What Beth Greene Really Wanted From Daryl Dixon
Chapter 4
Hershel Greene was a good man. The best of men. He was principled, fair, tolerant and just about the most level headed man you would ever meet. He'd always lived his life simply. And he loved his family, his girls, more than life itself.
Hershel had spent his life instilling good manners, respect and a strong sense of right and wrong into all of his children. Maggie he had come to realise would always just be Maggie, a kind heart that knew right from wrong, but would always be opinionated and head strong with it. Beth though, she was everything he'd ever hoped she would be, kind, loving, sweet and caring. That's why what he had heard, what he knew had been going on in her cell had shocked him and had more than disappointed him if he was honest. He hadn't yet decided if that was because of who had been in her cell with her or whether it was just because he'd expected more from her, she had shown so little respect for herself or consideration for him by flaunting it in front of the whole prison.
He'd accepted Maggie as the rebellious tearaway that would go off to meet boys and do things that he'd have preferred not to have known about. But he also knew she had a good sensible head on her shoulders and would always stay within respectable boundaries.
Maggie had Glenn now though and she was finally happy and settled. That's all he'd ever wanted for his children and as far as Hershel was concerned she couldn't have found herself a better man. Glenn was everything that he would have chosen for Maggie himself. Generous, strong, capable, loving, sensible and caring, but most importantly he would die to keep Maggie safe. Of course he hadn't made it easy for Glenn at the beginning, he didn't welcome him with open arms, what father ever does that with his daughters new boyfriend? He wanted him to earn his acceptance, his respect. And he had. Glenn had proved himself over and over of being worthy of his daughters affections.
Beth on the other hand, he worried about her softness, her eagerness to trust and the easy way she could be led astray. She'd never disobeyed an order in her life, until the dead had started to walk the earth that was. Then he'd seen a change in her, slowly and gradually. He wasn't sure if it was the new harsh world they lived in that was hardening her or if it was just that she was becoming a woman. Recently she had become more capable, less reliant on him or anyone else for things, she'd found her niche in child care and nursing and housekeeping, she was standing on her own two feet, using her strengths to contribute to the group. Hershel was no fool though, he'd realised she'd been physical with both Jimmy and Zach, which he knew would never have happened if they were still living their old life back at the farm.
He had to get his head around the fact they weren't living their old life anymore though and never would be again. Everything had changed and none of it for the better. It was true that you had to live for the here and now, without hesitation, because tomorrow might never come. No one could put things off until tomorrow, say they had another fifty years left, fifty days would be a miracle. He had to reconcile with the fact Beth had grown up and although she would always be his baby, she wasn't a baby anymore. She was old enough to decide who she liked, who she wanted to be with, in fact old enough to decide everything for herself. Her mother and brother were gone and he'd almost died when he lost his leg. He knew he wouldn't be here forever to look out for her, keep her safe. He wanted her to have someone that could do those things for her, like Maggie had Glenn, someone of her choosing though… and there were slim pickings these days that was for sure.
He'd always respected Daryl, as one of the unit and as a man. He did what was needed for the group, the awful things that no one else wanted to do or were even capable of doing. He kept them safe, killed when he had to, provided what they needed. He'd saved Judith without a seconds thought. He'd even stepped up when Rick was no longer fit to carry on, helped to lead the group, make the hard decisions. And Hershel knew that it had taken a lot for him to do that. That it made him feel awkward, scrutinized and uncomfortable, but he'd done it all the same for the sake of everyone in their little family. He'd earned his gratitude and respect for that alone.
He'd never thought on him in any way other than as a lynchpin of the group, never expected he'd need to. Now he had to think on him as someone that was sleeping with his daughter and he didn't really know how that made him feel. It didn't thrill him but then again the thought of anyone sleeping with his daughter didn't thrill him. But it also didn't make him as angry as he perhaps thought it would have. Beth could have chosen a lot worse. Daryl wasn't bad or mean or uncaring, in fact he was a good man, probably as good as Glenn if truth be told. He was just a little rough around the edges, he'd had a bad life and wasn't real good with people but that wasn't something he could hold against him, it wasn't a personality contest these days, you did what you needed to survive, you didn't have to be polite about it. He just wished Beth had found the decency to tell him straight after it happened, before the whole prison knew, before it was the main topic of conversation. Before everyone took him for a fool for thinking he didn't know what his daughter was up to and took his Bethy as a harlot.
