A/N: So I just want to say that I've been overwhelmed by the reviews I've been receiving on this. I never expected so many responses and I definitely wasn't sure if many people would enjoy it. So if you've been reading, and even taking the time to review, I want to thank you sooooo much. You've been my motivation to keep writing! Your reviews absolutely brighten my day! And your enthusiasm gives me even more enthusiasm!
I also want to give a huuuuuge shout-out to benevolent01, whose review and input inspired me to finish the unfinished chapter that had been sitting on my computer for 2 months and to fill in all the gaps that kept me from continuing the story. You're seriously the best, thank you!
Anyway, let me know what you think, give me input, criticism, all of it. I love it all! I hope this chapter meets your expectations. Next chapter will, I promise, be the fishing trip :)


Gossip

The morning after Andrea's expected-but-surprise arrival, Beth caught her usual ride from Shawn into town. He'd begun making it a habit to run to the store or meet up with some of Hershel's business partners and debt collectors after dropping Beth off, so the long drives were beneficial for the both of them. However, since the frigidity between them had died down from their argument on her first day of work, they'd resigned to not speaking as much as they used to. But then again, Beth reminded herself, none of them did anything quite as much as they used to since her mother had passed.

Even before they'd shared hurtful words, Shawn was lost in his own thoughts most of the time, checking off mental lists of things that needed to be done that he'd had to take responsibility of since Hershel had to let go of so many people to save money. Even the almost-content silences between them weren't the norm compared to a year or so ago. She could still remember how overprotective her older brother had always been, interrogating every boy she'd ever brought over or gone on a date with. But now, he'd only met Zach once, and that was only briefly, as he was heading out the door to do more work at the time. He didn't ask her about Zach, but then again, she kind of preferred it that way.

Lately, she and her boyfriend of barely a month had been having more frequent arguments, and she was finding herself abandoned or neglected more often than not. If anyone were to ask her about him, she wasn't sure if she could hold back the complaints that would surely rise to the surface and pour out of her like one of those never-ending handkerchiefs clowns use. But no one really did ask about him. Her boyfriend was immature and selfish, and he didn't treat her the best sometimes, but she always had a soft spot for him and couldn't seem to detach herself. She'd clung onto him like a lifesaver in the ocean, even though she had some suspicions and a bad feeling in her gut that they wouldn't end up lasting the entire summer. She excused it all because he was currently the only good thing she really had to look forward to – someone to spend the weekends with, laughing and distracting herself from the sad silence that hung over her home during the week. She had to come home every day to that cloud of mourning, and sometimes, locking herself up in her bedroom and writing or playing guitar didn't always work to alleviate any stress. So for now, the weekends were her getaway, and the one thing she had to keep her going through the tiring work week. She appreciated how busy Daryl was keeping her at the office, but sometimes walking in to the stacks of papers on her desk felt a bit overwhelming, and she'd have the strong urge to turn around and just leave, maybe find a coffee shop somewhere and hide until it was time for Shawn to pick her up. A couple of times, she'd caught herself counting the weeks left until school started again.

That's not normal, she told herself. Normal college kids don't count down the time until school starts. They enjoy their summer and the freedom. I'm supposed to be having fun right now.

For a moment, she contemplated going to Maggie and confiding in her big sister like she used to when she was younger. But that thought quickly left her mind because she knew all she'd get out of it was a lecture. Maggie had taken it too heavily upon herself to become the new 'mother figure' in the family. Even Patricia, who lived with her husband Otis just down the road and also assisted Hershel in most of his veterinary work around the farm, had agreed with Beth that Maggie had become too strict and worrisome, and all the unnecessary stress would prematurely age her inside and out. She was trying to do everything at once, and even though it was with good intentions and with only the thought of Hershel's well-being in mind, it became too much on most everyone else. Everyone but Hershel seemed to avoid her nowadays, and Beth couldn't remember the last time she'd truly talked to her sister in the way that sisters are supposed to talk. Maggie was always looking for a confrontation, looking for someone to complain to about the various problems on the farm, trying to find extra tasks for every person she ran into. Beth knew she couldn't talk to her about anything without getting backlash, and consequentially, hearing about it from Hershel, too.

She'd found Maggie rifling through her bag just about a week after she'd returned home for the summer, and since then, Beth had been careful of what she said or did around her. Maggie hadn't even tried to defend herself – she stated plain and simple to Beth that she was partly in charge of the family and it was her job to make sure Beth wasn't getting into trouble at school or having any personal problems that might end up hurting her, or even worse, bringing home anything that could cause trouble. Beth had been furious at her sister's assumptions about her – it was like they didn't even know each other anymore. Had she really thought Beth would've done anything like that? But in the end, all she could do was scoff and lock her bedroom door whenever she left the house. There was nothing she could argue, she knew, because none of it mattered anymore. All that mattered to Maggie was making sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to and not making any more trouble for Hershel. But Beth resented how her sister treated him like he was a fragile old man. He was one of the strongest men she knew, and even if he was fighting his own silent battles, he could handle a lot more than anyone gave him credit for. But Maggie was terrified at the idea of him turning back to his old drinking problem as a way to cope with losing his wife and going into so much debt. Beth knew he was smarter than that, though.

