Feels like FOREVER since I posted any chapters on here!
Just a little note: sorry to any Pussycat Doll fans out there. You'll see why...
"Here you go sweety."
"Oh, I didn't order this."
"I know," soothed Carol. "It's on me. Looks like you need a sweet pick-me-up."
The older woman sauntered back behind the counter and left Beth once again with her thoughts. And now cake.
She had come into the diner just after midnight and found herself tucked away in a corner booth watching the few people leaving to return to their comfy homes. For the past couple of hours she'd tracked Carol serving the occasional passing traveller stopping by for a quick leg-stretch and a caffeine boost, the buzzed college guy looking for directions, and all those others like the blonde in question with no real reason to be anywhere else right now.
Hershel had started one of his very rare 'home drinking' sessions, as Beth called them, and when he started throwing things around and shouting out for her mother and Shawn, unanswered calls that echoed throughout the house, she just couldn't take it anymore.
So where else could she go but the one and only place in town open at this time of night.
After her semi-breakdown at school yesterday she'd spent an extra day at home today – or was that now technically yesterday? She'd started to lose track of hours and days by this stage – but she just didn't know how much longer she could avoid him. Thankfully they hadn't questioned her when she rang the school to say she was ill, no-one would think twice about the word of reliable Hershel's sweet youngest, but she knew she couldn't keep this up forever.
Even in her exhausted state she couldn't shut off her thoughts, as garbled as they were, mixing around in her head with the sound of Carol's shoes on the linoleum and the bell tinkling above the door, but she never lifted her eyes from the contents of her cup.
X-X-X
His first night at the motel hadn't been too bad. Well, at least no worse than being surrounded by décor that had seen better days and a questionable stain on the wall. In all honesty he'd spent more time than he should have making shapes out of it. But the peace was short-lived. Or more completely murdered by his new 'neighbours'. If they weren't arguing and lobbing things across the room at each other, then they were throwing wild parties and playing crappy music. How could anyone listen to Pussycat Dolls non-stop until morning?
He didn't know where he was headed, or if he was even going somewhere past aimlessly riding around the deserted country roads.
Never the less he did eventually pull over at the sight of lights standing out against the darkness of the surrounding offices and shops. It was the first sign of life he'd seen in hours, luckily it was the small diner and not one of the bars known in the past as a place to find Merle. He was getting tired but his sensible option of getting some sleep was out of the question, there was no way he could go back to that room right now. So he might as well rest for a while here.
X-X-X
She heard his voice first. The door had been opening and closing all night so why waste her energy watching it any longer? Beth had no idea he'd come in until she heard that husky voice she hadn't heard in too long.
"Jus' a coffee thanks," said Daryl.
She never looked. She wasn't sure if it was out of pure exhaustion or a pathetic attempt at hiding but she leaned further into the corner of the booth and listened.
Carol poured his coffee, with no chitchat then sauntered back into the kitchen.
Any other human being in her situation would get up out of their seat. What happened next could be anyone's guess; storming out, yelling, confronting that person who betrayed them.
But Beth felt nothing. In the past year she'd bottled up her anger toward Daryl and in the process she'd shut herself off from those around her, especially Tara and Rosita. And here was her chance to finally do something about it all… and she froze.
A few moments after hearing that dreaded voice she felt someone – him – slide into the seat opposite. He was now the closest he'd been to her in a whole year and she still couldn't lift her eyes from the table.
"Beth…" breathed Daryl. His hesitation wasn't so much about trying to get a response but just not knowing what to say. It was just one little word, and it was one word too much for her. The sound of his voice made her heart ache and her stomach flip. After all this time and anger, she still couldn't stop those feelings for him.
Neither said another word.
She thought of so many things she could say to him – not all of them so pleasant or polite – yet her brain just couldn't get her mouth to say anything.
They sat in complete silence for a few agonising minutes and in that time the closest Beth could bring herself to looking at Daryl was the odd glance at his hands outstretched on the table. It should have felt uncomfortable and awkward not to exchange a single word but she just felt numb.
He got up and marched straight to the door – God how did Carol put up with that irritating bell? – leaving Beth more confused. He was probably fed up of her silence, how was he supposed to know that she was definitely NOT ignoring him?
With the sudden absence of tension she leaned her head against the wall and felt her eyes drift closed trying to fight the tears. He was the one who fucked up and left her in the dust before her mother's funeral. He was the one kissed her, left their last meeting with smiles and tender goodbyes. He was the one who made the decision to not say a word before he abandoned everything – abandoned her – to leave with his destructive brother to go God-knows where.
