A/N Thank you for stopping by to check out my new Rick Grimes / Beth Greene story. I hope you enjoy it!

00

He should have been suspicious right from the start. Seriously. What kind of an idiot would fall so easily for a ruse so weak? A guy like Abraham calling and asking if they could meet up at the Quill & Parchment Bookstore and Coffee Bar? Pft That had bullshit / practical joke written all over it.

In his own defense he'd tell you that Abe seemed so sincere. Rick had never heard the big redhead sound so despondent. He said he really needed someone to unload on, a sounding board. He and Rosita were in a real bad place and it was all his fault. He needed to talk it out and try to get a handle on whether he could make it up to her, or if he even wanted to.

Rick had been through his own long-term relationship's rough ending, he felt the man's pain. He was even a little worried about the big bruiser, Abe sounded so desperate. Still Rick had questioned just a little, "So let me get this straight, you want to meet at some froofy coffee bar and cry in our lattes with a bunch of hipsters?"

Abraham thought fast, "They're more like latter day hippies. Here's the deal, I'm workin' down this way. We can meet up there and then get our asses to a real bar and drink some whiskey."

That sounded more like it. "Yeah, okay, sure, when?"

"Can ya be there in about an hour and a half, will that work?"

"Yeah, I'm off in five minutes. That'll give me enough time to get home, shower and grab something to eat."

The red flags should have been flying high for him when Abe responded, "Well why don't ya wait on the dinner, we'll grab sumthin' when we're out." Since when did men going out to drink and discuss women end up having dinner together? Since never. Yet Rick's bullshit sensor still didn't go off.

Like a lamb to the slaughter he fell right into it, he went along. Carl was at Lori and Shane's for the weekend so there was no reason why he couldn't go. He got home, checked the mail, showered up and put on his good "going out" jeans, a freshly starched shirt and his cowboy boots. He was ready for whatever, lattes, whiskey, chicken wings, steak, as long as he wasn't spending another Friday night sitting home alone.

He'd only been in the coffee place once before, back when it first opened. He was acting in the capacity of sheriff then, paying a courtesy call on the new business in town. He'd had a look around and it really was pretty nice. Lots of books new and used. A huge classics section where he had to admit he'd dwelled a while reading the old titles, and a pretty little coffee area with lots of plants, cute tables like you'd see in an old ice cream shop and a nice coffee bar that even had a brass footrail.

He walked in and there was no Abe in sight so he sat at the bar and asked the barista, "Can I get just a plain black coffee please?"

She seemed like a nice woman and with a bright smile she answered, "Sure, we have it all, even plain." She made it in a French press and poured it in an oversized cup and when she served it she asked, "You're sure, no cream or sugar?"

"No, this is great. Thanks." It really was, score one for the place, they knew how to make a good cup of coffee.

He was halfway through it when a woman walked in, and not just any woman. This woman was the kind that makes it hard to look away. She was blonde and petite with big blue eyes that had him blinking twice, and she was smiling right at him like they were old friends or something.

He wasn't sure why the hell he would but he turned away. Maybe it was embarrassment, maybe he just didn't know how to react. Whatever it was it didn't matter because she walked right up to him. She laid her pretty hand on his forearm and asked, "Rick? You're Rick Grimes, right?"

Now he looked at her more intently, did he know her? Had they met? "Yeah, I'm Rick. I'm sorry, have we met?" Shit, how could he have forgotten her?

Her cheeks turned such a pretty shade of pink and he could tell she was having trouble looking in his eyes. She was like the most beautiful guilty suspect he'd ever seen, "Never in person but we've certainly had our share of conversations online." The color in her face deepened when she added, "I guess I'm surprised you don't recognize me from my pictures. It's me, Beth. Beth Greene."

His heart stopped, his throat closed and his mind was working a mile a minute as he realized what was going on. His so-called friends, those bastards, they'd done this. They'd tried and tried to get him to do the online dating thing. They'd teased him relentlessly that if nothing else happened at least he could probably get laid. They must have, oh shit yes, they must have. They'd passed themselves off as him and…oh those dirty bastards. They were going to pay.

Yet here she stood before him, the sweet, beautiful and innocent bystander at the center of their little plot. Well fuck those assholes, he was going for it. She wasn't the kind of woman you tell, "Oh sorry it was all just a big mistake. See ya around." He was in this now and he was determined to make the most of it. He'd be an idiot to let her just walk away. "I'm so sorry Beth, I don't know where my head is at tonight. Things got a little stressful on the job today. Really, I'm so sorry, let's start over. Would you like to sit at a table? I'll get you a coffee."

He could swear she breathed a sigh of relief and her smile seemed more confident, "That sounds wonderful."

He took her elbow, lead her to the small table and asked, "So what can I get you Beth?"

