This is another chapter that basically wrote itself. I'm glad you seem to be liking this story so far!

Enjoy!


"He's magic and myth, as strong as what I believe.

A tragedy with more damage than a soul should see.

And do I try to change him? So hard not to blame him.

Hold on tight."

- 'Beautiful Disaster', Kelly Clarkson


Beth rushed to Lori's from the bus stop as quickly as she could, practically sprinting past the few people who were scattered around the center of town. She was out of breath when she finally reached the store and she burst through the door quickly, her blue eyes wide as they darted around the shop floor in search of Lori.

The door opened with it's typical give-away jingle and the brunette looked up from where she was chatting to an elderly woman at the till area. Beth's shoulders sagged in relief at the sight of her manager's smiling face, seemingly obvious to her lateness. Lori was still talking to the woman who was now paying for some items that she had picked out, but she waved over at Beth in acknowledgement before she turned her attention back to the paying customer.

That was what Beth loved about Lori: she was one of the most genuinely kind women that she knew, and she was always understanding.

Beth's breathing was heavy as she pushed herself up from where she was leaning against the doorframe and she made her way into the back area where her and Lori kept their belongings. Beth tossed her demin jacket and bag over one of the coatpegs that hung up there and darted back onto the shop floor as quickly as she could, glancing in the floor-length mirror at her messy appearance. Beth's hair was shoved in a half-up, half-down style and her cheeks were rosy from the effects of her running through town. She was donning her plain blue skinny jeans and a white polka dot crop top with her 'Lori's' lanyard dangling around her neck.

Lori was stood on her own at the till, the elderly customer seeming to have left her whilst Beth was placing her belongings in the back area, and the brunette was busy writing something down in a notepad when Beth approached. Lori was looking well, having lost all almost all of what she called her 'baby weight', and her hair was growing incredibly longer. Beth smiled at her manager as she brushed past her and apologised for being a few minutes late for her shift.

Lori dismissed Beth with a wave of her hand as she snapped her notepad shut.

"Don't you worry about that, Beth," Lori said. "You're doin' me a favour, coverin' here tonight. I really need to get us some extra help for these shifts to save you the trouble, but nobody in this town seems to want a job."

Beth noticed that Lori genuinely looked worn out and she couldn't help but sympathise with the older woman. Beth felt like she was rushed off her feet enough by balancing her college work and her shifts alongside her social life, she couldn't imagine throwing in two children to the mix - especially not a teenager and a toddler. Running the store was tiring enough without having to run a household as well, and Judith wasn't exactly being easy on her at the moment, either.

There had been a few occasions where Beth had tried suggesting to Lori that she should encourage Carl to come and work a few shifts at the store, but Lori had looked absolutely horrified at the suggestion. She insisted that she wouldn't be able to trust him to do a thing around the store - never mind open up or close down - as he was going through a phase at the moment where he wasn't very good at listening to what other's instructed of him.


"Then again, I don't know if it's much of a phase," Lori had joked one time. "I think it's just him turning into a man."

Beth had quirked her eyebrow at that.

"What do you mean?" she said, not being able to help the grin that had slowly spread across her face as Lori gave her a knowing look.

"That I couldn't trust any man to listen to instructions."


"Beth, are you sure that you'll be alright here on your own?"

Lori asked that question almost every time that Beth worked a shift without her, and even though it had been so long since Beth had started working for Lori and she knew the store like the back of her hand by now, Beth never said anything. Instead, she always simply nodded her head and insisted that of course she would be alright on her own and that Lori needn't worry about her, she was more than capable.

And true to her word, Beth always really was alright on her own. Working at Lori's was pretty much hassle-free. The shop was small enough for her to be able to manage by herself and the store never really got busy enough for her to class work as rushing her off her feet. Sometimes several customers would come in at once - maybe even a dozen or more on a Saturday all at the same time - but more often than not, people came shopping in drips and drabs, and Lori's was quiet but steady throughout the day and night. Beth always found something to keep her busy, but Lori had a habit of behaving like Beth was some sort of superwoman and acting as though the shop couldn't run without her.

