A/N Some fluff and stuff because I needed it! Skinny love makes for the best slow burn.

It's amazing how different the world can be in just one day. Yesterday on the drive into Atlanta Beth had been hyper-focused on whether or not visiting Daryl was a good idea. She'd been a nervous wreck and so worried how he'd feel.

It had all turned out fine though. But she's been second guessing herself on this whole thing with Daryl since the beginning. And that probably won't change anytime soon.

Pulling into the parking lot the buildings that had seemed so intimidating a day ago are just buildings and somewhere inside of them, Daryl is waiting for her. She'd been surprised when he'd asked her if she'd give him a ride home. And last night her mind had gone back and forth between two extremes; he'd asked her because she was his only option or he'd asked her because he wants to spend time with her.

He could've asked Carol. He's a grown man and if he wants to leave the hospital and he's given the okay by his doctor he can. Carol would've come and picked him up. Beth knows that for a fact.

But he asked her.

xxxxXxxxx

Daryl's been up and ready to go since 7 am. He's gone from sitting on the edge of the bed to standing by the window staring aimlessly out at nothing. He's restless.

He wants to believe that asking Beth for a ride home was a good idea. And he's wondering what his actual motive is and if he even has one. Merle put that notion in his head and it stuck and as hard as he tries to let go of it, it's not leaving. Carol would've come. He knows this even though Merle pointed it out. More than once.

But he wanted Beth to come. Because he would very much like to see her again.

Now it's turned into something that didn't have to be a big deal because Merle is prying, sticking his nose into Daryl's business and Daryl supposes it warranted. But.

He'd told Merle first thing this morning that he was going home and Merle had pouted at first because he didn't want to stay any longer himself. Then he'd asked what time Carol was coming and if she was bringing the kids. Daryl felt guilty then because seeing the kids would make Merle happy. He'd confessed that it was Beth who was coming and that's when the conversation got complicated and before the brothers had even been able to finish it Beth walked in.

Seeing her again, how beautiful she really is and how young... She looks like she's brand new and he's something old and used like the clothes his mama used to buy for him from the second-hand store when he was a kid. He'd worn them because he had no choice. This girl, she has a choice. No way in hell is she gonna chose him. And then she smiles.

xxxxXxxxx

The tension in the room is palpable. Beth can feel it the moment she walks through the door. Daryl's standing between the two beds, his hands stuffed in his pockets, shoulders hunched over. She catches the look on Merle's face, the one he's giving Daryl. But before that, before she realizes there is definitely something going on, there's Daryl and she can't help but smile.

"Hey there Beth! How was the drive?" She turns her attention to Merle and his face has softened, that hard expression he wore is gone.

"Oh, it was fine." Merle isn't necessarily looking at her in any specific way but it feels like there's something in that look that has a lot to do with what happened before she walked in.

"Come all the way back here ta take my impatient brother home?" She glances at Daryl and can't discern anything from his expression. Besides the fact that he's looking at the floor, chin tucked to his chest.

"Um, yeah. He asked me too."

"Mmm hmmm." Merle looks between the two of them. And she realizes that Daryl looked like a child being reprimanded when she walked in. And now she kind of feels the same way.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nah, he's just pissed cause I'm leavin' early," Daryl says as he reaches for the duffle bag on his bed. Taking the bag in hand, he scoops up a few pieces of paper that are also lying on the bed. Then he just stands there, bag in hand and Beth feels uncomfortable and unsure of what to do next. Merle's watching Daryl and Daryl is purposely ignoring him.

"You'll be out of here soon Merle." Beth's voice sounds way too loud in her own ears. But it makes Merle laugh and when he holds out a hand to her she takes it.

"I know. Y'all better head out. Get Daryl here home. Y'all are going straight home ain't ya?" He raises his eyebrows and again Beth has the feeling there is more going on here between these two than just the fact that Daryl's going home first.

"Nah, thought we'd find ourselves a bar, get shit faced and raise some hell." The sarcasm is rolling off Daryl in waves. Merle laughs again and flips Daryl off.