Hershel had heard some of the comments flying around, before people could change the subject or before they knew he was there, and they all seemed to centre on how much older Daryl was than Beth. That hadn't even occurred to him. He was aware that Daryl was older, he had no idea how much older though. Age had never bothered Hershel, he was a lot of things but a hypocrite wasn't one of them. He'd been twenty years older than Annette, Beth's mother and that had never been a problem. He always maintained age was just a number, nothing more, nothing less. It was the person underneath that mattered. That would be what he judged Daryl on, not the fact he was probably twenty years older than Beth. If that didn't matter to her, it didn't matter to him and shouldn't matter to anyone else.
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"I like him daddy, I can't help it, ain't like I planned to feel this way about him" Beth's voice was quiet as she spoke to her father. Her eyes cast downwards as though she was back to being five again, stood in the pantry with her hand caught in the cookie jar. Only this time the cookie jar was a middle aged redneck with a bad attitude.
Hershel had refused to speak to Daryl until he'd spoken to his daughter first. Daryl tried his hardest to get Hershel to speak to him and Beth together but he only wanted to see Beth. Hershel needed to know she was happy and that she'd chosen this route of her own accord. Beth had always been an open book as far as her feelings were concerned but he didn't think he'd be able to read her properly if Daryl was with her. Her guard would be up and he wouldn't be able to ask her what he needed to. He wouldn't be able to get the answers he needed. He would speak to Daryl later.
"I can see that Bethy, I might be old but I'm not blind just yet, and on that topic I'm not deaf either. I hoped you'd have come to see me earlier, this mornin'. I wasn't the only one to have heard what was goin' on last night… or this afternoon" Hershel spoke, his voice filled with disappointment but still nothing but love etched into his lined face.
"I'm sorry daddy, I wanted to tell you…I had the children to look after then I had to see Daryl, we needed to sort out where we are, what we're doin'… no point in tellin' you if there's nothin' to tell" Beth sounded sad and remorseful, genuinely sorry that she'd disappointed her father.
Beth loved her daddy more than any other person in the world, to the point of putting him on a pedestal. She'd spent her entire life looking up to him and until the last few years she'd been a model daughter. She always thought Maggie felt left out because of it, like she was the black sheep, not getting as much attention. That was probably why she went a bit wild for a time. None of that was true though, it was just how a teenage girl perceived it. Hershel loved all his children equally, Shawn, Maggie and Beth. He would've sacrificed himself to save any one of them. Hershel didn't have favourites. Not where his children were concerned.
"So…did you find out what you're doin' then?" Hershel asked slowly and calmly as ever.
"Yes, I think we did… we like each other and want to see each other again. I don't know about anythin' else, no one knows how things are gonna turn out but I wanna try" Beth sounded more forceful now, like she'd just made her mind up and was determined to carry on.
"And you're sure it's what you want Bethy, it was your choice?"
"Yes daddy, I think he's worth it, I wanna make it work and I want you to be happy for me, I don't want us to fight… he's a good man you know. He isn't like what people say, not when he's with me. He's got no self-confidence, he's always puttin' himself down, he's really sweet underneath his rough exterior" Beth looked up at her father, her eyes wide and innocent, like she was a lost lamb, and found him looking down at her with the same love he'd always shown.
Hershel Greene had never been able to stay mad with his youngest daughter for very long, but then again he'd never really had cause to be mad at her.
Beth had always had a knack of being able to wrap her father around her little finger. The doe eyed pure and innocent look she could always put on. A flutter of her long lashes. Now though, after last night she was unsure if that tactic would work anymore. If he really had heard what had gone on, she had no chance of him believing she was any of those things.
"You know Maggie said some terrible things about him earlier, she had no right… she doesn't know him. And just because he's older she thinks the whole thing's disgustin'. Would you talk to her daddy? Tell her that I don't need to be coddled no more and that he ain't done nothin' wrong" Beth's eyes were pleading with her father now. If the wide eyed innocent look wouldn't work she could always try the hard done by, please help me look.
