Daryl had never been a good flier so to speak. He had only flown a handful of times in his life and he hated like hell he was having to take this flight now but there had been no way around it. He had been in Dallas for special training for auto mechanics when he got the call that his father had fallen unexpectedly ill. He was supposed to head home in five days but when the call came from Merle he knew he had to get back quickly so he had opted to fly back to Georgia instead of drive. So here he was seated at the window on one of the largest planes he had ever flown on and nervous as all get-out. He watched the other passengers boarding who seemed to do this with such ease. He brought his thumb to his mouth, absently chewing on the tip while he waited the interminable amount of time before takeoff.

His heart started beating predictably faster when they were getting ready to close the cabin door. Suddenly there was a commotion at the front of the plane as a petite blonde woman excused her way down the aisle and in a flourish of white blonde hair wisping about her face and a flash of red she was sliding into the seat next to him. His eyes were drawn to her as she settled herself into her seat right next to him.

Daryl inwardly groaned. He had thought he was getting by with being the only person in his row and had relished the thought of no one bothering him and trying to make small talk on the flight. Small talk was something that was not in Daryl Dixon's repertoire of social niceties. In fact, he didn't figure he had any social niceties to speak of, always preferring to be left to his own thoughts instead of talking to complete strangers.

"Sorry" The blonde said as she took the seat next to him and sat back and sighed. She glanced at him again and he turned his head towards her. "I didn't think I was gonna make it." She said, her soft voice surprising him. For all her dramatic entrance, he had expected her to be at least a little loud if not boisterous. But she had a quiet and unassuming voice, like that of a songbird. Now where the fuck had thought come from, he wondered.

"It's okay." Daryl looked at her face and he couldn't deny that she was striking. She had soft facial features, pale skin like fine porcelain, all soft angles and she had the most alarming blue eyes that just seemed to drink him in. He shifted in his seat a little, uncomfortable under her gaze even as he was mesmerized by the way she seemed to see straight through him.

"Nervous traveler?" She grinned at him gesturing to his leg that he didn't even realize he was shaking in a nervous tic manner. He didn't realize he was such an open book and at that, he had never had someone call him out on it before.

Daryl wouldn't be able to figure it out later but he found himself talking to her. "Yeah, guess I am." He grinned sheepishly.

"I'm heading home for my very last spring break." She said with a sigh.

"College girl huh?" Daryl found himself saying.

"Yeah it's my last year. I graduate in 43 days and I can't wait. Daddy insisted I go to college just like my brother and sister but all I've ever wanted to do is sing." Her eyes sparked when she mentioned the latter.

Daryl nodded. He wasn't sure what he could add to that. He had never been to college. In fact no one in his family had ever been past 10th grade. He had been the first, that he knew of, to even graduate high school. His own brother had dropped out in 11th grade, opting to later go into the military. "I never went. Just didn't seem like anything I wanted to do."

"I'm Beth. Beth Greene." She extended her hand and he wished he could have wiped his palm in some inobtrusive way so she wouldn't know just how nervous he really was but he took her hand nonetheless. It was surprisingly warm and soft and not the delicate grip he had been expecting.

"Daryl Dixon." He said, barely containing a cringe as he spoke his last name, half expecting her to draw her eyes down and look away like most people did when they heard the surname that had been attached him his whole life, along with a barrage of shame and disgust.

She smiled at him. "Well it's nice to meet ya Daryl Dixon." He liked how her name sounded coming off her sweet lips, even liked how her mouth formed the words. "So why are you heading to the great city of Atlanta today?"

Daryl shrugged. "My old man's sick. Gotta get back and see what I can to help my brother out. I was in Dallas on business."

Beth nodded, her blonde hair tumbling forward. "A business man." She stated.

He shook his head. "Nah, just down there for some bullshit classes for work." He stopped himself. He was pretty sure that swearing in front of a lady was probably not considered socially acceptable but hell if he knew how the rules worked. "Sorry." He mumbled feeling his face turn red.

Beth rolled her eyes at him and grinned. "Please, you should hear me sometimes."

Daryl looked at her in surprise. It was hard to imagine anything but nursery rhymes and bedtime stories being spoken by that pretty mouth of hers.

The captain announced overhead that they were ready for take off and the plane started to slowly taxi down the runway and then amped up speed. Daryl subconsciously gripped the arm rest beside him.

