Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Tuesday, June 6 th

He'd messed up, well that was a huge fucking understatement but the idea still held. In fact he could honestly say he had never in all of his 35 years messed up this badly ever . When the sheriff - Rick Grimes - had shown up knocking on his door, Daryl had had a moment of panic before he realized that one, Merle was already in jail and two, Daryl didn't do shit anymore that had people coming after him.

He'd gotten himself a shitty job at a shitty superstore, the kind everyone hated for running the mom and pop stores out, but ended up working at anyway because they were the only place hiring. He was one of a few who worked in the auto department and he kept his head down and saved up money and bought a shitty cabin. The owner of the shitty shack had thought he was really getting one over on Daryl when he sold it to him.

He wasn't of course – Daryl had realized exactly what level of run down it was when he made an offer on it, way, way below the asking price. But he'd become handy enough out on his own for as long as he'd been, and fixing it up hadn't been that big a deal. Plus it was a real short walk between his back door and the woods so he was fine with getting a maintenance needy house.

But the point of all this was that Daryl Dixon didn't mess up anymore, he had a shitty job, with shitty insurance, and a shitty house and everything had been going just fine .

And now he was sitting in the local hospital in a long room with machines lining the walls and little chambers that housed, in a few of them, tiny bodies like the one he was now staring at.

According to Sheriff Grimes this little tissue thin body was his. That the premature baby girl inside was Daryl's daughter. Her mother was dead, pregnancy complications compounded by years of supporting a nasty drug addiction, and the frail body in front of him was being wracked with pain due to withdrawal and the fact that everything in her hadn't had time to develop.

Daryl couldn't even remember this woman he'd supposedly knocked up, the baby had been roughly seven and a half to eight months along when she'd been born. Which did put her conception firmly in the time of Merle being out, which had resulted in a lot of drunken nights for Daryl, who’d barely managed to keep his shitty job at the time.

He told Grimes that he could vaguely remember that that was around the last time he'd had sex, in a bar's dirty restroom, the woman boosted up against the stall. Of course telling this shit to the sheriff had his face feeling like he’d slammed it into a blacktop road at around two in the afternoon, hot and nearly painful with the strength of his flush. He wasn’t trying to brag about exploits, he just wasn’t one to lie about important shit.

Like a nameless dead woman and her nameless, premature, baby.

He remembered how he’d kept his forehead against her shoulder the whole time, could barely remember that she'd had dark hair that smelt of chemicals and smoke. He definitely couldn't remember her name, didn't even think she'd given it to him.

What he could remember, and what he'd also been sure to tell Grimes until he was red in the face, was that he'd used protection – that was a certainty. Because it didn't matter how lit he was, Daryl never forgot to do that, for exactly the reason he found himself in now.

Daryl Dixon had no business being anyone's daddy.

But this woman, who even the cops and hospital couldn't figure out who she was, had given his name before falling unconscious when they got her on the gurney. And so they'd notified law enforcement which had meant Grimes tracking him down and here they were side by side gazing silently at the little baby fighting to stay alive.

Daryl was working on wearing a hole through his bottom lip as his heart beat out an unsteady rhythm in his chest. They had taken a sample when he'd first got there to run paternity, and he'd let them, teeth grinding and body wound tight while the nurse held his jaw and scraped along his cotton dry inner cheek. When she'd taken out a needle for bloodwork his eyes had snapped to Grimes.

"They're tryin' to get a work up for family history, if the baby isn't yours I'm sure they'll just throw out the results." The man had been blessfully quiet after he'd basically brow beaten Daryl into getting into his cruiser to come here.

In all honesty he shouldn't be this nervous now, he reminded himself, watching the small chest rise and fall through the clear walls of the incubator. The name of which chafed at him slightly, kid wasn't an egg or a science project. But then again what the hell did he know – and again the kid wasn't his.

And since he knew this, he had no reason at all to feel this nervous, because in a couple days (if the lab wasn't backed up) he'd get that answer, and the doctors and the cops would have to figure out what to do with the poor little girl in the glass cage.

She’d just barely gotten to sleep. His ears rang with her plaintive high pitched crying, tremors running though her little bones even though they told him repeatedly she wasn’t cold. Just another side effect of being born strung out.

"I need you to come down stairs with me, see if you can identify the body of her mother." Grimes’s voice sounded quiet, like he was speaking in a church instead of a hospital and Daryl felt his muscles tighten.

"Told ya already, I don' remember nothin' about 'er." The hell they want him to look at a dead body for? It could be literally anyone in the state of Georgia laying there and he'd have no idea if it was the woman he'd slept with or not. Long as she had dark hair. That was the only defining feature he could recall.

Besides chemicals and smoke.

"Gotta try don't ya think?" Daryl flicked his gaze from Grimes back to the baby in front of him and grumbled darkly, the kid had lost her mama – least he could do was go and tell them what he already had.

The morgue was of course cold and devoid of noise or color. Daryl followed the lawman into a side room, the sheriff nodded to the attendant there that was standing by a gurney with the body of a woman laid on top. A white sheet was covering her to below the neck and dark hair covered the unmoving head.

Her still features were familiar in the way a lot of the women that hung around the bar he and Merle frequented were familiar. But beyond that he had no memory of her, the hair was right, longer than it had been but that was understandable.

"Anything?" The room sucked up Grimes's voice where he'd have expected an echo and Daryl's eyes moved to his before he gave a shrug and a shake of his head.

He'd said as much when the sheriff had told him what had happened, seeing her hadn't changed anything, besides making him feel inexplicably guilty.

That frail heaving chest upstairs kept flashing through his mind and Daryl's scowl intensified.

"Well don't try too hard or anything." The attendant's voice was deadpan and snobbish all at the same time and Daryl bristled at the tone.

"Fuck you say t' me Igor?" He didn't even realize he'd taken a step forward until Grimes, placing a restraining hand on his chest, brought him up short.

"Milton maybe you could give us a few minutes please?" Polite, and asked like a question, Daryl could still hear how it wasn't really a request, and apparently the prick in the lab coat picked up on that too, because without a word or a glance he exited through a door with a "Medical Staff Only" sign on it.

"Asshole." Daryl muttered as he watched the door swing silently back and forth after the man had passed through.

"He shouldn't have said anything, but Mr. Dixon, if you could take another look…we don't have anywhere to start lookin' for that little girl's family as of yet. If you aren't her father then she's gonna end up with the state and I'd really like to avoid that."

Daryl tensed at both the title and the idea, mumbling a response the quiet room tried to eat up as it passed his lips. "Jus' call me Daryl."

"Fine, but only if you call me Rick." He was a little surprised with that, never had any kind of officer been the least bit friendly to a Dixon. And as far as Daryl could see the situation, this one had more of a reason than most to take a dislike to him.

Premature baby upstairs, dead woman in front of them, and Daryl was perhaps tied to both but wasn't able to offer any definite answers due to his idiotic tendencies. But Rick just gave him a knowing look like this somehow wasn't the craziest situation he'd been party to, and maybe him being the sheriff he actually had.

Daryl answered the condition with a nod and went to walk around to the other side of the table, taking a closer look, wracking his brain for any hazy detail from that night.

Merle had been on one, prodding at him for days before they'd even gone out, saying how his friends were starting to ask Merle if his baby brother was more into boys than girls. Daryl had just shrugged at first, the hell he'd care what they thought? What'd it matter if he was? Good lord, they were living in a time where they were putting computers in phones for Christ's sake.

So what if he didn't like people touching him no matter what their gender was? During puberty and into his mid-twenties he'd had to endure it regularly to scratch an itch that his head couldn't talk his body out of. But since then it seemed like the only time he'd had sex was times like this, where it almost didn't feel consensual on his end because he would really rather not.

His shrug hadn't really gone over well with Merle and by the time they'd gotten to the bar that night, Daryl had a condom burning a hole through his pocket that his brother had given him. He'd immediately set about getting shit faced drunk, knowing that Merle would troll him up a piece of decent looking tail.

Sure enough a couple hours in he'd been feeling sufficiently inebriated and Merle had pushed a giggling brunette at him. She'd wrapped skinny arms around his waist and put her mouth on his neck, and he'd done his best not to cringe away from the sudden intrusion. He just wanted to get this over with, so casting a look around and then finally at his smirking brother and his shitty smirking friends, he'd steered her into the bar's restroom.

At least he’d had the decency to lock it behind them.

Moving her into the nearest stall (wanting as many barriers between himself and the boisterous crowd as he could get) all the while feeling the anxiety and fear churn around in his stomach, he was grateful she seemed happy enough to stick with kissing his neck and not his mouth as she began undoing his belt. Moving hot hands in passed his quickly unbuttoned and unzipped pants, she wrapped quick moving fingers around him and began to move them in hurried but sure movements that did the trick.

"Hmm." She murmured in his ear, breath picking up speed a little. "This might be the best score I've had."

That wasn't a surprise either, of course Merle had found a sure thing by promising whatever drug this chick was hooked on. Didn't serve to make him feel better or worse about the situation he was used to it by now, feeling like a business transaction, at least they didn't bother him afterwards.

Without a word he shoved a hand into his pocket and once the packet was ripped open and the protection in place he'd picked her up by her bony thighs, rucking up her jean skirt as he did. Being the nice John he was, he took the time to spit into his palm, wiping the saliva along his length before working his way into her.

She hissed a little and he stilled immediately waiting as she moved and clenched around him, adjusting and then beginning to move, prompting him to do the same. And for the next several minutes it was all just the back of his eyelids, the smell of the chemicals from her hairspray and the smoke from countless cigarettes, and her escalating sounds of pleasure that somehow managed to also sound surprised.

He knew it wouldn't take him long, it had been a while since the last time and it wasn't like she didn't feel good to slide into. Hell, after the first few thrusts things were feeling right around great and he'd increased his pace, listening to the creaking and thumping of the stall knock against its supporting wall.

His breaths were coming out as grunts and he was starting to feel a mild concern that people might be able to hear them with the amount of noise she was making. But then she threaded her fingers through his sweat damp hair pulling slightly even as she pressed his face harder into her shoulder.

He came with a guttural sound that rolled out of him around the same time a thundering blast slammed into the bathroom door.

"Daryl Dixon!"

" Fuck ." He muttered into the sweaty shoulder against his forehead, Michonne sounded pissed as hell. When had she even gotten here?

"I know you're not fucking some slut in my goddamn bathroom right now!" The owner was a bit of a renaissance woman. She did a bit of everything, art, owned businesses, and even trained kids how to use fucking samurai swords or some shit downtown. She also contained a low threshold for bullshit and was so scary not even Merle messed with her too much.

"Hey lighten up there Xena." His brother's voice sounded smug as Daryl pulled himself from the woman and, cursing, whipped off the condom and flung it to the side as he let her regain her feet. He was opening the stall door as the conversation outside continued at high volume.

"Don't you even start with me right now, don't think I don't know it's your fault he's pullin' this shit right now." Daryl winced a little at the venom lining her words, and at the fact that she seemed to know so much about the situation.

"Don't look at me! Man's got needs ." Daryl didn't even have to see his brother, while he was doing up his pants, to know that Merle was probably groping himself in order to make his point. "Ya gonna get in the way of 'im gettin' his dick wet?"

"I sure ain't gonna get in the way of the guy that's gettin' his wet with you, next time your ignorant ass gets locked up." Michonne snapped to general laughter and cat calling from the crowd. Daryl unlocked and opened the bathroom door, hearing the woman stepping behind him as he did.

He was directly met with a smiling Merle, his expression somehow dangerous, even with his Cheshire grin. Michonne on the other hand looked like she was bordering on livid when her eyes met Daryl's.

He froze where he was, his body sobering almost instantly, large doses of shame and embarrassment hit him at the gathered spectators who began hooting and hollering at his appearance from the bathroom with the brunette behind him. He felt like shit once he saw Michonne's face. He actually got along with her alright, especially when his brother wasn't around to be a jerk.

He suddenly realized how disrespectful he'd just been to her, how much trouble he could have caused. He hated himself, his stupid brother, and his idiot friends, mostly though he hated the fact that he was so fucked up that he couldn't just date and sleep with a girl like every other guy he knew was looking to do in one way or another.

His eyes held Michonne's and he nodded his apology, cheeks and neck feeling hot with all the added attention. Her anger held for a breath or two until her lips pressed tight together in an irritated line and she shook her head. He looked away when the mad glare slipped somewhere close – too close – to pity and without another word he left the bar.

Gazing down now Daryl felt a yawning sort of tear in his chest, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't without a doubt say this had been the girl from then or not. And it made him sick all over again, no one seemed to know her, and he'd in all probability slept with her and he still didn't know her.

And that little baby upstairs didn't have a single person who knew her either and that just made his chest ache.

Settling on something he glared up at Rick for a moment, receiving a confused look in response, before bending down and picking up a hank of dark hair and pressing his nose to it, breathed in deep. Below the smell of antiseptic and blood it was there, that mixture of chemicals that made up her hairspray and the imbedded sent of tobacco and smoke.

Jerking away he nodded, feeling gooseflesh pop up along his arms as he rubbed nervous hands along the thighs of his jeans before speaking. "Could be her, smells the same." His voice was gruff with uneasiness, finally looking up at Rick when the man offered no reply.

Instead of looking disgusted the sheriff was watching him intently, at Daryl's raised eyes he cleared his throat to respond. "You part bloodhound or somethin’ Daryl?"

He shrugged again, and bringing his hands level with his chest began picking at the dirt and rough pieces of skin he found there.

"Alright then." Rick said after a stretch of silence that let him know he wasn't likely to receive an answer. "That gives us something to go on at least. Can start talking to people who were there at the bar that night, see if anyone knew her."

Daryl kept his mouth shut about Merle having introduced them, it'd come out eventually but he needed to be able to give his brother a heads up first.

Getting back into the elevator, Daryl was surprised when his hand reached out and tapped the button to take him back to the NICU instead of the lobby. Even more surprised when Rick made no move for the lobby button himself. They rode up in silence, which was the same way they walked down the hall, entered the same room as before, and took a seat.

He couldn't understand the amount of relief he felt at seeing the baby still carefully drawing breath, all the machines steadily beeping to let him know her vitals were alright. He was also annoyed at how comforting it was to have someone with him, even a stranger, who was a cop, and who he'd only known for a few hours now. Still, the man must have something better to do than wait here with a redneck and a baby that, at least for right now, belonged to no one.

"Ya ain't gotta stay." His words broke the near sacred level of silence, and he saw Rick shrug out of his peripheral.

"Ex-wife's taken the kids and new husband to visit the in-laws, don't have much better to do at the moment." Daryl glanced over at the admission, surprised at the man's willingness to lay things out so bluntly. Maybe Rick knew it was steadying to know that your drama wasn't the only messed up shit going on.

"Hmm." Was all he could offer, not wanting to pry and never being much good in comforting people.

"And anyway." Rick picked up like he didn't mind that Daryl tended to answer in sounds rather than sentences. "You end up taking off, I'm gonna have a shit ton of paperwork to fill out and I'd rather take it easy 'til that happens."

While he kind of wanted to be offended, Daryl hadn't heard any judgement or even any real seriousness in the sheriff's tone so he just nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Several hours later a nurse had come in to tell them visiting hours were over but that if Daryl wanted to stay the night a cot could be wheeled in for him. He'd shaken his head after giving the baby one more look. He'd had shit to get done and sunlight was a quickly fading commodity for this day.

Rick walked with him to the parking lot, stretching and sighing as he went, telling Daryl if he had any more questions he'd be in touch. Getting into his old truck Daryl sat for another half an hour or so just staring back at the hospital, even though he had errands to run before his work week started up again, he didn't necessarily want to leave the kid here alone either.

If she wasn't his. Which he knew she wasn't. But regardless, he didn't want to not be here if...if something happened. No one as little and innocent as that tiny girl should be alone, especially when they passed.

Jerking back he shook his head hard and started the engine. Nothing was going to happen to that baby, the nurses and doctors that had spoken more at him than to him had said it over and over again, there'd been complications but she was stable now.

He drove to the superstore and walked in, he got an employee discount when he shopped here, but he hated doing it because it felt like pouring his paycheck right back into the money monster that was this company. He was all the way in the back of the grocery department when he realized he hadn't grabbed a basket or cart of any kind.

Cursing himself slightly he stalled out by a beverage display, set up for barbeque having impulse buyers. What was today? June 6th? The baby had been born in the first early hours of the morning, while it was still dark out. He filed the date away and continued to stare at the display. It was filled with every drink a person could want for a summer cookout. Beer, pop, water, and fruity juices were all carefully stacked and arranged.

He looked at the beer but hesitated, part of him wanted to grab the largest case there and just say to hell with actual food and leave with that being his only purchase. But should he even be drinking anymore? What if something happened tonight at the hospital? He was pretty much at max self-loathing level as it was, he couldn't imagine how it would be to show up there smelling like booze. That left the pop and water, he should be considering healthier choices right?

If the baby was his…

Good lord how much stuff did a baby need? A lot – and he was fairly certain all of it was expensive as fuck too. On the other hand how quick would he snap without caffeine? Pretty damn fast and honestly on the list of unhealthy shit he did in a given day pop wasn’t even close to the worst th –

"Hi! Do you need any help?"

Daryl nearly jumped out of his heavy work boots when the bright voice piped up from right beside him. His concentration on the drinks broken he moved narrowed eyes to the reason for his now erratic pulse and felt his frown deepen. There was a pretty young woman standing there at his elbow, and where the hell had she come from?

His eyes got pulled to blue irises much brighter and larger than his own, a cutely rounded nose like a forest animal lay underneath them, and a sweetly curving mouth above a stubborn looking chin completed the face gazing up at him cheerfully. Her blonde hair looked silky smooth in its tidy ponytail with a little braid running through it and he tried not to notice the gently curling wisps that framed her face and caught on the edges of her pinkish cheeks.

"Can't decide what to get?" She prompted helpfully, her smile still firmly in place even as he continued to stare awkwardly at her.

He noticed finally she was wearing one of the superstore's employee shirts. The little badge that she wore clipped to the collar proclaiming in a tidy scrawl, "Hi! I'm Cashier - BETH - How can I help you?" So she worked here, well that explained the friendliness even to the guy that after the day Daryl had had looked more like a predator than a possible co-worker.

She must be new though, because there was no way in hell Daryl had seen her before, you didn't forget a smile like that, or eyes like those. Finally surfacing from his thoughts, he shook his head dumbly, glancing at her through his hair as he tipped his head back towards the assortment of beverages.

"Well if you don't mind the suggestion, you don't mind do you?" She checked worriedly, a small hand landing lightly on his bare bicep. And he knew she had poor circulation or maybe it was the constantly blaring AC in the store, because her fingertips were chilly and he had to clench his teeth a bit to stop from tensing under her touch.

He shook his head slightly, looking at her fleetingly again. "Nah, you're alrigh'."

The flash of white teeth made him glad he'd been able to act like a normal person for once. Which then made him acutely uncomfortable because why the hell did he care if she smiled at him or not? He didn’t know this girl, owed her exactly nothing, shouldn’t have even paid attention to how she looked, let alone the fact that her cheek color matched the pinkish red of a salmon’s belly.

Fuck sakes he couldn’t remember a single feature besides – brunette – about the last woman he’d fucked , and he was imprinting every detail he could about this girl asking him drink questions? There was a tiny frail skinned life at the hospital across town right now, and he was standing here feeling near bashful over this pretty blonde cashier.

He really was the lowliest piece of shit that ever attempted walking on two feet.

"Great!" She answered enthusiastically, dropping her hand and turning the way he was facing towards the varied collection. "While we do have great prices on our alcohol." She informed him seriously and despite his thoughts of seconds ago, he felt his mouth thinning like he wanted to smile…but didn't. He wondered when he should tell her that he worked here too and didn't need the corporate spin.

But he'd had a pretty stressful day, and he didn't much feel like making any kind of decision right now even one as small as this. Not to mention, she seemed so pleased at being able to help him so what could it hurt to let her? Long as he kept it in his goddamn pants he could hardly fuck up any worse today.

"Right now our pop and our water is on sale, so you'd be gettin' way more bang for your buck for like half the cost." He saw her twist back to look up at him and he was able to look at her long enough to raise his brows at her.

"Yer argument’s kinda hingin’ on the idea that buyin' a drink is jus' about thirst."

Her lips folded in on her smile as she twisted it to one side and Daryl got the strangest idea that she looked sort of like a cartoon bunny and his index finger twitched like it wanted to tap against that little rounded nose before lighting along her pale lips.

Well it was official, today had made him lose his fucking mind.

"Alright so you have a bit of a point." She conceded before leaning in towards him like she wanted to tell him a secret and instead of leaning away he tipped his head towards her. "I shouldn't tell you this, but I have it from a very reliable source that the liquor store over on Blaine is havin' a sale on that particular brand of beer for almost half the price."

He looked back at her surprised and his expression must have shown it because she rolled her eyes a little before a darker pink flushed her cheeks.

"Credible source huh?" He murmured feeling like he wanted to smile again.

"Yep, highly credible, pinkie swear." She said with half a laugh and he nodded, looking at the drinks like he was still on the fence.

"I 'preciate it. Ain'tcha worried? Might not buy nothin' now." He could almost hear her shrug before she answered.

"Nope. No one can live on booze alone."

He snorted at that and shook his head, woman had clearly never met his brother.

"Guess so." Was all he offered in reply and glanced at her again, feeling lighter to see her still grinning at him, clearly pleased that she'd won.

"You don't have a cart." She stated suddenly like she was only now realizing this and he nodded with a shrug. "Well listen, I'm on my way back to the front so I can help you carry something."

"Nah 's fine I can get it." But she tsked and reached for the huge pack of bottled water, and before he could think about how much he hated contact of any kind he was reaching forward to trap her hand against the clear packaging.

They looked at one another, Daryl mildly concerned his movement was somehow going to get him fired or at least coached, because he still hadn't moved his hand from her chilled one, confused as to why his skin wasn't crawling like it usually was when in contact with someone.

But the girl, woman, Beth - was still smiling at him, maybe even wider than before, eyes sparking at him in the overhead lights. So that stubborn looking chin of hers wasn't just for show, he thought, as he glowered at her. Jerking his own chin towards the Coke he lifted his hand slightly so she could slide it out from its place under his.

He waited until she had picked up the twelve pack, watching as she tilted her head back and forth a bit as if doing a sing song na na nana na in her head and he couldn't help the derisive sound that blew out from between his lips. She laughed a little, a nice light sound that lifted the heavy weight for a breath or two from his chest.

He hefted the pack of water and they walked to the front in a comfortable silence, Daryl deciding he could shop for food later in the week, wasn't like he'd be nowhere near the store. Nearing the registers he saw one of the guys from the auto center in line at Carol's register and he made towards it knowing his cover was about to be blown.

The man, T-Dog, still wearing his work overalls with the company name stamped all over them and his name stitched onto the breast pocket, turned and saw them coming, a wide smile spreading across his face.

"Daryl man! What're you doin' here so late? Ain't you got work in the morning?" The auto center was relatively small and all the guys pretty much knew each other's schedules in the event someone had to cover for someone else.

He saw Beth's head snap over to look at him but he ignored it for now, lips pulling up on one side a little and nodding. Placing the water on the belt he turned to take the pop from the suddenly quiet blonde and kept the same half smile in place when he met her eyes.

"You hurt yourself or something?" Carol asked as she rang through T-Dog's purchases, leaning a hip against the cash drawer as the man slid his card. "You making the greenhorns haul your groceries for you?"

"She offered, ain't gonna get in the way of her run for employee of the month." He shrugged, nodding and grunting a goodnight, as T-Dog gathered up his groceries and headed out.

He could see Beth’s blush darkening to a slightly more red hue and he shot a bit of a look at Carol. Who, as always, knew exactly what he was getting at and gave a bright smile to Beth.

"Well, you must be a saint to get this man to let you help him with anything." And they exchanged nods when Beth looked away with a small grin back on her face.

"You need any help out Daryl?" She offered, but he was already shaking his head, paying for his items he boosted the water on his shoulder and gripped the twelve pack in the other hand, nodding to the two women he turned and made his way back outside to his truck.

After getting the two packs into the bed, he climbed inside and again found himself staring off into nothing for a few minutes before with a shake of his head he started up the old beast and began the drive, not home, but back to the hospital.

When he reached the NICU he was relieved to see the last nurse he had spoken to standing near the nurse’s station. Surprise flashed in her eyes when she saw him but she quickly smiled and waved him over.

"Changed my mind." Was all he said and she nodded knowingly enough in response.

"I'll get that cot." She told him as she turned and began walking with him to where his maybe-baby was. "My name's Tara by the way, I'm glad you decided to come back. They always seem to do better when their parents are around."

She left him in the room to go get the bed and Daryl walked slowly over to the glass case, sighing in relief when he found her nestled warmly inside. Maybe he should have corrected the nurse, Tara, but then again it'd been a long, crazy day and for right now at least he didn't mind the idea.

After all, someone had to look after the little life on the other side of the glass.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Wednesday, June 7 th

Beth made her way through the store's front entrance, dodging around kids and their frazzled mothers. She smiled at the elderly man who seemed to have come to the store simply to watch the mayhem, sitting on his walker off to one side. Walking to the back where the employee area was, a little hop in her step, Beth couldn't wipe the dopey grin off her face.

She'd talked to her parents last night about waiting to go to college and they'd been surprisingly supportive of her decision. She'd just got through her high school graduation and it wasn't clear to her exactly what she'd like to go and get a degree in.

She loved kids, but she was kind of worried getting an Education degree and dealing with them every day would ruin that quickly. Day cares didn't pay much and she ran the same risk there as she did in pursuing teaching.

She liked to bake and cook with mama on the farm, but the idea of toiling in a hot kitchen all day wasn't real appealing. Not to mention she’d seen how petty and mean people could get if what they’d ordered hadn’t come out just right, and she didn’t envy the person that had to listen to someone complain over something as unimportant as a cheeseburger.

Heck she already knew this job wouldn’t last long because she’d already been belittled over coupons of all things. People were crazy, and while she loved people, Beth figured if she were going to be yelled at it should be because whatever it was, it meant something, that she found it to be just as important as the person doing the yelling.

She liked the thought of opening her own bakery, but that didn't seem realistic for right now, neither did putting all of her focus on music. When she'd realized all this she felt a certain amount of panic. Up until this point everything had been planned out for her, the freedom made her terrified and giddy all at once.

She wondered idly, as she opened her locker and put her wallet and keys inside, pulling out her badge and pens while she did, if maybe she should reconsider working with daddy in his veterinary business. But she had really wanted something that was her own – well she had time to think now and that's all that mattered.

She could work at the store until she figured things out and that was just fine with her, maybe it wasn't a forever job, but it worked well enough for now. She'd been nervous, working for the first time anywhere that wasn't daddy's vet practice or the farm, but she really enjoyed getting to see all the different people in town.

The people watching level here was second to none.

She was working the early shift today after working pretty late the night before but she didn't mind, it didn't happen too often. Her floor manager Paul, or Jesus, as she'd heard him affectionately called by many of the workers on the front end, had been sure to ok it with her before finalizing the schedule and she was more than willing to help him out.

Mildly blasphemous nickname aside, the man was incredibly sweet and one of the most genuine people Beth had ever met. It wasn't surprising they'd put him over the front end where most of the customer interaction happened. Jesus could talk an irate baby boomer down faster than anyone she'd ever seen, he was incredible, and she definitely couldn't blame the customers for being struck dumb by him.

She'd probably have had a crush on him, but something had told Beth she wasn't exactly his type, not to mention she couldn't imagine explaining to her parents why the guy she was dating answered to the name of the Lord's son.

Or why she was dating her boss.

But boy was he nice to look at.

After clocking in, Beth began walking back to the registers in the front, waving and smiling to customers and coworkers as she did.

And she most definitely did not crane her neck over towards the car center when she walked passed it. And there was no feeling of disappointment whatsoever when she didn't see a certain shaggy head over there while she wasn't looking.

Daryl, now there was another man she might as well move into the same category as Jesus was in. No way did a man that looked that ruggedly attractive have any chance of being single, not to mention he was at least a good ten years older than she was. Which honestly would feel perfectly natural to her, considering the age difference between her own parents, but it tended to freak other people out.

Getting her register assignment, she headed over and began opening the till, her mind drifting back as she completed the now familiar task.

She'd been headed back from her late last break the night before, excited to be almost done for the day by the time her fifteen minutes was up. She'd happened to look over towards grocery, and paused mid-step.

There were broad shoulders that tapered down slightly to a narrow waist, arms that hung bare, showing off an impressive amount of muscle without being flexed. The man was tall (taller than she was anyway) with a head full of choppy dark brown hair that ran down until it hit his shoulders before curling just a little at the ends.

It seemed like he was drawing in the light, or maybe it was the energy, around him and into himself, then again maybe she just couldn’t get over the build of him and was coming up with excuses to keep looking.

Face flushing over her rather blatant staring, Beth had slowly made her way over, feeling that she needed to somehow make it up to the man, and her work, to at least offer him some kind of help. He was looking blankly at the summer beverage display, and the only thing that came confusingly to mind was that he’d appeared to be terribly lost.

His long hair was almost covering his face from view, but she was still able to see the scruff and longer bits of facial hair that lay around his pursed lips. An almost delicate nose for a man, and it tracked in a straight path to mildly hooded eyes that were glaring at the drinks in front of him like they'd insulted his mother.

Stopping beside him she'd hesitated, now that she was so close he looked rather fierce, but there was a tense near desperate energy coming from him too. It was enough to distract her from any initial hesitation, and planting her best smile in place she'd asked him if he needed help.

Her first customer for the day got in line and Beth did her best to focus entirely on what she was doing but it was pretty darn difficult. Her mind kept slipping back to him, how worried he'd seemed, how uncomfortable at her presence he'd been. She felt color prick at her cheeks, she hoped she hadn't been too transparent while thinking about how good looking he was.

Well, a guy like that, he’s probably used to it.

She was being a little ridiculous she knew, as she wished her customer a good day, but she wanted to know if he was alright. He'd been nice enough last night, trying to joke, but it'd been pretty obvious to her that something had been weighing on him.

Yet again Bethy, none of your business.

Her day was going by pretty quickly, and on her break she went out front to swelter in the late morning heat for a few moments. The store pumped air conditioning all day long on high, and she knew it was heaven for some, for Beth it felt like freezing death. Most days she'd wear a nice loose knit sweater jacket, smiling brightly at the people in tank tops that looked at her like she was nuts.

Right now the sun beat down on her, forcing the cold from her skin and working its way down into her bones. She never stayed long enough to burn, or even really to tan, but just long enough to get rid of the chill. She smiled at the sky, eyes closed and blissfully warm, glancing down finally when she felt her phone buzz.

Picking it out of her pocket she smiled, Maggie's grinning face looked back at her and Beth quickly slid her finger across the screen to answer the call.

"Sis!" She crowed into the phone happily. "Are you here ?"

"If by here you mean the farm, where for some reason you aren't." Maggie quipped through the line and Beth's smile only grew. "Then yeah little sister I'm here."

"I'm at work, but I'll be done by four." She felt her smile fade slightly, that seeming like forever away all of a sudden.

Maggie was finally making a short appearance at the farm, she'd just gotten done with her own degree in political science and was now attempting to – well Beth wasn't sure exactly – save the world or something.

"Well I'll be here whenever ya choose to grace me with your presence Bethy." She rolled her eyes at the teasing tone, but it managed to put a grin back on her face.

"I gotta head back, but I can't wait to see ya Maggs."

"You too sis, and hey." Maggie's voice dropped into secret telling mode and Beth's ears immediately pricked up. "I gotta tell ya about this guy."

" Another guy?" Her tone was a little mocking, it seemed like every time she talked to her sister there was a new someone in her life, or her bed, and it had become her way of teasing Maggie.

"Not just another guy." Maggie laughed easily. "But I'll tell you when I see you."

Saying goodbye and heading back into the cool rush of the store, Beth frowned a little at her sister's news. Not being able to talk about it wasn't a great sign. Their parents had resigned themselves a long time ago to the oldest Greene sibling's antics. Which meant the reason for her whispering was that the new crush would bother her conservative parent’s ideals.

Which most of the time meant it would bother hers.

Beth shook her head, no point in worrying about it now. She'd deal with Maggie's craziness tonight.

The next couple hours flew by due to double coupon day, and Beth was relieved off her register by a grumpy looking middle aged man she hadn't met. His tag said ‘Jim’ and he grumbled a hello back to her but didn't seem in the mood to chat.

Walking a little slowly back to the breakroom after clocking out for her meal time, Beth felt her feet drag for the first time today. Lunch had become awkward for her, she was talkative and inquisitive by nature, something her coworkers seemed to find rather abrasive.

Meal time here was used by most, especially those that dealt face to face with customers all day, to chill out and decompress. They didn’t really feel like talking to the bubbly blonde who didn’t have enough sense to hate it here yet.

She couldn’t blame them.

She’d seen cashiers and customer support members ridiculed, yelled at, threatened, and generally treated rather poorly. And she’d only been here for about a month.

She just wasn’t real sure what to do with herself during lunches these days.

Maybe she should look into putting more apps on her phone…

There was a group of mostly women that sat right next to the break room door at one of the round marble gray plastic tables. They had seemed at first like her bunch of people. But it had become clear pretty quickly that their conversations tended to run on the snarky kind of gossip that her mama had always discouraged her from.

And maybe it made her a bit naïve but her mama hadn't steered her wrong yet.

Entering the room at last, she made a bee line for the fridges, grabbing her pretty yellow pail out and turning, took a look around. She carefully avoided making eye contact with anyone at the chatty Kathy table by the door. Hoping that her sudden deviation from sitting with them wouldn’t cause her any issues back out on the sales floor.

All the tables were occupied, but only one of them had a single occupant and Beth froze a little when she saw who it was. She then had to shoo away the little thrilled feeling that threatened to put an idiotic grin on her face.

He was sitting alone which meant maybe she’d get a chance to talk to him.

She was a little surprised when she watched as other people filtered into the room and chose to sit at more crowded tables than to approach Daryl's. Though, she realized looking at him closely, she could understand their hesitation.

His face was decidedly stormy, and he sat in a sprawling way that gobbled up the space around him, making it look like his table was pretty well full with just him at it. He wasn’t directing his scowl at anyone or anything in particular, but his whole being seemed to radiate barely controlled aggression.

Taking a deep breath and glancing around a little, Beth told herself sternly that it wasn’t her that he was mad at, and she made her way over to him. He didn't seem to notice her even though she was walking straight at him. Choosing the sweetest of her smiles, the one she used when she really wanted her way, Beth stopped before the edge of his table.

He still seemed to be looking through her - well there was no way around it.

"Hi Daryl." His eyes finally snapped up to hers and it was work to keep the carefree smile in place. She couldn't remember a gaze so strong. It felt like he was physically touching her with it.

There was zero recognition for several of her stuttering heartbeats, but just as she was considering slinking away or preferably sinking soundlessly into the floor, he blinked a couple times at her and straightened in his seat.

He didn't say anything but he nodded at her, and while the gesture was barely civil, her smile widened hugely. He remembered her and was only looking as uncomfortable with her being here as he had last night.

"Do ya mind? If I sit here for my lunch?"

His eyes scanned down to the cheerful yellow box she was clasping tightly. Meeting her gaze again he shook his head slightly before pulling his eyes to the soda can he'd wrapped two large hands around.

"Thank you." She said quietly, studying him as she sat down. If anything he looked worse than he had last night, more tired and that uneasy tension was lining every inch of his broad shoulders.

She didn't even know him but she instantly felt even more worried for him than she had since she'd seen him last time, and also inexplicably protective of him too. The first was normal, she had a tendency, as daddy put it, of taking in strays. But the latter was very odd, she usually only felt this kind of possessive urge to guard a person when she was related to them.

Something her family had always found hilarious considering her size and appearance.

It was just that – she tilted her head a little as she looked at him – there was something about him.

She felt like she was looking at a raw nerve when she saw him.

"How's your day goin' so far?" She asked, using the same voice she had when coaxing daddy's more skittish patients to come out of their pens.

He glanced up at her, their eyes locking for a few moments, before he was looking down again and shrugging. He took a long pull off his Coke and she opened her lunch box still watching him.

"You on your break?" She tried again, picking her collection of items out of their yellow confines.

She always packed too much, never knowing what she'd be hungry for, and today had been no exception. She had packed one of mama's roast beef sandwiches, leftover pot-roast on a hoagie bun, two different snack size bags of chips (who knew when Cheetos would become a necessity - you didn't set out knowing it was going to be that kind of day) and a random collection of produce.

She eyed the drink being rolled back and forth between his palms. She tended to stick to water while at work, feeling her body could do with the hydration with the constant moving she was doing. But she did admit that he was making that Coke look rather appealing at the moment.

He shook his head, again without saying a word and she began to worry that she'd imagined their conversation last night and that the man was in fact actually mute. Her eyes made a quick assessment of his wardrobe, seeing he was covered shoulder to low shin with a set of the auto center's coveralls.

His name was stitched in cursive across his breast pocket.

Daryl

"Lunch?" She led skeptically after a few more silent moments, he only had that can of Coke in front of him, but then she stilled as he nodded in response.

A lifetime of having a slightly coddling mother rose up in her all at once and she gasped his name into the relative silence of the breakroom.

"Daryl!" He looked at her, clearly surprised, and why shouldn't he be? They were barely acquaintances. But neither that nor her blushing cheeks were going to stop her. "Ya can't not eat anythin' Daryl."

And was she saying his name a lot?

She motioned to the broadness of his shoulders and just the overall size of him. "You're a big guy, an' you might not be haulin' freight or somethin' but you're workin' hard an' ya can't be starvin' yourself."

The resulting intensity of his gaze made her want to swallow her tongue. The muscles in her stomach began to flex like they were planning to do crunches there at the table with or without her permission. It was everything she had not to blink or look away from the darkness of his gaze.

"Didn' think I was." He muttered at last, his focus losing some of its cold heat.

"Aren't you hungry?" She questioned more quietly, trying her best to search his expression.

He shrugged for the millionth time and Beth clenched her lips together, she did not know this man, he did not know her, he was obviously going through something trying right now, she was not his mother, wife, girlfriend, or buddy. It wasn't her place or her business...

Oh to heck with it.

"Here." She gave him a slight warning before tossing the small bag of Cheetos across the table to him.

His brows sprung together as he looked at the bag without touching it, before starting to shake his head, but she was already splitting her sandwich in half. Ignoring the mess, and the man still shaking his head, she pulled out a paper towel and placed the larger half on it. She would have preferred to cut the food with utensils instead of her fingers but she figured by the time she found some he'd escape and she wasn't about to let that happen.

"What fruit do you want?" She then questioned as she slid his half of the sandwich to him, bumping it against the still untouched bag of Cheetos.

He was full tilt glaring at her now, but she'd gotten her heels dug in and she didn't feel as concerned as maybe she should have. She widened her eyes at him and raised her brows expectantly. When he didn't answer and didn't make a move towards the food she cocked her head a little more and narrowed her eyes back at him.

"I've clearly got food enough for two, I've been workin' here a month now and this is the first lunchtime we've ever shared so I doubt you'll have to deal with me again," she dropped her voice so it would barely reach him, "and I get the idea that long as you're here I'll get to eat in peace until I have to go back up front, so it seems like a fair enough deal for the day dontcha think?"

She was a little surprised at herself, she didn't lie much, not anymore, besides the occasional fib or cover up job that was necessary for her siblings, otherwise she just didn't have much cause to. But she had definitely just lied her tail end off to Daryl, making it seem like she was one of those people who hated being bothered, when in all actuality she was probably the store’s number one offender.   

Well honestly, if he was going to be so freaking pigheaded over a little bit of food, what other choice did she have?

She thought she'd feel guiltier as she watched him reluctantly pick up the sandwich and take a bite. All the while he was keeping his eyes on her suspiciously – as if she'd suddenly accuse him of stealing half her roast beef sandwich for goodness sake.

"Fruit." She repeated sternly, jabbing a finger at the assortment of brightly colored food that was arranged in individual plastic containers.

His brow furrowed again as he looked at the small bowls and she began systematically removing lids so he could see what was inside.

"The hell you get all a' that t' fit in there?" He asked around another large bite of roast beef and she simply smiled sweetly at him. She was oddly proud of her organizational skills. She was able to make a lot work with what space she had in the only slightly larger than usual pail.

"Practice." She answered when he still hadn't made a choice.

She then started making more playful motions towards the waiting fruit, shooting for one of the prize presenters on The Price is Right or something.

He snorted a bit before putting his half eaten hunk of sandwich down and opening the bag of Cheetos, leaning forward a little he popped in one of the crunchy sticks as he surveyed his options.

"Grapes." He finally decided and she beamed at him, those were her favorite too and the loss was well worth the gained knowledge that Daryl liked them.

She squirreled away the list of things she knew about him for reasons she tried not to pay a whole lot of attention to.

- Daryl, whose last name was still unknown, liked grapes, was not a vegetarian, and seemed to be a fan of Cheetos if the way he was eating them was any sign.

She slid the grapes deftly across the table to him, watching as he dropped another handful of crispy orange bits into his mouth. She looked down to pick up her own sandwich half, after his head had dropped back forward, and he almost caught her staring at him.

- Daryl – last name unknown – was stubborn, didn’t talk much, and didn’t trust easily.

She focused on eating - mostly - casting the random glance up at him through her lashes. He'd slowly began to curve himself around his meal, as if the more interested in it he became, the more scared he was that someone would take it from him. She watched as he plucked up several grapes or pieces of Cheetos in between his more measured bites of sandwich.

- Drank water, coke, and beer, was not completely opposed to hearing a person out even if he was in a bad mood or tired.

"S'tastes homemade." He observed, mouth still half full of the last bite of roast.

"It is." She supplied, fixing him with a pleased look because he'd noticed.

"You make it?" And she breathed out a slight laugh at his nearly shocked tone.

"Not this time no, my mama and I take turns with dinner most nights. This one's hers this go around."

She also tried not to analyze why she wanted this man to know that she could cook, could more specifically cook what he'd just had. It was probably due to the fact that he was sucking all traces of gravy and spare slivers of meat off his fingers one by one. The action was making the swallowing of her own bite of apple harder than strictly necessary.

His brows jumped in surprise before he nodded acceptance. "Yer ma's a good cook."

- Appreciated a home cooked meal to the point of distraction.

She smiled, feeling like her cheeks were bound to become sore from her wider than usual expression. At the same time she found herself pushing away the wish that she'd lied, again, and said she'd been the one to make it. Still, she could and had made this exact thing a lot of times, and it always tasted close to the same as her mom's.

They finished their meal in a comfortable silence and then she saw him check the big clock on the wall. She knew she still had about fifteen minutes left on her lunch, one of the good things about working here was the hour lunch time they were given. But he had been in here before her, so his lunch might be winding to a close.

He hopped up suddenly, and scooping up the container that had had the grapes in it, went and rinsed it out and the sink. He even ripped off a length of paper towel from the roll hanging above the breakroom's small sink and quickly dried it.

Making his way back to her, he laid the container on the table in front of her, craning her neck back she was able to get a look as the overhead lights shone through a reddening ear and she was surprised to realize he was flushing like she usually did. Confused at what could elicit the reaction she cast her eyes passed him and noticed a few jerking heads and gazes as people tried to act like they hadn't been looking.

He grabbed the leftover trash, before uncertainly shifting for a moment and giving her a grumbled - "Thanks fer lunch." The sentence tumbled from his lips and then he fled from her.

- Was socially awkward and adorable.

She did notice a bit of looseness in his stride, as he made quick paces away from her, that she couldn't have imagined being there before with how gloomy and tightly wound he'd looked.

Man was a bit of a mystery that was for sure. And it was going to be really, really, hard for Beth not to try and figure him out.

In a completely unrelated note she wondered if Jesus needed a more permanent person during this time slot. It was a pretty nice shift, didn't have to get up too early, whole day wasn't over by the time she got off...

Shaking her head she began cleaning up, putting her lunch box back into the fridge – it still having fruit inside – and clocked back into her shift, not even noticing that she did so about ten minutes early.

Later that day she walked out to her little Hyundai Santa Fe and climbed in. Starting it, she began pulling straight out, she tried to always park in spots where she could pull forward and park so that when she got back into the car, she wouldn't have to reverse.

She hated reversing.

She came to a quick stop however, when she saw a familiar figure leaning against an old beat up pickup truck.

He had on a white t-shirt that looked like it must have been sweat soaked from the way it was cutting along the muscles in his chest and abdomen. He was smoking a cigarette, his work coveralls half way off, clinging around his hips where she could make out a pair of ragged looking jeans underneath. They were being pulled dangerously low from the weight of the dragging set of coveralls that were getting increasingly dirty being half dragged along the asphalt where they laid against the backs of his legs.

- Smoked cigarettes, could fix cars, was sexy as sin – no no no

But he didn't seem too concerned about them as he worked doggedly at the inside of his cheek in between long heaving drags. His hair was nearly slicked along his face, looking black in the early evening light. He was obviously really stewing on something, and had been for a while now.

- Has something big going on in his life that’s been needling him since at least Tuesday the sixth.

A part of her wanted to honk or drive closer and holler at him, not being able to shake that feeling of absurd protectiveness she had no right to feel for him. She wanted to get his attention, or walk up to him, and ask him what had been plaguing him for at least the last 24 hours.

But even without knowing him, she could already tell that that was not something he would welcome, and she didn't want to undo any forward movement lunch today had gained her.

So with a frown and a sigh she continued through the parking lot and started the drive home to the farm.

Maggie was waiting for her on the front steps and Beth nearly flew from her car, colliding with her sister and hugging her until Maggie wheezed out a laugh.

“Go for a walk with me.” It wasn’t really a demand and Beth smiled, linking her arm through her sister’s and heading off towards the far pasture. “How’ve you been little sister?”

“Great, ‘specially now that you’re visitin’.” Maggie hugged Beth’s arm to her side and grinned back at her happily, their steps slow and moseying through the warm summer heat.

“An’ what have you been up to?”

Man chasin’.

She swallowed nervously passed the thought that rose up quick as a reflex and kept the smile firmly fixed for her answer. “Just still gettin’ used to the new job ya know? Meetin’ a lot of my coworkers – learning the ropes that sorta thing.”

“You’re likin’ it alright then?” The house drifted farther behind them as they covered ground they had countless times before, wending around half buried stones and old tree roots.

“I am.” She answered sincerely, and then unable to help herself she added. “The people are real interestin’.”

Images of a white t-shirt and troubled flashing eyes sprung to mind as Maggie scoffed lightly from beside her.

“I bet.”

“So tell me about the guy already, I know ya’ve been dyin’ to since you hung up the phone earlier.” Maggie only tried for about a second to roll her eyes before a slight laugh made its way out.

“Well it’s kinda messy.”

“When isn’t it with you?” Beth replied seriously to her sister’s confession, earning her a quick pinch along her side.

“Not always little Miss Bethany! It’s just that, well he’s a widower.”

“So he’s older?” She guessed, taking her sister’s answering nod in stride, heck she wasn’t about to give Maggie a hard time on that score. Not after she’d been making moon eyes at a man that was somewhere from ten to maybe even twenty years older than she was.

- Age also unknown, best guess is somewhere between thirty and forty.

“He’s also kinda um…my boss.” Maggie’s words brought Beth up short, literally, her feet stopped moving and her sister was yanked around in an almost complete circle by their still entwined limbs.

“Margarete-” She felt a good lecturing coming on but Maggie raised placating hands that had her pausing if only for a moment.

“I know I know, an’ nothin’s happened, or probably even will. It’s just a crush is all. I can’t help it Beth, he’s so good lookin’ and charming …” Maggie’s voice had gone all wistful right along with her eyes and Beth clenched her lips over the tirade she was about to deliver.

If it wasn’t just her luck that her sister’s words sounded pretty similar to the ones she’d been thinking about Daryl all day. He was so handsome and maybe people, including Daryl, wouldn’t peg him as charming. But she thought he was, when he tried to joke around even when it was probably the last thing he wanted to do, or when he did little things like rinse out tiny plastic food containers.

-Was charming in an unintentional way.

She finally sighed and saw Maggie visibly relax. “Well ya might as well tell me what his name is.”

Beth couldn’t help but grin back at the big goofy smile aimed her way as Maggie answered.

“His name’s Negan.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Wednesday, June 7 th & Thursday, June 8 th

Pulling his clothes over half dried skin, Daryl took deep tired breaths through his nose, trying to keep the bone deep weariness at bay. At least he was home and showered, and would be able to sleep in his own bed tonight. Not another all-nighter, watching raptly as a little chest raised and fell, he'd called the hospital to check up on her.

She was doing just fine.

He'd called as he headed home…and before that on his last break, his lunch before that, the first break of the day. They were gonna start blocking his calls at this point, sue for harassment. Baby was fine. He needed to sleep, had to get up at the regular time tomorrow do this shit all over again.

Making his way achingly to the fridge, he eyed the beer he'd picked up on his way home from the liquor store on Blaine (still on sale) but snagged one of the waters instead. He already felt hungover, he doubted drinking would help that at all.

There was next to nothing in his fridge to actually eat and he sighed, suddenly grateful that the crazy blonde had basically force fed him part of her lunch this afternoon. He didn't know exactly what to think of Beth but then again not thinking of her didn't seem to be a possibility for him either.

With all the stuff weighing heavy on him it was like the small interactions he had with her were a nice calm in the storm raging around him. Didn't hurt that her ma was a damn good cook, or that the woman herself was nearly more stubborn than he was. In fact, considering their last two interactions - the girl was winning without a doubt.

Too bad she didn't make house calls, he mused, settling heavily onto his couch. He could do with some dinner, but didn't feel much like moving to make that happen. He felt a dull sense of amusement at the idea, last thing he needed was Beth in his house. By the end of dinner she'd probably have him talked into remodeling and throw pillows.

His mind slid away from the blonde at the store and immediately began worrying over the other little lady in his life. Not that Beth was in his life, accept she was, but more on the outskirts of it... Shaking his head in irritation he opened the water and slugged back a few big swigs, gasping a little when he was about to puke from the quick amount of liquid he'd nearly inhaled.

He had at least another couple of days before the lab got back with the results. It seemed like a crazy amount of time and he didn't know if it was just the basic idea picked up from TV that these things happened quick as thought, or if he could blame the slowness on the size of the town they lived in.

Either way the wait was going to murder him. He was sure, mostly , that the kid wasn't his. He'd gotten the impression, somewhere around the time that the woman from the bar was shoving her hands down his drawers, that she did this thing pretty regularly.

Of course it was equally possible that he was just a fuckin' asshole who wanted to believe the worst of her to make himself feel better about the situation, but he could usually trust his gut with people.

If he did that too much though, he was right fucked, because while his head was reasoning out all the facts as to how that baby wasn't his - his gut was screaming at him to protect his offspring by any means necessary like some primeval reflex he couldn't shake.

His eyes felt full of sand and his body ached, calling relentlessly for the soft relief of his bed. His fingers flexed into the snap crackling of the plastic bottle still cradled in his hand and Daryl shook his head again.

Cursing vehemently he rose to his feet almost unsteadily, and snatching up his keys headed for his truck without bothering to change out of his sweatpants. Wasn't like he was looking to impress anybody, they could think whatever they wanted of him, they could hardly have a lower opinion of him in his sweats than they must have already – with the woman down in the morgue and the baby in the NICU.

Stopping along the way to get food in some random drive thru burger place, he crammed it down his throat, barely tasting it on his way to the hospital. Parking, he took a few steadying breaths passed the rock of food that had lodged somewhere between his gut and his gullet. Making his way through the now familiar hospital setting, Daryl arrived in the kid's room, stepping around the other families that were there for their own babies.

Careful not to meet any inquiring eyes, he quickly covered the distance to where his maybe baby was. Sighing like he usually did to see her resting, tiny limbs tucked in towards her equally tiny frame. The cot he'd laid and not slept on at all was still where he had left it this morning, all folded up against the wall looking like it'd been waiting for him.

"Welcome back." Tara said from behind him, and he turned his head enough for her to see him nod a greeting. "Thought they told me you'd decided to get some rest at home tonight?" She came to stand beside him, eyes trained on the baby before them.

"Ya keepin' tabs on me?" He groused tiredly, not feeling as annoyed as he should when he caught her grin out of the corner of his eye.

"Hard not to when you're blowing up the nurse's station all day for status reports." He could feel his face heat up, she kept talking like she didn't notice and he hoped her focus was as set as she was making it seem. "It's good of you to come back, I had a question to ask you, see if you'd be willing to try something for the little munchkin here."

Daryl turned his head finally in the nurse's direction, curious despite himself, making a humming inquiry when she didn't continue.

"For premature babies it’s good for them to have skin-to-skin contact."

He nodded, made sense, poor little kit was supposed to be nestled safe in her mama still. And if she'd been born when she was supposed to, she sure as shit wouldn't be in this damn box, not getting any snuggles or loves from a breathing soul. Least he could do was hold the kid's hand or maybe lay a light hand on her steadily inhaling chest.

Seeing his nod Tara smiled approvingly at him, before she began unlatching and fiddling with things on kid's incubator, sending something pretty akin to terror shooting through him.

"Hell're you doin'?" He rasped, ignoring the looks that were cut his way.

"We lay her on your chest." Tara clarified, her movements stilling at the look on his face. "Sorry man I thought you knew what I was talking about." She shook her head slightly seeing the panicked look he no doubt was displaying. "I forget sometimes, not everyone knows the techniques and stuff."

"Kid ain't even mine." He argued, cringing at both his words and their volume. He knew it didn't make any sense, the baby couldn't understand a thing he said, but he didn't want her even catching the feeling of any negative things right now.

Little body was being put through enough without getting the notion for an instant that she maybe wasn't wanted. She didn't need that shit, not when she was fighting so hard to stay alive.

Tara narrowed her eyes at him a little and he started flicking his eyes towards the exit. What the hell had he been thinking? He could have been blissfully asleep right now at home, not having this uncomfortable ass conversation.

They wanted him to take off his shirt? In front of people? There wasn't any fuckin' way that was happening.

"Huh, I didn't realize the results were back." She said dryly, clearly letting him know that she was well aware that there weren't any results, not yet. "But don't worry about it bro, you bein' here when no one else is? That's solid of you."

He eyed her uncertainly, but she was speaking a lot more naturally to him now than she had last night, so that was probably a good sign. He got his heartbeat under control and stopped glancing to the exit on every other exhale.

"Maybe you could just try talking to her for now huh? Make it so she knows she isn't on her own?"

Daryl nodded dumbly, not asking her what he should say even though he really wanted to. He had no idea on earth what to say to a baby that couldn't understand him, hell he didn't talk much to those people who could. But if it meant the nurse dropping the skin to skin thing, he was willing to try whatever else she suggested.

She gave him one more half tugging smile before redoing everything she’d undone on the case and then left the room. Without much waiting he began unfolding the cot, laying it out next to the peacefully sleeping little life. He laid down and thought about what he should say, listening to the quiet murmurings coming from the parents to their kids.

What did he have to talk about? He didn't know any stories fit for a baby's ears. Not from his childhood or adolescence, certainly not from his adulthood. He didn't want her hearing any of the things he'd done, whether she could understand and remember them or not. Little girl deserved happy stories, full of happy people, Daryl's problem was that he couldn't think of anyone he knew that fit that description.

Blonde hair and a beaming smile flitted its way into his mind and he huffed out a breath. Wondered on a scale of one to ten how inappropriate it'd be to talk about the pretty girl from work with his daughter.

His throat closed like a vise and he had to roll to his side and let out a strangled cough in order to breathe again. Freezing, he looked into the case, watched as the little head moved so it was facing him instead of the opposite way. When nothing else happened after several tense moments, Daryl felt himself begin to calm back down.

Daughter

Laying back he started talking, anything to get him to stop thinking, apparently, that shit was dangerous.

"There's this girl I work with, name's Beth, she's real nice ya'd like her." He informed the baby with a certainty he didn't feel, his voice was low and full of buck shot, rumbling with a crack through his vocal cords.

"Actually might be too nice for her own good, too stubborn too." He grumbled a bit, just saying whatever came to mind. "Got a nice enough smile though. Willin' to share her food, home cooked an’ everythin’, which worked out real well for me t'day."

His eyes started taking more time to open when he blinked, his voice dropping low until he could barely hear himself, voice rumbling unintelligibly across to the baby who slept soundly.

"Tried tellin' me I's doin' her a favor, taking it, tha’ she didn' wanna talk t' people, like I couldn' tell she's lyin' from a mile away."

Sleep swamped him like a summer Georgian day, absolute and unyielding. He slept hard and dreamless, barely twitching a muscle as people left, or like him, hunkered down on borrowed cots with plastic sheets.

His phone going off roused him, hand diving into his pocket he flipped it open, confused at the time. He had two hours before he was supposed to be up to head back home and get ready for work.

His eyes focused slowly and he realized it was a call, the time ticking away in white. Rolling to his feet he made it silently through the room and down the corridor trying to get as far from the sleeping little ones and their parents as he could.

"Hullo." He croaked into the receiver, clearing his throat in irritation as he heard a familiar voice reply.

"Daryl man I need your help." He frowned at the recognition of Martinez's voice.

"What?" He grated, trying to run through possibilities before the man could even answer. He hoped it was about work, Martinez being one of the other guys he worked with at the store.

"You have to trade me shifts, it's Lottie's recital tonight and I spaced man, Rosita'll have my balls if I miss another one, you remember what happened last time."

Daryl grimaced into the phone. Everyone in the store remembered the last time Caesar Martinez missed Carlotta’s, his youngest girl, piano recital. Rosita Espinosa-Martinez had charged through the entire super center hollering his name.

He could instantly recall the look of horror that had crossed the other man's face as it clicked into place what that day was and where, instead of work, he was supposed to be. Daryl had been stopping in to grab some oil for the truck, gotten dragged into a conversation with T-Dog and the kiss ass manager Axel, and all of the men froze as the woman's voice had echoed off the high ceilings.

Shivering a bit he nodded. "Yeah tha's fine, you workin' your regular tonight?" Daryl tended to work the 8-4 and Martinez was regularly 12-7 when the shop closed for the night.

"Yeah! Dude you are saving my life right now, this woman is insane!" Martinez's voice had dropped even lower than Daryl's and he couldn't help but feel his mouth almost curve into a smile.

"You married her." He replied, tone devoid of sympathy. "I gotta come in t'do the switch?"

"No, no don't worry about it, I already got a hold of Axel, he's gonna take care of it when he gets in. You worried about losing the hour?"

"Nah man, could use the break." Even if it was just the hour less, going in later meant he could catch up on sleep. His body gave an excited little shudder at the idea. He let Martinez say thank you three more times before hanging up on the fourth.

Padding his way carefully back to the room he realized only now that his boots had been taken off him while he slept. Well fuck sakes that was a little scary, he wasn't a heavy sleeper, couldn't afford to be growing up. Sticking out of one heavy black boot was a little blaze of white. Bending over he plucked it out, unfolding and scanning the note before letting out a slight snort.

"Dude, born in a barn or what? - T."

What kind of luck was he having, running into all these stubborn ass women all of a sudden? Settling back down he stretched out on the cot, and turning his head to watch the baby, let his eyes slip closed slowly.

Waking up several times throughout the next few hours, Daryl watched carefully as the nurse on shift would come to check on the collection of patients in the room. Writing things down, or tapping them into a little hand-sized electronic tablet. Switching out bags and generally doing about twenty things that Daryl hadn't realized needed doing until that first night he'd stayed, watching as it was done for each baby.

His body finally gave him the all clear around ten, and Daryl couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so late. Probably after a drunken night with Merle, his mind quickly skipped away from that train of thought. Folding up the cot and making sure just one more time that the kid was ok, he left the hospital to head home and change, hopefully grab some food, before heading into work.

It was later while he was buttoning up one of his regular plaid shirts without the sleeves, when something hit him over the head like a beer bottle. Tara had said they'd put the baby on his chest, if he wore one of his button ups, like he was wearing now, he'd never have to risk anyone seeing his back.

Well wasn't he an ignorant ass redneck? Panicking like a little chicken-shit while that baby fought for her life, and there he sat worrying about people seeing his back full of childhood trauma.

Man he hoped that baby wasn't his.

She deserved a much better daddy than he could ever be.

He made up his mind right there to bring the idea up to Tara if she was working tonight when he got in there, not even trying to lie to himself that he wasn't going to be spending the night at the hospital again. It wasn’t much, but he could let the little kit know she wasn’t on her own, even if her alternative was only him – least it was something.

Switching into jeans, and grabbing a Coke from the fridge, he made his way back out to his truck, hoping the shift went quickly.

He went through each car he worked on with a methodic mindset, being able to do most of the work through muscle memory. It was the second day in a row where he couldn’t shake thoughts of the kid as he went through his shift. Hoping she was ok, pulling his old phone from his pocket throughout the steadily ticking hours, even when he wasn’t supposed to, wanting to check and see if the hospital had called him in between the times he was calling them to hear how she was doing.

When lunch rolled around his stomach gave a groaning squelching noise and he cursed himself. Not only hadn’t he grabbed breakfast but hadn’t been able to pack anything for lunch either because he had yet to go shopping for anything that wasn’t a liquid.

Clocking out for his meal, he made his way up front towards the Deli. He tried not to spend too much money on eating out, and since he’d just bought that ball of grease last night, the idea of sliding more greasy mess down his throat wasn’t overly appealing. But it was hot and ready to go and he just couldn’t mess around with figuring out a better plan.

He waited in line patiently, eyeing the selection of food underneath the orange heating lights. He had about decided on some of the boneless barbeque chicken wings with mashed potatoes when a curious voice called out from behind him.

“Daryl?” Whipping around he saw blue eyes and pink lips, Beth was frozen mid-step facing like she’d been headed to the back of the store.

He had the startled thought that he was being stalked until he realized this would usually be the time he was getting off instead of just going for lunch, and from the look on her face she was just as surprised to see him as he was her.

He nodded, answering the silent question her furrowed brow was asking him. “Switched shifts.” Her eyes widened a little more, and he was struck again at how large and pretty they were, how they pulled you in with the way the light flashed through the pale depths. “Martinez had a thing fer ‘is kid tonight.”

He didn’t know why he felt like he had to keep on going, she hadn’t asked aloud for further details, but he couldn’t get over his amazement at seeing her.

“Oh.” She said finally, smile lighting up her face and she closed the distance between them, stopping when she was right in front of him, her head tilted back slightly. Daryl had the flashing urge to run quick fingertips down the milky length of her throat, slamming his hands into his pockets he focused intently on what she was asking instead. “You on lunch then?”

“Forgot to pack somethin’.” Still wondering why he felt the need to explain all of his choices and movements to this woman he didn’t know. Sure as hell had never been an inclination of his before.

She considered him for a moment before glancing behind him at the Deli counter, he watched as those clear eyes turned contemplative and a tinge of pinkness colored soft round cheeks.

“I was just headed that way myself.” Her eyes met his before glancing down at the hands she’d begun to rub together. “Ya wanna share again?”

Hot damn would he ever, especially if it was anything like what she’d packed yesterday. He paused uncertainly though, didn’t feel right to keep eating up all her food, even if she was asking him to.

“Nah.” He answered finally, watching as her expression fell, the smile turning strained. “Still owe ya for yesterday.” There he was explaining again.

Her fidgeting stilled and her eyes met his once again, the easiness returning to that tilting bit of innocence that flashed at him so sweetly between lips that made him think of cherry blossoms and summer fruit.

“How about,” she began, leaning a hair closer, like she had the first time they’d met, like she had a secret she wanted only him to know about, “you don’t spend money, and help me not feel ridiculous about the two different kinds of dinner I brought?”

He kept having to jerk his eyes away from her moving lips, feeling the back of his neck heat up at her close proximity.

“Ya always bring enough food t’ feed the entire front end?” He questioned, freezing when she laughed and reaching out, caught a pinch-sized helping of his coveralls and tugged them. The material pulling snuggly around his back, shoulders, down to his ass and the backs of his thighs. It popped free from her hold, and shaking her head, she waved at him to follow her to the back of the store.

Rolling his tongue around his mouth he began following her like a pup, trying to walk a bit behind and to the side of her to avoid bumping into her as they dodged customers and merchandise. They were rounding the corner where grocery bled off into apparel and Daryl tripped over his own feet.

“Woah, you alright?” Beth reached a hand out to steady him, and he was able to give a quick nod before looking away. They were walking passed the baby section, swaths of pink and blue prominent with every other color sprinkled throughout.

He didn’t have anything for the girl if she were his, should he be buying things now? She’d be in the hospital for a while longer he was sure. If she…if it were up to him to take care of her, he didn’t have a single piece of clothing or gear the kid would need.

Hell, baby didn’t even have a name yet for Christ sakes.

Was it going to be up to him to name her, he couldn’t know yet, but if…if she were his than he’d better be thinking of something, they were going to need something for the unfinished birth certificate waiting in the hospital with her.

“So you workin’ ‘til nine then?” She asked hesitantly and he realized they’d walked almost the full length of the store without him saying anything.

“Nah, got a shorter shift, held off lunch far as I could so the rest’a the day’d go fast.”

“That must be nice.” She lamented, nodding slightly. “They keep us on a pretty tight schedule on the registers, keep tellin’ me it’s like dominos when someone gets off schedule.”

