Passion: a term applied to a very strong feeling about a person or thing. Passion is an intense emotion compelling, enthusiasm, or desire for anything.

Part One: Passion

I'm on the fire but what can I do?

I'm singing in the choir but I'm lookin' at you.

I'll be outside pick me up after school, baby blue.

Baby blue.

Beth carried her secret close to her chest, tucked against her breast like the locket necklace her mother had given her. Every time her eyes skittered across the crowded mess hall, landing on the tall, dark man with the messy hair and the eyes like blue velvet, her heart would stutter, clench, and begin to race. Her hands were shaky, palms clammy, and the way her stomach fluttered and flipped reminded her of the tilt-a-whirl at the county fair when she was a kid. One time, after the first time, their eyes clashed, blue on blue, and Beth had dropped the metal pan she had been holding. It clattered to the floor, halting conversation and drawing eyes to her burning cheeks.

After that, she was careful.

Careful was becoming her middle name.

It was late at night, after Judith would fall asleep in her mail-crate bassonette, rosy-cheeked and peaceful, that Beth would slip out of bed. It was risky, but she was quiet as a church mouse as she moved through the cell-block. The soft lighting from the moon slipping through the windows, slanting over the catwalk and cells, was her only help as she stole out of their stone home. It was always chilly, and even in the middle of the summer she would wrap a sweater over her pajamas. Walking the tombs at night was creepy enough without a chill whispering down her spine.

Thankfully, no one had caught her yet. Beth wasn't sure what she would say if someone stumbled upon her in the middle of the night, in the dark. They weren't supposed to go off exploring on their own, and she wasn't the adventurous type. Maybe Maggie could get away with being on her own in the dark, echoing corridors of the prison. But not Beth. Everyone considered her a little girl, one of those who needed protection. It seemed to be an unspoken rule throughout the prison, she thought bitterly. Beth can't fight. Beth can't shoot. In the event of emergency, make sure that Bethand the children are protected.

But she wasn't a child. And while she wasn't strong and brave, like Maggie, or skilled and graceful like Michonne, Beth was somewhat confident that if the prison was over-run by walkers or attacked by the governor, again, that she would be able to take care of herself. And the children. Which she definitely was not one of.

He didn't think of her as a child. And, as she slipped into the unused office room, the one that had become theirs, she was pretty damn sure that he would make sure she was safe. Taken care of. Her and Lil Asskicker.

The room was smoky, even with one window cracked. It was pitch black, save for the snatch of moonlight and the orange-glowing tip of Daryl's cigarette. Leaning against the windowsill, he was the picture of cool. Dark hair, dirty and tangled, stubble on his chin and cheeks. He was wearing a pair of black, ripped-up jeans with a sleeveless black T-shirt and his leather vest on top of that. His strong arms were folded over his chest, and one boot crossed the other casually. Beth sucked in a breath at the sight of him. His presence always did this to her, sent her into a heady state of arousal and affection that blurred and swirled within her. Heat spread from her core, making her ache with want and yearn for his touch.

"Yer late," Daryl said. Beth was thankful for the dark as blush stained her pale cheeks pink, and she stepped further into the room. There was a big desk in the middle of the room, flanked by two leather couches that were squat and not extremely comfortable looking. The typical corporate office kind of furniture. The old roller-chair, wooden and high-backed, was to the left of the desk, near the second window that Daryl wasn't occupying. There were papaers scattered on the dark scarlet rug, and a few framed awards and diplomas hung on the wall.

"Sorry," she murmured. Beth stepped to the desk, and Daryl stood behind it. For an instant, Beth was transported back to the principal's office in her high school, where she'd been in this position only once. After getting busted skipping P.E. class - she held in a smile at the memory, knowing it wasn't the time or place. He didn't need another reminder that only a year ago she had been a high school senior, getting ready to go to college...

Beth didn't know when Daryl had graduated school, didn't even know if he had. But she didn't want to remind him of the age difference between the two of them. Didn't want to give him any kind of reason to push her away. That's why they were secret, that's why they were creeping around in the darkness of the night. People wouldn't understand, and Beth didn't want to give the folks in the prison any reason to look badly on Daryl. He did so much, probably too much to keep them fed and safe - what he did in the privacy of his own time shouldn't have mattered. It did, though.

