The woman yelled as she walked up to Daryl. Daryl began thinking and remembered that her sister was named Maggie. It clicked into place as she got close to him.

"I'm Daryl and ya must be Maggie. Beth is still at work. If ya give me a minute I can let her know you are here." Daryl watched her confusion escalate as he walked up to the door and opened it with his key. Bo came bounding out the door and ran to say hello to the new people. He pulled out his phone and called Beth as her family walked in behind him.

"Hello"

"Hey. There is a woman here claiming to be ya sister."

"Well shoot. She didn't tell me she was coming into town. She must have wanted to surprise me. Let her in, I'll be home in just a bit."

"Ok I'll let them in."

"Them? I wonder who she brought with her."

"Don't know but ya can ask when ya get here." Daryl hung up the phone and turned around. He saw that Maggie was still staring at him with a weird look on her face. Daryl grabbed a beer out of the fridge and offered the two of them one. The man readily accepted while she just shook her head no.

"I'm Glenn, Maggie's fiance, it's nice to meet ya." Daryl shook the hand that Glenn extended and quickly stepped back.

"I'm gonna go change outta these clothes. Beth is on her way and should be here shortly." Daryl mumbled as he quickly turned and ran up the stairs. He could hear hushed whispering coming from downstairs and knew that they were probably talking about how Beth had a man in the house. After he quickly changed into a plain t-shirt and some jeans he returned downstairs and opened his beer. He sat across the table from them, waiting for Beth to arrive. The silence at the table was almost awkward.

"So how long have ya known my sister? Do ya live here? What are your intentions with her? I may look little but I sure know how to pack a punch." Maggie began her questions quickly and Daryl knew he was going to get the third degree. Daryl was trying to formulate a response when he heard the front door open.

Beth was home.

**Author's note: **Sorry for this chapter being later than usual. Life has been pretty hectic these last few days and I just didn't have the time to write much at all. So now we know that Daryl took Rick up on his offer and I feel I should tell you I don't know much about police or how things generally go. So some of this might be a little bit of a stretch but it's what I need for the story :) anyways thank you everyone for the amazing reviews and I would love to hear what you think will happen now that Maggie and Glenn are in town.


	37. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"Who is that guy? I tried to ask him questions but he doesn't seem like he is gonna answer any of them. It's quite a shock to come home to surprise ya and then have a cop drive up on a motorcycle and open the door for us. Especially with how rough around the edges he looks. Is he even a good guy to be around? Maybe you shouldn't have some random guy here with you." Maggie whispered to Beth. Beth shook her head. She had a feeling that her sister wouldn't take too well to the situation.

"Kinda like how you just brought home someone? Ya never mentioned having a boyfriend. So it's kinda shocking that ya now are engaged to be married. And last time I checked, I can have whoever I want stay at my house with me." Beth countered. She knew that her sister was always worried about her but she needed to realize that Beth wasn't a little girl anymore.

"When did you become my keeper? I don't remember. And I should have some say in who stays with ya, I am your older sister." Maggie spat back at her. Beth could feel the frustration pouring out of her.

"I could ask you the same question. And older does not mean wiser. I grew up a long time ago and have been working hard to get to where I am. Where were you when pa was sick and I took care of him? Where were you when I needed help? Ah, wait, I've been my own keeper for a long enough time now. I don't need you coming here and questioning me about my life. Cuz that's the thing, it's my life." Beth could feel her voice shaking. She had anger seeping through her and knew that she shouldn't get mad at Maggie, she was just trying to make sure she was safe.

"When did you get this vocal? You never used to spit back at me when I talked to you." Maggie asked as she looked at Beth. Beth shrugged her shoulders, looking towards the kitchen where Daryl was sitting.

"I learned from the best. I am not afraid to stick up for myself anymore. Not everyone may like to hear what I have to say but I won't be silent just to make everyone else happy." Beth smiled as she walked towards the kitchen. Daryl and Glenn were sitting at the table, drinking beers and making small talk.

"Hi, you must be Glenn, I'm Beth. It's nice to meet ya. Ya both have already met Daryl and I'm guessing Bo by the way he is comfortable at your feet. It's nice of you guys to stop in for a bit." Beth extended her hand to Glenn and laughed when he almost knocked his drink over trying to shake her hand. She saw the look of confusion on his face and saw him look over to Maggie.