Not for the first time, Beth wondered whether Lori actually really considered the fact that she was paying her to be there. Sure, Beth was doing her a favour by working so that she didn't have to put in any more hours than she already did - but it wasn't like she was doing it for free. There was no need for Lori to thank her every time that she came in to work.

"Make sure that you call me if you need anythin' at all, Beth," Lori told her, and Beth nodded her head in understand. Lori gave her a gentle smile as she swung her bag over her shoulder and looked around the store. "Alright, I think that's everything," she said as she checked in her bag. "Just take your wage out of the register at the end of the night, and I'll see you on Friday, alright?"

"Alright," Beth said. "See you Friday, Lori."

Lori gave Beth a little wave before she quickly skipped out of the shop, turning her head over her shoulder as Beth called after her to tell her to make sure that she had a good night.

"Don't enjoy yourself too much," the blonde said with a cheeky grin, and Lori just rolled her eyes.

"Don't you worry, Beth," Lori said with a smile. "With Rick there, it'll be impossible."

Lori was laughing as she pushed open the door to the store and waved goodbye and Beth laughed along with her too, but it was forced and uncomfortable. Lori's words made her feel more than a little bit uneasy. Beth always tried her hardest not to pry into other people's business and personal lives, especially if she had absolutely no right, and Lori was a genuinely lovely woman - but that didn't mean that she was immune to the gossip of the towns people. Beth did her best to ignore the whispers and the rumours that explored Lori's secrets, but she couldn't help but pick up on some things that people said.

Most people had began to notice how close Lori was to one of Rick's colleagues, Shane Walsh. Shane stopped by the store often enough and sometimes he even turned up to give Lori a lift home if she decided to walk to work in the morning on her way to dropping off the children at their school and daycare center. The two seemed awfully close, and Beth wasn't sure how Rick felt about his wife's friendship with Shane. However she was sure that he definitely wouldn't like it if he saw the way that the pair eyed each other hungrily whenever Shane came in to visit her.

Beth couldn't help but watch the pair from a distance, especially when there was really nothing else to do on days where they were really quiet. Beth always tried to distract herself with odd jobs whenever he came in because he just made her feel so awkward, but the store was small and it was difficult not to overhear certain things and not to notice the way that Shane's hands lingered on Lori a little too long or the way that Lori blushed like a teenager at his compliments and laughed a little too loudly at his jokes (which were never really funny at all).

Rick Grimes was such a lovely man, too, and Beth thought that Lori was lucky to be married to him. Rick didn't look at Lori like she was his next meal the way that Shane did; but he did look at her with soft eyes and spoke to her in a kind tone. And whenever he touched her, his hands didn't linger or squeeze; and whenever he kissed her, he was always gentle and light. More than anything, he seemed respectful of his wife, and Beth thought that Rick seemed like a much nicer man than Shane was. He was probably a much nicer partner than Shane ever could be, too.

But Beth reasoned with herself that it wasn't her place to judge. Besides, she only had her suspicions based on a few things that she had seen and things that other's in town had said. It wasn't like there were any solid facts or hard evidence to prove that Lori was indeed having an affair with Shane.

Beth wasn't even sure that she would want to know the truth about it, either.


Overall, it was the same as usual at the store: a quiet night.

Beth was sweeping up the shop floor with forty five minutes to go and singing loudly to a song that was playing through the speakers on the shop floor when she heard the bell chime to signal that she had a customer. Beth's head shot up instantly at the sound and she stopped her singing suddenly, blue eyes widening dramatically when she saw who it was that had entered.

"Daryl?"

His name was a question on her lips even though she was more than aware that it was him who she could see and she carefully rested the broom against the till before she edged her way closer to him, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

She really should have at least brushed her hair before she started her shift.

Daryl had been looking around the store as though he was trying to seek out a shop assistant, and Beth secretly hoped that he had been looking for her.