"I told her it was all me, that I did the chasin' but she didn't believe me. She thinks I don't know my own mind or that he forced me. He didn't, he tried to stop it from happenin'. I think he knew what everyone would say" Beth continued as she tried to explain best she could.
Beth knew only too well the carnage Maggie could cause if she was left unchecked. Daryl didn't deserve any of the things she'd said and they could do without the whole prison getting her version of events before they'd had a chance to talk to the others themselves. It was pretty obvious everyone knew about them now but Daryl would still want to speak with Rick and Carol, just because it was the right thing to do.
"I'll speak with her Bethy, you know how she can be though. It might take her a while to come around, but she will do because she loves you and only wants the best for you, like we all do... I'll speak with Glenn too, maybe he can calm her down"
"Thank you daddy. We just need a chance… the world's hard enough now without havin' your friends and family turn against you as well" Beth wrapped her arms around Hershel's waist and hugged him. As long as she had her daddy's support she could survive anything.
"I'm not gonna make it easy for him you know… he's gonna have to earn my respect just like Glenn had to"
"He won't mind that… as long as you give him a chance, that's all he wants. I am sorry you know, for not speakin' to you earlier, for making this harder than it had to be"
"You best go and see if Carol needs any help with the children again, you shouldn't let your duties slip. And I want to speak with Daryl now anyway"
Beth lifted her head and placed a kiss on her father's cheek. "I love you daddy… please don't be too hard on him… for my sake"
With that Beth turned and left, knowing it had gone as well as it could have. But then she knew her father pretty well and knew he was nothing if not fair and would give anyone a chance before he condemned them to his final judgement.
Beth walked back up the stairs to the landing where Daryl was propped up against the bannister, cigarette hanging between his fingers, looking like a naughty schoolboy about to be called to the principal's office for his turn to be reprimanded.
"He won't bite Daryl… just be honest, that's all he wants" Beth grabbed hold of Daryl's hand and gave it a squeeze. "You can back out now if you want, we can just pretend none of it happened" Beth looked up at him with a look that said she was serious but that also said that wasn't what she wanted.
Daryl took a long pull on his cigarette, exhaling slowly as he let the nicotine rush flood his body and calm his mind.
"Nah, I ain't scared a yer old man…I faced a lot worse. Anyways, what can he say that I ain't heard a million times before? Yer not good enough, yer got nothin' to offer and yer nothin' but a worthless redneck asshole. I'll just let him say it, get it over with"
Daryl could have easily turned and run. If he was doing this for anyone else he would have. But it was Beth and for some unknown reason every fibre of his body was telling him to face Hershel, get it over with and then he would have the one thing he'd always wanted. Someone of his own. Someone to care for, someone to stop the loneliness, but more than that, someone that actually felt something for him in return. He would have Beth.
"It won't be that bad Daryl, I've spoken to him now…And please don't say those things about yerself, they ain't true, none of 'em" Beth's voice was quiet, soft as she tried to make him feel better. She really hadn't realised just how low his self-esteem was. How badly he thought of himself.
"I'll see you later…I gotta go check on the kids again and prepare the dinner" Beth just looked at him, her eyes trying to wrap him safely in the arms she couldn't bring herself to move from her sides. She didn't want to flaunt what was happening any more than she already had done. Not until things were sorted. At the time she hadn't cared who heard but now she felt bad about the whole thing.
Daryl just half smiled at her as she turned and left, taking one last drag before stubbing out his cigarette under the toe of his boot.
He started to descend the stairs, trying to work out what the Hell he was gonna say to Hershel Greene. What could he say that would explain why he'd thought it was okay for him to spend last night fucking his daughter, and not just that but how he wanted his permission to carry on doing it? Shit yer so screwed Dixon.
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As Beth wandered over to the guard tower, she thought what a lovely quiet balmy evening it was, not too humid like it had been lately, just right. The sky was clear, stars out in their hundreds. She could have laid on the ground and just gazed at them. They were so beautiful. Back at the farm she used to lie there for hours making shapes out of them, watching them blink at her from thousands of miles away. She wondered what it would be like to live amongst them, how peaceful it would be. No looking over your shoulder for walkers, no living like a prisoner in your own home and no thoughts of dying invading every moment of every day.
She knew Daryl would be sat in there on his own when she got there, which was why she'd decided to surprise him. That and the fact she hadn't really spoken to him since she'd left him with her father earlier. They'd only exchanged fleeting glances at dinner. His look had told her he still wanted her and everything was going to be alright, so she hadn't worried.
He never took guard duty with anyone else, he never did anything with anyone else, apart from go on runs. That was purely for back up, if he could have gotten away with going on his own she was pretty sure he would have.
She thought how sad it was that he spent so much time on his own, of course he interacted with people, he passed the time of day with them but he didn't 'have' anyone. He was pretty close to Rick, they had become like brothers, but Rick had Carl and Judy to care for. Maggie had Glenn, Tyreese had Sasha, Carol had Lizzie and Mika, even she had her dad and Maggie. Everyone sat with someone at meal times, they shared cells. Daryl didn't do those things either. He was usually the last to eat and only after he was happy everyone else had eaten their fill, then would sit alone. He didn't even have a cell to call his, he said he didn't want to be locked up like an inmate so just slept wherever there was a space like he was some sort of vagrant.
Daryl's heart started to race as he heard her walking up the steps of the tower. He would know her footsteps anywhere. He could probably recognise everyone in the prison from the way they moved. They all wore the same pair of shoes each day, so taking timing, placement and loudness of the steps in to account he could usually gauge weight and size, male or female. And he knew these footsteps were Beth Greene's. Dainty and light, not spaced too far apart on account of her height, with an unmistakeable clicking from the heel of those damn cowboy boots.
"Thought ya had Lil Ass Kicker tonight?" he spoke loudly so she could hear him, just to let her know that he knew she was there.
"How da you know it's me… yer so freaky Daryl Dixon" Beth called back smiling to herself.
"Who the hell else is gonna be comin' ta see me at this time a night… and ya will always wear them damn cowboy boots… can hear 'em a mile off" he didn't want to tell her he'd been able to recognise her walk for months, that his heart would race as he'd listen to her at night when she was pacing up and down with Judy. That he could hear her every time she'd unknowingly pass by him when he was on guard duty or fence duty or just passing through the yard.
"Rick said he'd take Judy tonight… she is his daughter after all. I asked him if he would, said I had somethin' I needed to do tonight" Beth was at the top of the stairs now.
She glanced up to see Daryl perched on the edge of the table that was in the centre of the room.
"Oh yeah, what ya need ta do tonight that couldn't wait then?" He was looking out of the window, seemingly deep in thought or transfixed on something.
Beth carried on over to him and wedged herself between his legs, her face level with his.
"You"
"Me what?" he asked as if he had no idea what she was going on about, but actually he didn't have any idea.
"I needed to do you, tonight… right here, right now. That's what couldn't wait" her hands were now wound into his hair as she pulled his gaze from the window and onto her.
She looked at him, her eyes darting across his face as if she was waiting for an answer. He slowly moved his hands to her waist and pulled her closer. He leant in and kissed her. She got her answer.
He'd been lost in thought about her. He hadn't really been listening to her, otherwise he'd have known exactly what she was talking about. He'd been thinking about what Hershel had said to him, wondering how the hell he was going to keep her satisfied and happy and not fuck the whole thing up. Sex was one thing but being in a relationship, talking, looking out for someone, worrying about them, caring about them, that was a whole load of new shit he had no idea about.
"Right here, right now, huh?" Daryl was back in the room, his cock suddenly coming to life, as he became fully aware of what she wanted. This bit he could do.
Beth was already on her knees, unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants. Her eyes fixed on his as he gently ran his fingers through her hair. Earlier she'd un-braided it and took it down from that ponytail she continually wore. As it fell loosely around her shoulders, he swallowed hard at the thought of how utterly beautiful she was and how utterly out of his depth he was. The rough skin of his thumb traced across her perfect soft pink lips as he cupped her face. She closed her eyes and nuzzled her face into his palm.
"I think I owe you for this afternoon" she mumbled into his hand as he just carried on looking at her.
Beth continued relieving Daryl of his pants and boxers, his now rock hard cock springing free as she pulled them down.
His hands were tangling in her hair, gently smoothing it away from her face and holding it loosely at the back of her head. He wanted to watch as his cock disappeared into that sweet mouth of hers.
He hitched his breath as she ran her tongue along his length, swirling around the head as her eyes stayed locked with his. She wanted to see him groan, to see him writhe as he had done with her. She wanted to take him to the edge, then stop until he begged her to let him come.
Her mouth worked him over as her hands found their place along his length and around his balls. She licked and flicked as she took him into her warm wet mouth, sucking hard as her hand found a slow firm rhythm.
Daryl didn't think it could've ever felt any better than it did last night, but it did. He couldn't take his eyes off her, the way her lips caressed him and her mouth devoured him. He had the most beautiful woman in the world wrapping herself around his cock and he never wanted the feeling to end. He couldn't help but groan out. He was chanting her name, tugging on her hair as she bobbed up and down, trying to hold himself back from finishing.
Beth's mouth only broke contact when she stopped to place wet kisses along the length of him, before dragging her tongue around and around, gently curling and licking from base to tip until he was moaning he was going to come.
She stopped, pulling her mouth and hands away. She wasn't going to let him, she wanted to leave him on the edge.
"Fuck… Beth, don't stop…shit" he was nearly there, so close to orgasm he could almost feel it coursing through his body.
"Ask me then, what do you want?" Beth was teasing him, her voice sinful as she kissed along his thigh, running her tongue along the tiny hairs that were standing on end there.
She wanted payback for his teasing earlier. He'd made her beg, he'd made her say it. She was going to make him do the same.
"Damn it Beth… it ain't funny" Daryl sounded as if he might just explode whether she carried on or not.
"I know it ain't funny remember…now ask me nicely, tell me"
"Fuck Beth…I wanna come in that filthy Goddamn mouth a yours. I want ya ta wrap yer lips around ma cock and suck it" he spat the words out in desperation, his face scrunching up as an intense need to let go rushed through his body.
At that exact moment he realised that he'd finally met his match, his equal, in Beth Greene, of all people. He'd never begged for anything in his life before, and here he was begging for her to let him come. He knew then that he was totally and completely hers and always would be.
So she did, she finished giving him the best damn blow job he'd ever had. He'd never been happier to be alone than he was at that moment, the noise he made when he finally came was enough to wake the dead let alone the living. Beth almost gagging as he thrust his cock into the deepest recesses of her mouth, releasing thick warm streams of cum straight down her throat.
He lay back on the table, his chest heaving, eyes closed as Beth stood up and licked her lips, placing a kiss on the end of his nose.
"That what you wanted, you like that, huh?" Beth wanted to complete the role reversal, turn the tables completely. Go full circle from where they were a day ago.
Daryl just smirked, raising an eyebrow as he opened his eyes and pulled her down hard into his chest, pressing his lips into hers.
"Yeah I liked that… but now darlin' I'm gonna fuck ya and I'm gonna like that even more" Daryl was smirking as he kissed her throat. He was ready to give her exactly what she'd come looking for.
"You sure you shouldn't be checkin' for walkers first, I don't want you gettin' in more trouble 'cause of me?" Beth giggled as she tried to free herself from his grip to stand up.
"Uh uh, ain't no walkers out there, it's just ya and me… and I'm gonna make ya moan and scream and cuss 'cause there ain't no one ta hear" Daryl didn't let her move, just carried on molesting her breasts as he took off her shirt, his mouth latching on to her neck, sucking and biting.
Beth was shuffling out of the rest of her clothes and helping him out of his shirt until they were both naked and in a heap on the table, Beth straddling his hips again.
Beth ran her tongue around his chest, lapping around his nipples and trailing long wet kisses down the side of his throat, flicking her tongue around his ear, as she felt the vibrations from his throaty groans reverberating through her core. His cock was growing hard, pressing against her ass cheek and she knew he was ready to go again.
Just as that thought ran through her head, Daryl sat up, lifting her to the floor before jumping down behind her, pressing himself into her back as he groped and pulled her breasts, kissing behind her ear and licking along her neck and shoulder.
She was so wet already, she just needed him to fuck her, she didn't want foreplay, not now, she just needed him to be inside her.
