Man in Black – Chapter 1 – Red
It was a warm summer day – not the typical Georgia hot – but warm enough for Daryl to grumble about having to wear a suit and tie. He looked over at Rick and Glenn and saw they were just other passengers in the same boat called the SS Maggie.
He knew all these details were her doing, and no one would ever talk her out of them. He did his best to stay out of her way and not get run over by caterers prepping the food, musicians carrying in instruments, florists and decorators as they set up the guest tables under the tent in the spacious backyard. For a girl with the last name Greene, there sure was a lot of red in this wedding.
Daryl could hear the girls and Maggie's parents upstairs finishing getting ready. He leaned over to Glenn, who looked a lot less nervous than Daryl would've been to be marrying Maggie, and started teasing him, "Ya know, it's not too late. Me an' Rick would hold her back while you made a break for it."
Glenn fixed Daryl with an unamused look. "Ha. Just cause you don't have luck with women doesn't mean no one else does. I'm good. I'm happy to marry Maggie. Just hope I don't forget the words to my vows. She'd kill me if I left something out."
Daryl snorted and Rick patted the younger man on the back. "Don't worry," Rick said. "If you do leave something out, you never have to worry about having something to talk about. I'm sure she'll remind you every chance she gets."
"Until you screw up the next thing," Daryl added.
Carol came into the living room where the groomsmen were all waiting to be told where to go next. "Last checks," she announced, and made sure all three had their boutonnières and ties on straight. She gave them each a cursory glance, running her hands over their jackets to make sure no lint had found them since the last time she checked, made sure their lapels were just so, and informed them to get ready for showtime.
Sasha, one of Maggie's friends, came down first and met Rick at the bottom of the steps. He offered his arm to her and led her out to the side of the house where the ceremony was to take place. Beth, Maggie's sister, followed shortly after, taking her time down the stairs, her eyes never leaving her feet, as if she were afraid of falling.
Daryl couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked...nervous. Hell, he was nervous for her.
When she finally made it to the bottom, she raised her eyes to meet Daryl, and whispered, "Wow..."
Daryl bit back a grin when he saw her blushing. He chuckled as he offered his arm to her. He had actually been thinking the same thing about her – wow. He was suddenly a little nervous himself being so near such a beautiful woman. She was so unlike any other women in his life. He had met Beth several times since Maggie and Glenn had fist gotten together, and had recently entertained the idea of asking her out, but based on his most recent relationship, just couldn't stand the risk of rejection. Beth was so wholesome and pure, so sweet and innocent; what would she want with a rough and tough grease monkey like him? His heart sank a little as he reminded himself that she wouldn't want him, not in a million years.
Still, it was nice to have her on his arm, even if only for the ceremony, for the sake of his friends.
As they walked outside, Beth stammered, "I...um...I just meant...you look really nice. I've never seen you so spiffed up."
Daryl smirked down at her. "Yeah, working in the garage doesn't really lend itself to this fancy attire." His voice took on a mockingly pretentious accent. "Besides, grease stains are a bitch to get out of the silk tie." This earned him a laugh from her perfect mouth, and his heart swelled as his smirk widened into a full on smile. He couldn't help it; the girl just seemed to draw the best out of him.
They finally made it outside, to the end of the aisle, catching up with Sasha and Rick. Annette and Hershel joined them; Maggie waited inside for her grand entrance. Carol gave the signal and the musicians started playing the processional music. Hershel and Annette walked down the aisle first, smiling and waving at their guests as they passed. Once they were in their seats, Sasha and Rick stepped down the aisle.
Beth squeezed Daryl's arm slightly, and he fought the urge to flex his muscles under her fingers. He looked down at her. "Ready?" he asked gently. She nodded as he led them down to join the other attendants. As they reached the end of the aisle, Daryl lightly squeezed her hand. She looked up at him, and he was thrown by how beautiful she looked. In that brief moment, he wished he could be lucky enough to have her look up at him every day, just like that. She smiled at him as they split off to the opposite sides of the small altar.
The music transformed into Maggie's entrance music and the crowd rose to their feet and turned to watch her slowly walk down the aisle. She was nothing but smiles as her gaze focused on Glenn waiting at the altar for her. Daryl cast a glance at his friend next to him and couldn't have been happier for him...the poor sap.