"Ya didn't tell her did ya? We were hoping to talk to you about using some of the land for the wedding. We are getting married in about two months. She was hoping that she could have it at her childhood home." Glenn said as Maggie walked up to hold his hand.

"That's fine. As long as you guys take care of the preparations and don't go too crazy. I don't wanna have to cleanup a glittery mess." Beth smiled as they nodded back at her. Ever since Maggie was younger, she always had wanted to have her wedding at the farm. She wouldn't deny her sister her dream wedding. "How long are you guys gonna be able to stay?"

"We can stay till Saturday, then we both have to be back in town." Maggie replied. Beth thought about what she had said and knew that today was Wednesday giving her a few days with them.

"Well, I will need to head to the store. We were running low on food and going to go tonight anyways." Beth said as she sat down and began writing a list. She heard Maggie come up behind her and sit next to her.

"That's fine, I'll go with ya. I've missed my little sister and it will give the guys some time to get to know each other. Plus we have a lot of catching up to do." Maggie had a determined look on her face and Beth knew arguing was going to be fruitless.

"I know that look on her face and I know better than to argue with it. So I'll stay here." Glenn piped up as he took another sip of his beer. Beth smiled at him and nodded. She looked over to Daryl, who had been quiet this whole time, and saw that he was nodding also. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and grabbed her list. She hated shopping to begin with and she knew that it was just another ploy for Maggie to interrogate her.

"So how long have you known Daryl for? How did ya meet? Why is he living with ya? Do ya even know him? He seems a little rough around the edges for you. I just don't understand what you could want from a guy like him. He is older than you." Maggie began the minute they got to the store. Beth had the music cranked up while she was driving to drown out her voice. When they got out into the open, she couldn't drown her out anymore. She groaned as she grabbed a cart and started throwing things into it.

"I didn't let you come with me to have you give me the third degree. I should have known better. Ya can't let anything go can ya?" Beth asked as she walked into the produce section. She saw the look of surprise on her sister's face and couldn't help but smile.

"He's changed ya. You used to be so quiet and soft spoken. Now ya talk back and speak ya mind. It's unnerving to say the least." Maggie said as she placed a few things into the cart.

"It's not a bad thing. I won't let anyone run me over. And it's not like he's changed me, I've just learned a lot about myself since I met him. If he has done anything, it is helping me become the person I need to be. I've grown a lot." Beth huffed and began walking away from her. She heard her footsteps quickening to catch up with her.

"You don't have to take offense to everything I say. Sheesh you're acting funny."

"I'm taking offense to what you say 'cuz of your inflection. If you were more positive and didn't sound like you're accusing him of something then it would be different. How would you like it if I started bombarding you with questions about Glenn?" Beth countered as she grabbed some meat to put in the cart.

"I wouldn't care because I ain't got nothing to hide." Maggie bit back with a triumphant grin on her face.

"Think what ya want Mags, I'm done with this conversation. You can either chose to accept my relationship with Daryl or you can choose to ignore it. Either way it doesn't bother me. It's my life and my choice not yours." Beth said as she walked away from her sister. She was done shopping and by the looks of all the random stuff she had placed in her cart, they should be set with food for awhile. She walked up to the checkout and began placing her items on the conveyor belt. Maggie wordlessly joined her and began putting items on the belt also. After they paid, they walked back out to car. Beth popped the trunk and began placing bags in it. She felt Maggie grab ahold of her hand and turn her wrist. Beth cursed as she saw her sister staring at the pink line down her wrist. She knew she would get the wrong impression.

"Beth, what the hell is this? Did you try to hurt yourself?" Her sister stuttered out as she ran her finger across the line. Beth took in a sharp breath as the memories flooded through her head at the questions. She shook her head and quickly finished putting the groceries in the car. After getting rid of the cart, she jumped into the drivers seat and waited for Maggie. She could feel her eyes burning into her as she started driving.

"Did he do that to you?" Beth pulled the car to the side of the road and slammed on the breaks after she asked that questioned. She turned to Maggie and saw the confusion on her face.