She had a sheepish little grin when she answered, "Well let's see, I usually go for something with chocolate and whipped cream, like a milkshake for grownups. But since we might be having dinner I'd better stick with something a little lighter. How about a café au lait with a sprinkle of cinnamon?"

"Sounds perfect. I'll be right back." He smiled to himself thinking she'd never be able to choke down the coffee at the station. Then he hurried and shook that thought away and got serious. Now that he knew he was taking her to dinner he had to act fast. He was lucky, in his profession he was used to thinking on his feet.

He knew how these meet ups went. You choose a well-lit and neutral spot, chat for a little while and if you're both still interested the evening progresses to dinner. While he waited for the coffee he opened the dining app on his phone and found a little Italian place close by. When he saw the name come up on the list he smiled, he'd been there a couple of times. It was pleasant, intimate, not over the top fancy and not too casual. He booked it for 45 minutes later. It asked for any "special requests" and he smiled when he put in "a quiet table for two."

He set her coffee on the little table and then sat himself down. She blew on the hot liquid, took a small sip and said, "mmm, delicious. I was so happy when you suggested we meet here Rick, this is one of my favorite places. I could lose myself for an entire day just walking around reading the book titles. And oh my gosh, don't even get me started on the stationary items. I love all the paper choices and just imagine, they still sell fountain pens. It's like a wonderful step back in time with the bonus of delicious coffee." Then she put her pretty hand over her mouth, "Listen to me, just going on and on, not even letting you get a word in edgewise. I'm sorry."

He was sure he'd never smiled a bigger or more genuine smile, he was captivated by the pretty blonde, "No please don't apologize Beth. I'm enjoying just listening to the sound of your voice, and I'm so happy we're at a place you like." He was surprised by his own move when he took her hand and gave it a light squeeze and asked, "Tell me all about Beth Greene."

He knew he'd put her on the spot but he was at a serious disadvantage. She probably knew everything about him and he knew nothing about her. He just hoped she didn't wonder why he even bothered to ask. She took a sip of her coffee and started, "Well gosh, let's see, I've told you just about everything." She looked down then, and her look was as guilty as it could be when she said, "I have to admit something to you. It's terrible really. I feel like I broke your trust and I hope you can forgive me."

Shit, he couldn't even imagine what might be coming next, then she confessed, "When we were having that conversation about careers and I told you I was the Advanced Placement English teacher at the high school, remember?"

He didn't lie, not completely. Okay, technically he lied when he simply went, "mmm."

"You wrote back that your son Carl is a student at King County High. Well, oh gosh I know I shouldn't have, but I looked him up. It gets worse. I was like a spy. I found out his classes and I found out a little about him. I'm so sorry. I completely understand if you want to call off dinner. I was way out of line."

The poor woman had no way of knowing how relieved he was. First of all, did she have any concept of the kinds of things people did that were truly bad? Was this little bit of checking something about him an act she considered a major crime? Man, she really was a sweetie.

And she knew about Carl. He'd been worried she might not know he had a teenage son, and he'd wondered if this beautiful young woman would have even come here to meet him if she did. "No Beth, no. Please don't feel bad. You were smart to be curious and to check." He smiled then, "Carl's a great kid, at least I think so, and he does well in school, but I'm not surprised you'd never met him. I've never even considered he'd end up in Advanced Placement English."

She smiled but it wasn't exactly with joy, it was with relief as she nodded and said, "Thank you Rick. I appreciate your understanding. I'm not usually such a snoop."

None of this was fair to her, he was the guilty one. Him and those dickheads that set him up. He needed to come clean with her. If she agreed to continue the evening he would tell her everything over dinner. "Would you like to have dinner? The restaurant I have in mind is just two blocks from here. We could walk if you'd like or I'll drive. You decide."

Now she perked up, "Yes, I would like to have dinner with you, and it's such a lovely evening a walk with you sounds very nice Rick."

He was sure he felt his chest puff up as he answered, "Okay great, let's." He stood, pulled her chair back, reached for her hand and she smiled as he took it in his. They made the short walk and entered the small dimly lit restaurant, giving their eyes just a minute to adjust. He kept hold of her hand as they walked to the hostess station and he gave the woman his name.

The booth was just what he'd hoped for. It was the half circle style, small and tucked in a corner. A candle burned in the center and he smiled to himself. Usually he didn't pay a lot of attention to things like ambiance, Carl couldn't care less about such things and Carl was his only dinner date these days. But this night was different. He found himself thinking he accidentally managed to choose a pretty romantic little place.

She slipped in the booth first and he slid in next to her, close, again taking her hand. From the corner of his eye he saw the waiter approaching with water and menus and he asked her, "Would you like a glass of wine Beth?"

"That sounds nice but I wouldn't have a clue what to order. Will you choose, please?" The way she smiled at him made him feel hopeful this was just the start of many evenings he'd spend with Beth Greene.

