I do not own the Walking Dead or its characters and ya-da ya-da ya-da no money from this blah, blah, blah. Let live and let lie, I've got some characters in a non-canon space in an AU place.

Blackbird Singing

Chapter 1

King County, Georgia was hot this time of year. Summer was always sticky, and walking outside was a combination of overwhelming heat and nearly drowning. The humidity was relentless, oppressive. Oppressive: a strange word to use as synonymous when liquid from the air was pouring down your body, but it fit. At least, Beth Greene felt that way as she hurried inside to her apartment in order to change clothes, and change jobs. During the day, she was a vet tech at the local animal hospital, and at night, she waitressed part time at the local bar/steakhouse merely for the fact she didn't like being by herself in a little one bedroom apartment so much.

The Final Go Round was quaint. There was a bar for locals to sit up at and drink, order food if they like, and mostly booths surrounding the rest of the place, with just 3 tables for larger groups, if needed. It was old wood that made the place beautiful and warm, the bar custom with a gorgeous granite counter top and more beer on tap than normal, especially for a smaller local place that was as far from franchise as possible.

The only time they tended to get out-of-town visitors were tourists that were exploring the countryside, families after football and basketball games, and the occasional town over couple that wanted something different for date night. The steak was honestly some of the best that Beth ever had, the prime rib tender and just the right amount of flavor when rare, like butter melting in your mouth when you bit down. The rest of the menu was pretty straightforward though, with burgers, fries, and bacon galore.

It was one of these evenings, after she had been settled for just a few weeks, that Beth had the pleasure of meeting one Rick Grimes.

She had gotten a hang of running the register fairly quickly, and since it was Wednesday (a lazy day, if any), she was cocktailing by herself, with Tara Chambler helping run tables, Rosita Espinosa bartending, and mild-mannered Tyreese cooking in the back.

Beth and Tara had gotten along immediately. The two girls were a bit rowdy when they worked together, but extremely effective, and could handle any sudden dinner rush that came their way. Beth was still a quiet girl overall, charming Southern hospitality and doe-eyed smiles, while Tara was more brusque, but could dazzle the pants off any girl that wasn't sure which way to swing. Her open sexuality in a small town was trouble to her some days, though most of the locals were friendly enough with her and accepting.

The two injected a vitality and amazing spirit into the Final Go Round that had patrons smiling, drinks flowing, and tips large.

Originally, Beth had gone to school to become a veterinary technician, in order to appease her father. She had completed the program within the two year mark, graduated top of her class, and after that, she felt a little empty. The original plan had been for her to move back and help her father with his business, but considering he was planning for retirement (like he should have several years ago), she was loathe to move back to her tiny hometown and waste potential years to do just…something! What she really wanted to do was move to Atlanta and try her hand at singing, but she was incredibly shy and afraid to disappoint her family. She'd leave that bit to her sister Maggie that was in Macon, shacking up with a Korean boy the name of Glenn. Hershel, who had a healthy dose of the old South and its racist ways to contend with when it came to his family, had only recently started addressing Glenn by his name and not, "That there Asian boy."

In the meantime, she was happy to settle down in King County until she figured out exactly how she wanted to proceed with the rest of her life, maybe save up some money and at least get that studio recording under her belt. Even if she didn't make it big, she'd be happy to just have a professional recording of her voice to remember the good 'ol days. Heck, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to make it big. She loved to sing for people, but she wasn't sure if the price of fame would be worth it.

Considering it was only a Wednesday, they had been unusually busy. Some families had deemed it the night to eat out and filled up the booths quickly. Tara and Beth handled the rush with ease, though they were happy when it started to die down, Tyreese just now getting his kitchen back in order while Rosita was washing and drying glasses.

A few ladies had walked in to sit at the bar, whom Tara took to immediately, waving Beth off to take a breather. "I can help these wonderful ladies out," she said, eyebrows waggling suggestively and shooing Rosita off as well. She instead dragged Beth over to the other end where a man sat in a patrol uniform of the local sheriff's office, nursing a beer. "In fact, we should make some introductions. Rick!" Tara called out as they approached the man. "Rick, I want you to meet our new girl, Beth Greene. She moved here not too long ago. Beth, this is Rick Grimes. He's become sort of...a regular around here."