"Get out! If you are going to judge someone so harshly when you don't know them nor have you taken the time to, I don't want you in my car or my house. Daryl saved my life and even though that doesn't mean shit to you it means the world to me. He has been there for me more in the time that I have known him than some people have been there for me my whole life!" Beth knew that of she was a cartoon then she would have smoke pouring out of her ears. She was fed up with her sister and the attitude she had towards a man she didn't know. Hypocrisy wasn't one of her favorite things to deal with.

"I didn't know that would upset you that much. I'm sorry I said anything. You're my little sister and I wanna make sure you are making the best choices in your life." Maggie replied and Beth could see the tears brimming in her eyes.

"Well you shouldn't be so harsh on someone that you don't know. You know that old saying about assuming." Beth started the car and began driving back towards the house.

The silence at the house was awkward for Beth. Daryl didn't talk very much with the addition of Glenn and Maggie. He just watched and waited. Beth pulled him into the kitchen to have him help her make supper. She had decided on spaghetti. As she got the pasta out of the cabinet, he pulled out the meat and sauce. She filled up a pan with water and he started cooking the meat. Beth smiled at how they easily moved around each other and how at ease she felt with him.

"What's the smile for?"Daryl asked, looking up from the meat he was cooking, and looking at her with a weird look on his face. Beth leaned forward and gave him a chaste peck on his lips.

"Can't a girl just be happy? Or do I have to have a reason?" Beth asked and watched as he slowly leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek.

"I guess ya can be happy if ya want. Better than ya being mopey again. Makes ya look like someone told ya Santa Claus isn't real." Daryl smirked and Beth dropped her smile. She placed her hands on her hips and gave him a hard look.

"Daryl Dixon, you take that back! I am not mopey and I've known for a long time about Santa!" Beth grabbed the spoon and began stirring the pasta into the boiling water. She began waving the spoon at him when he chuckled. "I think you are having way too much fun making fun of me."

"Naw, I ain't having too much fun yet." Daryl said. Beth cocked her head at him and got an idea. She walked over to the cabinet and pulled a container out. She waited until he was completely involved in stirring the meat and the pounced. She threw flour at him and then began giggling. When Daryl turned around with a mischievous glint in his eye, she began backing up.

"Ya really shouldn't have done that."

**Author's note :** hey guys :) thanks for all the awesome reviews yet again. You guys make me smile so big. I think that there will be two or three more chapters before I start the next one. I'm excited and a bit nervous for it. There will be a newer addition to this one. Any guesses for the bad guy?


	38. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Daryl could feel the eyes watching him as he slowly walked up the stairs. He was careful as he walked, trying to keep from dropping flour on the floor. They had finished the food for supper but they had quite a big mess to clean up other than just the food. After Beth had thrown some on him, they both began pelting each other win flour. She ran giggling and slipped in the flour. When she came up, she was more covered than before. Daryl had to bite a smile back, thinking about how carefree and happy she looked. She had been completely whitw, with flour everywhere but her eyes had a twinkle in them that made him see thay she was happy again. They decided to go get cleaned up for supper and when they walked out of the kitchen, the conversation Maggie and Glenn had been having suddenly broke off. He could hear Glenn start laughing and quickly turned to him.

"What's so funny Chinaman?" He asked with a smirk on his face. He fingered some of the flour and looked at him expectantly.

"I'm actually Korean." Glenn gulped as he realized that Daryl could easily cover him in flour also. Daryl turned back towards the stairs to follow Beth and could sense their eyes burning holes into his back.

As he was waiting for Beth to finish with her shower, he heard voices drifting upstairs.

"I just don't know what to think about him. When I ask Beth about him, she gets defensive. Hell she almost kicked me out of the car when I asked about her scar. All I want to know is if she is ok." Maggie's spoke and Daryl instantly knew she was talking about him.

"I think she is ok. If you see the way he looks at her, then you would know that he would never hurt her. She looks back at him the same way. Like they would gladly jump in front of a bullet for the other. And if she has a scar on her wrist, it isn't from him. When you asked her about it, we're you pointed or just curious? 'Cuz if I know you, then you were probably pointed about it and it upset her." Glenn replied and Daryl couldn't help but smirk a little at his response. He could tell that Maggie didn't really care much for him and he figured that she had said as much to Beth. He heard the bathroom door open and Beth came out with new clothes and wet hair. She smiled at him and he quickly went to take his shower.

