A/N - I haven't written any BethxDaryl for a long time. I confess I did struggle after the loss of Beth from the show and I suffered with writer's block somewhat. This is an idea that came to me the other day and I thought why not give it a go! It's an AU where Beth survives and is in Alexandria, it may just be a one-shot but if not it will be a series of one-shots capturing different moments of Beth in Alexandria mainly involving her and Daryl. I am sure there are a lot of stories out there with this premise but this is my spin on it and I hope I can bring something a little different, I am writing both characters a little differently but I hope I am still staying true to their characters.
"Every girl wants a bad boy that is only good for them and every boy wants a good girl that is only bad for them."
Beth glanced up at the man leaning against the side of the white porch in front of her and smiled politely, his green eyes were fixed intently on her face making her feel a tad uncomfortable with the intensity of his gaze.
"So what do you say?" he asked with with the casual confidence of someone that was more than used to chatting to girls like this. "You wanna try my cooking?" he continued, and he quirked a brow and grinned.
Beth gave him another awkward smile in return. She liked Spencer, he had got off on the wrong foot with some of her group but he'd always been nice to her. Although it hadn't escaped her notice how he always seemed to single her out when they had been in group situations giving her a little more attention than she was entirely comfortable with. Since her group had arrived at Alexandria both the Monroe brothers had competed for her attention, but after Aidan had been killed, Spencer seemed to have stepped it up, making no secret about staring at her whenever she was in his view, finding reasons to talk to her all the time, asking her numerous questions about herself. Beth wasn't a fool, the way he looked at her and the attention he paid her, was enough to tell her exactly what was on his mind. She was flattered but she wasn't interested.
"I err…" Beth started hesitantly, she gripped on to the plastic of the baby monitor in her hands, and a lock of her glossy blonde hair fell over her eye as she looked down.
"You won't get a better offer, I make a mean stroganoff," Spencer quickly cut in with another charming smile, his eyes still studying her face, making Beth feel even more uncomfortable and on the spot.
In a previous life, before the world had been turned upside down and darkness had taken over, Beth Greene would have been more than interested in Spencer Monroe. She couldn't deny he was gorgeous - tall and handsome, he looked around late 20's, and was clearly well educated, confident and charming. He would have been a dream for any girl and Beth would have crushed on him for sure. Except she wasn't that girl anymore, the things that had been important to Beth back then, weren't here. Everything had changed. She was pretty sure Spencer didn't know how to fight and survive, he had been privileged before and he still carried an air of that now having spent his days since the outbreak here at Alexandria. But that also made him naive. He hadn't been through the same things that she had and they were different. His chiselled jaw and perfectly styled hair, didn't mean much if he didn't, like the majority of the Alexandrian's, understand what was really out there.
"I'd love to," Beth lied, sinking her teeth into her lower lip, "but.. Ricks asked me to keep an eye on Judith and I won't get a signal any further away on her monitor to hear if she wakes up," she explained holding the screen on the baby monitor up to validate her excuse.
Out of the corner of her eye she suddenly caught sight of dark hair on the next porch, and without even having to look Beth knew it was Daryl. He lived in the house adjacent to the one she shared with Maggie and Glenn, Abraham, Rosita and Eugene. When the group had been split into two properties, Daryl had gone with Rick and the kids, Carol and Michonne, while she had gone with her sister.
Unfazed Spencer nodded and joked, "Maybe one of these days Rick will let you off babysitting duty to have some fun."
Beth's blue eyes widened and she let out a small nervous laugh, "Oh I don't mind, I like looking after Judith." Her gaze instinctively slid sideways to catch Daryl's eye from where he had appeared and was perched silently away from them fiddling with his bike. She swallowed feeling a sudden fluttering, she could tell he was interested in her conversation with Spencer even though he would try to pretend otherwise.
"Well some other time then," Spencer added with a look that told Beth he wasn't about to give up. She guessed seeing a new female was a novelty for him and he was enjoying the challenge.
"Yeah," Beth responded out of politeness back to Spencer, she knew there wouldn't be any harm in having dinner with him at some point, but she didn't want to give him the wrong impression either.
Beth tucked her hair behind her ear as she watched Spencer stroll off, and she breathed a silent sigh or relief. Chatting to him like that with Daryl watching made her feel more than a little uncomfortable. She looked over to where Daryl was still sat on the step of the porch next door and she made her way over to join him.