So why did she have the agonising need in her chest to throw herself into his arms and never let go?
This revelation was made mere moments before the darkness descended and she succumbed to the exhaustion.
X-X-X
The smell of straw tickled Beth's nose as she came to. She was lying on the cot bed they kept in the barn, occasionally used by the odd farmhand and during Hershel's many years of foaling seasons. The horses were starting to fuss in the other stalls and with the early morning light coming through she saw her jacket and boots on the floor, her phone showing it was just a little after 6am.
As she slowly swung her legs around to sit up, rubbing her eyes and trying to fully wake up, the rumble of an engine echoed its way through the space. She may still be half-asleep but she knew that distant noise, that particular engine, that particular bike owned by a particular Dixon.
X-X-X
*Flashback*
He hadn't noticed her at first. But as Carol placed the cup down in front of him he just felt a pull to take in his surroundings. When he saw Beth tucked away in the corner it was the last thing he expected.
Daryl debated whether to leave, but without trying to over-think it he slid into the booth opposite her, with no clue what to do next. He barely even managed to say her name. She looked tired, weary even, like she'd lost that spark, gleam, that had always pulled him in, the one that always made her… Beth.
When her mom died she could barely sleep, almost every night she was having nightmares. Maggie knew and of course Daryl was there for her when she'd call him in tears in the middle of the night. But Hershel had been oblivious and Shawn had been off in his own little world.
It pained him to see her like this. She looked just the same as that dark period, but surely the nightmares should have stopped by now.
She must have driven here herself so late at night and he couldn't take her home on his bike with her in this state. Deciding to figure this out he went outside to look for her truck, and while he really intended to be gone a few moments, he did take the opportunity to grab a quick smoke. Or what he intended to be quick, actually turned into something a little longer. He felt the nerves building up and he just grabbed at the opportunity to delay going back inside. The sensation of nicotine coursing through his body gave him a familiar sense of calmness.
When he finally mustered up the courage to head back inside he was stopped in his tracks by the sight of her deep asleep in the spot where he left her, now looking so much more serene, the stress previously etched deep into her features now wiped away and coupled with peaceful breathing noises.
After managing to carry her outside and placed in the truck without disturbing her rest – with some much appreciated door-holding help from Carol – and loading his bike in the back as quietly as humanly possible, Daryl drove her home, to an empty house.
Shawn's car was still in the same spot he'd seen it in a few days ago, but there were no other vehicles or sign of life at the property. Beth didn't have a bag with her and he tried looking in her truck but Daryl couldn't find any keys, so not wanting to wake anyone he settled on getting her comfortable in the barn. Hershel and Annette had let him stay there in the past when he needed to get away from his dad at night.
She never stirred throughout any of this and was still fast asleep by the time he rose from where he'd been sat in the corner and brushed the straw away on his way out the next morning.
X-X-X
Daryl must have brought her back home; it was the only thing that made sense. Oh no, did he see her dad last night? There must be a reason he put her in the barn, maybe he'd seen what happened with the house in such a state and wanted nothing to do with it.
She turned to gather her shoes and her jacket – neatly folded next to the cot – but hesitated when she caught sight of the little package lying on top of the pile. Wrapped in cling film was the slice of cake Carol had given her, still fully in tact, and now with a note.
Thought you'd want this,
lemon was always your favourite
–D x
He was right. He remembered.
X-X-X
Hershel had left at some point that night, but Beth didn't know when. Luckily the house just needed tidying, he hadn't broken anything on this occasion, but she spent her day worrying about him. Actually it had gotten to the point where not really knowing where he was had become the norm, it was less a case of worrying about her father and more wondering where he was. The him she was really worrying about, of course, was Daryl. Now the anxious knot in her stomach was joined by the fear of what he saw – or could have seen – last night.
Realistically she knew she should speak to him solely because he was back in town, maybe even her life, but first there needed to be some damage control.
The farm hadn't been working to its full capacity over the last few months, which was obviously affecting the money situation currently being worsened by the drinking away of their accounts.
She contacted the farmhand Shane –she only remembered his name after searching her dad's office for his number – and arranged to meet him at a cafe in town, that way she could get some errands done too. Next was to turn the house upside down (even more) to remove any hidden stashes of alcohol; 2 half-drained bottle of Scotch and more than just a couple of empties.
It was all going to plan until her phone rang as she headed to her truck.
"Hello?"
"Hi Beth," the chipper voice responded. "It's Dave."
"Oh, hi," Beth smiled.