It took a bit of scrubbing and rewashing before he felt clean enough to exit the shower. He dried himself off, got dressed and ran a comb through his hair. He exited the bathroom and went to take his clothes to his room. He stopped in the hallway again as he heard voices drifting up the stairs.

"I wanted to apologize. I realize that I didn't go about my questions as I should have. Glenn brought it to my attention and made me realize how much I was in the wrong. I think that part of me still sees you as the little girl you used to be and not the young woman you are today. I also shouldn't judge people so quickly and harshly if I don't know them. Will you forgive me?" Maggie asked and Daryl figured that she was talking to Beth.

"Yes, you know I'm not going to hold something against you. I just wish you would give him a chance and try to get to know him. He may seem a little rough around the edges, but I wouldn't love him if he wasn't a good guy. He has helped me through a lot since I've met him and he has never treated me badly." Daryl didn't think Beth would tell her sister that she loved him, but knew that she was being as honest as she always was. She wasn't one to lie about things so it made sense that she would just tell her sister.

"You never told me you loved him. That's why you got so upset and mad when I accused him of hurting you. Especially since it wasn't him. Will you tell me what really happened?"

"Yes, but I think it will be best to wait until all four of us are together. That way I only tell it once and Daryl can fill you in on what I don't want to say or what I am unable to answer." Daryl walked back to his room thinking about how this conversation was going to go. Either Maggie was going to blame him for the situation with Shane or she was going to blame it on luck. He already blamed himself enough as it was and didn't need anyone else telling him it was his fault. He already knew it was.

When he got back to the kitchen he found Glenn, Maggie and Beth sitting at the table waiting for him to eat. They quickly got the food passed around and began to eat. He could feel eyes on him and he looked up to see Maggie staring at him.

"I know we didn't get off on the best foot but I am very easily unsettled when it comes to Beth. She has been through a lot so I worry about her. I hope we could start over and forget about the first time we met." Daryl nodded after she finished and he saw her sigh and smile. "Now for the story you promised that you would tell me."

"I didn't promise you but I will tell you. I ran into the cop that planted the drugs on Shawn. Shane wasn't very happy when I called him out on it and stalked us. He followed us one night, until he miraculously had a flat tire and couldn't follow us. He made petty threats, that I believed were nothing more than talk, until he kidnapped me. He was going to-" Beth broke off in tears and Daryl put his hand on top of hers and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

"He was going to hurt her since she knew what he had done to Shawn. He also thought that she could do better than me and was mad cuz she wouldn't just leave me to be with him. I found her in an old abandoned warehouse and had to shoot him in the knee with my crossbow. He is the one who gave her the scar on her wrist. Right now Shane is in jail. Since I was helping the cops, his lawyer was able to get him a reduced sentence but we went ahead and got a restraining order against him so when he gets out, he can't come after her without getting in trouble." Daryl spoke for her as she silently cried. He saw Maggie was in tears as she ran around the table and enveloped Beth in her arms.

"I'm so sorry Beth. If I knew that this happened, then I would have came down earlier and kicked his ass myself. I wasn't here for you. I understand now why you became so upset with me earlier. I can be such a bitch sometimes." Maggie cried as she held onto Beth. "Thank you for being there for her Daryl. There is no telling what would have happened if you hadn't been there."

"He saved my life and I will be forever grateful to him." He saw Beth staring at him and holding out her hand. He slowly grasped it and was pulled into the hug before he had time to pull away. Daryl wasn't one to hug one woman, so when he had one crying woman on each side, he didn't know what to do. He decided to awkwardly pat each one on the back and hoped that they stopped crying quickly. After a few moments, both of the women pulled back and thanked him for helping them calm down. He nodded to them and quickly went back to his food.

"You ain't much for talking are ya?" Daryl shook his head at Maggie's question. He heard Glenn laugh from across the table and looked up at the man who had been silent for awhile.

"What's so funny Short Round? I didn't hear ya speak up for the last bit." Daryl smirked as Glenn started laughing harder.

"I wouldn't have taken you for one to watch movies. But I'm guessing you do like to watch some." Daryl nodded at his response and finished chewing the spaghetti he had put in his mouth.