When Zach had first started sniffing around, Beth had been wary. They - that is, she and Daryl - had already had this flirtation. There was already a sizzle to air when their eyes would meet, and Beth was enthralled. At night time, she would lay in her cell bed, listening to the sounds of the people going to bed in the prison. But her mind was always wrapped up in him, what he was doing, what he was thinking... Daryl was a plague in her mind, a disease there was no cure for. Once the realization hit her, some random day a few months ago, that not only was Daryl Dixon a good man, a better man than many she had ever known - not only was he their protector, their savior, but he was handsome.

"What're you grinnin' about?" Daryl asked, but the corners of his lips were lifted and Beth knew he was teasing. She didn't reveal the memory, seeing him walking from digging graves, sweaty and grumpy. The way that his sea-blue eyes had snapped to her, raking her from head to toe without a word before his lips cocked in a crooked smile... His hair was greasy, his clothes were stained and dirty and ripped. But in that moment, the sun glaring down on his tan skin, Beth had felt her knees weaken. It was the first time, in a very long time, that someone had looked at her like that. Like she was a woman. And while he didn't exactly woo her from that day forward, she felt the nearly imperceptible shift in their relationship. Daryl started stopping by her cell, under the guise of visiting with Judith. He started finding reasons to hang around her, to see her, talk to her. Not that he talked a lot, but still. It was a change, and Beth relished in it.

By the time Zach made his intentions clear, Beth was already sleeping with Daryl. But she played along, because she knew that it made sense. Of course she should be flirting with this young college kid. Of course - he was close to her age, cute in a boyish, fun way. He was sweet. He was funny. But he wasn't Daryl. The prison community was happy about their relationship, joking about their puppy love and Beth's shy, guarded smiles - while Zach was quick to declare his love, to try and get physical, Beth was portrayed as sweet and innocent. No one thought it was weird when she pushed his hands away and ducked out of the way of his kisses. It was sweet. Little did they know, her nights were spent wrapped around Daryl, legs about his hips and locked behind his back, her fingers threaded through his hair and his hard cock thrusting into her.

Yes, she was shy. Innocent.

Now, Beth shook her head and leaned across the desk, splaying her hands on the smooth, varnished table-top. She smiled coyly at him, biting her lower lip, and enjoyed the soft groan that sounded from Daryl's throat. The noises he made were delicious.

"Gonna stand there all night?" she asked, laying it on thick with her sugary-sweet southern drawl. Daryl grunted in response, cocked an eyebrow at her. She licked her lips, getting impatient. "Or do I gotta do all the work?"

The way his eyes pierced through her made Beth shiver in delightful anticipation. His gaze was purely predatory, and the deliberate, careful way he stalked around the edge of the desk said more than any of the quiet, grunted words he spoke would. He wasn't like this all the time, but when he was... Oh, Beth was growing more excited by the breath. When he came around her, standing behind her silently and watching her for the smallest reaction, Beth knew she was gone. Only one man had ever made her feel this way, could make her heart skip a beat before racing. Could make her stomach coil and heat to spread over her entire body, leaving her like melted butter. She wanted to moan before he even touched her. It wasn't fair, but it was heavenly.

"I'll put you ta work, girl," Daryl mumbled, closer to her ear than she expected. Beth flinched in surprise, and didn't see the sneer that curled his lips. Yes, Daryl was a hunter. And Beth was the finest prey.

will you or won't you do anything to have me?

will you or won't you do anything to love me?

'cause I'm a bad girl with a good plan

bank across the street, you're a dangerous man

they ask you who's sweet, you tell them I am, baby blue.

Baby blue.

Daryl waited. He was good at it, something he did a lot of when he was alone in the woods surrounding their prison sanctuary. He was good at a lot of things, but holding still, being absolutely silent - his life and safety had depended on it as a child, and as a grown man, it was something he had down to an art form. He could sneak up on a deer, could sneak up on a walker. His favorite was sneaking up on his girl.

Not that he was sneaking now. She knew full well he was behind her, but he took in her tense form appreciatively. There was something about her... Tiny, fragile little Beth Greene, the farmer's daughter. Her blonde hair spilled down between her shoulders in a high ponytail, and her long legs were encased in jeans so tight they had to be painted on. She was thin, almost painfully so, but the flair of her bottom was exactly what Daryl liked. He'd always been an ass guy, and Beth's was perfection. He could stare at her all day - had been staring all day, every day. If he was honest with himself...

