*So, it's my birthday and I decided on a cutesy Bethyl oneshot.
Hope y'all enjoy!*

"So what you're saying is that he's...crazy?" The 16 year old Greene girl eyed Andrea speculatively. Leaning in her seat to see past the older woman, her eyes narrowed. Beth watched Daryl Dixon prepare a handful of feathers for something. It was late evening on the Greene farm, and these days it was busier than usual. This group of folks had showed up a week ago and were seeking refuge while some of their wounded got better.

"Well, I guess you could call him crazy in some aspects. Rough around the edges for sure."

Beth righted herself and went back to her task at hand, peeling potatoes. She usually stayed out of the group, but today she'd decided to step outside and socialize. Andrea wasn't bad to talk to, she was very relaxed and seemed to engage her.

"He looks rough, not sure scary would be the proper word...just.."

"Intimidating?"

Beth smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "That's the word." Silence fell between them as she stretched her hand out from it cramping. When she thought Andrea was paying any attention, she'd sneak another look at the man. He was doing something to the feathers, splitting them and cutting them in a weird way.

The girl's eyebrows furrowed as she studied his movements. He was focused on his task. The log he was sitting on seemed to be dwarfed by the way he sat on it, one leg extended and the other bent to keep him steady. Daryl was tan and his hair was short, but was getting a little longer around the bangs. The sweat made him glisten in a way which seemed appropriate for his 'type'. It looked natural.

Daryl's hands were steady, reminded her of her father's. His blue eyes glued to the feather and he was carefully blowing on it. Beth felt her lips turning up in a small smile. Despite his rough exterior, he was careful and meticulous. Odd combination. The young blonde sighed and looked down at her hands, what did she know about people? It wasn't very Christian like to put titles and assumptions on people. Guilt laced it's way through her.

At some point Andrea had started talking again about college or something, Beth would nod and say something she thought would go along with her new friend...but her eyes kept drifting back towards the older man sitting about 20 yards from her. After a bit she realized he was making arrows for his crossbow. So he was smart too. The mystery revolving the Dixon man kept getting bigger and bigger in her head.

"Really, c'mon kid. Snap out of it. He ain't that good looking." Andrea's voice pulled her out of her thoughts and Beth blinked.

"What? Oh no, he's making arrows. Never seen that done before." Though it was the truth, she felt herself blush furiously. The older woman rolled her eyes and finished stitching up the shirt in her hands.

"Daryl's making bolts. That's what a crossbow shoots." She made sure to make eye contact with the younger blonde and smiled."That way, if you decide to ever start up a conversation with him, you'll have the right terminology." She smiled at the girl and winked, standing and stretching. "Alright Beth, I'm going to go see if Shane's ready to leave. Be good."

Beth waved her off and smiled after her, returning to the bucket of potatoes at her feet. She began humming and again looked up at Daryl. He'd moved on from the feathers and were gluing them onto the shafts he'd probably made. She looked around to see if anyone was watching her, then looked back at him.

Daryl's face wasn't your typical handsome, but he was a looker. His lips seemed to thin when he'd really focus. But once he'd relax they'd go back to normal. The looked oddly...soft. A heat wave went through her but she kept going up his face. His nose wasn't too big or too small, fit his face well. Proportionate. Daryl had high cheek bones which made him look slightly native. Then there was the blue eyes that seemed stormy.

Beth was caught up for a moment with the shade there that seemed to pull you in from such a distance. Usually you couldn't see someone's eyes so clear unless they were looking right back at you. The it hit her, he was staring right back at her. She froze in fear as he cocked an eye brow and she was beyond busted. He huffed up and grabbed his things, standing. She watched as he walked away, muttering something.

Her cheeks flared bright red and her mind went fuzzy with embarrassment. Jeeze! Beth wanted to smack herself in the forehead. Really? She tried pushing it down and thinking that she could play it off, but the longer she sat there staring at the potatoes...the more she realized what a silly girl she seemed like.

Hours passed and after the group had dinner and everyone was fed, Beth found herself trying to spot the hunter. She hadn't seen him show up to get a plate. Briefly, worry knotted in her belly before she spotted Andrea. The older blonde woman was whispering something to Carol which made the other woman grin and swat her away playfully. So she gathered up some courage and approached her.

"Hey Andrea." The teenager smiled and the woman returned it.

"Hey Beth. What's up?"

Beth looked around and gave her a sheepish look, almost guilty.

"Have you seen Daryl? I noticed he didn't show up to eat."

This time Carol gave her a look and then looked around, nodding in agreement.

"She's right, I didn't see him either." The woman paused before shrugging. "He's not one for crowds. Probably eating burnt squirrel and playing with his knives." Carol and Andrea shared an amused look, Beth on the other hand looked partially concerned.

"Should I make him a plate?" The innocent question made the women stop and for a second, Andrea seemed to want to say something. Beth waited for her to say not to worry or something, but she didn't. Instead, she nodded and gave a look to Carol for support.

"Ya know what? That would be really nice of you."

Beth smiled and blushed with the compliment as she got busy making his plate. Whatever was left over, she put at least a spoonful on a plate. All in all it was more than enough. Proud of herself, she went back to the women and held it out.