The waiter set the waters down and asked, "Can I get you a drink to start? Maybe an appetizer?"

Rick still had a hold of her hand as he answered, "Yes please. We'll each have a glass of your house Chianti and we'll share the bruschetta." Then he caught himself and looked to her, "I'm so sorry Beth, I shouldn't have assumed, did you want to share the bruschetta?"

She squeezed his hand as she smiled back, "It sounds delicious."

While they waited for their wine she asked him about his day, had he been to the restaurant before and all those other little questions that pass the time. But as they chatted he felt more and more anxious, all he could think about was he had to tell her the truth. If he really hoped to have a shot with this woman, and right now he was hoping for that more than anything, he had to come clean. He knew they couldn't possibly start a real relationship on a lie.

The waiter brought the wine and appetizer and asked if they were ready to order. Rick responded, "Why don't you give us a few minutes to enjoy this first."

When they were alone again he took a swallow of the Chianti, followed it with a deep breath and said, "Beth, I have to tell you something."

She was looking at him with those big beautiful blue eyes and it was all he could do to get the words out, "I'm so sorry Beth…well let me backtrack. I couldn't be happier than to be here with you right now. But I have to be honest. I had no idea about any of this." He saw the confusion and nervousness on her face and in his heart and his gut he knew, things were about to get a whole lot worse but he couldn't stop, he had to finish what he'd started, "I have never gone on an internet site to meet anyone. That's why I hesitated when you walked in the book shop, I was caught completely unaware. I thought I was there to meet up with a guy I know. Tonight was all some kind of set up. I'm so sorry."

He thought he detected a tear glistening in her eye and all he wanted to do was to hold her and tell her it was no big deal, they'd work it out. But he simply waited while she composed herself. Her voice was laced with nerves and emotion when she finally spoke, "I'm mortified Rick. To think I shared so much of myself, thinking it was with someone I thought might actually become part of my life. What kind of creep would pull such a stunt?"

"I don't know Beth but I plan to find out. In the meantime, can we try to enjoy the evening and really get to know each other? Please?"

She didn't give an answer, she simply swallowed hard and excused herself, "I think I need to use the lady's room," and she hurriedly left the table.

He wondered if the beautiful blonde would even return, he wouldn't blame her if she didn't. If he were in her shoes he'd probably want nothing more than to get the hell out of there. All he could do was hope she'd see passed the sick joke that had been played on them both. That, and hope like hell she'd consider giving him a chance.

She splashed cold water on her face and all that accomplished was to make her mascara run. Then she cried and that made matters even worse. Another woman walked in and saw her distress. She was so sweet as she laid her hand on Beth's shoulder asking, "Are you alright Honey? Is there some way I can help?"

That opened the floodgates. The quiet and shy side of Beth Greene took a backseat as the teary blonde spilled the entire story to this woman, a woman whose name she didn't even know. "It was all so perfect, he seemed so perfect, and now to find out we were both just duped and he wasn't even aware I exist. How can I possibly go back to the table and act like everything is wonderful? Shoot, for all I know he's left by now and I wouldn't blame him."

"So this man you met is the sheriff, Rick Grimes?"

"Yes, do you know him?"

"As a matter of fact I know him quite well. I'm his secretary, Jacqui."

Beth was mortified, "Oh great! As if I wasn't already embarrassed enough. This evening is not going at all as I'd hoped."

The woman laughed softly, "Now Honey, do you think I'm going to mention this conversation to the sheriff? What kind of woman would I be to betray another woman's trust? Of course I'm not going to mention anything. What I will tell you is Rick Grimes is one of the finest human beings I know. Instead of sneaking out the back door, why don't you take a chance on him? What's the worst thing that can happen? What's the best? Maybe, just maybe, if you're lucky, you'll both find your happiness."

"I suppose you could be right but he's probably left by now and I don't blame him."

"I'll tell you what, I'll bet you a cup of coffee and a croissant that he's waiting, and waiting very hopefully. Nervously maybe, but mostly hopefully for you to return. If I'm right you meet me at seven Tuesday morning at the Quill & Parchment and I'll collect. Deal?"

For the first time since she'd left the table she smiled, "Deal, and by the way, I'm Beth, Beth Greene."

He was just about to give up, pay the check and leave. His plan was to go to Abraham Ford's place first, shoot him, and then get impossibly drunk. His plans changed when he saw her walking timidly toward the table.

00

A/N It almost turned bad but it looks like Beth's going to take a chance. Please leave a comment or review and let me know your thoughts. Chapter Two will post next Monday. There's a chapter photo on my tumblr blogs gneebee and bethylmethbrick. Thank you so much for taking the time to read along and I hope to see you back next week for more of The Set Up. Until then remember, I love ya large and appreciate you greatly! xo gneebee