It seemed the only times the family was truly at peace was in church on Sunday mornings. Hershel and Annette had been very involved with their local church, but since she'd gotten sick, they had cut back heavily. Even after her death, they couldn't seem to find the time or the desire to attend more than the usual Sunday morning, or take part in any of the church's events. But the Greene family was still present every week, just like they had been for over fifteen years. Beth secretly looked forward to it, even though Shawn usually skipped it to finish more tasks on the farm and Maggie was always a bundle of stress as she tried to coordinate their breakfast and how much she would allow her father to do for the rest of the day. But Beth was always sitting in the pew, right next to her daddy, who would look over at her with a glowing smile on his face and she could still see hope in his eyes, even through all the gray hair and wrinkles. And some Sundays, she would join the choir in singing just like she used to do every single Sunday from the age of ten to eighteen. It was almost like things were back to normal, the way they were before college and before Annette's death. Sometimes, Beth would glance into the crowd and see Maggie and her face would actually look peaceful for once, and she'd have a prideful look in her eyes as she watched her little sister sing praise for their Lord.

Of course, it didn't last long. Church always ended, Sunday always passed, and the family was back to their own devices. Zach always asked Beth why she bothered with "the whole church thing," and it seemed that her lack of an answer only proved to upset him. Even though she looked forward to spending time with him on Friday nights and Saturdays, she just didn't find the idea of his company more enticing than those few hours of Sunday morning with her family.

But now, it was Thursday, and she was so close to the freedom that the weekend brought, she could feel it. She'd proposed the idea of the spontaneous fishing trip to Zach the night before, right after she'd gotten home from her day of work, and he had agreed, although not enthusiastically. She assured him he could still do his favorite hobby, drinking inordinate amounts of booze, and he agreed that would make it bearable, but he still seemed upset at the fact it was her boss, and that he'd basically be interfering on the young couple's precious "alone time." But she'd brushed it off and insisted he come, because whether he was going or not, she'd already decided where she would be on Saturday. She hadn't been to the cabin in years, and she hadn't been fishing in even longer, so it sounded irresistibly pleasant. All she had to do was get through two more days of work first.

Shawn pulled the truck into his usual spot in front of the coffee shop that sat just around the corner from the office building, stopping and waiting for Beth to gather her purse and open the door to step out onto the curb.

"See ya tonight," he bid her goodbye as she waved and shut the passenger door of the truck behind her.

It had been another silent ride, Beth occupying herself with her phone and Shawn focused completely on driving as the radio had hummed the low sounds of the local country station. She heard the truck pull away and speed down the street, away from her, but she didn't turn to watch it. Instead, she focused on the sidewalk in front of her and the small, glass front door she was approaching. She had stepped out of the air conditioning and into the stifling heat that was already settling over Atlanta for the day. It was the time of summer when it grew hot early, and stayed hot most of the night, making your clothes stick to your skin and a constant sweat drip down the back of your neck. She was thankful to only have to endure it between entering the coffee shop, getting her and Daryl's drinks, and leaving the coffee shop to walk around the block and enter the icy cold inside of the office building.

With Daryl's hot coffee in one hand and her own iced coffee in the other, Beth stepped into the lobby of the building and saw Olivia behind the reception desk as usual. Beth muttered a "good morning" as she passed and got silence in return. Olivia usually replied with a cheerful greeting, though. She turned back to look at the receptionist and found her glaring over her shoulder at Beth, small eyes squinted behind glasses. Beth turned back without a word and didn't stop walking the entire time, turning down the hall and asking herself why Olivia would be giving her the evil eye. What had she done to upset her?

She tried to shrug it off as she approached the door to Daryl's office, which was shut as usual. She knew Daryl wouldn't care to hear about it, and she tried to convince herself it was probably just her imagination and Olivia hadn't been glaring at her; there was most likely a logical explanation for her alleged reaction. Besides, it wasn't something worth overthinking. If she had any spare time to think about personal things between paperwork, she'd be thinking about which bathing suit she wanted to wear to go fishing.

A part of her wanted to impress Zach, and she knew showing off her body for him would make him happy. Another part of her also knew that he'd probably be expecting sex after a day of drinking and fishing, and she started to wonder if they'd have to do it in the backseat of his car again or if Daryl would offer them to stay the night in the cabin. Either way, she'd have to be extra quiet, and she knew Zach would pout if they didn't do anything sexual the entire time, so there was no getting around it. Then again, it was something else that she knew would make him happy, and a part of her desired to do just that as often as possible.

When Beth stepped into Daryl's office, he was at his desk, reading over some paperwork laid out before him. She approached and set his coffee down in whatever clear area she could find with a cheerful, "Good morning!"

He grunted a hello and she understood that he was concentrating on the paperwork, most likely trying to make sense of the overcomplicated nonsense that seemed to be written all throughout most documents he had to deal with. Beth was surprised that he could understand most of it, and she was glad she didn't have to deal with any of the details like he did. Even after weeks of reading over things and helping to assist in a way, she couldn't make sense of any of it, and all Daryl's attempted explanations had flown over her head. From what she'd seen while doing her part, she knew he wasn't lying when he had told Gregory how valuable he was.