“Sounds obnoxious.” He wasn’t real big on being told what to do, and thank god his manager was scared shitless of him so he didn’t have to worry about it too much.

“Oh it can be.” She clocked out when they reached the back and made their way to the breakroom. Daryl took a seat at an empty table, and Beth fetched her ridiculously bright yellow lunch bag from one of the employee fridges.

He watched as she moved fluidly around the little preparation area that was stocked with microwaves, paper plates, and utensils. He couldn’t see much of what she was doing with her back to him but it looked like she was opening two different containers and placing their contents onto two of the paper plates.

Daryl reached down and pulled the lukewarm Coke from one of the many pockets in his company required cargo pants. He frowned at the temperature coming from the rolled linoleum. Looking up he saw her tapping an impatient foot while two of the microwaves glowed with dull lights within. Taking a quick breath he climbed to his feet and walked over to her.

“Hey.” He’d walked too quietly because she gasped and spun around looking at him wide eyed, he ignored it out of habit, he tended to do that to people. “Was gonna get a drink, whaddaya want?”

“Oh Daryl I’m-”

“Don’ say yer fine or I ain’t gonna eat with ya.” He drawled, fixing her with a look, trying not to grin at her own filled as it was with incredulous challenge. She sure was a little spitfire, didn’t let the size or look of him bother her not one bit.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Her narrowed eyes made his lip twitch as he shrugged in response, continuing to watch her silently.

She tried to wait him out but the machines behind him were suddenly beeping and she sighed, sounding terribly put out and Daryl started chewing on his bottom lip to keep the smile away.

“Water would be best.” Hell, the girl had even put a hand on a slightly flared hip, and he got the idea he was one more remark away from getting a finger poking him in the chest.

“Well alrigh’ then.” He nodded and went about getting them fresh drinks from the vending machine.

When he made it back to where he saw her waiting for him at the table, smile like to blind him as it sparked from the overhead lights. She had two plates laid out, and he looked at her in something of awed skepticism.

“Ya seriously packed this much food fer yerself?” His voice grated through his throat as he placed her water in front of her. Food looked amazing and his stomach gave another rumble, this one low and lengthy.

“Who else I’d pack it for?” Her look of confusion was either really well practiced or she really was that stumped by the idea. “If I’d known you were gonna be tradin’ your shift I’d probably have packed more.”

“Why?” It was his turn to look confused as he sat across from her. He watched while she shifted uncomfortably, her cheeks darkening slightly before she gave a tiny shrug.

“Guess I didn’t mind spendin’ my lunch with ya yesterday.” She answered noncommittedly. “If I’d known for sure we were gonna do it again, I’d, I’d wanna be prepared.” She wouldn’t look at him, he could tell she was avoiding his gaze since she hadn’t made a move for her waiting fork, choosing to fiddle with the lid on the unopened water bottle.

Girl wanted to feed him? Not just feed him, but make sure he got plenty of it too. She didn’t know him more than a couple conversations and a shared roast sandwich. His chest had a twinge like the muscle had a sudden cramp and he cleared his throat to get through it.

“Looks like ya brought plenty.” He tried feebly, hoping but doubting he’d managed to reassure her at all. Looking down he realized he had no idea what either dish sitting on his paper plate was. “Mind tellin’ me what it is ya brought plenty of?”

He watched confused as she snapped anxious eyes to him suddenly.

“Oh no, ya don’t get heartburn do ya?” Her worry didn’t leave at all even after he gave a huff of amusement, both foods did seem to have a concentration of tomato based sauce but he wasn’t real concerned.

“Nah.” He answered, cutting into one of the dishes at random.

“Thank goodness.” She murmured like she really would’ve lost sleep over her freely given home cooked meal giving him the slightest amount of indigestion. “That there is stuffed shells, they’re kinda like mini lasagnas. The other one, the mix a’ all that in there, is goulash.”

Daryl had a fork severing one of the large stuffed shells in half, but he took a moment to consider the food next to it and couldn’t decide if he’d made the right choice. The goulash looked like a variation of what his old man would have called ‘welfare soup’ except in wasn’t runny. A cheerful blend of corn, macaroni, and hamburger meat, its parts easily discernable and he knew he’d like everything in it.

The stuffed shell was similar but he couldn’t tell what some of the layered ingredients were hiding. His stomach at this point wasn’t so much making sounds – more like it felt as though the intestines had decided to start consuming one another.

“I made the stuffed shells.” And while she sounded perfectly unconcerned as she shared the information – that was enough to make his mind up for him. Stabbing the half shell and its contents with his plastic fork, Daryl popped the bite into his mouth.

Flavors exploded along his tongue and he couldn’t stop the near groan of appreciation that scratched its way over his vocal cords. Looking up to Beth, he found her watching him closely, an unsure smile on her face.

“Ya made this?” He questioned after swallowing, not waiting for her to nod before plucking one of the whole shells from the plate and sliding the whole damn thing in his mouth.

“I did yeah.” She continued nodding, her smile brightening further when he made a deep humming noise of appreciation.

Scooping up the half shell from his plate he repeated the process. “Fuck.” He marveled. “Marry me. ”

His bite ended up slammed against the roof of his mouth as his throat constricted, only easing up when she nearly spit out her recent sip of water, laughing loudly once she’d gulped it down.

“Well gosh Daryl that was easy, ya ain’t even gonna try and play hard to get?” He shook his head at her slowly, feeling shy but happy she hadn’t gotten freaked out by his joke.

He hadn’t been thinking, the heady mixture of seasonings that he couldn’t name lighting up his taste buds like crazy. He hadn’t even been sure if he’d been directing the comment at her or the food.

“Can’ help it if I’m a food whore, don’ judge me woman.” He managed after his last bite of shell, her cheeks went back to that rosy pink that did stupid things to his pulse and he wondered if his cursing was offending her.

Well they were in southern Georgia so there was about a 110% chance she was religious.

But when her eyes locked onto his they didn’t look offended, they looked that same bright blue that tugged at him from lips to pelvis, and he had to look back at his food to get the latter part of him to leave that idea alone.

“Oh wait!” She said suddenly, startling him a little, fork full of goulash halfway to his mouth.

Pulling out a small bag that was a quarter full with finely shredded cheese, she pried the seal of the baggie open and reaching in, grabbed a quick handful before leaning over the table to sprinkle a generous amount of it over his goulash, smiling as she used the last bits between her fingers and thumb on the bite still poised to go into his mouth.

“Kay!” He steered the forkful the rest of the way in at her chipper go ahead, and nodded at her inquiring look.

“Your ma make this?” He watched her eat her own helping as she nodded. “Y’all do anythin’ b’sides cook the best food this side a’ Georgia?”

She flushed deeply, suddenly taking her turn to be shy as she lifted thin shoulders in a quick shrug. He hadn’t meant anything more than what he’d said, far as he could tell the women of her family, at least her and her mama, were goddamn angels in the kitchen to be able to make this food that he was almost certain was the best he’d ever had.

“Just work here and help in daddy’s clinic and out at the farm where we live.” She seemed embarrassed about telling him any of this and he decided to stay quiet until he could figure out why. Raising his brows at her slightly when she looked at him like she was going to continue but didn’t.

“Yer dad a doctor?” That wouldn’t surprise him in the least, Beth looked like the good, sweet, well taken care of type that belonged in a doctor’s family. Didn’t surprise him either that it sounded like she lived at home on what was probably a family farm stretching back a ways.

Tradition and heritage were two things taken very seriously around here, and it was those two staples of their society that had most often bit Daryl in the ass, and would no doubt do the same to that poor baby in the hospital…if she were his.

“A vet.” Beth clarified, he’d somehow put her at ease, though he hadn’t a clue as to how that’d happened. Her smile was so goddamn sweet, and she was looking at him like she was having just the best time.

Girl was clearly a little cracked, she was sitting in a shitty building, during her shitty lunch break, at this shitty plastic table, with a shitty old redneck. She was eating damn fine food though so maybe that evened things out for her.

They finished their food, Daryl asking careful noninvasive questions, about her family and the farm. She seemed to get happier the longer she talked, finishing with a story about a summer cookout they’d had out there a couple years back that ended with a s’mores food fight.

“An’ I still swear, hand to the Bible, that he said toss it to me.” Her hands moved around animatedly and he found his mouth thinning and curving slightly. “So I took this gooey beautiful marshmallow from the stick and lobbed it at him. ‘Course the way he tells it, he said ‘bossy lil’ Bethy’ which he knows I hate, and I ‘retaliated’” here she used finely boned fingers to do air quotes, “with pelting him in the face with a ‘molten mallow of death’ which I’m sure just from that, ya can tell how overly dramatic he is.”

“An’ that’s yer brother Jimmy?” He tried to clarify, grabbing her plate before she could try to clean up after them too.

“Uh, no, no.” He stilled his movements at her sudden discomfort. “Jimmy was there, but that was back when we were together. Shawn’s my drama queen brother who is currently a pilot for one of those slowly bankrupting commercial airline companies.”

So she’d had a boyfriend, but they weren’t together anymore which was good, and completely not in any way relevant.

He was way, way too old for her, she was way, way too bright a light for him to hope to catch. Not to mention he may or may not be a dad and was probably going to be too busy soon to think let alone chase a girl with such long and lean legs like Beth.

And again, Beth wasn’t old enough to be dating someone who was a daddy.

Daddy.   

He’d been able to get a nod out to her clarification and smiled a little at her as they stood. Maybe she wasn’t too young to be friends with, was that a thing, could a dude his age be friends with a girl that gorgeous?

Hell no.

Could he act like he didn’t know this?

Abso-fuckin’-lutely.

Wasn’t like anything was going to happen, the time they saw each other was at work. So he’d have a nice little buffer, and not have to be worried about making a fool of himself with this little looker in front of him.

“Thanks again, for dinner.” He was bothered by how bothered he was that their lunch hour was already up. Most people’s shifts were really erratic here, could be weeks before he ran into her like this again.

“Thank you for eatin’ with me again.” He shrugged her statement off, who in their right mind wouldn’t want to sit and eat with her? She was lighthearted and funny, gracious and stubborn as hell, she might’ve been too young for him but that didn’t stop him from seeing what a great person she was.

One thing Daryl had learned was how to tell a good person from a bad one.

“Guess I’ll see ya aroun’.” He said finally, looking down at her and feeling like he was about to leave his date for the night without trying to make a move.

“Yeah, uh I guess.” She was worrying her bottom lip pretty severely and he had to get the hell out of here before he did something to mortify the fuck out of them both. “Hey Daryl?” He turned at the breakroom door to raise his brows at her in question. “Uh, what…what’re you workin’ tomorrow? Do ya work tomorrow?”

He watched her silently for a few too hard heartbeats.

“Ya know,” she continued when he hadn’t spoken still, “just in case.”

He could feel his mouth tick and his eyes crinkle, hell maybe he had been directing that half joking request to her earlier and not the food.

“M’regular shift, eight to four, Wednesday through Saturday.” The company didn’t employ many full time people, worked out fine for him, three day weekend meant longer time to hunt. Technically Beth hadn’t asked him what days he worked, but he couldn’t help wanting her to know.

He got the distinct feeling she was taking a moment to memorize what he’d just told her, maybe she didn’t find the idea of them being work buddies weird either. After all, girl was chatty, and he didn’t mind listening to her, especially when she was feeding him like she had been.

He watched her lips purse after another moment. “I won’t see ya tomorrow then, I have a short late shift.” He tried to keep the disappointment out of his eyes as he nodded at the news, Beth didn’t seem bothered or hadn’t learned to hide her own emotions as well and he saw the almost morose flash in her eyes. “You best pack yourself a good lunch tomorrow, and I mean somethin’ other than just a Coke. Yeah I saw it, an-”

He waved a placating hand to her scolding, shaking his head at her, girl was like a buck ten soaking wet and the look she was leveling his way was as threatening as she could manage, but she looked like a pissed off bunny rabbit and he just kind of wanted to kiss her which was freaking him the fuck out so he needed to get out of here which meant she needed to stop talking.

“Woman quit yer naggin’ I can take care a’ m’self jus’ fine.” His eyes flicked around the room and realized they were gaining quite the audience, he took a step backwards out of the room, a little thrilled when she followed after him. Her brows were quirked skeptically at his response.

“Mister, I bet if I went an’ looked in your fridge right now I’d find beer, soda, water” she listed off on her fingers, her hips swaying as she stalked his slow backpedaling, “a few condiments, some leftover mystery meat that’s more mold than protein at this point, an’ maybe some pickles,” his back collided with a row of lockers and she stopped a foot in front of him, head tilting back in challenge before finishing, “but that last bit’s probably me bein’ optimistic.”

He glared at her nearly dead on prediction…he’d thrown away the mystery meat two days ago.

And why was he wanting her to close that little bit of distance that was left? He didn’t like people, any people, touching him, so why did he want those small hands of hers to slide up his chest and around his neck?

“Pbbt.” He blew out, side stepping away from her heat. “Ain’t need nobody fussin’ over me girl.”

“I’m just gonna take that as you admittin’ I was right.” She said, voice nearly deadpan, as she crossed thin arms across her chest, eyeing him evenly.

He thought about lying for a second, but then decided there wasn’t much of a point.

“M’goin shoppin’ after work tomorrow.” And since when were they dating and he was having to answer to this tiny little drill sergeant? But she nodded approvingly and he couldn’t help the snort that left him as his mouth curved again.

“Have a good rest of your night Daryl.” She was suddenly sincere, and he jerked his head in acknowledgement.

“Have a g’night Beth.” He clocked in while she put her lunch bag in her locker, shooting one last head bob at her as they passed in the hall on his way out to the floor and on her way to the timeclock.

Later that night when he got to the hospital, he was relieved to find Tara at the nurse’s station. She looked up when he stopped in front of her, her frown immediately switching into a grin.

“Hey, heard you switched shifts, glad you made it in.”

“Y’all gossip worse than grannies at the parlor.” He muttered good-naturedly and earned himself an eye roll.

“More like we’re sure to pass along when to expect the grumpy ass redneck with the hawk eyes.” She smiled cheekily at his furrowed brow.

“Hawk eyes?”

What the hell was she talking about?

“You make a lot of the nurses anxious. They say you watch every move they make when they get around the munchkin.”

He could feel his neck heat up but only shrugged in response, someone had to watch out for her, and even though the people here knew how to take care of her better than he did – he was still gonna do his best to keep an eye on what was going on with her.

“I was thinkin’…I’d try that skin thing you were talkin’ about last night.” He couldn’t hold her gaze after the smile faded and something like fondness – and he couldn’t be sure but maybe it was respect – came into her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah man that’d be great, let’s do it c’mon.”

Daryl couldn’t remember the last time he was so nervous. He’d gone home and showered, but hadn’t used soap, fearing it’d have some kind of reaction to the delicate skin of the baby. Dressing in a fresh sleeveless button up, here he was and ready to pass out from nerves.

Tara motioned him to the nearby chair and made a slight wave towards his shirt, and he began unbuttoning it, glad that he’d positioned the chair away from the other occupants of the room. He had a few scars here on his chest and stomach too, but they were nothing compared to his back, and besides feeling more exposed than usual, he didn’t mind this too much.

His focus zeroed in as a small curled body was placed on his chest, the little head nestled between his pecs, Tara moved one hand under the small feet and rear end, laying his hand gently along the back. Daryl watched raptly as the nurse showed him how much pressure was ok to use and reminded him that talking was good too.

When she left, Daryl felt a bubble of panic that he swallowed savagely back down. The doll like fists twitched against his chest, and he watched in amazement as the perfect pink face nuzzled against him before settling down. Daryl’s eyes were burning, he blinked furiously, angry at himself.

What a dumb fucking reaction to have.

To love her already.

He didn’t even know if she was his.

But if she was…if she was.

“M’gonna start thinkin’ of a name for ya lil’ girl.” He told her in a half whisper, like he was scared someone would hear him and laugh. If it was possible, his voice had her sinking into him even more, like she knew it was him. “An’ t’morrow after m’shift, think I’ll pick up a few things for ya too. Can’t hurt right? Can always return ‘em if…”

But he couldn’t quite finish the thought because for the first time – he wanted her to be his – wanted it with a fierce edged need that was natural and alien all at once.  

His eyes bleared again and he blinked back the moisture that could land on her and wake her up or somehow bother her.

“Got a great story for ya t’night. S’got a marshmallow food fight in it an’ everythin’.”    

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

Friday, June 9th

Beth stood stirring her mama's pan full of hamburger gravy, taking a deep breath filled with the familiar savory smells mixed with the flour that had been added to the milk and small amount of grease, pepper was there too with just a little garlic salt.

Her mom stood over near the sink, beaters running circles through the mashed potatoes that the hamburger gravy would be poured over for dinner. Beth loved getting to spend time with her mama like this, maybe it was old fashioned, but at least she got some quality time and learned a skill.

Not to mention, it gave a body plenty of time to think, which is something Beth was definitely doing a lot of these days. She didn't like the idea of Maggie going after her boss. Apparently the man was very charming and very good looking, a widower, and driven. All and all he sounded just fine, but something still niggled at the back of Beth's mind.

It was never a good idea to start up with the boss, she had no personal experience, but every sitcom and movie almost without exception cautioned her against this. Mainly it tended to work out badly for the woman involved and Maggie had worked really hard to get where she was. She didn't need some slick haired politician messing that up.

And there was a small part of her that worried if Maggie did pursue this, did get with the man, and things worked out alright, then her sister would without a doubt stay in Atlanta and Beth really didn't want that to happen. She'd been encouraging her sister to consider the idea that Maggie had mentioned, about running for office here in town.

Maybe it wasn't saving the world, but there was a lot that could be done for the place they grew up and Maggie hadn't hated the idea. Beth was just trying not to get her hopes up.

Speaking of things she shouldn't be getting her hopes up over...

Beth smiled to herself and shook her head. That man was so interesting, he could be so quiet and taciturn, but then the next moment he could crack a joke that had her rolling, looking at her like he was surprised he'd gotten her to laugh.

She'd added, funny, to her internal list on him.

She'd risked being a little forward, or a little bossy anyway, asking him to share dinner. But she was so glad she had, and so she'd done it again and been rewarded with his schedule. And they’d bantered going down that hallway, and he’d had a different set to his mouth like a smile that was thinking about happening, but it was his eyes that shot through her as they’d went back and forth.

- Can be playful.

"Beth honey are you pregnant?" Her mama's voice came from right beside her and Beth couldn't help but snort at the idea, bumping a playful hip into her mother's similarly slim frame.

"Yeah mama, immaculate conception is happenin' all over now a' days." Annette Greene could have the weirdest sense of humor sometimes. An answering hip bumped into hers lightly as an arm rested along her back.

"Well I'm just sayin' honey, ya've been nonstop grinnin' and glowin’ for the last two days, and when you come home you have next to nothin' left in The Sub."

Her mother thought Beth's tendency to over pack her bag with a variety of food bordered on gluttony, but it was her favorite thing to tease her about, having nicknamed her lunch pail "The Yellow Submarine" which she found quite clever but no one else did. Turning to level her mother with a look, Beth rolled her eyes.

"Mama, I wasn't eatin' it all myself, I got a coworker who can't seem to find the sense to pack a decent lunch for himself. Man's got half a foot on me and near double the weight an' he comes with only a can of Coke." She shook her head wryly.

Annette gave a thoughtful humming sound that immediately caught Beth's attention and she jerked her head to the side to take in the soft smile and knowing look.

"Smart of him." She mused, giving Beth a squeeze and leaning forward to turn the heat off the burner.

"Please mama, I have to brow beat him into it each time."

"Oh I'm sure." Beth slid from her hold so she could pinch her mother's side with a laugh.

"I'm serious! An' anyway, a guy like him isn't lookin' to mess around with a girl my age, he's probably got a serious girlfriend." And after a slight pause she added. "Or a few serious girlfriends."

"You're tellin' me the man's a bit of a hound but isn't lookin' to try his luck with a younger woman? Bethy honey you feelin' ok? 'Cause you're talkin' like you're the one without any sense."

"I didn't mean it like that mama, Daryl seems like he's too bashful to do anything like that, it's just," her face heated, as she crossed her arms and propped herself against the counter, "well, he's real good lookin' mama, can't imagine someone not gettin' their hooks in him by now."

Her mama's face softened as she mimicked Beth's stance next to the counter. "So he's an older, good looking man, who's quiet, and likes to eat our cookin' if it's been what you took the last couple of days?" A smile tugged at Annette's mouth when Beth nodded. "Can't be certain but it seems like I've heard this story a time or two. You best be careful Bethy, might find yourself married with some little ones before you know it."

She rolled her eyes to mask the uptick of her heartbeat, her mamma was being silly, just because that had been Annette’s story didn't mean it was going to be Beth's. Yeah so she could admit, at least to herself, that she had a bit of a crush on Daryl.

But that wasn't real hard to suss out, he was attractive and she could tell he was a kind person, through all his cursing and growling. But there was definitely a firm barrier he kept up too, and that wall hollered that he was either uninterested or unable to pursue anything with her.

So she just needed to settle down and...looking over to the clock she saw it was little over an hour until she'd be clocking into work, 7-11 what a stupid shift. At least Saturday she worked 1-9.

Now was a good a time as any to get going and head to work, her mom was watching her in that way that made her squirm, and she didn't want to be talking about her chances with the moody mechanic anymore.

She didn't feel like she had much of a shot.

Fleeing her mother's knowing look, she got dressed and headed out the door, stopping on the porch to land a quick kiss on her daddy's cheek, waving over her shoulder to him as she flew down the steps.

She arrived in the parking lot with a good 45 minutes to spare, wondering what she was going to do until it was time to clock in, when she pulled into a space and squinted disbelievingly at the truck a few spaces away.

He was here.

He was still here?

Without much thought, Beth found herself propelling herself out of her car, barely remembering to lock it. She quick stepped her way through the parking lot, casting furtive looks around, feeling ridiculous but being unable to stop. She decided to enter the store on the grocery side. That was the only thing she could think of as to why he was still here.

Her legs ate up the distance along the aisles in agitated strides as she peeked around displays and end caps, trying to ignore the feeling that she was becoming a mild stalker in her own work place. He was nowhere to be seen and she was about to make her way over to the auto center when she saw him and her heart plinkoed right down her ribs into her stomach.

- Has a baby.

Adding it to the list, she hesitated, she should just go back to the breakroom and wait until her shift started. She'd tracked this man like he was a big game animal through this store, and he no doubt wouldn't appreciate her bothering him again for the fourth day in a row. She took a step to do just go, but then her consecutive steps after that aimed her in his direction.

He has that look on his face again.

That lost one that made her uneasy for him and want to help. He'd had a mixture of that and irritated when she'd found him next to the drinks, and now the irritation was gone and the only thing left was the uncertainty as he stared at the items on the neatly lined shelves.

Maybe it wasn't his baby, maybe he was trying to find something for a coworker or friend's baby shower or birthday. But even if it was for his baby, it didn't matter, because she'd never stood a chance anyway, and this just sealed that for her.

Which was fine.

Just fine.

Because they could still be work friends, he didn't always seem to mind her chatting with him. So she could be a good work friend and help him with whatever he was trying to decide on, and not act like a heartbroken idiot over a man she hadn't even known for a week.

He was standing in front of a staggering array of bottles, and she could understand his trepidation. She could remember feeling much the same the first time she'd come here for a baby shower gift. Making sure to smile for him she closed the last bit of distance before speaking up.

"Thought you'd have moved onto sippy cups by now." She pretended not to notice the way he tensed, or the thunderstorm look he gave her when he turned her way. Instead she gestured between him and said cups further down the aisle. "Dont'cha think you're old enough?"

- Edit to prior note: Can sometimes but rarely be playful. Under certain circumstances

His eyes matched his expression, a dark roiling blue that made it hard to tell the difference between iris and pupil. He was so still in front of her she had the crazy urge to reach out and tap his coverall covered chest or bicep just to make sure he was there. She felt her eyebrows rise and quieted the voice screaming at her to drop that searing gaze of his before it burnt the soft tissue covering her. It was quickly becoming clear that he had not expected to see her, and was uniquely displeased to find her standing next to him at the moment.

- Has eyes that will burn the soul out of you when he’s agitated.

- Does not like to have social interaction sprung on him without warning.

Well, tough, if he wanted her gone he was gonna have to open that grimacing mouth of his and say so. She wasn't just going to slink away from him, tail tucked between her legs, just for talking to him. They stayed that way for an unknown amount of time until he came to the conclusion she wasn't going to budge and released his hold on her gaze.

When he'd turned his head back to the shelves, she took a covertly stuttering breath in as he shrugged and muttered.

"Didn' know ya'd changed departments."

She was not hurt. He could not hurt her. He was grumpy at being blindsided, and he'd get the heck over it or he wouldn't. She swallowed the overly confident mantra in her head and decided ignoring him was the best course of action. But something in the level of his irritation told her that this was for his baby, although, she’d hold off saying anything about it for now.

"You're gonna want these ones." She pointed at a set of bottles off to one side, she didn't look at him to gauge his reaction, deciding instead to keep talking cheerfully until this panicked feeling ebbed away a little. "They have 'em in blue or pink, but what's important is, they make it so there's less of a chance for air to get into the baby's tummy. Helps to stop 'em from gettin' gas an' belly aches."

He was silent for such a long time, she found herself moving a few steps down the aisle to where the pacifiers were.

"Now a lot a' these'll work just fine, most 'a the time it seems like it depends on the baby, but I'd suggest ya get ones with the rings, you can fasten them to a plastic carabiner and hook them to the car seat, diaper bag, or wherever for when the baby isn't usin' it. Less likely to lose as many that way."

There was a slight movement from where he stood, before she heard the sound of something dropping into his food laden cart. Peeking over at it, she saw a pack of the bottles she'd recommended, in pink, now laying inside.

- Has a daughter

There was a pack of ringed pacifiers in front of her, one had a pink and orange bird, the other had more gender neutral colors, a yellow horse running over a green line of field. Pulling them off their hook she handed them to him smiling. He hesitated only a moment before taking them from her offered hand and dropping them into the cart.

"Why wouldn't she be usin' it?" He asked confused and she grinned to herself as he followed her into the next aisle.

"Ya should get yourself a bit of a collection goin' and put the ones not bein' used or washed on the carabiner." She watched him nod uncertainly as they stopped in front of the newborn wall of starter clothing.

Daryl took in everything like a man attempting to learn a new language. Eyeing him for a moment she debated on asking him what she needed to, to help him. He did seem more relaxed than a few moments ago, but that still wasn't saying much.

"Is uh, this for your baby?" She decided at last when he hadn't moved or made a noise of any kind. She was ready this time when his eyes snapped to hers, and she kept a much better hold on her heartrate. He shrugged after a minute and she felt her brow furrow.

How in the world was a shrug a proper response to what she'd just asked?

"What do ya mean?" She asked, mimicking his quick pull of shoulders.

"Mean I don' know." He snapped quietly, eyes sliding away from hers as she took that in.

"Oh."

Didn't know. He knew there was a baby, a girl. But didn't know if he had a baby. Didn't know if she was his. The mom didn't know? He wasn't with the mom? Or the woman had cheated on him? That explained one of the things on her list of things she knew about him.

This was obviously what had been tearing him up ever since she’d met him.

She wouldn't ask about the mother. That seemed like an unwise can of worms to open. The mom wasn't here right now helping him pick things out for the daughter he didn't know for sure was his or not. Didn't know if he'd be turning around and bringing the sweet pink items back, or giving them to another man's child and the woman he'd been with in some capacity.

"Has she been born?"

He nodded jerkily, still not meeting her gaze, and Beth felt all of a sudden like she desperately wanted to hug him. He must have been so worried this whole time, and he'd sat through lunchtimes with her, listening to her chide him and tell dumb stories about her family.

Well, that decided things didn't it?

She was going to help him until he ran cursing from her, just see if she didn't.

"What's her name?"

She wanted to know everything she could about Daryl's little girl, wanted to find her the perfect things so she'd be comfortable, wanted Daryl to stop looking so pissed every other question she asked.

"Ain't got one." His growl should have scared her witless, instead it just made her sad. That told her more than it didn't, for the baby to be born, not have a name, and no one know who the dad was...

She ran different scenarios through her mind, Beth wasn't exactly worldly, definitely not experienced, but she wasn't an idiot. Either the woman had taken off after giving birth, or she'd passed, but for Daryl not to know if he were the daddy or not, meant that he must not have had a real good relationship with the mom one way or another.

- May have the tendency towards either one night stands or had at least one relationship that ended badly.

"Have ya been thinkin' on anythin' in particular?" She was mildly impressed with the breeziness of her tone, heck she sounded right next to cheerful.

He must have heard it too, grey-blue eyes tipping back to hers, he didn't answer but she got the feeling like it had been on his mind.

"Let's see." She mused slowly, trapping a lip between her teeth. "Got any family names you're wantin' to pass down?" His eyes narrowed harshly and she kept talking like she hadn't noticed. "If not, then of course ya pick somethin’ important to ya, somethin' you find beautiful, or maybe somethin' ya hope for her. And if all else fails you pick a name that you just like the sound of."

Her voice had gone reflective as she listed all the ways she knew other people in her life had chosen to name their children.

"Somethin' I hope for her?" He said after a while and she realized she'd been staring at him while she ran through names in her own head.

"Oh well ya know, Belle, Grace, Hope, Chastity, that kinda thing." He snorted at the last name and she couldn't help but smile. "Yeah it doesn't always work out but it is somethin' people do. Or like I said, think a' what you find beautiful, or strong, though really the two aren't mutually exclusive and just because she has one doesn't mean...anythin'." She trailed off, too focused on his thousand yard stare to ramble on properly.

Right now Beth wanted intensely to know what exactly it was that Daryl found worthy enough to consider for his daughter's name. He was deep in thought, and it was like she wasn't standing there looking right back at him, and instead of feeling lonely she just felt a good chunk of wonder at the look in his eyes.

Grey was changing to blue and the blue was lightening as she watched, until his eyes flashed a candy bright hue that didn't seem possible.

"Got it?" The hopeful smile didn't waver even when he glanced away from her, eyes still sparking blue fire, cheeks taking a rosy shade.

"When m'out huntin', like t' get up an' watch the sunrise." He paused for a moment thinking, looking back to her with a frown. "But I don't like the name Dawn."

- Goes hunting (frequently?)

- Enjoys sunrises

She shook her head at him in agreement, for some reason, she didn’t like it either and her mind tripped around until her eyes lit on a Disney onesie off to one side, an item someone had left behind in favor of one the more reasonably priced outfits. Tinkerbell looked back cheekily at her but it wasn't the fairy that had Beth's eyes widening in excitement as she turned back to Daryl.

Hitting him in the arm with a backwards open handed swing, she ignored his startled expression as she bounced on her toes, a smile pulling hard at her mouth.

"Aurora!" She was way too wrapped up in excitement to remember things like personal space and the fact that she barely knew him. They'd turned, now facing each other, and Beth grasped his shoulders on each side, shaking him slightly. "It means dawn! And just think of the nickname you could shorten it to!"

He'd reached up and was holding onto her forearms like he was worried she was going to hurt herself by tugging on him the way she was. His palms and fingers were warm and rough along her bare skin.

-Warm

-Muscular

-Callused hands.

-Didn’t mind her touching him.

"Wha'? Rory?" He asked, not seeming to notice that they were in fact even touching, which was the way it should be, he clearly had his mind on his baby.

"Sure! If you want her compared to a Gilmore Girl for the rest of her life, which is fine, though I did re-watch a few of those episodes a while back and boy was she way more obnoxious than I remembered."

"Got no idea what yer talkin' about woman." He groused, but she could tell he wasn't really irritated at her anymore, and she wondered if she was the first one to be excited with him about something to do with the baby.

The man was gonna break her heart at this rate.

" Personally I’m gonna call her Auri ." She continued to beam up at him, even as she slid her hands off his shoulders, trying to ignore the way his hands drug against the backs of hers as she did. "Not only is it friggin’ adorable," she confided leaning towards him slightly, "but it’s also the name of one of my favorite literary characters."

"We're namin' my kid after some chick from a book I ain't never read?" She shook her head at him, grin refusing to budge. He'd liked the name she could tell he had.

"Don't be silly, you came up with the name, I was just here to help you bounce ideas around." He was watching her closely, but there was an easy humor in his eyes now, and he was nodding a little to himself.

"Aurora hmm?" Thinking for a beat he swore lowly. "Shit, now I gotta think of a' middle name too."

Beth knew she was pushing it but caught his eyes and said quickly as possible before she lost her nerve. "So you don't wanna have your mama's or gran's name in there at all?"

She held in the happy sigh that tried to bubble up her throat as he considered it with much less of a frown on his face than before.

"M'ma's name was Lynne." He finally conceded with a nod, thinking it over.

Beth didn't want to push him any further than she already had, but she also felt an incessant need to help him in whatever way she could in whatever way he’d let her.

"Aurora Lynne-" She didn't realize until her words trailed off that she didn't know his last name.

"Dixon." He supplied and she couldn't stop the smile that split her face.

"Aurora Lynne Dixon." They sat silently for a few moments, but Beth couldn't stand it for long.

Fisting her hands and pressing them to her sternum so they wouldn't get away from her like they had earlier, she beamed up at him, eyes wide, brows struggling to reach her hair line. She did her best not to burst into a giggle fit when Daryl's small twisting smile appeared and he nodded slowly.

"Guess the little kit has a name if she's mine." His voice graveled out, and Beth felt her own smile falter, grasping only now that she might have made things so much harder on him than she'd ever meant to.

"She's yours Daryl, I just know she is." Beth wasn't lying to make him feel better.

At that moment she'd never been so sure about something. Daryl was Auri’s dad and they just had to wait now for it to be official, and that little baby had no idea how lucky she was. Beth hadn't known him very long, but she could already tell Daryl Dixon was a good man.

Anyone would be lucky to have him as a daddy.

She'd always had a knack for judging on what side of the spectrum a person fell, in terms of goodness, it wasn't foolproof but it had served her well this far and she wasn't about to start doubting it now.

Thank goodness she had enough certainty for both of them, because Daryl was still looking at her like he was about to have the legs swept out from under him, and it was painful to watch. He gave her a bobbing nod, pulling on the inside of his bottom lip to worry it with his teeth as he did so.

"So, clothes." She said after it was clear he couldn't think of, or didn't have, anything to say.

They turned to the wall and she reached over to snag some receiving blankets, tossing them passed Daryl into his cart, along with some wash cloths. She went to do the same with a pack of newborn onesies, stopping to look at Daryl as he caught the package in midair.

Glancing at her he tossed the pack in, but then reached forward and carefully grabbed up the same kind of package except this one read 'Preemie' in the size assignment area. They locked eyes again, and Beth had to stop herself for about the tenth time from launching herself at him.

"Stay." She said instead, breaking her eyes from his and hurrying back to where they'd first been. Quickly she scanned the bottles and then the pacifiers, finding the special preemie versions of both before heading back.

She handed the items to him so he could see, nodding at him once when he met her eyes. Daryl looked around them and she knew he was realizing just how much stuff was involved with having a baby.

And she decided right there and then, that she was going to throw Daryl Dixon a baby shower.

She'd participated in more than her fair share throughout the years. It seemed like everyone she knew had had a baby recently and Beth was about to call in some return favors.

"You don't gotta get everythin' right away." She told him quietly, drawing him back to her. "Auri, she’s in the hospital?" She didn't know when the baby had been born, but it had to have been recently considering they hadn't gotten the paternity results yet.

Unless it had taken them time to track him down, but she pushed that thought away, she could only try to put so many pieces of this together at once.

After he confirmed her guess with a nod she began thinking quickly, premature babies could take anywhere from days to months to come home. It depended on a lot of different factors that she'd have to do research on to know about for sure.

"She gonna be there for a while?"

"Docs say 'least a few more weeks." He looked both sad and relieved as he told her, Beth couldn't even imagine the swirl of emotions he was going through, but that did give her some time.

"In that case I think you've made a good dent in the things ya need, no really, don't snort like that I'm serious." She scolded him, smacking him lightly against the bicep again. "I say let's grab some diapers and wipes and call it a day." She didn't want him buying everything before she could talk him into the shower.

Lord knew she couldn't do it as a surprise, man did not do well with sudden social interactions.

No doubt he'd be ok with waiting, the results hadn't come back, but she was making a guest list in her head already because like she'd told him, she knew.

They got the diapers and wipes, and were walking back through the clothes when she stopped, a hand coming out to catch his elbow. He turned to see what had gotten her attention and she felt her cheeks bunch as he gave her find a twisted lip once over.

Most of the items in the area were pink layered on different shades of pink, dotted at random with other pastel or 'feminine' colors. What had caught her eye stuck out like a scream in a quiet room, and Beth loved it to death.

It was a full outfit, beanie, onesie, pants, the only thing it didn't come with was socks. The beanie was black with a hot pink bow stitched on, cocked to one side. The onesie was black with white lettering 'Bad to the' under the first words was a crossbones skeleton wearing a miniature version of what was stitched on the beanie and 'Bow' was below the cartoonish little skull. The leggings were the same hot pink with tiny versions of the skull graphic running up and down their length at random.

"It's literally the cutest, most 'obviously that's Daryl Dixon's kid' outfit I could ever imagine." She could barely speak through her smile and watched him shake his head at her enthusiasm, but it didn't stop him from snagging the only preemie size the outfit had and putting it in his cart.

“Hunt with a bow.” He mused, eyes on the contents of his cart. She was confused for a moment before she realized he was talking about his favorite pastime, the one that had helped name his little girl.

“Recurve or compound?” She asked, smirking at his mildly surprised expression.

“Cross.” He answered, only to shake his head again at her impish smile.

- Hunts with a crossbow.

- Has officially been witnessed smiling more than once in a single day.

“Cross bones with a bow. Crossbow.” She giggled, quietly breathless.

Beth couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun hanging out with someone. Smiling until her cheeks hurt and giddy in between his grumpy moments, but that was more than understandable and made it all the sweeter when she got him to smile at her like he was.

And of course it made perfect sense that this man would even have his own kind of smile. One that on anyone else would signify bare amusement, but on Daryl looked like a closed-lip grin – his eyes still bright – and catching at the air in her chest.

She waited until he took a step away before grabbing Auri’s ‘Bad to the Bow’ outfit one in each consecutive size, all the way up to 24 months. Clutching the fabric in her hands as she made a quick beeline out of the pintsized clothing.

"The hell're you doin'?" He called after her, lengthening his stride, confusion mixed with irritation and if she were lucky still a little humor.

"No way are these gonna last, and there's no point in time where this isn't gonna look adorable on her." She refused to let him get within arm's reach, not trusting him to not snatch the clothing away.

"Christ girl, ya don' even" his voice dropped as he dodged around people, "know if she's mine, an' yer gonna buy out the whole section?"

"Oh please, you an' my brother would get along fine, both a buncha drama queens!" She hissed back at him, almost jogging into the increasingly busy self-check area.

She began ringing up the items, sticking a tongue out at him as he stopped his cart behind her.

"I meet ‘im, I'mma say you confessed to attempted assault." He grumbled, eyes narrowed firmly as he watched her total climb.

"Pfft, by marshmallow? You're only provin' my point. An' stop givin' me that look, I'm eighteen an' live at home. Everything I own is a hand-me-down from someone, I can afford to spoil Auri if I wanna." He didn't quite hide the flinch when he heard her age and Beth bit her tongue in annoyance.

- Thinks I'm too young to date, maybe too young to even be friends with.

Paying for her bag of black and pink, she began helping him with his purchase, sliding her haul and receipt into his cart. Warning him, as she bagged up a mixture of healthy and junk food, that if she heard of him returning her gift to Auri she was gonna hunt him down and embarrass the ever loving bejeezus out of him.

He was in the middle of muttering about do-gooding bossy blondes when a voice stopped them mid banter.

"Beth?" They both twisted around to see Karen, one of the floor managers, staring at them, but mostly Beth, in confusion.

"Karen! Hi!" Beth greeted happily, turning to load the rest of Daryl's groceries into his cart.

"Beth, you're going on ten minutes late, did you forget to clock on?"

Her heart plummeted into her boots and she turned to look at the man next to her in horror.

"Jesus, Marie, an' Joseph I totally forgot." She breathed, panic beginning to surge through her.

"S'my fault, Karen." Daryl jumped in as soon as he saw her face. "I saw Beth back by grocery, an' I thought she was already clocked on. She was helpin' me."

And of course with that gruff voice and those steady blues Beth knew baby or no baby, her crush on Daryl Dixon was very much intact.

"Well, alright…just go hop on eight and we'll do a missed punch form for you at the end of your shift." Karen answered, looking slowly between the two of them, this was probably the only time she’d heard Daryl speak, let alone having the words directed at her.

Nodding quickly, Beth thanked Daryl profusely under her breath, before waving to them both and jogging to register eight.

Daryl Dixon was gonna make her lose her mind.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

Saturday, June 9 th – Monday, June 11 th

Daryl sat in the break room on his lunch, staring angrily at the loan can of Coke on the table in front of him. He really had, at one point in time, been able to prepare and pack his own damn lunch, he was sure of it. But now, through one set of events or another, it always seemed to turn out like this.

At least this time the soda was cold for shits sake.

He couldn't pry himself away from the hospital, the kit, Aurora, she was doing better each day. She'd had it rough at first, nurses telling him each time he called that she was 'adjusting' to treatment which meant she'd spent the first couple days of her life struggling to even sleep, crying until she'd wear out and finally crash.

Most hours of the day Daryl didn't know who or what he hated more, the condom that either broke or didn't do its goddamn job, the woman for not staying clean once she found out she was pregnant, Merle for being a domineering prick who hadn’t let up and never could, or - and this was the most likely - himself for being too much of a pussy to stand up to his brother in the first place.

Then again, his mind dropped back to last night at the hospital, Aurora's little face resting against him, his hand cradling her little butt - soft material of her diaper catching on the edges of his calluses. Feeling her fluttering heartbeat like a muscle twitch against the skin of his chest.

He couldn't have told a single person why he felt the way he did for that little girl. It had only been days, a handful of days at that, and he already wanted to protect and look after her while being equally terrified at the idea of doing just that. After all, what the hell did he know about babies?

Next to nothing it had turned out. He'd felt like he was back in school and sitting in the middle of a pop quiz. He didn't know the answers, the material, the subject even, and what the fuck had he been thinking? That he could take care of that baby if she were his? He didn't even know where to start with buying the shit she needed let alone doing the shit she needed.

He couldn't even pick out a bottle for Christ sake, he'd had no idea how long he stood there, but the answer had become no less clear the longer he did. Why the hell were there so many kinds? What was the difference? Did he have to buy the most expensive? Did it make him a piece of shit for noticing how expensive it was?

Her voice had made him flinch like a bitch, she kept doing that, sneaking up on him and he wasn't used to it. He'd been pissed, that he didn't know what he was doing, that she didn't seem freaked out about finding him in the baby section. That he desperately needed help, and had known even as he popped off at her that she would help him, because she was good.

Definitely not the kind of person that would find herself in the same situation he was in.

And sure enough she had helped him, like an alabaster whirlwind she'd walked through that terrain like she owned it, piling things into his cart, saving him – at the least – hours of indecision, worry, and self-loathing. She'd barely paused when she found out that the baby was premature, just made sure he wound up with the right gear he needed to take the best care of her that he could.

Not to mention, taking in stride the knowledge that he didn't know if the baby was his which, had someone thought to ask him before he'd snapped out the truth to her, he’d have said that would’ve been more than enough to send her running from him. Friend or more than that, nice girls like Beth didn't tend to run around or spend time with people who didn't know if they'd fathered children or not.

He scooted the can back and forth in front of him, remembering how it had seemed like Beth knew exactly what he'd been worried about her asking. How she'd gone right down his internal list of worst fears and checked them off one at a time. But, as was becoming the norm with this girl, she'd then shown what an idiot he'd been – thinking he had any idea of how she'd react.

She'd helped name his child – his maybe baby – and there would’ve been no way he’d have been able to pick out something half as pretty as Aurora. He'd been trying to think of something tied to the woods, but nothing had sounded right, not until Beth had mentioned strong and beautiful. Wasn't until then that the memories of all those sunrises piled up in his mind’s eye, like he was outside watching it right then, clean blue Georgia sky filling up his chest as he watched the colors seep back into the world.

And then just like that she was bouncing like a hare in front of him, barely able to contain herself, and putting her hands on shoulders that didn't tense, inches away from a stomach that didn't clench and churn like it was gonna upchuck at any moment. Daryl had barely recognized his own body, his own skin, the hands that landed easily on her flexing forearms as those pieces of Georgian sky blazed up at him in excitement.

When he'd been unpacking the groceries, he'd considered trying to pay her back for the ridiculous bag of identical outfits she'd gotten the little kit, or return the damn things, but she'd seemed pretty set on making him hate his life if he did – so he’d discarded the thought.

He’d taken the bags for Aurora...Auri, into the miniscule spare bedroom that was currently housing spare parts for his truck and bike, laid out on tarps and sharing space with random extra knives he'd picked up over the years, and bolts that needed repairing along with, of course, his bow.

And he'd stood looking around thinking about all the other things he was going to need, like hangers, and was there special laundry soap for all the new clothes he had now? Probably. But there wasn't much time to start moving things around to make space, or panic that there was still a lot to be done.

It’d been getting late and he'd wanted to get to the hospital, tell the kid what her name would be – if she were his – and all about the shopping trip. Not to mention, it had to be getting close for the paternity results to be coming in. And since he hadn't gotten a call and no one had mentioned anything during his regular check ins, he wanted to ask Tara if she knew what was up.

It hadn’t been great news. The lab was backed up, by several days. Which seemed like bullshit to Daryl, good lord, didn't they do that shit 'do it yourself' style nowadays? Now they were saying it might not be until next Wednesday before he knew?

To say the least, when he'd gone home to change into his work clothes that next morning, he hadn't been in the mood to whip up a meal, or do much other than grab an apple and a Coke, consuming the one on his way into work. He was hungry now and he should eat, but he'd just gotten off his feet and didn't feel like vending machine food or making his way to the Deli.

On his break this morning he'd passed by the registers on his way out to the smoker's corner they kept off to one side of the building, for the first time scanning what ones he could in search of a blonde head. Since he hadn't seen her then, or on his way back in, he knew even if she was working today, they weren't going to have lunch at the same time. He tried really hard not to be disappointed about it.

He failed pretty spectacularly.

He liked spending time with Beth. She made him feel like his bat-shit crazy life wasn't as dire as he'd been thinking it was a few days back. She didn't make him feel like a piece of shit about who he was or how he talked, didn't make him feel stupid about buying things for Auri, about nicknaming a baby he didn't have a right to 'Auri' in the first damn place.

And she gave him happy stories to tell his maybe baby at night while Aurora was cradled warmly against him.

Couldn’t really help it that he missed the crazy blonde, even if it had been less than a day since he’d seen her.

A squared plastic container, as tall as his hand was from pinky to index, slid into his view. Its contents full of what looked like a slightly darker, than what he was used to, country style gravy, peppered throughout with chunks of hamburger. A roll was sliding in next to it when he looked up and met her eyes.

Jesus Christ, who was this girl?

"Hey." She seemed uncertain, color on her cheeks, finger tips loitering on the table's surface making small treks to each side. She met his eyes but didn't sit and didn't otherwise move.

He stared at her much longer than was normal, much longer than he had a right to, but he'd just been missing her, something he also didn't have the right to do, and she'd appeared like magic in front of him – with food.

He blinked several times, just to make sure he hadn't fallen asleep on his lunch, and that he wasn’t in fact dreaming, but then the savory smells of hamburger, gravy, and potato hit his nose, and his stomach let out an appreciative growl.

"Hey." He finally managed, embarrassed at how rough his voice sounded.

They were in much too public a place for his voice to be sounding that husky when he talked to her. They were too platonic a couple for his voice to be sounding that husky. She didn't seem to mind, sweet smile sliding across her lips as she still stood awkwardly across from him.

"Thought I told you not to be bringin' just a Coke for lunch." Her scold sounded a lot more teasing than usual, and he should look away from her at some point. But all he seemed capable of doing was nodding.

Yep she had in fact said that, that was a thing she had said.

However, if him not packing a lunch magically made her pop up like a damn genie...

"Gonna sit?" He asked lowly, and watched as her smile widened like she'd been waiting for his permission and was surprised and pleased that he'd given it.

Good to know he still had control of his face, even if he'd lost it when it came to his voice. His thoughts were a forgone conclusion.

She in return surprised him by coming around the table, instead of sitting across from him like she usually did. Settling into the chair next to him, still a good quarter of the table away, she was still closer, and that shockingly suited him fine. Suited him even finer when she hop-scootched her chair a few inches closer still.

He hadn't looked away from her, knew the partly closed eyes he viewed her with were borderline inappropriate. Knew the urge to lean over and grip the bar holding the seat to the headrest and pull until her chair knocked into his, knew that was a bad urge to have. He wasn’t sure what last night shifted, hadn't had time to realize the change at the time, what with her having to scamper onto a register, but he could say without a doubt that at this moment he felt closer to Beth than anyone besides Aurora.

And anyway, that was apples and oranges right there.

How could so much in his life change in just a few days?

After she got settled she propped an elbow on the table and peeked at him, flashing another smile when she saw him still looking at her.

"Gonna eat that or let it get cold?"

He held her eyes for a moment more before flicking his down to the food in front of him, his stomach clenching in anticipation. Glancing up at her, his mouth quirked, watching as she gazed at him expectantly.

"M'supposed to eat it with my fingers?" He asked lightly, miniscule curving of his lips trying to kick into a full blown grin at her wide eyed shock.

"Dang it!" Half yelping, she surged to her feet and digging into first the fridge and secondly her lunch bag, she returned quickly with an actual piece of silverware and not one of the regular plastic ones.

She had to be the prettiest woman (who's barely a woman) that he had ever seen. Daryl considered her briefly as she returned to the table, digging the spoon into the dish for him, cheeks a pretty cherry blossom hue.

He shouldn't like the way she fussed over him, she didn’t know him from Adam and he didn't deserve it, wasn’t use to people having such a positive reaction to him. Especially ones that had such a sweet tilt to their smiles, and that blushed at him like they were thinking about something much more exciting than what he was having for lunch.

Nodding his thanks, he kept his face averted, not minding – much – that she watched him scoop the first laden bite into his mouth.

Sweet merciful mother...

He'd never really thought about missing out on home cooked meals, it wasn't something he'd ever had, not as a rule. He could grill, make sides to go with the meat he'd caught, but it wasn't nearly the same. A small humming note of appreciation came out as he chewed through the savory spice of the gravy and hamburger, his tongue rolling around the fluffiness of the mashed potato that had been lying beneath all that heavenliness.

He was quickly coming to the conclusion that he needed to keep this irrational girl happy, she may have been fucking with his world order pretty soundly, but damn could her and her mama cook. Opening his eyes, not even realizing until he did that he'd had them closed in a state of near bliss, he slid his eyes to hers.

She was watching him, bottom lip caught like a cliché between her teeth, but she didn't seem to know and he wasn't about to tell her. And for the dumbest feeling he'd decided to have for a while, Daryl found himself sad that he wasn't going to see her for the next few days.

"Tasty as hell." He didn't know why she cared what he thought, but his reply to her patient expectation was a smile so big it made the tips of his ears prickle. "Ain't never ate s'good in my life."

He could feel a corner of his mouth pull up uncertainly, trying to make it stay there as her look became surprised. "Seriously?" Her smile softened and she gave him a look like he was fooling with her.

"I ain't kiddin'." He muttered through another large bite of the creamy salty goodness. "Thanks for bringin' this Beth, don't need t'be doin' all this." He knew his mosquito light reprimand was largely undermined by his rapid inhalation of the food in front of him.

She shook her head still smiling, but something uneasy and uncertain crept in just a touch as she answered. "Wasn't me, I was headed into work today and mama hands me my lunch and this too." She shrugged a little, waving at his food and dropping her gaze. "Said it wouldn't hurt to have it just in case."

The idea that she'd been talking about him to anyone should've turned the warm mass in his stomach to led, but he surprised both of them by offering another twitching corner of his mouth. After all, he'd told Auri about her, seemed fair enough that she'd told the other person whose food he was eating about him.

"Tellin' yer ma about me huh?" He asked idly, spooning another bite in, slowing down slightly now that his stomach wasn't aching in hunger. "Ya sweet on me or somethin'?"

Good lord . Was he flirting ?

Fuck no, that couldn't be right. Teasing . That's all this was, just because he couldn't remember the last time he'd teased anyone, let alone a pretty girl - didn't mean anything. Beth's face was turning a fascinating shade of red as she rolled her eyes at him. Which was causing his gut to wiggle all around his lunch.

"Don't think I won't take that food away from you Daryl Dixon." She quipped back, eyebrows raised over her smirk. He curled himself around his free lunch protectively with a snort.

"Over my dead cold body Beth -" He stalled out, realizing he hadn't managed to ask her for her last name yesterday when she'd gotten his.

"Greene." She supplied helpfully, smirk growing consistently.

"Ain't gettin' this back Greene."

"No takebacks?"

He had to look away from her, his chest was starting to ache, must be wolfing the hamburger gravy down too quickly or something. "No takebacks." He echoed, blowing a huffing breath through his nose.

"So, is there..." She hesitated a bit, making him glance at her again. Ignoring the way the harsh overhead lights highlighted the lightest strands of blonde in her hair, how it made her pale skin marble-like. "Is there any word on Auri?"

He swallowed his most recent bite, running a procrastinating tongue quickly across his lips. He shouldn't be depending on her so much when it came to the little kit, it wasn't her responsibility to worry about what was going on. But he was eating food she'd brought him so he shelfed his guilt for now.

"Sayin' ain't gonna be 'til next week 'fore they have the results." He tried not to feel overly justified at the sound of her indignant gasp, but it was pretty difficult.

"Are they crazy ?" She hissed, leaning forward and lowering her voice. She'd turned completely towards him, long legs almost bumping her knees into his thigh, one arm laying along the backrest of her chair the other on the table. "Isn't that supposed to be one of the tests they can run in like two seconds?"

"Don' know, thinkin' all those shows lied to us." His muttering was followed by scraping noises as he swiped every gravy filled corner from the tupperware and took the last bite.

Without thinking too much about it or flicking another glance her way, he hopped up and only returned when the bowl was totally rinsed and dried, the spoon too. He wasn't sure what proper etiquette was for this kind of thing, but figured it wouldn't hurt his chances of it continuing by doing it this way.

Taking his seat, he slid the plastic ware her way, snatching up the roll he split it and handed her half, still keeping his face averted when she plucked it from his grasp.

"Well." She'd gone back to uncertain, and he moved his current bite from one set of molars to the other, brows furrowed. Girl wasn't usually hard to read, but he wasn't real accustomed at a lot of social cues and was trying to figure out where this new hesitancy was coming from. "You'll be sure to tell me right? When you do find out?"

He gulped down the bread and turned his head to look at her, she was digging a fingernail into the textured plastic table top, large eyes pensive and a sweet spring blue that dragged at him.

"I mean I know you'll have a bunch of others to tell first but..." He watched her fingers clench a little, effectively stopping her fidgeting. "If I gave you my number could you, would you text or call me when you find out?"

And now she looked up to see him staring at her, he nodded a moment before the silence would have become super fuckin' awkward, and she smiled in obvious relief. His nerves thrummed oddly, she wasn't wanting to go on a goddamn date or something, but he had to admit the thing that was making his pulse trip around along his wrists was the unprecedented mix of excitement that came with his usual social anxiety.

It didn't really matter the reason, he'd have her number, she'd have his, did work friends have each other’s numbers? Yeah, most of the guys from the garage had his, him and Carol had exchanged numbers after she'd confided what a piece of shit car she was rolling her and her kid around in. He'd picked her up a couple times because of it, spent countless hours under the hood.

So this was not a big deal, nothing to get wound up about, if only his heartbeat would get out of his ear canals. She was looking at him in that same expectant way like she had been while she waited for him to take a bite.

"Promise I won't harass you." He narrowed his eyes a little at her tone, she thought his lack of movement was because he wasn't entirely comfortable with her having a way to get a hold of him. Well better that then him looking overeager he supposed.

Still, something didn't sit right in his full stomach, the idea of her thinking he didn't want much other to do with her, other than a welcome meal. So instead of handing over his phone he motioned for her to hand over hers, which she did with only a little confusion. Unlocking the device, and tapping a few things on the screen she passed it over to him.

Christ .

His blunt fingers pecked sporadically at the lit screen, muttering obscenities under his breath every time he messed up and had to erase. Finally, he got his number put in and returned it to its grinning owner. Fishing out his own phone and glowering at her breathy snicker, he gave a neck jerking up-nod.

"Better check if I did that right." He grumbled, feeling his ears heat, felt like he was some lovesick high school pup.

He kept reminding himself that there was no way in hell anything was going to be happening with her, too young, too pretty, too sweet, too everything, just too damn much and he wasn't at a good place to deal with that shit regardless.

His phone lit up with a little rumble and he flipped it open to click into the messages.

- It's Beth :)

He smiled a little to himself at the perky little face on his screen before replying.

- Who?

He didn’t dodge in time to avoid a light smack on his bicep.

- Smartass

- Har-ass-er

He felt overly proud of himself for thinking of the dashes and that feeling only swelled when she laughed in a soft bubbling way. Looking at his phone though he realized he was about to go over on his lunch.

"Time to head back." He sighed, hoping she'd figure he was resigned about heading back to the garage and not about leaving her.

"Crap! I'm gonna be late again!" She squeaked, scooping up the tupperware, running to the fridge and quickly shoving the plastic dish inside her lunch bag, before pelting out of the breakroom with a hollered bye over her shoulder.

He sat a little awed for a moment, a puff of a breath left him like a laugh, and he climbed to his own feet to head to the time clock. He was punching at the clock in button when it hit him. He didn't actually have anyone to tell. The only people that knew about the baby were Rick, Tara, and Beth.

He'd have to tell Merle eventually, his brother was due to get out sometime by the end of the year. But his old man (who he wouldn't have told anyways) was dead (thank god) and he didn't have any family otherwise. None of the guys he worked with or Carol knew, and he wasn't sure he'd want to tell them until he had a good handle on things.

So hours later, when he was making his way out of the store, passed Beth at one of the front registers and she made the sign to call her at him, he gave her a fleeting half grin he wasn't able to contain and nodded.

His life had gotten real fuckin' weird real fuckin' fast.

He spent most of the weekend at the hospital, taking small breaks to head home and shower, eat, and begin cleaning out the spare room. Worst case scenario he'd just have to haul it all back in after a couple days. He was finishing this up on Monday when his phone began buzzing in his pocket.

"Yeah?" He answered distractedly, surveying the state the carpet was in now that he'd pulled everything out of the way. He was gonna have to fuckin' shampoo this shit after he vacuumed, did he even own a damn vacuum?

Jesus Christ, he was going to have to deep clean his whole shitty cabin.

Maybe Beth would help him, he could buy her pizza, everyone loved pizza.

"Hey Daryl, it’s Rick." His whole body tensed and he had to carefully unclench the grip on his phone when he heard the plastic creak.

"Hey, what's goin' on?"

Had the sheriff found out who the woman was? Did she have family? Were they going to take Auri? Did he have time to hold her one more time before they did?

"Nothin' with the case, nobody at the bar can either remember her, or didn’t know who she was." Daryl's breath rushed from his chest and from the slight static it caused he was sure the other man had heard it too. There was a slight pause while he tried to get himself under control once more. "I'm calling because the lab finally sent those results in, was wondering if you could meet me at the hospital."

She's not mine.

The sudden certainty smacked into him like a sledgehammer and he had to blink away hard from the bag full of black and pink clothing that lay in one almost clean corner of the room.

"Can't ya jus' tell me now?" His voice came out in a rasp, and he hunched his shoulders at the sudden chill in his gut.

"Just get to the hospital Daryl." Rick groused slightly before the line went dead and Daryl stood motionless, silent phone still pressed to his ear.

Slowly he flipped the phone shut, walking dazedly from the house, doubling back when he realized he'd forgotten his wallet, doubling back again because he'd forgotten his keys. It wasn't until he pulled into the store's parking lot that he figured out why he wasn't headed in the direction of the hospital like he'd been told to do.

He couldn't do this alone.

He barely knew Beth, knew it was embarrassing to have to ask someone he'd barely met to go with him for something this important. But he couldn't ask Carol or one of the guys, that would mean explaining the situation, and he just didn't have that in him right now.

He didn't even know for sure if she was in there right now, hadn't thought to text her beforehand to check, well he was here now, might as well take a quick look. Exiting his truck and taking long agitated steps across the parking lot's asphalt, he paused after making it through the front entryway and looked almost sightlessly around.

It took her waving at him for his eyes to snap into focus, pinning to her instantly, distantly grateful when he saw she had no line of customers. He was swallowing like mad, hands clenching and releasing with each step towards her he took, unable to meet her eyes even when he got right in front of her, going around to the backside of her register making her turn in a circle to follow him.

"Need ya t'come with me." He said lowly, gaze darting around the floor and her closed cash drawer, anywhere but her face.

"What's happened?" She asked immediately and he finally met her searching look with his, she was leaning in closer to him and he felt her warmth like a hot bath and it made him quietly sigh out some of the tension in his back.

"Sheriff called, says they got the results in from the lab, wants me at the hospital." He didn't tell her how freaked out he was, how he knew the baby wasn't his. “Ain’t got nobody t’go with me.”

He didn’t really mean that last part to come out, didn’t want her to know, didn’t want her to think that was the only reason he was asking. But she only nodded to him quickly after looking about as shocked as he’d ever seen someone get, the largeness of her eyes all the more prominent when she widened them in surprise.

Without a word she spun and flicked off the light to her register, tapped some keys quickly on the touch screen, and spinning back – scooted passed him while placing non-shaking hands on his bare arms to make it by. He couldn’t do more than watch as she scurried over to one of the floor managers who was chatting with a customer service associate. The guy’s heavily bearded face switched to instant concern as Beth approached him at a near run.

Daryl didn’t know what she said but the man nodded to whatever she told him and waved rapidly towards the front end time clock, obviously giving his permission for her to leave. Daryl watched her do that before starting to walk hurriedly for the doors, hearing as her shoes slapped noisily on the linoleum flooring while she sped to keep up with him.

“You ok to drive?” She asked seriously, keeping her voice quiet as they dodged people coming into the store.

“Didn’ take m’bike, should be fine.” He muttered back, catching her confused look as she gazed at him in concern.

His speech was clipped and gruff, she was probably wondering if she were about to ride somewhere with a total nut job. He realized, kind of belatedly, that this was going to be the first time they ever went somewhere together after only talking to one another a handful of times over the past week. Girl was too nice by half. He sure hoped, in the middle of his whirling emotions, that he was the worst person she ever tried to befriend.

“Got a motorcycle too.” He decided to clarify feeling the leather of his vest heavy on his back, and decided to start working on the speed of his breathing. He really didn’t want to either wreck with her, or have her worried he was taking her somewhere to murder her so he finally added. “Migh’be better if you drive.”

“Ok.” She agreed easily, as she reached into a khaki colored pocket and pulled out a clinking set of keys. “C’mon.” Even though he saw her begin the motion, he still felt startled when she reached down and clasped his wrist with long sure fingers, and began jogging towards the employee parking.

It was like she was keeping him tethered, but not only to herself, and even as he felt a little ridiculous, clunking along in his heavy work boots – his hair flipping every which way, getting in his eyes. He felt a surging gratefulness because he felt like running, like sprinting, to do whatever he had to so that this suspense could end. But there was no way he’d have been able to, not on his own, not without her giving him the excuse of being pulled along behind her.

Getting into her half a SUV, he was instantly happy with his decision to go along with her offer, his mind was slinging around a hundred dark corridors and the chances of his reaction time being good was next to nil. Their town only had the one hospital so he didn’t bother telling her where to go and she didn’t ask, only reaching over after they’d gotten started and switching off whatever was coming out of the radio.

The trip was quick and forever, Daryl waited with everything in him just to stop from leaping out of the car before it had come to a complete stop. And again, when he made it around the back of the vehicle she was there, and this time when she grabbed onto him, she laced their fingers. Daryl looked down at them, their interlocking digits, and wondered if this girl had some kind of power over his body, or if it was just how freaked out over Auri he was.

Either way, as she trotted ahead of him, ponytail swinging like bright pulled taffy, he was able to curl his fingers around her hand without feeling like a nail gun was shooting into each of his nerve endings. She sped walked them through the lobby, hopped into the nearest elevator, and hit the right floor number for the NICU.

He was looking at her, shouldn’t be, except he felt like he was going to have some kind of hipster panic attack and was trying desperately to stay focused on something other than the way his lungs were cinching up like mad in his chest or the rotting ball of flesh his stomach had become.

Beth watched the numbers tick up on the lighted display until his staring seemed to finally register and she blinked clear blue eyes at him. She pinched her brows and smiled as encouragingly as she could, but she probably knew the same thing that he did.

Auri wasn’t his.

He’d have to pay Beth back for those outfits…had he kept the receipt he thought so but –

“I know where the NICU is because when my friend Amy had her little boy, he was jaundiced and they kept him for a little while and I visited.” He had a hard time stringing her words together into making any kind of sense, but was able to nod finally when it cobbled itself together. “And I know this is probably the worst time to bring it up, but I’m plannin’ a baby shower for Auri.”