"Beth has a pretty good collection going now thanks to my movies and the ones that we have bought. One day it is gonna be massive." Daryl said and watched as Beth smiled at him. He saw the look of elation and didn't know what had caused it. He thought back over his words and realized that he had spoken for the future. He was surprised that it had come out that easily. He quickly went back to eating and decided to act like he didn't realize what he had said.

"Daryl, I wanted to let you know that a woman named Lori came into my work today. She said she was married to Rick and wanted to make sure that he had invited us to his house for the cookouts. She said that she would love to have us there. I told her that we would be there Saturday and she put us in charge of making the potato salad and bringing a dessert." Beth said as she poked at her food.

"That's fine, Rick actually brought it up with me today. I was gonna talk to ya about it later." Daryl replied after he took a drink of his beer. He had completely forgotten that he had said anything and was glad that Lori had talked to Beth.

"So Mags, how did you meet Glenn?" Beth asked as she pushed her plate away. She leaned back in her chair and looked at the couple sitting across the table. Daryl saw a look of uncertainty pass across Maggie's face and Glenn turn bright red.

"Glenn was..uh...He was my pizza guy for a long time. I always had thought he was cute. Little did I know that he was actually the owner of the place and wasn't usually the one who delivered pizza. So imagine my surprise when he takes me there for the first date and everyone there is calling him boss and waiting on him hand and foot." Maggie was beet red at the end of her confession.

"I will clarify this. One day my delivery guy called in sick so I filled in. At my last delivery for the night, I met this beautiful gorgeous woman who I immediately fell in love with. Maggie was her roommate -ow- ow- ok I met Maggie and I was instantly attracted to her. We talked for so long that my employees started calling me, worried that I had gotten in some kind of trouble. When I went back, I made sure I was very clear that if she ever ordered a delivery again, I would be the one to deliver." Glenn finished as he rubbed his arm and head where Maggie had slapped him during his story. She didn't seem too pleased with him but now she kissed him on the cheek.

"And the rest is history. He finally asked me out and we fell in love. Now we are here." Maggie was smiling at them as she leaned into Glenn. "Now it's your turn. How did ya'll meet?"

"We actually met at the diner in town. It was lunch time and there wasn't any open seating so I offered him a chair at my table." Beth said as she looked at Daryl. He could see the blush creeping up her cheeks and he smirked.

"So it was love at first sight?" Maggie questioned. She didn't seem to think her answer was enough information.

"Uh, not quite like that. In fact, I almost left the table when we first met. He stopped me and I ended up eating with him. I had given him my card in case he ever needed help. He called me later that night with Bo sick. I had him stay here that night and he helped me out at the clinic after that. I liked the company and asked him to stay. He's been here ever since." Beth spoke as she looked down at the table. Daryl knew she had left out the part about him losing his place to live.

"Ah, that's sweet. I know you liked having someone around after so long of being in this big house by yourself. At least you met someone who is good to ya and is gonna take care of ya. I will still whoop ya if you hurt my little sister." Maggie said as she shook her finger.

"I would never hurt her." Daryl replied as he looked down at the drink in his hands.

"Maggie, have you heard from Shawn? I haven't heard from him since Daddy died. I don't even know how to get ahold of him. He doesn't call me and I have no idea where he lives." Beth asked Maggie and Daryl watched her face drop.

"No, I was hoping that you had heard from him. I am getting worried. I know he is our older brother but I would have thought he would at least let us know he is ok." Maggie spoke softly and Daryl could tell that she was worried. He watched Glenn rub on her back and felt Beth grab ahold of his knee. He covered her hand with his and he could feel the tension in her body.

"You guys wanna watch a movie before we head to bed? Beth and I both have to work in the morning but we will be back around the same time as today." Daryl changed the subject, hoping to alleviate the tension in the room.

"Ya that would be great. And that will give us some time to decide where we want to have our wedding at and get some plans in the works." Glenn replied and pulled Maggie with him as he stood up. He followed suit and pulled Beth with him into the living room. He told Glenn to pick out the movie while he settled in on one of the couches with Beth. She automatically curled into his side and he wrapped an arm around her.

