Hi! This is my second Bethyl fanfiction and my first attempt at an AU story. I decided to give it a try because Summer Of Bethyl is coming up on tumblr and, I don't know, I just felt like being part of it. I hope you'll like it, it's a two-chapters thing :)

Daryl was feeling utterly uncomfortable. The restaurant was a fancy one, the type that had lit candles on every table, respectable people wearing suits and elegant dresses sitting around him keeping up conversations about economics and cocktail parties. There was even a huge chandelier above his head! He'd never walked in a place like that in his entire life, it was a first.

His brother Merle had practically forced him to go with him to this first blind-date he had with a girl he'd just met, a certain Maggie, but she hadn't agreed to meet without her sister so a fourth person was needed. The choice fell on Daryl. He'd said no right away, he wasn't the kind of person that went to stupid double dates with girls that he hadn't even seen once. But Merle had put a lot of pressure on him, reminding him not-so-subtly of an old favor that he owed him, so all Daryl could do was say yes. That's how he'd ended up sitting in the pretty restaurant in the good part of Atlanta wearing his best blue button-down shirt and his favorite leather vest with the angel wings embroidered on the back. Hell, if only he knew beforehand that was the place they were having dinner at, he'd have opted for something more adequate. But on second thought, maybe he didn't even have something like a blazer and a tie in his closet. What made him very uncomfortable was not the clothing though, but the fact that Merle was running late. The girls hadn't showed up yet either. Daryl looked around while picking a bread stick from the basket in front of him. He had no clue if eating a snack before the actual dinner started was polite or not, all he was certain of was that he was starving.

After a while he began wondering if it was a sick prank that Merle pulled on him. He might have been stronger than him but Daryl would kick his ass anyway if that was the case. He reached for his cellphone in the pocket of his black jeans and dialed his brother's number for the third time that night. Finally, after the fifth ring, he picked up. "Hey baby bro! What's up?" he sounded jolly, not sorry at all for leaving him there alone like an idiot for the past twenty minutes.

"Where the hell are you?" Daryl roared back, keeping his voice low so the people around wouldn't scowl at him.

"I've met this chick at the bar and we've been having a lot of fun if you know what I mean..." he trailed off like he was grinning. "I've already called Maggie to tell her. Where are you?"

"At the fucking restaurant, what do you think?"

"Calm down, Daryl! Just go home already, okay?"

"You're unbelievable" Daryl muttered, frustratingly running a hand through his hair.

Merle laughed. "Oh come on! I couldn't pass up such a hot lady for a blind date with who knows who. What if her boobs are small?"

Daryl shook his head, the words coming out of his older brother's mouth never ceasing to astound him. He wasn't even kidding.

"You stood me up, why couldn't you give me a call like you did with the girl?" Daryl almost screamed at the phone, anger rising in him. Of course Merle had forgotten to inform him, of course.

But Merle was still not fazed, all he did was laugh out loud. "Wow, don't take it so personally little brother! It must have slipped my mind! Go home!" and just like that he hang up on him. As he pressed the red button on his cellphone, Daryl was already planning his revenge against him. Maybe he'd slash his tires or something. He loved his fucking car.

He raised from his chair, not wanting to waste one more minute there.

"Excuse me?" a small, soft voice stopped him. He looked up and found a petite blond girl standing by his table. Her big blue eyes were pointed expectantly at him. "Are you Merle or Daryl Dixon?" she asked.

Daryl remained silent a little bit longer than it was normally acceptable before he found his voice again. "I'm Daryl"

The girl smiled, clearly relieved, her whole face lighting up. She extended her hand to him. "Hi, I'm Beth, Maggie's sister. I'm so sorry I've kept you waiting"

Again Daryl felt dumbstruck. He managed to shake the girl's hand, noticing how soft and pale her skin was compared to his, darker and rough.

She sat down at the table across from him while he took back his seat. "Is your brother here yet?" she asked seeing that the chair next to Daryl wasn't occupied.

"He ain't coming. He had a...problem and couldn't make it." it was better not to get into the details of why he was such a douchebag and a liar. Or maybe he should have, so Beth's sister wouldn't waste any more time on him and find herself someone better.

Beth frowned. "Really? That's too bad...I'm wondering why Maggie didn't tell me anything." she said rummaging through a small pink purse. How women managed to keep all their stuff inside such a tiny thing he didn't know. She pulled out her cellphone and looked at the display. As she pressed a button a couple times her frown only deepened. "Shoot" she whispered under her breath.