That brought him back from his out of body experience like a sledgehammer to the foot.

“Beth-” He started, shaking his head, fingers doing a quick spasm against her hand.

She squeezed right back, already talking over him.

“No, now I don’t want any arguments from you Daryl Dixon, it ain’t for you it’s for Auri. She deserves to have people fussin’ over her and gettin’ her ridiculous outfits you’ll hate.” She was smiling a little tremulously now, it was hitting him like a hot wind. “I’ll do all of it don’t you worry about a thing. Already got the place, figured our farm would be nice and open, lookin’ at decorations-” She bumped him with a small elbow. “The food, mama loves feedin’ everybody an’ if ya want I can make those stuffed shells ya liked.”

He was having a stroke, he’d thought it was a panic attack, but obviously he was hallucinating now. Did you hallucinate when stroking? Who the fuck could tell him what the symptoms and side effects were of that shit? Her accent was kicking up thick, and she was sounding more and more like some social southern belle.

Not in a snobbish or vapid way, just like she knew what she was doing and wasn’t going to be taking any of his sass. Very distantly he realized what her nervous rambling was for. She was looking at him like she thought he was going to pass out. And considering the white haze along the ridges of his sight, she may actually be onto something.

“Ain’t got anyone to invite.”

The fuck was wrong with his voice? He sounded like one of them robot drones. Her eyes flashed with something he couldn’t quite catch, didn’t look like pity, or disgust, not even sadness. He wasn’t sure he’d have recognized it if he had gotten a better look. She placed a cool hand along his forearm, the hand that was in his pressing tight enough to grind his bones, and he just wanted to hold on harder.

“Sure ya do, showers aren’t just for girls ta’show up to anymore Daryl, I bet the guys from the auto center would come, and ya seemed friendly with Carol? And anyway.” She continued, as the doors opened and she tugged him through them. “I told ya not to worry about anythin’ didn’t I?”

“I don’t think she’s mine.” He blurted suddenly, boots adhering to the tiled floor, making her whiplash back into him with his sudden stop.

She teetered, a hand going to his chest for balance, and their eyes met as he shuffled uncomfortably. Not from her touch or his words, but from the fact that at the end of the hallway, they’d be waiting for him, to tell him what he knew, and he desperately did not want to hear it.

“She is .”

Beth spoke without any kind of hesitation, her hand moving to grip the leather of his vest, he felt chilled knuckles along his ribcage and had a fleeting concern about her circulation. But she was talking like she was good pals with the sheriff and had already been told the results before Daryl had even tracked her down. Her certainty almost scared him more, because he wanted to believe it so much.

“Don’ know that.” He was shaking his head, teeth making the inside of his cheek bleed, eyes pulling from hers and skittering around the walls and mismatching tones of the floor.

“ She is .” Beth gave his arm and vest a tug, pulling his gaze back to hers. “An’ when they tell ya she is, you’re gonna let me do that baby shower for her, you’re gonna show up, an’ everything’s gonna be just fine .” He watched the fluorescent lights run sparks along the different shades of her eyes, taking a steadier breath he finally nodded.

Returning the gesture, she pulled him into motion again and they made their way steadily down the long hall. He desperately wanted a smoke, his skin was twitching and crawling along his bones. He noticed distractedly that none of the nurses were at the station, and then he was passing into the room feeling Beth’s hand release his. He almost stalled out but then she was pressing against his back, fingers splayed as she lent her support, he was being a fuckin’ pussy, wasn’t like they could both pass through the doorway –

He came to a tripping halt when he’d made it all the way into the room and saw a cluster of faces, Rick and Tara among them, and behind them – above Auri’s incubator – stretched across the wall a white banner with red block letters.

“ YOU’RE THE DADDY! ”    

The breath died in his chest about the time he heard Beth’s gasp behind him. He couldn’t move, couldn’t get a lungful of air, couldn’t even blink away from those bright red letters. His heart took several beats too fast and then one far too slow, and instead of white his vision got ringed in black.

“Tara was tellin’ me how you’ve been all but livin’ here the past week.” That was Rick, voice getting closer, but Daryl’s eyes were still locked in place. “Figured you and the kid deserved a little more than just a phone call.”

It took the man being right in front of him for Daryl to jerk his gaze away and land on the smiling face of the sheriff. He took in the slightly haggard looking scruff, eyes that looked weary but pleased, before a hand was clapping him on the shoulder. Finally getting air back into the right organ, Daryl blinked in confusion at the hand offered him, before dazedly shaking it.

“Congratulations man.” Rick said quietly, and Daryl was a little surprised at how genuine the man sounded, he didn’t think there were too many people that would sound that happy about another Dixon officially being added to society.

He felt more than heard the movement behind him, barely contained energy that knocked along his senses. Turning, he immediately staggered under the projected weight of flying blonde, whoofing out his recently reacquired oxygen.

“ Congratulations! ” She squealed in delight, arms vising around his neck, shorter body towing him down as she lifted off the ground slightly in her excitement. His arms banded around her back on reflex, trying to keep them both upright, breath huffing out in something that felt choked for more internal than external reasons.

She released him just as quickly, beaming up at him, hands slipping down to squeeze his bared arms as he blinked dumbly down at her. Her grin was wavering, and he realized with mortification that it wasn’t her smile faltering but the moisture swamping his eyesight.

Taking a slight step back with a bobbing head he blinked hard as he could, before looking back to Rick, whose gaze was skipping back and forth from Daryl to Beth. He made a motion to the woman next to him but couldn’t think of what to say.

“Hi! I’m Beth.” Girl was a fucking godsend. “I’m a friend of Daryl’s from work.” And she reached out easy to shake Rick’s hand, the man smiling fully in return as he took it.

“Great to meet you Beth, good of you to come with him.”

“Happy to, would you like to come to the shower I’m throwin’ for Aurora?” She asked without missing a beat, gesturing towards the baby’s incubator, and Daryl’s eyes snapped to her as she continued cheerfully to Tara and the other nurses who watched her with amused smiles. “You’re all invited to come of course, it’s gonna be at the Greene farm.”

“Girl-”

“Eh!” She stopped him with an upraised hand, smile turning mischievous. “We already agreed mister, no welshing or takebacks .”

He was about to mutter to her that the fuckin’ sheriff was not going to be caught dead – or otherwise – at any kind of get together involving a Dixon. Not even being able to touch on the fact that besides Tara, he didn’t hardly know the handful of nurses in the room. But then Rick was speaking up, and Daryl had to wonder if he actually had stroked out earlier like he’d thought.

“Ya know Beth, I’d love to.” The smile only widened when Daryl’s eyes cut to him in a glare. “I think that sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it everybody?”

There were a few chuckles and agreeing words and nods as all of them filed passed him, offering murmured congratulations, Tara punching him soundly in the arm when she reached him. He flinched but only slightly, that feeling of unease flooding him, but he squashed it down – Tara had done alright by him. She wasn’t some fuckin’ threat his body needed to prepare against.

And if it were getting all jumpy, what about the damn blonde that had been touching him almost nonstop since they’d been in the same vicinity? The very thought of Beth had his body relaxing, and he cast a quick glance her way to see her in quiet discussion with Rick.

“Dude I’m so happy for you.” He looked back to a smiling Tara and was able to dip his head in a nod. “She’s got at least a couple more weeks in here but then you’ll get to take her home.” Another nod, eyes flicking over to where the banner and baby were. “You freakin’ out hard core yet?”

He met her eyes freezing, because fuck yeah he was, but the nurse just gave him a knowing smile and he felt his chest loosen.

“Kinda feel like chain smokin’ an’ gettin’ shit faced drunk.” He confessed quietly, easing more when she smiled broadly at him.

“Gonna be honest with you, if you didn’t feel that way I’d be way more concerned.” She confided, smile still in place at his obvious anxiety. “Nice name for the baby by the way” She clapped him on the shoulder with about the same enthusiastic force as Rick had, and left to get back to work.

“Alright Beth, you got my information, you be sure to let me know when this shindig for Aurora is gonna happen.” Rick was saying, grinning at Daryl, not even trying to hide the enjoyment he was getting out of the other man’s discomfort.

Fuckin’ jackass.

He watched as the sheriff walked out the door before stopping suddenly and doubling back, grabbing the doorjamb and leaning back into the room he added.

“And go ahead and give that number to Daryl.” Daryl looked at him quizzically while Beth nodded. “You call me if you need’a grab a beer or somethin’ some time alright?”

Rick didn’t even wait for a reply, not that he was going to get one, Daryl was too busy feeling like he’d lost all traction on the way he knew his world to be. His eyes lighted finally on Beth who was watching him steadily, small smile ticking at the corners of a lightly colored pink mouth.

“Gonna introduce me to your daughter?”

Daughter

No more if – she was his .       

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Thursday, June 15 th – Sunday, June 18 th

Beth held in a sigh as she pressed her phone to her ear, a headache tickling along her hairline as she listened to the voice on the other end before responding.

"No Maggie, I do not think it is a good idea to sleep with your boss."

She rolled her eyes as her sister was responding, staring out her bedroom window, tracking her daddy's steady movement out to the barn. She felt tired yet successful, watching his stiff- backed half march across the short grass. She'd had to talk until she was near blue in the face, but she'd done it, they'd be having the baby shower here.

It'd been a bit of a rollercoaster ride to begin with, at first it wasn't a problem, she wanted to host a party? Her parents thought that was a great idea considering she'd turned into a bit of a hermit compared to what she'd been like in high school before 'the incident'. It was a friend from work? Even better, she was making new friends that was great! So who was the girl?

Yeah everything went downhill a bit at that point.

"No Maggie, I mean ever ." She sighed after a minute. "Maggs, ever means ever, like forever, or never."

As her sister went on, Beth's mind wandered back to the 'discussion' she'd had with her parents.

They'd been, uncomfortable, with the idea of her – one being friends with an older man who had a baby out of wedlock and who in fact hadn't known if said baby was his until recently. It didn’t help that the mother was either gone or passed. And two – that Beth herself seemed to be taking so much interest.

She could hear her daddy’s voice, trying to walk the steady line between reasonable and authoritative.  

"Doodlebug, you know I trust you." He’d said in a placating way when she'd crossed her arms across herself defensively. "But I can't say I much like the idea of you getting involved with a man like this Daryl."

"Daddy, I'm not involved with him." She'd answered as calmly as she could, feeling her cheeks heat with her mother's raised eyebrows.

She hadn't hidden the fact that yes, Daryl was the man who'd she'd found attractive and had been sharing lunch times with. Nothing much good had come from hiding things from her parents in the past, in fact bad bad things had happened because of it. So unless it was something her siblings didn't want shared, Beth tended to be as brutally honest as she could. It could make things awkward, but also, it had made it so her parents didn't second guess her nearly as much.

Not to mention, she hadn’t come close again to the bad thing.

"Is that because of him or you?" Her mama had asked, mouth looking like it wasn't sure if it wanted to frown or smile.

"It's because it's been a week, I don't know what I feel about him besides thinkin' he's cute," Her cheeks prickled with more heat as her daddy's lips curled farther down. "And yeah, he's been really worried about Auri and everything that's been goin' on. And for all I know he only sees me as barely tolerable ."

"Don't Austen me honey, he took you with him to the hospital didn’t he?" Beth could tell her mama was having an easier time with this than daddy was, her eyes twinkling at her daughter's discomfort.

"He doesn't..." She'd felt the whole house hold its breath with her pause, it wasn't her secret to tell, and if it wasn't a secret that he hadn't had anyone else to go with him, it still felt incredibly private. But it had seemed at the time like the only way her parents might understand, was to tell them all she could. "He didn't have anyone else. To go with him, he looked..."

Terrified, desperate, resigned - like he hadn't expected her to go with him. And as soon as she'd seen that look, there was no way she could do anything but get to Jesus and tell him there was a family emergency and that she needed to go. She remembered jogging after him, winged back hunched and tense, face uncharacteristically pale when she caught up and took a good look at him.

"But Bethy, what does that say about him?" Her dad had continued, obviously doing his best to sound nonjudgmental while seeming to immediately dive into judgement. "That he has no friends or family other than a young lady he's known for only a week?"

She'd taken a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and made sure to keep eye contact while giving him her answer, knowing how important it was that he believe and listen to what she was about to say. Daddy wasn’t like a lot of the parishioners she’d grown up knowing and disliking, he took his faith seriously, but he more often favored mercy than punishment. If he’d met Daryl instead of his 18 year old daughter, Beth was certain he’d have been more understanding.

As it was, he was in full protection mode, like him not agreeing to let the shower happen here would decide on any kind of relationship she thought of having with Daryl, this of course was not the case but she knew she couldn’t come out and say that.  

"I think it says he's had a hard life, that he's maybe made some mistakes. But daddy, what does it say that he was there at the hospital? He wasn’t shirkin’ his responsibilities soon as he actually knew he had them.” She watched as her parents exchanged a quick glance, uncertainty on their faces as she continued. “Didn’t try signin’ his rights away, or what about the fact that one of the nurses watchin' Auri said he'd been all but livin' there since he found out about her? The sheriff was even there, they hung up a dang banner for him for cripes sake."

Hershel sighed heavily at whatever tone he heard in her voice, or whatever expression her face held. She hoped desperately that it was one of defeat, and that he wasn’t about to go into a lengthy speech about morality. Honestly, she didn’t know why she was pushing so hard for this to happen, part of her felt like if she could get them all comfortable with one another it could only help things go easier down the road – if anything went further with Daryl.

But also, she knew she’d been blessed with her family, she had the world’s most amazing support system, and maybe if everyone just got passed their initial misgivings – it had the chance of being Daryl’s support system too. She had to try anything she could to encourage that to happen, he was a good guy, good guys deserved a break every now and then.

Plus, she couldn’t help wanting to share some part of herself with him, even if things never went any further between them.

"An' you didn' see his face,” she’d continued at last quietly, almost to herself “when he asked me to go with him, or when he found out he was a dad."

Her throat had closed tightly, even now listening to Maggie prattle on about Negan's amazing smile, Beth felt a phantom constriction thinking about it. She hadn't told them about him introducing Auri to her, how he'd muttered to the baby so low Beth could barely hear - "told ya about her" how rough his voice had gotten when he'd recited every measurement Auri had ever had.

She had also kept it to herself about the times she saw him scrub at his face when he thought she wasn't paying him any attention, how reluctant he'd been to leave as the day had stretched into night.

She came back to the present with a deep inhale, praying for patience yet again while dealing with this subject. It had seemed like Maggie could talk about little else since she’d gone back to Atlanta, and Beth was constantly having the feeling of talking her older sister off the proverbial ledge when it came to the topic.

"Yeah Mag, I'm still here, still not gonna agree with you puttin' the moves on this guy. No I don't think it'd help if I met him...No I don't want to meet him. Fine . Fine! I'll come to the stupid party, but Margarete so help me if I do meet him an' he's some slick haired politician who's a blatant womanizing jerkface you'll never hear the end of it, deal? Yeah, those are my terms."

Hanging up with Maggie, Beth looked down at her phone, lips pursed and tugging. It'd been a few days since she'd seen Daryl. Had kind of hoped he'd reach out, but radio silence was very much a thing between them right now. But maybe, maybe he didn't want to bother her, after all she'd given him her number so he would be able to get in touch with her about Auri.

It was just after five, she rocked onto her toes and back considering, calling seemed - intimidating. Text. Texting was less intrusive. She needed to tell him they were good to go for the shower he didn't want to have, ask him if there was any way he could get the 24th off of work in order to go to the shower he didn't want to have.

A lot of the people she was asking, friends who wouldn't mind coming, all had the weekends off, she had the all clear from Mr. Grimes, Rick , and Tara with a couple of the other nurses and Tara's girlfriend Denise were able to make that date. She hadn't asked anyone from work yet, because she didn't know who all Daryl had gotten around to telling.

Well, he was going to need to jump on it, she had cupcakes to order and games to plan, dragging feet were not welcome when a party needed to be put together. Breathing out slowly she pulled up her texts and typed his name into the new message field before working out the note she wanted to send.

- Hey :) Just thought I'd let you know we're all set for having the shower out at the farm, and was wondering if there was any way for you to get off for it on the 24th? Hope your week's goin good.

She then proceeded to stare at the lit screen for several moments before tapping her thumb onto the send button, quickly like it might shock her when she did. The staring continued as she waited for a reply, huffing out a breath after a few minutes passed. Of course he wasn't just waiting by his phone, and considering she was kind of brow beating him into this, she'd probably be lucky to get a response – ever .

She was dropping the hand holding the phone when it vibrated in her grip making her gasp and promptly drop it on the floor. Blushing, she stooped to pluck it from her shaggy pink rug, and swiped at the screen with her heart beating in her mouth.

- we still doin that?

She grimaced at the small string of words, wide eyes narrowing, he better not be trying to back out, not after the vocal olympics she'd went through with her parents and the coordinating of all those schedules. To best convey her displeasure she smashed one key several times before sending.

- .............

She watched the screen avidly, hand on hip, eyebrow cocked up and waiting. They'd had a deal dang it, and ok sure, she'd kind of gotten him to agree while he was half out of his mind with stress...but that was beside the point. There was no way the man was going to accept people just giving him things for his baby, she could just tell he was the kind that took kindness as unwanted charity. But a baby shower, that was a widely known and accepted social tradition, and the stuff was for Auri...not to mention it was a chance for the two of them to hang out outside of work...

She’d added nearly five or more things to her internal list on him just by seeing him the day he found out Auri was his, everything from:

- Likes sleeveless shirts.

- Wears a leather vest with wings.

To:

- Has people that see the goodness in him.

- Feels emotion strongly but hides it.

Her buzzing phone brought her back to the current conversation as hastily typed responses popped up one after another.

- fine

- yeah

- should be able to get it off

Her mouth tugged up at the quick succession of messages, like he was worried or anxious, either about the event or about sounding like he was being a jerk.

- Great :D

She stepped back until she could lie down on her bed, eyes watching the ceiling, slightly unfocused. She'd have to get after him soon about telling people he was familiar with to be there, ones he knew from work, maybe lightly broach the subject of family... Another vibration got her attention swiftly back to the glow of her screen.

- crazy girl

The smile that spread across her face felt like the first warm rays of sunlight during summer in her chest as she tapped back her reply.

- I prefer determined, ya know, motivated. Sounds nicer.

She didn't have long to wait for the reply.

- yer nuts - that better?

- You better watch it Dixon, crazy makes you crazy, seems to me you're pressing your luck.

- think I'll take my chances Greene

Beth's heart did a funny little stutter, and she rolled to her side, eyes haloed as they looked at the text. Of course it didn't mean anything, not really, just that he wasn't planning on going anywhere, which was a totally normal friend thing to say.

- Good news :) you having a good week?

The last one was fishing she knew, had barely seen him at the beginning of the week a few days back on Monday, but didn't feel like quite giving up on talking with him yet. There was a longer pause, and her eyelids fell a little – figuring he’d hit his social quota and was done – that was until her phone lit up and began buzzing repeatedly.

Daryl's name across the screen.

Holy Moses.

Swallowing hard she slid her finger across the glowing expanse, and hesitantly placed it to her ear. Hoping the pulse would die down in her ears so she'd actually be able to hear him.

"Hey."

She bit her lip over her stupid breathy voice, acutely aware that she had never sounded like that while talking to any of her other friends. There was a noise like tires rolling on loose gravel as he cleared his throat.

"Hey." She wasn't sure if she was supposed to talk next or not, feeling a small amount of panic the longer the other end of the line stayed quiet. "Sorry t'call." He muttered, clearly far more uncomfortable than she could ever think about being. "Don' like typin' much." He sounded a little embarrassed with the admission, which somehow made her even happier that instead of giving up on the conversation he'd chosen to call her.

"Seemed like you were doin' just fine." She cajoled brightly, drawing her knees closer to her chest.

"Damn buttons are too small." He grumbled, and she tried not to let him hear the laugh that puffed between her lips at his sulking tone.

"Might need to be lookin' into a new phone, ya know, one that came out later than the early 2000's there Daryl." Her smile wasn't in danger of going anywhere when she heard his small sound of derision on the other end of the line. "Well, it's either that or get smaller hands."

"Hell's wrong with my hands?" He questioned, tone light through the inquiry.

"Ain't nothin' wrong with 'em, they're great." Her face blushed furiously, both thinking about his broad fingers and thick knuckles, not to mention him hearing that she'd noticed them and approved. "Just sayin' if you ever hope not ta'struggle every time you message."

"Don' really use it much." He reasoned good naturedly, and she found herself shutting her eyes to better focus on the sound of his rough voice coming through the line. "Don' text a lot of people."

"Ya text me."

"Hmm, ain't plannin' on makin' that a habit." She mock gasped in indignation, imagining his twitching lips while she did.

"It's not just that, you ass ." She all but whispered the last hoping no one was listening on her end, feeling the closed door at her back like a chilled breeze. "They do a lot of stuff now, you could use it to take pictures and video of Auri."

"Can do that now."

"Good pictures Daryl, where she won't end up lookin' like modern art." She shot back, enjoying their banter, and the sound of him, even if it was limited.

"Wouldn' want that." He drawled, and the smile pulled harder at her cheeks.

"So...your week's been ok?" She didn't care if she had to resort to small talk to keep him on the line. She'd gladly talk about the weather or cars, anything, even if she knew the topic or not, anything in order to have him on the phone with her.

"Been alrigh'." He hedged, and her eyes scrunched tighter shut at the tone in his voice.

"What's goin' on?"

"Nothin'." He answered too quickly and she opened her eyes just to glare at her far wall.

"Daryl Dixon."

"Ain't nothin' woman. No need for ya t' be full namin' me over it anyway." He sassed back at her, and an odd pang shot through her ribcage.

"Wouldn't have to if ya'd just tell me, maybe I could help." She offered, feeling nervous, skin tingling.

She had the sudden desire to pull her comforter over her bare arms and legs, like the extra layer of fabric would lessen the sudden feeling of vulnerability. There was a slightly longer pause before his voice came over sounding somehow clearer, like he'd moved the receiver closer to his mouth, wasn't as nervous as he teased.

"Maybe m'just hungry Greene, ain't had ya around keepin' me fed." A grin slipped back across her lips and she had to clench her teeth to keep herself from offering to bring him food any time he wanted, wherever he wanted.

"Haven't learned how to feed yourself yet Daryl?" She teased back, and now did take steps to wiggle under the blankets, cocooning into the warmth and extra layer of insulation that helped to make his voice sound even closer.

"Not as good." He answered lowly, almost to himself, and Beth shivered, feeling a little guilty for the reaction. Like if he knew the way she was rubbing her thighs together right now, he'd never speak to her again - let alone call her. "Nah, s'just gettin' stuff ready for the lil' kit, for Auri, got another job -"

"Daryl, two jobs? You're gonna wear yourself out." She was chewing at the inside of her cheek, it wasn't her place to scold him, but she couldn't seem to stop herself.

"Don't nag me girl, ain't nothin' I can't handle." He snapped, but there wasn't much heat to it, not enough to hurt her feelings even, but it must have worried him. "Look, s'fine alrigh'? Jus' some part time shit at that pizza place on thirteenth."

"Rhee's?" The small restaurant had only been open for a couple years and had already managed to run a couple of the other pizza places out of business.

"Yeah." He sounded embarrassed again, and she wished they were together for this conversation so she could grab his hand, or at least see his face, have him see hers.

"Oh that's a nice place, what'll you be doin' for 'em?" She put an uptick to her positivity, trying to counterbalance his sudden down shift.

"Cookin'." He grumbled, half muffled, and she had the sudden image of him with his teeth working his thumb.

"Does this mean I get free slices if I come visit ya?" She heard him make that same scoffing noise and breathed in relief.

"Ya gotta work for it if I do." She half choked on the images of the things she'd be willing to work on to earn anything involving him.

She should not be talking to him while lying in bed.

Ever.

"Oh yeah, what's it gonna cost me?" Her voice must have been a little huskier than she'd intended, words trying to work through all that sudden dryness, his response was a little slow in coming.

"Was wonderin'...got a'lot a’ stuff t' do 'fore Auri gets outta the hospital." He was half mumbling again, and she stopped her breathing to make sure she didn't miss whatever he was about to say. "Would'ya help me get m'place ready? Be my turn t'feed ya."

She whooshed out the air that had been trapped in her lungs, mouth trapped somewhere between slack jawed surprise and the widest smile her lips could stretch into.

"Yeah!" Ease up Greene, goodness that was way too eager. "I'd be happy to Daryl."

"Yeah?"

He sounded borderline uncertain, which was insane considering how ridiculously excited her tone had been. The man was too sweet, or too shy at least, Beth would never understand how he ended up with a kid he hadn't known was his. Couldn't imagine him talking to anyone long enough to get to that point.

"Yeah. Really." She reiterated, working to sound as genuine and sure as she felt.

"Kay then." He sounded better now, relieved as he continued. "All the pizza you can eat."

"Don't you make promises you can't keep Dixon." She teased, nearly ecstatic, trying to calm herself down without success.

"Roll ya outta here m'self if I have to Greene." He answered back easily. "Sunday ok for you?"

She did a quick run through in her mind, Sunday was Father's Day, she doubted Daryl would even realize this. Her family had plans to cook out and have daddy open presents starting at around four. That should give them a good chunk of time if he were willing to start early enough...

Did Daryl even know he should be celebrating Father's Day?

Was there anyone that would be getting him anything for his first Father's Day?

There was now.

"Sunday works for me, long as we can start early." She answered quickly, making plans to get on the internet and order things for him as soon as they got off the phone, thanking god for 24 hour delivery.

What did she know about Daryl Dixon? She'd have to consult her list.

"Eight work for ya?" He asked after a moment.

"Works great." She was getting excited again, impatient for the day already. "See you then."

"Yeah, 'less I see ya before." She was losing her mind, he did not sound hopeful, that was adrenaline.

"Yeah, hopefully." She knew she didn't have any of the same shifts as him, but if she could work it right she may be able to check in on him during a break or something...

"Alrigh' well I better let ya go." Her hallucinations continued as he sounded reluctant to do anything like that.

"Yeah...yeah I guess so." She swallowed hard, clenching her eyes and then again tighter, making sparks appear. "But uh, ya know Daryl you can call me whenever."

"Yeah?"

Was that hopeful or wary?

"Yeah! I mean if ya get bored or whatever." She was the most awkward thing alive.

"Alrigh'." She wished desperately she could see his face. "Night Greene."

"Goodnight."

The line went dead with a beep and she pulled the phone back to look at her lock screen. She hadn't lied to her parents. She was not involved with Daryl Dixon.

She just wanted to be.

She had zero luck getting to see him the next couple of days, only silver lining to this being the fact that he seemed nearly as dejected about it as she did. They’d tried to catch one another through text but could never seem to match up any of their breaks or lunches. Part of her thought this might be for the best, she’d been able to get everything she’d picked out for his first Father’s Day, and was a little jittery about giving it to him on Sunday.

She got the feeling, even though he’d never come out and said it, that Daryl had a very set idea on boundaries. Or maybe it was just the wall he’d erected around himself was so layered and well-constructed that he didn’t like anyone scratching at its pristine surface. She’d been so excited while clicking through the items online…not that their theme was terribly varied considering what she knew about him, but it was better than nothing.

The night before Father’s Day she baked two cakes. One for daddy – and one for Daryl. She carefully ignored any curious or knowing glances from either of her parents. The entire time she worked she was muttering insults to the jack rabbits hopping through her guts, twitching their ears along her sternum, digging claws into her kidneys. It wasn’t a big deal that she was baking for him, or that she planned on taking breakfast enough for the two of them tomorrow, or that she’d bought him not one but three presents.

It wasn’t a big deal. She was just happy for him.

Getting ready the day of was a bit of a nightmare. She’d wanted to wear something, well, not frumpy but the whole reason for her going over was to help him clean . So, gritting her teeth she’d pulled a simple black t-shirt with white stripes over her head, and with a feeling like she were having her eyelids scraped with fingernail files, she clambered into an old pair of washed out overalls.

Whose only redeeming feature at this point – were the several open slits running across her legs from mid-thigh to shin. Mama and daddy couldn’t possibly give her too hard a time with her choice, considering that these were the things she usually wore while working on the farm or cleaning the house.

She smiled cheerfully to both parents when she made her way down the steps from her room and went into the kitchen. They eyed her a little uncertainly but only wished her a good morning while she gathered some pancakes, sausage, bacon, eggs, and potatoes into some tupperware. Placing all this in a separate bag from the one that had the cake and then there was the one with Daryl’s presents, she was working on not hyperventilating when she heard a wry voice that pulled her back into what was going on around her.

“You tell that boy, I’m going to start charging him for groceries, you keep taking him all the good leftovers.” She threw a mock glare at Hershel, who smiled serenely into his next sip of coffee.

“Excuse me Mr. Greene.” Annette interjected before Beth could respond. “Are you insinuatin’ that there are leftovers from this kitchen that aren’t good?”

Beth watched with a grin as her daddy’s eyes crinkled a little over the rim of his mug, before making the wise choice of taking the rest of his coffee to the dining room to finish with the morning’s paper. She took the slight reprieve to start grabbing smaller containers to scoop and squeeze every other thing she’d need into. Butter, syrup, ketchup, feeling her cheeks redden as her mother leaned on a nearby counter and watched her.

“Honey, you’re forgettin’ the kitchen sink.” Beth couldn’t stop the nervous laugh that escaped, peeking quickly at her mama’s smiling face. “Does the man at least have silverware?”

“I honestly don’t know mama, I mean he’s a bachelor, I’m just tryin’ to cover my bases.”

And also she was nervous out of her mind and kind of procrastinating on leaving, because if he hated what she’d gotten him, or thought that she was a crazy person for bringing all this food it would kind of break her heart, and wasn’t that a stupid feeling to have over a person she’d barely known a handful of weeks?

“Sweetpea, you got the bases, the outfield, and the whole dang stadium under wraps with all the stuff you’re takin’ him.” Beth settled all the items in their respective bags, and watched from the corner of her eye as Annette came to stand at her side. “He’s gonna love it babygirl, and if he doesn’t, he’s too much of a fool to chase.”

Her voice had dropped down low enough so that Hershel couldn’t hear her in the next room, and Beth gave a grateful smile. Her mama at least knew, understood, all the things she’d told them were true, but she couldn’t help the way she was feeling already, and no amount of chastising or strict rules were going to stop that.

Beth hugged her hard, gave another quick smile, called a goodbye and “Happy Father’s Day!” to her daddy, and gathering up her many bags, excited the farm house.

Daryl had texted her his address last night, with a promise that they wouldn’t miss each other this time at least. And she’d Google Mapped it immediately, not surprised in the least when she saw it was on the outskirts of town.

As she neared the actual location she couldn’t help but grin, the house – or cabin – was in kind of an odd location. It stood almost right up against the old infrequently used two lane highway. But its back porch obviously opened basically straight into the woods that surrounded it on all sides but the front.

- Lives in a decently sized cabin.

There was his old truck parked close to flush against the wooden logs by the front door, and an obviously added on half-a car port that housed a black motorcycle. She smiled a little seeing it, that thing had been on her list since he came to get her to go to the hospital with him, she was already feeling better about what lay inside his gift bag. And the man himself sat on the small set of front steps leading up to the cabin’s door.

Beth felt her smile lengthen considerably, when, once he saw her – Daryl quickly dropped the cigarette and put it out with his boot. He nodded to her while climbing to his feet, eyes narrowing a little in confusion when she didn’t immediately pull into the clear open spot on the other side of the house.

She hated reversing.

About to suck it up while giving herself a firm talking to about acting like an adult, Beth watched as Daryl made quick strides to her window, looking mildly concerned.

“Somethin’ wrong?” He crouched a little, probably trying to get a clear look at her face, which she found a little funny, considering his own face was nearly half covered with his long one-shade-from-black locks.

“No! No, I’m just bein’ silly.” She waved a nervous hand to go with her self-deprecating giggle that she tried to swallow as quickly as it came out. “I just have this thing, about backin’ up.”

His eyes narrowed farther, jaw jutting slightly to the side as he glanced at her, her car, and then the space by the cabin to park in.

“Fer when yer leavin’?” He questioned, one eye nearly closing as he considered her.

“Yeah, but it’s dumb, an’ I’ll be fine, I’ll just pull up and we can get started.”

He watched her for a moment more, thin lips slightly pursed making them just about invisible, before he cocked his head at her.

“Could back it into the space for ya, if ya want.” She watched as his skin darkened to a rosy shade, like he was the one being ridiculous instead of her. “’Less you’re worried I’d mess up the inside or somethin’.” He motioned vaguely to her light grey upholstery.

“’Course not Daryl.” She suddenly wanted to smack the crap out of whatever person or people that had made this man think he dirtied whatever he touched. She could feel her brows pinch, even as she tried to keep her smile in place. “I’d really appreciate it, I know it’s crazy but…”

But, she couldn’t help it and the idea of not having to do it made her giddy.

“Least I could do.” He shrugged, and she hopped out, watching with clenched teeth from the front of the cabin as he backed the Santa Fe effortlessly beside the house.

“You make that look so easy!” She beamed at him, as he handed her the keys and followed her to the back of the vehicle.

He didn’t voice an answer but when she turned her head to look at him, his mouth twitched a little and his ears were lightly red.

She felt him stiffen in surprise as she opened the back hatch, unveiling the assorted bags cluttering the storage compartment.

“Hell is this?” She smiled through her anxiety as she began scooping things up by their handles, hoping that tone was all shock and not irritation. “A’ready got all the stuff we’re gonna need to clean the place.”

“Oh I figured you would.” She chirped, a few octaves higher than normal, nodding him towards the last bag which was chock full of their breakfast. “Thank goodness you did though, I didn’t even think of that!”

She watched just long enough for him to swing down the back panel before spinning on her heel to head to the front door, barely hearing him as he caught up to her.

“Alrigh’, this stuff for Auri then?” He was obviously trying to poke around the bag he held without upsetting the careful balance of the containers inside.

“Nope.” She smiled pleasantly as he stopped his rifling to glare at her.

“You tryin’ t’ drive me nuts this early in the damn mornin’?” His growling probably should have done something other than alleviate her nerves and make her smile broaden, but this she was familiar with, him grumbling and sassing back in his own way.

He gave an irritated grunt when she just continued to smile at him calmly, and he threw a shoulder into his front door, leading her inside.

The floor plan was a pretty open one, living room, filled with an old couch and an older TV which was propped up on what appeared to be an impressively sized tree stump. The room bled in seamlessly to the kitchen, counter spaces made from a darker wood, steadily humming fridge, a stove that may have survived from the 50’s and a freshly emptied garbage can. A hallway led off to the right of the kitchen, and Beth was sure that’s where she’d find at least a couple bedrooms and a bathroom.

Daryl had sat his bag on the counter, and was shifting uneasily, picking at his fingers as he flicked glances at her through his hair. Her smile stayed firmly in place as she dropped her own bags next to his and taking a deep breath, turned to him with raised brows.

“Ok, ready?” He froze, before straightening and eyeballing her suspiciously.

“No.” He groused, accent ticking up a bit. “But g’on anyhow.”

“Kay.” She swallowed, teeth worrying her lip as she reached for the bag he’d set down. “I uh, I don’t know if you’ve eaten already but…” She began pulling out the array of plastic containers, finding comfort in the repetitive task. “I hadn’t yet, so I thought I’d bring some stuff with me and we could eat real quick before we get started?”

The air expelled in a silently fast gush from her lungs when his expression immediately brightened, and he almost leaned into the point of touching her when he helped lift out the larger tupperware at the bottom of the bag.

“Damn girl, this all food?” He took in the sight of both, the dishes covering most of the counter space, and the other bags still unpacked sitting there conspicuously.

Beth smiled unsurely at him, feeling her throat tighten a little, he seemed larger than usual to her. The cabin’s small walls having a harder time accommodating his rangy frame than the superstore’s warehouse-like expanse did. Had his shoulder’s always been that broad? His torso that deep from spine to sternum? His toned arms were flexing slightly as his wrists curved around a lid, strong fingers and knuckles popping it from its mooring easily.

He hummed a little bit, happy, as he grabbed a pancake from amongst the small pile and bit off a chunk with an enthusiasm that made Beth’s heart hitch. His gaze met hers, lips quirking as he chewed and she was able to breathe out a laugh. Rolling her eyes at him, she cracked open a couple of the other containers, motioning him to the butter and syrup.

- Enjoys breakfast foods.

- Hums when especially pleased.

“You keep bringin’ me food every time we do this, damn place’ll twinkle like a fuckin’ star after a’ while.” His cheek was puffed out to the side as he spoke, managing to do so without flicking flapjack bits all over her, motions slowing when he seemed to think of something.

“We gonna be doin’ this regularly then Daryl?” She teased, guessing easily what had slowed his eager chomping.

He shrugged and his eyes skated away from hers, while her grin still hadn’t left its place, maybe turned a little hesitant now and then when her nerves climbed up her throat, but stuck through it nonetheless.

She quickly went through and unsnapped the other lids, curving her lips in to hold them between her teeth when she saw him go motionless, jaw half slack, his look one of shocked anticipation for all his features barely moved. With Daryl she had to take every small movement and explode it in order to get an idea of what he was feeling.

He stuck the last bite of pancake into his mouth, pulling open one of the cabinet doors built into the counter, and straitening, handed her a plate. Doing the same with a fork, snatched from the navy blue dish drainer next to the sink. He was skillfully maneuvering a generous helping of cheese covered scrambled eggs, placing them cozied next to every other breakfast food she’d brought, when he paused.

She was slathering butter on her own pancakes when she noticed his lack of movement and turned to consider him. His eyes were jumping from the food in front of them to the bags remaining on the counter and back.

“Told’ya I’d get us pizza fer you helpin’ me.” He finally said, cutting a quick look at her before going back to staring at the unopened bags.

“I know.” She nodded, dribbling thick streams of syrup onto the butter covered golden cakes, nudging the container his way before picking up the one that held the ketchup, dolloping it on potatoes and eggs.

“So why’d ya bring s’much food?” He gestured to the other bags with his fork, expression pinching slightly around the edges. “Didn’ think I could afford a couple’a pizzas Greene?”

She was shaking her head before he finished, sweet Lord she wasn’t that stupid, with everything else he’d allowed her to do for him, through coercion, pleading, or grudging friendliness on his part, there was no way she’d insult him by doing something like that.

“That’s not lunch.” She supplied, sucking a wayward string of syrup from her index finger, freezing when his eyes locked onto the movement. Pulling it from between her lips with a slight squeaking sound of saliva, she licked her lips nervously, blushing when he tracked that as well.

“Woman.” He murmured, meeting her gaze, his complexion looking a little darker. “’less there’s hacked up body parts in ‘em,” he motioned again to the innocuous items next to her, “can we cut the fuckin’ mystery?”

They held each other’s sight for a few moments before she sighed and, taking his plate from him and setting her own down, she snagged his wrist and pulled him over a few steps so they were in front of the parcels together. Carefully bringing the cake loaded one towards her, Beth pulled the dome shaped carrier from its place and Daryl swept the bag out of her way as she set it back on the counter’s surface.

Glancing at him one more time she unsnapped the lid from around the base and lifted it away smoothly. Decidedly not looking at him as silence pervaded the small space between them.

“ Good lord .” He muttered, and she snuck a sideways peek at him, he looked rather dumbfounded, eyes running the length of the cake. “Girl, did’ya…bake me a whole fuckin’ cake?”

Her heart was salmon laddering up her ribs, as she squinted at the creation in front of her. It was a chocolate chip cookie cake, it had multiple layers, including the solid cookie bottom, a layer of ganache on top of that, and then alternating layers of vanilla butter cake with chocolate chips folded in and the brown sugar buttercream frosting.

It was…a little over the top for one person.

She’d made its twin for daddy and the rest of the family to eat, but she hadn’t wanted to bring Daryl just a piece from that one. He was a dad dang it, a brand new one, this was his first Father’s Day and she didn’t know if she’d be around for any other ones (she prayed she would) so she had to make sure this one was special.

“Uhm…yes?” She answered at last, eyes feeling overlarge in their sockets.

“Christ.” He said quietly, and she watched him tip his head to the side, examining its height and leaning a little closer to inhale. “Why?”

She took another step to the side and motioned silently to the third bag, he was really looking confused now, eyes slitted and a corner of his mouth tugging back, bunching one sharply boned cheek as he sidled passed the cake to the third bag.

Opening it with another sidelong squint her way, he began slowly pulling the white tissue paper from the plain blue carrier, balling it up in his fist as he did. She knew the moment he saw and understood what was lying inside the container’s azure confines.

She was smiling timidly when the set of eyes that nearly matched the bag down to the shade snapped onto her.

“Happy Father’s Day Daryl.”         

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

Sunday, June 18 th & Monday, June 19 th

He was having some kind of an attack, or one of those out of body experiences that he had heard about from people who'd OD'd. He'd asked her here in a moment of brave insanity that had three quarters wrecked him after they'd hung up. But she'd sounded, hmmm , it'd probably been wishful thinking but, fuck, if she hadn't sounded...well like someone who wouldn't mind spending a little extra time with him.

But he wasn't a person that dated, definitely while he was trying to get ready for his newborn daughter to come home, and also – well shit the girl was about half his age and the closest thing he'd seen to a person being able to walk on water. So he'd asked her to come help him fuckin' clean of all things and here she was.

Except now she'd gone and blown his mind good and thorough like everything else Beth Greene set her mind to. He'd been anxious to get to see her after their days apart, like he was the damn junkie instead of the unknown mother of his child, and when he'd seen her car pull up, relief had flooded his system.

But yeah they were pals, what-the-fuck-ever, he couldn't begin to deal with all of that.

And then the bags and the breakfast, and he'd been about a second away from becoming white trash offended, and now this. A cake, a whole goddamn cake, and it was homemade like the breakfast had been, and was – embarrassingly – beautiful, near golden frosting wrapped around the sides, whole damn top sprinkled in chocolate chips.

Only way he'd been able to tell or make a half wild guess that she'd baked it instead of bought it was the crazy plastic transporter she'd brought it in, and there was no way you could transfer a cake that big from its original surface to the plastic carrier. Then again, the hell did he know? Beth Greene was fuckin' magic, maybe she'd wiggled her nose and that's exactly what had happened.

And Daryl had realized, like a swift kick in the junk, that he'd never been given a cake. Not ever, forget a whole one that looked like it belonged on TV it was so damn pretty, one that was homemade – that someone had worked hard on to give him – had cared enough to give him.

He'd had to keep his eyes firmly placed on her creation, to voice only the shock he felt click crackling along his veins, because he was suddenly feeling the most ridiculous reaction to baked goods he could ever imagine.

He wanted very badly to have more counter space, so that he could quickly and without warning, scoop that small blonde demigod next to him onto it and press his face into the crook of her neck or the sweet fluttering pulse point and bite .

Install one of those damn kitchen islands for the sole purpose of laying her across it, pull layers of clothing out of the way so he could smear some of that thick frosting across her shuddering stomach, take a nice long time licking it off, her hands in his hair, his hands...

So not only did he not recognize his own body, the one that didn't cringe from her, but now his mind, that had never cared about fantasy, daydreaming, wishing, especially when it came to the opposite sex, or sex in general, was flooding him with images, he could just about taste sugar on his tongue over the salty mouthful of her skin.

Damnit Dixon, get a fuckin' hold of yourself, you nasty fuck.

Girl bakes you a cake and you want to defile her with it for Christ's sake.

Defile, man he was getting old fashioned now that he was a papa, he just needed to get over this mild aneurism he was having and everything would even out. At least that's what he'd been thinking until she'd gestured to that last bag, and he'd pulled out crisp white tissue paper that snagged at the calluses on his hands, had casted one more questioning look her way. His roiling mind calming a little at the uncertainty he'd seen there.

And now here he was, wondering if it was possible to have an out of body experience without actually overdosing or dying in some important way, as he stared first into the bag and then at the near mythical maven who seemed singularly well versed in knocking against his carefully constructed foundations.

These foundations outlined clear cut rules in his life, not the least being that he wasn't much anything other than an ignorant redneck, who was lucky to have his shitty cabin, job, insurance, truck etc. That he wasn't interested in anyone getting close to him physically or otherwise, and that that was a good thing, because no one worth wanting was going to look at him for those things either.

"Happy Father's Day Daryl."

Her words, echoed around the hollow feeling in his skull, clogged up his throat like twice fried roadkill, and pricked along the edges of eyes that cast themselves desperately back into the bag.

To a small collection of items with had at least one thing in common, a word found on each.

Dad

With a reverence he wouldn't show to holy relics, he reached in and gently clasped the first item that was nested on top of the others. He pulled it out, cradling it carefully between his mildly trembling palms and unevenly expanding chest, chin tucked down to let his hair fall across his face.

It was a black coffee mug, he'd have to buy a coffee maker...and start drinking coffee, alternating layers of text read in lines of white and orange that tumbled down the cup’s side reading, "The only thing I - LOVE - more than - MOTORCYCLES - is being a - Dad" he rolled his tongue around the inside of his mouth saying the words silently to himself.

He'd mentioned having a bike to her one time, but she'd remembered, even in the middle of all the crazy emotions going on at the time she'd, what? Filed away this bit of information about him like it mattered, like he...

Placing the mug onto the counter and diligently sliding it all the way back so it was in no danger of ever hitting the floor, he looked back into the little bag of wonder. The other two items were fabric based, shirts he could tell.

The one on top was a black sleeveless tee that had a white stencil of what looked like maybe an old 40's Indian Scout with words also in white above it stating "Best Biker Dad - Ever" his fingers clutched into the material to keep the shake of his hands hidden. Fuckin' hell she'd even gotten him a sleeveless shirt, if he was asked to get her anything right now (not that she ever would he didn't think) would he be able to pick out a single thing?

Beth Greene was kind, stubborn, smart, an amazing cook a point she shared with her mama, she loved her family, ate s'mores and sometimes used their ingredients as weapons, she wore little to no makeup, liked running a braid through her ponytail, he'd noticed her habit of wearing a varying array of bracelets on only her left wrist. If he were given the god awful task of shopping for clothes he'd be stuck between work attire and overalls (hopefully ones with the same kind of strategic rips her current set displayed) but that was about it.

He was such a shit.

Putting the first shirt next to the mug, he brought the last undeserved present up for inspection. Grey with a black graphic, this time it was some low slung looking chopper surrounded by the message "I’m A - Biker Dad - Just Like A Normal - Dad - Only Much Cooler!"

Ah fuck, it was corny as hell, and he'd curb stomp the first snarky motherfucker that said a damn thing about it.

His teeth caught at the inside of his lip, working it hard while the fluctuating shit in his chest tried to calm down, all the while Beth stood nervously shifting to one side. He'd never felt so at ease and simultaneously painfully awkward in his life.

Being alone - easy. Being around his brother and the idiot squad - awkward, add a woman to the mix? Tack on the painful. But with Beth, it was the ease of being alone with that constant fumbling grasping unknown. Except unlike anyone else, she made him want to try.

"I-I know that one has sleeves, but I could probably take 'em off for you without ruinin' the shirt or -" She stammered, sounding more nervous than he'd ever heard her, causing his gaze to snap to hers, which didn't improve her speech pattern. "Technically I guess you're p-probably better at that than I would be…considering..." She flicked some fingers at his current dress, sleeveless plaid included, her face coloring brightly when he still didn't answer.

He meant to, to answer her, to thank her, or say something other than stare at her like she was a goddamn unicorn, the last piece of chocolate on the planet, cold beer after a long day, all wrapped up into a pretty little curving package. Lips, nose, cheeks, the flare of her hips and the side of her neck, girl was all sweeping features and startling shades of blonde and blue.

But she...she'd floored him again, he was down there with the crumbs and tracked in mud. And he was in an odd headspace, somewhere between snapping at her for getting him all this shit when she didn't even know him, or snag onto one of those fidgeting hands and yank her to him - cover her mouth with his. Because she'd gotten him all this shit and she didn't even know him.

He felt the very alien sensation of wanting a hug, to hug her, and that freaked him out enough to remain very still while she sidled a little closer to him, watching him intently as she looked at him.

"Are they..." She couldn't seem to settle on the words she wanted to use, but since he wasn't able to wrap his tongue around any he stood patiently and waited. "I mean, do ya like 'em?"

Did he...was she fuckin' Looney Tunes ?

She'd gotten him Father's Day gifts, brought over breakfast, baked him a cake that'd make that Duffy dude cry. And if all of that wasn't enough, she was the first one to do all three of these things for him. Like them? He was having a hard time staying off his knees, wanted to wrap his arms around her waist, cry into her stomach like a little bitch while she ran those capable looking fingers through his hair.

But he couldn't say or do any of that. First of all he'd have to kick his own ass, secondly that didn't seem like a friend thing to do, she was still half his age, and he still had a kid and couldn't be starting up any kind of thing like that. He wanted to be what the damn shirts she'd gotten professed him to be, the very best biker dad he could, no matter how terrifying that desire was.

He did the only thing he could, kept her gaze, which felt nearly heart ripping in and of itself, and gave her a bobbing nod before finally, dropping his eyes back to the shirt in his hands. He saw a flash of white out of his peripheral and looked through his falling hair to see her smiling, beaming at him like he'd just given her the world's most eloquent thank you.

"Yeah?" She took an uncertain step towards him and he pursed his lips a little as he nodded again, getting a little pissed at himself for being too much of a pussy to voice a single word of appreciation to the woman who was too good for this whole fuckin' planet let alone his hick ass, but was for some reason still standing happily in front of him now. "Oh Daryl I'm so friggin' relieved!"

And just like that she was hugging him, like it had been at the hospital when they found out Aurora was his. Toned and skinny arms looping around his neck, pulling herself up a little to tuck her head under his chin. He'd quickly opened his grasp on the grey t-shirt to wrap his arms around her upper back.

Hold the fuck on, she did all this for him and he got the hug he wanted, she wanted the hug? He was dreaming, Merle had slipped something into his beer, he was sick and fevered hallucinating, he'd fuckin' died and somehow someone at the gates of the place he wasn't sure he believed in had screwed up big time and let him in and this was it.

Eternal reward, the prettiest girl he'd ever seen, a kid he was alternately terrified and thrilled at the idea of raising, and his old man safely tucked away in hell or just somewhere that was nowhere near him.

"I was so worried you'd think they were awful." She murmured, her breath curling along one of her crooked arms before flowing up to tickle along his neck.

He was all mute, at this point didn't know if he'd ever actually attained speech, but he shook his head definitively, scratching his stubble into her hairline and peak of her forehead a couple times when he did. Without the ability to do much else he tightened his hold on her, feeling the arms around his neck flex in response.

And maybe losing a little of his mind, or he could blame it on the tightness of their hug, he found his nose pressing into her smooth conditioned hair, breathing deep he took in smoky breakfast meats, the sweet of syrup - saintly rich frosting and cake, underneath it all something earthy maybe an herb or other plant. Sage? Something unobtrusive, a little intoxicating.

He became aware slowly, by ticks of an internal clock, that they had been twined around one another for an inordinate amount of time. That she'd made one or two unassuming burrowing movements into his chest.

And right when he was wondering if he should panic, maybe he'd started to tense, maybe she figured out that he didn't know what the hell he was doing, but she started pulling back and he was able to release her slowly instead of dropping his arms like she'd bitten him.

Fuck if he didn't feel almost normal.

She gave him a pleased little smile, face agreeably colored, like she was the one being spoiled more than she ever had in her entire existence. And he quirked his mouth in response, more for her than himself, honestly he was feeling a little…uneasy.

The scales were being seriously tipped here, the food – lunches and this today – the shopping, her willing to help him clean, the upcoming baby shower. He hadn’t done a single thing for this girl and she was brightening every corner of his shitty life. And if he thought for a minute it was some kind of charity, inspired by a religion or upbringing, he’d have shot her down quick.

But she seemed so…happy… to do things for him, and while he needed to make sure he didn’t let it get out of control, wouldn’t it make him more of an asshole to make her stop? He watched as she put his plate into his seriously outdated microwave, laughing a little when she couldn’t get it to work, turned to him with eyes so bright he couldn’t figure how they weren’t back lit, and he couldn’t imagine saying a single thing, doing a single thing, that’d make that smile leave.

He shook his head at her, hair falling to once again cover his face, he had the idiotic feeling that she could read him, didn’t want her making away with all these thoughts spiraling around like a dust devil inside him. He reached in passed her, spun a nob or two, felt another tight pull on a corner of his mouth when he looked down at her next to him, her arm almost brushing along his sideways leaning chest.

“Hungry?” And every word out of her was neat and musical, like the happiness in her made them float and jig through the air, and he was a fuckin’ moron who needed to get a hold of himself.

He nodded, breaking eye contact with her to pick up her plate, switch its position with his, turn the nob again, get the hell back so he didn’t risk being awkward as fuck and ruining this day that was turning out to be one of the best he’d had. A white banner with red letters flashed through his mind, and he worried the inside of his cheek as he handed her fork over, yeah maybe this wasn’t the best, but it was running a hard race for second.

They ate and he did what he could to make what most people would probably think of as small talk, but what he was hoping, was to assemble a sturdier knowledge base for her. Watched her carefully, hiding it the best he could as she gobbled her food down. He loved that she wasn’t bashful about eating with him, noticed how she stuck to eating one food at a time before starting on the next.

Girl was full of interesting little idiosyncrasies.

For instance she listened to music the same way she ate her food, became hooked on a single singer or group, Broadway play etc. and listened to it exclusively and to excess. Memorizing lyrics and learning to play whatever tracks she could on either the guitar or piano, both of which she could play well enough to teach herself all these tracks by ear.

Which was the other thing she shared with him, face heating as she swallowed harder than scrambled eggs required, she could sing, liked to do it at church or home – wherever she could.

She had no plans to go to any specific college right now, had talked to her folks about it, gave him a slew of ideas and reasons why they didn’t fit when it came to what she wanted or didn’t want to do enough to make his head spin. He couldn’t even begin to imagine the kind of pressure she had to feel, going through all that, having people expect you to make something serious out of yourself. Having the courage to push against that, tell her parents she wasn’t ready and needed the time.

Girl was fearless.

Soon as she was done eating he plucked her plate from her hands, ignoring her sound of surprise as he got to his feet and stood from the couch they’d been sharing. Maybe he should look into buying a table…He made his way into the kitchen and glanced at the repackaged cake in its carrier as he put their dishes in the sink, rinsing them off as he turned his eyes to the presents that lined the small counter.

Girl was amazing.

“Alright Dixon.” She sighed happily, and he turned his head in time to watch her stretch, flashes of white thigh peeking out of her slit pant overalls. “What do ya got planned for us today?”

She hooked her thumbs into the front of the jean material, cinching it between her two hands. It twisted and pulled until he could just glimpse an equally pale swath of skin to each side, the inward curve of her waist catching at him from under her shirt that apparently wasn’t nearly as long as it should have been.   

Eventually, he realized that static noise in his head was in fact, the still running water from the faucet splashing over the now thoroughly rinsed plates. He cut the flow, pulled his gaze upward to her patiently waiting expression, and shook his head a little to clear it of the images like sun spots that covered his unprepared vision.

Once he was able to open his mouth, give her the list he had worked up – squashed the ridiculous feeling of pride when she applauded him for getting a shampooer for the bedrooms and the special laundry detergent he'd tracked down at the store for Auri's clothes – they were able to get started and the process didn't do much in the way of making her suddenly unattractive to him.

Didn't know exactly what he'd expected, how the hell seeing her sweat covered and dirty could achieve a lower level of need. But goddamn it, it'd be nice if something would. Even with them not working in the same room, it felt like Beth was all around him while he worked.

She'd taken her phone, and some weird portable speaker, turned on something called an 'app' that was a radio you could apparently get on your phone now, turned up an old rock 'n' roll station and sang along, while she moved through the rooms.

He had the brief thought that he should be annoyed, that the girl seemed fucking unable to be anything less than devastating at everything she did, but then he was too busy hiding the grin that kept tugging incessantly at his mouth. Catching glimpses of her bopping through his place, cleaner in one hand, rag in the other, ponytail swinging manically around her shoulders as she hopped and jutted her shoulders side-to-side.

He knew a few of the songs, hummed very – very – quietly to a couple of them, but only when the vacuum was on and she was at least a room away. He took a quick break to order the pizza, she liked pepperoni only – sounded good to him so he got a couple larges (ignored her hissing denial that there was no way they'd need that much) and went back to literally washing his damn walls.

Never thinking not in a million fucking years that he'd ever be bringing a baby here for any kind of reason, he hadn't thought much about smoking inside. The walls were wooden of course, so the yellowish stains were hard to make out, except he'd spent a lot of time recently going over every inch of the place compiling his list of things that needed to get done, and the gummy film hadn't escaped his notice.

They both took a break for lunch, he tossed a bottled water at her that she caught with a grin, spiraling strings of hair adhered to lay whirling across her cheeks and neck. He wasn't in much better shape, AC or no, they'd been scrubbing every damn inch of the place and he could feel the liquid of his own sweat dribble down his sides – stick his shirt across his back.

"Jesus girl don' choke." He rasped, unscrewing the lid to his own bottle of water, watching in bemused amazement as she began wolfing down her first slice. "Meat's dead on there already, ain't gonna run off on ya."

"S'good." She slurred around a bite, smiling wide, red sauce giving her lips a darker hue.

He nodded, deciding he was definitely going to buy a table, watching her as she ate happily enough on his floor. She'd said something about being too sweaty to sit on the couch, like it wasn't a garage sale reject that'd be lucky to get something as nice as Beth Greene's sweat on it.

He put a couple gooey slices on a paper plate (which came with the pizza thank god because his dish supply was severely limited and breakfast had already about tapped it out) and folded himself down into a cross legged position near her, but not too near.

"Didn' think cleanin' could be like this." He muttered, only half to her, before taking a cheese filled bite.

"Like what?" She asked, brows raised, crust of her first slice resting on a bottom lip before she finished taking a chunk out of it.

Not really sure himself what he'd meant, feeling only a lightness he didn't usually associate with household chores. "Not fuckin' awful?" He tried after a few moments of fumbled replies.

But she nodded like he made perfect sense, munching on her bite until offering. "Many hands make light work."

Their gazes held and he blinked in surprise, feeling something similar to static shock lance through his corneas. Wasn't much of a cause for that, not any more than being around her, they weren't overly in one another's space. She wasn't looking at him intently, wasn't smacking him with an especially bright smile. Took him a couple more moments to realize between the cleaning the singing and the food, he'd started feeling a whole new level of comfortable with her.

Shit .

"So." She began, taking more measured bites of her second slice, eyes finally pulling from his after he was able to offer a weak hum in answer. "For the shower, I know everythin's been crazy, but I gotta pester ya to start lettin' people know about it. Work pals, family you know, whoever."

He shrugged a little, cocking his head as he considered his half eaten piece. "Guess I could make the rounds tomorrow. Get it over with." He honestly couldn't think of anything he'd like to do less .

Also, he couldn't decide who he was not looking forward to telling most. Probably Merle, Carol was a close second, the guys at work presented a quantity issue - no way was he going to gather them in a big group...maybe he could just tell Martinez, get him to bring his insane wife, pair of little hellion girls, and spread the word to the other guys. For some reason Michonne's face flashed through his mind and he idly wondered if Rick would be up for getting that beer this week.

"So you do have some family to invite?" Her tone was far too noncommittal not to catch his attention even as he'd been half lost in thought.

He placed his tongue between his teeth and bit, had to, his initial reaction to lash out at her wasn't going to fucking happen. He couldn't insure the same restraint in the future, but he could reign in his inclination to being a dick at least today, at least this once. Talking about Merle tended to make him revert back into the flinching snapping mess he hadn't really evolved too far from.

"Got a brother." He hedged, digging a nail into the crust of his uneaten pizza. "Locked up, ain't gonna be able to make it." Small show of self-control be damned he could feel his hackles rise at her silence until he chanced a quick peek at her through his hair.

She was watching him, no hint of any kind of judgement or surprise in her eyes to speak of, looked more to him like she was working out a set of puzzles in her head. The expression confused him out of any residual anger, and he scooped up his slice in order to avoid having to look up or continue talking.

They finished their food in a not completely awkward silence, and she surprised him (endlessly it seemed) by snatching his paper plate from his hand and smiling devilishly at him as she deposited it and hers into the trash.

"Alright Dixon, let's shampoo us some carpet and finish up some laundry and call it a day, ya think?" He moved a little achingly to his feet, rolling a quick pass around his mouth with his tongue and then his hand, twitching his lips when she gave him a disapproving look.

"Took my napkin woman." He chastised with another shrug, before trailing after her to the back door.

His washer and dryer were out on his back porch, which gave him an odd feeling anytime he took a second to think about it. On one hand, he'd been pleasantly surprised to find the hookups for the appliances when he'd come to look over the small covered and elevated area. On the other hand, having them on the outside of the cabin somehow made him feel more white trash than going to the laundromat ever had.

He moved around her, taking the little wet bundles she handed him and tossing them methodically inside the dryer's drum.

"You'd tell me right?" He glanced up at her, ignoring the stutter step in his chest at the way the light was glinting off her skin and hair. "If you wanted me to tag along for when you're tellin' people."

He hesitated before nodding, ignoring the fact that he did wish she could be with him, like she had been at the hospital, not needing her to do anything necessarily, but for her to be there. He felt Beth's support like a physical presence sometimes, keeping him upright, keeping him balanced.

But it wasn't her kid, she hadn't been the one to follow him into that bar's bathroom, hadn't been her slim body he'd hoisted up against the stall. His blood warmed the longer he looked at her while the memories filtered into his mind's eye, the haziness of the night enough to let his imagination switch up the details.

Christ he was one sick fuck.

Taking the last of the wet clothes he was able to break away from her sight, tossing them in, he shut the door to the machine a little too hard.

Tomorrow was going to suck like a motherfucker.

After Beth had gone home, Daryl made a trip he hadn’t originally planned, to the hospital, but with the day being what it was…well it seemed wrong not to spend some of it with Auri.

Tara had a surprise for him when he got there, but he supposed it was much the little kit’s surprise as anyone’s. Entering the usually dimly lit room, he was motioned into his regular chair, all the while studying the nurse’s horribly hid look of excitement. He undid his shirt like usual, but this time Tara moved his hands out a bit and motioned him to hold still.

“Check it out bro.” She said quietly, placing Aurora resting on her back in his carefully arranged hands.

Girl was still so small he could still just cradle her in his two large palms, near black thatch of hair starting to make a real appearance. And Daryl’s heart caught on a normal beat and stayed there for an unsure quivering little moment when he looked at her face. He’d seen a flash of navy blue now and then when her lids had risen in the past.

But now she was looking at him. At him . He’d been reading up on the pamphlets Tara had left around the area he inhabited most all of the times he was away from one of his jobs these days. He’d known that Auri was getting close to where she could make eye contact. But he hadn’t known , not at all, not really, because here she was gazing up at him stoically.

And there was no way for her to know, but, he was certain with every breath they took together that she knew it was him. Knew who he was. That she was rather content to gaze quietly at him as he did her, sight going a little wonky around the edges as he blinked the moisture back. He had no chance against this tiny human, she cocked her head a little, almost like she was asking him a question…and he smiled.

Smiled like it was the first time he ever had.

And maybe it was. Because anything before her hadn’t really been him, and everything he’d done before her didn’t matter as much as these beautiful liquid blues looking up at him now did.

“Try to keep it one at a time.” Tara murmured lowly to him, and he turned his head a little to show he was listening without actually looking away from his baby girl. “She can get overstimulated, so you can talk and do skin-to-skin like you’re used to, but try not talk and hold eye contact. Hard for her to track alright?”

He nodded slowly, watching Auri’s little eyes wobbling up and down to keep hold of his gaze.

The woman left quietly and Daryl lost track of time, smiling occasionally when the kit’s eyes dipped their cautious way down to his mouth. But after a little while her thin lids began bobbing and he carefully placed her against him, breathing smoothly as she settled in against him, moved a tiny perfectly formed fist to her mouth.

“Had one hell of a’ day little girl.” He whispered, feeling her nuzzle into him. “Pretty sure I got you t’ blame for it too.” Lips twitched as she sighed out a little breath, he corrected ruefully. “Alrigh’, guess I got ya t’ thank for it.”   

Monday was filled with some of the most nerve murdering anxiety that Daryl had had the severe misfortune to experience. He missed Beth, the feeling like a punched jaw, aching and sharp pain by degrees, on top of that he was pissed at himself because he was certain that missing your work buddy this much was not a thing.

He'd loaded his entire day with people, at first thinking to spread it out, but then figuring if he could get it all over with he'd have the week to decompress before the baby shower. He sat down at the concrete table, marveling not for the first time the perks of living in a small town. It meant that when you visited your inmate brother you didn't have to deal with glass and the phones. Touching of any kind wasn't allowed, but then Dixon's didn't go in for things like hugs.

He'd already seen Martinez, tracked him through traded texts to the store while he, Rosita, and the kids were grocery shopping. Daryl had pulled him aside in the dairy section, keeping an eye on the man's wife as she looked over different kinds of yogurt. Had explained the situation with as few words he could, watching the myriad of expressions filter across his co-worker's face.