She also knew that Gregory was a man who was too cowardly to ever actually do anything but degrade and insult someone like Daryl, professionally or otherwise. She'd had to see him in passing a couple of times since their lunch, in the breakroom. Thankfully, they hadn't made small talk, but Beth had stood off to the side or just around the corner sometimes when she knew Gregory was speaking to someone. She knew it was rude as hell and probably completely unnecessary, but she just couldn't help herself. If nothing else, it had given her an insight on just how awful he really was as a person, especially when he expressed his own, original thoughts aloud. He seemed to have nothing but negative things to say about everyone, whether to their faces or behind their backs. She had yet to hear him give Daryl any good ideas or suggestions, or act like an actual manager and not just a self-servient asshole.

Beth took her seat at her own desk near the door, setting her purse and coffee down and beginning to settle in for the morning. She had started looking through the papers in her first stack of the day, ready to get to work, when she heard Daryl clear his throat from across the small office and she raised her head to look at him.

"Thanks, fer the coffee," he mumbled, just loud enough that she could hear him.

"You're welcome," she smiled back. She was used to this by now – when he was too busy or wrapped up in a call or reading, he wouldn't greet her or say anything, but he never failed to thank her eventually, even if it was half an hour later.

She looked down to resume her work but heard his voice again, a bit louder this time.

"Boyfriend still comin'?" It was a partial question but she understood it nonetheless.

She nodded, stacking the papers in her hand into separate piles on her desk. "Yep. Saturday, right? What time should we show up?"

Daryl shrugged, his eyes on his computer screen, one hand absent-mindedly stroking his short goatee in thought. "Whenever. Fish get t'bitin' somethin' fierce right 'fore the sun comes up and right 'fore it goes down. Take yer pick."

Beth quickly replied, "Then I'll see ya about five or six." After she said it, though, she had a feeling it wouldn't have mattered if she'd answered at all. He'd probably just sit out there fishing, from daybreak to nightfall, not caring whether Beth and her boyfriend showed up or not. But how could she be offended? The man probably didn't get lonely. Ever.

They went back to work and didn't speak again for a couple of hours. Beth had finished her coffee long ago and was beginning to get thirsty, as well as feel the familiar mid-morning emptiness in her stomach. She hardly ever ate breakfast anymore, and if she did, it was only a piece of toast or a Pop-Tart on the way out of the house. Her voice filled the silent office and she nearly started herself with the sound.

"I'm gonna get somethin' from the breakroom. Want anything?" She asked, standing up slowly from her chair and stretching out her legs and arms.

Daryl didn't look up from the notepad he was scribbling on. He shook his head and grunted, "Nah."

She turned and left the office, closing the door softly behind her, before heading down the hall in the direction of the breakroom. As she approached the open door to the room, she could hear voices drifting out from inside. Most of them were low and secretive, while only a couple people could be heard speaking casually and at audible volume about the weather and their family lives. Beth didn't take any note of it this time, whether one of the voices was Gregory's or not. All she cared about at the moment was the yogurt and flavored water in the fridge with her name on them.

She had just retrieved her items from the fridge, which sat on the wall farthest from the entrance, shutting the door and turning around, when she heard her name called from the far corner of the room.

"Oh, Beth!"

She looked over to see Andrea waving at her, a smile on her face, from the table that sat by the wall near the door. Beth hadn't even seen her, she'd walked right past her without glancing in that direction.

She waved hesitantly and called back softly, "Hi there."

Now her heart was starting to beat faster as she approached the table tentatively, confusion all over her face.

"Hey," Andrea greeted, gesturing to the empty seat across from her at the small, round table. "You can sit here with me."

Beth sat down in the plastic chair, setting her yogurt, spoon, and water on the table. She smiled, but it was wavering, and she couldn't maintain eye contact with Andrea without looking away awkwardly. But she tried to act as if this were normal anyway. "Uh, thank you."

She began opening her yogurt as Andrea went on to explain, "I've been sitting alone the whole time – all the guys I know are still working upstairs but I needed a break. It's nice to have some company."

Beth nodded, chancing a small smile. She began digging into her yogurt, hoping to appear too occupied to talk. If she'd known this would happen, she would've just waited for lunch. But apparently Andrea couldn't read her body language – or maybe she just didn't care. She was eating a small garden salad, but the fork rested motionless in one hand as she watched Beth with curious eyes, appearing eager to converse. But Beth couldn't figure out why. This woman barely knew her, and she'd given her an awfully dirty look yesterday. Not to mention, she had a feeling that Daryl was partially using her against Andrea, subconsciously but purposely antagonizing her in the only way he knew how.

"How are you? Busy morning?" Andrea began attempting to start the semblance of a real conversation.

Beth shrugged, suddenly feeling as if she were under a microscope. She wanted to melt away and slide out the door, back to the safety of her own desk in Daryl's quiet office. But she answered, trying to speak clearly and without hesitance, "Yeah, very. But I'm doing well. Yourself?"