He almost smiled at how cute it was that she wouldn't say 'shit' like anyone else he knew. "Something wrong?" Daryl asked.

"The battery is dead, I must have forgotten to charge it today. That's why I didn't hear from my sister. Merle called her, right?"

"Yeah, earlier."

"Good" Beth nodded, seemingly organizing her thoughts. "Wait, what about you? Why are you here?" she asked focusing on him.

"Because my brother forgot to give me a goddamn call to tell me he wasn't coming so I was already here when I heard. I'm sorry you had to drive all the way here from wherever you live" he explained hoping he didn't sound like a fool. He tried to stand up again and leave at last.

"Hold on a sec" she called. "We could just go back to our homes but...this is a really nice place, it's usually so hard to get a reservation so..." she said biting her lip.

"You wanna have dinner?" he asked skeptical. Why would a girl like her want to spend an evening with him? Yeah, he was wearing his nicest shirt but he was certain he didn't exactly fit in with the clientele of the restaurant. Or with her.

Beth shrugged lightly. "Why not?"

It was obvious she wanted to, her eyes were almost sparkling at the prospect. Daryl considered his options: going home and watch the football game on his couch, alone, or use Merle's new credit card (it was a wonder he even got one) and pay for a decent dinner with this strange girl willing to spend some time with him.

"All right" he gave in. Beth's lips curved in another gorgeous smile as if he'd given her a gift. Daryl had to admit he was starting to be curious about the girl.

# #

He had been flipping through the plastic-covered pages of the menu for the past five minutes and not a word escaped his mouth except for grunts and nods in form of answers. Beth was starting to rethink this whole let's-have-dinner-anyway idea. It had seemed like a nice one when she thought about it, though. In truth, she had nowhere to go that evening; it was her day off from her job at the Cherokee Club and her finals were already behind her. Her plans for the night included catching up on the episodes she'd missed of 'Nashville' and fall asleep in her dorm room right after. But then Maggie had called and between one thing and the other she'd dropped the news that she was going to a blind date with some guy met on the internet. What. The. Heck. Beth had tried to convince her that it wasn't something wise to do but she also knew her sister well enough to get that she would never back down only because she asked her. Had their big brother Shawn been there instead of back home at the farm, he would have simply locked her up in her room, end of discussion. Beth sensed that the method stopped working after Maggie passed the age of 16 so she opted for a better alternative, tagging along. Fortunately this Merle-from-the-internet guy had a younger brother so it was going to be a double-blind date, not a third wheel thing. As she was getting ready to go, finally settling for an elegant light pink dress, she thought that maybe it wasn't going to be a disaster; maybe the Dixon brothers would turn out to be real decent, smart, funny men.

The traffic and her indecision on what to wear made her pull over to the restaurant parking lot about fifteen or twenty minutes late, which was embarrassing. Way to make a first impression. When she got inside she saw right away that the only table occupied by a guy was the one in the center of the room and the awkwardness in the man's attitude was a sign he was either Merle or Daryl. As she came closer to him, Beth took in his way-too-long hair veiling his eyes and the leather vest he was wearing sorta like he wanted to stand out among all of those identical people. She immediately felt sorry for making him wait. And she also hoped he was Daryl and not Merle. It was his eyes that later made her blurt out that they could have dinner even without their siblings. Those gray-blue eyes were a shade that she'd never encountered before and they were piercing right through her. It made her curious. And again, it's not like she had anything better to do back at the dorm. But now, her attempts at making conversation were proving to be useless. Could he be shy...? But he didn't look like the type. Perhaps he had nothing to say about the food or the wine they were gonna choose. Time to ask about himself.

"So, what do you do for a living, Daryl?" she asked putting her menu aside.

His gaze flicked on her for a second before going back on the pages of his menu. "At the moment I'm working at a repair shop"

"Really? And do you like it?" she asked glad he was finally talking.

He shrugged. "It's a job"

She tried not to be overthrown by his less than enthusiastic response. "So you don't love it? Repairing cars and stuff" she continued.

Daryl looked at her like she'd just started to curse out loud. He put down his menu. "What do you mean by that? Nobody loves their job"

Beth's eyes almost bulged. "That's not true. I happen to really enjoy what I do"

Now he was interested, he rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "And what is it that you do?"