Cheeks reddening, he then finished with Beth's involvement and her request for him to invite people. Ears burning as Martinez's look became humorously incredulous, he hadn't realized how it would sound, or how to explain the level of the girl's involvement. Of course (he realized now) it sounded like they were together or something. Nobody was like Beth Greene, wouldn't get that she was a good person, that a redneck like him was lucky to have for a friend.

Choosing to ignore the speculative studying that Martinez had been engaged in, he'd finished up with a grudging plea of his own, to spread the story and the invitation, nodding to the man's acceptance before getting the fuck out of dodge without another word.

He'd then gone over to Carol's place to repeat the process, she (thank fucking hell) had taken the news casually enough. Asked him once if he were ok, if there was anything he needed, agreeing to the baby shower invite with a small smile. He had a feeling telling her was going to be the easiest encounter he had today.

Shifting uneasily now on the hard bench he waited agitatedly.

He couldn't invite Merle, but he had to tell his brother, already tensing at the idea. He was sure to catch all kinds of shit for everything that had happened, deserved it, even though it had been Merle's idea and Merle's shitty condom.

His older brother swaggered over, shackle free, dutifully staying to his side of the table as he sat, thin smile cracking the hard face.

"How's it goin' lil' bro ain't seen ya in a bit, thought ya'd gone off and got yourself a regular hole to dip into."

Thoughts of Beth suddenly filled his head and Daryl found himself bristling at the baseless and irrational slight towards her.

Christ Dixon, she ain't yours.

"Nah, been tied up though." He muttered, working to keep the eye contact, with Merle's perceptive gaze tearing rents into him.

"Well if it ain't with a piece, and the tying up don't involve your headboard, what the fuck was it? Work?"

He wanted to shrug at the words, or tell his brother to mind his own goddamn business, but considering the reason for his visit, that would be counterproductive.

"Got a kid." He didn't so much blurt the words, as let them exhale from his lungs. Muscles bunched tight while he held as still as he could. Merle's heavy brow furrowed in understandable confusion.

"Fuck you mean? 'Got a kid', what fuckin' kid? You babysittin’ now Darlina?" But Daryl could tell that Merle wasn't finding the situation the least bit funny.

Well great, neither was he.

"Nah, I mean , your lousy goddamn rubber was a piece of shit so the last skank you brow beat me into fuckin' got knocked up and now there's a kid Merle."

Awe, hell, guess he was blaming Merle after all.

The level his brother's face was twisted into was an all-time max, paling instead of flushing like Daryl's was prone to do. Leaning forward, Merle stuck to his side of the table, but barely, as his voice raised its volume.

"The tweaker slut from the time we was at the black bitch's shithole?"

Daryl nodded even as his eyes narrowed to slits for about five different reasons from what Merle had just said, then freezing when the older man started laughing raucously, the sound echoing hollowly around the room.

"Hell little brother! Nasty thing like that? Prob'ly fucked every cock in the place that night!" He waved a hand dismissively, sniffing and rolling a shoulder to complete the action. "Don' even worry 'bout that, girl's houndin’ you 'cause she can tell yer soft. Jus' lookin' for somebody t'pay for the lil' bastard."

Daryl had half risen from his seat, fists clenched, before remembering just where the hell they were having this conversation at, and promptly dropped back down, glaring hard at his brother receiving a mildly surprised look in return.

"Woman's fuckin' dead Merle, kicked it when she was havin' the baby. An' they already done the goddamn test, Kit's mine." He cursed his slip, kept going before Merle could latch onto the term of endearment. "S'a lil' girl, an' 'er name's Aurora, don' be callin' her bastard ."

He'd never felt this level of protectiveness over another living soul in his life, not his mama, not Merle, hell not even himself. He saw the way his words froze Merle up, made him really lock into the situation, shock and then anger quickly flashing in his eyes.

"S'what yer here t'blame me 'cause ya ain't smart enough to feel when a damn rubber breaks?” He scoffed a little before his face turned back into a hard mask. “You soundin' like ya wanna keep the kid, ya should give the damn thing up, you ain't no daddy, lil’ brother."

His hand tingled as he slammed it down on the table, ignoring the guard’s warning as the words came spitting from his lips.

"Ain't givin' up shit Merle! The kid's mine, an' I am 'er dad!" He leveled a finger at his brother’s face. "Don' fuckin' call 'er bastard or it or thing ." His accent was thickening everything going into discordant twangs. "Ya don' want nothin' t'do with 'er tha's yer shitty choice, but she's yer fuckin' blood same as she's mine."

"Tone it down hillbilly!" The guard called from next to one of the doors and Daryl shifted his glare in the man's direction, but leaned back and took a hissing breath through his nose in order to calm down.

Looking back to Merle he was met with a glower that he easily matched, refusing this time to give an inch, or to back down to big brother's displeasure. If Merle didn't like getting yelled at he should stop being such a worthless prick. After a couple tense minutes of silence, Daryl watched the broad shoulders shift uncomfortably.

"So...the woman's dead then?" Merle said finally, and Daryl eyed him suspiciously as he nodded, not trusting when some kind or slur wasn't toppling from the rough mouth. "She was a party girl, hard one." He continued, searching Daryl's impassive face. "Doubt she quit havin’ a good time, least not the whole time while sh'was expectin'."

"Ya knew her?" He was well aware of the fact that he was meeting Rick after this at Michonne's bar. Was planning on telling him then who'd introduced him to the mother of his kid.

"Nah." His brother answered flatly, continuing when Daryl opened his mouth to respond. "Been in that scene for a long time now baby brother, don't gotta know 'em to tell how long and hard they been at it. Didn' get her name, hadn' seen her in there before, just asked her if she was up for tradin’ affection for some product."

Daryl wanted to scrub his hands across his face, rub some of the awfulness out of his pores, he wanted that baby, but she deserved a much better start than what he'd given her. Quiet rested on the two brothers a little easier this time.

"Kid's ok?" Merle grated out and Daryl looked at him in surprise, getting a glare thrown back at him. "I'm not a goddamn idiot, bad shit happens when ya mix drugs and pregnant women. Girl's m'niece ain't she?" He growled, like Daryl hadn't just got done yelling that into his face. "Gotta look out for her don' I? Same as I do her dumbass daddy ."

And that right there was as close as Merle Dixon was ever going to come to offering his younger brother congratulations on having a child.

"She's still up at the hospital, gonna be there for a couple more weeks." Merle nodded his acceptance, jutting out his jaw a little, thinking.

"Had t'have any surgeries or anythin'?" Nodding again at Daryl's shaking head. "Tha's somethin'."

"Cops might be showin' up t' ask you about her mom."

A third nod.

They talked for several more minutes, reestablishing a sort of normal until visiting hours were over, and Daryl had to leave. He and Merle exchanged head nods, and Daryl left the prison to meet up with Rick at Michonne's.

Walking in he immediately spotted the two people he'd come to see in mid-discussion, smiles on both faces. He watched with an odd kind of interest, if he didn't know any better, or if he cared a little more, he'd say some kind of flirting or other similar interest was going on there.

Making his way to them, he pulled up a seat, nodding at Michonne when her eyes shifted to him.

"Welcome back Dixon, it's been a while." She greeted warmly, setting off a few of his alarms as she reached down, fished out a beer from the ice and handed it to him. "How long has it been?"

He flicked his eyes to Rick, who was tipping his own beer back in a long swallow, eyes clearly dancing as they clipped against the low lighting.

"Seven or eight months give or take." He grumbled, taking a quick sip from his now open drink. "M'surrounded by jaw jackin’ gossips."

"So when's the shower?" She asked, not missing a beat and he sighed heavily, answering her between longer pulls from the bottle he rotated in his hands. "I'll be there, and who is this Beth?"

He shot a look at Rick, wondering just how arrested smacking the sheriff across the back of the head would get him, before answering flatly.

"Bossy friend from work."

"You got friends now?" If her smile wasn't so good natured as she leaned towards them on the bar, he might have gotten the smallest bit offended. Especially since it was true, he never really pall’d around with anyone before, except Merle, and that hardly counted. "Long eight months huh?"

"Not nearly long enough." He didn't seem capable of answering in anything other than a mutter.

Her smile flashed wide again before she went to help another customer, leaving the two men alone.

"How's it goin' Daryl?" Rick asked, words flavored in lighthearted sarcasm, making Daryl snort in response. "Pretty lucky Beth wasn't here to hear you bad mouthin' her like that." The sarcasm was a lot heavier now and the sheriff obviously had similar opinions about Daryl and Beth's relationship that Martinez did.

How could his age and situation not stall out any of these assumptions? Let alone the fact the girl was so far above him he couldn't hit her toes if he jumped and swung at them.

"This why you have her give me your number?" He groused, finishing the beer in a gulp. "Be a pain in my ass?"

Rick's whisker covered smile didn't falter but he bobbed his head conceding, obviously signaling some kind of cease fire on giving Daryl a hard time.

"You doin' ok with everything?" The sheriff asked, eyes flicking around the room and staying off of Daryl's which was good, no need for this shit to become even more uncomfortable.

He succinctly went through a summary of what he'd been doing and how Aurora was, finally telling Rick by the end of it that he 'remembered' that Merle had been the one to introduce him to the woman he'd had sex with, that was still laying in the morgue, the one that still nobody knew.

"Kinda figured." His head snapped over at the words and was greeted to a shrug. "Did a bit of research on you and your family when I was lookin’ for ya, and after, tryin’ to find out who the Jane Doe was. Didn't seem like something you'd do on your own volition."

"It say that shit on my permanent record?" Daryl bit out, tearing the label off his empty beer bottle in curling shreds.

"Then of course Michonne corroborated my theory, but she didn't know the woman either, I'll talk to Merle but it's looking less and less likely that we'll be able to figure out who she was." It was probably a good call on Rick's behalf to ignore his mood, Daryl figured, sulkily gathering up the mess he made into a neater pile.

"She ain't got no kinda rap sheet?"

"No, but then again neither do you, and considering your connections that's surprising." Again the other man ignored the dirty look flashed his way. "Some people are just able to keep under the radar."

Daryl stayed quiet as Michonne rejoined them, listening halfheartedly as the conversation picked up. He didn't want to be here, wanted to be with his kid, maybe the crazy blonde, probably both, probably at the same time. But he had to lessen up on the amount of time he and Beth spent together, he wasn't the kind to make some kind of move, but even he knew he was headed more and more in that direction.

Better not to tempt fate.

After an hour or so had passed, Daryl begged off, not even trying to cover for the fact that he was planning to head to the hospital to see the little kit. She was his. He didn't need an excuse, and for their part, Michonne and Rick didn't rib him about it.

He drove carefully but quickly to the hospital, made his way to her room, waited patiently as one of the nurses lifted her gently from her opened incubator and settled the sleeping baby on his uncovered chest.

The two sighed simultaneously, and Daryl smiled a little to feel her settle more comfortably against him. He couldn't have missed the bar or company of others less than he did right now, this, this was better than even being on his own in the woods.

"Missed you Kit."

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

Wednesday, June 21st - Friday, June 23 rd

Part A

She may have  officially  gone too far.

Beth shifted uncomfortably on the hard concrete bench, hands folded on the cold table top as she did her best not to outright squirm as she waited. She had actually pulled strings to make this happen. She had strings to pull. That was new. Technically, it was one string, and that string was Rick.

She'd called and asked him to allow her a bit of a special favor for Daryl.

The sheriff had been...hesitant.

That was the best way of putting it, but she'd been pretty set on going one way or another and he'd relented eventually. A pencil and piece of paper lay next to her on the dull grey surface, the white sheet standing out rather conspicuously, it and its mate being strictly prohibited. Firstly, to bring anything in with you to the visitation area. Secondly, especially if that item could be used to stab someone.

She eyed the previously innocuous writing implement. She'd gone and tracked down one Merle Dixon, brother of Daryl Dixon, because it had gotten added to her stupid internal list of him and she'd been resolute about getting something from Aurora's only other living family (that she knew of) for the baby shower and Aurora's daddy.

It hadn't been hard to figure out which inmate of the local small time prison was Daryl's brother, thank goodness Merle had managed to get incarcerated where he had, and wasn't in another state. Because Beth had decided to do a onesie decorating event for the party and she figured she could get at least a design from Merle to put onto one of them.

The guards had been asked by Rick to allow the contraband and to keep an extra close eye on the older Dixon brother, make sure he behaved himself, though the lawman had admitted grudgingly that he didn't think Merle would actually do anything to physically harm her.

Well that was comforting.

A stocky man with a buzz cut and a blocky severe looking face was brought out, and Beth was a little surprised when he was directed to her table. He and Daryl looked nothing...the man glared at her a little in confusion and she took back the thought. That look she was mildly familiar with.

By the time he sat down though, Merle was all wolfish smiles that cut along his heavily featured face like a slash. He had a rangy way of sitting that was like Daryl had that first day she'd eaten with him during lunch, she'd never seen a family who had mastered the ability of sitting aggressively. She hadn't even known that was a thing.

"Well hello there sugar baby." Merle leered at her openly and Beth felt her eyes narrow at him slightly.

She'd known he would be different from Daryl of course, she wasn't going to say she thought her crush incapable of doing anything to put him in a place like this (people did all sorts of things for all sorts of reasons) but she hadn't thought the man would be a lascivious creeper either.

"Hello Mr. Dixon." She answered tightly, fingers flexing against the table's top.

"Ooh I usually don't go for that title too much girlie, but you make it sound real nice." She reigned in the reflex to lean back when he slid forward to trail appreciative eyes over her. "Tell me you's one of them do-gooding Sunday junkies that like t'spend their time writin' to the bad boys in the pen."

She pursed her lips derisively at him, tugging up a little at the thought.

"Not exactly." She answered with a slight shake of her head.

"Hell's the paper and lead filled shiv for then?" He questioned, watching her closely and she blinked back, keeping as calm and undisturbed an expression as she could.

"I'm a friend of your brother's." She answered, frowning a little when he looked surprised before immediately letting out a great gust of brash laughter.

" Bullshit ." He said in between rasping chuckles, eyes crinkling a bit. "Baby brother ain't got none a' those 'sides yours truly. Daryl don't much like people and people ain't got no use for him, never have."

Beth felt her protective hackles raise and shake like a rattlesnake. She had the stark impression that Merle Dixon was one of those factors, one of those persons – that had made Daryl feel unworthy and unclean. She had to tamp down her urge to snap at the older, larger, more hardened man - she was still set on getting something for Auri and berating him probably wouldn't help her.

"Well I don't know about any of that." She said evenly once he'd settled down. "But he told me he'd let you know about Aurora."

It had been a short terse text when she'd gathered up the courage to inquire about how things had went with telling people.

- fine. told carol guys from work and my brother

Her next text asking if he were alright went unanswered but she didn't feel upset about the slight.

He had in essence gone through what was probably an emotional ringer for him, because she'd insisted on throwing him a party he hadn't wanted. Sure she was trying to help, but she got the distinct impression that all of this was more than Daryl could rightly deal with.

Merle's face had changed dramatically at the mention of his niece, the smile had disappeared entirely, surprise then suspicion rolling through his eyes, before a nastier grin split his face again.

"Well. So Darlina did get himself a buddy ." The way he said it, she knew he wasn't thrilled or particularly inclined to believe the news. "Ain't that sweet?"

She didn't quite know how to answer that, she mainly wanted to ream him for being such a jerk, not only to her, but mostly to his brother who was trying his best with a crazy situation. But her instincts were nagging at her not to give too much emotion to this man, feeling like she understood his younger brother better, there was a sly watchfulness about Merle - like he was steadily pressing buttons to see which one would set you off.

"I'm throwing him a baby shower." She continued then, after his snort, slid the paper and pencil to him without breaking eye contact. "And I thought it'd be nice to get Aurora's uncle to draw something we could put on one of the onesies we'll be decorating for her."

The resulting silence would have been overwhelming if she hadn't been conditioned by Hershel Greene's disappointed countenance. The one that he'd bestow on his children any time they made him unaccustomedly mad for one reason or another. Merle's glare was formidable, but she'd gotten decent at putting a thin layer of disassociation between her and an uncomfortable situation, and so she just sat quietly and waited him out.

"Hell're you doin' this for?" He was mad, she could tell, broad thick shoulder rolling in agitation, blunt fingers clenched. "Ya ain't sweet on baby brother are ya blondie? Yer yappin' up the wrong tree for that ."

She breathed steadily, praying her cheeks wouldn't give her away even as her voice remained calm.

"We're friends Merle, I do this kind of thing for my friends." He scoffed at her, eyes really cutting into her now as he watched.

"Yeah, sure thing sweet cheeks, got loads of experience with people doin' shit outta the kindness of their hearts." He eyed her, obviously trying to glean some kind of ulterior motives. "I noticed ya didn' answer my question, don't think that's right, d’you?" His tone was becoming more and more venomous. "Sniffin' 'roun a new papa when the babe’s ma is still tits up in the morgue. Couldn't ya have waited until she was buried proper?"

Beth couldn't control the way her eyes widened in shock, she'd had theories about what had happened to Auri's mom, had figured that it must be something like what Merle had just told her. But to hear it put so bluntly, to be thrown at her like an accusation, and for it to feel so terribly like the twisted version of the truth, he'd managed to quite solidly get under her skin.

"Oh baby brother didn't tell ya that huh?" Merle seemed once again at ease now that he'd found something to needle her with. "Y'all're sure close."

"Well somebody's gotta be there for him." She snapped, hating the trite words as they tripped from her lips. "Ain't got his big brother to depend on does he?"

His face went back to stormy and she took a deep breath, this was spiraling rather spectacularly, though in her defense, he was the most obstinate man in all of creation.

"You ain't got the first idea of what you're talkin' about girl." He was probably right, there was a whole lot of hurt twisted up in the Dixon men, and she couldn't hardly imagine what had caused it. But Merle was changing tactics and she had to focus on what he was saying. "I bet he don't even know your ass is here." He didn't pause to even get her reaction just kept going. "In fact I know he don't, no way in hell he'd want you stickin' your fuckin' nose all up in his business like this."

Her shoulders flexed back a little uneasily, she'd thought much the same before Merle had entered the room, she was constantly wheeling Daryl closer and closer to the edge like she didn't think they'd both end up plummeting over it and crashing on the jaggedness below.

"Yeah. Well." She muttered darkly, watching the mean smile flicker onto Merle's face. "He'll get over it." Or he wouldn't and that would be pretty awful for her at this point.

"Oh you're in for it now lil' sugar baby, brother's got a temper on him, see if he don't." He gave a low whistle that rattled along her nerves. "Gives the old man's a run for its money when he gets triggered, you'll see."

She tried to ignore the rolling glob of dread that sticky stuck its way down the length of her ribs, the turns of her intestines, coming to lodge firmly in the center of her gut. There'd been a kind of bitter reverence in the way Merle had mentioned him and Daryl’s father...and his temper...that made her weird protective streak flare.

She managed a shrug, still holding the sharp gaze that was trying to crack her, motioned to the nearly forgotten objects in front of them. He looked at her incredulously but she simply raised her brows at him. She was plain shook, and he'd sure enough gotten to her, but she wasn't much of one to run – tail tucked – so she was going to sit here until visitation ended or he gave up and left.

He blinked, gave her a dipping nod, tongue seeming to roll along his teeth as he took up the pencil and started making quick strokes across its surface with the pencil.

"So tell me angel -"

"My name's Beth." She interjected only to have him shrug and continue.

"You tryin' t'get yer wings helpin' the less fortunate and all that?" It was becoming apparent to her that he was not drawing something fit to be seen let alone put on a baby's clothing, and her irritation peaked again.

"I dunno Merle, you aimin' t'get your horns by annoyin' the piss outta me?" Her accent thickened until she was mimicking his, feeling her cheeks prickle at her language even though it was barely a curse.

Her eyes widened a little when he let out a more genuine laugh. Empty of any kind of mean spirited humor, Merle had a pretty nice laugh. The smile twisting his lips was suddenly good natured with its surprise and it cut some of the heavy tension.

She could tell the way his eyes flickered up to hers and the tugging one sided pull of his mouth, that he was capable of being somewhat charming in his own way. Even if it was a much more dangerous way than his brother's.

"Just lookin' t'get a handle on the chick that pals up with an old redneck for no known goddamn reason."

"Awe Merle, ya ain't  that  old." She quipped, refusing to let his dig at the age difference between her and Daryl bother her.

He let out another slightly shocked mirth filled exclamation, pausing in his drawing to consider her once again. She looked back at him, wry smile twitching at her lips while she did.

"We friends now?" He huffed out, head still tilted a little down towards the obscene drawing, but eyes firmly set on her. "Hell, I'll be expectin' m'letter from ya soon then."

She shrugged, halfway still playing along but really, she wouldn't mind sending letters to Merle, he was funny and inappropriate and made her feel like she constantly had to be on her toes with him. His sight slit down in an expression she'd definitely seen from his younger brother.

"Bullshit." He challenged the same way again, and she barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. What was with these Dixon boys? Everything had to be a fight, either that or they figured you were trying to get one over on them.

"Do-gooding church goer, remember?" She teased a bit with a smile. "We always write to our friends that are locked up, it's what Jesus would want." There should be some guilt mixed in with the humor, she felt, her parents would not approve of her joking like that. But Merle was giving her a searching look, small curve to his lips again.

"Yeah?" He questioned, eyes back to the paper as he flipped it over, his strokes lazy, and he appeared to be doodling without much focus. "What else would ya send me?"

His tone brought a quick and hard flush to her face, that for now at least he didn't see as he kept making random sweeping arcs on the white sheet. She asked, because she knew he'd say it in any event, preparing herself for whatever his – no doubt lewd – reply would be.

"What would you like?" Her voice was cheerful enough, even as she watched the predator come back into his smile.

"Panties?"

"No."

"Nudie pics?"

"Nope."

"Damn girl." He groused with a large grin that made her shake her head, his eyes moving to hers, glancing over her still reddened cheeks. "Regular pictures?"

She was about to refuse again when she caught herself, stopping at the look that flickered in his eyes before he looked down in a very Daryl-like way.

Dang it.

"Like what?"

He shrugged, coming to the end of his nonsensical doodling, slapping a bored seeming hand over the page. "Just a' whatever tickles yer fancy honey britches, gets tiresome in here starin' at the walls all damn day."

"I could do that." She nodded at his questioning look, she could understand him wanting something to take his mind off things. "They let people send you food or anythin'?"

She knew one Dixon brother that liked her cooking at least, cookies or other baked foods would probably make it alright. But Merle shook his head a little, told her they only allowed food from the prison approved vendor to be sent in.

"Securepak." He clarified at her confused look, shaking his head again. "Or money on my books, but dont'cha worry about all that, ya come across an old book or magazine, that shit ya send my way ok girlie?"

"Sounds like a plan buddy ." She smiled, the chide clear in her eyes as he scoffed again, sliding the paper and pencil her way with a grin.

"Don' know what the hell lil' bro did to catch yer eye woman, but if I were a religious man I might pray for him." She slid the items closer to her with a smile as he stood.

"Might wanna find God just ta' give him a fightin' chance Merle." He chuckled deeply at her as he side stepped the bench, he gestured down at the paper under her hand, face expectant and she rolled her eyes a little.

She'd caught a glimpse of his work on the opposite side, she doubted his wayward strokes would prove to be any better. Looking down she froze and discovered just how wrong she was. His sweeping lines had fashioned a set of deconstructed wings, all swooping marks that left enough space in the middle for the lazily scrawled "Dixon's Lil' - Angel" in two meandering rows.

She snapped her eyes to his, watched a little dumbstruck as he shrugged and turned to make his way back to the guard.

"I'll be expectin' that letter sweet cheeks." His half hollered voice shook her from her bafflement and she had time to call back.

"My name's Beth!" The smile he threw at her was closely mirrored on her own mouth.

"Whatever!" He tossed over his shoulder as they took him back through the heavy metal door and out of sight.

Dixons.

They were the most fascinating infuriating breed of man she'd ever encountered.

The next day, that Thursday night, found her pulling into the store parking lot about a half hour early for her short shift of five until nine feeling a little harried and irritated. She’d gotten Merle's present for Aurora finished, she was planning on waiting until the end of the shower, hopefully when it was just the two of them, to give it to Daryl.

She didn't want to risk him getting angry and leaving at the start of the event, make things awkward with all the people he'd gone to such lengths to invite because of her. Part of her had a hard time remembering this shower was going to benefit him at all, but it was, him and Auri - heck - she'd probably wait until they'd loaded all the presents into his truck before she told him.

The guy at the custom clothes shop, that looked like it was one more slow month away from closing, had given her a couple confused looks at her pink stained face while he was scanning Merle's design into his computer. She couldn't bring herself to explain to him what she'd spent a few bashful minutes shading over the previous day to make the paper appropriate to bring in amongst mixed company.

But awkward interaction aside it was finished, a black onesie with white wings and lettering on the back, looking like a miniature of her daddy's leather vest, Auri was setting up to have more black than pink clothes. Beth had gotten small packs of onesies in varying sizes and colors, with different baby safe fabric paints and a plethora of stencils based on what knowledge she had of what Daryl liked combined with regular girlier ones.

None of that had irritated her, in fact she was getting unduly excited for the day considering how not excited Daryl probably was, but she couldn't help it.

No, the things that were making her feel rather grouchy was to start, that she was here for a short obnoxious shift that was barely worth the gas to drive in for, the fact that she'd agreed to go to that stupid swanky party with Maggie tomorrow and was going to have to meet her stupid boss with the stupid smile that her sister could not shut up about, and lastly but certainly not least - she hadn't heard from a specific surly redneck since the beginning of the week nor had she seen him.

It shouldn't matter, she didn't see a lot of her regular friends for weeks at a time, heard from them about as often, but she'd given up on the lie of thinking of him as a regular friend. She still wasn't mad at the silence, more the situation in and of itself, she wanted to see him, hear him, feel -

Like her thoughts made him appear, Beth stalled climbing out of her SUV, watching his tired sloping walk (- Worked too much) as he crossed the lot in her general direction. She took a quick scan around and noticed his truck for the first time on the other side and further down from her own parked vehicle, placing her squarely in his path.

For some reason she felt a surge of panic, Merle's words niggled at her, and she was suddenly worried that he'd be able to tell that she'd seriously overstepped her bounds and be livid at her. She wasn't scared of him, good men didn't hurt people for visiting their inmate brothers, and Daryl Dixon was a good man.

But he could yell and rage and...refuse to see or speak to her ever again.

She swallowed and dug into her pants pocket, fishing out her phone she quickly unlocked it and stood, slightly leaning against her car with the driver's door still open, and began tapping around a random app, barely breathing as his steps got closer.

She knew the exact moment he noticed her, those quiet steps coming to a halt, his dark outline tickling at the edges of her peripheral vision. He might choose to just skirt around her silently, she didn't know how upset that'd make her, after all, she was kind of doing her own avoiding right now while making it look like she was giving him the choice to engage.

Her breath jittered in her lungs, stomach muscles winding together, when he resumed walking in her direction, stopping just a foot or so away.

"Hey." He sounded rather – embarrassed – she thought as she pulled her sight from the lit screen, wondering at how he could pack so much awkward adorableness into one half-grunted word.

" Daryl ."

She didn't have to fake the smile that happened, felt acutely her own dose of embarrassment at the way his name sounded passing her lips, she could just have given a hello for cripes sake, but the mantra of his name had been near deafening in her ears and had popped out her mouth like it couldn't stay inside her head any longer.

"Late shift?" He indicated the building behind him with a shaggy headed jerk over a hunched shoulder as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his coveralls.

"Short one." She confirmed with a nod, uncharacteristically unable to think of something else to add to her answer when the quiet stretched between them.

He shuffled slightly side to side, mouth the smallest bit parted, one cheek inching up to slightly close the eye above it, other eye narrowing some to catch up, looking at her with such consternation that her own brows knit in worry to see it.

"M'an asshole." He grumbled finally, catching her off guard, she shook her head quickly standing away from her car. Taking a small step towards him she automatically slid her phone back into her pocket.

"You're not."

"Fuck girl," he murmured sounding exhausted, "don' defend me, alrigh'? Got your damn text message, ain't like m'phone broke alluva sudden."

"Daryl you're workin' two jobs and probably still makin' time to go see Auri." She tried a small smile that didn't quite hold up under his close scrutiny. "Normally I don't much condone gettin' ignored but I guess I can let it slide this once."

He shook his head, dropping his chin against his chest, and if she had ever thought of chastising or being angry with him, even the phantom of it evaporated now. She sidled closer to him, wanting desperately to be able to comfort him but unsure if he'd allow it.

"She ain't gainin' weight like she should." He confessed suddenly to his boots and her heart sunk with a free fall that had her reaching out to steady herself, hands landing on his arms, his hands leaving his pockets to grip her elbows.

"How serious is it?" She asked quietly, his eyes on hers since she'd latched onto him. "Do they know?"

"Say it happens sometimes, I just..." She was trying hard to understand what he was trying to say in case he gave it up and closed off. "I just got 'er." He finished a little brokenly, gravel running hard over his vocal cords.

"Hey." She said firmly, before deciding to heck with it and moving her arms to loop his neck so she could pull him into a hug. "She isn't goin' anywhere."

He'd bent down after only a slight tensing, banding his arms across her back, holding on tighter than he ever had. Leaning into her until it felt like she was holding him up, or holding him together.

"M'an asshole." He said again lowly, and she tightened her arms slightly.

"Quit that, dang it, I'm serious."

His arms gripped around her until it became hard to breathe and she wiggled into him to alleviate the feeling. He went from resting his chin on her shoulder to pressing his face along her neck, which normally wouldn't have been that big a deal (yes it would) except her hair was up in her customary ponytail for work, and she could feel every inch of his heated face on her cool skin.

She moved a hand to run unsure fingers through his hair, hearing and feeling his sigh. He adjusted a little, keeping mostly just his forehead in place before he spoke.

"Ya do everythin', an' I can' even text ya back, an’ here I am stealin' hugs."

- Likes hugs

“Well lucky for you I’m the kind that takes the second thing you’re doin’ as payment for the first thing ya did.” He snorted a hot breath into her neck, causing her to suppress a shiver. “ Neither of us is goin’ anywhere Daryl.” She said more seriously feeling him tense like a corset around her ribs. “Auri’s all yours, and me, you’re kinda stuck with.”

He drew away from her slowly but deliberately and she felt a little disappointment when he went back to hunching his shoulders and pushing his hands into his pockets. She wrapped protective arms around her midriff, smiling a little at him as she tried to cage his vanishing warmth from fleeing away like he had.

“Crazy girl.” He muttered catching her eye, his hair falling shyly over his face.

Her mouth quirked as she nodded her agreement. “You think you’d be alright with me comin’ with ya sometime soon to visit Auri? Feels like forever since I got to see her.” His gaze seemed to intensify and she stilled while she waited for his answer, finally he gave her a bobbing nod.

“Gonna go see ‘er tomorrow night after m’shift at Glenn’s.” He had a way of pursing his mouth that managed to make him look in no way irritated, even when his eyes crinkled nearly closed like they were now, as he seemed to rock a little closer to her. “It’d be kinda late but Tara’s used to lettin’ me in every night now.”

- Update to previous note: Is an amazing dad.

She was about to happily agree when she remembered her stupid prior engagement and she groaned, not even thinking before taking the half step forward to plunk her forehead onto his chest. His muscle there offered little to no give, and to push passed the sudden tension lancing through his body again, she groaned even louder as her heartrate picked up.

“Friggin’ sister.” She growled into the well-worn fabric pushing against most of her face.

He grunted in response and she felt him lean down a little to catch what she was venting into his steadily moving body.

“Figgin’ stupid party.” She puffed out a breath in irritation. “Stupid hot boss with the smile.”

“Hell’re you talkin’ about?” He asked, pulling away with a defensiveness she didn’t understand, until her eyes met his, and she saw a shifting discomfort there that seemed out of place amongst his usually impassive expressions.

- …got jealous…?...!

“My sister Maggie has a crush on her boss and won’t shut the heck up about his gosh darn smile every time I talk to her.” The words tumbled as quickly as her tongue and teeth could force them as she held his gaze. “An’ now she wants me to go to some stupid party her office is throwin’ tomorrow night so that I can meet him and see the stupid smile.”

He made an exaggerated nod as if trying to wrap his mind around what she was saying while trying to get rid of whatever his own thoughts had been.

“So ya can’ make it to see Auri…” He worked out slowly, frowning at her. “Ain’t a big deal, Kit’ll be here when ya get back, we’ll find a time later in th’week.”

“I know I just…” And she shrugged, casting her eyes away from him before turning to shut her car’s still open door. “I guess I’d rather be spendin’ time with the two of you, instead of some boring party.”

She couldn’t look at him, choosing instead to pull her phone out to check the time, of which she was running out of rather quickly.

“Sister’ll be there.” He tried weakly, sounding distinctly uncomfortable, she doubt it helped when she scoffed, shoving her phone back into her pocket.

“Maggie, when she’s locked onto a guy, isn’t real great company.” She looked at him long enough to offer a wan smile before stepping around him. “Gotta head in, I’ll talk t’ya later Daryl.”

She’d taken about a step passed him, when a warm grip on her wrist tugged her back, and she turned in confusion, to have somewhat fumbling arms wrap around her shoulders. She paused for just a moment before doing her best to encase his larger body with her arms, and laid her head experimentally back down on his chest.  

“’Nother shitty day, an’ then it’ll be the baby shower.” He managed to grate the words out, somehow making it sound like he wasn’t even dreading it that much. She in turn managed a nod, trying to hide her shock and happiness at this turn in events. “This really fuckin’ helps?” He grumbled after a few more seconds, and she huffed out a laugh.

“It really does.” She replied, allowing her eyes to shut for a few moments. “ You really gonna show up?” She countered then, hoping to buy time. “No takebacks?”

He scoffed and she smiled into his chest. “’Course m’gonna be there woman, said ya was makin’ shells didnt’cha?”

“I did.” She murmured, finally drawing away, flashing him a brighter smile when she met his eyes. “Say hi to Auri for me ok?”

He gave her a sure nod, still looking like a thousand thoughts were chasing around in his head. She waved once she’d taken a few reluctant steps back, receiving another nod in answer before she turned and made her way into the store.

Chapter Text

Part B

Friday arrived and saw her in not much of a better mood; she had a creeping uneasiness that hounded her on her drive into Atlanta, harassing her the entire time she got ready with Maggie at her apartment. It got to an intolerable point and she finally ended up asking her sister if they would be able to cut out of the party a little early so they could make it back to the farm tonight instead of early tomorrow morning.

“Are ya really dreadin’ this that much?” Maggie asked curiously, while she carefully applied her mascara.

“Well, yeah.” Beth admitted, trying her best to sound even keeled as she answered. “You want me ta’ see the guy so here I am, but we got a lot of stuff to get set up tomorrow, and I’d rather get the drivin’ outta the way tonight.”

Maggie considered her for a moment in the mirror, she’d agreed to come down for the baby shower, while forcibly biting her tongue about anything Daryl related, lest Beth start comparing the situation to her sister and Negan’s. All of a sudden the older guy thing wasn’t as cool when her 18 year old sister was into it.

“You really like this guy huh?” Maggie asked quietly, making Beth immediately squirm under her steady gaze.

“I know y’all don’t agree because of Aurora, but he’s a good guy Maggs.” They looked at one another via the bathroom’s mirror for several quiet moments before Maggie nodded. “Alright Bethy, hour or two at the party and we’re gone.”

Beth couldn’t stop her grin as she bumped a hip into her sister while it was still safe to do so, Maggie reached out quickly to tweak her side, smiling a bit at Beth’s yelp. A more comfortable silence fell over them as they finished the process of getting ready.

Once she’d gotten completely done, Beth stared at herself in Maggie’s full length mirror, taking in every detail of her appearance while her sister loaded their bags and did another last minute check to make sure she hadn’t left anything she was going to need.

She’d told Maggie the outfit was too much, she’d be overdressed, but her sister had assured her this wouldn’t be the case and had also decided that they’d both go in red, laughing happily at Beth’s reaction to the idea.

It was an old gripe the girls had had while growing up, matching dresses for special events, or at least the same colored outfit. Her mama had thought it was just the cutest thing, and it had driven both her and Maggie insane.

But apparently her sister was feeling nostalgic tonight, because here Beth stood gazing into the mirror barely recognizing herself. It was kind of nice though. She'd been spending a lot of time, focusing on other people, namely one other person most recently. But now she'd spent a few hours getting ready, chatting with Maggie, and putting on this ridiculous dress and...it was nice.

She'd had Maggie help her hoist her silken locks into a wide bun high on the back of her head, left a few strands free by her face. She was actually wearing makeup instead of just her usual quick application of a bit of mascara and lip gloss. Now, going through the whole nine yards of primer, foundation, highlighting, contouring, powdering, bronzer, blush, eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, and a red liquid lip color...well she looked photo shopped.

And it was way too much work for every day, and all the layers of makeup were such a light color to match her skin tone that half of it felt useless, but she did look pretty nice she had to admit. Maggie had stalled out doing her own regiment to smile wickedly at her, said she looked very 'old Hollywood' which Beth supposed was a good thing, sounded classy anyway.

The dress kind of added to that, it had a high frilled neck, was a startling (to her) shade of red that was cut like a halter top, leaving her arms bare, dropping to sway around her knees. Its outside layer was sheer, the slip underneath a matching shade that started just above her breasts and covered the length of her - all very decent - except for the fact that the slip had a slit from her hip down, that'd flash pale thigh if she turned quickly.

She turned side to side experimentally, watching the light swath of skin peek out, turning a black strap covered ankle. She was going to make the best of this evening, enjoy herself, let herself be ridiculously dressed up and covered in 3 layers too much of makeup.

She wasn't gonna worry about the baby shower tomorrow, or wish that she wasn't in Atlanta, that she was in her local hospital visiting the NICU instead.

Wasn't gonna wish that Daryl Dixon could see her right now.

Probably wouldn't like it anyway, she mused, placing a contemplative hand to her stomach. Considering the way he went about his own personal appearance, led her to believe he'd prefer her the way she usually was. Not that the preference would matter in either event, even if he didn't think she was too young, he had Auri to worry about, didn't need a new relationship on top of that.

"You're gorgeous, lookin' isn’t gonna change that." Beth's eyes flew to see Maggie standing in the doorway watching her.

Her sister looked like a goddess in her own red dress with her darker toned skin. It was almost an opposite cut of Beth's - all thin straps and low cut, it wrapped around Maggie's curves and was made out of a material that begged to be touched - looked soft and shining. Beth almost felt bad for her sister's boss, man would have a hard time not perpetrating sexual harassment when Maggie looked like that.

She smiled a little devilishly at her sister as she turned, good, this'd make it easier for Beth to get a handle on what kind of man he was. Whether he was the kind that could appreciate a beautiful woman without feeling entitled to grab ahold of her.

When they reached the party, she stuck to Maggie's side, literally linking their arms so that the brunette couldn't get sidetracked and leave her in the middle of all these poshly dressed who's who of Atlanta society. She definitely wasn't overdressed, in fact, she looked around - fingering her dress's ruff anxiously - compared to most of the women here she looked like she was attempting to play dress up.

" Ladies in red ." A deep voice sounded behind them and Beth felt her sister's arm tense under her hand. Must be the boss, and she could already tell he was going to be good looking based on his voice alone. "Be still my heart , good lord Miss Greene." The two sisters spun and Beth made eye contact with the man. " What are you tryin' to do to me?"

Well at least it wasn't hard to understand what Maggie found attractive about Negan. The man was basically the walking definition of tall dark and handsome, had a way of enunciating and putting an emphasis on his words that was auditorily intriguing in a way she didn't quite understand. And...she stilled against Maggie's side...he did have an outrageously perfect smile.

He was dressed almost casually without a tie, but still his clothes looked more expensive than her car, and they hung on his lanky muscular frame like they'd been created specifically for him. Thick hair, cut and styled back away from his face, he looked like sin in a suit.

She swallowed harder than was comfortable, never so aware of her own slight limbs and large eyes as when he turned his gaze on her. Doing her best not to shuffle or fidget she smiled slightly at him as he spoke to her.

"And who is this ?" Again that odd cadence with that deep voice, her hand clenched involuntarily on Maggie's arm. "Don't tell me this is little Beth Greene." He flicked his eyes to her sister for confirmation before focusing on Beth once again. "Maggie you lied to me," his smile turned slightly wolfish making her pulse stutter, "she made you sound like you were only knee high to a grasshopper."

"She's my baby sister, Boss." Maggie chastised lightly, pulling Beth into her a little in comradery. "How else am I supposed to talk about her?"

Beth turned her head, meeting her sister's eyes and smiled tightly, this is where the evening probably started to go downhill and it had just started.

"Well." Negan's baritone pulled them back to looking at him and his small smile, while he considered both of them. "I guess that is true . Now Miss Margarete." He rose his chin up and offered a hand towards Maggie. "You gonna dance with me?"

Beth watched as her sister's eyes locked onto the waiting hand and couldn't quite blame her for looking torn, she'd promised not to leave Beth alone (since she really hadn't wanted to come in the first place) but between the dark timber of his voice and those eyes that were working like tractor beams...

Heck, Beth was about ready to take the hand herself.

"G'on." She said encouragingly, taking her arm from Maggie's and pushing lightly at the small of her back. "M'fine."

"You sure?" Maggie asked, hand rising uncertainly, Negan clasped it regardless and began pulling her towards the small dance floor that the venue contained.

"Of course she is." His voice picked up volume as he spoke over whatever Beth had been about to say. "And she better get ready ." His eyes snagged hers and it felt like her pair was about to pop free of their sockets. "Because I'm dancin' with her next."

Well that was frickin' terrifying.

She watched the two dance for a little while, the way Negan held Maggie, looked like they were already a couple. They'd probably done this before, she'd heard tell of a party or two in the past but Maggie had made them all sound rather tedious. Didn't look like she felt that way now, pressed all along Negan's body like she was.

They looked good together, looked like a couple...Beth tilted her head a little considering, freezing as dark brown eyes snapped onto hers as the man dancing with her sister smiled in a far more predatory manner, and for all his nice clothes and careful grooming - at that moment Beth couldn't see much of a difference between Negan and Merle Dixon.

She stayed very still as the music had them turning and she saw Maggie saying something into her dance partner's ear, maybe she had been when Beth had latched eyes with his, he might not have even realized he was looking at her while her sister whispered whatever she had to him.

There was laughter and Beth frowned, Maggie seemed to have been telling him something funny and not flirtatious - of course anything said directly into the ear like that might...She shook her head and decided to leave the dance floor's vicinity. She was being ridiculous, and probably a little unfair, she hadn't wanted to like Negan from the start, was probably looking for things to find fault in.

She wished this dress had pockets, or that she hadn't listened to her sister and left her phone in the small clutch she'd checked at the door with her coat. Her dedication to not thinking about Daryl and Auri was quickly evaporating now that she was on her own, she wondered if he was there already at the hospital. But no, the party had started at six, her and Maggie were hoping to make it home by ten, Daryl probably had just started his shift at Rhee's and-

"Hello."

She'd just plopped a crab puff into her mouth, there were trays of them being circulated around the room by the wait staff. Whipping her still chewing head around she paused, feeling just a tad confused, there were three guys staring at her as she munched away on the bite in her mouth.

Good- ness . How long had they been standing there for?

She swallowed a bit too soon, feeling the still hard pieces scrape uncomfortably down the length of her throat. Her eyes scanned the three of them inquiringly, they were all twenty-somethings, all attractive, and all...still...staring.

"Hi." She murmured, eyes flicking to each - adding after a moment. "I'm Beth."

"I'm Spencer," the one that looked slightly oldest said with a comforting-type smile, "this is my younger brother Aiden," gesturing to the guy in the middle with darker hair, "and Zach," last guy in line with a fuller mouth, "we're interns here for Negan."

" Ok ." She answered a little awkwardly with a nod, wondering, a little panicky, why in the heck the three of them were over here talking to her. "Well, he seems..." She floundered a bit at all the words that didn't seem appropriate or relevant to a politician. "Charismatic."

Wow .

The three smiled a little knowingly at one another before the one on the end, Zach, spoke to her with an easy smile. "Saw you come in with Maggie Greene, you two friends?"

She very much did not want to be here right now, she didn't really like this kind of attention, didn't know how to explain how she knew what kind of attention that it was. Only could sense it from the way her skin felt the sudden urge to get up and crawl off her bones. One of them would have been fine, she was a people person, but three was a pack and she felt rather outnumbered, no matter how innocent their intentions might turn out to be.

"Sisters, actually." She clarified, not really knowing where or how to hold her arms or hands, a knee knocking into the other leg as she tried harder not to fidget. "Just came to be her plus one."

"You an intern for someone?" Aiden scanned her body quickly, and Beth crossed her arms as casually as she could. "Pretty sure I haven't seen you around anywhere."

Right, 'cause y'ad notice if I was in anything other than this dress.

"Nope, don't even live in Atlanta." She eyed the dance floor, hoping the last song was almost over and that Maggie would come rescue her. "Just came to visit Maggie."

"You should move here." Zach tried again as Aiden turned to mutter something in his brother's ear, who rolled his eyes slightly but smirked. "Between the schools and the jobs it’s pretty much the only viable place to live in Georgia anymore."

Beth tried her best not to frown at him, there were plenty of great places to live and work at in the state besides the capitol, and since she didn't know him she wouldn't say anything...but honestly did he not know how rude that sounded to someone who'd just told him they didn't live here?

"Well I mean," she smiled halfheartedly at him, seeing Negan and her sister approach from behind the three, "the people are so great."

The men's boss took that moment to clap Zach and Aiden on their shoulders, gripping and shaking just a little, wolf smile back in place when the two younger guys turned in surprise to look at him. Maggie skirted around Spencer to come and whisper in her ear.

"He's serious about askin' ya ta' dance." There was something tight in Maggie's voice, "I told him you're only here 'cause I dragged you, but he seems ta' think ya won't mind."

"You ready Miss Beth?"

Looking back to the group of well-dressed men, Beth had the insane wish that Daryl would come prowling through the glass paneled doors of the place, covered in grease and dirt - dressed in whatever was the least worn thing he'd thrown on - grab her by the wrist like he had last night, and tug her right back out of here.

"Ya don't have to Bethy." Maggie shot Negan a displeased look. "I gotta meet with a rep for the nonprofit we're donating to, but after that we can head straight home."

Oh good , she looked from Negan to the three guys casting him sidelong looks, frying pan or fire .

Well, if the boss man was a major creep, then she could tell Maggie, who would no doubt throat punch his Cheshire ass, which would then get her fired, and she'd have to move back home, which is what Beth wanted anyway.

One instead of three had to be better odds right?

"S'fine Maggs." She answered loud enough for all of them to hear before whispering in her sister's ear as she passed. "As soon as you're done."

Maggie nodded her understanding, still looking mildly irritated at the situation, and Beth wondered exactly how that conversation with the boss had gone. She walked in silence to the dance floor, Negan walking unassumingly for the most part at her side.

"Ya know." He said as they crossed the threshold to where the other dancing couples swayed, he looked at her in a calculating way, lips pursing slightly. "We don't gotta dance if you don't want." Her raised brows had him continuing with more of a smile. "I have never in all my life , made a woman do something she wasn't down for."

Her cheeks prickled at his tone and she thought again of Merle, in all honesty, she might prefer him - there was a straightforward aspect to Daryl's brother that was comforting in its brashness. There was a dangerous glint in Negan's eye like the man's who she'd just got done visiting in prison, except it frightened her more for the sly way he flashed it at her.

"Just a dance." She answered with a shrug, not really sure where to go from this point as they faced one another.

"Al- right then." His low voice ran an odd set of chills throughout her, this man was like a snake, his voice and smile soothed and charmed but he couldn't quite mask that cold snap in his otherwise warm brown eyes. "See if we can't get another one of those sweet, sweet smiles."

Beth was pretty certain, as he placed a hand to the small of her back and dwarfed her own hand with his other one, that the only smile he was going to see from her was the one she threw over her shoulder at him as her and Maggie left.

They moved together, him pressing her as assuredly against him as he had Maggie, and Beth felt her brow furrow. She was much shorter than her sister, so she was stuck looking at his chest or craning her head back to meet his eyes which always seemed much closer to hers than what was strictly necessary. Her pulse tripped at her skin shivered, even if he was good looking, this felt…wrong.

"This is gonna sound insane." He began, voice that same low volume that hummed along her nervous system. "But you remind me a lot of my wife who passed."

Well, he was right, not only did telling the sister or the woman you'd been flirting with for at least the entire night if not the last couple of months, that she reminded you of your dead wife, sound like a crazy thing to think let alone say - but it was also incredibly creepy when it was said with the same intonations Negan was using now.

"Oh?" Beth asked, eyes flicking around the room, trying to look for a splash of red that was the right shade to be her sister. "You meet her right after she graduated high school too?"

" Ooh hoo hoo ." He chuckled out, breaking the form he'd used to dance with her, in order to lean back in a bowing laugh that made her hop back in order to keep their hips from grinding together. "Oh you are a Greene aren't you ? Damn spit fire like your sister." He'd resumed his normal posture as he spoke, leaning into her even though they'd stopped dancing. " I like that ."

"Beth." She turned gratefully to see Maggie walking toward them, a more definite frown on her face. "You ready?"

She just managed to nod quickly, reaching to snag her sister's offered hand and detangling from Negan's hold.

"Awe come on Maggie." He called after them. "Don't leave , who am I gonna dance with if you're not here?"

Beth snuck a glance at her sister's stormy expression, skipping a little to keep up with Maggie's longer stride.

"M'sure you'll find someone , Boss." Maggie called back derisively without sparing the man a look. Adding under her breath in a dark growl. "Not that I give a shit."

Uh-oh.

Beth waited until they were in the car, headed back home and away from the blurred lights of Atlanta before saying anything, knocking Maggie's abandoned silver heels together idly as she did.

"You alright Maggie?" She hazarded a look only when she saw a dark head turn to glance in her direction. "M'sorry I -"

"Don't you dare ." Maggie snapped, glancing at Beth again before returning once more to the road. "I force you inta' comin' and the man I been talkin' your ear off about, decides to show what a hound he is, and Swayze you all over the dancefloor? Don't you apologize for my shitty judgement Bethy.”

Her sister’s tone was barely controlled and Beth wondered if Negan would ever know how closely he’d come to getting smacked across his grinning face tonight.

“It's supposed ta' be me sayin' that to you." Green eyes found hers just long enough for an embarrassed. "I'm sorry Bethy." Before they flicked back to the mostly clear highway.

"It's alright Maggs, I just feel lousy for you." She answered, brows knit. "What's gonna happen now? With you two?"

Maggie snorted in a very unladylike fashion that made Beth grin. " Nothin' . He'll probably keep flirtin' like mad but he ain't makin' any traction with this girl."

They were quiet for a few moments before Beth said dryly.

"Pretty sure it's disrespectful to even mention Swayze and Negan in the same breath."

Maggie let out a startled laugh, and Beth smiled, happy to have the tension broken a bit and to be headed back towards home.

"So." Maggie's voice was edged with a tease when Beth looked at her. "M'droppin' you off at the hospital then?" Beth's mouth dropped open a tiny bit in surprise. "Oh please , like I didn't hear you, oh so casually mention how he'd invited ya to see Auri tonight."

Heh...yeah she had too.

"We're drivin' my car, how am I gonna get home?" She tried hard not to blush at Maggie's quick, yet effective, flat look that quite loudly said duh .

"He gonna take issue with drivin' you home, ‘specially when ya show up lookin' like that?"

"Maggie! I can't go see them wearin' this!"

Maggie's smile was a little concerning as she shook her head, and Beth dropped the visor down to check the state of her makeup.

"Trust me little sister, ya want the man your crushin' on, to see you in exactly that." Beth cut a glare her way as she dabbed small amounts of black out from under her eyes. "I put your makeup bag in the backseat." Maggie informed her, grin still solidly in place. "Redo that lip-stuff you have, and then don't get mad when it comes up missin' 'cause I like it."

Beth rolled her eyes even as she spun in her seat to reach into the back.

"You need me to stay 'til he comes?" Maggie asked later as they idled in the hospital parking lot, but Beth shook her head gesturing towards the old pickup truck that was almost the only one left in the area.

"His truck's here."

"Well, text him, make sure he's up."

With a nod Beth did just that, opening the small purse she'd stowed her phone in earlier that evening, taking a bit of a steadying breath, she tapped onto the lighted screen and, getting to his messages, entered a quick question.

- You up?

Her and Maggie sat silently for only a few moments before the phone was buzzing in reply.

" Good boy ." Maggie murmured as Beth's cheeks heated instantly.

- Not even 10 Greene, ain't that old

She paused unsure of what to type next, did she come right out and tell him she was here? Should she warm up to it? Would that annoy Maggie? Was it annoying Maggie more that she was sitting here staring at her phone?

- What're you up to?

She refused to look at her sister who still waited quietly in the driver's seat, the time stretched a little and then Maggie smacked her in the arm.

"Beth." Snapping her eyes up she saw him, he'd just edged out one of the side doors, and was carefully kicking a rock into place to keep it open. "He looks like a biker for Christ's sake." Maggie muttered, squinting at him across the distance.

"Well he is." Beth breathed, suddenly very sure he could hear her. "So that's good."

"Oh my lord, look at those arms." Maggie was about half an inch to pressing her face against the windshield.

"I have." She bent down to put her shoes on as her phone went off.

- Visitin Kit.

She held one shoe in her hand as she replied.

- Tell her about all the cute clothes I got her?

"Hmm." Beth's eyes snapped to her sister, before turning to where Maggie was looking thoughtfully.

Daryl had lit a cigarette and was standing to the side of one of the hospital's glaring outside lights, it was casting half his face in shadow. He held the cigarette in between his index and middle knuckles, rested the tip of his thumb against lips that were curved up in more of a smile than she'd ever seen, while he read her reply and began to respond.

"Now, go now ." Maggie whispered decisively with that close to manic grin on her face (apparently her lackluster evening had morphed into her living vicariously through Beth) nearly pushing her out of the car when Beth opened the door. She threw her sister a glare as she quickly worked on the other shoe and got his reply.

- yeah of course I told her how crazy you are, kid's been warned

“Coat!” Maggie hissed, and Beth barely had time to awkwardly catch the flying garment that her sister had chucked at her. “Purse!” And the process was repeated. “Good luck!”

She couldn’t even begin to meet her sister’s eyes, could feel the flush as she folded the coat over her arm and began to make her way to him. Maggie pulled passed her and left the lot. The car’s movement caught his attention, and Beth watched as his eyes lit on her – immediately looked away – before his body seemed to tense mid-motion to take a drag, and he looked back up.

She swallowed the heartbeat that had made its way into her tongue and smiled brightly at him despite all her many nerves. He looked so great. Sleeveless plaid shirt and leather vest, tanned skin, and dark hair that looked a little wet still from a shower. Jeans that hung too baggy on his hips, kept in place with one of those canvas braided belts, holes in both knees and one of the pockets.

Perfect .

He was looking at her so intently that she didn’t start speaking when she came to a stop in front of him, watched his eyes climb along her face and hair, dip momentarily to the sheer material covering her sternum (where her blush started) before jerking back up to her eyes.

“Hey.” Her voice was church service quiet, the night putting everything on pause around them.

Complete silence.

“ Awful party.” She supplied after he still hadn’t spoken after many… many moments.

There was a slight issue with her stomach, it had gotten the idea somehow that it was off road muddin’ the way it seemed to jerk and slide against her abdominal muscles. Her lungs weren’t in much better shape, half-capacity, she was a few shaky breaths away from hyperventilating.

It was just, she had never expected to see him so – gobsmacked – seemed to be the only term willing to come to mind. He hadn’t so much as blinked an eye since she’d stopped before him, and with the light at his back he was all dark shadow and tense muscle. She could catch the barest scent of soap on him, something that made her think of fresh rain and broken saplings.

“What’re you doin’ here?” Her smile faltered a little, but his always gruff voice didn’t sound angry – it was river rock and cracked pepper – but the tone was…confused…maybe.

Perhaps that was not a strong enough term…Bewildered, dazed, baffled, flabbergasted, stunned, astonished, dumbfounded, or thunderstruck might have worked better – better still if all of them were combined into one big amalgamation for a level of staggered she’d yet to experience from a man.      

“Needed a hug.” She shrugged with a bare shoulder, smiling as much as her nerve wracked face would allow.

He finally began to blink, eyes taking in her dress once more before skirting away, and onto the ground beside her. She almost had time to frown, before he was flicking his barely smoked cigarette away, and then – in a gesture that made the back of her eyes prick – he slowly and awkwardly began wiping his hands on the back of his pants. Like he were dirty, like it was more than simple dust or grease that made him that way. His eyes still averted while he cleaned nonexistent filth from his hands.

She made some kind of sound, somewhere between a tsk and a gasp that was more a sigh. And without waiting for him to finish leaned forward, and pushing each of his arms aside, wrapped hers around him firmly, laying her head on his chest for good measure. She liked the way her forehead tucked in by his chin, how warm he felt against her, the heaviness of the limbs that slowly covered her own, his hands cupping her elbows.

She really shouldn’t have held on harder, shimmied her body against his until he got the hint and moved his arms to drape reassuringly across her shoulders, the sides of his rough hands catching a little on her hair. She sunk into him and his smell, sighing contentedly, feeling the breath leave him in a quick gust across the bridge of her nose.

“Must’ve been a really shitty party.” He murmured into her hair several seconds later, arms tightening to mirror her own quick flexing.

“You have no idea.” Her answer was low, her eyes closed, just enjoying the feel of him.

His chest stilled for a bit against her head. “You alrigh’?” And she could hear the knit in his brows. “Hell happened?”

“City people are the worst .” She hedged, he hummed agreeably, obviously expecting more of an answer. “M’sister’s boss was…”

“A prick?” He tried, after she wasn’t able to find the words.

She nodded into him, vaguely hoping she didn’t smudge makeup all over his vest. “Him and his minions.”

Now he really did tense up. “The fuck happened Beth?”

“Nothin’ really.” She undermined the answer by burrowing into him more. “The minions swarmed me, they didn’t say anything really bad. I just felt…” This was stupid, she hadn’t been attacked or something. “There were just suddenly three of these twenty-something guys staring at me in a room where I didn’t know anyone.” She was beginning to pick up steam. “And then her boss, Maggie’s boss, wanted ta’ dance with me and he was talkin’ about how I reminded him of his wife that had passed-”

“ The fuck? ”

“Yeah,” she barely paused at his interjection, becoming more relaxed the solider he felt around her, “and he was holdin’ me real close, like closer than I think he shoulda’ been, and the way he was lookin’ at me like…” She swallowed, shaking her head against him. “I shouldn’a wore this dress.”

“Y’look fuckin’ amazin’ in the dress.” He growled harshly and she sighed, suddenly content and safe at the roll in his snarl. “Nasty motherfuckers are goddamn lucky – “ She could hear the clacking of his teeth as he slammed them together cutting off his words.

Thinking quickly, she told him what she’d thought about, before agreeing to dance with Negan.

“I was wishin’ you were there.” He was quiet and she continued, seeing no way to do anything else. “Boss and the minions starin’ at me, waitin’ for me to go dance with him, and all I could think of was how bad I wanted you to come through the doors.”

“Ain’t gonna catch me dancin’.” He snarked after a minute and she realized she’d of course managed to make him uncomfortable, he had that same tone as that day in the baby section.

“Just wanted you ta’ take me outta there Daryl.” And she didn’t mean to sound sad, but then, that’s what she was, she’d put herself out there when she knew she shouldn’t, and gotten the response she knew she would.

She was thinking of moving away from him, maybe even texting Maggie, it seemed like a lot of work to be around him all of a sudden. Hadn’t she felt the greatest sense of peace not minutes ago? His arms loosened and she shouldn’t have been surprised that he beat her to it, when it came to withdrawing.

But when she went to draw back she realized that he hadn’t unwound completely from her, and she ended up resting the back of her head along his forearms and looking into his face.

“Shoulda called me.” He said lowly, running his voice down her body. “I’da come an’ got ya.”

“You’da driven to Atlanta ta’ pick me up from a party I didn’t end up bein’ at for even an hour?”

He shrugged and the motion bobbed their faces closer for a moment. “Hell yeah, ‘least talked to ya, ‘til yer sister was ready to get the fuck outta Dodge.”

“Why?” She knew those two lines were resting in between her furrowed brows from the way his eyes flicked there and back to hers.

He didn’t answer. Just looked at her for a long time, making her body start its earlier process of trying to short circuit while she stood there gazing up at his unreadable expression.

Finally, he shook his head and twitched his lips at her.

“ Crazy girl .” He muttered, before releasing her really slow, dragging fingertips across her ruff covered neck and bare shoulders, trailed down her gooseflesh inhabited arms before withdrawing completely. He twitched another, easier, smile at her – moving to pull open the cracked hospital door. “Ya hungry?”

Her belly clenched in acknowledgment, that yes she was indeed hungry.

“You got food?” She asked curiously, walking passed him into the stairwell.

“Nah.” And his mouth pulled up lopsidedly at her sigh. “But there’s vendin’ machines and ya can pick out whatever ya want.”

- Update to prior note: Was socially awkward and friggin’ adorable.

“Cheetos?” She queried immediately and his mouth pursed in a twisting smile that he couldn’t quite hide as he nodded, starting up the stairs.

“Think so.”

“Thank goodness.” She muttered, stopping to wrestle off her heels that were not going to be making the climb while attached to her feet. Bypassing him after she’d straightened and started making her way up, wincing as the hard steps hit her tender soles.

She reached the first landing, stopping when she realized he wasn’t behind her, looking down she saw him staring at her, face contemplative before he came around and climbed the steps between them a couple at a time and they made it to the NICU floor in silence.

After picking out an embarrassing amount of junk food and waiting for him to do the same, Beth led the way into the room that housed all the peaceful little bodies, including the one that was Daryl’s daughter. The bed he’d obviously been using was half propped up so that it could be sat on like a recliner with the footrest kicked out.

Without thinking much about it, she climbed up, casting her shoes to the floor with a low clatter once she’d gotten to the far side. Depositing her armful of loot on the bed’s empty bottom she walked around on her knees until she could turn about and get sat down comfortably. She glanced up to see him staring at her again and felt her cheeks heat quickly.

Looking away she scooted to give him room before patting the spot next to her and then reached for her bag of Cheetos. He hesitated for a bit before coming and, kicking off his boots and similarly dropping his random collection of items, kicked his legs up next to hers and grabbed for a Kitkat.

“Is this allowed?” She questioned him, more to break tension than anything, gesturing to their food. “Eating in here?”

“Don’ know.” He shrugged, eyeing Aurora as she slept soundly. “Might be good for ‘er to hear us eatin’.” His darkened blues crinkled as he glared halfheartedly at his daughter. “Might start doin’ it herself like she should.”

“Stop givin’ her daddy fits?” Beth smiled easily at him, unconcerned when the glare was aimed her way. “Better get used to it Papa Dixon.”

“Christ, ain’t a gramps yet Greene, don’ make me any older alrigh’?” He groused, and she leaned over to snag a piece of his chocolate, smiling when he huffed and dug quick finger into her bag to steal a crunching handful before toppling them into his mouth.

“Yeah you really don’t need any help from me on that one huh?” She gave a squeak when he snatched the crisping bag from her hands, holding it away from her when she went for it. “Give it back.” She whisper laughed as he shook his head.

“Don’ deserve ‘em.” He murmured just as quietly and she tried not to laugh louder. “Spent hard earned money on these Cheetos woman, an’ ya go an’ insult me?” She made another swipe for them, coming up on her knees, but still missed by a startling degree. “Seriously messin’ with yer hug rations there girl.”

“Please.” She scoffed, placing a hand on his shoulder to improve her range. “I better have a surplus by now Daryl Dixon.”

“Knew that food came with strings.” He muttered, not looking nearly as put out as his voice sounded. “C’mon now, take it back.”

She narrowed her eyes at his almost cocky half-lidded look, and raised her brows at him.

“Give ‘em.”

“Nah.”

“Give ‘em.” She repeated, a smirk edged smile on her challenge laden face. “Or I’ll straddle you and get ‘em my darn self.”

He froze immediately, eyes darting to her dress covered thighs, sticking there long enough that she glanced down and realized the slip had parted along her one leg, flashing the length of her sheer crimson enclosed thigh. His eyes dragged back up to hers and his face was flushed but he didn’t look as embarrassed as she’d expected him to.

“Hell you would.” He cracked and growled out, and she cocked an eyebrow at him.

Well…well fine then.

Using her leverage on his shoulder she swung a leg up and over, only to be jarred back and half tossed to her side of the bed. She caught herself before she could bounce onto the floor and caught his eyes. He was back to looking pretty shaken, but she figured it wasn’t in a bad way, and grinned at him as he tossed the bag of Cheetos to her.

“Yer…”

She tilted her head to the side, watching him swallow a few times, popping a few crunchy bits into her red lipped mouth.

“Crazy?” She tried, after he couldn’t seem to get passed his tongue, smiling widely when he gave a quick jerking nod.

“Stradlin’ a man not more an’ a foot away from his kid.” He groused and she pulled her lips in to hide the smile. “I’m tellin’ your mama.”