The ceremony itself flew by in a blur. Daryl offered the rings to the minister when he was asked for them. The rest of the time his thoughts rotated between two things: 'Damn it's hot - who the hell decided to have an outdoor wedding in the middle of the summer in Georgia, and then decided to have the groomsmen in suits and ties?' and, 'God, Beth looks beautiful.' He'd only made it through his cycle of notions a half dozen times when the minister was pronouncing Glenn and Maggie as husband and wife, allowing the groom to kiss the bride. Glenn laughed, "Finally," before planting a kiss on his wife.
The guests erupted in applause. Daryl heard Beth's peal of laughter as she clapped for her sister. The musicians started playing Mendelssohn's Wedding March and Mr. and Mrs. Rhee all but ran down the aisle, hand in hand.
Daryl moved to the center of the aisle, meeting Beth once again, and offered his elbow to her to escort her back down the aisle. He guided her back toward the house, releasing her to hug her sister as he heartily shook hands with Glenn in congratulations. They were soon met by Sasha and Rick, then Beth's parents, until there was a flood of guests seeking to wish good luck and congratulations on the newlyweds before heading to the tent in the back yard.
The wedding party took their places at the head table. Once everyone was seated, the toasts began. Beth stood nervously, and Daryl found himself staring once again. Something in him wanted to stand up next to her so she wouldn't feel so alone, so stranded, so anxious. He thought he could see her fingers trembling as she picked up the cordless microphone and prepared to give her maid of honor speech. 'Shit, that means I'm up next," Daryl realized, and scrambled to remember what he had planned to say. He was still watching her as she brought the microphone to her mouth to speak. She cleared her throat, getting ready to begin her speech, but was stopped before she started by a screech of feedback through the speakers.
Daryl couldn't help but notice the blush spreading over her neck and cheeks or the sheen of perspiration glistening on her forehead. "Um," she began, and flinched at something he couldn't comprehend. "Hi, everyone. We're all just so glad you could come out here today to support my big sister as she married her best friend. Maggie has always been there for me. She always said she was the only one who got to pick on me, and watch out to anyone else who tried." The crowd chuckled at this, and Beth visibly relaxed, if only a little. She smiled as she continued, "And now, I've got a new big brother. Glenn, I could not have picked a more perfect match for my sister. I've seen you bring out the absolute best in each other. Now, before I start getting all mushy and all, I've got a little surprise for the newlyweds. I hope you like it." Beth turned to the DJ and gave him a nod. "Soul Sister" by Train started playing through the speakers. Beth took a deep breath and started singing.
The words she sang weren't important, at least not to Daryl. All he knew was this tiny little slip of a girl had one of the most beautiful voices he'd ever heard. All her nervousness melted off of her as she sang, as if she were made to be standing in front of people and performing. He racked his brain, trying to remember what it was she did for a living, and he was pretty sure she was still in college...or had just graduated...no, she was definitely in school. School! She was learning to be a teacher. As the song continued, he decided that, while he was sure she'd be a great teacher, she was wasting her musical talent.
Once the song ended, the crowd applauded loudly, and he joined right in with them. Beth raised her champagne glass and said, "To Maggie and Glenn, may you find every happiness in each other." She took a sip of the bubbly liquid and walked behind her sister and brother-in-law to hand the mic to Daryl.
Daryl took the microphone from her and chuckled nervously into it, realizing that he'd just spent the last couple minutes staring at Beth and thinking about her rather than going over his speech in his head. Swallowing down his nerves, he began, "Man, oh man, how the hell am I supposed to follow that? Guess I'm just gonna have to try. I wanna start by sayin that Maggie, you look absolutely beautiful…and Glenn, you don't look so bad yourself. When Glenn asked me to be his best man I had lots of questions, naturally. I started with, 'So who backed out? Is there gonna be an open bar? Just how crazy do you want your bachelor party?'" He paused as the crowd laughed, and Daryl continued, smirking at his friend, "Don't worry, Glenn. What happens in Atlanta stays in Atlanta. Glenn told me he wanted me up here mainly to increase my chances with the bridesmaids," He looked right at Beth, who immediately started blushing, "so I guess I'm pretty lucky there. He also asked me to keep it under three minutes, so I guess y'all are lucky, too." He raised his glass and faced them, and the rest of the guests followed suit. "Glenn, Maggie, it's obvious you two were made for each other. I only hope I find someone who can make me even half as happy as you two are together." 'If only,' he thought to himself. He toasted the couple, then looked straight at Beth before raising his glass once more and bringing it to his lips.
The reception continued, caterers serving the guests their salads, followed by the main course. Once everyone had finished eating, Maggie and Glenn cut the cake and fed each other, effectively stuffing frosting up each other's noses. Next came their first dance, followed by the couples' dance, where all the already married couples joined the newlyweds and were narrowed down until only the couple who had been married the longest was left dancing.