Given that she had just met the man only a few days before, Beth knew all too well that it was a silly thing to hope for. But try as she might, Beth had honestly been unable to get the image of him out of her mind. Now that he was stood here in front of her once again, Beth thought that he was even more handsome than she had remembered him to be. She probably wouldn't have noticed that Daryl had cut his hair because he hadn't got rid of that much of it in reality, but it no longer fell into his eyes and the striking blue of them was too difficult for her to miss.

Beth debated complimenting him on his new hairstyle, but she figured that it would be best not to bother. Besides, she wouldn't know the right words to say without sounding silly and ridiculous. She could barely even speak to boys, she didn't have the faintest clue how she would speak to a man like Daryl.

His ears seemed to perk up at the sound of her voice calling his name and he squinted his eyes as his head turned in her direction. Beth smiled warmly over at him and she crossed her toes that he didn't think that it was weird that she remembered his name considering the fact that they had only spoken to each other very briefly.

In all honesty, Beth didn't think that there was any woman on earth who would have been able to forget his name. But he wasn't arrogant at all - in fact, he was almost kind of shy - and if he knew the effect that he had on her, then he certainly didn't show it at all.

"Beth."

The corner's of his lips turned upwards ever so slightly and Beth was so happy that she noticed it, but she knew that she would have done because she couldn't help but take in everything about this man. His shorter hair allowed for her to get a better look at just how chiseled his jaw was and she bit her lip to help fight the grin that was threatening to spread across her face just at the sight of him being there.

Her eyes trailed over his appearance and she couldn't help it as her gaze lingered on his arms.

God, they were huge. He could probably crush her with those arms. No, he could definitely crush her with those arms if he wanted to.

Instead of that thought being intimidating and deterring her interest towards him, it only seemed to excite her and the thought of his arms wrapped around her caused a sudden rush of heat to strike in her core. Beth had never felt attracted to another person in this way before - especially not a man, and especially not one that she barely even knew.

Beth opened her mouth to say something to him - anything, she pleaded with herself, so long as it isn't stupid - but just before she got the chance to get any words out, her eyes were suddenly shooting downwards towards his hips as she noticed for the first time that Daryl wasn't alone. Beth's light eyes watched as a young girl strolled in her direction, confidence oozing from her as she squinted up at Beth.

It came back to her then - the fact that he had been shopping for his niece the other day. This must be her.

Upon her realisation, there was absolutely no doubt at all in Beth' mind that this young girl was in fact Daryl's niece, even though he had yet to confirm her suspicions. They weren't exactly the spitting image of each other, but some of their physical features were the same. Their eyes were two different shades of blue, hers much lighter than his - being a more similar colour to Beth's own whilst Daryl's were darker - but the shape of their eyes was the same. And the girl was clearly picking up on some of Daryl's traits because she even narrowed them at her the same way that he did. Her hair was the same mousy brown colour as his, but it was long; tumbling down her shoulders and her back in an unruly manner.

The girl was dressed in a school uniform and Beth instantly recognised it to be the one for the local elementary school. It was the same school that she had attended when she was little.

Beth's eyes darted back up to Daryl from where they had been locked on the young girl, and she couldn't help but smile at him. She probably looked like a fool, smiling like this all of the time - but whenever she was around him, she simply couldn't help it.

"I take it this is your niece," Beth said, gesturing with her hands to the girl who stood slightly in front of him, arms crossed over her chest almost defensively.

If Daryl was surprised or creeped out that she seemed to be remembering all of these things about him, he didn't look it. He just nodded at her and watched as she bent down a little at the waist towards the girl, edging ever so closer towards her. The girl had watched her Uncle nodding in confirmation at Beth and she seemed to accept that Beth was a friend quite easily.

"Hi there," Beth said with a smile. "What's your name, sweetie?"

The girl looked anything but unsure as she dropped her arms by her sides and pushed out her chest confidently, flashing a toothy grin at Beth.

"Ella," she said, and Beth almost laughed with glee at how much she sounded like Daryl.

Obviously, it had to be the accent and the accent alone, because Ella's voice was high and squeaky and very girlish whilst Daryl's was low and deep and typically masculine. But still, there was just something about the little girl's tone of voice that had Daryl's name written all over it.