“Sore loser.” Orange dust soaked fingers went carefully one by one into her mouth.

“Ya cheated.” She flicked her gaze up at the waver in his voice and stilled at his heated look.

“Not m’fault ya like me in this dress.” Her eyes held his until he grew redder, and then snorting, he finally pulled himself out of her gaze.

- Likes me in the red dress - - Side note: Steal red dress from Maggie.

They ate quietly for a while until she got to a bag of sugar heavy cookies that made her frown.

“It’s too bad you didn’t bring some of that cake with you.” She observed, tossing the bag at him, which he took and downed the contents of with a backwards tilt of his shaggy head.

“S’gone.” The information stalled her as he finished chewing.

“It go bad?” She asked frowning, it should have been alright in that container for at least another few days.

He looked at her in confusion before shaking his head, eyes winking off the lights from a few glowing monitors. “Ate it.” He said it like she was being a little slow witted at the moment. “While ago.” He gathered up the trash before looking at her with a slightly narrowed expression, thinking. “Finished it…Wednesday.”

It was her turn to be flabbergasted.

“You ate the whole cake in four days?”

He nodded before stilling, and taking her in her wide eyed look, moved his jaw around a little while his eyes flicked over her face.

“Liked it.” He muttered self-consciously. “S’good.”

“Thank you.” Sincerity mixed with awe and a little concern. “ How ?”

He peeked at her from under his hair before standing up and going to deposit their trash in the nearest can.

“Had it for breakfast a couple’a times.”

“ Daryl !-“ Her mama’s horrified voice came through her mouth before she could choke it back, and the both of them switched their gazes over to where Auri still slept peacefully.

“Don’ fuss at me Greene.” He grumbled, still clearly embarrassed as he sat back down next to her, beginning to pick idly at his fingers.

“Ya don’t get to pick when I fuss over you.” She whisper-snapped, starting to pull the pins from her hair in jerking movements. “It’s just part of your life now.” Unable to find the last couple pins she looked at him from underneath her arm. “Congratulations.” Shaking her head at his closed off look she went back to patting her hair, sighing when she didn’t have any luck. “Help.”

“Food.” He muttered under his breath, blunt fingers diving in, running short tracks against the back of her skull. “Strings.” He finished, pulling first one and then the other metal bits from her dully aching follicles.

“Were ya wantin’ that ta’ stop?” Voice muffled as she bent her neck, putting her face in the dress’s ruff, working out the ponytail until her hair fell around her shoulders and she sighed.

“Ain’t said nothin’ like that.” She looked over at his quiet voice, finding him watching as she massaged her scalp lightly, ran fingers through the curling strands.

“Well, good.” Her smile was small and sweet as she rested back against the propped up bed, feeling the tingling of her scalp all the way through to the pit of her stomach. “’Cause I like fussin’ over ya an’ I don’t think I’d let ya stop me one way or another.”

“Tchuh.” His tongue hit the backs of his teeth hard and she smiled, eyes closing as she settled back more solidly. “That ain’t no shit.”

“Mhmmm.”

“Beth?” She felt like the back of her eyelids was a permanent installation to her view, she was able to hum a little and roll her head in his direction. “M’drivin’ ya home ‘fore the shower tomorrow?”

“Mhmmm.”

“Kay.” He murmured quietly, fuzzy little bits of sleep crowded around the edges of her brain as the lowly beeping machines tracked tiny lives around her. “Beth?”

“Hmmm?”

“Ya think ya’d bake again for me sometime?” He was whispering now, his voice really close to her face and she tilted her head just a tad, smile ticking at her lips, a warm solid heat flexing along her cheek.

“’Course.”

“Kay.” His voice seemed to be coming from somewhere by her forehead. “I’ll hug ya an’ everythin’.” Words so low, they skated along her skin and she turned her face into the warmth under her temple, lips hitting twitching skin.

“No takebacks.”

She whispered it into him, before finally dropping off to sleep.  

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

Saturday, June 24th

"Need ya t'come with me."

"What?" Glenn squeaked in surprise, pausing halfway through unloading some freight. "Where?"

"Baby shower." He snapped, shoving nearly trembling hands into his pockets, watching his new boss settle the last box into place in the walk-in fridge at Rhee's Pizzeria. "S'today, couple hours." He didn't clarify if that was when or for how long the event was.

"For your kid?" The younger man clarified, looking as uncomfortable as Daryl felt, and he instantly regretted his panicked request.

"Forget it." He snapped again, turning to flee the awkward situation, already digging in his pocket for his smokes.

What the fuck was he thinking? Barely knew the guy.

"Hey hey, hold up." Glenn called out, and Daryl heard hurried steps on his heels. "Sorry man, you just caught me off guard, I'll come."

"Doesn' matter." Daryl muttered, irritated at the warmth in his face. "Headed there in a bit, thought I'd offer."

Yeah that was it.

Cover for the fact of how fucking desperate he'd sounded just now. He was jittery, out of his skin, five different things about to drive him to drink. He'd woken to the sounds of quiet humming, opened his eyes to see a rosy hued goddess singing lowly to his baby girl. First morning light winking through the hospital blinds to flare off gold and red.

She'd been smiling real sweet as she did too, blushed a little when she noticed him watching, made his heart clench up hard - fists clench too - to keep his hands off her. All, not-quite-joking of last night aside, he wasn't touching Beth like that, not ever, and especially not right next to his kid.

She hadn't been wrong though...he did like her in that dress.

He'd been in the middle of just being happy that she'd thought to text him, when he knew she'd been at that big Atlanta party. Hell, she might haven been messaging him right from there, instead of flirting with some GQ looking asshat. Not that he cared if she was...girl was welcome to do whatever with whoever...

It was nice is all, that she'd thought of him.

A car had gone by in the parking lot, which didn't happen often this time of night and it'd grabbed at his attention, glancing up he'd seen some high-class chick striding towards him. He'd made sure to look down in a hurry, didn't want her worrying about the roughneck smoker making eyes at her, but then...

That shade of blonde had seemed awful familiar - and how many Georgians did he know of, that had that shade of pale skin? But it couldn't be her. She was in Atlanta, the hell she'd leave that for, to show up at their little local hospital? No way it was her...hadn't stopped him from taking another look just in case.

Woman wasn't human, not last night, not even the next morning while he watched her as she cleared the smear of black makeup out from under her eyes, hair wild with frizz. But specifically, she had been some kind of uncanny vision, when the lights had hit her and smacked him in the face with a level of fucking ethereal that the whole Dixon family hadn't witnessed in its entire line.

He'd been in the middle of feeling lucky for having this apparent stroke in front of a hospital of all places, and hoping one of the nurses needed a smoke break soon and found him, when she was talking and his brain had desperately been trying to catch up - because words? The fuck were those?

And of all the whack-job things, she'd wanted a hug, from his barely clean ass of all people. How the hell was he supposed to say no to that? Her looking like a damn movie star, showing up out of the blue like a dream. He'd...he'd wanted to touch her...preferably in some non-eyebrow raising way. Been glad he'd stopped at the cabin to take a quick shower, even though it didn't feel like near enough.

And as far as he'd been concerned, they'd had a damn good night, half-a-heart-attack notwithstanding once she'd called his damn bluff. Stupid, stubborn, ass, that dress had made him act like he didn't have any goddamn sense at all. Hadn't done much better this morning either, watching her settle back, carefully tug that damn split slip back into place so it didn't cause him fucking palpitations.

He'd felt her eyes on him while he said good morning to Auri, heard her quiet laugh when he'd explained the great damn hardship he was going to endure that day, how he'd rather spend it removing his teeth with pliers, but how he was gonna get through it for her. He ignored her low murmur, about him and her brother Shawn being soulmates.

They'd had to get going after that, she needed to get home and get ready, get the farm ready, and he had to show up to make a bit of extra cash - helping Glenn with the freight. Reaching her place had made the whole thing suddenly, terribly, real, effectively waking him from the fucking daydream he'd been in since she'd walked to him across the parking lot the night before.

He was going to meet her family, her friends, and all of them were going to meet all the people he'd invited that bothered to show up. It was like he was fucking dating her without any of the touching, which actually should be a good thing for him to a point, but still...What the fuck had he been thinking going along with this?

He'd given her a jerking nod goodbye, ignored the slightly worried look on her face, breathed deeply in order to avoid peeling down her daddy's drive, vaguely grateful that neither of her parents were outdoors this morning.

And so now he stood, inhaling nicotine and whatever shit they put in these things nowadays, feeling Glenn's eyes on him as he resolutely kept his own averted. He hadn't known him long, but then again he hadn't known Beth long either, apparently his life was now filled with people he'd known for a fruit fly length of time that were having huge impacts on his day to day existence.

Rick and Glenn had known each other since the guy had moved here so that he could expand the family business. Daryl had no idea why they had thought opening up here in his relatively small town was a good idea...but it wasn't his business and it seemed like the place was doing well enough. When Daryl had called Rick with his recently obtained cell number, and asked if he knew of anyone needing some part time help, the sheriff had made the introductions.

Good thing, because it was pretty obvious, that at first, being around Daryl made the skinny little business owner from Michigan really,  really , twitchy. But when he kept showing up on time, keeping his head down, and working until he near dropped...Glenn warmed up just fine. Guy was chatty, but now and then said something funny, worked hard and was just overall easy to get along with.

Much easier than Daryl himself was.

Which is why that word vomit had come shooting out his mouth, he was just desperate enough to use his new boss as a buffer between himself and the unknown element that was Beth Greene's social network. He hadn't run into a person yet who'd had anything bad to say about Glenn Rhee, and even though Rick was going to be there - a pretty good nod in his favor right there - extra armor never hurt anything.

That, and he was about one more startled heartbeat away from not going at all. And that shit, he could  not  do. First off, he'd gone as far to actually invite people, people he worked with, and the awkward that'd come off from him standing people up for his own kid's baby shower was more than he'd be able to handle. He'd probably have to quit his shitty job. Something he also couldn't do because of his shitty insurance that he was going to need for his not shitty kid.

Secondly, Beth Greene was a bossy, sometimes overbearing, angel sent straight from a deity he didn't put much stock in, that didn't do anything but befriend and spoil his undeserving ignorant ass and he wasn't going to make her look like a fool (even if she was one) for putting time and energy into him. It'd been nagging at him, how strange it was that a girl he'd known for such a short amount of time was going to all this effort, wondered who was stranger - the person that did all the stuff that she had for him, or the person who didn't know enough about basic human goodness to know if this was normal behavior or not - like he didn't.

And thirdly, lastly and most important, maybe he didn't have the first clue about that shit, but what he did know was that baby stuff was expensive, and while Kit wouldn't go without as far as he could help it, she wouldn't have much if it were left only to him. And that fuckin' bugged him. Nobody knew like a Dixon what it meant to grow up being the kid with hole filled clothes, the hungry belly, the tired feet from running after the kids that actually  had  bikes.

Normal babies, ones not born to a crack head mom and loner freak of a dad, those little ones had people that threw things like baby showers for them. Got soft blankets and ridiculously colored clothes, those tiny little bathtubs, and toys they didn't really need - but looked cute holding.

Aurora deserved that shit, deserved it just as much as any other little girl out there, and he wasn't going to be like his old man. He wasn't going to turn his lip up at it and call it charity, have her go without for the sake of his own worthless pride.

Hell no.

He was gonna suck his shit up, pry his balls out from their hiding place, and show up at the Greene farm in whatever state he could, with or without Glenn Rhee.

"So." The younger man gave him an overly cheerful folded lip smile. "Where's it at?"

"Greene farm." He answered, grumbled, putting his stubbed out cigarette in the receptacle specifically for them next to the back door. "Rick'll be there." He offered for some reason, guilt niggling along the back of his throat, he shouldn't have roped Glenn into this, knew the guy was still half skittish when it came to him.

"Hey, no worries man." He was still doing that too bright smile that didn't quite, but almost, reached his eyes as he continued. "There's usually loads of girls at baby showers right? Probably better to meet one there than at a bar-" Daryl’s narrow eyed look went a little farther as Glenn slammed his lips shut, eyes bugging a bit when he realized what he said.

Gossips, the lot of them.

"Gonna head home t'change an' stuff." He muttered, shaking his head slightly. "Pick ya up from here in an hour or so?"

"Sure, sure that'd be good." Fast nodding, he got the sense Glenn was grateful he hadn't barked at, or hit him. "Uh, Daryl?" He turned back after just taking a step. "I didn't get anything for, for your baby, I didn't think uh..."

Daryl shook his head to stop the awkward fumbling sentences. "S'fine, jus' be ready t'go when I get back."

Nod. Smile. "Uh, you kinda seem..." He blanched a little at Daryl's glare. "Concerned. Just a little concerned. So like...should I be?" How the fuck was he supposed to answer that? "Anything to keep an eye out for?"

Impending panic attack?

"Sides all those women ya excited about, thinkin' we're a couple?" He snarked, watching Glenn's face color before a more natural smile split his face. "Nah, nothin' I'can think of."

They got there late, it was his fault, he'd had to go buy a shirt with sleeves, jeans without holes.

It was too late to cut his hair, not that he'd have done it anyway it was too good of cover for his face, but he'd actually stood in front of the bathroom mirror and combed it out. Scrubbed at his grease stained hands in the shower before that until they were basically raw and still had a faint grey dirtiness about them. He'd pulled up to find Glenn ready, lounging against one corner of the Pizzeria, tapping idly at his phone until Daryl hit the horn.

He'd avoided answering the single inquiring text from Beth.

Back to bein' an asshole, now that'cha got yer hug fix huh? You fucker.

Pulling up, he was relieved to see they weren't so late as to be the only ones there, that, or next to no one was showing up - which was also fine. He and Glenn hopped out of the truck, the heavy doors shutting just as the house's screen door opened and Beth Greene came out, crossed the porch and padded her way to them on cream colored stitched cloth flats, a rose and matching cream colored pattern summer dress wrapped about her torso and flowing out at her hips.

"Woah." He had to reign in the urge to elbow his young boss in the ribs at his quiet exclamation, couldn't blame the man for having eyes in his head.

"You made it!" And the stomach buckling guilt wasn't anything more than he deserved, to hear the amount of relief in her voice. "Right on time too!"

"M'a half hour late Greene." He murmured into the sweet smelling blonde hair that was suddenly underneath his nose as she hugged him.

"Oh no one ever shows up right on time for a party Daryl, 'cept for-"

"The idiot lawman who doesn't know any better." Rick supplied from the porch, glass of cold looking pinkish something in his hand, gray fitted t-shirt casual but clean and Daryl felt immediate irritation at his blue sleeves that smothered his nerve prickled arms.

"Hi, I'm Glenn." Daryl eyed the younger man suspiciously, not that he cared if Beth took a liking to the guy or not... "I'm-"

"Daryl's boss, you own the pizza place on thirteenth." Beth finished with a large smile, still half wrapped around Daryl, she reached out to give an awkward left-handed shake to Glenn's outreached hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Beth Greene."

Finally sliding a slow moving arm from around his waist, Beth stepped back to smile sweetly at the both of them, he had the time to notice the laced cloth band winding serpentine along her left forearm in a soft red color that matched the flowers on her dress.

"I was just tellin' Mag-"

"Don't say anythin' we'll both regret little sister." Daryl looked up to see a tall dark haired woman with a short chin-length haircut come to stand beside Rick. "I was the one tellin' you not to text him 'til it was nearing more an hour."

She offered him and Glenn a wave and a nod, Daryl flashed his boss a quick look at the uncharacteristic silence as a dark head appeared in his peripheral, and seeing the nearly slack-jawed expression - did his best not to groan.

Good lord.

First Rick now Glenn, so much for a goddamn wingman, he knew that concept was bullshit. He had done it for Merle plenty of times, but he was a sucker, and he adhered to the supposed 'rules' that none of these bastards were going to end up following.

He could feel it.

"C'mon in, y'all can meet my folks and the people that were helpin' us set up." Beth's words were barely out, before Glenn was hurrying up the steps to be able to hold the door, for Maggie specifically.

Daryl saw Rick flash a heavily whiskered smile as Glenn looked at him with wide eyes before following the dark haired beauty inside. When the sheriff turned back, Daryl was able to see just how overgrown the man's face was becoming, wondering briefly if they didn't frown on that kind of thing at the station.

"Well, that should be interesting." He laughed, gesturing to the two on the ground with his lightly perspiring drink. "C'mon then, time to start the meet an' greet Daryl."

He bobbed his head at the other man's back as Rick went moseying into the house, letting the screen door slap lightly behind him.

"Party rule don't apply t'baby showers Greene." He grumbled, boots seemingly unable to lift off the perfectly trimmed grass. "Yer full of it."

She raised her brows at him, not quite hiding a knowing smile. "Hush Daryl Dixon, don't try tellin' me you're an expert on baby showers now, or I won't give you not one bite of the cake I just got done bakin' while I waited for you to arrive fashionably late."

His ears perked up even as his stomach rolled with nerves. "What'd ya make?"

"Guess, you'll have ta' come in and see." She teased lightly, arms folded loosely.

"S'rry ain't no one showed." He said awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his neck, starting to follow her until she stopped and turned to him, brows knit. "Hope ya didn' make too much food or-"

"What're you talkin' about?"

"Ain't hardly anyone here." Why the hell was she looking so confused? Besides Rick's, there was two other cars parked along the drive ahead of his own truck.

"Everyone's on their way Daryl," she answered, rolling he eyes and  thunking  a hand onto his chest, "and ya look very nice, and no one's gonna pounce on ya, or ask you a bunch a' questions you don't wanna answer." He froze a little at her words, trying to figure out which was worse - her telling people his business and asking them to keep quiet, or her just telling them not to ask which no doubt piqued curiosity into a frenzy.

"ya look very nice..."

"Beth-"

"Everything's gonna be just fine." It was what she'd told him at the hospital, and as she reached out to tug him up the steps, he let her - feeling almost as dazed as he had that day.

Last time he'd tried to believe a lie as hard as he was - as that screen door clacked closed behind him - was when he'd told himself over and over again that Aurora wasn't his.

There was a surprising amount of volume coming from inside the varied rooms of the house once they'd gotten inside. He could hear easy laughter, running feet, and booming voices that sounded totally at ease in their banter.

Clearing the entryway, feeling the stark chill when her, as always cool skin, left his and for some reason the rushing warmth from the heated air of the house curving around the wrist she'd released made him shiver.

He was introduced to a collection of people that seemed kind of an odd compilation of individuals to be so close, but then again, sticking to his own had never done him much good so what the hell did he know?

Abraham Ford, big ole' boy from Texas, red as a sunburn, jolly as St. Nick, gripped his hand in an almost challenging way, but when Daryl returned the pressure, face blank, the man's smile only broadened and he nodded his - approval - or some shit. Next was Abe's brother-in-law, a Tyreese Williams, big as the first guy but Daryl could tell Tyreese was a calmer personality in comparison. Smile more genuine then mischievous, the darkly bearded man shuffled the baby in his arms a little in order to offer a challenge-less shake of his own.

Daryl gave an uncertain smile at the little girl that was about a year old and being bounced in her uncle's arms. Large blue eyes blinked at him solemnly from a creamy brown face, as the sun coming through the window flashed off curling dark hair that managed to contain a coppery tint woven throughout the darker brown hues.

Little Becca smiled just as uncertainly back at him, hanging onto her uncle's earlobe, while Glenn informed him that Tyreese was actually the person that Daryl had replaced at the pizzeria, having been hired on at the local radio station recently.

And finally the last man in the room that he had yet to meet, who flashed Daryl a knowing kind of smile, like he knew how close to bolting the redneck was - Aaron - who, Beth explained, was here with his husband Eric who had done the cupcakes for the shower. Aaron actually worked part-time in the store with Daryl and Beth in the photo center when he wasn't running his nonprofit charity, feeding low income families in inner cities like Atlanta and going as far out as the Mountains up North, Maggie had had her firm donate a pretty substantial amount to the man's organization recently.

Daryl couldn't help the way the information caught at him, his family had been one of those families up north, living in a shack they called a house, until his mom had fallen asleep with that cigarette, and Will Dixon had moved his boys farther south.

He'd said they needed a new start, forget about that worthless drunk of a mother, take it easy where so many damn churchies didn't know the Dixon name. Where they could get a fair shake at things. Except Will Dixon was a loud abusive ass, drunk piece of shit, and the new town they'd moved to didn't end up having any better opinion of them than the last one had.

Daryl had never been so happy to see someone drink themselves to death, drowning in the middle of the night on his own vomit, seemed about right to the son who'd been cut and whipped senseless by the man his entire life.

He shook hands with the bright eyed Aaron, feeling his scars pull along his back as he did. And if all this interaction wasn't enough, he then got pulled into the dining room (noting as he did the pink, teal, and black decorations strung along walls, the paper lanterns hanging where they wouldn't knock into foreheads of the taller guests) to meet the other half of the party's support system.

There he met Amy and Sasha, both friends of Maggie's from high school that through one event or another had adopted Beth into their circle, and eyed him in a considering way. Sasha was Tyreese's sister, Becca’s mom and which also made her Abe's wife, looking at her – it didn't make any kind of sense to Daryl at all - but again, it wasn't any of his business.

Amy's son, Andrew (Andy) tottered by him on unsure two year old legs, his daddy Gareth, was apparently working and so couldn't make it. And Daryl was fairly certain there was little to no chance he was going to remember any of these names, even as he was told about Amy's sister, Andrea, who was going to be late.

How awful.

Then it was Maggie, who he nodded to once again, and Beth's mama - Annette. The woman smiled calmly at him, offered a small boned hand for him to shake, which he did (if clumsily so) and rasped out a thank you, and a vague compliment to her cooking.

This at least made her crack a smile that looked something along the lines of her daughter's, who was still firmly (and thankfully) stuck to his side. Every now and again brushing a light hand on his back or forearm, reassuring him of her presence, making his nerves settle to a low hum instead of a roar.

"Beth." A plaintive voice sounded from the next room, before a whipcord thin man appeared in the doorway that led in from, what Daryl could see, was the kitchen. "Why did I have to make punk rock cupcakes, if you were just gonna g'on and make the world's prettiest strawberry shortcake?"

Upon seeing Daryl, the talking and the movement stopped suddenly, before a smile snapped into place and the guy who was probably Eric, crossed the room to shake his hand. "You must be Daryl! It's very nice to meet you, I believe you're the reason I spent hours on deserts that look like something Avril Lavigne threw up."

Daryl actually felt his lips twitch as he released his hold. "Couldn'a at least gone for Joan Jett?"

"Oh lord!" Eric exclaimed, flashing a grin at Beth for some reason. "You know  I tried , but I just don't have the talent." He wrapped slender arms around his midriff as he continued. "I honestly don't remember a time I made hot pink and teal frosting, or little bone skulls with bows for that matter."

Daryl snuck a peek at Beth, mouth curving passed his nerves to see her pinked cheeks and easy grin while she flashed her own quick look at him before going back to Eric, who was watching them a little too closely for Daryl to not feel a tad uncomfortable. Though, after looking about at the others in the room, Eric wasn't the only one with their eyes on him.

"You'll have to excuse the absence of Beth's daddy, Daryl." Annette cut in, pulling him a little out of his anxiety at having so many searching eyes on him at once. "He can't seem to hold still in the face of so much company."

Daryl nodded agreeably, Beth's old man probably didn't really take to the idea of his 18 year old daughter being buddies with the redneck that knocked up a junky in a bar - some poor woman who nobody knew.

"Daddy's not real social." Beth supplied, and he watched a few corroborating head bobs from the women around the table. Or maybe the old vet and Daryl had something in common after all.

"Don' blame him." He tried weakly, receiving a hesitant smile here and there in return, his eyes glanced back to Eric who seemed to sense his rising panic.

"Well!" The still smiling man exclaimed, clapping his hands a little, like it would break through the uneasy tension in the room. "You've seen the awesome decorations." He waved a hand around them, scanning the work with cheerful indulgence.

"Looks real nice." He jerked his head hurriedly, realizing he had yet to thank anyone, scanning all the faces still turned to him. "S'real good a' you guys t' do all this."

That counted right?

"It was all do to the ladies." Aaron confided quietly, coming through the doorway at Daryl's back, to stand off to one side of him and Eric. "Guys haven't done much but stand around and gossip."

"Oh honey, I think they tried...at first." His husband added, mock reassurance firmly in place with his knowing smile. "And then thank the good lord Sasha saw how awful you all were and discontinued your services."

"Hey." And Daryl felt himself relax slightly, as the couple took the focus off of him. "I helped Beth with those stuffed shells, didn't I?"

"Don't try to make this poor girl defend you, I saw how many you  helped  yourself to."

The teasing was light and volleyed back and forth between the quick witted couple, some of it even managed to tug at his mouth, he watched as others joined in - the men meandering in at the sound of the laughter from the other participants.

Sasha was in the middle of ribbing Abraham over something involving the use of too much gasoline and the subsequent destruction of the family's barbeque grill when the sound of the front door opening caught at everyone's attention.

"Hello?" Beth went spinning off at the sound of an unsure voice, and Daryl followed her out of reflex. "Man I was so worried we'd miss everything!" Tara's voice registered in his head, just as he cleared the living room to see her and Beth hugging.

She and the three people with her were all holding gift bags and smiling happily as they waved to him and he managed a surprised grin back. There was Tara, her girlfriend Denise who Daryl had spoken to a handful of times while she was visiting Tara at the hospital. Noah, skinny dude with a limp, had talked Daryl through changing Auri's diaper when he'd come to the startling knowledge he'd need to know that kind of thing when he got her home.

And finally Olivia, the woman ran a lot of the food service departments throughout the hospital including the cafeteria and pantry stores. Who, because of something that she had heard from the nurses no doubt, had begun dropping off snacks and meals for him whenever she heard he was visiting Auri.

He couldn't believe they'd actually come.

There was a cacophony of noise as the new guests met the ones that were already there. He was swept up with the group as they roiled out through the kitchen and the back door, getting a glimpse of trays full of food and multi-colored cupcakes. Out on the back lawn he discovered tables with clothes matching the inside decorations covering them, one of which that was already stacked high with presents.

They were nuts, this entire group of individuals was bat-shit insane, he blinked around in a daze as people milled about, the newcomers complimenting the decorations and the property in general. How in the nine hells had she talked them all into doing this for him and his kid? They didn't know him, half of them hadn't even seen Kit, and they were all just willing to spend money and time to show up here?

His eyes strayed to Beth as she motioned to the collection of paper lanterns strung throughout and dipping off of one of the yard's trees. Unless of course it didn't have too much to do with him and his at all, but the crazy blonde with the knockout smile, who of course they all loved because who besides the incurably jacked up couldn't help but love Beth Greene?

He was in the middle of eyeing the woods that could be viewed across one of the surrounding fields when a voice sounded in his ear making him tense.

"It's not just you, you know." Turning his head he was met with a pair of eyes that were far more steel than blue at the moment, set in a pale face, and a mouth that smiled more out of a good natured disposition than actual humor. "My Bethy doesn't know how to do anything half way."

He didn't know if Beth's dad (because there was no way this was anyone else) had meant it as a dig, there was a kind of old iron in his voice that sparked memories of a belt slipping from its loops, but he tried to stem the rush of fear and anger that leapt up. No way was this man like his pop had been, not with a kid like the one he had.

"She ever quit?" He asked, flicking his eyes to the blonde and back, noticing something dark and heartbreaking flow to the surface of the man's expression before it was swallowed back up and he shook his head.

"Not for a long time now." Grey eyes slipped off him to look at the brightly smiling young woman on the other side of the yard from them. "Thank God." The two looked at one another and Daryl was offered a hand which he shook, noting the familiar challenge similar to the one Abe had offered.

Except he took this one far more seriously.

"Hershel Greene." It took everything in him to return the same stiff pressure while maintaining eye contact with the sight that was trying to drill through him with righteous father condemnation.

"Daryl Dixon." A beat as their hands dropped. "Thanks for lettin' this happen at your place."

A heavy silence fell as Hershel gazed at him, and Daryl could literally feel the sweat break out across his scalp and down his back. His eyes were nearly trembling in their sockets, until finally, the older man looked away and Daryl tried not to sigh in relief. It was like Hershel had been able to read the entire catalogue of his thoughts.

Saw the things the nasty redneck had thought about doing to his little girl...

And he thought about a man one day having similar thoughts about Aurora, and wanted to throttle his own ass, felt it like a fist around his throat.

"Well as you know, Beth isn't one to back down once her mind is set." At the dry toned statement Daryl couldn't stop the snort that left him. The two exchanged another quick look before the begrudging smile turned a little less forced. "I'll have you know I am under strict orders from both my wife and youngest daughter to neither berate nor interrogate you during today’s events."

Daryl cast him a quick glance before cutting his eyes towards the women in question who had recently become aware that the two men were talking, and were themselves tilting towards one another muttering to one another.

Probably trying to gauge his level of need to be rescued.

"Ya plannin' on listenin' to 'em?" His view settled back on the man at his side, meeting the bluing greys as they fixed him with a derisive look.

"You've eaten their cookin' Daryl," he was glad Hershel was calling him be his first name for some reason, "what are you inclined to think?"

Safe - At least for the day.

He was nodding his understanding as Hershel turned a little as if to go inside. "I'm headed for some sweet tea if you'd care for a glass?"

"N'thanks." Daryl mumbled, worrying his thumbs along his index fingers. "Don' like it much."

His response seemed to floor the older man for a moment, eyebrows clipping together. "You're Southern son, how in the world did that happen?"

Daryl could feel his face scrunch uncomfortably, it was a totally normal goddamn question. How was Beth's hard working daddy supposed to know just how poor his family was while he was growing up? How Will Dixon had drank and whored his way through every cent he was able to scam out of somebody else?

Couldn't really tell a man that looked like Saint Nick that his life had consisted of water from the tap and not much else until he was able to buy drinks for himself - and by that time - sweet tea hadn't been high on his list of things to try.

He had gotten around to it once, but by that time, he'd tasted nothing but cold grass and sugar - he hadn't seen the attraction.

Daryl was saved from saying anything at all by a sudden chorus of car horns that had all of them making their way around the house, to see a trio of vehicles coming down the lane, before pulling in behind the car that Tara and her people must have come in.

"We're sorry!" Carol called as she stepped from her vehicle, her daughter Sophia pelting from the passenger side to collide with Daryl's side, gift bag clutched in one small hand. "Got lost."

" We  didn't." Sophia whispered to him conspiratorially, staying tucked under his arm as her mom came to give him a quick hug and smile. "The other dude was  super  lost."

"My husband is an idiot." Martinez's wife, Rosita, declared as her family piled out of their vehicle, the kids swinging their own gift bag in one hand each, looking excited.

"I'm not an idiot," Martinez groused with a grin, coming to shake Daryl's hand, "I'm tellin' you Roe, man said the party was at the Reed Farm, which is what I Google Mapped, and we ended up on the other side of town."

"And I told you  Caesar,  that Karen told me that the Beth throwing the shower had the last name Greene, and that the girls were saying how the Doc Greene that treated Lizzie and Mika's goat had a farm."

“Could’ve been a coincidence.”

"Said Greene, man." Daryl intoned finally, watching Martinez’s face fall, before he rolled his eyes at his wife's sing-song voice.

" Told you ."

"I am  so  glad I rode with you." One of the other men from the garage, Oscar, muttered to Axel who was nodding his agreement, the two having exited the third and final car. “T-Dog told me to say he’s sorry for having to miss the party Dixon, someone had to stick around the garage and make sure the new hire didn’t burn it down.”

He was able to nod in a dazed kind of way before a bright voice sounded from behind him.

"I'm so glad you all made it!" Beth chirped happily, motioning for the large group to follow her as she continued speaking. "We've got tables set around back with one for gifts, figure we'll eat, chat, decorate us some onesies, and then open gifts!"

There were cheers at the mention of food, and Daryl walked in the middle of the large pack that made their way to the rear of the house, arm still slung over Sophia's shoulders, feeling grateful to the kid for the distraction she offered, chatting about how her and her mom had had to save the other two cars full of people from staying lost for the whole day and -

Wouldn't them missing this  'awesome'  party, have been awful?

Yep.

And - wasn't Beth so pretty in her dress?

Sure.

And - did he know that it was Beth that had figured out that Caesar had gotten lost, and wasn't it a good thing that she'd thought ahead and gotten everyone's phone numbers so she could get ahold of Sophia's mom and get her to meet up with the lost group at the store and have her lead them here?

No he hadn't heard about that, but yeah good thinkin’.

And - Beth sure was smart wasn't she? Gosh was he lucky to have her as a friend, that's what her mama said. Was he excited for all the gifts for Aurora? Because she sure was, and was Aurora going to get to come home soon? Could she babysit sometime? If she couldn't babysit could she at least visit? Who was going to babysit for him? Was it Beth? She seemed real nice, had the baby met her yet? Did the baby like her too? Was he listening?

Yeah.

And fuck.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

Saturday, June 24 th

Nervous.

Very, very dreadfully nervous – full blown Poe, Tell-Tale Heart level of nervous, Beth kept an uneasy smile on her face as she watched the people around her begin to decorate their onesies. It wasn’t the arts and crafts section of the shindig, or the fact that Daryl was sat next to her at the table, knee bumping hers every now and then.

It was the knowledge that with every passing activity she was getting closer and closer to having to tell him what she’d done, and she couldn’t manage to get Merle’s words out of her head. How certain he’d sounded when he’d said them.

“…no way in hell he'd want you stickin' your fuckin' nose all up in his business.”

She caught his eyes on her as she sat unmoving, hands folded in her lap, blank white onesie on the table in front of her. People chatted around them and she tried her best to fix the tight set of her mouth as she smiled more fully at him.  

“…brother's got a temper on him, see if he don't.”

He was gonna hate her, she’d seen the look on his face when he’d first told her he had a brother that was locked up, seen how he’d flashed quick eyes at her from under slashes of sweat-tinged hair. She didn’t know why she did this to herself, hadn’t she learned from before? Hadn’t that friggin’ ‘incident’ back in high school taught her not to throw herself into someone else’s existence like this?

It was going to happen again, he was going to see what an overcommitted freak she could be, see how overbearing and nearly obsessive she could get. He wasn’t going to want anything to do with her after this. They’d had such a great night with Auri, she’d woken next to him with an amazing warm fuzzy ball of happy in her chest. Had felt like there wasn’t anything more normal than waking up next to Daryl and Auri Dixon.

Her eyes pulled from his anxiously, casting around the table like she was trying to decide on a stencil or a color to pick. This was all for show of course, she’d actually figured out a couple days ago how she was going to decorate her onesie, but she could still feel his questioning gaze – and she couldn’t meet it at the moment.

Lips pursing, she barely stopped herself from shaking her head in irritation at her panicked thoughts. This was not going to be like the last time, she wasn’t that girl anymore, her and Daryl weren’t even actually together…and…all of that was not going to happen again. If he got mad at her, didn’t want her around anymore, she was not going to fall apart, wasn’t going to get depressed and lie about it.

Wasn’t going to…

No.

Swallowing, she reached for the black and then the pink paints, rifled through the stencils until she found the one she wanted, hoping she could free hand the letters so she wouldn’t have to take forever using the stencil cut out for each character, considering the amount she hoped to fit on the fabric.

“Shells were real good.” He said quietly from next to her, and she hated the way her answering smile made her want to cry. “Don’ know how ya get ‘em t’ taste that good.”

“I got the idea you liked them after your fifth one.” Teasing him was easy, long as she didn’t have to see those mountain blues over the peaks of his cheeks. “Thought Rick an’ you was gonna get scrappy when he found out ya ate the last one.”

A snort sounded from directly on the other side of her as the sheriff carefully painted something bright yellow onto his pink colored onesie. “Selfish.” He muttered, eyes crinkling in his focus and humor at the situation.

“Ain’t my fault he went for the cupcakes first like a’ rookie.” Daryl grumbled, eyeing his own pink colored fabric somewhat suspiciously, like it was about to adhere to his brand new (if she could guess anything about him) shirt that he was this minute beginning to sweat through.

“Man, you piled your plate up with every damn-” Rick cut his eyes across the table to where Hershel and Maggie were chatting while gesturing to the different collections of stencils. “Dang, every dang kind of food there was, including the shortcake, didn’t think I was gonna have to put someone in a choke hold to get me more ‘an two .”

“Choke hold’s illegal.” The frowning dad muttered distractedly, as he plucked another onesie from the pile in the middle of the table, giving her a quick jerking shrug when she looked at him questioningly. “Ain’t never done this, prob’ly mess up the first one.”

“What are you gonna do for yours Bethy?” Maggie inquired, trying to get a peek at what Beth had begun working on.

Waving her stencil, Beth finished the first word she’d started while the men to either side of her had been bantering back and forth, nodding happily with the way it looked.

“Yeah but are a lot a’ people gonna do that?” Her sister grumped, frowning down at the untouched little garment in front of her. “Don’t want them all with the same thing.”

“They might yeah.” She answered noncommittedly, ignoring the itching on the side of her neck when she felt him looking at her again. “Just do somethin’ cute Maggs, Auri will like whatever it is.”

“Helps that she won’t be able to tell what it is.” Sasha joked from the other side of Hershel, who gave her a squinted smile, elbowing her discreetly and nodding.

“Mine’s a twenty-four month one.” The brunette replied, after checking the clothing label, face scrunched up with a wry smile. “I think she’ll know ugly by then.”

“I’m gonna do something to do with pizza.” Glenn offered quietly with a shrug, Beth noticed the sweet business owner had managed to get himself on Maggie’s other side, something her daddy had no doubt noticed as well. “Not too original maybe, but everyone loves pizza.”

“S’true.” The murmur next to her snagged her attention, Daryl hadn’t said it loud enough for anyone to really hear, but there’d been something – thoughtful, reflective – about how he’d said it.

And of course it made her mind go to cleaning and Father’s Day gifts.

Her mama called a question to her from down the table, and Beth turned to answer her as the decorating and visiting continued. She finished her onesie, beaming at Daryl when he snorted and grinned at her finished work. Pink writing that proclaimed “My Daddy’s bike is WAY faster than your Daddy’s” With a black stenciled motorcycle in the middle.

Carol had likewise done a motorcycle themed project, hers with the same stencil but reading “WARNING: Biker Dad”

Glenn and Maggie had done ones centered around pizza, which made Beth grin knowingly at her sister when the two showed first each other, and then the group, what they’d ended up with. Maggie’s depicting a slice with little heart pepperonis, “Lil’ Slice of Heaven” framing the cartoonish looking slice. While Glenn’s boasted, “Daddy Loves Me More Than Pizza” with his own attempt at drawing the food with the stubborn fabric paints.

People flashed their own works as they completed them, some turning out better than others, it was some point during all this embarrassed laughter that first Michonne and then Andrea showed up, each making hurried apologies before settling in, quickly starting their own offerings.

“How’re you doin’ Rick?” She asked, trying not to smother Daryl with attention, or do much other than sit next to him and flash the occasional smile now and then.

“Finished.” He declared, and she leaned over to view the results, letting out a little surprised laugh that had Daryl craning over to see, knocking his heat into her as he did.

“Resisting A Rest” Was carefully stenciled underneath what was supposed to be (from what she could tell) an old timey sheriff’s star.

“That’s super cute.” Hearing his scoff, she didn’t think the non-incarcerated Dixon brother agreed too fervently. “Oh it is, stop.” She chastised, turning to see him scrawling black paint over his spare onesie.

She saw the mangled letters “FUCK THE POLICE” before Rick’s arm was flying passed her and she leaned back, smiling even as she tried to stay out of the way as the two scrabbled for the piece of fabric, the sheriff coming up with it at last before springing up to go throw it in one of the large trash cans situated around the back yard.

Daryl made a slight face at him when he got back and the two continued muttering light hearted insults at one another, that got quieter the more colorful they became, with Hershel casting a suspicious glance their way now and then when Beth would let out a choking laugh of surprise.

Loosening by degrees due to their antics, she soon found herself, chin propped on the heel of a hand, leaning against Daryl while he finished up his own slow deliberate work. His arm was warm, more hot, against hers as he surveyed the little picture he’d made. It was a sunrise, through some trees, small purple dotted flowers sprawled haphazardly along the bottom.

“S’awful.” He said to her lowly, eyes pricking at her through hiding locks.

“I think it’s perfect.” Tone was too soft, way too intimate sounding in her own ears, again too much.

Much too much.

His head turned and she met his considering look, eyes slightly narrowed, lips pursed – nearly puckering – jaw jutting just a bit and she scanned every feature committing it to memory. She would be ok if he didn’t want her, poking and prodding, if he decided not to be in her life anymore. To not let her be in his or Auri’s. But she wasn’t going to lie even now to herself, and say it wouldn’t hurt like hell.

He tilted his head a little in question, but she just managed to smile and shake her head at him in response. Man was too watchful, noticed every flicker of emotion that she couldn’t manage to hide. Looking back down at his little creation she smiled easier, bumping an arm into his before extracting herself from her place at the table.

Now would be a good time to go check on the other guests, she figured, as the vise handle screwed itself one rotation tighter at a time as she tried to breathe. They still had gifts to open, everything to load up in his truck, she had to get through this as best she could until it was the last possible moment.

Maybe she was overreacting, maybe he’d growl at her like he did everything else, but get over it for one endearing reason or another…She just wouldn’t bet on it.

She was grateful to Michonne and Rick, who took it upon themselves to ‘help’ Daryl open the gifts people had gotten for Aurora, running a commentary between the two of them as they lightly jibed him for opening things too slowly.

“Come on Daryl, it’s not wrapped in gold foil.” Michonne teased, smiling unworriedly at the glare she received. “You see that haul? You’re gonna take all day.”

Rick had come to sit on the man’s other side, popping the tape free from the opposite end that Daryl had been working on, dodging the half-powered blow aimed at his shoulder.

“Awe he’s just working up the suspense here.” The sheriff said conversationally, grinning at the dreadlocked woman. “What’d you get him?”

Beth watched the steady blush on Daryl’s face start to recede as Michonne looked through the pile and tossed the gift she’d brought to Rick with a spinning throw. The man tore through the paper, smirking at the next glare shot his way.

“Oh hey these are handy,” he waved the nail and clipper set towards Daryl, who nodded uncertainly, “and the hooded towels for after bath time!” He shot Michonne a bright whiskered smile as he pulled out the pink and yellow items. “Carl loved his, even when he got bigger, started wearing it on his head and running around the house.”

“Cough up sheriff, what’d you bring? Diapers?” Michonne challenged and Beth’s eyes narrowed a little in interest, there was something going on there between those two. It went further than taking the attention off of the crowd-shy Daryl.

“Hey don’t knock the diapers,” Rick shuffled through the pile to scoot his own sizably wrapped present from the hoard, “you know that’s what you end up needing the most of.”

Daryl had by this time unwrapped the first gift he’d been working on from Tara and Denise, a set of things that would be going straight into his freshly cleaned and organized medicine cabinet, and bathroom drawers. A supply of everything from a thermometer to a nasal aspirator, he nodded his thanks as the attention holding conversation went on in front of him, and Rick handed him another gift almost like an afterthought.

Michonne opened a diaper bag, shoved full of what was indeed different sized diapers and a small collection of wipes. The bag itself was camo colored and it earned a twitching lipped smile from Daryl who rifled through it in interest as the other two continued helping get through Auri’s presents and him out of the spotlight.

She was proud of the little get together, even with her nerves, she could appreciate how well everything was going. Daryl was starting to look a little antsy, but then with everyone focused on him, there wasn’t another reaction she’d expect. His shirt was looking pretty worse for wear and she felt a little guilty for not telling him before she hopped out of the truck this morning to come in whatever he was in comfortable in.

By the time all the items had been unwrapped, he was well on his way to being ready for his baby girl to come home. He’d gotten things like a diaper genie, loads of baby shampoo, lotion, powder, butt paste, and wash clothes. To more bottles and pacifiers, brushes, and blankets and even more clothing. He was still going to need to buy a crib, car seat, stroller, bouncy, and swing, though she figured not all of that was strictly necessary.

The last gift was from the Greene family as a whole, Maggie and Hershel brought it through the back door carefully, and Beth watched Daryl’s face anxiously as he stilled at the sight of it. A little on the cumbersome side, the wooden bassinet was a cherry wood hue that shone with a newly polished sheen. The cradle of it hoisted between two doweled pillars that were connected below, standing free of the crib’s boxy bottom.

“You’ll still need to buy a crib.” Hershel spoke quietly to a steadily blinking Daryl. “And you can consider this a loaner more than an actual present.”

“Hershel Greene.” Her mama chastised from her place at the frozen redneck’s side. “He’s just sayin’ that ‘cause it’s been in the family for a while now.”

“I shouldn’.” Beth was keeping an unusual distance from the events, knowing her time to test his patience had yet to come, her mama could handle Daryl Dixon just fine. “Ya don’ have’ta…”

“You’re not the first we’ve let use it dear.” Annette said soothingly, motioning towards Sasha and then Amy. “It’s sorta like a tradition we have with the girls’ friends. It’s just for until she gets a bit bigger and you feel ok puttin’ her in a normal sized crib.”

Daryl’s eyes flashed to hers, and Beth could tell exactly what he was thinking, felt her ponytail brush the sides of her neck as she shook her head at him.

“Don’t look at me, this was all mama.”

Put her nearly in tears, when she’d come in the door this morning, to find her daddy polishing up the old family bassinet. Used since at least Maggie, maybe even before, she’d never thought to ask. It’d always been around, up in the attic or being loaned to family and friends with newborns. Her daddy had given her a beleaguered look before her mama came in and, taking in Beth’s expression, had simply shrugged.

Now she watched as Daryl stood from the table, stood looking a little uncertain, before glancing her way, she couldn’t understand the hesitancy on his face. Until, he turned slightly to her mama, leaning in quickly to give her an awkward hug, one Annette barely had time to return before he dropped his hold and straightened. Shook her daddy’s and Maggie’s hands, before going to squat down in front of the bassinet, back of his neck a blazing shade that could be seen whenever his head bowed while he ran appreciative strokes over the well-worn surface of  the wood.

“Think ya picked him just fine Bethy.” Her mama’s voice sounded in her ear a few moments later as she’d continued to watch him, talking lowly with Hershel about what she imagined to be the construction or material choice or some other such thing as they both gestured at the piece.

“ Mama .” She shook her head quickly, it was going to be worse, she realized suddenly – when they started asking how he and the baby were – and she wouldn’t be able to answer, she’d warned them that a possible fight was on the horizon, but her mama had seemed unfazed by the news.

Annette shot her a knowing look before patting her back and moving to clean up some of the used up supplies and other trash. Looking back at him for only a moment, she turned, shaking her head again before helping to clean up the table.

People started trickling away after that, in packs and pairs, thanking her and her family for the food, the hospitality, the laughs. She watched idly as Rick helped Daryl load up the back of his truck with the bags laden with gifts, the sheriff had even found an old blanket in his car to wrap the old wooden rocking contraption in for the ride to Daryl’s place. She saw as the two men shook hands finally, and just like that the last guest left, and she stood uncertainly on the porch.

Small parcel wrapped in tissue paper cradled in her hands.

She started down when she saw him slam his tailgate closed, sweat drenching the back of his dark blue button up. Stalling a few feet away when he began unbuttoning it with a curse, dropping it off his shoulders to reveal a black sleeveless t-shirt underneath, she could just make out a tattoo riding the crest of one sweat soaked shoulder.

- Has tattoo(s)

He heard her when she resumed her trek towards him, nodding at her reluctant approach. His hair was in the same state as his back, turning it a blackish hue that carved itself down his cheeks. Of course he’d chosen to wear one of the shirts she’d gotten him for Father’s Day as an undershirt, and it looked perfect, and all this build up was going to drive her nuts.

It’d been a good party, he hadn’t hated it, was relieved as all get out that it was over maybe…but she could tell from his thin lipped quirk that he’d had a decent enough time not to hate her from the shower alone.

She’d fix that she was sure.

“Think this means I owe ya more pizza Greene.” She let out a breath of laughter at his admission, doing her best not to hide the crinkling gift behind her back as she came to stand in front of him. “Don’ know how ya got all a’ them t’ show up.”

She tilted her head a little in confusion. “Didn’t do anythin’ but make sure they found their way here, the other’s, Sasha and them, I threw their baby showers for them so…” She trailed off with a shrug, twisting in a slow sway now and then to feel the brush of her dress against her legs.

“Yeah well…” She glanced up to see him appraising her halfhearted motions, eyes narrowed to slits. “Don’ think thanks sounds good enough.”

“Works for me just fine.” She smiled a little dimly, stepping forward a little, thinking for a moment to steal one last hug, before deciding against it, and handing him Auri’s present from her uncle instead.

“Nah.” His hands took what she’d handed him even as he groused about it. “Ya already did way to fuc- frickin’ much Beth.”

“That’s uh, that’s not from me, so no worries.” She watched as Daryl paused, tissue paper halfway unwrapped, something in her tone obviously snagging at his movements. “I’m real glad I got ta’ be the one that did this for you an’ Auri, Daryl.”

“Woman, I’m the one leavin’ with all the loot.” He mumbled, face reddening slightly as he looked back down to finish opening the item in his hands.

When he’d gotten it free from the tissue confines he held it up, eyes sweeping along the curving sticklike lines and the lazy scrawl. He didn’t seem to recognize the writing, but then, the Dixon’s hadn’t struck her as the pen pal types. She thought of something suddenly and fished her phone from her dress’s pocket (favorite feature) and opening it to the camera, she cleared her throat nervously.

“Who’s it from? If it ain’t you?” He questioned, glancing up at her.

“Um, could ya do me a favor? Just hold up the onesie and flip me off.”

“Huh?”

She rolled her eyes a little, not sure if she was about to cry or laugh, she needed another picture besides the one she’d taken this morning to send to Merle. She’d told him she would after all, and she did this kind of things for her…friends.

She clicked a quick shot when he finally got over his surprise and complied to her instructions, eyes narrowed, Dad shirt framed by his finger on one side, the onesie on the other, his mouth curving a little in confused bemusement at her antics.

“Hell was that for?” He asked when she’d slid her phone back into place with a smile. She scuffed a boot against the flaking dirt ground of the drive, taking a deep breath before she answered.

“Merle.” He froze immediately and she saw his eyes snap to the cloth in his hand. “I uh, found him, and thought it’d be nice for Auri to-”

“Ya did fuckin’ what now?” Beth watched as his fist clenched against the stark white wings he held. “ Found him?”

“Yeah.” She swallowed as the thunderheads rolled across his brow. “It wasn’t real hard, I just wanted to get somethin’ to put on one of the onesies I know-”

“You went to the goddamn prison?” Voice raking through the pipes, he was tense enough that every sweat dripping line of muscle in his arms shone and winked in the late afternoon heat.

She nodded, doing her best to hold his gaze, too black to have ever been blue. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think about how you, how you wouldn’t like it ‘til it was too late.”

He didn’t even appear to comprehend what she’d said at the last. “Fuck were you thinkin’ Beth?”

“I wanted-”

“Ya shouldn’a gone there.” She opened her mouth to say something before he took an angry step towards her before stopping. “ Jesus fuckin’ Christ Beth! ” She cringed, hoping her daddy couldn’t hear him from their position a ways down the drive. “Now I git why the hell ya been actin’ skittish as fuck all goddamn day.”

“He said ya’d hate it, me goin’.” She jerked a nod with her next swallow, flinching at the explosiveness of his next scoff.

“At least one of ya showed some fuckin’ sense.”

“ Hey .” She snapped, taking her own irritated step towards him. “I get that you’re mad at me for goin’ but don’t talk to me like I’m stupid.”

“Hell else ya call an idiot girl that goes to a motherfuckin’ prison to get some piece a’ shit doodle from a convict?”

She didn’t realize she was close enough to push him until her splayed fingers appeared on the black fabric and white graphic of his shirt, flexing and shoving him, only managing to rock him back a stiffened pace.

“You do not get to say that kinda shit ta’ me Daryl Dixon!” She felt the lazy summer breeze ghost across her bared teeth as his flushed face and straining tendons leaned right back into the space she’d just cleared of him.

“Why? ‘Cause all the shitty charity your churchie ass has been throwin’ at me?”

“Stop it.” She hated this, the way she wanted to cry, the way he was looking at her. “You’re mad at me about goin’ ta’ see Merle, but don’t you make everythin’ else that’s happened sound like it didn’t mean nothin’.”

He flung an arm out viciously, gesturing towards something neither of them could see.

“Ain’t else fuckin’ happenin’.”

“Sure as hell didn’t feel that way last night .” She spit, wondering how a night of sitting up in a hospital eating junk food could sound so illicit, gratified when he didn’t scoff at that memory too, looked a little more red faced at the mention of it.

“Blue eyed blonde shakes her ass atcha in a dress like that? Sure ya notice.” He bit back, voice dropping to a dangerous volume. “Jus’ ask yer sister’s boss.”

Her face screwed itself up immediately, stomach rolling and eyes pricking – blurring the edges of her vision. She’d known it was going to be bad, but she hadn’t known, had no idea just how good he was at going for the jugular. Didn’t think he’d ever try, not with her.

“Leave.” Her voice was thick as she pushed more angrily at him, not having the damn sense not to put her hands on an angry man either she guessed. “Take your…your charity and get out of here, I can’t stand the sight of ya.”

He backed away from her clumsy assault, hands still clenched at his sides, a small black ball wadded in one of them. Shaking his head he yanked the handle to his tailgate, dropping it with a slam.

“Ain’t takin’ this shit, fuck that.”

Completely losing her mind, she pushed in next to him, hauling the heavy piece of metal back up and ramming it closed.

“Daryl Dixon don’t you pick your pride over that little girl.” Out of all the things she’d said, that he had, she had no idea why that half gritted sentence was the one that pulled him up short.

He sat for a beat glaring harshly at her, like she’d weaseled some other secret from him, before shoving off his truck and making for the driver’s door.

“Stay the fuck away from Merle ya hear me?”

“Oh shove it Dixon.” She half-sobbed trying to hold it in until he left at least, dashing her hands under already streaming eyes. “Promised him I’d write, so you’ll just have ta’ lump it, not like you’ll have ta’ hear about it from me.”

He stilled, door flung open, to pin her with such an angry glare she gritted her teeth in preparation for whatever else he was about to lob at her now.

But it never came.

He stood and nearly panted with his rage, face blotchy and sweat covered, muscles and tendons fighting to make it out from under his sun soaked skin. And he didn’t say a word. Just dragged heated blues across the soft flesh of her face, tracked the shining bits where tears had been swiped away hurriedly. Took in her hunched and set shoulders, her own angrily flexing arms, so much less impressive than his own.

He trailed his sight along the whole of her, eyes flicking back to the house, before back again and then finally – he turned and got in his truck – started the engine, and making a wide circle through the carefully trimmed grass, left. She stood in the same spot for a while, watching until the truck disappeared from view.

Well Merle hadn’t been wrong, she’d have to include that in her letter, she got the feeling he was the kind that would enjoy getting to hear that kind of thing. And what was the point now? Of hiding it? No, she’d add that right along with details about the baby shower, he’d probably get a kick out of Rick and Daryl’s shenanigans with the onesie.

She’d put it all in there, right along with the magazines she’d picked up – one of which was a copy of Christian Living that she’d mildly defaced with a speech bubble coming out of the sweet looking elderly woman’s mouth, asking him if he’d gotten around to finding God yet – and the two pictures she’d get printed out.

The one was of Auri from this morning, soft light seeping into the room and casting a sweet glow to her rosy cheeks. The other, the one she’d just taken of Daryl, the only one she had of him she realized, unless someone else had been snapping pictures during the shower that she hadn’t noticed…Her phone felt like a hot stone in her pocket, threatening to set the softly woven cloth of her dress on fire.

She didn’t even notice that she’d started letting the caged tears fall, not until a steady calming gate crunched up the edge of the dirt drive at her back. She didn’t even have to turn to know it was her daddy, had heard that determined set of steps more times than she could remember. Her fingers clenched at one another as the trailing wetness refused to stop or indeed slacken whatsoever.

He stood next to her in silence for a while, sounds of the wrens in the trees the only noise she could hear over her own heartbeat. She’d warned them this could happen, reminded them even today, especially when she’d seen the family’s old bassinet being lovingly maintained by her daddy in the living room. She hated it sometimes, telling them almost everything, keeping her fears on a small display – but it kept her…grounded – made it so the dark couldn’t sneak up on her.

Not again.

“You do know where he lives.” Hershel mused after a long wait. “Could load up, you me and the shotgun, go pay him a visit he won’t soon forget.”

She turned a watery smile to him, seeing the way his eyes crinkled at the corners even as his return smile was strained, no doubt because of the look on her face.

“Give me some time to calm down?” She quipped shakily. “Ask me then?”

“’Course Doodlebug, got nothin’ but time.”

She curled herself into his side. “He was such a jerk, but, but I shouldn’t have done what I did.”

“He most definitely owes you an apology, of that I am certain.”

“Did you…” She swallowed uncertainly, suddenly concerned for the asshole redneck’s safety if her daddy had gotten wind of half the things he’d said. “Hear all that?”

“Not hard to see he was yellin’ at you Bethy.” He murmured with stark disapproval. “And I’m old but not yet blind, anything he said that would cause my daughter to cry, is a thing that should not have come out of his mouth.”

“I did mess up though.” She reiterated stubbornly, she wasn’t about to let Daryl get away with what he’d said but…she wasn’t about to act like she hadn’t been prodding him steadily until he finally snapped.

Her daddy hummed a little in grudging agreement. “You remember what I told you of your grandpa?” She nodded into his chest as she listened. “Well from what I’ve gathered, what you’ve said, and how that man acts, I’d guess his dad and my own were not separate creatures in the least.”

“Merle mentioned their daddy having a temper.” She confirmed quietly, feeling him sigh as he tightened his hold on her.

“I’m doin’ my best to reserve judgement here honey.” He turned them and began walking back to the house, Beth missing a step when she saw his old shotgun actually propped up next to the door, her mama leaning resignedly against the jamb.

“Daddy?”

“Oh don’t worry Doodlebug.” He squeezed her lightly as they approached the steps. “I waited until after the big idiot got in his truck to come outside.”

“Because I made you.” Annette drawled, coming out to offer her an unnecessary hand up the steps. “Though that man was one more gesture away from gettin’ both barrels, I’m not that God fearin’, to let some big ox of a man holler at my baby on my own damn lawn.”

Beth flashed a look to her daddy to see him purse his lips at her mother’s cussing, but refrained from saying anything as he scooped up the firearm and followed them inside the house.

“It’ll probably make it more likely of happenin’…” She began unsurely, trying to wrap her head around her own boiling emotions. “And it’s subject to change, but I don’t, I don’t want y’all to hate him”

Her parents exchanged a look that spoke of many prior conversations she hadn’t been privy to.

“We’ll do what we can Sweetpea, but the boy’s treadin’ on thin ice, ya hear me?” Beth nodded at her mama quickly. “Man’s just lucky he sneaks so many looks atcha, like ya sang the first song he ever heard, that’s all I can say.”

“Mama he does not.” Beth denied through her blush.

“I’m afraid it’s true.” Her daddy groused, walking through the rooms to put the shotgun back in its place. “Good men get a chance to make amends, but he’d better do so.” His voice echoed hollowly around the wooden floors.

“So you do think then, that he’s a good man?” She settled on the edge of the couch, watching as her mama crossed her thin arms and pursed her lips.

“From what I gather, your daddy is basing that decision on the fight as well.” Hershel reappeared through the dining room doorway to lock Beth with a look that brokered no argument.

“Don’t know if I’d go as far to say that I’m basing it solely there, but men with father’s like ours…with bad men raising them, don’t tend to show much restraint when someone puts hands on them.” At this his look became decidedly unhappy with her, and Beth colored slightly at the memory of shoving at an un-giving chest. “Doesn’t usually matter the gender or size of that person either.”

“Just do us a favor Bethy.” Her mama took over, coming to sit next to her. “If, if , you decide after all this, that that man is still someone you want to have any kind of relationship with, he’d best one apologize… profusely …and two you gotta do your daddy and I a favor and proceed with extreme caution with this thing alright?” At Beth’s answering nod she continued tersely. “I know you’re grown, and we’ve been over…over trustin’ you an’ your decisions but this is…”

“Hard on you.” Beth supplied knowingly, offering a quick hug at her mama’s answering nod that managed to encompass a world full of pain in a single jerk. “I promise mama.”

“Alright then.” Her daddy sighed from his spot, rubbing his hands together tiredly. “I think that is just about as much excitement as I can handle for one month, let’s try and have us a quiet evening shall we?”

The women nodded before Beth was taking a searching glance around. “Where the heck did Maggie go?”

Her mother huffed a laugh while a frown was thrown out by her other parent. “She was quite taken with that Rhee fella, she’s gone with him for a nice evening drive, since he didn’t drive himself here.” Hershel left the room muttering and Annette laughed a little more before eyeing Beth with a raised eyebrow. “Very lucky for Mr. Dixon that she did.”

She had to agree with that, good man or not, Maggie Greene would have definitely shot him, or at least come out the door with the darn gun in hand. Maggie didn’t have the patience of either of her dad or step-mom.

“I’ll finish cleaning up Sweetpea.” She got a brief pat before her mama was rising to her feet and heading to the kitchen. “G’on and get yourself some rest.”

With a small nod Beth made her way up the stairs to her room, she might as well she figured.

No better time to get going on that letter after all.     

Chapter Text

Chapter 11

Thursday, June 29th & Friday, June 30th  

“The fuck you do dumbass?”

Daryl glared at the road in front of him, Merle on speakerphone while he headed to Rhee’s after his garage shift to get in a few hours before the pizzeria closed for the night. He didn’t have much longer before Kit was going to be coming home and while he was grateful his little girl was gaining weight again like she should be – it meant her arrival to the cabin was imminent and he was nowhere ready.

And now he’d gone and answered the phone to Merle’s call which was obviously a huge damn mistake since he was being met before any kind of greeting with a terse kind of accusation that did nothing to help the monstrously nasty mood he’d been in for the last week.

“Hell’re you talkin’ about?” No way his brother was referring to what had happened at the Greene Farm, then again, when it came to that crazy blonde, his best guess would probably be way off the mark.

Merle made a derisive noise that had Daryl’s knuckles going white on the wheel. “Whatcha think I’m talkin’ about, you fuckin’ asshole?” A breath blew from his nose and the younger Dixon brother considered tossing his phone out the open truck window. “You better not fuck up my deal with that lil’ miss sugar britches of yours Darlina.”

“She ain’t my -” He gritted out before changing his focus. “Told ‘er not t’ be havin’ shit t’ do with you at all Merle.” The phone crackled with the force of his brother’s cursing. “Girl don’ listen fer shit.”

“An’ lucky fer you she don’!” Merle growled into the line. “You got any idea the shit that fine woman’s sent me? An’ this just the first time I got anythin’ from ‘er too.”

The truck lurched as Daryl half slammed on the brakes, before taking into account the fact that pulling off the street in order to berate his brother would make him late, he kept going even as his mouth twisted into a snarl.

“The fuck she send you?”

“Oh ho ho.” His brother’s crowing just about had him breaking the enamel of his teeth. “Worried I got little mama’s panties wrapped ‘round my dick at night baby brother?”

The only thing that kept his phone from being slammed into his dash was the knowledge that Beth would never in a million years do something like that. The image alone, however, was enough to make him want to puke.

“Ain’t give a fuck what you been wrappin’ yer dick with Merle.” He was answered instantly with a knowing chuckle.

“Whatever you say lil’ brother, but listen here.” A more serious tone hit his ear, his brother’s version of giving Daryl ‘a talking to’ voice. “Been months since I had this much entertainment, an’ I’mma box your goddamn ears when I get out, ‘bout the time you fuck this up for me.”

“Sure gettin’ riled over a’ piece a’ paper brother.” Daryl replied, not attempting to hold back the snarky sound in his own tone.

“Oh ain’t just a letter Darlina, no no !” Merle was quick to inform him, making him scowl so much he could barely see the street in front of him. “Though the lil’ firecracker ain’t half bad at the ole pen ‘n paper I’ll give ‘er that, got ta’ hear all about the little gatherin’ she put on for you an’ m’niece.”

His back felt like a belt had lit into it as the memories hit him for another countless time since the event had actually taken place. He’d thought he’d managed to do something wrong, had spent most of the time not being worried about the spectators, or doing the silly things he’d have gotten his ass kicked for by his family – like decorating onesies and opening frilly packages – been way too busy trying to understand why Beth Greene could barely look at him.

She’d gotten worse the longer the day went on, keeping an odd-feeling distance that had nagged at him, made him…heavy and anxious. And then she’d told him, how she’d gone to the fuckin’ prison – for him. Had put herself at risk, he’d seen a shit ton of fights break out in that visitation room emotions were always running high for the people in there, or at the very least put her in Merle’s line of fire for ridicule and unwanted appreciation .

And she’d done it for him , for his kid, did the thing he wouldn’t have thought of and wouldn’t have had the nerve to do. Hell, probably wouldn’t have been able to pull off in the first place, he could just imagine Merle’s reaction to being asked to draw anything, let alone something kid appropriate. But Beth, she’d done it, gone above and beyond for him again…but it was too far.