Daryl gently pushed her forward over the table until her ass was in the air and his fingers were tangled up in her hair again. He spread her legs apart and slipped into her. It felt so good as he moved inside her. Slowly, then faster, sinking himself deeper, enough to make her feel queasy as he crashed hard into her cervix, hitting that place inside her that made her stomach somersault leaving behind a throbbing ache.
He had no intention of finishing anytime soon, he could've stayed inside her forever, slipping in and out as she became wetter and he became harder. The sounds she made were like a heavenly orgy, he'd never heard anything sweeter than her panting, moaning and mewling. Her breathlessness and desperate calling of his name. Calling for him to go faster and harder, screaming for him to fuck her. He couldn't help but join in as the feeling of his cock pushing into the deepest parts of her sent him spiralling, his mind and body screaming out for release.
"I need ta look at ya Beth... turn over" Daryl wanted to see her, her face was too beautiful to be pushed downwards into a table. He pulled out of her and rolled her over so she was now laid flat on her back on the table. Her sweaty and flushed face looking up at him as short sharp breaths escaped her swollen lips. He leant down and kissed her, slowly as his tongue barely met hers, then deeper as his tongue traced round the inside of her mouth.
Beth lifted her legs, curling them over his shoulders as she grabbed his ass, guiding him back into her warmth. Oh God it felt amazing, he felt so big, filling her even more from this angle than before. She was drinking in the complete nakedness of him. Her eyes following his every muscle as they bunched and flexed as he thrust into her, his tight abs, his strong arms and broad shoulders. If it was possible to orgasm from just looking at someone, she was sure she just would have. What he saw in her pale skinny body was a mystery, her boobs were kind of on the small size too. She wasn't complaining though. She was just going to accept that he did want her.
"Yer so fuckin' beautiful...God, I could look at ya forever" Beth mumbled something he couldn't understand before grunting as he thrust into her hard, moving her backwards on the table. His eyes were devouring her. His hands were roaming her body, twirling her nipples, squeezing her breasts, his fingers finding a rhythm as he rubbed her clit until she was climaxing, gripping his cock tight between her walls.
He pounded into her, through the convulsions of her orgasm, pulling out of her only just in time to stop his own climax from happening inside her. It took every bit of self-control he had to withdraw in time. He wanted nothing more than to let go inside her as she held him tightly. But he knew he mustn't. He shouldn't.
Just because no one had stopped them seeing each other it didn't mean he could knock her up first chance he got. Although that thought had been playing at the back of his mind every time he looked at her recently, every time he watched her with Ass Kicker. The image of Beth with his child. He pushed it to the back of his mind and locked it away. Then he decided, he needed to go on a run, a mercy mission to find as many rubbers as he could… he knew next time he wouldn't be able to stop from letting go inside her and he wasn't even sure he wanted to.
Beth lowered her legs and pulled Daryl down onto her shaky body. She wrapped her arms around him, running her fingertips along his spine, as she had done last night.
This time yesterday they were just two people that hardly spoke, living together through necessity. Now they were two people that knew intimate details about each other, two people that were now choosing to live with each other. They'd also spoken more in one day than probably the whole of the last two years put together. She smiled to herself at how the world had changed so much but there were still some things that would never change. The need to be part of something bigger, the need to be loved and wanted by another person. The need for a home and a family.
"Can I stay here with you tonight? I can keep you company... and I still wanna know what daddy said to you. He wouldn't tell me, said I didn't need to know" Beth was still tracing her fingers over Daryl's back as his forehead rested on her shoulder.
"If ya want… ain't very excitin' tho'… ya can go ta sleep if ya want. I'll keep watch… I think there's a sleepin' bag and pillow in 'ere somewhere" Daryl placed a sloppy kiss on her cheek before standing up and dressing. He thought he better make a bit of an effort, being butt naked wouldn't help if there was trouble or a sudden herd of walkers out there.
"So will you tell me then? What he said?" Beth was watching him dress, thinking it was almost as hot as watching him strip.
"Maybe, depends if ya ask me nicely" he looked at her with a wicked grin that fanned the flame that was burning inside her. The flame only Daryl Dixon had the power to ignite or extinguish.