Delicately, or as delicately as Daryl could manage, he ran his fingers down her arms, dragging the light sweater she wore down. He dropped it unceremoniously to the ground, mindless of anything but revealing more of her smooth, porcelain skin. She was peaches and cream, all the way.

Daryl didn't miss the sharp inhale of breath as he stroked his fingertips lightly up her arm. She shivered under his touch, and he grinned at the back of her head. Didn't know why a woman like her would react to a man like him the way she did, but he loved it. Every sweet little whimper, each breathy whisper of his name... All the sounds that fell from her pink lips made him harder, hungrier. Made him want her from some deep, dark place within himself that he'd never tapped before. Emotions that he hadn't known he was capable of surfaced with Beth, and it scared and fascinated him at the same time.

Why her? Hadn't thought much of her when they first met. She had a boyfriend then, seemed so much younger. But then Shane had gone off the deep end, ripping open the barn doors and revealing the secret that was hidden there. When the walkers started piling out, free and groaning, blindly grasping and feeling their way towards their food... She'd fallen to pieces. She lost her damn mind. But when she woke up from that weird state she'd been in - Daryl hadn't gone in to see her, had no place sittin' with a little girl that was upset about everything that was going on around her - tried to kill herself... Daryl thought she was dumb. Just another stupid blonde, like Andrea, who couldn't survive the death and horror that was their lives.

But time went on. Things changed. She changed.

Gone was the frightened little kid from Hershel's farm, and in her place was a strong, confident woman. She went from kid to woman overnight in his mind, taking care of the kids and running their homestead. She was dependable, she was stable, and she did a hell of a lot more than people gave her credit for.

Daryl pressed a soft kiss to the side of her neck, feeling the tension slip from her muscles. Beth was never fully relaxed until his hands were on her, his mouth and his tongue touching her. She was funny, like that. Daryl liked it.

"Been waitin' all day for this," he murmured into her skin. Didn't know why she brought out the honesty in him. It was a weakness that he allowed himself. Beth wouldn't go tellin' nobody about what he said - no one knew 'they' were a thing. No one knew.

"Me too," she whispered. "I missed you." It was phrased like she was guilty, admitting a wrong, and Daryl frowned at her shoulder before continuing. He kissed his way across the back of her neck, inhaling the sweet smell of her hair. Whatever shampoo she used was fruity, floral. Smelled so good. Daryl's hands ghosted down her sides, slipping under the light camisole she wore. Her skin was the softest thing, and he couldn't get enough. When he finalled yanked the material over her head, leaving her bare on the top half, Daryl gave in and pulled her around to face him. Her small breasts were so perky, nipples already hard and begging to be tasted. The expression on her face was one of pure lust; heavy eyelids, parted, moist lips, flushed cheeks. His fingers bit into the flesh of her waist, pulling her closer.

"Daryl," she whimpered, making him smile before ducking his head and kissing her for the first time of the night. She was instantly pressed against him, clawing at his vest in an attempt to get it off him. The buttons popped off his shirt as she tore it open, moaning into his mouth. It was like this almost every time. Daryl loved every ounce of passion that made love to him with. It was like a roman candle, all bright sizzling explosions of light and sound. He was addicted to the sensations of her skin sliding against his, her lips on his or any other part of his body. The way she bent and arched and panted. Everything that was Beth was never half-way. She didn't do anything by halves. She threw her whole self into things, into him, and it stole his breath away.

"Hold on, girl," Daryl said, chuckling quietly as she scrambled to scoot back on the desk. He stood between her legs, pressing her thighs apart with his hips and hands as his head ducked down to draw one of her pebbled nipples into his mouth. He loved the slight weight of her breast in his hands, loved the way she crooned as he suckled and licked and bit. She yanked his hair, pushed his head into her skin. She smelled like vanilla and sugar and sweet. She tasted much the same.

"Come on," Beth groaned, pulling his head back. He scraped his teeth over her nipple, making her gasp before releasing it. "I want you, Daryl - please, please."

That was more than enough for him. "Take ya pants off," he commanded, and Beth was quick to comply. They both scrambled and unbuttoned flies, toed off shoes and divested of underwears. Once they were finally naked in the pale moonlight, Daryl was harder than ever - though he thought that nearly every time he was alone with the small blonde. His erection was pointed directly at her, the pink slit between her shapely legs that beckoned to him. Their lips met for a second time, and Beth seemed to pour all of her sweet soul into his mouth, kissing him like her life depended on it. Daryl's hands cupped her round cheeks, kissing her back as ardently as he could. He felt her hands on his manhood, grasping and squeezing and making him hiss, breaking off the kiss roughly.