He didn’t want her seeing that shit, being close to it, having it touch her. Didn’t want her to have to listen to Merle’s nasty mouth…or have some freaky fuckers getting an eye full of her, think about her later while they were in their cells. He couldn’t hardly stand it, and then she’d been worried that he’d be upset about her stepping out of line.

Wasn’t natural.

For someone to be so worried about another’s feelings before their own, especially if the two people involved in that scenario were him and Beth. So he’d acted like an asshole, like he used to be, back when people like Rick Grimes and Annette Greene looked at him like he was a rabid animal, wolf with a foaming mouth. She shouldn’t have done that shit, not for him, not for anyone .

But then it had all spiraled and he’d said that fuckin’ dickish thing about her in the dress and Maggie’s boss. She was too soft on him then too, pushing at him with scrabbling little hands that gripped as much as they shoved, like part of her had still wanted to hug him for fuck’s sake. He had deserved a good slap across his blaspheming mouth, punch to the jaw that worked out the words that hurt her.

Her parents should’ve run him off, called Rick back to do it for them…

“Sounded like y’all was havin’ a real good time ‘til you went an’ acted like some prudish lil’ pussy ‘bout her comin’ ta’ visit ole Merle.” Daryl pulled up into the parking lot of the restaurant and tilted his head back against the window.

“Fuckin’ gonna act surprised? Told me you’s the one clued her in ‘bout how pissed I’d get.”

“Oh get the fuck over it Darlina .” Merle snapped into the receiver, sounding harsh and derisive as he continued. “So the girl’s a little nuts, the best fucks are . Ain’t I said this shit to you more’n once?”

“Ain’t fuckin’ ‘er Merle.”

“Why the hell not ?!” Daryl had to pull the phone away from his head a little. “Lil’ honey hole’s dyin’ for ya baby brother, met the tight lil’ hellcat once an’ I can tell.”

A quick dirty thrill shot through his veins and he shook his head, slinging the door of his truck open and stepping out. Eyeing the fresh-out-of-high-school schmuck that was the other part timer Glenn had hired, sitting in his no doubt daddy bought jeep a little ways off.

“Stop.” His growling did little but make his brother scoff once more into his ear.

“Fine, ain’t got the minutes left on this call to get into that shit anyhow.” Daryl pulled out his pack in quick jerking motions, and popped a cigarette into his mouth, eyes squinting against the early evening sunlight. “But point is, girl sent me mags and pictures an’ you better figure out a way to make sure that keeps happenin’ or you’re gonna be tellin’ me why come December.”

“What pictures she send ya?” He questioned distractedly, glancing around the lot as he worked the skin of his thumb with his teeth. “’Sides the one a’ me.”

“One of the baby.” Merle replied, volume dropping noticeably, sounding distinctly uncomfortable. “Pretty lil’ thing, good thing they did that test, kid looks nothin’ like you”

“Fuck you.” Daryl muttered halfheartedly, trying to push down the surge of emotion that always came whenever Aurora was brought up.

There was a humming from the line before Merle got back to what he cared most about: Merle.

“You gonna go kiss an’ make up like I’m tellin’ ya too?” At Daryl’s snort he tried again, a grin obvious in his voice. “Fine, fuck and make up then? I don’t care whatcha gotta do Daryl, long as it don’t stop my packages gettin’ here.”

“Christ what fuckin’ magazines she send ya gotcha so wound up?”

There was a slightly lecherous tone in his brother’s answer that made him second guess what he thought he knew about what Beth Greene might be willing to send a man in prison. “Don’t you worry yer shaggy head over it baby brother. Tha’s between me an’ your old lady, alright?”

“ She ain’t mine !”

He glared at the young idiot, whose head had snapped up at his sudden outburst, muttering obscenities when the guy finally looked away and Daryl was able to take another calming drag.

“Listen you sonofa-” The line cut out and a recorded woman’s voice popped in, informing them they only had sixty seconds left. “Look.” Merle took the time warning as a cue to get quietly serious. “Don’t know or care what the hell kinda dance ya got goin’ on with blondie, but since you ain’t lookin’ ta’ send me shit, don’t fuck this up you hear me?”

“Heard ya the first four fuckin’ times Merle, she ain’t gonna stop sendin’ ya stuff, already told me.” Daryl groused reluctantly, repeating his statement from the beginning of the conversation, since Merle had apparently not heard him then for some reason. “Stubborn as a goddamn mule, won’ listen fer shit.”

“You better ho-”

The line went dead and he sighed at the sudden welcomed silence. He was still a little early for his shift, but it hadn’t ever mattered much before and he didn’t mind getting his head into something that wasn’t Beth related. He walked by the jeep that’d probably never seen a healthy amount of dirt, and shook his head, he wasn’t really looking forward to working with the dude inside it – guy was a bit of a douchebag.

Daryl couldn’t even remember the name that went with squared obnoxious face.

Didn’t work for shit, ate more pizza than he made or served, Daryl just hoped he kept messing up so that Glenn would fire him. Then again, he had to admit, he really was in one of the worst moods he’d been in lately, not exactly surprising. Felt like shit, like he should. Saying those things to her – fuckin’ reprehensible – girl had said she couldn’t stand to even look at him.

Fuck, she should try being him sometime.

He opened the door to the pizzeria a little harder than was necessary, trying to take a deep breath as he stepped through. It was just a couple hours, then he could head to the hospital see his kid, stop thinking so much about –

Beth

Stumbling to a halt when shocked blue eyes hit his own, he felt his body lock up for a moment, before a rush like a few beers and flying down a dirt road going too fast plowed into him. Christ, if it didn’t feel like a high each time he saw her. All the more strong for being a while since the last hit, after how bad the last time was, and it had been bad, so bad he’d taken a few moments to set her to memory.

In case.

Did she always have to look so goddamn beautiful?

Jeans and a yellow tank never looked so good on another living body, he’d fight the fucker that said otherwise. She was standing uncertainly by the cash register, looking uniquely uneasy, there were other customers at the handful of tables spread around the cozy space. No one paid either of them any mind, even as Daryl could swear their gazes were linking them physically. He took an uncertain step towards her, not knowing if that’d be ok, if she’d flinch back from him.

Her head cocked to the side slightly and her eyes slipped in a dragging pull over him, making him want to shiver for reasons he didn’t think strictly warranted the look she was giving him, more like her eyes on him were simply enough to elicit the reaction.

He didn’t know what she was doing here, didn’t know if Merle had managed to conjure her by mention alone. Daryl rocked forward a little, wanting to place himself right in front of her, to apologize, to wrap tired arms around her and hold on until she made him stop.

Beth moved her hanging arms to wipe, apparently sweating, palms distractedly on the hips of her jeans and he tracked the motion like he could feel the texture of the material below his own tingling skin. Was she here to see him? Seemed odd, she knew his work schedule and where he lived, well that wasn’t true, his hours here were sporadic as fuck so maybe…

She moved forward then and his brain was unable to maintain thought of any kind.

Standing right in front of him he had to realign his earlier thought on her beauty, he didn’t know if it was a strong enough term, doubted it’d been created yet, the kind of statement that would entail all the awe inspiring features of her. Beth looked up at him, eyes both challenging and expectant, he knew, knew she was waiting for him to say something. Not just anything, but an apology – not a problem – he’d been a sorry fucker soon as the words left his mouth.

He just didn’t…was it enough?

It felt like something in her had snagged him, was causing him to bob slightly forward and back, swaying on his feet like a drunk, unsteady. The door opened behind him with a jingle, and he vaguely hoped he’d left the newcomer enough space to get by him, because if he moved – he’d topple.

“Beth?” Voice that should be recognizable sounded behind him, hints of accusation lacing her name. “What’re you doin’ here?”

“Jimmy?” Her eyes had been pulled from his, and Daryl wanted to growl at the intrusion.

“Here for pizza?” And there was still something guarded there, and her face had gone from that pretty little flushed color, to sickly pale and who the fuck was this Jimmy?

Finally managing to look away from her and turn, he laid eyes on the part timer schmuck that he didn’t like. Well, Daryl realized, he really was a fuckin’ idiot, she’d mentioned a Jimmy, made this dude the ex-boyfriend.

The one that had gotten to sit around with her family and eat s’mores and hear her bicker with her siblings as the night stretched and the stars shown on her porcelain skin. And then something must have happened, because they weren’t together anymore, and if this motherfucker kept giving her that look he was gonna find himself having a real bad day.  

“I didn’t…” She stumbled in her words, that challenging – near ferocious – fire she’d had moments ago while all but demanding an apology from him without speaking a single word was gone. And now she was sounding unsure – defensive and he felt his fists clench. “I didn’t even know you were workin’ here.”

The younger guy studied her for a long minute, before nodding his fucking acceptance, face clearing like he realized they were in public and were starting to gather a few glances.

“Yeah, ‘course not, didn’t mean it like that.”

He had to constrict his throat just to stop the growl, god he was losing his shit for no reason. Was not even a little bit his business, who this guy was, the way he looked at her, the way he spoke. And again Daryl had to remind himself, she wasn’t his . Hell, she didn’t even like him right now, he should be figuring out how to get an appropriate admission of guilt out for himself, not worrying about what had happened between Beth and stupid fuckin’ Jimmy with his stupid fuckin’ face.

Except…

She was drawing into herself, trying to make herself smaller, and he knew that motion as he glanced back at her. Knew how it felt to curve limbs around the vulnerable parts of yourself and pray no one prodded at them. He doubted this little piece of shit had caused her to do that for the same reasons his old man had to him…but he didn’t like it. Seeing his little demigoddess cave into herself, fold up and cringe like the prick’s sight was hurting her.

“No, ‘course not.” She murmured in response. “I’m gonna get goin’ anyway.” She sidestepped the two of them like they were about to bite, and Daryl realized he was an equal emotional threat to her as the douchebag behind him, felt it like a blow to the head. “Bye Jimmy.” Her eyes skipped from the man at his back to him, and his breath hitched. “Bye Daryl.”

He couldn’t do a damn thing, didn’t even manage a nod before she was by them and out the doors with the tinkling bell that clenched at the nerves in his teeth. He stood like an idiot, looking out the door she’d fled out of, until Jimmy got his attention by speaking to him.

“You know her?”

Guy sounded like the concept was wrapped in several layers of doubt and impossibility, either because someone like Daryl knowing a girl like Beth was unlikely, or because he suspected her of showing up here specifically for him .

Daryl managed a grunt in answer, flashing a quick glare, before turning and making his way to the back. Getting to the small room that held things like their full body aprons, he folded the obnoxious thing and tied it distractedly around his hips.

“Y’all are what? Friends?” Jimmy continued, pulling his own apron over his head like they were actually supposed to. “Known her for a while?”

Hitting people at work would get him fired.

He needed this job, needed to keep saving up for the little kit, had to keep his temper in check, not to mention, string bean Jimmy looked the type to nark, and Daryl wasn’t interested in spending anytime locked up right now.

“Work with ‘er over at m’other job.” He supplied gratingly, turning to find Jimmy standing – probably unintentionally – in front of the only exit which effectively trapped Daryl in the room with him.

“ Dude , I’d steer clear of her if I were you.” Eyes huge, the guy looked all his 18 years and Daryl had to remember whatever had gone on between the two was some high school drama that a man of his years didn’t need any part of. “Chick is crazy .”  

His knuckles popped when his hands fisted as hard as they did, but again, jail time was bad .

And she was crazy after all, craziest woman he’d ever met.

He couldn’t fuckin’ get enough of her.

But she ain’t mine.

“Move.” His grumble was accompanied by his harder than necessary movement to make it by, effectively knocking Jimmy into the wall.

Not nearly hard enough, since the prick kept following him as he made his way to the walk-in fridge. Hearing Glenn’s excited voice from the room where the stone pizza oven was, he found himself thinking for a moment to deviate his path to use the owner as a buffer but decided against it. He was a grown man, he could handle this shit, he’d dealt with a lot of assholes – was related to their fully recognized commander-in-chief – he could handle little Jimmy.

“Hey man I’m just tryin’ to give you a heads up here ok?” Catching the metal door that just barely managed to miss nailing him in the face (damn it) he continued like he couldn’t see how fucking tense Daryl was. “I dated her alright? I’m comin’ to you with some firsthand knowledge here. She is a stage five clinger I’m not kiddin’.”

Jail time was bad…

“First it’s nice I get it, she cooks and bakes alright.” The hum of the fridge ate up Daryl’s irritated growl. Alright ? Motherfucker was really testing his patience. “But then it’s the parties and she wants to do everything for you, and yeah you’re thinkin’ you’ve really got it good ‘cause she’s taking care of you.”

Jail time bad…but really…it’d be like his first offense…

“But man after a while shit gets old ya know, and she’s stickin’ her nose into every frickin’ part of your life, giving her advice on everything.” Daryl could feel the hunch of his shoulders, the tenseness in the fingers that rifled through the boxes of inventory, seeing what they were short on and what they should be trying to push. While the lousy sonofabitch behind him bemoaned having someone who cared for him, sounding a little too similar, sounding like Daryl had after that fuckin’ amazing party she’d put together for him and his kid. “I mean, she straight up acts like she thinks she’s your mom , you know what I mean? And she might as well be for all she…well ya know.”

Daryl’s entire body had calcified.

Jail time couldn’t be that bad , and fuck, wasn’t his friend the goddamn sheriff?

He just had to snap all the joints that had rusted into unmoving parts, and that little creep was gonna be getting his ass stomped real quick. Shoulders rolling off layers of shale and granite, cords of his legs stretching and near snapping from what felt like years of disuse, he finally turned and fixed the jabbering idiot with a look. Guy was still going, like he’d been waiting to find a new audience for the story he’d no doubt told dozens of times.

“Couldn’t take it anymore dude, chick got to like, stalker status, so finally I broke things off and ya know what happened when I did?” He took Daryl’s rumbling anger as motivation to continue, even as Daryl started closing the distance between them. “She tried to freakin’ off herself man.”

His steps stalled out immediately, only a handful of feet away from the younger nodding man.

“I know right? Like haven’t you noticed how she’s always wearin’ somethin’ on her left arm? I mean what kind of-”

Daryl figured Beth might appreciate the look of utter shock on Jimmy’s face when he succeeded in snatching the motherfucker up and bodily shoving the lanky frame so hard into the fridge’s paneling it made the walls shake. Grabbing him by the straps of his correctly worn apron, Daryl took his surprise as an opportunity to pull and then shove the prick back against the metal paneling once again shivering the walls around them.

“ Dude -”  

“ Say somethin’ else about ‘er.” He snarled into the shocked face, the muscles in his arms and back bunching from the relative restraint he was showing.

“Daryl?” He heard Glenn’s voice moments before the heavy door swung open. “What the hell man? What’s goin’ on?”

“I hear ya run yer goddamn mouth about her again, I’mma decide ya don’ like yer fuckin’ teeth.”

“Daryl!”

He didn’t have to look at his boss to know that he was fired, see the angry flush on Jimmy’s cheeks to know he was probably getting arrested today. He had one quick flash of fear that someone could somehow, in some way, use this to take Aurora from him, but he didn’t get much of a chance to focus on it.

“He attacked me Mr. Rhee!” Daryl dropped his hands, but continued to train his eyes nowhere else but the red faced indignant little piece of shit in front of him.

Another voice sounded, and if Daryl felt surprise, it about gave the younger man a heart attack.

“Oh I don’t think he did, d’you Jimmy?” He decided it worth the risk to flick his gaze to the side, saw a shocked looking Glenn behind Maggie Greene, who’d stepped her way into the cold confines of the room, and was dead locked on the guy in front of him. “You flappin’ yer gums again?”

“M-Maggie.” And Daryl quickly realized that he was no longer the person in this cold box that Jimmy found the most terrifying. Though he had to admit, looking at her now, jaw set and green eyes frigid like chipped ice, that he couldn’t blame the idiot one bit. “I thought you were in Atlanta?”

“Daryl here not like what ya had ta’ say about my sister?” She continued, ignoring the question and taking another step towards them. Daryl wondered if the woman hadn’t been a mob boss or assassin in another life. “You tell him the best parts Jimmy?”

“Look, I didn’t mean-”

“Nah.” Maggie cut over the panicked words easily, jutting a hip to the side when she’d closed in on the younger man as much as she could, and Daryl tried to remember that it wasn’t him in her cross hairs. Not yet. “No I think if y’ad told him how ya broke up with Beth after she refused ta’ sleep with ya, oh I don’t even know how many times, ‘cause she still won’t tell me.” Daryl actually took a slight step back when the older Greene sister leaned in. “Or that ya decided while her mama was goin’ through chemo treatments, and we’d been told her chances of makin’ it were pretty low, that that was the best time to break her heart.”

“I-”

“I think if you’d shared that bit with him, we’d ‘ve found ya in here bleedin’ ‘stead a’ whimperin’ like a’ pup.” Her eyes flashed over to him inquiringly. “You think I’m right Daryl?”

Holy fuck Maggie Greene is scary.

“Ya ain’t fuckin’ wrong .” He muttered finally, deciding there weren’t many people he’d like to hurt more than Beth’s ex at this moment.

There was a ringing silence that Glenn’s voice finally broke.

“Quit.”

Three pairs of eyes went to him, including Maggie’s who had to turn to the side to get her gaze on him, Daryl figured Jimmy probably appreciated the break. And was a little shocked to discover the word wasn’t directed at him, but the younger man who was pressing himself cringingly against the wall.

“W-what?”

“I can’t fire you, not legally, but you aren’t welcome to work here anymore. So quit.”

“You can’t just, just-”

“Look man.” Had to give it to Glenn, the guy actually had some serious backbone, there was a steeliness in his voice that Daryl hadn’t ever heard before. “After what we were just told, neither of us are going to be able to work with you anyway.” He motioned to Daryl before continuing. “And about the time he beats your ass, or she does,” quick gesture to a grimly smiling Maggie, “who do you really think’s gonna back up your story that you weren’t the aggressor?”

The teen took in the collection of harsh glares before nodding and easing around them and out of the refrigerator. They were all quiet until he could be heard leaving the restaurant.

“Would ya really been able to lie?” Maggie asked after a moment, directing the question at Glenn.

He smiled at her in a strained kind of way before shaking his head, Daryl jerked his head in agreement, he wasn’t much one to have the ability or inclination to lie well, but then again Jimmy didn’t know that.

“I better go check on people, see if they need anything…” Glenn eyed the two of them, almost looking like he was going to ask Maggie if she were ok being left with Daryl, probably right until he remembered how fuckin’ terrifying she had just been – and left without another word.

He did his best not to flinch when green eyes were cast his way.

“Heard about your fight with Beth.”

Well shit, she was going to murder him and hide his body in here, Glenn was obviously already in love with her so he’d no doubt help move Daryl’s lifeless corpse once it got dark enough.

His gaze held hers for a moment before sliding away and he managed a nod, before it became necessary for him to bring his hands up in order for him to begin picking at the roughened skin there, waiting for her judgement or a fuckin’ attack, whichever it may be.

“You best get to apologizin’ before she comes to her senses and stops wantin’ ta’ spoil ya like she does.” He was working on chewing a gash into his cheek as he nodded, taking zero issue with how much that advice sounded like a threat. “I shouldn’t have told you what I did.” That pulled his eyes back to hers as she studied him closely. “But I just, I hate that little asshole so much. Beth always says they were just young and all that, that what she did was her choice but I…” She swallowed hard as old pain hit her, the kind Daryl knew pretty well himself. “Beth just doesn’t know how to do anythin’ halfway, is what it comes down to, and that includes takin’ care of the people she’s taken a liking to.”

He bobbed another nod at her, words seemed like a bad idea, and Hershel had said much the same to him at the shower. He was relieved when she returned the motion and walked out of the fridge, leaving him to his slightly bleeding mouth and whirring thoughts. He had to make things right with Beth, needed to say how sorry he was. Words weren’t his thing, never had gotten a handle on them, never saw the point.

But he missed that girl like mad, and he didn’t need one more person or situation telling him that he was a miserable sonofabitch without her. He’d known that shit way before he’d heard from Merle, or had the run in with Jimmy’s punk ass.

Now to get it done…

The next day rolled in with his regular schedule at the garage, and his mind was so filled with the girls in his life he barely grunted or made eye contact with either coworker or customer for the entirety of his shift leading up to his lunch break. Tomorrow, it was officially a thing, he’d gotten the news, Auri was ready to come home, he’d already told Axel he wouldn’t be coming in.

No he hadn’t found anyone to cover his shift or switch him.

No he in fact did not give a shit.

He clocked off for lunch and made his way into the breakroom, fishing the cold soda from his pocket, almost feeling fucking nostalgic at the sight of it. He sat at his customary table, nodding distractedly to Jim’s grumpy ass as he did. Daryl really had gotten bad about packing any kind of lunch for himself, half the time he wasn’t hungry, the other half…he was hoping she’d show up to fuss over him.

He spent the time sipping his Coke, mind reeling with what the hell he was going to do with having Auri full time in less than 24 hours. Couldn’t be more thrilled of course, little girl was a goddamn fighter, he was so proud he could cry. Had…once or twice…whispering to her about what a badass she was. But it was going to be a lot to get used to, to handle on his own, and he was going to have to find a fuckin’ babysitter.

And who the hell could he trust with his baby ?

Tilting his head back to take another drink he paused, can mid-raise, she was sitting at the table across from his. Nearly elbow to elbow with a few other associates, looking unhappy while they studiously tapped onto the screens of their phones. She had a container of grapes in front of her, but didn’t seem to be eating them much, pushing them around the container with her index finger instead.

He couldn’t do it here, there were people every goddamn where, but she probably thought he’d seen her and was avoiding her. And if Maggie had told her anything about yesterday and Jimmy, he couldn’t have her thinking that he thought…well anything negative about her. His mind flashed back through their other lunches together, brows knit while he considered what he could do or…

Deciding, he hopped up and went over to one of the nearby vending machines, sliding his card impatiently, he picked the selection he wanted, waited it to tumble loudly down. Grabbing it up, he made his way over to her table, leaning passed people who ducked hurriedly out of his way, he met her startled gaze before setting the bottle of water down in front of her determinedly.

The heat in his cheeks was obnoxious but unavoidable, and he did his best to nod at her, hold her eyes for a moment, before heading back to his own table. He didn’t know if he should expect anything out of that, even as his heart leapfrogged up and down his ribcage, it wasn’t an apology.

More of a peace offering. Those were good right? Sounded good at least.

He kept his nervous sight off her, not wanting to creep her or the others out at her table, and went back to studying the nearly drank soda in front of him. The time on his lunch break was starting to run down, when a small collision hit his table, jerking his eyes up to see a bag of Cheetos slide the distance to his fingers that were still wrapped around his Coke. Looking up, he saw a few people at her table flashing her and then him confused looks. Her eyes weren’t on him, but he watched her take a pointed gulp of the water he’d given her.

Ok then.

Good.

Good sign.

He ripped the bag open immediately, eating them with an unnecessary volume.

Not managing to catch her eye on his way out, he clocked back in and headed to the auto center, trying to figure out the best plan from here on out in the Beth department. She must be working close to the same shift as he was, he could try and meet her out in the parking lot when he was off. Could text her…but that felt awkward, what with all he’d said after the baby shower, didn’t want to depend on his lack of skills with the texting.

No, he’d be able to catch her at some point, he was sure, mostly, mostly sure.

Heading out for his last break later on, he craned his head around as he passed the registers, frowning when he couldn’t spot her. Twisting his neck as he walked, hoping to catch a flash of blonde hair. Something collided with his chest and he reached forward instinctively to steady the person or thing he’d run into.

“Sorry! I-” His eyes snapped to wide blues and he froze immediately. “Oh. Daryl.” Of course it was her, because his life was a shitty rom-com all of a sudden.

“S’my fault.” She shook her head, apparently not noticing the way he still held onto her arms even though she was perfectly steady, and he didn’t mention her hands bunched into his coveralls.

“No I-” Ponytail still swinging with her denial – her voice died off when he spoke up louder.

“ Beth .” Summer fruit clipped shut over straight white teeth as her eyes widened slightly. “ S’my fault . Alrigh’?”

He shouldn’t have been tightening his hold like he was to draw her in a little closer to him, shouldn’t have liked the easy give of her arms while she let him.

“Daryl.” She couldn’t seem to cobble together the something that was supposed to go along with his name and he shook his head slightly at her anyway, he was supposed to be the one talking.

He swallowed a bit, she was basically resting against him, that had to mean she was willing to forgive him, he just had to get the goddamn words out was all.

“I shouldn’a said-”

“Beth? You back?” Daryl tensed at the sound of the voice, dropping his hold on her and turning, the front end manager…guy with the long hair…pretty sure he’d heard people refer to the guy as Jesus, was looking harassed.

“I’m…” He looked back to see her watching him with an almost desperate expression. “I am, yeah. What do you need?” She asked finally sounding a little dejected, eyes still on his, which were stuck without a doubt to her.

“Alright, we’re getting lines, can you hop on 16?”

She nodded, flashing one of her painfully polite smiles he’d seen once or twice since knowing her. His eyes skipped to where the Jesus guy was nodding and taking off in a different direction at a near run.

“I guess I…” She stumbled, watching him. He didn’t know what to say to make her stay, or if he even should, couldn’t be getting her in trouble, didn’t want a shitty time limit on what he needed to say to her. “I gotta go.”

He nodded in response, moving to the side a little to offer her an easier time passed him, but she stalled a bit, gazing up at him, clearly torn. His throat worked and his tongue glided around the inside of his mouth, the urge to say whatever the right thing was a palpable thing in his pallet.

“Alrigh’.” Words choked from him finally when she seemed to be waiting on him to respond with something more than the accepting motion of his head.

Her lips parted, closed, she shook her head and offered a wan little smile, the kind that had broke him the night before she went to the party in Atlanta, had him reaching out and spinning her into him. This time though, he just twitched a lip in return, watching as she turned and left him standing uncertain and miserable in the entryway.

He still planned on catching her for a proper ‘I’m a fuckin’ jerk, please forgive me, I’m so goddamn sorry’ after work. But when the time came and he went nearly loping out to where the employee parking was, her SUV was nowhere in sight, turning around, he went back inside just to check, but she wasn’t there.

Great. Fuckin’. Great.

Now when was he going to get a chance to see her? He was going to be tied up with Kit for the foreseeable future…Cursing under his breath, Daryl turned and trudged his way to his waiting truck, trying to ignore the lonely aching feeling that rolled itself down his spine. Didn’t have a right to miss Beth Greene, to feel this fuckin’ awful when she wasn’t with him, not after what he’d done.

But mostly, and most importantly.

She wasn’t his.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12

Saturday, July 1st

She  must  find cooking therapeutic.

Stirring the finished dish, the chicken and dumplings she'd made, she ignored the fact that her family had already eaten lunch, that her mama had gotten her own helping of chicken out to fry up for super, was standing at the sink this moment peeling potatoes. Wasn't much of a need really, for the food she'd made, just like there wasn't a need for her to question the why of her making it.

It had just felt nice, to make the familiar biscuit dough, feel the soft resistance of the flour when she'd pressed thumb to fingertips. Taking the gooey ball, sprinkling the mass with a quick powdery layer and rolling it thin, checking for the necessary pie crust level of thickness. There was a certain level of meditation found in cutting the never quite uniform strips, trying to keep them an inch wide and probably failing.

Thoughts of high school, whispered promises, and pain sharper than the piece of bathroom mirror she'd used on her wrist, swirled around inside the big old stock pot as she'd watched the water and salt work to boil meat from bone. She'd watched the whole thing simmer, grateful when she was able to recall all those things and have them be accompanied by only a dull ache.

Maggie telling her about Daryl's confrontation with Jimmy had felt odd, mortifying and reassuring all at once. Especially after the week she’d spent, being by turns angry and down trodden, waiting for the sound of a phone call or truck wheels coming up the long drive. It seemed to always get so much worse at night, with her spending too many minutes staring at her silent morose looking cell. She’d wanted so badly just to text him, even if it was something that’d piss him off, anything to get a response. It’d have to be better than the silence.

But no.

She wasn't about to let anyone, any man, use or mentally abuse her, Beth knew her brand of caring for people was over the top, she risked that exact thing happening whenever she got close to someone. So she had to put her foot down anytime that that scenario even seemed to be a possibility of repeating itself. Because it had definitely happened with Jimmy, she'd just thought she was doing the same stuff for him that she did for her friends and family.

That maybe it'd make him feel good, to have nice things done for him.

But he hadn't been happy or satisfied with the things she'd been  willing  to give him, had broken her down a bit with small comments, just snapping off pieces of her at a time. She hadn't even realized it was happening, and then mama had been so dang sick and he was saying he wanted to be there for her in a new way. Said it'd make her feel better, and that last time, the final time, she’d told him no - he'd broken up with her - given her some excuse she couldn't even remember now.

Because she hadn't believed it then.

She'd meant what she'd told Maggie, told all of her family a time or two, it'd been her decision to press that sharp edge in and part her flesh. Didn't mean though, that she ever wanted to see Jimmy again, it was the cost of living in a small town. And to think, she’d figured the possibility of running into Daryl would be the worst thing that could happen...

Sifting through the broth, removing meat and bone to keep the one and toss out the other, light and dark chicken pieces going back into the pot, she'd not been able to shake the awful feeling of seeing the two men together. Though, even while being generous – Jimmy hardly fit the term, but hearing that tone in his voice, while her fight with Daryl had been so fresh...

Temperature back to boiling, strips of dough added one at a time, and now - about fifteen minutes later - she stood still, stirring, as her mind went along the events of the last couple days until they didn't sting as bad - ache as much. She figured the only silver lining was the fact that, inexplicably, Maggie now fully approved of Daryl (depending on if he apologized or not) had gone to great lengths to describe every aspect to him as he'd held Jimmy against the fridge wall.

A sigh managed to pass clear of her throat and she immediately cleared it, trying to cover, she'd sort of hoped to hear from the grumpy redneck today. But maybe he was having to ease into the talking thing. He didn't seem overly fond of it, was trying though. that much she could tell.

And so...patience...the worst of all the virtues.

"Still no word Bethy?" The question was asked with a quiet understanding, the kind only her mama could accomplish. "If you were wantin' ta' talk to him so much why didn't you wait for him after your shift yesterday?"

"I'm tryin' to let him do it in his own time mama." She sighed out again, feeling a spark of irritation at herself. "It's enough for now that he's tryin'. An' anyway, it's Saturday, he's not even out of work yet."

Her mama made a noncommittal humming sound that made her smile a little, she wondered if Daryl was aware of the kind of impression he'd left on her parents before he'd gone and blown his top. Complimenting her mama's cooking, talked a bit of wood working with her dad, at least about the maintenance of the bassinet. He'd been quiet and unassuming, to which her daddy attributed humbleness, while her mama was quick to remind her of the many looks she'd seen cast Beth's way.

But, as she’d reminded everyone and herself a total of at least one million times, Daryl was in no place to be worried about dating anyone. Even if he was looking at her in some kind of way which made her want to blush and grin, he still had a new baby that was his first priority. Still, he'd seemingly made a decent enough first meeting, because both her parents were willing to tolerate, barely , the idea of them at least continuing their friendship, which was one less thing she had to worry about.

But the Lord only knew when she'd hear from -

Her phone started going off in her pocket, reaching over to turn the heat off of the burner she'd been using, Beth fished out the device, sliding her thumb to cut off the old country song. A little freaked out immediately when she saw Rick's name on her screen.

"Hello?" She turned from the stove, hunching her body slightly as she listened.

There was a gusting breath, of what she took to be relief before the man started speaking quickly into the line. "Beth, hey, look I need a' favor. You free today? Or am I catchin' you at a bad time?"

Her brows furrowed in confusion, what in the world could the sheriff need from her? "No I'm free Rick, what's goin' on?" She noticed her mama turnaround from the sink and wait patiently while Beth heard the reply.

"Here's the thing, I told Daryl I'd pick him and Aurora up from the hospital today." She did her best not to choke on her own spit, when first subject and then the reason for the call was explained. She hadn't known Auri was ready to come home already. He must be so worried right now. "He's at the hospital with her, but he called up an hour ago and uh..."

"What's happened?" Annette mouthed quietly, Beth shook her head unsure.

"Look he's, he's having a hard time." Rick's voice dropped suddenly and she could mildly hear talking wherever he was. "Doesn't want her riding in his truck, doesn't think it's safe enough for her. I told him I'd come get them, put the car seat in my cruiser and take them home. But now we've got a bit of a situation at a local pawn shop that I gotta deal with."

"Rick, he..." She stumbled, not sure where to begin. "We're not technically speakin' at the moment."

"I know. I know." He murmured, as the volume in the background intensified. "And believe me, I've been dealin’ with the fallout of that disaster all freakin' week." Her breath paused a little as he continued. "I'm sorry to be askin' this of you, considerin' from his non-answers I gathered he was a real assh- uh jerk."

"Got that from some silence and lack of eye contact huh?" She huffed out, eyes scanning around the kitchen for her car keys.

There was an answering puff of laughter from his side. "Didn't take much police work, I'll tell ya that much. So can ya do it? Otherwise I'm gonna need the number of someone else you'd think he'd be ok comin' and drivin' the two of them to his place."

She could think of a couple but...

"No, no that's fine Rick I can do it."

Daryl still owed her that apology, she wasn’t going to forget, but Auri coming home kind of made everything else pale in comparison. He was trying so hard to be a good dad. That had to come first.

Rick let out a sigh this time that made her smile, the man was a good friend, had obviously been anxious as all get out that he'd let Daryl down, even though they hadn't been friends for more than a few weeks as far as she knew.

"I owe you Beth, I mean it."

She met her mama's questioning gaze and smiled a little uncertainly. "I'mma hold you to that sheriff." They said their goodbyes and she clicked the lock button on her phone before sliding it back into her pocket. "I gotta go to the hospital, help Daryl bring Auri home, Rick was supposed to but there's somethin' goin' on in town so he can't..."

Annette nodded slowly before smiling a little, Beth gave her a questioning look before her mama's new focus pulled her gaze over to the lightly steaming stock pot.

"Well at least ya won't show up empty handed."

She got to the hospital's parking lot and managed to pull into the spot next to Daryl's old truck, spying the box with the car seat in the bed, grinning a little when she saw the black and pink designs. He could be totally infuriating but the man was incurably adorable as well. She set to the business of installing the seat to avoid the event of her going inside. Huffing in the stifling heat, she went about hauling on the straps to make sure everything was snuggly in place with little to no wiggle.

Thank goodness, she thought as she finished up, that no one thought to question the small blonde woman that for all intents and purposes looked like she was stealing the car seat from the unsuspecting redneck's truck. She wondered briefly if Daryl had any plans on buying a car, she didn't think he was looking to cart the baby around all over creation, but he'd need a vehicle he felt comfortable taking Aurora in.

Her phone went off again, and she stood back, surveying her work and swiping a sweat slickened hand over an equally slippery forehead, while she answered it. She felt the corners of her mouth dip down a little to see Rick's name again.

"You're not gonna be real happy with me." He informed her before she'd even managed a greeting.

"Why?" She asked quickly, trying to ignore the unease along with the static as he apparently rode in a car with the windows open. "What'd you do?"

"Told him I was in the parking lot?" And she didn't need to see his face to know the squint of his eyes or the scrunch of his features as he admitted his guilt. "He's on his way down to get the car seat set up."

"Rick!" She couldn't manage less than a hiss as her eyes flew to the doors. "He friggin'  hates  surprises!"

"I didn't want to stress him out even more alright? Tellin' him you were either there or on your way didn't seem like the best way to calm him down. He's sounding a little..." A small movement and her eyes snapped to the side door they'd used last week to get in. And there he was, freezing at the sight of her as she stared back like a cat caught on the countertop. "Freaked out."

"I gotta go." She replied tersely, hanging up before Rick had a chance to respond.

She was at a loss for what to do, couldn't think of a reasonable move to make at the moment, it didn't help that the situation with Jimmy had happened not too long ago and one of the whispered titles she'd been christened with once she got back into classes hissed through her head.

Stalker .

It was hard to remember, just now, that she was in possession of any kind of moral high ground.

He walked towards her slowly, eyes pinning hers, fumbling at her jeans she managed to slip her phone inside her pocket by the time he made it to her. Face flushed, she could feel the energy coming off him, tried her best to give him a reassuring smile.

"Rick's a big fat liar,” she began, all nerves and cheerfulness, “he called me 'cause there's some cop thing goin' on, and I know ya hate surprises, an' I'm obviously not the first person you'd want here since things are so awkward with us right now, but I'd like to help ya with Auri and then I can-"

Her rambling was brought up rather short when he leaned forward and knocked his mouth against hers, she drew back reflexively from the pain and shock. Feeling large hands come to cradle the back of her head as his lips chased hers, fingers slipping through the sweat clinging to her hair and neck. Tickling scruff and a body like a brick wall overtook her senses as the warmth of his mouth landed once again on hers.

Lord have mercy.

She reached to clasp his wrists, her own nails scuffing along her cheeks, forearms running the length of his, pressing them down against her collar bones, clinging to him for some suddenly needed balance.

How in the world had this happened?

If he thought he could just kiss her and have that make up for all the nasty things he’d…

The thought spiraled through her mind just as his mouth shifted over hers and she felt the opening of his jaw, her own mimicked it like the turning of gears. Goodness gracious the man tasted like smoke and the sweet of Cola syrup, made her able to feel the pulse in her wrists, the skull swirling lightness that threatened to send her sprawling.

On one hand it didn’t feel the way she’d imagined it was going to, Daryl was a good deal older, and with age came more experience. He had a baby for cripes sake – they’d done the test – this was a certainty. The first few undulating movements, however, were choppy at best and Beth found herself digging her fingertips into the tendon tight flesh of his wrists. Head spinning from the sudden high of him, she didn’t have the ability to analyze the why of, instead of pulling away from the assaulting scruff that lined his mouth and rubbed her lips raw, she gripped all the harder, pressed into the kiss until it hurt – forced him to slow his speed to something she could remotely reciprocate.

On the other hand – Holy Mary, Mother of God. Somebody had best pray for this sinner because she certainly felt as though she was in the hour of her death. She’d have attempted the full prayer but she wasn’t Catholic, and doubted she was finished sinning in any event, might as well save it until the end really was friggin’ nigh.   

There was a demanding kind of pace set, and embarrassingly enough, Beth couldn't have answered which of them set it. She wanted to move in closer, get more than just an impression about the solidness of his frame, but didn't want to risk it in case the movement caused his brashness to dissipate. She'd just have to revel in the sensitive corners of her mouth rubbing against his, the diving motion of his tongue even as she gave into the urge to taste the length of him as far back as she could.

She'd honestly considered herself a poor kisser, things with Jimmy had always been stumbling teeth clicking affairs, prodding tongues and lackluster meeting of lips. But they'd gotten along well enough in the beginning for it not to matter, and she'd thought they just needed practice, it never got much better, and she wondered now in an odd moment of clarity if it wasn't partly this that had kept her from sleeping with him.

Because Daryl Dixon was kneading her tongue with his, and they were out in front of God and everybody, but even his hand moving to her hip, drawing her in against him didn't make her stutter or stop. Even if the kiss had started out a bit rocky, it was now wreaking all kinds of havoc on her, made her wonder actually if the extent of his experience would translate to other things. Things that involved more contact – she was willing to ‘suffer’ through his incredibly quick learning curve if that was in fact the case.

The new press of him from chest to clenching stomach muscles was what she'd wanted, and she just managed to hold in her own noise of appreciation while swallowing his.

He pulled away finally, with what felt like a jerking backwards snap of his neck, like it'd been something he'd had to do by force in order for it to happen. She took in a great hitching breath that chased the black ringed shade from her blinking eyes.

- Is an....indescribable kisser.

Daryl looked about to pull away completely, but eyes locking on hers, he leaned back in suddenly - focus on her mouth and a thrill twanged its way around her ribs. He slanted his mouth against hers again, quick, hard, before barely drawing back this time.

- Likes kissing me...?

"M'sorry." His hoarse words against her still parted lips made her lick at them, caught his attention enough to earn her another, lighter, kiss. "M'an asshole." He muttered, once he'd drawn back again, her hands dropped from his – that went from holding the back of her head and hip – to wrapping around her shoulders, bringing her closer as he moved to rest his mouth against her ear.

Good. Apology good.

"Don't know if I'll try and contradict ya this time." She answered, still more than half-breathless as she slung uncertain arms around his thick waist. “Heck of a’ case ya made for yourself though, Dixon.”

It was hot, too hot by half to be doing this, the blacktop felt about to melt her boots. Not to mention Daryl was apparently at least half demon, because where the heat of the ground below and baking sun above stopped, his fire licked its way along every square inch of flesh he touched.

"Shouldn'a done that." It was said almost to himself, and she knew he meant the kiss as much as what had gone on at her place. "Fuck Beth, what're you doin' here?" She squeezed him tighter at the sound of his tone, on the far side of amazed, not an angry or accusatory note in sight.

The question was familiar, all the more so for happening out front of the hospital, and she swallowed roughly before replying. "Needed a hug, thought ya might like one too."

He cursed lowly and tightened his hold, digging her forehead into his collarbone as he nuzzled her ear distractedly. "Heard ya say Rick got ahold of ya." She should maybe be mad, he’d kissed her and then immediately regretted it, she may have been too, if he wasn’t still attempting to nestle the cartilage on the side of her head into submission.

His arms, when they did, dropped away slowly, gliding down shoulders and shivering biceps, until he cradled her elbows and backed off enough to look at her. Her head was tilt-a-whirling all over, felt like she'd drank down some of his chaos, had succubus-style ingested it through his mouth.

"Yeah he, he had some emergency thing for work I guess an' well I don't know." He'd kissed her, hadn't released her yet either. She wasn’t quite sure where that put them, what with the lamentation of said kiss, but she could put it on hold for now. "I could'a given him Carol's number I guess but..."

"Nah, I'm..." He paused before nodding, letting her go completely at last and taking an uncertain step back. "M'glad ya came, thought I was gonna get a' chance t' talk to ya yesterday after work but..." Her heart tripped and rolled in its cage. "Missed ya." He finished a little hesitantly and she wondered if he'd meant it in all the ways it had sounded.

Arms hanging along her sides, she did her best to ignore that matching aftershocks in them and her mildly aching mouth. "Was a weird shift, got off a' half hour before you an' I...didn't wanna loiter in case you..." He was digging through her irises with his gaze again, picking up on every too quick blink and stumbled word. "After seein' ya at Glenn's, an' Maggie told me about..."

He tensed visibly and she fisted her hands against her thighs, her sister hadn't mentioned anything about him maybe being pissed that she'd caused him some unwanted drama...but then, she hadn't asked him to shove Jimmy into the fridge wall.

"I'm sorry about him, I don't know why he-"

She didn’t know why she felt the necessity to apologize on Jimmy’s behalf, and apparently Daryl didn’t either. Confusion flashed right before anger, and she stopped talking when he shook his head and waved a dismissing hand.

"Guy's a douchebag Beth, ain't worried 'bout all that, but he..." The amount of uncomfortable that rolled off him had her crossing her arms loosely. "Look, shit he was sayin'? I ain't got an ear for that alrigh'?"

She was only able to offer a sudden half-watery nod, a muffled - "Mhmmm."

"Don' care about none a' what he told me, 'cept..." He shuffled, eyes cutting from her. "'Cept you an' yer mama bein' pained an' all, a'course." Clearing his throat, his face screwed up a little before he met her eyes again. "I shouldn'a said the shit  I  did, tha's what I was wantin' t' tell ya yesterday."

She wobbled her head a bit, considering him. "I shouldn't have done that though, not without asking, I crossed a line."

He shrugged noncommittedly. "Ain't ya doin' it that set me off, don' like ya bein' aroun' that, 'specially not 'cause a' me."

"Daryl, nothin' bad happened." She tried, hoping to reassure away the almost pained expression he had, she hadn’t even considered he’d been worried about her – who the hell reacted that way when they were what? Scared?

"Has before, people get riled up in there, would'a...I'd a' felt like shit, somethin' happen to ya 'cause a' me." She held her mouth tightly closed, tongue slammed up along the roof of her mouth, she couldn't kiss him right now. He obviously had had a moment of insanity or something earlier and was trying to get them back to their regularly scheduled programming. "Part tha' makes me a' dick is snappin' 'stead of tellin' ya that t' start."

- Worries about me.

- Yells when worried.

It was tough for him, she could tell, saying as much as he did. And even though she wanted more, had things that niggled and needed clarification she decided it could wait, at least for a little while. They still had a more important reason for being here than the both of them put together, and her picking apart that awful fight with him right now wasn’t going to get them closer to getting the job done.

"Well," she hedged, looking away like he was again, before glancing back to find him watching her, "guess since you was just growlin' like a grumpy ass bear 'cause you were worried about me, I'll forgive ya, least once."

His mouth yanked up at one corner, gaze finally taking in the box and newly installed car seat at last. It was a fiercely laced shot of something he eyed her with. something that warmed her already sun soaked skin, before sliding by her to inspect her work. Tugging experimentally here and there before nodding, satisfied with what he found.

"What stuff ya send to Merle?" He asked out of nowhere, a little too nonchalantly, grabbing her attention. "Had t' hear him lecture me half t' death, thought I was gonna mess things up for him."

Her brows knit as her mouth curved a little, watching him studiously break down the box the infant seat had come in, eyes flicking to her now and then from under his hair.

"Wrote him a letter, sent him pictures of you an' Auri, besides that just some old magazines."

He nodded, pulling in some of his cheek to bite at.

"Tha's what he said."

Her eyes narrowed slightly at him, feeling the sweat start to roll down her spine, watching as he threw the box into her Santa Fe's back storage area.

"He say somethin'  else ? Make ya want to check with me?" He shook his head, closed her back door and immediately began to fidget with his hands. "Sent him some old motor mag that Shawn had left, an issue of daddy's  Christian Living ," she smiled at his snort before finishing with a wider grin, "and of course the  Cosmo  that Maggie left after one of her visits."

She got some kind of odd pleasure watching him try to figure out both her look and which magazine that was, knowing he'd probably never heard of it, might be able to recognize it only when it was put right in front of him while at the checkout counter or something at the store.

"Hell is  Cosmo ?" She smiled at him sweetly, earning her a narrow-eyed look in return. "What?"

She chuckled a little before answering. "It's a women's magazine, got tips on clothing, makeup, interviews with celebrities." He was looking more and more confused, she wondered what if anything Merle had said to him. "And ya know other stuff, how to keep your man happy, in the uh...in the bedroom. Craziest sex stories, top ten positions, ya know...Chick stuff."

Daryl's face was a satisfying shade of red that Beth would have enjoyed more if it hadn't been proportionally matched in hue to her own. Clearing her throat, she motioned him out of the way and reopened her back door, reaching in and around the car seat to squeeze the handles that released it from its base and maneuvered the whole thing out, handing it to him by the handle.

"You bring one of her blankets, to lay over the top while we're gettin' her into the car?" He nodded, hurriedly taking the seat with a bit of surprise.

"Brought about one a' everythin'." His nervous tone turned her smile sweet. "S'that one with the crazy colored bears on it that Sasha got 'er."

"Daryl Dixon, you know they're Care Bears." He shot her a deadpan kind of blankness that made her laugh, happy that things were feeling a little more normal, at least for now.

She'd have to figure out that kiss later.

"No idea what yer talkin' about woman."

"Nothin' you're willin' to admit to anyway." She pushed lightly at his shoulder and he eased back with the force, lips twitching.

She'd caught the look of recognition that had flashed over his face at the baby shower when he'd pulled it from the gift bag, before the brightly colored cartoon characters were ‘explained’ to him, and he'd nodded uncertainly like he'd never seen them before.

His face got a little tight and her smile flattened out some when his eyes met hers.

"Yer folks, they..." He rolled his shoulders, looking like he needed rid of an itch. "They alrigh' with ya bein' here?"

She almost told him the well-used mantra of every and all teenagers, especially ones that were as close to 20 as she was, that she didn't need their permission regardless if they were ok with the decision or not...But then she analyzed his tone a bit and stalled. She hadn't heard the 'you gonna get in trouble?' question in his voice, more the 'do they hate me?' uneasiness.

"Their only stipulation was you apologizin', which ya did, so yeah I'm pretty sure they're just fine with it. ‘Course ya might wanna prepare yourself for gettin’ a bit of a’ hard go the next time y’all see each other."

He still looked uncertain, Daryl was the type to bark when he was scared, that much he'd all but told her flat. She somehow doubted he'd welcome a direct question about where his concerns were actually laying at the moment.

"Mama helped me pack up your dinner an' everythin'." She finally decided on what to say with a smile, opening her front door and half crawling into the vehicle to fetch the large tupperwave resting on the passenger side floor.

Stepping back out, she hefted it up as proof, receiving an incredulous look from him at the sight.

"What?" She challenged with raised brows. "I didn't set out to make this for you mister, I was finishin’ it up when Rick called, and mama said ya could probably do with a meal for the next few days that you just had to warm up."

She left the still warm dish on her driver side floor, she gave him one more playfully indignant look before starting to make her way to the hospital entrance. Sneaking a quick side look at him when he came up to match her pace, his thin lips had the world's slightest curve. Beth got the feeling he was pleased that Annette Greene was still willing to fuss over him.

He probably figured it made her less likely to shoot him on sight.

Arriving in Auri's room, she waved excitedly at Tara, who looked surprised to see her for a moment before enveloping her in a tight hug. Upon letting go, the nurse fixed Daryl with an approving look that made him flush again, Beth was wondering if the skin of his face ever got tired from its constant changing, when Tara turned and lightly scooped up a little swaddled bundle.

She wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find out that at that exact moment both she and Daryl were holding their breaths. He settled the seat onto the cot he wouldn't have to spend another night on, holding it rigidly steady while Tara laid the quietly watching baby down and unwrapped her so she could then be placed into the seat and carefully be buckled in.

"You guys gonna need help loading stuff into Beth's car?" Apparently Rick wasn't the only one to hear about Daryl's concerns.

Looking on the other side of the cot she saw a large duffle bag, looking fit to burst, and cast a wide eyed look at Daryl who glared back silently.

"No thank you Tara, I think I got it."

"Could carry Kit." The nervous dad offered, even as he picked up the carrier with a white knuckled grasp.

"No-no, I can get the bag." She murmured, knowing he would  not  appreciate her calling him the most adorable person she'd ever known. Hauling the bag up and hanging the strap across her shoulders, muffling her groan, this sure did feel like more than just baby stuff.

With her new leverage, she unzipped the bag, pulling out the plush blanket on top of the stuffed bag, pursing her lips to stop from smiling at the sight of just about every item he'd gotten at the baby shower. Maybe a few items he'd bought himself since then. Handing the blanket to Tara who tucked it under the handle of the carrier and adjusted the length on both sides, Beth watched as Daryl took in every small movement, apparently committing it to memory.

Saying goodbye to Tara, it was necessary for her to tamp down the giddy feeling bubbling along her sides and through her lungs. The image of leather and jean wearing Daryl Dixon, dutifully toting a car seat with Care Bears blasting over it in a colorful cacophony was enough to tickle giggles in the back of her throat.

The ride home served to sober her a little, Beth drove about five miles under the speed limit, eyes casting now and then to her rearview mirror. Daryl sat in the back seat with Auri, obviously tense, gaze flicking out each window quickly before returning to his daughter, hands disappearing into the car seat now and then to perhaps adjust the newborn's position.

Now that some of the adrenaline from the kiss, apology, and getting Auri was beginning to plateau, she had time to wonder a bit where they were going to go from here. Triple checking each intersection and each mirror, she knew he'd meant what he said, had accepted his contrition quickly and willingly – she didn't want to be fighting with him – but his words had lashed through her mind for days.

His anger about her going to the prison aside, there were still the things he'd said about her in the dress and Negan...He'd obviously said it to be hurtful, because there were things Daryl communicated with his eyes, the way he'd held onto her when his mouth was on hers. These things told her that he'd never actually thought that way about her – or agreed with the way her sister's boss had acted.

But it still hurt – made her look at him a little differently – no matter how much she wanted things to go back to the way they had been before the fight. Needed to hear him say what she thought she already knew, what he might not be willing to admit or talk about. Which put her at a bit of a loss for when they pulled up at his place, Daryl murmuring to her quietly to just pull in and he'd back out for her whenever she was ready to leave.

Like maybe he expected that she'd want to stick around.

Which she did, really did, but she was having a hard time balancing what she thought should be focused on – which was Auri and anything she might need – and what her stomach was churning about – which was the whiplash Auri's dad was giving her. High emotion, that was the thing, they kept finding themselves in high emotion situations and she didn't know if it was a good or bad thing, because who the heck knew how things would have played out if things had been different?

Pulling in, she moved to the back to open the hatch, hauled the duffel out while balancing the tupperware on top of it, gave him a small smile when he reached up and closed it for her. Auri's carrier carefully gripped in one hand, he scooped the food from its precarious placement and led the way to the front door. With some more shuffling and a couple twitched smiles, they got it unlocked and were able to get in without dropping anything.

Beth followed him, looking at all the changes she could see upon entering the living room.

He'd gotten a new dining table, just a small lightly shaded wooden thing with two matching chairs. There was a bouncy near the couch, in shades of brown and pink, it was conspicuous against the other nondescript items in the room. Following him down the hallway, she stumbled a bit when entering Auri's nursery.

"You kept it." Daryl nodded, looking a little embarrassed as he bent to undo the straps holding the baby in place. Beth looked back at the white and red banner hung across the wall and smiled to herself. "Looks good right there."

"Thought it couldn' hurt t' have the reminder." He mumbled, large hands scooping a sleeping Auri from the car seat, rising to place her in the old wooden bassinet that stood a little ways out from the wall. She noted how he'd managed to find a mattress pad to fit, and that there wasn't a pillow or blanket inside. Daryl tracked her gaze and shrugged. "Book said not t' have nothin' that the kit could pull over 'er face. Could suffocate."

- Studies baby books in his next to nothing spare time.

Beth nodded, watching the dark look that passed over his face because of what he’d told her, Daryl was quite clearly terrified about a number of things happening to Auri now that she was home with him. There was a small wooden dresser painted a soft white that was scooted snuggly in one corner, and he walked over to it quickly, flipped on the little baby monitor. Doing the same with the parent unit, he lifted the heavy bag from her shoulders, and set it in the closet.

She backed out of the room, feeling more than hearing him walk out behind her, taking the container full of food he'd left on the table, she moved it into the fridge. It was a physical pain for her not to lecture him about the near emptiness of its confines. Turning around didn’t help, she felt instantly on edge, all the distraction was gone and now it was only the two of them.

If she ever had any doubt that the situation was uncomfortable for him too, Daryl's unnecessary fidgeting with the monitoring device in his hands would have put the thought to rest, his sudden need to fill the silence only reinforced it.

"Was gonna get the one with the camera." He muttered, looking at the little unit that was dwarfed by his size. "Might still, be nice t' be able t' see 'er when I check."

Nodding, she glanced around, she couldn't just leave – he didn't have his truck – and she refused to strand him in case something happened with Auri. But she didn't know what the heck she was supposed to do or say until then. He'd kissed her, but then said he shouldn't have, had obviously wanted to which was good.

But then, things were still raw after the fight...it was a mess.

"Ya hungry?" She looked back to see him rolling the device from hand to hand, eyes still resolutely fixed away from her. "Could heat up some a' that soup ya brought." He cleared his throat before peeking up at her. "Thanks for that."

"You’re uh welcome, I just ate, but it's uh, when you eat it, it's chicken and dumplings. So..." She faltered when his eyes stayed on hers. "Give it a good minute or two when you're warming it up, cold dumplings," she tried for a smile, "they're just the worst."

The resulting silence settled over them, and Beth did her best not to shift or look overly distressed, her ability to make small talk seemed to be broken and the easy banter they'd had at one point had become nonexistent.

"Still pissed?" He asked lowly, raising his chin to look at her squarely.

She shook her head slightly, it wasn't a mad, it was...confusing. He walked over to the counter, putting himself closer to her and placing the receiver for the baby monitor on the clean smooth surface. His proximity was in no way going to make it easier for her to act normally, especially when he held her so adamantly with his gaze.

"Hell ya bein' s'quiet for then?" She opened her mouth to answer but nothing readily came out and she closed it with a shake. "I scare ya?"

Her mouth tugged into a frown and she shook her head again. "Why in the world would ya be thinkin' that?"

Rolling his shoulders in a shrug, his eyes flicked to her mouth and away. "Shouldn'a kissed ya like that."

"Not at all? Or just not like you did?"

Her lungs were trying to wring all the air out of her as he reddened slightly. "Got no goddamn business kissin' ya any kind a' way Beth."

"Because of what ya said after the shower?" The question was softly asked, Beth didn't want to risk impeding this willingness for him to communicate in something other than shrugs and hums.

Blues that were darker than their normal early morning hue, flicked back to her and from the way his expression went blank she could tell that their fight wasn't the first thing that had come to his mind.

"Told'ya I was sorry."

"I know." She answered quickly, leaning a hip into the counter next to them, lip catching for a moment on her teeth before she could stop it.

Of course he clocked the movement, and after she didn't go further, he jerked a chin at her with a resigned kind of look on his face.

"C'mon."

She didn't know exactly how to put it, him saying anything in regards to the prison or even the things about charity, that felt like the things his apology at the hospital covered, and maybe she shouldn't need confirmation on this but...

"Ya don't really..." Her face heated steadily as she put the words together. "When you said I...sh-shook my ass at you and Negan, Maggie's boss, in that dress, ya don't really think that about me do you?"

" Fuck no ." He snapped, making her twitch slightly in response. "Jesus Beth, I don' keep tellin' ya I'm an asshole t' have ya disagree w'me. Fuckin' brought that shit up," he motioned towards her in irritation, "happenin' at the hospital an' I said the firs' shitty thing that came t' mind."

"Why?" Goodness she really needed to back off, could feel it in the tension of his shoulders, the rebounding current in the air.

"Ain't supposed to," he crossed his arms defensively, turning to rest his back on the counter, seeming to shrink a little, "have a damn thing goin' for the friend from work tha's half m'age, an’ ya called me on it," she thought his mouth twitched before he dropped his chin to his chest hiding, face covered by fine brown locks, "pissed me off more."

She nodded, taking a small step forward before turning to prop herself against the counter like he was, arms folded, she sidled over until their arms touched.

"I'd appreciate it, if ya tried to refrain from doin' that."

His head bobbed before he answered. "L'try."

"Fair enough, Lord knows I'll probably end up doin' somethin' else that pisses ya off in the not too distant future."

"Prob'ly." He grumbled, and she leaned her weight into him in a swaying push that he easily returned.

"An' ya know I got a'  thing  for you too, so it wasn't like I was tryin’ ta’ throw it in your face or nothin'." His head had started shaking as soon as she'd admitted to having a crush on him, and didn't stop until she was finished. "C'mon Daryl," she whispered pushing into him again, lighter this time, "ya think I threaten to straddle just  anybody ?"

He shrugged, swaying with her without returning it, left her pressed against his side. "I'dunno."

She snorted, caught his little sideways look, cheeks looking flushed under his tan. " Wow , startin' ta' wonder if ya really  do  think I'm easy, Dixon."

"Tchuh." He scoffed quietly. "Stop."

She pursed her lips after her smile had faded a bit and kept resting against him as she spoke.

"But ya can't keep kissin' me can ya? Even if I want ya to?" The arm against hers flexed before he tilted a slight amount into her, shaking his head. "'Cause of Auri? Or is it somethin' else? Like the age difference thing that ya said."

"S'Auri." He answered, voice rough, accent making it sound like another apology. "Ain't lookin' t' juggle two jobs, the kit, an' try not t' fuck things up with you too."

"Don't like your odds?" She sighed, a tad wistful, she'd always known it'd come to this, said it dozens of times to herself and anyone else that'd listen.

He cleared his throat, shook his head again. "Wouldn' if it was jus' the last one." She was getting more used to the quiet, or maybe it just didn't feel as oppressive now, even with the new little dose of sadness. His next murmured words surprised her pretty thoroughly. She'd expected him to drop it as soon as she was willing to. "Ain't nothin' 'bout it bug you ?" He turned his eyes to hers, mouth tight around his words. "Me an' you?"

"Nope." She replied simply, giving him a small smile when he continued to stare. "Like you, liked the kiss, really liked it," her volume dropped at the end, seeing his eyes flick down and back up again, "besides your tendency towards word vomit when riled, I ain't got any complaints about you Daryl, age doesn't bother me, but I'm not about ta' argue that you got lots a' plates spinnin’."

He stayed quiet, and she looked at him until the heartbeat in her ears made her look away, making up her mind she pushed up off the counter to swing around in front of him, heart tick tocking away in her chest when he dropped his crossed arms to grip the counter's edge behind him, gaze fixed on her in question.

"We goin' back to friends after this?" He looked a little confused as he adjusted his stance some, obviously caught off guard by her phrasing, nodding and then freezing when she stepped one leg in between his slightly parted ones. "Then I'm gonna want ya ta' kiss me again, before we do."

"Ain't friends now?" He grated, sounding like his breath was rasping against his vocal chords.

She shook her head with a grin, feeling pretty happy with her brazenness. "Nah, I think I'mma call the rest of the day a bit of a mulligan in the friends department, an' really Daryl, ya ain't got anyone but yourself ta’ blame."

"Shit." He huffed out, even as he lowered his head towards her. "I never fuckin' do."

Chapter Text

Chapter 13

Saturday, July 1 st – Tuesday, July 4 th

He didn’t deserve it.

Not a damn bit of it.

Not the house he stood in or the baby sleeping in the back room of that house. Definitely not the woman pressing along the length of his body, hands hooked into his shoulders, mouth a tangy pool that he couldn’t seem to get enough of, even as he licked and sucked at the tongue that melded itself with his.

He’d tried to keep his hold on the counter he was resting against, but his reclining position had made it easier for her to rest heavier into him than if they had been standing up straight. And that weight was too damn delicious for him not to grapple at her hips, make sure she stayed in place as he continued to take advantage of this ‘mulligan’ situation like a dumbass.

He didn’t know what happened to him at the hospital, it was his closest experience of having an out of body experience since the old man would beat him until he had to leave his head to survive it. But this of course had been a whole other deal altogether. He’d been so goddamn mad at himself, not realizing what a death trap he rode around in, which was fine for him, but not for Aurora, not ever.

He’d been a minute away from walking over to Joe’s Ok Used Cars and start tearing through the shitty selection, to find the best one he could that wouldn’t quit on him, until he could at least get his little girl home. Thank fuckin’ hell Tara had been there when he’d started to fold up on himself and asked him what the hell was wrong with him all of a sudden. When she recommended getting a hold of someone before he made any crazy decisions like that, buying a car while he was panicked as fuck, Beth had popped up like a shooting star in his mind.

Finger literally on the button to call her he’d stopped, they were still not talking, not exactly. And it felt pretty fuckin’ jacked up to pull her over here because he knew, knew no matter what was going on with them that she’d come for the kit. Wouldn’t hesitate. And that wasn’t right, he owed her one hell of an apology before any other kind of interaction with them happened.

The sadness and irritation that had flown through him had clenched his gut and twisted in his throat, fuck had he missed that girl right then. So he’d called Rick, hadn’t done a great job of hiding his nerves, but the man had said he’d be there, no problem and then a while later had called to say he was out front. About breaking his neck on the stairs he’d gone tripping down to put the car seat in the cruiser, and hopefully get a goddamn cigarette before taking Auri home.

And the sun had hit him like a slap in the fuckin’ face and there she was.

Didn’t know why or how, hadn’t cared not a lick because it was the only thing he’d wanted, second only to getting his kid home. He’d walked to her like a thing possessed barely felt the heat on his skin or the air that had gone on strike and refused to enter his lungs. She’d looked so worried, nearly apologetic and then she’d given him one hell of a heartbreaking little smile and it was like his mouth hadn’t had a choice but chase that fuckin’ curve.

Barely had clocked the way she’d pulled away, too focused on the spark that leapt and tumbled when their lips had met. Wanted to see if he’d fry right there in the damn parking lot if he touched his tongue to that live wire. And yeah he hadn’t deserved the kiss she gave him either, because fuckin’ Christ the woman tore the soul from him with the way her jaw worked, lips pressed, and the grip in her hands on him.

He shouldn’t be letting this happen right now, but just like the first time, every time he broke from that mouth of hers it was only as long as he needed to breathe before going back in again, and again…and again. Daryl could very noticeably feel the tightness in his jeans, hoped to hell she’d stay still and wouldn’t notice it, the back curving her body was capable of was impressive but he did have a little room there between their bodies. At least for now, that was unless the crazy woman sighing in small adorable little breaths each time they caught their individual struggling lungful’s didn’t decide to get fuckin’ curious or anything.

It was going to make things so much harder, he told himself as he widened his stance so she could get closer, tomorrow and the next day when they went back to being just friends and he couldn’t do this again. Was going to drive him crazy, he lectured himself as her arms looped his neck and she started kissing below his ear and along his jaw, to hear her – smell her – without being able to yank her to him and taste her mouth, her skin. Shouldn’t be focused on this, he berated himself even as he kept one ear trained on the monitor behind him, and as he ran flexing fingers the length of her back.