"Well, looks like we've got some room here now. Are you still thinking of going ahead?"
She swallowed back the lump she felt growing in the throat. "Mmm… ye-yeah," she stuttered. "Yeah when can I get it to you?"
"Well if it's any easier for you, I can get one of my guys to come collect it. Is this afternoon ok?"
"That's fine. I'll see him soon." She had answered on autopilot, so desperate to get the deal and this conversation over with.
When her mind re-focused it took a few moments to remember why she was even going out to the truck in the first place… Shane!
He seemed ok with her cancelling at such short notice when she called him, but it was quickly put to the back of her mind while she focused on the task at hand.
She couldn't bring herself to go back in the house, not quite yet, so she waited on the porch until she saw T-Dog and Tyreese drive up.
"Hi Beth, long time no see," smiled Tyreese as he met her in a friendly hug. His sister Sasha was always over at the farm when Maggie was still at home, and the two siblings were regularly at parties and BBQ's at the Greene's.
"Well the farm has kept us pretty busy recently," she half-lied while trying to keep her voice up-beat.
"If you're all set here then I'll get going," said T-dog from behind the wheel. "I got a hot date I need to get to." With a cheery smile he drove off and left them to it.
With a little more small talk and promises to catch up with Sasha soon, before long Beth was watching Tyreese getting ready to drive away.
In all honesty she had tried to stretch the conversation as much as possible to delay the dreaded conclusion; watching her brother's treasured car being taken away for good.
She managed to keep up the façade just long enough, only letting the tears fall once the car had become a smaller and smaller dot in the distance.
X-X-X
He wouldn't normally be caught dead in one of those coffee house places. Today was the exception.
After getting so close and yet being so far from Beth last night, he'd hardly slept. While he'd made her comfortable in the cot, Daryl had sat in the corner simply watching over her. By the time he decided to leave in the morning his legs were cold from sitting on the ground and he had a kink in his neck from trying (and failing) to sleep against the wall. But Beth had hardly moved or made a sound through that time. She had obviously needed sleep and he spent most of the time staring at her as if entranced.
The shitty coffee back at the motel just wasn't going to cut it but hopefully one of those extra shot, extra tall, extra overpriced coffees would. The queue had already reached towards the doors when he joined the line. He could feel himself slowly losing the will the live as the indie music quietly flowed over the laughing hipsters and the loud woman arguing on her phone behind him.
Thank God when the guy in front of him stepped aside and he could give his order, finally one step closer to leaving! Waiting for his coffee, obviously a takeout, his gaze wandered over towards the notice board and promptly brought out of his trance by the small, seemingly insignificant flyer.
Daryl strode with purpose over to see why Beth's name was printed up on the wall. There in bold letters it stated that she would be one of the singers performing here one night next week, since when did she sing in public?
"Oh, that's changed."
The voice came from a barista who'd obviously been watching him.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, eh, Beth Greene?" he explained. "We just got a call from her. Said she had to cancel."
Daryl turned his attention back to the paper and grabbed for his coffee when he saw it in his peripheral. He honestly wouldn't be able to point out the mysterious staff member who served it.
"We haven't got round to updating that yet," the young guy continued to waffle on. "But ya know we've still got some great performers lined up next…"
He never got to finish his own little attempt at advertising before Daryl turned and left the worker talking to an empty space.
X-X-X
For the second Saturday in a row Rosita had gone and deserted her for some guy. They'd arranged to meet in town for their regular ritual of filling up on sugary milkshakes before studying at the library. And once again Tara was left in the lurch. She decided she might as well go home and try to work there and if she happened to also work out a plan for payback against her last-minute-absent friend, then so be it.
But her burgeoning plans were swiftly killed when she caught sight of a very unwanted Dixon.
"Oh shit," she muttered to herself. She stopped short on the way to her car when she saw Merle having a smoke outside a bar. "And of course he's day-drinking. Guess nothing's changed."
It made sense she supposed, one Dixon makes a surprise return, the other is sure to follow. People who even bothered to care knew he was the reason Daryl had left in the first place, and those people also knew he in turn had played a major part in Beth's state ever since.
Tara decided that when she did get to her car she'd just have to put her plans on hold and instead take a drive to the Greene farm.
So there it is. I know Tara and Merle are two characters mentioned in the story details, so here is the beginning of how they'll both be playing a bigger part.
And yes, I went back and forth on the idea of whether to have the farmhand as an established character, or really sort of a nobody to be kept in the background. But I finally decided.
Thanks to all who read my attempts at story writing, hopefully I'll be updating my other story Second Chances next xx