Daryl shed his suit jacket as soon as he could, but didn't mind walking around with the vest and tie combo. He spent most of the night talking with Rick, who had ended up dateless because his wife was home taking care of their little girl, Judith, who had some kind of summer cold that she just couldn't shake. Rick excused himself to call home to check on everyone, leaving Daryl to his own devices for the moment.
He looked down to the other end of the head table and saw Beth, sitting by herself, looking just as sad as sad could be. Just watching her as she watched the other couples dancing around on the temporary dance floor made him feel...something he hadn't felt in a long time. 'A pretty girl like that doesn't deserve to be left alone like that,' he thought to himself. Surely if she had a boyfriend, he'd be here with her, right?
Dismissing every doubt he had in his mind, he pushed himself to his feet and crossed over to stand behind her. "Hey," he said, hoping his voice was loud enough to be heard over the music. Apparently it was, and Beth whirled around to look up at him. He fought the blush threatening to color his cheeks as he felt her eyes roam over him. "You know it's illegal for the maid of honor to sit alone when she should be dancin'." He held out his hand to her and waited for her to take it before leading her to the dance floor in the middle of the lawn.
Daryl slid his hands to rest on the small of her back as she placed her hands lightly on his shoulders. They started swaying to Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight." Daryl bent his head to murmur in her ear, "Nice job with your speech."
Beth blushed and smiled prettily. "Thanks," she mumbled, still looking nervous as she looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes. "You did good, too."
Daryl looked at her skeptically and scoffed, "Yeah…especially after you serenading everyone." He gave her a friendly smirk and chuckled as her blush deepened.
"I'm sorry about that. Didn't mean to one up you," Beth answered.
Daryl noticed her blush deepen even further, coming very close to matching the color of her dress. "Nah, s'alright," Daryl shrugged it off. "You sing real pretty. I, uh…I wouldn't mind hearing you sing again sometime." He paused, just momentarily, then plowed ahead before he lost his nerve. "There's a bar in town, has a karaoke night every week. You oughta go. Show off a little."
The look on her face was absolutely priceless. "R…really?" she asked incredulously.
"Yeah. Why not? I could, ya know, go along with ya. Be yer body guard," he grinned down at her and readjusted his hands on her, pulling her just a little closer. He couldn't deny how good it felt to hold her like this.
"A body guard? What kind of bar is this?" she smiled up at him, moving her hands so they were clasped behind his neck.
Daryl laughed softly, "Not as bad as what you're thinking. Just don't want a pretty little thing like you getting scared all by herself."
"You think I'm pretty?" Beth asked demurely, grinning up at him.
Daryl caught himself blushing. "Well…yeah…ya know…" he trailed off. How could he tell her that he thought she was the most beautiful girl he'd laid eyes on?
Beth pulled gently, bringing Daryl's head down next to hers. "You know, if we're being honest, you're pretty darn handsome yourself," she said softly, her lips grazing his ear and sending a chill down his spine.
Daryl's first reaction was to pull back, but Beth kept her arms wound around his neck, holding him close. "It's the suit," he tried to explain after finally finding his voice again.
This time Beth was the one to pull back, to look him directly in the eye. "No, it's not," she said decisively. Daryl cocked an eyebrow at her, questioning the validity of her statement with his look. Not finding any sarcasm or playfulness in her tone or in her look, he made up his mind.
He jutted his chin out, just slightly, almost testing the waters. His nose came close to brushing against hers. When she didn't pull back any further, he swallowed down his fear and gently kissed her soft lips. He kept the kiss quick and innocent, and pulled away, looking down at her, gauging her reaction. Beth blinked her eyes up at him, and gently smiled; Daryl grinned widely in return. She pulled him close and rested her cheek on his chest. Daryl held her tightly, lowering his head so his lips were near her ear. Beth could hear him singing, soft and low, "I said my darling, you were wonderful tonight."
So, I'm trying a thing here. This story is meant to be a partner to Lady in Red, which is strictly from Beth's POV. I got to thinking, there's so many times where we either don't hear from Daryl or he gets a look that Beth can't interpret...really, just a bunch of times where I really want to delve into where he's coming from, so...yeah. Here we go.
As you read, keep in mind that any conversations they have will be exactly the same, so there will be a lot of repeated material. Also, anything revealed to Beth in Lady in Red may or may not be revealed earlier since you're getting Daryl's version of events first hand.
Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know! Thanks for reading, and please review!