The man had just taken off his hat, his hair naturally curly and in need of a good haircut, getting a little long and unkempt and in need of being brushed. He had a little bit of a beard, more than a week's worth of stubble in fact, salt and pepper in contrast with his dark brown hair; and when he turned to greet the ladies, had bright, piercing blue eyes. He gave a smile that didn't nearly reach those eyes, though he remained polite.

"Hey Tara." He turned his attention to Beth. "It's very nice to meet you ma'am."

With that, Tara excused herself back over to the ladies, whom Rosita had already served drinks, but that didn't seem to be stopping the other woman from getting her flirt on.

"It's nice to meet you too, officer," Beth said, smiling.

"Please, just call me Rick." The smile reached his eyes a little this time.

"If that's the case, then call me Beth. My mother is a ma'am and I don't think I'm nearly old enough for that," she teased.

"All right, Beth," he said, and seemed to play her name on his mouth, lips, tongue, and teeth; tasting the letters that named her so. It was rough, but gentle at the same time. "So you must be pretty new to King County. I reckon I haven't seen you around here and it's my job to know everyone.."

"That I am," she replied. "Got settled in just a few weeks ago. I work days over at the State Avenue Vet Clinic as a tech, but I hate having so much free time, so I'm here a few nights a week."

Tyreese rang the bell for an order up. Beth looked to see Tara putting the moves on a curly haired brunette that was giggling and blushing, so Beth excused herself a moment to grab the food. She saw it was Rick's meal and bounced right back over, setting down the burger with fries and a steaming side of collard greens.

"This is the closest I get to home cooking nowadays," Rick said as he accepted the plate from Beth. "Though the home cooking I used to have made me eat here a lot of nights anyways."

She felt a slight frown grace her face, but tried to keep it neutral when he looked back up and merely smiled at him again encouragingly.

"It's pretty good food." She settled down a little, leaning in to be able to talk to him better. "The prime rib is the best I've ever had."

Rick gave a grin, "Well that's a shame cause I'm known around here for grilling a pretty good steak."

She was about to reply, but there was another order up. Beth had to excuse herself again, and she found herself busy with busing tables and drink orders. Rick kept an eye on her, and Beth did the same to him, noting that when his beer and meal were done, he was flagging Rosita down for something a little stronger: scotch. However, even switching to such a strong drink, she couldn't help but note that the slope of his shoulders seemed to be less burdened after they had talked, although the look in his eyes expressed an exhaustion that hinted to more than a lack of sleep.

Rick was paying for his bill by the time Beth found a moment to come back over to him. He nodded to her as he put his hat back on his head.

"You working tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yup!" she set the tub of dishes she had behind the counter of the bar, wiping her hands on her apron and sort of wishing that he didn't have to leave so soon. However, a quick look at the clock showed it was nearing 10 P.M. and kitchen would be closing in thirty minutes. They never were open that late during the week, only the bar open until 1 A.M., and that was if there was the business backing it up. The Final Go Round tended to be lax according to the discretion of the bartender during the week. "I should be here at six again, but then I'm done, off the rest of the week."

"Well I might have to stop in for supper. You have a good evening then, Miss Beth. Stay safe." He gave a nod, tipping the brim of his hat to her as he got off the bar stool before turning on his heel and heading out the door, leaving Beth alone to wipe off the bar and finish closing out for the night.

Tara came over, a bit of a swagger in her step, proud look on her face as she held a scrap of paper triumphantly between her fingers.

"Look who might get some," Tara said in an exaggerated whisper, smirking suggestively. Beth rolled her eyes and smacked Tara playfully on the arm, going on about no shame and whatnot, but Tara gave the reply of, "Oh yea? Look who's talking! I saw how you were battin your eyelashes at Officer Friendly over there!"