"Well," Beth said, her eyes wide as she conversed with the child. "It's lovely to meet you, Ella. I'm Beth."

Beth pushed herself back upright and grinned at Daryl who was looking at her with an expression that she just couldn't place. Amusement? Confusion? Surprise? A mixture of all three? She wasn't sure.

Beth wondered if she would ever be able to read him better.

"How can I help you both?" Beth asked, and Ella spoke up before Daryl could even open his mouth, confirming Beth's thoughts that she was much more confident than her Uncle. Beth barely knew Daryl at all, but so far she had noticed how he was reluctant to talk much unless it was really absolutely necessary. He seemed to prefer communicating non-verbally but even at just six years old, Ella was evidently much bolder than her Uncle when it came to conversation - even with adults.

Beth couldn't help but wonder where she had got that from.

"Daryl forgot to get me some new underwear," Ella said matter-of-factly, and Beth swore that the tips of Daryl's ears were burning a furious shade of red at his niece's blunt explanation. Beth stifled a giggle out of sympathy for him and just raised one of her brows at the young girl.

"Did he really?" Beth asked, choking a little on the laughter that she was attempting to hold back.

Ella nodded her head up and down and opened her mouth to say something else back to Beth when an item in the store that was positioned behind the blonde seemed to catch her eye. Beth turned her head over her shoulder and looked in the direction of Ella's vision, immediately spotting the display of headbands that the little girl was eyeing up. Before Beth even got the chance to hear what Ella had to say in response, the girl was rushing past Beth and heading straight towards the selection of headbands - most of them made by Lori herself - and squealing with glee.

Beth turned her head back round to give Daryl her full attention once more and the man looked absolutely mortified as he stared straight past Beth and after his niece. Daryl visibly swallowed and Beth wanted to tell him that it wasn't that big of a deal, but she thought that her addressing the slightly awkward situation would probably make things even worse, so she decided not to say anything at all about it.

"So," she said as she rocked on her heels, glancing back at Ella quickly before turning back to Daryl. "Would you like me to just grab those... erm, grab those bits that you need for her? Save you the trouble?"

She was offering him a get-out-of-jail-free-card and Daryl seemed to appreciate it if his grunt and quick nod was anything to go by. Beth smiled at him reassuringly as he muttered a quick 'thanks' at her and she headed over towards the other end of the store where they displayed the range of children's basics. Daryl seemed to be frozen on the spot for a moment and went over to his niece briefly, mumbling something to her in his usual low tone and Beth wasn't able to catch what it was that he was saying to the girl. Beth began to sing along to the song playing through the speakers once again as she picked up a few packets of underwear in the correct age and in assorted colours.

Beth turned around and was just about to head back in Daryl's direction when she collided straight into his chest. She clung tightly to the packets of underwear, thinking briefly about just how much more horrified he would be about all of this if he had to help her pick up age six panties from all over the floor. Daryl gripped tightly to both of her elbows in an attempt to steady her, and the feel of his big hands holding on to her made her heart thrum quickly against her chest.

She breathed a quick 'thank you' to him under her breath and as soon as she was balancing on her own feet again, Daryl took a step back from her. Beth instantly missed his closeness.

"I was just going to ask you if you needed any vest or socks, too," Beth said as she handed over the packets to him. Daryl didn't even look at any of the things that she passed to him and just held them stiffly in his arms, his eyes locked on hers the whole time.

"Yeah," he said, looking at her with a blank face. "Yeah. I s'pose so."

Beth nodded her head and gave him one last looked before she turned around and grabbed a few more things that she thought that he would need. She couldn't help but sympathise with the man who was clearly struggling to keep up with everything that his niece needed. Her curiosity about his situation only continued to peak, but Beth continued to hold her tongue.

It isn't any of your business.

Beth carried the vests and socks towards the till where Daryl had placed the packets of underwear before she turned her attention to the man and his niece. Ella was still stood at the section where the headbands were and she was explaining something to her Uncle as she passed him another glittery accessory to add to the pile that was in his arms.