"Here you go." The hopeful gleam in her eye was quickly snuffed out when the women shook their heads.

"Oh no, lil lady, you can do the honors." Andrea said, casting another side glance at her friend. "Your idea, maybe you can ask him about his crossbow." That mischievous knowing look in her eye made Beth feel silly. Yes the older blonde was sweet to her, but she was also challenging.

She just nodded, feeling her nerves go hay wire. Beth wasn't about to recap her earlier experience so she just walked away. Food in hand. Daryl's tent was a ways off from the RV and the house. She knew he enjoyed his solitude, seemed natural to him. A lone wolf of sorts. The sun wasn't too low, but the orange hue of the sky made the tall grass look charming. She sighed for a minuet, seeing the little tent about 30 yards off.

Her cowboy boots were silent as she wove through the tall grass. The exposed skin of her legs broke out into goose bumps and the weeds and blades tickled her. Plenty of summers had been spent running through this very field, careless and unafraid. But those days were gone, danger was all around.

Her eyes spotted him first, his back was turned and she watched him stoke a small fire. His dark hair was haphazard and the shirt was the same as earlier, cut off sleeves and open. She thought maybe she should announce herself, but surely he knew she was there. So when she got within a few yards of him, she stopped. Daryl wasn't showing any acknowledgement of her what so ever.

"Didn't see you at dinner.." She spoke up, then she flinched when she seen him nearly jump out of his boots. Fast as lightening he whipped around and glared at her, gun in hand.

"Jesus girl! You tryna get yerself kilt?" The heavy drawl of his voice came out sharp and to the point. His blue eyes were hard and fixed on her. Beth felt sheepish and looked down at her feet, before collecting her thoughts.

"Well, didn't see you at dinner so I thought you might be hungry..." Her soft voice sounded unsure and she chewed her bottom lip. Suddenly, the afternoon sun was more than hot. Her hands shook a little, as she took a few steps and stopped short of arms length from him. Daryl looked at her as if he was a cornered dog.

Beth was holding her breath, waiting for him to take it. Finally, he groaned and took the plate...giving her a hesitant nod. The teen exhaled and she wrapped her arms around herself. The older man was eye balling the plate before he sat down on the log beside his little fire.

"Yer Pa know you're out here?"

Beth felt a tinge of guilt, but she shrugged.

"I didn't not tell him I was bringing you food. Andrea will cover for me." The youngest Greene kicked the dirt under her right boot and debated whether or not to sit down. "Won't be gone too long, just long enough so you can eat." She motioned to the plate and licked her lips. "Will need to take it back to wash."

Daryl pulled out a swiss army knife looking thing, then opened it up to reveal a spoon. She watched as he began to dig in, not looking up in her direction. Finally, she just sat down on the ground and looked at his camp. It was simple and fascinating. He had his crossbow laying ontop of his leather vest. Clothes he'd washed were up on a limb of the nearby tree. His bolts were placed out across a chair, must be drying she though. Another minuet went by and his gruff voice grabbed her attention.

"Are ya always so observant?" His question sounded like a mix of an insult and genuine curiosity. Maybe even a bit of a double meaning. Beth decided not to let it get to her.

"Only when I find something interestin." The little blonde met his eyes and then looked away, he was watching her. She could feel the blue orbs intensity, he was thinking. Daryl finally resumed eating and the girl watched him. Beth felt plenty weird about the interaction between them, but he was interesting. His muscles were drawn taught, but he was fluid. Every move he made, he did it with purpose. Daryl looked up from his plate and pointed to her feet.

"You always been so quiet?" His face remained unchanged as he chewed and took another bite. Beth took a deep breath and plucked a long blade of grass.

"Well, I'm the youngest of three...learned that if I didn't make much noise I could get away with stuff." A smile crossed her face as she twisted and rolled the grass between her fingers. "I used to sneak into Maggie's room while she was asleep and tie knots in her hair.." Beth found herself giggling and all too soon it stopped. "Shawn used to call me a little ghost, I'd steal the candy out of his room..or I'd hide his car keys or his wallet.."

Daryl continued to chew but met her eyes before looking back towards the farm house. He was still tense. Beth realised exactly how uncomfortable he was with her being here and she felt bad.

"I'm sorry I dropped in on ya. I wont do it no more, just didn't wanna see you go without dinner." Her words were sincere and he relaxed a bit, maybe he felt bad for snapping at her.

"I 'prciate it." He glanced up for a minuet before finishing off his food. Beth stood and took the plate as he wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand. For a second she just stood there, wondering if she should apologize for earlier today. She blinked, then decided against it. She took a few steps then stopped, turning around. A small grin hit her and she flicked the piece of grass to the ground.

"I think I'm probably one of the only people to get the sneak on ya, huh?" Her grin turned into a smile as he shook his head, barely letting a corner turn up on his mouth. Daryl stood and wiped his shirt off, then looked at her. His eyes barely showing a spark of amusement.

"Ya tell anyone Greene and I'll make sure you wake up ta no hair." His eye brow rose and she grinned, turned and started walking back. As the girl walked quietly, she couldn't get the smile off her face.