He looked up as he saw her with his dark hair falling into his eyes, but he didn't say anything. Beth sat down next to him feeling instantly more relaxed and at ease. Since they had escaped from the prison together and then Daryl had rescued her from Grady, he had become the person Beth felt closest to now out of their whole group. Their relationship had gone from being an obligatory but fond one back at the prison where they had barely interacted, to being something much more special and connected. Beth's father was dead and her sister was pre-occupied with her husband, but Beth had Daryl, and he had her. After he had nearly lost her when she had been kidnapped, Daryl had been different, he looked out for her in a way that he hadn't before.
Beth placed the baby monitor down beside her and hugged her knees to her chest, the night was drawing in and a chilling wind was picking up around them. Daryl stopped what he was doing and wiped his hands on the red rag from his back pocket. He didn't have to say anything but Beth could sense he was glad she was there. He fumbled into his jeans pocket and pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes.
"You got another one of those?" Beth asked with a cheeky smile, and she shifted closer to him on the step, rubbing the goosebumps on her bare arms.
Daryl pulled one out to place between his lips, before squashing the box up in his hand and tossing it to the ground beside him. "S'the last one," he muttered with it dangling out of his mouth, the corners of his lips twitching into a faint smile as he put his hand up to shield the wind so he could light it. Beth didn't really smoke and he knew that, it was just one of the new things she had found to do to pass the time of day when the moment took her. He would have given her one if he'd had it, he wasn't her father and it wasn't his responsibility to lecture her on what to do. He took a deep drag, blowing smoke out into the evening air before he passed it over to her.
"Thanks," she responded taking the cigarette from him to inhale. She spluttered as the alien smoke filled her lungs and she coughed some more with her head down as she tried to regain her breath as she handed him back his smoke.
"Y'okay?" he asked, half concerned, half smirking.
"Yeah," Beth replied looking up again her eyes watering from her coughing fit. She knew smoking wasn't really for her, but somehow it made her feel more alive, like she was doing something she wouldn't have dreamed of before the 'outbreak'.
"Here," Daryl offered her his water bottle from where it was lying beside his bike.
"Y'got anything stronger?" she asked glancing at it, her eyes widening.
Daryl shook his head with an amused expression, she was almost unrecognisable these days since the time of the prison when her father had still been alive and she'd been a sweet high-school kid. Now she was all grown up.
"Aint you on babysitting duties?" he dismissed.
Beth looked at him straight on, it was possible he had guessed that from the baby monitor to the other side of her, or maybe he knew because he had been eavesdropping on her conversation with Spencer. Before she had the chance to respond, the sudden sound of Judith stirring could be heard over the monitor, she picked it up poised and ready to go into the house to sooth her when Michonne's voice could be clearly heard from inside the infants room instead. "There, there, what's all the fuss about, huh?"
Beth smiled and looked to Daryl to see him smiling subtly behind his hair too. Michonne was as badass as they came, but when it came to little Judith she was unable to stop her softer side from shining through.
"Looks like I'm off duty," Beth remarked smugly as she dulled the sound on the monitor. A sparkle darted across her big blues now as she asked again, "So you got any liquor left or not?" She knew he'd come across a secret stash of miniature whisky bottles on a recent recruiter run, he'd shared one with her on more than one occasion.
Daryl shook his head again, "Why don't ya ask your boyfriend," he retorted, swiping the hair from out of his eyes with the back of his hand to glance at her and gauge her reaction. Beth knew he knew that Spencer wasn't her boyfriend and Daryl was mainly teasing here, but she couldn't fail to detect the slight questioning undertone in his voice too. He was testing her to see how she reacted, he was curious as to whether there was the possibility of Spencer becoming her next boyfriend.
"He aint my boyfriend!" Beth protested firmly. She wasn't quite sure why she felt the need to make that point so blatantly, but she did.
Daryl didn't say anything, he responded by producing the small glass bottle from his pocket, kept there for emergencies only he had told himself. But right now there was just something about the sparkling blue eyes of the pretty blonde in front of him that he just couldn't say no to. Ever since that night he had given Beth her first drink at the moon-shine cabin things were different, she had changed, become more assertive and adventurous, there was a wild streak in there that had been waiting to come out, he recognised it well. She wasn't as sweet and innocent as everyone still thought. And these moments, these little moments, maybe they were what they lived for he thought as he watched her take the bottle from him to un-screw the lid and take a long swig.
She made a face as the burning liquid hit the back of her throat, followed by a rush of warmth. She offered it back to him and he took it. Just a small drop to take the edge off he told himself as he put it to his dry lips and chugged it back quickly before screwing the lid back on. He peered back through his hair again to look at her.
"I am so done with romance," Beth stated boldly, trying to end any ideas about her and Spencer hooking up once and for all. She looked out into the early evening air and let out a sigh, "It never ends well for me, so maybe I'm just better off on my own, that is what this world is meant for now, don't ya think? everyone alone," she added turning back to face him.