"Fuck you baby brother. Jus' remember our little conversation." Daryl pauses but never looks over at Merle. He does, however, acknowledge the comment with a slight nod.

"Com'on Beth." He heads toward the door and Beth gives Merle a small smile before following Daryl. Once they're in the hallway she has to practically run to keep up with him. His long legs and wide stride cover more distance than she's capable of. It's obvious he's bothered and his mind is on other things. But when he turns a corner and disappears she takes a deep breath and rushes forward to catch up.

"Daryl-" she finally calls out to him, "can you slow down?" He stops and looks back at her, realization dawning on his face.

"Sorry," he says sheepishly, " guess I'm in a hurry to get outta here." Beth doesn't doubt it. Although she has an inkling it's a little more than that. He slows down and matches her stride and she appreciates that. Not only does it mean she can keep up, she's also able to look over at him. HIs profile, which to her in its ruggedness is kind of beautiful. She wants to cup his cheek in her hand, feel the scruff against her palm.

The elevator opens with a soft hiss and Daryl lays a hand on the door letting her step inside before him. They lean against the handrails and Beth scoots over just a bit closer until she's sure she can feel the warmth radiating off of him.

"Is everything okay?" she asks gently. He doesn't answer right away. Waits for a second.

"Yeah, 's fine." It's not really. She doesn't believe that, not for a second.

The elevator dings when they arrive at the lobby and the sun coming through the windows is brilliant and it seems to have the same effect on Daryl that she feels it has on her.

Everything is lighter.

"Merle wanted ta know why I asked you for a ride and not Carol." He offers this to her.

"Carol could've picked you up." She puts it out there because it's true. Carol would've come. They both know it's true.

"I wanted ta see you." It's what she wanted him to say, what she wanted to believe was the real reason he'd asked.

"Oh.." It makes her feel things, things that wrap around her and squeeze in just the right way. But. "What did you tell Merle?"

The question obviously makes him uneasy and he shrugs his shoulders. Pressing him for more doesn't even cross her mind. She knows if she waits he'll figure out how and what he's going to say.

And she's right.

"I tol' him it ain't none of his business." Daryl glances over at her. "Couldn't leave it alone though, wanted ta know when I got ta know you well enough to be askin' fer a ride."

"Well even if we weren't friends already, you're Merle's brother, I'd have said yes-"

"That why yer doing it?"

"Well no-"

"Then why?" She leads him to her car in the maze of hundreds of other cars in the parking lot. And with her hand on the handle of the door she looks at him, makes eye contact and ignoring how what she's about to say buzzes through her like the promise of things to come, she says,

"I wanted to see you too, Daryl."

xxxxXxxxx

Daryl can't recall a time when he honestly hoped the drive from one place to another would never end. Except when he's riding his bike. He could do that forever.

He's kind of figured out that Beth talks. A lot. And she talks even more when she's nervous. Which he kind of thinks she might be. For what reason he isn't sure. But she's been talking and laughing and making excuses for her little car which is better than his nonexistent one.

"Ain't nothing wrong with this car. At least ya got one," he says. She thinks about this for a minute.

"That's true. What's it like riding a motorcycle? I mean I've been on dirt bikes but never on a street bike. And you rode all the way from Nashville!" She's never been on a street bike and all he can think about is how he'd like to take her for a ride. Show her what it's like. That would be easier than telling her. And she'd have to hold onto him. That's a thing he thinks about for just a moment. He'll save it for later. Clearing his throat, he shifts in his seat.

" 'S different than a car, 's a little like flyin'." Cringing he wishes he could take the 'flying part back.

"Like a bird?" she giggles and then it becomes an inside joke, between the two of them and he likes that.

"Yep," he chuckles. "But I'd like ta find a truck. Somethin' that has room for a buncha kids." He'd like to take them out for a pizza or drop them off at school. Whatever it is that uncles do.

"Oh, they'd love riding around with you Daryl!" The things she says, she's always so nice to him. She makes him feel like he's more than what he ever thought he was. "I'll keep an eye out for you."

"Thanks, Beth." They're both quiet then and he wracks his brain for something to say. He just wants to keep her talking because he likes listening to her. "Ya hungry? Wanna stop and get somethin' ta eat?"

"I am kind of hungry, but you told Merle-"

"Merle ain't here. And I told him we were going ta the bar. If you was old enough that's where I'd take ya, I mean if ya wanted to…" Merle is exasperating even when he isn't with Daryl. He'd seemed bothered by the fact that Beth was picking up Daryl from the moment he'd found out. He wanted to know why and how Daryl knew Beth and he'd kept on until he finally asked the question Daryl knew he'd wanted to task all along.

"Ya like her or somethin'? Cause she's a good girl, a nice girl-"

"What suddenly yer her daddy? I like her fine."

"She ain't gonna be like them women ya jus-"

"Ain't like that! Fuck Merle! Sides those were yer women. I ain't looking fer- jus' ain't like that!"

"Calm down baby brother!"

"Fuck you! Wha' I ain't good enough ta be her friend?"

"Ah hell no. Yer more than good enough. It's jus' when things get complicated ya tend ta take off."

Daryl can't deny that. He does do that. Has done it more than once.

"An that girl's had more heartbreak than one small body should be able ta handle. She ain't gonna get none a that from me and mine."

Beth had walked in right in the middle of all that and nothing more was said. He didn't get to say he's not running away. Not anymore no matter what. Merle being a dick hadn't really been the reason for his mood. It had been the fact that once again he was hearing about Beth and the sadness she sometimes seems to carry. He doesn't want his instincts to be right about it. But hearing about her heartbreak from Merle makes it even more likely that she's got a lot more to her story than just a sister who might not be very nice. And that bothers him. So much so that he wishes she'd tell him everything and he could go and fix it all.

Wouldn't that be nice?

Maybe it's none of his business though and he should just let it be. The only problem is every time he looks at her he wants to pull her in close and fight off anyone or anything that tries to hurt her.

Merle can say what he wants, but Daryl isn't running away. He came back. He never expected Beth and their friendship. But he doesn't want to be anywhere but home and home is the people he cares about most in the world.

All that that entails has yet to be seen.

She's smiling at him now and there's a twinkle in her eye.

"I'm so close to 21, who's counting?" That's right she has a birthday coming up.

"When's the big day?" Do friends buy each other presents? Even when that friend happens to be a girl and he happens to like her and maybe he hopes that she likes him too? He's never bought a girl anything except for a drink. This is entirely new territory.

"Oh, it's on Tuesday but it's not exactly a big day. I don't…" She doesn't finish what she's saying, let's it hang there.

"Ain't having a party or somethin'?" She's gonna be 21. That's a big deal. At least in some families. He wants to believe it is in hers.

"No, I'm a little too old for that. And, well, no." She leaves it at that and he does too. Because he knows how it feels to have to explain things that shouldn't need to be explained.

He won't forget Tuesday though. Won't forget that this girl who has literally fallen out of the sky like some bright star that shines so bright she hurts his eyes but he can't look away- this girl deserves to be happy on her birthday.

xxxxXxxxx

They did stop to eat after all. It was one of those drive-ins, the kind that looks like they might fall over but have the absolute best burgers on the planet. And Daryl seemed extremely impressed that she ate as much as he did. Then he told her he thought one of the instructions on his post-surgery list was no greasy foods and all that food she ate just felt like a rock in her stomach.

He was kidding of course and she'd smacked him on the arm while he chuckled a little. She's noticed he really doesn't laugh. Not like other people do anyway. He's kind of reserved.

But what had surprised her was what he'd asked her.

"Why ya care so much?" She'd been a little confused and he must have sensed that because he went on to explain. "Bout me leaving the hospital, eatin' bad food- I don' know. Just wondered why ya care about all that?" His face turned a bright red that went all the way to the tips of his ears.

Why did she care? She just did.

"Is it okay? That I care about you? We're friends. Friends do that." Hadn't Daryl had anyone in his life that was concerned about him? She knew from Merle's stories that their dad had been horrible. But what about friends? Girlfriends? She really wanted to ask, about a girlfriend. But she also didn't want to imply anything. Even though he had asked her.

" 'S okay," he'd said quietly. Which was good. She'd save the girlfriend questions for another time.

Carol and the kids had been happy to see Daryl and like she figured Carol hadn't said anything about him leaving so soon after the surgery. She also hadn't commented on the fact that Beth brought him home. That wasn't a mystery to Beth though. They'd had that conversation and Carol knew how Beth felt. A little anyway. Not all of it. Even Beth didn't really know how she felt about all of it.

Carol told them Merle had called. He'd ratted Daryl out because he wanted to come home too. He'd also pressed for details about Beth and Daryl. Daryl had huffed out a breath at that and shook his head.

"Ain't no details." Which of course got her wondering what that meant.

After the excitement of Daryl's homecoming wore off and he'd put away his things, they'd sat down in the living room and Daryl told the kids all about his surgery in excruciating detail, which the boys loved.

"Did ya get a shot?" Beau asks.

"Five!" Daryl exaggerates.

"I bet ya ain't got stitches like me!" DJ chimed in and Beth notices how Daryl's taken aback by the little boy's comment, but only for a second.

"Nope. I ain't that brave!" He says making DJ smile.

Sophia, on the other hand, thinks it was gross and makes Daryl promise to keep his belly covered until it heals. He pretends like he's going to lift up his shirt and she's screams.

"Uncle Daryl!"

Through all of this Beth was happy to sit next to him on the couch. Because every once in awhile he'll look over at her and smile a small crooked smile that makes her wish she didn't ever have to leave.

But eventually, she does because it's time.

"Daryl you look worn out. Go lay down. I'll get dinner going and-" Carol starts.

"I'm good," he says and Beth kind of figures he's staying for her because she's still here.

"You should rest. I'm gonna go home and just- I'm gonna go home." Beth says gently. That seems to make up his mind too.

"I might rest or somethin'. Where'd the kids go?" Daryl's looking around and Beth realizes she hadn't seen them leave either.

"I sent them outside for awhile." Carol smiles at them both as she gathers up some cups from the coffee table. She heads into the kitchen and Beth feels it. A difference. This happens a lot with Daryl. Things seem to shift. From one thing to something else completely.

"Um, maybe I'll…" Standing she is about to turn and go when he speaks.

"Can I have yer number?" Blinking at him and biting her lip because he just keeps on surprising her. "I mean if ya don' want-"

"I want you to have my number." It comes out in one breath and she giggles embarrassed by her own enthusiasm. But he doesn't seem at all fazed as he holds out his phone to her.

"Oh."

"You could, ya know, put it-"

"Yeah, right. I'm an idiot." Swiping the screen she opens the keyboard and taps in her number. Then she hands it back to him.

"Thanks, fer coming ta get me." His voice is gravelly. Like he just woke up or…

"Oh! Um, you're welcome but it wasn't a big deal, Daryl." Then just like the night he walked her home before his surgery she slides her arms around his waist and hugs him. She's gentle because she doesn't want to hurt him and she can feel the bandages underneath his t-shirt as they rub against the material. He settles his arms on her waist and hugs her back.

He doesn't just lean into her. He hugs her.

Her head is on his chest and she can hear his heart beating and letting go is so much harder than it should be. She tilts her head and looks up at him, his blue eyes looking back at her. And before she moves away completely she wonders what it would be like to kiss him.

"Go rest Daryl. I'll see you soon."

She thinks she said something to Carol as she left and she may have waved to the kids as she climbed into her car. Maybe.

But she knows he was standing at the door watching her leave when she backed out. She knows that for sure.

A/N This one was short. But wasn't it sweet? Thank you for reading… I appreciate it!