Her kisses became more and more shallow, and it was his turn to sigh as she splayed her hands on his chest and pushed herself back with a deep shaking breath. His hold dragged its way off her like it usually did, he didn’t know why his hands always felt magnetically latched onto her shoulders and arms, but couldn’t seem to make it stop.

“Whadder ya gonna do ‘bout yer truck?” She mumbled, fingers still digging into his pecs, sending little jolts of need down to his already painfully hard dick, and that swollen look to her mouth and sleepy sounding accent trickling from it wasn’t doing much to help him.

He gave a grunting hum of confusion before his mind kicked into gear enough to answer. “Text Rick an’ ask ‘im to git over ‘ere when he’s done.”

“Any idea when that’ll be?” And he had to close his eyes as she ran the heels of her hands up his chest to his clavicles, squeezing along his trap muscles while he felt his finger knuckles creak where he was once again grabbing onto the counter.

“Got somewhere else you need’ta be Greene?” Fuck he needed to knock that shit off right now, friends didn’t sound like his voice did, shit sakes, men about to fuck women sounded like his voice did.   

And going by the way Beth made the prettiest gasping noise he’d ever heard, Daryl knew she’d come to the same conclusion about it too. That wasn’t going to happen, that couldn’t happen, not ever, not only because this mulligan day thing was just an excuse to let them kiss a bit more without feeling even guiltier about it than he already knew he was going to. But because there was no coming back from that, not with her, and he couldn’t do that now… maybe not ever…

“Daryl.”

There was a lot of mixed emotion in his name right then, and he got it, he knew all of them and all their reasons, agreed with them too. Didn’t mean he hated the chilled feeling any less when she finally took her hands from him. It was what needed to happen though, they were going to be in here for the next little while together, and while he would not be opposed to some more mulligan kissing – it couldn’t go passed that.

Thank god she seemed to be stronger than he was.

“L’text him now.” Clearing his throat, Daryl levered himself off the counter and shifted his stance, doing his best to hide the hard-on while digging into his pants pocket for his phone. A thought occurred to him and he looked at her in concern, viciously ignoring the pink flush and puffy lips centered by that ridiculously cute nose. “Ya gonna be alrigh’ watchin’ Kit ‘til I get back?”

She blinked for a moment at him, like she was having to unravel something inside her head before nodding quickly at him. He nodded uncertainly back at her until she smiled and rolled her eyes.

“I’ve babysat a lot Daryl, don’t worry, we’ll be ok for the twenty minutes it takes y’all ta’ go an’ get your truck.” It hit him to ask her, right then, if she’d consider watching Auri full-time. But she was still trying to regain her breath after having his tongue shoved halfway down her throat so it felt kinda fucked up to do it at the moment.

He was going to need to get that figured out though. And before he’d gone and been a creepy fucker (though she somehow seemed more than ok with it which he couldn’t process right now without fully losing his shit) Beth would have been the obvious choice to watch Aurora. Having her around all the time would be great, and awful, and frustrating, and so many other ands and he just didn’t know how to go about working that out. Not right now, with her standing less than a foot from him.

He had time, Glenn had given him until Tuesday, real good of him since Daryl had run off his other part-timer. But he didn’t want to think about her ex right now, too close of proximity to her, he’d end up doing or saying something else that’d make it hard for them to go back to being just friends come tomorrow, and he needed Beth Greene in his life in whatever capacity he could get her.

Scooping up the monitor he jerked his head towards the front door and she followed him out, they attempted chatting and getting back into some kind of normal while his body wound down and they waited for the sheriff to text him back. Talking with Beth was always easy, well easier than just about any other living person, and now that they’d cleared the air after the fight and had a chance to cool down from all the goddamn making out, it seemed to flow easily once again while she filled him in on her week. The one without him around to need her for every fuckin’ thing, not that she said that, he filled that part in for her.

“Oh and then !” She hopped, suddenly excited, smacking him lightly on his chest making him flex and twitch from mouth to crotch. Girl was too good at plucking all his strings, didn’t even seem like she was trying to. “I found out that Aaron, thank goodness , got pictures of the shower!” He raised his eyebrows at her as he took another drag, nodding along with her eager happy smile. “And he’s so good Daryl, you just wait ‘till ya see ‘em, dang it I should’a brought ‘em with me.” Her mouth pursed and it wasn’t possible for him to not look at it while she continued. “I just wasn’t thinkin’,” she looked at him hopefully, “I could bring ‘em sometime soon maybe? Before your work week starts?”

Heart attempting to ticker tape its way up his throat he nodded again, him doing that talking thing while his body was still a little wound up didn’t feel like the best plan, better to let her carry the conversation and just enjoy getting to hear her lilting voice. She beamed at him, cheeks pinking a bit, and he moved his tongue around his mouth a little – trying to chase whatever taste of her was still there.

“So how was your week?” He exhaled smoke from his lungs and eyed her as she watched him with inquisitive interest, arms loosely crossed while she tilted her head at him waiting. “I see you’ve been real busy.” She added helpfully, when he continued to stare at her uncertainly.

Shit, that was how his week had been, absolute shit.

Besides the times getting to see Auri he was a ball of anger and shame, didn’t help that he’d spent most of that time away from Beth going through and arranging all the stuff from the baby shower she’d gone above and beyond to do for him. He’d haunted the front end trying to get glances at her without her seeing him in return, heart stalling and pace stopping every time he managed to catch a peek. Nights spent at the hospital, murmuring things to Auri about what he’d gotten done, and how he hoped he’d be able to get the blue eyed blonde back sometime to sing to her again.

Shrugging he put the cigarette out and dropped it into the coffee can he’d recently put out for just this reason. Popping the lid back on, he glanced back at her, knowing even before he did that she’d be studying him patiently for a more expanded answer than the one he’d offered.

“Wasn’t great.” He muttered finally, watching her still. “S’good t’ have shit t’ keep me busy.”

They held one another’s gazes until his phone was buzzing in his pocket, grabbing it out he clicked into his messages before snorting slightly.

“What is it?” He skimmed a quick look at her, before reading aloud Rick’s reply.

“Not a problem, be a few hours before I can get outta here, ask Beth if she prefers flowers or ice cream before I show my face around there though. Ain’t about to make your mistakes and piss off a Greene woman.”

She gave him a triumphant little smile before answering mock haughtily. “Ice cream.” He huffed out something that for him felt like a laugh, beginning to type when her hand on his arm tightened the muscles there so much he couldn’t move, flicked his eyes up questioningly. “Wait wait, tell ‘im I want a’ caramel marshmallow shake from Jerry’s! Do ya think that’s bein’ too picky?”

“Nah, man asked what’ya wanted.” He clicked in her reply, watched as she bent to pick up the monitor where he’d sat it by the front door, did not check her ass out as she did, not much anyway. “The hell we gonna do for three hours?”

She froze mid-bend to look at him over her shoulder, and he had to pry his gaze from hers before she could catch any of the thoughts rolling naked around his mind. Straightening she hummed thoughtfully as she opened the door and he followed her inside. He didn’t have cable, or internet, had a DVD player and about twenty some odd dollar bin choices to choose from. Doubted he even had a decent deck of cards, he just tended to be out in the woods before his life had gotten ransacked by the beautiful little life sleeping a room away from him now.

“Could kiss some more.” Beth offered, sitting on his crappy couch, monitor getting settled on the floor by her feet.

He swallowed hard, taking a seat as far from her as he could. “Could fuckin’ behave ourselves.”

She tsked but smiled at him when she replied. “Eatin’ up our mulligan time there Dixon.”

“The hell you even wanna kiss me for?” He groused, lips curving a little at her playful look, he was trying to deal with the fact that his body suddenly was no longer opposed in the least to being touched or touching. He’d thought he was fucking broken, or that it just wasn’t something wired in him the same way it was everyone else, but with Beth…

Well, going back to friends after this was no doubt going to take the highest level of self-control he possessed. Even now, when she was looking at him with a stark kind of confusion that didn’t seem to really match the question he’d asked. Woman like her, young and fuckin’ gorgeous, he’d been surprised when she was so enthusiastic to kiss him back at the hospital.

Sure there’d been signs, looks that lasted a little longer than friendly, words spoken huskier than friends too, and even for all the talk she’d done about them being buddies and how much he’d told himself that’s all there was to it…he’d had to remind himself too often not to kiss her, had seen the look on her face that night in the hospital when she was about to straddle him.

He wasn’t one to offer a lot of knowledge in the area, but that shit didn’t sound to him like things friends had to deal with on a daily basis. But it was still confusing as hell, on her end, why this was an issue. He just couldn’t really grasp it.

“You’re jokin’.” She smiled at last, shaking her head derisively, stopping when his eyebrows twitched together. “Daryl Dixon I know you’ve looked in a friggin’ mirror at least once in your life, you bein’ attractive can’t be breakin’ news for you.”

The tops of his ears seared and he scoffed before he could sink into the idea too far that she was being serious. Girl was just trying to get him to feel better about making moves on someone half his age. And maybe he was looking a little better to her because of the kissing too. He’d been a half decent kisser he thought, when he was a teenager, had to be able to convince some of the girls he’d slept with back then that he was worth the time. That was before Merle started dealing and a different kind of sexual partner became the norm for him.

Beth didn’t have much experience, far as he knew, not that he could tell from the way she kissed – it was more of an intuition thing – she felt fuckin’ eager and surprised, he could sense that shit and it did little to reign in his own excitement. Best he could figure there had been some kind of curiosity about him on her end from the beginning, for one reason or another, and chemistry had kicked in when their mouths met, and that was carrying him where logic should be taking over for her.

"Like you, liked the kiss, really liked it."

Crazy Girl.

“Daryl-” A plaintive little noise from the monitor interrupted her and they both sprung to their feet to make it to Auri’s room.

A deeper blue than his own peered up at him from the wooden confines of the bassinet, thin little lips working in what looked to be agitation, she’d eaten just before they left the hospital, so maybe she was wet. Reaching down carefully, Daryl picked her up and transferred her to the cradle of his arm.

“Mind grabbin’ me a diaper and a’ thing a’ wipes?” He asked Beth, free arm motioning to the duffel in the corner. Looking around he realized he didn’t really have a good place to change her at in here, wasn’t room for a changing table and there was no way he was doing it on the floor, he didn’t care how many blankets they put down first or how clean the carpet was.

“You should get one of those little mobile drawer things.” Beth’s voice came muffled from facing into the closet, and he glanced down when another note of unhappiness came from his daughter who shifted uncomfortably. “Easy to stick wherever, keep it full of the stuff ya need to change her and that way you can get to it one handed when you need to.”

“The hell you know all this shit?” He murmured, mouth quirking at the kit when she squawked irritably at him.

“Not just good for kissin’ an’ cookin’ for ya Daryl,” she teased, motioning with what he’d need in her hands, “jus’ told you I used to babysit a lot.”

She was smiling up at him, and he had to tuck some flesh between his teeth not to bend down and kiss her right then and there for being so damn sassy. Shaking his head at her instead, he lead the way to his bedroom, trying to focus solely on his baby and not having Beth Greene in here the same time as him. Something he’d managed to successfully avoid while they’d cleaned on Father’s Day.

It was difficult, to ignore the pains in his chest, when Beth leaned over his shoulder and smiled at a slowly blinking Auri, as he went through the somewhat familiar motions of changing her wet diaper. Kit found the blonde just about as enthralling as he did it seemed, eyes more the shape of Beth’s – of the woman who was her biological mother, he had to correct himself quickly – rounder than his own thin ovals, she watched as Beth continued to grin cheerfully down at her.

“Gosh she sure is pretty Daryl.” Her voice in his ear shook down his spine, but he was more focused on the wave of ridiculous pride and love he felt for Aurora. She was small and perfectly formed, she was growing steady too, after the period of not eating like she was supposed to, she’d for one reason or another got back on track and was gaining steady.

Fighter.

That was his kid.

He was able to offer a nod in answer, swaddling Auri into a not too tight burrito of adorableness, he picked her back up and straitened, mouth twitching when she turned her careful sight to him, tilting her head a little as she did. He didn’t know what it was, but she always seemed to do that when she was looking at him, like she was asking him a question or waiting for him to talk to her about something.

The next three hours were spent trading Aurora back and forth between them as after a while, Daryl finally gave in and ate without Beth, grunting in appreciation with every bite of food he took. It was amazing how each heaping, steaming, bite, made him immediately feel calmer about the next few days of uncertainty that were lying before him. Beth’s dishes were magical like that, made him feel warm and safe no matter what the hell was going on.

Maybe it was him digging into his own food that made Aurora suddenly decide that she were hungry too, and after receiving some quick instruction from him, Daryl watched as Beth prepared and fed his kid with one hand while humming something with a tumbling steady tune that, not surprisingly, soothed the kit until her bottle was ready. He’d tried to do it, get up from the table he was eating hurriedly at to do his damn job as the dad, but Beth just waved him off quickly. Reminded him this would be the last break he’d get for a while.

When Rick came, Daryl didn’t have a single worry (other than the unavoidable gut wrenching concern that he’d had since he’d walked into the NICU on the sixth of June and saw her) about leaving Auri with Beth long enough to go grab his truck. Even smiled when, before they left, the sheriff took a few minutes to run into Daryl’s place and deliver the shake he’d been sure to grab on his way out of town.

All things considered, Daryl had to admit he could be in a worse position to be raising his baby at the moment, couldn’t imagine not knowing the two cracked do-gooders that saved him one way or another on a near day to day basis.

Saying goodnight and goodbye to her when he got back was awful, and he suddenly regretted not pulling her on top of his lap on that couch when she’d offered to kiss him again. What kind of a fuckin’ idiot turned that down? That was Jimmy level stupidity right there, sweet Jesus, what was wrong with him? Who cared if it’d near break him not to repeat it in the future?

He watched her after he got done backing her Santa Fe out and flipping it around, before tucking it back into the space next to his house. She seemed reluctant to leave and he felt certain he didn’t want her to, but what the fuck was he supposed to do? Ask her to stay? Sleepover?

He wasn’t the brightest, but even to him, that sounded like a bad idea.

It was still their mulligan day, he should just reach forward, tug her slight frame into him, nuzzle along the pale neck – whisper all the things he wished he could do with her, to her – none of which involved her leaving. Wrap arms around her shoulders, or push her against the side of her car, press into her while he lost his tongue inside her hot little mouth.

“Day went quick.” She observed after a few beats of silence, glancing at the interior of her SUV and away, the driver door open and waiting for her and the engine running quietly.

He nodded, doing the only thing he could think of to show her he didn’t want her to leave, and leaned against the back door, watching her – a look of nonchalance on his face to hopefully get across to her he wasn’t looking to move from the spot or be rid of her.

“An’ you didn’t think we’d be able to find a way to spend the time.” His breathing changed a little at her words, little more at her look, but he couldn’t bring himself to try it again, to kiss her without her making the first move or telling him to.

He’d used up his courage in that field for the day.

Felt like he was out hunting, way his whole body stilled when she eased up closer to him, he didn’t know if his lungs were working, if his tendons would snap, heart still in its cage, all in the hopes he didn’t stop her from scooting inch by inch closer up to him where he stood. She was a barely there heat and he wanted to spend such long ridiculous periods of time keeping her warm in whatever way she found acceptable.

Lips a tad parted, she looked at the arms he had rigidly hanging at his sides, one pressing against the car, before she flicked brilliant shaded blues up at him in the near dark of the early evening and he wanted every inch of her under his mouth, wanted to slide every rough bit of himself over her smooth surface to see what noises it’d cause her to make.

Christ – if Merle could hear me now.

She rose on tip toes and slowly brought her mouth to his, applying the sweetest little pressure there that made him ache. A sigh fluttering against his cheek when he bent his neck to increase it, he felt her fingers bunch in his shirt and he raised his free arm to wrap it around her shoulders, keep her good and in place, keep her close as he tilted his head enough to run a wanting tongue along the seam of her milkshake sweetened flesh.

It was a deep rolling heat that unfurled itself in his stomach, twined his spine and arms, shot down to his toes and flicked along the underside of his skin. She was going to have to push him off her at this point, he could already tell, his ability to stop might have gone with his courage, and she felt like a fuckin’ dream and tasted sugary as sin. A noise too close to a moan vibrated along his searching tongue and he spun them, her back colliding with the warm metal of the car, his other hand going to the glass of the window to keep himself from smashing her against the frame of the vehicle completely.

Beth drew him between her lips and sucked before biting, tearing a surprised ripping grunt from his throat that was too choppy to sound like anything other than a growl and he pulled away enough to tuck his head against her neck. He was getting too excited, this was the first day he kissed her. They weren’t going to be doing this after she left, and he could not, could not, let his body do what it was begging him to. Unwrapping his hold, he braced himself on each side of her, feeling small hands twist and jerk at the fabric he wore fitfully.

“Don’ want ya t’ go.”

So much for that bein’ a bad idea huh? Fuckin’ idiot.

He breathed into her steadily warming skin, settling more into the slight frame when her response was to let out a clipped little sound and dig the heels of her hands up and down his chest and abdomen.

“Can’t stay.”  

It was the truth and he knew it, bad things would happen, things that felt fuckin’ amazing – he couldn’t even imagine sex with Beth, it was beyond his ability to comprehend – but that’d wreck them later. Smash to shit this friendship they both needed, for something he figured would never work out, not in the long run. The age thing, for all it didn’t bother her would be an issue for more than just them. Not to mention, she liked kissing him, didn’t mind spending time with him now but…no, no way would it last long, and when it all tore apart…

Fuckin’ heartbreak was laced all throughout that scenario.

She dropped her death grip on his shirt and moved her hands, pushing and pulling at his arms until he curled them around her neck and shoulders, her own arms going to loop his waist and they stood there as the time ticked by.

It was dumb for him to have asked her anyway, he knew what could have happened if she did stay, had heard clear enough what that dick ex-boyfriend of hers had said. Meant she was probably a damn virgin, idea of sticking around for any length of time with him while he was this worked up probably scared the shit out of her. He just kept pressing his luck, barely got back in her good graces and was prodding at her in a way he never had a woman.

But just because she stayed, didn’t mean they had to do anything…

Good lord Dixon, fuckin’ drop it and let the girl go.

“Better get goin’ then.” She wobbled a little when he dropped his arms and stepped back, trying to do his best to give her the space she’d need to make her escape, before his malfunctioning body and mind took control and he did something to embarrass himself…like beg…or fuckin’ cry or some shit.

He jammed his hands in his pockets, saw the struggle in her eyes before she nodded, thankfully getting his quick release for what it was, and not some passive aggressive bullshit to make her feel bad for being the smart one.

“I can drop by this week sometime?”

He nodded quickly, mind reeling and body aching in uncomfortable places. “Work Tuesday night for Glenn, not ‘til five though.”

She smiled, jerking her head in acceptance, before climbing into her car and shutting the door. It was painful to shuffle back from the hand smeared glass, watch her pull away into the barely fading light.

Crossing the small parking space and heading inside, he fished the monitor out of his pocket, checking to make sure it was still on and working. It was going to be a long few days that was for sure, he was a pretty quick learner but babysitting was so far outside his wheel house he couldn’t even see it.

Taking a deep breath he decided a cold shower was probably his best bet for the evening, before dragging his feet in the direction of his bathroom.

By the time Tuesday, the fourth, rolled around, Daryl was about ready to climb the walls. He loved spending time with Auri, even liked the grumpy noises she’d make when wet or hungry, but the kid slept a lot and he was stuck around the perimeter of the house for hours until she woke up for a relatively small time before going back to sleep.

He thought nights were going to bother him more, and when he started work back up they might, Auri woke up a bunch, but Daryl wasn’t used to sleeping in long stretches anyway. The list he’d loosely made up in his head of things to get done when he could was basically complete, besides the stuff he’d have to run errands in order to finish.

All in all he was looking forward to work tonight, get out of the house for a bit, Carol was supposed to come and watch the kit while he was gone, same plan for his Wednesday shift. Beth was on her way over now to visit, it was shaping up to be a decent day. Most of all he was glad he lived basically outside of town, because there were no doubt going to be an obnoxious amount of fireworks going off, and he didn’t need Aurora getting stressed out. The idea of her not gaining, or worse dropping weight, was something that gnawed at him.

His full work week coming up had him a little skittish too, it worked fine when he hadn’t had his girl here, but now he realized he worked way too much and was gone at weird hours.

Looking into different day cares around the area was a nightmare, he didn’t like the look of most any of them, and they were expensive as hell. He’d have to work just as much and barely be able to cover the bill for that alone. And then there was finding a car that wouldn’t break down and had some sort of safety features.

Thank god Carol had Wednesday off and was alright coming over two days in a row, but he was going to have to ask Beth what her schedule was, hope to hell she’d be alright babysitting his kid. It was either that or he was going to be missing a lot of days at his jobs until he could figure something out.

He exhaled his latest drag, loitering around his front door, the monitor’s constant presence in his pocket as he waited for the blonde to pull up. He was jittery as hell, had hoped the smoke break would flatten out his nerves some. Things seemed like they were getting back to normal somewhat, she’d texted him a couple times over the last few days, mostly asking how the kit was.

Daryl had just been proud of himself for not texting her late at night. When his skin itched and crawled from a need he’d never felt – not even during his teenage years when he thought his body’s urges were going to drive him mad trying to balance the want with the repulsion.

Wheels on the road pulled his gaze up and he felt his mouth twitch uncontrollably, her Santa Fe came rolling along and she had the window down, was waving at him through it excitedly. It was no longer mulligan day, he couldn’t kiss her, but his whole body tingled and flushed at the sight of her like it hadn’t gotten that memo and was ready to pick right back up where’d they’d left off on Saturday. Flicking the smoke away quickly (forgetting the can entirely) he half loped to the door she was opening, trying to ignore the fluttering pace of his heart as he tugged her into a quick hug before releasing her just as swiftly.

Ducking the smile that split her face when they parted, he climbed into her vehicle so that he could back it into place for her, tossing back the keys when it was in the spot that was quickly becoming hers. It hadn’t been long since she’d been here, and that’s what he told his body, the rushing in his nervous system and tremble in his hands didn’t seem to pay him much mind at all.

“How’s it been goin’ daddy Dixon?” Beth teased, grinning through the glower he shot her as they made their way into the house, her holding a brown paper envelope. “Everything still workin’ out alright?”

Dipping a little nod at her, he mapped her body with his eyes, she was wearing her store uniform so she either had come from there or was headed there after this. Christ, every inch of him felt like it was rippling and twitching. She smiled a little sweeter, cheeks lightly coloring, and he had to look away – go to the sink and scoop up the cleaned tupperware he had ready for her.

He wasn’t sure when the best time to ask her about Auri was, he wanted to get it out of the way, but his adrenaline was up just from being around her and the idea of asking wasn’t doing a damn thing to calm him down. Wanted the woman around so bad, not all of it for the good of Aurora either, and anything he wanted this much was usually not something that came to be.

But then again…it had with Kit, so maybe she’d work like a lucky charm for the both of them.

About to hand the plastic container back to Beth, a muttering grunt came from his pocket, and without missing a beat he watched as she nearly skipped back towards the nursery, the brown paper envelope quickly forgotten on the couch. Daryl trailed slowly behind her after depositing the empty dish back on the counter. Leaning against the jamb once he’d reached Kit’s room, he slid his tongue along the back of his bottom lip, watching as Beth scooped up his baby girl and cooed happy noises to her.

“Missed you little Sunrise.” She half whispered, and Daryl felt his throat close sharp and tight while he folded protective arms across his chest. “Heard ya been actin’ like the best baby in the world for your daddy, real good a’ you to go easy on him like ya have.” Dancing eyes met his and he felt his lips thin and curve a bit on their own.

“Don’ give ‘er any ideas Greene.” Voice catching sort of ragged on the way out, he hoped it wasn’t entirely fucking obvious how bad the two of them were wrecking him at the moment.

Must have been though, because Beth’s gaze became a little heated, and he was just about to start fidgeting from it, when she glanced down to the happily content kit in her arms – before looking back at him.

“I wanna babysit her.”

His mind and body froze for a few moments, before he answered as elegantly as he could.

“Wha’?”

“Ya need a babysitter for her don’t you?” She asked, giving him a challenging look circa first lunchtime together where she’d informed him of her disapproval of his eating habits. He nodded, feeling a little on the flabbergasted side, an emotion he’d only become fuckin’ acquainted with since meeting Beth. “Alright then, I think it should be me.”

Well. Shit.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14

Tuesday, July 4 th – Sunday, July 9 th

Daryl’s blank look caused a slight amount of panic to prickle through Beth’s chest. She hadn’t meant her words to sound so demanding, if they had, hadn’t meant to overstep her bounds yet again… if she had. It just made so much sense in her head, for her to be the one to watch Auri. After all, she knew she was one of the few people that Daryl would trust doing it. Carol no doubt would be another, but the woman was already a single mom who had her own child to raise.

Maybe the whole mulligan day was playing a part in his hesitation too – Daryl wasn’t exactly the easiest person in the world to read, it could be any number of things making him stand and stare like he was. Glancing uncertainly between him and the baby, Beth settled Aurora back in her bassinet, only looking back to Daryl once the little girl seemed content enough to be laid back down.

“I could babysit her.” She tried again, taking a careful step towards him. Daryl’s sight was that heavy kind, dragging up the peaks of her spine when he answered with a characteristic humming noise. “Auri,” she tried again, hearing more question than acceptance in his sound, “I could…move my schedule at the store around.” She watched his eyebrows clip together and continued quickly. “You wouldn’t have to really pay me much of anythin’ besides what ya could.”

His face scrunched up as he shook his head. “Look, I don’-”

“I know I messed up with Merle, and that I was too much-” Daryl took a step towards her, and Beth’s mouth snapped shut as he waved an irritated hand at what she’d said.

“No ya weren’t, don’ do that,” confusion swamped her a little at his words, did he honestly think that what she had done wasn’t out of the ordinary…“I shouldn’a said the shit I did, we already been over that, agreed I was a fuckin’ asshole an’ everythin’.” His eyes crinkled slightly and Beth realized that he was attempting to make some kind of joke, which made her feel the barest modicum better about continuing.

“Well, ok but I know at the hospital and then back here, that it freaked you out.” She could still feel the chill against her skin when he’d released his hold mulligan night, the hot flashing joy of today when he’d pulled her hard against him, even if it was only for the briefest moment.

“I jus’,” his eyes skipped away from her, shoulders hunching against whatever turmoil their touching had been causing him, “I…can’t. I can’t.” And the dejected awkwardness in his expression had Beth taking another questing step towards him.

Of course she wanted more with him, even if their moments by her car that night – him telling her he didn’t want her to go – had shed some light on her own insecurities that she hadn’t been aware of…

There was something about Daryl that she couldn’t shake and didn’t want to.

“I know.” She offered quietly, trying and failing to keep her arms uncrossed at her sides.

“An’ if you’re gonna be lookin’ after Kit, I really can’t.” His gaze returning to hers had Beth’s toes curling in her shoes, he just looked so darned earnest, but also so friggin’ torn it was hard to remember how to breathe or think with him looking at her like that.

She knew exactly what he meant, turning back to the small wooden structure she met the eyes of the little girl that was blinking uncertainly in her direction. Maybe it was for the best then, that she did watch Aurora, it’d make this friendship have a few more boundaries on it.

Beth’s mind kicked back to feeling his face against her neck, his biceps framing her head. He hadn’t wanted her to leave, and even though that didn’t mean necessarily that they’d be sleeping together if she stayed…

Daryl obviously had more experience in that department than she did, and at the time the only thing Beth could think was that there was no way to know what expectations he’d have…That thought process was idiotic of course, they’d agreed they wouldn’t be doing anything like kissing passed that day. And she wouldn’t have this mad crush on him if she thought for a moment that Daryl was the kind that’d sleep with her under such circumstances…but then there was Auri and Beth realized she really had no idea at all how he’d been in other relationships. Only the way he’d been with her, how he’d reacted anytime she got closer, like he was afraid of being bitten.

At the very least it clarified how she felt about her lack of experience, and that was decidedly panicked at the idea of sleeping with a man Daryl’s age, who, by the very existence of his daughter – had more knowledge of sex than Beth did.

No, babysitting might backfire in the distance department, but maybe it’d give them more time to get used to one another. Work out expectations and…she liked the idea of taking care of Aurora, of singing her songs and rocking her to sleep. And after a while, maybe it’d make Daryl realize he could handle a romantic relationship too. She just hoped she’d worked out her own issues when or if that happened. Making up her mind, Beth turned to Daryl with a bright smile.

“It’s not gonna be a problem Daryl.” She informed him briskly, dropping her barrier of crossed arms, ignoring for the moment his suspicious narrowed eyes. “’Cause I don’t even like you like that.” She was worried for a moment that her smile hadn’t been large enough to tune him into the fact that she was joking. His look twisted and darkened momentarily, before storm blues tracked the curve of her mouth.

“C’mon.” He scoffed, and she shelved the relief she felt in order to prod him into playing along.

“What?” She raised her brows at him challengingly. “So I let ya kiss me.” Shrugging, her pulse tripped along her throat at the almost hurt expression that marred his earlier disbelief.

“ Let -”

She continued quickly, doing her best to ham up the delivery. “I’d caught ya off guard an’ you were all worried about gettin’ Auri home.” She sighed loudly, cocking a hip and bobbing a nod as she continued. “ Tons of emotion, but its fine an’ we’re not gonna have a problem ‘cause it’s not happenin’ again.”

Beth held her breath as he dug through her eyes before making another derisive noise that allowed her lungs to begin working once more. The man was a damn enigma, he was so rough and crass with some things, but in the next stumbling footfall – she was worried she had the power to break him into fractured serrated bits.

“Ya know I ain’t fallin’ fer this shit righ’? Yer lyin’ through yer teeth right now.”

She did know, in fact she was betting on just that, and maybe she was playing with fire, but it didn’t feel much like lying when she was doing her darnedest to make sure he realized she wasn’t telling the truth. Because obviously she liked him like that, it probably was going to end up being an enormous problem, and for the love of everything holy she hoped it would be happening again…and again and again…eventually.

“ Please ,” she mocked lightly, taking one of the last steps she could to close the distance between them, eyes still carefully trained on his, “you must think a lot of yourself Mr. Dixon.”

He scowled down at her, slit sight flicking towards her mouth and back. “Mister?”

“If I’m your employee we gotta be professional don’t we?” Beth swallowed through the sudden dryness in her throat when color darkened the shade of Daryl’s skin tone, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the title had taken him to a place that was less than professional .

“Hell no.” He rasped out and she quickly nodded for both their sakes.

“Fine, but I’m serious, just ‘cause I let ya kiss me, it doesn’t have to mean nothin’.” He was shaking his head at her words, and she went back to smiling, there was the smallest tilt to his mouth as she continued. “At least not for right now at any rate.”

“An’ all the stuff ya said, an’ what ya’ve done for me, what yer still doin’?”

The next pump of blood through her heart felt at least ten degrees warmer than any of the prior ones, and the heat tickled along veins and over muscles making her feel near feverish. It seemed that apparently, while Daryl got the idea that she was doing her best to give him, give them both, an out so that they could continue spending mostly innocent time together and also so that Aurora wouldn’t have to be carted around to any and all manner of friends or daycares – he was still determined to make it as difficult as possible. Man was a glutton for punishment, but Lord only knew, maybe that’s why he didn’t mind putting up with her bossy butt all the time.

“Can’t use the mulligan day against me Daryl.” She chastised, poking him slightly in the chest as she did so. “We’re back ta’ bein’ friends now, an’ heck, I do stuff for Merle . Ya think I’m crushin’ on him too or somethin’?”

Beth had to fold her lips a little to stop the laugh that popped into the back of her throat at Daryl’s expression, it was pretty clear he found the idea distasteful to say the very least.

“Fine, if tha’s the line yer sellin’.” He said at last, thankfully looking as though he was on the same page as she was.

It was just a smokescreen, just a mantra for them to tie themselves to while he balanced out his life, and maybe then they could look into making a go of it. So he knew, that just about everything she’d said, was complete bull. A somewhat cleaner slate to proceed from, it’d probably serve absolutely no good at all, but they had to try, because the alternative was them spending even less time together to avoid a repeat performance of their mulligan day. And neither of them seemed able to handle that happening right now.

“You good lookin’ men sure are somethin’ I tell ya.” She launched into straight teasing, remembering his odd reaction to her bringing it up before. It didn’t change much, his brows furrowed and he clicked his tongue disbelievingly.

“Good what ?”  

Ignoring him she continued, crowding his space a little. “Every time a girl smiles at ya, doesn’ mean we’re flirtin’ ya know.” He gave her a squint eyed look before she was poking him again, smile stretching when he batted her hand away from his side.

“Stop.” He groused, but his mouth was thinned to a sliver, the corners ticking up uncertainly.

“When I say ‘hey Daryl’ when we see each other, it ain’t a’ come on.”

“Good lord, alrigh’ I get it.” Beth watched him expectantly as he pinned her with what she was pleasantly alarmed to consider an affectionate look, before he was pulling her into another hug, long arms winding behind her head. “I’d like it. If ya watched Auri for me.”

A constriction around her ribs she hadn’t known was still there, loosened by small degrees, and she felt herself grin into his shoulder as her hands fisted themselves in his leather vest.

“Oh no.” She whispered, feeling his scruff snag on her hair while he listened. “Hugs are foreplay, you’ve done it now.”

His hold tightened, and Beth closed her eyes and nuzzled her smile into him as he muttered.

“Crazy, crazy girl.”

It wasn’t until later, when they were both sitting on his couch, legs carefully not touching, when Daryl stopped her movements, fingers half-slid into the envelope containing the pictures from the shower.

“Ya didn’ have t’ say all that.” Beth blinked at him a bit in confusion, noticing the way he wasn’t meeting her gaze, but looking at the few digits disappearing into the brown paper confines. “Was gonna ask ya, t’ watch ‘er.”

“Oh.” It wasn’t clear what else she could say in response to that, but she found it…reassuring. Knowing that she hadn’t brow beaten him into doing something else he didn’t necessarily want.

“Jus’ beat me to it,” he continued quietly, “thought I was gonna have t’ talk ya into it or somethin’.” He shrugged a bit, gaze sliding down to his hands that were fidgeting steadily where they hung, propped between his knees.

“Yeah?” She was rewarded with a glance when she knocked a thigh against his. “An’ what would that have looked like?” The next clash of his eyes with hers, stilled her down to the beat, and Beth felt the sudden need to babble but did her best to reign it in. “I mean are we talkin’ somethin’ good? Like how I got a shake outta Rick? My weight in pizza? Am I gettin’ close?”

He made a low snorting noise before shaking his head. “Might’a said please I guess.”

Beth tsked slightly through her grin. “Well, dang it, me an’ my big mouth.”

Daryl ticked his chin a little to the side, giving her one of those miniscule smiles that looked like he didn’t mean to be doing it. Storing up the warm fuzzies it gave her, Beth offered him the batch of pictures, watching with an ache as he took them gingerly from her grasp. He flipped through each shot slowly, mouth thin and curved like the barest bit of moon. Looking more at him than the prints Aaron had given her, Beth couldn’t help the wonder she felt at the fact that he wasn’t married with a gaggle of kids by now.

It just didn’t make any sense to her, from everything she’d seen, like how he was with Auri and her…Daryl was by no means perfect, but had no one really been interested in giving him a fair shot before now? She just couldn’t accept the idea that it had anything to do with her alone.

“You date a lot before this Daryl?” Her throat tightened painfully when his eyes snapped to hers, an instant wariness there that she hadn’t seen in a while. With a faltering smile she motioned to the filmed splashes of color in his hand, when he still didn’t offer any kind of answer but a stare, she tried again. “Ah c’mon, friends talk about this kinda stuff all the time.”

Darkened steel shot sky tracked her face before he shrugged, turning back to the photos in his hand. She had to literally bite her lip to keep herself from badgering him, they were back to being ‘friends’ but that didn’t mean he’d be willing to discuss this kind of thing with her. And she was going to try, for as long as she could manage, not to prod him. It wasn’t right to crack him open like she’d been doing. It’d made him snap like she knew he would, and Beth could say without any doubt that fighting with Daryl wasn’t something she’d like to repeat.

His newly agitated movements suddenly stilled, and she leaned closer to him to see what had calmed his restless hands. He’d gotten to the picture that was her favorite, the one that she’d already taken a snapshot of with her phone to keep for herself. She’d been jittery about showing him the lot of them all at once. Afraid he’d shuffle right passed this particular photo without much notice.

It was of the two of them, they were sitting at the table where the group had worked on the onesies. Beth was leaning against his arm, peering down at the table and the little decorated bit of fabric that couldn’t be seen, and she had a wistful kind of smile on her face. But it was Daryl’s look that had caught her attention as soon as she’d flipped to the print. His covert peeking had been caught by the camera’s click, and it shouldn’t mean all that much, just his little sideways glimpse through shaggy hair. But it was still heart tripping to see, and in it Beth could finally understand what her mama had been talking about.

She’d never seen such a vulnerable expression captured in such a quick breadth of time.

“Didn’ like any of ‘em. Women. Before.” Beth shot him a confused glance before freezing, he’d said it so lowly, and he was still running heavy blues over the two of them in the picture. “Never really liked…”

Daryl’s words tapered off like a volume dial turned counterclockwise, but she watched as one squared palm detached from the film, thick fingers rubbing together uneasily before he was shaking his head in agitation.

Never really liked what?

Sex? Kissing?

Beth’s eyes followed his edgy movements before he was using the hand to move the picture to the back of pile and continue his viewing of Aaron’s work. She continued to watch him silently, trying to discern what his half-said sentences and unconscious motions amounted to. The friction filled rub of roughened, calloused, hardworking flesh replayed on a loop in her mind.

- Doesn’t like touching? Or being touched?

That didn’t make any kind of sense, not after the way he’d chased her lips, cradled hands and arms around her until she couldn’t breathe or function. Her pondering had stretched the silence into something rickety and sharp, she caught the way his teeth worried the back of his bottom lip and how his eyes had taken on a slightly glazed appearance. Beth wasn’t really sure what to say, if anything that she did manage to stutter or fumble out would help.

Steeling herself slightly, she leaned into him, resting an apologetic head on his bare shoulder. For a tick or two of a clock he tensed, before the muscle below her head softened, and he continued through the pictures at a slower more studying pace. After a few shuffling actions, Beth began a running commentary on the events, adding easy jokes that had him huffing or scoffing next to her. Maybe she didn’t quite know what to do with the information he’d given her, but there was no way she was going to have him feeling awkward or self-conscious over it.

The rest of Beth’s week spiraled into a litany of uncomfortable conversations with different people in her life. Her parents weren’t overly happy to find out she was back so soon to doing favors for the man that’d hollered full volume at her in their driveway, apology or no apology, Hershel and Annette weren’t of the opinion that Daryl Dixon deserved so much of their daughter’s time and energy. It was pretty clear to her that the conversations with her mom and dad were going to continue to be rocky for the next little bit, until time and action could show them that Daryl wasn’t another Jimmy looking to take more than he gave.

The next discussion was between her and Jesus (the one from the store, not the son of the heavenly father) and while he was far too nice of a person to make her feel guilty over it, Beth got the idea that her constricting her hours between Sunday and Wednesday was going to cause him some uncomfortable schedule coverage in the future. But with Carol being busy every day but the one in the middle of the week, it was the best her and Daryl could figure for now.

As it was, the new dad was going to have to figure something out for the two days he still didn’t have covered. Sunday, he was out of the garage and the pizzeria was slow enough that Glenn didn’t need him to come in. Monday and Tuesday were sporadic shifts that never tended to be exactly the same, but Daryl had insisted he’d get it figured out.

Perhaps her most gut floating chat happened the Sunday after the fourth when she’d finished a long shift at the store, and was going through Carol’s line. Buying a few magazines for herself and Merle to go into his next care package with her letter, and a few random pictures she’d taken out at the farm and around town. The older woman smiled as Beth deposited her purchases on the belt, and she had a moment to feel relief about the quiet state of the store, when Carol began somewhat hesitantly.

“So, how’re…things?” Taking in the overly bright smile and leading tone, Beth couldn’t help but tense in a rather Daryl-esque manner.

“Things are…good.” She answered slowly, flashing her own mega-wide grin. “Why?”

Ringing up the purchases, Carol considered her for a moment before continuing. “I just thought I’d check in, see if you and Daryl were still alright?”

An ugly little nagging sensation took residence in her stomach and Beth felt her face pinch slightly. She knew that Carol and Daryl had some kind of strong relationship, but she’d never gotten any kind of vibe that it was more than friendship. It must be a close enough one for him to confide in her about pretty private matters, because Carol was speaking as if she knew about the fight, or had some other reason for questioning Beth the way she was.

“Of course.” She didn’t try to hide the confusion in her expression as she continued. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

“Look, I’m not trying to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong.” Beth slid her card after Carol totaled up her purchases, trying all the time to get a handle on where her coworker was coming from. “I know that Daryl is a good man, and I know that you are an incredibly giving and well-meaning person.” She had an overwhelming feeling that a but was swiftly coming. “But,” yeah that hadn’t taken long, “does it ever strike you as a little unhealthy? This relationship the two of you have going on?”

Anger crackled like a fault line through her body, and she did her best to breathe her way through it, Carol’s face was twisted in a genuine amount of concern that didn’t deserve the few barbed words that sprung to the tip of Beth’s tongue.

“What do you mean?”

Where in the world are the droves of customers when you need them?

“Well it seems like you do an awful lot for him, and I just…I don’t know if he’ll ever be able to return it the way that you might want.”

There was a time when she wouldn’t have been able to swallow down the recommendation that the other woman mind her business, might have looked for a way to lash out to cause harm. But a lot of things had changed about her since she’d made it out of the hospital with her arm stitched, after her mama had been diagnosed as in remission.

And maybe it took her a little bit of a blink and breathe, but she was eventually able to come to a kind of thankfulness that she had people in her life that worried about her – like her parents did. That Daryl had the same in his – like Carol. Along with that came the knowledge that neither party knew what she and Daryl did about everything that had had happened between the two of them.

Carol had known him longer, had maybe seen how standoffish he was with people in general, didn’t want Beth to get in over her head, didn’t want her taking the consequences of it out on Daryl when or if she did. These were all good things…and if she was truly a good person, maybe all these thoughts would stop the churning in her gut, and the heating of her veins, as it was, she might have to settle for putting on a brave face.

Stiff upper lip the heck outta this thing.

“And what way is that?” She managed, voice blessfully even and inquiring as she pulled her bag from the carousel.

“He said that…” Carol was beginning to look as uncomfortable with the conversation as Beth felt, which again, if she were truly a good person wouldn’t make her feel better. “That the two of you didn’t like one another like that, more than friends, that is.”

It made not one lick of sense for her to feel hurt at the moment, that he’d had this conversation about her with someone. That he’d said the things they’d said to one another. If it had gotten brought up with her, she’d more than likely have said much of the same. The bile tickling her throat didn’t seem to agree, but she swallowed roughly and replied.

“That’s right.”

Carol pinned her with what Beth could only describe as a ‘mom stare’ before continuing.

“Beth.” The two looked at one another silently, before Carol shook her head, mouth pursed and nearly regretful. “Never mind, like I said, it’s none of my business. I might think the two of you are lying to everyone, or maybe just yourselves. But I can also maybe guess the why.” She offered Beth a slight smile. “I’d just hate to see either one of you hurt, good people deserve better than what they get sometimes.”

Nodding in return, Beth gave a halfhearted wave before exiting the store, mind and stomach in upheaval. She wasn’t upset at Carol, there had been as much concern for Beth as for Daryl in that talk, and he needed people in his corner, that’s all that Carol was. It still rankled her something fierce though, that their relationship was viewed as unhealthy in any way…but then…she supposed it wasn’t that far of a leap.

Things with that dang redneck were just always so muddled.

She did her best not to think of it on her drive home, turned the volume up on her radio and sang loud to each song that rolled through with a country twang. Ignored for as long as she could the text picture she’d received from that man while she’d been elbow deep in coupons and WIC checks. Made it all the way through a shower and grabbing some of her mama’s leftover chicken fried steak and green beans for dinner, before succumbing to her rabid curiosity.

The pulling up of the corners of her mouth twisted at her heart and deadened some of the air in her lungs when she deciphered what the blurry picture was supposed to be of. Auri lay in her bassinet, blue eyes a dark that made Beth want to swim, head tilted like it did when she was looking at her daddy, and dressed in a familiar black and bright pink outfit. The accompanying words only made her smile more.

- fuck, my kid is cute as hell

She definitely couldn’t argue with him there, scraping quick teeth over her lip, Beth tapped out a reply.

- She REALLY is :)

A reply came through so quickly it gave her a little thrill to know he was thinking about her, which then made her feel a little ridiculous, and she sighed when his message popped up.

- your day alright?

Staring at the question longer than it warranted, Beth answered haltingly, hoping the answer would be sufficient to give her time to detox from her latest awkward conversation.

- yeah it was fine

There was a dragging pause in comparison to his previous response time, and she had the seconds to feel a severe mixture of emotions, before his name sprung across her screen. And then she was inhaling too hard, coughing in shock before she was able to slide a thumb and still the incessant buzzing.

“Daryl?” There was a kind of shivering dread and excitement that came with her answering the line, she tried telling herself that he simply hated texting, but she couldn’t stop the wonder that asked if he’d somehow picked up on her mood from so simple an answer.

“What happened?”

It didn’t mean anything, it didn’t, and it couldn’t – not for now.

“Nothin’ bad really.” She hedged, almost able to hear his huff of annoyance as it sent static over the line.

“Girl, ain’t gotten a message from ya yet, that ain’t got ten a’ them mo-gee things and at least three exclamations when yer tellin’ me about your day.” She rolled her eyes, scuffing a bare foot against her fluffy carpet.

“Again with the dramatic exaggerations.” She murmured into the line. “An’ it’s emoji you friggin’ luddite.” He was quiet and she sighed, dragging her steps to her bed and collapsing onto it, before curling herself into a protective ball. “Talked to Carol today.”

The silence on his end somehow managed to deepen before he spoke. “What’d y’all talk about?”

Beth screwed up her face, suddenly wishing she’d made the extra effort in order to avoid yet another discussion that made her skin ripple and belly clench.

“Bet ya can guess.” There was a rustling from his end, and she imagined him laying down in his own bed, or maybe sprawling long limbed on his couch.

“Well, c’mon woman.” He grumbled lowly, making her close her eyes. “Hell she say t’ make yer day jus’ fine ?”

It didn’t mean anything, it didn’t.

“We’re unhealthy, together.” She said in a near whisper, knowing he’d hear. “An’ I do a lot for ya, that’s not gonna get me what I want.” His silence wrapped her and cushioned the tumult into something controllable. “An’ we’re lyin’ to everyone includin’ ourselves about not likin’ each other more ‘an friends.”

It wasn’t possible, but Beth could swear she heard the cut of tooth against flesh, the shredding of his cuticles, or the tearing of skin along cracked knuckles. This time she waited him out, gave him whatever time he needed to formulate some audible comeback to what she’d told him.

“Thought tha’s what ya wanted us tellin’ people.” Pressing the phone hard against her ear to hear him, she waited again for him to continue. “Least to the last bit, she asked me about it las’ Wednesday…” Clearing his throat he went on in hardly a higher volume. “L’tell ‘er ‘bout the hospital, ‘bout askin’ ya t’stay too.”

“Why?” Her heart was making little half-assed pumps that weren’t quite doing the trick.

“’Cause yer not the only one wantin’ things, makes it sound like yer chasin’ me or some kinda bullshit like that.” Ok, so maybe it did mean something, maybe it didn’t matter that it couldn’t, or shouldn’t. “You think she’s right?” He asked after a moment. “’Bout us bein’ unhealthy or whatever, ya doin’ too much for me?”

“I like doin’ stuff for ya.” She answered a little stubbornly after some thought. “Don’t really know about the other, feels better than…than what I’ve had before.” Thinking again for a second she continued. “I don’t want you to say anythin’ ta’ Carol, about what happened at the hospital or after.” Daryl made an inquiring grunting sound that made her smile for some reason. “Like ta’ keep it…You know, between us.”

“Hmm?”

“Keep it…” Struggling, Beth finally reopened her eyes, they were going so far passed friendship talk – they couldn’t even see where that bubbling safe-zone was anymore. “ For us.”

“Even if we ain’t doin’ it again?” He asked, and she knew his face was screwed up in irritation at the situation, a mumbled something she couldn’t catch but sounded vaguely like ‘fer now’ before he finished. “Guess if that’s what ya want…”

“Yeah.” Affirming her decision to him, Beth traced the shadows seeping up her walls to her ceiling. “You think we’re gonna be able to work out this friends thing?”

His breath scraped out into her ear, and she swallowed her sigh. “Gotta‘nother choice?”

No .

Either he spread himself thin to breaking, trying to be everything to everyone – and she got the idea Daryl was already pulling some deep seated amount of will to be handling what he was at the moment. Or they called it quits on being around one another altogether, which sounded a deep level of hell piece of awful.

“Can’t say as I do Mr. Dixon.” She answered tiredly, closing her eyes once more with a smile at his muttering.

“Don’ listen fer shit.”

“Apologies Mr. Dixon .”  

“Go t’bed Greene.” He grumped, making her grin even wider.

She almost shot out some other challenging remark, but decided against it at the last moment.

“Night Daryl.” The next humming sound was far more approving and thoughtful, and she suddenly wished with a kind of throbbing want, to be curled up next to him while he made that sound, maybe while drifting a large hand down her back or through her hair.

“Night Beth.”

She clicked the end call button, and blinked off into the steadily growing darkness.

Friends – just friends.

For now anyway.  

Chapter Text

Chapter 15

Thursday, July 13 th – Sunday, 16 th

Daryl pulled into the small area in front of his place and squinted at the front door in a kind of nervous anticipation. Beth was in there with Auri, his shift was over, and if he could swing a bit more luck his way, he’d get to spend some time with his girls. And fuck it if the blonde wasn’t technically his to claim, ain’t nobody in his head but him. He could move that crazy woman into whatever category he wanted to, only person that had to deal with it was him.

The door opened and he felt the instant small bunching of his cheek when his lips twitched into a smile. She came out holding his kid, grinning fit to split her face, and it was like his long suck ass day hadn’t happened at all. Through all the broke down cars and bitchy customers, this had been the thing that kept him from snapping as the time had rolled by. The morning interaction with Beth had been brief, he’d backed her car into place, shown her one more time where all the kit’s things were and that had been about it.

‘Cept when she insisted on repackin’ m’damn lunch.

He’d thought his bag containing three day old pizza and chips was sufficient, he’d been woefully misinformed as it turned out. Hadn’t even made a try for the sack when she’d plucked it from his grasp, had then stood ridiculously fuckin’ amused with a hip against his counter as she fussed over his lack of ‘acceptable’ food in the fridge. Daryl didn’t know how he could like a woman so much that was so goddamn naggy sometimes, but there was something about the way Beth pecked at shit that made him exasperated and happy all at once. It was confusing, and obnoxious, and he couldn’t quite get enough of it for some unknown reason.

Climbing out of his truck, he was hit full face with something that smelled fuckin’ amazing, before he could even focus on his baby and his way too good lookin’ babysitter. Swinging the heavy metal door shut, Daryl got distracted about asking how the hell she’d managed to cook anything with what he knew had been left in his kitchen, by his daughter’s happy cooing noises that threatened his manliness by gripping his heart and pricking his eyes.

“Welcome home daddy!” Beth voiced in a slightly higher pitch, waving one of Aurora’s small hands towards him as he approached. “Missed you so much, didn’t we?” She continued in a normal tone, cheeks pinking and smile turning sweet as she looked at him.

“She good for ya?” He questioned half-worriedly, not about his kid’s actual behavior but of everything going alright while he was gone.

Considering he hadn’t known her that long, he’d managed to shore up an abundant amount of trust in Beth, but things being what they were he doubted there’d ever come a time when he wasn’t concerned half-to-death with everything having to do with his kid. Didn’t mind it though, hell, might be the most normal reaction to something he’d ever had.

“’Course she was.” He followed Beth as she led him back inside, where that delicious smell ran hungry fingers through his gut. “Don’t get me wrong, little lady likes to party, but I think I kept up with her pretty dang well.”

Daryl huffed a loud breath through his nose, unzipping his work coveralls slightly. “Kit’s lil’ but she’s still a damn Dixon, wouldn’ expect no less.”

“I uh, don’t know if you were wantin’ ta’ shower or anythin’.” She cleared her throat and became very interested in getting Auri into her bouncy. Daryl looked down at himself and realized his undershirt was basically plastered all along his torso, making the back of his neck flush and a quick tingling swamp his body. “But I don’t got anywhere I need to be, if you were wantin’ to take one before dinner.”

He grated out some grunting humming type noise, and beat feet to the back of the house. Shit shakes, it shouldn’t hit that hard, for either of them. One sweat soaked piece of clothing and suddenly they were back to mulligan day with him pressing her back against the side of the Santa Fe, wanting nothing more than to scoop up those rangy petite little limbs and carry her right back inside his place.

Shaking the thoughts from his head he gathered up what fresh clothes he could find and headed into the bathroom. Showering with quick efficient movements, skin tightening under the near freezing temperature, he stepped from the tub while rolling the stiffness from his shoulders that the cold water had allowed to seep in. Scrubbing the chilled droplets from his body, Daryl jerked on his clothes, all the while becoming more aware of the scents of meat and something spicy flooding his previously preoccupied senses.

Cursing in irritation, he poked at the holes in his t-shirt, normally it wouldn’t bother him any but his muscles were tired enough after his workday and he really didn’t want to take another frost filled shower if Beth’s eyes happened to stay glued to the skin that peeked out. Muttering in irritation, he went back into his room as swiftly as he could. Pawing through his laundry there that was in confusing jumbled piles of varying degrees of cleanliness. The smells of dinner followed him in and he remembered his earlier thoughts about how in the hell she’d managed to make something that smelled that good with what he had.

“Beth?” He called out, just about ripping the dampened shirt from his back, then louder when she hadn’t answered him after a couple moments. “Hey Beth?”

“Yeah?” Her voice wavered in from the front room as he chucked yet another shirt to the side that was covered in engine grease.

“The hell you make for dinner?”

There was a pause, giving him enough time to worry he’d asked the question the wrong damn way, when a slight noise behind him caused him to whip around. She stood there, eyes large and still tracking his torso before making it up to his face. Newly warmed tendons and flesh tensed to hurting as silence smothered the both of them. His back. Why the fuck hadn’t he shut his goddamn door when he’d come back in? Flashes of old glimpses he’d had of it went through his mind’s eye, and his jaw clamped until his teeth ached. Girl wasn’t an idiot, lash scars were easy enough to pinpoint, and Daryl knew the way they roped across his goddamn body, made him look like a fuckin’ pitbull with a shitty record in the fighting ring.

Funny, fucking hilarious, how any of the times he’d kissed her, or let his mind barely grasp onto the thought of things going further – he’d somehow forgotten this part. That she’d see them, eventually, because even in mindless little daydreams or late night fantasies, it’d never been a onetime thing like how Aurora had been conceived. Oh no. With Beth it was always something that’d be happening in his head with the knowledge of it not being just the once.

Right now he did his best to unclench the fingers that were death gripped around the other clean shirt he’d found, reigned in whatever shitty angry thing that clawed up his throat like bile. He fuckin’ hated her seeing them, knowing they were there, the way she was looking at him now, and the quiet that still trickled into his lungs making him want to choke. Maybe he was learning shit after all though, because where he’d have more than likely lashed out in the past, he kept his fool mouth shut. Ripping into Beth Greene wasn’t a goddamn option, that small dark span of time when they’d not been speaking was enough to keep his teeth firmly locked.

“You ain’t never gonna do that to somebody.” Her sudden words trapped the air in his chest, and he got lost somewhere in the hard darkness of her blues. “’Specially not that little girl.”

It wasn’t anything he didn’t know, and had someone asked, he’d have growled a few choice expletives about the idea of someone telling him that shit like it was ever in question to begin with. But just like nothing else seemed to, it just didn’t work that way with Beth, look on her face and certainty in her tenor making it sound like the truth of what she’d said was now written in stone. And it didn’t hurt that on some level, it made him feel – relieved – that Beth knew he wasn’t ever going to put his hands on someone in the way that’d been done to him. That she trusted him that much.

Swallowing the tightness in his throat, he gave a tipping nod, lip half-pulled between his teeth as she returned the motion and then hastily disappeared from view after tripping one more pass down his partially clothed form. It took him longer than it should to snap the hell out of it and yank the troublesome garment over his head. Taking another second to breathe, he all but shuffled his way back out towards the main rooms, feeling somehow sheepish though he couldn’t quite figure the why.

He found her in the kitchen, Auri turned her way in the bouncy, though she looked milliseconds away from falling asleep. Beth was pulling a pan he knew he didn’t own, out of the oven that looked cleaner than the last time he’d seen it this morning. She placed something cheese and red sauce covered on a dish towel protected counter, before flashing him an uncertain and rather sheepish look of her own.

“I’m sorry about,” she gestured an oven mitted hand (also not his) in the direction of his bedroom before continuing, “I couldn’t quite hear you, an’ I just figured you’d…that you wouldn’t be…” Sputtering to a stop, Beth looked at him with a certain amount of pleading that he understood all too well, having been a participant of far too many awkward social interactions himself.

“S’alrigh’.” Leaning against the counter near her, he crossed his arms and shrugged without meeting her gaze. “M’old man…he…” Unable to encompass the amount of pain and rage that involved his dad, Daryl finished with another rolling of his shoulders, feeling the fabric on his back more keenly than he had in a long while.

“Is he, uh, still around?” Beth questioned timidly, obviously waiting for him to snap or stonewall her at any moment. He was a little confused when his shaking head made her sigh in relief, and he watched as she plucked a couple plates from the dish dryer.

“Ya wouldn’ve had t’ deal with ‘im Beth.” He told her quietly, trying to figure out her reaction as she opened the drawer with the silverware in it. “I’da kept ‘im away from the both a’ you.”

She stilled before turning to him with pinched brows, ponytail swinging with the shake of her head. Pure hot energy lanced up his arm where she dragged pan warmed fingers along his bare skin, and he did his best not to jump even as he felt the muscles of his forearm twitch uncontrollably where her pads lingered.

“Wasn’t thinkin’ about me an’ Auri, Daryl.”

It wasn’t mulligan day anymore, and anyway, he couldn’t give this woman anything more than a kiss and some complicated fucking feelings right now. Which wasn’t a quarter of what she deserved, so he did what he could about the half lidded look he was giving her, stopped the sway of his body before it could carry him all the way down to her mouth. His puppy dog ass couldn’t even handle a nod as she pried her sight away from his, Christ, but wasn’t he acting like a love sick idiot right now?

Turning his attention almost desperately to what she was taking a spatula to, cutting along the layer of cheese and sauce along the top and exposing what looked like tortilla beneath. His stomach picked that perfect moment to release a savage growling noise that earned him a pleased smile from the girl that wasn’t his anywhere else but in his head – or at least that’s what he was going to tell himself as many times as it took not to kiss her right now.

“Hope ya like enchiladas.” Beth worked the flat of the spatula under two of the said food items before levering them onto a plate, and then she reopened the oven to pull out a smaller pan she’d apparently been keeping warm there, and dolloped a small helping of rice on the plate as well.

“Tryin’ t’get me fat?” He asked, eyeing the generous portion of food.

“Who the heck said this was for you?” She sassed haughtily, raising her brows at him and making him snort. “Already cooked for you, ain’t servin’ ya too.” Lips pressing tight together to keep in his smile, he watched her move passed him. Doing it close enough to brush an uncovered arm against his still crossed ones on her way to the table.

“Yer gonna make yerself sick as fuck.” Daryl informed her while going about putting the same amount of food on his plate.

“Please.” She scoffed through a bite of enchilada. “I could out eat you any day of the week Mr. Dixon.” Shooting her a glare as he settled down across from her at the table, Daryl scooped up a bit of rice, humming away his irritation. “Likes Spanish rice.” Beth murmured, catching his attention as he cut into a cheese covered tortilla, but she wasn’t looking at him anymore so he let it go while popping the next forkful into his mouth.

“Fuck that’s good.” No need to be anything other than fucking enthusiastic when it came to her cooking. “Gonna shock the shit outta me, ‘bout the time ya make somethin’ I don’ like.”

“And enchiladas.” She whispered distractedly, before taking her next bite.

“Ya trackin’ me or somethin’ girl?” Daryl stopped mid-chew when Beth flashed him a surprised little glance, before ticking a corner of her mouth up. “Why?”

“Doesn’t make much sense to keep cookin’ stuff ya don’ like now does it?” She answered, pulling up a shoulder in an unsure little motion. “Lucky for me you’re so easy ta’ please so far.”

Watching her closely Daryl ran a quick tongue along the backs of his teeth, before nodding slowly in answer to her reasoning. It felt real strange, and he didn’t know if it’d ever stop, to have someone so interested in him. Should find her weird maybe – and he did a bit – but not in any kind of way that made him want to drop her. Woman could be a damn diamond back and he’d still be holding onto her, admiring her fuckin’ scales, the patterns that stretched along her body...

Taking another sauce filled mouthful of beef, cheese, and tortilla, he peeked at her through his hair, watching her finish one entire enchilada before going to work on the rice. Hair up in a ponytail as per the usual, he noticed the locks twining down were curled in loose soft looking ringlets that he wanted to twine his fingers around. Had a few moments to wonder about the body hidden beneath the brightly colored t-shirt and curve hugging jeans. He doubted she had any tattoos to speak of, but maybe she had a few accidental scars, moles or freckles hiding where he couldn’t see.

He needed to quit it quick, that way of thought was sure to get his ass in a world of hurt, thoughts about Beth Greene’s body were to be nipped right in the goddamn bud before they got out of hand. Especially now that he was in possession of the unfortunate knowledge that she wasn’t opposed to his lips running over certain parts of that body…tongue too. Wondering what Beth Greene’s pearly shoulder or delicate looking neck tasted like, was the last thing he should be thinking about. Clearing his throat from necessity, Daryl grumbled the first question that popped into his mind, needing some sort of distraction while they finished their food.

“How’re your folks?”

Eyes flicking up to him, her mouth curved before answering. “Good. Mama’s the one brought over the stuff so I could make dinner.” She waved off his scowl and ready to grouse mouth. “She wanted to see Auri anyhow.” He watched as Beth froze slightly, gaze locked on his. “Oh crud I didn’t even think ta’ ask you if it was ok for her to come over.”

Face twisting up, he shot a hard breath through his nose at the worry in her tone, didn’t she get that his shitty cabin should consider itself fuckin’ lucky to have any of the Greene women visit it? Daryl sure did, never dreamed he’d be coming home to a woman with dinner ready and baby sleeping sweet in their bouncy. And sure, maybe the woman wasn’t technically with him (at the moment) the baby was the premature product of a drunken night with an addict he couldn’t remember…All that being said, if it was any other way, Daryl probably wouldn’t have been able to trust it as real.

The picture perfect scene was ragged and patchy as an old country quilt, but nice all the same.

“Yer mom can come over whenever she wants.” Continuing his dinner, he finished a little quietly. “Like your ma, sure Kit does too.”

He didn’t have to look up to know she was giving him one of her pleased smiles, could hear it plain in her voice when she spoke.

“They did seem to get on pretty well while she was here.” Offering a nod, Daryl took a deep breath through the solid weight of food in his stomach, glancing up to see her farther along than he was. Muttering a stubborn string of profanity in his head, he speared another forkful. “Daddy is doin’ alright, though he’s got some kinda issue goin’ on with one of the tractor’s that’s givin’ him fits. Says he’s gonna need to call some special mechanic or somethin’ to come out and take a look at it since Otis is on vacation with his wife.”

Beth’s mouth twisted to the side in a bit of concern that snagged at Daryl’s attention. Running a few things through his head he stayed silent, but nodded to show he’d heard her. They finished their food, and while Daryl consequently wanted to die, he was also a little staggered by the fact that the little slip of a girl across from him seemed unfazed. He was also, however, warm, full, and contentedly sleepy even though it was still early.

He got a cheeky flash of a grin when he thanked her for dinner. “I noticed ya don’t tell me I shouldn’t go to the trouble anymore.”

Ticking his head to the side he met her playful gaze for a bit before skidding away and rubbing a fidgeting hand over the hairs under his bottom lip. Gathering up the plates, he struggled slightly to his feet with a mild grunt.

“Don’ see the point since yer ass never listens to a’ damn thing I say.”  He could hear her easily enough as she followed him over to the sink where he began rinsing their dishes.

“I listen to everythin’ you say.” She argued, reaching across him for the aluminum foil, knocking her side against his. “I just choose not to do most any of it.”

“Ain’t that the fuckin’ truth?” He guttered out against the sparks that tickled his ribs, watching as she laid a shining layer of foil over the pan of leftovers. “Gonna listen when I tell ya t’take that home with ya?”

“Pfft.” She sputtered as she moved to open his fridge. “Why? So I have to repack your lunch everyday this week?”  

“Woman.” Daryl breathed in irritation that barely licked along his ribcage. “No one said you had to fuss over me t’begin with.”

“Ya don’t get t-”

“Pick when ya fuss over me, yeah I fuckin’ know.” She’d finished sticking the leftovers in the fridge and was looking at him as he shut off the water, the tinniest curve teasing her mouth.