She was using her professional voice with the older woman, the fake one she'd developed over the last few weeks from studying Daryl and dealing with nothing but people in suits or high heels. As far as she was concerned, this woman was just another boss of Daryl's, and could easily turn on her at any moment. So the best option was always to treat it like a business meeting or a job interview. She forced her best formal smile to the surface and continued enjoying her yogurt, making sure to take small bites and never speak with food in her mouth.

Andrea's expression softened and the lines creasing the corners of her eyes seemed to relax. She continued smiling, but her voice became just a bit lower, "I'm tired, in all honesty. I haven't had a day off in months and this case is getting worse and worse every day. I thought it'd be a quick job but it's turning into a much bigger deal than we anticipated."

She let out an exhausted sigh and leaned forward a little bit, poking at her salad with the fork in her hand but not eating. She was looking down now, but Beth kept her own eyes focused on the older woman's face. She wasn't sure why Andrea was revealing any vulnerability to her right now. Did she really want to vent to Beth? Or was this going to be about something else?

"Wow, I'm… sorry. I hope it works out okay. I, uh, all I heard from Daryl was that it was just another case, no big deal really," Beth said softly, trying to be compassionate while also appearing ignorant and innocent. "But I guess it must be kinda big if they needed to bring you on, I s'pose. From the way Daryl talked, you haven't worked back this way in a while."

This seemed to catch Andrea's attention, oddly enough, because her eyes shot up at the last sentence and locked with Beth's, and her fiddling hand stilled itself. Her voice became less tired and more intrigued as she spoke, "He told you that?"

Beth froze for a second and worried that she'd said something wrong, but she tried to shrug as if it meant nothing to her and muttered, "I mean, he didn't really tell me much, just that you're a lawyer and you help on some cases here sometimes, when the company needs you…"

Andrea's eyes were slowly squinting as they analyzed Beth, and when she'd finished muttering out her reply, Andrea was quick to ask, "That's really all he told you?"

Beth nodded slowly, "Yeah… Why?"

Andrea sighed and looked away for a moment, as if trying to find the right words. When she finally spoke, it almost sounded spiteful, "Don't you go fishing together? Have lunch together every day? And he hasn't even told you who I am?"

Beth shook her head and gave the older blonde a confused look, quickly explaining, "No, actually. This fishin' thing is the first time we've ever seen each other outside of work, and I – uh – it's mostly just because it's right down the road from my house. Plus I'm bringing my boyfriend, it's just somethin' for us to do. Otherwise, I don't think he'd invite me anywhere… I'm sorry, am I supposed to know who you are? Besides what he's told me? I don't mean to be disrespectful…"

Andrea smirked, but she didn't seem completely satisfied. She shook her head, "No, it's… forget about it. I just want you to be careful. This job can be a lot more stressful than you think, even if it's just for the summer."

Beth sat frozen, trying to think of what she was supposed to say, unable to decide whether she should nod or shake her head or just get up and walk away. But Andrea spoke again before she could do anything, her voice just loud enough that Beth could hear it, "Just be careful around him, alright? Lunch dates and fishing dates – it all ends up somewhere. And you don't want to make enemies in the professional world so young, ya know?"

Beth's brow furrowed and she opened her mouth to argue, about to ask if Andrea had just meant what she thought she'd meant. But before she could, Andrea quickly explained, "With people like Gregory, I mean. Obviously. He can be a – kind of a hard-ass, if you haven't realized it yet. Just step carefully around him."

Beth could only nod slowly, a little shocked at the whole conversation and unsure of how to react to Andrea's wildly contradicting expressions and statements. She muttered out, "Uh… thanks, I guess…"

Andrea grabbed what remained of her salad up in both hands, tossing the fork in with it, and moved to stand up as she remarked, "I'm just telling you this from one woman to another, Beth. Gotta get back upstairs now, I'll see you around."

Beth remained still in her chair as she watched Andrea walk away and dump her salad in the trash before leaving the breakroom, turning for a second on her way out and giving a quick goodbye wave. When she'd disappeared down the hall, Beth recomposed herself and looked down at her last bit of remaining yogurt, her appetite suddenly absent. The conversation she'd just had kept replaying in her mind, and she tried to make sense of it, but it was all too shocking for her to grasp at once. That woman was a mystery, and she had no idea what she was implying or why she was trying to put the fear of God into Beth's heart, but she had a feeling that she had just been dragged into something that had nothing to actually do with her.

When she returned to Daryl's office to find him in the exact same way she'd left him, Beth was still a bit dazed from her interaction with Andrea. But she really didn't want to see Daryl's reaction if she tried to tell him about it, so she kept it to herself and sat down, attempting to return to work and busy her mind.

She didn't look at the clock again for at least a couple of hours, and when she did, she realized it was past their usual lunch time. When she glanced up to check on Daryl and mention it, she found him already looking in her direction, and he spoke when their eyes met.

"I could really use a beer 'bout now. Wanna do lunch?" He proposed, turning off his computer screen and searching the surface of the desk to find his cell phone.

For a moment, she remembered what Andrea had said, and she almost made an excuse or gave a second thought to having lunch outside of the building with her boss nearly every day. But then she shook it off, assuring herself Andrea was on about something else – and besides, how well could the woman know Daryl? Unless she'd worked in close quarters with him before and was trying to warn Beth of things to come. Yet somehow that didn't seem plausible to her, and she chose not to let her small doubts get in the way of a juicy, bar burger.

"Sure. Where d'you wanna go?" She agreed, standing up and gathering her things while Daryl did the same.

"Take yer pick," he told her, grabbing up his keys and heading for the door.

Beth began racking her brain for which of the bars they'd visited over the last few weeks that she liked the best.


Within half an hour, Beth and Daryl were sitting in a booth tucked away in the dim corner of a bar just a couple of blocks away from the office. Daryl had two beers in front of him and Beth had a cheeseburger and crinkle-cut fries laid out on a plate before her. She'd also ordered beer, but she preferred the light beer and always had a glass of water as well. Daryl had only ordered a turkey sub and chips, which he'd finished before she was even halfway into her own meal – he had told Beth she was crazy for eating such a hot burger on such a hot and humid day. But she just laughed and ate happily, watching him sip his beer in silence and gaze around the room at the other patrons. He finished the first bottle and moved on to the second.

Beth set her burger down and wiped her mouth with the napkin, clearing her throat and thinking for a moment. She wanted to ask about Andrea, but she wasn't sure how to go about it without telling him about the weird confrontation in the breakroom. Maybe now that he was on his second beer, he'd be a little more open…? She knew she couldn't count on that, but if nothing else, she could just be vague about it and then play it off like it was just another random question if he got upset. He also seemed to be softening towards her just the tiniest bit as of late, and she hoped her own openness was somehow rubbing off on him. She could tell that he kept everything to himself, and she also knew that wasn't healthy for anyone to do.

"So," she started, finding her voice and trying to speak with confidence and casualty. "Why was Andrea so… weird yesterday?"

She dared to make eye contact with him as he watched her with stony, blue eyes. His face didn't change, though, and he answered simply, "Dunno. Weird how?"

Beth gave him a look that urged him to go on – she didn't have to say out loud that it was obvious that he knew what she was talking about. Anyone who'd been present would've found the situation weird, at least in a way.

When he didn't continue, she took it upon herself to call him out. "Um, so ya just… randomly decided that we should go fishin' together?"

Daryl looked like he was about to roll his eyes, but instead, he took another sip of beer and then sighed in defeat. "'M sorry. Ya didn't have to go along with it. I shouldn'ta got ya involved. I just… panicked."

His eyes glanced up to meet hers and check her reaction to his honesty. She didn't let her emotion show on her face, but she was beginning to piece together the puzzle in her mind. If there was anything she'd learned in the last few weeks, it was that Daryl Dixon was a hard man to read, but if you just looked for all the signs, you'd see them. And then you could basically read him like a book. Or at least try to, because he wasn't always so predictable. However, Beth had seen this kind of awkwardness and pain on people's faces and in their motions before, and she had a good idea of what she wanted Daryl to explain to her. And she would never admit it, but she also kind of wanted the details for the sake of her own curiosity; it was like having a guilty pleasure in gossip, wanting to know all the information but not be involved in the actual drama.

"Why did you panic?" She finally asked after the silence started to stretch out between them. Her voice was soft and timid.

Daryl sighed again and sat back in his seat, taking another long sip of beer before looking off at nothing as he began to speak, "Well, every other shithead in that place knows 'bout it, might as well tell you, too."

Beth opened her mouth to object and assure him that he didn't have to tell her and she didn't really need to know, but he cut her off before she could speak.

"We dated 'bout five years ago. We were together fer almost three years, longest I ever been with anyone. Lived together an' everythin'. I was just startin' to move up, get used to the office job an' earning real money. I thought we were happy, but… guess not. She found out she was pregnant, it wasn't mine, she left me. It was this guy named Shane – used to work with my buddy Rick, who introduced me t'yer daddy. Anyway," he stopped and took a deep breath, analyzing the beer in his hand as if it held a deep secret. "Hadn't really talked to her since then. She moved out an' got with him, I focused on work, didn't really care. But some o' the lawyers in the office knew her already and knew 'bout us, an' I'm sure she's tellin' people all kindsa shit up there now. Guess I got lucky the last five years that we never had t'work together."

Beth listened intently, never looking away from Daryl's face, but he showed no emotion. He stated the words like they were almost rehearsed, like it was a story he was tired of telling. She understood that, and when he'd finished, she spoke softly, "Wow, that's horrible… I'm sorry. I didn't know."

He finally looked up and met her gaze, narrowing his eyes. "Oh, c'mon. Like ya hadn't pretty much figured it out."

Beth shrugged and gave him a sheepish smile, attempting to lighten the mood. "I didn't wanna make any assumptions."

He smirked a bit and she felt herself relax again, thankful that it was over with. Now that she knew the whole story, some things made more sense. But she still wasn't about to tell him that Andrea was acting like a scorned lover and trying to corner Beth. Was it a mistake to go through with this fishing trip? With these lunches? Was she giving the wrong appearances without realizing it? She didn't know what she'd do if Daryl were to end up getting in trouble because of her. He had worked hard to get where he was, and she didn't want one stupid summer internship given out of pity to ruin that. She wondered how close Andrea actually was to Gregory, and just how spiteful she really was, or if she was just putting on a show for defensive reasons.

Maybe it's not too late to find an excuse and just quit the whole thing, she thought. But as soon as it had appeared in her head, she shoved it away. No, she couldn't abandon something she'd already started like that, and she surely couldn't leave this man alone to deal with his old demons by himself. Maybe she could help him control the situation better, ensure his stability and credibility. He was trying so hard, but she knew that one wrong step could put off his whole career.

They didn't really speak for the remainder of their lunch or the ride back to the office. Daryl seemed a bit more relaxed, though, so Beth tried to enjoy the silence and the lack of tension for the moment.

When they stepped through the big, glass doors to the office building and saw Olivia behind the reception desk, they both greeted her as they usually did. She spotted Beth but saw that Daryl was with her and gave a look almost like a grimace, an obviously forced smile and a fake cheeriness appearing in her voice.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Dixon," she said, extremely unconvincingly.

Beth looked at Daryl but he didn't look back at her. His face held a look of confusion just like hers, but apparently he wasn't going to speak about it yet. She hoped he'd say something once they got back to the privacy of the office, because now that it had happened a second time, she was positive there was something going on with Olivia.

She hadn't realized how closely together they were walking until they reached the locked office door and she nearly bumped into him when he stopped to pull out his keys. She reeled back and he looked over at her curiously, but went back to unlocking the door just as quickly. They stepped inside and shut the door behind them, and Beth watched as he set his things down and began settling back into his desk. She waited for him to speak, to bring up Olivia. But he didn't appear to be about to talk anytime soon.

"Didn't you see that?" She asked, staring at him and waiting for him to look back at her as she sat down in her seat.

He finally met her gaze and replied, "What?"

She gave him an incredulous look and gestured to the door they'd just entered through, "Olivia. You didn't see – "

But before she could finish, the phone on Daryl's desk began ringing, and he held up a finger to motion to her that she'd have to hold on for a moment. She stopped talking and waited as he answered the phone, muttering "yeah"s and "okay"s before hanging up and immediately getting up from his chair.

"Where're you goin'?" She asked as he headed for the door.

"Gregory wants t'see me," he mumbled before leaving the small office and swinging the door shut behind him.

Beth found herself sitting at her desk, alone in Daryl's office, with a question still hanging off the tip of her tongue. When she realized he'd have to go all the way upstairs, as well as listen to Gregory blabber on for who knows how long, she decided to give it up and go back to work.

But only about ten minutes had passed when Daryl opened the door and entered the office once again. Beth looked up in surprise to see him swing the door behind him with excessive force, and it slammed shut with a louder echo than normal. He crossed the room in three swift strides, anger emanating off him like waves of heat. Her skin prickled at the emotion she could feel hanging in the air, suddenly heavy over her and completely pushing out all thoughts of what happened with the receptionist.

She dared to ask him, as he was sitting down in his chair and furiously rustling around papers on his desk, "Everythin' okay…?"

He sighed, almost like a toddler who couldn't find their favorite toy and was on the verge of throwing a tantrum, but wouldn't look up or make eye contact with her. "No. I think y'should go for the day. Jus' go home, I don't need ya today."

Beth furrowed her brow and studied Daryl, seeing all the anger and frustration tensed across his face, but unsure of what she could say. He had never sent her home early, and she'd never seen him this upset at work. What had Gregory said to him?

"What… is it the money?" She tried to take a guess at what could be causing the unknown conflict between Gregory and Daryl. "I told you, ya really don't have to pay me, it's just an internship – "

"I said, go home," Daryl interrupted her, his voice sharp and firm, and much louder than usual. He finally raised his eyes and looked at her, and his gaze nearly burned a hole into her skin. She'd never seen him glare at her like that, and she was suddenly scared that she'd somehow caused irreparable damage.

She decided not to say another word, afraid it might only elicit an angrier reaction from him, and instead stood up and began gathering her purse and phone. She started texting her brother as she put the strap of her purse over her shoulder, when she heard Daryl's voice again. This time, it was softer, and almost sympathetic.

"I'll call ya a cab. If ya don't got a ride," he said.

She didn't dare to look up and see the anger in his blue eyes again, keeping her eyes on her phone. "No, it's okay, I – I can text Zach, I think he's in town." Once she'd sent a text to her brother, she sent one to Zach, then opened the door of the office and slipped out into the hall.

"I'll see you tomorrow, sir," she said quietly just before carefully closing the door. She stepped out into the hall and began walking as fast as she could without appearing to be jogging, heading straight for the lobby and the front doors. This time, she passed Olivia without a word or a glance in her direction.

She sat at the coffee shop around the corner, sipping her second iced coffee of the day as she waited for Zach to reach her from his apartment across town. She knew she'd have to give him gas money and he'd act put-out by all the driving, but it was better than cutting her brother's day short, or taking a pity cab from Daryl.


Beth awoke the next morning to more sunlight pouring into her bedroom than usual. She blinked, confused and disoriented for a second, before turning her head and glancing at the alarm clock. It read 8:04.

"Shit! Shit, shit, shit," she cried out, throwing the blanket off her body and jumping out of bed.

Somehow, she'd forgotten to set her alarm clock. What was she thinking? Her head was so muddled by the day's events and then her evening with Zach, she'd completely spaced it before collapsing into a deep sleep well past midnight. Now she had no time for a shower, and she could only hope Shawn was still somewhere on the farm to give her a ride.

She scrambled around the bedroom, grabbing an outfit from the closet and hurriedly dressing. She applied only the most basic makeup after brushing her teeth, and her hair needed washed, so she doused it in dry shampoo and threw it into a messy bun. She glanced back at the clock every few minutes, watching herself become later and later for work. She prayed that her clean record would benefit her in some way – she hadn't been late or absent yet, not even once. Hopefully Daryl would understand. But after his bout of rage yesterday, she wasn't sure what to expect.

With purse and shoes in hand (she couldn't effectively run down the stairs and around the house in high heels), she rushed down the stairs and to the kitchen, where she could still smell the remnants of breakfast. Maggie was at the sink, washing dishes, but Shawn and Hershel were nowhere in sight, and Beth couldn't see them in the living room or hall either.

"Maggie, where's Shawn? Is he still here?" She asked breathlessly.

Her older sister turned around and looked her up and down, soapy plate in hand, and answered, "He's out back. 'Bouta head into town, I think."

Beth made an audible noise of disapproval and darted out the back door of the kitchen and onto the porch. She spotted Shawn even before she had descended the stairs and crossed the yard. He was standing by the truck, appearing to be loading it up and preparing to leave.

"What the hell?!" Beth yelled at him, approaching him quickly on bare feet. The grass was already warming up from the summer sun.

Shawn spun around to face her, looking completely clueless. "What?"

She threw up her hands in frustration, "What d'ya mean, WHAT? Why didn't you wake me up?!"

He looked at her like she was being ridiculous. "Ain't my job to make sure yer ass gets up fer work. I thought yer boss gave ya the day off 'r somethin'."

Beth groaned and walked around to the other side of the truck, opening the passenger door and climbing inside the cab. "Woulda been nice fer someone to just holler at me or somethin'. It's not that hard! Alarms don't always work!"

Shawn climbed into the driver's seat beside her and shook his head, starting the truck. "I'm up 'fore dawn every damn day. No clock, not even a fuckin' rooster. Yer an adult now, act like it."

Beth didn't reply as he pulled away from the farm and they began driving down the dirt roads in the direction of Atlanta. She was fuming silently, glaring out the window with contempt. Her brother didn't say anything else for the entire drive, and didn't seem to care that she was furious with him. She wondered why she even bothered with this family anymore – they were always so indifferent.

When he tried to stop in front of the coffee shop to drop her off, she finally spoke up for the first time since they'd left. "No, just to the office. I'm already late, coffee is just gonna piss him off."

She said it without looking at him or acknowledging his reaction, and he continued driving until they were around the corner and in front of the office building. Just before stopping, though, he muttered spitefully, "Wouldn't wanna piss off the boss."

Beth whipped her head around to face him just as he stopped the truck and parked for her to get out. "Ya wanna talk about bein' responsible and holdin' a job, you should know not to piss off yer boss. You don't even make sense."

She spat the last few words at him as if he were the most ignorant human being she'd ever met, then climbed out of the truck and slammed the door behind her. He sped off with rage, tires squealing as he pulled out into the street. Beth turned her back and rushed inside, having put her shoes on during the drive.

When she entered the lobby, she almost sped completely past the reception desk, hoping to avoid any unnecessary glares. But instead, she found something a lot more interesting: Andrea's back was turned to the front doors, and she was leaning down towards Olivia, their heads nearly touching as they seemed to whisper indiscreetly. Beth couldn't help but stare as she passed, both women completely unaware of her entrance. Just as she was about to turn into the hall, however, both women turned their heads and looked directly at her.

She didn't have time to see if they glared in her direction or not, because she quickly turned away and fast-walked down the hall towards Daryl's office. She started to wonder if the scene she'd just walked past had anything to do with the looks she got from Olivia the day before. She didn't think about it long, though, because she reached Daryl's office door and slipping inside, hoping to be quiet in case he was on the phone or concentrating. Today, she was praying for another silent greeting.

But when she shut the door behind her and looked up to see Daryl, she realized he was not going to react well at all. His face was tensed up, and he was resting both elbows on his desk and staring at her, as if he'd been waiting for her to walk through the door. She froze and tried to feign a smile and a friendly wave, but he only replied with his continued stoic expression. Unsure of what to do, she stepped lightly over to her desk, setting her things down and taking her seat. Daryl was still staring at her, but now he stood from his seat and walked around to the front of his desk, leaning back slightly against it.

"Yer late," he said.

Beth realized her hands were shaking, and she shoved them between her legs under the desk to try to steady them. She looked Daryl directly in the eye, managing a normal tone to her voice, "I'm sorry. My alarm didn't go off, I overslept. I-I got here as fast as I could."

Daryl crossed his arms and turned his head to look at the clock on the wall. Beth followed his gaze and saw that it read 9:28. Her heart beat even faster. He turned his head back to look at her once more, and his voice was chillingly firm.

"Hour and a half late ain't just late, it's extremely late. Now yer behind fer the whole day, and it's right before the weekend," he said, his reprimanding tone sending chills down Beth's spine. "I dunno if you realize it, but yer shit gets me in trouble, ya know that? I gotta answer fer whatever you do. I ain't got time to be payin' somebody I never needed in the first damn place just t'make my job that much harder. Got it?"

Beth couldn't get herself to do anything more than nod.

"Hope ya ain't hungry, 'cause we're skippin' lunch. Get t'work," he waved his hand as if he were waving away a bothersome fly and turned around, walking back around to sit down behind his desk and bury his face in more papers.

The young blonde calmed herself and avoided looking up again to see Daryl, for fear of the anger sketched into his face. She had never seen him talk to her like that, or anyone for that matter. But she was afraid to learn what she'd actually done and what he'd had to answer for. Had Gregory punished him somehow? What if he fired her? Her daddy would be upset. But he'd probably side with Daryl, and Beth would end up having to take the blame because, what was she going to say? Daryl was too professional? Not nice enough? She tried too hard to get to know him and make their business relationship into a friendship? If anything, she knew she'd overstepped the boundary somewhere, and now he was paying for it. Maybe Andrea had suspected something. How was she supposed to act around him anyway? She told Andrea she had a boyfriend, did the woman still think Beth was going to cause some kind of trouble for him at work?

But she passed the time by busying herself with the stacks and stacks of paperwork, the needed notes, the filing and sorting. The hours went by quicker than she'd expected, and ignoring Daryl had somehow made concentrating a bit easier. But when she'd pause her work and start thinking about it again, it made her feel horribly guilty, and she wondered if she should dare to pull her phone out and text Zach to make different plans for them for Saturday. It probably wouldn't be such a good show of a diligent worker if she was on her phone and not diligently working.

She supposed she may have been imagining it, but as the hours ticked by, Beth thought she could feel the heavy anger that hung in the air slowly lifting, lightening its weight and receding. She glanced up at Daryl every now and then, but never for longer than a second and no more than twice an hour. He seemed a bit more relaxed, stuck in his own concentration. She hoped he was forgetting about his anger with her.

It was about an hour past their usual lunch time when the phone on Daryl's desk rang and he answered in hushed tones. Beth couldn't make out anything he was saying besides "yeah" and "nah." When he hung up, he finally looked over at her. She hesitantly looked back, waiting for him to speak, or for someone to knock at the door.

"Look… I'm sorry 'bout this morning. I… didn't mean t'be such a dick. I was way too hard on ya," he muttered, and Beth had to strain to hear him, leaning forward in her desk. "It ain't you, though. I – uh – was pissed 'bout somethin' else. Just kinda overwhelmed, gets stressful. I know ya didn't mean t'be late."

Beth shrugged and stared him in the eyes, spotting the apologetic guilt hiding inside them. "'S okay. I understand."

"Y'can go home, if ya want. I made ya stay through lunch, there ain't even…" he paused and sighed, looking down at his desk once more. "Ain't even that much work needs done. I should be doin' it anyway, ain't yer work in the first place. I'll, uh, I'll see ya Monday. Thanks fer yer hard work today."

Beth sat, stunned, and blinked. She shook her head, speaking up louder than he had been, "Monday? You mean tomorrow."

Daryl raised his head again and for a second, she thought she saw the beginnings of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He mumbled, "Right. Tomorrow… if ya ain't too busy."

She nodded and pursed her lips, stopping herself from saying anything else. She knew this was the best she'd get from him, and frankly, it was more than she'd expected. How could she condemn him for having a little emotional explosion? She and her brother essentially went through the same thing every couple of weeks, and Maggie was on the verge every second that she was awake, so how could Beth not be understanding? She had to tell herself not to take it personally, and that maybe, it actually had nothing to do with her at all.

Just before she opened the door, he asked her from across the room, "Need a cab?"

She turned back and shook her head, giving him a grateful little smile, then opened the door. "See ya Saturday."

She closed the door behind her and walked down the hall, hoping to pass reception quickly and get through the doors before she had to face anyone else today. This office building was suddenly the very last place she wanted to be today.

On her way down the hall, she saw Andrea approaching, a confident smile on her face as she locked eyes with Beth the minute they noticed each other. She expected the older blonde to say something, maybe even make a snarky comment, but she passed without a word, giving Beth nothing but a knowing gaze before she kept walking. Beth turned just briefly to see which direction she was going – why was she always on this floor anyway, when all her work was upstairs?

She was heading straight for Daryl's office.

to be continued…