A/N Thank you all for stopping by to check out my latest Brick story, and a great big thanks to castronomicaaal for hosting Brick Week 2018.

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His elbows were on the bar and the glass was at his lips. Her long slim fingers slipped over his and she gave his hand the slightest squeeze. He didn't turn his head, he just looked down at the brown liquid as he muttered, "Don't do it Beth, not if you're just playin'. I can't be that. It's gotta be for keeps, all of me or none of me."

That was it, the last straw. She couldn't do this again. "That's so unfair Rick. If you're not interested then at least be honest with me. Don't say it by accusing me of being some kind of game player. And just why would you say something like that to me when you're the one who can't commit? And worse, why would you think of me that way? That's not only wrong, it's mean. Have I acted like this is a game to me? Have I acted flighty or like I was just teasing? I feel like all I've done is everything I can think of to try and show you I care, hoping like hell you'd take a chance on caring about me. I may be slow but eventually I catch on. I've caught on now. You can relax. I'm all out of tries, I have nothing left to try. You win, I give up."

He still didn't look up, in fact his head hung a little lower, but his hand moved to cover hers and he clasped it tightly, "No. Please. Please don't give up on me Beth."

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She'd done her course work at a private college outside of Columbus and she'd be eternally grateful to her maternal grandparents for footing the bill. They'd allowed her to follow her dream, a dream that must have seemed so strange to them.

She wasn't the type to crave the spotlight. She was far more the type that preferred to simply experience the satisfaction that came from getting the job done quietly and efficiently, and from behind the scenes. What she loved was research. She found gratification in being the person who dug up the old cases and rulings that set the precedents. Those were the things that eventually helped to win the cases. She liked to think of what she did as never choosing sides but of always choosing to find the truth.

She was thrilled when the King County Prosecutors Office hired her as an investigator in the D.A.s office.

That's how she met the sheriff, but it didn't take actually meeting him for her to first become attracted. All it took for her to start falling was seeing him that first time. It wasn't just his good looks, of course the looks didn't hurt, but that wasn't it. It was him. It was like she could feel it radiating from him, goodness and strength. Not just muscles but something more important, character.

Handsome? Absolutely. And yes, undeniably and incredibly sexy.

She spoke to him for the first time when she was researching a case for the Deputy District Attorney. A case regarding elderly abuse. The circumstances were heartbreaking and almost impossible to comprehend. The sheriff had been the arresting officer. It still wouldn't have been customary for her to meet him. It only happened because while she'd been chatting about that case with the D.A. the sheriff stopped by her bosses office to inquire about an entirely different matter.

Introductions were made and she was sure he had to have noticed the way she looked at him, she couldn't help herself. But she hadn't missed the fact he'd done plenty of looking himself. He tried to be discreet, he tried to hide his interest, she did too. But some things are obvious and the immediate attraction between them was so strong she was sure there was no way anyone could have missed it.

She thought for certain she had it all figured out. She was sure she knew what his follow-through would be. She expected to see him start coming around where she worked, making up excuses about why he needed to be in the D.A's offices and why he had to step in her office. He'd say "hi" and ask a question. She was sure that would go on for a couple of weeks and then he'd ask her out.

It didn't happen that way and she was so disappointed. She couldn't imagine how she could have read him and the situation so wrong. To add to the problem, she couldn't seem to just allow herself to feel bad for a day, go get a mani/pedi and have a glass of wine and then get on with her life. She told herself repeatedly, "Get over the disappointment and move on." She was being obsessive and ridiculous about Rick Grimes and she knew it. It even got to the point that when other men asked her out she always declined.

She and the sheriff spoke occasionally but just the bare minimum of words would pass between them and it was always strictly business.

She realized one day that she'd allowed herself to become fixated on Rick Grimes and the truth was, she didn't know one darn thing about him or his personal life. Maybe he was married or in some other type of long-term relationship. Heck, maybe he had a dozen kids, two dogs and a cat.

She eventually heard a story from another county employee, a woman named Jacqui. She learned a lot about the sheriff and his life and the story broke her heart. Jacqui worked in planning and zoning which had absolutely nothing to do with Beth's job. But they did have something in common, they both worked in the county building and they both liked to eat their lunch in the small park across the street.

They started casually chatting one noon hour and soon began having their lunch together every day. They enjoyed each other's company and became good friends. One noon hour, as they sat on the park bench lunching and talking, Beth glanced toward the county building. She saw the sheriff coming down the steps and her heart seemed to skip a beat. She just had to find out. She knew Jacqui had been on the job for years and Beth was sure the woman must know all the county gossip.

She tried to come across like it was no big deal, just idle conversation when she asked, "So what's the story on Sheriff Grimes? He always seems so serious and quiet." She nonchalantly took a bite of her tuna sandwich and waited to hear the answer.

Jacqui shook her head, "Oh that poor man. He's had a very rough go these past three years or so. It's tragic really, he had such a lovely family. There was him, his wife Lori and a young son, Carl. They had a pretty home not far from here, over on Oak Street. On the face of it everything seemed perfect and that's what everyone thought, that it was perfect. It turned out everyone was wrong, it was far from that."

Jacqui took a couple of bites of her salad while Beth anxiously waited for the rest of the story. Finally her friend continued. "It turned out the wife who seemed so perfect was stepping out, but not with just anyone. She was messing with the sheriffs' lifelong friend and partner. As nasty as that was you still never know, maybe Lori and the sheriff could have worked it out. Maybe eventually she would have come to her senses and he would have forgiven her. That stuff happens. But not for the sheriff. For the sheriff bad got worse."