As the opening credits began playing, he could feel the tension start slipping out of her and he felt her body become loose. He knew that she was relaxing more and not thinking about her brother as much. His mind was shortly absorbed into the movie and was glad that Glenn had picked an action movie. When the movie finished Daryl looked down at the sleeping blonde he was holding and smirked. She always fell asleep during the movie. He gently picked her up and turned around. He almost dropped her when he saw the look on Maggie's face. He had been absorbed in the movie, he had forgotten that anyone else had been in the room. He looked down at Beth and then looked back up at her sister and saw the smile on her face.

"Ya love her don't ya?" Maggie whispered. Daryl looked down at Beth again and looked back up at Maggie. He didn't know what to say to her. He didn't know how to explain what he felt when he held her in his arms. He saw the smile get even bigger on her face. "You don't have to tell me since you are a man of few words. It's already written all over your face. I came down here to check and see how she was doing. She was so broken when I left and I thought that's what she would be like when I came back. But she isn't at all like she was. She is happier and more alive than I have seen her act in a long time. I may have been rude to her but it wasn't all just to judge you. I wanted to see if she loved you. And boy does she. When I said anything that could be taken negatively towards ya, she all but bit my head off. Ya take care of her for me, she is my little sister and I love her."

Daryl nodded and walked upstairs with Beth cradled in his arms. He would take care of her and make sure that she was happy.

**Author's note :** hey guys! This has been one crazy weekend for me. My daughter turned 2 and had her party and I had a lot of last minute things to do. I had a little bit of trouble with this chapter, trying to figure out how to get some of the stuff across like I wanted to, but I think that it came together well. Thank you for all the amazing reviews cuz you guys are awesome :)


	39. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Beth smoothed out the skirt on her dress. She looked in the mirror, her mind contemplating about how this night was going to go. It was Saturday and she was going to the cookout with Daryl. The last few days had flown by quickly with Maggie and Glenn leaving earlier this morning. She was glad to see her sister and happy that she had finally gotten to know Daryl. When she left she had given both of them a hug and told them she would see them in two months for her wedding. Now she was alone again with Daryl and was glad for it. He didn't seem as comfortable with other people around.

This was going to be her first time seeing Rick since he had taken her statement over what had happened with Shane a few weeks ago. She really liked him and when she had met Lori, she could tell she was a kind woman. She was heavily pregnant and looked like she could pop out the baby at anytime. Beth couldn't understand why she was so nervous about the night. She decided that it was more to do with after they came home than with spending time with the Grimes. She wanted to talk to him about something and she knew that he would either accept what she was saying or get upset. Either way, she was unsure of the outcome.

"Hey Beth, ya ready?"She heard Daryl call from outside her room and she opened the door. She saw him look over her light blue sundress with white flowers and her white sandals. He was wearing a button down shirt over a tank top and a nice pair of jeans. She smiled at him and nodded, walking down stairs to the kitchen to get the brownies and potato salad that they had made earlier.

"Ya wanna take the bike?" Beth hoped that he would say yes. She knew that the bowls would easily fit into the side bags and she really wanted to ride it. It had been a long time since she had hopped on the back. She looked up and saw him nod and couldn't help the bubble of excitement that she felt. She let Bo out the back door and waited for him to come back after doing his business. When he came back in, she locked the door and went out front to where Daryl was getting on his motorcycle. She grabbed the helmet he held out to her and climbed up behind him. She snuggled into his back, careful that her dress didn't ride up too much, and wrapped her arms around his waist. She felt the engine revving and then felt the wind blowing. She was extremely comfortable and happy to be back of the bike.

A short period of time and some nice sunshine and she felt the bike begin to slow down. She looked over his shoulder and saw a nice house in the distance. She watched as he pulled onto a gravel driveway and the house came more into focus. It was a beautiful green house with a tire swing and a big fence around it. She saw Rick standing on the wraparound porch and Lori with a small boy swinging on the porch. After he parked, she gingerly stepped off the bike, mindful of her dress, and took her helmet off. Daryl followed her to the porch with the food in his hands.

"Hi Beth, you must be Daryl. I'm Lori and this is our son, Carl. It's nice to finally meet ya, I've heard some very good things about ya." Lori extended her hand out to Daryl and he slowly reached out and shook it. Lori stood slowly, her long brown hair swinging and her dress emphasizing her swollen belly. Beth couldn't help but be a little jealous of how beautiful she looked. Pregnancy did suit her and gave her a certain glow.

"Let's go get the grill fired up." Rick slapped Daryl on the back and took the food from him and handed it to Lori. Beth followed her inside as the men walked around back. She watched as Lori rubbed her belly and took a deep breath. Her footsteps faltered and she saw a weird look grace her features.

"How long have you been having them and how far apart are they?" Beth knew she was in labor. Lori looked at her with a funny look on her face.

"I have been having em since this morning and about seven minutes apart. How did you know?" Lori responded and Beth laughed. The woman was a trooper.

"Well it's not hard to tell when ya see how you walk and how you have some signs of pain. I may not know ya very well but I know what signs you are showing. It won't be long till you are heading to the hospital." Beth smiled as she sat across the table from Lori.

"Ya and I will be happy to see my little girl. We decided that Judith would be a good name for her." Lori stood up and began pacing the floor. Beth watched her walk back and forth for a moment. "That one was a little stronger than the rest. It just didn't want to stop."

"It would prolly be best if ya sit down or maybe even relax on the couch and put your feet up. I can finish getting stuff ready for supper in here." Beth motioned for her to relax and watched as she nodded. As she turned to walk into the living room, Beth saw murky water cover the floor. She looked up to see Lori's face turn white.

"My water just broke! Shit, we gotta get to tha hospital!" Lori started yelling and Beth darted to the back door. She found the men outside, standing beside the grill. They looked up at her when they heard the door open.

"Guys, Lori has to get to the hospital! Her water just broke." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, all three of the men came running to the house. Rick sent Carl upstairs to get the bags and ran to where Lori was trying to clean up the floor.

"Crazy woman, the floor can wait! We gotta get ya to the hospital." He helped her stand up, ignoring her protests of a dirty floor and began walking her out to the car. Carl came running with her bag and the car keys in his other hand.

"I've got the stuff we need." Carl began ushering them towards the door. Beth and Daryl followed them out the door and watched as Lori slowly eased into the car. Rick quickly tossed the bag in the back seat.

"Sorry to have to bail on our first get together, but we have a baby on the way. I'll call ya later Daryl to let ya know how things are going. Thanks for coming though, I know it would have been a fun night. " Rick rambled as he walked to the other side of the car.

"It's fine, just go have a baby and don't forget to send us pictures." Beth hollered as he sped away. She turned to Daryl and saw the look of shock on his face.

"Well that was not how I expected this night to go." He muttered underneath his breath. As if on cue, a loud bit of thunder rumbled in the distance. "Shit, Beth we gotta go. Hopefully we can beat the rain till we get home."

Beth nodded and followed him to the bike. She smiled at his use of the word home instead of her house. It made her feel like he was becoming comfortable with the idea of living with her.

Beth smiled as they pulled into the driveway and she unlocked the garage for him to place his motorcycle in. They had beat the rain home even though he hadn't speeded like he had wanted to. She could tell how tense he was about getting his bike wet. When he closed the door, it began raining a nice steady rain. Beth tilted her head up and relished the feeling of the rain on her skin. She didn't have to worry about getting her phone wet since they had both left them at home. She looked over to see Daryl looking at her with a small smile on his face. She slipped her shoes off and tossed them onto the porch.

"Ya ever danced in the rain?" She asked him as she walked towards the back of her house.

"No."

"Dance with me." Beth held her hand out and Daryl slowly walked towards her, grabbing her hand. She slowly stepped into his arms and curled into his embrace. As she laid her head on his chest, she felt him tense up and then relax as they began moving around slowly. Beth nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck and heard a low growl in the back of his throat. She slowly pulled back and looked up into his eyes as the rain pelted down on them. He was looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Damn it." With a low curse he pulled her to him and slanted his mouth over hers. Beth threw her arms around his neck and began deepening the kiss slowly sliding her tongue along the seam of his lips until he opened his mouth and allowed her to slip her tongue into his mouth. She moaned at the taste of him. She felt like she was drunk and light headed from the touch of his body against hers. She moaned in the back of her throat as he grabbed ahold of her and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he quickly turned her around and gently leaned her onto the side of the house. He broke free from her mouth and began placing hot, lingering kisses down her neck. She angled her neck so he could have more access and began sliding his wet button up down his arms. He quickly shed it and pulled his other shirt over his head to join it on the ground. She ran her hands up and down his chest, lightly running her nails down his torso. She felt him shudder under her touch and watched as he pulled away from her neck and looked at her. His eyes were a very deep blue and she couldn't help but shudder herself.