Beth straightened her back. "I sing at a club"

Now it was Daryl's turn to look surprised. "You sing?"

"Mh-hm" she nodded proudly.

He snickered. "what kind of club? Like a strip club?"

Beth's face fell. "It's not a strip club. It's a nice place" she clarified, her voice like steel.

He hesitated before adding something and when he did he sounded like he regretted his words. "I'm sorry. It was a bad joke"

She shrugged her shoulders, pretending to look around for the waiter when really she didn't want to see his face anymore.

"So that's your dream job? Do you want to become a famous rockstar?" he asked in a more interested tone.

She made herself turn to him, noticing how his expression changed, he wasn't closed off any longer but focused on her. Perhaps he was really trying to be nice.

"Actually I do that to support my studies. I think I'll be a kindergarten teacher"

"Sounds like a good plan" Daryl commented.

"And if I told you that being a rockstar was my ultimate goal?" she shot back warily.

"That would be hell awesome too! Something to be seen, that's for sure" he answered giving a hint of a smile. Okay, maybe they had started on the wrong foot. She smiled as well. "So what's your dream job? If you could give up the repair shop and do whatever you want?"

Daryl got pensive, his right hand started massaging the side of his neck. "Mmh, I don't know" he said not so convinced.

"Come on, there must be something, anything!" she insisted in a light tone so she wouldn't come out too pushy.

He thought some more and finally sighed, avoiding her gaze. "Maybe a cop"

His answer was unexpected. She had no clue what would come out of his mouth, she didn't know him, but it was actually a great dream job. "It's not that impossible to achieve. You could do it"

He laughed like it wasn't funny at all and reached for his glass, twisting it distractedly. "it ain't that easy"

"Why?" she asked carefully.

He raised his head and pointed his deep eyes on her. Just when he opened his mouth a waiter showed up at the table. "Good evening. What can I get you?"

# # #

He was grateful they were interrupted. The conversation was getting a little too personal. In all honesty, Daryl didn't even know why he'd told her of his hidden dream of becoming a cop. Nobody knew about it, except for his brother (who probably forgot all about it by now). When they were kids he'd confessed it to him and all he got in return was a dumfounded look followed by a loud laugh in his face. Clearly Merle didn't think Daryl could do it. Then life had happened and following his dreams wasn't the most important thing in the world. So why didn't he come up with a lame lie for Beth? Something hard to get like becoming President for example. It was probably her big blue eyes, the color of the clear sky, hypnotizing him, or the fact that he'd come up with the worst joke ever and he wanted to make amends for it. His big brother's bad influence must have gotten to him, at long last.

Anyway, they were eating now and man, the food was just revolting. It could be due to the fact that he wasn't used to it or that the tangled mess covered in black sauce they called spaghetti was less than inviting, but all he wanted was to throw away the plate right at that moment. Only he guessed it wasn't a thing to do on a first date (or whatever that was). As he chewed on another bite of his food, he grabbed his glass of beer, which thank goodness they had, and brought it to his mouth to drown the bad taste. That's when he saw Beth was doing the same with her water, gulping like she was the most thirsty person on earth. A doubt crept up his mind. He sipped on his beer and waited until she was done with her glass. When she put it down she lifted her fork, giving a discomforted look at her plate. He couldn't help but chuckle. She looked up at him, puzzled. "What?"

He covered his mouth with his hand. "You hate the food, don't you?"

She was caught off guard for a second but put on a stoic face right away. "No. Why would you say that?" she asked in the most fake voice.

He kept from laughing more, enjoying her reaction. "Well, because all you do is drink and most of your spaghetti is still there"

"I'm just eating slowly" she said with a shrug.

He hesitated before speaking his mind, wanting to see if she would cave. When she didn't he spoke. "Beth, I personally think this stuff is disgusting"

She stalled. "You do?"

Daryl gave a nod.

"Oh, thank God! I thought it was only me!" she burst out.

Daryl shook his head, letting himself really laugh this time. "Why didn't you just say it then?"

"I thought you liked it! And I didn't wanna be disrespectful!"

The situation was getting damn hilarious. Daryl wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin and thought of a solution. "Alright, I've got a proposition" he started.

"I'm listening" Beth answered.

"Wanna get out of here?" he asked before he could change his mind.

He could tell that Beth was a little taken aback by his question but she wasn't saying no either so there was a chance she was actually considering it. Her eyes shifted from him to the ugly-looking spaghetti resting in her plate and Daryl could swear he saw her flinch for a split second. Her gaze was back on him again. "Where to?"

# # #

French fries never tasted so good. After eating a bunch of those and taking a bite of her veggie burger Beth's stomach finally stopped grumbling and she completely forgot about those spaghetti she had to endure back at the restaurant. It had been such a weight off her shoulders when it was him to say the food was unbearable.

Daryl seemed to enjoy his burger as well and was already eying the sundae on the opened menu on their table. After they left the restaurant he'd suggested going to a fast food not too far from there. She had her car while Daryl had a black motorcycle parked outside. Beth didn't say it out loud but it was kinda cool. She had been tempted to ask him to ride with him to the fast food but there was still a little voice inside her head that whispered it was not safe to just leave her car there and take off with a stranger. So she momentarily ignored the other voice that scolded her for doubting of Daryl, a guy that she had a feeling was trustworthy. She ended up following behind until they got to the place and finally sat down to eat properly. Screw the online reviews, french fries and a burger were just perfect.

Beth took her tall paper cup full of coca cola and brought the straw to her mouth. She caught Daryl sneaking a look at her. She put down the cup and smiled. "What is it?" she asked curious.

"Nothing" he said.

"Speak"

"I'm just wondering what you sound like when you sing at that club of yours" he answered after a while.

"Do you know the Cherokee Club?"

"That place near the University?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah, that's the one. You should come over one of these nights and find out" she answered without hesitation. After all, if they wanted to get to know each other better that was a good way to do it.

His mouth curved in a little smile. "Maybe I will" his eyes lingered on her a little longer, making Beth feel like she couldn't look away. Then he cleared his throat and drank some cola himself.

Was she getting nervous around him? Why? Just because she'd just invited him over at the club and he'd said yes? A change of topic was needed. "So, how's your brother like?" she asked.

Daryl got stiff. "Not your sister's type, that's for sure"

Beth's brows came together. "What do you mean?"

"He's an asshole, a man I wouldn't normally advise any woman to date" he explained, a bitter edge to his voice.

This made Beth sad. She would never describe her brother like that, not even on the days they argued, so how bad could Merle really be? "I take it you two aren't that close, uh?"

Daryl faltered while he wiped his fingers clean on a napkin. "In a way, I guess we are. But most days he makes a lot of fucked up decisions and I'm the one who gets in trouble trying to save his ass."

He sounded so cold and discouraged, like he was used to it. It was also the longest sentence she'd heard him say since they met. "But you do it anyway, you help him because he's your family" she concluded.

Again, those piercing eyes of his were on her. One look and Beth knew she was right. "Somebody's got to" he said like it wasn't a big deal.

Beth didn't know how she could feel so connected to a person she barely knew, but it was exactly what was going on.

# #

They were at the parking lot of the fast food. It wasn't late but he couldn't muster the courage to ask her to go somewhere else, do something, anything just to spend a little more time together. Daryl found it difficult to admit, but he liked Beth, a lot. He'd never been able to talk about his life to anyone else before, he would simply raise a tall wall separating him from the rest of the world. No one would care to learn things about him anyway or if they did, they'd run. It was always like that with people, first they got close and then left as soon as they got a chance to see how screwed up he really was. But Beth...she didn't run. Not when he surprisingly told her about covering for his brother from time to time, not when he mentioned losing his mother in a fire that destroyed his old house. She'd just sat there, perfectly still, her undivided attention on him. Not once did he feel pitied or ashamed. It was weird, especially considering that her life sounded close to perfection; loving parents, two older siblings, a big farm to go back to and a life-project to fulfill, becoming a teacher. At nineteen she had her life figured out. He was 28 and sometimes felt like he was his brother's caretaker, nothing more. That, he kept to himself.

So after spilling their guts to each other and getting a sundae, Beth was now leaning against her black car, while Daryl fought with his old lighter to light a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He kept flickering but that damn thing wouldn't produce a single spark.

"You know, maybe you just shouldn't light it up. Could be a sign" she said, tilting her head to the side, witnessing his failed attempts.

"A sign of what?" he mumbled through the cigarette.

"That you should quit. It's a disgusting habit anyway" she stated like it was common knowledge.

A quick look at her and all he could see were her pink full lips. He froze thinking about closing his mouth on hers, tasting her. Was she asking him to stop because she wanted to-but no, she just hated smoking, that's all. Either way, he gave in. Daryl shoved the lighter back in his jeans pocket and threw the cigarette in the nearby trash can. He wasn't a heavy smoker, he just wanted to buy some extra time with Beth before letting her go. "There, you happy?" he asked in mock frustration.

"Very much. So...you're headed home I guess" she said drawing imaginary circles on the asphalt with the tip of her shoe.

"That's the plan" he answered wary, wanting to see where this was going.

She looked undecided, her eyes traveled from the ground to his motorcycle. "Do you have another helmet for that?"

"Yeah...as a matter of fact I do." he said slowly. "Have you ever been on one of these?"

Beth shook her head.

It was clear she wouldn't make the first step, so it had to be him. "Wanna give it a try? We could ride around town for a while and then I'll bring you back here to your car" he suggested.

Beth tucked a strand of her golden hair behind her ear and stayed silent for a while. That was it, maybe he misinterpreted her question. She might have been just curious about him having another helmet or not. There was no way she could trust him after everything he'd said to her. He'd known her for a grand total of two hours. He was already reaching for his own helmet, ready to tell her to just forget about it when her answer came. "Okay"

He wasn't sure he'd heard her right. "Okay?"

She left her car behind her and went over to him. "Yeah, where's my helmet?" she asked all confident and good to go. Daryl couldn't fight the smile forming over his mouth.

# # #

The wind breaking against her skin, the street lights shining all around them as they passed by the cars. Beth's arms were wrapped around Daryl's waist, at first just to be sure she wouldn't lose her balance while he was talking a turn, but then more tightly 'cause it made her feel safe being pressed against his back. She was so glad she'd accepted to go on a ride with him on his motorcycle. After about fifteen minutes they were back at the parking lot outside the fast food, Beth's car still waiting for her where she left it. As they pulled over and Daryl killed the engine, Beth couldn't shake the annoyance at the thought of going back to the dorm.

"Are you all right?" Daryl asked after stepping down and taking off his helmet. He eyed her with apprehension as if to assess some damage.

She untied the helmet as well. "Yeah, it was great. Thanks for the ride, Daryl."

He staffed his hands in his pockets, leaning against his bike. "I wasn't going too fast for you, was I?"

She automatically reached for his arm and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "It was amazing."

His eyes shifted from her smiling face to the hand resting on his arm. Suddenly Beth felt self-conscious about touching him and reluctantly removed her hand. "So...I'll see you soon, right?" she asked way too hopeful, but maybe he wouldn't notice.

"The Cherokee Club. Yeah." he confirmed.

"I'll hold you onto that. Now I'd better go" she said scooping up her car keys from her purse.

"Goodnight then" he said like maybe he wanted to add more. After a moment of hesitation he did. "Hey Beth...it was nice to meet you. I didn't think this would be fun when Merle invited me but...it was"

He was slightly awkward getting the words out but she was so happy he made the effort. He didn't come off like the type of guy that speaks a lot about feelings and stuff like that. But he tried. She grinned, maybe even blushing a little and answered "Same here. I'm almost glad Maggie and Merle couldn't make it" she owed him some honesty as well.

Daryl tried to stay serious but grinned to her words.

"Well, goodnight Daryl Dixon" she said moving toward him and giving him a hug. It wasn't usually a big deal, she was a hugger, but as she wrapped her arms around Daryl she felt instantly that this was nothing like one of her ordinary hugs. He smelled like soap and leather, the one that his vest was made of. When she was sitting behind him on the bike she'd seen the angel wings that decorated it and thought it was fitting. Daryl was always taking care of his brother, even when he didn't like it, sorta like a guardian angel would do. For three or four seconds he remained perfectly still like a statue, she must have caught him by surprise, but then she felt his arms covering her back and it was okay. Beth knew it was time to let go, turn around and get in her car but damn, she so didn't feel like doing any of those things. When she made herself do it, she lifted her head to him and found his gaze already on her. Again those piercing eyes were keeping hers glued to him. She longed to be even closer to him, she longed for more. Before she could overthink it and ruin the moment, Beth got on her tiptoes and reached for his mouth. In those final seconds before their lips touched she hoped he wouldn't push her away, that she wasn't wrong to feel that pull towards him. He didn't do anything to stop her. It was perfect, kissing him felt exactly right. Yeah, going back home would have been the worst idea.