"No. How could it possibly get worse than that?"

"There was an accident. Rick and the young boy, Carl, went to the big homecoming game at the high school. Lori slipped off to the boyfriends' place. It was a fire, the electrical kind. You know how those start slow, they can go undetected for days then suddenly everything just bursts into flames. It was the smoke that got them, they both died of smoke inhalation."

"Oh my gawd that's the most horrible story I've ever heard. No wonder he seems so solemn all the time."

"Yes, it's just him and Carl now and that's a shame. He's young and handsome and he's a good man. Solid as a rock. I just don't think he has it in him to give love another try. I haven't heard of him dating anyone." Then she laid her hand on Beth's and smiled, "But don't give up, people quit on love all the time. It just takes a persistent believer to bring them back."

"Wait, Jacqui I never said I…"

"You didn't have to, it's written all over that pretty face."

She made up her mind right then and there she wasn't giving up. She was going to make sure she was seen, heard and that the sheriff got the hint in a big way. Whether he wanted to see her or not didn't matter, he was going to be seeing plenty of her. She'd go out of her way to get in his way. She was sure if she could just chip away at his walls a little at a time they'd finally come down.

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He'd made a solemn vow to himself, never again. Never again would he trust another human being, especially not a woman. He'd made that mistake once and he didn't like making the same mistake twice. When his world had gone to shit he'd lost himself completely and it took what seemed like forever to find Rick Grimes again. If he hadn't had Carl to care for he wondered if he would have ever "come back" at all.

Now something was threatening his resolve, danger of the most frightening kind was presenting itself. She seemed harmless enough. The small blond woman with the beautiful warm blue eyes and the smile that could light up the darkest night. But he saw her for exactly what she was, a danger to him.

It wasn't that he didn't want her, that was the problem. He wanted her completely. Her mind, her heart, her body. He wanted it all. What he didn't want, what he feared right down to the core of him, was the heartache that might follow if he let himself go there. He just couldn't allow himself to take the risk of letting his guard down and letting her in.

It was getting more and more difficult though. His armor was badly cracked and his resistance was low. No matter how hard he tried to make himself he could no longer simply turn away from this woman. He'd never ached for anything the way he ached to hold Beth Greene.

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When it finally happened it happened almost by chance.

She was in Saturday morning mode, dressed in cropped jeans and a casual t-shirt with her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. She'd laughed as she tied her running shoes, "Beth you're such a fashionista." But casual was really more her style. She dressed like a business professional all week long and she looked forward to dressing down on weekends.

She'd tidied up her small apartment and watered the flowers she kept in pots on the front porch, threw a load of towels in the washing machine and decided to visit the Saturday Market. It was a small local affair held in the parking lot next to the county building. There were always about twenty or so booths that mostly featured homegrown fruits and veggies, floral arrangements, homemade baked good and various craft booths with everything from quilted potholders to homemade soaps, lotions and candles.

She had her canvas bag containing her produce purchase of fresh greens and was lazily strolling along, she almost missed him in his jeans and plaid button-up shirt. His back was to her as he checked out the items in a baked goods booth. She had to smile, there was something so sexy about the way he always stood with his hands on his hips, one knee bent and his head tilted to the side just a bit. She wondered what it was about bowed legs she suddenly found so darned attractive.

She took a deep breath while she mentally told herself, "It's now or never Beth. How bad do you want this?" She answered herself without having to think about it, "More than anything."

When it came to men she'd never been the one to make the first move but this situation was so different. Now that she knew the story she was certain she understood what his reluctance might be and really who could blame the man? She couldn't even imagine all the pain he'd been through.

She was also sure of something else though. Whether he wanted to be or not, Rick Grimes was attracted to her. Still, if this was going to happen she had to make up her mind to be the aggressor. One more deep breath and a little push to herself, "It's now or never," and she walked toward him.

She shocked herself when she did it. Yep, she just did it. She slipped her arm through his and when he turned his head, stunned and obviously wondering who it was she simply smiled, "Well hello Rick, so nice to see you." Right, as if she hadn't just seen him at work the day before and as if they were dear old friends.

The sheriff was obviously at a loss for words so as the merchant put his pastries in a paper sack Beth continued, "Getting yourself some treats I see."

He was actually smiling but he also looked a little embarrassed, like he'd been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to do. "Yes, unfortunately I have a terrible weakness for homemade Danish."

Good to know she thought as she gave him what she hoped was a very inviting smile, "Well of all the weaknesses a person could have I'd say that's a pretty delicious one."

His eyes were trained on hers and she didn't mind a bit, he had such gorgeous eyes. Then he seemed to realize maybe it was his turn to speak, "So what's your weakness Beth? What did you buy?"

She would never get over in a million years what she said next, but she said it, "Well Rick to be honest, you're my weakness. But what I bought are salad greens."

She saw his neck flush and she was sure her face did the same. All he managed to say was, "Um, oh. Well."

The merchant was handing him his change and Beth gave it one more shot, "Do you mind if I tag along while you shop?"

She was thrilled and relieved when he smiled and answered, "No, of course not. Please do."

Rick Grimes head was spinning, his heart was pounding and his mouth had gone dry. He kept telling himself, "Down boy, back away. This is going to be nothing but trouble." The sheriff's trouble was he didn't listen to himself.

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A/N Beth got tired of waiting for the sheriff to make a move and when she made hers she left no doubt what she wanted. I hope you'll leave a comment / review. If you'd like to see the chapter photo it's posted on my tumblr blogs gneebee and bethylmethbrick. Chapter Two will post next Tuesday and I hope you'll be back for more of Just Playin'. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee