Thank you for the reviews this is the last one tonight as I am tired now, more tomorrow xx
"Daryl, Brother your 36 years old, what ya trying to prove with this young chick?" Daryl sat still looking at his bike.
"Your judging me?" he asked quietly.
"I ain't juding ya, but mate you ain' gone with no one that I know of well since you were that Greene girls bitch" he stated, Daryl stood up turning on his older brother.
"Merle, something ya should know, I ain't never been no one's bitch, and Beth is Maggie's younger sister." He watched Merle's face light up.
"What can dog the one your own age so thought you'd break in the younger one, good shout little bro good shout. How did that Maggie take it?" Daryl shrugged nonchalantly. "Ahh as well as to be expected then?" he laughed and carried on "Hey there's a party on tonight perhaps you should bring her" Daryl shook his head at him.
"I don' think she's ready for one of your parties Merle." he said.
"You afraid my charm would take her away from her?" at this Daryl chuckled.
"Na I ain' afraid of that, just afraid she would realise what a complete Jackass ya are." Merle glared at him for a minute.
"So what do the love birds have planned for tonight, going to dine her and wine her then slip one in her?"
"Fuck you Merle." Daryl's mobile went off and he flipped it open.
Come round in half an hour got ya a surprise to say sorry for all the shit I am causing you with my not so discrete lies. Beth xx
Daryl read it deleted it and text her back.
See ya there, thought you was at work?
Not tonight, got off lightly swapped for Sunday night, called in a favour, ya best bring some beer with ya, ya may need it.
Daryl frowned at that statement, but nodded, climbing on his bike.
"Ahhh lover girl beckons and Darleena goes a running to her does he?" Daryl stuck his finger up and left without commenting, tosser, what could she have? The fact she thought he would need a drink concerned him more, Daryl pulled up outside the liquor store he cocked the stand down on his bike and took his phone from his pocket he dialled Beth's number.
"Hey Daryl. Something up?" she asked.
"Na just wondering what ya wanted ta drink was all, I don't suppose your a larger lout or a JD girl so whats ya poison?"
"Oh I am a lover of white wine please, but never tried JD before, Jimmy always drank it but then turned into a bit of a dick."
"Well I will bring ya some wine, what ya want to eat? Can pick something up on my way." he heard he pause.
"No don't bother I will cook." she said, Daryl smirked he couldn't remember the last time he had had a home cooked meal. "Anything you don't like?" she asked
"Yeah not a lover of peanut butter lived on it as a kid." he said
"Think I can manage to not make ya pb and j sandwiches" she chuckled "see ya in a minute, oh Daryl?"
"Yeah?"
"You didn't have any plans its only just occurred to me you could have had a date or something" she sounded worried.
"Ummm I have, with ya, remember can't really be seen out with another woman while we are fake dating, hey how long is it going to take for this Jimmy kid to get bored?" he asked.
"That's the problem he's been doing this since I was 14" she sighed "one of the reasons I want out of this town."
"I can make ya laugh till ya can escape. See ya in a lil bit" he hung up and walked into the shop looking around for the wine, he had never brought a bottle of wine in his life.
"Daryl?" he turned on heel.
"Hey Carol, hey ya don't know nothin about wine do ya?" he asked her, she looked at him with an eyebrow raised.
"Rumours are true then? Tyreese said you got yourself a new friend." he flicked his hair out of his face.
"Something like that, so anyway the wine?" he asked her again.
"Tyreese brings me this home regularly, and it's nice, but I ain' no connoisseur." she smiled "Daryl if everything works out maybe you could bring her round for a staff BBQ, later in the year."
"Maybe, ain' one to commit to nothing though Carol ya know that." he shrugged and taking two bottles and a couple of six packs made his way to the counter, then smiling he asked for a bottle of JD she wanted fun, fun she will get.
He climbed back on his bike and made his way to Beth's, he parked his bike in the underground parking like she had told him, he thought it was all a bit posh but he also understood if his daughter had moved out he would have damned well made sure she was safe too, Beth's biggest worry was that someone would steal his bike, in this shit ant town no one touched something belonging to a Dixon, but he humoured her.
He swung the door to her apartment open and walked in rolling his eyes at her "Beth what the fuck I tell ya about keeping that locked ya supposed …..." he stopped in the door way staring "What the hell Beth?" he asked looking at her in disbelief, sitting there staring at him was Rick Grimes local police officer.
"Daryl, he's a family friend, and he owes me a huge favour, so I asked him to pull some strings, you need to thank him, he has discreetly copied your mothers entire file for you, he was late dropping it off." Daryl couldn't stop glaring "Daryl!" she snapped, his eyes went up to met her.
"Don't change the fact he knows now" he watched Beth roll her eyes at him.