Beth blushed with a quick 'no!' and walked around, scrubbing down tables as everyone had filtered out, save for a few later drinkers. Tyreese was closing the kitchen down at this time, the smell of deep fried goodness no longer available. Rosita had put a lot of the fruit away, most likely only serving hard liquor and beer now since it was all locals that were left.

"So what's his story then?" Beth asked. "He seemed kind of sad."

"Oh Rick!" Tara said dismissively as they cleaned up the dining room. The woman had been in King County her entire life, born and bred. Even if she was batting for the other team in what was sometimes a stereotypical butch way, Tara was a little bit of a gossip. "He's actually a really great guy, but turns out his wife was having an affair, though she wouldn't say with who, and anyways...they finalized their divorce not too long ago. It was this whole big, ugly thing. Lori really put the waterworks out onto the judge, tried taking Rick for everything he has, which is a decent amount, considering he's sheriff deputy. And oh gosh, they've got a boy, Carl. He's like….I don't know. 11 or 12?

"So she's kind of all crazy and has full custody and uses it against him. Like he had to buy her a new car and pays more in child support than required because he just wants to see Carl. He only gets his boy every so often, and now he's a workaholic. He hardly seems to take a day off unless he's seein his boy, and most nights if he's not doing the overnight shift, then he'll be here for dinner and sometimes lunch. Actually, I'm a bit surprised you haven't seen him before now. He must have been covering for the overnight, that's usually like Jim and Morales. But seriously, he's in here quite a bit. I think he just gets really lonely."

Tara went on for a few more minutes, but Beth threw herself into finishing up and making sure they had everything put away for the night, though she couldn't help but think of said Officer Friendly and how his life was at the moment.

Her father Hershel, had always said Beth was his little saint. In high school, she had been a volunteer for food drives, usually handed out gifts to the homeless around Christmas time, and always helped those in need whether it was helping pay for groceries or just giving someone a ride. She had an extremely nurturing instinct, for which her daddy had always been happy to brag about.

Now, the nurturer in her kicked into gear again, just begging her to help out Sheriff Deputy Grimes in some way. If anything, Rick just needed someone to talk to. Sometimes people just needed a new ear for certain situations. Or maybe she could send him a good, home-cooked meal to work for lunch or something. Beth had practically grown up in the kitchen, the more wifely of the daughters in the family (older sister Maggie was a bit of a daredevil tomboy), always learning how to bake and make some old Southern classics. Her mamma had always said that it was a woman's duty to her husband to know how to make a decent meal or two, and Annette had made sure that Beth knew more than just a few.

There was a part of her now that wondered and maybe even hoped that Rick would make it in for dinner like he said.

Beth closed out for the night, turning in her receipts to the back office to her manager, Morgan Jones.

"Have a good night, Beth," he called to her as he punched in the numbers for the evening.

"You too, sir," she made sure to holler back as she grabbed her jacket and purse.

On her way out, she made sure to drop by the kitchen to see if Tyreese needed help, but he waved her off and said he was fine. Rosita smiled and said good night, telling her that they would need to get together soon for a jog, to which the blonde happily agreed. Tara stood by the door, waiting to walk Beth to her car.

"I'm not a little girl, Tara," Beth reprimanded, to which the darker woman rolled her eyes.

"I've gotta be the hero in all this, somehow," Tara jokingly replied. "I mean, how else am I supposed to impress the damsels in distress if I can't even protect you?"

"Oh Tara, you're the heartthrob of little girls everywhere," Beth cooed.

"Damn straight."

Author Notes: I enjoy the Brick ship. I especially love Bethyl. Beth, to me, is such a wonderful and strong woman that grew on the show, I could imagine her in several different scenarios, with several different outcomes with other people. She's versatile and has a warm personality that's all encompassing. I do have a Bethyl story in the works, but I wanted to pay a little homage to this ship first. I think that this matches up kind of closely with the beginning of another Brick ship on here, but it changes quick, I promise. I've got two more solid chapters put together already if there's a positive response to this. So, to let me know if you want more, you know where that awesome review button is. Love to all! I've only been lurking on Tumblr (not posting), but I wanted to put a good influence on our community.