Daryl looked at her with a little sadness in his eyes, "Aint how it's meant to be," he mumbled.
Beth knew him so well now she could tell the sadness in his expression was for her and not him. He cared about her and he didn't like to hear her talking like that, as if she had given up on life. He on the other hand had always been a loner and never allowed himself to get intimately close to anyone for different reasons to Beth's. The strength of their friendship now was unexpected for both of them and a first for Daryl. Normally he pushed people away when they got too close, but with Beth he seemed to have forged a bond that was stronger than that.
He looked back to her and he could tell she was about to say something further, her eyes were wide again and she appeared to have been deep in thought.
"What?" he grunted.
"Ah…Nothin," she said flashing him a weak smile and looking away fiddling with the label on the small glass bottle he had handed back to her.
"Suit yourself," he dismissed brusquely, taking a final drag on his cigarette.
"It's just sometimes…. and this is going to sound weird…. but sometimes being here in this place surrounded by all these people and these homes, living like things used to be before more or less... I've never felt so alone," she confessed looking back to him, the front of her blonde hair falling out of it's ponytail and framing her face as she felt relieved to have told someone how she actually felt.
"You aint alone," he responded, his voice deep and gravelly.
Beth nodded. "I know," and she slowly broke into a real and genuine smile, she knew how much he meant those words and it filled her with comfort, he was referring to all of their group but she had experienced first hand how big his heart in particular was, and he would always be there for her, as long as he was alive she would never be alone. Maybe it was the alcohol but Beth suddenly felt a warm fuzzy glow spread through her as she remembered how lucky she was and she put the bottle down by her side as she reached for his hand.
Slowly he put his hand into hers, wrapping her fingers in his as they both enjoyed the comforting sensation of their growing closeness in this dark world.
Nothing made much sense to Beth anymore, one minute they were on the brink of giving up, starving, homeless and desperate. Now they were living here in big immaculate houses in a seemingly safe, walled community with electricity, water and supplies. And here she was next to Daryl who had somehow become one of the most important people in the world to her. Just being close to him like this made her feel safe, like there was some sort of reason to be alive still. Maggie and Glenn had been there right after Grady too, and Rick and Carol, but it had been Daryl that had kept her going through the long trek to get here. Daryl who had offered her his water and propped her up when she had felt like she was about to pass out, and it had been Daryl who had held her close to him and allowed her to finally let go and drench his collar in her tears when she had lost yet another person close to her in Noah. He saw her pain and he would have taken it for her if he could, Beth knew that.
They stayed like that for a moment and neither of them spoke or removed their hand from the other. Daryl told himself he was doing it for her, but maybe she was doing it for him too.
Before either of them had the chance to say anything more the front door to the house Daryl lived in swung open and Rick appeared on the porch in front of them.
"Hey," Rick said.
Daryl quickly withdrew his hand from Beth's but he knew that Rick had noticed. Not that there was anything to hide, he and Beth spent a lot of their time together here in Alexandria and everyone accepted that they had developed a close friendship after their time surviving together alone, that was all. Daryl was far from being a sexual predator and Rick wasn't one to judge in any case, their friendship was none of his business.
"Thanks for watching Judith today, Beth," Rick said looking directly at her.
"It's not a problem, she's adorable," Beth responded.
Rick smiled and nodded in agreement, before he turned his attention to Daryl. "We were just going to have a meeting to discuss strategy for the trip tomorrow," he explained.
Daryl nodded, "I'll be right in," he muttered.
"Okay, I'll see you in there," Rick said, turning back to Beth, "Thanks again, Beth."
Alone with Daryl again Beth felt her heart sink at the news they were going outside the walls again the next day. She knew it was necessary and that danger was an inevitable part of their world now. Her group knew what they were doing out there, but somehow something about this new unknown area and recent events made her uneasy. Daryl, and Glenn and Rick didn't know the land up here like they had back in Georgia, and anything could be out there. Beth never slept easy when they were gone. When Daryl was out there.
"How long ya going for?" she asked casually, noticing he was averting eye contact.
He shrugged, "Dunno, a day or two maybe more, we need to find more people."
Beth nodded, she could see his point and she wanted to believe that there were still good people out there, but part of her couldn't help but think that new people equaled threat now, she also knew that Rick shared those thoughts and she was surprised to hear he had agreed to this.
"Well best get inside," Daryl mumbled, his hair covering his face again as he stood up.
Beth stood too and before he had the chance to move she wrapped her arms around his muscular chest, "Be safe," she whispered into his ear and she sprung apart from him and down the steps back to her own house.
A/N - Thanks for reading my work. Reviews always welcome :)