"Can I?" Beth said from beside him and he looked back to her again, her hand outstretched towards him.

He didn't overthink it. Didn't question it, just took her small delicate hand into his large clumsy one and was surprised by how calm he felt just holding her hand. She lowered their hands to her lap and he should have thought it strange that he was holding hands with a perfect stranger, but his heart was thudding too loud for him to pay it too much attention.

She leaned towards him as the plane began its ascent, the nose tipped up. Daryl's stomach felt like it was going to fly out of his mouth as the plane did that ball suspended in the air trick.

He felt her breath at the same time he heard her whisper. "It's okay. You're safe. These things are safer than cars nowadays." It was three sentences but it was more comfort than he had ever received from anyone in his life, even his own mama, God rest her soul.

The plane finally leveled out and he wished he could explain why he didn't want to let go of her hand just yet, but he just didn't. So he held onto her hand and glanced to her as the plane finally seemed to settle itself into whatever stream of air planes hit as they took their passengers from destination to destination.

He let out the breath he figured he'd been holding since the plane had sped up. He finally felt safe enough to look over at her again. "Thanks." He moved to pull his hand from her grasp because he figured that was the right thing to do. He didn't want her to think he was some kind of creeper.

Just as he was about to unclasp their hands, they hit a pocket of turbulence and he nearly lost his stomach again. He gripped her hand tighter. "Ya know you can have my hand this whole flight if you need it, Daryl Dixon." She said.

He looked at her as the plane settled down again. "You won't be needing it then?" He said. His voice surprisingly strong.

"Nope." She shook her head resolutely. "Figure you need it more than me." She grinned.

She looked at him and he looked straight into her eyes and he was overcome by how her eyes just seemed to see right through him. She was sexy as hell. She was wearing some kind of red strappy dress and white sandals and her long shapely legs did not escape his attention. The skirt of her dress had ridden up some exposing a creamy expanse of thigh just below where their hands rested together.

He was shocked as he watched her flick her tongue out to run it over her bottom lip as she gazed at him. She was attracted to him, he realized. Well hell, he thought. This was a turn of events. It had been a long time since his head had been turned by anyone. Wasn't that he wasn't interested in girls, just not in the girls that usually seemed to find their way to his side in any given situation.

This girl was a breath of fresh air. All sunshine and soft lips. He shifted in his seat his pants feeling uncomfortably tight and he flushed at the realization that he was actually hard. He hated these airplane seats too.

"Ya know the seatbelt sign is off, you could get up and stretch your legs," she drawled pleasantly.

Daryl couldn't get his mind off of letting his hand skim up her thigh just a little more. He wiggled his hands and held his breath. It was like there was some unseen force guiding his hand. He shifted it a little under the guise of flexing his fingers and her fingers complied with his wishes, moving with him. He managed to move their joined hands a little higher on her thigh and now his thumb was grazing the pale surface of her shapely thigh. She was warm, she was soft and Daryl was intoxicated with the thought of sliding his hand up the inside of her thigh and -.

Beth's voice cut off his thoughts. "Penny for your thoughts." She murmured and he turned to glance at her, noting her darkening eyes. He dared to move their hands a little further up her thigh and he felt her fingers unclench his. For one terrifying moment he thought she was going to reach over and fling his hand off her leg. But she didn't. She opened her palm and he heard the soft rapid pant that came from her lips as he slid his fingers out of her embrace. She moved her hand to the side and got it out of the way as he gripped her thigh slightly.

"I think my thoughts ain't worth that much." He shrugged his shoulders slightly as he kneaded the soft flesh of her leg, his dick getting even harder. He met her eyes and was instantly lost in her lust driven pools of black ringed in crystalline blue.

She shook her head with a tiny smirk on her face. "I bet it's worth somethin'." She shrugged her shoulders as if mocking him but the smile she gave him that would light up a goddamn universe was his undoing.

"What makes you so sure?" He asked her, genuinely curious.

Beth leaned closer to him and he felt her breath on his neck as she whispered her answer. "Because I can see in your eyes how much you want me right now."

Well she had him there, that was for damn sure. Now the only question was, what was he supposed to do about it.

I know, I know, I am heartless! So I just wanted to post this part because it was actually written in the airplane on my way back from meeting Norman Reedus. So do you think I should finish it? I am quite sure that carpediem-365 will think so. ;) So let me know, continue or not?