"Please." Her big eyes gazed up at him beneath thick, dark lashes. When she looked at him like that, something inside of Daryl snapped. He couldn't deny her anything, not when she was looking up at him so... So honestly, so trusting. He pressed her thighs open further with one hand and grasped his length with the other. He stroked a few times, sliding over the slickness between her folds. She gasped when his dick rubbed over the bundle of nerves at the top of her pussy. He grinned, but took pity on her. Finally, after teasing the both of them, he pressed into her opening. Beth's breath hitched, she was gasping, and then they were both moaning as he sank into her.

Daryl was certain that nothing in the world felt better than Beth's pussy. Soft, tight, hot, and wet. It was heaven, it was better than heaven, and he wanted to be buried inside of her all the fucking time. If he had his way... He'd chain her up to a bed and she'd be naked all the time, always ready for him.

Her nails bit into the scarred flesh of his back, and he threw back his head as he moved, painfully slow, within her. He pulled back, nearly all the way out, before slamming into her again. She jolted with the force but the only sounds she made were those of pleasure. She was clawing at him, squeezing his shoulders and pulling on his hair. He loved the way she went wild, lost control. She cussed and panted and moaned and made passionate, impossible promises and it was so much, so much. Daryl had never expected to have much of anything in the way of love in his life, and he was getting more than he deserved from the small blonde. It was in the way she spoke to him, how she looked at him. In the frenzied way she came apart beneath him, moaning his name and telling him she loved him, loved him, loved him.

He wouldn't last long. Not that it was a surprise - the first time was always quick, for both of them. After the thought flittered through his mind, swirled with a lusty haze of curse words and tinged with love, he felt her tensing beneath him. Couldn't help the grin that spread over his face. Couldn't help but hold onto her hips tighter, speeding up his brutal thrusts. She was grunting and groaning with every stroke, her body taught like a piano wire. Finally, when he felt like he was going to lose it, she climaxed. It was always a beautiful sight, Daryl mused.

Head thrown back, the smooth, pale column of her throat exposed, chest heaving with the heavy breaths. Her tummy muscles clenched, her pussy pulsed around him and the wetness that was already there flooded around his hard cock.

"Fuck," Daryl swore. He was wildly thrusting into her, losing his rythym and giving in to the sensation of Beth. The scent and taste and feel of her. He bit her throat, sucking and nipping and licking, as his body jerked and his seed spilled into her tight, throbbing channel. She stroked her hands over his heated, slick skin.

Daryl lifted her, cupping her ass in his big hands and staggered over to the couch, where he collapsed with her in his lap. He was still half-way inside of her, and she moaned at the sensation as he slipped fully out. Maybe disappointed. But her face was turned into the crux of his neck and shoulder, and her fingers traced over his chest dreamily. The contented sight that left her lips was enough to make him relax, too.

"That was... passionate," Beth said after a long while of quiet. Daryl chuckled, surprised at her statement. Surprised, but he still agreed. It was true.

"Been too long," Daryl said, and that was all the explination he could give. He kissed the top of her head, tightening his arms around her slender frame.

"It's always too long," Beth murmured, cuddling into his arms. He nodded, agreeing again. She was always right. "You think you can go again?"

Daryl laughed outright, making her giggle as well as he jostled her around. "Ya gonna be the death of me, girl," he said, before pulling her in for another long, passionate kiss. With her in his arms, there was no question of if he could go again. Just when.

*FIN*

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to AMC/Robert Kirkman & Co. Lyrics belong to Lana Del Rey from the song "Baby Blue."

Thank you all for playing along in my little prompt game! Suggestion came from fangbanger135/zansbitch1 (on TUMBLR and respectively). The next few are from here, too! If you have any ONE WORD PROMPTS please feel free to send them to me on here via private message, or find me on TUMBLR via IDREAMOFFRANKIE and send me a message there. I've hit a bit of a wall when it comes to my chaptered stories, and this is a fantastically fun way to keep writing without the pressure. I'm working on it, but I'm also busy, so this is just blowing off steam. I hope you guys enjoy the fluffy-smutty scenes to come. Thank you for taking time to read/review. Means the world to me!

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