“Good man.” Something in her tone made him want to shiver and flex as she closed the distance between them, he stayed stock still as she rose smoothly to her tip toes and placed a slow to move kiss on his cheek, close enough to his lips to give his body ideas. “Better head home now, have a good night Daryl.”

He sort of coughed an answer at her, as she drew back from him. After he’d walked her to her car, watched her pull away, he went about cleaning up the rest of the leftovers – rice going into one of his only plastic containers. The saying ‘playing with fire’ kept running rampant through his mind anytime Beth was around, but then, he’d been hurt plenty over things worth half as much as she was.

Sunday rolled around, and after spending some of the week coming home to her and Kit, Daryl was even more determined to do what her words on Thursday had made him think of. So now he rode next to Rick, Aurora muttering what sounded like insults from her seat in the back.

A thorough shopping trip on Friday, which had involved the purchasing of tupperware, had only seemed to encourage Beth to cook for him more. And he’d come home last night to shake ‘n’ bake chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, and corn. Friday’s meal, that she’d managed to cobble together, had been an assortment of breakfast foods. Which just so happened to be all of the stuff he had left from his last shopping trip and that he hadn’t gotten around to fixing, because when in the hell did he have time for breakfast? All of it had been delicious and only reminded him how much he wasn’t pulling his weight in the friendship department.

The Greene farm came into view, and he tried to stifle the anxiety that came with the sight of the white house. Hershel’s tractor was still busted, and instead of risking being told to take a fuckin’ hike, he’d decided to take a gamble and have Rick give him and his kid a ride out after church services were done, and he figured they’d be home. Things could be about to go very badly, he’d hedged his bets by bringing not only the sheriff but also the cutest little blue eyed, black haired baby that he’d ever seen. Reception might not be warm, but he was almost certain he’d be able to leave the property today without buckshot in his gut.

“Hope you’re not plannin’ on usin’ me as a human shield.” Rick said evenly, his voice sounding loud and sudden due to the over reigning silence that had filled the car to this point. Daryl fought the urge to reestablish that quiet, to stay still and wordless until he was forced to push the sounds from his aching throat.

Snorting, he settled on not glancing over even though he could feel the other man’s eyes flick to him again and again as the house drew nearer. “Shit, lotta’ good that’d do me, might as well use Glenn’s skinny ass.”

Rick made a low clicking noise with his tongue. “Don’t be gettin’ pissy with me thick thighs,” Daryl threw him a glare as he continued, “I’m not the one that made ya holler at the man’s daughter where he could hear an’ see it.”

“Yeah well.” Daryl shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the car rolled to a stop. “Jus’ don’ look the other way, ‘bout the time he shotguns my ass.”

“Hell, I ain’t gonna arrest a man for bein’ protective over his child.” The useless sheriff informed him as he unfolded his lanky form and stood from the vehicle. “Not if it’s just a flesh wound anyway.”

“Fuckin’ comfortin’.” Daryl grumbled, heaving himself out of the car’s confines that were smothering him all of a sudden. “C’mon Kit.” He murmured, unlatching her seat out of the back of the cruiser and straightening with a grunt. “Only damn person I can depend on.”

“Your daddy’s lyin’ to you little girl.” The reason for the smile in his prick-of-a-friend’s voice made itself known when Daryl looked to the front door of the Greene’s house as it opened and a flash of blonde could be seen on the other side of the screen. “An’ that right there’s why.”

“Daryl?” His body tensed immediately, eyes snapping to hers when she hurried out onto the porch, face pinched with confusion and worry. “What is it? Why is…?” Gaze clicking between Rick and himself, he watched as she half-tripped her way down the steps, before stopping a few paces in front of him once she’d gotten a view of Auri’s seat in his hand.

“S’rry for not callin’.” It wasn’t clear to him why she looked so freaked out, until she closed the last little distance between them and crouched down to get a better look at his baby. “You alrigh’?”

“I thought…” She trailed off, hand patting distractedly at her sternum, before reaching in to run a light finger against the kit’s cheek. “I don’t know, I saw the cruiser and then you climbed out and I just…” Shaking her head quickly, Beth stood up once more, giving him a flickering smile. “I’m fine, but what the heck are y’all doin’ here?”

“Afternoon Beth.” Rick offered genially, tipping a forehead towards her and smiling through his heavy – if well groomed – beard. “How was your service?”

“It was just fine thank you Rick.” Seeming to calm a bit from the apparent scare Daryl’s willing appearance at her parent’s place had caused, Beth’s expression turned less strained. “I was just about to head to the store for my shift,” it was only her words that made him notice her attire before she went on, “were you needin’ somethin’?”

Swallowing passed his guilt, Daryl shook his head resolutely. Why the hell wouldn’t she think he was here for some other favor? Never tended to do a damn thing for the woman that watched his kid, cooked for him, made him feel like a fuckin’ human being...kissed him now and then when he got real blessed.

“Bethy?” Hershel Greene leaned out from the opened screen door, eyes steady and searching as he cast them across the interlopers taking up his drive. “What brings your friends by?”

“I don’t quite know yet daddy.” She called back, flashing a look over her shoulder at him. “I think they were just attemptin’ ta’ tell me that.”

Taking a searing breath that burnt him in its raggedness, he nodded and kept his sight steady on the older man that had stepped out and was watching him flatly.

“Heard one a’ yer tractors was broke down.” Refusing to slide his gaze to Beth’s for reassurance he continued. “Thought I’d take a’ look.” When he received no immediate answer to his offer, Daryl could feel his face screw up against the afternoon heat. “Didn’ mean t’ do it on yer uh,” he scrambled for the terminology, “day a’ worship. But it’s the only one I got free.” He pulled in the urge to finish with a deferential ‘sir’ because he couldn’t shake the years of sneering his dad and brother had done in reaction to guys going around scraping out sirs to men they were trying to kiss ass to.  

“Daryl you don’t have to do that.” Beth said quietly, thankfully yanking his attention to her softer sight, he gave her a twitching smile in return before replying lowly.

“Thought yer ma might like to see the kit again anyway.”

She clinched his resolve by melting into another one of her heartbreaking smiles that looped his chest and reeled in tight, before twisting to look back at Hershel. “Daddy?” There was an interesting little tug-of-war that happened between the two that Daryl found enthralling, and if there was any kind of parallel between himself and Hershel (something that was disturbing to study too closely) then when Auri grew up – Daryl was fucked .

The man who had for all intents and purposes looked to be made out of iron, granite, and religious morality, folded into a ruefully smiling heart eyed pushover within moments.

“Well, I believe that would be quite the burden lifted.” The three adults in the driveway took simultaneous breaths of relief, while Auri whined at still being outside. “Doodlebug, you best be on your way to work.”

Based on her crumpled face, Daryl knew this was suddenly the very last thing Beth wanted to be doing, and she opened and closed her mouth several times as she flicked her eyes between him and Rick.

“You’ll stay for dinner won’t you?” She asked, tone imploring even as he opened his mouth to decline, he was pretty fuckin’ sure that her daddy would want his ass gone quick as possible. “I got a short shift, I’ll be home in time to eat with y’all.”

“Well we’d hate to impose.” Rick spoke up, interrupting anything Daryl might have been about to say, simultaneously walking over to haul Aurora’s seat from his grasp.

“No I think that sounds like a fine idea, don’t you Daryl?” Hershel replied, eyes twinkling in a way that made his gut crawl around his torso, legless and wailing. “Annette’s making her chicken fettuccine, weather’s a little warm for it, but there’ll be plenty to go around.” Having basically no choice but to nod at this point, that’s exactly what Daryl jerkily did.

Rick had made his way onto the porch, shook hands with the Greene patriarch, before heading into the house calling greetings to Beth’s mama who made excited noises back to him that they couldn’t quite make out. Tipping his head in acknowledgement, Hershel followed after the sheriff, leaving Daryl with Beth.

“What the heck are ya doin’?” He looked at her with a bit of surprise at her lowly worded and quickly muttered question.

“Helpin’.” Brows furrowed, he felt his neck snap back a bit with his answer, eyeing her like she’d lost her mind for real this time. Woman was looking at him like she expected some other kind of motive.

“Daryl Dixon you are already runnin’ yourself ragged every other day of the dang week.” Beth’s accusation had him shuffling his feet, feeling idiotically fucking shy for some reason all of a sudden under her gaze. “Me cookin’ for ya isn’t a play for free labor.”

“Stop.” He scoffed, waving a dismissive hand at her that earned him a slit lidded glare. “Git yer ass t’ work woman, ya ain’t doin’ neither of us any good standin’ here talkin’ like a fuckin’ loon.”

“You better watch it.” She warned, hands slotting on gently flaring hips that he wouldn’t mind resting his own hands on. “I’m sayin’, what’s the good a’ me workin’ ta’ make things easier on ya when you’re too stupid to rest when you get the dang chance?”

Narrowing his eyes at her he leaned in closer, girl was fuckin’ feisty, took his shit only enough to be able to lob it right back in his goddamn face. The way her blues lit and turned sparking and piercing was something he wished he had the time, privacy, and right to explore and coax into something less smoldering and more earnest burning. But he didn’t get to do any of that, not until he could offer her more than the next to nothing he had right now, and by then maybe she’d move onto someone her age and speed.

“Ain’t gonna fuckin’ tucker me out t’ look at no goddamn tractor and get a good meal.” He growled, feeling a kind of slip of his control that he’d been white knuckling every night he’d been around her. “Now git’cher hind end goin’ ‘fore my stupid ass drags ya b’hind the fuckin’ barn and kisses the sass outta yer mouth.”

He didn’t know if the small victory he felt at the shock in her face would be worth the possible fallout, but it was rather rewarding to have her part her lips in surprise and blink at him all slow and astonished. Sweat was trailing itself down nearly every surface of his body, inner temperature far too high not to tie it to some other more enjoyable reason for the fire in his marrow and quick stutter of his pulse. Beth’s jaw dropped a little more, giving him a show of white teeth and pressing tongue as she dragged in a noisy breath.

“Not a very friendly thing to say Mr. Dixon.”

He shrugged, looking at her mouth a moment longer before straightening his stance once more.

“Ain’t really had a lot a’ those Greene,” glancing towards the house, he got the distinct feeling they were being observed, not surprising, but it definitely meant he needed to get it together before he gave her parents another unfortunate show. “Might need ya t’ tell me what the hell ya do an’ shit.”

“Well.” Beth cleared her throat, head half turning in the direction of the house as well. “For starters, friends rarely threaten what you just did, while possibly,” her eyes locked on his and Daryl couldn’t stop his tongue from making a restless circuit of his mouth, “effective.” She took a steadying breath before continuing. “It’s not really condoned in most, though possibly not all , platonic relationships.”

He bobbed a nod at her, as if this was new information he was committing to memory, returning her twitching smile. It’d be nice if she didn’t have to head to work, he was getting stingy as fuck with getting to spend time with her. It never seemed to be quite enough anymore. But she without a goddamn doubt needed to get away from him, and he’d be seeing her for dinner in any event.

“L’remember that.” He muttered, shoving itching fingers into his pants pockets. “See ya later on then.”

Thankfully this time she accepted the dismissal with an answering dip of her head, but even with their possible audience and his dangerous lack of restraint, she still took a moment to drag her fingertips along one of his forearms as she passed him by. Doing his best not to choke on his own fucking tongue, Daryl headed into the house quick as his feet could carry him, before they could turn him about and chase her down.

Once in the house he said hello to Annette, who kindly handed him a glass of sweet tea, which he drank all of with a carefully straight face, while Hershel watched, smirking slightly. It might have gotten him some kind of brownie points he didn't know, he also didn't taste half of it because his tongue and throat were all baking sands and arid cliffs after talking to Beth.

Rick opted to stay inside with the air-conditioning and the cold sweet tea, which was probably for the best since Daryl had the sneaking suspicion he was about to get a helluva dressing down and he really didn't need an audience.

Following Hershel out to one of the out buildings where the surprisingly new tractor was housed, he stayed about a step or two behind the older man all the way out, wanted to be farther back than that but shadowed close as he could manage. In the nearly stifling building it was actually better, there was something for him to focus on and fidget with in an acceptable manner.

Thank fuckin' Christ since m'about t' rip my damn fingers bloody.

Lifting up a side panel, Daryl quickly and wordlessly went to work, keeping half an ear out for whatever lecture he was due. It didn't come right away which mildly irked him, couldn't the old man just get it over with? But then he wasn't in the best position to be demanding shit, so he continued his survey of the engine in front of him and stayed silent.

"It clickin' at ya when you go to start it?" His question was answered with a slight nod which he returned distractedly. "Gonna try it." Said like a statement, he waited, eyes steady on the farming vet until he received another nod.

Listening carefully once he turned the key, he looked around and upon finding some tools nearby, got down to business as quickly and efficiently as he could. Not willing to look like more of an ignorant redneck than he already had in front of this man, Daryl went through all the causes of the issue he could think of fast but thorough.

Next time he tried it, the engine sputtered and caught, chugging along cheerfully making him give a ghost of a grin. It got to be such a grind sometimes, repairing vehicle after vehicle all day every day, but right now he felt that old satisfaction of actually being able to solve a problem and be fuckin' useful for once. When he looked to find Hershel, he discovered the spectator leaning easily against a couple of stacked saw horses face contemplative as Daryl cut the engine back off.

"Just had that air filter changed out." The white bearded man informed him. "What exactly did you do with that hammer?"

"Solenoid was stuck." Daryl muttered, packing the tools back up. "Shouldn' hit it 'less ya've done it a few dozen times before an' know how to knock the fu- friggin' thing just enough without busting it." Motioning vaguely to the tractor he continued. "Didn' wantcha t' have to buy a new starter if I could get it movin' the gear to the flywheel." Feeling a warmth in his cheeks at Hershel's mildly impressed look, Daryl finished with a shrug. "Air filter was new, but it got clogged up with chicken dust, happens all the time."

"Well Daryl, I have to thank you, all these years running this farm and I have unfortunately never taken much to the mechanical elements of it." Shaking his snowy head, his expression turned a little rueful once more. "I've come to depend too heavily on Otis's abilities and with him and Patricia on vacation...well, I have a feeling you saved me a penny or two."

His brain nearly swirled in his skull with his sharp side to side movements, and Daryl couldn't clip out the words fast enough. "This ain't got me breakin' even, all the things your family's been doin' fer me an' Kit. S'about time I could do some shi- stuff t'help out."

"Kind of you to say." Hershel replied, but his tone belied his agreement, and there was something else there that made Daryl decide to just jump the fuck in with both feet.

"M'sorry, 'bout the shower." Eyes squinted in unease, Daryl cleared the blockage clogging up his vocal cords. "About what I said? Never should'a said them things to Beth."

"She told us you'd apologized to her at the hospital." Daryl had a moment to wonder if Hershel Greene could read minds, the way the silvery blues narrowed, he did his absolute best to shove all flashes of kissing the man's daughter from his mind. "Said you did so  quite  profusely too."

Barely being able to maintain eye contact, he nodded with a jerking bob, wanting desperately to worry some part of lip or cheek with his teeth. That was definitely  one  way of describing what had happened that day, and he wasn't about to clue the old man in on any of the other occurrences. He wouldn't lie if questioned, but he doubted pretty goddamn highly that he'd be able to do anything other than stare if Hershel came straight out and asked him if Daryl had in fact stuck his tongue into Beth's mouth.

Hell, he could feel himself freezing up like a jackrabbit caught in a spotlight as it was.

"In that case I'm going to give you some advice, instead of directing you off my property."

Tensed body and all, he couldn't stop the bristling that lashed along his spine, was just able to bite back the snarky statement he'd have snapped out at any prior time to any prior person who wanted to give him  advice . He wasn't looking to be another Jimmy to this family, and considering the way he kept running his luck thin, some well-meaning words might be what he needed. They might be the fuckin' epitome of everything the Dixon's weren't, but the Greene's were good people, and him and Kit could sure use as many good people as they could find.

"Now maybe I'm out of my depth, but it seems to me that we are not completely dissimilar men." That floored Daryl a bit, besides being a dad, there were few people he'd have said he was least like than Hershel Greene. "Now I was younger than you are now, so perhaps this has already taken place, but I did need whether I knew it or not, a swift kick in the ass by the people in my life in order to work myself into a man worth being around."

Inexplicably the scars on his back flared, and Daryl couldn't quite curb the narrowed look of hostility that got shot Hershel's way. Took him a few startled heartbeats to get himself under control and realize that the ass kicking being described was probably more figurative than literal.

"I'm not fool enough to do anything other than admit that the most lifesaving whoopings of my life came from both my wives, and so I know the raw unmitigated power a good woman can have in a man's life." The look that he got fixed with at this point had Daryl wishing the ground would come up and swallow him, or that there were more escape routes out of the hot as fuck oversized shed, as Hershel continued. "However, if in the course of Beth's assistance in orienting you on your path brings her pain unduly and you're the cause...I won't hesitate in using the tractor you were just nice enough to fix to run you down and mulch your body into pulp."

So that's where Maggie got her healthy dose of terrifying from.

"We understand one another Daryl?"

"Yes sir."

"Good!" Sighing, Beth's scary fucking father rose out of his leaning position. "Now then, let's get a move on back to the house. It's hotter than the devil's gut in here and I'm an old man."

Doing his best not to snort at the description, Daryl followed Hershel and surprisingly found himself keeping pace with him instead of dropping back.

"You gonna teach me how t' scare the shit outta guys like that?" He questioned, feeling the other man's eyes flicker to him. "M'gonna need it later on."

A breath of a laugh reached his ears. "I highly doubt you'll have much trouble in that department son, but I'm more than happy to share what I can. For instance, I've never been half as worried about you seein' my daughter as I was when she started dating that Blake boy. Not after I'd gotten the chance to meet you anyhow."

Electrical pulses of shock fired around his body, and he was barely able to mumble out - "We're jus' friends." Successfully avoiding the derisive light blue glance that was directed at him, he didn't much blame Hershel for ignoring the statement and continuing on like he hadn't spoken.

"A smart man heeds a girl's father, either through self-preservation, or the good sense that depending on the relationship he hopes to have a future with the woman that isn't fraught with tension and burdened by a disapproving  possible  father-in-law."

Daryl's mouth was so dry again, he'd gladly gag down some more sweet tea at the moment, he was almost certain he was being messed with or tried. Marriage? Good lord, he couldn't even offer Beth a goddamn relationship right now, and only  half  of that was due to his baby and his jobs. Concentrating hard on what was being said, he stubbornly refused to spazz out after making the headway he had, man was probably just talking about the situation in general or was maybe prodding at him to get a rise.

What the hell ever, Daryl wasn't  about  to forget the fact that Hershel had just come out and told him plain that he preferred the nearly middle aged redneck dating his daughter than the boy next door. Nope. That was a fucking win right there, and he was gonna savor it, even if it seemed like Beth's dad was gonna make him pay for it through his teeth.

"You see Daryl, what you'll quickly discover when your own little girl gets to be that age, it's the stupid ones you have to really worry about." Beth's words from earlier came to mind, and he felt his brow furrow. "The ones that take your threats as nothing but wasted wind, and that have been brought up with a certain amount of entitlement to make them a danger to your daughter's heart."

"Ain't jus' the spoilt ones that'd be that." Daryl commented, slowing his pace so that Hershel could lead the way up the back steps to the house.

"No but you see, the ones that were raised like we were, or ones that have experienced either some discipline or some loss...well if heartbreak happens then, it's usually in earnest, experienced by both sides and more often than not unavoidable." Hershel replied, opening the fridge, pulling out a pitcher of lemonade and another of sweet tea. Rick stood by one counter, Aurora cradled against his chest, Annette was beginning to make dinner with the unhurried movements of long practice.

"You're not lecturing are you dear?" She asked without much worry, giving Daryl a look as if he'd have it coming if it was the case.

"Man asked for my opinion Netty." Hershel answered, handing off a glass of chilled lemony goodness to Daryl before refilling Rick's sweet tea and pouring some for himself. "Anyhow, the problem with the ones like Jimmy," it didn't escape the sweating redneck's notice the way Annette stalled out next to the oven, "is that it is very much about what they can get out of the situation, and rarely does anyone else's needs enter into their minds, and why would it when they've been raised as the center of their own small universe?"

" Some people are just hateful." The tight voice from near the stove stopped Hershel’s words, and Daryl shuffled uncomfortably, gazing deeply into the yellow depths of his glass. “ That boy has more to answer for than poor upbringing and selfishness alone. There’s more that goes into bein’ a good person than family and your regular attendance at church.”

"There is indeed." The farmer conceded without comment. "I would have to say one of my least favorite bits of all that went on, was the fact that on more than one occasion, I was forced to save the life of that boy."

Daryl cast a quick glance to Rick who steadily bounced Auri softly, face totally stoic and unconcerned about anything being discussed. Maybe he'd already heard about the situation from one source or another, or maybe he just had faith enough in the older man to trust in his ability and will to have done the right thing.

"He was very much involved in cross country running at the time." Annette supplied, tossing a box's worth of noodles into a water filled pot with irritation. "Which wasn't much of an issue usually."

"Except when Maggie was home visiting from college." Hershel added over the rim of his glass.

"She couldn't be trusted to not to be the aggressor in a hit an’ run." If asked, Daryl would admit that Beth's mama sounded more proud than concerned.

"Violence is never the answer." Hershel intoned, as if he'd quoted the saying many  many  times during this particular story.

"It is, however, a solution." Everyone turned to lay eyes on the sheriff, who cleared his throat awkwardly before deciding that Auri wanted to go check out the living room once again.

The rest of the night went decently well, with Beth nearly skipping into the house with excitement being a definite high point. He was able to behave himself, and albeit there being more people than he'd ever willingly be surrounded by at any one time, he for the most part enjoyed himself. The food was amazing, the company was as easy as he was likely to get, and everyone took turns fussing over his kid (including Hershel) which filled him with the kind of warm fuzzy feeling he'd come to associate with time spent in Beth's presence.

Made him kind of hope it wouldn't be the last time. He liked his chances of other dinners happening in the future, considering none of the Greene's (to his knowledge) were looking to hit him with their cars...so...progress.

If he wasn't careful, this kind of thing might make him think he actually  was  capable of more, like relationships, and family other than his kid and deadbeat brother...

Apparently Beth wasn't the only Greene able to turn his world on its head.

Fuck .

Chapter Text

Chapter 16

Friday, July 21 st - Saturday, July 29 th

Beth checked the meatloaf one more time, hoping it didn't get too dry while waiting for Daryl to make his way home. She hoped he even liked meatloaf, she knew quite a few people didn't look too favorably on the dish…but she hadn't gone wrong with it yet. And anyway, it made the best leftover sandwiches next to pot roast. She'd been trying to think more and more about dinners that then made good lunches, because honestly, she didn't know how the man had survive before her.

Then again, she cast quick eyes to the monitor on the counter, before her had been before Aurora too, and before he was working two jobs and saving whatever he could to pay for the baby's medical bills present and future, not to mention just all the things the little bundle of adorableness might need.

The rumble of a truck's engine had her skipping to the front door, leaning out passed the jamb to offer him a smile as he slid from the seat and offered her a nod in reply. Her brows pinched as he walked over to her, eyes tired and rounded shoulders, he looked exhausted and she immediately felt a wave of anxiety cinch along her ribcage. She usually stayed to eat dinner with him before heading home, but that was it, he'd be waking up with Auri every few hours throughout the night.

"Hey." She greeted, moving out of his way and closing the door once he'd passed her. "You alright?"

Shaggy head dipping a little he went to run the zipper down his coveralls before stopping and glancing weary blues at her, making a vague motion towards the bathroom, he nodded once more at her and dragged his feet towards a shower. She’d thought he wouldn’t be so tired tonight since he hadn’t had to do his second shift at the pizzeria tonight, but that clearly wasn’t the case.

Worrying her bottom lip, Beth went about the business of taking the pan of meatloaf from the oven and dishing up two plates of that, and also the sides of mashed potatoes and green beans. Putting them on the table, she quickly checked once more on Auri, before heading back to the kitchen to wait.

He plodded out a few minutes after she'd heard the water shut off, t-shirt with a few small holes along the abdomen, ratty grey sweatpants shuffling along with his tired legs. Watching him carefully, she saw the way he blinked slowly at the food on the table, the Coke next to his plate, before moving his gaze to hers.

"S'rry." And she gave him a sad smile, because he had nothing to apologize for, but nonetheless was looking bashful and sleepy. "Didn' get a' shower, you'd a' found me face down in the damn hallway."

"'Course, you sure you're alright?" A bobbing chin and he moved to sit at the table, blinking a few more beats without moving to take up his fork. "Daryl if you're super tired just go on in ta' bed."

Again that heavy gaze as he worked through what she'd said. "Ain't wantin' t' stay for dinner?"

"What? No that's not it at all." She answered quickly, coming to sit at the table with him, brows still firmly knit. "You're just lookin' pretty beat is all."

"Kit'll be up soon anyway." Daryl reasoned, finally pawing at the utensil by his plate, curling thick fingers around the gleaming thing before spearing the corner of his slice of meatloaf and dropping the bite into his mouth. "Fuuuck." His tired groan managed to make her smile even as she continued to observe him with concern. "Savin' m'life w'this meatloaf Beth."

"I'm glad you like it, a lot of people..." She trailed off as his eyes lifted to view her, waving away what she'd been about to say, Beth grabbed her own fork and started eating. "I want ya to head ta' bed soon as you're finished with dinner." She leveled a green bean tipped utensil at him when he scowled and opened his mouth to argue. "An' don't even think about growlin' at me Bear."

It didn't do much to alleviate his grumpy expression, but the next time his mouth opened, mashed potato was deposited inside it so that was good. Dang stubborn ass redneck, not everything had to be a fight. They ate in silence for the next several minutes, shooting dirty looks back and forth that were tempered by twitching smiles.

"Ain't no point goin' t'bed after this." He grumbled after a bit, shaking some salt onto his own serving of green beans. "Sleepin' now, means Auri'll be wakin' up right as I'm droppin' off."

She fixed him with a bored kind of exasperated stare until he glanced up after a few bites, narrowing his eyes at her once again.

"Won't hurt me any, stickin' around so you can get some sleep."  Tsking  at his jerking head shake, Beth continued while cutting her meatloaf into squares. "Well, 'less you're plannin' ta' toss me out on my butt, I ain't goin' anywhere."

Swallowing another bite, he considered her for a minute or two before nodding at last. "Jus' leave the monitor in m'room 'fore ya leave."

"Deal."

"Better let yer folks know." He murmured sounding embarrassed. "Don' want 'em thinkin'..."

It hung weighted and pressing between them until she nodded, feeling a light prickling of her cheeks as she pulled her cell from her pocket. The text she was about to send to her mama could catch her a long talking to, which would be a shame since Daryl's visit to the farm had made her parents blissfully nonverbal on the subject. Sneaking a peek at him as he methodically demolished the rest of the food on his plate, she began tapping out a text.

-  Hey mama, you trust me right?

She got through some more of her plate before her phone buzzed in her hand.

- Oh Lord, what's happening now?

- Daryl's bone tired and I'd like to stay the night so I can get up with Auri so he can get a decent night's sleep. But I don't want you and daddy thinking it's for any other reason.

There was a long stretch where she felt a childlike panic snake her bones, and she had to remind herself that she was legally (at least) an adult now and even if she was wanting to stay over here for some other reason it'd be her business and no one else's. But considering the way she'd been raised and the values that seemed obnoxiously engrained in her, she knew that kind of thinking didn't hold much water.

Snatching up his plate before he got the chance, Beth stuck her tongue out at his growl, and made it to the sink before her phone was buzzing once more in her pocket. Rinsing off the dishes she took a deep breath before fishing out the device once more and clicking the lock button to view the reply.

-Sweetpea if you say that's why you're staying there, we believe you.

She let out a lungful of air, knowing without having to ask, that there had definitely been more to that than her mother had chosen to send. Her parents had had plenty of time for an intense, albeit short, conversation about her decision, and she wouldn't be surprised if she were grilled about it later. Her parents were understanding yeah, but they were still parents, and Daryl was well...

Blocky hands slid around her waist and she barely contained her start of surprise as she clicked the lock button once more to darken the lit screen. Still damp hair chilled the side of her face as bands of warmth twined around her before the heated expanse of his body lined itself up behind hers. Pulling away would be the smart move, the friend move, but he felt sweetly cozy wrapped around her and they'd been being so good since mulligan day.

So instead of doing what she maybe should have done, Beth leaned back into him instead, laid an open hand and fingers curled around a cell phone on his forearms. Tried to forget for a moment, that they were anything other than a couple of people who were attracted to one another, and had just had dinner together.

"They ok with ya stickin' aroun' a' little longer?" Beth nodded, the crown of her head grazing his shoulder. He didn't need to know she'd decided to stay the night. It wasn't for any nefarious purpose, if he felt really strongly about it, he could kick her out once he was fully rested. But honestly, she'd just be right back here in the morning anyway. "Good, I'mma 'bout t'go into a straight food coma." Small pause as his hold tightened minutely. "Thanks, fer dinner."

"Anytime." She wasn't trying to encourage any kind of forward behavior, not really, couldn't help the soft tone in her voice though, or the way she settled into him, enjoying how wanted and safe she felt.

He huffed out a breath, apparently thinking of something that had just come to mind. "Did you call me  Bear ?" She let out a breath of a laugh, gasping when he squeezed and lifted her slightly off her feet, before setting her back down just as quickly. "Ya sass a lot for a' babysitter."

"You hold on tight , for bein' my boss." He'd have dropped his arms at her teasing, had she not held him in place, refusing to either release him, or feel guilty about it. Just a moment longer, that's all she needed, one more squeeze, and she’d be satisfied... "Knock it off, you know I'm joshin' ya."

He rumbled something that shivered up her spine. "This ‘nother one a' them things friends don't do?" She hummed a  yes  to him, awkwardly tugging at his arms until he figured out what she wanted, and hugged her hard once more. He arched his neck and nuzzled his face into her shoulder, sending quick jabs of electricity over her tingling frame. "They fuckin' do anythin' fun?"

Closing her eyes she smiled while answering. "Oh sure, they go to movies, bars if they're old enough, gossip 'bout people they know an’ the opposite sex." He scoffed into her shoulder before letting her go, and she turned to smile at him as she continued. "Play games, joke, give each other a hard time, get one another in trouble."

"M'goin' t'bed." He flashed her a wry little quirk of his mouth before turning to head in that direction.

"Go out to eat, do hobbies together," she continued listing, trailing along behind him, "go to the gym or exercise together, watch TV, chat, plot world domination."

"List's gettin' long as fuck woman." He groused, turning back towards her once he'd reached his bedroom, leaning a shoulder against the jamb and crossing his arms. "How 'bout while m'sleepin' you getcherself some paper, write that shit down? L'read it when I get up."

"Make up ways to survive a zombie apocalypse, prank each other, prank other people together, have slumber parties with popcorn and junk food." Her smile was actually starting to hurt her face the narrower his eyes became, finally deciding to show mercy, she finished with a shrug. "Snuggle."

"Snuggle?" He repeated, mouth quirking once more.

"Yeah ya know, lay close to one another, maybe even partially on top a’ one another, without their bits mingling." Even through the slight warmth in her cheeks, she enjoyed the surprised gust of air – sounded almost like a laugh without the sound – he made after the look of shock that widened his eyes slightly.

He studied her for a bit before ducking his head and looking shy again. "Wanna snuggle buddy?"

"Not tonight pal," she shot back, feeling a little pang of something more than friendly, and more than like along her sternum, "but only 'cause I'd wake ya every couple a' hours, which would make me stayin' longer pointless." She leaned closer to him, eyeing him with exaggerated consideration. "But I suppose we could snuggle sometime, maybe the same time we do a movie and popcorn thing?"

Lips pressed thin he gave a little bobbing nod, seeming like he was trying not to appear too pleased with the idea. Ticking his chin up at her he moved to his bed, and Beth padded her way back into the living room.

The first few hours were filled with small events, cleaning up dinner, packing his lunch, unsuccessfully looking for paper to write snarky notes on and put in his lunch, and finally after some deliberation she sent out a group text to all the people that'd come to the baby shower to ask if anyone knew of someone selling a car for cheap. Because when in the heck was Daryl going to have time to go car shopping?

She'd made sure to close Daryl's bedroom door the first time she was headed into get the grumbling infant. Beth tried not to think about it too much, the near crushing clench Auri's steady gaze caused on her ribs. The fascination that came along with each small change and accomplished feat of growth. She could only imagine how strong this feeling must be for Daryl, how much stronger it'd become the longer she babysat.

Relocating back into the living room after changing and feeding her, Beth spent the next little while singing to Aurora while she got the small tub partially filled with warm water on the kitchen counter. She remembered the startling amount of fear that had come along with Daryl showing her how to do it the first time. She'd never given a kid she'd been watching a bath before, and Auri was so darn small.

But of course, Daryl had discovered that his little one loved to kick and splash in the water, all the while maintaining the most resolute look of concentration that Beth had ever seen. And so she had little choice other than to get rather familiar with the process. Watching the little limbs waving and disturbing the water's surface the minutest amount now, she figured that Auri was about the size of an average new born...well...eyes taking in the miniscule body she smiled a bit indulgently,  almost .

"Well you might not be the biggest." Beth murmured in a crooning low voice, smiling when Auri tracked the sound successfully to her face. "But you are most certainly the prettiest."

A quick wash, a thorough bundling, some lotion, a diaper, the pulling on of a fresh sleeper, and the singing of a couple more songs, and Beth was able to lay the baby back down in the bassinet, figuring she had about three hours or so until it'd be time for another bottle.

Checking her phone, she smiled widely when she saw the healthy amount of replies to her earlier message, most of them promising to keep an ear out. But one, from T-Dog, sounded promising, there was an older guy he was friends with from church name of Dale, had mentioned thinking about selling his wife's car. Reading through the text, Beth sent a quick thank you to everyone, and asked T-Dog to let either Daryl or her know what he found out.

Feeling pretty pleased with herself, and specifically not thinking about a certain sleeping redneck in the next room, she curled herself up on the couch and decided to brave Daryl's ancient television set. There were about two local channels that came in snowy and distorted, and she'd gotten a peek at his meager collection of seemingly all horror movies, and she wasn't even going to attempt watching any of those...at night...in a cabin...in...the...woods.

Nope.

Which left her phone for entertainment.

The rest of her night was spent between her phone, the baby, staring off into space trying her best to resist the unreasonable desire to go crawl into bed with a grown man she'd have no idea what to do with, other than share body heat. And worrying about what would happen when said man woke up to find her here. She should try to sleep she knew, catch a nap in between feeding and changing Auri, but as the night crept on - the more nervous she became.

It was around three, when her eyes were feeling a bit like sandpaper and glass dust, that she heard the whispering scuffles of hurried steps that usually would have been silent. Twisting herself to face the hallway that led to the back, she counted to keep her breathing normal, knowing she wouldn't hear him until he was out here and either talking or growling at her.

He came striding into the living room, freezing in the light of the TV's turbulent light, its ever changing variations highlighting his sharp cheekbones before sending him into almost complete darkness and then lighting him from shaggy crown to bare feet before fading back to impressions and edges.

Smiling as brightly as anxiety and tiredness allowed, she waved the monitor at him, waiting to see what his reaction would be. She was pretty sure she could see his brows knit, eyes narrowing, but he didn't say a word and she tilted her head a bit, waiting. His head turned back towards the bedrooms before orienting back to her place on the couch.

Without a word, he raised a muscled arm and pointed down the hallway, snapping his fingers when she didn't initially move. (- Avoids words where motions will serve.) For some reason the sound had her hopping off her seat, feet landing quickly and not quite as noiselessly as his, she made her way to his bedroom. Her heartbeat was pin balling all around her ribcage as she felt his warmth at her back, then there was the click of the door and darkness.

"Ya need somethin' t' sleep in?" The grate in his voice landed and skidded up the fine hairs on her arms, trickled like ice water on a scorching day down the length of her spine, making her shiver. She wasn't scared, he wasn't going to try anything in this room right now that'd scare her, she had faith.

"You actually got anythin' that'd fit me?" She murmured back, before feeling the monitor being plucked from her hold. How the hell could he even see in here right now? She couldn't see him move at all, could hardly hear him either, made her feel hunted without the fear.

After a minute or two, bundled up cloth was tapped against her sternum. There was the squeaking of box springs and she stood blinking, until some of the features in the room started to stand out. Namely, a broad expanse of a light shirt covered back that was turned towards her, leaving her to figure out her next move.

She in all honesty wasn't sure what she was supposed to do next, go change in the bathroom maybe, but then he'd shut the door behind them...This felt like a sudden shift to her, while Daryl was giving her the privacy to change, it wasn't much of a question he expected her to sleep in here...with him.

It was surprising he hadn't decided to go sleep on the couch. Did she want him to sleep on the couch? Surprisingly enough, blushingly enough, no she didn't. Beth realized with a bit of a start she'd been standing there motionless for several minutes, taking a deep breath, she dropped the clothes he'd handed over, onto her feet. Peeling off her own layers, heat seared her cheeks and along her chest as she went as far to unhook her bra, wrapping it hurriedly inside her discarded shirt before bending and snatching up whatever alternative cover he'd managed to find her, berating herself continuously as she pulled it over her head.

It was like she wanted something to happen, wanted...Her body warmed further as she shook her head a little and shucked out of her pants, shaking out the too large sweats, stepping in hurriedly and pulling the drawstring tight to within an inch of its life. Beth gathered up her own clothes and smashed them along the corner that the floor, bed, and wall created, before laying down in uncertain stages.

On her side after an embarrassingly long process, that he'd probably felt every moment of, Beth regulated her breathing and felt simultaneously thrilled and terrified. On one hand she was in Daryl's bed, and then on the other, she was having thoughts about doing things in Daryl's bed that belied her earlier concern about changing clothes in his proximity.

Even in the dark, she could make out the peak of a broad shoulder and the sweeping line that led to his waist below the light sheet. He'd left a surprisingly soft plush and blackish colored blanket for her to wrap up in. The only problem was that she wanted with a kind of disembodied need, to slide under that sheet that covered him, to run quick skimming fingernails down that carefully immobile back.

Gathering up the blanket like a life line to sanity, she fisted her hands inside its soft depths and slammed her lids shut, concentrating on the air she needed to survive. Reminding herself until her body calmed, that she'd have no idea what to do , not really. That she didn't feel ready for all the things a person with experience would know and expect. And that even if what she thought he'd told her, about the touching, meant he'd slept with only one woman a year since he was…say 18 or so, all statistics that felt on the light end of the probable spectrum...

Well that line of thinking chilled the embers in her veins to charred blackened husks under her skin.

Feeling guiltier as the time went on, Beth realized she'd sort of expected him to turn over at some point after she'd lain down and... do something. Anything. Roll over and wrap an arm around her, kiss her maybe...maybe...And she should feel this awful ache right now, when he did none of those things, because she'd spent time working out the ways she'd tell him no if he did.

She was still awake, eyes closed, but mind running - when there was a plaintive little cry from the monitor that was somewhere on Daryl's side of the bed. She tossed the blanket off herself only to stop mid-motion.

"Stop yer ass right there." The body on the other side of the bed rolled itself to standing while she watched. "Yer s'posed t' be sleepin'." His inky form prowled through the room to the door, casting another grumble over his shoulder. "Better be snorin' when I get back."

A huff of laughter left her, and rearranging the blanket once more, she curled into a warm ball and waited for him to get back, sure that there was no way she'd fall asleep by the time he got back.

She was wrong.

It was the chirping alarm of a cell phone that had her cracking tired eyes open, there was an earthy, spicy scent, kicking up her nasal passage, and she was a level of warmth and comfortableness that brokered no argument against staying in bed. Whatever was lying close enough to her face to make her go cross eyed trying to look at it, shifted and moved, the shrill chirping stopped and there was a deep expelled breath too controlled to be a sigh.

Beth opened her eyes wider, doing her best to keep her breathing and lack of movement the same, also doing her best to figure out what the hell had happened while she was sleeping. It appeared that at some time during the night, she'd decided to spoon Daryl Dixon. A little awkward given their difference in size, the man didn't make a real good little spoon, at least not for someone her size.

Thank God she hadn’t flopped an arm over his side or something truly embarrassing like that, no she was just cuddled along his back, brushing him here and there with shins and forearms. It wasn’t terribly inappropriate, but she didn’t have a whole lot of motivation to move either. They lay there quietly for a few minutes, before with another heavy breath, Daryl pushed himself up to a sitting position, arching a neck around to look at her.

Beth supposed she could have pretended to be asleep, but he’d probably be able to tell the lie anyhow. Their eyes met and she wondered what was running through his mind, dang guy was so tough to read, at least he didn’t appear to be upset with her staying, or crowding him while he slept. She was by no means expecting or desiring a thank you of any kind, he’d been dead on his feet and…and it was nice, getting this little piece of extra time with him. So while she wasn’t expecting any kind of statement of gratitude, it still felt pretty nice when he held her gaze and nodded, which was about the same she figured.

“Stay in here.”

Hmmm .

She liked the morning rasp he had, watched quietly as he moved to his feet and disappeared through the door. Smiled, when he came back in holding Auri, helped him make a little nest out of his sheets, handed him his pillow to lie between the baby and the edge of the bed even though she wasn’t near rolling yet. She also liked the way it felt, Auri next to her gently curving body. Blinking up at Daryl, she knew her cheeks were warming a bit with the way he was looking down at her, couldn’t blame him much though, there was something incredibly intimate about this early morning moment she hadn’t seen coming.

Once he’d slid his sight away, Daryl grabbed all the things Beth could possibly need for the next few hours with Auri, setting the collection of items on her side of the bed (not that it was her side) and then went about getting ready for work. She and the baby watched him placidly from the happy confines of the mattress, as he strode in and out of the room in varied states of readiness.

When it was time for him to leave, Beth tracked his movements as he came to kiss his kid goodbye, cursed her lips for parting when candy blues flashed her way. It was a half aching relief when he straightened and jerked a goodbye nod at her before leaving the house altogether.

It wasn’t possible for Auri to know, but she picked that morning to sleep late, to stare stoically at the ceiling once she was up, allowing Beth to catch up on her own rest. The rest of the day unraveled like it regularly did. Daryl called on his lunch hour like usual, checking in on them and thanking her in a muttering way for packing his lunch.

“I’mma pick up dinner after m’shift at Glenn’s, s’don’t make anythin’.” Her brows knit at his declaration, she was about to suggest he not waste his money, when his next quiet words blocked the sentence in her throat and made her frown. “Less ya ain’t wantin’ t’ stay.”

“Ya keep sayin’ that.” She replied in confusion. “Why’re you thinkin’ all a’ sudden that I’m not wantin’ ta’ stick around?”

There was an uncomfortable silence, where she swore, she could almost hear him shuffle uncomfortably before answering.

“M’not,” he grumbled, sounding almost sullen, “jus’ don’ like askin’ too much of ya.”

“Well you aren’t.” She knew her voice sounded overly brisk, but the way his head seemed to be going didn’t feel like a good path to indulge in. “Unless you’re thinkin’ to have me watch one of these awful horror movies ya got here for our movie night, because I tell ya what, I draw the line right there.”

There was a huffing static and she smiled. “Nah, you can pick what ya want us t’ watch.”

“Kay, good.”

When he got home that night, they ate pizza and she told him the movie she’d decided on for them to watch, pretending to be both aghast and offended when he told her he’d never seen The Mummy from the late 90’s. Which in all honesty she almost felt like he’d have to have outright avoided, because the dang thing had played on TV every other weekend for forever now…but she was also friggin’ excited to get to watch it with him too.

Her week was largely uneventful, besides one awkward conversation with her mom explaining how nothing had happened during her and Daryl’s sleepover. It hadn’t helped when she’d wrapped things up by saying it, in all probability, was going to happen again on Friday, because Daryl was probably going to be just as exhausted as he’d been last Friday…yeah that was it…no other reason.

When the day did roll around, Beth found herself across from him at his small kitchen table like usual, flicking amused glances at him while he slurped up heaping bites of spaghetti. Catching one of these looks, Daryl stalled a bit and then, searching, snatched up a napkin and scraped off red sauce from upper lip to chin. She found it pretty hard to hide her smile, the man was adorable in ways she didn’t think were meant, or supposed, to be.

Picking at her own serving, it felt like the anxiety clinging to her uvula was road blocking any food passages passed the bobbing piece of flesh. Swallowing repeatedly didn’t do the trick, and finally Beth gave up on eating altogether. Shooting Daryl’s inquiring frown a quick smile, before climbing to her feet, she took her largely untouched plate and wrapped the whole thing in tinfoil. Storing that in the fridge she then went about sliding the other leftovers into containers, trying to ignore the now silent man behind and to the left of her.

She had an idea where his head was going with her actions before she even turned around from getting everything cleaned up. He was staring moodily at his plate, hiding a good portion of his face behind that shielding hair of his, but she could see the way his jaw ticked and the half fisted set of his hands on the table. There was little doubt in her mind then, that Daryl was thinking she was wanting to leave, or that he’d put her off somehow with his manners.

After seeing his back, Beth had realized why maybe he hadn’t liked the touching, hadn’t gotten close to anyone, or trusted anyone enough to get close. The thought of those lash marks, she felt them branded into her back, could only try to imagine the pain of split skin and bruises muscle deep. Her daddy had been right, his father and Daryl’s had been a similar kind of man, which meant they’d been poor excuses for one.

Meant, she knew exactly why he was prone to thinking that she was wanting to get away from him now, she’d seen one of his real deep dark secrets. Probably thought it made her want to turn tail or keep her distance. And really all it did was make it harder for her not to go further than what they’d agreed on. Beth knew she didn’t want to get away from Daryl Dixon, if anything she felt like she couldn’t, like even if she did desire to turn and walk away, the force of his gravity would bring her back, feet sliding over the ground like an old cartoon.

He’d sucked her in, and she wasn’t looking to go anywhere at all.

“Ya want me to stay again?” She asked, mirroring the shake of his head as he cut dark lock-covered eyes her way. Rolling her own blues, she crossed her arms and shot out a glare that had him tilting his head back a bit to take her in. “Shouldn’a said it that way,” the stubborn note in her voice was comforting and familiar, helped her get the rest out, “what I meant was, I’m stayin’ again so you can get some sleep.”

His rabid stillness had her picking up volume in case he tried to interrupt.

“An’ I don’t want any growlin’ about it, because I already told my parents, an’ had to go through that whole uncomfortable conversation with my daddy . So you’re jus’ gonna finish your dinner and not say a word edgewise.”

It was interesting Beth had to admit, the way Daryl could somehow freeze even more than his immobile limbs had already been. And she watched him now with narrowed eyes, as he seemed to try to process the information she’d volleyed at him. After about a solid minute of staring blankly at her – he bent his head and began eating once again without a word as instructed – and Beth had a little hot snap of pleasure from being obeyed. Lord knew the man wasn’t one to let her get too used to it, so she was willing to take what she could get when she could get it.

Going into Auri’s room, she scooped up the small pink bathtub and brought it out to the kitchen where he was standing from the table. His plate was devoid of anything but the remnants of noodles and a light smearing of sauce that his garlic bread hadn’t managed to soak up. He rinsed the empty dish as she placed the tub on the counter. When he reached for the plastic device, again without a word, Beth smiled a little to herself and went to grab the small babe that was gurgling spit bubbles with a severe look of concentration on her face while resting in her bouncy.

It was a close squeeze, the three of them along the counter, as she handed Aurora to Daryl, cheeks bunching up as he placed his little kit inside the tub with its layer of warm water. There was something heart and duct tugging about the way Auri tracked her and Daryl’s faces one after the other as she splashed and kicked her little feet. Made Beth feel…eyes sliding up to Daryl’s, she tried ignoring the quick ache in her chest as he ticked one of his smiles at her, before looking back down at his baby girl.

Made her feel like they were a family.

After the bath she got to watch Daryl with Auri, which was without a doubt one of her favorite new pastimes. He’d cradle her in large flexing arms and tell her stories. Beth didn’t know if he did it for her benefit or not, but it seemed like a lot of his tales focused around things that happened recently. Events like the baby shower, or last Sunday when he came out to help fix daddy’s tractor.

“An’ since I did an’ alrigh’ job,” he explained in a gravelly voice sweet as rock candy, “Hershel figured he wouldn’ kill me, least not that day.” Beth sputtered in shocked laughter from her place on the couch, watching him turn towards her from one of his circuits around the room with a smirk.

“Do not be tellin’ her that Daryl Dixon!” She whisper yelled, mouth still stretched in a smile even as she berated him. “You’ll have her scared to death of daddy and that’d break his heart, he asks about her all the time you know.”

Daryl gave her a lightly derisive look. “Kit don’ even know what I’m sayin’ long as I sound happy enough, could be talkin’ ‘bout engines an’ tire ware an’ she’d think it was jus’ the best story in the world.”

“Oh like you haven’t done that already.” Mollified for the most part, she watched as he came to sit them both down next to her. “She’s good PR for ya Daryl, there’s not a’ soul can say no to those pretty blues, isn’t that right Lil’ Sunrise?”

Aurora considered her sleepily, cushioned against her daddy’s chest, looking like she was moments from dropping off once more to sleep, and probably was. Daryl turned to look at her and Beth had to catch her breath a little, Auri wasn’t the only one with pretty blues in the room, nope, her daddy had quite the pair on him as well.

“Think she’s about ready.” He murmured, and Beth nodded, even though she felt as if she were spiraling through the air while being drawn towards the black hole that centered on his pupils. She distantly noted the way he cleared his throat, before standing and heading towards the bedrooms. Beth decided for obvious reasons to stay firmly planted where she was.

Maybe staying the night was a bad plan after all, and gee who could’ve seen that coming?

They spent the time until he was ready to go to sleep talking, trying to figure out when they’d be able to watch the movie. With Beth openly chastising herself for not bringing it with her today, keeping it to herself that she’d been worried he’d put up more of a fight to her staying. Between their two schedules they were at a bit of a loss, deciding finally to play the whole thing by ear. Which moved them onto bickering over who was going to be responsible for dinner the next night. She didn’t want him spending money on fast food, and he stubbornly refused to make her cook for him every night of the week she babysat.

And even as they glared at one another and groused about the other’s arguments, Beth couldn’t help that almost nostalgic feeling that crammed itself fit to bursting inside her ribcage, nearly flattening her struggling heart while he sassed her. His thigh warm against the tops of her feet as they sat on his couch and the night crept in. When it got late enough, and their conversation had spiraled into what Beth was planning to send to Merle next (which now included a letter from Daryl, though she’d compromised with him that it didn’t have to exceed a couple paragraphs) she noticed the way he eyed the darkness outside the window before flipping his phone open to check the time.

“Bed time?” He nodded to her question, looking a little uncomfortable before he replied.

“M’gonna sleep on the couch, puts you closer to the kit.”

And stopped the possibility of anything happening between them while lying in his bed, but that’s what she should want, so that they didn’t put any kind of unnecessary stress on their relationship that already felt complicated enough…didn’t it? Shouldn’t she? Then why the heck did she feel all this dang disappointment, yanking at her empty belly and twisting around her chilly feeling hands?

“Okay.” She managed with an unsure nod and barely there smile, watching as he once more gained his feet and disappeared around the corner to the hallway, appearing a while later in his grey Father’s Day shirt she’d gotten him and some sweats.

He looked rosy as he handed her some of his clothes to change into and she decided to forget about her own bag of clothes that she’d left waiting in her car. Instead she accepted his with another tremulous smile, and a muttered goodnight, moving quietly to the bathroom and changing while giving herself a stern talking to about expectations and responsibility.

The night was spent much like the last sleepover, with the major exception being her tortuous time spent rolling around in Daryl’s bed, his scent in her nose and her body’s irrational heating and aching while she tried to catch a bit of sleep in between getting up with Auri. It was amazing to her how, despite her head being all bound up with the other Dixon in the house, just how much she enjoyed looking after the little one. And how much difference a week could make, she only ended up changing and feeding the baby once before the chirping of Daryl’s phone alarm had her rolling out of bed like a zombie.

Her actual consciousness felt a million miles away.

It was locked behind cotton and unfocused eyes as she plodded down the hallway to the place she distantly registered as housing what she wanted, had spent largely a sleepless night thinking about. It felt right, when she reached the living room and found him still stretched along the couch on his back, like he’d hit his snooze and was waiting for her.

It was only when he was seizing up in shock below her that Beth came more out of her stupor, heart hiccupping in her chest as she fully committed to her body’s motions that had brought her this far. Pushing her back along the couch, she sank a knee between his thigh and the cushions, resting most of her weight on it, body and one leg remaining to pillow themselves along his tensed frame.

- Is comfortable to lay on.

Her mind was both racing and surprisingly placid. He’d thrown his arm up on the back of the couch when she’d first moved over him. As though he were going to use it to push himself standing and off the couch, but it still rested there locked hard behind her head as she kept her breathing steady against his more labored puffs. There was no way to explain this, she didn’t really think he’d need her to, not the motivation anyway, but he’d be well within his rights to ask what in the heck she was thinking regardless.

And the truth was, she hadn’t been, spent all night missing his body heat, and when the alarm had gone off…she’d just wanted that early morning cuddle she’d gotten last week and her sleep deprived body had carried her out here to get what she’d desired. Man was she bad at this whole being his friend thing…

“Ya decide now was a’ good time for snuggle practice or somethin’ girl?” She nodded against his chest wordlessly, brain still too muddled to work out a response that didn’t involve suggesting they practice this as often as they could. He made a rumbling sound that vibrated through her, and Beth had to take steadying breath as her mind and body woke up by leaps and bounds at the sensation. “Should’a jus’ slept in the bed las’ night.” He mumbled, sounding a little more tired now that she was able to focus. “Would’a gotten some sleep, this’d be a lot more fuckin’ comfortable too.”

He hadn’t slept well either?

“Want me off ya?” She murmured back, gathering up her muscle strength to move off him, but a heavy arm curled around her shoulders and back, holding her to him while a large hand landed gingerly onto the bit of skin that was peeking between shirt hem and pant top.

“Nah, yer alrigh’.” It was delightful, she could appreciate through her unsteady panic, how warm and solid he was, and the way his voice moved through her when she was on top of him like she was.

“M’not hurtin’ ya?” Trying to adjust without burrowing into him, she inadvertently ended up digging her hips (actually her pelvic bone) into him when he tightened his hold as she’d tried to ease back farther into the couch. The resulting shock had her stilling in embarrassment, feeling the scrabbling want digging through her belly and urging her to repeat the motion.

Daryl guttered out some kind of grunting sound of denial, but his arm remained clamped down and Beth took a moment to breathe and try to clear both the sudden arousal and remaining sleep from her eyes and mind. He seemed to be doing his own fair share of calming draws below her, and she noticed at last, his other hand clenched into the side of the thigh she wasn’t half ground against, and the now rather obvious bulge in his sweats that made her blush.

Made her curious too, which was not something she could be about Daryl right now, not like that. It wasn’t his fault, it was morning and she’d heard all about that kind of thing from Shawn about how involuntary it was. And anyway, it certainly didn’t help that he’d woken only to have her straddle her way over him and lie against him as soon as he was barely up and functioning. He was obviously trying to reign himself in, and all the while she was running scenarios about just how bad it’d be to trail a seeking hand down his abdomen.

Probably pretty bad.

She wasn’t a complete prude, she’d done some things with Jimmy, had done almost everything she could think of to keep him happy other than the actual act itself. And those kinds of thoughts were not going to help her keep her hands to herself at all. She had the random wonder about what they must look like on the couch at that moment. Both of them stock still and breathing in pain tinged lungful’s that pressed them closer together, which then only made the breathing more necessary.

Unclenching the hand that rested on his sternum, she scraped short nails and shivery feeling fingertips there. Sighing, when the hand that was on her side slid underneath the borrowed t-shirt to curve around, heated and heavy, on her stomach. There was a constant pulse from between her thighs where she kept a slight pressure against his hip, doing everything in her power not to raise a leg and stroke it up his length.

She couldn’t move her head, knew if she arched her neck and saw the swallowing bob of his Adam’s apple, she’d want to chase it with her mouth, and would. A thumb rubbed against her bottom rib, somewhere on the borderline of incessantly and idly, his fingers returning the slight motions against her flexing belly that she was applying to his chest.

“Don’t you gotta get goin’ for work?” She asked quietly, even as she slid her hand up to trail her searching tips against the hot expanse of his neck. His own digits moved down until they bumped the fabric banding her torso, she had time for a little thrill before he was pulling his hand back up with a bit of a jerk.

“Yeah, yeah.” But he didn’t move, or direct her off him, instead that touch along her midriff was sliding itself restlessly in circling motions that pulled at her skin and stalled the air she was able to hold.

She had to stop this. Had to. Even if she didn’t want to, even if kissing him and running her hands over him was foremost in her thoughts. The coil in her gut, the throbbing pulsing beat of her was reaching a pitch that she wasn’t going to be able to ignore for much longer. Gathering what internal and external strength she could, Beth slid across his torso, only to be brought up short by his other hand coming up to stop her escape.

The hand that’d been playing havoc against her stomach dragged a tingling hot path over her back before stilling on her ribs. She was forced to meet his gaze, which was as she’d known it was going to be, a mistake, since his eyes were dark and an intense kind of questing that spun itself all around her spine. It was a challenge to keep her hips lifted and off him, to not let her straightened arms bend so she could kiss him, to keep her grip on his shoulders as nongrasping as possible.

Her eyes blinked shut when she felt roughened hands shift once more underneath her clothing, planting themselves on her sides. Adjusting her position, Beth did lower herself to be sitting on him, but it was on his torso, hoping it was north enough to keep them out of any serious trouble. But what was she supposed to do? When the man that told her he’d never liked touch, in what form she wasn’t sure, wrapped large hands around her and held her tight? They were doing their best to keep things platonic, but it wasn’t a need that abated because they willed it to.

Unable to maintain his eye contact, Beth laid down once more on him, chests pressing together, her cheek on his shoulder, shivering when his hands slid up against the backs of her ribs and back down again, over and over. She didn’t know what he was thinking, maybe he’d decided work held no appeal, or maybe he just wanted another minute or two of this.

“You like snugglin’ with me Daryl?” Palms pressed down against the small of her back, and she couldn’t shake the thought that he wanted her farther south of his abdomen.

“Think I could get used to it, Greene.” The rasping note in his voice continued when he did, hands still stroking along her back. “Makin’ me not wanna head in t’ work at all.”

“So don’t.” Her answer was a little quick, it surprised and made her feel timid when his hands stilled at last. “Could have yourself an actual weekend.”

“Gotta do it.” His low reply wasn’t a surprise, but it still made her want to sigh. She knew he didn’t have much of a choice, but he ran himself so ragged, most nights they didn’t have dinner until near ten at night once he’d gotten off his shift at Rhee’s. And while she was able to take naps during the day with Auri, it wasn’t a surprise that he came home dragging his feet and looking fit to pass out.

Humming an answer, she moved closer, pressed a quick kiss to his jaw before dragging herself off him and standing up straight. Her whole body was prickling and tingling, nerve endings wailing at the sudden lack of contact, and she tried not to eye his rangy frame that still lie invitingly on the couch next to her. If he had to go to work, it meant she had to stay off him, no matter how good it felt. Or how much he was looking at her like there was no place he’d rather her be than just where’d she’d been.

The rest of the morning was a quiet one as he got ready to go while she got the baby taken care of, and then chose to walk around the house singing to her. Using the movement to work out her body’s tension and energy, and Beth was grateful to Auri for the distraction. Especially since now she seemed able to notice Daryl’s body under his clothing in a new, blatantly startling, way that was more than simply distracting. And it was possible the same were true for him about her, if the way he kept flicking his eyes to her and away again was anything to go by.

She spent the time after he’d gone, decompressing and doing her best to go over that lecture that had done her no good, the one about expectations and responsibility. When her phone went off around his lunch time, it wasn’t a shock to see his name and now contact picture (the one of the two of them at the baby shower) pop up on her screen.

“Hi and yes she’s fine, yes she misses you, and no I haven’t burnt down your house, but I do need you to pick up milk and more of that waffle crisp cereal because I ate all a’ yours.” She reeled off the information without a thought. It was a bit of a joke between them now, because he asked the same friggin’ questions every time he called.

There was an atypical silence from his end, and Beth stopped dangling the monkey ring rattle toy above Auri’s indignantly waving hand that batted at it successfully as Beth frowned.

“Daryl?”

“Ya bought me a’ car?” His voice cut tersely over the line, and she grimaced deeply with her confusion.

“No I didn’t buy you a frickin’ car.”

“Ain’t what T-Dog jus’ got done tellin’ me.” She felt a mild amount of exasperation at his growling rumble, immediately feeling her hackles rise at the sound.

“Well I don’t know what ta’ tell ya Bear, ‘cause I didn’t buy you a gosh darn car.” Taking a deep breath she made a small attempt at pacifying the situation. “Sorry to break it to ya mister but I don’t like ya that much.”

“The fuck is he talkin’ about then?” Daryl snapped, but she could hear the uncertainty in his tone and knew the anger was no longer directed at her, luckily for him since she didn’t much approve of being grumbled at for things that weren’t her fault.

“Well if I had ta’ guess Daryl, I’d say someone somewhere is tryin’ to do somethin’ nice for ya, but since they probably don’t want your grouchy butt snarlin’ at ‘em, they made me their fall guy…well girl.”

The silence this time was a bit different and she gave the wall across from her a raised brow smile, while she waited for some kind of response from him.

“It wasn’ you?”

“Nope, all I did was text around an’ ask if anyone had heard of anyone sellin’ a car for cheap.”

More silence.

“I’ll call ya in a’ bit.”

“I fogive ya.” She said cheerfully, beaming down at Auri who gazed up at her with captivated looking blues.

“Kay.” He muttered, voice sounding like his mouth was right up against the receiver. “Good.”

Chuckling as the ending call beep sounded in her ear, she went back to playing with the baby. A couple hours later she was remaking his bed, wondering if she could talk him into getting cable or a computer with some internet. She didn’t mind cleaning, but at this point she was doing it to stay sane since there was nothing else to do at his place. In the middle of wondering how much a basic laptop must cost, Beth froze at the familiar sound of tires on the gravel that ran across the front of Daryl’s place.

Nearly jogging to the living room, feeling her heartbeat unsteadily, she peeked out the front window, jaw dropping when Daryl climbed out of the green sedan, jerking a head at someone she couldn’t see. Patting her pocket to make sure the monitor was still in place, Beth opened the front door, looking passed where her own car was parked to see T-Dog shutting the door on Daryl’s truck where he’d parked it along the shoulder of the old highway.

“Tell ‘er.” Daryl said immediately, coming to a stop in front of Beth and the open door, gesturing and glaring at the other man, who shot him a grudging look of irritation as she shut the door and came outside, glancing between the men and the car.

“I’m sorry I lied and told this grumpy ignorant redneck that it was you that bought him the car.”

A lot of glaring was going on.

“Why did you, and who was it that actually did buy the car?” She questioned, smacking Daryl lightly on the arm to get him to knock off his glowering.

“Well, ‘cause honestly ,” the man began, sounding rather harassed, eyes opening wide, “I thought if it was from you , he wouldn’t freak the hell out like he would if it was from someone else, everybody knows the dude only lets you d-”

Daryl threw out a quick arm and landed a meaty thwacking punch to T-Dog’s arm, who only groaned and eyed the redneck like he was considering retaliation. His mouth scrunched up hard, before he took a calming inhale and turned his attention back to Beth.

“Dale was wantin’ to get rid of the car, it was his wife’s before she passed and he’s been holding onto it for a while, but he doesn’t like Joe. So he was more than happy to sell it to me.” He shot another annoyed look at Daryl. “Me and the guys at the shop all pitched in, the thing’s from the 90’s it was cheap and Dale kept it fixed up good.”

“That’s so nice of you T-Dog!” She beamed before giving him a quick hug that he looked rather shocked but pleased enough to receive. “Thank you so much , oh my gosh, that’s just great!”

Maybe Daryl would be able to go down on his hours at the shop or something. Now that the car situation was one less thing he had to deal with. Even though he’d probably insist on paying the guys back, since she knew how much he hated the idea of charity . Her mind leapt like a scared rabbit from the memory of him spitting the word at her after the baby shower, and she quickly tuned back into the conversation.

“Now see.” T-Dog was saying, glaring once more at Daryl, who stood with his arms crossed looking all storm cloudy for someone who’d just had something so nice done for them. “ That right there’s how normal people say thank you . Learn somethin’ from this girl right here would’ya?”

“M’payin’ ya back.” Daryl grumbled, confirming her thoughts rather swiftly. “Ain’t havin’ all these people thinkin’ I can’ afford m’own kid.”

“Fine.” T-Dog replied, hands raised and waving as if he could ward the other man off with the fervent action. “Whatever you want man alright?”

“Daryl Dixon you stop that right now.” Why the heck did he make her sound like her mama so often? “There’s not a single person thinkin’ anything like that about you so quit it, it’s a car for heck’s sake, not formula or diapers which ya are buyin’ on your own.” She’d brought up him applying for aid once . It was a rather short conversation that she’d nevertheless want to avoid having again at any and all costs. “People can do nice things without lookin’ down atcha for it, so say thank you, and offer him some lemonade.”