"Don't be so damned childish, your a grown man try acting like one once in while or does Merle really hold that much over your fucking head, yes he has arrested your brother but from what I have found out so has half of fucking America." she shouted her patience wearing thin. Daryl sighed sticking his lip out he snarled a thank you.
"Your welcome, just so you know if anyone finds out about this little exchange I loose my job, and Beth she never gets to pass the Bar, her licence will be automatically revoked and she could face bail time, as far as anyone is concerned she has it for college work. You know where I am Beth, Dixon make sure you don't fuck this woman over"
Daryl nodded at him as he left then followed him out locking the door behind him, he lent against the door, balls he had never meant for her to get in this deep, he would for ever be grateful but how the fuck was he to repay this shit?
"Daryl before you start I just wanna say..." she was cut dead as he pulled her into his chest and kissed the top of her head.
"Thank you" he held her till he was sure she wouldn't try and say anything stupid. "I am an over reacting dick, ignore me, I am grateful to ya Beth, ya didn't need to get in this deep, I don't want ta get ya into no trouble."
"Shell we eat Mr Dixon? I have cooked us up a slap up meal then I will get out the papers, laptop, printer and research club begins" she smiled up at him.
"So point me towards the bottle opener" he smiled Beth took him into her kitchen, showing him the cupboard with the glasses and pulled the bottle opener out of the draw, handing it to him. He watched her as he prepared her wine, she started humming to herself whilst she cut up things throwing them into a salad bowl.
"What we having exactly?" he asked her as he leapt up to sit on the side furthest from her, she frowned and shook her head at his ill manners but smiled.
"We are having steak, with baked potatoes, salad, mushrooms, beef tomatoes and well all good things, take it you like your rare?" she said over her should.
"Sounds damned good to me." he jumped off the side heading back into the living room, guessing he had time to stand out on her balcony to have a smoke before she shouted him in, he had to keep pinching himself to make sure this was all real, she didn't seem to care he was a redneck without manners but he hadn't been a total idiot around her since Saturday there was still time for him to loose his new friend.
"Daryl, its ready." she called he threw his butt over the edge of the balcony when he walked into the living he found a table he hadn't noticed before with knives, forks bowls of food.
"Jesus Beth what is this Christmas?" she tutted and pointed to the chair opposite her, he pulled it out and sat down opposite her, then watch as she dropped her head to give thanks he sat there mesmerised, he had never eaten a meal like this in his life and it made him uncomfortable suddenly reminding him of their huge differences.
"Dig in" she stated and he looked at the table there was even home made biscuits.
"Hey ya wanna get married?" he asked, Beth spluttered over a mouthful of her baked potato
"Beg ya pardon?" she asked him.
"My Ma always told me if I found a woman who could cook to marry her, so ya wanna get married?" he laughed at himself, shit like this didn't happen to him, someone was gunna come running out in a minute and shout got ya like in that movie Carrie, when she has gets the pigs blood poured on her, he couldn't help but look up just in case.
"No Daryl, marriage is not on my agenda for at least another twenty years" she smirked "By then you'll be to old to care" she laughed at her own joke.
"Oi little girlie, don't be doing the age thing or I will remind you are only just old enough to be drinking that white wine your knocking back like its 7up." he smirked at her scowl.
"Don't you start calling me a little girl, there is still time to reconsider our friendship Dixon." she threw a tomato at him across the table, a caught it and popped it into his mouth, he really hoped she wouldn't rethink their friendship, he had never really had a friend before and she was like a breath of fresh air, the rest of the meal went on with enough friendly banter to make him almost forget what she had arranged, when the table was cleared and the dish washer stacked which she had insisted on, in his house they would have just chucked the empty cartons in the bin after use.
Beth put the folder down on the table then mumbled about getting the laptop from her bedroom, he knew she was giving him time and he appreciated it, but he kind of wished she had stayed, he flipped open the folder, opening another can, thanking her common sense in knowing he would need something and started to read.
Beth sat on her bed giving Daryl some time to read through the contents of the folder clutching her laptop to her breast tightly, she just hoped there would be some answers in there even if they were ones he didn't want, they would be answers and she would help him what ever the out come.
He had protected her enough, over the last couple of days now was her turn, when she walked into the living room he was still sitting where she had left him, the folder open, in his hands he held what she guessed was a photograph.
"She's prettier than I remember" he stated Beth went over and put the laptop down then walked up behind him, she placed he chin on his head putting her hands on his shoulders, she felt him tense but kept her place solid.
"We will find the answers Daryl." he looked up at her his eyes red and full of trust.
"Don't rely on no one for nothing Beth" he whispered.
"That was the past Daryl" she said as they both stared at the photograph together.