"Reckon you have enough?" Daryl asked, and Ella looked like she was debating it for a long moment before she nodded her head at him.

"Yeah," she said. "I reckon so."

Beth smiled as Daryl approached the till again; this time, with Ella in tow - and the young girl stood on her tiptoes to stare over the counter at Beth as she began to bag up the items and scan them through the till. Beth made polite small talk with Daryl as she bagged up the items, talking to him about how long and exhausting her day had been after spending most of her day at college and then coming straight to work.

XXXX

Beth smiled as he approached the till again - this time, with Ella in tow - and the young girl stood on her tiptoes to stare over the counter at Beth as she began to bag up the items and scan them through the till. Beth made polite small talk with Daryl as she bagged up the items, telling him all about how long her day had been after going to college in the morning and how quiet the store had been this evening - and then she was accepting the cash that he handed over to her and placed it in the register.

She collected his seven dollars as change and went to hand it over to him, but Daryl just shook his head as he picked up the bags in one swift movement. Beth smiled at him kindly and told him that he didn't have to tip her - after all, none of the other customers ever did. Beth never really expected tips in retail, anyway. It wasn't like she was working in some fancy department store, this was Lori's.

But Daryl refused to take the money and instead only accepted the receipt.

"Thank you," she told him sincerely as she slipped the change into her pocket. Daryl just nodded his head at her in acknowledgement before turning to face Ella.

"You sure you're done now?" he said, and Ella just nodded up at him.

"Yep," she said, frowning up at him before she questioned him. "You're still gettin' us a Chinese though, right, Daryl?"

Beth couldn't help but giggle at that and Ella turned to face the older girl, laughing a little bit herself. Daryl turned his head to face Beth, too, and he offered her a tiny smirk before he returned his attention back to his niece who was looking back up at him.

"Sure am," he told her, and Ella sighed loudly in relief before making her way towards the door. Beth followed from behind the counter, the keys in her hand ready to lock up for the night. Daryl looked in her direction and eyed up the keys in her hands. "You closin'?"

Beth nodded her head at him as he made his way out of the store.

"Sure am," she grinned as she rested against the door frame. Daryl glanced behind him at the empty parking lot and turned back towards her with narrowed eyes.

"You got a ride?" he asked, and Beth shook her head no, telling him that she was planning on getting the bus home. He looked a little bit unsure as he glanced between her and his car, rubbing the back of his neck. "Wanna hop in with us?"

Ella was looking up at her Uncle with a suspicious expression and Beth blinked a few times at him, her blue eyes wide in surprise.

"Err-"

"You don't have to," Daryl cut in suddenly, his expression changing quickly. "I jus' thought - you know what, it don't matter, I -"

It was probably more than she had ever heard Daryl say before, but she couldn't help but panic at the look of rejection that was painted across his face. Beth cut him off before he could say anything else, hoping that her hesitation - that was mostly due to the surprise of him offering her a ride mixed with not wanting to seem cheeky for accepting so quickly - hadn't blown this opportunity for her.

"No," Beth interrupted, shaking her head quickly. "No, I mean, yes. Yes, I would love to ride with you." Her cheeks blushed crimson quickly at her words. "I mean, a ride with you in your car. You know, home. I..." Beth cleared her throat. "If you don't mind, that is."

Beth was laughing a little as she spoke, feeling incredibly awkward with a little blush creeping up her cheeks. Daryl's eyes were narrowed at her again and he didn't look too certain of himself as he nodded his head once.

"Sure," he said. "Ain't a problem."

Beth smiled at him and tucked a stray piece of blonde hair behind her ears, pushing herself upright and getting ready to close the door.

"Okay. I'll be five minutes."

Daryl nodded his head at her before stepping back slightly, his blue eyes eventually tearing from hers as he turned around and walked towards his car, Ella walking a little ahead of him and talking loudly at him. Beth's stomach fluttered with excitement at the thought of Daryl giving her a ride home, but she tried her hardest to calm herself down.

He's just taking you home, Bethy.

It's not a big deal.