"I don't think I can wait much longer." Daryl said with a growl as he looked down at her. She knew that her dress was almost transparent from the rain and saw his eyes dart down to her chest. She looked down and saw that her nipples were peaked and visible through the fabric. She pulled the straps from her dress down her arms and slowly pulled the dress down until he strapless bra was showing. She saw his eyes fill with list and gently ran her fingers across his jaw.

"What if I don't want ya to wait?" The words barely left her mouth when he was kissing her again. He made a path straight down to her chest and he held her weight with his body as his hands slipped around her body and undid the clasp on her bra. She moaned as the rain hit her sensitive nipples and the moan became even louder when his hand and mouth covered them. She writhed against the house and he slowly ran his tongue across one and then the other while he kneaded them with his hands. She felt her stomach begin to get a knot in it and wanted to let it go with him inside her.

"Daryl, I need you now. " She moaned as he ran his hands under her dress and around to her butt. She moaned his fingers slipped under the lace of her underwear, teasing her by not touching her where she wanted him to. "Daryl, please. "

Beth arched her back as his fingers slipped underneath her underwear and inside her wet core. She cried out as he added a second finger in and began sliding them in and out. Within seconds, the pit in her stomach became a coiled pit and she felt her body tense up and then felt it explode. She heard him growl as she felt herself contracting around his fingers. She protested when his fingers slid out of her but couldn't stop the excitement when she felt him pulling her underwear down. He slipped her to her feet for a moment as she stepped out of them and she quickly grabbed his belt and pulled it open and slid his pants down. It took a moment for her to get a good grasp on them due to the rain making them soggy. He was rock hard and stood out proudly when his boxers slid down after his pants. She ran her fingers along his length as she gave him a slow open mouth kiss. The rain made him slippery and her fingers easily slid up and down him.

Beth yelped in surprise when he picked her back up and placed her back against the wall of the house. He began kissing her with wild abandon and she moaned as she felt his hard shaft against her thigh. She moved her weight a little, unsteady with only the weight of him pressed against her and her legs wrapped around his waist, keeping her off the floor. She felt him near her entrance and she rolled her hips, causing him to slip into her wet folds. They both moaned in unison and she felt her eyes roll back into her head. This time she felt no pain as she adjusted to his size and she could help but clench her muscles around him.

"Do that again and it's gonna be quick." He growled as he stiffened and rain rolled off his hair. She rolled her hips again and he moaned and began to move in and out if her at a slow and steady pace. Beth felt like he was holding back and didn't want him to.

"Don't hold back on me. We have all night to go again." She moaned as he picked up pace and began slamming into her roughly. She felt each hit and felt her stomach begin to tighten again. He slid in and out of her quickly and she could feel his body tense and knew he was getting close also. He grunted as he continued to pound into her and she began clawing his back with each thrust. She screamed his name as she shattered and felt the airy feel of floating out if her body. She felt him pulsing with her and he stilled his movements. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he rested his head in the crook of her neck. After a moment, she felt his arms began to go slack and she slowly unwound her legs and he sat her down on the ground. She gave him a light peck on his lips and helped him pull his pants up. He helped her straighten her dress and they slowly picked up the rest of the clothing before they went inside.

Beth could feel that he was withdrawing himself again and motioned for him to follow her upstairs. She walked to the bathroom and he followed her, grabbing towels for both of them. She stared at him as he ran it through his soaked hair and across chest.

"How can you look so hot even when you got soaked in the rain? It just ain't right." Beth said and watched as Daryl dropped the towel on the floor. In a few short strides he was across the bathroom and she backed up to the counter. He leaned over her and she felt like he was staring into her soul.

"What ain't right is how beautiful you are without trying. I don't know what I did to deserve this time I have with you but I'm not going to waste it any longer. "

**Author's note : **Thank you for all the kind reviews from last chapter. My daughter had a wonderful time and now thinks she is older than 2 lol. Gotta love kids. There is going to be one final chapter after this one and it is going to skip to Maggie's wedding :)


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